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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER.

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Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, under Act ol August 24th, 1912

Vol. X

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AUGUST, 1939

No. I

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Men! whose boast it is that ye

Come of fathers brave and free,
If there breathe on earth a slave,
Are ye truly free and brave?
If ye do not feel the chain
When it works a brother's pain,
Are ye not base slaves indeed,
Slaves unworthy to be freed!

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Is true Freedom but to break

Fetters for our own dear sake,
And, with leathern hearts, forget
That we owe mankind a debt?
No! True Freedom is to share
All the chains our brothers wear,
And, with heart and hand, to be
Earnest to make others free!

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They are slaves who fear to speak

For the fallen and the weak;
They are slaves who will not choose
Hatred, scoffing and abuse,
Rather than in silence shrink
From the truth they needs must think:
They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three.
James Russell Lowell.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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" V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V V '

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 2

Greetings!
V
D ear F r a t r es a n d S orores :

I regret very much that at the time the last

issue of The Rosicrucian Forum was being prepared to go to press I was so incapacitated by my
physical illness that I was not able to prepare
the greetings that accompany each issue. Much of
the matter in that issue was originally prepared
by me, and, in fact, all of the issues of The Rosi'
crucian Forum have been prepared by me with
but the occasional assistance of some of our as'
sociates here, because The Rosicrucian Forum is
distinctly my personal magazine, and the Forum
sessions are distinctly my own personal, private
method of giving private instruction to all of
those who are members of the Forum family.
The last issue, however, was supervised in its
final completion by our good frater, Thor Kiimal'
ehto, the Grand Master of our Grand Lodge, and
he very kindly issued the greetings, and I want
to thank him for his solicitude about my health
as expressed in those greetings. I also want to
thank all of our many members who wrote me
very kind letters stating that they were sending
me their very best thoughts in that regard. Some
members seemed to feel that Frater Kiimalehto
had taken over the Forum and become my sue'
cessor in conducting the Forum and preparing
the Forum magazine, for the present and the
future. But this is not so, because I do not want
to relinquish, and have not planned to relinquish,
any part of the Forum sessions or discussions
until I am absolutely forced to do so.
Some months ago in our Forum discussions here
I referred to the fact that many of us through'
out the Order in our desire to render the utmost
service to others, and carry on the work and
spirit of the organisation, were being tempted to
burn the candle at both ends even though we
knew better. I stated that this was true of many
of the officers here at headquarters, including myself, and that sometime we would each have to
pay the penalty of this overworking, and I might
say, overindulging in that form of work which
gives us the utmost pleasure, as well as renders
the utmost service to others. I am now in that
predicament, and have been for some few months,
but it is not preventing me from carrying on the
administrative activities of the organisation, and
looking after the higher teachings and instruct
tions in the highest principles of our work.
I am happy that at the present time I am able
to greet you again in the same spirit of fraternal'
ism as in the past, and I look forward to greeting
many of our members personally this month at
the Convention.

V
To those few members of the lower degrees
who have written and stated that they were sur^
prised that the Imperator of the Order, or any
of its high officers who knew its teachings so well,
and knew the laws of nature so well, should be'
come physically incapacitated, I want to say
again, as we have said so often in our monographs
and literature, that having a knowledge of cer'
tain laws or all of nature's laws in nowise makes
a person immune to their effectiveness. No matter
who violates the laws of nature, he must pay
some penalty for such violation. Many of us here
at the Grand Lodge know that in the amount
of work attempted and accomplished each day,
and in the intensity of the efforts expended, we
are violating many of natures laws, and while
we do not hourly look forward to some form of
penalty, we know that the penalty is inevitable,
and yet the call for service and aid on the part
of our thousands of members, and the enthusiasm
with which we enter into our duties each day,
make us unconscious, so to speak, of the strain
we are placing upon ourselves.
In my case it is not so much a strain due to
age, or any other cause except the terrific strain
I have placed upon my heart due to a great
amount of real physical as well as mental labor,
and it will take some little time for my system
to be readjusted. During the past six months or
less I have lost over sixty pounds in weight and
am continuing to lose, thus lightening some of
the burden upon my heart and nervous system.
But as far as my mental activities are concerned,
and my enthusiasm to carry on the work which I
voluntarily assumed just thirty years ago this
month, I am determined to see that my fondest
dreams and most altruistic promises and ambi'
tions are carried out.
Again thanking all of our Forum members and
others who have written me kind letters during
the last few months and expressed so many kind
thoughts for the betterment of my health, I am
with very best wishes for all of you,
Fraternally,
H . S p e n c e r L e w is ,

Imperator.

Temperance
Another member has recently written to us,
asking what the attitude of the Rosicrucian Order
is in regard to smoking. This subject has been
discussed in these Forum sessions at various times,
and I do not think it necessary to go into detail
on that particular subject again. However, it

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

brings to my attention the subject of temperance.

Rosicrucian history indicates clearly that the
outstanding members of the organisation have
always taught and lived for themselves, and as
examples to others, the principles of temperance
and moderation in all things. The Rosicrucians
of today and in the past could never have been
branded as fanatics, in that they had any peculiar
attitudes toward any sane and sensible thing
which might be practiced by any individual.
However, the same individuals have always emphasised the unreasonableness of going to excess
in anything that might be of harm to themselves,
or to others about them.
There is no doubt that all of us have some
habits which are not conducive to health and
general well-being, but on the other hand the
question is not a matter of complete abstinence
from all things which we might enjoy and from
which we might derive pleasure, but a sensible
attitude toward the thing in question.
The excessive use of any drug or stimulant is
not only the beginning of serious physical diffi
culties and disturbances in the human body, but
is definitely an indication of weakness upon the
part of the individual who uses these things to
an excess. Research in modern psychology has
been quite emphatic in emphasising that the drug
addict, or the chronic drunkard, is not always
addicted to these habits by the drug or by al'
cohol, but because of his peculiar mental makeupthat is, the individual who becomes an addict
is of such a nature that he cannot resist the drug
while other individuals may be able to use these
things in moderation and for therapeutic purposes,
without harmful effect. The Rosicrucians have
not advocated the free use of drugs for any pur'
pose, although we do not deny their need as a
therapeutic agent in some cases, but this is always
a matter to be decided by a competent physician,
and not by the individual.
All of these comments indicate the existence
of the law of polarity, as it affects our lives every
day. A drug, for example, can be a blessing to an
individual who in the case of a serious burn, or
as a result of some other accident, is in such
pain that the mental agony is more harmful in
retarding the constructive processes of the body,
than would be the introducing of a drug to help
the individual lose the sense impressions which
bring to his mind the pain; but the same drug
can be a curse in the hands of an individual who
is using it merely for the effect upon his physical
senses that is derived from it use.
Therefore, in all things this organisation wishes
its members to use as their guide temperance and
moderation. W hether it is right or wrong to
smoke, for example, is a question which the indi'
vidual must decide. The fact that it is wrong
to use tobacco to excess is certainly not to be

Page 3

questioned merely from the physical effect on the

body alone. Therefore, the important question
that faces each of us, as individuals, in connec'
tion with any habit is not the question of total
abstinence, but the question of what constitutes
temperance and what constitutes excess for us as
individuals. This is a question that the individual
must decide for himself.

Vibrations
Another Soror has asked a rather indefinite
question about vibrations. W hy do we place so
much emphasis upon this subject?''
Fundamentally, the reason for the study of vi'
brations is due to the fact that, probably more
than anything else, we are faced by the existence
of vibrations at all times. Everything that is per'
ceived by us is due to vibrations. O ur physical
organs, by which we become aware of things
about us, would not function if it were not for
vibrations, because literally, we sense nothing in'
sofar as the thing itself is concerned. W e become
aware of it only because of the vibrations that
enter our physical body.
Take, for example, the sense of sight. W e see
only because of the vibrations of light that are
carried to us from the object which we view.
The eye is an organ sensitive to these vibrations,
and is not only sensitive to the vibrations reach
ing the retina of the eye, but it is capable of the
transforming of these vibrations, so that we are
able to preserve in our minds the objects from
which the light vibrations have travelled. The
same is true of the other senses.
The vibrations of sound are not audible. The
vibrations reach our ears, and in them we are
made to appreciate the existence of sound and
tone.
Since everything of which we are conscious in
the physical world comes to us by vibrations, we
realise then that it is quite an important subject.
In the higher degrees you will be taught that the
source of all things is quite definitely described
in the definition of nous. From this come all
manifestations, vibrations both of a positive and
negative nature. Insofar as our physical senses
are concerned, the negative vibrations are those
which bring to us the ability to perceive physical
and material things. To these vibrations we give
the term spirit, and in a sense we are perceiv'
ing spirit all the time with our physical senses,
but in various forms.
It would be impossible to present in a short
outline the importance of the study of vibrations,
but the fact that the Rosicrucian student should
bear in mind from time to time is that everything
with which he is dealing in all his studies, and
desires to develop, is vibratory. N ot only are
vibrations an important matter insofar as physical

Page 4

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

perception is concerned, but also in the developing of the qualities in psychic perception. The
vibrations which make up soul and God are those
of a higher nature, and, therefore, we might say
that our progress and our development through
our studies is a matter of gradually being able
to become aware of higher and more subtle grades
of vibration. To the student in the lower degrees
it must be borne in mind that this subject is of
so much importance, and so great in its scope,
that it can only be touched upon in connection
with other principles, and gradually, as the stu
dent advances through the degrees, every time
the subject is again mentioned, his understanding
will increase and grow.

Rosicrucian Doctrines
A letter from a Soror was recently brought to
my attention, in which she asked a question, Do
the Rosicrucians have any fundamental doc
trines? This Soror probably is thinking in terms
of doctrines, concepts, and creeds that have been
established by various religious groups, and also
by Orders of various natures, by which, in a state
ment called a creed, or a set of doctrines, the
purposes and fundamental beliefs of the organiza
tions activities are set forth.
The Rosicrucians have attempted not to con
fine themselves to specific doctrines and creeds,
other than to set forth a few basic principles. A
more elaborate statement of doctrine might lead
an individual to believe that these facts and these
elements constituted the complete Rosicrucian
knowledge.
The nearest thing to a definite statement of
doctrines is the Rosicrucian Creed, which was
adopted by the convention in this jurisdiction in
1930. The Rosicrucian Creed sets forth seven
specific points which were decided upon by offi
cers and members of the organisation, as consti
tuting the outstanding concepts of the organisa
tions purpose, and the individual members pur
pose in affiliating and working with the organi
sation. However, it is not to be considered on the
part of the member that these are binding doc
trines in the sense that they must be subscribed
to without reservation, and served to the exclu
sion of all other concepts and philosophic prin
ciples, as the fundamental governing power of
the individual members existence.
As soon as any doctrine or creed reaches a
point of domination in the life of any individual,
or group of individuals, to where it binds that
individual and leaves him no margin for construc
tive thought and advancement, it no longer
serves a purpose as a guide to the individual.
Frequently organisations and groups have de
stroyed themselves, because of being bound to
such narrow limitations that they could not pro

gress. Therefore, the Rosicrucians have never

forced upon themselves a binding creed or doc
trine.
The principles set forth in the Rosicrucian
Creed, in the Neophyte Oath, and in the other
obligations assumed voluntarily by the member,
are principles which are presented to the member
together with experiments and exercises, which
make it possible for the member to verify the
importance of these principles in his own life.
Therefore, in answer to the Sorors question,
the Rosicrucian doctrines are the general prin
ciples set down in the parts of the work of the
organisation to which I have referred. However,
it must be borne in mind that the word doctrine,
in the usual accepted sense, is somewhat misused,
and if we refer to these principles as doctrines, we
must do it with a complete understanding of how
we define the word doctrinethat is, our doc
trines are guides, not principles to enslave us.

Intelligent Care of O ur Eyes

A Frater recently wrote a letter stating that in
practicing one of the experiments contained in the
early degrees, in which the member is directed
to look at a certain object in a certain experiment
in concentration, he believed that as a result of
the experiment he weakened his eyes. In fact,
his eyes became tired, they watered in excess, and
after a few attempts to perform the experiment
they appeared red and irritated.
Now, the important matter to consider here in
answering the Fraters request for information
concerning the effect of the experiments on the
eyes is not the experiment itself, but the reason
able care of the eyes. Our eyes are marvelous or
gans, probably the most sensitive and the most
used of our five physical sense organs. W e are
often advised to take care of our eyes, because
we have only one pair, and science has not yet
learned how to replace them in all cases of the
loss of their usefulness.
A demand is placed on our eyes in our modem
living which is in excess of their original purpose.
The muscles which make it possible for us to move
our arms about in various positions would be
come cramped and probably cause us pain and in
convenience if we forced our arms to be in a
cramped position without moving them for hours
at a time; so it is when we force the muscles of
our eyes to focus on material which is within
ordinary reading distance from our eyes for hours
at a time. The use of the muscles of our eyes is
no different from the use of the muscles else
where in the body, and just as the limbs of our
body were not made to be confined to one posi
tion at all times, neither were our eyes made to be
focused at one point continuously. Not only do
we force our eyes to look at material close at

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

hand for long periods of time, but we frequently

do this under unfavorable conditions.
A great deal of study has been done recently
in illumination and the providing of proper light'
ing for those doing close work. It is quite prob'
able that continued research in this field will tend
to provide a knowledge of illumination on our
part that will make it possible, to some extent, to
counteract the bad effects of so much close work.
Another factor which is exacting for our eyes
is the long moving pictures showing at various
theaters. Just as it is not healthy for us to focus
our eyes at a distance of eighteen inches over a
long period of time, neither is it healthy for us
to enter a theater and sit through three hours or
more of full length features and short subjects
with our eyes focused at one distancewhich is
the distance between our particular position and
the motion picture screen. In other words, the
human eye was never made to be used to be
focused at one point continuously. Notice the
movement of an individuals eye, even while at
rest, whether open or closed. The eye is almost
constantly moving when a person is in a waking
state, showing constant change and adjustment
of the muscles of the eye. Therefore, the best
way to rest the eyes when in a waking state is
by changing these muscle conditions. One who is
doing close work at a desk all day should develop
the habit of every few minutes glancing at the
furthest point possible from the place where he
or she worksthat is, if in a large room, to the
opposite corner. If he is where he can look out
a window, look at a distant landscape. Focusing
the eyes to a different point keeps the muscles
more in a natural state of ability to adjust them'
selves and relieve the strain of constant fixed
focus.
Many individuals who have discomfort before
the end of a moving picture will also find that
this discomfort is lessened if they will glance
about the theater frequently, or look at the per'
son in front of them for a moment. In this man'
ner they are changing the muscular tension and
reaction of the eye.
Now, while I have deviated from the original
subject of the relation of our eyes to experiments,
these comments apply also to the experiments in
our lessons. Remember first that no unnatural
or abnormal use of the eyes is demanded in any
one of our experiments. W hen you are told to
look at a candle flame, or at a certain point, as
a part of an experiment, the purpose is exactly
as directedthat is, to look at that pointbut
not to forcibly gase at it. In other words, you
should continue to look, just as if you were look'
ing at any other object.
Your eyes should close and open naturally, and
if you feel any discomfort, follow the suggestions
previously giventhat is, change the focus of

Page 5

your eyes, look at a different point for a few

moments, or close your eyes for a few moments
rest. Remember that the purpose of most of these
experiments is to assist you in concentration
that is, to develop the ability to concentrate.
Therefore, it is a matter of merely assisting you
in controlling the actions of your physical senses
by looking at some object to occupy your atten'
tion. If you give your whole thought to staring
at the object, you are then defeating the purpose
of the experiment itself, because the more tense
you are, the less apt you are to reach a state of
perfect concentration. Therefore, the same rules
that apply to the intelligent use of the eyes in
any part of our lives also apply to the use of the
eyes in connection with the experiments con'
tained in the Rosicrucian teachings.

Taking M ental Inventory

Recently a member asked a question, Is it not
true that some of us may not have reached a
point of development to which we aspire simply
because we are not as careful and consistent in
the consideration of our immaterial abilities and
possessions, as we are with our material and
physical possessions?
No business man would consider running his
business, whatever it may be, without proper
forms and procedures. One of these constitutes
taking an inventory periodically, in order to
check up and be familiar with what he has and
what he has not. Possibly it might be well for us
to take a mental inventory occasionally and to
determine just what we have available to use.
The inventory which we should take as indi'
viduals, distinct and apart from whatever our
business or daily activities may be, should be a
reflection of all that we have and a careful study
of what use we can make of all we possess. This
of course should include our material physical
possessions, as it is not intended, by the preceding
remarks or those that will follow, that anyone
with good forethought should disregard the ma'
terial phase of taking inventory.
It is only by this analysis of what is available
to us for our physical existence that we can make
the best use of what we have. Many individuals
who come to difficulty financially and economical'
ly, and in fact, many of those who solicit help
from our Department of Solace, sometimes would
find, upon careful analysis, that the fault of their
present conditions is due to careless, or we might
say thoughtless, handling of their affairs. The
individual who carefully plans and takes into
consideration what he has, and approximately
what he will receive, and makes out a program
for his life on this basisfor a certain period of
time in the futureis more apt to attain success

Page 6

than he who simply lives from one day to the

next without even a superficial plan.
The other side of the picture will probably be
of most interest to us here. That is, an inventory
of the immaterial things of our existence. I
hardly need repeat here that one of the fundamental conceptions of Rosicrucianism is balance,
harmony, and the proper working together of the
objective or material, and subjective or immaterial
forces of our being.
W hile it is difficult even to make an accurate
inventory of our physical well being, it is still
more difficult to attempt an inventory of that
which is not material or tangible, because we have
to work in abstract terms as far as comparison
is made with our routine daily existence.
Someone has said, If I had but two loaves of
bread I would sell one and buy Hyacinths to feed
my soul. This quotation is, of course, extremely
idealistic but it brings to us a thought that if we
also would divide our attention more equally between the feeding of our souls and the feeding of
our bodies, our lives as a whole would be more
balanced.
Let us, in making an inventory of the imma'
terial, divide our stockas we may call itarbitrarily into three divisions. W ith this in mind
let us first take inventory of our knowledge.
Knowledge, we might say, is the most important
stock of the mind. Just as groceries would be the
most important stock of a grocery store, so knowl
edge is the most important stock of the mind in
that it furnishes the working basis, or a part of
our immaterial stock upon which all else depends.
Knowledge, considered in this sense, is also
very closely related to facts. Facts give us a basis
around which we build our knowledge. Knowl
edge is, of course, a very broad subject and must
be broken down to fit the individual needs. The
engineer, for example, really does not need an
extensive knowledge of barbering, neither does
the barber need an extensive knowledge of mathematics. On the other hand, knowledge is also, in
many cases, too definitely defined. The engineer,
the barber, the plumber, or follower of any one
specific trade is sometimes not securing knowledge
sufficiently broad enough to keep him from becoming very narrow in his outlook upon life.
Possibly an important phase of our work in this
organisation is the fact that, through our teach'
ings in the form of monographs which reach us
each week, we are furnished certain knowledge
knowledge which can be easily assimilated, knowl
edge which will serve a purpose regardless of
occupation or profession and will help round out
and increase our mental stock. Such a knowledge
also directs us toward the acquiring of even fur
ther knowledge in that it opens for us new chan
nels of investigation, new ideas which attract us
toward analysation.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Many of the greatest educators of the world

have advocated the occasional examination of
knowledge in other fields than our own, not with
the idea of becoming a master of these fields, but
to make available to us a broader, more liberal,
comprehension of general knowledge. Few of
us appreciate that, in this modern world today,
we are very fortunate in having so easily acces
sible so many fields of knowledge. Many maga
zines appear on the newsstands of this country
each month carrying digests of various subjects.
W e accept as a matter of course our public
libraries in this country, and yet the material
available to us is an unheard of thing in many
countries/ It indicates, therefore, that if we are
not enlarging our storehouse of knowledge, the
fault lies within ourselves. A little effort, spurred
by desire, will make available to us the additional
knowledge we may wish to acquire.
The second point of inventory which follows
knowledge is that of comprehension. In other
words, of the knowledge we possess, how much
do we understand. A parrot can be taught to re
cite facts but that is as far as it goes. There is
no understanding of these facts at all, no com
prehension of what is meant by them.
Referring to our teachings it is important, in
fact, very important, to remember that an accu
mulation of knowledge in the monographs does
not bring comprehension. The average individual
does not gain comprehension merely by reading or
by hearing or by any one of the other senses.
Comprehension, on the other hand, usually re
sults from the more complete perception of a
thing through the medium of all the senses; that
is, the five physical senses, and the sense pos
sessed by the mind itself, to be able to under
stand and assemble knowledge in systematic order.
A process by which knowledge becomes compre
hensible is called study, and the average individual
who is exposed to a lot of knowledge and still
does not completely comprehend what he has
studied does not appreciate just the difference
between reading and studying. The subject of
studying is followed closely by the third point of
this discussion so it is necessary to move on to
it immediately in this list of immaterial items of
our inventory.
This is the item of application. Knowledge is
our main stock. Comprehension and understand
ing make it possible for us to break down this
stock into usable sections or divisions. Applica
tion, the third step, is to put into effect all which
these other steps indicate, and this is the point
which many times is even less analysed than the
two preceding ones. Many theories are taught,
many theories make up our basis of knowledge,
but our comprehension of them is frequently in
sufficient to bring about their application.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

A boy who in the school room can work ap

parently complicated problems dealing with right
triangles and the well known mathematical formula that the square on the hypotenuse is equal
to the sum of the square of the other two sides,
will often fail to appreciate the usefulness of
this mathematical formula when laying out a baseball diamond. In other words, the knowledge and
comprehension have been given him to work
problems placed before him, but he is unable to
apply the knowledge when it comes to an actual
experience in life.
Specifically dealing with our studies again, application is the most important phase after understanding and a certain amount of comprehension
are gained. Unless we apply the laws which we
are taught we cannot expect them to do anything
for us. In other words, they are here, they exist.
These laws and principles are presented to us
for our study and once we begin to apply them
or even attempt to apply them, whether effectively or ineffectively, we are gaining in our attempt
to use a more powerful force in our lives.
Let us carefully review in our minds the knowl
edge which we have gained through our studies
in the past year. Let us also carefully review to
see what part of that knowledge we understand
and upon what we need more explanation, then
let us give our attention, as far as our inventory is
concerned, to the subject of application. How
many opportunities have you had today, yester
day, or last week, to apply some of the principles,
or at least to attempt to apply them, where you
did not? You may feel that you are attempting to
apply these principles but honest analysation will
reveal to you that there have been many oppor
tunities where you have not availed yourself of
their use.
Recently a case came to my attention of a
member who had advanced into the higher de
grees; evidently he understood our teachings, at
least this was indicated from examinations and
other methods of checking the progress of the
student. However, in this letter he frankly ad
mitted that he had failed to be able to apply the
principles and in fact thought he had been a
member of the organisation long enough, that it
was time that the organisation did something for
him, instead of him doing all< for the organisation.
Such a case is an extreme one of course, but it
illustrates how complete can be the lack of ap
plication. How, you might ask, can we better
our application, and of what use will this inven
tory be in the future? In the first place, it will
serve us in bringing to our attention, forcibly,
that which we have and that which we lack. If
application is one of the things which we lack
then it will be wise for us to review in our minds
the knowledge and comprehension which we have
available and decide to make every effort which

Page 7

is possible, to apply each principle that comes to

our minds.
It is also a challenge to us to set our life for
the next period of timea year or whatever we
decide upon to better determine to avail our
selves of the benefits that we have. It is not
enough that we should exist in reflected glory of
others1 accomplishments because such does not
bring the experience of knowledge to us. Ex
perience is the purpose of our existence, as we
understand it; experience which will lead toward
ultimate perfection. W e need not be confined to
a trial and error existence. W e have set our
course. W e have the directing power of much
knowledge behind us and the help available to
have comprehension, but application lies within
our own beings.
It is only by determined, constant effort, sys
tematic practice, and application that we direct
ourselves toward the attempt to make practical
by proper application the laws and principles
which we have. As a result of this inventory, our
determination should not only be in acquiring
knowledge, the gaining of more comprehension,
but a stubborn determination to use what we
have. W e have worked for \nowledge, it has
taken effort to gain comprehension. 7<[ow through
application we make this \nowledge w or\ for us.

T he M aking of Wills
A frater recently wrote: A few years ago I
was making a handsome salary and had been
making it for a number of years. Unfortunately
at that time I was not a Rosicrucian member and
student. Had I been I would have made, as I
understand many members rightly do, occasional
donations to the Orders cause. My salary now is
ample to meet my ordinary needs, though con
siderably reduced, and allows for an occasional
purchase of a book, but is not sufficient to make
donations without drawing upon my savings of
many years. Unless something unforeseen arises,
which is quite probable in these uncertain times,
my savings are more than ample for my needs
the rest of my life; therefore, when I pass through
transition I want A M O RC to receive a substan
tial legacyhow may this be accomplished? How
may I designate this in my will?
In answering this letter, which is typical of
many received throughout the year, first, let us
say that donations are always very much ap
preciated by any cultural or educational organi
sation, or fraternity. W hat members do not
realise is that the dues which they pay are not
sufficient for the support of many of A M O RCs
activities, activities which add to the Orders in
tegrity and the general good which it accom
plishes throughout the world.

Page 8

Unfortunately, also many members weigh the

material things they receive against the dues
which they pay; thus, they estimate the amount
of postage on the monographs, the cost of the
printing of the Digest, the envelopes, the print'
ing of the charts and diagrams, and arrive in their
minds at a total sum less than the dues they pay.
W hat they do not consider is the expense of the
personally dictated answers to the letters they
write, the correction of their examinations, the
length of time required in research and expert
mentation, often the translation of foreign manu
scripts to prepare the experiments and text of the
monographs. Then there are the special letters
they receive, and the magazine articles, not even
taking into consideration the designing and art
work for the charts, which are necessarily of a
technical and elaborate nature. Further, they do
not realize that an expenditure of money was
involved before they even began paying their
dues. For example, the sending to them, free, of
highly artistic and interesting literature, with the
postage required, and the letters accompanying it.
However, let us presume that the dues meet all of
these expenseswhat about the Orders Public
Library workthe presenting of the thousands of
bound books, free, to Public Libraries, hospitals,
and universities; and then the A M O RC educa'
tional radio broadcasts, its Courier Car tours, by
means of which demonstrations, lectures, and
rituals are held by representatives of the Order
in various cities for members as well as the pub'
lie; also the need for new buildings to conduct the
affairs of the Order; the maintaining of necessary
research laboratories, and the traveling expenses
of its official representatives occasionally to the
European congresses of the Ordera very im'
portant factor. These items must be met from the
occasional donations. If they were to be met from
dues, obviously the dues would need to be con'
siderably increased.
Also there is something else not realized by
many members, and that is that the total num'
ber of memberships can not be multiplied by the
individual amount of dues paid, to arrive at a
sum equalling the monthly revenue of the O r'
ganization, for the reason that every member does
not regularly, as he should, pay his dues and often
becomes delinquent for a month or even three
months, during which time his membership with
all of its facilities is continued, but the expense
of that lapse of dues must be added to the other
expenses to be met out of the sum of those who
do pay dues. From all this foregoing it can be
seen that with AMORC, as with all of the large
universities and colleges, and organizations doing
educational and cultural work, here and abroad,
tuition and membership dues are not sufficient.
Endowments by loyal supporters, donations, and
legacies are needed to carry on the complete work.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The membership of AM ORC is quite generous

in its donations and many members have, further'
more, thoughtfully included AM ORC in their
wills for endowments, which endowments have
made many of A M O RCs activities possible. To
answer the Frater specifically, we have prepared
a little form of suggested procedure for members
or their attorneys to follow so that the proper
legal title of the Order may be incorporated in
their wills, if that is their wish, and it assures the
member that the legacy will go through the
proper channels and be used for the purposes in'
tended. Such instructions may, of course, be ob'
tained without cost by merely writing the Legal
Secretary, Rosicrucian Order, Rosicrucian Par\,
San Jose, California, and requesting information
on how to make a will. These instructions are
also helpful in guiding an individual in making
his will, whether A M O RC is to be mentioned in
it or not.

Can W e Own Things?

There are some questions which periodically
appear in our correspondence pertaining to state'
ments in our monographs. The reasons for this
are: First, some of the principles in the mono'
graphs, because of their nature, are necessarily
profound and require further elucidation at vari'
ous times. Secondly, some of them are quite a
radical departure from the commonly accepted
beliefs and traditions to which members tena'
ciously cling, and thus they challenge them and
require further proof of their merit before they
accept them.
One of these questions and subjects which con'
tinually bobs up is that of ownership. A frater
writes, I find it difficult to reconcile the state'
ments in the monographs that we do not own
the things of the world with our everyday prac'
tice of personal possession. He continues fur'
ther, If I were to interpret this monograph liter'
ally, I would probably cease to possess anything
personal, and very likely would be a subject for
charity. Also, do you deny that the Order owns
its buildings?
The essence of the statements regarding this
principle as expressed in the monographs is that
man is indebted to nature for everything which
exists, and which he utilizes for his own personal
benefit. All of the things of the world were be'
fore man. Therefore, they were of course, not of
his creation. He cannot destroy them even if he
changes their form. He has only inherited them
by co'existing with them and taking them as his
own. Only in a theological sense were the things
of the world created solely for man as his proper'
ty. Man has most assuredly never purchased the
things of the earth in their original form. How
could he pay nature or the Cosmic for the earths

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

raw materials? He has seized them as rightly be'

longing to him, and the only compensation he can
give is that they may be used rightly and for the
highest purposes.
The fact, as the monograph points out, that
we have paid for a watch which we have pur'
chased from the jeweler, and the law of the land
confers legal title to it upon us, does not remove
the fact that originally the material of which the
watch is composed was provided by nature, and
for that material man has never compensated, and
therefore, he is always in debt to nature and the
Cosmic. The principle that some members over'
look, and that constitutes the ethics of the sub'
ject, to use the common term, is that when man
says that he owns a thing, and means either that
he has paid another human for it or for putting
the raw materials into the form of the thing he
has, that gives him ownership and legality so far
as society is concerned, but not so far as the
Cosmic is concerned.
Let us use the analogy of the legal doctrine of
eminent domain. According to this legal principle
the sovereign power of the statethat is, the
government of a countryhas original and emi'
nent control over all private properties. The state,
however, allows the individual or citizen to ac'
quire the property and take title to it, but it,
nevertheless, always considers that property as
ultimately belonging to the state or government,
and under this doctrine the state can seize it, take
it back, at any time when in its opinion such a
step becomes necessary for the welfare of the
state, by giving such compensation as it may de'
cide upon. The principle involved is that the
primary ownership of the land of a nation is
vested in the state and the private owner when
he buys it merely pays for the privilege of using
it indefinitely as he sees fit. He can even sell that
privilege; in other words, deed it to another.
So, philosophically, we do not own the goods
of the world, but we pay our fellow men for the
privilege of using these things. AMORC, we
say, owns its buildings. W e have not paid in a
Cosmic sense for the elements of the earth of
which they are composed, or the real property
on which they are located. W e still have that
debt to the Cosmic and to nature The deeds we
hold give us the privilege from a legal, man'made
point of view to control and possess these things,
but not to own them Cosmically. For instance,
we cannot prevent nature from influencing these
things which we say we possess by her laws, by
her myriad manifestations, by those conditions
that we term as catastrophes, earthquakes, floods,
and fires. All that we have done when we say
we possess something legally is to have met the
provisions of man'made law. Man does not, and
never will own nature and that which manifests
from its laws. No absolute control of it has ever

Page 9

been assigned man by the Cosmic powers. Man

is always a borrower of natures bounties; not an
owner.

E arth Rays
No matter how careful we are in preparing
our literature, and the statements in our mono'
graphs and in our supplementary literature, in'
variably some cause for members misconception
will creep in.
I have before me, for example, a letter from
a Soror in which she expresses alarm over what
she has read in the special Pronunciamento issued
to Neophytes in the very early degrees of the
Order. She says: How can I protect myself
from these earth rays? I cannot afford to move
to a new location.
This Pronunciamento, as our Forum readers
will recall, relates how many mysterious hap'
penings in the past were eventually proven by
scientific investigation to be the result of certain
conditions of the earth rays. The discovery of
these earth rays, in the first place, proved many
of the principles of the Rosicrucian teachings,
and the strange effects of them proved many
more. The Pronunciamento relates many com'
mon experiences; for instance, that of crops not
growing in certain areas even where the rainfall
was plentiful, and the elements of the soil suffi'
cient and proper. It further tells how many
horticulturalists and authorities on agriculture
had been puzzled as to why certain sections of
lawns would be poor or barren when the earth
bordering upon them would have lush vegeta'
tion. Even when the soil in these spots in which
nothing seemed to grow was replaced with new
soil from a great distance, living things would
not spring forth. Special treatment by natural
and artificial fertilizer still constituted no aid.
A t other times other effects were noticed, such
as persons becoming quite ill when living in a
certain area or region. Laboratory tests of the
air and vegetation, as well as of the water and
of the individuals themselves, would give no indi'
cation of the cause of their illness. Yet, as soon
as they would move to another locality, their
health would improve, and they would return
to normal.
Now, earth rays, which are emanations of
radioactive minerals and elements of the earth
which are disintegrating and casting off minute
electrical particles of themselves, have been
known to man for a considerable time, and all
these facts were known to all of the scientific
investigators of the puzzling circumstances we
have mentioned above. But there was no known
reason to connect the strange conditions with
earth rays, for the reason that all about us
everywhere on the surface of the earth these rays

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 10

are to be detected. Even in those sections where

things thrive in a normal way, earth rays are
quite detectable, and therefore, I repeat that
there was no reason to suspect them as being the
cause of these mysterious happenings. Actually,
the earth rays as such were not the cause, but
conditions which were dependent upon them
were. W hen these rays impinge upon each
other, or heterodyne, to use a technical phrase,
they produce a third energy or wave, the result
of the two clashing energies, and this third one
creates a disturbing condition of an electromag
netic nature which is often destructive to plant
life, and even to insects, while forms of life such
as man or any of the animals have their nervous
systems irritated by it, resulting in illnesses and
physical and mental disorders. This condition
most frequently exists in the vicinity of large ore
deposits, particularly if these deposits are of dif
ferent radioactive minerals, such as radium and
uranium. The effect is the same, for a common
example, as if you tune in two radio broad'
casting stations on your receiver simultaneously.
Neither one is a true wave, and the oscillation
and disturbance caused by the heterodyning is
most distressing in the form of sound.
There is no reason to fear such a condition,
however, or to think of moving your home, unless you are troubled with a mysterious malady
which can be traced only to such a cause, or
unless the conditions explained above exist in
your lawns, or in your fields if you are located on
a farm. O f course, we must realise that all
barren spots in farmlands are not due to conflicting earth rays, but may be due to many other
common causes. A fter all, the number of these
cases in contrast to the millions who have not
experienced these difficulties is infinitesimally
small.
W e conclude by saying to this Soror, Do not
let your imagination conjure something that does
not exist in your locality."

W hat Is the Original Sin?

This Soror writes, I have frequently heard
and read of the phrase the original sin. Just
what is meant by it? Perhaps there are as many
interpretations of that phrase as there have been
writings and treatises on the subject. It is safe
to say that the general definition and explanation
as given by theological and ecclesiastical authorities is quite different from the Rosicrucian view.
It is best to begin by first having an understanding of what a sin really is. Generally speaking, a sin may be either an act of omission, or
commission. It is commonly related to spiritual
matters and edicts such as church or religious
decrees and dogmas or laws. Thus if man con
ceives of something as being a religious law

founded on Divine precepts, it appears manda

tory to him that he obey it for his spiritual
welfare. A spiritual or ecclesiastical law may re
quire him, for example, to desist from uttering
a falsehood, and if he does not heed the law and
speaks untruthfully, then by those standards
which he has conceived, he has committed a sin.
On the other hand, if he believes it mandatory
in a spiritual sense that he care for his aged
parents, or if some sacred work which he reveres,
the Bible for instance, proclaims that man has
the spiritual duty of caring for his parents, and
he fails to do so, that, then, by his own reasoning
and belief, is a sin of omission. A sin, obviously
then, is a matter of what man believes consti
tutes a spiritual right and the failure to abide
by that right.
The term original sin implies that there is a
first sin of which all men can be guilty. Conse
quently, from the following reasoning, there
must be a spiritual or Cosmic law or principle
which can be violated first by all men. To Rosi
crucians the first obligation man has when he
attains a state of matured mentality and is able
to think for himself and evaluate the nature of
things, is to recognise the laws of nature as
expressed not only around him in the physical
world, but within himself. He must concede the
supremacy of an Infinite Intelligence, and recog
nise a great Cosmos whose forces are within him
to be used. He must accept his position as an
agent for a Divine Power, and perform the duties
its intelligence makes known to his inner con
sciousness. He must not pit his individual reason
ing against it or wilfully challenge its right to
manifest through him. He must not deny or
suppress its expression, regardless of whether he
can comprehend it mentally or not, or whether
he believes it to exist within him or not. His
failure or refusal to allow his psychic and spir
itual self its due development when he has been
given life, is the first and greatest of all sins
which man can commit. All other sins are con
tingent upon and arise from this first or original
sin. If the original sin is not committed, it stands
to reason all other sins which have a foundation
in spiritual laws and morals would not come to
pass. He who sees clearly is not apt to fall;
therefore, he who wilfully deprives himself of
sight brings upon himself all of the consequences
of his blindness.
It is, of course, true that millions are commit
ting this original sin. Perhaps they do not know
it as a sin, but they, nevertheless, do know that
they are wilfully stifling within themselves that
which we please to call conscience. They laugh
off either as a circumstance or as a peculiar emo
tional stimulus the urges and yearnings of the
inner self to express itself and to direct the
outer mind and its course of action. They do and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

say things which require a strength of will in

opposition to those impulses within them which
cry out Stop! Finally by repeated violations
and abrogations they gradually quell the psychic
perceptions and manifestations, and eventually
are left to the limited resources of the objective
mind with its great capacity for error and mis
interpretation.

Spare the Rod?

So much is being given to us today on the
subject of child psychology by experts in the
modern art of raising children that we are often
bewildered in our search for the correct attitude
to take toward our offspring. One book states
that one should do this; another, to do that, until
the poor parent finds himself or herself in a
complete dilemma.
One popular theory being expounded today
is that of allowing the child self-expression. The
psychologist says, Do not destroy or curb that
certain something within which wants to come
out; give it full and complete freedom, other
wise you will have on your hands a case of in
feriority. W e often wonder if such a complex
would not be better than a broken neck, leg, or
arm as a result of backward somersaults from the
top of the piano or hand stands on the mantel.
It is quite all right to encourage inherent ten
dencies in the child and develop his or her natural
potentialities. However, this can be done with
out giving a child full reign or control of him
self at an early age. One interesting case known
to the writer was that of a little girl who, ac
cording to her mother, was to be raised along
strictly modem lines. She would not be punished
in the good old-fashioned way as remembered by
her parents; and so, many modern child psy
chology books were added to the home library.
Every time the child was naughty or got into
trouble, the mother would sit down with her
many volumes before her to find out just what
should be done. A fter searching book after book
and analyzing the various opinions to determine
the right path, so much time would elapse that
punishment would be useless. As this child grew
and developed mentally and physically, she began
to learn a bit of psychology of her own, and by
the time she reached the age of five or six, this
mother really had a problem on her hands. She
could do nothing with the little girl and the child
grew impudent and ill-mannered, replying in a
nasty way to requests from both of her parents.
She was so spoiled, as the saying goes, that she
had no friends and none of the neighbor children
wanted to play with her. She was selfish and
self-centered and would not let anyone play with
her toys and tried to take the toys away from

Page 11

the other youngsters with whom she came in

contact.
This situation grew so bad that the parents
themselves began to lose friends because of it.
In other words, through an attempt to use these
highly recommended methods of raising a child,
this mother had on her hands what the world
has labeled a brat. It is asked, Which would
you rather have, a child of the above description
which is actually mild, as you would realize
had you known this familyor a lovely, gentle
child, unselfish and sweet in every sense of the
word, though perhaps a little timid during its
early years, even showing a slight tendency to
ward inferiority?
As time went on, the child's mother finally
realized that her efforts to raise a beautiful child
in temperament as well as appearance had failed,
and so she at last admitted to the father this
failure and asked him to take over the situation,
which he did gladly since he had suffered per
sonally at the hands of the child as well as the
mother. It is hardly necessary to tell you the
rest of the story because you can easily imagine
it. The first thing done, and rightly so, was to
obtain the solemn promise of the mother that she
would not interfere under any circumstances.
This promise naturally was given since the
mother had reached the end of her rope, as it
were; and so the father went to work on his
problem. First of all, he procured a long, keen
little switch and a nice new razor strap. These
articles were displayed with much ceremony and
ritual. His every act was highly dramatic or
dramatized. This, of course, was to make a big
impression on the child. Now this was not all.
No, indeed; for this father had his tools of chas
tisement for only a few minutes when it was
necessary to use them, and here is one of the sec
rets of this fathers method of handling the case.
He acted swiftly. He did not wait until the child
had forgotten the incident for which she was
being punished, but the moment the child was
impudent to her mother, her father took her in
hand, taking her off guard and surprising her.
Fratres and Sorores, you can appreciate the
struggle for supremacy herea spoiled, defiant
child with a will and determination on the one
hand and, on the other hand, an equally deter
mined father who realized how important it was
for his daughters future to straighten her out im
mediately. The final result of this little drama
was the molding of a beautiful personality, one
any father and mother could be proud of. It was
not easy for father or daughter, and it took many
months to accomplish, but the final results were
most satisfactory to everyone concerned.
Now, it is not our intention by these remarks
to recommend the age-old custom of spanking or
continued chastisement, and naturally it is real

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 12

ized that different children require different

methods of control, but the point isit is most
difficult to allow a child to have full self-expres
sion when it is young because it lacks sufficient
knowledge to know and understand the difference
between right and wrong. Even though it has
just been stated that this is not an attempt to
recommend corporeal punishment, it is believed
that few of us of the old school hold any resent'
ment toward our parents for the occasional trip
to the proverbial wood shed.

ful. These exercises have been performed many

times in the temples of the various lodge rooms
throughout the world, and all of the students
present have noticed the change taking place. The
law at work here is an old alchemical law known
as transmutation or the changing of the vibratory
rate of the candle flame aura. As the color vibra'
tions change, this change manifests in the color
you are concentrating upon.
W hen you try the candle experiments again,
keep the above points in mind and notice the im
provement in your results.

Candle Experiments
Many students seem to experience difficulty
with the candle experiments given in the early
degrees and even in some of the higher grades.
W e will therefore take this opportunity to make
a few suggestions that may prove helpful.
In the first place, do not stare at the candle
flame as though you were going to project the
picture or impression into the flame from the
eyes. Such a method results in tension through
out the entire body, including the nervous system.
You will have no results or manifestations ex
cept eyestrain and headache. Staring in this
manner will cause ocular fatigue, and the eyes
will go out of focus with the result that instead
of seeing one candle flame, you will see several
reflections in the mirror. This effect is naturally
disconcerting and interferes with concentration.
To sum up the above, do not try to bring forth a
manifestation through the use of will power.
A fter lighting your candle, sit back three or
four feet from your sanctum table and relax.
While doing this, go through the exercise of
concentrating on the parts of the body while
holding the breath. This will require only a few
minutes and will tend to place you in the proper
frame of mind for the experiment at hand. The
next step is to gaze at the candle flame. Do this
in a dreamy passive manner as though you were
looking at an object off in the distance. Keep
the eyes half closed and blink them naturally if
it becomes necessary. Gradually, you will notice
an aura around the candle flame. Then, and only
then, select the color you wish to have appear
in the aura. Repeat this color over to yourself
several times and try to visualize it as its name
is repeated over and over in your consciousness.
A fter you have a good concept of the color, re'
lease it from yourself by putting it out of the
objective thoughts. Now, continue to look at the
candle flame and its aura. Slowly you will notice
the aura change in color.
Remember, these experiments are not a matter
of self'hypnosis. You are not creating the impres'
sion within your own consciousness. The change
taking place can be seen by others as well as your'
self; if not, then the experiment is not success'

Divine M ind vs. Objective Consciousness

The question is often asked: Since the mind
is divine and a part of the God consciousness, why
does man suffer through illness and other purely
physical or material conditions?
Man, as we have learned, is a dual being hav
ing divine mind and mortal objective mind. W e
often refer to these phases as subjective conscious
ness and objective consciousness. Man, of all the
animals, has been given the power to think and
reason, and this he does in accordance with his
degree of knowledge and understanding. Having
the power to think and reason, man is in every
sense of the word a free agent. He has the power
to choose between right and wrong. The divine
mind controls the involuntary actions of the body;
the objective consciousness controls the voluntary
actions. Thus, we do not have to think in order
to breath or to keep the heart beating. The divine
or subjective consciousness does this thinking for
us. The divine mind also makes every effort to
adjust conditions within us to care for the abuses
to the body inflicted by our faulty objective
reasoning.
For example, the objective consciousness tells
us that we wish to eat a certain food though this
food may be injurious to the digestive system.
Now, after the food is in the stomach, the divine
mind works to prevent the harmful effects. If
necessary, it will reject the food entirely, thus
making every effort to protect us from the errors
of our faulty thinking. If we spurn the judgment
and knowledge of the divine inner self and con
tinue to abuse the body by eating food rejected
by the divine mind, changes will gradually be
made by the subjective consciousness to take care
of the harmful fuel, but these changes naturally
tax the entire system, and regardless of what is
done by the divine mind, disease will be the ulti
mate result.
During the sleeping state the functions of the
body are controlled entirely by the divine mind
without interference on the part of the objective
consciousness; thus, if we become ill, sleep proves
more beneficial than food or drugs. The doctor
will leave instructions not to wake the patient

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to give medicine, because while he is asleep na'

ture has an opportunity to do her work toward
restoring the patients health. W e see nature at
work on every side trying to protect man from
himself. High fevers are often the result of the
work of the divine mind. It is the blood cells
known as fighters attacking and trying to destroy
disease germs in the body.
Man can learn to live in harmony with the
laws of nature and thus assist the divine mind
to keep the body radiantly healthy. This is one
of the purposes of the Rosicrucian teachings, to
help man to a better understanding of himself,
the universe, and mans relationship to universal
laws. Once we gain this knowledge, we are in a
position to avoid the pitfalls of a material exis'
tence and their natural resultsuffering.
Therefore, Fratres and Sorores, the answer to
this question in brief is: Man suffers ill health
and disease, not because the Divine mind fails to
protect him, but because of failure to live in har'
mony with Divine laws, due either to ignorance
of these laws or an attempt to defy them.

Concentrating and Visualizing

This Frater writes, I have great confidence in
the principles of concentrating by mentally pic'
turing a desired result, but my big problem is
visualising. Can you give me a few practical
suggestions in addition to what I have already
found in the monographs?
A t the outset it is best to make plain in as
few words as possible the fundamental relation'
ship that does exist between concentration and
visualization. These principles are not necessarily
of a mystical nature, but are, fundamentally, psy'
chological laws which anyone must recognize
whether mystically inclined or not, and regard'
less of the purpose for which he is using the con'
centration and visualization, whether it be for art,
music, writing, business, or home affairs. To con'
centrate upon a thing, the thing or element must
first exist in a fairly well'established state in our
mind. Concentration, concisely, is the arresting
of the consciousness by holding in it one idea or
one ideal, and the focusing of our objective fac'
ulties upon it. Concentration, then, is the domi'
nation of all of the objective, mental powers by
some mental factor. W e cannot concentrate upon
some thing that has a vague existence to us. If
we are going to concentrate, we must have first
a conception of that which is to be concentrated
upon. Let us use an analogy:
Suppose it is nighttime and you are walking
along a dark street and carrying a flashlight, and
have it switched on, but knowing the street fairly
well you let it swing carelessly with the rhythm
of your arm as you go along, directing it no par'
ticular way. Suddenly you hear a strange sound

Page 13

to one side of you. Your consciousness has be'

come arrested with one dominant sensationthe
sound. You want to know what it is. Your curi'
osity is aroused. So you focus your flashlight
fully in the direction of the sound and keep it
there, searching as you listen. A fter the sound
discontinues your flashlight may again wander as
you go along until again you concentrate it on
that which holds your attention.
Now let us liken the flashlight to our powers
of perception, the sensitiveness of each of our
facultieshearing, seeing, feeling, etc. If we do
this, we can better understand concentration. As
soon as something arrests our consciousness, we
focus the light of these objective powers on it
just as we would flash a beam upon some object.
If there is nothing definitely arresting our con'
sciousness, we allow these powers to vacillate
from one thing to another freely as we do every
minute of our daily consciousness. Even a thing
which has not become a fact, or which has no
reality beyond our mind can be concentrated up'
on. For example, a business project which has not
come to pass, and which is a mere hope, dream, or
ideal may have sufficient existence as an idea or
concept in our mind to arrest consciousness and
cause us to concentrate upon it. Visualization,
on the other hand, we may say, is a process of
progressive concentration; concentration, in other
words, by a step'by'step process which is accom'
plished either inductively or deductively. Now to
make this clear:
For example, we decide to visualize a farm'
house in which we spent many happy hours of
our childhood. W e wish to create a mental pic'
ture of it. W e have first in our mind the general
idea of the farmhouse. W e proceed from this
generalization to a minute and detailed recon'
struction in the mind of every element of the
original experience. In other words, we first see
in the minds eye the picture of a little valley
with its surrounding hills and tilled fields. Then
we pass on to the grounds immediately surround'
ing the house. W e see the lofty trees and the
dense shade'patterns they cast on the lawns be'
fore us. W e notice old Rover, the faithful pet,
drowsing and twitching in the shade of one of
these trees. Then, finally, we notice the old
rambling house itself, with its clapboard sides,
weathered shingles, red brick chimney, green bat'
tered shutters hanging on rusty hinges, the high
porch running the full width of the front of the
house, the screen door with the stretched spring
stop which never quite lets it close. Each of these
things in turn occupies our consciousness. W e
have concentrated upon them as we went from
the general idea to the particulars of which it was
composed. W hen we finish with this process of
progressive concentration, we have visualized by
what is known as the deductive method. There

Page 14

is, however, the inductive method by which visu'

alization can be accomplished, and it is the reverse
process. W e start from the particulars in our
concentration and progress step-by-step to the
general idea.
For further example: W e think of an indi'
vidualsome person we know. W e desire to
visualize him more completely, but instead of just
analyzing him physically, or his physiognomy, we
begin with him as a complete element, and add
other elements which we concentrate upon. W e
think of his home, perhaps his sanctum in which
we have frequently visited him. W e see the chair
in which he sits, the book shelves behind him,
the little altar in the corner which has such a
great significance to him, and his treasured oil
painting above it. W e even sense the heavy
fragrance of incense which usually clings to his
sanctum. Finally our picture has become con"
siderably enlarged.
From all this we see that fundamentally con'
centration and visualization are linked together,
but that the latter is an enlargement upon the
former, for you cannot visualize a thing without
concentrating upon it; neither can you concen'
trate upon a thing, as previously explained, with'
out having it fairly definite in your mind. Your
idea may be wrong, but it must exist before it
can be concentrated upon. Perfect visualization
requires excellent concentration. If you cannot
hold in your consciousness clearly and definitely
the general idea which you wish to dissect men'
tally, to visualize, as explained above, or hold
the particular idea which you will enlarge into
visualization, you will have no success. The
Fraters difficulty seems to be that perhaps he is
just concentrating instead of visualizing. He per'
haps is holding in his mind a too general idea
of a result desired. The idea may be so complex,
involving so many factors perhaps, that as he
holds it in his mind it is vague and it has no
intimacy. He should approach his visualization
deductively, and start to break down the general
idea of the result which he wishes into its in'
tegral parts. He should concentrate upon each
part, each element of the mental picture, until
it is clear and distinct in his mind, and then the
whole will become a more definite reality to him,
and he will begin to lose himself in it as though
he were looking upon a scene projected upon a
motion picture screen.

How to Get the Most O ut of Membership

There are several important points to be con'
sidered in order to derive the most benefit from
your membership in the AMORC. First of all,
there is study. You must study the weekly lessons
so that you will understand thoroughly the funda'
mental laws and principles. Studying does not

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mean picking up your lesson when it arrives and

reading it through once or twice; it means real,
concentrated effort for two or three hours on the
night selected for your study. Then review sev
eral times during the coming week, until your
next lesson reaches you. There are various sys'
tems of study, and the student should follow the
one that he has found best in his particular case.
Some students like to read the lesson through
once or twice, then meditate on it for a while
before reviewing. Others like to study paragraph
by paragraph, meditating on each before proceed'
ing to the next. I will not attempt to set forth
an iron'bound method to fit everyone, because
you will soon fall into the system that helps you
to get the most out of the lessons. I will, how'
ever, make a few suggestions.
First of all, select your night and hour for your
sanctum study period, and maintain this with
regularity. Let nothing interfere. It is a good
plan to notify your friends and relatives that on
such and such a night, between certain hours, you
have a permanent engagement, and do not wish
to be disturbed. You can then be reasonably sure
of no interruptions. Try to arrange your study
so that you can retire afterward, thus avoiding
small and inconsequential conversations. A fter
you retire, meditate upon the important points of
your lesson, fixing them thoroughly in your con'
sciousness. If it is absolutely necessary that you
have an interview on the evening of your study,
or if you must attend a party or go to a theater,
do so before you study; then just before taking
up the lesson for the evening, go outdoors and
breathe deeply for a few minutes. This will re'
fresh you and sweep away the cobwebs, as it
were.
The next important point in gaining the most
from your membership is the actual application
of the teachings. All the knowledge in the world
will not benefit you if you do not attempt to use
it. I do not mean just practicing the experiments
we give you, but actually using Rosicrucianism
in your daily activities. As an example, take the
experiment of developing the intuition. Do not
try this just a few times during the week after
the study of the monograph which presents the
principle, but keep this before you all the time.
You can ask any question, regardless of its na'
ture, of the inner self. You need not confine this
to a few trys at telling time or knowing who is
calling on the phone. Ask yourself such ques'
tions as W here did I put that important letter? ;
W hat is that mans name who is coming to see
me today? ; and hundreds of others that arise in
our business and social lives. This is living Rosi'
crucianism and making Rosicrucianism work for
you. A fter all, this is one of the primary pur'
poses of becoming a Rosicrucian student; that
is, to learn laws and principles that can be used

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

at all times. Do not be a one-night-a-week

Rosicrucian.
The next point to keep in mind is your contact
with headquarters. W rite to us every few weeks.
This is the only way we can keep up with your
progress, because we have thousands of members
in all parts of the world to worry about, and if
you do not write to us, we have no way of knowing about the difficulties you are having. It is true
that we occasionally state not to write too many
letters, but this does not pertain to letters dealing
with the studies. You might think Well, I am
getting along fine; I am successful with all of the
experiments; and I understand the lessons. I
find I can apply the laws to settle my problems;
therefore, I wont trouble headquarters with correspondence. But, Fratres and Sorores, we also
would like to know these things, because they are
encouraging to us. So let us know when you are
successful, as well as when you are not. Some of
you may think to yourselves, W hat is the use
in writing to headquarters about my poor re'
suits? They will only tell me to keep trying.
This is quite true, but we can also make an occasional suggestion that might clear up your
trouble. And so there is definite benefit to be
gained by writing reports to the Department of
Instruction. You may send us these reports once
or twice a month.

T he Government of the O rder

Perhaps it may seem to some Fratres or Sorores
that the space devoted to this subject should be
used for a treatment of doctrinal principles;
namely, a consideration of some of the points of
the teachings. However, certain questions and requests that we frequently receive in our corres
pondence indicate that some space must be given
to this important topic.
For example, we are asked by Fratres and
Sorores to donate from the funds of AM ORC
to this or that political cause, or some movement
which in their opinion is worthyand perhaps
in most instances they are worthy. W e are also
requested by members to invest large sums of
A M ORC money in some project which they feel
would most certainly prove profitable to A M ORC
in the future. All such requests, even though
they may be innocently made, are very definitely
out of order, for they are contrary to the provisions of the Constitution and Statutes of the
Grand Lodge of AMORC. Had the members
making these requests and others like them read
the Constitution and Statutes, or had a copy to
refer to, they most certainly would not have writ"
ten as they did. It must be realised that the Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge, and
the Constitution of the Supreme Grand Lodge,
are for the purpose of protecting the Order, the

Page 15

members' privileges, the Order's ideals and principles, and to secure its hopes and aims.
The officers of the Supreme and Grand Lodges
are as much governed in their actions by these
constitutions as is the general membership. The
Imperator, as provided by the Constitution, and
the Constitutions themselves, are the supreme law
of the Order. Each Neophyte within ten days
after being accepted into the Order, as each of
you knows, is requested to purchase at once, for
the small sum of fifteen cents, a copy of the Constitution and Statutes of AMORC. He or she
is not compelled to do so, but failure to do so
may jeopardise the individuals membership if he
should act in some way which brings him into
violation of its provisions. W e all know that if
we have not read the statute books of our state,
province, or country, that that fact does not ex
cuse us for our illegal acts; in other words, ig
norance of the law is no excuse. Consequently,
the officers of A M O RC are compelled to assume
this same attitude. A member should know the
Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge of
A M O RCnot be letter-proof, of course, but he
should be quite familiar with its general pro
visions.
The present Constitution and Statutes of the
Grand Lodge of A M O RC were adopted by the
Board of Directors of the Supreme Grand Lodge,
and became effective as of July, 1934. It had
been recommended by the members and delegates
of the Order duly assembled in convention in
San Jose in the summer of 1934 that the Board
have prepared a Constitution and Statutes of the
Grand Lodge of AM ORC, which would incor
porate the spirit it now expresses. Briefly, the
government of the Order is as follows, but, of
course, the final and absolute definition is to be
found in the wording of the Constitutions and
Statutes themselves:
There is first, the Imperator who holds the
vested authority which was conferred upon him
in a foreign jurisdiction of the Order, and which
has many times since been confirmed by the vari
ous jurisdictions of the Order throughout the
world, from which he has received documents
of recognition of such authority. It was he, act
ing under this authority, who reestablished the
Order here in N orth America and brought into
existence its new and present cycle.
Beneath the Imperator is the legally chartered
body of the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC,
an incorporated body. This Supreme Grand
Lodge consists of a hierarchy of five members
who are entrusted with the responsibility to
teach, foster, and perpetuate the traditional prin
ciples and laws of the ancient Rosicrucians as it
may be applied to their everyday needs; to foster
the spirit of brotherhood and understanding
among men, particularly among its members; to

Page 16

foster international good will, understanding, and

cooperation by retaining and maintaining frater
nal, intellectual, and spiritual contact with duly
constituted ORDER ROSAE CRUCIS through
out the world;
This Supreme Grand Lodge or hierarchy of five
is known as the Supreme Council of the Order.
The President of the Supreme Council is the
supreme executive head of the Order, and is
known as the Imperator. The Imperator, in
accordance with tradition and the specific pro
visions of the Supreme Grand Lodge Constitu
tion, holds office for life. If the office of Impera
tor becomes vacant it is filled by a selection made
by the Supreme Grand Council. One member of
this Supreme Grand Council is the Secretary who
is known as the Supreme Secretary, and who may
also at the will of the Supreme Council act as
Supreme Treasurer. The members of the Supreme
Council, other than the Imperator and the Su
preme Secretary serve without pay, but may be
compensated for attendance upon the meetings
of the Supreme Council. The Imperator and
Supreme Secretary must devote themselves ex
clusively to the work of the Order and its related
activities.
It is further provided in the Constitution of
the Supreme Grand Lodge, and is in accord with
its legal charter, that there shall be no capital
stock, and its revenues, money, and property,
real or personal, shall not inure to the benefit of
any private individual. Further, all its funds
and property shall be held and devoted toward
the extension of its objects. Consequently, from
this it is seen that the Order is not a commercial
venture, and no officer or department can receive
more than stipulated compensation in return for
services rendered.
Beneath the Supreme Grand Lodge, and es
tablished by it, and owing its existence to it, is the
Grand Lodge of AMORC, a subordinate body
which derives its existence and powers, as stated,
from the Imperator and Board of Directors of the
Supreme Grand Lodge. All members known as
Rosicrucian members have affiliation exclusively
within this great lodge and its subordinate bodies.
This Grand Lodge, therefore, consists of Rosicru
cian members at large who study in the privacy
of their sanctums, and those members of the vari
ous subordinate lodges which the Grand Lodge
charters with the approval of the higher body,
the Supreme Grand Lodge. The decrees, rules,
and pronunciamentos of the Imperator and the
Supreme Council are binding, conclusive, and
final on the Grand Lodge in accordance with the
provisions of the Supreme and Grand Lodge Con
stitutions. The Supreme Grand Lodge and its
Board of Directors exercise as one of their powers,
judicial power in rendering decisions in all con
troversies between any of the subordinate lodges

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the Grand Lodge, or between the lodges and

the Grand Lodge, or between a member of
AM ORC and the Grand Lodge, or one or more
of the subordinate lodges and a member, or mem
bers of another body, or between the general
members affiliated with the Grand Lodge and
known as National members.
The officers of the Grand Lodge are the Sov
ereign Grand Master, the Grand Secretary, the
Grand Treasurer, the Deputy Grand Masters,
and the Grand Councillors. The first three; name
ly, the Sovereign Grand Master, the Grand Sec
retary, and the Grand Treasurer are oppointed by
the vote of the superior body; in other words,
by the Supreme Lodge. These Grand Lodge offi
cers serve during the pleasure of the Board of
Directors of the Supreme Grand Lodge. The
three executives of the Grand Lodge; namely, the
Sovereign Grand Master, the Grand Secretary,
and the Grand Treasurer serve subject to the
authority and direction of their superiors who
are the Imperator and the Board of Directors of
the Supreme Grand Lodge. Their numerous
duties in connection with the affairs of the Grand
Lodge are specifically set forth in Chapter Two
of the Constitution and Statutes, Sections Two to
Thirty-three inclusive. It is advisable that every
member acquaint himself with these sections. It
will also be noted that the Constitution and
Statutes provide that the Grand Secretary and
Grand Treasurer shall execute in favor of the
Supreme Grand Lodge a good and sufficient bond
in such penal sum and with such securities as may
be approved by the Supreme Grand Lodge.
Thus, every officer having to do with the funds
of the Order directly is under bond to the Order.
The Grand Lodge officers, of course, may engage
as assistantswhich they have done, subject to
the approval of the Supreme Grand Lodge
numerous department executives, secretaries,
stenographers, and clerks. The ritualistic head of
the Order is the Imperator, and he may delegate
to his subordinate officers in the Grand Lodge
certain ritualistic duties and powers. The superior
body, in conclusion, is therefore the Supreme
Grand Ldoge with its executive officers of Im
perator, Supreme Secretary, and Treasurer. The
subordinate or lower body is the Grand Lodge
with its Sovereign Grand Master, Grand Secre
tary, and Grand Treasurer and the others men
tioned above, and this Grand Lodge includes the
general membership and the lodges and chapters.
The rights and privileges of members are all clear
ly defined in the Constitution and Statutes of
the Grand Lodge. If you do not have a copy of
this Constitution and Statutes, by all means write
at once to the Grand Lodge of AM ORC, San
Jose, California, and enclose fifteen cents in coin
(not postage stamps), and one will be sent to you.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

O ur New Research Building

I wish you could have been present upon the
occasion of the dedication of the new Rosicru
cian Research Building. As far as the ceremony
was concerned, it was not elaborate; it was short,
very impressive and in accord with the nature
of the occasion. One of the Supreme officers first
addressed the assembly, composed of students of
the Rose-Croix Universitywho had on that
very morning registered for the summer session
-and members of the Administration Staff of
AMORC, and other members who came to wit
ness the opening.
This Supreme Lodge officer at the conclusion
of his address introduced Frater Orval Graves,
who each year is professor of philosophy in the
Department of Philosophy of the Rose-Croix
University. He announced that Frater Graves
had been duly selected by the Board of Directors
as Librarian of the new Rosicrucian Research
Library. The selection, he stated, was based upon
Frater Graves qualifications. For years he held
a position as one of the librarians of the Uni
versity of California, and therefore, was trained
in the latest library technique and methods.
Frater Graves then, in addressing the assembly,
went to some length to explain how the books
in the library were being classified. He explained
that the Dewey Decimal System has been em
ployed; namely, that each subject, book, title, and
author is assigned a number, and the books are
numerically filed on the shelves. He related that
the purpose of the library is for research and the
books, therefore, are not for circulation. Mem
bers who cannot locate information in their home
libraries or local public libraries pertaining to
such subjects as science, the useful arts, music,
history, philosophy, metaphysics, occultism, and
Rosicrucianism can consult this library for the
facts needed for their general enlightenment.
Rare books, and books out of print have been
gathered, and will be gathered, so that members
will have a dependable and extensive source of
information to turn to. Not only, he made plain,
will the library be available to those able to visit
it, but to those who will not be able to do so. He
explained that a method is being arranged to
permit every member to enjoy the library facili
ties through the mail. He stated that the method
will soon be announced and that members should
watch for it.
In the dedication address it was said that the
entire building, housing the library, biology
laboratory, class rooms, and offices was to be de
voted not to a mere preservation of established
and accumulated knowledge, but would be used
in addition to push outward the boundaries of
learning to add to that which is already known.

Page 17

The biology laboratory will be occupied in the

latter part of this year by a research biologist with
high academic standing in his field who will be
selected shortly. He will devote his entire time
to searching into certain hypotheses and theories
of AM ORC, for example: Pertaining to the na
ture and cause of life. Those facts which he dis
covers and which are worthy of being expounded
will be incorporated in the monographs and in
supplementary material sent to all Rosicrucian
students. His research will develop a heritage
of knowledge for the Rosicrucians of tomorrow,
such a heritage as we have drawn upon and
which was left us by our progenitors. Once again
AM ORC will resume its rightful place as a con
tributor to knowledge. If outstanding discoveries
are made they will not be secreted, but imparted
to outside scientific circles if and when they are
disposed to accept them. N o matter how fan
tastically or radically different or opposed to O r
thodox belief a theory may be, if in the opinion
of this Rosicrucian researcher it is founded upon
natural laws it will be investigated.
It was most gratifying to see the expressions of
enthusiasm and expectancy that played upon the
faces of those gathered about the portals of the
building as they listened to the unfoldment of
these plans for the future. It compensated those
of the staff who had worked many hours in plan
ning and designing the building and its facilities.
You who so generously contributed financially
to the foundation fund would have said to your
selves, had you been present, I have indeed taken
part in a worthy enterprise and you would have
approved of this first step taken in the right
direction.
A t the conclusion of the address all filed inside
for a personal inspection of the equipment and
building facilities. The building in its exterior
design (see photographs in July, 1939 issue of
The Rosicrucian Digest) is of Egyptian archi
tectureits colonnaded facade is reminiscent of
architecture of the Empire period of Egypt. The
color of the background surface is a dark ivory
and causes the graceful rust-colored columns with
their simple design, true to the Empire period, to
stand out prominently. Hand-wrought bronze
door knockers hang against the heavy plank doors
adding a rustic touch. The approach to the por
tal consists of a very wide vari-colored flagging
walk. It is flanked on each side by lawn and a
row of palms of a species common to Egypt.
Running parallel with the flagging walk, and in
its center, are long concrete troughs in which are
planted papyri, from which the ancient Egyptians
first made their writing paper and from which
our paper has evolved. Standing on either side
and to the front of the building entrance are two
eight-foot torcheres of bronze, designed to depict
the Egyptian lotus flower. A t night these torch

Page 18

eres not only flood the front of the building, but

bring out the bas-relief sculpture high above the
portal. It is a figure of an Egyptian scribe kneel
ing and writing upon a scroll of papyrus. The
classical figure of the scribe is most appropriate,
since in ancient times they were solely responsible
for the literary accomplishments of their people.
The figure was executed by a local sculptor after
much research woik in Egyptian art by the
Curator of the Rosicrucian Museum. The color
ing which is true to the original was performed
by Colombe Doris Dougherty of the Grand Lodge
who resides in San Jose. The young girl has
much talent and a promise of a splendid future
in the art world.
Upon entering the building one finds himself
in a foyer of cool pleasantness, as the building
is air-conditioned throughout. The visitor is
greeted by a quiet and dignified atmosphere. The
terrasso floor is laid out in a symbolic design
which symbolism represents the purpose of the
building.
The visitor then steps through a pair of glass
doors into the library proper. The harmony of
the finish and fixtures immediately becomes ap
parent. All shelving and walls are done in light
ivory. The ceiling is of a neutral color and sound
proofed material. The lighting fixtures which
were especially created for the building, are grace
ful but lacking ostentation. The lighting is in
direct and the result of the scientific determina
tion of the proper light needed. There is neither
glare nor shadows. Both sides of the room are
lined with nine-foot windows which are her
metically sealed, and which are above the line of
vision of the reader. They exclude dust and
noise and flood the library with ample light so
that no artificial light is needed in the day time.
Especially constructed Venetian blinds control
this exterior light. The table tops are of pea
green linoleum and harmonise with the blinds.
The chairs and all fixtures are of white grained
oak.
The books are easily located by reference to
the signs neatly and plainly displayed above the
shelves. The type of signs was recommended by
the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C.
The files are quite complete so that one may easily
locate a book by its title, number, author or
subject.
Passing through the library one enters a high
ceilinged and spacious corridor. To the left one
may peer through a glass door into a modern
classroom containing all the latest fixtures recom
mended and proven by experience to be the most
beneficial to students. The chairs have wide arms
on which books may be read or notebooks placed,
and are especially convenient. The walls and
ceiling are sound proofed and the room is airconditioned. The instructor has a rostrum, ample

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

blackboard to his back and an adjacent closet for

his materials.
On the opposite side of the corridor are the
offices for the instructors which are used between
their periods of class work, and adjoining them
is a large biology laboratory with high glass win
dows on all but one side. The laboratory faces
the North so as to provide light of certain con
stancy and free from glare. The room is equipped
with the prescribed laboratory shelves, counters,
sinks, and Bunsen burners.
The building has been so erected that it is
joined to the Science Building of the Rose-Croix
University. Students of the university may pass
from one building to the other without leaving
the building. Other members visiting the library
enter through its main portal.

A bout Books
W hen it was first announced that we were to
proceed with the erection and establishment of a
Rosicrucian Research Library, members from all
over the world wrote asking if they could con
tribute books for which they had no further use,
and which might be useful to the library. W e
asked them to wait until it was announced that
the library was complete and there would be
ample space for the books. 7\[ou; all you Forum
readers who wish to contribute boo\s should do
so. Most everyone has one or more books he or
she has read several times and does not care to
read again and which are lying unused and un
read on some shelf or in some corner of the home.
Such a book or books may in the future bring
pleasure or instruction to those who visit the
Rosicrucian Research Library or to those who
will avail themselves of our new plan for distant
members. Do not send your Rosicrucian,
A M O R C boo\s. The A M O RC books you need,
for you will be obliged to refer to them time and
time again, and we of course have them, and, in
fact, several sets of them are already on the
shelves.
The books we particularly would like if you
have them to provide and are not using them,
are works on SCIENCE, TRAVEL, MUSIC,
LITERATURE, PHILOSOPHY, M ETAPHYS
ICS, ALCHEMY, OCCULTISM, ROSICRU
CIANISM , HISTORY, DRAM A, USEFUL
ARTS SUCH AS ELECTRICITY, C A R PEN
TRY, W E A V IN G , ETC., ALSO ART, T H A T
IS, PA IN T IN G , SCULPTURING, A N D E N
G RA V IN G A N D ALSO LITERATURE A N D
POETRY. W e do not desire fiction, unless it is
of the classical or mystical type. The so-called
popular fiction as you all can readily understand
would not be appropriate for our library. W e
also would like books on language, economics,
sociology, and encyclopedias of any \ind.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Look through your attics, down in the basement, in old cabinets, in closets, or back in the
corners of shelves, and in drawers for books you
have which you are not using, and which are of
the kind mentioned above, so that you may pass
them on to us. W e do not care how old the books
are or how much they have been used. The bind'
ings should be intact, but of course can show wear.
In sending the books inquire of your post office
the cheapest way to send them. Most every country has special reduced postal rates for sending
books. Remember that when our plan goes into
effect to make the facilities of the library available to distant members, you may benefit from
some book someone has donated. Therefore, those
books you donate will likewise help another.

Know Your O rder

It is important to every member to know some
thing about the great fraternity of which he is a
part. You can all appreciate this. Just imagine
your embarrassment if confronted by the state
ment, Oh, are you a Rosicrucian? I have heard
of them. W hat is it all about? Where did it
originate? W hat is the purpose of the organiza
tion, or what do they teach? Do they believe in
this or that? and a great many other questions
along similar lines; and you stand looking blank
for a moment without the least idea what the
proper answer is. Finally, you might say, Well,
I am a member all right, but I dont know the
answers to your questions. You might write to
them and find out if you wish. If such an ex
treme case should occur, fratres and sorores, I am
afraid someones face would be definitely crimson.
In any event, know something about your Order.
Rosicrucian Questions and Answers with
Complete History of the Order has been pro
vided to help you, and it can be found in most
of the large libraries throughout the world. W e
have also provided each of you with a copy of
the Catechism, so that you can become acquainted
with what the Order is, and especially what it is
not. I might also mention the Constitution at
this time. It is well to know how the organization
is formed, what constitutes the Supreme Body or
Supreme Grand Lodge, as it is properly called,
also what is the Grand Lodge and your relation
ship to it. The Constitution has been provided
for your use and benefit.

T he Sanctity of O ur Heads
W hy is it, a frater desires to know, that the
human head has such an importance in modern
and in ancient religious beliefs and ceremonies?
It is true that one who is a student of compara
tive religions is impressed with the frequent ref
erences to the veiling, covering, uncovering, bath

Page 19

ing, and shaving of the head in religious rites

and rituals.
W hen man first conceived himself as being
possessed of a Divine nature or felt that Divinity
was resident within him as an entity, or a spark,
he began to attribute to certain parts or organs
of his body the prominence of retaining it or
confining it. How the selection was made is
rather dubious. W e can only speculate. The
supposition, and it is a logical one, is that it was
determined by the relative value of the organ
or member to the body as a whole. To primitive
peoples who had a paucity of knowledge of the
functioning of the internal organs, and whose
evaluation of the bodys parts had to be made by
observation of its external workings, it must have
been patent that the head was the most conse
quential, for after all the organs of speech, of
sight, of hearing, and of smell are centered in it.
Furthermore, in it is the mouth into which food
and drink are placed. W e may disregard the
fact of brain, inasmuch as many primitive peoples
did not know of its existence, or did not associate
with it consciousness and thought. The other fac
tors in themselves were important enough to give
the head prominence in mans physical make-up.
Logically, if it were such a superior portion of
the body, we can understand how these primitive
beings believed that the Divine element or entity
should be supposed to occupy it. Consequently,
the physiological importance, combined with the
spiritual, caused the head to be revered.
The rites and rituals pertaining to heads are
indigenous to tribes, and are the result of indi
vidual development. Frazer, eminent anthropolo
gist, in his collection of researches and findings,
concurs with this theory; in fact, proves it to be
so. Sanctity is attributed to the head because
most all primitive peoples believe it to be the
seat of spirit and therefore suppose it as being
very sensitive to injury or disrespect. Numerous
interesting examples prove this to be so. The
Korans of Burma believe that a being or entity,
minute in form and which they call Tso, resides
in the upper portion of the head. Further, it is
supposed that while it retains its seat no harm
shall come to the body or to the individual; con
sequently the head is most carefully attended to
regularly.
The Siamese in particular have associated many
meanings with the head and give it exceptional
prominence. They, too, think that a spirit re
sides in it, which they have named Khuan. It is
supposed to be a guardian spirit, ever watchful
of the individuals welfare. The head must be
carefully attended so as not to incommode the
spirit. The shaving of the head and cutting of
the hair are accompanied by elaborate and solemn
ceremonies which are witnessed by many of the
tribespeople, and at which a priest officiates. If

Page 20

a Siamese accidentally touches the head of another with his foot, both parties involved in this
sacrilege must proceed at once to build separate
chapels to the earth spirit to avert ill omens.
Though one is permitted to wash his head, it
must not be frequent, as there is a possibility
that such acts might injure or incommode the
Guardian Spirit.
This belief was prevalent among many of the
ancients as well. The head of the King of Persia
was washed once a year, according to legend. It
is historically known that Roman women washed
their heads annually on the 13th day of August,
Dianas Day. Turning to the W estern world we
find that the Indians of Peru fancied they could
rid themselves of sins by scrubbing their heads
with small, round, polished stones and then washing their heads in a stream of pure water. This
might have originated with the development of
conscience, for the awareness of sin comes from
a realization of an inner reproachthe mental
conflictin other words, the sins were perhaps
supposed to have encroached upon the sanctity
of the head like vermin, and thus were to be removed by the physical process of scrubbing.
The primitive belief in the divinity of the head
is further illustrated by the Siamese custom of
not allowing anything of a profane nature to
hang or cross above it. Until recent years, in
Siam, no one was permitted to walk across a
bridge under which a person of rank or of su
perior religious station stood or walked. The re
lation of the feet to the head, namely, the former
being above it, was considered a sacrilege. Bur
mese women being taken to England, refused to
walk across the deck of a boat beneath which
priests of their religious order were standing, as
they supposed it would defile the sancity of the
priests heads. Further, a Siamese will not pass
beneath blood in any form, or the carcass of
an animal. Among some primitive peoples, when
a bullock is struck by lightning, the tribesmen in
the kraal (village) are at once ordered by the
priests to shave their heads, which is done as a
part of a pretentious ceremony. The lightning is
considered an omen from heaven and the shav
ing is a purification of the head, which contains
the heavenly spirit within it.
The covering and uncovering of the head, upon
entering churches, temples, and mosques today is
but the evolution of these crude beginnings. In
some instances, the removing of head gear is a
token of humility and respecta gesture of of
fering oneself in the simple state to the Supreme
Power. In other instances it is an attempt to
cover up the body as completely as possible, for
the body, any portion of it which is exposed, is
considered to be suggestive of carnal things. The
fact that women, in some religions, are obliged to
cover their heads, and men at the same time un

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cover theirs, is due to the belief that womans

hair is her greatest attribute of beauty and is
therefore a sensual appeal, and must be con
cealed in sacred places from the eyes of those
who come to worship.

Can You Get Something for Nothing?

All of us like bargains, or what we fondly be
lieve are bargains. Many times we feel that we
have made a purchase whose value exceeds the
amount expended, but how often is this really so?
W e save a few cents on canned goods and find
that the difference lies in the way the food is
packed. Often not always, but often we
save on clothes, only to find that the bargains
rip, or pull, or fade or shrink. W e expend ten
cents worth of shoe leather walking to save two
cents on some small article, and all that we
achieve is a feeling of self-satisfaction. W e marvel
at the moderate prices on commodities in at
tractive boxes and bottles only to find, after
buying, that we have paid for the quality of the
container rather than for the quality of the
contents.
This does not mean that there are no such
things as good shoppers. It does mean that a good
shopper should concentrate on avoiding stores
which overcharge because of locality, prestige or
advertising budget, and lines which are priced
high because of trade names or packaging. In
short, a good shopper should avoid paying for
front but should never be deluded by the hope
of obtaining something for nothing. N o one has
ever been able to do that, for the Cosmic laws
forbid it. There are instances where we may not
pay at the moment of purchase, or may not pay
in kind, or may not pay in a tangible medium,
but compensation of some sort is always forth
coming.
Recently Frater Levell related to us an incident
which illustrated this point so well that we are
going to quote his version of it.
A lady went to a furrier to purchase a new
fur coat. Selecting her choice, she asked the price
and was aghast when the furrier asked three
hundred and fifty dollars. W hy, she exclaimed,
T dont believe that coat is worth more than one
hundred and fifty dollars. I am sure that I can
get one as good elsewhere for no more than two
hundred at the most.
T believe you, the furrier answered quietly.
And I esteem your patronage so greatly that I
could let you have this coat for two hundred
dollars. Now, you are not making frequent pur
chases involving such large sums as this, so in the
interest of your own continued prosperity, you
will certainly give this transaction careful con
sideration. Now I could give you this coat for
two hundred dollars, with the hope that I might

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gain your future patronage, which we admit will

be infrequent. Operating on such a small margin
of profit, I can only hope to stay in business by
increasing my volume of sales. This is a two-edged
sword. By reducing the price I place this coat
within the means of a great number of ladies and
thereby deprive you of a measure of the exclusive
ness which you desire as much as you do the coat.
Another thing: By increasing the number of
customers we must kill a larger number of ani
mals, which results in a corresponding decrease in
the supply of these little fur-bearers. A short
age of supply is always accompanied by an in
crease in price, so that, in three or four years
from now, when you need another coat, the price
may be so high that you will have to pay many
times the one hundred and fifty dollars you are
trying to save today.
Still another consideration: By cutting the
price I may force some less prosperous dealers
out of business and cut off their only means of
livelihood, thus throwing the burden of their
support upon you and me, by some method of
increased taxation. So you see, in asking you this
high price, I am as much concerned with your
advantage as I am with my own profit.
Fortunately the lady was intelligent. She paid
the price because she could see that her insistence
on a cut price would actuate a chain of events
that would be disastrous to her own interests.
But, just as one cannot receive without giving,
so one cannot give any gift or service and see
the full result with his or her physical eyes. Each
generous act, as well as each selfish act, sets into
motion a train of circumstances the boundaries
of which are far beyond the sight of the prime
mover. Frater Levell also gave us a story which
illustrates this principle. Perhaps you read of this
instance in the paper, as he did, but it is so ap
propriate that I feel we should repeat it for the
benefit of our Forum family. Frater Levell said:
It was a simple little story of how a real
estate sales manager had transacted a big deal
which netted him ten thousand dollars commis
sion. He was so elated that he gave two of his
star salesmen $500 each. One of these salesmen
took his five hundred to his wife and they plan
ned how they could stretch four hundred over
several items they needed and send the other
hundred to a friend who was in desperate finan
cial straits. This friend, in turn, gave twenty-five
to another who was utterly destitute. The desti
tute one gave a dollar to his widowed and im
poverished sister. The widowa devout Catho
licwent to church to pour out her gratitude to
God, and dropped a quarter in the poor box.
The priest, observing her obvious destitution, was
so moved that he composed a sermon so eloquent
and appealing that it was published and widely
circulated. It proved to be an inspiration to

Page 2 1

thousands and got back to the salesman who made

the original five hundred dollar donation, and so
influenced him that he formed a regular habit of
donating a part of every dollar he received to
some humane cause. The remarkable thing was
the way his sales increased and how luck seemed
to literally thrust itself upon him.
The other salesman made a similar disposition
of his five hundred dollars, but with a different
motive. He and his wife retained four hundred
for their own use and with the remaining hun
dred they bought a beautiful wrist-watch for an
aged and wealthy maiden aunt, because, he said,
the old girl is liable to kick off any day now, so
we had better drop her a little reminder. Well,
the aunt received the watch, glanced at it with
bored indifference and tossed it in a box of costly
trinkets on her dresser. Her maid, dated for her
day off, appropriated the watch to wear for the
occasion. Her beau, infuriated because she im
plied that it was a gift from his rival, sought out
the rival and killed him. The subsequent trial,
which brought out all the sordid details and in
volved the aunt, so annoyed her that she cut her
nephew completely from her will. He, in turn,
became so bitter that his sales dropped off until
his company could no longer keep him. How he
is broke, destitute and out of a job.

Mechanical Music to Equal Genius

A news clipping sent us by a frater states in
part: Sensitive English musical circles smarted
today under the crushing assertion of Sir James
Jeans (eminent British physicist) that so far as
a single piano note is concerned, it makes no
difference whether the key is struck by an um
brella or the finger of a Paderewski. The frater
asked the question then: Now, we all know that
emotion can be and is expressed on the piano and
I should like to know how that emotion is ex
pressed (that it makes it so different from me
chanically played music), if it is not produced by
the manner in which the keys are struck! Music
is enjoyed because the organized sounds of which
it is composed produce auditory sensations, which
excite the emotions sympathetically through the
sympathetic nervous system. All of us are not
emotionally responsive to the same kind of stimuli.
Some persons can be brought into a state of emo
tional ecstasy through music while others of equal
intelligence and sensitivity are unmoved by the
same music. This does not necessarily follow that
those who are unmoved are coarse or insensitive,
but rather that they may be responsive to another
group of sensations by which they can attain the
same ecstasy. The reading of superb literature
will produce in some this same exaltation, as will
art, sculpture, adventure, exploration, scientific
inquiry, and philosophical abstraction.

Page 22

The reason why some react to certain stimuli

more than others can only be speculated upon.
It may be that certain of the centers of the peri
pheral senses are more acute than others, or that
their attunement with the emotions is closer. Be
that as it may, a musical genius, for example, can
develop in piano playing the right pressure on a
key or on a combination of keys and produce
such shades of tones as will arouse the emotional
response more quickly in his listeners than will
a novice or an ordinary musician. Though this
credit must be given to genius, Sir James Jeans
is correct in saying that science can produce by
mechanical means the same effect. The genius
is first needed to determine and establish just the
correct shades of tones; after that science could
drop a mechanical weight on the keys and get
exactly the same effect.
Perhaps some of you are thinking as you read
this of the automatic player pianos, and how ob
viously mechanical they sound, but in fact they
are a crude development in contrast to modern
scientific possibilities, possibilities opened only
within the last few years. For example, a master
pianist may play a composition in front of a
microphone; the sound is amplified and is then
converted into electrical impulses which pass
through a neograph, an instrument which causes
the sounds to show their amplitude in visual elec
trical impulses; in other words, illuminated elec
trical waves. The peaks of the vibrations of each
note are shown as waves. This vibrating, oscil
lating, electrical current is visible to the naked
eye in the neograph, and may be photographed;
thus, we are able to see sound in a permanent
form. In other words, we can get a picture of
the notes. The vibrations, or wave crests of each
note produced by the master pianist can then be
minutely studied. All that need then be done
is to exert a mechanical pressure on the keys by
weights, which will produce, after experimenta
tion, waves identical in amplitude with those of
the pianist. A series of experiments must be con
ducted so that when these mechanical pressures
or the waves produced by them are photographed
in the same way they correspond exactly with
those of the pianist. W hen that is done science
knows exactly just what weight or pressure to
exert upon a key and it will therefore create the
same peaks as the hand playing did. W hen you
have done this you have mechanically recreated
the expression of the genius, and the same emo
tions should ensue within the breast of the
listener.
In the old form of mechanical piano playing,
this was not possible. It was not possible to de
termine just exactly what pressure the artist ex
erted on the key, but now we can photograph that
pressure and produce exactly the same waves me
chanically. This, however, does not discredit the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

human equation. Genius was first needed to dis

cover and apply the pressure needed to produce
the emotional effect. Physics can produce music,
but it can not conceive the composition.

Healing and H ealth

Early in the Second Degree, we take up the
subject of health and the cure of disease through
Rosicrucian healing methods. First of all, we
learn that psychic development depends upon a
strong, healthy body; and so we give you exer
cises to perform that will result in good health
and a strong magnetic aura. Such exercises
should not be performed for a few days and then
discontinued. They should be kept up throughout
your lifetime. Remember, we are desirous of
having you live the Rosicrucian principles. Make
them a part of your daily routine and habits.
W hen you arise in the morning, take your breath
ing exercises along with all of the other healthgiving habits Also, remember to drink a glass of
water the first thing when you get up. The body
is the temple of the soul, and it is the duty of
man to maintain this body in as perfect a condi
tion as possible, thus giving the soul an oppor
tunity to do its great work here on the material
plane.
Pain is natures signal system. It is natures
way of warning us of an abnormal condition in
the physical body. To ignore pain is a radical
and impractical phase of philosophy. If it were
not intended that man have a toothache when his
teeth needed attention, nature would not have so
arranged it. Attempting to ignore the toothache
will not relieve the pain or fill the cavity in the
tooth. Therefore, when you have pain, realize
that it is due to an abnormal condition which
requires immediate attention, and do something
about it. Do not attempt to relieve the pain by
denying its existence. Rosicrucians strive to main
tain harmony in the body by a balance between
the positive and negative, or, as we term them,
the A and B, elements in the blood cells. W hen
you are ill, it simply means that the A and B ele
ments are out of harmony or balance. The B
element is negative, and is supplied by the food
and drink taken into the system. The A element
is positive, and can only be obtained through the
air we breathe. Therefore, it is our duty to take
breathing exercises regularly and partake of a
balanced diet, and most important, drink plenty
of water. You have learned that the B element
can be quickly supplied by expelling the air from
the lungs and placing the fingertips together,
keeping them thus until you find it necessary to
breathe again. The A element can be renewed
by inhaling and holding the breath.
A and B element treatments can be given to
others by physical contact. This is done by the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

use of the thumb and first two fingers of each

hand. These digits contain what are known as
radial nerves, and from these nerves radiate or
emanate positive and negative vibrations. These
vibrations stimulate the energy in the body when
applied to certain nerve centers along the spinal
cord. For positive or A element treatmei % the
thumb and first two fingers of the right hand are
applied to the centers along the left-hand side of
the vertebrae in the backbone, while holding the
breath. The negative or B element treatments are
given by the left hand, and the fingers and thumb
are applied to centers alongside the right of the
vertebrae. The A or positive treatments are
given for pains in the head, chest, abdomen, and
other parts of the body. The B or negative treat'
ments are applied for the relief of colds, nervousness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and similar
conditions.
An interesting and important thing regarding
the Rosicrucian healing system is that it will not
interfere with any other treatments being taken
by the patient, and even when a wrong treatment
is given, no harm results.

W hy Thoughts Are Things

If thoughts are things, then it must follow
that they must be vibrations of spirit energy in
manifestation, writes one of our good fraters
of Chicago. This question concerns itself not
only with metaphysics, but with physics. It brings
up the question of what is a thing. A thing, we
must conclude, is that which, regardless of its own
form or nature, has an existence to us. A thing
which has existence to us, consequently, is a real'
ity. Realities, however, are not merely those
things which the objective senses conceive, but
those which the mind conceives as well.
Centuries ago two philosophical schools, one
called the Nominalists and the other called Real'
ists, debated this issue, and great minds since have
given it much thought. One of the greatest Real'
ists of the past was Thomas Aquinas, and the
most prominent exponent of Nominalism was
William of Occam. From out of these two schools
grew a third known as Conceptualism, which conforms closely to our present day thoughts with
regard to this subject.
Briefly the Realists, with Plato before them,
held that the only real things are the universals.
These universals are the general ideas which all
men have alikethe names or terms that we give
to classes and to recognised conditions, such as:
small, large, round, square, animals, insects, et
cetera. In other words, the general classifications
which mens minds attribute to the things of the
world were thought to be real, and the things of
the world which we perceive not real. For ex
ample, it was thought that unless the things of

Page 23

the world participate in these universalsthese

general ideas or class terms we have for them
that they had no existence. To be more specific,
according to the Realists, a man that we might
see with our eyes is less real than the idea which
we have of men, or the class term men, into which
we group all individual men.
The Nominalists, on the other hand, coincided
more with ordinary reasoning and common sense,
but went a little to the other extreme. They said
that which is real is that which we perceive.
Knowledge to them was solely the knowledge of
the sensesan empirical knowledge. M ans ideas,
they said, have no actual existence whatsoever.
They are merely arouseda sort of by-product
of what he perceives and are therefore illusionary; only the things of the senses have actual ex
istence. A n apple to these Nominalists had its
reality in the sensations of color, smell, and touch
which it produced in the mind. The idea of apple
which the mind obtained from perceiving its vari
ous qualities was no reality whatsoever.
Then came Abelard, great scholar and philosopher, whom we might say mediated by introduc
ing the doctrine of Conceptualism. This doctrine
holds that our concepts, our ideas, are real, but
they are no more real than the objects themselves
which we perceive. The forms which the senses
perceive, which we come to realise, impart some
thing of themselves to the mentality. That some
thing becomes a concept, an idea, a name. It
makes no difference whether we call that some
thing a rose or an apple, it exists in our minds,
nevertheless, as the result of the object perceived,
and therefore has an existence; so Conceptualism
holds to the principle that thoughts are things,
because they are related to those impressions made
in our consciousness by things.
There are, however, more than the philosophical
factors to be considered here; there are the psy
chological and physiological ones as well. From
the Rosicrucian point of view, which is being cor
roborated more each day, the underlying princi
ple of all matter discernable in its absolute state
is the energy of spirit. This spirit we think of as
a pulsating, vibrating energy, functioning in the
universe according to scale, composed of perhaps
unlimited octaves. Each octave in turn has its
own particular frequency or rates of vibrations.
Some of these vibrations are detected by our phy
sical senses and arouse within us sensations, which
in turn engender the ideas we have of things.
Thus the basic quality of the things of each of
our senses is a vibratory energy. For example,
visual forms are composed of light waves. Tac
tile forms are visualisations of mass, sound forms
are vibrations of air, et cetera. The transforma
tion of the initial impulses into nerve impulses
and eventually into sensations is a sort of electro
magnetic process. Physiologists have proven that

Page 24

the sensations had of things are accompanied by

measurable electrical charges in the sensory ner
vous system.
In many of the theories advanced as to how
this is accomplished, we are told that the nerves
when excited take on an electrical condition,
which is negative. In experiments with frogs, the
motor nerve muscle is so extremely irritated by
electric currents that it may be used instead of
a galvanometer, a sensitive instrument to detect
the action currents within the nerves.
According to the eminent DuBois-Reymond,
after much experimentation by him and the actual
discovery of currents in nerves, the nerve fibres
contain a series of electro-motive particles. The
conduction of this current in comparison to the
velocity of light or electricity is slow; in fact, 27
meters per second. The movement or excitation
that is conducted along the fibre has been named
the nerve principle, the nerve energy, the nerve
force, and the nerve impulse. It is known too
that the peripheral sense organs generate an elec
trical current when actuated by impulses. When,
for example, light falls upon the living retina, an
electrical disturbance is produced by the visible
rays of the spectrum, and there is every reason
to believe that the passage of visual impulses
along the optic nerve is accompanied by an elec*
trical charge. There is positive evidence that the
motor discharges, that is, the discharges that carry
along the motor nerves and cause muscles to con
tract and portions of the body to move, are ac
companied by electrical potentials. Stimulation
of motor nerve centers in the cerebrum has pro
duced accompanying electrical discharges, which
were measurable with galvanometers. Therefore
sensations are obviously electrical in nature and
thoughts are sensations. They are either engen
dered by the impulses of the peripheral senses
(objective senses), as explained, or are recollec
tions of memory impressions, which may again, if
concentrated upon sufficiently, generate an elec
trical potential that can actually be radiated.
These radiations of thought are in their abso
lute state, not greatly unlike the energy radia
tions of matter which cause the sensations that
we have of things. They differ only in the extent
of their vibratory rate and frequency as sound
waves differ from radio waves. Though the im
pulses of these thoughts have been recently meas
ured and found to be comparatively weak and not
capable of registration, except by extreme amplifi
cation, it is possible that these waves have what
is known in the musical world and the electrical
world as a harmonic of an exceedingly high or
ultra frequency, which, although very low in am
perage, may be capable of radiating a considerable
distance. A fter all, the radio frequency waves
of our powerful broadcast stations, in compari
son to the common current of heavy voltage

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

power lines, have very small amperage. The heavy

amperage power lines, on the other hand, can
radiate but very short distances. Definitely then,
thoughts are things, if we consider them meta
physically, psychologically, and/or physiologically.

A ryan Supremacy
A Soror of New York rises in our Forum
Circle to ask, Due to present European condi
tions which brought this race into the limelight,
I would like to know a little something further
about it.
W e all read and hear, of course, that certain
European powers are contending that they are
direct lineal descendents of Aryan stock in con
trast, for example, to the peoples of Semitic blood,
and that if they be so, they are thus a superior
people racially.
Of course, there are two major problems in
volved in such declarations. The first, the neces
sary proof to substantiate direct lineal descent, and
second, that of showing that the Aryans were a
superior people in any sense to the Semitics.
A certain European country in particular mak
ing these claims, according to the Press of the
world, at least is in a splendid position to know
through its marvelous scientific resources the
truths of this matter, and that is what makes the
whole somewhat confusing, because many of their
statements are not based on such scientific facts
as they have access to.
For many years the two branches of science,
the ethnologists and the philologists, have warred
with respect to whether the term Aryan should
be related to language exclusively, or to race.
It is generally conceded in most unbiased scien
tific circles that our Aryan heritage in Europe is
philological and not racial. The name was first
quite generally associated with the people of an
cient Iran. In fact, these people called themselves
Aryans, and their language was known as Aryan.
These Iranians were related to consanguineous
tribes of India, who are also said to be Aryans.
Ethnologists believe that Iranians were a migra
tion that came from India and possibly formed a
single people, known as Arya. As to where the
Iranians originated it is not definitely known.
Possibly they occupied the great Steppe territory
north of the Black and Caspian Seas. The ancient
Greek historian, Herodotus, attempts in his works
to show this connection between the peoples of
the Steppe, and those of Iran and India. W hat
moved them southward, as likewise what caused
the Semitic races to move down to the TigrisEuphrates Valley perhaps no one will ever know.
In prehistoric times it might have been glaciation,
the effect of the great glaciers driving peoples
southward, as the temperature dropped and vege
tation became sparse in the North. A t least the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Iranians seem to have penetrated southward to

the inviting cultivatable lands of Iran, and then
they gradually spread over to the Ganges, estab'
lishing themselves there. As said, when this mi'
gration actually occurred is not known, but in
the Vedic Era, about 1600 B. C., the Aryans
were well established in the Punjab district of
India.
There is no question about it, however, that
these persons were definitely not Semitic, just as
the Sumerians of Babylonia were not. In fact,
there is a strong belief that perhaps the Sumerians
and Aryans might have been ethnologically re'
lated, as it is supposed that they too migrated
from the N orth to the upper end of the Persian
Gulf, which in ancient times reached as far north'
ward as the present ruins of Babylon. Certainly,
racially, the Aryans and Iranians were as non'
Semitic as the Sumerians.
Aryan names appear in contemporary docu'
ments from the Sixteenth Century downward in
Mesopotamia. Ancient Assyrian writings fre'
quently contain such names. In fact, correspon'
dence in Tel'el'Amarna about 1400 B. C. be'
tween the Pharaoh and the kings of his subordi'
nate nations bears Iranian or Aryan words.
It is known that the horse first appeared in
Babylonia about 4000 B. C., and he was already
domesticated for quite a time when he was intro'
duced to the peoples of the United Kingdoms of
Akkad and Sumer by a non'Semitic race from the
North, who were undoubtedly Aryans. Histori'
cally we know that the Aryans were excellent
horsemen, and they themselves never knew a time
when they had been without horses. Consequent'
ly, it is concluded that they must have domesti'
cated them from their wild state on the Steppes
of Asia.
The Aryans as a race or single group of people
were extirpated in the wars with the Egyptians
and Hittites, and their remnants were finally ab'
sorbed by other tribes.
No pure Aryan blood, at least not anywhere
near as pure as the Semitic strain, has come down
through the ages. Any attempt of a people today
to claim pure Aryan racial strain is, as it must
follow, ridiculous. The only characteristics of
Aryanism today are to be found in language, not
in blood.
It is generally claimed by philologists that there
is a connection between the Albanian and A r'
menian languages, and possibly Sanskrit, which
originally came from the Arameans and spread
from India to the West, and did not originate
there as commonly thought. Some philologists
contend that there is a language connection be'
tween the non'Semitic Sumerians and Aryans,
but the grammar of both the peoples is so dif
ferent that considerable doubt has arisen as to
this connection.

Page 25

Let us suppose, however, that certain peoples

of Europe today were really direct descendants
of the original Aryans. Just how does that give
them superiority ethnologically? Certain peoples
like to consider the Semitic an inferior, because
Jews are an admixture of Semitic Nomads and
Hittite tribes. Such reasoning is false, because it
is founded upon the wrong premise that the Jew
is an inferior. Certainly history throughout, as
well as modern experience, shows this assumption
to be ridiculous and an absolute prejudice. The
Jew has always displayed acumen and aggressive'
ness, although the latter may have caused him un'
wittingly to create enemies.
Further, the Arabs are a Semitic people as well.
W hether they are inferior to peoples of the west'
ern world depends upon our standards of in'
terpretation and judgment. A t one time the
Arabs as a people and a race were the sole de'
pository of wisdom, especially following the fall
of the Roman Empire.
A Semitic of pure blood can attain, if given
the same opportunities, the same heights in our
civilization as the non'Semitic. The races today
are such an admixture that for a nation to hold
itself up as a people consanguineously related to
an ancient pure strain is absurd.

M ental Reservations
This frater, of the Island of Malta located in
the Mediterranean Sea, asks the interesting ques'
tion: W hat is the Rosicrucian understanding
of the much used (or abused) term, mental reset'
vations? If we speak one thing or declare or
affirm something, and think another we are men'
tally reserving our true thoughts. Such mental
reservation may often amount to hypocrisy and
deceit; for example, if we loudly acclaim our
patriotism to others and inwardly know that our
sympathies and sentiments are not as strong as
avouched, we are exercising mental reservation.
Further, if we voluntarily take an oath of obliga'
tion to anything and we are not inwardly in ac'
cord with the sentiments to which our lips give
words, we are reserving our true feelings.
All of us, of course, have the right to reserve
our true feelings and sentiments about many
things, and that in itself is not wrong. The un'
ethical principle is to express ourselves one way
arid inwardly believe another. Such conduct is,
frankly, a lie. It may be disastrous to us in many
ways, other than incurring moral responsibility,
for if we speak one thing and think another, and
it is later discovered, it causes all who know of it
to suspect that we may have had an ulterior mo'
tive. Certainly an individual with a proper motive
does not try to deceive others as to his opinions
and conclusions. If he feels that it is best for
him to conceal his sentiments, that again is his

Page 26

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

prerogative, but concealment and misrepresenta'

tion are two entirely different things; the former
is often justified, but the latter hardly ever. Each
of us, even though we do not like to, knows how
much we despise the individual who appears
friendly and loyal to us and yet resorts to attacks
upon us personally to others. W e each would
much rather have someone meet us face to face
and outspokenly make plain his feelings toward
us than to mentally reserve them, and delude us
into imagining his friendshipso mental reserva'
tion is not a practice that can be condoned from
an ethical point of view.

Do the Cremated Suffer?

W e often have come to our attention fantastic
tales, based upon many illogical systems of religi'
ous or mystical thought, claiming that there is
suffering by those who are cremated and embalmed, or those who are buried before a certain
number of days has passed, even after they are
pronounced dead.
One organisation, styling itself Rosicrucian and
not recognised by the F. U. D. O. S. I. a world
federation of authentic initiatory orders, of which
A M ORC is a memberclaims that entities reside
within the body and that embalming is injurious
to them, and that burials must not take place until
a certain separation between them and the etheri'
al world has taken place.
But today there comes to us an intelligent ques'
tion by a frater in England. He asks: Are we
positively sure at the time of cremation that every
vestige of life has ceased? The question centers
about whether all of the cells of the sensory
nerves are absolutely dormant when transition or
death is said to have set in, and whether, if they
are not, the flames of the fire of cremation will
cause sensations which the deceased might ex'
perience if cremation immediately follows transit
tion? Experimentation has shown that persons
who have passed through transition do not have
action currents in their sensory or motor nerves,
and artificially induced impulses into these nerve
paths produce no corresponding electrical charges
as occur in live beings. Consequently, impulses
such as might come from the flame are not capable
of producing sensations or even reaching the brain
centers.
A body under an anaesthetic has all of the
usual nerve action and impulses, and the electrical
charges of the nerve fibres are carried to the brain,
but they do not register as a sensation, even
though the body is very much alive; therefore,
we have a right to assume that a body in a state
of transition not even having this nerve action
can not possibly be susceptible to sensation, even
if individual cells in the body may have in and by
themselves a responsive consciousness. For ex'

ample, the hair and nails are known to grow after

death; thus, those cells have an individual vitality
that continues after the organism or body as a
whole is in a state of transition.
Now, if objective consciousness alone were to
become dormant at transition, that is, the ability
of the individual to become aware outside of himself and to move and control his members, then
by all means would cremation or embalming be
apt to cause suffering because the psychic self,
the subjective would still be very much alive. The
subjective consciousness, or intelligence, that
which governs the involuntary actions of the
body, such as the movement of the heart, circular
tion of the blood, and the functioning of the or'
gans is, however, absent at transition, for it is
quite evident that those functionings dependent
upon it have ceased.
Epicurus, the Greek philosopher, said: Where
we are death is not yet, and where death comes
there we are not. He succinctly said in his state'
ment that if we are, we are conscious and death
therefore can not exist too, but where death is,
all consciousness is gone from this plane, and
consequently so is self. If, therefore, there is no
consciousness which can register pain or irritat'
ing sensations, then what disturbances individual
and simple cells in our body may undergo can
cause us no suffering.
As Rosicrucians, we hold to the concept that
when the breath of life leaves the body so does
there exude from it that vital life force which
unites all of the cells into a single conscious organ'
ism that constitutes man as a living soul. Cells
of the blood stream immediately after transition
have been placed in test tubes and kept alive as
a culture for a considerable time, but they were
no longer of the structure of man. Theirs was but
a simple consciousness like one would find in a
protoplasmic cell, incapable because of separation
from the complete and active nervous system of
productivity of that which we know as pain.
W ith transition there therefore ends on this
plane consciousness of self and any awareness of
any irritation. From the Rosicrucian concept, ere'
mation is the ideal manner in which to dispose of
the body. The physical elements of which the
body is composed, in and by themselves, no more
constitute man than does a wax figure. It is our
duty, therefore, to aid them to return to their
original state as soon as possible, and cremation
does this. The long preservation of the body by
elaborate embalming methods is a custom born out
of a sentiment which continues to associate the
personality and the self with the physical shell
or else it is the result of certain religious interpre'
tations. It is those intangible elements, those con'
ditions and characteristics which compose the ego
and the personality which make the you. W hen

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they have gone, it is best that the physical ele'

ments of the body be freed as quickly as possible
and with the utmost decency.

Suggestions for the Forum

The articles that appear in the Forum originate
in two different ways. First, they come from
those important questions written to the Impera'
tor and to some of his associate officers, which,
when they are answered, are found to be of such
a nature as would prove interesting and instruct
tive to Forum readers; so at a Forum session they
are selected to appeaar in these pages.
Many members are agreeably surprised to see
their questions given space in the Forum. Of
course, every question asked by a member is not
of such a nature that it should or could be put
in the Forum. Then again there are letters w rit'
ten direct to the Rosicrucian Forum Secretary,
with the result that if the Imperator sees fit the
question is answered in the Forum pages. Some
are not answered, because in the opinion of the
Imperator they would be of no interest to anyone
perhaps but the writer, and some, again, are asked
which only a short time before have been answered in the Forum, and, consequently, the same
topic can not be considered again for some time.
Now, therefore, we invite you to submit ques'
tions to the Forum Secretary, which will be an'
swered here. There are certain rules, however,
which you must go by, and certain conditions
which you must recognise and meet. The ques'
tions should pertain principally to the teachings
of the Rosicrucian Order, or to matters concern'
ing the Rosicrucian Order and your association
with it. If the question pertains to yourself, it
must concern some principle or law that would
be of interest to the majority of Forum readers.
Naturally, details of your family or business af'
fairs if embodied in the question would hardly
interest thousands of other readers. You may
write questions pertaining to occult and psychic
phenomena, and we will endeavor to answer them
from the Rosicrucian point of view. Please do
not ask us questions about political or religious
matters, for obvious reasons. If your question is
acceptable to the Forum, it will be answered w ith'
in four issues of the Forum, or not at all. Some
questions, though acceptable, are not answered
immediately, perhaps because the material for the
next issue may have already been prepared. So,
after reading this if you have a question, or two
or three questions, for the Forum, and of the
above nature, please send them we want them.
Address your letter, not direct to the Imperator,
but to The Rosicrucian Forum Secretary,
A.M.O.R.C., Rosicrucian Par\, San Jose, Cali'
fornia. All questions will be answered in the
same impersonal style as now exists in the Forum

Page 27

and as created by the Imperator. You may be

separated in distance miles from Rosicrucian
Park, but you can join in the round table Forum
discussions by submitting your questions and be'
ing represented in the Forum in the answers to
those questions.

Fiction Mystics
Our Forum readers send us from time to
time pages, or excerpts, taken from popular maga'
sines or novels referring to the Rosicrucians, or
to subjects on Mysticism, Occultism, and Psychic
Phenomena. They are often quite shocked by
what they read in these magasines on Rosicru'
cianism, and they quote to us the sensational
things the characters in the story have to say on
or about these topics. O ur Forum readers then
ask us to reconcile our teachings, our statements
which are based upon factual things and ex'
periences, with the things that they have read
in these stories. W e are obliged to admit that we
can not reconcile them, and neither can any
teacher or student of metaphysics, mysticism, or
any master of Rosicrucianism. W hy? Simply be'
cause most of the remarks in the stories are made
without any reference to truth or fact.
People must begin to discern the difference be'
tween novels, or stories written for amusement
and entertainment, and articles, or treatises, w rit'
ten for enlightenment and study. In the former,
the author, or writer, has an audience of people
who are looking to be entertained, not instructed.
He knows that the average reader of his works
will not care whether what he says is fact or not.
The only thing the author of these mystical fic'
tion works, or novels, having characters supposed
to be mystics in them, is obliged to keep in mind
when he is writing is that his invented characters
do something thrilling, weird, and spectacular, or
say something sensational. The author must not
have his character take time to try and prove,
by expounding natural laws, how he accomplishes
the things he does, for that would bore the fiction
reader, and further, it would not be understand'
able to him either.
You know, for analogy, that there are numer'
ous fiction magasines devoted to aviation stories,
and they have quite a circulation. Aviation ex'
perts and experienced pilots often laugh when
people ask them how the fiction aviators accom'
plish the things they do. The real pilots tell
them that the things the author has written about
in most instances are not in the present realm of
possibility, and they point out how unfamiliar
the author really is with the technique of avia'
tion, but to the novice the author s tale proves
thrilling. The aviator would tell the inquirer that
if he were sincerely interested in the correct prin'
ciples of aviation, he should read some technical

Page 28

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

journal, but the reader most likely would not,

because he does not want to study, he wants to
be entertained. Consequently he has himself to
thank for the misinformation he picks up in the
fiction articles he reads.
So why, likewise, put any dependence in state'
ments that fiction m agazines, or authors writing
for popular magazines, make regarding meta'
physics or Rosicrucian principles. The author un'
doubtedly knows far less about the things he is
writing than you do. He adds the names and
characters and has them talk, using a jargon of
mystical phrases to lend an element of mystery
to his story. Most of the stuff written in popular
magasines on occultism and about psychic phe'
nomena is pure unadulterated rubbish. If anyone
looking for this information turns to fiction maga'
sines for it, he should be confused and bewildered
as just compensation for his lack of good judg'
ment. Do not try to mix your fiction and fact.
A novel is a novel, and a serious but interesting
factual article is something entirely different.
One who is generally interested in the subject
of mysticism finds the subject in and by itself so
fascinating that he does not have to have it em'
bellished with a romantic or trite tale. The one
who has to be entertained, as he purports to in'
vestigate natures laws, is a pretender, and he
\now s it.
See how many persons will pay the sum of
250, or even $5.00 to have another prognosticate
their futures, to read their palm, or to decipher
tea leaf indications, but who do not take five
minutes of their time to meditate upon their own
inclinations, habits of mind, and personal idio'
syncrasies, by which their future is being shaped.
They will stand in line an hour or more to have
some self'acclaimed mystic look into a crystal and
depict their future, but would not think of prac'
ticing introspection in their homes, the turning of
their consciousness inward to examine themselves.
Therefore, when you read fiction tales about mys'
tics in popular magasines, and about mysticism,
take them for what they are worth, just stories
or articles given to the public for entertainment.
Do not expect that AM ORC can or will be in'
clined to try and reconcile fiction with fact.

Is Steel Furniture Harm ful?

A Soror of long standing in A M O RC ad'
dresses our Forum with the question, In my
office I sit at a steel desk and find when I get
close to it with my chest that I become conscious
of a vibratory disturbanceI wonder if this is
harmful? Some years ago I sometimes wore a long
string of beads, which rested on my chest and
produced a feeling like croup, which was strong
enough at times to make me want to cough. The
Soror states that, as Dr. Carrel stated in his work,

Man, the Unknown, it seems as if man has

built himself a world in which he can not live in
harmony.
Now, we know, of course, that steel furniture
in and by itself is not injurious to human health,
or the cause of any physical or mental inharmony.
However, steel furniture could possibly become
the cause of an electrical disturbance, which
might prove to be a considerable annoyance, and
possibly an irritation to the human nervous sys'
tem. Steel, as we know, has an electrical capacity
that is, it may store up an electrical potential
or current, because steel is an electrical conductor.
It is not such an excellent conductor of electricity
as copper or aluminum, for example, but never'
theless it is a conductor.
If there are existing in a room or office condi'
tions which would create, through friction or
otherwise, a form of static electricity, such electri'
cal energy would be attracted to the steel desks
or furniture, where it would be stored.
The steel furniture, or the desk, acts the same
as a condenser used in electrical apparatus, that
is, it has a capacity for so much electrical energy.
It gradually stores up this energy from whatever
source generated it until the maximum is attained,
and then it discharges this electrical current, to
any other material, or substance, which is a con'
ductor, and which comes in contact with it.
Now, perhaps many of you have had the fol'
lowing experience, which is given as an example.
You must have had the experience of walking
down the corridor of a hotel, or an apartment
house, or department store, or some building that
had a high nap carpet, and when you reached a
door along that corridor that you desired to enter
and if the door was metallicwhen you went
to insert your steel key into the lock, you would
suddenly feel a tingling sensation in your fingers,
and you would note, if you had the experience
two or three times, a small blue flame, or spark,
jump from the key to the metal door. This would
be a result of static electricity, generated in your
body by the friction of your shoes rubbing on
the nap of the carpet.
Your body has the capacity of so much elec'
tricity, and it discharges itself to any conductor
that is groundedthat is, that is connected with
the earthsince electrical currents always seek
to reach the earth to dissipate themselves. That
is why we use lightning rods on buildings.
Persons have had the experience in circum'
stances such as above, after walking down a cor'
ridor carpeted as explained, and approaching an
elevator and just as they were to push the button
that would operate the signal to call the elevator
operator, they would feel a tingle, a little dis'
charge from the finger to the metal button of the
metal doorway of the elevator shaft. The effect
of walking along the nap carpet and generating

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

static electricity in your body is somewhat the

same as combing your hair with a hard rubber or
amber comb when it is particularly dry.
Steel furniture, therefore, in an office, if it is
groundedthat is, connected with some metallic
conductor which will allow electrical currents to
pass through it to the groundwill have no effect
upon anyone seated before it or in it. If the steel
furniture, however, is on a wooden floor, or on
linoleum, and the electrical energy it stores up
can not pass through it to the ground, it will
jump or discharge itself to any other conductor
that comes near it.
A person will be able to notice this effect by
the jewelry or other metallic objects that might
be on his or her body. This condition can be
easily overcome by having wire fastened, or
soldered, to the leg of the desk, chair, or whatever
metal furniture it is, and fastened to a heat radia'
tor or water or steam pipe. Steel furniture, how*
ever, can not absorb this electrical energy, unless
there is something generating it. If there is some'
thing in the room which will cause the friction
and create the energy, then the furniture will
store it up. If, however, there are no conditions
in or around the room, or outside of the room, to
create this electrical energy, then the steel furni'
ture will not absorb it, and the above conditions
will not exist. These conditions are the result
of very understandable natural laws.

Cosmic Consciousness
A doctrinal question which appears frequently
in our correspondence from fratres and sorores is
Can you give us a further concise and under'
standable explanation of that phenomenon known
as Cosmic Consciousness? and so again we de'
vote space to it in the pages of the FORUM.
In considering Cosmic Consciousness I am not
going to attempt to cover the subject completely,
but rather to convey the impression of the
tremendous scope of this subject and to point out
considerations that may stimulate your thinking.
The subject is too great for the consideration of
any one intellect; it cannot be confined to the
interpretation of one individual or group of in'
dividuals; it cannot even be confined to expression
in words. Nevertheless, it is a subject which we
must consider, and, in the light of our under'
standing of this subject, we are better able to pre'
pare the path which will constitute the way to'
ward the ultimate aims of our existence. It is im'
portant that we consider Cosmic Consciousness
from the standpoint of definition, not because it
can be limited to definition, but because it gives'
us a working point upon which to establish our
considerations. Probably that which most nearly
approaches a formal definition of the subject is
that given by Bucke in his book entitled Cosmic

Page 29

Consciousness. Among his writings the follow'

ing is significant: The prime characteristic of
Cosmic Consciousness is, as its name implies, a
consciousness of the cosmos, that is, of the life
and order of the universe. Along with the con'
sciousness of the cosmos there occurs an intel'
lectual enlightenment or illumination which alone
would place the individual on a new plane of
existencewould make him almost a member of
a new species. To this is added a state of moral
exaltation, an indescribable feeling of elevation,
elation and joyousness, and a quickening of the
moral sense, which is fully as striking and more
important both to the individual and to the race
than is the enhanced intellectual power. W ith
these come what may be called a sense of immor'
tality, a consciousness of eternal life, not a con'
viction that he shall have this, but the conscious'
ness that he has it already. Carefully consider
these comments.
W e see that Cosmic Consciousness is a power
that transforms the individual. Bucke compares
Cosmic Consciousness to lower forms of con'
sciousness which he terms first that of simple con'
sciousness possessed by any living creature and
second, self'consciousness which is possessed by
the human being to distinguish it from that pos'
sessed by other animals. Cosmic Consciousness is
something in advance of either of these states of
consciousness, as stated in the definition; it is an
added state, a condition which goes beyond that
which we can consider in the sense of our objec'
tive realisation. W e might say that consciousness
itself is a composite of what we perceive through
our senses and what we know from our intuitive
faculties; the latter includes what may be known
to us from the previous experiences of the soul.
Added to this, our consciousness includes aware'
ness of self; the ability to realise that I am is
made possible by consciousness. W ithout this in'
tuition, without this state of being, we would
merely be mechanisms which function because of
reflex action and have that type of consciousness
to which Bucke refers as simple consciousness.
Consciousness as including the perception of the
objective senses together with the intuitive abil
ities and the awareness of self, we might state is
a distinct possession of the human being. It sets
him aside from other living things because the
type of consciousness enjoyed by him makes pos'
sible not only objective reason but also the possi'
bility of mentally utilising both physical and
psychic phenomena which he perceives through
his senses and the extrasensory perception of his
subjective mind.
To consider Cosmic Consciousness then, we
must consider first of all the limitations of our
objective consciousness and the ordinary concep'
tion of our awareness of self. This state of con'
sciousness functions primarily in reference to the

Page 30

physical world. It functions and gives us consciousness. Imagine if you will your consciousness not being aware only of that which you per
ceive in this room, but imagine your consciousness
reaching out beyond this room and its physical
limitations, imagine it being a part of the Cosmic
itself and thereby being all inclusive instead of
definitely limited. This thought impresses itself
upon us indicating that Cosmic Consciousness is
first of all something that exists beyond the limits
of what we ordinarily perceive; in other words,
it is the expanding of an ability to perceive not
by the usual accepted way, but by the cooperation
with a greater force. W e expand our ability to
see a minute object with a microscope, we expand
our ability to hear a sound at a distance by
means of the telephone or radio, but no material
aid will expand the range of our senses to the
point where we can conceive of the Cosmic
scheme of things or cause us to know the under
lying laws operating in all things, nor can physi
cal instruments bring to our perception a thing
of a non-physical nature. Just as in order to ex
plore the heavens a particular material arrange
ment which we call a telescope is necessary, so it
is that if we are going to explore the nature of
things which are not physical, a certain mental or
psychic arrangement is necessary. Cosmic Con
sciousness is that arrangement.
Cosmic Consciousness according to this com
parison is to the perception of the soul what a
telescope is to the eye. The eye can see without
the telescope, consciousness can be an attribute of
the soul without Cosmic Consciousness, but just
as the telescope extends or expands the field of
vision, so the realisation of the power that lies
outside of our objective realisation by means of
Cosmic Consciousness extends our ability to per
ceive far beyond the limitations of what we
usually consider the range of our conscious per
ception. Let us not misunderstand the expansion
of this state to the point where we would, to use
the common expression, live in the clouds. Let us
realise that those who have attained Cosmic Con
sciousness have also been human beings.
May we never forget that the purpose of life
is not at any time to so lower the estimate of the
purpose of the physical body as to believe that it
should be given no consideration. The fact that
we are here in a physical body is evidence of the
fact that it is necessary for our present develop'
ment; therefore, the first step toward the attain
ment of Cosmic Consciousness must be made in
this physical body, and the school of thought
which would have us believe that the considera
tion of the body should be eliminated is not
hastening the development of the state of con
sciousness, but rather they are postponing it.
It is difficult for some people to be able to make
use of a small amount of psychic development.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

They believe that they then have the right to live

in the clouds, they forget that the requirements
of daily life go on whether we are masters or
whether we are uninitiated students, and he who
fails to appreciate the necessity of daily living is
doing the very opposite of that which he believes
he is accomplishing. It is very true that the physi
cal should not have first consideration, but it is
also very true that the physical should have very
important and careful consideration. W hat is de
manded of the occultist is not that we eliminate
consideration of the body, but that we learn to
intelligently make the body serve the purpose as
a suitable housing for the soul. The soul must
grow in the environment in which is it placed.
The placing was not made casually or without
purpose, but was definitely made to add to its
experience and contribute to its growth by gain
ing knowledge in that state of existence.
One of the first manifestations of Cosmic Con
sciousness in the human being is the quickening
of his intuitive ability. The first spark of Cosmic
Consciousness brings to the human the realisation
of the tremendous force which exists in the uni
verse, and of it his soul is a part. This manifesta
tion of intuition is one of the first faculties that
the student of the occult must attempt to develop,
that is why in the Rosicrucian course of study the
first experiments center around this particular
faculty. Intuition is the voice of the Cosmic with
in ourselves. The development of this faculty
must be left to the individual, but it is not my
purpose here to attempt to suggest methods or
procedures, other than that which is already
known to you through your studies, for the de
velopment of this faculty. It is important that I
stress the fact that until you have conscientiously
attempted to develop this faculty, to perform the
exercises which are for the purpose of assisting its
growth, you have not begun the proper steps
which will lead to the ultimate comprehension
and attainment of Cosmic Consciousness. Intui
tion, the voice of conscience, the hunch, or what
ever we wish to call it, is what may be technically
termed as pertaining to the field of extra-sensory
perception, that is, the ability to perceive beyond
the range of the physical senses. If man were
only given the ability of physical sense perception
then ultimate knowledge could easily be attained
because all man would need to know is what he
actually physically perceived; the why and pur
pose of things would be of no value or particular
interest to him, but as we exist to gain an under
standing not only of what is about us, but what
constitutes the principles and forces that have
brought these things into existence, we must also
have psychic perception.
The same thing that created all with which we
must deal in the physical world created us, there

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fore, the common unit between us and all other

things of a physical nature cannot be conceived
in us alone or in the things which we perceive,
neither can the common unit that exists between
us as individual living entities of the Creator hinv
self or the Cosmic be compared with the percept
tion of that which exists in common between
these two phases. In addition, besides consider'
ing these two planes, physical and immaterial, we
find that such a division is entirely imaginery,
that there is no point where physical manifesta'
tion ceases and non^material manifestation begins
except in our own minds. Neither in the limitations of our mind nor in the physical world is
there a defined boundary between physical and
psychic vibrations underlying the manifestations
of all things, and we cannot say at which certain
vibratory rate a manifestation transforms itself
from the physical to the psychic. There exists a
projection or rather a continuation of manifesta'
tion. There is no more difference between the
vibration which produces what we refer to as
physical, and that which produces psychic mani'
festation than there is between vibrations which,
when reproduced on a very low note of an organ,
produce vibrations which we do not know
whether we perceive by hearing or feeling. In
other words, there is not any one point which
can clearly be defined as the limit of the field of
manifestation of one rate of vibration as dis'
tinguished from another. Opinions have brought
about limitations of interpretations and have led
us to define in our own minds that which we con'
sider to be physical and psychic or ordinary and
miraculous, and in reality there is no line that can
be drawn between these conditions except as it
exists in our own conception of them. W e might
even go on to say that there is no line that can
definitely distinguish between consciousness and
Cosmic Consciousness. The first manifestation of
Cosmic Consciousness, that is intuition, is not a
new thing in our being, but a realisation of a
factor already there. Just as adjustment takes
place in the development of our physical bodies
when, for example, in adolescence bodily changes
also affect mental outlook, so it is that when
through the proper development of our inner'
selves, changes take place in our conception of
things, in our ability to perceive differently, it
is merely a step forward in a perfectly natural
state of things in the gaining of an added ability.
In order to survive as a normal, sane individual
and grow into a normal adult, the adolescent
must be directed to adapt the changing physical
and mental conditions to the life which is before
him, so must we upon the attainment of a glimpse
of a change within our psychic being, be directed
to maintain our mental and physical equilibrium
and by availing ourselves of the added abilities

Page 31

also be able to adapt ourselves to the conditions

which are apparently new, and at the same time
maintain a normal, healthy existence.
Intuition serves its purpose in our daily life.
It can be directed and guided into a potent force
which will in turn direct us. It may be the key
to those things which we otherwise could not
know. Closely connected with intuition is medi'
tation. Again, I refer you to proper instructions
for meditation which are available in the instruct
tions which you receive in your monographs. Let
us consider meditation and intuition in our daily
lives as a means or a step toward development of
Cosmic Consciousness. True meditation, that is
the contemplation of those things to which we
would direct our consciousness, is frequently
considered as the only form of meditation. There
is, however, a more active form of meditation
which we can carry on practically all the time.
I think possibly one of the outstanding proponents
of this theory of meditation was Count Hermann
Keyserling who stated: For me personally, medi'
tation has acquired in the course of years a new
meaning. Facing reality in a positive way, and
without evading it, is for my active temperament
a form of meditation. If I do not shrink from the
difficulties of life, but contemplate them, then I
consider I have done my kind of meditation.
Learning through direct experience, through pain
and suffering what your innermost attitude is
when facing reality, is the best form of spiritual
exercise.
Here we see meditation as an active positive
force for the improvement of our daily living.
Intuition when properly developed can be the key
which will produce the hunch, in other words,
will be the point of departure for our acts, while
the results of proper meditation upon this point
will indicate a way to go and show us the path.
It is very important to stress that the full im'
portance, the complete realisation of the truth of
these last few statements is in itself an important
step in the development of Cosmic Consciousness.
The lack of complete realisation is frequently a
thing which withholds the ability to develop
further, because until we can have a realisation
of what constitutes some of the fundamental steps
of our progress, we are not in a position to ad'
vance any further. Therefore, I wish to emphasise
that it is necessary for us to realise these few
important adaptations, to grasp fully that only by
the expanding of consciousness itself can Cosmic
Consciousness be obtained, which in turn means
that only by utilising the factors which are now
at our command, can we thus reach out and begin
to utilise other factors which now lie outside the
field of our existence. Proper consideration and
use of meditation, the development of our intui'
tive abilities and faculties will make it possible for
us to meet the stress of everyday life.

'

,Y :f*:

Beneath the
Pacific Sank

m V

v'

Lemuria, the Mystery Continent!

In the depths of the Pacific, shrouded in darkness, lies a v ast continent. Where once
g reat edifices reached skyw ard and m ultitudes w ent th eir w ay is now naught but the
ceaseless motion of the sea. Centuries before the early m en of Europe or A frica found
the glorious spark of fire or shaped stones into crude implements, the Lem urians had a t
tained an exalted culture. They had w rested from n ature her proudest secrets. Then nature
reclaimed her power. W ith a tremendous convulsion she plunged the civilization of demi
gods beneath the leveling w aters. Again she reigned supreme, the victor over m ans g reat
est efforts. H as the learning of this early civilization been completely lost? W as their
strange knowledge subm erged w ith the land upon which they dw elt? Whence came these
people? And were they all destroyed? Science today is proving the physical existence of
the continent, and down through the ages there has come the tale of a strange people
who live today and have preserved the mystical knowledge of Lemuria.

Alive Today?
M ajestic Mount Shasta, crowned w ith eternal snow and surveying
the g reat Pacific, harbors strange clues of an unknown people. T ra
dition and fact unite to tell a weird saga of a tribe reputed to be the
descendants of lost Lemuria, who fled to safety, and who dwell in the
m ountain fastness of Mt. Shasta. W hat are their m ystical practices?
Do they account for the eerie lights seen fa r upward tow ard the sum
m it? Do they practice rituals which had their inception centuries ago?
Why are they cloistered from the world ? Are they m asters of n atu res
laws not yet known to men of today? No other book so thoroughly ex
plains the scientific, mystical, and spiritual achievements of the ancient
Lemurians and the rem nant of th eir descendants existing today as does
this one. This book is a g ift supreme, either to another or to yourself. It
is complete with all necessary maps, tables, charts, and strange symbols.

Rosicrucian Supply Bureau

Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California, U . S. A.
R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .

A Price
W ithin
Everyones
Reach

02-30
Postage Paid
To You

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER.

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Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, under Act of August 24th, 1912

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OCTOBER, 1939

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Vol. X

No. 2

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DR. H . SP EN C ER LEW IS, F . R . C .

Late Imperator of A . M. O . R. C . of North and South America, seated in his
sanctum-office before the desk over which he conferred with thousands of members
and dictated the erudite articles of this publication since its establishment by him.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE. CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 34

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D e ar F r a t r e s a n d S o rores :

The Rosicrucian Forum has always been the

private publication of our late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis. It has been a medium through
which he could express his thoughts and senti'
ments without that reserve which is often neces'
sary when one is writing for a publication which
is to have a public distribution, and perhaps
might receive a hostile reception in certain quar'
ters. To him the Rosicrucian Forum was not
merely another magazine consisting of a certain
number of pages with the usual printed words
and a certain design or typographical style, but
it was a material bond, a material medium that
carried his concepts to his fellow'Rosicrucians at
the far corners of the earth, and in it he therefore
placed his personality and his simple self. He in'
sisted at all times that the FORUM be as free as
possible from ornamentation and the usual typo'
graphical embellishments. He wished to have
none, or very few at least, illustrations. He
sought to win and hold his readers interest by
the sheer force and efficacy of his thoughts, in
preference to enticing them with, or often dis'
tracting them by, elaborate designs and pictures.
The more friendly two persons are, we all
know, the less pomp, ceremony, and formality is
needed between them to indicate that such friend'
ship exists, for there are more effective and subtle
ways of making that friendship known; likewise,
Dr. Lewis contended that a magazine which
sought to be personal and close to its readers
should draw the consciousness of the writer and
reader together without the accessories of appeals
to the eye.
The Rosicrucian Forum was not planned by
the Imperator; that is, he did not sit down with
paper and pencil to devise it. It was evolved. As
the chief executive of the Order, his correspond'
ence was always voluminous. Regardless of in'
structions to the contrary, the fratres and sorores
would write him about many matters which either
did not concern the Order at all, or should have
been directed to other officers or departments that
had jurisdiction over the matters concerned in the
particular letter or letters. He would direct his
secretaries not to reproach the member for
thoughtlessness, but to see that the communication
was redirected to the proper person; furthermore,
often he would take time from more momentous
matters to answer routine questions about clerical
affairs, which happened to be directed to him just
so that the member might not be offended because

V
he, the Imperator, had not personally answered
the letter. It was with the utmost difficulty that
the other officers of our staff persuaded him to
conserve his energies for the more vital corre'
spondence which came constantly to his attention.
O f all of the correspondence he received, that
which fascinated him most was questions of a
doctrinal nature; that is, pertaining to the teach'
ings and the monographs. It would have been a
physical impossibility in later years for him to de'
vote himself to all letters concerning the Rosi'
crucian teachings because of the considerable
number of such letters received daily. Further, to
answer such questions, he had himself established
a department of instruction, with a competent
staff of members who knew his views and knew
the answers that he would give to the usual ques'
tions; nevertheless there came across his desk each
daybrought in by the other officersletters con'
taining technical or p u l l i n g questions pertaining
to some of the teachings and precepts of
AM ORC. These he would lay aside until a cer'
tain day each week, then making certain that no
other matters would interrupt him, he would pre'
pare to answer them. His sanctum office would
be tinted by a soft green glow of light filtering
through the Venetian blinds, which he would
personally adjust until it was just right. The at'
mosphere the environment of his office and
sanctum was essential to his mood. His secre'
taries knew this and would sit quietly with note'
books and pencils at his desk on his left. He
would pick up a letter and read it slowly, con'
centrating upon the paragraphs or sections under'
scored for his attention. Finally he would lean
back in his chair, obviously relaxed, and look
through half'dosed eyes at the soft light playing
on the ceiling; he would sit thus in meditation for
perhaps fifteen or twenty seconds, then slowly
begin to speak. He would speak not as one die'
tating, not as one calling upon his own memory
or faculties, but as one seemingly repeating what
he heard from a distance or as being whispered
to him. His words were deliberate; there seemed
to be little relationship between the movement of
his lips, which seemed to be quite automatic, and
the flow of words which came through him.
W hen there were others present in his sanctum
office, as there were frequently, at these FORUM
sessions, they would lean forward, intent upon his
every word. He often gave the appearance of
not being aware of the others present. It was as
though he were directing his answers to an in'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

visible audience. He spoke not in a monotone,

but with all of the emphasis and emotional stress
of one conversing rather than merely dictating an
article to be ultimately set up in print. A great
many of his FORUM articles, therefore, did not
originate as questions sent direct to the Rosicrucian Forum, but came from personal replies to
letters which he lengthened into instructive dis
courses for these pages.
He so cherished this duty that for years he
would not permit anyone else to write in these
pages. This was not a selfish interest, but a trust
with the members that he desired to keep in'
violate. Only in the last few issues, when his ill'
ness required him to slacken his pace somewhat,
did he permit FORUM contributions, and he
limited the number of contributors to three per'
sons. The articles then had to be under his per'
sonal supervision, for those who wrote within its
pages were voicing interpretations of the work of
the beloved AM ORC through him. I was
chosen to be one to contribute, and I felt myself
highly honored to be one of its principal con'
tributors. I was conscious of his views when I
wrote, and would have considered it a desecration
to profane the FORUM by an article which
would have conflicted with his high ideals and
the standards which he established.
The Rosicrucian Forum, as each of you its
readersknows, so far as its physical make'up is
concerned, consists of thirty'two pages of solid
text, or reading matter. This requires 100 stand'
ard 8 H " x l l " business stationary sheets of double
spaced typewritten matter for each issue. Think
of dictating, or preparing 100 sheets of type'
written matter every other month for years, w ith'
out missing an issue, plus the duties of prepara'
tion of articles for the ROSICRUCIAN D I'
GEST, the numerous other publications, the
maintaining of extensive correspondence, the w rit'
ing of books, the planning of the future of the
Order, lecturing, research, establishing Cosmic
contacts, and having numerous personal inter'
views, and then you will have some slight concep'
tion of the tremendous activities of the man who
dwelt amongst us in physical form for years as
our Imperator, until his Higher Initiation and his
reward of a needed rest.
I shall endeavor, like our late Imperator, to
make the FORUM my magazine as well. In it I
shall express Rosicrucian views on the various
topics brought to my attention. I shall be gov'
erned by those undeclared principles Dr. H. Spen'
cer Lewis employed in his FORUM articles,
tO'wit:
A. To speak or write fearlessly upon matters
concerning the welfare and protection of
AM ORC and its membership.

Page 35

B. To give no partial truths in any article, for

if it is necessary not to publish certain mat'
ter in the pages of the FORUM, an ade'
quate reason shall be given and nothing as
a substitute shall appear in its stead.
C. To warn readers on matters, yet not to be
prejudiced; to offer criticism, but not be
destructive; always to advance A M O RCs
aims and yet not be intolerant.
D. To avoid conflict with tradition, but not
evade new issues that make for individual
or institutional progress.
I shall select a committee of three duly quali'
fied members of the A M O RC staff to be my as'
sistants in preparing certain articles for these
pages. Such articles will not appear without my
knowledge and approval. You, fratres and sorores
and members of the FORUM, must realise that
it is you who help make this publication interest'
ing by the questions that you write to the Forum
Secretary, and that you like to see answered
therein. The Forum is truly, as Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis intended it, a place where we can gather
and join our consciousness in an informal consid'
eration of the laws and problems of life.
It must be realised, of course, that there are
certain articles or certain questions which are not
acceptable for the F O R U M , and thus the
FORUM reader or member may occasionally be
disappointed in not finding answers to his ques'
tions in these pages. The rules to go by in sub'
mitting questions for answer, or in suggesting an
article for the FORUM are:
1. W ill the answer, as well as the question,
prove interesting to other Rosicrucians be'
sides myself?
2. Does the question I am asking, or the article
I desire to have written concern the Rosi'
crucian teachings and principles, and their
relationship to my life and my problems?
For if it doesnt it should not be submitted.
Now, I ask of each of you fratres and sorores,
wherever you may be in this troubled world of
ours, or whatever time of the day or night you
read these lines, that as you finish you lay this
FORUM issue down and for thirty seconds join
others throughout the world, who may be reading
it at the same moment, in silent tribute in medi'
tation, to our late beloved Frater H. Spencer
Lewis, who now directs us from a Plane of
Greater AccomplishmentSo Mote It Be.
Fraternally,
R a lp h

M.

L e w is ,

Imperator.

Page 36

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

O ur Council of Solace
Many parts of our Forum have in the past been
devoted to information and comments concerning
the Council of Solace maintained by the Order.
Yet, correspondence continually shows us that
many members do not quite understand just what
the scope or purpose of the Council of Solace is
or how it operates. The Council of Solace is such
an important part of the organisations activities
that it requires the time of employees here at
Rosicrucian Park who do nothing else but devote
themselves to the work of this particular depart'
ment. There is a great deal of routine work, files
must be kept of all those who request help from
the department, letters must be written, form
notes must be sent out acknowledging the reports
of those who asked for help, form letters and
bulletins must be prepared to go to those individ'
uals who request help in order to direct them as
to how to best cooperate with the work which the
Council of Solace does so that they may derive
the utmost possible benefit from this particular
source.
However, the routine and mechanical work of
this department, insofar as the viewpoint of the
member is concerned, is a minor factor because
the member wishes some definite assistance, or
possibly some solution to a problem. All of the
officers of the organisation cooperate with the
Council of Solace, and are in constant touch with
it. Telegrams coming from members on urgent
matters are immediately referred to one or more
officers of the organisation and, as I believe has
been stated previously in the pages of this Forum,
at 1 :05 P. M. Pacific Standard Time each day,
Monday through Friday, the officers including
the Imperator and Officers of the Supreme Grand
Lodge and Grand Lodge meet in the Temple to
give particular attention to those who have during
the last twenty-four hours requested help from
the Council of Solace. Metaphysical treatments
are given and contacts are established to assist
these individuals. Also at 10:00 P .M ., Pacific
Standard Time, the Grand Master and other of'
ficers give treatments similar to those given earlier
in the day for those who requested special help
during the afternoon. Of course, when urgent
cases reach our attention, regardless of what is
being done, time is given to immediate considera'
tion of these cases.
Coming back to the original question that has
been in the minds of various members, just what
is the scope of the Council of Solace? The Comv
cil of Solace can give metaphysical treatments to
those who wish this help for their health or their
personal problems. It also gives advice in the
form of bulletins which are sent to members to

help them to apply the Rosicrucian teachings to

their particular problem and to cooperate with the
help that is being given. Some members are con'
fused in regard to the purposes of the Council of
Solace because there are some things that it can'
not do. For example, it cannot change the condi'
tion of any member who will not cooperate. A
person who is very ill, by merely writing to the
Council of Solace and then refusing to do ab'
solutely anything for himself even as far as fol'
lowing instructions from the Council of Solace,
will receive no benefit; because, as all of our
higher degree members know, the giving of meta'
physical treatments might be compared to broad'
casting from a radio transmitter. Unless the radio
receiver is attuned to the transmitter, nothing will
be heard and the program will not be received;
likewise, unless the individual member wanting
the help of the Council of Solace is attuned to
the work which it is doing, he will receive nothing.
Also, it is requested by the Council of Solace
that those who wish help must ask for it. In other
words, if an individual who desires help that the
Council of Solace can give will not objectively
put that statement into writing or oral expression,
the Council of Solace feels that its first attention
should be given to those who actually do so. All
the mystics throughout time have taught the prin'
ciple of asking in order to receive. In other
words, the objective actionwhether it be men'
tally or actually spoken or writtenof requesting
is the first step toward attunement. That is why
prayer has played an important part in all mys'
tical and religious teachings throughout all times,
because it shows the desire of the individual to
supplicate, to ask for help from those powers or
forces which he accepts as being greater than
himself. In petitioning help from the Council of
Solace, you are not acknowledging the greatness
of the individuals who compose it; you are simply
acknowledging the laws which they will attempt
to put into effect in your behalf, or the laws
which they will direct you to put into effect for
yourself.
Recently a Soror stated that she hesitated to
ask for help from the Council of Solace, because
she did not feel that she was entitled to more than
she was already receiving from her membership.
This Soror went on to state that her dues were
a few weeks behind, and that she had had a little
difficulty in remitting them, and that during all
the time of being an active member of the organi'
Sation she had never given a donationthat is,
in terms of moneyto the organisation. This
Soror was immediately informed that monetary
value had nothing whatever to do with the help
of the Council of Solace. This in fact, is given no
consideration. The requests for help from the
Council of Solace go directly to that department,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and the clerks who handle the requests and list

the particular needs of each case for the officers
who give the treatments, do not know whether
the member has ever given a donation to the organisation, or whether the dues are paid up to
date, and, in many cases, whether they are even
active members. Insofar as the activity or inactivity of a member is concerned, the Council of
Solace gives no thought to this whatsoever. The
only consideration they give is that there is a
student who needs the help that the Council of
Solace can give, and it is the duty of the clerks
of this department to see that insofar as it is pos'
sible, help is given. Consequently, no member
should ever hesitate to request help which he really
needs, and which the Council of Solace can give.
Of course, our members must be reasonable, as
practically every member is. The Council of
Solace must devote most of its time to giving the
help that is needed. Consequently it is not fair to
those who need help that the Council of Solace
should be burdened by long letters, or even by the
answering of each individual letter from a mem"
ber. Surely you, as a member, if you solicited
help from the Council of Solace, would much
rather have the Imperator or one of the other
officers immediately give you a metaphysical
treatment, than have the same officer call in his
secretary and write you a personal letter which
would do you no good, except to give you the sat'
isfaction of receiving the letter. That is the rea'
son why we occasionally receive a letter from a
member stating that he requested help a number
of days or weeks previously, and did not receive
a letter from anyone. But in the meantime, the
help was going on. W hen you send a request for
help from the Council of Solace by telegram, you
will know that it will be received in a few hours;
if you send your request by mail, you will know
it will be received in a few days, and taking into
consideration any possible delay either by tele'
gram or by mail, you may know approximately
when the request is received. Your duty then is
to follow immediately the instructions in your
lessons, or in Liber 777, and put yourself in a
position to receive the help which we will begin
to give. Do not wait for a letter; in considering
only the actual acknowledgment of your request
you are not availing yourself of the treatments
which are already being given in your behalf,
and as I have already pointed out, to receive the
utmost benefit from these treatments you must be
able to receive them by attuning yourself as a re'
ceiver of the help that is made available.
It is true that unless it is by error, or possibly
oversight, every request and every report to the
Council of Solace is acknowledged, usually by a
form letter. This is to indicate that the help

Page 37

which you requested has been instituted, and that

the recording of your case has been taken care of.
If the Council of Solace writes and asks you for
other information, kindly give it immediately,
and be specific, making your statements to the
point so that the information can be rapidly
understood by the individual receiving this addi'
tional information and your record can be kept
intact.
One further point regarding the Council of
Solace: It is true that we attempt to make the
services of this department available to worthy
non'members, as well as to members of the or'
ganisation, particularly to the immediate families
of the members. Outside of the immediate families
of the members, we request that the non'member
make a request to us for our help. Also, in dis'
cussing the work of the Council of Solace for the
non'member, it is necessaryin order that the
non'member may benefit from the work of the
Council of Solacethat he be agreeable with the
purposes and aims of the organisation. He should
have the opportunity to read The Secret Heri'
tage, and possibly some articles in an issue of
The Rosicrucian Digest, and if he shows inter'
est in these things, it would be quite proper to
present such a non'member with a copy of
Liber 777. Then, if he is convinced of the
worthiness of the O rders activities, and insofar
as he can understand them, the methods and pur'
poses of the treatments of the Council of Solace,
his request will be given consideration, and help
will be given without any obligation on his part.
The Council of Solace is maintained by those
members who have benefited through it, and that
is why, as I previously stated in these remarks, it
is not necessary to investigate a members financial
standing before giving assistance. W e know
through experience that if the Council of Solace
continues to serve the purposes for which it was
established, and conscientiously to carry out
insofar as the individuals who compose it are
concernedefforts to give the help which is requested, these very members who are helped will
see that the Council of Solace continues to func'
tion in order to benefit others.

T he Tem pter
A t our recent Convention a member, in inter'
viewing one of the officers of the Order, asked a
question regarding the Tempter to which we
refer in many of our initiations and in the teach'
ings throughout the Order. The question was
this: Does the power of the Tempter lessen with
individual advancement?
This question can be answered very briefly by
one word No. In fact, the power of the
Tempter grows with advancement. W e conceive

Page 38

of the Tempter being the individual conscience,

and in all of the Rosicrucian initiations per'
formed by any lodge, or performed by the in'
dividual Neophyte in his own sanctum, the mem'
ber is brought face to face time and time again
with the Tempterthat is, with the forces of his
own conscience, and own idealsto see whether
he is really true to the principles to which he is
objectively subscribing.
If you, as an individual member, will try to
recall all of the examples that you have had
brought before you of temptation being put
before an individual, you will find that the not'
able cases, probably outside of your own experi'
ence and that of a few individuals about you,
have been with great men and women. All of the
great teachers and mystics of the past have had
related in mystical and religious literature stories
of their temptations. These temptations did not,
it is clearly indicated, become less because of their
knowledge and advancement, or the development
of their own abilities. The fact is that they be'
came greater.
You remember it is told in the Christian Bible
that the Master Jesus was tempted to use His
powers. The average individual can be tempted
in other ways. If starving, for example, he could
be tempted to steal in order to satisfy hunger,
because the average individual would have no
power to satisfy hunger other than to secure ma'
terial food with which to do so. But in the cases
of great masters or teachers, we know that they
are equipped to use other forces to satisfy physical
craving. In reference to the Master Jesus, He was
tempted in various ways; first, to turn stone into
bread that He could eat. This in all probability,
and so far as we understand His advancement,
was a possibility with Him, and it would have
been no more difficult for Him to have made such
a transmutation than it would be for us merely
to go to a bakery shop and purchase bread. Con'
sequently, the temptation to Him was much
greater because of the ability He had to satisfy
the desire of the physical pangs of hunger.
Later He was temptedin order to make Him'
self known and his abilities understoodto cast
Himself down unhurt from the pinnacle of the
temple among an assembled group of people.
Such an action would have wrought Him im'
mediate acclamation, and would have established
Him as a definite leader of the people whom He
was obliged to influence.
Now if individuals with such development are
so tempted, surely the temptations which the aver'
age individual has are very little, but it clearly
indicates that with the assuming of responsibili'
ties, with the gaining of knowledge, each time we
are brought face to face with our own conscience,
with the Tempter, we have more for which to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

answer, just as in the material world, material

advancement increases responsibilities. The Cash'
ier of a large bank, for example, has more to ac'
count for than the clerk in a small store, and con'
sequently, the temptation might be greater to
misuse some of the funds available to him. And
so each time we face the Tempter in our progress
through our studies, we have more knowledge
and more ability to use this knowledge, and the
Tempter which may be before us can appear in a
number of forms. It may be first to misuse some
of the knowledge we have received, or with the
average student it may be more to create doubt,
and attempt to raise a question in the mind of the
individual as to the possibility that what he has
gained has been a figment of his imagination; or
that the experience he had was not an actual ex'
perience, but merely a day'dream or even a dream
when actually dosing; or possibly that the organ'
isation to which he looks for his guidance is after
all, not a movement devoted to humanitarian pur'
poses and not concerned with his advancement.
All of these things come, and, regrettably, every
day some students fall victims to these tempta'
tions. Some students advance from one degree of
study to another, and from one initiation to an'
other, but when they actually are faced with the
Tempter at a time when they least expect it, they
do not have the strength to resist this Tempter.
They believe that, after all, possibly they have
been deceived.
Rather than answer the question in further de'
tail as to the increasing power of the Tempter, it
might be better for us to consider how we can
resist the power of the Tempter. There is only
one way, and that is by fortifying ourselves to be
able to meet the Tempter when the time comes.
This can be done by equipping ourselves with
those constructive features of our studies which
are going to assist us in building such an under'
standing and such a philosophy of life as will
leave no room for the Tempter to shake us from
our ideals and purposes. The individual who fixes
his aim, who establishes his purpose, is not
changed from pressing on toward that aim merely
because he finds the road rough or the traveling
hard. Neither will he be sidetracked by the call
from the side of the road to easier paths, because
his conviction will be paramount in his mind. I
once heard the statementI do not know who
the originator wasto the effect that an opinion
is something an individual carries around, but a
conviction is something that carries him around.
Possibly the grammatical construction of this
statement is not perfect, but the idea is something
upon which we may meditate. A re we, as in'
dividuals, simply full of opinions which we carry
as part of our individuality or personality,
opinions that can be changed, opinions that can

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

move with the whims of our associates, or do we

have definitely established convictions which we
might say are the basis of our philosophy of life

convictions which are firm, but still amenable

to further constructive argument or to knowledge
which will add to them, or, if necessary, reword
them to make them serve the purpose of our life
better?
Surely the convictions of every Rosicrucian
should be the fundamental principles of our
teachings, those upon which there is no basis for
argument, the understanding of Cosmic laws, the
clinging to those parts of the studies which have
proven themselves to be useful and valuable. If
we have such convictions, those things upon
which we can be tempted will turn out to be of
minor consequence, conditions which can be
thought over and worked out if we will not jump
to conclusions or allow an emotional sway of the
moment to alter our purpose.

T he Memory of the Subjective Mind

A Frater recently asked a question concerning
a very important part of our early degree work
regarding the memory of the subjective mind. As
is pointed out in the studies of our Second Degree
monographs, the subjective mind has the storehouse of memory. From a psychological view
point we might say that the objective mind has
the power of recollection, while the subjective
mind has the power of retention of all things;
that is, of all experience which constitutes com
plete memory.
It is not difficult for any individual to under
stand why such an arrangement has been made.
W e would not be able to carry on even the most
simple of our activities efficiently if the objective
mind were burdened with complete memory. By
having in the objective mind all things which
have ever transpired, it would so clutter up our
consciousness that we would be unable to give
attention to the things which require our time and
thinking. W e would not be able to concentrate
or even to think coherently. Therefore, a very
delicate balance has been made in our being
whereby the complete storehouse of memory is
contained in the subjective; and it is said, and can
be proven by various experiments, that nothing
transpires in our lives that does not enter this
storehouse of memory. W hen an individual is
put into a complete subjective state, either as a
result of drugs, injury, illness, or hypnosis, it has
been proven time and again that residing within
his subjective mind are the memories of things
which have transpired in the past; even beyond
the present incarnation.
W hile I have briefly outlined in answer to this
Fraters question the principal purpose of the

Page 39

division of the mind, insofar as the retention of

experiences is concerned, there is still a more pro
found and mystical reason why the subjective
mind serves as a storehouse for memory. Accord
ing to our philosophy, one of the purposes of the
soul being incarnated in the body is for it to gain
through actual experience certain knowledge, or
to add to the soul the composite of the experience
which it is necessary that it gain. W e know that
in order to learn so that we are able to apply
effectively the knowledge which we learn, ex
perience must accompany the learning process,
and so the soul is placed in an environment to
learn, using as its vehicle the physical body.
W e have stressed time and time again the im
portance of the physical body and the foolishness
of those teachings which would refuse to recog
nise the physical body and its importance. As has
been stated by various officers of this organisation
in the past and present, if it were not a necessity
that the soul have a physical body for manifesta
tion, there would be none. The very fact that
there is a physical body is evidence of the need
of such a physical medium in order to assist the
soul in gaining the experience which it needs.
This experience as it is accumulated through our
daily living becomes in the subjective mind only
memory. This memory, if it could be read like a
book, would be a record of all of the experience
of our individual soul throughout all time. Just
why the soul has to learn by experience in this
particular way should not concern us at the
moment. W hat should concern us is to make
available, insofar as we are capable of reasoning,
all the possibilities that will give a complete ex
perience to the soul.
It is interesting to observe in connection with
these remarks that one of the greatest arguments
for the immortality of the soul is the fact that
perfect memory is retained only by the subjective
mind. W hat is the purpose of our experience if
it is to be dropped as a whole from our objective
consciousness?' If physical life is all that is before
man, certainly it is a tremendous waste of energy
to go through certain experiences which do not
even register in the objective consciousness for
any period of time. But, the fact that the mechan
ism of the two minds within our being is so ad
justed that all facts are registered in the subjec
tive mind which is the mind of the soul and which
is permanent, indicates beyond doubt that the
accumulation of this knowledge, the retention of
all these memories, is for the purpose of these
experiences being retained by the subjective con
sciousness, or we might say the soul consciousness,
beyond the time when a physical body is needed
for the manifestation of this soul. W e might pre
sume that when the time comes that our soul
reaches its point of perfection
wherever and

Page 40

whatever that place or time may bethe memory

of all incarnations of all experiences will be laid
open, as it were, for examination and then for the
first time in the totality of oux experience we
shall see all of our previous lives as a whole and
be able to link together by our own thinking the
purpose of each contributing factor which was
either conducive to the development of our ulti'
mate purpose, or which retarded that develop'
ment and caused us pain or Karma,
W e find that in the careful study of the opera'
tions of the subjective mind, there is a certain
correlation with physical actions. The relationship
of the macrocosm and microcosm is evidenced in
everything. According to the theory of physical
evolution, life advanced in physical form until it
reached a certain point. W hile man, of course, is
advancing in ability and in his capacity to do
things, it is considered by biologists that man is
the ultimate form of life, at least on this earth,
and I believe that this can be agreed to by most
Rosicruciansthat man is the perfection of phys'
ical life. In other words, the theory of evolution,
which of course is a matter for the individual to
decide whether to accept as fact, does not seem to
indicate that there would be developed eventually
a different type of being superior to man. Con'
sequently, it is reasonable to believe, if we use as
our premise this physical theory, that there is an
ultimate point where the soul also reaches its
complete development. W hatever that point may
be called makes no difference to us now, but the
fact is that some day it shall reach that particular
place for each of us, and then the soul will be in
the fullest sense of the word, a completed soul.
But just as the physical organism of man is com'
plete and progress is still possible, so then will the
soul live on to advance in knowledge, understand'
ing, and achievement in a way which would be
beyond the comprehension of man to grasp at the
present time.

Knowledge and Dissatisfaction

W e recently received a question something to
the effect of, How does knowledge apparently
make an individual dissatisfied? It would seem
upon first consideration of the benefits and use'
fulness of acquiring knowledge, that knowledge
would always tend toward satisfaction on the part
of the individual who studies. Nevertheless, we
are constantly faced with illustrations about us in
everyday life which indicate that the acquisition
of knowledge has led an individual to become ex'
tremely dissatisfied, and in fact, in extreme cases,
unable to make the adjustments to his environ'
ment that previously he was able to take care of
satisfactorily.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

There is an old saying to the effect that a little

knowledge is a dangerous thing. I believe that the
true meaning of this statement is that a little
knowledge in the hands of a little person is a
dangerous thing. By a little person I mean one
not broad enough fully to comprehend, or effec'
tively assimilate and use the knowledge to which
he has been exposed, or which has been presented
to him.
If knowledge did not make a person dissatisfied
to a certain extent, then certainly it would not be
of very constructive purpose, because when com'
plete satisfaction exists in the mind of any in'
dividual, a static condition results; that is, the in'
dividual if completely satisfied has no incentive to
push ahead, to promote himself, or do those things
which will make for the betterment of himself or
his fellow man. So, in that sense, knowledge
should lead an individual toward a state of dis'
satisfaction, but from this viewpoint there is a
distinct difference between dissatisfaction as a
challenge toward further progress, and the actual
converting of an individual into a cynic. Oc'
casionally, an individual who has advanced to a
position of responsibility where there are heaped
upon him the pleasures and benefits of being able
to accomplish something, but where with this
there has come the position of being open to at'
tack sometimes by individuals of good intention,
longs for the life where things were easier; that
is, he visualises the life of a farmer, or even of a
day'laborer as being ideal. Often an executive
has stated that he would be glad to change his
position for one of routine existence so that when
eight hours of work were over he could retire to
his home to do as he pleased. Down inside of
anyone who makes such a statement there possibly
exists a question as to whether or not he would
accept such an opportunity if it were actually
made available.
Apparently, conditions look better from our
viewpoint when we look toward someone else,
and also in memory we have favorable impressions
of past conditions in our lives when possibly we
did not have the obligations and duties that we
have now, or even the knowledge that we have
gained in the meantime. W e can look back five,
ten, or twenty years and remember usually the
outstanding things as being pleasant, because na'
ture is kind in that the unpleasant things do not
register on our memory as completely as those
which were enjoyable.
A few years ago I had the desire to return to a
place where I had previously lived. It was not
that I was dissatisfied with my work, but because
it seemed that at that particular place I had
memories of enjoyable contacts. A short time
after thinking along those lines, I had the oppor'
tunity to visit that town for a few days, but to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

my surprise, none of the enjoyable features which

I remembered seemed to be available. In other
words, I had lost those contacts, and even though
I was there I could not seem to reach the same
state of mind that I had in my memory of the
place. I think everyone has had that experience
of returning to a previous place where he had
lived, or even to a previous state of mind, and
finding that it was not like he remembered it to
be, simply because the fact is that it had changed,
and so had the individual.
All of these comments are not deviating from
the original question, because knowledge means
growth, growth means change, change means
adapting oneself to new physical environment in
some cases, and at least in all cases to a new
mental attitude. Consequently, the dissatisfaction
which accompanies knowledge can be either posi'
tive or negative, and as I have already pointed
out, a positive dissatisfaction would be that which
spurs the individual on to make use of this new
knowledge. Simplicity of faith is evident among
those who possibly have not troubled themselves
to gain the knowledge possessed by those who
have definitely applied themselves to the ad'
vancement of their learning. One cannot have
the feeling of complete faith in simple things
when one has a broader or a wider conception.
The faith of a child in what his father can do, for
example, gradually diminishes as the child grows
older and finds through knowledge that the pow'
ers of his father are limited. The same may be
true in the conception of our Creator. The mind
of the primitive person causes him to develop an
anthropomorphic conception of God, but when
we in accordance with Gods laws study the pur'
poseinsofar as we can understand itof the
Cause and scheme of things, we become familiar
with these laws to the extent that we no longer
are satisfied to base our admiration of God and of
His work merely on simple faith, but rather on an
understanding and a knowledge of the laws which
He has made effective. To some religious view'
points, this might appear to be disrespectful, but
the fact is, as every Rosicrucian knows, that the
gaining of knowledge of the working of universal
laws leads to respect and even deeper devotion to
the principles which we find manifest in nature.
The whole matter that lies before us who are
students, and who have set ourselves to the pur'
pose of gaining further knowledge, is to make an
adjustment to this knowledge by establishing and
maintaining an equilibrium in our own thinking;
that is, a balance between our everyday life and
the knowledge which we are attaining.
To be able to recite all of the facts in a large
encyclopedia would avail an individual little, but
to be able to put into effect for the benefit of the
individual and those about him some of the simple

Page 41

laws of nature, shows that knowledge is worth'

while. Let us consider the gaining of knowledge
as a challenge to us to be able to use this knowl'
edge. The individual who develops a cynical out'
look, and even a materialistic conception of things
because of little knowledge, has missed the whole
purpose of acquiring knowledge. He has truly
become a menace to humanity rather than an aid.
As Rosicrucians we believe that there is no limit
to the extent that man in his present physical
condition can learn, both through his own ex'
perience, and through availing himself of the ac'
cumulation of the experience of others. There'
fore, in answer to the question, knowledge does
make us dissatisfied, but this dissatisfaction should
be a challenge to make knowledge effective and
usable.

T he Subjective M ind and H ealth

The study of healing and health, while not the
most important or most outstanding of the sub'
jects contained in the Rosicrucian teachings is,
nevertheless, one of the most practical insofar as
the application of Rosicrucian philosophy is con'
cerned. Therefore, it is a subject of great interest,
and one upon which many questions are asked.
A Soror who is a member of the Spanish'
American Division of the Order recently asked
the question: If the subjective mind is able to
completely control all the involuntary actions of
the body, and to control the constructive processes
of the body, why is there a necessity for objective
interference in the process of the regaining of
health in cases of illness, etc.?
I cannot help but feel that there is one point
which this Soror has not taken into full consider'
ation in stating her question. The first important
consideration in connection with the answer to
this question is to first consider another question;
that is, why does a perfect state of health cease to
exist in the body? Every Rosicrucian who has
completed the Neophyte Degrees should be able
to answer this question. The answer is, simply
because the harmonious balance between the ma'
terial and immaterial forces, or the positive and
negative polarities, has been changed. Through
the violation of some law there has come into
existence a state of inharmonious balance which
manifests itself in the form of what we call illness.
It is to be remembered that the subjective mind
reasons only deductively, and if in the constant
breaking of natural laws, either consciously or
unconsciously, on our part, we continue to give
to the subjective mind negative suggestions, and
to build up objectively habits that are very detri'
mental to our well being, the subjective mind is
eventually going to accept this as the desire of
the physical body, and the reacting condition will

Page 42

be that of inharmony, and probably illness and

discomfort. W e are fully aware, due to the fact
that the subjective mind maintains all involuntary
actions of the body, that it is one of the primary
purposes of the subjective mind while in a body
to keep that body functioning. Consequently, the
subjective mind will do everything within its
power to see that the body functions properly,
and the average individual does not begin to grasp
the adjustments which the subjective mind is able
to make. W e are able to eat food in quantities
way beyond what the body needs, prepared in
forms which are absolutely indigestible, and to
follow that by the failure to exercise or lack of
sleep which the body needs and, in other words,
continue to violate the natural laws thaj: nature
has laid down for the proper functioning of the
body, and still the body can miraculously adjust
itself to these conditions over a long period of
time. Now this cannot go on permanently; unless
habits are changed and conditions adjusted, then
at some point the body must weaken and some
physical illness or discomfort will result.
It is rather amusing that in a report of some
eminent doctors as recorded in a recent issue of
The Readers Digest it states that one of the
reasons why so many of the various types of
medicines placed on the market and highly ad'
vertised today do the individual no particular
good or no particular harm is because the body is
adjusted to compensate. For example, in the
stomach and digestive tract there is a need of both
an acid and an alkaline factor. The acid is needed
to break down certain foods, and that is why
from the walls of the stomach come certain acids
which are necessary in digesting food. But in the
past few years America, in particular, has become
alkaline conscious. W e are taught to take alkaline
in order to prevent practically anything from
headaches to chilblains. But even with the taking
of excessive quantities of alkalines the body is so
delicately adjusted that it can accept large quanti'
ties of these alkalines and still be able to maintain
the right balance between the alkaline and acid
reactions of the digestive tract by a sensitive ad'
justment releasing more acids into the system.
This does not mean that in cases of excess acidity,
which do exist, it is not necessary to take certain
alkaline preparations, but most authorities will
agree that outside of the alkaline qualities of our
dieting, such as the taking of sufficient amounts of
proper fruit juices and vegetable juices, the taking
of artificial alkaline should be directed by a com'
petent physician who can determine to just what
extent the body needs this radical change and
adjustment.
I have deviated from the original point to at'
tempt to show how sensitive the subjective mind
is in attempting to adjust the body to the arbi'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

trary rulings of the objective mind. Since the

subjective mind is so definitely desirous of main'
taining proper equilibrium and health, if the sub'
jective mind is given an opportunity even after
the laws have been violated, it is possible for it to
be a very important factor in bringing the body
back to a state of health. But it must be remem'
bered that the subjective mind rallies all its pos'
sible force to combat the negative influences of
the objective mind, of the failure to give proper
concern on the part of the individual to natures
laws, and it is only after a protracted period of
time when nothing else can result that the body
finally breaks down. Consequently, actual mani'
festation of health has continued long after the
subjective mind has been deliberately working to
attempt to maintain a balance in spite of the
violation of certain laws.
It must be remembered, then, that when actual
illness overtakes us we must realise that the sub'
jective mind has been trying over a period of
possibly weeks or months to keep this condition
from actually taking place, but since it has been
unablebecause of continued violation by the
physical body of physical lawsto forestall the
actual breakdown of the physical being, it cannot
be expected that it can immediately rally and
change the state of the physical body back to a
state of equilibrium. It is only when ill health
overtakes us that we begin to give serious con'
sideration to these factors. Then by rest and
proper treatment we can help the body to adjust
itself from a physical point of view, and from the
chemical side we can assist the subjective mind,
in addition to the physical treatment, to re'
establish a state of health.
Suggestions to the subjective mind is one means
of reaching it. Just as the subjective mind always
reasons deductively insofar as the accepting of
negative habits is concerned, so it will if positive
suggestions are given to it, and by proper sug'
gestions the subjective mind can be greatly assist'
ed in reestablishing equilibrium in the body. This
can be brought about by auto'suggestion, by the
experienced treatment of a metaphysician in addi'
tion to the treatment of the body by a regular
physician; and possibly one of the ways where we
as Rosicrucians can help more than in any other
is by giving absent treatments, which are very
conducive to helping the subjective mind by di'
recting to it the establishment of harmony and
health in the bodywhen these treatments can be
given when the individual is fully cooperative and
willing to relax and accept the Cosmic assistance
that is given through the medium of these
treatments.
Closely related to this subject there comes to
my mind the subject of relapses. W e hear more
about relapses in connection with metaphysical

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

healing than in any other healing field. W e must

remember, however, that a relapse is possible in
any system of therapeutics. To heal a condition
does not mean that that condition cannot recur;
if the same laws are violated again, there is a
possibility of recurrence of the same condition or
a related condition. One of the reasons why there
is more mention of relapses in connection with
metaphysical healing, is that the individual ac'
cepts antagonistic suggestions on the part of those
who are not in sympathy with such healing. A
person who receives a great deal of help meta'
physically occasionally, it is regrettable to say, is
in a position to say upon recovering health that
he might have been returned to complete health
without that assistance. Or, if he has the faith to
believe that a great deal of his improvement was
received through metaphysical treatments, an in'
dividual who has no sympathy with such treat'
ments is apt to inform the person who has com'
pletely recovered that it was all imagination.
W hether or not the individual really believes this
is not important; the fact that is impressed upon
his mind that imagination may have been a factor,
becomes to him, or rather to his subjective mind,
a suggestion which raises doubt, and which his
subjective mind reasons on deductively, and this
may bring about a condition of relapse.
It is very interesting to note that the Master
Jesus in all of His healing was thoroughly familiar
with this process, because in many cases where He
performed apparent miracles and brought about
health for those who lacked it His injunction was
to Tell no man. This was not a desire to con'
ceal what He had done, but to allow for a time
in which perfect body equilibrium could be estab'
lished before by the process of telling of the type
of healing to others doubts could be brought
about in the mind of the individual which would
be conducive to a relapse.

Ritualism
To many members it will not seem necessary to
discuss further the subject of ritualism or initia'
tion. Nevertheless, the fact that our correspond'
ence departments continue to receive questions
not only from new members but also from mem'
bers who are advancing into the higher degrees
concerning this subject, causes us to feel that it is
well to devote space to additional information on
this subject occasionally.
To answer why there should be such a thing as
ritualism would be very difficult insofar as inter'
preting the subject in a material or physical sense.
Ritualism exists because of various factors. Inso'
far as the individual is concerned, it is closely as'
sociated with habit; so closely that the everyday
activities which border on ritualism are almost

Page 43

never considered as being of such a nature. W e

do certain things in certain ways, all as a result
of habit. However, the external forces that bring
these habits to us are of different natures. For
example, there is social pressure. Very few of us
would voluntarily or willingly violate certain
social customs which have been laid down to
establish the system of etiquette with which we
are familiar. W e eat in certain ways; we drink
in certain ways, and a distinct deviation from
these procedures on the part of one individual al'
ways brands that individual as being eccentric or
peculiar. It brings a sort of social ostracism which
most of us do not wish to accept. These things
which we do, many of which have become un'
conscious habits, are nevertheless the means we
have of accomplishing a certain end.
That is, we eat certain foods with the proper
implements, because we desire to fit into the sys'
tem in which we live. Just exactly why we
should, for example, eat one certain food with a
fork, and another with a spoon, has developed a
certain social approval and means of doing a thing
because it was found to be the most convenient,
the most useful to carry out this particular pro'
cess. Other habits could be enumerated to indi'
cate that ritualism in its strictest sense is purpose'
ful. In other words, it serves toward accomplish'
ing something. It is a means to an end, and not
an end in itself. By abiding by a certain pro'
cedure, we are able to reach a certain attainment,
to gain an ability. In other words, we are able to
accomplish something, and when an individual is
so intent upon the accomplishment of a certain
thing, the process becomes secondary. He devotes
himself to the process not for the process itself,
but simply for the end or condition which it
brings about.
If all ritualism could be looked upon in this
way, many individuals who outwardly claim to
object to ritualism would change their viewpoints.
The average individual who states that he objects
to ritualism bases his objection on a misunder'
standing. He has observed ritualistic practices in
connection with fraternal organisations, religious
bodies, etc., and he has failed to grasp that the
ceremony is not something to use in itself. He
has become disgusted at seeing individuals partici'
pate in a ritual into which they did not whole'
heartedly or seriously enter. He has seen ritual
only as a matter of form, and, as a result, he has
decided that all ritualism is an empty expression
of rather shallow minds, or is simply a physical
manifestation which in the mind of the partici'
pant excuses him from the actual good which the
ritual is supposed to do or bring about.
Now, ritualism as a means to an end cannot be
blamed for its ineffectiveness simply because of
the attitude of some participants in ritualistic ac'

Page 44

tivities. If any process could be blamed for being

ineffective simply because not everyone who par'
ticipated in it was entirely sincere, then any pro'
cess that you can imagine would have some faults.
W e should always bear in mind that regardless of
where or how ritualism is performed, it is for the
purpose of changing or creating a condition. The
purpose of ritualism in the Rosicrucian Order is
that it is a means of approach to conditions out'
side of ourselves, or possibly I might better say,
inside of ourselves, but usually considered beyond
reach insofar as the physical limitations of man
are concerned. To state how one of our initiation
ceremonies, for example, can bring about this
condition, is bringing to the individual a very
complicated explanation, because as previously
referred to, an action cannot always be explained
insofar as the process itself is concerned.
It is well for every Rosicrucian to read and
meditate upon the definition of initiation, stated
on the cover which constitutes the binding of
each initiation ceremony in the National Lodge.
There it is clearly indicated that initiation serves
the purpose of bringing man into a condition
where he is capable of proceeding subjectively
beyond the point that he can reach while in an
ordinary objective condition. If everyone who has
the least question in his mind concerning the good
that can be accomplished by ritualism would set
aside any prejudices against the process of ritual'
ism itself and take an opportunity every time it is
presented to cooperate with the instructions of a
ceremony, with the idea that in direct proportion
to his cooperation with the purposes of the cere'
mony he will gain from it, he would begin to see
that ritualism was a means to a higher purpose.
The conscientious and careful participation in our
rituals leads the individual toward the very thing
which he is seeking in our studies. W e state time
and time again that if an individual does not wish
to do so, it is not absolutely necessary to practice
the exercises and initiations presented in our
teachings, but if the individual not only wishes to
get a theoretical knowledge of Rosicrucianism,
but wishes to have the experience of feeling and
knowing the principles which are taught, and to
be able to speak firsthand because of the expres'
sion within himself of the knowledge which is
presented in our monographs, then he will wish
to participate insofar as it is possible for him to
do so in the actual performance of all initiations,
rituals, and exercises. Actual performance and
systematic practice constitute the difference be'
tween the individual who receives his knowledge
second'handedly, and the one who puts that
knowledge into effect.
A n old illustration brings this point clearly
home. An individual can get a great deal of en'
joyment out of music by studying books and other

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

literature concerning music, and musicians. He

can learn to enjoy the benefits that come from its
instrumental and vocal expression, but if he really
wants to feel the expression of music from his
own being, he will not be content just to listen,
but will want to create either by actual composing
or performing of music. The ability to compose
or perform cannot be gained from books alone.
It is necessary to make effective the knowledge
which comes from books, and to practice and put
into effect this knowledge through actual per'
forming of it, and over a period of time to gradu'
ally develop a technique in this particular art.
This clearly illustrates the difference between the
mere study of the Rosicrucians lessons, and the
sincere cooperation and participation in its rituals
and exercises. This actual participation brings
about the ability on the part of the individual to
appreciate and to make effective the laws and
principles which he is studying.

W hat Path?
A Frater has asked us to consider the question
as to whether it is sufficient that an individual
follow one path or one system in anything that
he sets himself to do. It is true that there is noth'
ing that a person can conceive of that is accom'
plished only by one fixed system.
W e look about us and, regardless of what may
be our activity, we see different methods of carry'
ing on this activity or accomplishing definite ends
other than those with which we feel familiar.
There is, of course, some distinction between the
processes of one individual as distinguished from
another. Nevertheless, overlooking individual dif'
ferences and peculiarities, there are logical meth'
ods of doing certain things accepted by practically
every individual, each of these ways being some'
what different from the other.
Confining our thought of this problem strictly
to the study in which we as members of this or'
ganisation are interested: should we confine our
entire effort strictly to the procedure, plan, and
activity set forth in our teachings, or are there
other ways and methods which are as legitimate,
useful and equally effective insofar as the attain'
ment of a certain end is concerned? W e cannot
deny but what there are other ways, methods, or
paths. It would be unreasonable for us to state
that no one had ever reached happiness except
through the Rosicrucians; therefore, any of the
following comments I make which might in a
sense be derogatory to any school or system are
not meant to condemn the conscientious effort of
any individual or group of individuals, but rather
to understand the improper emphasis or inter'
pretation which is placed upon certain procedures

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

by those who are attempting to follow many ways

in order to accomplish the end in mind.
The question to us, insofar as our individual
development is concerned, is not whether there
exist other ways than the path that we have
selected, but which path to us offers the best
means for obtaining the understanding and con'
tentment we seek. Regardless of the merits of
different methods, one thing is sure, that once a
definite way is selected, it is to the advantage of
the student and the seeker to follow that path
conscientiously, particularly because of the fact
that nothing can be gained by changing from one
procedure or method to another. If an individual
were going to learn any particular mechanical
skill, it is quite reasonable that one definite
method would be selected and followed. For ex'
ample: If we were going to learn to operate a
typewriter, or any other form of apparatus com'
monly used in business offices, we know that if
we were investing time, money, and effort in the
study of this thing, we would not change methods
from one week to another, or go to a different
school which taught different methods of using
the particular apparatus which we were interested
in mastering. For if we did so, in a few weeks
we would have such a mass of incompleted knowl'
edge and fragments of systems that it would be
impossible for us to arrange in our minds any
logical understanding of the processes which we
attempted to learn, and it would be even more
beyond the limit of possibility to apply any of this
fragmentary knowledge practically.
W e see, therefore, that an important decision
is necessary upon selecting the means to any end
we seek, and probably the failure of many people
in many things which they determine to do is not
in their ability in learning, but in their lack of
foresight and intelligence in analysing the proper
step to take in the beginning. That is why in this
organisation the literature which is presented to
the non'member leads him from one step to an'
other until finally, before submitting his applica'
tion to affiliate with the organisation, he is led to
read an entire booklet setting forth the advantages
and purposes and activities of membership in this
organisation. Furthermore, the questions con'
tained in the application for membership, and the
requirement that a specific motive for affiliation
be stated, lead the individual mentally to organise
the step which he is taking. It is logical for us to
believe that once this process of thinking has been
carefully carried on and a decision reached, and
that since the organisation does not revolve
round the inflated opinions of any one individual
or group of individuals, the person seeking affilia'
tion will strive to follow the prescribed course of
study. W e know that the accumulated knowledge
which constitutes the teachings of this organisa'

Page 45

tion has been effectively tried and applied over a

long period of time, which indicates that surely
this path should prove effective for the individ'
ual who carefully plans his actions in seeking
membership.
Fortunately the individual who has reached the
serious consideration of membership in this organ'
isation has gone a step beyond the individual who
is looking for short cuts. I say that this is true;
however, there are those who have affiliated with
this Order who still have not completely dismissed
from their minds the possibilities of finding a short
cut and, many times, an easier way to gain what
they wish. W e might ask, is a short cut to any'
thing ever satisfactory? Undoubtedly there are
cases where a short cut is of value. There is no
need, for example, for an individual who is saving
his energy for another purpose to expend it in
walking ten miles when the walking of one mile
or the riding of ten miles might save this expendi'
ture of energy. Modern interpretation of educa'
tion has also shown that it is not necessary for
an individual studying to be a farmer or railroad
engineer, for example, to devote years of academic
study to higher mathematics and Latin. The old
theory of these subjects being of a disciplinary
nature to the mind has been discarded, but never'
theless, at one time the omitting of these subjects
from the academic training of any individual
would have been considered an alarming short
cut. Therefore, the consideration of a shorter
way to perform a thing must be considered from
all viewpoints. Nothing could be gained if the
civil engineer were to take the same attitude and
dismiss mathematics from his study; neither can
anything be gained by omitting steps which are
necessary to any process. Referring to mathe'
matics again, the fundamental processes of addi'
tion, subtraction, multiplication, and division
could not be omitted in seeking for a short cut to
the understanding of higher mathematics.
Surely the looking for short cuts is dependent
upon one of two things, when it is not really a
matter of eliminating an unnecessary process.
The first of these things is pure lasiness. W e seek
to save time, to secure an easier way of doing a
thing, and sometimes we confuse this desire for
an easier way with actual elimination of important
factors which would in the end make the process
easier. This is a matter which the individual must
face and decide upon for himself. The second
reason, while somewhat associated with the first,
is not always due to the fact that the individual
has no ambition or no desire to use energy for
the purpose of gaining something, but rather to
his desire to gain as much as possible for the ex'
penditure of effort and time put forth; or because
for everything that many persons do gain by
effort they are the same time wishing to gain

Page 46

something else which comes in addition to that

which is truly earned, but is added in the sense
of a premium.
There exists in the world today a free psy'
chology of acquiring, or an attempt to create in
our minds the added value of securing something
without cost of time or effort. The advertising
appeal frequently used today is to offer something
free in addition to what we pay for. Instead
of theaters being a source of entertainment and
education, they apparently have become a means
of completing a set of dishes or winning a sub'
stantial sum to increase ones capital. The pur
pose of the theater as a medium of entertainment
has become secondary to the advertising appeal
made to increase its revenue. This is a peculiar
attitude based upon the publics desire to get
something for nothing. Surely we shall have
reached a strange system of psychology and eco'
nomics when we judge the merchant with whom
we do business by the amount of things we get
free rather than by the quality of the products he
offers. Short cuts to something for nothing is not
a sound policy upon which to direct our lives,
neither is it sound for us to turn from organised
study to short cuts for the solving of our partic'
ular problems. These short cuts are comparable
to many free merchandise premiums, they lack
stability.
Throughout the world there are hundreds of
individuals making a living by selling charms,
talismans, the erecting of horoscopes, the practice
of palmistry, crystal gasing, and fortune telling,
or the giving of so-called psychic readings. Such
things could not exist unless they were being sup'
ported and these would not be supported if in'
dividuals were not looking for short cuts to the
solution of the problems which face them. It is
interesting to note that it is usually only when an
emergency faces an individual that he will turn
to one of these methods, unless it is merely for
amusement which, incidentally, is not a very
healthy form of entertainment. W hen everything
is going along satisfactorily one does not study
astrology simply as a means of knowing the
future. There is a great wealth of occult teach'
ings in the true study of astrology, but the value
that comes from it is the result of study, like the
study of any other worthwhile system, and not
the undependable, or at least questionable, in'
formation which can be given to a definite action
based upon an immediate problem.
This is also true in turning to any other method
of immediately learning something we do not
know; in fact, there is an indication of weakness
upon the part of the individual who has so little
confidence in himself, in his ideals, in his selected
course of study, that in an emergency he must
turn from these more logical and reasonable con'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

siderations and make a radical departure to an'

other system or pseudo'system. Instead of such
steps, let us rather work for the development of
our own full and complete capabilities; the di'
recting of our thoughts toward these rather use'
less short cuts is not compatible with a healthy
development. W e are taught that there are
abilities within us which we can use. W e must
then realise the potentialities of these abilities and
examine the forces that lie within us, then
through the systematic study of the principles of
our teachings learn to use these hidden abilities.

Is H itler a Rosicrucian?
If it were not a serious implication, the news
article and statement, first appearing in the J\[ew
T or\ Mirror last month, and then later in other
of the Hearst newspapers, declaring that Hitler
was supported morally by the Rosicrucians, would
be amusing. The article, which was purported to
be cabled from Paris, stated in part: That
Adolph Hitler is a member of the Mystic Order
called the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, and that he is
inspirationally directed by some of its leaders is
a charge made by Edouard Saby, French writer,
in a book now in preparation. Naturally the
article concluded with a brief reference to
AM ORC, which the newspaper, from the articles
wording, appears to have obtained from some
standard dictionary or encyclopedia.
W hen the cable was received, it was to be ex'
pected that the first thing a tabloid newspaper
would do would be to seek some connection be'
tween such a cabled statement and some local
Organisation in this country or part of the world,
for that would cause the article to have more local
reader interest. Since numerous encyclopedias
and dictionaries refer to AM ORC and its history,
it was easy for them to locate data about
AM ORC, and such data was included in the
article. In fact, the body of the article, especially
the references made to AM ORC, are not damag'
ing, because they merely consist of a quotation of
partial historical factsthe damage, if any, was
in the implication of the headlinethat is, that
the Rosicrucians in Germany inspired Hitler in
his plans.
There are several interesting things in connec'
tion with this article that should not be over'
lookedfirst, what was the foundation for such
a story as this? The newspaper itself admits it is
a charge made by Edouard Saby, French writer,
in a book now in preparation. It is hardly to be
expected that French authors, particularly at this
time, would write anything favorable of Herr
Hitler, and that they would write sensationally
about him whether what they said was true or
not. Second, Hitler at the moment, as we all

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

know, is news and any book dealing with him or

his affairs is assured a fairly successful sale. This
book, according to the tabloid newspaper account,
isnt even published yet, for they say it is now
in preparation. This indicates that from an ad"
vertising and publicity point of view the French
publisher of the book sought some sensational ad'
vance sale publicity by attracting attention to the
book and the author at this psychological time.
The tabloid newspaper of New York, in turn
seeking a sensational article that would be timely,
and knowing interest on the one hand in Hitler
and the well-established and known existence of
the Rosicrucians on the other hand, likewise
sought to capitalise on the incident by exploiting
the report without an iota of foundation.
As an officer of the Rosicrucian Order, I, in
the course of one of my journeys to Europe in
1932, visited the former Grand Master of the
Rosicrucian Brotherhood in Berlin, as I did other
Rosicrucian officers in other countries, I can say
with definiteness that then and now the authentic
Rosicrucian movement in Germany is disorgan'
ised and not functioning. Two conditions con'
tribute to this inactivityfirst, the political diffi'
culties existing then in Germany, which have in'
tensified since that time; and, second, the eco'
nomic inability of the members to hold the Rosi'
crucian Brotherhood together as an Organisation
in Germany. However, the Rosicrucian Brother'
hood or Order, when it was an active movement
in Germany years ago, held to the same tradi'
tional tenets that the AM ORC does all over the
world. One of the prime tenets is the brotherhood
of man, irrespective of race and creed or nation'
ality. It is quite apparent, therefore, that no
Rosicrucian jurisdiction in Germany, or else'
where, could sponsor or inspire any man to mili'
tary measures or to further war, regardless of the
nature of the war. To encourage war would be
diametrically opposed to Rosicrucian teachings
and idealism, and this cabled news article to the
7s[ew Yor\ Mirror is in fact a slur upon the noble
and splendid work formerly accomplished by the
Rosicrucians as an organisation in Germany.
There are undoubtedly thousands of former ac'
tive Rosicrucians in Germany. W hat they do as
individuals when the Order, as we know, is offi'
dally dormant, cannot reflect upon the attitude
of Rosicrucianism.
W hether Herr Hitler ever was a member of
the Rosicrucian Brotherhood in Germany, it is
impossible now to learn. W hether he has read
Rosicrucian books or literature, as millions of
persons throughout the world have, there is no
way of learning. One thing we here reiterate
nothing in Rosicrucianism he would read would
inspire him to militarism.

Page 47

One of A M O R C S official representatives in

New York City, in a conversation with one of the
reportorial staff of this New York City tabloid,
learned that the fundamental basis for the tale
that Hitler is or was a Rosicrucian, or was in'
fluenced by Rosicrucianism, is the fact that Hitler
is a firm believer and follower of astrology. If it
is true that Hitler is a devotee of astrology, just
how, we may ask, does that make him a Rosicru'
cian? The Rosicrucian teachings have never in'
eluded as an essential part of their curriculum the
study of astrology, nor does the Rosicrucian
Order of this jurisdiction or any other jurisdiction
declare astrology to be an absolute science. It is
true that a number of small publishing concerns,
styling themselves Rosicrucians, here and abroad
base all of their work upon astrology, but they
have no connections with the International
AMORC. Furthermore, there are actually hun'
dreds of booklets and pamphlets and dosens of
schools teaching many different versions of astrol'
ogy, and these undoubtedly have a great many
followers in all lands, but certainly it would be
absurd to claim that any who read such literature
or who are followers of such schools are Rosicru'
cians. This is not said to condemn astrology, for
those who desire it have the privilege, as indiv'
iduals, to pursue it, but the fact that they do so
does not in any way make of them Rosicrucians.
A representative of one of the large news serv'
ices, after investigating this Hitler story and find'
ing it without any foundation, after interviewing
an AM ORC officer in the East, discarded the tale
as worthless propaganda. Three or four news'
papers comprising the Hearst chain did, however,
publish it.
There is one thing though that such news
tales do indicatethey point to a negative compli'
ment of the extent of AM ORC. Certainly no
newspaper story in this country would have re'
lated Hitler to any organisation, regardless of its
nature, if that organisation were not known in
some way to its readers, for it would not have
made a sensational news story. W e, however, as
Rosicrucians do not appreciate such indirect sini'
ster flattery. H itler is also declared to be a
staunch reader of mystical literature, though so
far as I know no one has ever mentioned the titles
of the books to indicate whether it really is mys'
tical literature or not. On the other hand, per'
haps he does read mystical books, and perhaps so
do some of the Prime Ministers and dictators of
other countries, but, we repeat, the fact that they
do does not make any of them Rosicrucians, or
members of A M O RC here or abroad.X.

Page 48

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Tests of Sincerity
A frater rises in our Forum circle to declare:
The acts of some of my fellow-Rosicrucians
pussle me. I know they maintain their active con"
nections with the Order, and yet they do things
which seem to conflict with their outer avowed
sincerity. Can you explain how this is possible?
The question, fratres and sorores, resolves down
to the one of, what constitutes a Rosicrucian?
A Rosicrucian is one who is motivated by cer"
tain inner desires to do certain things, and whose
outer conduct consequently conforms with those
inner convictions. A Rosicrucian, if his concept
of Rosicrucianism is correct, may desire to learn
something of the mystery of his being. He may
ponder on the W H Y of life and its relation to
matter. He may seek to know a reason for the
cause of all. He may wish some assurances of im"
mortality that are not mere empty aphorisms. He
may seek to relate his emotions, conscience, con"
sciousness, soul, and mind to his daily life. He
may further desire not only to know these things
but to utilise the facts of his knowledge to make
life fuller and happier, and so that he can un"
selfishly extend a helping hand to his fellowman.
If he eventually learns that there exists such a
movement as the Rosicrucian Order, AM ORC,
which makes this knowledge possible, he will be
sincere in his desire to acquire it. He will gladly,
even reverently, adhere to its rules and regula"
tions. He will make sacrifices to maintain his
membership so that that which he seeks will flow
to him uninterruptedly. If he is intelligent he will
realise that what AM ORC offers him is not, so
far as the Cosmic laws and principles are con"
cerned, originated by it, and that he could
possibly discover that knowledge unaided. He
will, however, further realise that if he attempted
to do that it would be a useless sacrifice of time
and ability to search as an individual for what
has already been found and is well known and
presented through the AM O RCs teachings. This
type of individual, therefore, comes to see that his
actions in the Order at all times will reflect his
devotion to what it stands for and for what he
hopes to attain through his affiliation. He carries
this veneration of the Order into the privacy of
his home, even into the seclusion of his sanctum
and study. He is not satisfied to pay dues and to
let others know that he does, or to identify his
membership by the wearing of his emblem. In his
own consciousness he wants to look upon the
things of the Order, wherever and whenever they
appear, with devotion and kindliness and with
sincerity. He wants them to arouse in him that
emotional feeling that goes from him to them as
a bond of affection. He has this spirit and he is

not concerned whether or not there is anyone

around to perceive in him this devotion.
The real test of sincerity of a Rosicrucian is
his private life and conductthose actions which
he thinks will not be exposed to the eyes and
minds of others. If he is inconsiderate in his
business and social dealings; if he is not above
taking unfair advantage of his neighbor; if he is
intolerant, abusive, and disrespectful of the things
of nature, whether a flower, an animal, or his
own body; or is contemptuous in private of the
things of his A M O RC membership, he is not a
Rosicrucian, regardless of what he may write or
speak publicly, or how he may conduct himself in
the temple of an AM O RC lodge or chapter. For
example, every Neophyte, from the earliest de"
gree, is asked to show the proper respect for the
monographs he receives, as they epitomise the
Order. W ithin their pages are the laws and
teachings which we hold sacred because they are
of Cosmic origin. To disregard or disrespect them
is to show contempt for the entire structure of the
O rders Every member, as you know, is asked to
safeguard them; to place them in a chest, drawer,
box, or cabinet where curious or prying eyes will
not see or cause them to be profaned. Above all,
it is expected that our high degree members will
be especially conscientious and adhere to these
rules, because of their training. However, as
stated, outer allegiance to the Order is not a proof
of sincerity. Only the private acts of the individ"
ual are tests of that sincerity.
Recently, for example, a soror was shocked
upon visiting the home of another member of the
higher degrees to find that this member had left,
apparently with great indifference, her mono
graphs of this higher degree lying about on a
mantel, table, and bureau, open and out of the
envelope, with no attempt at privacy. Further,
there were relatives who frequented the home at
this time and who were not even members of the
Order. This member professed in membership
gatherings to have considerable devotion to the
Rosicrucian precepts, and yet where the test
came in her own private life she failed miserably.
Such a member should rightly have membership
discontinued, as failing to show the proper re"
spect for the dignity of the Order irrespective of
the reports she may have made formerly to the
Order, or her dues standing.
Another more important test of sincerity is al"
legiance to the Order in times of crises. I re
member approximately three weeks before the
passing through transition of our late Imperator,
H. Spencer Lewis, a private chat I had with him
in his room where he was partially convalescent.
W e had been discussing AM O RC and its activ
ities and policies of the past fifteen years. He said,
One thing that can be said of me is that I have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

never intentionally placed myself before the interests of AMORC. I have never tried to build
up a personal following.' He had never spoken a
truer word, for, as Imperator of A M O RC for
nearly thirty years, in his writings there was always an assiduous presentation of them as the
Rosicrucian teachings, and in referring to his
work it was always an accomplishment for
AMORC. W hen it was necessary to refer to
himself, he did so as an officer of AM O RC; in
other words, as Imperator, and not as the individual, H. Spencer Lewis. In practically every
address or oral lecture he gave he spoke of what
AM ORC can and will do rather than of what he
could or would do. Of the hundreds of monographs disseminated by the Order, his name and
even his title appears on but very few, and yet
all were directly prepared by him or under his
supervision.
A fter his transition several thousand letters and
hundreds of telegrams and cables of condolence
from every corner of the earth were received.
Each writer expressed great regret at his passing,
though happiness for his High Initiation, yet none
sought to sever membership because of his transit
tion. They realised that to resign because of his
transition would have been to show lack of sincere interest in AM ORC. It would have indicated that they were not following its precepts
for which he gave his life, but instead just himself as an individual. There could be no greater
tribute to the late Imperators work than that this
great body of membership took upon themselves
to re-pledge their allegiance and to carry on. It
was evidence of his success in furthering AM ORC
as an Order.
Only one instance came to my attention of a
member failing in this test of sincerity. This
soror, when she learned of the transition of the
Imperator, H. Spencer Lewis, declared to an em
ployee of the A M O RC staff, who is himself an
old and staunch member, that now she was going
to resign, returning all of her monographs to the
Order. This frater, the employee of AM ORC,
remonstrated with her and pointed out how she
had failed in a test; that she had proven by such
statements that she had not been interested in
AMORC or its precepts, but was merely follow
ing a personality, which the late Imperator had
so often warned against in his writings. She was
willing to withdraw her support from the Order
for selfish personal reasons, when AM O RC might
have needed her most. This same member had
given all of the outer signs of staunch member
ship; she paid her dues regularly, made her re
ports, and attended Temple sessions, but in her
heart she was not a true Rosicrucian and when
the time came was found wanting.X.

Page 49

Saints and Sinners

A frater from Canada rises in our Circle to
say: I heartily disapprove of the article, Saints
and Sinners, by Frater A. J. Rankin, which ap
peared in the August issue of the Rosicrucian
Digest. It seems to cast a reflection upon our pur
poses and our Rosicrucian code of living. W hat
can be said in the Rosicrucian Forum about it?
Occasionally an article appears in the Rosicrudan Digest which to our readers seems controver
sial and engenders considerable correspondence.
The above article was one of that kind; many
letters were received from members who were
quite indignant about it. I have personally read
the article and it is my belief that the author did
not intend to convey the meaning the readers
have construed from it. Perhaps we are at fault
in not qualifying the authors remarks with an
editorial comment; however, belated as it may be,
we here express our views.
A first reading of the article makes it appear
that no man or woman can hope to live the saint
ly or good life, without first being a sinner, and
the conclusion would be that sinning is the first
step to goodness it was that which shocked
our many readers. You and I, all of us in fact,
consider the good man one who has not violated
the prescribed donts of either church, nation, or
society. In fact, most of us would not even agree
on what constitutes the good. Some of us may
not be in accord with certain of the National
laws, and therefore feel that the man who violates
one of them is not bad, but is still good. Further,
our religious views may be at variance, so what
I might think a sin or a spiritual violation, you
might not; therefore, we see that it is difficult to
define the good man.
Aristotle summarised good as being a state of
excellence of some function. W hatever we con
sider the function or duties of man morally and
legally, if he performs them, therefore, he is good;
if he doesnt, we say he is bad. Let us, for the
sake of analogy, take the code of automobile laws
of the different states of the Union, provinces of
Canada, and of other countries. They state how
a driver shall operate his motor vehicle on public
streets and the highways. A man who never vio
lates these rules and regulations is not a law
breaker so far as the automobile driving code is
concerned. He is therefore, from a legal point of
view in so far as that code is concerned, a good
man. If this man drives a car every day under
such circumstances and conditions where these
rules apply, without violating them, he is truly a
good man and worthy of the appelation.
Let us suppose, however, that he owns no car
and never drives. He is still a good man because
he hasnt broken the laws of the code. W hat

Page 50

then is the foundation of his goodnessis it not

a negative one? It is certainly not because he has
sought to be good and resisted the violation of the
law. His goodness depends solely upon the factor
that he has never been brought face to face with
the temptation to break the law. From a prima
facie point of view we must accept such an in'
dividual as good, and yet he is to us actually an
unknown quantity. W hat will he do when he
does drive a car? W ill he then observe all of the
laws, when he has it within his power to do other'
wise? In other words, is the individuals goodness
born of a knowledge of what constitutes right and
wrong and the choice to do right, or is it merely
due to ignorance of the wrong?
A n innocent child is good, that is, it is free of
the transgressions of any adults because it has no
knowledge of the adults temptations. It is not
exposed to them and is incapable of committing
them. Such goodness is most certainly passive,
and is of no particular credit to the individual.
One, however, who is constantly thrown in the
path of temptation or what the world and per'
sonal morals call eviland can resist it is truly a
good person whose goodness can be depended
upon. He is one who has tasted of wrong'doing,
and thus knows from personal experience the
paths of righteousness and evil, and has chosen
the former, so is therefore far stronger than one
who is virtuous only because he is innocent.
For further exampleone who is so employed
that he could easily and with a comparative de'
gree of safety embessle from his employer small
sums of money, which could provide him with
many luxuries with which his honesty does not
provide him, and yet persists in his honesty
is positively good; that is, he has interposed his
will between the temptation and what is right.
Frankly, one who has never been tempted has
never been tried.
Does this reasoning then justify wrong'doing
for the gaining of the experience it provides? O ur
answer most assuredly is N O . It might be
better if none of us was ever exposed to tempta'
tion so that the weaknesses of our characters
would not become apparent; however, in selecting
an individual to fill a place where a strong character was needed, I would prefer one who had an
exposed life rather than a sheltered one. N o one
should seek to sin to test himself, but neither
should one avoid an issue where he must make
the decision between right and wrong, for if he
does, neither he nor anyone else will ever know
his true strength. Truly then, one who has been
a sinner in the popular sense of the word and has
overcome his transgressions is stronger by his ex'
perience than he who has never gone through
the ordeal.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

By all means, however, we should not seek to

travel on the path of wrong'doing, for in the
world in which we now live most of us are con'
stantly enough in our daily lives brought face to
face with temptation and are forced to fight its
appeals without going out of our way to impose
such tests upon ourselves.
This, I believe, is what Frater Rankin meant in
his Rosicrucian Digest article entitled, Saints and
Sinners.X.

Fate and Free Will

Periodically there comes up before our Forum
Circle the compound question submitted by a
frater or soror, with respect to fate and the nature
of free will. The first portion of the question is
is there such a thing as fate? By fate I presume
is meant a predetermined existence for each hu'
man being, in which every act and major thought
is decreed in advance for the individual. The one
who is a fatalist must accept the belief that he is
devoid of arbitrary action or choice. In other
words, the true fatalist, as such, must hold to the
position that even what the individual man does
as a result of personal decision is after all a neces'
sity that is the result of an influence imposed by
the inevitable fate.
The fatalist obviously clashes with the adher'
ents of many philosophies and with nearly all re'
ligions as well. The principal reason for this clash
is because there is so much in the functioning of
the individual as a personality, and as a thinking
being, which seems, at least, to belie fatalism. Let
us consider the moral values first. There is in'
stilled within every being to some extent the
ability to declare certain acts of excess or defi'
ciency as wrong and others as right. This gives
the individual the opportunity of furthering what
he believes is right or wrong, but of what avail
will such moral values be to him if his conduct is
predetermined, and if he can not escape the moral
course laid down for him to follow?
Then, furtherthe extreme sensitivity to life
which we all have, and which impels compliance
to the instinct of self-preservationwhy seek to
live? If fate is absolute, one could not, no matter
how he sought to do so, preserve himself beyond
the date for his established demise.. W hy this in'
stinctive precaution then? Consequently all of
our systems built upon such principles as hygiene,
sanitation, and pure food laws are a waste of hu'
man effort, for man will live his time with or
without them. The fact remains, however, that
in primitive society and in districts thickly popu'
lated and in poverty and devoid of sanitation, the
mortality rate is far greater than where man has
interceded and changed them. Does this mean
then that man'made systems can affect this rigidly
established fate?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Fate is, or it is not. If it is, nothing that man

can do no systems or methods of hygiene or
sanitationshould be able to affect it; yet, as we
have seen, mans conduct can affect the races
mortality rate.
Fatalism strikes basically at most all religions
which hope to evolve man spiritually. If fate gov
erned lives no man could hope to improve his life
spiritually, or even intellectually, for it would be
decreed that he would be lowly or otherwise, and
his efforts would be in vain. If fate directs us, is
it not irony that we have that consciousness of
initiative and that we sense the ambition to su e
ceed? W hat torture it would be to experience the
mental pictures of our imagination which taunt
us to make of them realities, and impel us to
change the course of our lives, if all of the time
fate had no intention of letting us do so.
Last, why have we been given reason to weigh
our perceptions and to come to decisions as to
their worth and to make a choice? W hat ineffable
cruelty that would let all mankind plan and yet
have no hope of fulfillment! If we are puppets it
is far better to guide us by a string to perform a
determined task than to infuse us with the power
of self-action and cause us to twist and turn and
strain in the agony to gain an end which can
never be.
I must hold to the decision, therefore, that
mans fate lies solely within the depths of his own
consciousness, within the exercise of his own
powers, within his thoughts and acts, and in the
manner in which he adjusts himself to the Cosmic
plan. Man may fulfill his dreams, providing his
dreams do not oppose the great plan of which he
is a part. This latter, however, is not fatalism,
for it does give man the opportunity of orientationthe ability to understand the plan and to
adjust himself to it.
Often the ability of choice which man has and
which is referred to as FREE WILL, is advanced
as proof that man is a free agent in the universe.
Man physically is a being, an entitya substance
as material in nature as any other material thing
consequently, as we all too well know, physi
cally he is subordinate to those natural laws which
affect all other physical bodies; therefore, physi
cally he is no free agent in the universe. The free
agency theory is built upon the premise of our
choice that man has one or more courses of
action open to him and that he hourly accepts or
discards one or the other. Upon a first considera
tion, this does seem quite correct, until we com
prehend the limitation of that choice, then we
find that man is not quite so free in his will.
Man is, and in that fact he had no participa'
tion. It is something from which he could not
escape; therefore, what is his next choice when he
is fully aware of his existence? Is it not, not to be,

Page 51

if he so prefers? W e can not say that he has the

choice of continuing to exist also, for we all know
that transition is inevitable; therefore, choosing
to be when we already are, and which can not
continue eternally in one existence, is no example
of free will. It would therefore seem that the
only alternative would be for man to take his own
life as another choice and to prove his independ
ence and freedom of will. Let us see if that
actually proves man a free agent. Suppose he
takes his lifewhat original thing has he done to
set himself off from the course that nature would
eventually take? It might be said that he has
shortened his life perhaps twenty years, but here
the time limit is introduced in the argument and
time has no place in the Cosmic scheme where a
thousand years is like that of a second in im
portance. Furthermore, is a thing which destroys
itself free? As we measure freedom in every other
sense, is a thing which must be demolished to be
liberated considered freehardly. Let us look at
the matter in another light. Every choice is de
termined by what factor? Is it not by its im
portance to us, the degree to which it gratifies us?
Even when we risk our life, at great pain phys
ically, to save another, it is to bring pleasure to
our consciencea satisfaction that we have done
right. All choice then is a matter of sensation.
Can man escape choosing? Has there ever been
a man or a woman who could refrain from a
selection of a thing or a course of action
continually?
Choice is the action of the mind motivated by
sensation and experience combined. Since the
factors of choice are inherent in mans nature and
he must choose, each minute of the day- even
with what he wishes to occupy his consciousness
wherein then enters the so-called freedom of
the will? Man makes much of what he calls free
dom of will, only because he is conscious of his
reactions and persists in this or in that. Lesser
forms of life react without this realisation, and
thus they are not troubled with such an exalted
opinion of themselves as free agents. As nature
influences man in everything he does, either by
internal or by external means, he is bound close
to her and his liberty, if he has such at all, is
only to determine which of her moods he likes
the best.X.

W hat Is a Mystic?
Frater B now rises to ask: W e, who are
students of mysticism and should rightly be
termed mystics are sometimes confused by the
fact that others, who go under the same appella
tion, act so different from what we expect of a
true mystic. W hat, therefore, really is a mystic?
As we walk along the main thoroughfares in

Page 52

cities and towns throughout the world and pass

the cinema or motion picture theatres, we fre
quently see in glittering lights over the marquee
phrases something like this: MYSTIC PER
FORMS W EIR D RITES IN PERSON, or
MYSTIC TO REVEAL STRANGE SECRETS
OF TH E EAST, or perhaps as we saunter further
along we observe placards in shop windows with
a photograph of a dark-skinned man with a tu r
ban, usually too large for him, the front of which
is draped with beads, and who stares strangely
out at us from beneath knitted brows, apparently
intended to impress us with some special super
natural power which he is supposed to possess.
The caption on the placard informs us that Raj
Ma Tal, world-renowned (?) mystic, is to give
a series of five lectures in such and such an audi
torium on mystical practices of the Orient.
Now, let us further suppose that we are curious
or intrigued enough first to visit the theatre that
we passed and to watch the performance. W e
see a young man between thirty-five or forty
years of age, in evening attire, with an enormous
turban, usually of a brilliantly colored silk, assist
ed on the stage by one or two young women, very
attractive and very scantily attired, perhaps wear
ing costumes that suggest the Orient, with long
diaphanous skirts, going through a routine in
which it is quite obvious that their sole interest
is the pay check at the end of their engagement.
The mystic has all of the accoutrements and
trappings of the regular variety theatre enter
tainer. In fact, his act is most likely entertain
ment, pure and simple, and from the point of
view of optical illusions it is quite mystifying.
W e find as he progresses that he is quite skilled in
the art of legerdemain. He makes rabbits and
doves appear and disappear before our eyesin
fact, eventually one of the young women at
tendants is seemingly caused to evaporate in a
cloud of chemical smoke which he produces for
the purpose..
W e leave the theatre in time, we will presume,
to rush immediately to the auditorium in time to
hear the lecture by the mystic Raj Ma Tal, so
extensively advertised . The setting here is a little
different from that of the theatre. This mystic
wears the complete costume of one of the higher
caste Hindus; perhaps he even has adopted some
of the eastern mannerisms and quaint ways of
speaking, which add very effectively to the
Oriental atmosphere so necessary for his purposes.
He salaams the audience; he even stresses the re
nowned courtesy of the people of the East; in
fact, as we watch him we find that he cant stand
up or sit down without saying or doing something
that attempts to convey to his audience the idea
that he is different oh, so different from the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rest of us common mortals. In five minutes of this

he has his audience so mystified (which audience,
that is, most of them, if they were asked to define
the location/of India geographically couldnt do
so) that they virtually are ready for him to trans
form them or anything else into most anything
you can imagine. In fact, the dramatic effect proruced by this individual is so clever that those
who are entirely governed by their emotions
rather than by reason are ready to accept every
word he says without question.
He has laid the foundation for this in his open
ing remarks, by saying: The ways of the East
are enigmatic and only those who are prepared
can understand me and come to know the truth
which I bear. W e who are not so easily im
pressed or credulous compare his remarks to what
our Master Jesus did, for he spoke to all types
and classes of people and all who would could
understand himso why this statement by our
mystic that only certain ones can understand?
Then he begins the lecture, from which, if we are
students, we recognise snatches of Eastern philos
ophy combined with necromancy, Christian Sci
ence, popular psychology, science, metaphysics,
and a very involved personal system of dietetics.
By this time we peep over our shoulder we
\now , as we look into most of the faces around
us that our fellow-listeners could not repeat with
any continuity any portion of what they have
just heard. There is little of what they have
heard that they will remember when they leave
this auditorium, but they lean forward as if to
absorb something from the speaker with their
bodies, if not their minds, just as a person leans
toward a fire so that its heat may drive the chill
from him.
W e finally leave at the conclusion of the lec
ture, being impressed, however, only with two
factsfirst, certainly this man was not a mystic,
and second, that the main object of the lecture
and those to follow was to sell the books offered
by his assistants who walked up and down the
aisle with an array of them. If we had never had
any knowledge of what true mysticism consists,
we might believe we had found it, just as millions
do who make such contacts as these, and we
would think all of his kind, as well as the enter
tainer of the stage, were mystics.
There would come a day when we would real
ise that we had been disillusioned, and unfortun
ately from that time on the word MYSTIC would
be abhorred by us and we would refuse to read
or listen to that which dealt with the subject, and
truth would be lost to us. Since the real mystic
is one who practices mysticism, if we want to
know what a mystic is, it behooves us to first
know a little something about mysticism and then

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

we can easily determine between the true and the

false.
The most common mistake made by most per"
sons is the confusion between the words: mys"
terious and mysticism. That which is mysterious
is obscure, hidden, strange, unknown, weird, and
perhaps uncanny. A sudden flash of light across
a midnight sky when the nature and origin of the
light are unknown is a good example of something
that may rightly be called mysterious. Mysticism,
on the other hand, has in it no element of fright
and fear, and is not concerned with the unknown.
Mysticism is not distracting, but quieting and in"
spiring. Mysticism is concerned with the contact
and knowledge of God. Can there be anything
more reverential or uplifting than that? Mys"
ticism concerns a special method of establishing
this contact with the Divinity. Its premise is that
man himself is the medium through which God
must be reached. It holds that since man is in"
fused with the God or Divine Essence which is
not a separate segment within him but a con'
tinuous flow through his being, and consequently
is his soul, he can be always in attunement with
God and the wisdom of the Deity. Therefore
man, by attuning his consciousness his mortal
consciousness with this Cosmic or soul con'
sciousness within himself, may secure to some
extent the illumination, wisdom, and strength of
the Divine source within him.
Mysticism further contends that it is not right
for man to seek God outside of himself, as an
exterior force or being, but to seek him within,
for there he at all times resides. The mystic con'
sequently feels that he can never lose God, but he
can if he allows himself to become too objective
too mundaneto fail to heed the wisdom of
the God within him. The mystic, therefore, has
recourse to periodical meditation, during which
time he strives to cast off all impure or outer
world impressions, to neither see, hear, feel, taste,
smell, nor think of the physical world about him.
During this state of introversion he turns his
consciousness inward until he seems to feel from
within the rhythmic, vibrant pulsations of every
cell of his own being. Eventually his consciousness
is lifted upward and he soars above the entire
world, in so far as his consciousness is concerned.
He is like a traveler taken to the top of a moun'
tain peak and permitted to look at the grand and
magnificent panorama below him, in which he
sees magnificent vistas which he could never see
at the base of the mountain. W hen he descends
from this height and allows his consciousness to
return, he is refreshed for he has learned and
found that which he could never objectively know
or find. He has dwelt, if but for a moment, with
God.

Page 53

This inner contact with the Cosmic is not so

simply acquired as here outlined. There is a
technique necessary as in any other art, and cer'
tainly this is an art, but the technique is beautiful,
simple, and is devoted to the use of natures laws
and principles. A t no time is there about it any'
thing which would suggest fear. Always the true
mystic knows what he is doing and when he is
doing it. There is associated with his conduct no
sensationalism, no strange rites, lights, or sounds.
A mystic can so attune himself for a minute, even
in a crowded subway train, with passengers all
about him, that he gives no outward appearance
of what he is doing. He seems to be for the
minute in a retrospective mood. He needs no
turban, beads, crystal, ball, fanfare, young lady
attendants, and neither is it necessary that he be
an Oriental, nor even have any knowledge of the
histories and customs of Oriental countries. He
can not, and he knows that he can not, make
someone else a mystic, yet he can tell them what
to study and do privately by themselves to attain
this illumination. Furthermore, no true mystic
would desecrate his Divine contact or the powers
which he eventually acquires by a public per'
formance. I hope therefore that this brief ex'
planation will help you, our FORUM readers, to
know better what constitutes the real mystic.X.

A re Monasteries Necessary?
Many persons, especially women, who become
interested in the occult sciences and philosophy
are influenced by various books and publications
that are available, and soon they start to dream
of the time when they can go to a monastery and
give all of their time to study and meditation.
Unfortunately, it would seem, they are never sat'
isfied with a nice quiet retreat in their own coun'
try but feel that they must enter such a school
in India. W e, therefore, are occasionally asked
for information we might have that would help
them enter an Indian monastery, where they can
become students and thereby attain mastership in
a few weeks or months.
The point we wish to discuss here is this: First,
how important to mastership is such a retreat
situated in India? W h at would be there that
would help one to learn his lessons more quickly?
It would seem that the most important thing in
order to master the Rosicrucian principles would
be perfection of concentration. To get the results
desired by it, one must lose consciousness of him"
self and his surroundings. This is most easily ac"
complished when the physical body is comfort'
able. Surely there would be no physical comfort
in a monastery in India where we know that
modern conveniences hardly exist. Is it reason"
able to believe that we can study when physically

Page 54

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

we are conscious of cold and draughts or perhaps

extreme heat? All of these things distract the
thoughts of the average student and thus he cannot thoroughly comprehend the lesson at hand.
W e of the western world must remember that life
in a country such as India is quite different than
our own, and thus it would take years to make all
of the adjustments necessary in our lives finally
to benefit by anything unusual in the way of spir"
ituality those in India may have to offer us.
Furthermore, there is no need for us to assume
that India is necessary in order to develop our
own dormant faculties. Development of this nature surely is not limited in any sense by geographical location. W e will all do better work
and attain greater advancement by spending the
thought energy wasted in dreaming of a monas"
tery in India on the lessons and experiments we
receive each week for study in the privacy of our
own home sanctums.

Cataleptic Sleep
W e have been asked on occasion what is meant
by cataleptic sleep and so it seems fitting at this
time to give our Forum readers an explanation of
this seldom-mentioned condition or state of being.
This explanation is, of course, based upon the
discoveries of science and the various fields of
therapeutics which seem to agree that catalepsy
is a nervous disorder or disease in most cases and
manifests much the same as epilepsy. The subject
loses all sensibility and the muscles of the body
become rigid, so much so that the body will retain
any position it is made to assume.
Catalepsy can be divided into four classes:
First, that brought about by hypnotic suggestion;
second, what is known as epidemic catalepsy;
third, self-induced catalepsy; and fourth, cata"
lepsy arising from disease or nervous exhaustion.
Suggestion is necessary for the first three classes
to manifest as in all hypnotic phenomena. This
suggestion can come from an operator as in the
case of an experiment. It can also come from
seeing another in the state of catalepsy, and under
such circumstances has been known to spread
throughout an entire neighborhood or community
much in the same manner as any other disease or
epidemic. The same is true of many types of
nervous disorders, especially St. Vitus dance.
Catalepsy also results from autosuggestion. This
method is known to be used by the Indian
fakirs and naturally is purely hypnotic. It is self
induced by simple processes well known to all
who have made an intelligent study of hypnotism
as practiced in the eastern world.
It is claimed that during the cataleptic state the
organs of the body reduce their function to such

an extent that often one may be mistaken for

dead. It is as though a state of suspended anima"
tion had been attained. W e read that many dis"
eases have been treated in this manner by those
adept in the use of hypnotism. Catalepsy, besides
manifesting in rigidity of the body, also manifests
in hysteria, the subject laughing at times and
also shouting passionate exclamations, although
throughout this condition he is fully unconscious
from an objective point of view. He can tell you
nothing of what took place during the period of
his so'Called trance. Catalepsy is said to mani"
fest differently in various subjects and even varies
in the same subjects during different attacks. In
many cases there seems to be a definite weakness
of the will whereby the tendency to lapse into the
cataleptic state is not resisted but rather encour"
aged. As a result, attacks may thus be induced
by the most trivial circumstances.

Experiments, T heir Purpose

Daily our correspondence contains letters from
members who have difficulty with the various ex"
periments included in their monographs. Their
greatest worry is that they are unsuccessful with
these experiments and so they are discouraged.
Many decide that they are failing because of this
seeming obstacle. The majority of these students
desire us to help them perform the experiments
successfully so that they will know of their prog"
ress and growth as a result of their studies. It
would seem that the majority of these students
either have lost or are losing sight of the purpose
of experimental work.
In the first place, the experiments are for a
dual purpose. They substantiate the statements
and claims of the lessons, but more important
than that they do much toward the inner growth
and development of the student. W ithout the
experiments, the teachings would be just theory
with nothing of a practical nature to back up the
theory. Under such circumstances the student
would gain only that knowledge which would be
assimilated by the mind and brain. Naturally,
this knowledge would be valuable in many ways
but hardly useful from a practical point of view.
W ith the experiments, however, we have the op"
portunity actually to use our Rosicrucian knowl"
edge for the betterment of ourselves and mankind
generally. Every time we try an experiment we
tend to stimulate some portion of our inner selves.
This growth and development may have no effect
at the time as far as our objective consciousness is
concerned, but later on when we reach some of
the higher degrees we are definitely conscious of
the benefit of the early experiments. Also, the
higher degree work will bring to light the extent
to which the early exercises have been practiced

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

or neglected, whichever the case might be. And

so, the most important purpose of the experiments, especially those of the early degrees, is to
prepare the student for the important psychic
work in the higher grades or teachings. It is important that every member who desires to gain
the knowledge, understanding, and benefit possible from his membership give much of his attention to the experiments. He should avoid the
feeling of discouragement that comes when some
exercise does not turn out as anticipated, and go
right on with other experiments, often trying
again and again those of the early degrees.

Superstition
A frater who lives in the midwest asks our
FORUM circle at this time the question: Just
what is superstition, and is it on the decline?"
From a technical point of view, we may say
that superstition has its origin in certain magicoreligious practices, of which its devotees have no
knowledge. New superstitions develop from the
supposition that the article or act related to the
superstition is endowed with some supernatural
properties or influences which can not be opposed
or ignored without the violators being subject to
some dire effect or misfortune. This effect may
either be of a negative or positive nature. The
individual may fear that by doing something a
calamity will befall him, and this is the positive
aspect. On the other hand, he may believe that
if he does not take advantage of an omen, he will
lose a marvelous opportunity to be lucky. This
latter is the negative phase of the effect of
superstition.
It must be understood that superstition never
exists where the actual causes of a thing or con"
dition are known, or where fact can supplant
supposition. Superstition, then, grows out of ignorance and flourishes on fear. Let us take the
example of the commonly accepted superstition
among certain peoples that a broken mirror brings
seven years of bad luck to the breaker. This belief
has actually survived for centuries. It goes back
as far as the time of delicately made, finely
polished bronze mirrors, which likewise could be
broken by being dropped. It is rooted in the early
religious belief that the shadow or reflection of a
human face was the ethereal form of the soul, and
to shatter that which reflected the human face or
form of the soul was to bring upon oneself the
penalty of seven years of misfortune. This reasoning can easily be understood, for, in the first
place, there was no desire to question the religious
precept upon which the superstition was founded;
namely, that a shadow or reflection of the face
was in reality the soul. The soul being Divine,

Page 55

it consequently followed that anything which

marred it brought a penalty upon the guilty or
careless one. Had it been possible to prove that
such reflections were not related to the soul, the
supposition and superstition would not have
arisen.
Superstitions which arise from interpretations
of religious dogmas and creeds are the most diffi
cult to remove. A ny attempt to disprove them
reflects upon the individuals religious precepts
and causes a hostile reaction, which, to him at
least, justifies his continued support of the superstition. Religious superstitions can be removed
only by the personal evolution of the individual;
that is, at that time when he reaches for higher
concepts because of an inner urge, and, after
grasping them and being assured, sees the faults
in his previous superstitions and is, of his own
volition, courageous enough to cast them aside.
Many superstitions, though, have no foundation
in religion whatsoever. Take the modern talismanic practices as an example. It is the belief
held by millions that some article carried or worn
on the person as a charm imparts certain of its
conditions to the wearer or will bring him good
fortune. W hat caused some of these amulets to
be so venerated and traditionally accepted, even
todaysuch as a rabbits foot for example
would be a matter of speculation; however, we
can easily understand how they originated, by
comparison to the origin of our more modern
talismanic beliefs.
For example, as one is walking along a thor
oughfare his attention is arrested by something
glittering in the sunlight, lying perhaps in the
street gutter. He finds, upon picking it up, that
it is a small metallic disk somewhat resembling a
coin. For a moment he hesitates, debates whether
to destroy it as it has no intrinsic value it is
really worthlessyet, the fact that it caused him
to stop and examine it and the fact that it is
similar in appearance to a coin eventually make
him put it in his pocket without further thought.
So far such actions are quite ordinary and indi
cate no tendency towards superstition, and are
things which either you or I would do under
similar circumstances. Presume, however, that
during the day following his finding the disk, this
individual had experienced a number of outstand
ing and unexpected favorable events; the natural
inclination would be to try and trace the cause of
the event or eventswhat brought them about
and if no logical reason would become apparent a
credulous person would then begin to seek beyond
the natural, or, in other words, for some super
natural cause of the good fortune.
The fact that the individual can not find a
natural cause for his good fortune, of course, does
by no means establish a supernatural one. It may

Page 56

mean that he is unobserving or could not realise

the factors which caused his good fortune; nevertheless, being credulous he attributes his good
fortune to the supernatural. Some credit must be
given him though, because he seeks to justify his
belief in the supernatural. He combs his memory
for some incident or sign that occurred recently
which would point to some such efficacy. He re
calls the shining metal disk which he found earlier
in the day and that the fact that it attracted his
attention and resembled a coin seemed strange.
Immediately thereupon the mind grasps upon this
now as having some significance. The reasoning
followed is that certainly it was not a coincidence
that he found this metal disksomething must
have been intended by it. It must have portended
something, and of course that something he con
ceives as being his recent good fortune. There
after that disk becomes his talismanhis lucky
piece. He will relate the incident to others, with
all sincerity, and he will tell how the disk brought
him the good fortune he experienced. Psycholog
ically such a superstition strangely affects the
reasoning of a person. Each time he clasps, or
strokes, or kisses the talisman and he desires it to
bring him good luck, and he receives the things
or materials or circumstances that he has wished,
the talisman then receives full credit and his belief
in the superstition is strengthened. On the other
hand, when it fails to aid him, as it most fre
quently does, he excuses the failure and to himself
offers some reason as to why the wish was not
fulfilled. In other words, the talismanic devotee
is reluctant to abandon his belief.
Most all professional auto race drivers when in
the race carry with them some amulet, which they
hope will bring them luck, and cause them to
win. In fact, very few drive without these amu
lets. I have been told that in a race in which
twelve cars are participants as many as ten of the
drivers will carry some such lucky piece or
charm, in which they have the utmost confidence,
and yet only one can win. It would be interesting
to learn how, if they lose or experience injury
during the race, they explain away the fact that
the talisman seemed to have lost its efficacy.
Most every man believes that nothing really
just happens and that there is a cause for all
things, either known or unknown to man. If man
understands the cause he either utilises it to the
utmost or tries to avoid its results, if he considers
them injurious or detrimental. W hen he, how
ever, can not perceive or understand the cause he
still does not declare the occurrence an accident.
Most frequently, instead, he attributes it to an
unknown cause. Now these unknown causes,
unless he is quite intelligent, he most often credits
to supernatural powers; that is, if he can not per
ceive a cause or understand it, in his opinion it

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

must belong to another world or sphere of in

fluence. In this we also see mans ego. Man has a
fear and respect for those things which he cant
understand or master. If events occur which are
favorable to him and are related to some incident
which for lack of understanding he considers
supernatural, that incident then becomes a sign
or omen of good. On the other hand, if the cir
cumstances were unfavorable to him the incident
then is thought to have portended evil, and when
ever it occurs again it will be thought an ominous
sign. Some things, as we have seen, in the minds
of men seem to take on certain supernatural
powers. Thus beads, coins, stamps, peculiarly
shaped stones, and even customs such as throwing
salt over his left shoulder, or happenings such as
walking beneath a ladder or having a black cat
cross ones path, become superstitions.
Many persons practice their superstitions pri
vately, because even in their own reasoning they
can find no logic to support them, and they would
be embarrassed if others knew they gave credence
to them. Yet, they are very susceptible to custom
and they fear to trust their own reason because
they believe there just possibly might be some
thing to the superstition and rather than risk the
consequences they pay it homage.
There is no relationship between education and
lack of superstition. In other words, one who is
educated is by no means free of superstition.
Many highly educated persons, even in profes
sional walks of life, are exceedingly superstitious,
mainly because they have given no thought to the
subject and have made no analysis of the origin
or its effects upon them, and consequently they
fall in line with the superstitious customs of those
with whom they come in contact. On the other
hand, the really intelligent person can not accept
superstition. Its foundation is too primitive, too
inconsistent with what we know as fact today.
There are many professional people who practice
little superstitions, who do so as a form of habit,
not because of a belief in the principles upon
which superstition depends. If these individuals
took time to consider the origin of these super
stitions they would soon discard them.
Fetishism is also another kind of superstition.
In its popular modern form it consists of carrying
or wearing on the person the belonging of a rela
tive or dear friend who has departed, with the
belief that this article has a power that protects
the wearer or owner. W e all have sentiment,
deep sentiment, for such things that have been
left to us. W e are proud to wear them because
of the memories they revive. These personal be
longings of others which we choose to wear or
carry become a natural mental stimulus to us, and
in that there exists no superstition; but many
persons go beyond this. They believe that the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

article possesses some of the attributes or powers

of the original owner, which are now imparted to
the wearer, and this belief definitely is fetishism.
They come to depend upon the article, itself an
inanimate, material thing, to exert some influence
in a crisisto accomplish something in some mysterious way which they themselves could not do.
To them the article they wear is no longer a sym
bol or beautiful suggestion and reminder, but a
thing which actually has become infused with a
supernatural power.
W e must admit, therefore, in answering the
latter part of the opening question, that super
stition is prevalent today and there isnt a great
deal of indication that it is on the decline. It is
quite true that some of the older forms of superstitution no longer survive, but new ones have
taken their place, the reason being that supersti
tions come from the minds of humans. The mind
that is susceptible to superstition will originate its
own kind. To avoid being superstitious, as we
must all do, first try and understand the cause for
all things. If you can not, do not presume to
know a cause. Such a presumption, without a
foundation in fact, is dangerous. Second, remem
ber that there is no such thing as the supernatural;
there are but the Cosmic and natural laws existing
throughout the universe. Supernatural is a term
invented by man to explain to himself, or try to,
what he does not understand. Remember that
radio music coming out of a small square box,
or the human voice emanating from such a small
cabinet, to the aborigines in the interior of
Australia, is supernatural why? Only because
they are ignorant of the natural laws involved.
There is just about as much foundation for the
supernaturalism of our superstitions that exist
today as there is for the belief of the aborigines
that the radio music or voice they hear is of
supernatural origin.X.

T he Rosicrucian A ttitude on the W ar

A number of different questions have been
brought to the attention of the Forum circle at
this time concerning the great European con
flagration. These letters come from different
countries in Europe and some from this country.
Most all of them are exceedingly indignant and
very partial toward one or the other combatant
groups, and frankly, most of the questions ask us
to express our opinions with regard to who is
right and who is wrong, and what we imagine to
be the ultimate outcome of the conflict.
From the Rosicrucian point of view, war is
never justifiable. W a r is an atavistic tendency.
That is, it is a reversion to the most primitive
means and methods within mans power for the
settlement of disputes. It is the equivalent of two

Page 57

individuals entering into a street brawl to settle

an argument, instead of referring the matter to
the courts of law. If two individuals, as such,
prefer to enter into physical encounter to settle
their difficulties, rather than resorting to the
courts of law, we would consider it a reflection
upon the justice of our courts which is, after all,
the end and purpose of law, and we would not
tolerate the settlement of disputes by that means.
Instead, we would try and find out what was
wrong with our courts and what could be done to
remedy the situation so as to re-establish the
peoples confidence in the courts.
Nations are, after all, but a combination of in
dividuals. They are composed of the sentiments,
feelings, emotions, wishes, and hopes of their
peoples. They are no better nor worse than the
peoples which compose them. W hen nations
finally go to war, it is an indication that the
machinery of civilisation is weak in some manner,
or they would not have to go back to the same
methods and means which men employed in
settling their difficulties in the stone age. Cer
tainly today, when the horrors of war have been
made so manifest to most everyone through the
excellent mediums of newspapers, radio, and the
motion pictures, the fact that peoples will still
permit themselves to go to war indicates a still
greater weakness in our structure of civilisation.
On the other hand, where life and death are con
cerned, where the existence of a nation or people,
like the existence of the individual, depends upon
force because he has no other medium to use, war
must be indulged.
The deplorable thing is not war itself so much
as the fact that mankind has not been able to find
an adequate substitute for it. W e can draw a
parallel, however, with our ordinary local com
munities and societies. W e have in most coun
tries today, well established rules and regulations
for the governing of the conduct of the citisens
in order to give every individual, as much as pos
sible, an opportunity to live and to indulge in the
pursuit of happiness, and yet we have criminals.
W e have individuals who absolutely refuse to
adhere to those rules and regulations and cannot
be persuaded to adhere to them by any mental
effort, by any logic or rhetoric, and thus we find
that such individuals in their moral structure are
very primitive and can appreciate and react only
to primitive means, and we have to exercise force.
W e have to maintain a police staff, and this police
staff has to use physical means to oblige those
individuals to respect the laws of the community.
And so sometimes nations, as a mass of individ
uals, will not, for one reason or other, respect
reason or law, rules or regulations, and they must
be policed by the militant force of some other
power. Referring again to our civil courts, we

Page 58

find individuals who willingly submit their prob"

lems to the courts and the courts make a decision
in a proper and civilised manner, yet the court
must exercise force in executing its decision be"
cause a litigant will not comply. And so, some"
times nations will endeavor to arbitrate. They
will make every effort to settle the dispute from
an intellectual point of view, and they cannot
agree, and then war steps in to impel respect or
attempt to do so. The unfortunate thing about
war, however, is that many innocent persons not
involved in the dispute, not contributing to it,
suffer the penalty as well. If civilisation is not
perfect and not as we would like it, we can only
fall back upon that truism that it is because men
themselves are not perfect.
So far as the Rosicrucian organisation is con"
cerned, and so far as taking a stand or taking
part in an issue of war, we must remain absolute"
ly neutral for various reasons. In the first place,
the Rosicrucian organisation is an international
movement. Its membership consists of members
in every country of the world, and therefore we
could hardly, as an organisation, take a stand
without offending the members of our organisa"
tion in some land. And there is so much that is
worthy with which Rosicrucianism is concerned,
and should be concerned, that we should hardly
take much of our time to devote to a discussion of
war. One of the fundamental principles of our
Order is the brotherhood of man, the unity of all
peoples by knowledge and understanding. Peace
is very necessary for that, and so war is not con"
sistent with our purpose. Yet each of us,
wherever we live, as Rosicrucians, as we all know,
takes an obligation as a member in each land.
This obligation, in each land, is worded about the
same. The following is an excerpt from the oath
of obligation which the members of this jurisdic"
tion take:
that I will honor and respect the Flag of my
country and the country in which I live; that I
will never be guilty of treason; that I will be a
good and useful citisen, contributing to the ad"
vancement and welfare of the country in which
I enjoy the privilege of being a resident.
It is expected, therefore, that each Rosicrucian,
wherever he lives, will remember this obligation.
Our duty as Rosicrucians who are not at the
present moment actually involved in the conflict
is to do our utmost to bring about peace, to sup"
port every legal and proper plan to bring that
peace about, and to help maintain it. One of the
best things we can do is to free ourselves from the
influence of propaganda. As Rosicrucians we
should know a little more about human nature
than the average individual. W e study the mind,
its mechanism, the body, the laws of life. W e
know something about mans foibles, and his

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

virtues, and we certainly know that in the heat

of passion, anger, and hatred, no individual is
going to speak favorably of one whom he con"
siders his enemy. Furthermore, we know that in"
dividuals, when they wish to win support to a
cause that they are furthering or in which they
are particularly interested, are inclined to exag"
gerate their advantages, their hopes, their aspira"
tions. Knowing all these things it behooves us,
therefore, to be very careful in accepting the
statements we read in our newspapers or hear
over the radio, which concern the nations at war.
W e must remain cool and collected, not permit
ourselves to be incited or inflamed. W hen passion
comes to the fore and our emotions overwhelm
us, reason goes out the door. Let each of us re"
member that.
Therefore, unless it is absolutely essential be"
cause of some unforeseen circumstance, at this
time we must refrain in this publication and in
The Rosicrucian Digest from discussing the war
or the participants. There will be so much written
elsewhere on the topic of war that certainly our
members will find it a relief within these pages
and the pages of The Rosicrucian Digest to find
other views expressed.X.

D o Souls Evolve?
This FORUM circle frequently receives letters
asking questions of it about the evolution of the
soul. That is why we again consider this topic.
Perhaps our readers first reaction to the caption
of this article would be most certainly souls
evolve! Yet, as we really consider the question
seriously we find that when we say souls will
evolve, we are guilty of loose terminology.
In the first place, we must defineas distin"
guished from the body and mortal manthe soul
as absolutely Divine. Now that does not mean
that the physical body is depraved or of no con"
sequence, for after all the laws which made the
physical body manifest which gave it existence
were divinely conceived and are the result of a
Divine function, but man can degrade the body,
he can affect its status, he can contribute to its
being diseased, injured, and underdeveloped.
Most all religions and philosophies which hold to
the recognition of the soul, consider it the truly
Divine essence within mans nature, that is, as
absolutely distinguished in every way from his
material nature. Consequently, if the soul is
Divine, our next question must be: A re there
degrees or gradations of its Divinity and perfec
tions? In other words, can there be some souls
which are partly Divine, half Divine, or a third
Divine?
T hat would seem absurd, because we recognise
Divinity as the only standard of perfection by

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

which all other things are measured. Certainly if

that which is Divine is not completely perfect,
then all else is lost; therefore, if our souls are
Divine they are perfect and complete in every
sense. Thus, regardless of the heritage of an individual, of his birth, where he resides, or even
his tendencies or conduct, his soul at least is per'
feet and Divine. Now, certainly if that is true,
we can not evolve it. W e cannot add to that
which is already perfect. Further, if the soul is
of the essence of God, would it not seem strange
that there would be given to man the power to
perfect something that is of God? If mankind can
develop and add to the Godly, then he is greater
than God, and the opposite is also true. If the
soul is of God then certainly man can not degrade
it. Does it lie within the province of man to be'
smirch his soul, to drag the Divine down into the
mire, to stain it, and shred it? If that would be
so, then man is God and God is not, so this rea'
soning consequently must lead us to the conclu'
sion that it is not mans soul which evolves but
rather something else.
Now, we have said above that this Divine spark
exists equally in every man, not as a separate seg'
ment but rather as a continuous flow from its
source through all mankind alike, and yet we find
mankind reacting to it differently. W e find those
who are really spiritual beings, and those who are
striving to be, and those who have failed, abso'
lutely failed to recognise the Divine essence w ith'
in themselves. W hat causes this? It is because
there has been granted man, willthe ability to
permit himself to heed and recognise the dictates
of the soul or to deny and degrade himself ob
jectively and physically.
I always like to use the following illustration
for this subject. Let us imagine, if we will, a
number of large electric lamps, each giving off a
beautiful, pure, white lightscintillating, brilliant.
This whiteness and purity of the light represents
the perfection and the Divinity of the soul. Let
us, therefore, imagine that there is placed before
each of these white lights, which are all directly
connected, and in turn connected with the Divine
source which gives them their illumination, a pane
of glasssome panes of glass a little larger and
some a little smaller. W e find as we look at these
panes of glass in front of the electric light lamps
some are radiating a murky light because they are
unclean. They seem to be smeared or covered
with paint or mud. Some are giving off a yellow
light; some a greenish light; some a scarlet light;
and some are so clear, so free of any blemishes
that the white brilliant light passes through them
without any interruption, and it is just as though
we were looking at the electric lamp itself.
Let us liken these panes of glass which are in
front of every electric light bulb, to physical

Page 59

bodies, and let us liken the peculiar light which

each gives off as personality. W e see, therefore,
that each has behind it the same pure white light,
but some of the panes of glass have become very
very soiled and a very small portion of the light
is able to pass through and it is colored and dis'
torted, but if we take a damp cloth or some paint
remover and start to clean the outer surface of
the glass we find that a beam of white light
pierces through, which is dassling in its brilliance,
and as we enlarge on the area as we clean the
glass, more and more light passes through until
finally nothing obscures the brilliance, and the
body of glass no longer becomes an obstacle to the
white light.
Now, if we liken the cleansing of the glass to
the developing of the personality and to the heed'
ing of the dictates of the inner self, we will find
that the more we do so the more the spiritual self
will make itself manifest and the more the soul
will dominate the being. So in each incarnation
we must not endeavor to evolve the light- the
soul that is already perfect, but we must recog'
nise the urges of the soul and thereby evolve the
personality. As we abide by these urges and gov'
ern our conduct by them, our personality goes
through a transition and becomes more enlight'
ened, and finally there flows through us in all of
its purity, with all of its power and brilliance, the
soul force. So, fratres and sorores, I repeat, we
actually do not evolve the soul, but we do evolve
the personality until it is in attunement with the
soul, and then as with the clear glass before the
brilliant electric bulb there is no further con'
cealment or distortion. X.

M ystical Novels
In our reading, to keep balanced and not to
fatigue ourselves, we should mix a little of the
heavy with the light. In other words, we should
read a little of the profound that stimulates
thought, causes us to probe, and at times that sort
of literature which allows our minds just to coast
along without any effort, and relax. Therefore,
like the late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, I
recommend that whenever possible we read a
good novel.
But there is a great difference in fiction. There
are some novels that, after you finish reading
them, you find you were entertained for the
moment, but you have that consciousness that you
have wasted your time. There is not anything
you have read in them to which you want to cling
fast, which you w ant to continue to hold in your
consciousness. On the other hand, there are
novels which describe characters in their stories,
and places, human emotions and interests, so well
that, in addition to being interesting and enter'

Page 60

taining, they are educational, the vocabulary used

is good, and the description is such that it lifts
our minds to another plane. Such novels are
classified rightly as good literature. Unfortunately
there are not enough of them published, because
the publishing business is a commercial business
as a whole, and the publishers are interested in
sales and receipts. The better literature, naturally,
does not sell as rapidly or as easily as the cheap,
sensational type.
However, I am glad to recommend a novel
which seems, from a cursory examination of what
has come to my attention, to have in it all of the
factors we have discussed. It is mystical, inter'
esting, entertaining, well written, enlightening.
I am more than pleased to say that this novel was
written by an AM ORC Soror, a Soror who has
maintained active membership in the Order with'
out interruption for seventeen years. There is no
reason why I should withhold her name. She is
Soror Minnie Flagg Risley. A large publisher in
New York City purchased her manuscript and
has published the book. It is entitled Rose Petals,
and in the very front part of the book she has
used the familiar Latin Rosicrucian phrase, Ad
Rosem Per Crucem Ad Crucem Per Rosem.
The influence of her knowledge of Rosicrucianism
is felt very strongly in the novel. W e are advised
the retail price of the book is $1.50 and it may be
obtained by those who seek it from the publishers,
Fortuny's 67 W est 44th Street, New York City.
The following are a few comments from book
reviewers:
Minnie Flagg Risley has written a novel that
has more than a story in itit is a criticism of
the fundamentalist position in theology and of the
puritanism of so many of our churches. Yet, in
Rose Petals, never is the message allowed to spoil
the charming romance it is embodied in.
In Rose Petals, a deep and sincere religious
faith expresses itself through the medium of an
enthralling and charming novel. Minnie Flagg
Risley writes with a forwardness of purpose that
is wholly admirable, and, at the same time, wholly
enjoyable.-X.

How to Study the M onographs

A Soror now directs a question to us: W hat
do you suggest is the best way of studying our
Rosicrucian monographs so as to get the utmost
from them?
First, our answer must be that desultory read'
ing, reading when you happen to think of it, or
when you have nothing else to do, is not very
beneficial, for you never establish the consistent
habit. Study must be a habit, just as a number of
other things you do, just as the way you dress and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

prepare your toilet, or the route you take home

from work or from school. And to form a habit
you must have a plan, and then concentrate upon
that plan, do it over and over again until event'
ually the repetition forms a groove in your sub'
jective mind so that you come to set aside the
period of study without any thought as to doing
otherwise. A habit is easily formed if it is not
too complicated; if you complicate your method
of study, it is more difficult to follow, and as we
have said, repetition is the basis of habit.
Select a period once a week on the same day
and the same hour for study. It is not sufficient
just to devote some hour each week, some weeks on
a Thursday, some on a Monday, some on a Tues'
day. That method is complicated; it makes the
habit difficult to establish. You must have a desire
for study. If you do not want to study, if it an'
noys you to think of it or if you will not take the
time to plan for it, then do not be a hypocrite, do
not call yourself a student. Do not despise your'
self by making an attempt and then losing out.
Determine that you are going to have an hour
each week at a regular time which nothing, with
the exception of a crisis, an emergency, or ill
health, will interfere with. Select an hour which
is convenient for you so that it will be easy for
you to keep, and that does not interfere with any'
thing else or any other important duties. Be sure
that the time you select assures you the utmost
quiet and some degree of privacy. Study depends
to a great degree on concentration, on keeping
dominant one thought or series of thoughts in
your mind. Thus, if anything distracts you or
annoys you, you cannot concentrate, and the
period you have set aside for study is wasted.
A fter you have selected the hour and the day,
make it known that that is the one period during
the week when you do not wish to be disturbed.
Compel others to respect your wishes. You must
be positive in this. You have a right, as an in'
dividual, whether married or single, to some de'
gree of individual expression. No one has a right,
whether it is an intimate member of the family,
husband, or wife, to rob you of your individuality.
Next, when you sit down to your monograph
after performing any opening ritual that may ac'
company it, have always handy a paper and pen'
cil. If you do not, you are apt to regret it, be'
cause new thoughts create new channels of think'
ing out of which arise new ideas. Suddenly you
will be reading a monograph, during a day or
evening period, and there will flash into your
mind an explanation of something that has been
p u llin g you for a long while. Jot that explana'
tion down at once. Or, perhaps, the mere sug'
gestion of a word or sentence in the monograph
will give you a new idea that will be most helpful
to you in a business or a social way. Sometimes

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

these thoughts disappear as rapidly as they come,

and if you try to remember them afterward you
are confused and they lose their value. So depend
upon that means of jotting them down.
A person who is not used to studying begins
by reading the text as though he were reading a
newspaper or the cartoon page. He reads too
rapidly and grasps every third, fourth or fifth or
tenth word, picks out the highlights. Light read'
ing is written with this in mind; that is, enter'
tainment reading is so arranged that if you skip
a lot of words you still get the theme intended.
But anything intended for study, worthy of the
name study, whether it is music, art, philosophy,
law, or mathematics, cannot be studied in that
manner. The writer or author does not waste
words; each word leads up to a point, and you
must learn to concentrate and read more slowly
until you have developed the habit of rapidly
reading and grasping every word.
There are ways in which you can test yourself;
you may read the entire monograph then lay it
down and try to recall, saying to yourself, orally
if you are alone, what you read. In other words,
repeat as nearly as possible, not word for word,
but the general idea of what you have just
studied. If after you have read a five, six or seven
page monograph you cannot tell yourself what
was in it, more than to the extent of five or six
sentences, you have not studied. A t least, you
have not concentrated enough upon it for it to
remain in your consciousness. A t first this con'
centration will be an effort; it will seem tiring.
Your mind will want to get out from under the
yoke. You will stare out the window, look at the
wall, look at a blotter on your desk or table, then
read a paragraph and find your mind drifting,
thinking of something you did during the day or
are going to do tomorrow. W hip yourself into
line, bring yourself back, force yourself to under'
stand the thoughts on the pages and convey them
to your mind.
Another way is to read a paragraph or two
paragraphs at a time, then, before continuing, re'
peat to yourself what was in those paragraphs.
If, after you have read them, you sit there with a
vacuous look in your eyes and your mind seems
blank, it has not penetrated. Go back and read
the paragraphs again, and again, and again, until
you know what their thought is, not word for
word, but what ideas they intended to convey.
Then go on to the next page and the next.
W hen you have finished, give yourself a resume
of what is in the monographs. Take the attitude
that another Rosicrucian, in the same degree and
studying the same monograph, visited you and
said he had lost his monograph that day and you
knew of course that he was in the same point of
the studies as yourselfand he asked you to tell

Page 61

him what was in that monograph, to instruct him

without actually reading the monograph to him.
Could you do it? If you cannot tell it to another,
you do not know it. There are many times when
we think we know something until we are asked
to explain it or describe it; then we realise that
we have been merely deceiving ourselves.
Furthermore, each monograph, in the main,
picks up the trend of thought where the last left
off. Consequently, if you allow a lapse of two or
three weeks between each monograph, you find it
difficult to grasp the meaning of the next one that
you study, because you have forgotten some of
the essentials in the one before; whereas, if you
study conscientiously each week, the theme is al'
ways kept alive in your mind. It remains con'
stant, becomes more deeply imbedded by the con'
stant hammering, the repetition.
The next thing to do is to practice the experi'
ments. Do not be indolent. Do not take the atti'
tude, W ell, I will take their word for it. I have
read what the law consists of in the monograph;
there is no need of my demonstrating it or going
to the trouble of getting this, that, or the other
thing and making a test at home so that I can
prove it. It is, however, the demonstration of the
laws in the monographs which establishes mem'
bership confidence, and when a crisis comes,
causes you to turn immediately and use them
masterfully. Those who prepare the monographs
of the Grand Lodge under the direction of the
Hierarchy of the Supreme Grand Lodge know
these laws will work. They have tried a number
of them, every one that you have been given. But
we want you to \n o w that they will wor\, not
merely have confidence in them and faith in what
has been told you. Thus, no matter how simple,
even childlike, the experiment, try it. Prove to
yourself that the law works.
Let us presume that you knew nothing of
gravity, had never heard about it or tested it, then
you eventually went to a learned and very pro'
found lecture by a physicist on the nature of
gravity, and during his lecture he gave many
mathematical equations and you felt as though
you had learned or heard a great deal of wisdom,
yet it would be just a matter of words to you.
But suppose as you left the auditorium, one of
the professors assistants gave you a little sheet of
paper that in a few words simply said that to
prove the profound principles which you had lis'
tened to that afternoon, you toss a heavy object
into the air and observe its return to the surface
of the earth. Now those few words and that
simple experiment would seem so prosaic, so
childlike in comparison with the profound ex'
planations of gravity that you had heard, that you
might be apt to say, W hy trouble myself with
that? and you would ignore the suggestion. On

Page 62

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the other hand, if with all deliberation if you

had never had the experience you took an ob'
ject, followed the instructions, and threw it into
the air, watching its return time after time to the
surface of the earth, then you would have cry'
stallised, given strength and emphasis to the
technical lecture which you heard. This, then, is
the purpose of the experiments which accompany
your Rosicrucian monographs.
The Rosicrucian organisation differs from many
other societies and fraternities in that we do not
just want members. W e want students. W e want
persons who are not just wearing rings or em'
blems or carrying membership cards, but who are
living the life, or at least making a serious attempt
to do so, and they can only do that by studying
the teachings. Therefore, every Rosicrucian must
be a student. A Rosicrucian who allows his
monographs to accumulate, to lie unopened on a
desk or in a box or chest or on a shelf is not de'
ceiving anyone but himself. If there is a loser, he
is the loser. He is a member of the organisation
for the help it can give him to help himself. And
yet, he allows that power to remain dormant, to
be in the envelopes unopened, unread, untried.
Such a member not only injures himself but in
depriving himself of what he should have, he is
doing an injustice to AM ORC as well. If
AM ORC is to grow, it must grow on the ac'
complishments of the individual. A M O RCs
greatest strength is in the praise it has from its
members. It reflects the accomplishments and
lives of the members. A member who does not
study his monographs, who does not try to put
the teachings into practice, cannot command much
respect so far as the application of the Rosicrucian
teachings is concerned, for in fact he does not
apply them. And yet, he is apt to go about say'
ing I am a Rosicrucian and when he is ques'
tioned his ignorance of so many of its laws and
principles, his inability to do many things he
should do if he studied his monographs, speaks ill
of the organisation, when after all it is not the
organisations fault but his. So think these things
over in planning on how to study.X.

Exercises to Perform Daily

So often our students in the early Neophyte
Degrees write to us and request a program that
they may follow for best results with the Rosi'
crucian teachings. They generally point out that
there are so many experiments in the First and
Second Degrees that they are at a loss to know
just which ones to continue and which to set
aside. They explain that it is physically impossible
to work with all of the experiments each day; so
just what procedure should be followed?

In the first place, the student should keep in

mind the purpose of the experiments which natur'
ally is that of stimulating the health and develop'
ing the divine inner forces, and should therefore
concentrate his attention along these lines. There
are a great many experiments in the early lessons
that are particularly beneficial to the health.
These, of course, deal with deep breathing and
various health'giving habits. No doubt one of the
most important experiments to include in any
program is that of concentrating on the parts of
the body while holding the breath. This exercise
can be performed in just a few minutes and can
be done regardless of ones surroundings; in other
words, regardless of where one may be at the
time. So, this exercise especially should be in'
dulged in.
Very often a daily schedule can be so arranged
as to incorporate several exercises at a time. For
instance, instead of setting aside a definite period
for indulging in deep breathing and then another
period for concentrating on the parts of the body
while holding the breath, these can be done to'
gether. This in itself will save many minutes in
the course of a busy day. The student should also
try to follow the schedule of drinking a certain
quantity of water, especially upon arising in the
morning and before retiring at night. These exer'
cises are especially beneficial in building up the
health. The exercise of concentrating on the
parts of the body while holding the breath is
mentioned as an experiment for developing within
the student that condition known as Cosmic
Consciousness. It tends to awaken all of the parts
of the body and eventally will result in an extension of the perceptions.
Then, we have the purely mystical or psychic
experiments that are very necessary to ones daily
routine. It would seem that the average student
works with an experiment a few times during the
week following his studies and then sets the ex'
periment aside from that time on. Particularly is
this true of the experiments in Mandamus Lessons
Five and Six. A fter the student finds that he can
successfully call upon the Still Small Voice
W ithin, he gives no further thought of it; and
yet, is it not true that a highly developed sense
of intuition is desirable? Think for a moment
what a wonderful thing it would be to be able
to receive in a moments notice help and inspira'
tion from the divine inner self. This can only be
done by a certain development of the important
glands and centers, and to bring about this de'
velopment, practice is necessary. And so, is it not
important to submit all questions, regardless of
their nature, first to the inner self before at'
tempting to analyse them in the physical? The
same is more or less true of the exercise in Manda'
mus Lesson Six that is for the purpose of sensi'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tiding our transmission and receiving equipment.

Then, to go further, the student should try to
hold as many Cathedral of the Soul Contacts
during each day as is convenient to his daily
routine. These periods of silent meditation are
beneficial in ways too numerous to mention. A
careful examination of the Cathedral booklet,
Liber 777, will help the student to understand
the wonderful benefit he can receive by a few
minutes of silent meditation during the various
hours suggested.
Naturally, there are a great many other important experiments in the early lessons, but it is
true that it is difficult to add each and every one
to a daily routine, and so we say again: Arrange
a system that will incorporate a few of the most
important exercises and maintain this system.

Approaching Others Concerning

the O rder
Once you start to serve, you begin to feel truly
a part of the organisation, and you can serve in
many helpful ways, not only through distributing
our literature where advisable and convenient,
but by talking of the Order to others. W hen you
have a friend or relative who seems to be inter'
ested in the work, or who is a student along
similar lines, still in search of something that ap
peals to him, mention the Order to him. Have a
piece of literature handy to give to him, and sug'
gest that he let you send us his name and address
for further literature. Explain to him that this
will not obligate him in any way. You will find
that if he is truly interested, your advances will
be welcomed.
Many a person is interested in this work, but
will not mention it to others for fear of ridicule,
because he feels that his thoughts are unorthodox,
and so he is afraid of public opinion. Such a person is extremely happy to meet one who also
thinks as he does, so never miss an opportunity to
place a leaflet in the hand of an interested party.
In this way, you help us to spread the light among
the masses. If you desire to know of the many
ways in which you can serve, you should ask
some of us here at headquarters for a copy of
the little booklet, Things You Can Do to Help.

Page 63

use in electric wires for heating, lighting and so

forth.
Now I want to say that when we talk of vibrations and rates of vibrations we are not talking
about anything of an electrical nature in the
common terms of electricity or magnetism. I myself have made the test where I have had 110
volts and sixty cycles, common electricity, pass
through my body for ten or twelve minutes, and
lighting an electric lamp held in my two hands.
This is enough to electrocute the average human
being, yet it had no more effect upon me than
some of these electric shocking machines which
you find at fairs, and where you drop a penny in
to get a jolt. But the point I want to make is
that electrical vibrations of the common type
have no bearing upon or no relation to the human
vibrations and psychic vibrations, and the elec'
trical vibrations cannot disturb and upset the
human vibrations. A nd when we at our clinic
here change the rate of vibrations of a human
body, we are not doing it with electrical current,
for that would have no more effect upon the
psychic and human vibrations than would a dose
of medicine or some other thing. So whether a
person has been injured by electrical shock or
electricity of any kind or not does not mean that
he is not qualified to receive Rosicrucian treat'
ments of psychic vibrations.

Every man, however obscure, however far removed from the general recognition, is one of a
group of men impressible for good, and impres
sible for evil, and it is in the nature of things
that he can not really improve himself without in
some degree improving other men.
Charles Dickens.

H um an Vibrations and Electrical

Vibrations
The question comes to the Forum whether it
is possible to change the human, psychic, natural
vibrations of a human living body that has been
affected, burned or shocked in some way by the
common form of electricity such as we see and

(Jmepthetep's

P la u e l

...

A MYSTIC SALUTATION TO THE DAW N

^!L47" ITH face turned eastward and the soft rays
of the rising sun illuminating his fervent
expression, Amenhotep IV slowly repeated his
solemn prayer to the sole, ever-living God. Over
a thousand years before Christianity this pharaoh dedicated his life and power to directing man
to the divine source of all. W ith him began the
first true religion and mysticism. Daily, he would
ascend the steps of his sacred altar and offer his
prayers to the East, from whence all light came.
Today, in Rosicrucian temples throughout the
world, we commemorate his spiritual attainment,
and beautiful, simple ceremony by erecting a sim
ilar altar, known as the Shekinah, with its three
symbolic steps representing a mystical law of the
Less than one-half actual size

SANCTUM INCENSE BURNER

ESPECIALLY D ESIG N ED FO R R O SIC R U C IA N S
The Rosicrucian Supply Bureau has designed
an incense burner which embodies this beautiful spir
itual significance of Amenhoteps salutation to the
dawn so loved by all members of A M O R C . The face
is an exact copy of the sculptured head of Amenhotep
IV found in the ruins of his great temple at Tel-EIAmarna. The front of the altar is inscribed with the
sun disk, sacred symbol of the ever-living God. O n
each side can be seen the Crux A nsata (the looped
cross). More important still is the position of the
hands ^form ing the Rosicrucian sign of supplication.
The incense rises from the miniature censer resting on
top of the Shekinah. Designed by a Rosicrucian officer
and executed by an internationally-known sculptor, size
six inches in height and length, and made of Egyptian
clay, the censer is a beautiful piece of art. It should be
in the sanctum of every Rosicrucian. Finished in an
tique bronze, it sells for

Only $ 2 .0 0 , postage paid.

A valuable addition to the

Rosicrucian sanctum.

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

R O SIC R U C IA N PARK, SAN JOSE, C A LIFO R N IA
R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D .

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC.
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER.

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, under Act of August 24th, 1912

Vol. X

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DECEMBER, 1939

No. 3

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SECRET THOUGHTS

I hold it true that thoughts are things

Endowed with bodies, breath, and wings,
And that we send them forth to fill
The world with good resultsor ill.

'

That which we call our secret thought

Speeds to the earth's remotest spot,
And leaves its blessings or its woes
Like tracks behind it as it goes.
It is God's law. Remember it
In your still chamber as you sit
With thoughts you would not dare have known,
And yet make comrades when alone.
These thoughts have life; and they will fly
And leave their impress by and by
Like some marsh breeze, whose poisoned breath
Breathes into homes its fevered death.
And after you have quite forgot
Or all outgrown some vanished thought,
Back to your mind to make its home,
A dove or raven, it will come.

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Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 66

Greetings!
V
D ea r F r a t r es a n d S orores :

On numerous occasions, in discussions I have

had with fratres and sorores, I have been asked
how I would dispose of a large sum of money that
might come into my possession for purposes of
charity. In other words, what form would my
charity take under such circumstances. My an
swer has, if facial expressions are an indication,
confused some and perhaps not been well accepted
by others of my listeners.
It is readily recognised, of course, that the
preservation of life is the primary and essential
factor upon which all other human needs and
interests depend. W hen life is absent, so is that
mortal consciousness which conceives or desires
all other things. Almost all existing charitable in
stitutions and their activities are predicated upon
this principle; consequently the average man or
woman appeases the demand of his conscience to
help a fellow human by buying a hungry indiv
idual a sandwich and a cup of coffee. If his means
are more extensive and his urge of compassion
equally as intense, he may contribute Ten, One
Hundred, or One Hundred Thousand dollars to
an established charitable organisation. Such con
tributions are badly needed, for the basic charity
of providing food and clothing, but to continue
to contribute in just such a manner is not an in
telligent understanding of charity.
Charity does not mean exclusively the giving of
something in a material form, such as the pro
viding of clothes, food, or shelter, or even money.
It can and does mean an attitude of liberalism to
ward another and the manifestation of a bene
volent spirit. Did you ever stop to think that
there are in this world millions of persons who
are not starving, who have three quite adequate
meals a day, warm and presentable clothing, and
a roof over their heads, who are nevertheless
desperately in need of charity? Physically they
are not experiencing any discomfiture, but they do
have a paucity of faith and hope, and an unfavorable outlook for tomorrow. Inspirationally they
are destitute and their spirits are emaciated for
want of a kind of nourishment that a bowl of
soup or a dollar in their hands could never pro
vide. Suppose every human being on the face of
the earth had sufficient to eat, was healthy, and
had the proverbial place to lay his head
would such admirable circumstances on the one
hand warrant the abolition of charity; would
there be no further need of charity; or what
would be the course of charity under such condi
tions? Certainly the ideal for the future of the

V
human race is more than a well fed and housed
humanity. A re we asking no more for man than
his animal pets require? W e feed the family dog
or cat, keep it healthy, and it is content, then we
are satisfied that our human duty toward it is
fulfilled.
W ould you, would any intelligent human be
ing, be content merely to live, even though he was
assured he would never want for physical require
ments? It is obvious that there are certain spir
itual and intellectual desires that must be satisfied
if humanity is not going to continue in a dis
tressed state, even if it has a chicken in each din
ner pail regularly, as advocated by political dema
gogues. Have you ever experienced thwarted
talent? Have you ever seen the soul longing
through the eyes to express itself, to have some
encouragement, some opportunity to give vent to
its creative urges? Have you ever listened to a
brilliant young man plead for the opportunity to
demonstrate some mechanical device, which is
phenomenal, radical, so radical perhaps that the
so-called down-to-earth, unimaginative listener
could not grasp its magnificent import? If you
could hear this young man plead for just an hour
of time or just a week in a laboratory or shop to
be given the opportunity to prove the worthiness
of what he has labored on for weeks, perhaps
years, and if you could see the look in his eyes
when he is turned away with the harsh, inconsid
erate not interested, you would know there
exists a need for a different \in d of charity.
There are hundreds in this country and hun
dreds elsewhere perhaps thousandswho have
mediocre jobs which provide a dark, gloomy, backhall bedroom, one or two cheap suits of clothes,
and a few pennies left over to jingle in the
pockets, who spend every spare moment in pound
ing the pavement from one theatrical producer to
another in an attempt to market a play. They are
unknown, unheard of; they have no glaring pub
licity to their credit. Their play may be master
fully written, enthrallingthe result of literary
geniusbut because their name on a card will
not command immediate respect when handed to
the subalterns of a publisher csar, they are never
ushered in to the sanctum sanctorum of the
chief, and given consideration. They are told
in no uncertain soul-chilling words that the public
wants to read what the Mr. So-and-So, or the
eminent Mrs. So-and-So has written, and that the
publishers are in business for money and they
must cater to public demand. One explanation
they never give in the small, stiff rejection letter,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

or through the icy remarks of the reception clerk

is how the eminent authors, whose works the
public wants to read came to be so eminent and
accepted. One is not born with literary acclaim;
he has first to acquire it through merit and
recognition.
This attitude, however, of many publishers, of
discovering a literary genius or buying him away
from a competitor and then closing the door to all
other aspiring and worthy writers because they
are too busy exploiting those they already have is
like being too busily occupied gorging oneself at
the dinner table to trouble to rise and feed a
starving person on ones own threshold. These
same large publishers of literary or musical conv
positions, or executives of manufacturing con"
cerns are always gold star, prominent contributors
to the municipal or other associated charities of
their community. They are called One Hundred
per cent donors, and their One Hundred or One
Thousand dollar contribution is always listed at
the top of the newspaper column referring to the
public spirited and philanthropic organizations
and individuals of the community. Such charity
is good business because of its attendant pub<
licity. It requires no sacrifice. It is far less h u
mane than a just perusal of a manuscript sub'
mitted and a consideration of its real worth and
its consequent acceptance if worthy. Many a
publisher or manufacturer has come to execrate
himself because he turned away that pesky young
Mr. Brown who called daily begging for an inter'
view, and clutching under his arm, with a deep
affection, a roll of mechanical and schematic
drawings or a sheaf of papers, and who later was
accepted and found to be a genius by a business
rival.
A thousand dollars to keep the bread line mov'
ing is an unquestionably commendable gift, but so
is a thousand dollars given to or invested with in'
telligent, sincere young men, with a splendid and
practical idea, who can, if given the capital stim'
ulus, find self-respect, success, and ultimately
provide employment to hundreds, perhaps thous'
ands, if just helped to launch their business enter'
prise. W e can all understand what it means to be
hungry or chilled to the marrow because of no
protection from freezing weather. Those of us
who are not too deeply steeped in our personal
affairs, and who are in a position to do so, help
to alleviate this suffering in others. Some of us
make the great mistake of thinking that the things
we do not appreciate or that we can readily do
without can not constitute a charity to others. To
many persons a trip around the world off the
beaten tourist tracks, or a stay in Oriental lands,
with expenses paid for sixty or ninety days would
be a luxury and certainly could not possibly come
under the head of charity. It is only because such
persons have not the vision or intellect, or esthetic

Page 67

talents to convert such a trip into anything but a

momentary pleasure.
A gifted young writer would do anything to
repay an advance for a loan to travel in foreign
lands where he could study peoples, strange cuh
tures, and architecture in strange lands. It would
give his talents an impetus which could never be
measured in just dollars and cents. Think of what
it means for a musician or singer to be given the
opportunity to study in Italy for a year or two,
and likewise the inestimable value to a true
painter or sculptor, not a dilettante, of a sojourn
in Paris and tutorship there under the leaders of
the different schools of art, with the opportunity
for the study of the masterpieces at first hand.
Some say that such help robs the individual of
initiative and prevents the fruits of later success,
if any, from tasting their sweetest. Do we say
this same thing about the man or woman who is
truly hungry, and do we leave them to their own
devices to scour the city for food, on the chance
that if they find it it will be more palatable than
a meal provided by charity? Certainly no sensi'
tive person, with any sense of justice or moral
values, would assume such an attitude.
The hunger of the soul is equally as gnawing
and painful as that of the body. Because some
have never experienced it, as some have never
experienced the need of food, does not deny its
existence. W e decry the increase of suicide to'
day; we think of it as a moral weakness, but
many who resort to this method of ridding them'
selves of their troubles have become spiritually
starved because of the lack of something to satis'
fy the demands of the soul, which a real and dif'
ferent charity could have provided. It may, on
the one hand, be a moral weakness and a kind of
cowardice to take ones life and thus incur a
karmic aftermath, but on the other hand to face
life year after year destitute of happiness and
with the possibility of never being able to realize
any ambition outweighs all other considerations to
such an individual. W hen a person whose ideals,
which have given him the impetus to continue
living, finds that through no fault of his own they
are being shattered because of a malignant skepti'
cism within his own being, he becomes bereft of
normal reasoning. He can not therefore be ap'
proached on the philosophy of the wrongs of
suicide, as neither can one who is suffering great
physical pain.
I think a summary of all of the foregoing is
sufficient to reveal the kind of charity I would
provide if given the opportunity. I would culti'
vate the company of young men and young
women who were without financial resources, and
who were determined and ambitious and who had
hopes and talents. I would seek to advance some
money to further, not necessarily their education
which night schools and scholarships now make

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 68

possible, but rather the actual attainment of their

lifes dream. If I could not do this with money,
I would use any influential connections I might
have to bring them into contact with men,
women, or institutions that would listen to them,
hear or see their plans, and who would give them
a chance solely on their merits and efforts. I
would help establish a bona fide public vocational
center to analyze young men and women who are
drifting and who have not found themselves,
who do not know what they want or can do, and
who may become, if not helped, new recruits in
the growing army of misfits. Each year millions
of young people are wasting one more year of
their livesthe most creative years, the years of
their greatest vitality, and strength of their facul
tiesbecause of lack of knowledge of how or on
what to concentrate their powers.
There are many who are unemployed, (and I
know this personally as a fact) who detest most
of the work offered to them, not because they are
indolent, but because their minds are not stimulated by the jobs proffered them. To do the work
asked of them amounts to a state of servitude;
they would rather be free in spirit than be well'
fed slaves. It is because they have not had the
romantic side of many professions, trades, and
jobs explained to them. A few minutes talk with
them, a little probing into the recesses of their
minds reveals their inherent leanings and attributes, then by describing enthusiastically a position or profession which corresponds to their
abilities, they are awakened, they begin to find
themselves, a goal is crystallised in their minds,
and they have an incentive. This, then, is not
only a different kind of charity, but a charity that
not only helps the individual but civilisation as
a whole.
Fraternally,
R a l p h M . L e w is ,

Imperator.

O ur Invisible Guardians
A question often asked of the FORUM Circle
is: W hat effect do our glands really have upon
us? This is, of course, a lengthy subject and can
not be entirely treated here, but we have a pleasing announcement to make in connection with it.
For a considerable time biology and related
fields of science have endeavored to show that all
characteristics of a physical and mental nature not
definitely the result of environment were solely
the product of heredity. Gregor Johann Mendel,
discoverer of Mendels law, showed that certain
characteristics of one parent would definitely
manifest themselves in offspring, to the exclusion
of the other parents attributes, especially in cases
of marriages of widely separated lineage. It be

came exceedingly difficult at times to account for

attributes and physical proportions which could
not be traced to any of the progenitors and which
were not accountable to environment, and so more
and more biologists and physiologists were inclined to the opinion that heredity was not a
sufficient explanation, that certain functions of
the body growth, stature, emotionalism, and
even talentswere the effect of some physiological
process not known.
It was known, however, that digestion was controlled and affected by the secretion and discharge
of certain glands might not also the cells in the
living body be so affected as to control other
physiological factors? W as it not also possible
that the psychic side of man (using the term
psychic in the medical sense to mean mental func
tions as distinguished from physiological) was also
the result of these mysterious organic agencies?
The endocrine glands were known to science in
so far as their location was concerned in the
human body, but their functions were not very
well understood. Immediately there began an in
tensive research in what became known as the
science of endocrinology, which science has been
greatly developed since 1910. The research cen
tered eventually on the thyroid, parathyroid, the
pituitary, the suprarenal, the pineal glands and
gonads. Soon they were convinced that incretions
produced by the different organs and delivered to
the blood played a prominent part in all phases
of the life cycle. Much that had been formerly
labelled as mystical or philosophical twaddle by
the scientists began now to win their respect.
Rene Descartes, Rosicrucian, French mathe
matician and philosopher of the Sixteenth cen
tury, attempted to explain the function and na
ture of will and objective or brain intelligence as
the result of Divine intervention through the
pineal gland. He contended that it was in the
pineal gland that the blood came in contact in
some manner with the impalpable essence of the
soul, which influenced mans conduct in the
manner that we usually attribute to will. During
the height of the Cartesian philosophy Descartes
was highly ridiculed by science for this assertion,
and yet of recent years there was practical admis
sion that the psychic functions are affected by
these glandular agencies.
In our Rosicrucian teachings, we have made
quite some reference to the functions of the
glands and have even referred to some as psychic
centers or governors of the Cosmic powers which
flow through our sympathetic nervous system to
our spinal nervous system and to the organs of
the body. N aturally we were subject to the same
ridicule, but Rosicrucianism has the courage to
stand by its convictions and it has been vindicated
many times throughout the years for doing so,
and now we are glad to announce a new book

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

entitled, Glands Our Invisible Guardians. In

a simple, non-technical language, yet accurate so
far as the scientific information is concerned, are
presented facts which are in support of our monographs. It is an intensely interesting book for
those who wish to learn how the glands affect
our personality, character, and even our whims
and fancies. The book is written by Dr. M. W .
Kapp, a medical physician, well-known in San
Jose, and mystically inclined, and contains an in
troductory chapter by the late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis. It is well printed and bound and
presented at an economical price, so that it is
within the reach of the student and member. By
the time you receive this issue of the Rosicrucian
FORUM, you will have received a personal folder
fully describing the contents of the book and its
companion work, and I feel sure that those of
you who secure this book and its companion will
find them not only instructive and interesting but
worthy of adding to your libraries for constant
reference. O ur members must realise that there
come to our desk and attention in the course of
a year dozens of manuscripts which persons would
like to have published by AM ORC and intro
duced to the Rosicrucian membership. Further
more, many publishers send us copies of their
works, with the hope that we will recommend or
endorse them. Exceedingly few of these works
are recommended and endorsed because we can
not conscientiously do so, and even fewer of them
are published by the Organisation, because we do
not feel that they are worthy of being placed in
the hands of the membership; so when we do
recommend or do publish a manuscript, we are
of the opinion that the majority of the member
ship, wherever they may be located, will find the
work beneficial. X.

T he Romantic Origin of
Rosicrucian Temples
Fratres and sorores who do not live in a city
where an A M O RC lodge or chapter is located
eventually make the effort to visit one, no matter
how distant from their homes. They are deeply
impressed with what they see and hear, but are
often mystified by the significance of the sym
bolism of the temple arrangement and its appur
tenances. They rise in this Forum Circle on oc
casion to ask questions about the origin and mean
ing of the things used in our temples; consequent
ly it seems that this is an appropriate time to tell
them and others of our Circle something of our
temples and their interesting significance.
W e are urged to assemble in our Rosicrucian
Temples for, as our rituals say, w or\ and worship.
To the best of our means we try to conform to
those requirements for the arrangement of our

Page 69

Temples as given in our rituals. However, the

full import of this Temple arrangement does not
dawn upon many of us. W e are apt to look upon
the Temple, our meeting place, as a sort of ag
gregate of color, design and furniture and fix
tures, when really these things have a deeper
significance than comfort or ornamentation. If
each thing we looked upon in the Temple told us
a story, an inspiring story, how much more we
could derive from these periods of coming to
gether! Therefore, I want you to know something
of the significance of our Temples, and to do that,
I am going to go back in time to their romantic
origin. W e shall first begin with the subject of
ontology.
In a certain degree in our Rosicrucian mono
graphs we are told that ontology is the science of
being. Now we are not going to discourse at
length on ontology, nor are we going to cover
what is already quite thoroughly explained in our
monographs. But we are going to discuss two
doctrines of being that are perhaps as old as mans
thinking. A t least, they date back to the time
when man became conscious of himself, of the
world in which he lived, and their relationship to
each other. Being means everything that has exist
ence, which includes not only all of the material
world which surrounds us, but ourselves as well.
There is one doctrine of being that is called the
mechanistic; there is another doctrine that is
called the teleological. The mechanistic doctrine,
which by its very name implies that it concerns
mechanics, material things, contends that though
our universe seems to be a whole, it in reality is
just a collection of parts; that there is no plan or
idea behind it. It takes the position that the parts
develop into the forms that we perceive through
the result of action and interaction; through the
clashing of mechanical forces, through infinitesimal
things bouncing against each other and rebound
ing and through their jumping, skipping, and
falling apart. It is as though, for an analogy, we
were to take a handful of marbles and throw them
into the air. Naturally, as the marbles fell to the
ground some would strike each other and bound
away. Others, as they fell upon the ground,
would roll toward each other and collect into little
piles. Some would bounce against each other, to
roll rapidly away from the main body. Finally,
when they had all become inert, we would have
before us on the ground a pattern, a design,
caused by the falling marbles. But really we could
not say that we had intentionally designed that
pattern when we threw the marbles into the air,
or that we had conceived it in any way. W e
could merely say it was a mechanistic arrange
ment, that mechanical forces caused the marbles
to take on the design they eventually had. And
so, those who hold to the mechanistic theory of
being say that our universe is just that sort of a

Page 70

haphazard organization, that nothing is thought

of or planned in advance.
Now in contrast to that, and in conflict with it,
is the teleological doctrine of being, which means
being by conscious cause. It contends that there
is a mind or intelligence behind all being which
directs its formation, its eventual end or form,
that nothing just happens and nothing is hap'
hazard. According to this doctrine of our uni'
verse and of ourselves, everything was thought
out in advance, pre-conceived; the whole existed
as an idea at first, as a concept. Now this idea of
the whole, required for its fulfillment a number
of separate parts, the separate elements of which
our universe and ourselves are composed. But
each part had its place in the scheme. Each part
was meant to fit every other part. It had an order
to conform to. To use an analogy, the whole was
like a jigsaw puzzle. W hen we empty the parts
of a jigsaw puzzle out of their box on a table, at
first glance, there seems to be a confusion, a lack
of order, as though there were no relationship be'
tween one part and another. But as we look in
the box at the picture pasted there, which is the
eventual end for which the parts were intended,
we find each part has its place and cannot escape
that place. It has to fit in with the others. No
matter how many parts there are, or how different
they may be, the plan is unchangeable. The idea
of the universe, therefore, once conceived, cannot
be altered, and its parts finally come to produce
the ultimate ideal. And so that is the teleological
conception of our universe, and certainly it is the
conception to which we Rosicrucians hold.
In the science of biology, the science dealing
with living matter, with cells and their reproduc
tion, we find that there has been the greatest of
all conflicts between these two doctrines of be'
ingthe mechanistic and the teleological; on the
one hand the question as to whether life itself
was merely a haphazard result of different forces
and energies coming together, and, on the other
hand, the question of whether it sought to attain
an entelechy, that is, a final end. The early biolo'
gists were convinced that living matter was purely
a mechanistic resultthe result of certain physio'
chemical processes. That is why they tried to pro'
duce life both chemically and by certain other
physical means without any thought of any in'
telligence or divine cause behind the process.
Finally, however, they discovered that there was
an order to life, an immutable order that could
not be changed, that certain cells when studied
under powerful microscopes and under certain
conditions invariably were found to divide, to
reproduce, to assimilate and grow regardless of
whether they were studied in the tropics, in the
Arctic region, in the Orient, or in the W estern
World. This immutable order impressed them
with the fact that at least life was not haphazard.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

They were reluctant to admit teleology wholeheartedly, so they decided to divide the doctrine
into two branches. The first they called statical.
Statical teleology holds that there is a purpose in
order itself, that in the order of something, the
purpose exists not as the result of any external
mind or intelligence. For example, it is just as if
we were to take a coin and file one side of the
coin so that when we threw it into the air invari
ably it would fall heads up. The continual falling
of heads-up would be an order, and in that order
there would be the purpose of having the head
side always up. Naturally we could not say that
the coin desired to fall that way. It merely fol'
lowed the purpose of its order. But as time went
by there was so much that could not be proven by
that theory that biologists went further. They
conceded one more point. They said that there is
still another kind of teleology and this kind they
called the dynamical. Dynamical teleology is the
doctrine that there exists in living matter a cer'
tain autonomy. This autonomy means a will, a
thinking cause. It holds that life has within itself
a desire, an intelligence, by which it attempts to
accomplish its end, and that it strives to persevere,
to overcome obstacles which would interfere with
this end. In other words, that life is impregnated
with some intelligence which is more than an
order, but a desire, a purpose which it knowingly,
consciously if we wish to put it that way, strives
to fulfill.
Now this leads us to the subject of duality. As
Rosicrucians we recognize duality as one of our
most important doctrines, for if we did not be'
lieve in duality we could not really be sincere
Rosicrucians. Rosicrucian duality contends that
there is, insofar as we are concerned at least, a
material substance, a body composed of elements
which can be found in inanimate things as well
and which are just as physical as the rocks and
the sands, but in addition there is something else.
There is a sort of vitalism, an intangible, ethereal
influence which directs and controls this collec
tion of physical parts of which our body is com
posed; that it has a purpose, that if we are to live
a true life and a whole life we must not just
merely react to our physical environment as a tree
bends in the wind, but we must know the direc
tion of the wind, why it is blowing, and even
why we are ourselves. And so we are inclined
toward Cosmic communion which is a means of
turning our consciousness inward to contact this
vitalism, this inner intelligence, and thus be in
spired and guided instead of being blown hither
and yon. And we know, as well, that meditation
is necessary to accomplish this Cosmic communion.
W e need to break away, if but for a few minutes'
time, from the usual demands made upon our ob
jective consciousness, from the sensations of our
physical senses. So we seek, each of us at times,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

a place of quiet, of tranquillity, where we can

manifest this Cosmic communion.
In ancient times, early menwho, perhaps, did
not know how to express their urges, and before
they had developed any philosophy for them
felt the same inclination. They had a realisation
of an inner self. They were quite aware that there
were powers beyond themselves, superior to themselves, that could do things which the strongest
and the swiftest and the most wise among them
could not do. They attributed all these things to
an entity, to an intelligence, or to several intelli
gences, and they said they were gods. In the
primitive religions mans gods were in many ways
not unlike himself. They were anthropomorphi
cal; that is, they were thought to have a form like
man, but perhaps on a greater, more magnificent
scale. They even had a genealogy and a family
life. The gods married. They were happy at
times, angry at others. They hated and they
loved. They had all of mans weaknesses and all
of his strengths and virtues, but each much magni
fied. One thing was not thought of in connection
with these early gods. They were not able, as we
conceive of a divine intelligence today, to be
exempt entirely from space and time. It was be
lieved that the gods had a special territory,
dwelled only in a special place when they came to
earth, that they could not just dwell anywhere.
It was also thought that the gods only habited
those places on earth which were of the most im
portance to man as well. The places on earth
which in the early days man thought most im
portant were not greatly unlike the places he
thinks important todaythe places that afford his
greatest pleasures, or the things of his greatest
interest. Thus the early Semitic nomads, the
tribesmen who crossed the great desert wastes in
the fierce heat of the sun, making camp each night
in little tents constructed of goatskin, and then
journeying again by camel the next day, looked
upon the oases as one of the most treasured of all
places on the surface of the earth. For, in con
trast to the burning sands of the wasteland, an
oasis was fertile. Their flocks could graze there.
It offered shade, a cooling drink, a chance for
relaxation, perhaps wild fruits such as dates. And
so it was thought that most certainly the gods
would dwell in a place of that kind. Or, if it was
a place where man kept his most treasured pos
sessionswhatever those possessions might be
then certainly the gods would dwell there as well.
Now these important places where the gods were
thought to dwell, these areas of ground sometimes
a few yards square, sometimes a mile square, be
came mans first temples. They were not struc
tures of stone or wood, they were open spaces on
the desert, on a plateau, sometimes on a mountain
top. So the first temples were sacred places, sacred
grounds.

Page 71

There is still another cause for the selection of

a certain ground or place as a temple; it is known
as theophany. Theophany is the belief in the
manifestations of God. Wherever primitive men
conceived or perceived a manifestation of some
kind which they thought spiritual or divine, that
place where the manifestation was realised became
to them a sacred place, a temple, and eventually
they erected on that sacred place a small struc
ture, the beginning of the first man-made temples.
Sometimes it would be but a block of stone placed
in the center of the sacred ground. Later, as time
went by, even before the beginning of masonry,
before man knew how to fashion stone with tools,
he would take large monoliths, great blocks of
stone weighing tons each, such as Stonehenge on
the Salisbury Plains of England, and stand them
upright to form rectangles or circles to mark the
sacred place.
Rivers and trees were also believed to be sacred
places or temples because man associated motion
of all kinds with animation. In other words, any
thing that moved was considered alive, and life
was considered the greatest of all creations, the
most mysterious, the most wonderful of all the
manifestations of God. Even today we believe
likewise of life. Therefore, these simple minds
considered a river or a tree or a forest a sacred
place. For some reason that cannot be explained
either by anthropologists or theologians, caves,
natural caves, formed by the elements, by the
seepage of lime water, or by a volcanic eruption,
were also thought to be sacred places. Perhaps the
suggestion that it was a dwelling place, even
though man himself did not live there, may have
given rise to the idea that some divine persons
dwelled there. So much for a consideration of the
origin of temples.
W e now will consider for a few minutes the
Shekinah. The Shekinah is a three-sided or tri
angular altar which is always placed in Rosicru
cian Temples. The actual word itself Shekinah
is of Hebrew origin. The idea of the Shekinah
the Hebrews undoubtedly inherited from the
Egyptians while they dwelled as captives in
Egypt. The Shekinah originally was a primitive
altar. Early men, after having established their
first temples, their sacred grounds or sacred places,
desired to place a marker somewhere in each one
that would indicate the exact location of the
presence of God. It was to be a place where man
should go in the temple to commune with the
divine presence or with the gods, something that
would indicate the presence of God dwelling
among men. Therefore, these first altars many
times were roughly fashioned to depict mans
concepts of what he thought God must be like in
form, because he could not conceive of God with
out form. In the Old Testament we read of the
Ark of the Covenant. The word ark comes from

Page 72

the Egyptian, which means chest or cabinet. The

Hebrews believed that the presence of Jehovah
dwelled wherever that ark was placed, and that
all they needed to do to dedicate a place to worship, to make it holy, was to place in or on it this
ark. The ark, therefore, was a simple form of an
altar, and yet it was more than an altar, it was a
symbol of Gods presence, and dedicated any
place to God wherever it was located. On their
journeys the ark was carefully packed and taken
along with them. There evolved out of the ark
the Shekinah.
Now there is a mystical meaning that goes beyond these early beginnings, and it is the meaning
which the Rosicrucians have attributed to the
Shekinah, which meaning has held for centuries,
and which is the meaning we still attribute to it
in our Temples, whether in Lodges or Chapters.
W e say that the Shekinah, as an altar, represents
an intermediate state between earth and the Cos
mic plane. W e say that when man approaches
the Shekinah for worship or for communion he is
lifted up away from mortal, physical, material
things into this intermediate state, that is, his con
sciousness is lifted up. The consciousness of the
Holy Assembly, the Cosmic Minds, and the
Divine Consciousness descend to meet the con
sciousness of man in this intermediate state at the
point of the Shekinah and bring him illumination.
In some of our Temples the Shekinah is ap
proached by three steps. These three steps allude
to the three points of the triangle. The triangle
in our Rosicrucian studies, as we all know, repre
sents perfectionperfection on the finite plane,
the material plane, perfection in the law and
order of matter, and also perfection on the in
finite plane. The three points of the triangle, as
we know, represent first the two phases of polar
ity, the negative and positive which are always
necessary for all things, and the third point is the
point of their manifestation or unity. As man
reaches the Shekinah or this intermediate state, he
must strive to attain this state of perfection by an
understanding of and use of the law of the tri
angle. Frequently there is placed on our Shekinah,
in connection with our rituals, three candles. The
most important meaning of several meanings of
these candles is that the three lighted candles em
phasize the three points and principles of the tri
angle. Now between the Shekinah, the triangular
altar, and the East, in which the Master stands
and addresses the assembly of Fratres and Sorores,
is an area called the Sanctum Sanctorum, if the
Temple is arranged according to the strictest rules
and regulations of the Rosicrucian Manual. If the
Temple is not so arranged but is informally ar
ranged, then this area does not exist. This term,
Sanctum Sanctorum, originally comes from the
Hebrew phrase, Holy of Holies. They in turn in
herited it from the ancient mystery schools. It has

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

a beautiful significance. In ancient times every

temple, whether a structure or not, had two courts
an outer court and an inner court. The outer
court of the temple is where the brethren as
sembled to listen to the words of the master or to
witness an inspiring ceremony. The inner court,
the sacred court, was this Holy of Holies, the area
between the Shekinah and the East, and no one
was permitted to desecrate it by walking through
it or in it unless he or she was one of the ritual
istic officers taking part at the time in a sacred
ceremony. W e respect the Sanctum Sanctorum in
the same manner today. W e observe the ancient
laws concerning it for the same reason. W e do
not permit promiscuous crossing and walking
through it. W e allow only officers, in robes, tak
ing part in a ritual, to pass through it when the
ritual and ceremony requires it, for it is a sacred
inner court to us as well.
In a formally arranged Rosicrucian Temple
there are what are known as the stations. T hat is,
on each of the four sides of the Temple there is a
platform or dais, a place where certain of the of
ficers are seated. These four stations, including
the symbolic East where the Master stands, repre
sent in Rosicrucian Temples the four cardinal
points of the compass; namely, north, south, east
and west. In ancient times the seeker for light
and for truth had to journey great distances over
the known surfaces of the earth, crossing plains
and mountains and seas and traveling to strange
lands in the north and south and in the west and
finally going to the east, to gain the light desired,
to learn mathematics, astronomy, physics, lan
guages and finally the mysticism of the East. And
so in our Temples today, to symbolise that jour
ney of the Neophyte from point of the compass
to point of the compass, in his search for the light
of the East, from whence all light came, the light
of day and the light of understanding, we have
these stations.
In our formally arranged Temples there is also
a vestal fire burning during the rituals, in a stand
in the East. It has a beautiful meaning. Fire is
the oldest of all symbols, even older than the cross.
That fact is one thing in which the principal fields
of religion, philosophy and scientific thought
concur.
Anthropologists and theologians alike agree
that fire is the greatest discovery man has ever
made. A t no time in the history of man has he
taken such a great step forward, made such tre
mendous advancement after the discovery of any
one thing as after the discovery of fire. It was fire
alone that removed man from the realm of bestial
ity and made him conscious that he was man, and
opened the way for the things that made his a
superior being to the other life about him. Off
hand, there are a thousand things we could think
of that have their dependence upon fire. There is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

much speculation as to when fire was first dis

covered. It is generally conceded now that fire
was discovered perhaps during the second inter
glacial epoch, about four hundred thousand years
ago. W e know of the periods of glaciation; that
from the north, the great Arctic regions, great
mountains of ice, walls of ice hundreds of feet
high, slowly started at one time to move south
ward, not rapidly as time is accounted for. They
descended and they crushed into impalpable form
everything before them. They gouged out new
river basins, changed the courses of existing rivers,
tossed aside deep lakes, causing their waters to
rush down the flood valleys. They ground down
the tops of mountain peaks and thrust other lands
upward into jagged points. They altered the face
of the earth. They changed mild temperatures to
sub-zero weather. They caused all living things to
flee before them for their lives toward the equa
torial regions. Then, for reasons that science is
still trying to discover, they began to recede. The
great fields of ice began to melt, and they returned
to their northland. And this interval is called an
inter-glacial periodthe period between the time
that they once again descended. So' far as we
know, there were four such periods of descent of
the ice. Therefore, we say that in the second
inter-glacial epoch fire was discovered, because
geologists and anthropologists have discovered in
the strata of the earth of that period, things which
give every indication that man had a knowledge
and mastery of fire.
Just how fire was discovered is still another ab
stract question. There are many reasons given
which must, of course, as you can understand, be
all theories. One is that lightning may have struck
primeval trees, causing a forest fire. Another sug
gestion is a volcanic eruption with its glowing
embers which man learned, perhaps to his first
regret, were painful; then later he learned to
gather them from the volcano itself for his pur
poses. The more generally recognized cause of the
discovery of fire is that early man in making his
flint implements, that is, by taking a stone and by
the percussion method striking the edges of the
flint to fashion it into some tool or weapon caused
sparks to fly from the flint, and that these sparks
ignited tinder-like dust where he was working.
It is believed that man then imitated the accident
and produced fire and for the first time became its
master.
There have come down to us through the cen
turies many interesting and impressive rituals as
sociated with fire. Some are very elementary and
crude, as crude as the minds which devised them.
Others have evolved into very beautiful mystical
rituals. For an example, the Calabrians of Cala
bria, a native people of the southernmost tip of
the Italian peninsula have their young men, when
taking certain oaths of obligation, stand before an

Page 73

open fire, and to sanctify their oath they nip the

tongues of the flame with their bare fingers. Puri
fication has always been identified with fire, and
there is a good reason for this, for truly fire is a
universal flux; it blends and reduces all things to
their simplest state. N o matter how complicated
or how complex or how valuable from mans point
of view a device or a thing, if it is exposed to a
fire or a flame of a sufficiently high degree tem
perature, it will return to its simple state. Thus
it is said that fire removes the dross, from all
things and returns them to their pristine state.
The Zoroastrians gave fire one of its earliest mys
tical significances. They said that fire was the
earthly form of heavenly light (by heavenly light
they meant the illumination and the wisdom of
God) and that fire on earth was a symbol of that
illumination, that brilliance of divinity. Conse
quently all of their temples had fire in them in
some place to connote the significance of the
heavenly light within the temple. Another rite of
fire is perpetual burning. From the earliest times
men have sought to keep fire, for one reason or
other, perpetually burning. Perhaps the first rea
son was a very practical one, and devoid of any
mystical or religious significance whatsoever. A fter
man once had discovered fire he still found it an
exceedingly difficult thing to produce whenever he
wished it. Even though early tribes had their fire
sticks, which they used to rub together and by
friction produce fire, still one can imagine that it
was a rather laborious and unpleasant experience
on a cold morning when ones hands were numb to
prepare breakfast by first rubbing sticks together
patiently for a great length of time. And so, once
a fire was started in the community or in the tribe,
it was kept burning, and certain persons were as
signed the duty of seeing that it did remain burn
ing for the benefit of all. The members of the
tribe would come to the central fire and receive
in little clay vessels burning embers which they
would take to their own hearth, and from them
kindle a larger fire for their own needs. And
when tribes would travel, the fire was taken with
them, and we have today found remnants of the
special vessels that were used for carrying these
fires. So much for the practical end.
Eventually, through the evolution of mans
thinking, there came about a symbolic meaning
for this perpetual burning of fire. The flame and
fire came to represent the inner zeal, the spiritual
force within man, that conscience, that force
which dictates what is right and what is wrong,
and which is ever burning within man and needs
only to be fanned into an all-consuming spiritual
flame by his thinking and his acts. Therefore, in
places of worship there should be, naturally, some
symbol of this inner zeal and flame, this spiritual
urge. A n earthly fire was kept burning to repre
sent the perpetual spiritual flame. In the days of

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Page 74

ancient Egypt, in the temples where they had

these perpetually burning fires, young women re'
ferred to as Vestal Virgins, or the equivalent in
the language of the Egyptians, were especially
trained and selected to care for these fires. They
had to be well educated in the cultural things of
the period, of high moral standing; they had to be
excluded from those things of the world which
were vulgar or profane, and they were not per'
mitted to marry until they were eighteen years of
age, and then of course they had to relinquish
their duties as Vestal Virgins. They devoted their
time to esthetic interests, music and art. They
were respected by all the people. This custom
existed not only in Egypt, but was finally brought
to the W estern W orld in ancient times. The
Romans also had Vestal Virginis to take care of
the perpetually burning fire, and they lived in
special quarters. During all their rituals they
were dressed in pure white to symbolize the
purity of the conscience of man, and, further, to
signify that it is the conscience of man which
keeps burning the spiritual flame within him, and
once conscience ceases, the spiritual flame is ex'
tinguished. On one of my journeys abroad I
visited the ruins of the Roman Forum in Rome,
and in this fascinating great historical place there
are the remnants of the Vestal Virgins Temple or
the Temple of the Colombes, in which they lived.
There one may see their bake oven, their private
drinking well, their private living quarters and
their study assembly. W hen they were not per'
forming their rites in the temple they lived there
exclusively until they attained the age of eighteen
years. Today in our Temples, especially in con'
nection with our Lodge Temple work, we have
selected as a ritualistic officer a young girlsome'
times more than one young girl for a Temple,
daughters of our membersto be our Colombe,
our Vestal Virgin, and she too represents our
conscience in our Temples. She, too, has the duty
of watching over the flame, the light which burns
within our sacred Temples. So each time, here'
after, when you enter a Temple and participate in
its convocations, look about you, think of all this
symbolism, let your minds dwell upon its origin,
come to realize that each of these material things
was an attempt on the part of man to express in
some physical form an inner ideal or comprehen'
sion of Cosmic principles.X.

Vibrations Again
Frater Butler of Saskatoon, Canada, submits an
interesting subject this morning - one that has
been covered many times but seldom from this
particular angle. Frater Butler states that years
ago he read a book dealing with customs and
practices of a certain order of priests in India,
and in one instance a member of their order was

condemned to death for certain crimes committed

against the priesthood. This man was placed in a
chair in the center of a hall around which were
hung huge gongs of various sizes, shapes, and
tones. The tones were so selected that they har'
monized into one tremendous chord of sound, this
sound in turn harmonizing with the vibratory rate
or key of the man under sentence. Slowly these
gongs were struck, the sound falling upon the ears
of the prisoner as rather pleasant music. Then the
tempo was accelerated faster and faster, harder
and harder, the idea being that the vibratory
waves of the mans system would keep in time
with those of the gongs. The tempo was con'
tinually increased, faster and faster; then sudden'
ly a very, very large gong was struck with a hor'
ribly discordant note, and the prisoner died.
Frater Butler states that everyone who hears this
story laughs with disbelief. Perhaps this is just a
rather amusing story, and perhaps it has no foun'
dation in truth, but let me assure you that the
ancient mystics and sages were quite familiar with
sound vibrations and their effect upon matter,
especially on the human physical body with its
complex nervous system.
Let us for a moment look at this question from
a purely material point of view. Material science
has for a number of years now been interested in
vibrations of matter, and it has learned many
things about vibrations. It has discovered that
much phenomena of a scientific nature is de'
pendent upon vibration for manifestation. Take
the radio field, for example. It is now a well'
known fact that radio frequency is a high rate of
vibration, but what we are interested in is what
causes radio frequency to emanate from an oscil'
lator. It is simply resonance, and herein lies the
key to Frater Butlers story. In radio the state
known as resonance must be satisfied before oscil'
lations will be set up in the simple vacuum tube
oscillator. This means matching certain circuits so
each has the same amount of resistance and con'
duction. The tuning coil must match in electrical
impedance the reactance of the tuning conden'
ser. This is expressed by the algebraic formula,
2 * fl= l/2 " fc. W here 2Tfl is the reactance of the
coil, l / 2 Tfc is the reactance of the tuning con'
denser circuit. Now with these two circuits equal
we have resonance or a perfect blending of the
two. This results in maximum flow of energy and
a radiation of radio frequency that can be tuned
in on our home radio receivers.
W hat has this to do with Mr. Butlers story?
First, these sound vibrations work in the same
manner as radio frequency vibrations, and matter,
which we know is nothing more than spirit es'
sence vibrating at a certain frequency, can be af'
fected by sound. It is a well'known fact that the
famous Italian tenor, Caruso, did, to the amuse'
ment of his friends, shatter a wine glass by singing

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

a musical note that resonated to the vibratory rate

of the glass. O ur beloved late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis, on many occasions shattered glass
ware while playing his cello. One of our most
famous contemporary physicists who specializes in
high frequency radiations caused a reaction during his experiments with a vibratory machine that
was reported in the newspapers of New York
City as a violent earthquake. A t the time, his
laboratory was in a basement in a building in
downtown New York. This experience frightened
him so much that he withheld his story for
twenty-five years and temporarily, at least, dis
continued his experiments, even going so far as to
dismantle his machine for fear it would acci
dentally be connected up to the batteries and
cause untold damage.
The foregoing is simply for the purpose of
proving the extent to which matter can be affected
by sound vibrations. Many of our high-degree
members know that certain vowel sounds are used
in Rosicrucian healing, and many interesting ef
fects are noticed when a patient is subjected to
these vowels. Each spinal nerve has a nerve note
and a corresponding musical note. The spinal
cord has its beginning within fact is simply a
continuation of that highly sensitive and im
portant portion or center known as the medulla
oblongata. W e know that a serious injury to the
medulla will cause death. In fact, intense pain in
this portion, pain which is so intense that the cir
culation and respiration are impaired, has been
known to result in death. W ith the foregoing
facts in mind, is there any reason for us to doubt
the possibility of certain sound vibrations in
resonance with the nerves of the spinal nervous
system causing injury to the body, even to the
extent of bringing about transition?

Activities at the Supreme

and G rand Lodges
Now that fall is here in all its splendor and we
are spending the long evenings sitting before the
fire with our books, lessons, and notes on experi
ments, let us consider some of the activities here
at Headquarters for a few minutes. Frater Brower,
the curator of the Museum, spent many hours in
that mysterious work shop of his this spring and
summer. Being curious to know just what he was
doing, we visited him one evening and found him
surrounded with several very curious looking
little objects that obviously did not belong to any
part of this modern world. A fter carefully exam
ining these strange articles of the past, Frater
Brower very graciously explained that these pieces
were very rare Egyptian amphorae, which is a
name derived from the Greek, given to glass ves
sels that are tall, two-handled, with slender necks,

Page 75

and a base that is usually pointed for insertion

into a stand or to set down into the earth. These
particular vessels that Frater Brower was prepar
ing for display, range in size from four to six
inches in height. They are of various shapes, some
sort and thick, others tall and slender. They all
are of unusual beauty being different colors. One
especially caught our eye, it was of dark blue
iridescence. Being impressed by the plan shown
us for displaying these pieces of art, we followed
up this work and were indeed surprised and
pleased with the final result. Next time you are
in the Rosicrucian Museum, notice the manner in
which these articles are displayed. They are in a
case constructed around one of the pillars in
Gallery D. W e noticed that Frater Brower
placed on the lower shelf of this case a fine col
lection of unguentaria or small Egyptian glass re
ceptacles for holding perfumes. These pieces from
Miladis 18th Dynasty boudoir, are most strange
in appearance, but only because of the manner of
construction, not usefulness. These glass perfume
bottles are made in pairs, the two jars moulded
together as a unit. They are delicately decorated
with little loops over the top of each bottle and
these loops are used as handles. These articles are
of various periods, some early Egyptian, others
18th Dynasty, and even later periods of Egyptian
history.
Besides the articles first mentioned, there is an
other piece that I am sure you will find interest
ing. It is the mummified head of an Apis Bull.
Mummified bulls and bull heads are especially dif
ficult to obtain. There are very few to be found
in museums in the United States. The specimen
added to our Museum last spring is indeed fine.
In the first place, it is in a wonderful state of
preservation and beautifully mounted and dis
played. This particular mummified Apis Bull
head is of the XIX Dynasty about 1350 B.C .,
and was removed from a rock tomb of Sakkarah
Egypt by Howard Carter, a very famous Egyp
tologist. Frater Brower tells us that it is most un
usual to be able to obtain such a specimen, or even
to find one outside of the worlds largest museums.
W e are indeed proud to include this Apis Bull in
our collect of Egyptian antiquities.
During the last seven or eight months we have
added many remarkable pieces to the Rosicrucian
Museum, including a rare miniature cedarwood
sarcophagus, a fine collection of Babylonian and
Syrian pottery dating back to 3200 B. C., also a
water strainer and a crucible for melting gold,
both from Babylon, the ancient site of a former
great civilisation.
W hile discussing activities of recent date and
the future, it is noticed that several of the officers
are burning the midnight oil one night every week
in the laboratories. It will be interesting to see
what comes of it. They are reluctant to discuss

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 76

the work they are doing, except to say that it is

scientific research and they hope it will result in
an unusual type of electrical vibration recorder,
few of which can be found in use, and probably
will be the first machine of its kind ever to be dis
played to a public audience, providing, of course,
their combined efforts are a success. Let us all
wish them well in this undertaking.
By the way, judging from the enthusiasm with
which the fall supreme temple meetings have
been received by visiting members and members
of San Jose and vicinity, it indicates a record at
tendance this year. The arrangement of having
these meetings conducted by a different officer
each week seems to meet with everyones ap
proval. These Temple meetings are of great bene
fit to all Rosicrucians who can arrange to attend
and we hope that members from other cities, who
can visit with us this fall and winter, will arrange
their schedule so that they can be in San Jose
Tuesday evenings for the convocations.

T he Power of Affirmations
A soror rises in our FORUM CIRCLE to ask:
W hat is the true power of affirmations? I have
visited meetings of other groups and societies
terming themselves metaphysical, and I have
looked with interest upon the assembly chanting
affirmations in unison. As I looked into their re
spective faces, however, there did not seem to be
in their eyes that light of intelligence or compre
hension that accompanies a declaration which one
understands or that one makes with understand
ing. Is there some power merely in the reciting
of words, or do these persons use affirmations
wrongly?
Questions such as these are rather frequent,
and we have answered them at times in the past
in these Forum Circles, but as the subject of the
question is of utmost importance to Rosicrucians
and to students of metaphysics and psychology,
we cant answer them too often. W e again will
give you our viewpoint, based upon the actual
principles and laws involved. The use of affirma
tions is a very old practice, and they are to be
found in various forms in the sacred writings of
Buddha, Zoroaster, Mohammed, Confucius, LaoTse, in the Old Testament, and in later religious
and philosophical systems. In almost all instances,
it is advised that the affirmations be vocative, that
is, be spoken and not recited mentally. This is
based upon the hypothesis that the spoken word
has more efficacy than thought alone and that the
very intonations contribute to producing the de
sired results. Further, the voicing of them re
quires an action which accompanies the spirit of
the affirmations, and since almost all of the
ancient religious affirmations must be publicly
made, or in the presence of others this also implies

a sincerity of purpose productive of more cer

tain results.
As we analyze them, there seems to be a dual
purpose in these early religious affirmations. The
first is to secure the support, and perhaps the in
tervention, of the Divine agency in behalf of the
affirmer by proclaiming or reciting aloud ones
pious beliefs. By the believer stating what he be
lieves, he hopes to have the Divine power mater
ialize or realize the nature of the belief for him.
Consequently, as far back as 1359 B. C. we find
Amenhotep IV in his hymn to Aton, the sole
God, affirming:
Thou settest every man in his place
Thou suppliest their necessities.
Lao-Tse affirmed:
To those who are good to me I am good.
A nd to those who are not good to me I am
also good.
And thus all together come to be good.
and Saint Patrick affirmed:
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ in me, . .
Just as one can hardly suppress the emotional
reaction to cry out in pain, surprise, or happiness,
so the spoken affirmation is considered religiously
to be the physical and responsive aspect of the
spiritual and mental state of the individual. The
other purpose of oral affirmations, from a religious
point of view at least, seems to be that in voicing
the affirmations one becomes, or is obliged to be,
more conscious of their content than as if they
were merely held in mind in their generality.
A n affirmation actually is but the affirming of
what we believe or know. If it does not represent
a sincere belief or actual knowledge, its value is of
no consequence. For example, if one affirms: I
believe there is a sole and living God, and yet is
inwardly convinced that there is no God no
matter what the conception of a diety, the affirma
tion is an hypocrisy of the worst kind; conse
quently, it follows that what we believe or \now
we do not need to affirm, for it already exists as
an accepted state in our minds. N o continual af
firmation is going to make something more cogent
to you, if in your experience or reasoning the
affirmation is based upon a false premise. If you
have a severe toothache, for example, the pain of
which you are very forcefully conscious, the af
firming aloud to yourself that you have no tooth
ache or pain is not very assuring, and the very
absurdity of such an affirmation makes such a
procedure ridiculous to an intelligent person.
Such a method of affirmation is dangerous because
it attempts to cause the mind to deny realities,
which should be accepted and overcome in a prac
tical way. A toothache is the result of a natural
cause. To affirm that the very evident result does

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

not exist and consequently to neglect the cause is

to violate not only good common sense, but the
very laws of nature.
W here realities are not concerned affirmations
do have a psychological importance. They are
particularly helpful in developing and retaining
an individuals morale. Take, for further example,
an armed force moving to the front. As yet, per'
haps it has encountered no hostilities, but the men
know that they eventually will and that there is a
probability that a number of them will never re'
turn. A contemplation by them of these facts
would be apt to be their dominant thought while
moving up, and would result in a great depression
of spirits. The singing of war songs, however, and
the chanting of doggerel proclaiming future vie'
tory and the utter defeat of the enemy supplants
the idea of defeat with one of success. It is ob'
vious that the emotional and physical response to
such thoughts would raise the spirits. The very
thought motivates and causes the kind of action,
by suggestion, that is required to bring about the
result. The value of an affirmation to oneself then
is the power of suggestion. The suggestion, as
said, must be sincere and must not be contrary to
the more positive realities. Thus, if a man has an
aggravated respiratory disease and knows that he
has it and does nothing to aid himself other than
the use of the empty affirmation of: I am getting
better day by day in every way, for which the
French psychologist, Coue, was famous some few
years ago, he will destroy himself by the use of
such a method.
A n affirmation must not only suggest a ulti'
mate end which is hoped for, but must be the in'
centive to put into action the method that would
bring about the end. If one, every time he ap'
proaches a crossing of a railroad right'of'way,
over which pass a number of express trains daily,
repeats to himself the text of the sign, without
heeding its warning to: Stop, Look, and Listen,
or lose Your Life, he will eventually be killed,
for all of the reciting of the warning. The idea
of an affirmation implanted in our minds by sug'
gestion must produce corresponding action, or it
is nothing but an idle, sententious statement. The
thoughts that really dominate our consciousness
impel us to action. W e live by them. They pro'
duce a feeling, a sentiment that causes us to want
to materialize them. Think long enough, and with
feeling, of a cool deep forest, with its heavy scent
of pine cones and damp earth, and you create the
desire which compels the action to go there, unless
you have had some unpleasant experience in a
forest which arises in opposition to dominate your
thought, and if that happens you have just an'
other proof of the fact that dominant ideas, good
or bad, control our lives.
If, therefore, an affirmation doesnt compel you
to put it into action, it is an empty rite of no

Page 77

consequence. If you want the affirmation of:

I am getting better day by day, to be produc'
tive of results, as applied to your health or your
business, or any other affair, you must follow
through on the suggestion which you are con'
stantly making to yourself. You must actually
proceed to do something that will make you
better day by day.
There is the argument advanced by some for
the use of affirmations that their repetition be'
comes a subjective law and eventually the sub'
jective mind engenders an idea in the objective
consciousness, which to the individual seems new,
but which corresponds to the original suggestion,
and the individual comes to act upon it even
though he would not act upon the affirmation
directly. This is only a part truth however. If,
actually, we do not desire to do a thing, that
deep'Seated dislike has already left its imprint
upon the subjective mind by suggestion, or per'
haps it originated there. Consequently a negative
affirmationand any affirmation which wont put
us consciously into action is negativecan not
supplant a positive habit or law of the subjective
mind. Affirmations which are positive, that is,
which are believed, can supplant the less positive
subjective notions and establish the type of habit
or conduct we desire.
In conclusion, an affirmation to be of any value
must be a true expression of your thoughts and
actual desires, strong enough to cause you to act,
to do something that corresponds to the purpose
of the affirmation, or it is a wasted effort. Analyze
your affirmations. Ask yourself: Do I understand them? Am I in accord with them? W ill I
each day make the sacrifice in time and effort to
put into effect that which would bring about the
end they expound? If you cant answer all of
these questions in the affirmative, your affirma'
tions are but useless incantations. X.

T h e Biblical Flood
A frater submits to this FORUM CIRCLE a
question which contains elements of interest and
fascination. He wants to know whether there is
any substantiation for the story of the flood as
contained in the Book of Genesis. In attempting
to answer this question, we tread upon rather
dangerous ground, for it concerns a religious tradition; however, I am of the opinion that our
FORUM readers are broad enough to view both
sides of any controversy, so will proceed.
Those who hold to the opinion that at one time
in the past, as related in the Book of Genesis, a
universal flood occurred which submerged all
lands and destroyed all living things except those
on the ark, point as proof of the story to its
prevalence among widely separated peoples. They
say that peoples living thousands of miles from

Page 78

each other could not have communicated the de'

tails to each other, so it must have been the same
deluge which they experienced. Science, however,
and observable facts, offer much irrefutable evi'
dence against such a universal calamity ever hav'
ing happened. Those branches of science known
as geology and zoology point out that the fossil
remains of animals found in the strata of ante'
diluvian rock are of species now extinct. These
living things existed prior to the Biblical period
of the flood; why do they not now exist, if Noah
followed the command of Every living thing of
all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into
the ark"? Did Noah fail? If not, how," science
and others must ask, are we to account for this
distinction between living things that then existed
but do not exist now?
Then there are the ethnological difference to be
considered. There have been discovered races of
men who have lived continuously since ante'
diluvian times, and these races have no tradition
of a deluge, and they are quite distinct from the
Semetic race, physically speaking, of which it is
generally held Noah would have been a member.
Geology offers perhaps the most confounding
evidence. It reveals, in its story of the rocks, that
the surface of the earth was not uniform, in so
far as its height was concerned, in the Geological
Era corresponding to the time of the deluge. It
calls to our attention that there were mountain
chains and peaks of far greater height than the
mountains of Armenia, where the ark is said to
have finally come to rest. Such mountains of
greater altitude would not have been submerged
and life extant upon them would not have per'
ished. The Biblical story of the deluge depicts the
form of the ark, if we are to determine it by the
dimensions given, as box'like; however, the popu'
lar conception always shows the ark with a high
central cabin, for which there is no foundation
even in the Biblical account. Further, in the
Biblical account, there is no indication of any
form of navigation of the ark, not even oars,
which, as we shall see, differs from other ancient
records. The story in the Book of Genesis re'
lates that a pair of all living things was collected
by the four men and women. This would have
been a stupendous task, if not impossible. There
is no mention of any provisions for these living
things, and it is difficult to perceive all of these
different kinds of animals hoarded together in the
same ark under the same conditions. Further,
when they were put ashore, how would they sub'
sist without vegetation? The Genesis story does
not relate plant life being preserved. How is it
then that we have species of flora, still existing
which existed at that remote period? The more
we undertake to accept the Genesis tale of the
deluge literally, the more confusing it becomes to
us. Is the Great Flood then a chimera or a fact?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W e have written records that in the main sup'

port the Biblical account that there was a flood in
ancient times, which was a great catastrophe.
George Smith, archeologist associated with the
British Museum in the latter part of the N ine'
teenth Century, discovered among its collection
of Akkadian clay tablets one dated 600 B. C.,
which is a copy of an early Babylonian poem of
2000 B. C., which, with the exception of a few
lacunae, is quite legible. The cuneiform inscrip'
tion tells of the adventures of an ancient hero
named Gilmaes, whom scholars identify with
Nimrod of the Genesis story. This Gilgames was
distressed with sea sickness, and finding no rem'
edy, he decided to pay an ancestor by the name
of Nuhapishtim a visit. Nuhapishtim resided at
the mouth of the Euphrates River. He told Gil'
games that the gods in Surippok, even then a very
old city, determined to send a deluge to punish
the peoples of the lands. Ea, the Lord of Wisdom,
revealed the purpose to him and ordered him to
build a ship, in preparation for the deluge, and
then to bring aboard it the seeds of life, and oxen,
sheep, beer and wine, gold, silver, beasts of the
field, and man and maid servants. Ea also gave
the dimensions of the required ship. It was to be
120 cubits high and of the same length and width
and of six stories, and be divided into seven parts.
Pitch was then to be poured over the outer sur'
face and the inside lined with it. It was to be
equipped with oars by which it was to be
navigated.
The story continues with the hero shutting all
of the doors of the ark when it was completed
and loaded, in anticipation of the storm that was
to arise in the morning. The next morning the
fury of the storm broke. In part, we quote below
from this ancient Babylonian poem describing the
calamity:
One day the southern blast
Hard it blew, and
Like a battle charge upon mankind rush (the
waters)
One no longer sees another;
N o more are men discerned in (described
form) heaven.
Ishtar (female goddess) screams like a woman
in travail,
The loud'voiced lady of the gods exclaims;
Yon generation is turned again to clay.
The storm continued to rage for six days and
nights, so the tablet further informs us. Finally
on the seventh day it abated. The hero then
cautiously opened a window and discovered land
not far distant. Toward this he navigated the ark.
W e are told that the land was Mount Nizar. He
then waited another interval of seven days and
finally he sent forth a dove. The dove, finding no
resting place, returned. Then he sent forth a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

swallow, and it finding no resting place also re

turned. Finally he sent forth a raven, and it did
not return, for it had found a resting place. The
hero then released all of the animals, sending them
to the winds; in other words, in all directions.
He then proceeded to build a large altar on dry
ground, and upon it he made sacrifices and offered
libations of wine, and about it the gods collect
like flies."
The god Bel was displeased because Ea, the lord
of wisdom, had advised the hero of the coming
of the deluge, and had made it possible for him
and the other living things in the ark to survive.
Ea, however, expostulated with him and suggested
that in the future humanity be punished for their
sins of omission and commission by having visited
upon them instead plagues and famines. The
god, Bel, was finally reconciled and looked with
favor upon the hero.
There are quite some apparent differences be
tween this Akkadian, or Babylonian version of
the flood and the one recorded in the Book of
Genesis. Most notable is the absence of mono
theism, the belief in a single God. In the Akka
dian account, there are two gods named, and the
gods" are referred to several times. The Biblical
story refers to one God, Jehovah. Further, the
Akkadian account makes no mention of an olive
branch being brought to the ark, and the dimen
sions of the ark given in the Akkadian story are
four times that of the ark of the Book of Genesis.
The Akkadian ark was provided with oars, as we
have seen, for navigation, and it is assumed that
the ark of the Bible was either left to the mercy
of the deluge or guided by Divine intervention.
There is still another historical record of the
deluge, not unlike the other two. For a better
understanding of this account, it is advisable to
digress and tell of the circumstances which
brought it into existence. A t the height of her
power, the Assyrian Empire (668-626 B. C.) was
reigned over by her last, and perhaps from a cultral point of view, her greatest Emperor, Assurbanipal. Ninevah, which was the royal city of
the Empire and comprised an area approximately
a mile square enclosed by a great wall and further
protected by the River Tigris which flowed
past its western gates, was one of the most
splendid of the ancient cities. Several of the
previous Emperors, such as Earhaddon and Sen
nacherib, had built within it great tower temples
and lavish palaces. These palaces, in their archi
tectural design, used the old Babylonian arch, but
on a more elaborate scale. The entrances to the
Assyrian palaces consisted of triple arches, which
architectural design the Romans inherited and in
corporated in their triumphal arch, copies of
which we see standing in European cities today.
The faces of the palaces were composed of glazed,
colored brick, a method learned from the Egyp

Page 79

tians, and either side of the gateways were huge,

human-headed, winged bulls, wrought in ala
baster, and mainly the work of Phoenician crafts
men. Rising high above them were castellated
towers that could be seen throughout the entire
city. Assurbanipal boasts that his father had not
only taught him to be proficient in the use of the
bow and spear, but had taught him to write in
clay and learn all of the wisdom of the day.
Though the Assyrians were possessed of an in
born ferocity and a love of warfare, their associa
tion with the craftsmen and artists of their sub
ject states caused them to have an appreciation of
the beauty of these foreign arts. They imported
the skilled Phoenician workmen, for example, to
make ebony furniture, inlaid with ivory, for
which they were renowned. They copied much
of the Egyptian designs which they had craftsmen
engrave on silver platters. They developed a sys
tem of musical notes of five tones, and a range of
four scales for a twenty stringed harp. Assur
banipal, influenced by this imported culture, and
with a personal love of learning, built in Ninevah
the first great library of Asia. In recent years,
this library has been excavated and on the floors
of its rooms, where they fell some 2500 years ago,
were found 22,000 clay tablets, or the books of
that period. These books contained the accumu
lated religious, scientific, and literary knowledge
of the past ages. They had been classified by
subject, as we classify our books of today, and
each had attached to it a small clay tab, which tab
was fastened by a string to the book, and on the
tab was inscribed the title of the book, so it could
be easily located. W h at wealth of forgotten
knowledge this library contains, and what secrets
of the ages it will some day reveal when all of its
contents have been deciphered, we can but con
jecture; however, in the British Museum, where
the 22,000 tablets now repose, one was discovered
recently, which contains an amazing account of
the Great Flood. In many respects it parallels the
Akkadian story of 2000 years previous, from
which it was undoubtedly copied. Briefly, it states
that a hero, Nuhapishtim, built a great ship, upon
the order of the gods, and thereby survived a
terrible flood. All of the heros countrymen
perished.
The similarity of the story of the flood in rec
ords preserved by people living approximately
within the same region supports the belief that a
deluge swept that section in centuries past and
caused a great loss of life. There are other stories
of floods in the literature of the: Chinese, the
Hindus, and in the legends of the Polynesians,
and in fact all peoples have them but the black
races and the Japanese. These other accounts
are so extremely different, however, that they are
construed to be based upon the result of local
floods in past times, within the region of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 80

people relating the story, and having no relationship to the deluge referred to in the Akkadian,
Assyrian, and Biblical accounts. Some later stories
of the deluge are based upon a tale of the flood
as recorded by Berossus, an historian of 300 B. C.,
and Priest of Bel in Babylon. It is interesting to
note here that in the Rosicrucian Egyptian,
Oriental Museum, we have on exhibit in our
Babylonian and Assyrian hall, numerous clay
tablets, some of which are contracts to supply
the priests of the Temple of Bel with food.
These clay tablets are in an excellent state of
preservation.
It is generally conceded today that thousands
of years ago some terrific storm in the Gulf of
Persia caused cyclonic waves to rush inland and
north over the flat plane of Shinar, or old Baby
lonia, and sweep all life before it toward the
mountains of Armenia. If we will refer back to
the Babylonian poem, we will observe this line:
One day the southern blast," which obviously
refers to a strong southern wind undoubtedly
arising over the Gulf of Persia. A t that time,
geologists advise us, the head of the Gulf of Persia
was much further north than it now is. To the
peoples of that time the whole world consisted of
the area of their habitat, in other words, the
Mesopotamian desert, as we now refer to it. A
wave of forty-five feet in height in that region
would submerge everything for several hundred
square miles, and the loss of life would have been
considerable. Such waves, under such circum
stances, we know actually have caused a tremen
dous loss of life. The Backergunge cyclonic wave,
in the Delta of the Ganges, reached a height of
forty-five feet, and it is definitely known that it'
destroyed 100,000 people.
The greatest importance of the flood was its re
ligious and moral lesson, and it had a tremendous
influence upon the peoples of ancient times. The
people of the period were undoubtedly quite im
moral by even the standards of their times, and
their religious leaders could not dissuade them
from their wrong and they undoubtedly inveighed
against their conduct and prophesied that eventu
ally the gods or the God would punish them for
their sins. The advent of the flood, due, we must
presume, to natural causes, seemed to be proof of
punishment to the survivors, and made a tremen
dous impression upon them, enough so that the
tale has persisted in one form or another for
thousands of years.X.

Ghosts Again
One of our Canadian Sorores wants to be en
lightened by this Forum circle on a weird phe
nomenon which she has personally experienced
and which to some extent is like a purported case
she read about in her local press. The press article

which she enclosed under the date of last August

12th states in p a rt:
A pounding which sounded like that done by
human hands, but which was not done by human
hands, is the way Constable John Armstrong sums
up the ghost mystery which has set the whole
town agog and sent crowds trooping to the home
of Mrs. James Ackerman on Queen Street. Ef
forts to solve the mystery have so far been un
successful. Though a watch was kept at night,
the ghost did not put in an appearance and the
noise which on Thursday at midnight was so loud
it aroused neighbors was not repeated. Constable
John Armstrong responded to the call. It was
quiet when I got there, he said, so I decided I
would wait for who or whatever it might be that
was making the noise. I sent all the family out on
the veranda while I put out the lights and took
up a position near the attic door. In a few min
utes the knocking began. It sounded as if some
one was using their fists very slowly to pound on
it, and I was then willing to swear there was
someone on the other side of the door. I pulled
the door open suddenly, but my flashlight revealed
no trace of anyone. I then searched the attic, but
there was nothing there that could have been re
sponsible for the noise. I am sure that it did not
come from outside the home. I do not believe in
ghosts but this was very unusual and I cannot
figure it out.
The Soror relates her personal experience as
follows:
One year at the summer cottage we spent two
months in just such a nightmarecows that were
not there walking on the veranda, balls bouncing
on steps, etc. M y husband had sat repeatedly
from 1:00 A. M. until 4:00 A. M. at the window
waiting to see what it wasbut he never saw the
slightest sign of any life
Most persons snap back a reply to questions
about such experiences as these to the effect that
the tales are mendacious or they are the result
of the illusions of a superstitious mind, or that
the phenomenon is brought about by some simple
physical cause which the uneducated persons of
the experience could not comprehend, and so at
tribute to supernatural forces. The fact is that
the elements of such a reply do apply to an ex
planation of most of the weird ghost stories.
Many haunted houses about which the most
blood-chilling and eerie reports have circulated
have been found to be quite innocuous vacant
houses in a dilapidated state where sounds and
lights attributed to them were a product of physi
cal causes and a fertile imagination. Shrieks have
been found to emanate from hoot-owls taking
refuge in attics or garrets instead of coming from
demons. Pounding has been explained and proven
by observation to be the result of flapping, un
fastened shutters. Squeaking and the sound of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rattling chains has been found to originate in

rusty hinges on which unclosed doors swung free"
ly with the breeze. The sudden snapping and
cracking sounds that have always come from the
walls and floors of certain homes after a definite
hour at night, when the family has retired, have
been explained by the fact that the bedroom
heated to a rather high temperature before the
family's retirement was suddenly chilled after
they had retired by the opening of the windows
and the turning off of the heat. This caused a
contraction of the wood flooring and especially
the laths which were still quite green, and the
cracking was the sound of the contraction. W ail'
ing sounds emanating from an attic and most dis'
turbing to hear in the dark of midnight and cred'
ited to the caprice of ghosts were made under'
standable when it was discovered that they were
caused by the wind blowing in a certain direction,
forcing its way through tight ventilator louvers
in the attic which functioned like a whistle. It
has also been found that lights that would sud'
denly snap on or off in a room in a house, caus'
ing a most disturbing experience, even though no
one was near any of the switches, were caused
by a loose board on the back porch being de'
pressed slightly when stepped on, and later it
would suddenly spring back into its original posi'
tion and momentarily bring into contact exposed
wires which would flash on the lights of the room.
Aside from these quite comprehensible physical
causes, there have been mental ones as well. In '
ebriated persons are responsible for the circulation
of many ghost stories. W hen sober they are quite
convinced that their hazy memories are actual
experiences rather than hallucinations.
Be all this as it may, there have been experi'
ences recorded which no amount of sincere, im'
partial and intelligent investigation could assign
as the product of imagination or physical phe'
nomena. W hat particularly impresses me with
the experience stated in the news article sent us
by the Soror is that I had almost an identical
experience some years ago in the State of Florida.
A t that time I rather prided myself on my powers
of analysis, and I exhausted every logical material
explanation for the phenomena, without satisfac'
tion. I examined the structure of the house, the
flooring, the plastering, even the water pipes to
see whether their pressure, or the amount of air
in them could have caused the pounding sound;
I examined the heating system, and last but not
least the possibility of a hoax being perpetrated.
N ot only did none of these things solve the mys'
tery, but it persisted, while these cool and calcu'
lating investigations were under way. I did not
rely alone upon my own judgment but had the
late Imperator assist me personally. The phe'
nomena were also witnessed by several persons
who would normally fall into the category of

Page 81

very hard'headed and skeptical persons where a

belief in psychic phenomena is concerned. The
proof that it was psychic phenomena came in act'
ing accordingly, accepting it as a psychic phe'
nomena and ridding ones self of the phenomena
by using certain psychic principles. There are,
therefore, occurrences which, as we perceive
them, are extremely strange and aweinspiring and
which have no root whatsoever in physical causes
which any of the material sciences could explain.
This does not mean that these happenings are of
a supernatural origin, for there is no such state or
condition as supernatural. A thing is either of
the laws of nature, or it is not. Because a phe'
nomenon is outside the bounds of what we know
or understand, does not mean it is not of the
forces of nature. W hen we declare a thing to be
supernatural it infers that we are familiar with
all the laws of nature, and positively know that
that which has occurred is not due to nature, and
such presumption is absurd. The commonly ac'
cepted (to us) radio phenomenon is to the abor'
igine of the Australian bush supernatural only
because he has no knowledge of the natural laws
of which it is a manifestation. Consequently we
must put out of our minds a belief in super'
naturalism, but on the other hand, must admit
that there are phenomena which cannot be ex'
plained by means of the sciences of physics, chem'
istry, biology, and those other fields of science
which are devoted to purely material manifesta'
tions alone.
W e, as Rosicrucians, have often used the term
earth'bound when referring to souls and their
personalities liberated from the body at transi'
tion. Briefly, an earth'bound personality is one
which has an unfulfilled obligation, an ungrati'
fied desire which it seeks to fulfill to prevent
suffering to another or others before it is drawn
into the Cosmic Soul for its determined cycle. A
soul'personality that seeks to aid others or prevent
others from being caused suffering through some
unfinished work of its own is motivated by a
true Cosmic spirit of unselfishness. If the un'
finished obligation, in the omniscience of the
Cosmic is a duty that is worthy of a delay of
the personality on the earth plane, it may be
permitted to seek contact with the human intel'
ligence to convey the impression necessary, and
then it is released. W h at we mortals may think
is an unfinished obligation, and which in our
opinion should warrant such a Cosmic contact
with a soul'personality that has passed through
transition, might not coincide with the Cosmic
understanding. This phenomenon must not be
confused with the re lig io u s d o c trin e s of
spiritualism, for the earth'bound soul'personality
cannot be communicated with by anyone who
wishes to do so out of curiosity or for casual
reasons, neither can it be commanded to make

Page 82

spectacular appearances or even not to do so.

W hen its duty is fulfilled it will not again bring
itself within the realm of the earth plane in
that manner.
The question may be asked: W hat kind of
duties or obligations or desires would keep a soulpersonality earth-bound? To answer this in a
positive manner would be a presumption that one
knows all that the Cosmic considers as obligations
or as necessary desires to be gratified. O ur an
swer, therefore, must be based upon those ex
periences had with earth-bound soul-personalities
and with the information which they have im
parted to correct an injustice before passing on
into the higher realm. There have been cases
where a child was led to believe that the woman
who cared for her and reared her was her real
mother. Lack of knowledge of the true facts
concerning her birth and parentage would have
deprived her of an inheritance or a patrimony
needed for her welfare. The foster mother for
selfish reasons kept this knowledge locked within
her own breast, even unto death. A fter transi
tion, when the petty and mean thoughts and con
duct of a personality are shorn from it, it is
then motivated by sincere desires only, and the
impelling urge to convey the truth kept it earthbound. In still other cases individuals have passed
through transition with untold secrets which
should have been revealed because they were of
the utmost importance to the happiness and peace
of mind of others. This retribution of being
earth-bound is a form of early Karma that sets
in immediately after transition in some cases and
the personality is not permitted its true freedom
until the secret is disclosed to those whom it
concerns.
How is the communication accomplished?
Must it always be in the form of some uncanny
event? The psychic consciousness of the person
ality of the soul is without awareness of the
mortal conceptions of time, space or dimension.
It seeks only one thing: the immediate release
from the distracting desire and to convey that
which would gratify that desire and which will
liberate it from the earth plane. It seeks to pro
ject its psychic consciousness to the mortal mind
or minds to which it is bound by its ungratified
desire. The longer this desire is thwarted the
more difficult it becomes to sever this cord. This
delay may be due to the mortal mind not being
susceptible to its projected consciousness; there
fore, its manifestations must become more gross
to attract the human consciousness to itself. For
an example: Suppose you were lost in a Central
American jungle and you had reason to believe
airplanes would be sent out to seek you. A fter
waiting a great length of time or a period caus
ing you much hardship, you finally hear a plane
droning overhead. You see it flying about in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

circles, and evidently the pilot is searching into

the deep foliage over your head for you, or for
some sign of your presence. You scream, you
wave your arms, you throw a stick into the air,
yet you know it is futile. You are so concealed
that he could not possibly see you. Finally the
plane soars off in another direction indicating
that the pilot has not seen you. Can you not
realize what torture your realization of your ap
parent failure would be to you? Then if, after
a few minutes, the plane returns again to fly near
you or over you in circles, you would be nearly
mad with what you would consider a last attempt
to make your presence known. You would resort
to anything, no matter how fantastic, to make him
hear or see you. This, then, is the state of the
earth-bound personality seeking to make its pres
ence known.
In the first place, if one is a student of psychic
phenomena, admits its existence, has had a num
ber of experiences through life to realize the dual
existence of his nature, he will be of a sensitive
nature; he will have his consciousness so highly
evolved that such manifestations would occur at
times when he was in meditation, quite responsive
to any projections from an earth-bound person
ality. Instead of experiencing any uncanny or
eerie manifestations he would suddenly have con
veyed to him a message, a sentence, or a word in
the form of a command that would move him to
action, cause him to look for something, open
something or find something. W hen he did, im
mediately then the earth-bound personality would
be free and never would the mortal experience
contact with that personality in that way again.
But if the mortal is a skeptic, and commits what
we term the original sin by denying the expression
of the inner self and confining the psychic cons
ciousness with bands of objectivity, refusing to
admit or acknowledge anything which does not
come within the limits of empirical knowledge,
then the earth-bound personalityif it must com
municate with such an individualis placed, as
you can readily understand, at a considerable dis
advantage, and the mortal, too, is apt to have the
unpleasant experiences which have been described
above. In such a case, then, the earth-bound per
sonality must produce material results, through
psychic causes. In other words, it must produce
vibrations which fall within the range of sound.
It must produce disturbances of an atmospheric
nature that become audible to the human ear, or
of an electrical nature that become visible as
colors to the naked eye. In other words, the psy
chic energy, the energy of the psychic conscious
ness, must produce a harmonic of the phenomenon
on the lower and material scale and range of
mans objective perception, so that the one whose
psychic self cannot be contacted will objectively
perceive it. Under such circumstances, when one

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

has quieted the natural fear that follows from

such an experience, the thing to do is to try to
remain passive and quiet; he should not attempt
an analysis of the phenomenon, he should not try
to look for any further physical causes, he should
not try to suppress or stop it even if that were
possible. He should ask with sincerity what is
intended by this, what is meant. W hat shall I
know? A nd in all such cases where this has been
done, the message or the explanation has been
given. If the person fails to act upon the mes'
sage or the suggestion which is always of a con'
structive nature, the psychic phenomena will con
tinue. I could go on to describe a number of
cases where this has been done, including the ex'
perience I had in the State of Florida, but it is
not necessary for a consideration of this subject.

W hat Makes a Lazy Mind?

A frater from the State of New York asks the
FORUM CIRCLE: Please explain to me the
origin of a lazy mind. Is it caused by lack of
will power?" This question is not as simple to
answer as it would appear at first glance.
True laziness is a state of lassitudea disinclination to exert oneself physically or mentally
for any purpose whatsoever. Most persons who
are said to be lazy are not actually so, but their
interests are foreign to their duties, and conse'
quently they show no disposition to do the work
assigned to them. I knew a man, a member and
officer of AM ORC, who was a very excellent
musician. He thought and lived his music hourly.
His tastes were extremely esthetic, but in many
ways he was very practical, especially in things
concerning his art. In addition, his physical ap'
pearance and demeanor, neither of which was
affected, corresponded to his artistic temperament;
in other words, he looked as much the true artist
as he really was. He greatly disliked any clerical
or business administrative duties, but could force
himself to perform them if necessary. On the
other hand, his sensitive nature was keenly dis'
turbed when he happened to be around anything
that was mechanical. Machinery, moving gears,
motors, shafts, pulleys, pistons, engines, and tools
were not only distasteful to him, but their motion and sound had a noticeable effect upon his
nervous system, and if he persisted in remaining
with them, he would become quite sick. His case
may be an extreme one, and yet if he had been
compelled to earn his living by working around
machinery, his dislike for it would have displayed
itself in a great indifference to his duties and a
reluctance to perform them, which others who
might not have understood his condition and ternperament would have construed as downright
laziness." In fact he would have found it quite
impossible to make some persons realize his feel'

Page 83

ings. To them he would merely be endeavoring

to justify his indolence.
A normally healthy person who receives the
proper sleep and food, and takes ordinary care
of his body can not be absolutely lazy. Normally
functioning organs and a vitalized blood stream
generate in the body and in the mind a surplus
of nerve energy which nature intended must and
should be dissipated through action. If this were
not so, we could not work, for we would be draw'
ing upon the very vital forces necessary for liv'
ing. In fact, a normal person, if obliged to re'
main inactive for any length of time, becomes ir'
ritable and nervous for lack of the means to dis'
charge the surplus nerve energy. W e may liken
the human body to an electrical device, known as
a condenser. If sufficient electrical current is in'
duced in a condenser beyond the point of its
electrical absorption or capacity, it discharges the
electrical potential to any other conductor that
may be brought near, or in contact with it.
In the early days of the American nation, prior
to its transition from an agricultural to an indus'
trial state, education was not very prevalent.
Schools were scarce and schooling really expen'
sive. Furthermore, as it had been the custom in
most countries of Europe, the average American
boy at that time was expected to follow in the
footsteps of his father, and this meant, since we
were primarily an agricultural state, being a
farmer. There was no consideration of the indi'
viduals aptitude or personal choice in the matter.
A boy who was fortunate enough to learn how
to read or write, and who might have inherited
from a second generation or developed within
himself a love for learning, and who dreamed of
preparing himself for a profession and would
shirk his farm duties to spend an hour under a
tree or along the banks of a stream reading a
borrowed textbook was often condemned as a
shiftless, lazy boy. This condemnation arose out
of the standard set for diligence. To the father
diligence meant active interest in and a satisfac'
tory performance of the farm chores. A ny other
interest was thought to be an escape from it and
the sign of indolence.
Most of us do not have to look very far to
see this same attitude manifest by some toward
others today. Certain interests cause some indi'
viduals to be introverts rather than extroverts.
They live within their own thoughts they
dream, and they visualize. They eventually re'
duce their thoughts to material form. They write
prose, or poetry, paint, or compose. From outside
appearances they would be judged lazy; that is,
what they do and what can be perceived by others
is slight in contrast to the time spent in what ap'
pears to be just dreaming. Unfortunately the
man who works at manual labor, or altogether
with his hands, does not always realize that there

Page 84

is just as much energy expended by the nervous

system in thought and abstraction, as there is in
muscular action, the only difference being that
the thinker has not that outer manifestation of
developed biceps to show for it. There are times,
however, when we consider ourselves lazy. Such
a self-accusation is the most annoying of all. It is
often displayed by procrastination. W e are very
conscious of an obligationsomething we should
dosomething we know is for our good and that
we cant conscientiously say to ourselves we dis
like, and yet it becomes an effort, sometimes a
very irritating one, to perform it. The more we
procrastinate the more difficult it is to perform
the duty, and whether we admit it or not, the
more disgusted we become with ourselves.
The first explanation usually given for such a
state of mind is lac\ of will power, but, frankly,
such an explanation without further elaboration
or analysis is but circumlocution. W e never do
a thing that we do not want to do, unless under
exterior compulsion. Immediately there will arise
in the minds of our FORUM readers dozens of
things which they have done and which no one
compelled them to do but themselves, and which
they will recall they greatly disliked doing. So
at first the statement seems not cogent; however,
we must differentiate between the things we li\e
to do and the things we want to do. W e may
not li\e to leave the warmth and comfort of our
home or bed to walk or ride in a blinding snow
storm to go to the aid of a sick friend, but we
want to do it. W e may not li\e dashing out in
front of an oncoming truck, risking our lives, to
save a small child playing in its path, but we
want to do it.
W ill power then is the result of a dominant
thought or idea which commands our objective
consciousness to focus our mental and physical
efforts in satisfying the desire it has engendered
within the objective mind. W hen without this
dominant thought we may say we dislike doing
what it compelled, yet when it actuates us we can
not escape it, so no matter what we do conscious'
ly, it is the result of volition. W here a person
does a thing that he dislikes, it is because the
strong want to do itthe dictate of conscience or
moral sensecaused the unliked thing to never
theless be the compelling thought and the basic
factor for the exercise of his will. In another
person the dislike or fear may be stronger than
the moral or other persuasion, consequently he
wills himself not to do it.
There is an expression among writers, public
speakers, and artists that is prosaic but forceful,
that is, that they frequently go stale; that is, they
become restless, devoid of ideas, and their minds
become sterile. They li\e to write, for example,
but they do not want to. Incongruous as that
seems, it means that they have a love of writing,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

but when they pick up a pen or pencil, or turn

to their typewriter there is no flow of thought
at the time, and they become irritable and there
is a tugging to get away from it. This is because
they have exhausted their imagination tempor
arily, and there is nothing to fortify the thought
of writing, nothing that makes that thought
stimulate the emotions and give them that ex
citement, or urge to proceed and causes the
thought to occupy and hold the consciousness to
the exclusion of all other things. The mental
fatigue dominates the consciousness instead, and
consequently it causes the exertion of the will
that establishes the desire to avoid writing.
This procrastination, or laziness, as those who
speak of it even in connection with themselves,
call it, can and most often does come from mon
otonyconstant repetition, doing the same thing
time after time, without change or relief, until
the same thoughts no longer stimulate the mind.
A person who has a love of a certain study may
dissipate this loveexhaust itif he persists in
devoting his thought to it to the exclusion of all
other things. He will eventually find that he must
let down, get away from it, rejuvenate his mind
by letting it be occupied with other thoughts and
concerns, if but for a few hours a day. If he
does not, the dreaded monotony sets in. He finds
himself procrastinating and inventing excuses as
to why he shouldnt do what he has always
wanted to dothe fatigue is supplanting the or
iginal desire which he had. This is not a lack of
will power; instead it is a substitution of the
purpose of will. A negative instead of a positive
desire has been established in the mind.
Again I repeat, you must not only li\e a thing
but you must want to do it. To want to do it
you must not let any natural or substitute desire
enter your consciousness. A natural desire for
rest or escape from the thing you like is an indi
cation of excessive concentration upon it. There
are many persons who follow a trade today, who
are said by their employers or even by their busi
ness or office mates to have become lazy, to have
lost their pep, and that they seem to avoid duties
about which they were once very enthusiastic. A
study of the lives of such persons will reveal that
when they first went to work on the job they
liked it and wanted that kind of work, and they
were very diligent and conscientious. Weeks and
months went by and they did the same thing day
in and day out; there was no longer any appeal
in the work; it became monotonous and the mind
was no longer stimulated by it; in fact, eventually
the duties hardly required any concentration,
they became habitual. The objective consciousness
was left free to wander, to occupy itself with new
and different thoughts, which caused a slowing
down of the physical motions required for the
job, to a mere habitual routine and there was a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lack of the usual alertness, and consequently the

worker was denounced as lazy. If, however, he
had adopted a hobby to arouse and relieve the
mind when at home after work, the mind would
not have become exhausted. Each days work
would have been an alternating from the thoughts
of the night before to those associated with the
duties of the job.
If you begin to tire of something in which you
were once keenly interested, and which is equally
as sound and appealing as it was when you first
occupied yourself with it, there are several things
you must immediately take into consideration.
First, consider your health. Are you as well and
rested, and have you as much vitality as you did
before? If you are physically depleted and lack
the usual energy, then the lassitude you display
is due to your health. A person who is called
lazy and shows no interest in anything is subnor'
mal, because that state of mind is unhealthy.
Therefore, if you are healthy your indifference
toward something you li\ed and wanted to do
previously may be due to the devoting of too
much time to it. In that case do not abandon the
interest, but supplant it at other hours of the day
or in the evening with a different interest. By
that I do not mean something which is of the
same nature, but presented differently, but rather
something that is entirely foreign to it, and you
will soon find that your original interest will
return.

Psychic Influence of Blood Transfusion

Soror C of Australia brings to the attention
of this FORUM CIRCLE a most fascinating sub'
ject, which has been growing in interest, if we are
to judge it by the increasing number of questions
concerning it which we have received. The specific
questions the Soror asks are: Has blood trans'
fusion any passing effect on ones astral body? Has
it any other than a purely pathological effect?
Then she recites an incident that occurred in her
city, in which a young policeman was shot by a
gangster and had six blood transfusions from six
separate donors, but he died. A fter the death,
each of the donors experienced peculiar sensations
in their arms. This, of course, immediately implies
that there was brought into existence by the
method of blood transfusion, a psychic bond or
affinity between the donor and the recipient,
which can cause sensations, if intense enough in
the one, to be realized by the other.
One with hasty judgment would be apt to ridi'
cule such a possibility, as a most fantastic con'
ception. On the other hand, as we shall see, there
is not only good scientific premise for this but
a psychic foundation for the hypothesis as well.
Learned scientists of the medical world have in'
vestigated this strange phenomenon and some re'

Page 85

main unshaken in their convictions that such an

affinity can and does exist at times. The first
question to consider is what causes this affinity
between the donor and recipient of the blood.
Is there any psychological and pathological basis
for it? W e Rosicrucians are taught in our mono'
graphs the now well'established fact that each
cell of the matrix of cells which compose the
human system and which are also in the blood
stream, are vibrating, pulsating, rhythmic units of
energy. They have positive nuclei and negative
cuticle, and there is a flow of energy from the
positive pole to the negative pole, or exterior of
the cell. This energy we know as the V.L.F. of
living matter. Its positive polarity is increased,
as our monographs explain in detail, by taking
into the lungs the element of N s. The nega'
tive polarity is maintained by assimilation into
our bodies of the chemical elements of the earth,
through the eating of foods and the drinking of
liquids. These cells impart to all living tissue an
electrical potential that is actually measurable by
the use of very sensitive galvanometers and such
instruments as the electroencephalograph. The
body, then, as we are taught in our monographs,
is a transmitter of electrical impulses, which ex'
tend beyond and surround it causing its aura,
or a sort of electromagnetic field. The aura, long
a fundamental subject and established principle
of the Rosicrucian teachings, has only recently
come into its own, in so far as being recognized
by mundane science is concerned. To see how
well it is now accepted and how such acceptance
conforms to our Rosicrucian teachings, it is only
necessary to quote from a recent dossier by Dr.
Harold S. Burr of Yale University. To quote
his comments, in part: There is a personal elec'
trical field, a sort of electrical aura within, and
in the air around a living body. Dr. Burr con'
tinues: These electrical fields determine in a
very real sense the structural character of the
organism. This implies that in normal growth and
development, the field controls and regulates the
mechanical processes involved in the formation
of structural units. It follows, he added, that
any disturbance in the electrical field of enough
magnitude, will upset the growth of the tiny
microscopic tissue cells which compose all living
bodies. Each human body is then a transmitter,
yet its wave length, its frequency or the speed
or rate of vibrations of the energy it gives off, is
just slightly different than that given off by every
other body.
For clarity we can liken the human aura radia'
tion to the electrical radiation of a radio broad'
casting station. Each is emitting or transmitting
high, or radio frequency waves. Generally speak'
ing, these wave lengths all come within certain
octaves or bands known as radio frequency in
electrical phenomena, yet, as we all know, each

Page 86

broadcasting station is tuned to its own specific

wave length or channel. If our radio receivers
are not in resonance with one of them we do not
hear or receive its transmission. Some human beings are exactly, or nearly so, of the same aura
frequency, that is, their psychic selves, or the
vibratory rate of the V.L.F. in their beings is
nearly identical. In its primary state the V.L.F.
is the same in everyone, but as it manifests
through the organs and component parts of
human bodies it is slightly different in each person. These persons, in which it is nearly the
same, find no difficulty whatsoever in telepathically communicating with each other. Any very
intense thought, if held for just a few seconds,
long enough to impose itself on the natural field
of the aura, is transmitted at once to the other
who receives it as a sensation, with a corresponding idea or mental picture in his consciousness.
Before these scientific and Rosicrucian princi
ples were generally known or accepted, this phe
nomenon, of course, occurred, but such transmis
sion of messages was believed due to theurgy, or
Divine agency. There was a tendency not to
postulate these experiences, due to fear of mis
understanding and consequent religious condem
nation. This phenomenon is particularly notice
able in cases of what are commonly called blood
twins. The term, blood twin, is to distinguish
those who are born as the result of a divided
cell from those who are of two separate cells,
even though one was bom immediately follow
ing the other. From the foregoing, we can under
stand that the twin of a divided cell has within
him to begin life the exact counterpart of the
vibratory V.L.F. of the other. From that single
two complete and separate organisms have been
created, yet each retaining all of its individual
and very special characteristics. Each body after
birth undergoes some different physical changes
and is subject perhaps to different physical in
fluences of environment, but if both are normal
and healthy, each will always be nearly of the
same vibratory rate as the original cell implanted
in him. The two beings have separate person
alities, it is true, but Cosmicallysince their birth
caused them to come into existence in this man
nerCosmically it must have been ordained that
psychically and physically they should always be
attuned to each other.
If this happens as the result of a single di
vided cell, from which also grow the sensitive
spinal and sympathetic nervous systems, what of
cases then where through blood transfusions mil
lions of cells of one person are implanted in the
blood stream of another? Should not that then
logically bring about the same sort of union? Our
answer is yes, under certain circumstances. Blood
transfusion is not a new therapeutic art in any
sense, though we hear much more of it today

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

because it is more commonly practiced. It was

first reported in The Philosophical Transactions
published in the early part of the Seventeenth
Century. Even Samuel Pepys mentioned it in
his renowned diary. The first experiments with
transfusion were with the blood of a calf. The
calfs blood was found incompatible with the
human blood, and inevitably it was destroyed in
the human blood stream. Then the transfusion of
human blood began by more or less indiscriminate
injections into the recipients. It was also found
that the blood of some humans, even of the same
race, was incompatible. It was not until after
1910 that four groupings of the blood were made
for the purposes of transfusion. It was found
that generally speaking most all people's blood
comes within one of these four groups. That
does not mean that the blood of all races of
humans falls into four sharply defined groups,
but rather that their blood will be compatible
with one of these groups.
The early method of blood transfusion required
an injection of a chemical with the blood, as an
anticoagulant, and this method is still practiced
by some physicians. The later and more com
monly accepted practice uses defibrinated blood
instead. The transfusion is accomplished by an
anastomosis between the artery of the donor and
the vein of the recipient. The average donor, a
healthy young man, for example, can give up to
a liter without any serious after effects, or even
a feeling of weakness. The usual amount given is
500 to 750 cu. centimeters for one transfusion.
The injection of this amount of blood on two or
three occasions puts into the blood stream of the
recipient a considerable amount of the blood
of the donor. The recipients blood stream adapts
itself to these new cells and tends to take on
their pulsating energy. The other cells are in
fluenced until finally the vibratory rate of all of
the blood cells is more like those of the donor
than like the original cells of the recipient. The
cells nourish the nervous and sympathetic nerv
ous systems as well as the. organs of the body and
consequently they change the fundamental wave
lengths of the energies of these nervous systems.
Eventually, if basically the cells were quite simi
lar, that is, the cells of the donor and recipient,
the two persons are psychically attuned through
their sympathetic nervous systems and through
any sensations which affect their sympathetic
nervous systems.
That this is not all supposition or hypothesis
is further substantiated by the report and experi
ments of a regular blood donor of the Middle
sex Hospital, London, who stated he felt a pain
in his arm each time a person to whom he had
given blood died. He is reported to have said:
The next time one of the people to whom I
have given blood dies, I will make an experiment

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

then I will know. W hen next he felt such a

pain, he carefully noted the time. On good au'
thority, it is related that the exact instant that the
person to whom he had given his blood died cor'
responded with the time he felt the pain in his
arm. O ut of twenty'four recipients of his blood,
seven died, and at each of these seven times he
received the strange telepathic message from his
own blood. Certain physicians at the hospital ex'
postulated with him but he remained adamant
and steadfast to his conclusions. As weird as
these experiments, or experiences, may read they
should not be cast into limbo for they are founded
on facts. It is true we have not sufficient facts
to completely explain the phenomena, but there
are enough known to justify and encourage
further research.X.

T rue and False Occultism

I am taking the liberty of framing a question
which, though actually not asked, represents the
spirit of a number of questions asked this
FORUM circle by Fratres and Sorores. The
question is: W herein is the distinction made
between occultism and occult science?
Though occultism includes practices that ac'
tually antecede civilization, the term itself is com'
paratively new. There are many dictionaries still
extant that do not include it. The term is also
a general one that includes practices, customs and
studies that rightly belong to it, and also a num'
ber of conceptions and devices that do not. The
popular conception of occultism is that it is a
field of thought as well as a series of practices
that embody the rites and doctrines of things
which are hidden and mysterious. Thus within
its realm are thrust magic, mystery, marvels and
miracles. There is no question but that magic
falls within one category of occultism. To ex'
plain this it is necessary to divide occultism into
two branches; the first we shall call conjuration
and the second revelation.
There is great historical data as well as ex'
tensive reports on the customs of primitive
peoples to prove that conjuration was the earliest
form of occultism. Conjuration consists of the
invocation of magical powers to augment the
natural perceptions of man and to increase great'
ly his powers of accomplishment. This concep'
tion presumes first that there are powers superior
and external to man, and second, that they can
be conjured by some special rite, and third, that
this conjuration cannot be accomplished by every
man but only by certain ones who learn of its
secrets. It is not necessary to recite by what means
man came to acknowledge forces in nature as
superior to those he could ordinarily direct him'
self. About him and above him were manifesta'
tions that awe'inspired him because his ignorance

Page 87

allowed no explanation for them. It will suffice to

say that the most prosaic processes and functions
of nature, such as the fertility of the soil, the
change of seasons, fire and the elements were mys'
teries. Birth and death were the greatest of all
enigmas because they seemed the most inevitable
and inexplicable. Here, then, was a world within
a world. M ans world consisted of those things
of which he was the conscious cause; that which
he put into motion, created or controlled. Once
man learns the cause of a result he becomes the
master of a process. A world where activities
can be controlled is a \now n one. There is noth'
ing mysterious or intangible about it. Even the
troglodyte leading a most savage existence had a
world, even though an exceedingly limited one,
over which he ruled. He knew where to seek the
game he needed, and where the wild fruits were
the most plentiful and the water the coolest and
sweetest for drinking.
All the realities, then, beyond the comprehen'
sion of man were things and conditions, the re'
suit of hidden causes. These mysterious causes
were of the occult world, though it was not
known by that name. This coeval existence of
things, the cause or source of which he did not
understand, was undoubtedly very disturbing to
man. It limited his sphere of dominance and
made him feel menaced by an omnipotence. One
does not threaten that which is unknown to him
or which he fears; instead he resorts to a method
of appeasemment. These overtures for the friend'
ship of the invisible powers whom man deified
were developed into a crude liturgy from which
sprang sacerdotalism. The priests sought always
some sign of recognition by the powers that their
prayers were not in vain. Any natural phe'
nomenon that was unusual, and that occurred
concomitantly with the performance of the rite
was accepted as a communication from the gods.
The task of interpreting these signs was the duty
of the shaman or medicine'man.
Herein is where occultism really became di'
vided, and a transition from conjuration to revel'
ation began. If the shaman seriously, even with
a limited knowledge of natural law, began to
analyze the cause of the phenomenon, he soon
discovered in the regularity of the occurrence cer'
tain general causes. W henever these causes oc'
curred, the result was inevitable. To maintain
his superior position of one who trafficked with
the gods, he would not reveal what these causes
were, and would stage a ceremony at a time when
the first causes were manifest so at the psychol'
ogical moment he could appear to invoke the re'
suit, to the amazement and admiration of the
tribal members. These laws of nature became
occult principles to these priest doctors, in which
were hidden entirely natural physical laws. Only
those inducted into the mysteries of the priest'

Page 88

hood learned of them and how to use them. Most

times the tribes'people were led to believe that
these results could not and would not occur for
ordinary man but that the shaman was given a
magical power by which he alone or his aides
could invoke them.
In some cases on record among certain primi'
tive peoples the accidental discovery of the under'
lying principles of some natural phenomenon by
a shaman caused him actually to believe that he
possessed supernatural powers and that only he
could produce the manifestations. Instances of
this kind gave rise to sorcery, that is, a belief in
a elass of magicians who could command hidden
powers to do their bidding at will without refer'
ence to any law or order of nature. Sorcery is
pure conjuration and superstition of the most
primitive and darkest kind. It is still quite preva'
lent in the voodoo practices of the W est Indies.
The shaman who knew that his strange accom'
plishments were the result of natural processes,
and not caused by divine intervention or special
divine agency in his behalf, became the first OC'
cult scientist. He may have, as they often did,
resorted to deception to retain his importance by
making his work appear the result of special
powers, but his success encouraged him to begin
actual investigations into the mysteries of nature.
He was soon able to compound drugs from
herbs which had the effect of partial or complete
anaesthesia. W e can only speculate how such dis'
coveries were made. In all possibility he observed
the effects on cattle or animals when grazing on
certain plants or roots which had medicinal prop'
erties. By experimentation with unfortunate pris'
oners or fellow tribesmen he came to learn of the
potency of certain herbs, from which he could
concoct drugs that had strange effects upon the
human mind. In fact, most scientists and stU'
dents of philosophy as well as historians today are
of the opinion that at the Temple of Delphi at
which resided the renowned oracle whom some
of the sages and Greek statesmen consulted, there
was a crevice or fissure in the rock from which
emanated some sort of natural gas which, when
inhaled by the oracle or inhaled by the visitors
partially intoxicated them, put them into a semi'
stupor in which, while their senses were reeling
and they were more in a subjective state than an
objective one, they gained many impressions,
some truly of a psychic nature and others purely
hallucinations which they babbled forth, and those
present listening most attentively hung on each
word and construed them as prophecies. A t least,
these investigations into nature continued. Nomad
tribesmen who crossed in great caravans the plains
of Shinar as many as twenty centuries B. C., or
who followed the fertile crescent about the east'
ern end of the Mediterranean Sea, as they drove
their herds ahead of them, must have been fas'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cinated by the twinkling specks of light in the

inky canopy of the heavens above them when
they camped overnight. They soon had named
after the gods the most prominent visible stars,
constellations and planets. They observed and
recorded their motion and their relationship to
each other. They came to understand the motion of these Cosmic bodies in relation to the
seasons.
Though modern science has been reluctant to
admit it, the occult sciences have been forerun'
ners of many of the classical and highly reputed
sciences of today. Alchemy is the parent of chem'
istry; astrology is the ancestor of astronomy.
These are but two of many of the ancient occult
sciences. The persistence of the so'called occult
sciences and the inability to discredit them has
caused general science to invade further their
realms. Up to this point occult science would
appear to be but a simple and elementary begin'
ning of material science. W e might definitely
say that occult science deviated from material sci'
ence when it attempted an understanding of the
functioning and origin of mans psychical powers.
A t some time during the ages, occult science and
mysticism united. W hether they developed paral'
lei to each other and then converged, or eventU'
ally crossed, must be a matter of speculation. It
is a matter of no consequence to us at this time.
It is, however, necessary for the moment to re'
view briefly and very generally the tenets of
mysticism.
Mysticism contends that there is an absolute
sole reality, a divine intelligence or God, which
is the universal state of perfection. Emanating or
radiating from it as polarities or phases of this
perfect state, are soul and matter. Man is a com'
bination of matter and soul, and soul is a kind
of pure extension of this perfect reality or God.
The wisdom of the soul is always, therefore, like
its source from which it emanatesperfectbut
man is hampered by the negative bondage of his
body or matter, and finds it difficult to compre'
hend this inner wisdom and to acquire it. The
body tempts and lures man from the influence
and the directions of the soul wisdom, and con'
sequently man falls away from the high state of
perfection which should be his rightful heritage
as the greatest manifestation of this divine reality
or intelligence. W ith the mystical marriage of
the doctrines of mysticism with those of occult
science, the latter became transformed. Occult
science contended that it is the only complete
natural science. Its followers could resort to the
usual inductive methods of physical science and
probe into nature and discover by physical per'
ception those laws that could be ascertained in
that manner, or that scientists discover in their
laboratories, but they could also transcend these
methods. They could, through a unique method

Page 89

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of occult science, develop certain latent powers

within their individual beings whereby they could
attune themselves with the divine and complete
source of all wisdom which mysticism advocates.
Through revelation then, they could suddenly be
illumined with an all-embracing pattern of knowl
edge. In brief, this new occult science expounded
the belief that man has faculties which can be
psychically developed, which give him extrasensoty powers and which make possible a per
ception of the universal scheme which ordinary
man, who never delves into the occult science,
may never come to know. The true occult scien
tist further declares that any man who is dili
gent, studious, and practices the esoteric principles
and controls certain of his foibles and his bodily
desires and passions, may attain this state.
W e must, however, give the material scientist
due credit and allow for his skepticism, for on
the surface these claims of the occult scientist
sound highly exaggerated. The occult scientist
obviously claims for his state of subjectivity which
he exhorts mankind to resort to, everything that is
not possible by material science. A t first, the ma
terial scientists allocated all the reports and find
ings of the occultist to the category of pseudo
science and charlatanism. They avouched that
occultism was not a philosophy for its methods
of reasoning were loose and not cogent, and that
it was not a technique or art, because only a few
of its adherents could ever hope to fulfill its
claims, if at all. The occultist persisted in his
postulations of an electro-magnetic effluvium of
the human body, or that it had an aura, and that
the human mind was able to project thought im
pulses and that there were radiations from the
finger tips of an energy which had healing quali
ties, and numerous other strange phenomena. In
expressing publicly an opinion on these matters
when asked about them, the material scientist
would pass them off with the remark that they
are mere obfuscations yet privately he and his
colleagues began an inquiry into these purported
examples of abnormal sensitivity that the occult
ist claimed. This inquiry began the science of
psychical research and developed later into para
psychology. O f the latter we hear much today.
It is expounded as a new science, and it is, from
the material scientists point of view. But the
subjects it embraces are very, very old to occult
ism and the principles discovered have been ex
pounded in manuscripts and books and in secret
rites for centuries. Gradually material science
recognised as inexplicable but nevertheless ex
isting in certain cases, a hyperaesthesia and posi
tive indications of telaesthesia, or in other words,
telepathy. Science has now taken over these
realms of occultism as worthy of laboratory re
search, and by so doingas they believehave
forced the occult scientist to retreat deeper into

the realm of subjectivity and to expound more

fantastic things. But, as the saying goes, the oc
cult scientist still has a great bag of tricks which
the material scientist will find, as time goes on,
are all well established on very sound principles.
A t the very moment, one of the things that
used to bring the ejaculation of rubbish when
ever it was mentioned to a material scientist is
being cautiously investigated, and that is, psychometry. Psychometry is the belief that an
article held in the hand or touched can convey to
certain persons who may hold it very sensitive
psychic impressions which place the holder in attunement with the individual who long previous
possessed the article or who had it for any great
length of time on his person. The present holder,
if capable of psychometry, is able to actually de
scribe the former possessor of the article. This
of course does seem highly exaggerated. It seems
like reading a tale from the Arabian 7s(ights.
However, material scientists have admitted that
there are individuals, who, according to the find
ings of their very precise experiments, guarded
against fraud, have been able to pick up objects,
hold them in their hands for three or four
minutes, while in very evident deep meditation,
and then slowly as though reconstructing or call
ing from memory impressions, describe the pos
sessor of the article and certain circumstances
surrounding the origin of the article.
From our point of view, then, as Rosicrucians,
we are interested in occultism and because of
that phase of it known as revelation or Cosmic
illumination. In other words, we are interested
in a serious inquiry into the laws and phenomena
of nature, whether those laws and phenomena
fall within the realm of material science or
whether they fall into the category of occult sci
ence, and must come through meditation and attunement. W e, however, abhor and must decry
all practices which lean toward incantation, the
calling forth of hidden powers which are not
natural or which point to a belief in supernaturalism, for they are not only false and border
on sorcery and black magic, but they are damag
ing to a very worthy study and we must refer to
such practices definitely as false occultism.X.

Insomnia
A new member of the organisation who re
cently received Monograph Nine of the First
Neophyte Degree, in which the first instructions
are given regarding a method of relaxation, and
through relaxation being able to bring about a
condition conducive to sleep, would like more in
formation regarding how to go to sleep, because
he states that for a number of years he has suf
fered from insomnia.
It is necessary to comment on insomnia in order
to answer this question, and I believe that the

Page 90

Frater has well stated the problem when he says,

to quote, suffered from insomnia. Most opinions
on the part of doctors today agree that more
people suffer from insomnia, to interpret the word
literally, than suffer from the lack of sleep. In
other words, people who do not sleep well, and
state that they are victims of insomnia, are victims of harm as a result of worrying about not
sleeping to a greater extent than they are victims
of harm from the actual lack of sleep. Sleep has
been analyzed by so many authorities, both from
a psychological and physiological standpoint, that
if anyone is further interested in the process of
sleep from these viewpoints, I would recommend
consulting reliable authors on the subiect, and
referring to good textbooks on psychology and
physiology, particularly to the parts treating on
the subiect of sleep.
But the fact remains that no matter how much
information, factual material, or even instructions
regarding sleeping you may be able to accumulate, this is one subject concerning which it is
possible to state that the more you learn, the less
you may be able to apply the knowledge in order
to actually sleep. In other words, the individual
who thoroughly understands the psychological
and physiological mechanics of the sleeping
process is no more exempt from suffering from
insomnia than the individual who does not know
anything about the process. Look at a child, or
even look among those classes of humans bordering upon what we might call the uncivilized or
aborigines; they do not have to follow instructions to sleep; nevertheless, they sleep soundly
and with no apparent concern for the process.
Sleep is primarily a reconstructive process of
the human being. To be deprived of a necessary
amount of sleep leaves an individual physically
depleted, run down, with less resistance against
invading disease, and even with less mental resistance because it not only affects the physical
organism but upsets the emotional or other psychological attributes of man. The individual who
has not had proper sleep is not efficient in work,
is apt to be careless, requires extreme application
to carry out even the most simple process of his
daily routine, cannot think clearly, and therefore
his constructive and creative work is not at its
best. In other words, a certain amount of sleep
is absolutely necessary in order that the physical
and psychic phases of our existence can operate
at their maximum ability. W hat this certain
amount is remains an individual problem.
Sleep is evasive; we cannot command it to
come; we cannot always voluntarily bring ourselves out of its state or grasp upon us. W hat we
are most concerned about, particularly the suf
ferer of insomnia, is how to attain sleep. Like
many other processes of mans psychological
make-up, the least way is the best way. To be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

come involved in various means of attaining sleep,

such as the proverbial counting of sheep or any
other process supposed to be conducive to sleep,
is sometimes to interfere definitely with the
process itself, because the objective mind becomes
so involved in a maze of processes that the bring
ing about of sleep is delayed. As previously
stated, each person should consider the amount
of sleep he or she needs. Common sense clearly
shows us that the amount of sleep needed dim
inishes with age. The new-born child sleeps most
of the time, but as he grows and his body ap
proaches adult development, less sleep is needed.
W e find that a normal adult who is active in
outdoor life needs more sleep than one who leads
a less active life, because there is less mental
tension but more actual wear on the physical
organism itself.
This is a fact which should be pointed out to
the insomnia victim. Most individuals who work
indoors and suffer from insomnia upon analyzing
themselves will find that more actual physical ex
ercise out of doors would assist them in bringing
about the ability to relax more quickly and enter
the state of sleep. W e cannot determine the
amount of sleep we need on a definite basis of
so many hours. Some individuals are completely
relaxed and rested after a few hours of sleep.
Others need twice that amount of sleep. I know
individuals who can gain enough sleep in four
hours out of twenty-four to take care of their
physical needs. Other individuals need twice that
much; some need even as much as ten hours. But
the whole point is that sleep being an involun
tary process, if we will bring ourselves to a proper
state of relaxation, then the amount of sleep will
take care of itself.
In other words, reverting to our original state
ment, more people suffer from worrying about
lying awake than they do from the actual loss
of sleep itself. However, here are a few points
that may assist an insomnia victim, and not only
are these psychologically and physiologically
sound, but they are the result of actual experience
which can be vouched for by individuals who
have overcome the fear of insomnia.
In the first place, every attempt must be made
to bring about a relaxed condition. Follow the
instructions given in the monograph referred to
very carefully because these are very important.
Sleep follows complete relaxation, and the more
completely and quickly one can relax, the sooner
the state of sleep will come. Extreme physical
fatigue or mental tension are the two most fre
quent barriers to complete relaxation. If an indi
vidual has serious worries on his mind, financial,
social, or otherwise, then the mental tension is
such that relaxation is more difficult to attain.
The gaining of the ability to relax over mental
tension and worry is a matter which can come

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

only through self-control and practice. To say

that it is necessary only to dismiss these things
from your mind is a simple statement for another
party to make, but a very serious and difficult
thing for the actual individual trying to relax to
carry out, and such a statement as an instruction
is in fact ridiculous; that is, simply telling a per
son that all that is necessary is to dismiss these
points from his thinking. The fact is, it is imr
possible without previous preparation or practice
to be able to eliminate mental tension merely by
auto-suggestion; but what is important is to begin
immediately to build up the ability to do this,
the ability to relax.
I have seen individuals under the most strenu'
ous tension who could literally relax in an in'
stant when they desired and felt the need to re'
lax. A true mystic should develop this quality,
and it can be developed only through continued
practice. A number of times every day a period
should be devoted to developing this ability to
relax. Stop in the middle of your work, whatever
it may be, and for thirty seconds completelyto
use the popular phraselet dow n/' Allow your
arms to hang down by the sides of your chair,
relax the tension of holding yourself erect, stop
thinking insofar as it is possible. A period of
thirty seconds three times a day given to this
exercise, for a period varying from ninety days
to six months, will improve your ability to relax
remarkably, but it must be done systematically.
You cannot do it one day and stop for three days,
or do it one time during the day, but you should
perform such an exercise at least three times every
day and follow it up at night upon retiring with
the exercises previously suggested in the monograph referred to as a last conscious effort on
your part to bring about a state of relaxation.
Once you have built up this ability to relax, you
have won most of the battle, but above all, be
patient and persistent. Remember you are es'
tablishing new habits and habit patterns cannot
be formed in a few hours or days.
W hen you have done this, if you still do not
sleep the thing to do is stop worrying about the
fact that you do not sleep. If you have gained
the ability to relax and sleep does not come, then
accept the fact objectively that sleep is not needed
at that moment, because if you are fully relaxed
and the system needs sleep, and you are other'
wise in good health, sleep will come. If not, there
is nothing to worry about; you may continue to
relax and rest, rest is needed by the body. The
individual who suffers from insomnia starts his
suffering at this point. He becomes objectively
aware that he is still awake, and he begins to be
concerned about it. His concern over the fact
that he is awake begins to lead his thinking along
lines which tend to break up the effort he has
made to relax and produce mental strain and

Page 91

tension. Consequently, the one thing not to do

is be concerned about the fact that you are not
sleeping. Simply say to yourself, Evidently my
body is not in need of sleep at this moment, so I
will not be concerned about it but will devote
my thoughts to constructive lines or things which
will be restful. W h at these things will be is
dependent upon your personal likes and dislikes,
and your physical ability to do them. Reading
is recommended for those whose eyes are in such
a condition as to permit it. This is ideal because
one can read a type of literature that is construc'
tive and conducive to further relaxation. In some
cases, of course, reading is not advisable, especial'
ly for the individual who may have a slight eye
defect or who does intense eye work all day.
Under these circumstances reading should not be
resorted to, because the use of the eyes consumes
a great deal of nerve nergy, and adding a few
hours1 reading after retiring to those which are
required in the daily work of an individual who
uses his eyes all day, is putting too much strain
upon the eyes. Therefore, reading is recom'
mended for those who have unusually strong eyes,
or whose occupational duties require reading only
as a part of their work, and not for concentrated
use of the eyes throughout the day.
The next suggestion is for one who likes music
to have by his bedside, if possible, a small radio
or phonograph. To the music lover nothing is
more soothing than to have music available after
complete relaxation and dismissal of the cares of
the day. Mechanical arrangements can be made
so that the radio will turn off at a certain time,
which dismisses from the individual's conscious'
ness the necessity of keeping awake to turn the
radio off. I know many who have resorted to this
not so much from the standpoint of putting off
the difficulties of sleeping, but simply because
they enjoy the music after retiring, and they have
a small radio which consumes so little electricity
and is so small it could disturb no one else, in'
sofar as its volume is concerned, so they merely
forget it and if it happens to run all night there
is no particular harm done.
To us as Rosicrucians, however, there is one
other method of utilizing time if we are victims
of insomnia, when we feel we should be sleeping.
A member recently told me on the grounds of
Rosicrucian Park that until about a year after he
joined the Rosicrucian Order insomnia seemed to
be the thing which he had to fight more than any'
thing else, and he, like others, was fighting be'
cause he felt that his health was suffering because
of lack of sleep. But his experience shows that
it was not the lack of sleep, but the fear of not
sleeping from which he was suffering. He began
upon awakening in the middle of the night to
practice some of the exercises and experiments
given in our monographsthose which require

Page 92

no preparation but merely concentration such as

the exercise for concentrating on parts of the
body, and others for developing the psychic centers as given in the higher degrees. Now he says
he looks forward upon retiring to the time when
he may lie awake and perform the experiments,
and that he is sleeping a great deal better than
he used to. W hen he awakens he tries to perform one of the exercises conscientiously, and not
only does he derive benefit from conscientious
practice and application, but he finds that he soon
drifts into sleep, or if he does lie awake there is
apparently no harm done because he arises in
the morning refreshed because of the lack of
worry about his condition, and over a period of
time he says he has gained a great deal in the
ability of applying the psychic forces of his being because of making use of this time.
I hope every member of the organization who
may be a sufferer from insomnia will find in
these few informal points some suggestions which
are practical, and which if not specific, may lead
them to adopt a different viewpoint in regard to
their difficulty and open a new avenue of thought
and attitude which, after all, is all that is neces
sary to assist in developing the ability to relax
and, in turn, drift into sleep.A.

Answers from O ur Cosmic Appeals

Recently our Department of Instruction re
ceived a letter asking how long one should wait
for an answer or a manifestation as a result of an
appeal to the Cosmic.
First of all, the sending of an appeal to the
Cosmic, the petitioning of higher forces for a
particular type of assistance or information, is
not like writing a letter or sending a telegram and
depending on a physical condition or an indi'
vidual to take care of our request for us immediately. W hen we petition the Cosmic for
help, there are many things which must be taken
into consideration before we judge whether or
not the reply is satisfactory. From our mono
graphs we know the necessary steps to take in
concentration, but we must also take into consid
eration that our appeals usually do not affect our
selves as individuals, but affect others. W e might,
in fact, be concentrating for a thing which, if
fulfilled, would bring definite harm to someone
elsethough possibly unintentionally on our part
and someone else might be concentrating in
direct opposition to what our request might be.
Now if the Cosmic were a physical, limited
thing operating like a piece of machinery, it
would certainly not operate smoothly under the
effect of such opposing forces playing upon it, but
fortunately the actions of the Cosmic are based
upon an intelligence beyond that of human com
prehension. In it all things are known, and it
can adjust these requests to fit into the general

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

scheme which is in accordance with the will of

God and the Cosmic. Fortunately for us, we do
not have to make the fine decisions which are to
determine what request is to be given first con
sideration. O ur most important obligation and
duty is to direct our thoughts, our requests, and
our supplications in such a manner as to indicate
that we are willing to abide by Cosmic law. Re
member that the Cosmic fundamentally is con
stituted by those forces which have been made
effective by the Creator, and exist to carry out
His plans and purposes. They cannot be altered
at our request because the universal justice of
God is exemplified in that they stay firmly es
tablished. But we as individuals are privileged
to learn of these purposes, and learn to work
with these laws, and he who concentrates intelligently will attempt to conform his requests to
these principles in order that they will manifest
in accord with those forces which already exist.
W hen requesting anything through the Cos
mic, bear all of these facts in mind. Realize that
if this is in accordance with the purpose of the
Cosmic, it will be granted, but frequently will
come about in a way which we may not expect.
Many of our supplications to the Cosmic are an
swered but are not recognized. This is because
the Cosmic in its understanding sometimes real
izes what we ourselves want better than we do.
For example, an individual might concentrate on
gaining a certain amount of money by means of
a certain transaction because he believes by the
possession of this money he could accomplish
something which would bring about a satisfactory
adjustment in his life which naturally would re
sult in harmony and happiness. However, if he
had concentrated simply for happiness and a har
monious solution to his problems, his thoughts
would probably have been much more in accord
with the Cosmic scheme and principles, and there
by would have proven more successful in an ap
parently shorter length of time.
Possibly all of us have had the experience of
thinking one particular thing involved our happi
ness for the moment, and have concentrated on
that particular thing, but after a period of time
when what we actually concentrated upon did
not come about we found that happiness did exist
again, and this, as I previously stated, is an ex
ample of Cosmic intelligence carrying out a wish
which we, ourselves, were incapable of expressing.
Do not be particularly concerned, therefore, if
an immediate yes or no to your question, or an
immediate solution to your problem, is not forth
coming from the Cosmic. Know that there is an
intelligence greater than ours as individual human
beings which will take care of these matters for
us, if we will but direct ourselves toward the
proper source and will cooperate with these forces
that are existent. A.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Instrum ental Measurement of Psychic

Development
W e have received a letter from a Frater ask"
ing if any type of instrument has ever been made
that would be a means of indicating the psychic
development of an individual. I believe this Frater
has in mind the use of the galvanometer which
will register certain radiations of energy from the
human body. It is possible, for example, when
the two wires leading to the galvanomter are
grasped one in each hand by an individual, that
it will immediately cause the instrument to regis'
ter the flow of energy from the individual. This
energy is what we call in our monographs spirit
energy." It is the energy which composes the
aura, but just as we are taught that spirit energy
is the basis for the manifestation of matter, we
become immediately conscious of the fact that
these spirit radiations which compose the aura
and affect a delicate instrument are primarily
material radiations, and that the development of
the individuals psychic abilities would not regis
ter on a physical instrument.
The term psychic development" is very general. Probably the general meaning applied to it
means the increasing amount of ability of the
individual to use his psychic faculties; that is to
say, to perceive intuitively, to be able to grasp
knowledge that he could not obtain objectively,
to develop subjective perception, and to use immaterial forces in his life. This type of develop'
ment is rather indefinite insofar as fixing a stan"
dard by which to measure. It is in a way com'
parable to the measuring of the learning ability
of an individual. Much research has been done in
the measuring of innate ability; that is, to discover
a persons intelligence quotient, as it is called, but
even the best of these tests fall short to a certain
extent of being the absolute indication of intel'
lectual qualities and mental capacities in any indi'
vidual. That is because the standard of measure'
ment is a material thing, and the thing being
measured is only material insofar as its results
are concerned. You cannot measure how well one
person knows a subject other than by the way
the individual puts the subject into practice. The
proof of a persons mathematical knowledge is
usually evidenced by the ability he has to apply
mathematics to a problem, but to measure his
mathematical ability in an abstract form would
be impossible because there is nothing material
that can be measured by a material instrument
or standard. This indicates why the measure'
ment of psychic development, or the measure'
ment of our psychic abilities, would be even more
difficult than the measuring of objective mental
abilities.
As far as that is concerned, is the measurement
of psychic development necessary? W e, ourselves,

Page 93

are aware of what we can accomplish. W e see

through our application and careful study of the
principles to which we are devoting ourselves, an
increased ability in making use of this instruc'
tion, but even if we could say that we have de'
veloped to a specific point in any scale of measure'
ment, it would be of very little value to us.
Therefore, it is best not to be as concerned about
the amount which we have gained insofar as any
measurement is concerned, as about our constant
effort to add to the knowledge and to apply that
which we have for the purpose of assisting us
daily to better fit ourselves into the environment
in which we are. This comparison with the ex'
tent to which we might have been able to fit
ourselves is a far better measurement than any
scale or measuring device that could possibly be
perfected.A.

Extra Sensory Perception

W e hear so often these days about Extra
Sensory Perception" that many of our members
have written in asking us about it, even going so
far as to ask if we include it in the Rosicrucian
teachings. This expression is one that undoubted'
ly has been coined by modern systems of psy'
chology to express a certain function of the sub'
jective consciousness that modern psychology is
now investigating. This is, of course, not new to
Rosicrucians. In fact, some of our earliest lessons
deal with this subject though, quite naturally, we
do not give it a fancy new name. In short, Extra
Sensory Perception" is nothing more than a mani'
festation of Cosmic Consciousness. In fact, it is
one of the first manifestations of Cosmic Con'
sciousness our students notice when they begin
their development.
You are all quite familiar with intuition, how
it works, and the proper way to develop it. In
intuition we have a demonstration of Extra
Sensory Perception." Again, you are all familiar
with our early teachings on the subject of con'
centration where we deal with the transference of
thought or mental telepathy. This is known as
Extra Sensory Perception" by most modern
schools of psychology.
Upon analyzing the term or expression one is
inclined to believe that the various schools experi'
menting along this line believe they have discov'
ered something quite new and unique; therefore,
a new term to express it is necessary. W e know,
of course, that this is nothing new at all and is a
natural function of the divine mind of man. The
Rosicrucians have perpetuated this knowledge for
centuries. Incidentally, the results being obtained
by modern psychology, though they show merit,
are insufficient for conclusive proof. This has re'
suited in much debate in the various universities
and colleges. The percentage of negatives has out'

Page 94

weighed the percentage of positives. This is to be

expected because of the method of procedure
used. One person holds a thought or picture in
mind and another in the next room tries to pick
it up. Guesswork is usually resorted to because
the receiver cannot receive the impression as long
as it is continually held in the mind or conscious'
ness of the sender. Here we see an attempt to
transfer thought by sheer will power. Rosicni'
cians know that this method is wrong and will
naturally result in negative results.
In brief, many psychic experiences have proven
that there must be in the human mind a power or
powers which could learn things without em^
ploying the ordinary five senses as avenues of in'
formation. This ability to perceive things without
using the five senses is called extrasensory per'
ception by modern scientific investigators.
The Rosicrucians have been able to obtain
knowledge without the use of the ordinary senses
for centuries. They use different names for dif'
ferent degrees of this power. The highest degree
of facility in obtaining information in such a
manner, is reached in the state of Cosmic
Consciousness.
I hope this will help to answer some of the in'
quiries coming to us as to what Extra Sensory
Perception or Extension of the Perceptions is.

Binding Your Forum Copies

It is perhaps not necessary to remind you
FORUM readers that the value of this publica'
tion to you as a reference work is equal to any
benefit derived from the first reading of any of
its issues. A t the present point in your studies
your interest is directed along certain lines of
thought, consequently those topics in the
FORUM which correspond to them will attract
your greatest attention. Articles, however, which
you may only glance at within these pages for
the present, may become excellent reference ma'
terial for you in a later degree. Undoubtedly
you have already discovered this fact, and there'
fore you appreciate the very complete index
which we include with the last, or June issue of
the FORUM each year. This practical index
makes it possible for you to run down in a few
minutes all articles referring to a certain subject.
The efficiency of that index, however, depends
upon your keeping intact the six issues of each
year. If one FORUM is lost, your index is of
little value. Issues of a publication lying about
loose are easily lost, and even if tied with a string
or put into a box, or filed in a makeshift binder,
they are subject to considerable wear and become
soiled.
Acceding to demands by our readers that we
provide some permanent form for the FORUM
issues, we are pleased to announce that you can

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

have each years complete issues of the ROSI'

C R U C IA N FORUM now bound as a book. The
binding is professionally done, using a durable
material, and each volume is stamped in gold,
with the title of the publication, and the date of
the volume. This expert binding of your
FORUM includes fly leaf and head band, and
makes it have the appearance and durability of
a volume of a well bound set of encyclopedias.
By binding each years issues in this manner,
you eventually acquire a splendid appearing and
permanent Rosicrucian Reference work. Each
years volume of the ROSICRU CIA N FORUM
begins with the August issue and the last is the
June issue; therefore, a volume, or a years issues,
consists of six copies.
You need only send to the Rosicrucian Supply
Bureau, at the cheapest postage rate, the volume
of your RO SICRU CIA N FORUMS that you
wish bound, and a money order or check made
payable to A M O RC Funds, in the amount of
Two & N o /1 0 0 ($2.00) dollars, and it will be
bound in the manner described above. 'We will
pay return postage on the bound boo\. If you
would like two volumes (12 copies) bound to'
gether as one volume, the price will be only $2.75.
Members living outside of the United States must
add to these prices 250 extra because of the higher
postage on the return of the bound volume to
their country. Do not send badly torn or wrinkled
copies. W hen you send your FORUM copies
for this purpose be sure and address them as
directed above, to: Rosicrucian Supply Bureau,
Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California. X.

A n Encouraging Letter
A great deal of correspondence has come to
various departments of the organization in recent
months, much of it lamenting the conditions
existent throughout the world. There has also
been reflected in that correspondence, the think'
ing of some individuals that all is hopeless and
that one might as well abandon his ideals and
activities.
In all ages there have been sacrifices placed
upon us; that is, upon those who are striving to'
ward understanding and who are potential mys'
tics, or at least students of higher thought; and in
many cases the sacrifices those who so studied had
to make were even to the extent of sacrificing life
itself for their cause and their ideals. W e are not
called upon to make such sacrifices today, but we
may have to sacrifice some material things. W e
may find that increasing costs, due to trade con'
ditions and differences in exchange between coun'
tries, may be a little more burden on us insofar
as meeting the obligations of our active member'
ship in this organization and in carrying on con'
structive activities in other fields are concerned.

Page 95

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

So, when many people think that it may be necessary to give up many things, it is encouraging to
receive a letter from Frater and Soror Goodman,
residing in another country, and from it I am going to quote as follows:
W e have much pleasure in forwarding as
Dues a money orderplease credit same to our
account. The dollar has already increased, conditions of course will produce these redactions.
W e face this issue hopefully and will make every
effort to maintain our active membership. W e
have passed through many difficult periods during
our ten years of membership in our beloved Order
and by Cosmic will, and love we have pulled
through. To us it is of the greatest importance
that our active membership be uninterrupted.
Just now the forces of war are loose and earth
being drenched with human blood. Thus does
man will. Rosicrucians throughout the world are
the most fortunate of people. They have the
greatest and most wonderful teaching, a teaching
that meets every human need and will, if allowed,
and practiced by the member adjust every circunv
stance. By constantly visualising oneself as the
Dot in the circle, and really and truly be the
Rose and Cross, there is nothing to fear, no evil
condition can live in such vibrations. W e would
like every member to know this.
Surely this letter should prove inspirational to
every member, and let us all be encouraged by
this attitude.A.

Peace Profound
A sad, but impressive ceremony was held in the
Amenhotep Shrine, Saturday, September 30, at
two p. m. A t that hour in the presence of all of
the members of Dr. Lewis immediate family and
the Supreme officers, our Chaplain conducted a
very beautiful ceremony and placed Dr. Lewis
ashes in the soil in the exact place that he himself
selected several years ago; thus the personal wishes
of Dr. Lewis were fulfilled exactly as he had requested on numerous occasions during philosoph
ical discussions with those near and dear to him.
Now that this final act has been performed, the
Great Soul Personality of Dr. Lewis will rest
in peace and contentment while abiding on
the Cosmic Plane, ready to assist and comfort
those thousands of Personalities on the earth plane
who knew him and loved him during his last
incarnation.
Those present at the private ceremony were his
beloved wife, Mrs. H. Spencer Lewis, his devoted
children, Ralph, Vivian, Earl, and Madeliene, ineluding his daughter-in-law and son-in-law, Mrs.
Ralph Lewis and James Whitcomb. Present, too,
were Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Poole, Mr. Kendal
Brower, and Chaplain Alfred Williams.

Visualizing
Proper visualisation is most important to suc
cess with practically all of the Rosicrucian work,
and few students indulge in it enough to become
proficient in this great art. The proper method of
imaging is taken up early in the Neophyte Degree
work, where we point out to the student the im
portant difference between imaging and imagining.
If you do not recall this distinction, it is sug
gested that you review the lessons of the First
Neophyte Degree dealing with this subject. You
can realise the importance of proper visualising
when you stop to think that the success of sending
messages by mental telepathy is dependent upon
it. Submitting your problems to the Cosmic for
help and inspiration depends upon it; realising
the full benefits of the creative power of thought
depends upon it; and the successful application of
so many other laws and principles lies in ones
perfect mental picture.
Naturally enough, visualising is not easily ac
complished, but then nothing really worthwhile is
gained overnight. It requires practice and more
practice. This undoubtedly is why few students
attain the results they should in using the art of
imaging mental pictures. It comes with difficulty,
and so they become discouraged and give up in
the early stages, just when results would be forth
coming had they continued their efforts. It is
hoped that everyone reading these lines will make
a new start, as it were, and arrange for a special
period of 15 or 20 minutes daily to practice what
they have learned about visualisation. During
your practice, it is suggested that you relax com
pletely every nerve and muscle in the body before
you start your mental picture. This will help to
put you in the proper frame of mind, thus giving
every opportunity for success with your efforts.
Remember that in visualising you focus your en
tire attention on one thought or idea, and you
slowly complete your picture in every detail.
W hen you do not see and feel the mental image,
avoid thinking about failure, for when thoughts
of this kind pass across your consciousness, it
interferes with the final results.
It has been mentioned before, and is well worth
repeating now, that a good practice is to read
books by authors who are especially adept at
description; for instance, the books of Charles
Dickens. A fter reading a description of a room
or scene, look up from your book, and with the
eyes closed, try to reproduce on the small screen
of the eyelids the scene described in the book.
Make the picture as complete as possible, putting
in all of the little details. If you happen to be out
in the country or near the seashore, gase out to
ward the horison, and with your eyes half closed,
try to see your picture in the space before you.

Balked
By a W ord!
Does a Definition Stand Between
You and Understanding? . . . .
Does the lack of meaning of strange words and terms block
your study progress? Do you find yourself caught in a web
of uncertainty as to the inner, esoteric significance of mys
tical phrases? Are you one of many who find the common
dictionary inadequate in providing the true philosophical
interpretation of rare words? Do you know the Rosicrucian
definition of Spirit, Cosmic, Soul, Cosmic Consciousness, fourth
dimension, harmonium. Karma, Nous, projection, shekinah,
etc.?
Stop guessing at truths. Obtain the "Rosicrucian Manual"
and learn the proper meaning and use of all the unusual
mystical words of your monographs.

The Student's Guide

Read between the lines of your lessons, by the aid
of the "Rosicrucian Manual," the student's guide book.
It is an encyclopedia of official Rosicrucian terms and
phrases. It also contains diagrams and explanations of
all symbols and outlines of the habits and customs of the
Order. Further, it has special instructive articles
on such topics as the Great White Lodge and
how to obtain psychic illumination. It is, in fact,
many books in one. Profusely illustrated, large,
bound in red silk cloth and stamped in gold, it is
a magnificent reference work for all Rosicrucian
students. It is priced, postpaid, at
Only $2.35 per copy.

The ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

Rosicrucian Park
R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D . , SA N J O S E , C A L I F .

San lose, California

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, under Act of Aug. 24th, 1 9 1 2

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Vol. X

FEBRUARY, 1940

No. 4

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NEW YEAR 1940

A n d now the fa llin g sands o f tim e,

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A re so ftly calling '39,

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Back to the realm from whence it came,

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To join th e past unknown to fam e.

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Now 1940 flies through space,

A little b o y o f charm and grace,
Sent by th e Lord o f Heaven above,
A living token o f His love.

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Smiling he comes, w ith open arms,

A ll u n afraid o f wars' alarms,

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So let us p ray this year may be

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G o d 's g re a te st g if t to you and me.

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Chas. A . W a g n e r.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D e a r F r a t r es a n d So rores :

There are two general groups of modern so

ciety, in fact, of all society since the dawn of
civilization. In number the first group is definite
ly in the minority. It consists of the pioneers
those who hack their way through virgin forests
or probe realms of thought in search of the new,
or to expand the old. Theirs is obviously a life of
risk and daring, and very often affords little of
the comforts that most men enjoy and consider
the niceties of life.
The majority group, on the other hand, is com
posed of the millions upon millions of men and
women of every station of life who follow along
the path of the pioneers, who deem themselves
the staid conservatives. They travel this path of
the pioneers only after it has been made into a
wide highway, and entails little or no personal
danger or sacrifice. W hen the pioneer has proven
his theory or shown his adventure to be a reality
instead of a mere caprice of judgment or act,
then the masses accept his way as a safe and tried
course to pursue. In fact, they eventually come
to resent being turned from it, unless, of course,
it requires no effort on their part to follow a still
newer or better way. From this it is seen that the
average man or woman is but a by-product of
civilization and not a contributing factor to it.
He wears the same clothes, eats the same foods,
enjoys the same comforts as the philosopher, ex
plorer, scientist, mystic, inventor, and thinker,
but he has given nothing of himself and has
risked nothing, as they have, to make things what
they are.
If the pioneering groups, often called radicals
and rebels, would cease their activities tomorrow,
the masses of society would continue indefinitely
in the same routine of living as they now experi
ence transportation, communication, industry,
housing, education, and the multitude of things
that man has and uses, and which have changed
during the centuries would remain stationary
until disintegration set in. Though it sounds
harsh, the fact remains that the average man and
woman are parasites. They live upon the devel
opments made possible by a few. The Twentieth
Century which the modern man boasts about, he
is in no way responsible for, unless we consider
him strictly from the economic point of view
in other words, that it is his buying power or con
sumption of goods or service that makes the
necessary capital possible. In fact, the average
man or woman of our modern society is more
dependent upon someone else than the average
man or woman of centuries past.

V
Today the man on the street, if given only a
hoe and fertile soil, would starve to death. He
would not know how to find water, unless he saw
it running on the surface. He could not kill game
for sustenance unless he had a high-powered rifle;
he would not know how to make snares or traps;
he could not butcher cattle, tan hides, or make a
stone hammer or knife. W ithout matches or a
magnifying glass, he would freeze to death for
lack of knowing how to make a fire; he would not
know how to begin building a cabin with his own
hands. He could not tell the seasons, even the
time of the day, name the principal stars, or con
struct a simple outrigger canoe. W ithout bottles
of medicine, salves, solutions, tablets, serums, or
the services of some therapeutic specialist, he
would not be able to alleviate even simple pains,
or care for common infections or sicknesses.
W hen surrounded by vegetation, he would find it
impossible to name or point out one herb, the
extract of which has been used in the medicines
prescribed by his physicians for years. The simple
arts of men of past civilizations would be lost arts
to him. He could make no pottery; basketry
would be impossible for him, or if he attempted
it, it would be more crude than any of the work
of the aborigines living in the world today; he
would not know how to make earth colors, paints,
or dyes. Most men would not recognize gold,
iron, copper, or many common metals in their
native state, or know how to extract them from
their ore if they did. They would find it impos
sible to make even a strong string or rope.
The crowds that pass you on the street or thor
oughfare, with an attitude of confidence and
poise, and seem to be quite certain of their abili
ties are, after all, quite a helpless lot. If by
chance the creative element of the pioneering
group of society should be eliminated, the masses
of people would, in a comparatively short time,
revert to barbarism and eventually savagery,
unless a new pioneering class would arise and be
tolerated. The civilization of today is maintained
to a great extent by finding substitutes for much
of what we use and of which it is composed. Our
extravagances exhaust certain of nature's re
sources, and consequently new ones must be
found so that the standard of living remains the
same at least, even if it isn't advanced. Remove
the element that does these things and the great
majority can not help but slip back.
From this, it would seem that if the majority
are indolent and love their ease too much to be
come pioneers and jeopardize their reputation by
being called radicals because they depart from the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

standards of the day, at least they should be sym'

pathetic toward this minority upon which they
depend. Unfortunately this is not the case. The
man on the street, of course, knows that science
exists. He has likewise heard of our modern phi'
losophers and metaphysicians seeking to find
unity in the worlds of phenomena, and an ex'
planation for being, for the universe itself, that
will help orient us in relation to all that is; he
has heard of analyses being made of the ethical
and moral standards which govern our conduct,
but to him it is all of little importance or interest.
If what a scientist or philosopher accomplishes
can be wrapped up in cellophane, with a pretty
design and sold over a counter or from the floor
of a salesroom and, of course, at a price he
thinks reasonable and without causing him to lose
any existing convenience, even for a minutehe
may accept it. He will not accept it, however,
until a great number of his group decide to do so
concomitantly, because he would not risk being
thought different or strange.
The man of this majority group of our society
feels he is right in what he is doing because he is
steadfast in doing it and because the majority of
people do likewise. It is custom, is the excuse
he makes. Custom is the path of least resistance.
It is also a groove that is well worn by time or
repetition, but does that make it right? Does that
mean it should not be changed? Every custom is
either adventitious or purposeful. Everything we
do consciously as individuals, other than those
acts which are the compulsion of our instincts
and reason, was either first thought out or found
out by someone else. W e pay taxes because some'
one thought it out in ancient Egypt as a means
of providing the state with revenue. W e follow
it today because no better way has been conceived
or found to accomplish this same end, or because
the custom is one which the majority hesitate to
change completely. W e drape our National flag
on buildings, lamp posts, or railroad trestles, or we
consider it undignified and do not, depending on
whether the custom is indigenous to our country.
W e allow women to hold public office, or we do
not, according to traditional custom.
The majority of our customs are established by
the method of trial and error. Someone tries
something new, if he is courageous. Either he
finds it not productive nor sound and abandons it,
or if it is useful he continues. If he continues and
the results are superior to the methods of his
fellows, they copy him, for, by nature, men are
inclined toward mimicry. Unfortunate in most
instances is he who, in the depth of his own
thinking, has found the worth of an idea, but
who needs the support of others to help him
demonstrate it. Unless he is able to find those of
his own temperament, enthusiasm, and vision, he
is met with indifference or ridicule. The former,

Page 99

or the state of indifference he experiences on the

part of others, is because when man is in a groove,
it does not require a great deal of mental energy
to carry him along, the pressure of those behind
him pushes him forward, and consequently he is
reluctant to expend the effort to climb out of the
groove and propel himself or try something new.
On the other hand, if the idea or proposed plan
or method is original, it is frequently ridiculed
because, by necessity, it might abolish the existing
custom which loyaltyor is it lethargy?causes
men to defend.
Today the words radical and rebel, or revolu'
tionist, are opprobriums. The man or woman who
proposes a contra'Stand in society, government,
business, or religion is howled or hooted down as
a vile radical or revolutionist. Often even to
question the policies of society is to place yourself
in the category of being a menace to civilization.
The one who is upheld or condoned as a public'
spirited benefactor the real citizen of the world
is the yes man or woman, who glowingly favors
and supports what everyone else believes or wants
to think. Millions of people will not read news'
paper articles or listen to radio programs that ex'
press discursive opinions. They are the type of
people who will walk from a lecture auditorium
when the address is intelligent and cogent for no
other reason than that the speakers remarks arc
different from what they believe, or the opinions
they hold. The average man of our society today
does not w ant his thoughts challenged, or his
weaknesses revealed he wants them confirmed.
He prefers to leave a public address or put down
a magazine which he has been reading, with the
remark, That fellow is right, he says just what
I have been saying all along. If perchance the
lecturer or writer is a bold and courageous
thinker, and speaks or writes what he thinks and
knows, regardless of whether his ideas are gener'
ally accepted, he is vilified as radical, as one
undermining public faith.
It is a peculiar fact that so many people go to
lectures which profess to be educational, or read
magazines containing articles that designate them'
selves likewise, when the substance of the subject
heard or read is but an expression of their own
ideas, perhaps presented just a little more unique'
ly. It is, perhaps, because the listener or reader
finds that it satisfies his ego to have one with a
greater vocabulary, or who holds a position of
prominence, summarize or crystallize his own
rather vague thoughts. In other words, he likes
to listen to a lecture or read an article by one who
is said to hold a position of prominence, and who
says something which he has been thinking. It
indirectly gives his thoughts a certain prestige.
He does not realize that many of these lecturers
and authors hawk their thoughts, sell them, in
other words, to gain popularity; consequently

Page 100

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they dare not challenge the thoughts of their lis

teners or readers.

cepts, and by his doctrines the ethical and moral

standards of the times as well.

W hy many of these lecturers and authors do

this is easy to understand. It is very annoying,
whether we admit it or not, to find that we have
been wrong, or to have implanted in our con'
sciousness by anyone the suspicion that what we
have been thinking or believing is obsolete and is
stifling our own progress. In fact, many of us
would rather cling to outmoded ideas and customs
and sacrifice advantages that might come from a
change, than endure the growing pains of original
thought, and the supplanting of old ideas with
new ones. Many of us take refuge in the thought
th a t: what was good enough for my father or my
mother or my grandfather is good enough for me.
Such logic, on its face, is absurd. It follows from
such reasoning that if our father had said the
same, and his father before him, and so on back
for thousands of generations, we would eventually
come to the period of our Troglodyte ancestors.
W e would arrive in prehistoric times and find
these ancestors living in trees with no one wishing
to make the first move to come down and build a
hut, or seek to do something different because his
father hadnt and his fathers before him hadnt,
ad infinitum. The first man or woman to build a
hut, or an abode different from a tree or a natural
cave formed by the elements, must have been a
radical.

The nations of the world today, which are

looked upon as the most progressive, and as ex
emplifying the highest standards of humanity,
were born out of revolution, predicated upon
radical thought. How can one hold a thought
about anything, if it is an opposite view, without
being a radicalmust all thought run in the same
channel? Revolution, we must realize, means the
turning about. N o one condemns the earth and
sun for their revolutions. W hy is it a crime to
think differently, and to seek to change existing
conditions and have them conform to a new
thought, idea or plan? The fact that some men
are destructive in their radicalism does not war
rant the suppression of all radical thought. Such
men are exceptions. Men who must tear down all
existing thoughts or customs so that their own
ideas stand alone, and thus by lack of competition
become prominent, indicate their personal lack of
intelligence, and that they are not capable of
demonstrating their own concept. A radically
different system, method, or thing should cause
an internal disintegration of all previous existing
ones, because of their inferiority in comparison
with the new. For example, the inventors and
manufacturers of the automobile did not need to
smash all horse drawn vehicles or bicycles, so that
the automobile would remain, and could be the
only mode of transportation. Its various superior
qualities caused a lawful, orderly abandonment of
the old wagon and bicycle as a speedy means of
transportation. The inventors and distributors of
the radio were not required to bomb the homes
of all users of the phonograph to get them to
adopt this new appliance. People selected the
radio by choice, because the comparison made the
phonograph obsolete as an instrument of general
entertainment.

W e find in the lakes of Switzerland remnants

of centuries-old piles upon which were once con
structed little huts woven of the grasses that grew
along the waters edge. In between the loose
weaving clay was impressed to seal them, all of
which shows a certain amount of ingenuity. They
are one of the oldest forms of structure found in
Europe. Some individual, or group of individuals
must have made a definite departure from that
very crude form of dwelling in which man lived
and, previous to that, someone else must have de
cided to abandon the old for something new and
improved. Then men who invented wheels and
fastened them to shafts and rustic vehicles, in
which people could ride as passengers, or objects
could be hauled, revolutionized transportation,
consequently, they were revolutionists.
W hen in 1350 B.C., the Egyptian Pharaoh,
Amenhotep IV, for the first time in the worlds
history, expounded a monotheistic religionthe
belief in a sole living God, instead of a multi
plicity of godswhen he challenged the polythe
ism and religious thought of the time, he most
certainly was a religious radical, yet he gave to
the world one of its most glorious concepts. W hen
Jesus Christ declared that he was the only be
gotten son of God and of the Father of all, he
certainly sought to revolutionize religious con

A radical is one who takes not only the op

posite, but the extreme position, and by the sheer
force of his logical ratiocination, and the conse
quent merit of what he proposes brings about the
required changes which we need for progress.
Such complete changes constitute revolution by
example and not by destruction. Therefore, let us
differentiate between the one who wishes to im
pose his ideas upon others, regardless of their
merit, and the true radical and rebel, who tries to
serve humanity and stir it from its lethargy, and
cause it to seek a wider perspective of life, and to
move from the confines of limited thinking and
living. Do not look with disfavor upon radicals
and rebels, until you have analyzed their motives
and given a careful consideration to what they

Page 101

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

propose. Think of our past great leaders in religion, science, art, education, industry, and government before you condemn todays radicals
and rebels, for all of them were the radicals of
their day
Fraternally,
R alph M

L e w is,

Imperator.

Christmas and the Pagans

A soror asks our FORUM CIRCLE the following question: W here in Christian literature
will we find the origin of our now sacred Christ'
mas customs, rites, and ceremonies? She further
says: I would indeed like to know, because I
love them all so dearly, and I am sure that they
must all have a very deep spiritual significance,
more so than most of us realize.
Those things we look upon as constituting
Christmasthe date, the ceremonies, the festivities, and the ritesare not all of Christian origin.
Some far antedate the beginnings of Christianity,
and some have evolved from sources that are not
even of a religious or sacred nature.
Christmas is accepted as a celebration and
feast of the nativity of Christ. The day of the
celebration for centuries has been December 25 th.
It is of interest to know, however, that there is no
record of any Christmas celebration or feast until
the Fourth Century, or some three hundred years
after the time of the Biblical account of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Further, the
first celebrations of the nativity of Christ and the
corresponding feast were held not on December
25th but on January 6th. In Jerusalem, from evidence provided by Silvia of Aquitaine in the year
385, the nativity and baptism of Christ were both
celebrated on January 6th. It further appears
that the Christian Church in Constantinople or
the Church of the East, and the Christian Church
in Rome or the Church of the West, celebrated
the nativity on two different dates. In 353 Pope
Liberius displaced the customary January 6th as
the sacred day, for the now recognized December
25 th There is much controversy as to how
December 25 th was finally decided upon as the
day of nativity some hundreds of years after the
birth of Christ occurred. One theory advanced is
that the date was related to the solar year. In the
main, the calendar of the time was the sun calendar. In ancient times it was generally thought
that the creation of the universe began with the
vernal equinox with the coming of spring, on or
about March 21st, when day and night are of
equal duration. The winter solstice occurs about
December 25 th, and for some reason that was
therefore thought to be the exact date of the birth
of Christ. In fact, many great events were asso

ciated with the solstices and equinoxes and were

celebrated in the months of September, December,
March and June. There is, of course, the theo
logical explanation as well. In other words, the
Gospel explanation is based upon statements contained in Luke that the occasion of Zachariahs
(High Priest) visit to the temple was on the oc
casion of the feast of the tabernacles, and that the
day of the vision was the day of atonement on
which the High Priest alone always entered into
the Holy of Holies. This vision was, according to
an ancient account by Chrysostom, the end of the
month of Gorpiaios corresponding to the end of
the month of September. The conception of
Jesus, it is related, was six months later, and the
nativity occurred in the end of December.
To depart from the religious and chronological
explanation of the selection of December 25 th as
Christmas it is interesting to determine the origin
of many of the other customs associated with it.
The spirit of joviality, merriment and festivity
associated with Christmas is really a borrowed
tradition. In Roman times, on December 17th
there was held the great feast and ceremony of
Saturnalia, in honor of the god Saturn. It was a
time for great license, joy and mirth. No one was
to be punished; slaves were permitted to be seated
at the tables with their masters, and peoples of all
classes exchanged gifts, principally wax tapers.
The children received clay dolls, sweetmeats or
candies. In all homes there was a burning of
candles. People visited each others homes, and
in many respects conducted and deported them
selves in the same manner as we do on Christmas
today. W ith the establishment of Christmas as a
religious holiday, these so-called pagan customs of
celebration were included, inasmuch as the great
Roman holiday of Saturnalia was in the same
month. The term Yuletime or Yuletide is of
Teutonic and Scandinavian origin. According to
ancient records, the Northmen, particularly in
the Arctic region, celebrated the return of the
sun after forty days absence on or about the time
of Christmas. It was also believed that during
this period the dead would return to visit the
homes of relatives and friends, and the houses and
homes of the peoples were decorated as if to re
ceive visitors during the week which included
December 25th; tables were kept laden with food,
candles burning, and a roaring fire kept in the
hearth.
The English Yuletide customs were slightly dif
ferent. It was customary for the English to have
open house, and when friends or acquaintances
dropped in, to throw a yule log or great block of
wood upon the fire, and to be seated about it,
exchanging gifts and feasting. As for the mistle
toe, it is a remnant of the Celtic religion. The
use of evergreens in decorations for Christmas is
comparatively modern. It is believed to be of

Page 102

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

German origin. The Germans decorated for

Christmas a weihnachtsbaum or fir tree, and
placed gifts about or upon it. The use of evergreens and the decoration of the fir tree date back
no further than the Eighteenth Century.
The words Santa Claus, the name for our
prominent mythical character associated with
Christmas, are the American corruption of the
Dutch form of St. Nicolas. The Dutch brought
the tradition of St. Nicholas and his benevolence
to this country in our early history. St. Nicholas
was a saint honored by the Latins and Greeks on
the 6th of December. St. Nicholas actually was
the Bishop of Myra during the time of the
Roman Emperor Diocletian, 284-305. Legends
state that he was very generous, and one legend
in particular relates that upon an occasion he
surreptitiously bestowed dowries on the daughters
of an impoverished citizen who was about to be
forced to sell them into slavery. Thereupon it became a custom to commemorate this legend by
exchanging gifts on the eve of St. Nicholas, or
December 6th, which custom later became trans'
ferred to Christmas, or December 25 th. The
legend and custom of St. Nicholas first appeared
in the West, or in Europe, in the N inth Century,
and many churches since then have been dedi'
cated to him.
From all of the foregoing we can see that
Christmas, with its variety of customs, is an epi'
tome of ceremonies, rites and traditions borrowed
from peoples of antiquity, and from the so-called
pagan religions, and used to further exalt and
make a day of great occasion the celebration of
the nativity of Christ. As an example of this at'
taching of customs to Christmas, it is now a tra
dition in this country to include roast turkey on
our Christmas menu, a custom borrowed from
Thanksgiving, which in turn is taken from the
saga that the grateful pilgrims made wild turkey
the principal dish of their celebrated repast.X.

W hence Came God?

A frater in California arises to address our
FORUMhe says: I have long believed that
there is a God, and He definitely was the creator
of all we know, but realizing this more and more
only makes the following question more puzzling:
From where and how did our Lord, Supreme Be'
ing, emanate?
To crystallize the thought in this question, let
us begin our answer by asking another question:
Is God all there is? This problem is certainly
a metaphysical one and embraces an ontological
argument as well. From the manifestations we
perceive about us, we are led to believe at least
that a certain duality of reality exists. There are
the numerous things, of which our physical world
is composed, and there are those influences which

seem immaterial and beyond the physical realm,

and which we designate as spiritual. The things
of the spiritual world, we immediately relegate to
God. On the other hand, the world of matter
has its causes, its laws, which science so aptly
classifies, and which account for its properties of
which we are conscious. These causes are not ac'
cidental, therefore, they in turn must be the re'
suit of a major cause or causes.
If we do not concede this, we find that we have
a kind of dualism which we are reluctant to
admit. Either matter and all that that word im'
plies is a phase of, or is dependent upon some'
thing else than its own nature, or it becomes a
parallel and independent reality to God. To put
it simply, we really have three conditions to con'
sider. First, we have matter as a creation of God
and dependent upon Him. Second, we have
matter as a creation of God, which is autonomous.
Third, we have matter as an attribute or aspect
of God.
The first conception, in its narrowest sense, is
a form of theism. It holds that God as a personal,
sovereign being actually did conceive, think out,
and plan everything of the finite world as it is.
Further, this view holds that each existing thing is
dependent for its continuance upon the conscious
direction of God. Once he would fail to con'
tinue to will the functioning of the things of our
finite world, they would cease to have existence.
This concept, therefore, likens Gods works to the
creations of man. Man, for example, conceives
and constructs an automobile. He then puts it
into operation, but regardless of the devices it
contains, which might even propel it without his
being in it or near it, it always requires his atten'
tion if it is to continue to operate. All things,
then, according to this view, require the applica'
tion and supervision of the Divine Intelligence
constantly.
This concept has obviously some loopholes in it.
It does not explain from where matter came. It
merely contends that God created all that is. To
make it more abstruse, it emphasizes that the
particulars of the finite world are in no way of
the nature of Godof his essence. In other
words, nothing of the substance of God is im'
manent in them. This truly is a confusing theo'
logical doctrine, for here we have matter as a
substance which is created by God, and yet it is
not of him and it could be from nothing else,
since nothing else existed until God created it.
Being, or all reality, is very definitely here not
made synonymous with God. God is one sub'
stance, being is another, according to this view,
but the latter is dependent on the former. God,
of course, is here made to have preceded all else.
He existed as an entity for some undetermined
period before creation of the finite was decided
upon, if we accept this version. This argument,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and such it is, is not possible of ratiocination, and

must be accepted purely on faith.
Next, we have the finite world, or the world of
things explained as a creation of God, and this
finite world maintains itself. This conception
holds that God, a teleological being, a conscious
deity, created from his own nature, which was
already in existence, the minor causes which give
substance, quality, and form to all of the things
we perceive. Once having been created, this view
holds, matter is autonomous; that is, it goes
through those processes we experience and which
constitute the phenomena of the physical world.
God, in other words, divorces himself from his
handiwork which he created, and which he found
good, and leaves it to the order and purpose he
intended for it. This view, of course, is consistent
with naturalism, for it recognises the inherent
physical laws of nature as being immutable and
as accounting for the changing phenomena of
which we are sentient.
This second view is diametrically opposed to
the first one we have considered, for it contends
that God created something, or the finite world,
out of his own nature and then cast it free of
himself. By this reasoning, matter does not rival
God as a substance, yet it does have a separate
existence from him. So independent is it that it
could, according to this reasoning, function with
out him. This tends, in fact, to isolate the world
and everything from God. It makes Him a sort
of unnecessary factor in the universe which he
created. It is like a great drama in which at the
right moment a certain actor steps upon the
stage, says his important lines, and then walks off.
The play continues; he has contributed to it, and
there is nothing further for him to do. He is not
forgotten, but just not further needed. There are
only two factors in this theological and philo
sophical theory that we can really condone. The
first is that it gives us some plausible explanation
of from whence came the finite world, and sec
ond, it supports the evidence of natural law ac
counting for the changes and forms of matter.
The third and final condition we are to con
sider is pantheistic. It takes the stand that there
is but one substance, and that substance is God.
Matter, or all finite beings, mind and soul are of
God. W e can not differentiate between matter
and something else by referring to one as being
God. M atter is as much God as is mind, and
both are as much God, according to this view, as
the intangible, the absolute which we commonly
think of as being God. God, this conception
holds, is formless and indefinable. There is no one
thing that in and by itself is God, for if there
were, it is apodictical that other things then could
not be Him as well. This doctrine of pantheism,
or the all-inclusiveness of God, does not set out

Page 103

to lessen His magnitude; it rather intends to at

tribute all things to His nature. M atter and mind
are but two of the infinite number of his attri
butes, which we as mortals can discern. The in
telligence which causes a flower to bud, the sun
to rise, the heart to pump the blood, and a sheanimal to nurse her young are all expressions of
Godhis emanations. To know God is not to
pray to an external deity, but to explore yourself
and nature, for God abounds within and about
you. The more of life we understand, the greater
our love and unity with God. It can be seen from
this resume that this version is quite mystical.
A fter all, mysticism and pantheism closely parallel
each other.
This view likewise brings us much closer to the
answer to our question, namely, from whence
came God? If all things are attributes of God, it
follows then that things have been ever since God
was. It is a corollary that there is no being but
God. Since it is Gods existence alone that is the
cause of being, God could not have come from an
antecedent being. If there were that from whence
God came, then God would not be the creator
and that from whence he came would be. Any
thing which has a negative nature is, by the very
fact that it is assigned any kind of identity.
Nothing can not exist, for if it does, it is some
thing. Nothing means the absence of something,
consequently, it is necessary first to have some<
thing before we can realise what nothing means.
If we will think of itwe will realise that noth
ing must be subsequent to something. It can not
precede it. W hen we say there is nothing, we
infer that there is a state or condition in which
something could exist, we intimate that our
knowledge of being causes us to realise the state
we term as nothing.
All of this latter view is not unlike our Rosi
crucian conception of God, and of the universe
and the finite world. God, as we have often said
in our monographs and pages of this FORUM,
is the God as we conceive Him, as we can best
understand Him, according to our degree of de
velopment. Therefore, we refer to him as the
God of our Hearts, and, as we say in our Rosi
crucian Manual, God is ever living, ever present,
without limiting attributes or definite form of
manifestationHe is the Supreme Intelligence,
the Divine Mind His intelligence is universal,
it permeates everything, everywhere. His Intelli
gence, we as Rosicrucians say, composes the spir
itual and natural laws of the universe, and as our
Rosicrucian Manual further states, the universe
is the harmonious relation of the spiritual and
natural laws, and this harmonious state is what
we term the Cosmic. There are two primary at
tributes, or forces, of this Divine Intelligence.
One is positive and the other negative. The nega

Page 104

tive polarity, we term spirit, which is the cause of

all of the forms and manifestations of the physical
world; consequently, as Rosicrucians, we, too,
find God dwelling in all things.X.

T he Source of Rosicrucian Teachings

A frater of Pennsylvania presents to the
FORUM the following question, by which he re'
fers to the Rosicrucian teachings. He says, I
would like to know how these great men went
about finding these great laws.'
A M O RCS teachings, we must first say, are
not the opinions or conclusions of a single per'
sonality, nor are they all composed of the thoughts
and concepts of a group cf contemporary person'
alities. They are, in fact, the contributions of
numerous minds of different decades, even many
centuries past. As our enemies continually like to
point out, the Rosicrucian Order has truly never
established any truths or laws which have not
always existed for everyone. The Order never
has professed to be in possession of such truths or
knowledge as could not be found to exist in na'
ture, or that would not be revealed through a
study of Cosmic principles. The Order can, how'
ever, take credit for its original, distinctly differ'
ent, cogent, and simple manner of presenting
truths, and for the methods it has devised and
evolved from usage, for demonstrating in a prac'
tical way what it has discovered. It is this method
or system which distinctly constitutes Rosicrucian'
ism. A great musician today, for example, can not
take credit for having invented music or the nat'
ural principles of harmony of sound, nor can he
take credit for the instrument he plays, nor for
the scientific construction or theory of music. All
of these things are available to everyone. To him
must go credit for his technique, his ability to
present to a degree of perfection what others may
know exists but can not demonstrate.
W e know, and are able to prove, that the Rosi'
crucians have many times in their long and honor'
able history offered the only satisfactory explana'
tion for the existence of things and phenomena,
the lack of knowledge of which caused great fear
to others. W e further know that the Rosicru'
cians have rationalized the cyclical manifestations
of naturein other words, placed them in their
proper order in relation to other things in the
worlds above and below, so as to make them
understandable and usable, and that much of this
was done by the Rosicrucians in advance of gen'
eral science or other schools of philosophy. W e
also know that the Rosicrucians, as a movement
or organization, have always been more inde'
pendent of religious and political influences and
dogmas, and the pressure of public opinion, than
any other strictly cultural movement devoted to
the enlightenment of mankind. This freedom in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the ssarch for knowledge, to a great extent, re'

suited from the membership of the organization
itself. The obligations which each member sub'
scribes to when affiliating, by their very nature
eliminate those who are not in sympathy with the
Orders purposes.
Rosicrucianism was founded upon three gen'
eral preceptsthe first, an unrestricted search for
knowledge; second, the betterment of the indiv'
idual; and third, the improvement of the world
by example. In ancient times there were several
ways in which the Order added to its wealth of
knowledge. W e will briefly consider these now.
In Ancient Egypt, so our traditions relate, the
mystery schools consisted of the progressive minds
of the era, those who were imbued with an in'
tense curiosity and a yearning to know, and par'
ticularly of those who were not satisfied with the
irrational explanations of things offered by the
existing creeds, and which were chanted to them
in the temples. They sought to know more of the
mysteries, a term which was used to mean all of
the puzzling phenomena of this life, and included
the questions which arise within the mind con'
cerning the next existence. These peoples, both
men and women, would steal away to some se'
eluded placeto the home of one of their num'
ber, the ruins of some temple, or some public
building, and by torch light they would, in the
manner of a forum, ask questions; and all present
would join in an attempt to find the answer.
A fter all had expressed opinions pro and con, and
each had tried to substantiate his or her conclu'
sions, certain ones would be selected to make an
actual study of the problem and to report back
their findings at a later time. These findings would
eventually be assigned to other committees to test,
until all had proven them, or accepted them, if
they were not at the time physically demonstra'
ble. Much of such knowledge could not be re'
duced to writing. It was advanced wisdom,
founded upon Cosmic truths, instead of fantasies
or mythology, and as such, it was in contradiction
to the postulations of the priesthood and the
banalities they offered the credulous and super'
stitious masses of peoples. Further, the perspic'
uity of the teachings of these students of the mys'
tery schools would have been more acceptable to
many of the people than the involved teachings
of the priesthood.
Obviously the priesthood looked with great dis'
favor and with fear upon the true mystery schools.
Since the priesthood exercised great political
power during the Egyptian Empire period, it
could and did, upon various occasions, file various
charges against the followers of the mystery
schools, claiming that they were corrupting public
morals, desecrating the gods, and trafficking with
demons. The students and followers of the mys'
tery schools were therefore imprisoned and often

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

executed. All of this persecution was not suffi

cient to kill the ever growing desire for knowl
edge. The attendance of the mystery schools grew
and the priesthood finally adopted competitive
measures. They organized various mystery schools,
or their own mystery cults. These consisted main
ly of ceremonial occasions on which the story of
the lives and accomplishments of the gods were
unfolded in dramatic form. In fact, each such
school was actually but a phylacterium. The
pageant of music, color, and costume which it put
on fascinated the beholders, and, of course, ap
pealed to those who were not studiously inclined
and those who were naive actually believed that
they, too, were now members of a mystery school,
and sought no further, and considered theirs equal
to the true mystery schools.
One of the greatest in accomplishment and
scope of the true mystery schools was established
by Pharaoh, Amenhotep IV, in the Eighteenth
Dynasty, about 1350 B. C. As we shall see, the
work of this school of Amenhotep IV consisted
of the attempt to transform his entire empire
within a few years time into the following of an
idealistic conception. Amenhotep IV was the son
of Amenhotep III, and his mother was the cele
brated Queen Ti. His father had been renowned
as a builder of mammoth structures. The remains
of his work can still be seen in both Luxor and
Karnak. Amenhoteps wife, the beautiful Queen
Nefertiti, was perhaps of asiatic royal blood.
W hen he ascended to the throne, he held council
about matters of state principally with his mother,
his wife, and his High Priest, Eye, who had mar
ried his childhood nurse. During this period,
there was no state religion, that is, no centralized
religion recognized by all of the peoples of Egypt,
or the subjugated states of Egypt. There were
rather a number of religious cults, which were
localized; that is, which had followers in certain
cities or sections of the Empire. Actually the
powers attributed to these gods by the different
dissenting religious sects were about the same. In
Memphis the god Ptah held forth and was ac
claimed as the supreme god. In Thebes, Amon
was the superior deity to whom all others were
subordinated. In Heliopolis, it was Re, who was
genetically selected by the High Priests.
Certain mystical and philosophical aspects were
identified with these gods and their practices.
There was an attempt by the priesthood to ex
plain natural phenomena by the invention of
tales in which the gods were held to be the cause
for all things of which man had awareness. W hen
Amenhotep IV ascended to the position of Em
peror over the numerous vassal states and peoples
which composed the Egyptian Empire at that
time, with their various customs and religious be
liefs, and found them all paying homage to him
alone, he was deeply impressed. Meditation upon

Page 105

this experience caused the inner unfoldment,

which made him not only the world's first great
individual, but mystic as well. If man can respect
and acknowledge one mortal as ruler of earthly
lives and a director of humanitys material wel"
fare, why then must there in the Divine realm be
several gods? W hy is it not possible in the higher
plane for there to be one being and that being be
the creator and lord of all? W ith such thoughts,
there came to Amenhotep IV the great illumina'
tion. He saw in the multiplicity of gods, in the
existing polytheism and the complicated sacerdo
talism, the shallowness of that reasoning of man
by which he ascribes petty conduct to divine
personalities.
He immediately set about to revolutionize the
religious thought. There must be a sole living
God, and he must be the lord and ruler of all
creation. This God he called Aton; however, it
was not the Aton for whom the sun itself had
been named and worshipped elsewhere in the
Egyptian Empire long before Amenhotep IV.
This Aton, this sole God, was a creative, a be
nign omniscient force. It existed everywhere, and
the sun was merely its symbol. The sun, to
Amenhotep IV, was not a solar deity. This one,
ever-living God, whom he came to know and ex
pound, was a Divine influence which emanated
through the sun to the earth; consequently, in his
inscriptions on monuments and in temples, he
shows the sun as the symbol of the ever-living
God, with rays reaching from it to earth, and at
the end of each ray, he, for the first time, placed
a hand which further depicted the creative force
of God, bringing forth from earth all living things
and giving the form to all things. W e must keep
in mind, therefore, that Amenhotep IV did not
apotheosize the sun, but used it merely as the
symbol of the ever-living God, Aton.
For centuries, the priesthood had grown in
strength, and was waxing powerful and wealthy.
Through religious taxation its coffers were over
flowing. Through its hold upon the minds and
emotions of the people, it had been rivaling the
state, or the power of the Pharaoh. They looked
with great dismay and consternation upon the
setting up of a new religious concept by Amen
hotep IV, and yet they dared not attempt to over
throw him, for his Dynasty was an old one, re
spected and dignified, and his hold upon the
peoples was quite strong. Apparently realizing
that sooner or later he must face the issue of con
flict with the priesthood, he followed an im
petuous and dangerous course of action. He im
mediately dispossessed the priests of the temples,
and eradicated from the temple walls the orations,
the songs of adoration to the old gods, and had in
scribed in their places the new and beautiful and
highly mystical prayers to the new and ever-living
God. These prayers so impressed later peoples

Page 106

and so influenced the religious thought of the

ancient world that we find them, with slight
changes, incorporated in the Psalms, borrowed
from Amenhotep IV by the Hebrew prophets.
160 miles above the delta, in a bay in the cliffs
on the west side of the Nile he finally selected the
place for his new city, the city of his new religion,
of revolution in art, and thought.
He gave so little concern to political and mili
tary matters that the Empire began to disintegrate.
Revolutions abounded. In accordance with his
esthetic nature and mystical insight, he was re
luctant, even upon the insistence of his generals,
to use force to hold the Empire together. The
new city which he built he called Akhetaton,
which means horizon, or Aton, which we today
call Tel-el-Amarna. He had fourteen stelas,
twenty-six feet in height, erected on one of the
cliffs overlooking the city, on which he had in
scribed prayers to the new God, the Supreme and
only God, and he immediately had three new
temples constructed under the direction of his
architect, Bek. The tombs and funerary customs
were also changed. Instead of the tombs having
the depressive atmosphere of gruesome, fantastic
paintings in vivid colors on their walls, of scenes
of the dead, of the things to come in the nether
world, such as we now find in the so-called Book
of the Dead," he had painted scenes of the living,
in fresh colorsnatural pictures of life, depicting
the activities and events of the lifetime of the de
parted. He developed within the peoples an
esthetic tastea love for beauty, for art, music,
and literature. They were taught not to fear God,
but to understand him, to know him through his
works, and to be real philosophers and to have a
love for knowledge. W e find this ideal expressed
in the following portion of one of the songs by
Amenhotep I V :
How manifold are all thy works!
They are hidden from us,
Oh, thou sole God, whose powers no other
possesseth."
The fact that this great city established by
Amenhotep IV was finally abandoned after his
transition, and many of the peoples, or the masses
in general were swung over again to the priest
hood, does not reflect unfavorably upon what he
had attempted. His ideals, his concepts, never
died for they were kept alive continually by
groups, by smaller mystical schools, from whence
came the Rosicrucians. The great discoveries of
cosmic laws and the principles of life and nature,
brought about by his regime, were preserved and
were finally incorporated in scrolls which found
their way into the great library in Alexandria.
Some of the early alchemists, both the Greek and
Arabian, and even the alchemists of the Middle
Ages perpetuated these teachings, these mysteries
of Egypt, which have come on down to our pres

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ent day, and which constitute the nuclei of our

present Rosicrucian teachings. But today, as in
our early beginnings, we are not content to stop
with what we have, to live upon our heritage of
learningthe results of the research, sacrifice, and
thought of our predecessors and our venerable
masters, but wish to add to it by our own efforts,
so that we can keep abreast of the times, and so
that we may perpetuate our sacred tradition of
advancing knowledge.
W e can not say that it is impossible for an in'
dividual today who is not a member of the Rosi
crucian Order to discover for himself all that is
incorporated in the teachings of the Order; but
we do say that if an individual were to discover
all of the things which constitute our teachings,
the laws of nature, and the technique of applying
them solely through his own efforts in one life'
time, he would be the most amazing individual
that ever lived. He would indeed be a miracle
man. But we can see from what has gone before
that the Rosicrucian teachings are cumulative.
Those that have no value have been weeded out
and discarded. Those that have been proven and
tried have come down to endure with time. One
becomes a member, therefore, to save time as well
as to know, the shortest, safest, and most sensible
way to the greatest amount of knowledge.X.

Dimensions Space and M atter

Frater E. B .------------ rises at this point in the
Forum discussion to ask: I do not comprehend
the ultimate of the three dimensions, that is,
where the end of space may be in any direction,
and what is beyond. I do not know if the fourth
is the last dimension. It may be the fifth is life,
the sixth consciousness, the seventh Cosmic Con'
sciousness, the eighth, ninth one hundred and
forty-fourth God?"
This Fraters question, he further stated, was
aroused by a high degree monograph in which a
very thorough and simple explanation of the
fourth dimension is given. W e must realize that
dimension is a human invention; it has no exist
ence or reality outside of the mind of man. This
is easily proven by the fact that when we refer to
dimension we must of necessity associate it with
some thing, or it becomes merely a mathematical
equation. The word dimension, even the kind of
dimension breadth, length or height has no
real import unless it is identified either with a
thing or with that peculiar state of absence of
things that we call space. The three dimensions,
then, are the three planes of a substance of which
we are conscious, or an area in which there ap
pears to be no substance.
To simplify this explanation, we can say that
dimensions are the extent of any manifestation
which is apparent to our peripheral senses. If we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

could always be conscious of only one thing at a

time, see only one object, we would have no such
concept as dimension. To help you understand
this better, imagine standing with your face
against the surface of a great wall, as though you
were suspended before it, and as though there
were no ground, or nothing beneath you. You
look up, and you can see no top to the wall. You
look below, and you can see no bottom. You look
to the left and to the right, and you see no ends.
If all that you were conscious of was that wall,
could you think of it then in terms of dimensions?
W hat would be its height, its length, its depth?
You would not be able to say. But have you
thought why you could not? It would be because
of the continuousness of the manifestation. You
would have no awareness of change. There would
be no starting or ending point to the wall, to
which you could apply the man-made rule of
dimensions. There would only be a sameness.
You must come to realize that there are only
two general kinds of change that the human mind
can be conscious of in the physical world. The
first is the difference in the internal motion or in
the nature of things, which excite our organs of
sight, for example. Thus one object is green to
us; immediately to the left of it we see blue. If
we follow the blue to the right we find that we
then become again aware of the green object.
Consequently, by being conscious of this change
we conceive of the blue object having limitations
in its nature, to the degree or to the extent of its
blueness, and likewise for the green. If one object
at which we may look appears round, and im'
mediately above it another has the geometrical
form of square, this difference or change of ap'
pea ranee of which we are conscious engenders in
our mind the idea of there being two objects or
two conditions or things. Then there is the sec'
ond kind of change. W e see before us an object
which has certain very definite characteristics, but
to the sides of it and above it is something that is
not only different in appearance but in all other
qualities, for we can move the first object which
has mass into this new, different one without
changing the former. In other words, we are con'
scious of the change from matter to space or from
space to matter, as well as that change which con'
stitutes the difference of one thing from another.
To the senses of touch and sight, these changes
seem to have dimension, the common number of
which is three. W hen we measure something, or
give it dimension, we are determining the extent
or area of its nature before it appears to our con'
sciousness to change, or before we realize a change
of the form of something into something else.
Whereas matter is infinite in variety and its forms
to our senses, consisting of all those things to
which we have given a name as realities, space
conversely is uniform in nature. There are not

Page 107

different kinds of space, but just space. On first

hand we think of space as the absence of every'
thing. W hat we really mean, however, is that
space is the absence of matter, or what we call
matter. Consequently, since anything we can per'
ceive at all falls within the general category of
matter and energy, space, then, it follows, must
be that state or condition in which nothing exists
which would have the characteristics of matter.
As we have seen, however, even matter and space
have extension, that is, they seem to merge or
change into one another, and the extent of that
change or merging can be measured by the mind
of man. Matter begins where space ends. Like'
wise, space begins where matter ends.
The Frater asks: W here is the end of space in
any direction?'* To our senses, as we have seen,
the limitations of space are the beginning of
matter. If you have before you two six'inch wood
cubes, separated by three inches with nothing but
space between them, what are the limits of that
space? They are at least its two dimensions of
length and breadth, but there is no height for the
space runs into infinity upward, or at least up
toward the ceiling of the room in which you are
now seated. Now what the Frater really means
by this question is: W hat is, or is there, a limit
to any one of the dimensions of space which ap'
pears to run into infinity? If there were an actual
state such as space, then it would truly be limit'
less when it so appears to the eye. However,
space is not existent as such a condition. It is the
negative phase or aspect of matter. M atter is
what we perceive. Space consists of that which
we cannot discern, except that we do perceive it
generally as the absence of matter.
Let us look at it in this light: Suppose the uni'
verse actually consisted of space as we ordinarily
think of it, and of matter. W e would have myriad
forms of matter, and that of which they are com'
posed, floating in nothingness like balloons in the
sky, providing we think of the sky as being devoid
of air. Such a conception, however, introduces
numerous other problems. Our universe, then,
would consist of an aggregate of ununited things.
It is true of course, that in the heavens above, ob'
jects seem to be surrounded by space and con'
tiguous upon nothing else. This brings us to the
argument offered by the ancient philosopher,
Parmenides of the Eleatic school. He held that
the universe consisted of a solid block of sub'
stance and that this substance was being. Though
Parmenides argued against change existing as a
principle in the universe, some of his remarks can
be used to support the fact that space as we or'
dinarily think of it is non'existent and a figment
of mans mind. Parmenides said that if the forms
of matter are composed of little parts that can be
moved around to make up the particulars of our
finite world, what are they moved in? If you say

Page 108

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they are moved in space, then you are giving

space an existence, and things then would only be
moved within themselves, for you have made
space a being. On the other hand, if space is
nothing, or a state of non-being, then it does not
exist and you cannot move matter or parts of it
into something which is not.
This reasoning may appear paradoxical. It does,
however, disclose that centuries ago some of the
ancient thinkers held that anything which man
can perceive must have an existence of a kind
because there cannot be any such condition as a
void in our universe. If space as a condition of
nothing exists, how, for example, do we perceive
light? The energy of light penetrates space, so do
electrical and magnetic radiations. Do not the
Cosmic rays come from out of the so-called
stellar space? W e must conclude by virtue of ex
perience and observation that space is very much
a state or condition of reality but different from
matter. It consists of those manifestations which
we cannot discern in the manner that we do
matter. It is no more infinite than is matter, for
by the use of certain instruments we can find
existing in it manifestations of natural phenomena,
which display as in matter, the principal quality
of change. W e find energies emanating through
out space which, to our objective senses, have
limitations. That is, their nature seems to change
at different frequencies or ranges into other kinds
of expressions, just as matter changes and has its
dimensions or limits. In the broad sense of the
term, both matter and space are limitless, that is
they are ubiquitousthey have no beginning or
end except in relation to one another or in rela
tion to their different kinds of expression.X.

W e A te H onored
W hen we have enemies, as we most often do
and as has most every individual or organization
that dares to do something which attracts atten
tioneveryone knows about them. In fact our
enemies make certain that they will be known,
they go to no little trouble and expense, if they
can afford it, in acquainting others with their
inimical acts. They mail literature and letters at
tacking us to credulous and guileless people who
accept what they read without further inquiry.
It behooves us, therefore, with pardonable pride,
to announce in these pages, on the other hand,
distinctions and honors we receive, the sources of
which far transcend our enemies in integrity.
W e have just been notified by the Oglethorpe
University that the Rosicrucian Order, AM ORC,
has been selected to be one of the few contributors
to add to their collection of philosophical ma
terial that is to be deposited in a specially con
structed crypt, for posterity.

In August of 1934 the late Imperator, Dr. H.

Spencer Lewis, and Past Sovereign Grand Master
Clement LeBrun, in a special ceremony deposited
in the breast of one of the concrete sphinxes
mounted in front of the main entrance to the
Rose-Croix Science Building in Rosicrucian Park,
an hermetically sealed and rust-proof metal
cylinder which contains the essence of the Rosi
crucian teachings, vital statistics concerning the
Order, and a resume of its present activities. The
aperture in the breast of the sphinx, which was
otherwise solid, was then sealed with concrete.
A photograph of the ceremony with the two of
ficers officiating was taken and published in the
September 1934 issue of the Rosicrucian Digest.
The object was not to preserve the teachings of
the Order in this manner for posterity, for this
has been done in numerous other ways. It was
intended, rather, to give future Rosicrucian mem
bers an intimate insight into our activities, our
policies, and methods of accomplishing things in
this century of the organizations existence.
Years later in 1939, in fact during the
W orlds Fair of New York, a similar idea was
promulgated by the directors of the New York
W orlds Fair and others. Articles, devices, books,
paintings, jewelry, photographs, motion pictures,
phonograph records, electric light bulbs, and
numerous other things depicting the industry and
culture of today were deposited in a specially de
signed and constructed capsule that was called the
Time'Capsule, and which was sealed and intended
not to be opened until centuries hence. The Cap
sule was constructed of heat and acid-resisting
metal and every scientific care was taken to pre
serve its contents. The press at the time launched
the idea as something sensationally new, yet the
same press had publicized our activity furthering
a corresponding idea and purpose some five years
previous.
The activities of Oglethorpe University, how
ever, are not intended for sensationalism, nor are
they intended to preserve a cross-section of all the
things men of today use in every-day life. In a
way, their intent corresponds more to our pur
pose. In their Crypt of Civilization will be in
terred an epitome of the worlds knowledge, what
man \nows and believes today. Certain individ
uals or groups of individuals, who are constituted
authorities on subjects, will prepare the treatises
and materials that will be accepted for perusal by
mankind centuries in the future. The Crypt will
be sealed during an appropriate ceremony this
coming year, or 1940, and it is intended that it
shall not be opened until the year, 8113, A. D.
In the booklet entitled, The Crypt of Civiliza
tion, presented to us by the archivist of the Uni

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

versity, an article by him, explaining this great

venture, says in part:
In this last twenty-five years we have seen
the gradual evolution of this dawn of freedom.
It has come about through the conquest of
many of mans hereditary limitations which
prevented the free interplay of his thought with
that of his fellow men. The barriers of time,
space and distance have been thrust back by the
aeroplane, the automobile, radio, television and
the motion picture. W e who have seen this
evolution and are the inheritors of the accumulated wisdom of the ages know what we want
and how to set about getting it. W e are forging
a new life for ourselves and posterity. W e are
creating a new world to replace the old: new
substances, new forms, such as our plastics that
never existed before, new thoughts and ideals.
But in all this chaos of birth we must not dis
card the culture of the past, for from the ac
cumulated experience acquired by the slow pro
cess of trial and error which has been built up
during the centuries, lies the promise of a
speedier solution of the problems of the future.
Neither must we neglect to guard preciously the
wisdom we have so laboriously striven for, and
it is in this connection that the work we are
undertaking here in history will be remembered
long after we have passed away. I refer to the
crypt. This concept, the daring, splendid and
practical vision of our President, Dr. Jacobs, is
so close to us that many of us do not evaluate
it as posterity will. I probably realize its value
more than the average person would, no matter
what their educational background might be,
for the reason that in my travels in many coun
tries I have seen the dead fragments of former
civilizations perished and scattered over the
land, sport of the winds and wild beasts. I have
stood in the palaces and temples of forgotten
\ings and priests, and wondered what they
knew, and what their lives were. I have seen
the pillars of Aso\a, that great and wise king,
who, to preserve to mankind the wisdom of the
great teacher, Buddha, set up the rules of the
Eightfold Path on columns of stone in every
part of his great kingdom. They are practically
all we know of this great king. I once stood in
A nuradhrapura at twilight and mused on the
scene of desolation spread before me, trying to
people it with the life and glamour it once held
when it was a city of a million people.
Similarly I have seen A n\or W a t, the great
capital of the Khmer Kings about whom we
know so little; only their names. On the walls
are beautiful sculptures showing how the kings
and their harems and dancing girls lived, but
nothing more. Fatehpur Si\ri, Golconda, Petra,
Karna\, Chic\en Itza all are names and stones,

Page 109

dead and forgotten. Each had its day of pomp

and glory, its rise to splendor, then its light
flickered and waned and died. Each is adorned
with sculptures telling of its priests and kings,
its power and its conquests, sometimes decipher
able, sometimes not. Each had the opportunity
offered it which we have, the opportunity to
record for posterity all it knew of the world of
which it thought it was so commanding a part,
and each passed the opportunity by, toying
with its own greatness and the pomp and cir
cumstances of its puny kings, and neglected the
one thing that would have made it truly great,
the passing on to posterity of its history, the
history of the world in which it lived and the
daily life of its people, their arts, sciences and
literature.
Occasionally some king, as Asoka did, with
Buddhas precepts, or as the emperor of China
did, when after the destruction of the classics
by Chinshih Kwang Ti, and their discovery, he
caused them to be engraved on marble and set
up where they remain to this day.
In general however, the carvings extol the
greatness of some king whose very name is no
longer known. It is for this reason that Ogle
thorpe University will be regarded in the future
as the greatest treasure house of all time, for
within its crypt will be placed a treasure such
as no man ever deposited before, a treasure of
accumulated knowledge that may free the world
some day, should our present civilization perish.
On the other hand if our civilization has pro
gressed to such a point that our present day
culture seems childish and archaic, the deposit
will still be a treasure house of material of sur'
passing interest to the savants who open it. No
doubt they will be as pleasantly surprised to
find we have many things they will regard as
their own inventions, as we are, when we learn
of the slot machines used by the ancient Egyp
tians, or the 'modern plumbing which can be
seen in any Pompeiian villa. In the field of
philology and ancient languages probably many
of the slang words over which controversy had
raged for centuries will be cleared up, and
anachronisms and obsolete terms made plain.
So, too, in the field of sociology, anthropology,
ethnology, and comparative religions, the de
posit will be of the greatest value; but, of
course, of surpassing importance will be the
historical data, photos, and motion pictures
housed in the crypt.
Since the time when the Crypt is to be opened
is so far in advance that it seems almost fantastic
that a knowledge of its existence will be had by
mankind then, it is interesting to read what plans
have been made to insure the finding of the Crypt

Page 110

in the year 8113, and so we again quote from the

publication issued by Oglethorpe University:
In order to insure that the crypt will be
found in the year 8113, a systematic arrange
ment of plaques in all the most important mod
em languages has been made. The legend on
the plague is first printed on an especially pre
pared 100 per cent rag paper. This is then sent
to the Bastian Brothers Plant in Rochester,
New York, where it is enclosed between two
sheets of cellulose acetate and subjected simul
taneously to heat and pressure of 28,000
pounds to the square inch. This treatment
moulds the whole unit into one solid sheet of
cellulose acetate witlj the inscription hermeti
cally sealed inside. W hen these are received
back at the Oglethorpe University, they will be
sent to all parts of the world to institutions of
learning and to libraries in the western world,
and to similar places in the Orient where in
addition, some will be sent to strange monas
teries hidden up in the shadows of Himalayian
snows in Sikkim, to the Potala in Lhassa in
Thibet, to temples in China and Japan, Siam
and Java. A copy of the English plaque is be
ing deposited by request in the Temple of the
Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of Free
masons in Washington, D. C.
The exact location is determined by a tri
angulation from Stone Mountain and from
Kennesaw Mountain which has been prepared
by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.'
W hat concerns us is that the Rosicrucian
Order, AM ORC, has won the recognition of so
influencing the minds, conduct, and lives of the
peoples of today that its philosophic tenets and
precepts are one of the principal phases of en
lightening and cultural thought of our modern
day. It is needless to say that only those teachings
which are well entrenched and have been in exist
ence for some time, and which are embraced by
intelligent peoples of this era, will be so honored.
Dozens of the religious and so-called mystical
cults which suddenly flare into prominence and
attract attention and draw numbers of sensation
alism seekers will not be asked to contribute their
doctrines. It is undoubtetdly recognized that pos
sibly before the crypt will be sealed the light
which they now radiate, if it may be deemed such,
will have been diminished. Further, the teachings
of such movements are too lacking in fundamental
thought and original concepts to characterise the
thought of today. Most of the popular cults ex
pound to the masses of unthinking people what
seems to them to be an astounding philosophy,
but to students, educators, philosophers, and mys
tics it is actually plagiarized material from ortho
dox religions or philosophical doctrines that are
extinct, and which has been revived and sur

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rounded with dramatic rubbish. The materials,

then, which A M O RC shall submit to be deposited
will be in dignified and sympathetic company.
The diversified activities of the Rosicrucian
Order, A M O RC, are attracting the attention of
many authorities in the literary, scientific, and
cultural worlds. Universities and colleges on the
Pacific Coast and in the western part of the
United States, as well as curators of museums in
these sections, are directing students of archae
ology, Egyptology, and ancient history to the
Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum, because
of its extra large and rare Egyptian, Babylonian,
and Assyrian collection. The Rosicrucian collec
tion of Egyptian antiquities is the largest in the
western United States, and is so recognized by the
large museums comprising the American Associa
tion of Museums, of which the Rosicrucian
Museum is a member. It is not uncommon for
antiquarians to travel several hundred miles out
of their way to come to San Jose to study, and,
with the permission of our curator, photograph
certain of our exhibits. Recently a young woman,
a graduate of a university in Europe, and asso
ciated for a time with several large museums there
and who is recognized as an authority on the
subject of Assyriology, and lectures to students of
Babylonian and Assyrian history in the leading
universities of this country, such as Yale, Harvard,
University of Chicago, Stanford, and otherswas
directed to the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose
to see and examine our Babylonian and Assyrian
collection. She confirmed the statements of other
authorities that our collection was the most valu
able one on the Pacific Coast and had one of the
finest displays she had ever seen.
It is only comparatively a few years ago that
our Rosicrucian Museum consisted exclusively of
the private collection of our late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis. During his numerous journeys
throughout the world and into Egypt, he collected
and was given rare gifts of Egyptian antiquities.
The collection was a very valuable one, and since
he realized, as he so expressed it, that so few could
see these valuable relics, he wanted them displayed
in a public manner that would bring pleasure and
benefit to a greater number 9f persons. One side
of one large room in our Administration Building,
adjoining our Editorial offices, was set aside to
display his collection. It attracted such a consid
erable attention that the late Imperator finally
donated his entire collection to the Order for the
purpose of its becoming the foundation upon
which a larger museum could be established. From
it there evolved not only a larger collection but a
large and attractive building which houses it, and
which is visited by thousands of persons annually,
many thousands of whom are not even members
of AM ORC. Many come for no other reason
than to see its exhibits, its models, its dioramas,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and its various chambers and halls of different

ancient architecture. During the Fall and W inter
months, hardly a day passes when large school
busses are not parked in front of the museum
building, from them classes of grammar, high
school, or college students are escorted through
the museum halls. This recognition which we re
ceive, and which comes to us in numerous ways,
gladdens our hearts, for it means that among
thinking people there exists an appreciation of
what the Rosicrucians are doing today.
Recently we received a request from the pub
lishers of the large Jewish Encyclopediawhich
is an authority on Hebrew thought, language,
customs, history, and religionasking us kindly
to lend them a photo-engraving of the view of the
ruins of Ishtar Gate and the hanging gardens of
Babylon, which Frater Brower photographed on
the AM ORC Camera Expedition in 1936 and
which has been published in the Rosicrucian
Digest. They informed us that they had seen this
photograph and in their opinion it was the finest
of the subject they had ever seen, and they desired
it to illustrate an article on Babylonia for their
new edition. Of course, a credit line will be in
serted beneath the photograph, to the effect that
the engraving was loaned through the courtesy
of AM ORCThe Rosicrucian Order. The en
cyclopedia consists of many volumes. A n earlier
edition of it is in the Rosicrucian Research Li
brary, and it is a work that is extensively used in
theological seminaries, colleges, universities, and
reference libraries, as well as by students who can
afford an extensive home library.
The new Rosicrucian Research Library (see
photographs in the July, 1939, issue of the Rosi
crucian Digest), which is growing daily in the
number of volumes it contains, has recently been
admitted into membership in the American Library Association. Every public or institutional
library of importance in the United States is a
member of that select association. Membership is
not easily obtainable. The association stipulates,
for example, that a library seeking admission must
maintain a building of its own and that it must be
constructed to conform to general library require
ments and to provide certain facilities. Further,
the library must have a minimum of so many
thousand volumes. It must be open a certain
number of hours weekly, and there must be in
charge of it an accredited librarian, who is trained
in standard library practice. The Rosicrucian Re
search Librarys membership in this association
adds to the prestige of this subsidiary activity
of the Order, and assures every A M O RC mem
ber that this new membership privilege meets cer
tain high and accepted standards in the literary
world.X.

Page 111

T he Lost Books of the Bible

A Soror arises in our midst to ask us the ques
tions: Is the Bible a sacred book? Has it been
profaned by man, that is, has it had books re
moved from it which finally became lost to man
kind? These, obviously, are very delicate ques
tions, because they trespass on individual religious
interpretations and beliefs. Perhaps it is best to
cite historical facts, which can not reasonably be
contested, and allow our FORUM readers to
draw their individual conclusions from them. In
addition, we shall give the Rosicrucian mystical
conception in our explanation, or answer, wher
ever it is necessary.
W e shall consider the Bible first from its ex
ternal nature. The word Bible, as is most gen
erally known, is derived from the Greek and
means not only one, but many books, or, in fact,
a collection of books. The Old Testament (O. T.)
was originally written in a variety of forms. The
earliest Hebrew O. T. was written on the skins of
animals, which, after being dried, were then rolled
in the form of scrolls and tied with leather thongs,
which were wrapped about them.' Some of the
historical records of the O. T. were taken from
the accounts on the cones and tablets of the Baby
lonians. These cones and tablets were, of course,
of clay, and the writing was inscribed in the
cuneiform language by impressing the end of a
wedge-like reed, which was used as a stylus, in
the soft clay. The clay was then baked, which
made the tablets and cones durable for ages, if not
dropped on a hard surface. The New Testament
(N. T .), being of a much later period, was writ
ten on papyrus, which was the common writing
material of that period, but which had descended
from the Egyptians who had been using it for
centuries previous. These papyrus rolls were like
wise in the form of scrolls and were tied in the
same manner as the parchment.
W hen we consider the internal nature, or con
text of the Bible itself, we run into a great num
ber of difficulties, for there is an abvious conflict
between historical fact and the orthodox accept
ance of the Bible as the actual, unadulterated
word of God. The O. T. is a collection of frag
ments of songs of the heroes of Israel and inci
dents in the individual lives of the peoples of anti
quity; and it is a collection of legends founded
upon natural phenomena, such as floods, earth
quakes, and falling stars; and it also includes in
herited liturgies from religions now extinct. Per
sons who visit the southern states of the United
States of America for any length of time, or who
have lived in any of them, know how the jovial,
simple people of the colored race, with their
natural talent for singing, sing in the fields while
they toil. In melodious voices, most pleasant to
listen to, they sing, or we should say, chant, of

Page 112

their duties, their hopes for tomorrow, of their

ailments, their fears, their employer, their children,
and of their God. Whenever these songs are reduced to writing, as has been done, we have a
collection of the experiences and thoughts of these
peoples. W e know of their actual lives from them,
and of their spiritual concepts, as well as their
aspirations. W e can almost group these songs by
the seasons in which they are sung, and thus have
a chronological arrangement of the activities of
these peoples. If someone would take these songs
and enlarge upon them, that is, take the colloquial
expressions and explain them and give them
factual background as to why they were sung
and what they meant, we would no longer have
songs, but short stories or talesa sort of epitome
of the history of the times as realised by simple
country folk, and a biography of the people and
their customs. T his is the manner in which the
basis of our present O. T. evolved.
The ancient Semetic nomad tribes, as they
travelled around the great fertile crescent that
borders the Southern and W estern end of the
Mediterranean Sea and that fringes the great
deserts of Asia Minor, accumulated tales from
various peoples whom they met. These concerned
the creation of the world, the first man and
woman, the great deluge and the wars that oc
curred between the existing civilisations and cul
tures of Asia and of Africa. These nomads began
the first refinement of the O. T., which we have
now come to accept as part of the Sacred Book,
or Bible. They discarded conflicting songs and de
veloped the most interesting and appealing into
prose. The prose then, in turn, was put into an
order that resembled a continuous history. Until
this time there was no attempt to make of these
stories religious dogma, or a moral code. The
moral code was not added until the time of Moses.
As the tales of the O. T. took on a religious
significance, the historical instances then became
highly idealised. Historically speaking, the Egyp
tian plagues referred to in the O. T. are highly
exaggerated, and likewise, it is conceded, is the
manner of receiving the moral law or code atop
Mt. Sinai. It is further generally held that Moses
actually reduced to writing some of his laws, as
did the great Babylonian Hammurabi before him,
and of whose code he was undoubtedly aware.
The written code of Moses is believed to form the
nucleus of the Pentateuch. Coeval with the
Hebrew priests and prophets were the wise men
certain naturally sagacious and shrewd indiv
iduals, whose intelligence soon made them out
standing among their fellowmen. These wise men
were often consulted by the laity as to the mean
ing of the prophecies or the prose of the O. T.
Their astute answers then were likewise included
in the books of the O. T., and came to compose
much of the philosophy of the O. T. The Book of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Job, one of the most profound of the O. T., is

such an example, for it teaches philosophically
that adversity may result in great spiritual
prosperity.
Before the writings of the O. T. could be made
canonical and be accepted as the law of God, two
processes had to take place. The first was purely
physical, and consisted of collecting into one
volume the separate stories, songs, tales of the
prophets, and the parables of the wise men. It
was not merely necessary to collect them into a
volume, but also to give them an intelligent con
tinuity. Next, though they might make interest
ing and plausible reading, after they had been
edited, such as we would find in reading a collec
tion of newspaper articles relative to the events
of the past century, something more was needed.
They had to be invested with certain attributes
before they could be accepted as being sacred, and
as constituting the Divine word or law. The work
of canonising the O. T. was taken over by the
Rabbinical Schools. In the First Century B. C.,
the cessation of adding to, or of substituting for
any of the books of the O. T. actually began. The
Rabbinical Schools then set themselves to the task
of edifying the existing books and designating
them as the inspired words of the prophetscon
sequently making of them canonical writings. It
is from this beginning in the First Century B. C.,
that there has descended to us the belief that the
O. T. is the word of God. The manner in which
this was deduced is fairly simple. The prophets
spake not their own wordswhat they told the
peoples was not declared to be their own conclu
sions or opinions, but rather it was said to be the
voice of God speaking through them. They were
said to be, and they acknowledged that they were,
the mouthpieces of God, the direct agents of God.
They were illumined, and during those periods,
there were revealed to them Divine messages
which it became their solemn and sacred obliga
tion to impart to mankind. Since the O. T., or its
books, are the words of the prophets, they were
consequently, by this line of reasoning, the words
of God. The Bible, by this premise, then became
a sacred boo\. Further, according to this reason
ing, if a book is sacred, it must of necessity be
perfectinfallible. As a consequence, nothing
can be added to or subtracted from that which
contains the word of God.
The person who today expounds the Bible as
the word of God undoubtedly reasons in this
same manner. He is probably not aware, how
ever, that before the First Century much of the
W ord of God had been changed, deleted, and
added to in the Rabbinical Schools. He further
disregards, or is ignorant of the fact that the his
torical events of the O. T. were not messages of
the prophets, but stories that were handed down
by word of mouth for centuries, and most of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

which came from the so-called pagan peoples. He

further does not realize that many of the wise,
erudite sayings of the O. T., as we have shown,
were neither legends nor the postulations of
prophets, but the interpretations of contemporary
sages, some of which were even influenced by the
Greek schools of philosophy, notably the neoPlatonic. In the main, however, the sacredness of
the O. T. depends upon the belief that the
prophets spoke the words of God.
This raises a number of questions, if one is
skeptical, or just naturally sincerely inquisitive.
Were the Hebrew prophets charlatans? Did they
deliberately intend to deceive a credulous people
of their own time and of future ages, or did they
actually believe that they were inspired and moved
by God to speak the words that flashed into their
consciousness? In other words, is there also a re
mote possibility that the prophets labored under
a self-deception, under delusions? As we study
the lives of the majority of the great prophets,
fragments of which exist in other literature than
the Bible, we are deeply impressed with their
sincerity, as it displays itself in their personal con
duct. There has not been pointed out in a definite
way that they were guilty of any acts of perfidy
or that their personal actions from day to day and
year to year varied greatly from the ideals they
expounded as godly living; consequently, the next
point to consider is the psychological one. W hat
made these prophets believe they were inspired to
speak the word of God, or deliver Gods message
unto man?
We, as Rosicrucians, might ask ourselves a like
question. W hat makes us certain that we have a
Cosmic revelation? Divine words are Divine
truths. If the human mind successfully communes
with the Infinite Intelligence, the Supreme Being,
it is given an insight into the absolutethe great
Cosmicwhere there is not opinion, nor even
contemplated act, but existing facts. Man sees
what is and what always has been, when in attunement with the Cosmic; therefore communion
with the Divine Intelligence serves man by per
mitting him to glean Divine truths, sometimes as
words, which are immutable and indisputable.
It is necessary, of course, to distinguish between
Divine truths and the truths of reason. A truth,
as we often have said, is that about which we en
tertain no doubt, and which at the moment is ir
revocable by ourselves or anyone else. Such truths
are, however, not inspirational, they are usually
deduced from a process of reasoning, sometimes
quite laboriously brought out. Such truths, like
wise, do not always affect us emotionally. They
bring to a satisfactory culmination a chain of
reasoning, furnishing an answer to self-induced
questions, or to one asked of us. On the other
hand, COSMIC TRUTHS, or intuitive truths,
have an entirely different and more profound

Page 113

effect upon us. Almost every intuitive truth rises

suddenly to the fore of the consciousness, illum
inating the mind like a comet flashing from out of
nowhere, and darting across the dark heavens of
the night. A n intuitive truth, as a rule, has not
been sought, yet it supplies an answer to questions
more often sensed as existing in the recesses of the
mind than made audible. Intuitive truths, as we
know by common experience, arouse us to action,
and their clarity and forcefulness enthuse us. W e
feel that we can not keep them locked within us
we are ebullient with the wisdom they bring.
In other words, the reception of the intuitive
truths of Cosmic revelation is always accompanied
by a rise of spirits and an immanent sense of
gratefulness for the source of the wisdom, and a
corresponding desire to serve humanity in ap
preciation of our good fortune.
Instead of immediately seeking to avail oneself
of the advantages that come from the wisdom of
such truths, as we do with the truths of reason,
these intuitive truths cause us to resort to ex
piation. Intuitive truths are not altered by sub
sequent experiences, or profound opinion, the
result of the exercise of great intelligence. W e
\now that such truths originate beyond the realm
of our objective consciousness; they are prompted
by spiritual forces and so we, as Rosicrucians, are
by this means quite able to determine what con
stitutes Cosmic revelations. In like manner, the
ancient prophets had their periods of illumination
or revelation. To them, what they heardthe
words that came into their consciousnesswere
the words of God speaking through them. There
is, however, no doubt that the inspired truths that
they gave to man suffered in being recounted by
word of mouth, generation after generation before
finally being made canonical, as we have said, in
the First Century B. C.
Side by side with the canonic writings there
existed, for a great period, the Apocryphal writ
ings. Literally the Apocryphal writings were the
hidden writingsthe esoteric teachings. These
esoteric teachings were consonant with the other
books of the Bible, but were thought to be too
profound for the masses of the people to under
stand. In fact, they were even thought to be
pernicious for the great majority, but profoundly
enlightening for the few. The book, The Secret
Doctrines of Jesus, written by our late Impera
tor, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, contains much men
tion of these esoteric or Apocryphal teachings of
Christ, which are not contained in the N. T. It
must not be thought that the prophets and sages
were partial towards certain groups or individuals
in imparting to them the sacred teachings, but
rather that they knew there were degrees of per
sonal evolution and comprehension. They knew
that all men could not understand truth alike, be
cause all men were not ready for it. Some of the

Page 114

truths had to be clothed in the comely little analogies, such as we find existing in the N. T. The
truths had to be put in the form of stories related
to the conduct and daily lives of the peoples, so
that they could understand them, but there were
others who could have the truths shorn of all
these, presented with their full import, and these
persons were the ones who received the Apocry
phal, or esoteric writings and teachings.
Later, however, for some reason not explained,
the esoteric teachings, or the Apocryphal writings
were all declared to be harmful and thus were ex
punged permanently from the writings of the
Bible. Then at a still later date, discovery of these
writings showed them to be anything but harmful.
A book of the Bible, for example, long declared
lost, is the Book of Jasher. Jasher literally means
the upright, and the book contains many amazing
statements, which conflict with Genesis, but are
to the credit of Jasher. The book of Jasher is re
ferred to in the present Christian Bible in two
placesin Joshua X. 13, we find: Is not this
written in the Book of Jasher? In Samuel I. 18,
it is stated: Behold, it is written in the book of
Jasher. The Book of Jasher was reclaimed for
the world by the great philosopher and preceptor
of the Eighth Century, Albinus Alcuin. His dis
covery makes a thrilling story and romance.
Alcuin himself tells authentically, in his inimitable
style, how he discovered the forgotten words of
the prophet and teacher, Jasher. Alcuin first pub
lished this lost manuscript in 800 A. D. Its trans
lation, we are told, took one year and six months.
It was suppressed by the English clergy until 1700
A. D. In 1829 it was rediscovered by an English
nobleman, who, with fortitude, brought it to the
attention of a more enlightened world. A copy of
this early English edition came into the hands of
the officers of the Rosicrucian Order, AM ORC,
and now rests in our Rosicrucian vaults; however,
we have photographically reproduced the actual
1829 edition, in its entirety, and have made it
available to the present world. It is indeed a
highly monumental, mystical, and enlightening
manuscript. (From The Rosicrucian Supply Bu'
reau a copy of it can be obtained, including Alcuins complete story of his discovery of the
manuscript and the translation of it, and the dif
ficulties he encountered.) Jasher accompanied
Moses on his pilgrimages, and therefore the book
records the true facts which occurred and which
were lost to man for centuries.
So far, we have given consideration only to the
books of the O. T. The N. T. is likewise vener
ated as the W ord of God. The N. T. was begun
after the life of Christ had been lived and ended.
Certain ecclesiastics and general historians con
cede that the N. T. began with two letters written
by Paul, the apostle, about the year, A. D. 51.
Paul, as we know, had been journeying and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

establishing new churches throughout Palestine

and the neighboring states (Acts 134 1426), and
preaching Christianity, which was still very much
in its infancy. He frequently wrote letters of a
semi-personal nature, telling of his experiences
and his tribulations, sometimes giving words of
advice. Two of such letters made a very deep
impression upon his friends and his enemies alike,
and caused very wide comment. The quoting of
these letters and the discoursing upon them be
came the basis for the books of the N. T., as a
collection of letters or epistles. As time went on,
these letters actually developed into treatises, or
shall we say, monographs, on diversified subjects
and retained only the semblance of letters. In
fact, they resembled letters only in that each was
addressed to a certain person at a designated
place. The letters, or epistles were now, actually,
formal compositions, like the epistles to the
Romans. Numerous other epistles followed, or,
in other words, the style had been established as
to the method of developing the N. T. as a canon
ical work.
It was not until the year, A. D. 180, that the
Christian Church possessed a Bible in two parts,
namely, the O. T. and the N. T. The first part,
or the O. T., the Christian Church too\ over from
the Hebrews, as we have seen, and the latter, or
the N. T., was intentionally formed. W e can see
that our Christian Bible, as a sacred work, was
entirely different in its compilation, or develop
ment, than the sacred book of the Mohammedans,
or the Koran. The Koran was purely of native
origin, written in Arabic and not borrowed from
other religious peoples. In ancient times, the Bible
was not extensively read or circulated. Of course,
very few people could read, but it was not even
circulated among those who could read. One was
not expected to loan the Bible. It was the reli
gious duty of each pious person to make his own
copy by copying another To make a copy for
sale or to give one as a gift was a sacrilege. Super
stitious people could not avoid the tendency of
resorting to phylactery, and soon the Bible be
came an amulet and a talisman. It was conceived
that the book was physically imbued with certain
spiritual forces or properties which radiated from
it. It, therefore, became taboo to touch the Bible
except for sacred purposes, or to take an oath
upon it. It is related that a Roman soldier seized
the Bible (O. T.) from the home of a Jew, and
that he was executed by Procurator Cumanus to
appease the angered and affronted Jews. From
the Fourth Century on the Bible was accepted as
a sacred objectthat is, in a physical senseupon
which an oath could be taken. It was believed
that to take an oath while resting the hand upon
the Bible was to be touching an earthly form
which contained, in some manner, the spiritual
properties of God.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

There are numerous other misuses or talismanic

uses of the Bible. Kissing the Bible was included
in the liturgies, as a show of deep affection for
God. This custom has descended to our day. Another custom which sprang into existence with the
credulous was dipping. This consisted of opening
the Bible at random, then with the eyes closed,
dipping the index finger into the pages. W hat
ever verse the finger fell upon was thought to
contain a Divine message intended at that time
for the individual. Great stress was placed upon
that verse, and because of the universal nature of
the contents of the Bible, some interpretation
could always be placed upon almost any verse
which would relate it to the acts, past or present,
of the individual, or to his desires. This tended to
strengthen the belief in Divine intercession in
mans affairs by this method.
Most of the so-called lost books of the Bible are
but the Apocryphal books; in other words, books
of the Hebrew scriptures, which were declared
uncanonical by the Christians, and suppressed.
To many, the suppression of these books connotes
that they were unworthy of inclusion. That,
however, is an erroneous opinion, for the Apocry
pha were of the same implied divine origin as the
books that came to be accepted. A careful, un
prejudiced study of the expunged books shows
them to be inspiring and often more revealing in
their contents than some of the canonical works.
The decision to exclude certain books from the
Bible was mainly made by high church and eccles
iastical councilors. Often the motive for the ex
clusion was no other than that they conflicted
with existing or contemplated religious dogma or
creeds; in other words, that they could not be
satisfactorily adjusted to the human conception
of what should constitute Divine Truth. The
councilors desired to strengthen ecclesiastic or
church law by supporting it with an integration
of all of the sacred literature, thus revealing that
church law had its root in the W ord of God.
This integration, of course, was not possible so
long as there were certain books of the Bible that
opposed the arbitrarily adopted church code; con
sequently it became necessary, from the church
mens viewpoint, to expurgate the books that they
deemed objectionable.
There were a number of such council meetings,
which were known as the Lateran Councils. These
ecclesiastical councils were held in Rome, in the
Lateran Bascilica. They were all dedicated to
Christ. Since the Lateran Bascilica ranked as a
papal cathedral, it became a popular place for
these ecclesiastical conclaves, and from it they de
rived their name. A total of twenty such con
claves were held over a great period of time. The
first series was held between 313-487, and they
were later revived during the Middle Ages. The
fourth Lateran Council was perhaps the most far

Page 115

reaching in its decrees and influences upon the

peoples and sacred literature, namely, the Bible.
It was attended by the largest number of the cele
brated, including both prelates and princes. The
total consisted o f,412 bishops, 800 prelates and
abbots, and a great number of inferior clerics.
Numerous canons were enacted, such as imposing
the obligation of confession once a year upon all
Christians, the establishment of the marriage laws;
a series of resolutions were likewise proposed and
adopted for the suppression of heresy and execu
tion of the heretics, and providing for a method
of torturous inquisition. Other church laws made
for the establishment of monastic orders, funds to
defray the expenses of the crusades, and defining
what should be the intercourse between Jews and
Christiansall of these decisions were related to
the scriptures for their authority, and if the Bible
opposed any of the edicts in its writings, it was
corrected to conform to the councils require
mentsX.

Cosmic Masters and 144-Year Cycle

A Soror in England puts to our Forum ques
tions which are a compendium of a number of
like questions which have ben asked at various
times by other Fratres and Sorores. This, there
fore, seems the right occasion to answer them.
The questions are:
If the Great Masters live for the full span of
144 years, how does it come about that it is some
times mentioned that some of them are on the
Cosmic Plane? Presumably, if they live on this
plane (the material one) for the full 144-year
span, why should they be on the Cosmic Plane at
all except momentarily, unless, having completed
all incarnations, they are now permanently on
that plane? And I have understood that only one
had so finished His earthly incarnations, namely,
Jesus the Christ.
No one knows just when the discoveries began,
but the ancientsthe Magi and the sages and per
haps even the common sheepherders and nomads
noticed, if they were at all observant, that na
tures principal phenomena were cyclical in oc
currence. The most common cycle, of course, was
the rising of the sun in the east at nearly the same
time each day. The return of the seasonsspring,
summer, fall and winteroccurred at quite regu
lar intervals. This periodicity in nature was
charted by man. It inferred that there was a
unity and orderliness to nature; that the great
phenomenon upon which all else depended was
not a mere caprice, not an accidental or haphazard
happening. It was further noticed that a strange
geometrical symbolism was associated with many
of these cycles. The intervals of time or divisions
of their expression were often found to be either
3, 7, 9, or 12, or the square of those digits. Thus

Page 116

the departments of the zodiac were found to be

12. The octaves of the Cosmic Keyboard are like'
wise 12. W hen we add the digits 1 and 2 together, we have the numeral 3; 12, squared by
itself, equals the number 144. If then, again, we
add the digits 144 we find they equal 9. The
numeral 9 is a square of the numeral 3.
Mans earthly existence itself, we know from
experience, is composed of 7 cycles. The first con'
sists of seven years, and during this period physi'
cal and mental growth alone are noticeable. From
the seventh until the fourteenth year, there is an'
other cycle, and during this period the childs
functions are more under psychic influence and
guidance than intellectual. This is indicated by a
keener emotional reaction to environment, a
greater sensitivity to circumstances. From the
fourteenth year to the twenty'first, a mental and
emotional change takes place in the individual.
He or she acquires greater self'confidence and re'
liance, which is accompanied by an increased
personal power and the ability to do and achieve.
It is the beginning of the great creative period in
life. W e could continue to enumerate and describe
these cycles of the individuals life and call to
your attention their distinctive characteristics;
but this is not necessary, for you are undoubtedly
aware of them. There are also, of course, the
cycles of the phenomena of mans organisms, the
cycle of the blood circulation, the rhythmic pulsa'
tion of the heart and the period or cycle of gesta'
tion which is approximately nine months.
In antiquity, no one knows just when the mys'
tics and students of Cosmic laws discovered that
there was another great cycle which they named
the cycle of incarnation. This cycle averaged 144
years, or equivalent periods of time given other
names than year in other centuries and ages.
This cycle of incarnation is the span of years con'
sisting of the interval from birth to birth; in other
words, the tijne from our incarnation into one
body until our incarnation in another. In the tra'
ditional records there is a tracing of incarnations
for a period of a thousand years, and it shows as
said, that this cycle (with but very few exceptions
so few as to make the regularity of the law
definitely conspicuous), or interval of years be'
tween the incarnations, was not more than 144
years. In other words, if a person were to reside
the entire 144 years on the earth plane, his soul
would immediately, with perhaps a lapse of a
minute or two, incarnate into another human
body decreed for him by Cosmic law at transition.
On the other hand, if by Cosmic decree his earth'
ly existence was to be but a span of sixty years,
then he would need to dwell on the Cosmic Plane
after transition the interval of difference between
60 and 144 years, or 84 years. For a further ex'
ample: If one passed through transition in child'
hood, say at 5 years of age, then according to this

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cycle of incarnation the span of years on the

Cosmic Plane would be 144 years less 5, or 139.
It is obvious, according to this law known for
centuries, that the greatest length of time a mortal
could reside on this plane in the same body is 144
years. There are frequently reported cases which
find their way into news stories in newspapers
and magazines, where a man or woman is said to
exceed that age; but such cases have been proven,
after actual investigation, to be without founda'
tion in fact. The person claiming the greater age
was either found to have no birth certificate or no
proof of birth to support his claimed age, or per'
haps the individual remembered an incident about
which he had read, and which he confused with
the year of his birth. If one case out of a million
actually proved to be the exception, and if the
person did live considerably in excess of 144
years, it would not affect the fact of the general
law or cycle of incarnation.
W hy, might be asked at this time by some of
our Forum readers, does not everyone live his or
her full span of 144 years on the earth plane, and
then immediately incarnate into another human
body decreed for them? There are two reasons
and the first must be quite obvious. W e do not
yet know how to live properly, even with all of
the advances of science, and with the different
systems of therapeutics, and with the safeguards
to protect us from accidents, and with sanitation
and hygienic laws. Then again, many of us are
not altogether ignorant of what constitutes proper
living, but we disregard natures laws for one
reason or another, and because of our violation
we pay the penalty by a shortened mortal exist'
ence. The greater reason for not living the full
144 years on this plane is that the Divine Mind,
the Infinite Intelligence, or God, as you prefer,
has Cosmically decreed that our mission and the
lessons we shall learn in one incarnation shall re'
quire a certain length of time corresponding to
20, 30, 40, or whatever number of years we live
on this plane.
The soul of man, as we know from our Rosi'
crucian monographs, is not a separate, individual,
broken'off segment, different in each human be'
ing, from its absolute source; but is, rather, part
of the great oversoul or Divine or Universal Soul
which permeates the Cosmic, and which flows
through all human beings. This soul has certain
attributes which it retains, the principal one of
which is the ego or personality. This personality
is the human reflection of the character and na'
ture or essence of the Divine Soul. As a human
reflection it is, therefore, most often very imper'
feet. This reflection or personality of the soul
must evolve and develop from incarnation into
incarnation as we acquire experience and subse'
quent knowledge here and now. The actual
knowledge which the soul, or this personality,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

acquires is of an earthly nature, the result of the

fulfillment of its mission on the earth plane. It
must be realized that the soul is not placed in the
human body to acquire divine knowledge or divine
wisdom but for the purpose of gaining experience
through human knowledge.
A fter transition, there takes place what we
shall say constitutes a digestion of this knowledge.
This digestion consists of an appraisal of human
experiences and accomplishments in the light of
the Cosmic wisdom of the Great Soul, into which
the human soul has been reabsorbed temporarily,
and in which it does not lose its identity pending
the time of incarnating again. During this interval, while resident on the Cosmic Plane, the per
sonality or ego absorbs the full import of its
earthly lessons. The wisdom of the great U ni
versal Soul, of which, as we have said, mans soul
is but a part, begins to evolve this ego, to segre
gate its experiences, point them out for their true
values. If one of mans missions on earth can be
accomplished quickly, or if it is necessary for the
personality and ego of the soul to be free from
the body for a great time, the earth span is made
short and the soul is liberated, and it, with its at
tribute the personality, dwells for the longest
portion of the 144-year cycle on the Cosmic Plane.
To make these principles clear to you, let us use
a common analogy. Suppose you were desirous
of learning geology and mineralogy. In other
words, let us presume that it was your mission to
become a geologist and mineralogist of distinction.
Let us further presume that you had, as your in
structor and preceptor, the worlds greatest au
thority on the subjects. As a teacher or master of
the subject he could not proceed to tell you all
that he knew. His terminology would only con
fuse and confound you. Furthermore, he would
not be able to find simple, ordinary words or
terms which would have the same significance as
the technical phraseology. In addition, there
would be some things he could not even describe
without having an example to point to. He would
want you first actually to see the minerals, to in
spect them, to find them in their natural state and
locality. W hat would be the logical method for
his instruction of you? Would it not be to direct
you to a certain section of your country where
there was a terrain which contained the minerals
that he wanted you to study in their natural set
ting? He would most likely order you to remain
for one year in this section and to look for all
minerals of a certain kind or nature, giving you
their general description. He would have you ex
amine rock for the ore in which the mineral de
posit would be found. He would require you to
examine the surface of the terrain and many other
things related to the study. He would have you
impress upon your memory your experiences and

Page 117

your observations, if you were not to make writ

ten notes.
You would then return to your instructor.
W hen you returned, you would not merely have
a heterogeneous collection of facts to go over or
to recollect, but from them you would have
evolved a myriad of questions to ask. You would
seek to relate what you saw, as results in nature,
with some law or cause which would give them an
intelligent order so that your experiences and ob
servations would constitute a usable knowledge or
science. Possibly you would remain under the
personal tutorship of this great instructor for
three years before you would again be ordered
into the field on another mission. W hen, however,
you did depart for the next mission, you would
have evolved your previous observations and ex
periences into the technical learning and wisdom
of the geologist because of the interlude under the
personal instruction and guidance of your teacher.
Furthermore, your next mission into the field
would be for a higher and more important
purpose.
I am sure you can see from this simple analogy
that the soul returns to the Cosmic realm for an
adjustment and arrangement of its earthly ex
periences in accordance with Cosmic wisdom and
direction, and so that the personality may receive
further instructions on how to use its new knowl
edge to better effect, or to gain further lessons in
another incarnation.
Using our analogy furtherthat of your being
a student of geology each time you would be
sent into the field on a mission by your teacher
you would remain longer, for you would have
more to accomplish. You would not need to re
turn so frequently to have your accomplishments
in the field digested or analyzed by your teacher.
Your instructor would not have to spend such
great time with you to point out what you had
accomplished and what you had not. You would
begin to see the merits of your own work. There
would be only one exception to this: Perhaps
after you had become quite proficient in the field,
your instructor might suddenly call you back after
you had been in the field but a short time. He
would intend you to help neophyte geologists.
He would want you to learn teaching, as well as
doing yourself. That would, therefore, be an ex
ception to the rule. There might come a time
when you would be far more valuable to the
world as an authority and teacher of geology than
as a field technician. Under such circumstances,
you would not any longer need to journey into
strange lands or traverse wild terrain in search of
mineral deposits. You would, instead, become an
instructor for others, an examiner of others. You
would permit them to venture forth but you
would be the one to criticize their accomplish
ments constructively.

Page 118

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

And now at this point we are brought to a consideration of Cosmic Masters. In our early Neophyte Degrees we speak of a conclave of Divine
Personalities or a Divine Hierarchy. This Divine
Hierarchy is a group of Cosmic Masters or directors who aid in evolving the personalities of the
souls on the earth plane. In the Rosicrucian
teachings this Hierarchy is referred to as the
Holy Assembly. They reside on the Cosmic Plane
entirely. They once were mortals such as we, and
the attributes of their souls were evolved as we
are now evolving ours. Through incarnation after
incarnation on earthsome of which were but a
short duration, or a part of the span of 144 years
they lived, learned, and strived as we now do.
In each incarnation they had a mission to fulfill
also. A fter transition, when their souls were
drawn into the great Oversoul or Universal Soul,
their egos or personalities were impressed by the
Great Divine Intelligence or the Cosmic Soul with
the significance of their earthly experiences, and
what would be expected of them in the next incarnation. Their egos evolved, perhaps through
ages of time. The personalities of these individuals
gradually were perfected, incarnation by incarnation, until eventually their personalities had that
same degree of absolute perfection as the great
Universal Soul itself, of which their souls were a
part. Eventually came the Great Illumination,
when the personality embraced with complete
understanding and observance the universal wisdom of the great Cosmic or Divine Soul. No
longer was it necessary for the soul and its per'
sonality to incarnate in physical form again.
From that time on it resided continuously in the
Cosmic realm and it was assigned the more noble
task of inspiring other men on earth, of giving
other souls who were incarnated the incentive to
heed the wisdom of the Cosmic Soul, with which
theirs was imbued, and to follow their example
the example of the Cosmic Masters.
There are, according to our records and the
writings of the great mystics of all ages, at the
present approximately 144 such great souls or
Cosmic Masters constituting The Holy Assembly.
They, like the instructor in geology in the analogy
we used, are the guides and teachers of the still
evolving souls and personalities. This, then, I believe, explains why the Cosmic Masters or those
composing the Holy Assembly do not become incarnated in physical form again, except as the
Cosmic may decree, for some purpose not within
the realm of our comprehension.X.

Facing a Crisis
Another Frater recently felt that it might be
necessary for him to suspend his affiliation with
the Order due to existing conditions over which
he had no control and which were all acting to

bring his life to a climax, and it was necessary to

write to this Frater and encourage him and show
him a different viewpoint in order that he might
be able to use the Rosicrucian philosophy to assist
himself in meeting a crisis.
A t some time or other in our lives, probably a
good many times, we have to meet a crisis, a time
when a decision is forced upon us in a sense;
when due to conditions over which we have no
direct control we are faced with a serious decision,
possibly a loss financially, or the loss of a loved
one, a change in the economic or political status
of the state in which we liveall of which bring
about a demand for a new adjustment. In a sense
it is our environment acting upon us, and our im
mediate need is to change ourselves in some man
ner or other really to fit the environment in which
we suddenly find ourselves.
For the individual who has been financially in
dependent all of his lifewho has a good posi
tion, and a good income, and who has conscien
tiously worked to keep his position established
any economic change, or any other change, which
may come about to take this property, this income,
or even his position, from him, will be literally
the same as lifting him from one environment into
another. He finds himself faced with an entirely
different set of conditions, and at the same time
he finds himself as an individual equipped with
certain potentialities, certain habits, and reactions
which absolutely do not fit into the new environ
ment that has been brought about. Consequently,
he sees a state of adjustment before him just the
same as if he were literally transferred from one
place to another.
Possibly one further item should be considered
in this regard. One might ask, Should not this
individual have previously planned for such a
possibility? It is true that the most impor
tant thing of our existence is the now, it is also
true that a reasonable attempt should be made to
prepare ourselves for future contingencies, partic
ularly when our whole life is more or less fasten
ed or tied to certain material conditions. The in
dividual who is lost because of an economic fail
ure has done very little, or at least has prepared
himself for little else, than his immediate business
connections, and should his business fail he has
nothing to which to turn, nothing upon which he
may lean.
This, of course, is one of the messages of Rosi
crucianism, and not only of Rosicrucianism but of
all religion and philosophyto teach man to gain
early in life, or at least as soon as possible, this
conception of value that one cannot base his
whole life upon a material value and expect to be
able to make adjustments should that value be
shattered. Unless we have in our lives a concep
tion of values which are not material, and to
which we can turn in a case of need, we are cer

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tainly literally stranded should the material

things be swept away from us. Consequently, the
best insurance for a time of readjustment or crisis
is to know that value cannot be measured in
terms of dollars and cents, and to have built up a
dependence upon the power of our inner beings,
upon the growth of our own souls while we were
not worried about the matters of adjustment and
a condition of crisis confronting us.
It is so easy for the human being to procrastinate. Most individuals who are faced by a
sudden adjustment succeed or fail depending
upon how well they have previously planned their
lives. Some become hysterical, some turn to extreme forms of religion, or to peculiar practices
and philosophical trends of thought. They suddenly realize that that to which they have con
tributed value has failed to support them, and
now, panic-stricken, they attempt to readjust their
lives overnight, to find hope, faith, confidence,
and a foundation upon which to stand in an im
material concept, in a loving God, or with a
philosophical teaching. This cannot be done over
night. It is impossible for one to turn suddenly
from a material world to an immaterial world.
Miracles can happen; changes in a mans or
womans existence can come about remarkably
fast, but the groundwork must be laid before.
Many of us who have this Forum brought to us
have much for which to be thankful; there is no
doubt that there is a crisis to be faced by us in
dividually and collectively from time to time in a
complex world such as the one in which we live,
but we should be thankful for the knowledge that
we are able to acquire, and thankful that we are
not limited in the advancement which we may
seek. And we should not only be thankful for
these things, but determined that we will use them
to the best of our ability, that we will, knowing
that there are changes in the world which are
going to directly or indirectly face us all from
time to time, prepare for that eventuality in
which we might literally be placed in another
environment.
W e should lean heavily upon Rosicrucianism;
we should take advantage of the opportunity to
apply even in the most simple ways the laws
which we are learning and determine not to for
sake this knowledge regardless of what pressure
might be brought to bear upon us since it has been
our choice upon which to build a broader scope
and comprehension of value in our own minds.
It will serve to establish for us a support upon
which we can learn in case other values which we
use from day to day should suddenly be swept
away or taken from us.A.

Page 119

Duality
A few months ago, in this Forum, we discussed
a question of a Soror who asked concerning Rosi
crucian doctrines. As a result of the comment at
that time various Fratres and Sorores have asked
concerning various points of our teachings
whether or not this particular concept or that
particular idea is one of the fundamental prin
ciples of Rosicrucianism.
As previously stated, considering the broad
scope that is covered in the teachings and the
practical philosophy which is built up in the
minds of those who carefully follow the Rosicru
cian course of study, it is difficult to select even a
few items and state that they are fundamental
and basic. Therefore, it is not advisable for us in
our thinking to limit ourselves to any certain
Rosicrucian doctrines, or we might say funda
mental concepts, as being more important than
others. The only way in which we might state
that one Rosicrucian concept or principle is more
important than another is in the sequence of the
facts presented in the Rosicrucian philosophy.
That is, some concepts must precede others. W e
must be informed of certain basic ideas before
others can be built upon these fundamentals.
One of these fundamentals is the principle of
duality, and by that I mean, primarily, the duality
in mans existence. Early in our teachings this
subject is first approached, and it is pointed out
that man is a dual being, and on this premise
many of the important factors of the Rosicrucian
philosophy, as well as the practical application of
its principles, are based. That man is dual, is
easily demonstrable. Man consists of a certain
chemical composition; that is, his body is of the
earth. It can be analyzed from a strictly material
istic, chemical viewpoint. There can be nothing
of a material or chemical nature found within the
human body that is not found elsewhere within
or upon this earth. In fact, mans bodyspeaking
strictly from a materialistic, chemical viewpoint
is not worth very much. I believe it has been
stated that all the chemical equivalent of a human
body could be purchased for less than a dollar,
and to this the greatest amount that is added is
water to compose mans body as a physical unit.
But to combine those chemicals, as we well know
from our First Degree teachings, does not produce
a human body. There is another factor that
enters, a factor which evades chemical analysis,
and that is the factor which in general we call
life. It is a manifestation of an immaterial force
operating through a physical unit or vehicle.
Therefore, man is dual in that he is material and
immaterial, body and soul, objective and subjec
tive, brain and mind. All of these dualities run
together, and we are easily conscious of their
existence within and as a part of us. This is a

Page 120

very important factor for the student of meta

physics and occultism to consider. It is no use for
me to go into detail hereas it has already been
done in the lessonsto point out how man,
through living in a material world and having
forced upon him materialistic viewpoints, has
gradually built up such a materialistic attitude
that his whole being revolves around materialistic
conditions.
That is, he easily responds and reacts to ma
terial stimuli while those things of an immaterial
nature do not keenly impress him. W hile man
has devoted much of his life to becoming familiar
with material phenomena, he has failed to develop
the other side of his being, the subjective mind
and intuitive faculties, and as a result he does
not quickly respond to stimuli of this nature. If
a person has never realized through any sense
perception a particular thing, he could have no
way of describing such an unrealized thing except
in terms of something that he had previously
known. In other words, it would be impossible
for you to describe another world in which there
were no physical or chemical elements existent
which exist here in this world, in which there was
an entirely different basis for what we call matter,
and everything manifested differently. The only
way you could conceive of such a world would be
to visualize and describe it in terms of what you
now know as an existing world.
Therefore, the student who first begins the
study of the occult is at loss to cause a manifesta
tion of any kind that is not comparable to a
physical phenomenon, and he attempts to visualize
or force into existence manifestations of certain
efforts on his part in terms of what he should see,
hear, or feel, and in that manner he is hindering
rather than promoting his progress insofar as the
understanding of psychic phenomena is con
cerned. He is simply attuning his objective facul
ties to receive the impressions from physical
stimuli, whereas what should be done is to build
up the ability for his subjective faculties to per
ceive the stimulus of things which cannot be
measured in terms of physical existence.
In other words, we cannot conceive non
material manifestations in terms of physical mani
festations. That which is physical is physical and
can be perceived by physical means. On the other
hand, those things which are not physicalwhich
are not materialcannot be perceived by physical
means, because they do not exist on the same
plane. It is true that vibrations underlie the mani
festation of all things. Nous itself is vibratory in
nature. It is the underlying manifestation of all
existence, material and immaterial. But in order
that we may exist in the world in which we are
placed, we are given five outlets to the under
standing and to the perception of certain vibra
tions. Our five senses constitute these outlets, and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

therefore we have a narrow field of impressions

reaching our objective mind through these five
channels. The rest of creation also exists as a vi
bratory force. W e are capable even in our
physical bodies of adjusting our perceptive facul
ties through our subconscious, through our soul,
to the reception and perception of a higher range
of vibrations. Therefore, in your exercises and
experiments, and in fact, in all the study of the
teachings, constantly impress upon yourself this
factor of dualitythat you are both physical and
immaterial, and that you are trying to balance
within your own being the existence of these two
faculties. To cause them to harmonize is the
greatest accomplishment that man can make with
in his own being, because then he is living as he
was intended to live, and bringing to its highest
potentialities the manifestation of the physical
body and of the soul at the same time. Dismiss
from your thoughts the necessity of having to
have every manifestation be in a material form.
In performing the exercises relax and give up
entirely the idea of a previous conception of what
you think should exist, or what you want to take
place, and you will come to the realization that
the manifestations on these two planes are dif
ferent, and through meditation, contemplation,
and concentration you can raise yourself to the
understanding of the activities of a higher plane
of consciousness, and fully understand the scope
and activity of the soul itself.A.

Something M ust Be Blamed

A Frater presents our Forum body with the
question: W hy have I experienced adverse con
ditions since I became a Rosicrucian? W hat has
Rosicrucianism done to cause this?'*
From the first part of the question it appears
that the Frater is sincerely seeking to learn why
in recent months his conditions or personal af
fairs have changed for the worse. In the second
part of the question, however, he associates his
adversity with his Rosicrucian membership.
W hen something out of the ordinary happens
to us, whenever we become conscious of it, we
either comprehend the cause at once if it is not
concealed or too difficult to determine, or we
speculate as to what it is. Thus, for example, if
while walking along the street we suddenly were
catapulted, thrown prone upon our "faces, we
would, after getting to our feet and inspecting
our injuries, look about us for the cause. If we
saw a banana peel a few feet behind us, that
would answer the question in mind. If we did not
see that or some other obstacle, or a boy standing
nearby with a cane, we would begin our specula
tionin other words, a process of conjecture. In
this series of guesses the last thing we would sus
pect would be ourselves. W e would not think our

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

careless walking, the shuffling of our feet, and

indifference to our direction might have caused
us to trip ourselves. The cause, especially if blame
is to be associated with it, is nearly always
imagined by us to exist in something else.
No one who is now a Rosicrucian member and
who is facing some adversity, regardless of what
it may be, is confronting trouble for the first time
in his life. W e will presume, however, that the
Fraters adversity is different and more severe
since he has become a Rosicrucian member than
any other he has ever experienced. The fact still
remains that his life was not a Utopia before he
became a Rosicrucian. In other words, his every
wish was not always granted, he did not have an
abundance of everything he needed, there was not
an answer forthcoming for every question that
arose in his mind, nor was he capable of doing
everything he wanted to do. Consequently, we
repeat, his was not a life of perfectionhe was
conscious of some need, something he wanted or
felt he should do or attain. It was this realization
that must have made him seek Rosicrucian mem
bership. It is presumable that if that were not so,
he would not have affiliated with the Order. In
fact, it would not have been necessary for him to
do so. Therefore, we conclude that these imper
fections, these adversities he experienced before
he became a Rosicrucian, were related to some
cause or causes. He must have sought to find some
explanation for them at the time. Either the cause
of them was inherent and could actually be re
lated to the happening, or he had to surmise it
from somethinganything that was just a little
different in his routine of living or which consti
tuted some new or different event in his life.
Is it just that some new event or experience in
our lives should be blamed for all happenings, the
direct cause of which we cannot find? Shall we
say, for example, that racketeering, gambling with
slot machines, greater wars and more general
moral turpitude are the products of Christianity
since these either did not exist before Christianity,
or did not exist in the same manner? Do you
hold that every illness you now suffer, and which
you never had when you were a child, is caused
by the fact that you are marriedbecause mar
riage constitutes a change in your life, a new era
or cycle? It reminds me of the manner of telling
time in antiquity, even during the time when the
solar calendar was in use. Each year was desig
nated by some event, and time was calculated by
the events themselves. A year was said to be the
year of the flood, the year of the plague, the year
of the invasion. People would say it was the sec
ond year of the great king in trying to indicate
some period; or they would say it was the third
year after the falling star. Even today, in re
counting events, to place them in a general period
of time that can be realized by our listeners or

Page 121

readers, when we do not know the exact year we

say it was before the war or after the revolu
tion or during the depression.11 Still, I repeat,
these outstanding events or occurrence in our
lives must not be credited or held responsible for
happenings unless we can definitely prove by facts
acceptable to intelligent people that they were the
cause.
Most of us allow our lives to become such a
dull, monotonous routine of existence that every
thing which occurs in them out of the ordinary
seems to constitute the starting or beginning
point for a new period of personal existence.
Thus, a man who gets an unusually severe tooth
ache seeks to determine the cause. He thinks back
over what he has eaten during the day; his diet
was the same as the day before, and that was
practically the same as the previous five or six
days. Then he suddenly remembers that last
Friday he ate four pieces of candyan unusual
event for himand immediately he concludes that
that must be the cause.
This course of erroneous reasoning is easily
understood. That which is done regularly or is
commonplace and which we have never found to be
the cause of anything that is strange in our lives,
or of an unusual happening is of course not even
suspected. W hen something unusual does happen,
however, we immediately attribute it to any un
familiar thing or occurrence in our lives. It is the
weakest kind of circumstantial evidence. W ithout
attempting to be facetious we might say, by the
same line of reasoning, that if we suddenly de
velop a great liking for the eating of rice, it should
be traced back to the fact that for the first time
we took our laundry to a Chinese establishment,
and that in some way influenced our appetite for
rice!
Rosicrucianism is not an uncanny influence that
settles down upon or surrounds an individual, or
places him in relation to other things or condi
tions without his volition or knowledge. The only
influence that Rosicrucianism exerts upon you is
upon your mind, your thinking, your attitude to
ward yourself and the universe at large, and you
are always conscious of these influences, you have
the volition to accept them or not. Rosicrucian
ism is neither a curse nor a blessing except to the
degree and in the manner that you use and apply
its principles and teachings. If you cannot defi
nitely relate some event or happening in your life
to the use of some law or principle of Rosicrucian
origin, why associate it with your Rosicrucian
membership? If you took a new position of em
ployment six months ago, would you associate
slipping and breaking your leg, having a bad at
tack of indigestion or receiving news that a dear
one had passed on, with the fact that you took the
new job? You would not, because you would not

Page 122

see any logical material connection between the

happenings and the new position.
Therefore, likewise, do you believe that your
membership in the Rosicrucian Order is going to
inculcate within you or surround you with any
forces or powers that are going to be destructive
or detrimental to your best interests? Such a
superstition is bordering on fetishism. Today,
among certain primitive peoples, men before going
on a journey consult a shaman or medicine man
who is supposed to invoke some supernatural
powers. Before they depart they go through a
certain ritual in which the shaman chants in
cantations and, taking some object which is sup
posed to be possessed or imbued with the super
natural powers, touches the one who is to go upon
the journey with it, or waves it over his head.
A fter that, the individual sets forth. Consequent
ly, whatever happens thereafter, if the cause is
not actually seen, is attributed to this fetish and
its powers used in the ceremony. Thus, if a rock
suddenly crashes down the side of the mountain
and crosses his path, he believes it caused by the
fetish. If he stumbles and falls while running
along a path in the forest, the fetish is held re
sponsible as well. If he suddenly discovers and is
able to kill game with greater ease than usual, the
fetish receives the credit for it. If there is any one
thing that we Rosicrucians should attempt to
abolish and attempt to correct in our thinking, it
is an adherence to superstition.
Likewise, we have members who report that
since they discontinued active Rosicrucian mem
bership, conditions or circumstances have changed
for the better, and therefore, they actually believe
that because they discontinued their membership,
the act of discontinuing their membership in some
mysterious, enigmatic, inexplicable way caused
the change in conditions. W hat they have done
is to compare their present circumstances and
conditionswhich undoubtedly are improved, and
which improvement is undoubtedly due to a
number of very actual material thingswith a
like period three, six or nine months ago when
they were in the organization, when at that time
economic, financial, health and social conditions
were different. And, because they were members
during the unfavorable time, the unfavorable con
ditions are credited to the organization; and be
cause during the time when conditions improved
for them they did not happen to be members,
they consequently attribute such improvement to
the fact that they are not members. I would like
to say to such persons: How about the millions
who are suffering adversity and who have not
even peace of mind, and who are not members of
the Orderperhaps never even heard of Rosicru
cianism? Since Rosicrucianism cannot be held
responsible for their circumstances, what explana
tion can be made? Would it be right to try to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

explain the misfortunes of these millions of per

sons by sensible and logical reasons, but in turn
blame personal adversity upon the fact of Rosi
crucian membership if one happens to be a
member?
So let us not cast aside good sense and logic in
dealing with these matters. X.

Knowing the Masters

A frater from the State of Michigan makes a
very interesting statement at this time, which is
related to questions answered elsewhere in this
issue concerning the 144 year cycle. The frater
says: Now, Christthe greatest avatar of whom
we have ever knownterminated an earthly in
carnation (the one in which he became so famous)
many years ago. Since then, the periods of 144
years should have given him several following in
carnations. Then, too, when we remember that
in each incarnation we DO A D V A N CE, it seems
as though we should have heard of even greater
avatars in the last 1900 years. Yet we have heard
of no such persons. This is an intelligent state
ment, and indicates that the frater has given con
siderable thought to the Rosicrucian doctrines.
The statement, however, is founded upon two
premises which are not wholly accurate; that is
what is perhaps confusing our good frater.
The first premise is that Jesus the Christ would
continue to reincarnate every 144 years into an
other human body. If he did, most certainly such
an evolved soul personality would make itself
known to humanity by its conspicuous and mar
velous deeds. However, if Jesus, in the body and
with the personality that is celebrated and revered
in Christian literature, had attained that perfec
tion of soul personality where his ego was in har
mony and absolute attunement with the Cosmic
Soul, there would be no further need for him to
incarnate in physical form. He would then com
prise one of the number of the great Holy As
sembly of evolved souls and personalities that re
side eternally on the Cosmic Plane to direct the
development of lesser humans and personalities.
This does not mean that mankind would be de
prived of an avatar in a physical form in the
future, or that they would never have avatars to
dwell among them. It does mean that other
avatars would come later, and under His divine
direction do in many ways what Christ has done.
These other avatars would continue to incarnate
until they, too, had attained such perfection that
they would be eternally absorbed into the Abso
lute, or the Cosmic Soul, of which all human souls
are a part. Let us presume that such is the case,
that Jesus the Christ will not further incarnate,
and has not since the Biblical era, and that in his
place other souls have evolved through the ages
to become guiding lights for mankindwho were

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

these other avatars and when did they appear?

In fact, the frater himself says, yet we have
heard of no such persons.
This brings us to the second premise of the
fraters conclusions. It is that all avatars must be
known or judged by the acts of another, and since
no one can be found, or is known to have lived,
who acted just as did Jesus the Christ, that there
fore there have been no great personages worthy
of being heralded as avatars since His time. This
infers that there is a type of conduct, or method
of living, which definitely characterizes an avatar.
Those who conform to it are so recognized, and
those who do not are not of that category.
W e must, consequently, analyze just what we
mean by adept and avatar, which words we fre
quently interchange, and then determine if there
have been any humans since the time of Christ
who are worthy of such an appelation. If we say
someone is adept at something, we mean he or
she is skillful or proficient, outstanding in what
he is doingthus, a master sculptor, renowned
surgeon, celebrated physicist, and musician are all
adepts. One who has a mastery of the knowledge
and application of something is an adept. It fol
lows then that one who is proficient in the appli
cation of spiritual or Cosmic laws is a spiritual or
Divine Adept. The word, avatar, is Hindu and a
Sanskrit derivative, and mystically it means one
who is an epiphany, or a bodily manifestation of
a deityto put it simply, the embodiment or in
carnation of a spiritual personality.
From the Rosicrucian and the ancient mystical
point of view all humans have souls which are of
a Divine nature, and there are no degrees of
Divinity. Only the souls attributesits ego or
personalityare evolved to a state of Divine per
fection, and therefore can consequently be im
perfect; so an avatar can not be one in human
form who possesses some attributes, elements, or
characteristics of his nature or being which other
humans do not possess. His distinction must exist
in the personal development and perfection of
what he has, which is not unlike what other hu
mans have. So an avatar, from a truly mystical
conception, is one who likewise is proficient in
the application of his immanent Cosmic and psy
chic qualities. How do these acts or qualities
manifest themselves so that we may recognize
them and hail them as the attributes of an avatar,
adept, or master? W e must, as Rosicrucians and
mystics, concede that the Cosmic has no end it is
seeking to attain, no obligations to fulfill, nor any
plan to execute. If the Divine Intelligence were
exerting mind or energy of any kind to seek
to accomplish something which had not been
achieved, it would connote that that which is is
imperfect and that God or the Cosmic still needed
to attain perfection. It would indicate that the
Cosmic had to depend upon, or await conditions

Page 123

and circumstances for the results It wished. All

of this would subordinate the Cosmic to other
things and conditions, instead of making it su
preme as it is.
The only sound premise in metaphysics and in
true mysticism is to recognize that the Absolute,
Cosmic, or God, whichever term you wish, repre
sents and is perfection, and is infallible and has
always been; therefore, the primary Cosmic law
is that all expressions of the Divine Intelligence,
wherever they are to be found in the macrocosm
or the microcosm the spiritual and physical
worldsmaintain their intra and interharmony.
From this we see that the Cosmic is not seeking
to have any avatar or adept accomplish anything
for or in behalf of it on earth, but to have all men
live according to what has been established.
Adepts and avatars are evolved not created.
One who lives consonant with Cosmic law strives
not to oppose its principles as expressed in and
around him, but rather seeks to conform to them.
He, in other words, tries to learn what constitutes
the harmony of every physical, mental, or spiritual
state or condition in which he finds himself, so as
to derive that afflatus, that profound peace and
happiness which comes to those who so live. This
is far from being a simple task, for the foibles of
mans nature and the temptations he encounters
all have a tendency to divert him from his path.
He, therefore, hardly ever lives a life on earth
that absolutely resembles this spiritual and Cosmic
perfection. If, however, he persists, his determina
tion makes him more conscious of the wisdom of
his soul; he is frequently guided by the Higher
Intelligence, his mistakes become less frequent,
and the penalties less severe. He becomes more
receptive, less positive and adamant, and more
amenable. Those higher phases of his nature,
which men designate as the virtues, become more
apparent in his life than do the exercise of the
passions and appetites. He knows and understands
the functions of his body and all things are rele
gated to their proper place and purpose, in accord
with the great order of the universe, of which he
is conscious. He is sympathetic and understanding
of the trials and tribulations of his fellowmen.
He seeks to open their eyes, to have them walk
with greater vision the paths of life, instead of
plodding and stumbling along in darkness and
ignorance. He knows that he is no more Godly
than other men in essence, and yet his acts make
of him a God on earth to those who can not yet
understand what he seeks to tell them. There is
no father who believes he possesses qualities which
in some manner or way his little son or daughter
who stands before him can not equal, yet, to the
child his father is a master of every situation
a great deity to whom all things are possible.
This, then, constitutes the desires of one who
becomes, because of them, an adept to help hu'

Page 124

manity to help itself, through a knowledge of self

and the Cosmic laws is his main concern. How
the adept shall accomplish his end is not a process or method that can be standardized so that
all immediately recognize it. Men of each age are
different. As much as we admire and venerate the
ways of Christ in sacred literature, can you
imagine Jesus Christ today on earth in this
Twentieth Century, conducting himself in public
in the manner related in the Bible? It is not con*
ceivable, for his ways of then would not be compatible to these times. His spiritual motives would
need to find an outlet and expression in forms
that would be comprehensible to the people of
today He could no longer speak to the people in
parables concerning the life and problems of the
simple fisher people of Galilee. He could not use
the analogies of the camel. He could not demonstrate phenomena, which today might be likewise
accomplished in a hospital or laboratory. He
would not impress people with the magnitude or
import of his message, unless he used ways con"
sistent with the age in which we live.
The avatar today would need to amaze our
scientists and startle them into recognition by his
masterful knowledge of physical laws and the
properties of matter with which they are strug
gling. He would need to astound psychologists
and psychiatrists with his profound understanding of the functioning of the human mind. He
would need to show that there are intangible
qualities existing in the blood and in each living
cell of the matrix of the human system, which
contributed to the psychical qualities of man, and
which could not be weighed, dissected, counted,
augmented, or substituted. He would have to re
veal to physicists that the key to the mechanical
principles of faster transportation and communi
cation lies not in greater combustion engines, or
revolutionary principles affecting the existing ones,
or some higher frequency or energy of an elec
trical nature, but rather in the human mechanism,
in the processes of thought, and in the nature of
consciousness. He would have to show the chem
ists of today that life can be chemically created,
but something more than life has made the great
est manifestation of allman. He would have to
introduce such systems of diet and hygiene as
have not yet been conceived to make plain that
right living is far more essential than the devel
opment of complicated systems of therapeutics
for the cure of the ills that come from improper
living. He would not dress conspicuously; he
would not appear austere; nor walk about in san
dals, nor speak in a strange tongue. To the in
telligent classes he would be proclaimed as a su
preme, uncanny genius, whose respect and ad
miration he would win by his brilliance and by
his actual accomplishments. His greatness, by
contrast, would make them humble and they

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

would seek to be his disciples. They would flock

to hear him speak. He could not proclaim himself
as the son of God. Instead, he would proclaim
himself as one of the brothers of humanity, all
of whom were sons of God. He would not exhort
mankind to be saved, but rather that they cease
wasting their divine privileges of living and let
him show them what God had created for their
use and understanding.
A lesser avatar than the one just described
might not be so diversified. He might devote him
self unselfishly to but one great human enterprise,
in which he felt he could best serve humanity and
lift it upward. He might, like Pasteur, or Madame
Curie, or Edison, and a host of others bring un
told happiness, by his accomplishments and, more
important, a respect for Gods laws as manifest in
nature. He might cause thousands upon thou
sands of people to thin\, to turn their conscious
ness inward, to meditate and cogitate, as have some
of the great poets, philosophers, mystics, and Rosi
crucians. He might create great works of art, the
beauty of which, in the expression of their form,
would cause mankind to sense in earthly forms a
greater beauty and compel them by its attraction
to seek and to aspire to an understanding of the
harmony in all things.
I say to this frater, therefore, who wants to
know if there have been other avatars, and where
they have been since the time of Christ, to look
through the Hall of Fame and he will see in the
great deeds done unselfishly for humanity and
civilization by the men and women whose names
are there, the souls and minds of avatars, even
though they were not so proclaimed. There are
avatars with us now, and they do those things in
our midst which stimulate our imagination, cause
our pulses to pound, and awaken and quicken the
psychic powers within us. They cause us to aspire
to the spiritual lifewhat more could any avatar
do? X.

M odern Abuse of Saint-Germain

A soror voices questions that reflect the
thoughts of many persons. She asks: W ho was
Saint Germain? W hen and why was he made a
saint, and what foundation in fact is there for the
claims of certain modern societies that they are
descendants of his movement, and for the indiv
iduals who claim to be his special messengers?
Men are so constructed that they are inclined
toward vanity, which often displays itself in in
ordinate pride. W e often hesitate to accept an
others word as law or fact, or as. being superior
to our own ideas, especially if the statements are
presented merely as the individuals personal
opinion. Before we accept such a statement, there
has to be a preponderance of what we consider
authority for it. This in itself is a creditable trait
in human nature, but with most people it does

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

not go far enough. W hat they accept as the

authority for anothers statements is often as shallow as the statements devoid of any claim of supporting authority. Authority for a claim should
be such indisputable evidence as would be accepted by any intelligent group of persons. If we
personally, as individuals, claim to have any connection with a society or fraternity, we should be
able, upon demand, to show a membership card,
proving membership in it, or we should be able to
produce certified credentials from the officers of
the society, vouching for our membership. Like
wise, if a society or movement claims to be per
petuating traditions or teachings of an ancient
order that is established in other lands, it should
be able to show not only its own teachings, but
that its teachings in the main parallel the precepts,
symbolism, and purpose of the ancient teachings.
It should have in its possession documents con
firming and ratifying its claims, from the asso
ciated bodies of the fraternity or order throughout
the world with which it claims connections. If it
has not, or can not produce these things, there is
a remote possibility that its claims are genuine,
but most probably they are false pretense.
It is quite evident that for a leader of any of
the so-called mystical, occult, or religious soci
eties, or organizations or cults of today to obtain
documentary proof that he or she has the author
ity to perpetuate an ancient movement or that his
society is recognized by the genuine initiatory and
mystical societies throughout the world, is nearly
impossible, unless he and his movement are actual
ly what they claim to be. To claim, for example,
that you have been authorized by Saint-Germain
to establish an organization today perpetuating
his mystical philosophy and occult teachings, pro
vokes challenges. The natural suspicion of people
asserts itself. They want to he shown. The fair,
but sincere person wants such evidence as would
be acceptable to any group of thinking and in
telligent persons. They would want to see char
ters, documents, and letters from Saint-Germain
himself, or any equally authoritative, recognized
successors, to that effect. The present claimant,
of course, can produce N O SUCH TANGIBLE
EVIDENCE, therefore, these sincere, studious
people drop away from the claimant with a very
strong and justifiable suspicion that the claimant
is a fraud of the worst kind.
The unthinking and credulous people, as a
force of habit rather than a natural desire, also
investigate the claims of the leader, but their in
vestigation is of a thoroughly different nature,
and they accept preposterous explanations. They
are told that through some epiphanical manifesta
tion, Saint-Germain appeared to the leader on
Mt. Shasta or elsewhere, and gave him oral in
structions and authority to form the organization,
and that he poured into the leaders ears all of the

Page 125

teachings that he now expounds. The leader fur

ther claims that by certain theurgical processes
Saint-Germain repeatedly appears to him and
gives him further instructions on what he shall
expound and issue in his books. W hen the leader
has finished with this fantastic tale, what further
authority has the listener received?NO NE. He
still has just the mere empty words of the leader.
Of course, if the listener were thoroughly familiar
with various systems of occult philosophy and had
studied the writings of many of the past occult
philosophers, he would find a strangevery
strange resemblance in the so-called SaintGermain teachings as expounded by the modern
leader and the writings of contemporary philos
ophers and mystics and those of the past. The
teachings, however, are not what Saint-Germain
actually expounded, nor perhaps what he ever
knew of. Therefore, the movement existing today,
professing to teach the philosophy of SaintGermain on his request the leader of which
claims to have contacted Saint-Germain as an
ascended master has actually no documentary,
legal, historical or traditional authority to support
its claims. Furthermore, I repeat, most of what he
expounds never was written or uttered by SaintGermain, as can be verified by referring to the
actual writings of Saint-Germain, as they appear
in ancient Rosicrucian records, or in the author
itative biographies of Saint-Germain, or in the
writings of his contemporaries which refer to him.
Most of the credulous followers of this leader
and his society todaywhich, as we have shown,
has absolutely no tangible authority for its estab
lishment, other than the fantastic revelations the
leader claims to have received believe that
Comte Saint-Germain was a saint in the ec
clesiastical sense; that, in fact, he was canonized
by the church. This misconception is fostered by
the fact that the organization, either wilfully and
assiduously or ignorantly in its literature, deletes
the hyphen between Saint and Germain. The
Saint is an integral part of the individuals name,
just as Saint is part of Louis Claude de SaintM artins name, and is part of the name of hosts of
people living todayone need only turn to a tele
phone directory of a large city and he will find
Saint incorporated as part of the name of many
persons listed therein. In all historical and mys
tical writings referring to Saint-Germain, the
name is hyphenated, to show that he was N O T a
canonized individual or that he had no such ec
clesiastical title.
The next abuse of Saint-Germain by this
present-day society is attributing to him all rub
bish which they expound to their followers from
public platforms or in books which they publish.
Saint-Germain never taught, believed, or thought
one-tenth of these inane ramblings which are now
incorporated in a text, to which his name is af

Page 126

fixed, or claimed for him, and which it is further

stated he is pouring forth into the ears of the
leader almost hourly. W hy the leader of this
present occult movement selected Saint-Germain
as his patron Saint, to give background and at
mosphere to his modern cult, is difficult to say.
Perhaps it is because of the dramatic career and
life of Saint-Germain and the mystery which to
some seemed to shroud his life. It is known that
Saint-Germain left no documents of authority,
attempting to establish a society or organization
founded upon his life and beliefs, because he him
self was affiliated with the Rosicrucian Order;
consequently, there is no book or paper in exist
ence which is apt to come to light to make the
claims of the present leader indisputably menda
cious. Therefore, Saint-Germain, for want of any
means of protecting his name and reputation, is
bantered about in the most absurd manner one
can imagine.
Now who was the Saint-Germain who is re
ceiving all of this highly unfavorable publicity
after more than two centuries, and is being made
a victim of the present attempts to capitalize on
his name and character? The Comte SaintGermain was born about 1710. There is contro
versy as to the exact date. It is generally con
ceded he was a Jew; perhaps a Portuguese Jew,
as was the great Baruch Spinoza. In the Souv
enirs of the Marquis de Crequy, we find it
claimed he was the son of a Jewish doctor of
Strasburg, and that his real name was Daniel
Wolf. He first came prominently to the public
notice in 1740, when he attracted the attention of
Marechal de Belle-Isle. That he was an excep
tional person, a genius, and a master of occult and
mystical principles there can be no doubt. He is
credited with being able to speak fluently German,
English, Italian, and French. He was a musical
composer and a most capable violinist. His al
chemical activities proved that he was a Rosicru
cian, even if his association with the Rosicrucians
had not otherwise been known. He was likewise
not only an alchemist in the mystical sense of the
word, but a chemist of distinction during his time.
It is said that he found the elixir of life, but this
must be taken in the allegorical sense, in that he
found those laws of nature which contribute to
longevity and health. There is still another reason
as to why it was believed he had found an elixir
of life, which we will explain later.
Later historians tried to make of him a charla
tan, because he, as well as did some of his con
temporaries, claimed that he could remove the
flaws of diamonds, and, in fact, make diamonds.
This, in the opinion of historians following his
time, proved without a doubt that he was a fraud,
because such a claim they considered a rank ab
surdity and not within the realm of mans ability;
however, in recent times chemists have been able

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to produce artificial diamonds, proving that it can

be done, but not profitably. W e know, of course,
that the mystery schools and the Rosicrucian al
chemists had knowledge of certain laws of nature
far in advance of outside science, and they were
able to accomplish things that to outside science,
which did not have access to such knowledge,
seemed highly exaggerated to say the least. Yet,
day by day modern science is proving the al
chemists'' claims, even to its own amazement.
Saint-Germains powers were so unusual that
he became known as der W undermann (the
wonder man). Marechal de Belle-Isle brought
him to the Court of France, where his wit and
profundity pleased Madam de Pompador and
King Louis XV. Louis XV was so much im
pressed by him that he ordered an apartment for
him at Chambard. It is related that the King
spent evenings with him frequently, hanging on
his words and counsel. Saint-Germain further
entrenched himself in the political life of the
time, by the invention of flat-bottomed boats,
which were usd successfully for the invasion of
England. He was closely associated with another
great Rosicrucian in France at the timeCount
Cagliostro. There are conflicting statments to the
effect that he initiated Cagliostro into the Rosi
crucian mysteries, and that Cagliostro was the one
that inducted him into the order. The fact re
mains that they did work together in secret and
were both affiliated with the Rosicrucian Order.
In the memoirs of a contemporary, it is related
that Saint-Germain was Grand Master of the
Freemasons, and with Cagliostro initiated many
into the Egyptian mystery rites of the Order
Rosae Crucis.
A story was spread among the multitude of
people that Saint-Germain had lived in his same
body for centuries, and that he was nearly 1500
years of age. These fantastic tales originated due
to a misunderstanding of certain mystical and
initiatory rites and customs of the time. It was
customary for Rosicrucians to associate their age
with the degrees that they had attained in the
Order. This age, to which they referred, did not
mean the actual time that they had lived on this
physical plane in the physical body, but, I repeat,
had to do with an allegorical and ritualistic sig
nificance. Thus one in the First Degree of the
Order was said to be three years of age; one in
the Second Degree, five years of age; in the
Eighth Degree, one hundred years of age, and so
on. The uninitiated in some manner obtained
this information without reference to the degrees,
and took it literally, and because of the high de
grees which Saint-Germain had attained in the
Order, his mystical age perhaps was 1500 years.
This being taken literally, the populace thought
he must have discovered some elixir of life, which
made it possible for him to live to such an age.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Saint-Germain was very active in the political

life of the time, and he became involved in the
dispute between Austria and France, and in con
sequence was forced to flee to England in June of
1760. He next became enmeshed in the intrigue,
whether intentionally or not we do not know,
concerning the attempt to remove Peter II of
Russia from the throne. He was, we know, in St.
Petersburg for quite a period of time. He is men
tioned frequently in the personal correspondence
of Voltaire and Grimm. His wealth and seemingly
miraculous achievements were undoubtedly the
result of his mas' erful use of cosmic laws, as there
is no question ..oout it that he was a very deep
student and a very astute thinker. If he is to be
criticized at all, it should be because he became
too involved in the political factions of the time.
However, his motive may have been a proper one.
He may have thrown his support to that element
of society which he and the Rosicrucians of the
time hoped would further knowledge and the
freedom of man. He, himself, regardless of what
historians may say, claimed no supernatural and
fantastic powers as attributed to him by the
modern society that now abuses his name. He
would, if he lived today, take an active militant
stand against such practices of occultism as this
society conducts in his name. The claims that he
possessed supernatural powers were made then,
as now, by superstitious and credulous people, or
by those who hoped to prey upon a naive
populace.
In conclusion, remember that no movement or
society today is expounding the teachings of
Saint-Germain on his authorityand that the one
making the greatest pretensions to do so, is dis
seminating material unlike anything that SaintGermain ever taught or practised. X.

Good Citizens
A Frater asks why the question Are you doing
your best to be a good and useful citizen and to
obey the laws of the country in which you live?
is included in the application for membership in
this organization.
I presume that he asks this question on the
basis that since the organization is not in any
sense of the word political, and its activities are
not even limited by political boundaries, being
completely international in scope, it seems odd
that the organization would be concerned to the
point of asking this question of an individual
soliciting affiliation in the Order. It happens that
the organization is quite strict on this question.
The question must be answered in the affirmative
or an application is rejected.
Throughout the history of the Rosicrucian
Order it has always been quite clearly exemplified
in the lives of the members of the organization
that they were representative of the best of their

Page 127

particular age and of their particular country.

This does not mean that every Rosicrucian has
been outstanding insofar as the public is con
cerned, but individual members of the organiza
tion have become known for their honesty, in
tegrity and loyalty to those things which have a
high and noble purpose.
The Rosicrucian Order as an organization has
never attempted to operate contrary to regulations
of a government of a country in which its head
quarters or branches were located. It has always
encouraged its members to be loyal, and in fact,
in an oath of the organization it is required that
the member pledge himself never to commit a
treasonable act.
The Frater who advances this question may
have had in mind what the obligations of a Rosi
crucian should be toward his country. A re there,
for example, any times in which an individual
member should take exception to established cus
tom and law? Naturally, as already stated, since
a Rosicrucians ideals should be directed toward
those things which perpetuate all that is good and
noble and worthwhile, he should constantly be on
the alert to fight against anything that is contrary
to these purposes. Therefore, if, in his mind,
there exist things in his government or in his
country which are not in accord with his ideals
not particularly his ideals from an entirely per
sonal viewpoint but according to the knowledge
and purposes of the teachings which he is follow
ingit is his right and, in fact, his duty to insist
on seeing that steps are taken to right these
wrongs.
But the important factor is that the changes
which he would attempt to make, or at least to
support in action and word, would be in accord
ance with established methods by which to make
these changes; that is, it is an established belief
within the Rosicrucian philosophy that evolution
can accomplish a great deal more than revolution,
and therefore throughout its history the organiza
tion has, as an institution and among its individual
members, advanced and supported just causes,
some of which required considerable time to make
them effective but which served the purpose of
bringing about a change of events, establishing a
new system, or abolishing a previously existing
wrong.
In other words, when a Rosicrucian pledges
himself to be a good and useful citizen, to sup
port to the best of his ability the laws of his
country, it includes his pledge of loyalty in the
broadest sense of the word; that is, loyalty to him
self as an individual, and to the society of which
he is a part. He will uphold the ideals of his
country and do everything within his power to
make his country representative of the ideals upon
which it is established, and upon which basis he
pledges his loyalty and devotion.A.

A CHANCE TO PROVE

y&u/i

UNDER
COMPETENT
DIRECTION
AT THE

Rose-Croix U niversity
RALPH WALDO EMERSON, modern philos
opher, said: "A man should learn to detect
and watch that gleam of light which flashes
across his mind from within. . . . Yet he dis
misses without notice his thought, because
it is his."
How many of your own ideas which you
dismissed from your mind as too different or
newor merely because they were your
ownhave years later returned, as Emerson
said, in the alienated form of someone else's

recent accomplishment? Perhaps you, like

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

R O S I C R U C I A N P R E S S , L T D . , SA N J O S E , C A L I F .

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California, under A ct o f A ug. 24th, 1912

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Vol. X

APRIL, 1940

No. 5

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THREE THIRSTS HAVE WE

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Three thirsts have we, which one life cannot slake:

One ceaselessly affects our eager eyes,
Turning them in and out to hoard and make
More vivid Beauty's ever-fresh surprise.
One burning thirst does restlessly incite
Our minds to deeper, wider knowledge grow
So few of all the fruits of scholars' light,
Do we, in humble mastery, yet know:
Who thirst for ultimates on Time and Space,
For Truth's own insight into Life and Death
But more, oh more, to see and know the grace,
The bliss and power of the Cosm ic Breath
W hich we have felt, in moments not too rare;
In bathings of the Love and Glory there.
Not only there, but here and everywhere:
A vibrant flood of being, warm and cold,
A unity of flame-ice in the air,
In us, in earth, a wholeness we have felt enfold,
Infuse, enthrall, empower and uphold
Until we know how true they are who teach:
That Father-Mother Love of God can reach
Into our mortal flesh and does sustain
Our souls forever in their joyous gain
O f more divinity and ever more,
As we place others' joys and goods before
Our humble-loving own, in gratitude
For being held, illumined and renewed,
By all that higher good in which we learn,
To which we surely rise as flames up-burn,
And which eternally confounds despair
And seeming loss, with that immortal-old,
Forever young indwelling of its care.
J O E BO YER

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 130

Greetings!
V
D ear F ra t r es a n d Sorores :

Ridicule is a very voluminous cloak, for beneath

it one may conceal a vast ignorance. W hen we
cannot adduce facts to prove or disprove a phenomenon, the next best thing, if we are inclined
to be prejudiced and bigoted in our thinking, is
to inveigh against it with the purpose of dis
crediting it.
For centuries certain cures have miraculously
occurred, which could not be attributed to orthodox systems of therapeutics. Instead of these
cures inspiring impartial investigation by persons
with open minds, anxious to learn how they were
effected, they were met with derision. N ot only
the healer, but the patient was accused of perfidy
and fraud. How long the true facts regarding
these truths were concealed, and how many persons were consequently deprived of their benefit,
may never be known.
O f these, shall we say unorthodox, methods of
healing, the ones subject to the most criticism and
attack were faith and mental healing. In this
enlightened decade, one would expect that these
different systems of therapeutics would receive
less rebuke; however, there has been published
another book reviewing some of these systems of
mental healing, which, although it is not an open
condemnation of them, by its innuendoes leaves
the reader exceedingly skeptical. From our point
of view, as Rosicrucians, the questions are: Can
the mind heal or exert a curative influence? And
is faith in something sufficient for the recovery of
health?
Faith healing, we must first realize, is not
synonymous with mental healing whatsoever.
Blind faith, a steadfast faith not founded on
natural or Cosmic law can produce strange, but
more often dangerous, phenomena. W e must first
distinguish faith from knowledge. W hen we experience a thing, we know it. The only danger
that exists in such knowledge is that our interpretations may be wrong. W hen we have faith
in somethingW E HAVE CONFIDENCE
in some one or some thing, not because we know
they or it is right, but because we are willing to
accept it for what it seems until it is proven to
be otherwise. This is a very charitable and honest
attitude of mind, but frequently a disastrous one.
The thing or person we have faith in may and
often does deceive us, or may prove to be entirely
different from what he or it appears to be. Ob'
viously, we are apt to be less disappointed and
experience less misfortune if we seek to \now,
to learn rather than just to have faith.

V
There are some things that perhaps can never
be known by us, or at least in this lifetime, and
consequently we must form an opinion about
them to satisfy our innate curiosity. O ur opinion
either rejects them or accepts them entirely on
faith. Presume that an epidemic of a highly contagious disease has stricken the country. Hun"
dreds, perhaps thousands, have lost their lives and
the health authorities resources, particularly the
need for helpers, becomes severely taxed. They
plead for aid. You are untrained, but you feel it
a moral duty to offer your services. You valiantly
enlist to perform these duties which bring you in
immediate contact with highly infectious objects
and the stricken persons themselves. Your courage might have arisen from your faith in Cosmic
protection because you are rendering humani
tarian service. In other words, you feel that the
Cosmic will prevent you from contracting the
disease, no matter what you do, because of the
proper spirit you have displayed. Perhaps you,
our Forum reader, might say that this is a little
exaggerated. It is not, however, for there are
many whose faith is just as extreme as this
analogy.
Further, presuming that you feel that way, in
all probability you would disregard the natural
hygienic precautions, and most likely contract the
disease. If you did, your faith might be badly
shaken. W hat would have been wrong? W ould
the Cosmic mind not have taken into considera
tion your humanitarian service? The trouble
would have been caused by the wrong attitude of
your own mindby such a blind faith. You
would have discarded and disregarded all of your
natural powers of observation, of reason, and
even the laws of nature provided for your pro
tection. You would have wilfully violated them,
with the faith that nevertheless the Cosmic would
pull your chestnuts out of the fire, surround
you with immunity no matter what you did.
Faith in the Cosmic must mean confidence that
the Cosmic laws will work for those who are sin
cere and who have not built up too great a karma
for themselves. Such a faith requires K N O W L
EDGE of what to do and what not to do. It is
the combination, therefore, of faith A N D of
knowledge.
Many who resort to faith healing do so in just
such a blind manner as the analogy given above.
They have faith in their ultimate recovery. They
have faith in the goodness of God, the omniscience
of the Divine Mind, and that their very intense
desire to recover is sufficient. Possibly they re
cover, with this attitude of mind, and if they do

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they attribute their recovery to their faith, when

in all probability there was another reason; but
for everyone who recovers under such circumstances, dozens pass through transition. Obvious
ly it is not that those who have passed through
transition possessed less faith.
Such faith healing as this is not only condemned
by schools of scientific therapeutics, but by schools
of mysticism as well, for the mystic recognizes it
as a violation of Cosmic principles and natural
laws. On the other hand, mental healing, though
it formerly was severely criticized and attacked
by medical science, is slowly winning adherence,
although those who subscribe to its principles do
so under the title of organic psychology rather
than mental healing. More important is the fact
that every true mystic and metaphysician recog
nizes the rational and sound principles under
lying mental healing. The basic principle of men
tal healing is that the mind can exert a curative
effect upon physiological disturbances. The pre
mise is recognized that health consists of the
proper functioning of both the physical and
mental phases of mans being; one cannot be
looked upon with disregard to the other one.
They are not separate states, but a duality of one
beingM AN. Serious disturbances in one must
eventually produce detrimental reactions in the
other.
By the same inductive reasoning, a healthy
body and a pure blood stream will help maintain
a properly functioning mental or objective mind,
and conversely such a mind may aid the body.
For centuries it has been known to general mun
dane science that the brain was the central seat
of sensation, particularly in vertebrates. The
spinal nervous system, it was realized, contributed
to these sensations by the impulses it conveyed
from the external world, and on the other hand,
sensations likewise originated in the brainor at
least seemed towhich, as emotions, discharged
back through the sensory and motor nerves im
pulses now known to be electrical in nature,
which produced definite psychological effects.
Science, however, was not ready to concede that
this energy of mind could be used curatively. To
some extent it would seem improbable that a
subtle, intangible, and for centuries immeasurable,
influence of the mind could correct such compli
cated physiological realities as were many diseases.
Certainly it seemed that a gross physical disorder
would need an equally material property of sub
stance to cure it.
All methods of mental healing received no real
serious consideration by mundane science until
the practices of Friederich Mesmer, in the
eighteenth century. Mesmer, an Austrian medical
doctor, was born at Weil in 1733. In his prac
tice he was for years quite orthodox, and showed
no tendencies toward occultism or mysticism, ex

Page 131

cept a rather strong interest in the subject of

astrology. His belief in astrology caused him to
wonder (at a time when earth rays, Cosmic rays,
and even high frequencies of electricity were
little known, or unknown) if it were not possible
that the forces of the universe which motivated
the Cosmic bodies and which penetrated and
permeated everything, might not also exert an
influence upon the health of humans. He knew
magnetism and electricity were phases of this
Universal Cosmic energy. He, therefore, began
exposing persons who had certain disorders to
electrical and magnetic fields. He placed affected
parts of the human body within the field of strong
magnets and watched for results showing signs
of healing. Ten years later, in his travels, he met
J. J. Gassner, a priest in Switzerland, who seemed
to be accomplishing miracles my manipulation of
parts of the patients anatomy and by stroking
the patient. Mesmer thereupon conceived that
there was a sort of occult power that some men
possessed which, as a kind of effluvium, could be
passed into the bodies of others as a curative
property. A fter continuing experiments by the
laying on of hands and stimulating the nervous
systems of his patients, he further conceived that
men can draw upon the creative forces of the uni
verse and store this energy within them, and by a
certain procedure can transmit it from their hands
as an ethereal force to others.
To his own satisfaction, he was convinced of
this radiation from the human body, which he
called A N IM A L M AGNETISM . His term, ani
mal magnetism, was perhaps an unfortunate one.
He meant by it to distinguish the magnetism or
energy generated within and radiated from human
bodies from the electrical and magnetic properties
of inanimate matter. Religious fanatics and su
perstitious persons found the word animal not
only to be objectionable, but expedient for pro
claiming: It is a dangerous practice. Mesmer
was accused of conjuring bestial and satanic pow
ers and contaminating innocent persons with
them. Public condemnation aroused by the ig
norant masses caused his arrest in Vienna and his
eventual departure from that city.
The medical fraternity seized upon this occa
sion as the opportune time to further discredit
him. They stigmatized him a charlatan and pre
vented the continuation of his regular medical
practice. W ith the true spirit of a pioneer, he
remained undaunted and continued elsewhere his
seances, as they were called. These seances were
to demonstrate the magnetism within the human
body. Several persons at a sitting were obliged to
clasp hands and do other things of a dignified na
ture to intensify the body energy. Persons who
were ill were treated by the application of hands
to the spinal region, and such other practices as
are now recognized as therapeutic hypnotism.

Page 132

The remarkable successes of his mental healing

spread far and wide. Public opinion began to
swing in his favor. The medical fraternity could
no longer vilify himwithout an investigation
for fear of revealing their prejudices. A n invests
gation committee thereupon was formed by two
eminent physicians and scientists, Franklin and
Bailie. They called upon him and were permitted
to witness his methods and to make an inquiry
into the nature of the cures, to determine whether
they were genuine. They frankly were amazed at
what they saw and they made an elaborate report
of their findings. The report was an admission of
many factsbut it denied animal magnetism. The
committee insisted that the cures were purely
physiological, and yet other physicians could not
effect them by using physiological methods. The
inconsistency of this report was obvious. Never
theless, it won for Mesmer recognition in many
helpful quarters. He numbered among his friends
and acquaintances the influential Marquis de
Puysegur.
Even some medical authorities today cannot re
frain from complimenting Mesmer, on the one
hand, and then deriding him on the other, for
they say: Mesmer was undoubtedly a mystic,
but indulged in mummery." The greatest good
of Mesmers work was in the forcing upon the
scientific world a consideration of the efficacy of
mind over matter. It is now not uncommon for
a medical practitioner actually to suggest that the
patient adopt certain attitudes of mind and re
frain from thinking of this, or that he should
think of something else, likewise warning him
that his mental state may aggravate or may help,
as the case may be, his physical condition.
There still remains for our consideration what
often appear as miraculous cures, and which seem
due only to absolute faith. The cures at Lourdes,
in Southern France, are an example. From the
Ninth to the early part of the Nineteenth Cen
tury, Lourdes was not much more than a famous
fortress. There was nothing miraculous or mys
terious about the environs or the people, who
were mainly simple peasant folk. According to a
legend, in the year 1858 a peasant girl, Bernadette
Soubirous, wandered into a grotto having pristine
spring water, and there she had a theophanic ex
perience. She had a vision of the Virgin Mary.
She related that this experience repeated itself a
number of times. The springs of the grotto sub
sequently became renowned for their healing
qualities. Gradually its fame spread and the
crippled and diseased from far and wide came to
be cured. A fter drinking of the water, or apply
ing it to portions of their bodies, or even just
entering the grotto and praying, the crippled were
said to walk, the paralyzed to talk and move. The
Bishop of Tarbes began an investigation, and after
reporting favorably to the Pope, the latter author

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUK

ized the cult of O ur Lady of Lourdes. Eacl

year sees thousands upon thousands visiting th<
center to be cured. They have only faith. Faitl
that somehow, in some miraculous way they wil
be relieved of their physical incapacity and o
their pains and ailments. The walls of the grott<
are lined with crutches and the votive offering
of those who have been healed. I, myself, hav<
seen, while passing through the town of Lourde
on the way to Bordeaux, a line of humans severa
abreast, at least two miles in length constituting
several thousand persons, winding up the hillsid<
on which the grotto was located. Some would re
main in line all night and the next day, and per
haps the night again before they could enter th<
grotto.
Impartial scientific investigations have prover
that the greatest cures at Lourdes have been ac
complished in nervous disorders. This in itsel:
suggests the method of accomplishment. Man}
such disorders, such as neurosis, are caused by ;
psychosis an effect of the consciousness ;
serious change of it through worry, excitement
shock, and fear. The origin of these diseases ther
lies in the objective and subjective consciousness
It requires the substitution of a dominant idea foi
a cure. If the individual simply has a strong
enough faith that a visit to Lourdes or a drink oi
the water will help himit doesby the powe]
of his own suggestion. He comes to believe tha
his trouble is removed. He discards his obsession
drops it from his mind as one would a cloak fron
his body, and the cause of his afflictions is trul}
removed. He does not know it or understand it
but he has cured himself. The intense emotiona
agitation is galvanic in its effect upon the nervou:
system. The energy that his own mind has en
gendered accomplishes what no medicine or mani
pulation, or any other therapeutic system having
its foundation in gross material or physical things
could ever do. Actually, in such cases, faith heal
ing becomes the unconscious function of menta
healing; however, such faith alone cannot effeci
permanent cures in other ailments that are purely
physiological.
Cases have been recorded of visitors to Lourde;
throwing away crutches which they have beer
obliged to use for years to support them, becaust
of a badly atrophied leg, the result of some injury
A fter the visit to Lourdes, they would walk awa>
on a leg, which, from all physical appearances
could not even support the weight of the humar
body, YET six months or a year later, they woulc
be compelled to use the crutches again, the reasor
being that their affliction was of such a nature
that their intense desire, engendered by faith
could not permanently cure. A t the time, the
excitement produced a phenomenal strength, anc
a state of partial self-hypnosis. Such an indiv
iduals desire or faith, combined with \nowledgt

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 133

of the true Cosmic laws and principles to use,

might have effected a lasting cure.
As Rosicrucians, it therefore behooves us to
further the true practices of mental healing, but
to put no reliance in faith alone, UNLESS that
faith is placed in actual Cosmic laws and principles, and does not constitute a vague dependency. Differentiate to others between faith and
mental healing and you will do much to support
and encourage the proven methods of the latter,
and you will thereby do your part in discrediting
these popular books that constitute attacks on
systems of mental healing.
Fraternally,
R alph

M.

L e w is ,

Imperator.

Pain Killer
From time to time the subject of drugs has been
mentioned not only in this Forum, but in the
monographs and other literature published by the
organization. In fact, only a comparatively short
time ago a Frater wrote regarding the use of
drugs, and the subject was quite thoroughly dis
cussed in a recent issue of the Forum. Another
Frater wrote us more information concerning
various pain killers and forms of medication
used, which could hardly be placed in the category
of drugs in the strictest sense of the word but
which, nevertheless, constitute the stupefying of
the nervous system, or making it possible to kill
pain.
There are probably fewer pain killers on the
market today than there have been at times in the
past. Various federal and state regulations in the
United States and also in other countries are
limiting the sale of such articles. But the question
really before us at this time is, From the stand
point of a Rosicrucian is it ever excusable to take
a 'pain killer' such as aspirin, which is the popu
lar name given to a very commonly used drug for
the purpose of killing, or at least lessening, pain?
There are many sides, or rather, viewpoints,
that must be taken into consideration in answer
ing this question. The Rosicrucian explanation
and attitude toward pain is clearly given in the
monographs. It is definitely stated that pain is a
signal; in fact, it is a warning signal. It is a meth
od by which nature is able to notify the objective
consciousness of something definitely wrong with
in the body. W ithout pain, we would not have
forced upon the objective consciousness an in
harmonious condition existing, and while pain is
not always the first manifestation of a state of
unbalance or inharmony in the body, it is very
frequently one of the early symptoms, and occa
sionally is the first. Pain may at first be very mild;

it may be only an extreme tiredness, but if the

warning is not heeded the condition which is in
existence within our systems and producing the
pain will not be corrected, but will rather con
tinue to grow in severity, and in all probability
will become worse. And even if the pain no
longer registers in our consciousness, the condi
tion may still be going on.
Now it is clearly pointed out in one of the
monographs of the early degrees that to stop a
signal is not to get at the root of the trouble. The
illustration contained in the monograph states that
when a fire alarm rings it would be ridiculous to
put padding around the alarm so that it could not
be heard, and then not put out the fire. The same
thing is true in regard to pain. The treating of a
chronic condition of pain in the system by doping
with aspirin is the same as disconnecting an auto
matic fire alarm and letting a fire destroy prop
erty. Therefore, whether or not, from a Rosicru
cian viewpoint, a mild pain killer" should be
taken internally, depends a great deal upon the
point of view that is adopted by the individual.
It might be stated this way: Everything else
should be done in conjunction with the taking of
such medication; that is, instructions are given in
the monographs for the proper use and applica
tion of the A and B elements, particularly the use
of the A element in many forms, some of which
can be self-administered and which will tend to
lessen the severity of pain. These, of course,
should be used under any circumstances if pain
becomes manifest, if at all possible to do so, but
if the pain is deep-seated and the individual is
dependent upon self-administration of the treat
ments, he may be unable to stop the pain im
mediately or within a short time. In such cases if
there is work to be done, or if there are things
which it is imperative that the individual give his
attention to at the moment, it is permissible and,
in fact, reasonable that a pain killer be taken
to relieve the pain for the moment, if, and this is
the important matter to be considered, the pain
killer is taken to relieve the pain for the moment,
and every effort is made by the individual to
determine and immediately undertake a proper
series of treatments for the cause of the pain.
In other words, the taking of a pain killer in
order to rid oneself of pain, and forgetting the
cause and giving no further consideration or
treatment to the condition is as ridiculous as the
previous illustration of disconnecting the fire
alarm and not putting out the fire; but if, in order
to carry on ones daily activities or keep a previ
ously made appointment, it is necessary to take
aspirin to relieve a severe headache, with the
thought in mind that we are going to investigate
what is causing the headache and that every at
tempt will be made to determine the underlying
cause, and that we will even go to a physician,

Page 134

if necessary, for an examination and then through

his instructions together with the application of
the Rosicrucian principles correct this cause, the
taking of the pain killer as a temporary relief is
the logical thing to do. Do not misunderstand me
and think that I am recommending the use of
drugs, or we might say sedatives or similar medi
caments, because these things should be turned to
when nothing else can be done. It should always
be our purpose insofar as possible to keep our
bodies in the best physical condition. Do not wait
until a series of headaches come daily to have a
thorough physical examination, or to correct your
daily living conditions. Always consider the
matter of your health, because when you have
apparently good health it is the best time in which
to consider keeping it. Living as we do in a com
plex age, and living as we do where many rules
of health are unconsciously violated due to mod
ern foods and modern living conditions, it is wise
for an individual to take physical inventory of
himself annually, and constantly to bear in mind
those exercises and those phases of diet which
help to maintain good health. W e do not have to
become diet faddists, or fanatics to do this. It is
only a matter of good judgment and the applica
tion, as directed in our monographs, of those
principles of Rosicrucianism which can be used
to promote our physical well being.A.

Direction from the Masters

A frater has asked us to explain what he be
lieves to be a contradiction in our Neophyte De
grees. In one of the Second Degree monographs
it is stated that the student must not expect the
Cosmic Masters to hourly whisper in his ear what
should be each of his individual actions, decisions,
and attitudes. In another place in the Neophyte
Degrees it refers to the fact that when we choose
to use our own reasoning or brain faculties in
preference to accepting the decision of the Cosmic
Mind, we are in error because the Cosmic Mind
is constantly trying to direct and guide us.
It does appear from first glance at these two
statements that they might be contradictory, but
there is a wide difference in them. The difference
amounts to understanding how the Cosmic works,
and also having a better understanding of what
constitutes inspiration that comes as a result of
concentration and meditation. It is very true that
the Cosmic Masters do not literally or figuratively
stand by our sides and whisper into our ears every
move that we should make.
It must be constantly borne in mind on the part
of the student that the human being is endowed
by the Creator with certain equipment, and it is
up to the human being to make use of this equip
ment. Man does not have to be guided in every
step that he takes, because he learns to walk and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

carries it on almost as an involuntary process. He

is given the ability to reason in order to be able
to meet material conditions by objective, material
reasoning. He also has more than material equip
ment; he has a subjective mind which is the mind
of his soul through which the Cosmic may speak
in the form of what we ordinarily refer to as
intuition. This is a means of contact with the
Cosmic, and a channel through which he can se
cure information from the Cosmic Masters, but
and this is an important pointhe must be willing
to develop the ability to know how to secure it,
and he must be willing to abide by the decision
given when he does have the information.
The Cosmic, it must be remembered, is a com
posite of the laws, regulations and purposes estab
lished by the Creator to carry out the eventual
end and purpose of the universe. In order for
man to attain his goal he must be willing to study
these laws to gain an understanding of them and
as a result attempt to work with them. Now, of
course, it would be much easier if the Cosmic
Masters could just, as previously stated, whisper
in our ears every move we should make, but if
this were the case then there would be no use of
the soul experiencing an existence such as it does
in a human body.
In other words, its contact, that is, the contact
of the soul, would be complete with the Cosmic,
and there would be no need for any further ex
perience. W hat we are working toward is that
perfection of contact, that ability to link ourselves
so closely with the Cosmic purposes that we are
in a position to know how to apply the Cosmic
laws in our own lives. All of this sums up to one
factthe only true way to gain Cosmic inspira
tion, to gain the direction of the Cosmic Masters
is the hard way, the way that comes as a result of
study and practice, and it requires patience and
effort. That is why some fall by the way in at
tempting to attain it. Remember that you are
working to establish a new process in your being,
one which is not entirely dependent upon your
physical, objective brain but one which comes as
a result of gaining the ability to use other facul
ties, which after all, is the very purpose of the
course of study given in the Rosicrucian teach
ings.A.

Hobbies
A few years ago a hobby was a private thing.
Now it seems to be a public commodity. There
are magazines devoted to the subject, sections in
newspapers, and even radio programs, particularly
in this country; we are becoming hobby conscious.
Because of all this individuals who never thought
of a hobby are beginning to inquire concerning
them. W hat are they, and what are the best hob
bies? W e have received a number of letters from

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

individuals conscientiously asking for suggestions

in establishing a hobby.
It might be well to consider just what consti
tutes a hobby. In the generally accepted sense a
hobby is an activity that an individual carries on
in addition to the work which constitutes his
means of livelihood. W ith some people it seems
that their work is their hobby. W hether or not it
should be is a question open for discussion, be
cause it is generally accepted that it is to the ad
vantage of the individual to have another interest
for a part of his time.
The modern machine age has made available
more leisure time than existed in other eras of the
past, and people have attempted to use this time
and as a result hobbies have developed. However,
it seems to me that the advising of a person con
cerning a hobby is something entirely outside of
the field of another individual. Most people who
have hobbies that are enjoyable, that bring to
them a means of entertainingly and constructive
ly using their extra time, have developed these
hobbies more or less spontaneously. That is, they
have not said to themselves, W ell I have to find
a hobby. W hat can I do?, and after thinking it
over gone and purchased a group of magazines
and looked at this and that and finally decided
upon a something in which they would be inter
ested. Such a hobby would not be a very forceful
part of the average individuals life. Usually a
hobby is found because of a spontaneous interest
that develops in a certain thing. The individual
confined to office routine all day may begin to
enjoy working an hour or so in the evening or
on Sundays in a garden, and that garden becomes
a hobby because he finds real enjoyment and re
laxation in devoting himself to it. He did not
have to choose from among a number of possible
activities. He simply gave rein to his interests
and let them take their course.
Therefore, our advice to those who are seeking
a hobby is that, as with many other things, the
least way is the best way; that is, to try to con
centrate on something which you think would be
of interest is to make an artificial hobby to a cer
tain extent. Probably it would be much more ad
visable to determine what time of the day you
have free each day of each week, and in that
period of time simply do as you please, but at
tempt to change what you are doing from time to
time to contact different things. Take a walk in
the sections of the city or country in which you
live with which you are not thoroughly familiar.
Decide to visit all of the museums, art galleries,
and public buildings that are within reasonable
distance of where you live, or within the same
city. Do the same in regard to all public libraries.
A campaign of this kind definitely carried out
over a period of time will lead you into many
fields of interest and will open up an entirely new

Page 135

point of view for your spare time, and in the

contacts which you make over a period of time
you will probably find some particular thing that
will prove of immediate interest to you, some
thing that you will want to investigate a little
further, and once this is found and a genuine in
terest established, then you will not have to worry
about establishing a hobby because it is already
done and you have something really worthwhile
and interesting to fill in your spare time which
can be developed constructively.
The Rosicrucian Research Library is attempting
to make available to all members a vast field of
information and knowledge. W hile it is of course
specializing in publications which will be of par
ticular help to the student of Rosicrucianism, it is
also makng available information on many sub
jects, and if you have a hobby or an inclination
toward the study of a certain subject, possibly
additional information can be obtained by taking
advantage of the services the library offers to all
members whether near San Jose or far distant.A

Self-consciousness
It seems fitting at this time to touch upon a sub
ject that is interesting to thousands of persons in
all parts of the world. It is the condition or emo
tion generally referred to as Self-consciousness.
This condition is often called an inferiority
complex.
Perhaps many of you have experienced this
condition at some time in your lives. If you have,
you are well aware of the state of panic it can
leave you in. O ur purpose here is not to discuss
the reactions to this condition, but rather to
analyze it briefly and seek a remedy for it.
Nevertheless, properly to appreciate the agony
of those who have and do suffer from selfconsciousness, we should look into some of these
reactions. Generally, they are the same as our
reactions to the emotion fear. W e have that same
feeling of weakness, that same sensation of
chill, a drawing, vibrating effect in the region
of the solar plexus. In severe cases, we may
be left speechless; tears may come into the eyes.
W hen we attempt to say something, the chin
may start to quiver in such a manner that it
is impossible to speak. A sort of choking up
is quite a natural reaction. W hen we experience
such an extreme result, it terminates in a state of
near panic, a desire to flee from the scene of our
embarrassment.
The extreme case of self-consciousness finds
himself unable to meet and talk to strangers or
discuss with others his ideas and impressions.
Generally, he is a lonely soul, without more
than one or two friends at a time, for naturally he
is not a good mixer, as the saying goes. He is
definitely the wallflower type, and dislikes parties
and social gatherings of every nature.

Page 136

Since our reactions are the same as those had

while facing or experiencing a great fright, then
it would seem that self-consciousness is nothing
more than the emotion fear.
In recent years, we have heard much about the
introvert and the extrovert types. These are
labels under which we have been classified by psy
chology. Naturally, the victim of self-consciousness is in the former classification. He cannot
possibly be the extrovert type, for this refers to
the strong, positive type of person, the one who
beams and radiates. This type, however, is gen
erally thought of as more shallow in thought than
the introvert. Usually he is not a studious person,
and as a rule he makes a very good salesman,
though perhaps not a good sales organizer or
campaign manager.
The introvert, on the other hand, is the type
that lives within himself. He reads a great deal,
and keeps his thoughts and ideas to himself, except
through writing. Now the point is this: Is he
studious and quiet, is he a good listener, because
he is an introvert? O r is he an introvert because
he suffers from self-consciousness? W hen you
meditate upon this point and analyze it carefully,
it would seem that his emotions and reactions to
contact with others make him the introvert type.
There is no doubt about the fact that this type
of person is definitely handicapped in life. It is
very hard for him to inspire the complete confi
dence that he should. He may be a truly remark
able person with wonderful ideas about business
and other matters, but he is unable to sell himself
to others because he cannot find words to express
himself when called upon.
Naturally, the ideal type would be a combina
tion of the two different types, and in many re
spects the introvert would seem to have the ad
vantage over the extrovert. The introvert has
been driven into seclusion, and has usually devel
oped the ability to meditate and concentrate and
study and reason. The extrovert, on the other
hand, is many times so busy expressing himself
and being the handshaker generally that he has
little time for anything else, let alone listening to
the opinions of others. Please remember our
cases here are the extremes and not the happy
medium types. Our extrovert, after 15 or 20 years
of outward expression, will find it difficult to
change and become a real student, a deep thinker,
with the ability to reason and analyze. But the
introvert has this ability all developed. It is now
only necessary for him to drive out this bugbear,
fear. W e admit it is going to be hard for him,
but once attained, the effort will be well worth
while, for it will result in self-confidence and the
ability to cope with almost any situation with
which he is confronted.
Our problem now is what shall our introvert
do to eliminate this panic, this deep-seated fear of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

public opinion, this inability to meet his fellow

man on an equal basis. Shall he battle down this
embarrassment, this hindrance to progress, by
sheer force of will? A t first thought this would
seem the thing to do, and no doubt this method
eventually would bring results. But at the same
time, this method is the hard way, and would
bring on much unnecessary suffering. It would
mean going out and, through force, meeting
others, and making efforts to attend social gather
ings, perhaps arranging to attend dinners and
other affairs where it would be possible to give
brief talks and discussions. Each one of these ap
pearances would take its toll on the nervous sys
tem, and any one complete failure might mean a
complete setback.
W e would suggest that the better method
would be to first of all reason and analyze this
condition, and realize that it is nothing more than
fear. Once we convince ourselves that fear is due
to wrong reasoning, it is not nearly so difficult
to dispel it. Fear, we have learned from our Rosi
crucian studies, is the anticipation of the un
known; in other words, the expectation of some
thing that actually does not exist, for nothing
exists to us but our realities. Once we realize a
thing, it then becomes a fact to us.
Let us look at the person who is first learning
to drive a car. W e will take for the example any
middle-aged man or woman. This person usually
grabs the steering wheel of the car in a death grip,
and becomes tense from head to foot. He usually
frowns and scowls and shows fear in every facial
expression. Now, this would indicate fear of
something. Therefore, it must be fear of having
an accident of some kind. This person is antici
pating a mishap. He does not know for a fact
that he will have an accident, because he cannot
know the future. He is reasoning deductively
only. He has decided that accidents happen, and,
therefore, he probably will be a victim. But if he
will balance his reasoning, or reason inductively
from effect to cause, he can dispel his fear, relax
mentally and physically, and probably become a
good driver in a few days time.
Inductive reasoning in such a case would be as
follows: Although it is true that there are numer
ous automobile accidents, and even my neighbor
experienced one when first learning to drive,
there are thousands of cars in use today with
drivers who have never had an accident. So,
naturally, everyone does not have accidents while
learning to drive, so why should I? I am no dif
ferent, mentally and physically, from the average
person.
And so, going back again to our victim of selfconsciousness, he should avoid building up im
pressions of what others are thinking of him and
whether or not he is making a good impression
upon them. In fact, he should always take the

Page 137

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

attitude, if any, that he is making a good impres

sion, for here he is taking advantage of positive
thoughts, which we know are beneficial at all
times. Our thoughts definitely affect us, and we
react to them; others will react in the same way.
If we have no confidence in a product we are selling, we cannot sell it successfully; and the same
thing is true when we attempt to sell ourselves
or our ideas.
He should try to eliminate from his consciousness the objective thought and impression that he
is a victim of this fear, but he cannot do this by
negation or denial, for the minute he denies the
existence of this condition, he admits that it does
exist. Therefore, this type of affirmation will help
him very little.
He can use to his benefit, however, positive
thoughts of affirmation, and these should be while
in periods of meditation and attunement or just
before he goes to sleep at night, as has been suggested in our Rosicrucian teachings. Such affirmations are not a denial of a condition, but rather a
command to the inner self to overcome a condition that is known to exist. During other times,
all thoughts of a destructive nature should be
avoided. To properly overcome these thoughts,
they should be replaced by constructive ones.
This same method applies to the elimination of
bad habits or any form of improper thinking and
reasoning.
During the course of the day, Cathedral of the
Soul periods should be indulged in. Frequent
exercises of concentration on the parts of the body
are very helpful, and especially is this true of
those who, through necessity, are required to ap
pear before audiences for speeches or, perhaps,
entertainment. The vocalist making a debut is
often nervous and upset, suffering from stage
fright. The more he dwells upon his coming ap
pearance, the more completely does he become a
victim of stage fright and all of its pitfalls. He
should go off by himself, sit down if possible, and
relax. This is aided by concentrating on the
various parts of the body while holding the breath.
Shutting out as much as possible all objective
thoughts of the coming event is most beneficial.
These are the exercises that should be indulged
in by one who suffers self-consciousness. Our
deep breathing exercises and periods of concen
trating upon the pineal and pituitary glands are
very beneficial; so, too, is the use of vowel sounds,
for these exercises tend to have a strengthening
effect upon the entire nervous system. Also, an
other helpful indulgence that is not mentioned in
the Rosicrucian studies is physical exercise that
stimulates the circulation of the blood and in
creases deep breathing.
Of course, we have to use some will power in
fighting this feeling of fear. W e will have to face
it at each opportunity to convince ourselves that

there is actually nothing to fear. But, at the same

time, our thoughts can help us to a large extent.
They can also prove our undoing. The important
part the Rosicrucian methods of thought control
and other exercises play is in helping us to over
come the physical and mental reactions of selfconsciousness, transmuting it into complete con
fidence in self.

T he Effect of Thought
A Frater from New England arises to ask our
Forum, In just what physical way does our
thought affect others? First of all, let us agree
upon one thing, and that is the power of thought
itself. It is admitted that thought vibrations affect
not only ourselves but things outside of ourselves.
This point is so important that it forms one of the
fundamental principles of our studies. It is by
the proper use of such power that many wonder
ful manifestations are brought about while con
centrating and meditating, including remarkable
cures. This type of work is often labeled meta
physical healing or absent treatment. Many Rosi
crucian lessons are given over to the study of these
radiations from the mind of man, their use and
misuse, benefit, and detrimental effect.
In our study of thought vibrations, we soon
learn that their greatest effect is within us. W e
learn that we can control many of the functions
of the body by thought, even the involuntary ac
tions of the body, such as the heart beat. W e also
learn that thoughts do radiate from us and affect
things in our immediate surroundings. Especially
are other people subject to our thoughts and react
or respond to them. The question that must be
considered here is whether or not these reactions
are a result of attunement with our thoughts, or
if they are not natural reactions to our own per
sonal reactions.
For example, if we are cheerful and happy with
thoughts of peace and harmony, we virtually live
the life of one so possessed of such thoughts.
Proverbially, As we think, so are we. Now,
while in such a happy frame of mind, practically
everyone we meet will react accordingly. They
will seem to be drawn to us, for no doubt the
world is seeking peace and happiness. Is it not
probable that those we contact so react because
they see us in a happy mood or frame of mind,
rather than the fact that the thought vibrations
were contacted and interpreted? If we happen to
be in an ugly mood, holding dark, sinister
thoughts, perhaps even thoughts of bodily harm
to another, will we not indicate this in our every
feature, in our very actions? W e simply cannot
avoid it. Others around us sense these things, and
their reactions will be indicative. Either they will
avoid contact with us or will be belligerent in

Page 138

their attitude toward us, but this does not mean

that the thought of bodily harm radiated, was re
ceived, and interpreted by the mind of the other
person or persons near us.
W e recently received a communication from a
gentleman in San Francisco, in which he stated
that because of his ability to transfer thought vi
brations, he had been placed in embarrassing and
awkward situations on several occasions. For in
stance, on one occasion, he was in a small,
crowded office, and had business before a small
cage-like window. Upon arrival, he found several
persons in front of the window who were pushing
and shoving each other about and arguing about
who was first in line. Before long, he too became
involved. During the melee, he realized that he
had become angry and suddenly expressed men
tally the wish that some force would sweep these
persons out of the office or would in some manner
stop their rioting, even if it meant doing them
bodily harm. Immediately thereafter, things
quieted down, and all but one of the men moved
to the other side of the room, where they re
mained until he had finished his business and re
tired from the scene. This gentleman has inter
preted this experience as one of thought trans
ference. Since he said nothing to the rioters, he
felt that his thoughts must have been picked up
and realized, just as if he had actually spoken to
the persons in a harsh manner.
This gentleman reports another incident in
which he was standing in a crowd, waiting to
enter a moving picture house. W hile calmly
awaiting a sign from the usher to enter, several
words flashed across his consciousness, words that
he had chanced to hear during the day while at
his work. These words were of an obscene nature
and especially repulsive to this gentleman. Now,
at the moment of this occurrence, he glanced
around, and noticed that several people very close
to where he was standing seemed to look at him;
and it was his impression that they pulled away,
as though to remove themselves as far as possible.
Our gentleman felt sure that these obscene
thoughts had radiated from him and all within
several yards at least were aware of the thought
that went through his mind and were thinking
terrible things about him because of it all.
Now, when we carefully analyze these ex
periences, we find nothing in them to indicate
transference of thought, although we find plenty
to indicate that the reactions in both cases could
easily have been the result of some action on the
part of the gentleman. In the first instance, he
was angry, and we know what anger will do for
us. W e can hardly keep from showing it. Even
those who have great control over the emotions
will experience difficulty suppressing outward
manifestations when they do become angry. This
gentleman probably frowned and glowered at the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

jostling men. If he was bumped about, which, no

doubt, he was, it is possible that he performed a
bit of pushing on his own as an outward expres
sion of his disapproval. If confronted with this
statement, he would perhaps deny any physical
action on his part, but at the same time he has
already admitted anger. W hile in a state of anger,
even a mild one, man often performs an act that
he is not aware of at the moment. And now,
noting this gentlemans reaction to their pushing
and shoving, it is highly probable that the persons
acting this little drama quieted down, and no
doubt in their embarrassment got out of the wait
ing line and crossed the room, where they stood
quietly waiting for a turn at the window.
This same story might easily explain the re
actions of the theater crowd. The mans thoughts
were repulsive to him; perhaps unconsciously he
made a grimace, or he might have even given vent
to audible sound in his expression of disgust and
yet not realized it. But those around him, noticing
it, probably looked at him in wonderment. Then,
upon noticing people looking at him, he would
imagine his thought was picked up. This would
cause him embarrassment and his face would flush
and become red. The people around him would
notice this and wonder what was wrong with him.
Their natural reaction would be to watch him,
and some might even unconsciously change their
positions or move about, and the gentleman would
interpret this as a desire to move away from his
presence. Some might argue that this explanation
is logical enough, but does not prove anything;
for, since we admit thought transference, why is
it not just as logical to say that the thoughts were
transferred from the mind of our gentleman to
the minds of the other persons involved in our
narrative?
Thought transference is a scientific fact and has
been demonstrated many times, but under circum
stances quite different from those we have cited.
W e know that a successful experiment requires a
definite procedure or method. W e know that the
receiver of the message must also be in a proper
frame of mind in order to tune in. Thought vi
brations must be impressed upon the subjective
mind, then transferred to the objective, where
they are analyzed and interpreted. This is best
done under circumstances of peace and quiet,
when we can properly make dormant the physical
senses and in a subjective, meditative mood, reach
into the Cosmic Consciousness for the message we
are attempting to receive.
Certainly in neither of the experiences our
friend has related do we find a condition con
ducive to proper reception of mental impressions.
Yet we do know that spontaneous transmittal and
reception takes place frequently; but, at the same
time, we realize that this is usually between per'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sons very close to each other and therefore closely

attuned at all times.
There is another interesting phase, too, of the
experiences of the gentleman we have been discussing tonight, and that is his continuous search
for proof of his ability to use thought impressions.
Fresh on his objective memory are the instructions
regarding mental telepathy, and he has spent
many hours thinking about it, experimenting with
it, and seeking proof. Consequently, when he is
in the presence of others, he wonders if they
know what he is thinking. He will decide that
perhaps they do, and gradually he will begin to
interpret their physical actions as indications of
reception of his thoughts. The longer he continues this, the more thoroughly he will convince
himself. This is not at all difficult. Many of us
have had such experiences, and the greater our
imagination is, the easier it is to find the proof we
are seeking. The fact of the matter is those in
whom we find our proof may not even be aware
of our presence, and mentally may be miles away,
and reacting to a stimulus resulting from men
tally reliving some physical experience had in the
past.
W hen we take up the study of the human
aura, which is the strong magnetic field that sur
rounds the body and can be seen by the human
eye under certain ideal conditions, we learn that
it is perceived as being of certain colors, sometimes
one definite color, and other times a mixture of
colors. It has been proven in hundreds of experi
ments that our thoughts will affect this aura,
changing its color, making it strong and then
weak, and altering it in numerous ways. If this
is true, then the aura will be an indication of our
frame of mind, our health, and our attitude to
ward life in general. Although the aura is not al
ways visible, and in fact visible only to those who
know and understand it, it is easily sensed. It is
this sensing of the aura that often results in our
reactions to certain persons when we first meet
them. W e have all had the experience of meeting
and shaking hands with a person and later on re
marking, He is certainly a fine person; I like
him, or, on the other hand, our reaction may be
the opposite. This certain something that we
sense is the radiation of the human aura, which
in turn is the result of the personality. This is
shown by the fact that our reaction or impression
of the person we meet will be the same regardless
of his station in life, whether he is a well-dressed
gentleman in evening clothes or a mechanic in
greasy overalls.
This is why it is important to follow the in
structions we receive in the monographs and hold
only those thoughts that are constructive in na
ture. Such thoughts will help us to develop a

Page 139

strong, radiant personality. Since the personality

evolves according to our thoughts, we say again,
As we think, so are we.

Being Successful
I have before me a letter from a Frater who
discusses in some detail his ideas of success and
failure, and asks us to state just what we believe
constitutes success.
Answering this question is like answering
many others where a number of factors are in
volved, or rather must be taken into consideration
in order to have a clear conception of a definition.
In the final analysis success is relative; that is, it
depends upon the standards by which it is
measured. If success is measured entirely in terms
of accumulation of money, then a person with a
small accumulation after many years of work
would hardly be considered as successful. This
conception is the common conception of success;
that is, success measured in material standards,
the most convenient being money.
Every Rosicrucian will understand immediately
that a material standard cannot and should not be
the only rule by which success is measured. I
know a doctor who passed through transition a
comparatively short time ago who lived in a
modest home without many of the luxuries that
many people seek in life, and when his estate was
settled there existed nothing from a material
standpoint outside of a few insurance policies
which he had kept up for the benefit of his wife
and children when the time would come that he
was not there to support them. In the eyes of
most people this doctor was not a success. He had
not contributed to any discoveries in therapeutics,
his name was never mentioned in the publications
of medical and healing circles as an outstanding
physician, but yet there were hundreds of people,
and I mean literally hundreds, whose very lives
existed because of this doctor. He had given his
professional services unselfishly for a period of a
good many years. He never asked those who
came to see him whether or not they had the
money to pay the bill. In fact; he never even
bothered to keep an accurate set of books, so upon
his transition his estate had no idea of how much
was actually* owing him for professional services.
His memory will always exist in the community
where he lived. He will be remembered as a
friend and councillor of all those who called upon
him, and yet, as already stated, he had nothing
materially. He contributed nothing to his profes
sion insofar as the general conception of contri
butions is concerned, but he contributed to the
happiness and well being of hundreds of human
beings. I leave it to youwas or was not this
doctor a success?

Page 140

Recently in the Readers Digest an article

appeared concerning an attorney who became in
capacitated physically and could not carry on his
regular practice, and in order to have something
to occupy his time he has for a very small fee been
giving legal advice to people who could not afford
to consult an attorney. People take contracts to
him before they are signed, and ask what steps
should be taken, and as a result of his advice
much misery and losses of property and money
have been avoided on the part of many people
who have consulted him.
From the usual standard by which the world
judges the success of attorneys, he was not a suc
cess in his profession. This is not a reflection on
him, but was simply because he was physically un
able to carry out his full duties as an attorney.
But in the minds of the people he has helped,
and in your minds, again I ask the question, is or
is not this man a success?
I do not doubt but what every reader can cite
other very similar illustrations showing the rela
tivity of success. Probably success in life is and
should be measured by a number of standards,
and true success constitutes the spreading of hap
piness among others and the gradual development
of an understanding of the purpose of each of us
in the scheme of things. N ot all can be publicly
acclaimed, but those who are publicly acclaimed
and become outstanding figures of the day and
heroes of the hour can frequently, in fact I do not
believe I exaggerate when I say in all cases, at
tribute a part of their physical success to indiv
iduals such as the doctor and attorney who
worked quietly in the background not attaining
public success, but making successful in the eyes
of the public those who might not otherwise have
had the opportunity.A.

T he Rose-Croix Sanitarium
W e feel it appropriate at this time to mention
the remarkable work being done at our wonderful
institution of healing, which is now under the di
rection of our beloved soror, Mrs. H. Spencer
Lewis. Soror Lewis, as president of the Board of
Directors of the Rose-Croix Sanitarium, is carry
ing on this great work with wonderful results and
in accordance with the desires and wishes of our
beloved late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis.
Perhaps there is no one quite so well qualified
to do this as Soror Lewis. Having been the con
stant companion and co-worker of our late Im
perator, she would naturally be well acquainted
with Dr. Lewis plans for the sanitarium. And
so, in accordance with these plans, Soror Lewis
has placed on the staff of the sanitarium only high
degree Rosicrucian doctors and nurses that are
especially qualified in the field of therapeutics.
These doctors and nurses have been members of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

A M O RC for years and have been using Rosicru

cian healing methods in their regular practice for
a long period of time; and, therefore, they are ex
perts in the application of our healing system.
Soror Lewis has explained that one of the great
advantages of the present staff is the wide experi
ence and understanding available to the patient.
He has the advantages of the very latest and most
modern equipment used in California today. He
has the benefit of the newest methods of physio
therapy. A t the same time, he has available meth
ods of modern medicine, as well as the Rosicru
cian healing system. The patient is always given
the Rosicrucian treatments regardless of what else
is being done for him, and the few minutes of
complete relaxation in the wonderful violet room
are most beneficial in assisting nature to carry on
her healing work.
Among the important members of the sani
tarium personnel is Dr. Roberto Herdocia, whose
wide experience as a medical physician especially
qualifies him as the therapeutic head of the sani
tarium. Dr. Herdocia, after many years of prac
tice in his native country, Nicaragua, came to the
United States to continue his studies and research
work. For a long period of time he practiced his
art in the city of Los Angeles, California, as a
general practitioner, specializing in eye, ear, nose,
and throat diseases. Dr. Herdocia has successfully
used the Rosicrucian healing system in his prac
tice for many years. He was constantly in cor
respondence with Dr. Lewis regarding various
types of illnesses. This exchange of reports on
different cases has given Dr. Herdocia wide
knowledge and understanding of the Rosicrucian
healing methods.
Equally important in his particular field of
therapeutics is our very good frater, Dr. John N.
MacDonald, who specializes as a drugless physi
cian. Dr. MacDonald uses the very latest equip
ment available today in the science of drugless
healing. He is a licensed chiropractor as well as a
naturopath. Being a high degree Rosicrucian,
naturally Dr. MacDonald thoroughly understands
the Rosicrucian healing system and has used it in
his work for a long time.
The therapeutic staff of the sanitarium is for
tunate in having the aid of Soror Clara Buker,
Registered Nurse, who, like the doctors and all
other members of the personnel, is a member of
the higher Rosicrucian degrees. Naturally, Soror
Buker assists in every way possible, including the
giving of Rosicrucian treatments. The effect of
the positive and negative treatments rendered
simultaneously in this manner is remarkable
indeed.
Soror Lewis has selected for the position of
custodian and general aid one of our fratres who
is well known to the members of the AM ORC
staff and also to many members of the Order who

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

have attended the annual conventions at Rosicru

cian Park during recent years. This highly re
spected frater is Mr. Paul Brusienski, who is do
ing very fine work in his particular field of duties.
Naturally, in an institution of this nature, the
kitchen and dining room are very important, as
properly prepared food is necessary for the nour
ishment of the patients. Dr. Lewis, knowing how
important this was to any system of healing,
selected one of our high degree sorores whose
culinary knowledge was outstanding. Soror Laura
W ood is continuing her duties at the sanitarium
with the assistance of several others.
Soror Lewis work is by no means confined
simply to directing the affairs of the sanitarium,
but she is constantly busy there giving treatments
herself, just as Dr. Lewis did, helping the doctors
and nurses with the patients, visiting each one
several times a day, as well as assisting in the
laboratory. The peace and harmony that has been
established by the presence of Soror Lewis and
her staff is wonderful indeed. Everyone who visits
the sanitarium speaks of the wonderful vibrations
that you can sense even before you actually enter
the building. One condition that is especially
noticeable is the spirit of helpfulness and coopera
tion that prevails, not only among the staff of
workers, but the patients themselves. In the true
Rosicrucian spirit, they desire to help in every
way they can to further the efforts of Soror Lewis
and her co-workers at the sanitarium.
One could not mention the sanitarium and the
peaceful atmosphere that prevails among the pa
tients and staff without calling attention to the
assistance Soror Lewis receives from her daughter,
Colombe Madeleine Lewis, who has been selected
for the important position of receptionist and
secretary. Colombe Madeleine is a very important
member of the staff, taking care of much detail
work and business of the sanitarium and assisting
wherever possible to maintain the efficiency and
business-like manner in which the material affairs
of the sanitarium are conducted. Soror Lewis is
fortune indeed in having as a part of this great
work the sweet, unselfish assistance of Colombe
Madeleine.
W e can express nought but praise for every
thing Soror Lewis has done in behalf of the RoseCroix Sanitarium. And we know she is happy in
the thought that this last great Rosicrucian proj
ect, planned and established by our beloved late
Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, is progressing
just as he desired and that her lovely personality
is such an important factor in the peaceful, har
monious radiations permeating the atmosphere of
the Rose-Croix Sanitarium.

Page 141

O ur Research Library
It is very gratifying to the officers here at head
quarters to note the extent to which our members
living in and near San Jose are taking advantage
of the wonderful research library at Rosicrucian
Park.
Any time during the library hourswhich are
daily from 1:15 to 5 P.M ., from 9 A .M . to 1
P .M . on Saturday, and from 7 to 9:30 P .M .
Wednesday and Friday eveningsthat you may
drop in for a visit, you will find 15 or 20 studious
members busy examining and studying the many
rare books that have been made available to them.
Our very helpful librarian, Frater Orval Graves,
is kept busy with his duties, preparing and cata
loging new books, and writing letters to book
dealers throughout the world in search of rare
volumes that are suggested by our members and
friends. You will always find it an easy matter
to locate just the book you need to carry on your
research work, because of the simplicity of the
library facilities. Frater Graves, who is well qual
ified for his position, has arranged his book shelves
in such a manner that one who has never before
been in a library can easily find just what he is
searching for.
Naturally, he uses the Dewey decimal library
system, which is recognized as the standard meth
od of cataloging and arranging books. This means
that the student may go direct to the files and
either look under the authors name or under the
subject and find the number of the book he wants
and the shelf where it is placed. This system adds
to the pleasure of library research, because it saves
one so much time. Frater Graves is never too busy
to help our fratres and sorores quickly locate a
book or publication; and, therefore, our members
should feel free to call upon him at any time
when they do not seem to find in the files just
what they are looking for.
Frater Graves has added a special feature to
the library facilities that has indeed met with re
sponse on the part of Rosicrucians near head
quarters. This feature consists of a book review
every two or three weeks. For instance, several
weeks ago he reviewed a new Rosicrucian his
tory entitled The New and Authentic History
of the Rosicrucians, by Frater Wittemans, wellknown author and mystic. This discourse on
Frater W ittemans new book met with such re
sponse that Frater Graves is making these book
reviews a regular feature of the library. Inciden
tally, these book reviews are well prepared and
delivered in such a manner as to be of great bene
fit to all students. W e only wish that conditions
made it possible for members living in all parts
of the world to attend these special discourses by
our worthy librarian.

Page 142

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It is fortunate that a system has been worked

out for the benefit of members living away from
headquarters, and it is a pleasure to see that hundreds of students are taking advantage of this
plan. Briefly, it consists of the privilege of submitting questions on any subject of interest to the
student. Frater Graves then makes a thorough research and prepares his findings into a report of
not more than two hundred words. This report
always contains a list of the references so that the
member can, if possible, or desirable, obtain the
books for complete detail. Frater Graves has answered such questions as: W hat is the truth re
garding the Ouija board? W ho was Cagliostro?
Has a death ray ever been discovered and is it in
use today? and hundreds of others of interest to
the scientific minded as well as the student of
psychology and philosophy. W e want our mem
bers everywhere to benefit by the wonderful re
search library that they have been responsible for
making possible. W e hope, therefore, that those
who have not yet inquired about this wonderful
institution will write for further information.

W hat Is Real?
A frater from Richmond, Virginia, rises in our
Forum circle to ask the question: A chair or
table is in my room when I am in there to see it,
but does it really appear the same when I am not
there? Perhaps this frater does not realize it but
he is propounding a question that has been the
basis for much polemic philosophical discussion
in past centuries, and much scientific research in
our modern age.
The fraters question, undoubtedly provoked by
some of the experiments and text of the early
monographs, reframed is: Do things have an
actual existence as we perceive them? Upon first
blush, it would seem that possibly no one could
ever know the answer to this question. W hen we
see a thing, our eyes and consciousness of it are
present. Likewise, when we hear, taste, feel, and
smell something, our peripheral or objective senses
are brought in contact with the objects. W hen
there is no human consciousness or physical senses
present, there is no medium to tell whether what
we perceive remains as it was when we were con
scious of it or not. In other words, our conscious
ness has to be brought into contact with the ob
ject, or objects, to realize it, or we can not know
whether it is or is not there.
Some may rise now in our Forum and say:
It is quite easy to prove that the objects we see
in a room when we are present exist even when
we are not there, for we can set a time camera
to take a photograph of the room and its contents,
when we personally may be hundreds of miles
away, and the photograph so taken will reveal the

same objects we personally saw. Further, some

frater or soror of our FORUM may add: Yes,
and we can place a microphone and recording de
vice in a room to register sounds after we are
absent from it, and they will reproduce the same
sounds which the human ear heard when actually
in the room. However, in reply to such remarks,
we still say that they do not constitute a proof
that the objects we see with our own eyes and
hear with our ears are the same in actuality after
weour state of consciousness and of realization
have departed.
W hen we see, what do we see? W e register
light rays on the retinas of our eyes. Some of
these rays are of greater intensity than others,
and, further, they are sometimes interrupted,
causing us to have the sensation of the absence of
light or shadows. Besides lights and shadows, we
experience colors. The visual sensations then con
sist of two groups of positive sensations and one
negative. The positive are colors and white light,
and the negative, shadows or a gradation of light.
These three groups of sensations or qualities
visually arrange themselves into the multitudes of
things we see. W e also gain the optical impres
sion of dimension. Basically then, all objects
visually discerned, in so far as light is concerned,
are of the same nature. Something, however,
causes the different arrangements of these light
rays, and which in turn causes us to identify one
thing as a chair and another as a table. There is
definitely something which disturbs the light rays
coming to our eyes and causes us to identify that
disturbance as the thing that was perceived.
In our Rosicrucian monographs in those degrees
devoted to a discussion of Rosicrucian physics,
we say that all matter, all gross substance, is com
posed of SPIRIT a vibratory energy. The sim
plest state of this spirit or this energy is its minute
particles, which we call electrons. These electrons
vibrating, pulsating in the rhythmic dance of
matter, combine into atoms, and atoms into mole
cules. The vibrations of this spirit energy given
off by the particles and combination of particles
form a great scale of motion which is detectable
by our senses. Some of our physical organs are so
constituted as to be attuned to certain frequencies
or rates of vibrations of this spirit energy, and
others to other frequencies. Thus, we can often
taste what we cannot hear, and hear what we
cannot see, and feel what we cannot smell. Light
waves are affected by these vibrations of matter.
In other words, the vibrations of matter impinge
upon those of light. The third condition, or dis
turbance, the result of this impingement on the
light waves, when carried to our eyes and thence
transmitted along the optic nerve to our brains,
produces the visual sensationsthe visual forms
we experience.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Sound, as we all know, is caused by vibrations

disturbing the air, which in turn causes it to send
ripples or air currents in all directions, like dropping a stone in a pond and causing concentric
rings to spread out from the agitated surface.
These vibrations of the air beat upon the inner
diaphragm of the ear, which oscillates or vibrates
in resonance with them. These vibrations are then
translated into nerve energy impulses, sort of elec
trical waves which are carried along the auditory
nerves to that region of the brain where they
become sensationsthe things we hear.
Now, if we photograph an object in a room,
even by a time mechanism, that does not require
our presence, we are causing the same disturbed
light waves to agitate a film which has been sensi
tized by chemicals which, when developed, pro
duces in lights and shadows a picture or form that
when we look upon it it causes us to be conscious
of the same object we personally saw when we
were in the room. This, I repeat, does not prove
that the chair and table actually exist in a room,
as we see them, but only that there is something,
some condition apart from us in the room that
causes us to realize them.
As we have seen from the foregoing, the
ACTUALITY, the spirit energy of matter is not
brought into direct contact with the human con
sciousness, but as in sight and sound is transmitted
to us through a medium; consequently, at least in
sight and sound, we do not directly see or hear
things. To use the analogy so often used, but
which is none the less effective, when a great tree
crashes to the forest floor, there is no sound unless
there is an ear present to hear it. All there is is
a disturbance of the air caused by the falling ob
ject the human consciousness then causes the
realization of the sound; that realization is entire
ly different than the actuality. The actuality or
the spirit energy of matter is formless. The idea
of form occurs in our own consciousness when we
realize through sight, for example, these vibra
tions of matter. Thus we can say that nothing
actually exists as we perceive it, or, in other
words, that we can not perceive things as they
truly are, because we are dependent upon factors
which convert the true nature of things into
states and conditions by which we have knowledge
of their existence.
On the other hand, we, as Rosicrucians say:
W hat difference does it make whether the ob
jects in a room are not actually as we realize them?
Their apparent value and relation to our needs is,
after all, what really is important to us. Even if
a chair is in actuality something different from
what the human mind conceives it to be, it is
what we realize it to be that makes it useful to us.
Scientifically speaking, for example, objects do not
have color. Their gross nature, the density of
their molecular structure so affects light, and

Page 143

causes certain of the waves of the ocular spectrum

to be emphasized or suppressed, that the object
appears to us to have color. In other words, an
object will perhaps cause all of the colors of the
spectrum to be held back with the exception of a
certain one of a particular rate of vibrations, and
consequently we perceive that article or object as
having that color, when actually it does not have
color at all. W e may like something that always
appears to us as red. It makes no difference if
the object actually is never red, or that the color
red is not inherent in the object whatsoever, so
long as our consciousness causes us to realize it as
such and we always associate that color with the
object.X.

T hought Vibrations
A soror now asks the FORUM the question:
Do thought vibrations continue to float about so
that they can be picked up at any time, or do they
become weaker until no longer in existence like
sound waves?
It is not necessary, in considering this question,
to go into elaborate analysis of the physiolog
ical and psychological origin and generation of
thought. The question concerns itself with what
happens to this energythoughtpresuming that
it is generated in and radiated from the human
mind. There is an old scientific axiom to begin
our explanation that is apodictical. It states:
Matter can never be destroyed, nor is it ever
lost. For example, we place a shovelful of coal
in our fireplace, and soon after igniting it we
have glowing embers, flames, and heat, accom
panied by combustion gases. Eventually we have
the clinkers and finally if enough heat is produced
we have naught but an impalpable ash which a
gust of wind diffuses in the air. W e look at the
empty grate nothing remains. Have we de
stroyed matter? Have we actually removed from
the earth that mass of matter which we knew to
be coal? The coal, as such, in so far as its form is
concerned, no longer exists, but we have not lost
or destroyed that matter; we have only changed
it into other forms, namely, the ashes, flame, heat,
gases, and free atoms, which cannot be detected
by our senses, but which will combine to form
other things which eventually we may preserve.
Ours is not a static universe. As the ancient
philosopher, Heraclitus, said: Everything is be
coming something else. If, as once thought by
an ancient school of philosophy, particularly ex
emplified by Parmenides, the things of the world
were all inert and not changing one into the other,
we would now be faced with the problem of an
swering many difficult questions. If all of the
things of the universe were like building blocks,
all fitted together according to some plan or de

Page 144

sign, fixed, inert, then if it were possible to destroy

one, what would fill the void? There would be no
relationship between one thing and another. All
of our realities would be but a collection of separ
ate things having no dependency one upon the
other. There would be no integration to the uni'
verse. If an object of such a kind of universe
were to be destroyed, into what would it be dissipated? The universe is all there is, so it could
not be removed from it.
Science has proven, through chemistry and
physics, that nothing is, but everything is becoming
something else. Everything is the cause of what
follows, and that effect in turn is the cause of another expression of matter. Things merely change
their expressions, but they are never removed
from the whole, nor are they independent from
the rest. Some of these changes constitute a fixed
cycle; that is, the change always goes through the
same series of alternations before its zenith or
final state is reached, then it may change into one
thing at one time, or another at another time.
Such evolutionary changes are mainly to be found
in living matter, as, for example, the development
of an acorn into an oak. Aristotle said that in
these cycles of development, each lower form
stood as matter in relation to the next higher,
which was its ideal and toward which it moved.
In the case of sound, as explained elsewhere in
this FORUM, it is dependent upon the human
ear, but the cause remains until it becomes so
weakened by opposing the heavy air that it no
longer can produce sound because its intensity has
been so diminished. There will always be on
earth, if we have radioactive minerals, such radia
tions as alpha, beta, and gamma rays, but those
we now detect are not those that were once dis
charged in space as free forces or energies cen
turies past. Instead, they are the results of con
comitant causes.
Thought energy, when transmitted by a mind,
willas do all other energieseventually dimin
ish in its intensity as it encounters resisting ener
gies or masses. However, it will retain its nature
as thought so long as its cause exists. It may be
come so weak in intensity that no human mind
could discern it; but, and this is the important
point, it cannot exist independent of its cause, or,
i(i other words, the mind which generates it. To
use the analogy of a radio station, the carrier
wave it transmits, or the radio frequency waves
diminish in intensity because of numerous factors.
Mineral deposits in the earth, being negative in
contrast to the positive polarity of the radiating
wave, draw the waves to the earth. Steel build
ings and mountains do likewise. On the other
hand, transmission over water is said to be favor
able, The power of the transmitter itself, as well
as the power of the receiver determine the dis
tance that the wave can be detected and made

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

audible. One thing is certain, that when the

transmitter is switched off the radio wave does
not continue as an isolated force or energy to
travel through space to be picked up at random
any time in the future. W hy?simply because
as we have shown, the things of our universe are
not independent elements but all interrelated and
have their cause in something else. W hen their
cause changes or ceases, so does the result. W e
cannot separate the result from the cause. W hen
ever and wherever the cause exists, the result does
likewise.
A man may throw a stone, and after his hand
becomes motionless the stone may continue
through the air. Is that an exception? Does the
result continue after the cause has been removed?
The circumstances are different in this case. The
stone is not dependent for its existence upon the
motion of mans arm. It existed perhaps before
mans arm. All mans arm caused was the pro
pulsion of the stone through space. In the case
of the radio waves, not only their transmission is
caused by the radio equipment BUT TH EIR
G EN ER A TIO N OR EXISTENCE AS WELL.
The radio waves have no reality or existence
separate from the transmitter and they are not
captured by it and hurled through space. Rather,
they are developed by the transmitter; conse
quently, when the transmitter stops, the results
the wavescease.
Is it not easy to apply this same reasoning to
thoughts? They have their existence as a flow of
energy in man's mind. They are not bullets or
pellets that are shot into space, but instead a
radiation generated and transmitted. W hen the
generation, or mans thinking stops, so immediate
ly do the thoughts or the thought waves, for their
cause is removed. Thought waves, therefore, have
no existence independent of mans mind. Again,
we may liken them to a search light. W hen we
switch off a search light, that is, interrupt the
electric current, does the beam of light continue
to sail or float through space?not at all. No
matter how bright or powerful the beam of light,
when the switch is thrown, it too is gone. Let us
remember that there are no free agencies in the
universe; nothing just floats at random inde
pendent of causes. Thought energy exists so long
as there is a mind behind it generating it.
In connection with this, it is very interesting to
relate a spectacular fraud that was perpetrated
in the state of California a few years ago in con
nection with the belief that sounds continue in
definitely after being produced. Two individuals
one who was a rather clever salesman and could
appeal to credulous persons, and the other a man
with some mechanical and electrical knowledge
developed what the newspaper press in the expose
of the fraud referred to as a little black box.
It was supposed to be an amplifier having a unique

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and different circuit which was capable of tuning

in sounds that had occurred decades, centuries,
in fact, several thousand years ago, picking them
up at random, amplifying them, and making them
audible again. The purpose of this whole plan
was to sell stock in the development of such ap
paratus. In a hall in a southern California city a
group of prospective investors were gathered to
gether for the purpose of witnessing this remark
able demonstration.11 The speaker, prior to the
demonstration, related how valuable it would be
to history and to all of us today, if the words of
the great personages of the past could actually be
heard as they were spoken, with all of their full
import, and he went on to say that merely because
the individual had passed on did not mean that
the sounds which had been created did not con
tinue on and on through space and time. He then
purported to give a demonstration of Lincoln's
Gettysburg address, and after producing a number
of squeals and howls in the apparatus, all for ef
fect, the result of causing it to oscillate, low and
behold, to the amazement and bewilderment of
the audience, there came through the loud speaker
the solemn words of the opening sentences of
Lincolns famous Gettysburg address. However,
there was a skeptic in the crowd, a young man
who was quite interested in science, and before
he could be stopped, he crossed the hall opposite
from where the spectacular apparatus was located,
and opened a closet door and there revealed a
phonograph with an electrical pick-up and a wax
record upon which had been recorded the words
of Lincolns Gettyburg address which were being
transmitted through the apparatus in the hall.
So we see the danger in not giving some of
these philosophical questions real thought, and
getting to the basis of them, because if we dont,
we are apt to become at times the target for all
sorts of frauds and misrepresentations, and, in
fact, even to encourage them by our merely ac
cepting something on its face value instead of
thoroughly investigating. X.

A bout AM ORC Administration

I think most of the members of our FORUM
circle will recall the answers to the following
questions having been given in these pages before.
The answers we now give will be fundamentally
no different than those before, because the facts
remain unchanged with time. Periodically these
same questions are asked by an occasional member
of AM ORC, who really believes he is the first
one to ask them and is usually quite surprised
and sometimes embarrassed to learn that his
questions were not necessary because the informa
tion has been available to him all along from un

Page 145

impeachable sources. The questions, in their

wording, are usually so similar that we know
what provoked them the reading of some of
our enemies books of attack upon the integrity
of AM ORC. The unsuspecting and oftimes gul
lible member, when he first reads the books of
attack is led to believe that no one has ever dared
to as\ the A M O R C officers these questions, and
he believes himself the first courageous person
to do so.
Often the letters are written in the spirit of a
challenge, such as: Hoping to have a favorable
answer to these questions, without any hedging
or beating around the bush. It is this attitude
on the part of the unthinking member that causes
him to be eventually embarrassed. He comes to
learn, as I have said, that the questions have been
asked several times before, because of the same
books of attack, and have been answered by
A M O RC fully and with a legal significance in
our general publications, and elsewhere, perhaps
even several years before he was a member, and
that all of the facts are generally known to the
membership and that he, the individual, is not
after all the crusader he imagines himself to be.
The following, then, are typical of these ques
tions, and have our customary irrefutable answers:
1.

HAS A M O RC A N Y T H IN G TO FEAR
FROM A N INV ESTIG A TIO N ?
This is an actual question received, but as can
be noticed it is not very complete. W hat kind of
investigation is meantmembership, government,
or press? Let us presume, to start, that a member
ship investigation of administration methods is
meant. As in any other fraternal organization,
membership committees are periodically formed
to investigate Grand Lodge records and books, its
receipts, expenditures, salaries of employes and
officers, and the Supreme Grand Lodge financial
records, how and where the funds are deposited,
and who has control and use of same. These com
mittees are voluntarily formed by the members
of A M O RC themselves, who attend the annual
Rosicrucian conventions. They are N O T all com
posed of members in the vicinity of San Jose
as several thousands know who have attended the
various conventionsbut those who volunteer are
from every part of the nation, and often from
foreign landsthe majority of whom have never
been to San Jose before. Now what are the quali
fications and abilities of such a committee? Many
are business men and women, and some are ac
countants, and many of the committees have in
cluded practicing attorneys. Such persons, then,
are not easily deceived. Further, however, such
committees call upon the banks of San Jose and
get confirmations as to the depositing of the funds;
that is, as to whether they are exclusively in the
name of the Order and its affiliated activities.

Page 146

They call upon certified public accountants, who

are not members of the Order and who regularly
audit the books and accounts of AM ORC, for
their affidavits as to the status of the Orders
financial records. All such statements from such
authorities are attached to the Committees1 certi
fied reports. Assuming, as some enemies state,
that the committees are hand-picked and not
voluntary, and that every member on the com
mittee is prejudiced in favor of the administra
tion, still these committees of prejudiced members
could not print stationery bearing the titles and
addresses of banks and public accountants and
forge their names to them, claiming favorable re
pute for the Order. The letters from these officials,
together with the membership reports, are avail
able at the Grand Lodge at any time to any mem
ber who visits the Grand Lodge. Further, the re
sults are published in the Rosicrucian Digest
after each Convention. If a member is influenced
by books attacking AM ORC, to believe that the
reports of the committees of their findings, pub
lished in the Rosicrucian Digest, are false, then
that member owes it to himself, as well as to
AM ORC, to examine the original report, and
particularly the certified documents from the
banks and accountants. If he cannot come to San
Jose, he can arrange with some delegate of a lodge
or chapter, or any active member, to examine
them for him. Certainly from this method it is
plain to be seen that the A M O R C administration
has nothing to fear from a membership investiga'
tion. As for government investigations, our
enemies, in one sense, have done us a favor by
charging us with and claiming all sorts of absurd
things, and by filing suits through gullible in
dividuals to conceal their own participation in the
affair; suits that have resulted in instituting Post
Office, United States Treasury Department, De
partment of Justice, Federal Trade Commission,
and other Government agency inquiries into
A M O RCs activities, not once but many times.
These bureaus and departments must investigate
whenever complaints are filed. The fact that
AM ORC continues in its orderly, legal, and
ethical manner to function, is answer enough as
to the outcome of those investigations. Is all of
this our mere statement? Anyone may officially
inquire of the above departments as to whether
these facts are true. That in itself takes the ques
tion out of the realm as to whether our statements
may be perfidious or not. If some of the gullible
individuals who read these books of attack would
oblige the one writing them to produce sources,
as impartial and as authentic, to which the reader
could turn for facts to support the attacks, as
A M O RC can do to defend itself, the books of
attack would not exist, because no such evidence
against A M O R C from such unimpeachable
sources could be obtained. The A M O RC admin

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

istration has no skeleton in its closet, nothing it

fears that may be revealed by any form or kind of
investigation which would be detrimental to it.
W ith constantly changing laws, every organiza
tion may be infringing in some minor way, un
consciously, on some rule or regulation; we ask
only to be shown these infringements if they exist
that we may correct them.
2.

IF Y O U R T E A C H IN G S ARE SOCALLED SECRET, H O W DO YOU

A C C O U N T FOR CER TA IN COPIED
W ORKS IN M ONOGRAPHS?

Notice, fratres and sorores of the FORUM,

how this member has by his question put himself
outside the pale of the Order. He refers to the
teachings as your, instead of our, the implication
being, unless we are in error, that if there is
something wrong with the teachings or their
origin, they are yours, meaning the administra
tions, but if they are helpful and proper they are
ours, meaning his as a member. By the phrasing
of the question, he shows a lack of loyalty, not
because he wants to know, but by the attitude of
mind displayed in the wording of the question.
The first part of the question implies that if a
work is secret it should have no copied matter
in it. The second part of the question indicates
that it is wrong to have copied matter in our
monographs. Generally, the definition of secret
means to conceal or keep something from general
observation; therefore, a thing is no less secret,
if I conceal it, even if I did not make it or write
it. If, for example, I have an original Shakespear
ean folio, which I did not write or originate, but
I withhold it from general publication, it still is
secret. Conversely, if I write a manuscript my
self and conceal it, it is also secret. In other words
there is no relationship between secreting a thing,
and whether the thing is original or not. Now,
as for the second part of the question, how could
any educational organization, university, college,
publishing house, or brotherhood such as ours
expound the thoughts of those eminent and astute
personages who have gone before, without copy
ing them from whoever wrote them or uttered
them? If, in our monographs, we were not to
copy the writings of past Rosicrucians and others
who have gone before them, everything would
have to be the original creation of the present
officers of the administration. If all that were in
the monographs were the original creation of the
present officers, then how could we ever hope to
prove that we are perpetuating the ancient teach
ings? According to the wording of the above
question, we could not quote Paracelsus, Robert
Fludd, Michael Maier, Francis Bacon, Raymund

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Lully, or other Rosicrucians, or the ancient phi

losophers, Empedocles, Anaxagorus, Socrates, or
Plato, because we would be copying. To get to
the point at issue, what was evidently meant by
the very poorly worded question is that AM ORC
is copying the writings of others, and representing
them as its own, without due credit. Wherever
we in our graded monographs give the works or
writings of another to explain or elaborate on a
point, the material or text is either put in quota
tion marks, or the authors name and its source
are given. The concurrences on the covers of the
monographs are a common example of that. This
brings up a rather amusing point. One R. Swin
burne Clymer, who conducts a small self-styled
Rosicrucian society from a farm in Pennsylvania,
and who enjoys attacking AM ORC in voluminous
booksfor he must enjoy doing so because it costs
him time and money and he has accomplished
nothing by itmakes a big issue of A M O RCs
copying the writings of others, as he puts it.
For the extent of several pages, in one of his prin
cipal books of attack, he tells of this sin of copy
ing, and then with a grandiose flourish concludes
with a reproduction of the page from an AM ORC
monograph, to which he refers; but, lo and be
hold, upon examination of the reproduction, we
find that in the very first paragraph the name of
the eminent Rosicrucian author of the past is
given, and the statement is made that the follow
ing text is a quotation from one of his writings,
included for the benefit of the A M O RC mem
bers; therefore, in that one statement his whole
contention falls. Mr. Clymer tries to accuse
AM ORC of plagiarism, which means literary
theft, the stealing of anothers ideas and writings
and presenting them as your own. W here you
give credit, however, by quotation marks or the
authors name, or the title of the book or manu
script, there is no theft and such copying is neces
sary, or no newspaper could exist today, for your
daily newspaper quotes widely, individuals, as
sociations, and organizations. It is such poor argu
ment as this, the weakness of which undoubtedly
Mr. Clymer is very much aware, which causes
him assiduously to evade, by one excuse or an
other, a personal debate on a public platform be
tween himself and an officer of AM ORC, on the
preposterous claims of his books. Imagine him,
for example, on the public platform, before an in
telligent audience composed of attorneys and men
and women of every walk of life, trying to sup
port his claim of AM ORC plagiarism, when the
very evidence he introduces in his own book, the
reproduced page from an AM ORC monograph,
reveals in its first part that due credit is given to
the author of the following text.

Page 147

3.

W H O CO N STITU TES THE G RA N D

LODGE (SUPREME G RA N D LODGE)?
IS IT A FAMILY CO RPORATION?
W H O O W N S P R O P E R T IE S A N D
F U N D S OF THE O R D E R ? IF THE
SUPREME G R A N D LODGE DECIDED
TO DISSOLVE W H A T W O U LD H A P
PEN T O FUNDS A N D PROPERTIES?

Here again is a group of actual questions. They

repeat themselves periodically, so we will again
answer them. The Constitution and Statutes of
the Grand Lodge, which every member is urged
to procure as soon as he or she becomes a member,
states very plainly, in Article I, Sections 1 to 5-c,
inclusive, how the Grand Lodge is formed. Chap
ter 2, of the Statutes of the same Constitution,
entitled Officers and Their Duties, explains
what officers are required and what obligations
they assume. As to the personnel who actually
are the officers of the Grand Lodge, a picture of
each of these officers with their names appears in
a booklet which is sent free to all members, with
out their even requesting it. This same booklet
contains pictures and names of the officers of the
Supreme Grand Lodge. From this, you see that
an intelligent and observant member would not
ask such a question as above, the answer to which
he has before he asks the question. I do not know
what is meant by family corporation, unless it
means that the members of the same family con
stitute the Board of the Corporation. The Board
of Directors, which the above-mentioned booklet
reveals to every member, shows that the Board
consists of the Imperator, Ralph M. Lewis; the
Supreme Secretary, Cecil A. Poole; the Sovereign
Grand Master, Thor Kiimalehto; Mrs. H. Spencer
Lewis; and Soror Gladys Lewis; three members of
the Board being related. W hen the Order was
re-established for its second cycle in America,
Dr. and Mrs. H. Spencer Lewis were the ones
who gave of their own funds and time to make
its existence possible. Why?because there were
no others and no other revenue at first. Dr. Lewis
gave of his entire fortune, and month after month
he gave the only financial support that was pos
sible. A t that time, no questions were asked by
anyone about the family corporation or director
ship. Anyone who was interested at all was con
tent that they should assume the entire responsi
bility and the major portion of the liability and
the financial support. Does it not seem strange
that those who gave years of their services and
all of their resources at the beginning of the
Orders existence for its second cycle should later
have their integrity questioned, when, through
their very efforts and sacrifices, the Order now
has funds and properties of its own? Aside from
the ethical point of view, let us look at the legal

Page 148

aspects, the cold, impersonal facts. The Supreme

Grand Lodge is a corporation, and as a fraternal
organization, it is exempt from the payment of
Internal Revenue to the Government of the
United States, and an equivalent tax to the State
of California. It is declared by this Government
and some governments in foreign countries to be
a non'profit corporation. T hat phrase means that
none of the revenues of the Order or its proper'
ties inure personally to the benefit of any Di
rector, officer, or member, but all are held and
used for the purposes of the Order and in the
name of the Order. I do not believe that anyone
would be so naive as to think that the Govern
ment Departments merely accept a statement of
the administration that its activities, its funds,
and its properties are for the Order and not for
individuals or officers. AM ORC, therefore, like
every other non-profit corporation, is obliged to
have its books and accounts periodically examined
by United States Government auditors and State
auditors, to determine that none of the officers,
I repeat, or no individuals associated with the
Order, have violated its non-profit status. There
is no better or more authoritative and impartial
answer to such a question asked above as to what
has happened to the funds of the Order and its
properties, than the findings of the United States
Internal Revenue Department, and the Depart'
ment of Franchise Tax of the State of California.
If the funds of the Order were in personal ac
counts in the names of its officers, or being used
for their personal welfare and benefit, these ex
perienced auditors would have found it out, so
an accusation against A M O RC and A M O RCs
answers to the accusation really amount to little
in the face of the actual authentic facts just re
lated. The above investigating departments can
confirm these statements.
As to what would happen to the funds of the
Order, which the Directors must use for its ad
vancement and welfare, if the corporation would
be suddenly dissolved, that is simply answered.
As shown, they are not the personal funds of any
officer or individual, and if the corporation and
the Order could not possibly, under any proper
and legal circumstances, continue, then a United
States Federal Court would decide what portion
of the monies remaining on deposit should be re
turned to each member, depending on the money
each paid in as dues. This question could only
come up IF the organization, or AM ORC, be
cause of some unforeseen calamity could not con'
tinue to function. As long as it continues, which
we have hopeand have reason to believewill
be to the full extent of the current cycle of activ'
ity, no member or officer has a personal property
right in the funds. They must be usedthe funds
and properties of the Order for the general
furtherance of the Orders aims and objects.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Members do not have an investment interest in

the Order. There are no stocks, no shares, no divi'
dends. They pay dues and in consideration of
same receive a variety of membership privileges.
These questions will come to our attention
again, even though all of the above reliable facts
and sources of information are given here. W e
assure you, however, that we will not trouble you
with these answers again for several months, when
we will then answer them in nearly the same
manner, because the facts are unalterable. It is
not strange that when the answers are given to
these questions, either in this manner, or in cor'
respondence, or verbally, we hear nothing further
from the individual. He may want to think per'
sonally that the administration is improper in the
conducting of its affairs, but he cannot inveigh
against all of the authoritis and the auditors, with
their apodictical reports, without appearing ridic
ulous, so consequently he remains silentnot even
offering to apologize for innuendoes or to re'
affirm his confidence in AM ORCwhich should
be done on the strength of the facts and truth
which have been made available to him.X.

Cosmic Consciousness and Intelligence

It is interesting to note that the questions asked
in our FORUM CIRCLE are nearly evenly di'
vided between the fratres and sorores. A soror
asks (I believe it is her first question) : Does
Cosmic Consciousness, or Cosmic Illumination,
raise the level of intelligence?
This is rather an all'inclusive topic. As I un'
derstand the question, the soror desires to know
whether, when one experiences Cosmic Illumina'
tion, or an influx of Cosmic Consciousness, that
elevates the level of native intelligence, thus mak'
ing the individual more sagacious in all phases of
his mental life.
First, what is Cosmic Consciousness? Our
monographs in the latter degrees are replete with
explanations, and, further, numerous books dur'
ing the last several decades have been written on
the subject by many individuals who are worthy
of the appellation of mystic and philosopher. For
the purposes of this question, however, we can
say that Cosmic Consciousness is first what the
very term itself impliesthe consciousness of the
great Cosmic. As Rosicrucianswe declare that
the Cosmic is not a place, condition, or a state
existing somewhere outside of ourselves in space,
like the old theological conception of heaven as
a place with golden streets and pearly gates, but
rather that it is the orderly manifestation and
working of the Divine Mind. It is the unlimited
intelligence of God, as orderly law, and which as
the primary cause of all permeates the entire uni'
verse. Cosmic Consciousness, it follows, is the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Divine Intelligence, the self-realizing and compre

hending power and initial cause of all things,
in other wordsGod Consciousness. The Cosmic,
we must understand from the outstart, embraces
all things animate and inanimate. The Cosmic is
not confined just to realms of the spiritual. The
laws of matter that create the things of our
natural world, which we see, hear, and feel
they, too, are of the Cosmic. They most certainly
are not a man-made creation or execution. So the
Cosmic embraces things of the macrocosmic world
and of the microcosmic world. In man, the laws
of the Cosmic are dual in manifestation, the nega
tive aspect being spiritthat primary substance
of which the physical elements of mans mortal
body are composed; and then there is the positive
polarity of manthe vital life force, the soul, the
Divine Consciousness.
W e must accept this intelligence of the Cosmic
as being perfect, that is, complete and not possible
of error. W e cannot conceive of anything beyond
it by which it can be measured, nor can we think
of it as aspiring to a state of perfection, because
then that which it aspired to would transcend it
and be more perfect. Therefore, this Cosmic In
telligence, or Consciousness, is omniscient. Its
natural order of function is to maintain a har
mony of all of its attributes, the multitude of its
modes and aspects. It stands to reason that if man
could at least periodically commune with this in
telligence within himself and retain the experience
of the contiguity of his consciousness to the Cos
mic Consciousness, he would avoid a number of
the mistakes he makes, which are entirely the re
sult of his sole dependence upon his limited mortal
experiences and objective knowledge. M ans ob
jective intelligence, dependent upon his faculty of
reason and powers of perception, is far from in
fallible, and each of us is constantly aware of our
errors of thinking and of our poor judgment,
whether we wish to admit it or not.
The subjective consciousness, that unadulter
ated and unrestricted intelligence of the Cosmic
which pervades every cell of our living body, per
forms its duties faithfully. It hardly seems neces
sary to relate here how all of the involuntary ac
tions of our body, those actions over which we
have little or absolutely no control, continue with
out the exertion of our reason or judgment, all
being instead the result of this Cosmic Intelli
gence. The heart and many of the organs func
tion without our direction and volition. The cells
divide and combine, and course through the blood
stream to their many proper destinations, all
without a thought or plan, or any help from our
objective selves. The aggregate of this conscious
ness, the total consciousness of all of the cells and
parts of our body, constitutes what we say is the
psychic body of our being, and this psychic body
is not affected by physical environment, by our

Page 149

education, or our social standing. This inner con

sciousness, or intelligence, is the same in an aboriginee living in some primitive land, or in a
great academician of one of the highly civilized
countries of the world. It cannot be increased or
decreased in the individual by anything he may
do. If it could, then it would imply that it rests
with man and is within the jurisdiction and power
of man to evolve or devolve that which is Divine,
and consequently perfect. It would further follow
then that man is the true God and this, we know
all too well, is not so.
This Cosmic intelligence can and does exert an
influence, however, on our objective thinking, and
what we often commonly call our native intelli
gence. Here it is necessary perhaps to make quite
clear that there is a great distinction between
education and natural objective intelligence. A
man may have a good brain, excellent nervous
system, he may be very sensitive to his external
world, and respond to the things he objectively
perceives quite rapidly, and yet he may be
illiterate. On the other hand, one may store in
his memory a great accumulation of external ex
periences, facts read, or heard, or seen, and yet
he may not be intelligent, though he may be able
to regurgitate and recite the facts he has learned
parrot-like. Intelligence is displayed in the unique
correlation of the experiences we have had as
creative ideas and the adroit adaptation to any
circumstances and experiences. W e all, each of
us, know too well that sometimes during the
course of our lives we are confronted with some
situation that we must meet uniquely and depend
upon our own intelligence, when we cannot recall
advice or information which we may have read
in some book, text, or otherwise, or when we cant
turn to some page 12, or paragraph 3, for help.
Native intelligence is also seen in the ability in
stantaneously to appraise unprecedented condi
tions for their true worth.
Education is, however, essential. In the first
place, it provides native intelligence with many
useful tools and materials necessary to use; it gives
native intelligence, therefore, a distinct advantage.
Education further stimulates this intelligence, but
it cannot add to it. Cosmic Consciousness, or the
infusion of our objective minds with the con
sciousness of the Cosmic, does not add to this
brain intelligence. It does, however, provide il
luminating ideas, complete plans and methods
which make the individual brilliant in his ac
complishments. The intuitive flashes which in
dividuals frequently experience are sometimes ad
judged, and erroneously so, as Cosmic Conscious
experiences, or Cosmic Illumination. They are,
however, but brief commands from the Cosmic
Intelligence breaking through the wall of our
ordinary, self-centered objective reasoning and
thinking, compelling us for our own good and

Page 150

welfare, if we heed it, to take advantage of a cir

cumstance or to avoid doing something which may
be detrimental. Sometimes, with all of the energy
that our egotistical volition can exert, we plunge
into mundane affairs and just before the final act
that would result in some form of injury to us,
perhaps we have a hunch not to proceed further.
These hunches are rather frequent for all of us,
unless we have formed the deplorable habit of
suppressing them to show our independence of all
influences except those of our own little reasoning
minds. If we heed such a hunch, however, we
stop and we are saved from misfortune.
These hunches, or intuitive flashes are very in
complete. They are more like a cry in the dark,
compelling us to stop or go ahead. They are not
necessarily inspiring or enlightening, and never
informative. It is not uncommon for us to hear
a person say: I had a hunch to go ahead with it;
I dont know why; it was just the urge to do so;
I cant even explain it to myself. In fact, the
objective mind has not sought these intuitive
flashes or hunches. In most cases, the objective
mind has not reached into the inner self and in
voked them. Instead, they have penetrated the
objective mind, motivated only by the Cosmic
principle of protecting us. Because of our obstin
acy and extreme confidence in our objective selves,
it is really fortunate that these intuitive flashes are
able to penetrate sufficiently and intensely enough
to make an impression upon us and to retard or
accelerate our will.
On the other hand, a true Cosmic Conscious ex
perience is much more thorough and consequently
more beneficial; also more difficult to attain. The
objective mind or consciousness, to bring it about,
instead of searching the universe outside and
around ourselves for some external fact or aid,
resorts instead to introversion. It is turned in
ward and through this method it experiences the
complete wisdom of the Divine Mind of the
Cosmic Consciousness, even if but momentarily.
W hen this state of Cosmic Consciousness, or
Illumination, is attained by one his objective mind
is not only brought in contact with this Divine
Consciousness resident within his own being, but
it is brought into harmony with the absolute, the
complete mind, the primary cause of all, which is
ubiquitous, for we must realize that the Divine
Intelligence within us is not isolated in certain
individuals or certain groups, but exists every
where. It is not a broken off segment of the whole
which we possess; it is instead a continuous flow
of consciousness throughout all beings in the
entire universe.
The Cosmic Consciousness, the consciousness
of law and order of the Divine Mind is the only
substance in the universe. All things are in that
substance, they are modes of it and for the mo
ment of that Cosmic Illumination, we are there

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fore in a state of concord with every and all

things. The result of such an experience is not
like that of an intuitive flash. It is not a mere
command, but the revelation of a perfect plan
which causes us to realize an ideal which we know
at the time is for us, and that we should attain it.
It is not like visualizing a distant light in dark
ness, towards which we must grope and stumble,
take many false steps, and perhaps hurt ourselves
in many ways before we reach it. Rather it is like
the castles we have seen as children in fairy story
booksbeautiful, appealing, situated on a rocky
eminences. W e seem to know that if we reach
them we will find in them many great treasures.
W e see more than the goal, we are also shown the
path that leads to it; we see leading from our
selves to it a winding road with well marked,
plainly visible signposts. The person who is thus
so fortunate as to perfect the technique of at
taining Cosmic Consciousness, which, for various
reasons, all do not, can fairly frequently make
Cosmic contacts and because of that he is often
adjudged by others in life, with whom he asso
ciates and who do not understand what he has
accomplished, as being a success, or as being for
tunate. Actually his objective intelligence has
not been particularly developed, rather he has
the ability, through Cosmic Consciousness, to
take his problems to an infallible source of help,
which makes him appear to others, who do not
understand, like a genius. X.

Living the Perfect Life

Now comes a frater who voices a question that
is rather frequently asked, but has not been dis
cussed by this FORUM, at least not recently.
The question is: Does mere membership in
A M O RC demand a perfect life?
Such terms as good, bad, perfect, and excellent
are not self-explanatory; they must remain rela
tive. W hat has the frater in mind when he refers
to the perfect life? If we knew this, we could then
emphatically say, with but little accompanying in
formation, that such a perfect life is or is not a
requisite of A M O RC membership. W e will, how
ever, for the purpose of considering this question,
presume that the frater means by a perfect life,
conformity to Cosmic dictation, voiced through
conscience and revealed through Cosmic Con
scious experiences. In other words, such a perfect
life would be predicated upon being inspired
through mystical practices, as to the right attitude
to hold toward our fellowmen, what constitutes
real charity, the brotherhood of man, how to look
upon life and death, what acts to repress as being
violations of Divine Law, and what to indulge as
being proper human expressions.
How to live such a perfect life would need to be
learnedand that is the object of membership in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

AMORC. If it is to be learned and acquired

through the study of Rosicrucian teachings, obviously those who affiliate with A M O RC are conscious of their lack of it. They know they are not
perfect in the sense described above. If, after
affiliation with the Order, say for a period of six
months or a year or two, they attain the perfect
life, as broadly defined above, they would not
need to continue membership. As time passes, by
comparison to what they were before they affili
ated with the Rosicrucian Order they can discern
their own improvement, if they have been conscientious in their studies. They are able to detect
that they are more perfect in many ways than
they were before they became members. Concurrently, however, they know that they are far from
perfect. Their new vista reveals a greater knowl
edge beyond, to be acquired through the teachings
of the Order. It shows them their weaknesses and
the need for improvement, and so, though they
may embrace the perfection they had in mind
when they became members of the Order, they
can still see ahead of them a far greater perfec
tion, and so they continue. Thus, there is no one
who is a Rosicruciana true Rosicrucianwho
can conscientiously say, I am perfect.11 By con
trast, I repeat, to what we may have been 5, 10,
or 20 years ago, we are perfect, but not by com
parison to those higher ideals we now envisage.
There is only one absolute perfection the
Cosmic Mind. If and when we attain absolute
perfection, we will not then need to incarnate in
the physical body. Our personalities will then be
absorbed into the whole, from whence the soul
consciousness flows.
Possibly the frater who asks this question may
mean, as Rosicrucians, is it demanded of us that
we practice abstention from those things which
are common with most persons. As Rosicrucians,
we will abstain from the doing of some things that
others do, or to the extent they do them, not be
cause we are Rosicrucians or because we choose
to be different from our fellowmen, but because
we know that certain things are definitely wrong,
and we prefer to do the right thing morally and
intellectually. The first thing a Rosicrucian will
not do is to be a prude. He will refrain from
fanatical moral restraint. He will contend that it
is false modesty which proclaims the revealing of
the human anatomy a carnal act. He will think
of the human form as having first been conceived
in the Divine Mind. He will see in its rightful
exposure nothing lustful or immoral. He will,
however, respect public decency and the conven
tions decided upon by the rational and thinking
element of society.
He will not honor tradition with observance if
it has fulfilled its purpose and now remains but
an empty shell; in other words, only a retarding
influence. He will observe tradition only so long

Page 151

as it represents the acme of modern thought and

effort. He will respect womankind generally, for
the part they play in the Cosmic plan. He will
not honor a woman merely because of her sex,
if her conduct and manner of living are not com
patible with the highest good his conscience can
define. He will discard that false chivalry which
places a woman, because of her sex, upon a
pedestal and exempts her from the disciplinary
measures a man would undergo for any equivalent
improper comportment. He will not think of
either sex as being superior and entitled to special
ethical considerations.
He will respect morality, not because it has
been presented by the clergy or proclaimed as a
religious creed, or because it has the support of
some philosophical doctrine, but rather because
he recognizes it as the moral urges which he feels
within himself and knows to be a Cosmic direc
tion of mans conduct, preventing him from com
mitting an excessive or deficient act, which would
be a violation of Cosmic law. He will not exclude
himself from society or practice any of the forms
of ascetism. He knows as a Rosicrucian that life
is to live, or he would not now be a living soul.
It is his duty to acquire human experiences on this
earthly plane. He is a member of the brotherhood
of man. As such, it is his responsibility to share
their problems and their joys. If he feels he pos
sesses something in knowledge or ability others
do not possess, it is his Cosmic obligation to help
others to learn and find the light which he has
found. He knows that he may rightly enjoy the
fruits of his labors. He is not obliged to divide his
worldly goods with those who have done nothing
to earn them by the sweat of their brows. Further,
however, he realizes he has no right to deny or
prevent others from sharing mortal happiness, by
a merciless seizure, monopoly, or control of prop
erty or opportunity, just to further his own
pleasures. He is a student of nature. His body,
he knows, is a temple. W hat it is composed of,
how it exists and functions, it is his obligation to
learn. As he learns, he has no false illusions about
pleasure. He does not think one who is radiantly
happy and who enjoys natural and normal pleas
ures is a hedonist or ungodly. He looks upon
those who inveigh against earthly pleasures as
being hypocrites. He considers irrational the con
tention that the only real joys are to be found in
spiritual contemplation. The pleasures of the
body, he admits and understands are negative and
transient, in contrast to those of the mind and
soul, yet he knows that the pleasures of the body,
if normally acquired as the appeasement of na
tural wants, are but an indication of the har
monium of the human body and brain. If these
are wrong, if they are sins, and if they must be
done away with, so too should perturbation, the
ills, irritations, and annoyances we experience

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

daily, and which constitute our burdens of living.

If bodily pleasures are spiritual afflictions, then
why were we so created that these sensations are
possible, and even necessary for the normal func
tioning of our physical existence? Rosicrucians,
therefore, will indulge any natural appetite
with an understanding of its purpose and a rele
gation of it to its endand control it with the
faculty of reason.
Rosicrucians may be struggling and sincere
students, and yet eat meat and use mild stimulants
to compensate for the exhaustion of bodily ener
gies. The eating of meat has no effect upon the
spiritual qualities of man, for it can neither add
to nor detract from the divine essence resident in
his being. A faulty temple, a badly diseased body,
or one that is in extremely poor health may affect
our ability to use to the fullest extent the divine
powers within us, but the body itself cannot im
pair the soul, nor can any gross matter outside
ourselves or which may be assimilated into the
body. Excessive eating of meat can only affect
ones spirituality in the sense that he may become
physically over-balanced, and by that means the
spiritual nature cannot express itself in him as
thoroughly as it could in a perfect, or nearly per
fect temple or body. On the other hand, the ex
cessive indulgence of anything else that may upset
the balance of good health, such as exceptional
eating of fruits or vegetables, might do likewise.
A Rosicrucian lives, not a perfect life, but a
sane and balanced one, and by preference because
of its advantages and not because he thinks him
self superior. Because of the insight the teachings
and principles of the Order give them into the
greatness and omnipotence of the Cosmic, Rosi
crucians are overwhelmed by the full magnitude
of creation, and they consequently are humble.
The humility increases in ratio to ones advance
ment in the teachings of the Order.X.

Power of Suggestion
Can you tell us anything about the strange
phenomenon of stigmatization, which causes in
dividuals seemingly great suffering at times?
This question is asked by a frater on the Pacific
Coast of our Forum Circle. It is a most inter
esting question, but before attempting an analy
sis of it, it is best to review some of the most
striking cases and theories of explanation related
to it.
Briefly, stigmatization is the infliction of five
wounds corresponding to those of Christ, and
which occur from no apparent physical cause.
They usually accompany intense theophanic ex
periences concerning the crucifixion of the Christ.
The stigmatization sometimes occurs periodically,
and in other cases it comes and remains for days
and weeks, and then may entirely disappear. The

most commonly known case in recent times is that

of Therese Neumann, forty-two year old daughter
of a tailor in Bavaria. During the year of 1918,
she suddenly suffered paralysis of both legs. Not
long afterward, she had the added affliction of
going blind. On April 29, 1923, the Vatican an
nounced that it intended to canonize her pat
roness, Therese of Lisieux, after whom she had
been named. About the same time, Fraulein
Therese Neumann suddenly declared that she
could see quite normally. W hen eventually the
Therese of Lisieux was canonized as a saint, on
that dayso it is recordedFraulein Neumann
arose and walked, and gave no further indication
of paralysis. Since 1926, she has had ecstatic
visions of Christs passion, and at these times
bleeds from the stigmata. The Roman Catholic
Church has never condemned or endorsed the
case of Therese Neumann.
Another celebrated case is that of Saint Francis
of Assisi. Thomas of Calano, and BonaVentura,
biographers of Saint Francis, said that the Lord
appeared to him and thereupon produced the five
stigmatic wounds, which bled freely. In fact,
BonaVentura states that a reliable witness, after
the transition of Saint Francis, examined the
wounds and found a discoloration in them clearly
resembling the rustiness of nails. Pope Alexander
IV, also said he had seen the wounds, and exuding
from them a bloody sweat.
Catherine Benincasa, known as Saint Catherine
of Siena, was subject to hysterio-epileptic attacks,
which occurred rather frequently. A t the age of
twenty-three, she had the first stigmata. Though
this was announced by the Roman Church, and
many came to view the phenomenon, it was not
generally believed throughout the world where
the circumstances were recounted.
The question is, what causes the stigmatization?
First we will give the explanations of science,
*which are rather vague, and which all schools of
mundane science itself are not willing to condone.
Stigmatization is said to be a form of hysteria.
This obliges us in a general way to determine
what hysteria is. As we investigate, we find there
are several hypotheses offered as an explanation
and so the subject becomes a logomachy. In
effect, hysteria appears to be an undue suscepti
bility to external impressions, emotional episodes,
and marked sensory and motor disturbances. In
other words, one having hysteria is inclined to be
too deeply affected by the things he sees or hears,
which disturb him. For example, one may be fond
of dogs and when passing along the street see a
beautiful animal struck down by a car and killed,
or painfully injured. Naturally, sympathetically,
he would be emotionally disturbed and feel the
pangs of compassion for the loss and suffering of
the dog. The experience might remain for a little
time with diminishing emotional response. One,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

however, susceptible to hysteria would have his

emotional feelings intensified by the retention of
the memory of the experience, until as the hours
or days went by the memory of it would occupy
his full consciousness and he would even feel,
because of the concurrent hallucinations, pains
corresponding to those he imagined the injured
animal suffered.
It is important to note that persons affected
with hysteria have no functional changes in their
nervous systems. In other words, organically the
nervous system seems to be as normal as that of a
healthy person. Sigmund Freud, famous psycho
analyst, psychologist, and psychometrist, whose
theories are now being attacked in many quarters
and with whose ideas we as Rosicrucians are
not particularly in accord because he tries to
relate nearly every human abnormality and sub
normality, as well as the normal emotions, to the
sex forceoffers one of the principal theories of
explanation. Freud contends that hysteria is
caused by the subjects having a wish, the nature
of which is out of harmony with his personality,
or ego, and which is therefore repressed.
To explain this, let us use an analogy. Suppose
a lad, rather weak constitutionally, and emotion
ally rather unstable, and of poor parents, and
who lived in an environment which afforded
naught but the sheer necessities, was obliged each
day on his way to school to pass a wealthy resi
dence secluded on quite a large estate. Behind
the high walls of the estate, he could hear the
laughter of children at play, who obviously were
extremely happy. It is not difficult to assume that
each day as he passed this same location, he would
yearn to climb the wall, look in on this magnificent
world of splendor so different from what he ex
perienced. He would gaze up at the upper stories
of the costly home, towering above its surrounding
walls and wonder what treasures its rooms con
cealed. He would fear that he dare not enter the
gateway to the estate or climb its wallsfor his
motives would be misunderstood and he would be
punished.
In other words, his wish was not compatible or
commensurate with his personality, with his ego,
to be law-abiding and correct in his conduct.
Each time, however, he passed he would become
more intrigued, more excited, until eventually as
he approached the street upon which the estate
was located, he would almost appear physically
agitated; however, he would repress the urge to
investigate, force the wish back into his subjective
mind. The wish, according to Freud, in the sub
jective mind loses none of its dynamic force there;
it becomes confused, however, with other subjec
tive ideas and concepts, and it finally forces itself
back again into the objective consciousness, but
is disguised now as another impression, which is
unidentified and seems to be a new and impelling

Page 153

force to the individual. This new desireor at

least it appears new to himoverwhelms the emo
tions and he is finally driven to invade the grounds
of the estate, perhaps force entry into the home
itself, and to commit a crime while on the prem
ises, which he never conceived when repressing
the natural wish to look within the confines of the
estate. W hen this split or disguised wish over
comes the individual, he displays the symptoms of
hysteria, says Freud.
The physical symptoms of hysteria are paraly
sis of limbs, spasms of the muscles, loss of voice,
and blindness. The most common mental ones
are memory lapses, delirium and hallucinations.
How does all of this apply to stigmatization?
Most all stigmata cases have had some quite discernable form of hysteria accompanying them,
either its physical or mental symptoms, or both.
Theresa Neumann, whose case was related above,
had had attacks of paralysis, blindness, and ec
static experiences that were so extreme that they
could only be classified as delirium. Therefore, to
use the case of Fraulein Neumann as an example,
she was more than devotedly religious, she was
fanatically obsessed as well. She had an inor
dinate habit of associating every unusual incident
with supernatural influences, even what would be
mere coincidence. The fact that she was named
Therese, after Therese of Lisieux, must have made
a very deep impression upon her, especially when
the church announced that Therese was to be
canonized a saint. She conceived herself as having
taken on some of the saintly powers, which
suggestion and faith in the thought cured her of
her paralysis and blindness. As we follow the
hypothesis, she became more and more firmly con
vinced of her Divine immanence, and to herself
paralleled her own life and suffering with the
Christ passion. Again, by suggestion and concen
tration, she was able to produce stigmata, the
bleeding in the regions of the five wounds of
Christ.
The whole theory of stigmatization being pro
duced by hysteria is, as must now be most ap
parent, founded upon the element of suggestion.
O ur Rosicrucian teachings make the law and
function of suggestion quite understandable. In
a Second Temple Degree monograph, we are told:
Suggestion is a subtle command. A suggestion is
a request, a wish, an order, or a law of ones ob
jective mind to the subjective mind. A sugges
tion must not be confused with a command which
is the result of will. W hen we determine de
finitely to do something, that determination is a
decision of the objective mindand it is quite
distinct from suggestion. W e are further told in
our monographs that the subjective mind reasons
only deductively from the general to the partic
ular. The objective mind, however, reasons syllogistically; that is, it embraces all of the processes

Page 154

of reasoning, inductive, deductive, and their com

bination. It is, as our monographs further explain,
the duty of the objective mind to weigh all per
ceptions, all things it experiences, and reason
about them before passing them on to the sub
jective. W hen the subjective mind receives an
order from the objective, it obeys it proceeds
from the one idea, the general decision given it,
to the particular, the thing required to be done.
If we objectively decide, for some reason, to lift
the arm, that decision goes to the subjective mind
as a command, which deductively proceeds to put
into effect the order which causes the motor
nerves to contract the muscles which lift the arm.
The subjective mind is not concerned with why
the arm is to be lifted. That is the decision of the
objective mind; it should know.
For further analogy, if each time we pass our
National flag, we raise the hand in salute because
we objectively want to, because we have reasoned,
for some reason satisfactory to our objective
thinking, that it should be done, we give a com
mand to the subjective mind to put into operation
all of the physiological factors necessary for
raising the arm and hand for the salute. This
command is merely the decision of the objective
mind and the will, the desire to raise the hand.
If we repeat the command a number of times
in other words, every time we pass the flagthe
repetition of it becomes a law of the subjective
mind and, as we know from our Rosicrucian
monographs, that constitutes H A B IT ; consequent
ly, eventually when we pass the flag we no longer
reason about this procedure. The very observa
tion of it, the visual impressions it forms, as we
look upon it in our objective consciousness, are
sufficient to invoke the subjective law, the habit,
and we salute it without perhaps even being ob
jectively conscious that we are doing so. From all
of this, we can see that the subjective mind does
not analyze impressions, it accepts them for their
worth. It accepts the impressions which the ob
jective consciousness passes through, without
question.
Simple psychological experiments have been
conducted to prove this unquestioning state of the
subjective consciousness, the result of the power
of suggestion. In clinical tests, individuals have
been shown a box in which was a coil of wire,
through which passed an electrical current, caus
ing it to glow slightly with the heat the resistence
offered. The coil in circumference and length
would be just large enough to insert a finger. The
subject would be asked, after viewing the contents
of the box, to let the attendant or laboratory
assistant insert his finger in the coil. The heat
would not be sufficient to cause a burn, but just
enough to cause a rather uncomfortable feeling.
He would then remove his finger and he would be
told that now a test was to be conducted to de

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

termine how much heat he could endure from

that coil without suffering a blister. He would be
further told, and herein lies the power of the
suggestion, that in all probability some minor
blister would result.
In such a case, while the subject is being so ad
vised a substitution, undetected by him, is made.
The coil of wire is removed, and a refrigerant
device placed in the box. W hen operating, it pro
duces a very low degree temperature, or intense
cold. The subjects finger is put into the box and
his hand inserted in this new device which freezes
quickly. The temperature is reduced, the cold
causes his finger to smart, to ache, and in so far
as sensation is concerned, it feels like a burn. The
temperature is further decreased; there now re
mains no question in the objective mind of the
subject, but that he is experiencing an increasing
heat. He mentally visualizes the glowing coil of
wire, which he originally saw in the box. He
thinks of his finger being in that coil; beads of
perspiration begin to appear on his forehead, and
his jaws are resolutely set for the ordeal.
As the ache, the pain, the burning sensation
becomes more intense, and particularly in a cer
tain region of his finger, he conceives that the
blister is beginning to form. W hat happens is that
the impressions and sensations of pain accom
panied by the suggestion of burning which he has
received pass over to the subjective mind. The
subjective mind does not question the sensations
or the idea accompanying them, and immediately
puts into effect the involuntary natural mechan
ism for protecting the tissues from destruction by
heat. It causes a vesicle of the skin to form in the
irritated region, which becomes filled with serous
fluid. This is not visible instantaneously, for
when the finger is removed, a certain area of it
gives the appearance of a burn, but later the
actual blister develops.
This law of suggestion is, therefore, what also
produces the phenomenon of stigmatization. To
return again to Therese Neumann, as a particular
case, she is so imbued with the obsession that her
life and her suffering parallel that of the Christ,
that she imagines she is undergoing the same
wounds. She thinks and concentrates upon them
so intently that she agitates the consciousness
within their regions and produces an internal heat
in those regions. You will recall in our mono
graphs that we have an experiment to cause you
to realize the consciousness which exists within
yourself, within the cells of your body. W e have
you start concentrating on your toes, then on your
ankles, and gradually raise your consciousness up
throughout your body until finally you are con
scious of that area right between your eyes and
above your nose. You will recall that as you con
centrate on each spot you feel a pulsation in that
region; you feel a slight warmth in that area, as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

distinct and separate at that time from every other

part of the body. This shows how concentration
can stimulate the consciousness in certain areas of
the body. A person subject to hysteria has the
ability for abnormally intense concentration, be
cause of the obsessing idea, and thus by thinking
of the wounds of Christ and dwelling upon them,
she causes the heat in those regions which pro
duces the sweating that all witnesses have noticed.
This intense misapplication of concentration causes
a slight rupture, without a doubt, of smaller veins
in the region, and the blood seeps through the
pores of the skin, mixing with the exuding per
spiration, causing the commonly referred to
bloody sweat. X.

A bout Books
One of our fratres, Ralph G. Perry, of the midwestern section of the United States, has prepared
a book in manuscript form, which he has entitled
Aladdins Lamp. The book, however, is quite
practical and purports to show how the individual
can materialize his wishes. In other words, by the
introduction of psychological principles, he offers
a modern Aladdins lamp. Some of the titles of
the chapters of the book are similar to the subjects
expounded in our Rosicrucian monographs. The
book contains forty pages of mimeographed text,
and is very readable and undoubtedly beneficial.
The frater asks $1.00 per copy. Orders can be
sent for it through the Rosicrucian Supply
Bureau.
Frater James Whitcomb, who represented the
late Imperator at the F. U. D. O. S. I. conclave in
Brussels, Belgium, last summer, and who likewise
accompanied our Sovereign Grand Master, Thor
Kiimalehto, to the International Rosicrucian Con
vention in Copenhagen, brought back with him a
work entitled Occult Enigmas written by Frater
J. Michaud, of London, and a member of the
British Jurisdiction of AMORC. The book dis
cusses in quite an erudite manner many of the
occult phenomena, and likewise reveals that some
of the so-called enigmas the student experiences
are, after all, the result of false practices and the
wrong presentation of mystical principles. Frater
Michauds style is very readable and interesting.
The book is excellently bound and printed. The
price is seven shillings, six pence, which, at the
present rate of exchange in United States dollars
and the addition of forwarding postage, makes
the price of the book about $1.45. Copies of the
book may be purchased through the Rosicrucian
Supply Bureau. This price, however, may be sub
ject to change because of the fluctuating exchange.
The purchaser may likewise experience some de
lay in receiving the book because of the irregular
ity of mail delivery from abroad at this time.

Page 155

W e are often asked what is the last work writ

ten by our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis.
His last complete book was entitled The Secret
Doctrines of Jesus, first published in September,
1937. The book has proven to be very popular
and has been translated into several languages;
however, during the time that Dr. Lewis was
writing books, he was also writing numerous
magazine articles for our own and other publica
tions, material for our monographs, and partici
pating in numerous other literary efforts. After
the above work, however, just about four months
before his transition, he wrote an introductory
chapter to the book entitled: GlandsOur In
visible Guardians, by Dr. M. W . Kapp. The last
published work from the pen of Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, in any form, appeared as the Imperators
greetings in the August, 1939, ROSICRU CIA N
FORUM. W e are often asked whether the late
Imperator left any unpublished manuscripts. To
that we say: Yes, many, but most of them are of
such a nature that they could not be published in
book form for general public consumption or
reading. Many of these manuscripts concern
Rosicrucian teachings and principles, and philo
sophical doctrines of affiliated mystical orders.
Much of the subject matter is therefore for future
inclusion in monographs of the higher degrees.
The manuscripts upon which much of this subject
matter has been based have been received from
foreign branches and officers of the Rosicrucian
Order at different times by the late Imperator.
Some of this manuscript material is now being
used. Some may not be used until years later, de
pending upon the proper time and circumstances.
I, too, have been asked whether I have written
any books, and to that question I may reply that
I have written a great number of the Organiza
tions propaganda books and booklets, booklets for
the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum, the Rose-Croix
University, and associated activities of the Order,
the majority of which do not bear my own name,
but a pseudonym or pen name. I am pleased to
say, however, that I am preparing to offer the
membership, in book form, a text which when
introduced elsewhere in the past proved interest
ing to the membership. This book, dealing with
my travels in distant lands and initiations in
various foreign mystical organizations, and con
sequent experiences, will probably be announced
and released sometime this year. X.

Inspiring Leaders
A letter from a Soror in one of the Neophyte
Degrees asks why the lives of religious leaders are
on the cover pages of our monographs in the
present form of the monographs. You will re
member that the lives of such leaders as Moham

Page 156

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

med, Buddha, Martin Luther, St. Patrick, and

others are briefly sketched. It might appear to
some that we were attempting to build up a fol
lowing for the teachings of these individuals. On
the other hand, another viewpoint can easily be
adopted wherein it is seen that that Rosicrucian
philosophy does not in any way limit itself to the
viewpoints or doctrines of any religious system.
As has been repeated many times, Rosicrucianism
numbers among its adherents those of all religious
faiths, and so all will find somewhere in these
supplementary presentations the presentation of
a leader of his own religious beliefs.
The significant fact, however, in the presenta
tion of these brief biographies and statements of
teachings, is not so much that they are religious
leaders as that they have contributed to the wel
fare of man. Centuries ago the fields of science,
philosophy, and religion were less definitely de
fined than now. Consequently, a great man fre
quently contributed to all these fields, and there
are those who stand out in the lives of mankind
as fine examples of men who have contributed to
the welfare of humanity in such a way that their
influence has continued to be felt. Every great
religious denomination and faith in the world
today has not a few but many human beings who
look to the ideals and principles exemplified in
that faith as their source of greatest inspiration.
Surely any human being who is so evolved as to
have contributed to mans welfare sufficiently to
reach that position in the minds of others, is
worthy of the consideration of all. That is not a
statement to the effect that the lives of all reli
gious leaders should be studied diligently by all
students, that their viewpoints and principles of
doctrine should be carefully considered, but it is
an acknowledgment of the fact that where hu
manity is benefited there lies some good, that
where people have been made better by the con
tact with and through another person, his efforts
were not in vain and are worthy of the respect
of those who find their inspiration elsewhere.A.

Helping Others
This question is one which constantly recurs.
It has been discussed before in these Forum ses
sions and probably will be discussed again. But it
has recurred now because of world-wide condi
tions that bring it to our attention.
A Soror here in the W est has asked how much
help financially or otherwise she should give to
others less fortunate than herself. Should she
contribute out of the limited funds she has for
that purpose to help those in other nations, in
other countries, whom she does not question are
deserving of the help that can be given, or should
she confine her efforts to her immediate locality,
city, or state? Probably this question cannot be

answered definitely. The carrying on of charitable

work by the direct helping of other people is a
matter which must be decided by the individual.
W e are not discussing here at this time the fact
of whether help should or should not be given to
other people. W e are discussing the matter strict
ly on the premise that there are those who in some
way or other are less fortunate than we, and to
whom we owe an obligation as fellow human be
ings to render some assistance such as they would
render to us if conditions were reversed.
Most charitable organizations are thought of
entirely in terms of dollars and cents. This, of
course, is important with the economic structure
which now exists in the world. Those who are
hungry must be fed; those who need help for the
securing of other necessities must be given that
help, but I am sure that every Forum reader will
agree that every self-respecting human being is
desirous of the opportunity to help himself, that
the most effective charity that can be carried on in
the world today is to help an individual to find a
place to be self-supporting, to give him encour
agement and intelligent direction if possible on
how to equip himself to be able to hold a position.
Vocational guidance is becoming more and more
well known as a workable plan. However, this is
again branching away from the original question;
it indicates the wide field that must be covered.
The immediate question is, should we as Rosicru
cians contribute financially to charitable activities
that are far beyond our immediate environment,
or should we confine our contributions to our im
mediate vicinity? The logical answer is that our
efforts should be in contributing to our immediate
environment, but that environment may not neces
sarily be a physical environment.
For example, quite frequently a member of this
organization will write to us stating that he has
had good fortune, he has had success with a cer
tain enterprise, and that with his remittance of
dues he is enclosing something extra, perhaps the
equivalent of another months dues or two or
three months dues, and that he realizes there may
be a Frater or Soror who at the moment is finding
it a little difficult to meet some problems with
which he or she is faced, especially illness or some
other contributing factor which has limited the
income, and that he wishes the extra remittance
applied on the dues of someone who is having
that difficulty, or possibly on the dues of someone
residing in a country where the remittance of
funds is difficult at the moment. Such a kind
gesture as this, while the individual helping and
the one being assisted may be thousands of miles
apart, still constitutes the giving of help within
the environment of the individual who has so con
tributed, because he is helping one of like mind
and like purpose. It is to a certain extent the ob
ligation and duty of every individual to look out

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 157

first for those with whom he is in closest contact.

A person would be said to be using bad judgment
who would send funds to a distant point to help
those who were suffering from want of certain
physical necessities while he, himself, and his
family starved to death or had to be supported by
local charities.
In other words, while not an absolute rule, it is
advisable in helping others to look around us, to
consider those who exist in our own environment,
whether that environment be geographical, that
is, in our immediate locality, or within the limits
of our own interests.A.

exists throughout the world and change must

continue to exist. A nd the best way that man can
fit himself into the universe is by a conception of
a changing universe and realizing that he also
must be changing physically and mentally to con
form to it. Do not permit preconceived opinions
to shut off new channels for growth and happi
ness. Be alert, be conscientious in your examina
tion of new facts. Do not be quick to give a de
cision upon things with which you are not fami
liar. Tolerance and consideration of all facts will
assist you in better being able to fit yourself into
the scheme of things.A.

Preconceived Opinions

Right and W rong M ethods

A Frater has asked if it is not true that oc

casionally a persons opinions which he has ac
cepted as fact over a long period of time tend to
shut out the attaining of new facts and ideas. No
doubt this is true, that if a preconceived opinion
of an individual is so dominant in that individuals
life that he can see nothing else on the subject of
his formulated opinion, then it would be very
diffcult for him to have other facts admitted to
his consciousness.
A n individual who is true and firm in his be
liefs and ideas is to be admired, but it is only a
fool who never changes his ideals, beliefs, or
opinions in the face of evidence. A line must be
drawn between holding firmly to certain ideals
and convictions, and the changing of opinions
when a fact is presented that is contrary to pre
conceived opinions. Many persons literally close
the door to happiness, contentment and peace of
mind because of their refusal to change their
opinions. It is impossible to enter upon a new
course of study with new purposes in mind with
out finding something that is going to be different
or contrary to previously accepted opinions and
ideas. The conscientious student will weigh care
fully in his mind the difference which presents
itself, will consider carefully the new facts, and
will withhold any decision whatsoever until he
carefully thinks over all points of view.
W e should not rashly accept the statements of
another individual, but we should always be ready
to consider any new facts which present them
selves. Throughout the history of mankind there
has always been a tendency to retain certain
ideas. Every new mechanical invention has had
its opposition. There were prophecies of doom
given when many inventions which we now ac
cept as everyday facts were advanced for the first
time. There are always those who are pessimistic
in the light of new ideas and new things; but on
the other hand, there are those who withhold
opinions, who watch progress from a broad and
tolerant viewpoint, who consider that man is a
being who cannot remain static, that change

These comments are not based upon a specific

question, but rather upon an interesting reference
which a Soror made in a letter that I recently re
ceived. She points out that now as never before
there constantly comes to the attention of every
individual through various advertising mediums
such as publications, radio programs and bill
boards, reference to the fact that this or that
product, or a certain method, is the only way to
accomplish a certain thing.
First of all, we find this fact illustrated in the
methods provided for the relieving of sickness and
disease. There are presented to the general public
many methods and means that in themselves are
supposed to constitute relief from colds, head
aches, and all manner of diseases. Furthermore,
there are offered courses of instruction, books, and
plans that will be the one means of achieving a
certain end. There is no doubt that the public at
large is beginning to be suspicious of statements
to the effect that theirs is the only way. As we
look about us we know that life today is compli
cated; in fact, that life itself is complicated, and
no one thing is a panacea for all problems or all
ills. No one method can accomplish miracles,
unless it is the actual attainment of Cosmic Con
sciousness itself in the fullest extent that it can
be obtained in the physical body, but even here
there is no one formula, method, process or in
gredient that will bring about Cosmic Conscious
ness in the human being. It must come as a result
of development. T hat development should be
guided, it is true, but merely performing one exer
cise or reading one book is not going to be the
way to obtain it. The Rosicrucians have always
held out to humanity a helping hand, a means of
obtaining much through their philosophy and the
application of their laws and principles, but
never have they said ours is the only way. In
the present day and in the past the Rosicrucians
have stated, and truly stated, that their teachings
are one of the best ways because of one of the
reasons I have already pointed outthey do not
constitute one method but are an accumulation of

Page 158

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the knowledge and methods which have been developed through the ages, through mans evolution to where he is today. No one individual prepared the Rosicrucian teachings in their present
form. They have been contributed to by an untold number of people, and the experiences, ideas,
and use of various methods for attaining the desired end of achieving complete development,
happiness and mastership on the part of man have
entered into the presentation of the Rosicrucian
studies.
Occasionally we receive a letter from a member
stating that he has affiliated with an organization
that requires him to give up all other affiliations.
This is a peculiar attitude for any organization to
adopt. If an organization will not permit its members to affiliate with another, there must be only
one reason for thisthey must fear that they will
suffer by comparison. As any member well knows,
the Rosicrucians encourage their members to af
filiate with worthwhile movements to support
them, to continue their religious affiliation, club
and fraternal affiliations, and to actively or in
actively, as they find it best in their own lives,
cooperate with any constructive, worthwhile
movement that is working in accord with the laws
of God and the country in which they live. Also
the Rosicrucians are always fearless in giving the
facts about any organization or movement that
does not conform to these requirements. There
fore, do not be deceived by over-enthusiasm on
the part of the maker of any product, or the in
dividual purporting to have discovered or made
available any one method of doing things. Re
member that there are many paths that lead to the
same end, and good judgment, the exercise of our
God-given intelligence, is important toward the
eventual gaining of the desires and ends which
we have in mind.A.

T he Borderline State
This time a Frater of our Forum Circle asks
the question: Just what is the borderline state
that psychologists and others often refer to and
can it be applied to our daily needs?
The borderline state is a term used to explain
certain processes of the mind, especially with re
spect to the relationship of the objective and sub
jective states of consciousness. Throughout the
Rosicrucian degrees, the monographs refer to it
with accompanying simple exercises which the
Rosicrucian member can use. There have been,
especially in recent years, several books written
on the subject, though not exactly by the same
title. Some have really been helpful. Others have
maladroitly treated the subject, causing the reader
just further confusion, and preventing him from
obtaining the true information he desired.

It is common for us to refer to the objective

and subjective minds, when speaking of our pro
cesses of thinking, as though they were two
distinct in every respect. Actually, however, they
are but two phases, or rather dual aspects of but
one mind. Accompanying the vital life forcethe
living force which impregnates every cell of the
matrix of our physical beingis the Divine Con
sciousness, the same consciousness, the same mind
that is the initial intelligence or first cause of all
things. In other words, this Divine Consciousness
in the cells of our beings is an effusion of the
great Cosmic Mind the one, or Universal Mind
that is ubiquitous. Mind is identified always with
a state of sensitivity; in other words, a condition
of responsiveness to its own impulses, a sort of
awareness of self, and of externalities things
that may not neecssarily be apart from it, yet seem
so in their existence. This state of sensitivity of
mind, we call consciousness; consequently, the
Divine Mind in man has its psychic consciousness.
It has an awareness of its pristine purpose, and it
governs the order of its own being, directing all
of the involuntary functions of life, which are a
part and attribute of it. It is not necessary to re
late here what these involuntary functions are. It
suffices to say that all of those bodily or mental
functions and activities that make you a living
soul, and over which you exercise no direction
with your thinking mind, are, therefore, the in
voluntary acts of this Divine Mind. This Divine
Mind, particularly in man, functions dually. It
not only directs the operation of the body, its
multitudinous parts, and maintainsor seeks to
do so the order of life in each cell, but it be
comes a sort of recorder and photographer of the
conditions and influences which exist outside of
that aggregate mass of cells which we call the
body.
To better illustrate, it is not sufficient for a loco
motive engineer to watch all of the gauges and
meters in his cab, to determine what his steam
pressure is, how much oil or water remains in the
tanks and valves, and that all of the moving parts
are being properly lubricated and subject to no
unusual strain, and that all are working together
as a harmonious unit, he must also loo\ up the
trac\, away from the engine. He must see that the
road ahead is clear, he must watch for semaphore
signals that will inform him whether there are
other stationary or moving objects in his path
which may cause a collision and destroy his
engine. So also the Divine Mind has established
an observation tower to see that the body in its
operation and its locomotion keeps on a clear and
open track. The Divine Mind has consequently
directed the evolution of a special apparatus, or, as
we shall say, organ for this purpose, to be situated
in this observation tower. This organ is the brain.
To this brain are attached the semaphores; in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

other words, our signal apparatusour sense or^

gans, which detect the things outside of the body.
The cells of this brainthe cerebellum and cere'
brum, as its two major sections are namedare
infused with the same Divine Consciousness that
exists in the other cells of the body and its parts;
however, these cells of the brain have a most dif'
ficult task, for they have a double duty to perform.
They, of course, have the inherent sensitivity to
their own nature, which we have explained, and,
to the purpose of the Divine Consciousness which
exists within them, but also they are required to
be sensitive to the bombardment of external imr
pressions the impulses of sight and sound for
example. So these brain cells are between two
fires, we might say, the impulses of the Divine
Mind and the impulses of the external world.
Therefore, though there is but one mind in man,
there is a dual consciousness, a consciousness of
the Divine, of the inner nature of man, and an
awareness of the outer world. That consciousness
of the within, we refer to as the subjective con'
sciousness. That of the outside, we call objective
consciousness. Both are of vital importance and
essentially necessary to man and his well being.
W hen the locomotive engineer, again referring
to our analogy, leans out of the cab and sees the
light on a distant semaphore turn to red, he knows
at once that it is a danger signalsome possible
obstruction to the locomotive awaits him. He im'
mediately translates that external impression he
has received to internal action. Turning again to
the cab he pulls back his throttle, retards his driv'
ing power, and, if necessary, may violently apply
his air breaks to bring his train to a stop. Now
the brain, likewise, translates and transmits the
objective impressions it receives through the per'
ception senses to impulses which actuate the sub'
jective consciousnessthe Divine Mind working
within the bodyto have it aid it in avoiding any
serious danger to the body.
Again referring to the locomotive engineer, if
he wishes to operate his train rightly, he must be
sure of his observations when he looks out of the
cab so that he does not continually, through er'
roneous impressions, slow down or stop the train,
for if he did this, he would interfere with the
purpose for which the train was made. He would
throw it off schedule, possibly prevent it from
ever reaching its destination. So, too, the objec'
tive or outer consciousness must reason and think
out what it desires very carefully before giving a
command or making a request of the subjective
consciousness of the Divine Mind to help it.
From all of the foregoing it can be seen that we
are mainly in an objective state when awake and
when directing the outer consciousness, p artial'
larly when we are observant of things outside of
ourselves. Conversely, when we are quiet, medi'
tating, dozing, and not concentrating on objective

Page 159

realities, the subjective consciousness or intelli

gence of the Divine Mind, predominates within
us. Its impressions are most vital to us because
they have to do with shaping our destiny and our
higher interests in life. They constitute our moral
and spiritual values and the very reason for life
itself.
Now, one or the other of these two states of
consciousness is in supremacy at all times; in other
words, we are either all, or nearly so, objective or
subjective. The borderline state then is a time
when the two states of consciousness are almost
on an equal plane. If you will refer back to one
of the charts accompanying the early Temple De'
grees, you will recall that these two states of con'
sciousness were illustrated as a scale. W hen the
subjective mind is dormant that side of the scale
descends and the objective ascends. Conversely,
when the objective mind was functioning mainly,
it ascended and the other side of the scale, the
subjective, descended. The two are nearly in
balance at a time when we are not quite asleep or
not quite awake. In other words, just before en'
tering a sound sleep at night, when your objective
consciousness is a little hazy, and it is difficult for
you to hold impressions in mind and yet you are
still awake, is when the two states of conscious'
ness are about equal. It is a time when the sub'
jective has not yet completely dominated your
consciousness and the objective is fast losing its
control. Whenever it becomes necessary, there'
fore, for you to make a suggestion to the subjec'
tive mind, to the Divine Mind, or to ask it to
help or direct you, do it at the time of this border'
line state. If you are in need of some impulse,
some intuitive direction from the Divine Mind,
then when you are just about to pass into sub'
jective consciousness completely, make your sincere appeal and the required impression most fre'
quently will pass through into the objective and
you will become aware of it and remember it.
Sometimes the result you want may not occur at
the time of your request. The subjective may
work upon it all during the night and later in the
day, perhaps hours later, finally there will break
through to your objective consciousness in the
form of an intuitive flash, the answer, the ex'
planation, or the solution you sought.
The value of this borderline state then, is to
bring the two states of consciousness into harmony
with each other frequently so that the Divine
Wisdom of the subjective may pass through to the
objective and help you adjust yourself to the
external, material world in which you live as an
animate being. X.

From
The Far
Corners
of the
Earth . .

y/ieaui/i&L
ROM

beneath the choking dust of the agesthe mummied

remains of royal personages. The wealth of princesses

F
poured from alabaster chests and bronze vases of ancient
treasure-trovescrystal necklaces, gold earrings, scintillating
gems. Exquisitely carved jasper and argonite statuettes, re'
moved from disintegrating temple shrines, recalling the devo"
tions of a forgotten people. All of theseand many more
comprise the collection of antiquities, the strange exhibits of
the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum, which fascinates
its thousands of visitors.
A n d n o w , in a highly artistic bookin graphic formthe
excellent, realistic photographs of these principal exhibits
the glamorous and adventurous tales of the lives of their ancient owners, told with historic accuracy, are brought to you.
THE

I M P E R A T O R S

PAINTINGS

This book, entitled The Magnificent T r i n i t y also reproduces

for the first time some of the large personal paintings by Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis. These paintings, now hanging in the Rosicrucian
Egyptian, Oriental Museum, depict historical incidents such as the
sculpturing of the bust of the beautiful Queen Nefertiti, wife of the
Pharaoh, Amenhotep IV. This book constitutes a visual journey to
the Rosicrucian Museum. Order your copy today.

T h e R O SIC R U C IA N SUPPLY BUREAU

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered aa Second Class M atter at the P ost O ffice at San Jose, California, un d er A ct o f A ug. 24th, 1912

Vol.X

JUNE, 1940

No. 6

GARDEN SEEDS
Garden seeds
They lie within the hollow of my hand
Dull, silent, motionless;
And yet, they hold the promise
O f rich, golden hours
O f work and rest in sunshine and in shade;
Of sweet perfumes,
And bright-hued butterflies,
O f dainty humming birds that poise on tireless wings,
Or dart from flower to flower;
O f silver radiance when the moon sails slowly
From behind the locust tree.
Just garden seeds
But if I understood the power
Imprisoned in one dull, gray sphere
To be set free by sunshine, earth and rain,
Then I would know the power
That rules the universe,
And sense the meaning
O f life's gladness
And its pain.
ETTA RICE.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 162

Greetings!
V
F r a t r e s a n d S o r o r es, G r e e t in g s :

Frequently those who by their words or con"

duct oppose an art, philosophy, or thing, are less
detrimental to it in the end than those who are
nominally interested. A dilettante is a faddist
one who usually makes no sacrifice of time to
pursue a talent or profound interest. He fights
against ennui by dabbling in anything which may
hold his interest without taxing his mental or
physical strength. To use a homely but effective
expression, he wants to have the name without
playing the game. A t any gathering, without
waiting for the subject to be broached in the
conversation, he will immediately direct it into
the channel of his latest superficial intellectual
affection. His penetration into the subject,
whether it be music, art, metaphysics, or phi'
losophy, is usually no deeper than the terminology
used. To the one who has no particular interest
in the subject, or has never professed to have,
this pedantry is often very impressive. If the
dilettante concentrates at all, it is on words,
phrases, and expressions, which to the real s t U '
dent are mere working tools, but give the dilet'
tante the appearance of great familiarity with
and mastery of the subject. He always feels fairly
safe in a gathering, even though there be one or
more present who are real students of that which
he professes to know, for he realizes that common
courtesy will prevent them from challenging his
sincerity and knowledge, and revealing him in his
true light.
If these dilettantes, in great numbers, cling to
the arts as parasites, they are to be found in even
greater numbers within the circles of mysticism,
metaphysics, and psychology. There is hardly a
human problem or social ill that arises among the
company they are in that they are not able to
proclaim, as a remedy, some phrase borrowed
from an overheard conversation, or seen as the
title of a chapter in a book. They speak the terms
with such facility that they disarm their listeners,
who never dare to question what the phrase
means or how it is to be applied in detail to their
needs. Consequently, the dilettante walks away
with the hostile air of a renowned authority, and
those who need the aid remain silent, thereafter,
believing it all far over their heads.
It can easily be seen how greatly mysticism and
metaphysics suffer from the conduct of such persons. It is detrimental enough for these dilettantes
to use a series of stock phrases on others, which
they never and cant explain, but it is far worse
when they ride a pet term and apply it to every

V
and all conditions. A characteristic term is just
hold the t h o u g h t That expression in and by
itself is just about as comprehensive as the state'
ment all you have to do to stamp out a disease
is to prevent its cause. Holding thoughts in
mind does produce certain beneficial, and also
dangerous conditions alike, and in either instance
the results depend upon related circumstances.
In the first place, the admission must be made that
mans functioning, in so far as his physical self
is concerned, is equally dependent upon material
substances and properties, and those natural laws,
which, because of their nature, fall into the
classification of cytology, histology, biology, and
physiology. It is quite necessary that we assimi'
late in our bodies food and drink, containing ele'
ments that will replenish those we have exhausted
through the expenditure of energy. Likewise,
through breathing, certain intangible Cosmic ele'
ments and chemical properties must be taken into
the blood stream.
It is self'evident and apodictical that as yet no
man has discovered any thought or combination
of thoughts that will constitute a substitute for
these ingredients. Further, thoughts have never
been able to supplant the immanent and natural
organic functionings of the body. In other words,
no one has been able to abolish the circulatory,
digestive, or nervous systems by the use of any
mental efficacy thoughts held in mind. From
this, it is evidential that the value of thoughts
held in mind are as an influence on and a contri'
bution to the state of living rather than an ab'
solute essential. To add to the comprehension of
the statement, we can say that thoughts must be
evaluated only from the point of view of how
they cause life itself to affect us.
It is not necessary to relate that one not capable
of spiritual expression or cogitation on philosophy
cal or mystical precepts may still enjoy splendid
health and full gratification of his animal desires.
Consequently, every human ill cannot be remedied
by a mere holding the thought. If that were so,
all of the physical processes of nature would be
useless. Further, whenever anyone experiences a
misfortune or discomfiture, whether he has any
knowledge of mysticism or not, he naturally longs
for the alleviation of his suffering and the re'
moval of the distress, whatever its nature. Men
are so constituted by nature that they seek a
pleasurable state of mind. No one of normal
mentality deliberately enjoys being perturbed.
Everyone, when experiencing mental or physical
discomfiture immediately begins to desire to hold
ideas in his consciousness for eliminating the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

distress. If holding the thought were sufficient,

the mere dissatisfaction and longing for the opposite of what we experience would in some in'
explicable manner produce the desired effect.
Humanity would consequently suffer only so long
as it would take for its members to wish not to
endure it.
How simple in theorybut how false in fact.
A mere wish is a thought, and nearly everyone,
no matter how unimaginative, has one, even if he
or she is incapable of giving it expressionyet
these millions with their wishestheir thoughts
remain in their same status. The answer is not
difficult to find; it is not that the intensity of their
thought is not great enough, or it is not retained
long enough, it is rather that they hold the wrong
thoughts. I do not by this wish to convey the idea
that there is a set formula, a mysterious combina"
tion of words like a magical invocation that will
set into effect tremendous powers of accomplish"
ment that one need only discover and learn. The
thoughts one must hold in mind are relative to his
circumstances and conditions, his mentality, power
and ability to accomplish, and immediate environ"
ment. For example, I believe it is generally con"
ceded that adeptship in music requires an innate
emotional response and native sensitivity to the
harmony of sound that fall into the category of
natural talent. One who does not possess this may
master the intellectual and mechanical aspects of
music, but would be able to create little as a com"
poser, for there is not that emotional yearning
which engenders the imagination. One, therefore,
lacking this talent and for further example
desiring to become a master of the art for per"
sonal fame and riches, might hold the thought of
music mastership for years and never acquire
more than a perfection of its technique.
W here the attribute of talent does not enter
into the desired result, the sincere holding of the
thought becomes a galvanic incentive to do what?
to drive the individual to seek, to search, to
draw to himself all of the things that he can use
or convert into furthering the ends he seeks. You
have heard the phrase that so and so is this or
that conscious. It is meant that he has a dominant
all'possessing idea and that consequently he is
more conscious of all things and conditions which
relate to his ideas than some other person who
might be merely nominally interested. But more
is needed than the thought and the realization of
things bearing upon it. They must be integrated.
The thought must move us to action, compel us
to do something to take advantage of what it
stresses. In this sense, thought is like a magnet;
if sincere and held with determination, it draws
from our surroundings because it causes our ac"
tions to attract things, people, and conditions we
can use to further them. A small horseshoe mag"

Page 163

net may attract a nail, but after it adheres to the

magnet, what are you going to do with it? Do
you use the magnet to amuse yourself, or just for
demonstration purposes, or to make use of what
it attracts? If you do not employ the advantages
that the thoughts you hold in mind bring about,
you are dissipating your mental energies and
eventually no personal satisfaction will be derived
from the mere thought itself, and gradually it
will diminish and you will forget all about it.
W here do the mystical aspects of holding
thoughts enter into the subject? Is holding the
thought, it may be asked, after all a mere means
of lashing ones will into line, compelling the ob"
jective faculties to be on the alert for things to
further the objective sought? W hat about the
Cosmic principles involved, or are there any?
V /hat is meant by mentally creating? Have you
ever had the intense and sincere yearning to ac"
complish something creative? In other words, to
realize some worthy ambition or ideal, and yet
exhausted, every mental effort and ability to bring
it about, without avail? Your failure may not
have been due to not selecting the propitious time,
or to lack of talent, but rather just inability to
formulate the right campaign or program to ma"
terialize your thoughts. It may be that your
thoughts were of such an original nature that no
one could help you with advice. On the other
hand, you may not have dared to divulge your
secret desire for fear that another might steal your
general idea and deprive you of your opportunity
to realize it. In such a case, you have used all of
the psychological principles, you have permitted
the idea to dominate your consciousness, to pre"
vent your will from vacillating. You have be"
come alert and conscious of every advantage that
could be employed, and without successhow"
ever, you have not completely failed. Tou still
have recourse to the Cosmic. You can find a place
of quiet and there alone in humbleness silently
relate to the Infinite Intelligence that pervades
your being what you hope to attain. DO N O T
PRESUME TO TELL THE COSMIC M IN D
H O W IT SHALL BE DONE. If you know, do
it yourself; if not, come as a suppliant, not as a
dictator before the Cosmic. Do not make the
mistake of attempting to conceal any wrong or
ulterior motive that you may have; likewise, do
not expect the Cosmic to further any destructive
act or campaign, or anything which amounts to
a violation of Cosmic principles or laws, or which
is definitely selfishyour own conscience will in"
form you whether it is or not.
Above all, do not make the mistake of believing
that mentally creating, or Cosmic creating, means
that the Cosmic Mind is going to sign, seal, and
deliver into your lap, in substance, the things or
conditions which you desire. Do not think you

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 164

are to be relieved of further responsibility or

effort, and that you are figurativley casting into
the lap of the Cosmic your problem and that it
will bring about the solution. Cosmic creating
means that you will be inspired with the elements,
the ideas, and the needed knowledge or informa
tion by which you then, through your own labors,
can accomplish what you seek. A truly sincere
individual seeks and wants no other gift from the
Cosmic than a revelation of how he may himself
bring into existence the things he needs and to
which he is entitled. It must be realized that in
Cosmic Creating you are not employing the
Cosmic as a servant, while you repose in a state
of inactivity as a master. You are petitioning the
Cosmic (and I say this without any irreverance)
to become your partner, to provide half of what
is needed to make your enterprise a success.
It is hoped that it can be realized from all of
the foregoing that holding the thought requires a
knowledge of Cosmic principles, and means more
than a parrot-like repetition of affirmations, or
the retaining of a desire in the consciousness, with
the belief that in some manner it is going to in
voke a miracle. Let us, fratres and sorores, chal
lenge those dilettantes who mock mysticism by
the use of empty phrases and terms alone.
Fraternally,
R alph M. L ew is ,

Imperator.

A M ORC Chapters
i
A Soror residing in a city in which one of our
chapters has recently been established writes ex
pressing appreciation to the Supreme Grand
Lodge and Grand Lodge for having authorized
and issued a charter for a chapter of the organi
zation. This member is quite highly advanced in
the Temple Degrees of the Rosicrucian studies
and states that she has always desired to have the
opportunity to participate in group activities di
rected by the Rosicrucians, and as a result of this
participation she feels she will be able to gain
additional knowledge and help for herself, as well
as to possibly contribute to the welfare of others
who go to make up this chapter. If this letter is a
statement of the general attitude of this member
ship of the particular chapter with which she is
affiliated, I predict that this chapter will become
a very successful one and one truly representative
of all that Rosicrucianism offers, one to which all
Rosicrucians can point in their community, and
be proud that it exists, because this is truly the
attitude that leads toward success of group
activities.
W e all, as human beings, are possibly to a cer
tain extent a little selfish, and I wonder if many

who anticipate the affiliation with a group, if and

when such a group may be organized in their
community, do not frequently think in terms of
what they can derive as a result of such an or
ganization. In fact, occasionally Fratres and
Sorores will write stating in effect that they wish
a chapter or lodge would be organized where they
could attend, because they believe that as a result
of such attendance and participation it might be
easier for them to understand the Rosicrucian
teachings, they might be able to progress faster,
or they might gain more. In other words this at
titude, while it is not intended to be selfish upon
the part of members who have expressed it, never
theless carries the idea that a chapter or a lodge
of the organization should exist primarily to help
the individual who affiliates with it, but the letter
from the Soror referred to in the first part of
these comments shows the true spirit of participa
tion with others of like mindsthat is, like many
other things in life, chapter membership is a give
and take proposition.
If you are to derive benefit from chapter or
lodge affiliation, you must give so that others can
derive benefit from you being there. Now, not
everyone can give in the same manner. Some can
serve as officers, some can assist officers in their
plans and activities, others can only attend and
offer what support they are able to in the chapter,
but there are even other ways to assist the organ
ization by speaking a word about it, by seeing
that an interesting article in The Rosicrucian
Digest is available to someone who may need and
want that very knowledge, to leave a piece of
literature at a place where someone seeking this
information may find it, and above all, to ex
emplify to the best of the individuals ability the
ideals and principles of Rosicrucianism in his or
her daily activities and dealings with other people.
W ith this attitude in mind the members who do
work together are surely going to be mutually
benefited by so doing.
It must be borne in mind that nowhere do there
exist shortcuts, by any method, toward the gain
ing and application of knowledge and the attain
ment of mastership. In other words, what the in
dividual derives from the Rosicrucian teachings
comes as a result of his application of these
teachings.
As each reader of this Forum will know from
the Constitution and Statutes of the Grand
Lodge, a chapter of the organization is a volun
tary group who are members of the Grand Lodge
that is, a member to affiliate with a chapter
must be a National Lodge member receiving
monographs and instructions directly from the
Grand Lodge. Therefore, the Chapter does not
take the place of the Rosicrucian instructions.
Neither is it possible for a Chapter affiliation to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

make available to the individual member an easier

or shorter means of comprehending the Rosicrucian teachings. Therefore, a member need not
feel that he is being deprived of a necessary part
of Rosicrucian affiliation by not being in contact
with a chapter, but those who have the opportunity to visit and attend chapters should realize
that by the participation on their part and con'
tribution to its activities, they are enriching their
own lives in proportion to what they contribute
A.

Candle Experiments Again

Because of the difficulty some of our students
have recently had with the candle experiments in
the early degrees, we feel it appropriate to discuss
this matter again in the pages of The Rosicrucian Forum. One of the questions received by
the Department of Instruction is: How do I
know that my thoughts are affecting the color of
the aura surrounding the candle flame? If I concentrate long enough and hard enough, I will see
whatever color I will myself to see. This would
be simply a matter of self'hypnosis, would it not?
In the first place, we wish to assure our student
members and Forum readers that we do not teach
and practice hypnosis in any form in the Rosi'
crucian work, not that there is anything espec'
ially wrong with hypnosis itself, but rather, it
plays no part in the plan of Rosicrucian unfold'
ment. W e have no need for it in our work.
Some years ago hypnotism was little known
and, therefore, considered something to be avoided and even slightly feared. But today it is a part
of nearly all courses of applied psychology taught
in the schools and universities, not only in the
United States but also in other countries. In our
work, if it were important to mans development
and knowledge, we would include it; but, like
many other subjects thoroughly investigated by
Rosicrucian mystics and teachers, it has long
since given way for more important discussions
and experiments that will be of greater benefit in
helping our members to grow and expand in'
wardly as well as develop many of the dormant
areas of the mind and consciousness. And, there
fore, fratres and sorores, you may discount any
impression of self'hypnosis where the candle experiments are concerned. If you are hypnotizing
yourself into believing you see a certain color in
the candle flame aura, you are not properly per
forming the experiment.
If you feel that you are forcing yourself to see
a certain color in the aura that actually is not
there, sit back relaxed in your chair and after
resting for a few minutes with your eyes closed,
concentrate upon a color and see if you can produce it before the minds eye. If you can, it is

Page 165

possible that through the use of will power, you

are seeing the color held in mind regardless of
the actual color of the candle aura. Now the
thing for you to do to prevent interference of
this nature is to try the experiment, using the
passive form of concentration explained in an
early lesson. This is the type or method of concentration used when experimenting with mental
telepathy. Many times we receive reports from
students stating that as long as they stared at the
candle and repeated to themselves the color blue,
nothing happened; but when they became tired
and sat back to rest and forgot all about blue, this
color appeared in the aura of the candle flame.
Another type of letter will say: W hile con'
centrating on blue, I could see no change, but
when I concentrated on red, blue appeared. You
can see in both of these statements that the
change took place after the thought vibration
was released from the objective consciousness. W e
would urge everyone who has had difficulty mani
festing the colors in the candle flame aura to try
the above suggestions.
The only thing that we can say to the chal
lenge, How do we know our thoughts affect the
aura of the candle flame?, is that through actual
test and experiment, you can prove beyond any
shadow of doubt that thought vibrations radiate
and affect things outside of ourselves. These
candle flame experiments have been thoroughly
tested by hundreds and thousands of students all
over the world with the same results. Further, if
you could be present in a group of student members in the temple of some lodge or chapter while
the Master of the temple was performing such
experiments, you would find that from 90 to 99
per cent of those present would see the changes
take place. Also, if another was with you while
you were trying the exercise and this other could,
like yourself, easily perceive the aura around the
flame, he would see the same colors as you, pro
viding you succeeded with the experiment. There
are a great many ways to prove that you are not
hypnotizing yourself but making an actual scien
tific demonstration of the old law of mind over
matter.
Another question that we receive quite fre
quently is the one about wearing eyeglasses dur
ing a candle experiment It is very difficult to lay
down a hard, fast rule for the one who wears
glasses. In the first place, there are a great many
different types of eye conditions that require one
to wear glasses. There is the one who uses glasses
only when reading or doing close work. In this
case, we would recommend that the glasses be dis
pensed with when doing Rosicrucian experiments.
But the person who actually has an organic de
fect and wears glasses all of the time will prob
ably have to keep the glasses on while gazing at

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 166

the candle flame. This makes the experiment more

difficult, for very often the light rays from the
flame will reflect in the lens and prove disturbing.
To avoid this, it may be necessary to move the
candle away from the mirror background or place
a black drape of some kind over the mirror.
W hen one has glasses on he occasionally sees sev'
eral reflections of the flame in the mirror, and,
of course, this is annoying. For this, we again
recommend dispensing with the mirror back'
ground.
Perhaps many of our members wonder why we
have this experiment in the lessons, especially in
the early degrees of study. Naturally, one of the
reasons is to demonstrate the principles, to sub'
stantiate the Rosicrucian claims regarding the
power of thoughts and how they can be used in a
practical manner. But another and far more im'
portant reason is the actual benefit derived from
such an exercise or practice. The average appli'
cant for membership in the Order lacks a great
deal of development, especially where concentra'
tion and will power are concerned. And so, we
start from the very beginning to stimulate and
develop these dormant faculties of the mind and
brain. Good concentration and will power are
very important in all mystical work, and the
sooner we start these functions into action, the
sooner we will begin to benefit by our Rosicrucian
studies. Experiments such as those in the early
lessons have a definite bearing upon our develop'
ment; and even though we may not succeed at
first, we benefit from the effort we put forth.
Whenever we have time on our hands and
wish to experiment, we can do no better than get
out a candle and try concentrating on it to change
the color of its aura. Remember, as we have said
so often, do not stare at it, trying to force the
color to appear. This results in one thing only,
eyestrain and headache. You cannot force the
thought vibrations from you. They radiate in a
most natural way, providing, of course, that you
release them in a natural, normal manner without
forcing through the power of will.

Experiments W ith a Baby

A n interesting news article that has been
brought to the attention of our Forum meeting
on several occasions during recent weeks is one
that appeared in one of the popular picture maga'
zines that have come into existence during the
last two or three years. This article consists of
an interview with the leader of a group of meta'
physical students in an Eastern state who has
adopted a little baby girl and plans to rear this
child in accordance with the ideals and principles
of his particular field of metaphysics.

Among other plans for the baby, it will be re'

quired to abstain from alcoholic beverages, to'
bacco, milk, butter, eggs, and many other foods
and stimulants that are taboo with this group of
Master Metaphysicians, according to the article.
It seems that the purpose is to train the child to
be perfect in every respect, which will lead to
perfect health and complete knowledge of all
natural phenomena so that she can baffle medical
science and live forever."
W e have been asked by our members sending
us the clippings, to discuss this group or move'
ment in our Forum meeting, and particularly the
possibilities of the baby living forever. In the first
place, as we have always said in the past and
probably will always hold to in the future, we do
not care to discuss the activities of a group or
movement such as the one in this article, for we
have no special interest in their activities and
studies. If they are doing some good by their ac'
tivities and guiding others into the realms of
higher thought and idealism, then certainly they
are entitled to a tolerant attitude on the part of
other organizations, even if we are not in agree'
ment with many of their claims and teachings.
Our only interest in the experiment with the child
is from a scientific and philosophical point of
view.
As we analyze the plans for rearing this child,
we at once are aware of the attempts to deny the
existence of the material world, for, in the first
place, she is to be denied meat in all forms, milk,
butter, eggs, and it is presumed, cheese and any
other food containing proteins. (It is a fact that
these foods are an important part of the diet of
every normal, healthy man, woman, or child.)
She is to exist entirely upon a vegetable diet.
Usually this is for the purpose of gaining spiritual
development. Proteins, being considered earthly
and material, are said to interfere with the spir'
itual side of ones being.
W hen we analyze this, we wonder by what
error of nature man has manifested in a physical
body at all if it is to be denied. W hy should God
have seen fit to construct as perfect a machine as
the body of man if the spiritual side of man can
better manifest itself through denial of the physi'
cal being? W e must face the fact that God has
given man a perfect physical body and man has
not as yet been able to improve upon it. The
obvious purpose of this body is a medium through
which the spiritual side of man may manifest on
earth. It is mans duty, therefore, to maintain
this body in as perfect a state of health as pos'
sible. The body is the temple of the soul, and as
such should be given the greatest possible care.
Denying the needed elements will naturally not
do this.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

As far as meat is concerned, we should not

deny it to ourselves with the thought that by so
doing we will become more spiritual and more
closely attuned to the Infinite. Spirituality does
not depend upon the food we eat or do not eat.
Spirituality pertains to the soul of man, and this
you cannot affect in any way. This soul, which is
a segment of the universal soul, is far above any
conditions of a material nature.
But the personality, which manifests the character of the soul, can be and is affected by ma'
terial conditions, especially environment, thoughts,
and inherited tendencies, but not so much by the
foods we eat unless they cause illness and disease.
Right here is the important consideration in all
diets, whether or not they contain meat or other
proteins. Health, radiant health, regardless of
how it is obtained, is one of the most important
objects in life. W ithout it, we cannot freely
carry out the duties of our mission in life. The
spiritual side of man manifests here on earth
through the physical body. The more perfect this
body, the more complete will be the spiritual
manifestation. Therefore, instead of denying the
physical body and giving our entire attention to
the spiritual, we should recognize the body and
take every possible means at our disposal to find
and maintain health. If this means refraining
from meat, well and good. If it means eating
nothing but protein foods, this is all right too.
A nd now let us suppose that the baby we are
discussing thrives upon the form of life set forth
for it. W hat if its diet proves of great benefit
and gives this child perfect healthmore perfect
than any specimen of humanity has ever before
enjoyedwill this child then live forever? If it
does, it will not only baffle medical science and
every other school of science and philosophy, but
it will succeed in setting aside one of the very
fundamental laws of nature, that matter is in a
state of constant change. A separation of the soul
force from the physical body is not only in'
evitable, but a very necessary condition for the
evolution of the personality of the soul.

Cosmic Cycles and W orld Population

A frater from a distant land rises to ask our
FORUM CIRCLE the question: If we have a
life span of approximately 144 years, part of
which is spent on the Cosmic plane after transit
tion, and at the end of this term of 144 years,
reincarnate in a new physical body, how is the
increase in the worlds population accounted for?
This question resolves down to what constitutes
the relationship, if there is one, between appar'
ently new or additional beings on earth, and the
continuous reincarnation of personalities. First,
there can never be a new soul. Over and over

Page 167

again in our Rosicrucian monographs, in various

degrees both in the Neophyte and Temple Sections, it is reiterated in different ways that the
soul of man is a part of the Universal Soulthe
one great, ubiquitous Cosmic Soul. The souls of
men are not individualized; they are not segments
of a whole, but an extension of that whole passing
through, or rather infusing, all men with its es'
sence. This may be better understood if we think
of the personalities which the soul assumes as be'
ing like the colors of the spectrumred may seem
to be distinctly different from blue, and yet both
colors are components of white, or the sunlight.
This soul force pervades everywhere and is at all
timeswithout beginning or end. Further, it is
unlimited in its potentialities of expression.
Since the soul force is inexhaustible, as well as
not being destructible, there can be as many per'
sonalities or expressions of it in human form as
there are vehicles or bodies for it to occupy. It
must be realized that Cosmically there are no
limits to manifestations. There is only law, order,
and change, which, of course, in itself is law.
Thus a thing may reach a certain proportion or a
particular form, and a transition will occur. This
does not denote that the Cosmic has decreed that
that particular thing is now limited, but rather
that according to Cosmic law the process has
changed. All things in the universe compose a
graduated scale of realities. Man observes the
transition of some things into others, and erron'
eously conceives each thing as being separate and
limited, whereas all are part of the entire whole.
The Homo sapiens is the result of, and dependent
upon, a great number of these Cosmic laws for
his physical existence. The phenomena fall into
such categories as astronomy, geology, biology,
and physiology. As long as conditions caused by
these phenomena are consonant with lifewith
human lifeman flourishes upon earth.
It is a further Cosmic law that with the first
breath of life, man shall become a living soul. As
soon as the receptacle of the body is made ready,
it is filled with soul essence. The lesser number of
human bodies, the smaller number of personals
ties there are on earth. Conversely, the greater
number of human bodies, the more personalities
on earth. If the Cosmic Mind had conceived that
there shall be a definite number of personalities
and no more expressions of soul on earth, then
consequently there would need be a constant
figure at all timesa sort of a Divine quota. No
more humans could be born or souls occupy their
bodies until a certain number had passed through
transition; thus the worlds population would
never fluctuate. But it DOESso we must realize
that there is no relationship between the 144'year
cycle of mans incarnation, his earthly and Cosmic
residence, and the fluctuating worlds population.

Page 168

If there is, as there actually has been, an increase in the worlds population what occurs?
W ould there be more bodies than there are souls
to incarnate in them? A n extension of the great
unlimited soul force into the additional bodies
would take place, but these would then not be
new souls, of course, but new personalitiespersonalities beginning their first expression. In each
person born, the soul in essence is the same, BUT
the personality is in various degrees of develop
ment and perfection, depending upon its periods
of incarnations, or whether it has ever incarnated
before. In some persons, the personality has
existed many times beforein others, we repeat,
it is being manifested for the first time. Conse
quently, we can see that there can be new per
sonalities, but not new souls. The Cosmic, ac
cording to its purpose, or rather its inherent law,
selects the human forms best suited to the needs
of a personality, or to create a personality for the
first time. W hen there is a retarding of human
kinda decrease in populationthere are conse
quently less new personalities established on earth.
Further than this, there are those who having at
tained that state of perfection where it is no
longer necessary for the personality to occupy the
human form, no longer incarnate. If this were
not so, then none of us would ever be reaching
perfection, and what would we have to hope for
or seek to attain? W hen this perfection occurs,
it is like the colors of the spectrum caused by
concentrating a beam of sunlight upon a prism.
As soon as the prism (the substance which gives
these colors apparent separation and distinction)
is removed, the colors immediately merge again
into the white sunlight of which they have always
been a part.X.

Prominent People and A M O R C

Now a frater directs the following question to
our FORUM CIRCLE: W hat prominent per
sons are members of AM ORC, not only in this
country, but throughout the world? It would
help me a great deal to know. The frater does
not explain in what way he would be aided by
knowledge of prominent persons who are Rosi
crucians. In fact, we cannot see how it would be
of any particular assistance for any member, from
a Rosicrucian point of view, to have such
information.
This spirit prevails among the membership of
many fraternal organizationsparticularly in this
country. Many men and women like to convey
the impression that whatever they decide to do,
or actually do, constitutes excellence and the acme
of good judgment. If one belongs to a club or
society, the inner workings of which are not gen
erally known, it avails him little, so far as per

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sonal distinction is concerned, to mention his af

filiations to another. Therefore, by some means,
such persons find it necessary to impress their
friends with the importance of their fraternal
connections. The simplest way is to say: The
noted or eminent so-and-so is one of our mem'
bers. This, by inference, says that If a man of
such financial, political, social, or academic stand
ing saw fit to become and remain a member, it
must be an important organization. The speaker
thereby indirectly reflects prominence on himself
by letting it be known that he can be a member
of the same association that would interest the
prominent person.
The fact of the matter is, the eminent person
may be one of the poorest members of the society,
in so far as attendance, depicting its ideals in his
conduct, or even so far as displaying interest in
its purposes, is concerned. On the other hand,
a humble manual laborer and member of the same
club, whose name is never mentioned, and whom
many members might assiduously avoid pointing
out, may better characterize the true membership
spirit than all of the eminents of the club put
together.
W ho belongs to your club or society really is
of no consequence, unless it is mainly a social
body. If you are seeking social distinction and
want the honor of moving in elite circles then,
of course, it is important that the club roster
include prominent names. A fter all, the essential
attribute of a social organization is the social
background and distinction of its membership
that is its principal asset. In fact, you become a
member of a social organization primarily because
of those who may also be members. This attitude,
though rather inane, is not necessarily wrong;
however, the reason that causes one to be affiliated
with social bodies cannot be equally applied to
certain other types of societies, without appearing
absolutely absurd.
Suppose you are a photography enthusiastan
amateur and file application for membership
with and eventually are accepted as a member of
an excellent camera club of your citywould the
fact that the governor of your state is also a mem
ber add anything to the value of the club to you?
Presume that the governor of the state knew no
more, or actually even less, about photography
than you do, would his high political position and
the prominence attached to his name do any more
for you photographically? To put it bluntly,
would you have become a member because of the
facts you could glean about photography, or to
hobnob with the governorwhich? Also we may
look at it in this light-perhaps a miner, from his
small earnings at hard labor, saves a little to invest
in textbooks on photography, which he thorough
ly studies; and in his leisure time has built much

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

unusual photographic equipment. Further, he has

become, through his avocation, a very splendid
photographer, and he is a member of the camera
club as well. Under such circumstances, who
could advance your knowledge of photography
the more, the humble miner or the austere
governor?
Likewise, it must be realized that all prominent
persons who lend their names to societies or clubs,
do not do so because they are interested in the
clubs aims. It is many times for no other reason
than to keep their names before the public to
further their own ends, which have nothing to do
with their affiliations. They benefit by having
clubs and members boast that so^and'so is one of
our members. This may mean that the prominent
person will receive more votes, or at least more
publicity. The backbone of any really worthwhile
organization consists of the ones who are in it for
what it representsall others are mere parasites.
Suppose that AM ORC tomorrow were to pub"
lish a list of prominent persons, which it could
do, persons in the professionspolitical and busi"
nessand their names would be recognized as be"
ing outstanding, what would be the result? Im"
mediately there would be a great influx of mem"
bershipapplications filed by those who, whether
they admitted it or not, would merely want to
become members of AM ORC because prominent
persons were affiliated with it. As for those who
are already Rosicrucians, how would they be
benefited by such information? Certainly the
monographs would not become more perspicuous,
nor would it become more simple for Rosicrucians
to demonstrate the laws of nature. The purpose
of the Order would not alter; that which is truth
would not thereby become more truthful by such
publication, and that which might not be true
could not become so. Because men and women in
the Rosicrucian Order are renowned as successes
in their personal lives, and are so recognized by
thousands, does not alter your affairs. There is
no magical influence by which you are going to
be an indirect recipient of their success because
they too are members. In matters of this kind,
one must be strictly an individualist; he must
weigh the value of membership by the Orders
history, and principally by its teachings, not the
eminence of its individual members.
Some individuals labor under a very unfor"
tunate illusion. They believe that great minds in
one sphere of activity, likewise gravitate to great"
ness in all other things. This is false and primitive
reasoning. It is the same sort of logic, if it may
be called that, which aborigines use in assigning
supernatural powers to inanimate things. Bush"
men, for example, make a fetish out of the claws
of a ferocious beast, because they believe the
ferocity of a beast is imparted to them even after

Page 169

it is dead. Brilliant minds may be warped by

specialization. By thatas incongruous as it may
seemI mean they may be made intolerant and
narrow. Years and years of devoting all ratio"
cination to one realm of inquiry causes profound
thought to be aroused only by association of ideas
things and incidents related with their profes"
sion. Outside of their immediate intellectual field,
to use a prosaic term, they let down, and they are
most gullible and credulous in other ventures in
which they may participate. Bankers, for ex"
ample, say that most professional men, excepting
attorneys, are most susceptible to fantastic and
fraudulent financial and investment schemes
proposals that a far less intelligent man could
readily detect as false.
I have known brilliant physicians, specialists in
gynecology and gastroscopy, to discuss mystical
and religious subjects fervently in the most child"
ish and illogical way. It almost seemed as if they
were of the belief that profundity of thought
should be exercised only in their profession, and
that puerile reasoning would suffice in all other
matters. However, persons see these prominent
names associated with some venture which is ex"
traneous to their profession, and they believe that
these people have lent their same brilliance to the
venture and that if they have, it must be a mar"
velous thing. If it is an organization or society,
they believe it must be marvelous for the same
reason. If any significance is to be attached to
names of persons affiliated with a society or order,
it must be only if those persons have won recog"
nition in a field corresponding to the purposes of
that order.
For analogy, it does not redound as much to
A M O RCS credit to have a governor of a state
as a member, as it does to have a prominent doc"
tor of philosophy, physicist, or scholar of litera"
ture, for the latters professions more nearly ap"
proach certain phases of A M O RCs instructions;
however, we do have a great number of men and
women, prominent in the professions, the arts,
the sciences, and in political life, well known to
the general public as well, who are members of
AMORC. Also there are persons whom the
world calls material successes, who are members
of AMORC, and they had made that success ma"
terially long before they ever crossed the threshold
of AM ORCand yet they are still seeking. This
fact is the best testimony in the world that
AM ORC is not offering, or attempting to offer,
merely a short cut to more or greater material
riches. If so, why would those who already have
that turn to AM ORC, remain in AM ORC, and
express great satisfaction with its teachings? It
remains to be said that there are priceless things
in life and it is these things that such persons
seek.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 170

However, the recognition of AM O RC in appreciation of what the Organization is doing as a

humanitarian work is growing each day. It is not
that A M O RCs teachings have become more
valuable, or that the organization has changed its
policies, but the growth of AM ORC has brought
it to the attention of more and more prominent
persons throughout the world, persons high in
public and government life, who though their
interests may not parallel the purposes of
AM O RC are, I repeat, sympathetic with it.
The late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, on his
journeys throughout the world, received many
personal distinctions and honors from the heads
of foreign governments, cabinet members, and
others. It would be surprising to many to know
that Indian potentates, maharajas, rajahs, and
other leaders of equal standing are readers of the
RO SICRU CIA N DIGEST. Further, business
and industrial tycoons have purchased many of
A M O RCs books, and have personally given them
as Christmas gifts to members of their staffs. All
this is very flattering and pleasing, yet it does not
alter one phase of the Rosicrucian teachings. It
neither adds to them nor detracts from them.X.

Seeing Colors
A soror in Canada puts the question to this
FO R U M : W hat are the colors we sometimes see
in meditating? If the colors are actually seen
with the eyes open as usual visual perceptions,
they mav have no psychic import whatsoever, and
may be the natural consequence of the registering
of ordinary light waves.
A word of warning must be uttered at this
time. Many persons when beginning the study
of occult or psychic phenomena become so enthusiastic and desirous of obtaining results that they
are wont to interpret common experiences, having
purely a physiological foundation, as Cosmic or
psychic; thus any uncommon sound is a message, and unusual circumstances or conditions
are a sign, or an impression. Such an exaggeration borders on superstitious practices, and is
most certainly an aberrance. It is unfortunate
that many students of mysticism and occultism
have not had, as preparation, some basic instruct
tion in psychology, physiology, and physics before
attempting the higher aspects of mans existence.
That is why so many of the early degrees of
AM O RC are devoted to these topics. It is their
lack of knowledge of simple natural phenomena
that causes students to attribute such manifestations to psychic function. W hile some labor
under such false conceptions at times, they are
prevented from making an investigation into
genuine psychic manifestations.

Quite often we can see colors or images which

have no actual counterpart outside of ourselves,
and which may not even at the moment be related
to an external visual impression, and yet they are
not psychic in the true sense of the word. For
example, there are what is known as after-images.
They are the immediate recurrence of identical
or similar visual sensations, after the actual
stimulus has been removed. After-images may be
divided into two kinds negative and positive.
Negative are the most common. They can be ef
fected, for example, by staring intensely at a
colored object for a half minute, then turning the
eyes away to look at a neutral background. On
the neutral background will appear to be the same
image, but with a different hue. These negative
after-images will remain for many seconds before
disappearing entirely. Positive after-images re
semble the original visual perception in brightness
and hue. Further, they retain all of the brilliance
of the original for their duration. A negative
after-image of a yellow object will appear blue,
but a positive after-image will appear in the same
hue; in other words, yellow.
Positive after-images last but for two or three
seconds. Negative after-images are caused by in
tense stimulation of the optic nerve, such as con
centration on a bright light close to the eyes.
This sensation is retained for several seconds after
the stimulus has ceased. In other words, negative
after-images are produced by a continuation of
the original excitation, whatever it may have
been. Positive after-images are often caused by
artificial stimulation, that is, not by actual visual
impressions. Thus, exceptional pressure on the
eyelids may produce before the eyes geometrical
patterns or figures in various bright hues, such as
lavendar, deep red, and scintillating greens. Sud
den temperature changes and bodily movements
may cause an image to remain as a sensation some
time after the stimulus has been removed.
Now, of course, everyone who is reading this
has had this experience; if you havent, try it.
Stare at a bright electric light in your room, after
first pulling down all shades, closing doors, and
preventing the entrance of any other light. Stare
at it for at least thirty seconds, then suddenly
switch it off, so that the room is absolutely dark.
Notice the negative after-imagethe picture in
your eyes of the electric light bulb. This picture
or image will continue for several seconds. About
it will be a glow of color that does not correspond
to the actual color which radiated from the elec
tric light bulb. All of this is quite understand
able, and yet persons who do not understand it,
consider it as a token of some psychic phenom
enon. However, there are colors and images that
we see psychically, that is, apparently we see

fHE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

them, that have no physiological foundation

whatsoever.
Even science, outside of AM ORC, concedes
this phenomenon and gives it an interesting de
scription and name. These images are called by
profane science eidetic images. Science defines
them as subjective visual phenomena, which
assume a perceptual character. To make this more
intelligible, it means that these impressions, or
images, arise in the subjective mind and come to
the fore of our objective consciousness in the
character or form of images we actually see, and
yet they have no existence even as impulses out
side of us. In fact, no one else present could see
them at all. Eidetic images can resemble and, in
fact, be the same in appearance as any object
actually seen, and then again they may not. Even
when eidetic images are the same as objects ob
jectively discerned, they differ from after images
by the fact that they do not need to recur im
mediately. The phenomenon can occur days,
weeks, even years, afterwards. To illustrate, you
may be walking through a field and suddenly see
before you in your vision, not outside of yourself,
a cottage that you visited as a boy years before,
and see it complete in every detail. The image
may last but a few seconds, never to reappear.
These, even medical science concedes are not
due to hallucinations, or delusions, or hysteria.
Hysteria, as we know, is mostly caused by a de
pletion of nerve energy, which causes emotional
instability, and which in turn causes undue
susceptibility to emotional disturbances. How
ever, these eidetic experiences are found to exist
among normal healthy persons. Children, bright,
healthy, and normal in all other mental respects,
experience these eidetic images more frequently
than adults. You will notice in this the similarity
to statements in our Rosicrucian monographs,
that children are by nature more psychic than
adults. Most certainly these eidetic images or ex
periences are psychic if they originate as subjec
tive phenomena in normal healthy human beings.
Eidetically, these experiences are said to occur
only with the faculty of sight. Actually, however,
we know that they exist quite commonly with
hearing as well.
Referring to them as subjective visual phe
nomena, is to use too general a term. W e must
be more specific in our explanations in order to
understand them. Those images which correspond
to those we have seen elsewhere at another time,
and that we know we have seen, we may pass by
at this time, with the statement that something
we now see, hear, feel, taste, or smell, of which
we are not particularly conscious, (perhaps we do
not even realize we are perceiving it) may have
its impulses pass through into our brain where the
sensations arouse in the matrix of nerve plexuses,

Page 171

by association, some idea previously registered in

memory. All of the sensations related to the idea
flash as an integrated whole or image, immediate
ly before our eyes, and, of course, we cannot
understand why we see the image before us, not
knowing what caused it. On the other hand,
where the psychic, or we shall say eidetic image,
is one that we do not recall ever having seen
before, the matter then enters the psychical realm
of investigation. If the experience is of the nature
of an image, not just formless colors, it is caused
either by telepathy or by the recollection of a
projection experience.
It is possible, and scientifically demonstrable,
that simple images or designs, as well as words,
may be transmitted by the process of telesthesia,
from one mind to another. Numerous things are
dependent upon this projection of thought, as we
are taught in our Rosicrucian monographs. The
first requisite is excellent visualization. The per
son holding a thought must paint not merely an
impressionistic picture of the image he wishes to
transmit mentally, but a picture as detailed as if
he were sketching or painting it. If he is in
capable of at once creating in his minds eye so
complete a picture of a cottage, for example, he
may visualize a portion of the structure at a time
until he has assembled it as a whole. He must
emotionally feel the image, the atmosphere that
surrounds it; he must sense all of the impressions
that would be associated with this mental picture,
as if he were actually looking at the cottage, or
were physically in its presence. He should be al
most able to smell the scent of the flowers twining
themselves around the eaves of the roof and feel
the warmth of the sun beating down on the steps
of the porch. Next, when he has attained that
state of perfection of visualization, he must dis
charge or release the picture he has into his sub
jective mind by no longer thinking about it or
concentrating upon it.
If he has done all of these things and others,
as taught, the transmitter then has released a per
fect image for receptivity. If he has not had an
individual in mind when performing these things,
his efforts may be wasted. On the other hand,
any mind attuned to his, consciously or uncon'
sciously, that is, a mind which is in a passive or
receptive state would receive such a constructive
and innocuous impression, and would receive
what we call a psychic or eidetic image. Some
times there may be associated with the reception
of the image an actual name of the location, as in
this example, the country or city in which the
cottage is located. Years later, the receiver might
go to the place and find the identical house or
image.
All of this is very phenomenal, but not neces
sarily mystifying. The recollection of projection

Page 172

images is not caused by any principles that are

opposed to the above. Frequently, when asleep,
we project our psychic consciousness to distant
places, and, by the means of our psychic conscious"
ness, we see and hear events and things. How'
ever, often the impressions thus received are not
sufficiently intensive to penetrate or agitate the
dormant objective consciousness; consequently,
when we awaken we are aware that we have had
some sort of experience, some functioning of our
mind has occurred while we have been asleep.
W e have a sort of vague feeling that something
happened, but no matter how hard we try, we
cannot recall what. Nevertheless, the experience
remains intact in all details in the subjective mind,
but it lacks sufficient efficacy to impress itself
upon the objective, or \nowing mind. In medita'
tion, if it is successful, the psychic experience in
memory passes through to the objective, and
there is restored the image, or several of them,
startling in the vividness. This does not occur
every time we attempt meditation, because we do
not always have these antecedent psychic experi'
ences in the subjective mind, and, further, every
attempt at meditation does not constitute a true
and complete state of meditation.
The seeing of colors is caused by a combination
of the above factors and other conditions, which
we will now explain. In certain of the mono'
graphs of a degree I will not mention here, a
diagnosis of the general health condition of a per'
son, not a specific disease or disorder, is accom'
plished by holding one of the patients hands (a
certain one is designated), and in conjunction
with a well explained procedure, there is induced
in the operators sighton the eyelids of his own
eyesa color sensation. These color sensations
designate the state of health and polarity of the
patient. The polarity, the quality of the V. L. F.
of the patient, passes from his hand to the oper'
ators hand, thence by the radial nerves of the
operator to his sympathetic nervous system. The
impulses there impinge (if we may use that term)
upon the flow of energy along that system, pro'
ducing a wave of foreign energy which passes
over to the spinal nervous system and thence to
areas of the brain, where the impulses are trans'
lated into color sensations, and the operator
sees the color which designates the patients
condition. Only one color is seen at a time. The
principal colors thus seen are red, blue, yellow,
orange, green, and purple. Blue, green, and yel'
low indicate the negative state of a patient, and
orange, red, and purple indicate the positive. The
color is experienced as a sort of haze or film all
over the inside of the eyelids.
Another principle must be considered at this
time as well, in relation to this subject. Every
object, animate or inanimate, has its color value,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that is, it has its combination of colors, its spec'

trum. Astronomers tell the nature of the sub'
stance of planets millions of light years distant by
what is known as spectrology. In other words,
elements when heated become incandescent. They
give off light, always the same colors, their partic'
ular radiations of light tell astronomers the
chemical ingredients of Cosmic bodies. Every
body gives off radiations, the aggregate of the
emanations of the spirit energy of its atomic and
molecular structure. These radiations, or vibra'
tions are most frequently below or above the
ocular range, so therefore we cannot see them ob'
jectively. They can be detected by instruments,
and often by our psychic sense, consequently,
when we are in proper meditation and consequent
attunement with anotherwhether we are aware
of the particular identity of the individual or not
we receive a telepathic transmission of the
radiations of the aura of that individual, which
induces in us, through the sympathetic nervous
system, as explained, its complement, a sensation
of a perceptual characterin other words, we see
a color before our eyes, corresponding to the color
value of the individuals aura. There is never any'
thing alarming or weird about these things, if
you try to understand themand that is the pur'
pose of the Rosicrucian teachings.X.

O ur Mission In Life
A Frater who has never before addressed our
Forum circle asks the question, W hen we find
work we like, does that mean we have found our
mission in life? A brief and emphatic answer
would be the affirmative, Yes. However, with'
out some further explanation, this answer might
easily be challenged as to its rightness.
There are two principal proclivities in life
which move man to actionaside from the com'
manding physical desires and appetites upon the
satisfaction of which existence itself depends.
The first is obligation; the second is idealism. The
obligations are those which our personal moral
concepts and adopted standards of ethics cause us
to feel must be met, and that without doing so,
there would be no peace of mind. Such obliga'
tions, as to their nature and the form they as'
sume, are as varied as mens interests and activi'
ties. W hat one feels a solemn obligation in life,
another might not. Such obligations might consist
of the care of parents, a college education for
each child of the immediate family, the rectifying
of wrongs done to a relative, and the repayment
of a sum of money to prevent a stigma. The
ideals, on the other hand, may be those things
which the individual aspires to as the end in life
the very reason why he wants to live and from
which he gains a positive pleasure or joy. These

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ideals may roughly be referred to as the ambitions

of persons.
Of course, fulfilling an obligation provides a
sense of satisfaction as well, but it is of a negative
nature. W e all have a sense of relief when we
have performed a lengthy and trying task or ful
filled a duty, but it is not the same exaltation we
experience when realizing an ideal. The fulfill
ment of an obligation is like the removing of a
disturbing condition or an irritant. It just returns
us to our status quo. But the realizing of an ideal
is an additional stimulus. W e have not just re
moved something; we have gained something.
Consequently it can be seen that persons by their
moral sense are often compelled to choose, as
their mission in life, something which is not
exactly the thing they would like to do, but what
they want to do under the circumstances.
The question really before us is: W hich is the
right mission, the ideal or the obligationpre
suming that we have both. The answer to this
would probably be, the intermediate waystriv
ing reasonably to meet a reasonable obligation
and alike to seek to attain the ideal. W e are fully
aware that a division of efforts under many cir
cumstances is not advisable. But if the individual
has both ideals and commanding obligations, he
must take an intermediate course or not truly be
fulfilling his mission in life. It must be realized
that obligations which we assume, and even create
for ourselves, are not really as vital as we some
times believe them to be. W e do not mean by
this that because some do not consider them im
portant, they are not, but rather that some are
actually not inherently so.
Our emotions, as we all have occasion to know,
greatly influence the value that we attach to many
things, as well as does that innate sensitivity that
constitutes our talents. One inclined toward art
has a greater natural appreciation of the harmony
of color, line, proportion and perspective than
one who is not. His reason, consequently,
causes him to measure the worth of things by
their beauty and artistic value. He will attribute
an importance to things which others may dis
regard. W e need not, at this time, enter into
a discussion as to whether beauty is immanent in
the object, or in mans mind. The fact that some
thing is beautiful to him is the important factor.
These emotions we have may cause one to imagine
or to bring about in his mind egregious obliga
tions. Thus one might have the passion to vindi
cate a parent from what he believes constitutes a
slur against the parents reputation. He dwells
upon it, builds it up to such an all-consuming
desire that nothing else matters but to right what
he conceives as a wrong. He pushes into the back
ground those interests which would ordinarily
constitute his ideals and ambitions. Actually,

Page 173

this passion has made his obligations, as he con

ceives them, his mission in life; but from an impassionate view, his concept of his mission is
distorted.
There are, however, certain arbitrary yard
sticks of measurement which we can use to de
termine what should be our mission in life. These
standards are an admixture of Cosmic obligations
and personal satisfactions and enjoyments. Every
sacred tome which contains inspired writings of
mystics and sages and their Cosmic revelations
whether these tomes are the basis of religious
precepts or philosophic discoursesusually con
tains an admonition of mans duty to man. Man
must recognize the brotherhood of man. He must
realize that he has a divine heritagethe right as
man to give the highest expression in material
form of the divine within him. He must never
violate the trust, as he frequently does. He must
create about him in matter, as Plato said, forms
that express the idea of beauty which he inwardly
senses. He must create on earth those things, and
by his conduct as well, that which will reflect the
spiritual realm. W hy this must be done is for the
philosophically minded to speculate upon. There
fore, he must not work against but with his fel
lows, and yet maintain his individuality.
Looking at civilization as a whole, though it is
pretty well pockmarked, man has done fairly
well. It consequently behooves each man in some
way to contribute somethingsmall or largeto
human society and well being, and not work for
himself alone. One who sweeps the streets and
sweeps them well, with an understanding of the
importance of his task in relationship to human
ity, and not to get it done so that it will merely
pass inspection, is doing as much in a humble way
as the bacteriologist working in a laboratory seek
ing to find a way to stem the spread of a disease.
One who seeks a job or position to get by is ob
viously abrogating this Cosmic law. He conceives
his mission in life as attaining just that which will
further his end and without any consideration of
the rest of mankind. One should always attempt
to find employment in those occupations, trades
or professions that bring him pleasure, that he
li\es to do, not only because it makes work more
enjoyable and removes it from the class of gruel
ling tasks, but because it commands the best in
him, and he gives without unconscious restraint
all of his ability or talent. However, if one insists
on doing those things that he likes to do, even
though he is unqualified, untrained in them, and
it keeps one who is qualified from doing them,
he is not pursuing his true mission in life because,
again, he is selfish. He thinks only of his own
gratification. He has not taken into consideration
the results of his work, and whether or not they
really are a contribution to society. One has

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 174

found his true mission in life when he is able to

give wholeheartedly to himself, when his heart
rings with joy with each hours labors, regardless
of what they may be, and when, at the same time,
others in some way are benefiting by his work
as well.
Do not confuse eminence and distinction with
your mission in life. If you have a longing to
work at some menial task that you know you can
do well, and which is constructive, DO IT,
whether your name will be on the lips of your
fellows or not. There are many in prominent
places today who are not, and they \now they are
not, fulfilling their true place in life. Ego has
caused them to push into the background their
finer and higher sentiments. W hen the world is
in a turmoil and severe economic upheaval pre
vails, one of course cannot always immediately
step onto the path that leads to his mission in life.
He cannot always find the job or the work that
represents it. He must bide his time.
W e said at the outstart that man is moved by
obligations and ideals in life, aside from his in
stincts and desires. These instincts and desires are
impelling, and often must be first served. One
must eat, drink and shelter himself and family
before fulfilling a mission in life.X.

Fear and Black Magic

Quite frequently it is stated by student mem
bers in the lower degrees: You say that thoughts
of an evil nature cannot be transmitted from the
mind of one to the mind of another, that only
thoughts of a constructive nature can be so trans
mitted; but I cannot agree with this. How is it
possible for the Cosmic to discriminate between
good and evil thoughts?
W e must always keep in mind that the entire
Cosmic scheme of things is constructive and one
of evolution even when it may seem to be other
wise to mans limited understanding. Being only
constructive, and operating only for the benefit
of all living things, it is not logical that the Cos
mic would suddenly take a turn about face and
become a medium for the transference of evil,
harmful thoughts and impressions from the mind
of one to the mind of another. The Cosmic is
kind and just in dealing with all creatures and
certainly there would be no justice in bringing
misfortune, illness, and even complete destruction
to an individual simply because it was the desire
and will of another.
You know, this whole idea is what is known as
Black Magic, which is actually practiced in a
great many parts of the world today and sur
prisingly enough, it is successful in entirely tod
many cases. There are those deeply interested in
the psychology of this art and who have spent

years investigating and studying the various

methods used for destruction by black magic. In
each and every case they have found one out
standing fact and that is, the victims have all
known well in advance that they were to be vic
tims of black magic and they believed sincerely
in its power.
It is quite obvious that the Cosmic is not the
medium through which this knowledge is trans
ferred, but rather through purely human physical
meansa subtle word here and there; a strange
little doll placed in some peculiar position in the
victims living quarters; strange, weird sounds and
actions on the part of the operators that suggest
harm to the victim. Perhaps you wonder why
these things have an effect upon one if the Cos
mic plays no part in such actions. It is simply the
workings of the mind of the victim. His belief in
the art and its power results in emotions of fear
which result in constant worry and mental upset.
Once these mental vibrations are set up the sub
ject is then a hopeless victim and it is difficult to
save him from self-destruction. Every argument
presented to him against the art and its power,
he will refute wtih the statement, But look at
me, I am sick just as is intended, my personal af
fairs are in a deplorable condition, I am unable
to eat or sleep, and I cannot rid myself of these
destructive thoughts that I am sure are being
transferred to me.
He is right, they are being transferred, but only
by physical means and not via the Cosmic. Once
these subtle methods are exposed, as has been
done in many cases, the spell is broken and the
victim can then save himself. The more deep
seated the belief in black magic, the more power
ful it is; therefore, it is just as easy to apply these
methods to a black magic practitioner as it is to
become a victim.
The one who regularly practices the art of voo
dooing others sincerely believes in his power and,
therefore, is himself an easy victim. W ithout
knowledge of this form of practice, no harm can
occur to anyone but the practitioner. He can sit
for hours thinking all of the evil thoughts pos
sible, visualizing every conceivable harm befalling
his victim, and still nothing will occur to the vic
tim. The practitioner himself will suffer in num
erous ways and will become just as evil mentally
and in personality as the thoughts he is holding.
The personal affairs and health of the practitioner
will suffer so long as he continues his destructive
thoughts, showing definitely the power of his
mental poison to himself.
W e can easily appreciate the fact that if the
Cosmic were the medium for transferring evil
thoughts and thoughts of a destructive nature, it
would be possible to apply this art to the dumb
animal kingdom, but we know that this is not,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and cannot be done. Yet we can and often do

give mental healing treatments to the lesser ani'
mals. These animals will respond to absent heal'
ing treatments even more readily than man be'
cause they lack the ability to think and reason ob'
jectively and thus cannot interfere with the work
being done for them. If we could transfer evil
thoughts as well as good thoughts through the
Cosmic, humanity would soon, very soon, be
annihilated.

Similarity In Appearance of
M arried People
A Frater in Canada asks a rather unique ques'
tion. He says: I have often noticed couples that
have been married four, five, or more years, whom
I knew as single persons, and who then had in'
dividual manners and looks, who now seem to
have a definite semblance of facial similarity, and
they now seem to act alike, even to the slightest
details. It is true that this is not the case so
markedly with every married couple, but yet,
when you glance at photos of the Jubilee married
couples or look at them direct, one can find so
many similarities that far outstrip those of said
couples when compared to the similarities of sisters
or brothers or either of them. Mannerisms and
actions that are or seem similar with such couples
can most likely be attributed to the length of the
period of association of said couples. But how
account for the facial resemblance, even if slight,
and how account for those little traits that are
similar?'*
The only importance of this question, even
though it is interesting, is that it gives us the op'
portunity to consider further the workings of na'
tures laws in ways which seem strange to man.
W ith reference to habits, and mannerisms, the
Frater has partially answered that question him'
self, for association mainly accounts for them.
Two people of the opposite sex, or of the same
sex, being thrown together, create an environ'
ment that takes its toll in alteration of their in'
dividual habits, either by modification and or the
inclusion of new traits of character.
Human beings are by nature mimics; some, of
course, more so than others. This as a whole is a
commendable trait for we learn many valuable
things by copying others. In this way, to a great
extent, good and bad habits are perpetuated.
W hen a family with a small boy, say six years of
age, moves into a new neighborhood, the parents
for the first few days are shocked by the new
expressionsvocal and facialof little Johnny.
He talks out of the side of his mouth, or he af'
fects a nasal twang or perhaps he plunges his
hands deep into his trouser pockets and struts or
even shuffles about. He obviously has seen some

Page 175

other boy do it. Its uniqueness or difference at'

tracted his attention, and so he decides to try it.
If he does not derive any particular enjoyment
out of it, he soon abandons itor his parents stop
him before it becomes a habit. W e continually
are desirous of seeing that our children obtain the
best social advantages by playing with nice boys
and girls. Parents are forever telling their chil'
dren, W hy dont you act like little Frank or
Mary; do just what they do. All this parental
advice connotes that parents want the child to
mimic, to copy, until the conduct or mannerisms
become habitual and part of the nature of the
child. However, adults themselves are constantly
being affected likewise by their associations. Let
a popular movie actress, whom the women all
secretly admire or envy, appear gowned in some'
thing just too divinely differentand within
only the time it takes to obtain the materials to
fashion the same gown will they appear with it.
It is amusing, also, to note how men imitate
the mannerisms of, for example, their boss or
business superior. As soon as they have attained
a position of relative importance, the peculiar
traits of their former boss, which they considered
part of the atmosphere of his position, have been
copied. It would seem almost as if they thought
that they could not exercise executive authority
to a great extent without resorting to these man'
nerisms. They will even defend their attitude, if
it is called to their attention, by saying, Well,
the old man did it and he got along pretty well.
If these influences can mold us in the greater
outside world, think how much more efficacious
are the suggestions that are implanted in our ob'
jective consciousness in our homes. W e truly have
a tendency to grow like those around us. Among
happily married people there is, of course, an at'
titude of tolerance, of resignation, and of ac'
ceptance of each others fortes and foibles.
This acceptance precludes any reasoning about
the criticism of them, and the instinct of mimicry
being so impelling, one is soon either taking on
the habits of the other, or there is a modification
of both. This similarity is not so evident in physi'
ognomy as in vocabulary, grimaces, laughter, ges'
tures, and of course the agreement on important
issues concerning both individuals.
The psychical and physiological effects must
not be overlooked either. Each individual, insofar
as human organisms and systems are concerned,
is distinctly different to some degree, even in the
case of twins. However, the same diet does have,
to some extent, an effect upon certain of the en'
docrine glands of each. If the glands, though not
functioning to the same degree in each individual,
are equally over or under stimulated by excessive
or deficient ingredients in the food, there is bound
to be a corresponding effect upon the bodily and

Page 176

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mental functions of each of the persons. Take,

for example, the adrenal glands. The adrenal se'
cretion called epinephrin energizes the muscles of
the body and of the circulation system and of the
digestive tract. The adrenals depend for their
potential energy upon iodine, which is a thyroid
output. Excessive action of the thyroid causes an
excess of the secretion which consequently causes
an over-stimulation of the heart muscles. This
causes great palpitation of the heart. This secre'
tion of the adrenal glands supplies the chemical
base for saliva, pepsin, hydrochloric acid, pancre'
atic and intestinal juices. Any disturbance of its
balance by improper diet might cause a disturb"
ance in the normal functioning of the digestion,
which in turn causes changes in the physical
characteristics of the individuals, in the appear'
ance of the skin, or causes general lassitude.
Also, each individual being in the field of the
others aura, and of course in harmony with each
other, their psychic natures are closely attuned.
It is not infrequent that there is an exchange of
thoughts between husband and wife that are not
verbally expressed. The husband will speak some'
thing his wife is about to say, or vice versa. Also
at times, one or the other during the day will
psychically receive an impression or a thought
held in mind by the other, especially if it concerns
them. Most all these results depend, of course,
upon an existing domestic tranquillity.X.

Just News
No question has been asked about our recent
activitiesin other words, what is doing here at
Rosicrucian Parkbut we feel that the members
of our Forum circle would be interested in
knowing.
It is not generally known that A M ORC has
facilities in Rosicrucian Park for the production
of its own sound motion pictures. W e have an
especially designed acoustic studio for the record'
ing of films, with all the necessary lighting equip'
ment, paraphernalia, microphone boom, and high
fidelity microphones. The equipment includes
professional 35mm. Bell'Howell sound camera,
motors, generator and variable density recording
equipment, and the multitude of needed acces'
sories. The studio, though of course not very
large, can be easily converted into sets to produce
different interior effects, such as the scenes of an
office, rooms of a home, sanctum and laboratory.
Just off the studio is the camera room. Motion
pictures are shot through double optical plate
glass windows to isolate the camera equipment
from the sound room, and thus avoid recording
any extraneous sounds. Some of this equipment
has been taken throughout the world by members
of the AM ORC staff to film mystic lands and

places and eventually to compose unique travel

films in sound. Several thousand feet of such
travel film are now being developed and will be
shown throughout the United States to Rosicru'
cian members and their friends within the current
year. The motion pictures in every respect are
professional in appearance, and all of the produc'
tion of them, except developing, is the result of
the work of the AM O RC staff. Particular credit
must be paid to Fratres Kendal Brower, James
Whitcomb, Alfred Williams and Daniel Albright
for their assistance on their own time over and
beyond their regular duties. A number of Rosi'
crucian members are engaged in the motion pic'
ture industry as a livelihood in Hollywood, as di'
rectors, actors, and in various phases of the tech'
nical work, such as cameramen, sound engineers,
lighting experts and film cutters, and their advice
is always generously proffered to the AM ORC
staff.
The titles of some of the A M O RC films, some
of which have already been shown throughout the
country, are Lemuria, the Lost Continent of the
Pacific, The Mystery Schools, and The H u'
man Crucible. A M ORC has just inaugurated
the policy of producing a series of educational
shorts, all in sound of course, expounding our
principles as taught in the monographs. These
films will explain some of the technical aspects of
our doctrines in a most simple, interesting way,
dramatizing details, in fact. One has just been
completed, entitled Harmonium, which depicts
certain of the Rosicrucian methods of healing in a
most pleasing and comprehensive way. It is plan'
ned that this too shall be exhibited in various,
cities throughout United States, and possibly
Canada, to members of AMORC. All Rosicru'
cians will be notified in advance when it will be
shown in their city or in a nearby city or town.
You need not write and ask when, for a personal
notification will be sent to you some months from
now. Two other films are now in the script
form and production on them will begin this fall.
The Rosicrucian Research Library has now
grown to several thousand volumes and it con'
tains more complete technical sections than many
libraries in large cities. The Rosicrucian Research
Library is arranged and functions like a large,
well'organized public library, with index systems
and scientific classifications of the books according
to the latest library methods. To Frater Orval
Graves, formerly one of the librarians of a large
state university library, must go credit for this or'
ganization of the books. Its sections on meta'
physics, occultism and mysticism are quite exten'
sive, in addition to a large section on all of the
particular divisions of the arts, sciences and phi'
losophy, travel, biography, and the useful arts.
Useful arts, for example, include such topics as

Page 177

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

carpentry, house wiring, china painting, book

binding, and numerous others of like practical
nature. The section on alchemy is quite rare, and
many of the books it contains are now out of
print and therefore very valuable. Needless to
say, its section on Rosicrucianism is very large,
and these, added to the centuries-old Rosicrucian
books in the archives of the Order, make an al
most priceless collection. Many members each
monththose who cannot attend in personavail
themselves of the Rosicrucian research service.
They send questions, according to a plan, to the
library for an answer. There is no charge for this
research service, merely twenty-five cents to cover
postage and typing. They obtain answers on ques
tions that they could not get elsewhere, or could
not get from some other source without consider
able difficulty.
Recently a number of Rosicrucian Lodges and
Chapters have been visited by officers of the Su
preme and Grand Lodges. During the month of
February, the Imperator visited several Lodges
and Chapters in the Mid-western and Atlantic
Seaboard sections of the United States. U nfor
tunately, he could not visit all Lodges and Chap
ters because he could not be away from his other
duties longer than a month. He hopes to visit the
others sometime in the near future. In March,
the Grand Secretary visited the San Diego Chap
ter and Hermes Lodge of AM ORC in Los
Angeles. The Supreme Secretary has just com
pleted a visit to the AM ORC Lodge in V an
couver, Canada. Other Lodges and Chapters in
that regionthe Northwestwill be visited by
him sometime during the late summer.
During this month of May, the Imperator was
honored with the rank of Grand Dignitary of the
Order of the Cross of Charlemagne. The Order
is a continuation of the Chivalric Order com
memorating Charlemagnes defense and further
ance of Christianity in the eighth century. The
distinction was awarded through the American
representative of the Order in consideration of
the philosophical writings of the Imperator fur
thering the cause of humanity. The communica
tion accompanying the document of appointment,
and written on the stationery of the Order Militaire et Hospitalier de Saint-Lazare de Jerusalem,
said in effect, in part: W hen peace and
order will be again established in Europe, then
if you wish, you may receive the insignias and
decorations.
The Imperator has just sent to the press a
manuscript for publication as a book. It is an ex
tensive account, complete in all details, of his
travels in the out-of-the-way places of mystic
lands, Egypt, Iraq, and the Levant generally. It
also relates his experiences with mystic orders in
those lands and the rites performed by himself

and others in the Kings Chamber of the Great

Pyramid on the eventful day of September 16,
1936, the date prophesied in the symbolism of
the Great Pyramid itself. The book contains
many heretofore unpublished facts in connection
with these travels, and is written in a very inter
esting style, avoiding any unnecessary technical
terms and phraseology. Its release will be an
nounced later.
The Rose-Croix Research Institute and Sani
tarium, the last great enterprise begun by the
late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, continues
successfully its purposes. New therapeutic equip
ment has just been installed that makes it excep
tionally modern and efficient in every respect. All
patients are most generous in their praise of the
efforts expended in their behalf by the staff of the
Rose-Croix Research Institute and Sanitarium.
Some Rosicrucians are of the opinion that only
members of AM O RC are admitted to the Sani
tarium, and that even then, they must have at
tained a certain degree. This is an erroneous con'
ception. It has always been the policy of the
Rose-Croix Research Institute and Sanitarium,
since its inception by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, that
non'members may become patients also. Further,
for those who are Rosicrucians, their advance in
the degrees of the Order has no bearing upon
their eligibility for admittance. X.

Eating for H ealth

Here is an interesting letter from one of our
fratres in Ohio who is a physiotherapist and suc
cessful practitioner. He is inclined to take us to
task because of his interpretations of our state
ments regarding the foods we should eat. He
points out that should one eat only the things he
likes and finds appetizing, illness or an abnormal
condition would result because he would fail to
replenish the chemical elements in the body that
are used up by the process of living.
It is evident that this frater has interpreted
this particular lesson in the wrong light. Pure
logic would tell us that simply because we like
potatoes, we should not eat only potatoes. Can
we imagine a mother feeding her children ice
cream at every meal because they seemed to desire
it and like it better than anything else? It stands
to reason that to enjoy complete radiant health,
we should make an effort to eat good wholesomefoods of a large variety, balancing every meal so
that we do not eat all starches one time and then
all proteins at the next meal. This would not only
be inconsistent with all that man has learned
about his body and the maintenance of health,
but also inconsistent with the Rosicrucian prin
ciples of living a sane, moderate life.
In analyzing the lesson in question, we find it
logical and reasonable in every respect. This

Page 178

lesson states that we should eat those foods that

are appetizing to us and that automatically stimulate the flow of digestive juices. The saliva that is
secreted by the salivary glands in the mouth, helps
us to masticate properly the foods we eat. The)
more active these glands are, the more complete
will the mastication be. W e are told by some to
chew a morsel of food 100 to 200 times before
swallowing. This is naturally to help the process
of digestion. If the morsel is appetizing, it will
stimulate the salivary glands to such an extent
that our digestion is even more complete.
W hen we eat something that we dislike we
chew it as little as possible before swallowing.
The sooner we get it out of the mouth, the better
we like it and the result is that much of this food
will cause distress because of the difficulty the
digestive juices have breaking down the particles
of food that we failed to chew. The stomach has
a tremendous job to do under any and all circumstances and the more we can help it and relieve it of extra hours of labor, the better off we
will be. W hen the food in the stomach is thor
oughly churned and broken down, it is passed on
through the pylorus to the small intestine where
the business of digestion is continued. The chemicals needed are passed on to the blood, the
various parts of the body are nourished and replenished, and as much food for the blood and
body tissue is taken out as is possible. W hat re'
mains becomes waste matter and passes on to
those organs that function to rid the body of all
waste and other matter of no benefit to us. If the
food we eat is not thoroughly digested, more of
it will pass from the body as waste than necessary
and thus we deprive ourselves of much good that
we would otherwise have received from our daily
ration.
The important consideration then is to obtain
all of the good possible from what we eat. To do
this, the ability to digest a certain food must be
taken into account. If, for instance, we have
failed to obtain a sufficient amount of magnesium
in our diet for a period of years and we are told
to eat spinach at least once a day and yet we do
not like spinach, surely we will not receive as
much magnesium from it as we would from some
other food that we like that contains an equal
magnesium content, say perhaps, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, or dandelion.
Those foods we truly enjoy, and that cause the
mouth to water when we just think about them,
are certainly going to digest better than the things
that are repulsive to us. Naturally though, there
are many kinds of food that have a bad reaction
even when we find them appetizing. Some persons are unable to digest cooked cabbage and
other things from the same family but they enjoy
them while they are being eaten. This is either

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

due to the way they are prepared or because of

some condition in the body that sets up a chemical action in the stomach, resulting in a gastric
condition. These foods should be avoided and
substituted with something equally tasty that will
give the same minerals as cabbage. One thing that
is fortunate for us is the fact that regardless of
what mineral we may need or desire in the diet,
there are at least three different varieties of food
that will supply it in greater or lesser amounts.
The whole process of eating is one of expert
mentation, for it is seen on every hand that what
is good for one may be bad for another. W e see
that early training plays an important part in this
question, some children liking certain things that
others dislike. Look at what happens when a
baby is trained to take a bottle. The first thing
that is done is to try a recommended formula.
The baby may like it and digest it and again it
may not. If not, a different formula is tried and
this hit and miss process is continued until a food
is finally found that the baby can take.
A fter the bottle stage we start trying various
types of strained food. Some the baby will reject,
others it will take, but usually the baby shows no
sign of actually liking the new food even though
it may eat it. All babies make a fuss over their
first taste of cod liver oil, but by continually giv
ing it to them the majority will develop a taste for
it even to expressing a desire for double portions.
It would seem from observation that we can
train ourselves to like a food just as we can de
velop a taste for tobacco or develop the habit of
taking a narcotic. A t first we may experience dis
tress, but by taking it in small amounts at regular
intervals the system becomes accustomed to the
new food and we generally develop an appetite
for it. If it is of proper quality and contains the
proper chemicals and minerals, we will then re
ceive the maximum benefit from it.
Dr. O. H. Warga, an authority on this subject,
states in a recent letter, I think you are right
that an appetite for the food one eats will aid,
digestion and assimilation to a much greater de
gree than lack of appetite or dislike for the food.
The quality of the food, of course, as you say has
a lot to do with the final results of metabolism.
The article, Some Aspects of Modern Dietetics
by Edwin Schoop in the May issue of The
Rosicrucian Digest on this question is very good
and I shall file it, in case I will have to lecture.
Together with the other material on hand, it will
be of great help.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Cosmic Law of Karma

A Soror asks our Forum circle, Can we be
told some more about Karmathe law of com'
pensation? I find it a very fascinating topic in my
monographs, and one the understanding of which
is so important to our lives.
Karma is an old mystical term. In fact, etymo'
logically it can be traced back to the ancient
Sanskrit language. The Sanskrit, in turn, was a
modification of the Aramean language, which
spread eastward to India during the height of the
Assyrian empire by means of the Aramean nomad
traders and merchants about three thousand years
ago. As a doctrine, it is based upon the principle
of causality. That is, for every cause there must
follow, as a consequence, an effect. This doctrine
expounds that every act of man, mental or physi'
cal, brings an eventual result, a compensation,
which in its effect is related to the value of its
cause. Thus, if one sets in motion a series of acts
which are constructive, creative, and good in the
ethical and moral sense, eventually the results will
redound to his benefit. Conversely, if man com'
mits a crime against nature and the Cosmic, he
must pay or compensate for his improper conduct.
The law of causality in science and in mysticism
permits of no deviation from the effects. The ef'
feet of a cause, in other words, cannot be escaped.
It is inevitable.
Likewise, in the law of compensation, Karma
eventually rectifies a wrong by causing the wrong'
doer to suffer accordingly or it rewards a meri'
torious act with pleasure and happiness. Upon
first consideration, this would seem to many to be
harsh judgmentan eye for an eye compensation.
It would seem to be a retaliation for misconduct
that denotes an attitude of vengeance. Divine
justice exists in the fact that the Cosmic decrees
are immutable and applied equally against all in'
dividuals; that there are no considerations of man
made values, such as affluence, political position
and intellectual status, which mitigate the effects.
It is the regularity of operation of Cosmic laws
that gives us hope, causes us to be able to look
beyond ourselves for impartial assistancea power
that we can invoke when we need it the most,
and on which we can depend, no matter how
humble we may be. If, today, a Cosmic law might
work one way for some, and tomorrow in a dif'
ferent way for others, faith in the Cosmic would
soon be destroyed and humanity would be spir'
itually destitute.
The law of compensation, or Karma, conflicts
with the old theological doctrines, many of which
are still taught by some of the unprogressive reli'
gious sects today. The narrowest of all religious
conceptions is that which conceives God as a
Father, but as a Father with the same errors of

Page 179

thinking, and oftentimes misjudgments, that a

human father has, and with the same arbitrary
decisions, the same partiality. Such a religious
doctrine conceives God, the Divine Mind, as hav'
ing not only decreed the very acts of each in'
dividualin other words, mapped out in detail
the events and course of his life but further,
that the individual is being constantly observed
and scrutinized, and for every deviation from the
will of God he incurs divine wrath and is ac'
cordingly severely punished; likewise, that if he
believes on Him man will be relieved of the
compensation for his wrongs. The old theological
doctrine of atonement holds that man shall ex'
piate to his Divine Father for his sins. This ex'
piation sometimes was interpreted as a mere
promise not to commit the wrong again, a voca'
tive promise, as a prayer. It permitted the in'
dividual who had committed sin, and knew he
had, to continue without any attempt at atone'
ment until he was about to suffer the conse'
quences of his acts through Cosmic law, then to
appeal the effects of the law; in other words, that
he be relieved from suffering or anguish such as
he himself had caused others.
Such a religious doctrine, and a man'conceived
one, of course, had obviously no true element of
justice in it. Mystically, it was unsound in many
other aspects. It separated all natural laws or
physical phenomena, or what is generally con'
sidered nature, definitely from the spiritual. There
truly was no real unity to the universe possible in
such a doctrine. God, in this form of theism,
transcended the universe, was far above it, in a
sphere of His own, and yet could project Himself
into it at times to censure men or to direct them.
Men could not hope to know for themselves the
spiritual laws and their effects. They could but
live according to religious doctrines and codes
which mankind proclaimed to be the W ord of
God. If man blundered and made mistakes, he
could ask for forgiveness and possibly receive a
manifestation of Gods compassion. He could
never know in what manner he had done wrong,
or why what he did was wrong. These things
were thought to be out of mans domain.
It is like a father telling his small child he must
not take anothers toys or he will be punished.
The child fears the parental edict and obeys. It is
difficult to make him understand individual prop'
erty rights and the need for enforcement. W hen
the child grows older and reaches adolescence he
knows why it is wrong; inherently he realizes it
is his duty for him to aid in enforcing that law.
The old theological doctrine we have been con'
sidering presumed that man always remained as a
small child and could never become individually
conscious of the purposes of these Cosmic laws.
So man did not seek, if he was a follower of such

Page 180

a doctrine, to dwell upon the nature of Cosmic

principles. Instead, he blundered through his
earthly existence, hoping always through an appeal to his Divine Father to avoid what he con
ceived would be punishment for sins committed.
W hen misfortune was visited upon him, or great
suffering or pain, he believed that his God had
inflicted it for some reason, and he could not
altogether comprehend why God would create
such conditions as great pain and torment in the
universe. If he had had an understanding of Cos
mic principles he would know, as do those who
are mystically inclined and who study mysticism,
that God had not inflicted these things upon him
but that rather, because of the violation of or
dained laws, he had brought them upon himself.
W hen one stands in an open field and throws a
stone over his head, and never bothers to look up
ward to see what happens to it after that, and it
falls, striking him forcibly upon the head, injuring
him, he cannot attribute the consequent pain to
the intent of God to punish him for some un
known reason. He, by throwing the stone into
the air, has produced a cause himself which will
in turn have its effect according to the natural
law of gravity. He must be struck upon the head
to learn that gravity exists and what it will do if
he does not use it intelligently. Everyone need
not be struck on the head and learn through such
a sad experience that gravity exists. W e can learn
through the experiences of others. But if we wil
fully disregard the law and violate it, then pain
and suffering must be had by us in proportion to
our conscious disrespect for the law. Thus, as is
related in our Rosicrucian monographs, the
theological sin against God finds its equivalent in
mysticism in the sinning against Karma.
W e can anticipate some of the questions that
may be arising in the minds of some of our Forum
readers at this time. Perhaps you are asking:
How can we know, ever hope to know, all of the
Cosmic laws and thus be certain that we do not
violate them and bring upon ourselves a Cosmic
debt which sometimes we must pay? W e cannot
ever know all of the Cosmic laws in advance. W e
must learn them through experience and we have
centuries, most of us, to do this learning. This
does not mean that we are left entirely to our
own resources, in ignorance, and must hope not
to make serious mistakes for which we will contiunally have to make amends. W e have, if we
may be permitted to coin a term, a spiritual
barometer. This spiritual barometer is conscience:
the divine intelligence of the soul force residing
within us. W e can hardly ever commit a Karmic
sin, violate a major Cosmic law, that will bring
upon us great after pain and suffering, without
being warned in advance by the still small voice
within. It may be that we will feel that it is not

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

just right, that we ought not to proceed with

what we are doing, that it definitely is the wrong
thing to do. W hy it is wrong, we may not be
able to rationalize at the time. The human mind
is many times incapable of comprehending the
divine purposes or the intent behind Cosmic
causes, but the warning signal of the Cosmic, the
voice of conscience, should suffice.
W hen we commit a Karmic sin, we may not
expect the law of compensation to be invoked at
once. The lesson must be taught at a time that is
most propitious, when it will make the greatest
impression upon us. W hen we know we are do
ing wrong, when we deliberately defy the dictates
of conscience, we steel ourselves against any
reparations that may occur at the time, and a
lesson of our wrongdoing would be less impres
sive. A man who suspects that fire will burn him
may by sheer will deaden his sensitivity to the
pain to some extent when putting his finger into
the fire, and then quickly again pulling it out.
W hen he accidentally discovers it, the pain is
more intense, and the lesson is very emphatic and
he no longer has any doubts as to fire burning.
It is, however, one of the principles of Karmic
law that the more unconscious the sin, the less
conscious we become of the compensation and
torment or suffering. It is a palmary law of
Karma that innocence of the Cosmic violation
does not excuse us from our penalties, but it does
mitigate them. On the other hand, one who does
not know he is violating Cosmic decrees only be
cause he has obstinately refused to give conscience
a chance to guide him, will pay high in compensa
tion for his Karmic wrongs. His Karmic debt will
be equally as great as the one who knows what
he is doing is malicious, and persists in doing so.
This Karmic debt is not just retribution im
posed upon us; it likewise can be benevolent. If
we think of Karmic law as a great scale, we may
better comprehend its working. For each act of
ours, there is laid upon one balance a weight
which produces a like effect on the opposite
balance. Good deeds in Karma produce blessings;
evil ones produce for us subsequent misfortunes.
In the Book of Life, for every debit entry there
is a credit. If there stand to our credit numerous
violations of Cosmic principles, some day and in
some way we must pay. The debits shall be so
entered. Our compensation in elation and happi
ness, or in suffering, may not come in this in
carnation, perhaps in a life or two lives hence.
Time, it must be always realized, is a product of
mans consciousness. It has no reality in the
Cosmic realm. There are many lives in which man
is to receive his compensation, if not in this one.
One may see an individual going through life
with flagrant disregard for human and divine
rights, and apparently without any retribution.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W e may, of course, not know what sufferings he

experiences personally, inwardly, which may not
be observable. On the other hand, in the Cosmic
scheme of things, his just compensation may come
even five centuries hence. In each incarnation an
individual carries over his foibles or his assets of
personality for elimination or further develop
ment. Thus if we do not receive our award, or
if we are not obliged to pay our debt in this in
carnation, we will in the next, or the one after
that.
This makes patent the fact that much of to
day's suffering can be either an immediate Karma
or that of another incarnation. W e may often
exclaim to others that we do not know why we
are so unfortunate, and why we must endure
what we do. W e may not be able to associate our
experiences with some incident which we know to
be a Cosmic violation, and yet, we may to our
selves admit some trait in our character, some
habit, some series of acts which we have commit
ted which, at the time, were despicable and caused
others suffering as great as we now endure. These,
we may suspect to ourselves, are a contributing
factor to our Karma. If we realize that much, we
are learning our lesson. If we desire to correct
our imperfections and actually do so, it will be
amazing how soon our fortune changes. Perhaps
we cannot recall any act in our lifetime that has
caused others the suffering we personally en
counter. Nevertheless, it is Karmic debt which
we pay. W e will, if we are fair with ourselves,
realize tendencies of our nature that are danger
ous and which may cause others the same suffer
ing we now experience. These weaknesses are an
inheritance from a past incarnation which in re
mote time may have caused untold torment to
others. The fact that when we go through these
earthly pains and periods of strife we realize our
faults is significant that there is a relationship
between them. W hen we are stricken, it often
causes us to become embittered, to have a feeling
of hatred of others, sometimes even of life. But
if, instead of setting ourselves against humanity
we conscientiously strive to better those faults of
our characters and personalities, as conscience
points out, we will be agreeably surprised at the
lessening of our difficulties and troubles. X.

Secret or Private?
The next question to occupy the attention of
this Forum is: May we treat persons not inter
ested in metaphysical healing?" This question
opens a rather large field of related topics which
are not by any means digressive. Generally these
topics may be framed by the question, W hat
must be kept secret and what private in Rosi
crucian membership?"

Page 181

The Rosicrucian Order is classified by some

contemporary historians and writers of encyclo
pedia articles as a secret society, but AM ORC
does not so designate itself. There is a very defi
nite andif we think about it a momentobvious
distinction between that which is secret and that
which is private. T hat which is secret is inten
tionally concealed, so that persons may not only
not perceive it, but also not know of its existence.
Certainly that which is known to exist and which
proclaims its own existence can hardly be put in
the category of being secret.
Suppose, for analogy, you call upon the execu
tive of some large business concern without hav
ing had a previous appointment. You are met in
the outer office by the executive's secretary and
she says, pointing to a door: Mr. Jones is in con
ference with several other gentlemen. You must
wait until they finish their deliberations before
you can speak to him." You look at the door, and
it says upon it, Conference Room." You hear
an indistinct murmur of voices emanating from it.
You most certainly could not say that Mr. Jones'
conference was secret. You were told that he and
others had gathered in session, and you were also
shown the entrance to the room, and in fact, you
heard voices coming from it. BUT, it most cer
tainly was a private session. Consequently, by
private" we mean those things or conditions or
facts that are reserved for a single purpose and
for a single person or group, and which are contra
to that which is public. You have a gathering of
friends, for example, at your home for the eve
ning. It is a private affair. The public at large
are not invited or eligible, and yet by no means
could your social gathering be considered secret.
Your friends are seen openly arriving and de
parting, and you would have no hesitancy in ad
mitting the existence of a coterie of friends in
your home.
Let us now consider these two terms in the
light of the activities of the Rosicrucian Order,
AM ORC, today. The Supreme Temple and all
adjacent buildings in Rosicrucian Park occupy an
attractive and conspicuous place in a select resi
dential district of San Jose, California. The
prominent and artistic design of the buildings and
the beauty of the surrounding grounds of Rosi
crucian Park draw many visitors daily. Signposts
in front of each building, such as the Rosicrucian
Research Library and the Rosicrucian Plane
tarium, plainly designate them. In fact, the RoseCroix Research Institute and Sanitarium and the
Rosicrucian Planetarium have simple but attrac
tive Neon signs for their identification. The Rosi
crucian Museum draws thousands of persons an
nually. Even the public highways adjacent to
San Jose have large ultra-modern illuminated bill
boards directing the travelling public to the Rosi-

Page 182

crucian Museum where they may go and spend

an hour or more examining what now constitutes
the largest Egyptian collection on the Pacific
Coast of the United States. Guides take visitors
through Rosicrucian Park and the various build'
ings without any charge or fee. Certainly there
is no secrecy as to the existence of the Supreme
Temple or the international headquarters of the
Rosicrucian Order for the N orth and South
American Jurisdiction. Further, millions of pieces
of literature and radio programs and advertise'
ments in some of the worlds largest publications
mention the AM ORC and give its address. Now
all of this could not be rightly interpreted as any
attempt to conceal or secrete the information
about the Order.
On the other hand, there is a reservation of
matters and of information for members only.
It is no secret that the Order teaches an extensive
variety of topics including helpful demonstrations
and instructive illustrations. It likewise has pub'
lished that the Order, as most fraternal Orders,
has its degrees, its initiations, its passwords, grips,
signs and tokens. If these were secret, no mention
would be made that they even existed. They are,
however, private, and no member, by his oath
that he has taken as a member, will violate that
privacy by revealing them to the uninitiated and
untried. And these same rules mav be applied to
the contents of the monographs themselves. On
the face of each monograph is a statement which
reads, in part: All matters herein contained are
strictly confidential to the member receiving, and
are imparted only as an incident to membership.
The essence of this statement is in the words,
strictly confidential.' This requires the members
not to divulge the contents to those not members
of the Order, and to take the needed precaution
to see that monographs are not perused by others.
The Rosicrucian member has been entrusted with
the doctrinal matter of the Order because of his
pleas for admission, his motives, and his obliga'
tions, and to all true members of the AM ORC
there is a sacredness about the teachings which
causes them to be venerated, and each who re'
ceives them is expected to respect this. W e re'
iterate, however, because they are confidential
and absolutly private does not mean that the fact
that a member receives them must be kept secret.
For further analogy: Communications which
you receive from friends and acquaintances are
not secret. The postal authorities know you re'
ceive mail, and your letter carrier actually delivers
them to you. Neighbors see you receiving the
mail, and even persons in your own family know
that you get letters. And yet, they are private
intended for you alone. Consequently, every
Rosicrucian can readily admit that, as a Rosicru'
cian, he receives helpful instruction on matters of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

health, and advice on therapeutics or Rosicrucian

methods of healing. W hat the details of the sys'
tem of healing are he must keep confidential and
strictly private for reasons he alone, as a member,
knows. Some who do not understand the reason
for this attitude condemn it as purely selfish, and
say that if the Rosicrucians have access to any
knowledge that would benefit humanity, it is their
moral duty to make it available to all persons
without any obligation, restrictions or limitations.
A n unthinking person readily agrees with this.
The intelligent person, member or not, realizes
how disastrous this would be.
The history of the Rosicrucians for centuries is
sufficient evidence of the fact that the Order has
always worked diligently and courageously, and
with the making of great personal sacrifices at
times on the part of its individual members to ad'
vance human knowledge. It has fought the selfish
suppressing of knowledge by tyrants and poten'
tates, whether of state or church. One of the prin'
cipal reasons for the existence of the Order is to
make available to those who seek, the light that is
withheld in the usual channels of education or
cultural development. There is, however, a great
contrast between the promiscuous distribution or
hawking of profound knowledge to every passer'
by who is curious, and the extension of it to any
man or woman who shows sincerely that he or she
desires it for personal betterment. Most men and
women realize that every human being is not
capable of understanding profound truths, if even
simply uttered, and that bigotry and prejudice
would cause them to trample it. History is replete
with accounts of the rejection of new knowledge
by the masses who preferred their ignorance and
superstitions. Further, knowledge of a powerful
nature is dangerous in the hands of some. Their
indifference may cause them to destroy themselves
and others with them. Also, unfortunately,
thousands upon thousands of humans have not
reached that degree of understanding and of per'
sonal unfoldment where they can recognize
Cosmic laws and truths when they are proffered
to them. If you were to stand upon the corner
of your principal thoroughfare and extend freely,
without test or qualification and without any obli'
gation whatsoever, to every passerby, a book con'
taining some of the most efficacious teachings of
Cosmic laws that man was ever able to discover,
some persons would brush it aside as you offered
it to them. Others would glance at a page or two,
and cast the book down. A t the end of the day,
the gutter would be piled high with rejected
treasures of wisdom. You would find that only
those, after all, who were spiritually and intel'
lectually ready, would have accepted your gener'
ous offer. The Order knows these things; that is

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

why its teachings are kept private and not given

to everyone everywhere, without discrimination.
As for the healing methods: Rosicrucians know
that fifty per cent of the results depend upon the
faith the patient has in what is being attempted
and done for him. This does not mean that the
teachings constitute faith healingnot at all. The
principles used are the application of actual laws
of nature, which someone, at least the operator,
must thoroughly understand and intelligently use
as in any other system of treatment used by a
physician or practitioner. Every medical man will
tell you that in the science of medicine the patient
must have faith in what is being done, or it is
extremely difficult to effect a cure. The same ap
plies to the science of Rosicrucian healing. The
patient must be told in a general way what is ex
pected of him. He likewise, in a general way,
must appreciate what is to be done for him. This
does not require attempting to relate the science
of Rosicrucian healing to the patient completely,
nor does it mean divulging the contents of the
monographs which must not be done but
rather informing him about the transmission of
Cosmic powers through the operator to assist in
the curing of his affliction. If the patient refuses
to be aided and will accept therapeutic treatment
only from one particular school of therapeutics,
whatever it may be, and demands that you do
naught to aid him cease at once. You will be
only wasting your time to continue, for the pa
tient by this attitude of mind has deliberately shut
all channels in his consciousness through which
you could possibly hope to reach him by absent
treatment, and of course he will not permit the
physical contact. W here one is in need of aid
and is sympathetic to your general explanation
of the Rosicrucian treatments, you may of course,
with his permission, give a contact treatment as
described in your Rosicrucian monographs.
Legally and ethically, and from the Rosicrucian
requirements as well, you are prohibited from the
administering of any drugs, accepting any fees, or
prescribing, for you are not a licensed physician
of any school of therapeutics and A M O RC does
not license any of its practitioners or members.
Your study of the Rosicrucian system of treat
ment and healing is not for the purpose of estab
lishing you in a profession as a physician, and any
attempt to do so by you would rightly incur for
you legal responsibilities and the possibilities of
severe penalties from your authorities. If, how
ever, you are a licensed physician an exception
can be made.X.

Sudden Illumination
W e have a letter from a Soror, the contents
of which forms the basis of an interesting Forum
discussion. The letter, in part, says: I had a

Page 183

wonderful experience about two months ago, the

first of its kind which I have been longing to have
since this experience I have had several others.
It seemed as if I was swished away suddenly, and
when I awakened some two hours afterward I
knew I had had a psychic experience. The im
portance of this communication is in the first line
quoted above. The Soror had longed for years
for certain experiences of a psychic nature con
stituting Cosmic Illumination. Then suddenly,
without any suggestion as to pendency, it occur
red, and since, she has had many.
W hat encouragement those words should be
for many Rosicrucians! It is regrettable that
many members are of the opinion that psychic
development must and should correspond with
the comprehension that they have of the prin
ciples and laws by which the development may be
brought about. For an analogy, if a monograph
lays down six concise rules for preparation for
the attainment of a perfect state of concentration,
it is believed by some that if they read the mono
graph thoroughly, two, three, or possibly four
times, and are thus able to repeat the rules to
themselves, verbatim almost, success then should
follow. If this were so, when one finished the
First Degree of the Order, he would have not
only intellectually mastered its contents but he
would be able, with ease, to attain the objective
of the First Degreewhatever it may be. A uto
matically, one might say, with the completion of
the Seventh Degree in AM ORC each individual
should have attained Cosmic Illumination and
Cosmic Consciousness.
Since some find personal development not
exactly corresponding with the monographs and
degrees, they believe either that there is some
thing lacking in the instructions they are receiving
or that possibly there is a deficiency in their own
natures which will prohibit them from experi
encing that ecstatic state of consciousness. You
can put ten years travels over the face of the
globe in one book. You can put forty years
laborious research in some realm of science or
literature in between the pages of a textbook.
You can put a great composers masterpiece
perhaps his lifetime workon one fifteen-minute
phonograph recording. You can appreciate in one
hours time the salient points of a painting by
Rembrandt or Michelangelo. In eight years you
can learn all the known facts about chemistry, a
science that took centuries to develop. W hat does
all this prove? Only that there is no relationship
between intellectual comprehension in time, and
the actual mastery of a science or art. No surgeon
or musician became famous by merely watching
others or reading how it can be donepractice
ma\es perfect.

Page 184

The Rosicrucian monographs cannot give you

Cosmic Illumination. None of the results you desire through Rosicrucian membership are actually
given in the monographs. The monographs are
not like parts of a great Cosmic jigsaw puzzle, so
that when you have the last monograph, you have
the last part and the puzzle is complete, and lo!
you have attained Cosmic Consciousness. The
teachings of the degrees are a series of causes
which will, if you let them, produce a concatenation of effects within you. Some causes will have
their immediate effect; others will not be so rapid.
W hy this is so is due to two major reasons. The
first is volition; in other words, one student may
not have the same will power, not the same
tenacity to stick to a thing and apply himself. He
may skim through his monographs looking for the
interesting things, the things that particularly ap
peal to him at the moment, as though he were
reading a newspaper. The subjects which do not
strike his fancy he disregards. On the other hand,
he may be indolent and a continual procrastina
tor, always going to begin tomorrow to really
start to study. A t least, that is what he says to
others, whether he believes it himself or not. His
closet, bookcase, or desk drawer at home may
have more Rosicrucianism in it than he has in his
consciousness. The desk drawer or bookcase or
closet may contain a large stack of unopened or
unread monographs. Statistically, by the number
on the monograph he is receiving he is in a cer
tain degree, but in comprehension and develop
ment he may not even have begun. Is it any
wonder that his development does not correspond
to the number of the degree on his monographs?
The second reason for non'illumination, which
really includes the first reason as well, is the in'
equality of man. How difficult it often is to make
two persons, even with the same educational
background, understand the same thing alike.
There is no greater example of this than religion.
Even many public announcements seemingly
clearly worded, and of a nature that should only
be interpreted in one way, will be acted on by
some in one manner, and by others in another.
So much for the differences in perception and
intelligence.
This inequality also includes the variations in
the psychical development or responsivity of each
person. Our own Rosicrucian monographs tell of
the law of Cosmic evolution, of the 144-year
cycle from birth to birth. Now obviously, ac
cording to this, some humans have advanced much
further than others. Some have experienced more
incarnations than others. They are further to
ward that state of perfection which eventually
results in absorption of the personality into the
Absolute. Thus they are able to command and
utilize at will, to a greater extent, their psychic

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

powers than others far lower in the scale of per

sonal evolution. Some of these persons have had
remarkable experiences of a psychic nature before
ever affiliating with AM ORC. Most of them did
not understand or know how to convert their ex
periences into useful things; but nevertheless they
had them. Once acquiring the intellectual aspects,
the manifestations became comprehensible, and
always quite simple, especially the wor\ of the
earlier degrees. Those, on the other hand, who
have the desire for light but have not yet acquired
that sensitivity to it because of not having had as
many incarnations, make progress a little more
slowly. But if they were not members of the
Rosicrucian Order at all, this sensitivity might
require many more incarnations to be quickened.
W e can emphatically say that AMORC, or
any equivalent worthy study of these subjects,
hastens that final perfection and also the lessening
of needed incarnations. It is not because one is a
member of AM ORC, but because of what
AM ORC has done for him in other words,
shown him how to do for himself. Cosmic Il
luminationthat great influx of Divine Light
that if had for but a moment, gives man an in
sight into the Cosmic whole, and that places him
in enrapport with it, may never come to some
during this lifetime. There are, however, many
lesser attainments to be had which diminish the
hardships of life and make living more enjoyable,
and which can be had long before Cosmic Illum
ination is ever experienced. The stimulation of
imagination and the binding of it to mundane
things of the world, so that we can order our
existence and draw upon nature for the things we
need, the ability to project consciousness, of being
able to effect many simple cures, and being able
to command many of natures forces, these are no
trivialities, and all of them may come, we repeat,
before Cosmic Illumination. There cannot be any
time established as to when Cosmic Illumination
will occur in anyones life, and all of the above
related factors are sufficient reasons. You can
only keep trying conscientiously and take each
result that comes to you as a gratification for the
efforts expended in the hope that possibly you
will have attained it before transition. W hen it
comes, it will be sudden. It will be overwhelming
an afflatus you will never forget. Further, when
the channel has been opened and the psychic cen
ters are working in the unison required to mani
fest the phenomenon, the faculty will not be
easily lost.
The experience, however, cannot be turned on
and off like a water faucet. The Cosmic is not
required to demonstrate either its existence or
versatility of performance to remove mans skepti
cism. W hether or not man has faith in these
powers alters them not one iota, just as whether

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

or not man conceives of an intelligence being im

manent in the universe does not alter the intelli
gent direction, or rather order of the universe ac
cording to intelligence. Therefore, man cannot
commercialize or sensationalize these higher Cos
mic powers. The Cosmic has a purpose in per
mitting man to experience them and use them,
and unless mans motives parallel it, he will never
be able to engender them. Of course, one who has
attained Cosmic Illumination and has a realization
of its worth, would never attempt to defile these
powers by a sensational display of them, for he
considers them too sacred.
Those who demand that they be given the
power of Cosmic Illumination by such and such
a time, or they will drop Rosicrucian membership
as being of no benefit to them, make themselves
appear ludicrous in the eyes of real students of
mysticism. They show by their statements how
little, even in comprehension, they have of what
they seek. Also, those who say, It is about time
that I received Cosmic Illumination, indicate
that they are relating time and comprehension
with psychic unfoldment. They have not taken
into consideration their personal incarnation cycle.
Ones social backgroundpolitical or financial
or intellectual status, has naught to do with psy
chic proficiency. One whom the social or financial
world might designate as quite an ordinary person
might actually be or become one of the most il
lumined of all mena sage. Refer to the eminent
characters in the history of sacred literature.
Most all the masters and adepts were of a humble
station in life, possessing little of the worlds
goods, and having even tattered raiment. W e do
not wish to be misunderstood. It is not necessary
for one to practice asceticism, self-mortification
and denial, to attain the state of Cosmic Illum
ination; but the fact that one is of a humble sta
tion does not by any means bar the portals to
him.X.

The Grace of God

Some little time ago a Soror asked: W hat is
the mystical meaning of the religious doctrine,
the Holy Grace or the Grace of God?
One of the most difficult subjects to present in
this Forum in an acceptable manner is one that is
rooted deeply in the religious dogma of dissenting
sects. To interpret it in a manner which con
forms to one version is most apt to arouse pro
tests of the other bodies. This subject, however,
has a truly mystical and philosophical premise
and it is a religious doctrine only because of the
syncretic habits of the religions.
The doctrine of Grace cannot in term, but it
can in effect, be traced far back into the ancient
and primitive mythologies. It is undoubtedly the

Page 185

outgrowth of the belief that the gods desired to

help man, that they were inclined to favor him.
Men, consequently, sought this favor, which was
an elementary Divine Grace. In the Jewish reli
gion, the Old Testament (O. T.) we find two
Hebraic words, the meanings of which are favor
and loving \indness, being used in a manner
equivalent to grace. Jehovah, as the benevolent
being, shone with favor upon men and had loving
kindness for all mankind. This love flowed by
necessity from his being to the lesser beings of
men. A n eschatological color is given to this love
in Is. 548, Ps. 894 and Jer. 2911. This Grace of
God consists of an invincible power to pardon all
guilty, and to bestow favor upon all who keep
His commandments. In the New Testament
(N .T .) we pass into the Christian conception, or
rather formation of Grace, which was not made
a dogma of the church until much later. It is
made, there, the compassion of God, His inherent
spirit of divine justice, His desire to aid mankind
and as well His spirit of redemption. In the
N . T. it is not ethnic, that is, this Grace is not
extended to a race or people; it is a love of man
kind as a whole. In Jesus Christ it exists in His
unrestricted love of all that is. It is even a love
for those who sin and are guilty, for in the
Sermon on the Mount the Father makes his sun
rise on evil and good. (Mt. 545)
In the writings of the Apostle, St. Paul, we
find a very definite elaboration of Grace. It be
comes there the free love of God, visiting all men,
even when they have not sought Him. Men may
err, but God smiles upon them, like a parent upon
a wayward child, hoping that sometime they will
return to embrace that love and bask in its
warmth and enjoy the security of its protection.
The Apostle contemplates Grace from two points
of view: (A ) It is the act of dispensation in God
to which everything called salvation can be traced.
The means which God has provided for mans
salvation are solely the result of Grace. The
sending of His only begotten Son, St. Paul at
tributes to the Grace of God. (B) Included in
Grace are the Fruits of Grace. The divine wages
of goodness, or the fruits of Gods Grace, are
faith, love and hope.
In the Middle Ages, the scholastic philosopher,
Thomas Aquinas, combined Aristotelian deter
minism with the concepts of the church to begin
the dogmatism of grace. Aquinas held that God
alone can convert the sinner because God is the
Prime Mover of all things. Man cannot become
converted from sin, even though he have the free
will, unless God in His Grace permits it. Con
version, of course, comes through free will. Man
must seek and desire it, but he must first turn to
God to receive it. W e find a duality of Grace
now seeping into the formation of the doctrine.

Page 186

Mans soul is infused with the Grace, with some

of the essence of the Love or Grace of God. This
infused Grace determines the soul to do certain
good; in other words, it inclines man if he heeds
it, to have the power to accomplish good. It ac'
counts for his moral sense of values and propels
him toward spiritual things if he will let it. This
immanent Grace of mans soul is the equivalent
of conscience which the free will of man may
or may not respect and observe. This infused
Grace does not remit ones sins. Gods Grace
alone can do that. The personal Grace can only
win for man divine recognition, and when so
recognized, God may cause the remission of his
sins according to the goodness of His own Grace.
It is quite evident, from this conception of
Thomas Aquinas, that he thought it impossible
for man to work out his own salvation.
In the Roman Catholic religion, the Doctrine
of Grace reached and retains a paramount im'
portance in the salvation of man. The doctrine,
as we have seen, was borrowed by the primitive
Christian Church from so'called pagan and earlier
religious concepts, and after many controversial
ecclesiastic sessions, evolved into its present
plenary form. The doctrine holds that mans
body is doomed to death and decay and is there'
fore transient. The soul, however, is indestructi'
ble and incorruptible, and it emanates from divine
truth and is consequently made to contain all
truth. A t death there is nothing commensurate
or proportionate to it except a plenitude of truth.
In other words, the souls dwelling place must be
where truth exists in its entirety, nothing else
being worthy of retaining it because of its divine
nature. It is not suffcient that the soul of man,
according to this doctrine, enter a state where he
acquires a knowledge of God as an absolute
truth. It is not sufficient that man be elevated to
a place where he may look upon the Divine Pres'
ence or enjoy beatitude. He must share with God
His greatest pleasures in proportion to his, mans,
finite nature of soul. He must be an associate of
God, but on a slightly lesser scale. He must share
all of Gods pleasure within the capacity of his
soul to do so. All of this, according to the
preachments of this doctrine, was to have been
mans ultimate reward after death. However, as
man committed the original sin, to that extent the
divinity of his nature has been altered, and he
cannot be absorbed into the Absolute Grace of
God immediately again. The absorption must now
be by a graduated scale of refinement of his soul
the progressing through a series of supernatural
graces which are applied by the church as an
agent of God. It is said that step by step man
must attain one of these graces after another in
the church, in a manner the church prescribes,
before he becomes, shall we say, eligible to again

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

be on the right'hand of God and enjoy His

Absolute Grace.
This caused considerable controversy in the
church itself. The most outstanding controversy
is known as the Pelagian controversy. Pelagius, a
British Monk in the fifth century, denied that the
original sin in any way blemished mans soul, and
in fact claimed that mans soul was incapable of
being tarnished, stigmatized or contaminated by
anything which man might do. He further held
that the original Gracethe Love of Godwas
always there, ready to be awakened, and once it
was, man would be again accepted into the A b'
solute Grace of God which of course meant that
man would receive Divine Forgiveness. Briefly,
Pelagius held that Grace was Divine Compassion
and that man had it within him, and that once he
became conscious of it, it would draw him back
into the Absolute, into attunement with the
Great God. Here we can see, as Rosicrucians, a
clash between true mysticism and dogmatism. W e
also find here evidence of the mysticism of
Plotinus, which held that there is only one reality
in the universe, that is, the divine, or God. But
all things of the universe are on a sort of a gradu'
ated scale of reality. Some things are closer to the
perfect reality than others, and the further they
deviate from the perfect or central source, the
less real they become. And yet, they never become
unreal. It was held that man has fallen away to
some extent from the perfection which he once
had, and that man, therefore, must be absorbed
back into the complete state. M ans soul is as per'
feet as any phase of the perfect reality, but his
body, being matter, causes him to fall away. And
through his thinking, through his studies, through
his personal evolution, he can overcome the re'
straints of the body and its influences on his soul,
and can again be elevated to an ecstatic state of
Cosmic Consciousness where he will be always in
attunement with the highest phase of the reality
or God.
Christianity borrowed this Neo'Platonic doc'
trine, and held that the church was the inter'
mediate state through which man had to pass to
be absorbed back into the Absolute; that he could
not seek to attain it by himself. It took the arti'
ficial organizaion of the church, a man'made crea'
tion, and surrounded it with a divine atmosphere,
so that to ignore the church would be consid'
ered to ignore an avenue to God. Man was
thought incapable of going over, beyond, or
around the church to reach the Absolute. The
church, of course, invented or established various
doctrines as we have explained, to rationalize or
to seem to make plausible these reasons. W e are
not here concerned with whether this was right
or wrong. In each century and in each age, things
must be presented in accordance with the con'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sciousness of man. The only error is when we

assist in adhering to a doctrine of dogma which
has not kept pace with the growing consciousness
of humanity.X.

M oderation and Individual Needs

Once again a number of our members have
brought before our forum meeting those ques
tions of meat-eating, drinking, smoking, and
otherwise indulging in purely material pleasures
of the flesh. W e have always said, and we say
again, Rosicrucians are not anti" anything. W e
do not set forth by dogmatic decree the manner
in which our members shall conduct themselves or
what they shall eat or drink. W e leave all of this
in the hands of the individual, for in the first
place we know that the Rosicrucian teachings
themselves will help the member to find his place
in the Cosmic scheme of things. W e know that
the knowledge gained from the studies will give
the member a complete understanding of his
physical body, as well as the soul force that ani
mates it. Such knowledge will help each one to
realize just what is best for him insofar as his
personal habits are concerned.
The average member learns to live a clean,
moderate life regardless of what his habits were
before membership in the Order. He soon learns
whether or not meat is good or not good for him.
The same is true of smoking, drinking, or any
other indulgence. The only thing we stress in the
teachings and our writings is, regardless of what
you do, do it in moderation. Ill health can result
from eating too many vegetables as well as from
too much meat. W e can even overindulge in sleep
and rest to a point where we are left in a semi
stupor with headache and loss of appetite.
If we were inclined to lay down hard, fast rules
of living as compulsory to membership, we would
find it impossible. To begin with, Rosicrucianism
is world-wide in scope and the general member
ship is from all walks of life. W hat would fit the
life of one living in America, perhaps would not
and could not fit the life of one living in the near
East. Then we have the types of persons to con
sider. Suppose we suddenly announced that one
could not be a member of the AM ORC if he in
dulged in any form of stimulant. W hat of those
who, for health reasons, are required by their
physicians to take a small amount of stimulant
each day? Could we forbid meat to one who is
anemic and requires meat? W e might say that
such a person could get what is required from ex
tracts and concentrated foods. But what is the
difference whether we make blood by eating liver
or by taking liver extract tablets? Everyone will
find Rosicrucianism sane and sensible where these
questions are concerned.

Page 187

W hen a member writes to us and says, You

do not advise refraining from meat and I find this
to my advantage." W e always answer and say
that it is well. If you dislike meat in any form
or find it bad for your health, then avoid it in
your diet, for the important thing is a strong,
healthy mind and body. W hen we are well phys
ically we can better indulge in the mental work
required of us.
Another may say, I smoke ten or twelve
cigarettes a day and find that it does not harm me
or slow me up in my daily work. Must I stop
now that I am a member of the Order?" N atural
ly, the answer is No. You need not stop unless
you desire. You perhaps will find some day that
smoking is not good for your health and if you
do you will take steps to discontinue of your own
free will. Also you will have at your command,
knowledge and understanding that can be used in
overcoming the habit with perfect ease. O f course,
if this same member expresses his desire to stop
the smoking because he finds it bad for his health,
then we make every effort to help him and we do
urge him to stop. It is interesting to note that
where one person can smoke many cigarettes or
cigars a day without unusual results, others will
have bad reactions from a very few. Here again
it would be difficult to dictate and say just what
one should or should not do.
Please understand that we are not recommend
ing smoking as a way to health, for actually such
an idea is ridiculous. No matter what one may
say about smoking, the body will suffer if only
to a slight degree when this weakness of modern
civilization is indulged. But the whole point that
we are setting forth here is that through your
studies and knowledge, you will be able to adjust
your individual lives so that you can enjoy the
very best of health, happiness, and spiritual
growth without the application of dogmatic dos
and donts on the part of the officers and masters
of the Grand and Supreme Grand Lodges.

Binding Your Rosicrucian Forums

Something worth-while, and that has a lasting
value, should be treasured. The topics of the
Rosicrucian Forum, with very few exceptions,
are not of the nature that relate to an incident of
the moment. Most of the Forum questions are
concerned with basic Cosmic and natural laws,
which, being immutable, are ever important to us.
A law of nature, a philosopher once said, is ever
new, for it cannot grow old.
Unfortunately, our memories are not as reten
tive as we would like them to be we read,
understand and appreciate something today and it
may still be in memory next year, or it may be

Page 188

forgotten two months later. Taking this into consideration, and to facilitate access to the subjects
of the Rosicrucian Forum, the last issue of each
volume, or year, contains a very comprehensive
index of subjects. However, copies of the Forum,
if they are not loaned, become lost or torn, and
the value of the index is depreciated. On the
other hand, the usual commercial binder that can
be bought at a stationery store is not altogether
convenient or appropriate. Most times it is illfitting, and not very attractive.
The Rosicrucian Supply Bureau is able to pro
vide a bookbinding at an economical price for
each year of your Forum. The binding is, of
course, not only handsome but most effectual. By
bookbinding, it is meant that your issues of the
Forum will be bound together as one volume, just
as the volume of an encyclopedia. The binding is
a permanent part of the Forum, as of any book.
It consists of a stiff or hard cover of brown
buckram cloth, and printed upon it artistically
are the name and the date of the volume. If you
have each volume bound this way, you have truly
an excellent Rosicrucian encyclopedia. The price
for the binding of one year (6 copies) including
the mailing to you, is $2.00. Two years (12
copies) bound together as one volume costs but
$2.75. Time after time, when you see these hand
some and efficient appearing volumes, you will be
tempted to use them and gain much additional
benefit from their contents which you would not
if they were not so bound.
Incidentally, the volumes will enhance the ap
pearance of your home library shelves as well.
The binding in every respect is professional, and
is the same style and type of binding as the Rosi
crucian books. Just send the copies you wish
bound addressed to the Rosicrucian Supply
Bureau with your remittance, and state, Please
bind these as per your announcement in the Rosi
crucian Forum.X.

Positive and Negative Thoughts

A good frater in the Middle W est asks the
questions: W hat are thoughts of love? W hat
are good thoughts? W hat are evil thoughts? And
what are bad thoughts? It is obvious from the
list of questions that we can combine thoughts of
love and good thoughts into one, for naturally
thoughts of love are in themselves good thoughts.
Likewise, we can classify evil and bad thoughts
together, for evil thoughts would be bad thoughts.
If we continued to reduce these questions down
to their shortest form, we could simply classify
them as positive thoughts and negative thoughts,
for thoughts of love, happiness, peace, progress,
development, and all of a similar nature are posi

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tive and suggest strength and action. On the

other hand, thoughts of an opposite nature sug
gest a static condition without action other than
the action that takes place within us as a result
of holding to such thoughts.
W h at this frater probably wants is an example
of good thoughts and thoughts of an opposite na
ture. O f good we might say, Peace on earth,
good will toward men. This would cover a large
area and take into account the many individual
thoughts of love and harmony that might suggest
themselves. For instance, we cannot have peace
on earth without also having health and happi
ness. W e would be anything but peaceful if we
were suffering untold misery mentally or physi
cally. W e could not very well hold thoughts of
good will toward all and malice toward none
without a feeling of love and harmony and attunement with the Cosmic Mind. W e might re
peat the words to ourselves or even make an ef
fort to hold such thoughts, but little benefit would
come from it unless we truly felt it deeply within.
One of the advantages of avoiding the sordid,
negative thoughts and impressions is the actual
benefit which we ourselves derive. Thoughts of
peace, happiness, harmony, love, good will, toler
ance, kindliness, all lead us to a closer communion
with the Cosmic Masters and the Heavenly Hosts,
for through our efforts, we are offering ourselves
to the Cosmic Masters as mediums through which
they might carry on the great work here on the
earth plane.
So-called bad thoughts consist of a multitude
of earthly labels, such as hatred, jealousy, intoler
ance, unkindliness, suicide, murder, and any
number of others that will suggest themselves to
the reader. These, for quite obvious reasons,
should be avoided. They affect us personally as
do good thoughts, but in reverse, as it were. They
result in all sorts of physical and mental condi
tions, ruining the health of the body and mind,
even affecting our ability to perform our material
duties necessary to sustain life. It is hardly neces
sary to point out the extent to which such in
harmonious, negative thoughts affect our growth
and development and the depths to which we will
eventually sink if they are continued for any
length of time.
A nd so it is hoped that this frater and all
other members seeking light and understanding
will make an effort to follow the urgings of our
teachings and have a good, old-fashioned mental
house cleaning. Once completed, it is surprising
how quickly one begins to enjoy the pleasures
and benefits of the abundant life.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 189

IN D EX O F V O LU M E X (Comprising the Entire Six Issues of the T enth Y ear)

NO TE 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.

Abelard, 23d.
Actuality and Reality, 142d.
Adept, definition, 122a.
Administration of Amorc, 15b, 145b.
Adrenal Glands, 176a.
Adversity and Membership, 120d.
Affirmations, Power of, 76b.
After-Images, 170c.
Alkalines and Acids, 42b.
Amenhotep IV, 100b, 105a.
Amorc, see Rosicrucian
Animal Magnetism, 13Id.
Answers from Cosmic, 92b.
Apocryphal Writings, 113d.
Appetite and Digestion, 177d.
Application of Knowledge, 6d, 14d, 38d, 44b, 54d,
119b, 184a.
Approaching Others in re Amorc, 63b.
Aquinas, Thomas, 23c, 185d.
Archaeology and Flood," 78c
Aristotle, 49d
Aryan Supremacy, 24c
Aspirin, Use of, 133b.
Astrology
and Fortune'telling, 46b.
and Hitler, 47c.
Aura, Perception of, 172c.
Avatar, Definition, 122a.
Avatar, Present Day, 124c.
Average Man and Leaders, 98a.

B
Being Successful, 139c.
Bible
Account of Flood, 77d
And Doctrine of Grace, 185c.
Lost Books of, 111c.
Binding Forum Copies, 94b, 187d.
Biology and Doctrines, 70b.
Biology Laboratory, 17b.
Black Magic and Fear, 174b.
Blood Transfusion, 85b.
Body, Importance of, 39c.
Books and Magazines
Aladdins Lamp (Perry), 155b.
Bible, 77d, 111c, 185c.
Book of Jasher, 114a.
Cosmic Consciousness (JBucke), 29b.
Glands Our Invisible Guardians (Kapp), 68d, 155c.
Liber 777, 37b, 63a.
New York Mirror, 46c.
Occult Enigmas (Michaud), 155b.
Readers Digest, 42b.
Rose Petals (R isley), 60a.
Rosicrucian Digest, 49a.
Rosicrucian Forum, 27a, 34a, 94b, 187d.
Rosicrucian Questions and Answers (Lewis), 19a.
Secret Doctrines of Jesus (Lewis), 155c.
Travel Book by Imperator, 177b.
Books for Research Library, 18d.
Borderline State, 158b.
Bucke, R. M., 29b.

c
Candle Experiments, 12b, 165b.
Can W e Own Things, 8d.

Care of Eyes, 4d.

Cataleptic Sleep, 54b.
Celebration of Christmas, 101b.
Ceremony and Ritualism, 43b.
Ceremony in Shrine, 95b.
Changes and Growth, 41a.
Changing Laws, 127c.
Chapter Membership, 164b.
Charity and Brotherhood, 156b.
Charity, Forms of, 66a.
Charms, Origin of Belief in, 55d.
Sale of, 46b.
Child Training, lib .
Chivalric Orders, 177b.
Choice, Freedom of, 50d.
Choosing a Hobby, 134d.
Christmas and Pagans, 101b.
Citizens, Good, 127b.
Colombe, Office of, 74a.
Colors, Seeing, 170b, 172b.
Compensation, Law of, 179a.
Comprehension vs. Knowledge, 6c.
Concentration
and Visualization, 13b, 95c.
on Candle, 12a.
Conceptions of God, 102b.
Conceptualism, Doctrine of, 23d.
Conjuration and Occultism, 87b.
Conscience and Tempter, 38a.
Conscience, Voice of, 180b.
Constitution of Amorc, 15b, 147c.
Cosmic Consciousness, 29b, 93d, 183b.
and Intelligence, 148d.
and Revelation, 113c.
Appeals to, 92b.
Cosmic Cycles and Population, 167b.
Council of Solace, 36a.
Creed, Rosicrucian, 4b.
Cremation, Does Body Suffer, 26b.
Crisis, Facing a, 118b.
Crypt of Civilization, 108d.
Cycles, 144'year, 115d, 122d, 167b.

D
Death, see Transition
Dedication of Research Library, 17a.
Definition of Mystic, 5Id.
Descartes, Rene, 68d.
Development of Self, Stifling, lOd.
Paths to, 44d.
Diet
and health, I77d.
and Spirituality, 166d.
similarity of Appearance, 175d.
Digestion, Process of, 178a.
Dilettante Mystics, 162a.
Dimension, Fourth, 106d.
Direction from Masters, 134b.
Dissatisfaction and Knowledge, 40b.
Divine Mind vs. Objective Consciousness, 12c.
Divine Truths, 113b.
Divinity of Soul, 58d.
Doctors at Rose-Croix San., 140b.
Doctrine of Grace, 186b.
Donations to Amorc, 7d.
Do Souls Evolve, 58d.
Do Cremated Suffer, 26b.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 190

Duality, Doctrine of, 70d, 119c.

Du Bois'Reymond, 24a.
Duties, Fulfilling, 172b, 173c.
Dues, Use of, 8a.

E
Earthbound Souls, 8 Id.
Earth Rays, 9d.
Eating for Health, 177d.
Effect of Thought, 137c.
Ego or Personality, 116d.
Eidetic Images, 171a.
Electrical and Human Vibrations, 63b.
Encyclopedia, Jewish, 111a
Endocrine Glands, 68b.
Energy, Vibratory, 23 d.
Entertainment vs. Fact, 27c.
Epicurus, 26d.
Ethnology and Racial Myth, 24c.
European War, 57b.
Evil and Evolution, 49a.
Evolution and Souls, 58d.
Expansion of Consciousness, 30a.
Experiments, see Rosicrucian Experiments
Experiments with a Baby, 166b.
Extra Sensory Perception, 93d.
Extroverts, 136a.
Eyes, Care of, 4d.

F
Facing a Crisis, 118b.
Faith Cures, 130a.
Faith and Rosicrucian Treatments, 183a.
Fate and Free W ill, 50d
Fear and Superstition, 55b, 174b.
Fetishism, 56d, 122a, 169b.
Fiction Mystics, 27c.
Fire, Symbolism of, 72d.
Flood, Bible Account of, 77d.
Forum, Aims of, 35b.
Binding Copies, 94b, 187d.
Founding of, 34a.
Suggestions, 27a, 35d.
Fourth Dimension, 106d.
Free, Nothing Is, 20c, 46a.
Furniture, Steel, 28b.

G
Genius and Mechanical Music, 2 Id.
Geology and Flood, 78b.
German Branch of Amorc, 47b.
Ghosts, Explanations of, 80b.
Glands, Functions of, 68b, 176a.
God, Conceptions of, 102b, 53b.
Grace of, 185b.
Good Citizens, 127b.
Government of Amorc, 15b
Government, Loyalty to, 127b.
Grace of God, 185b.
Grand Lodge Statutes, 16b.
Growth and Changes, 41a.

H
Habit, 154b.
Head in Religious Rites, 19b.
Health,
and Diet, 166d, 177d, 186b.
and Relapses, 42d.
and Steel Furniture, 28b.
and Subjective Mind, 13a, 4 Id.

Care of Eyes, 4d.

Healing Methods, 22c.
Metaphysical Treatments, 36b, 43a, 130a, 183a.
Use of Sedatives, 133b.
Helping Others, 156b.
Hierarchy, Divine, 118a.
Hitler and Rosicrucianism, 46d.
Hobby, Choosing a, 134d.
Holding the Thought, 162c.
Holy Assembly, 118a.
Honor from Oglethorpe, 108b.
Human and Electrical Vibrations, 63b.
Hypocrisy and Mental Reservations, 25d.
Hysteria, Illustrations of, 152d.
Symptoms of, 153c.

i
Ideals, Fulfilling Ones, 173a.
Inferiority Complex, 135d.
Ignorance and Superstition, 5 5b.
Illumination, 29c, 89c, 183b.
Immortality and Memory, 39d.
Imperator,
and Founding of Forum, 34a.
Authority of, 15d.
Dr. Lewis, 2a, 34a, Cover No. 2, 48d, 95b.
Honor for, 177b.
N ew Book by, 177b
Initiation and Ritual, 44b.
Innocence and Evil, 50a.
Insomnia, 89d.
Inspiring Leaders, 155d.
Introverts, 83d, 136a.
Intuition, 30d, 93d, 149d.
Involuntary Actions, 13a, 4 Id.

J
Jeans, Sir James, 21d.
Jewish Encyclopedia, 111a.

K
Kapp, M. W ., 69a.
Karma, Law of, 179a.
Knowing the Masters, 122d.
Knowledge
and Dissatisfaction, 40b.
Taking Inventory of, 6b.
Know Your Order, 19a.

L
Lateran Councils, 115b.
Laws, Changing, 127c.
Leaders, Inspiration from, 155d.
Legal Ownership, 9b.
Letter, an Encouraging, 94d.
Lewis, H. Spencer, 2a, 34a, cover No. 2, 95b.
Liberals and Masses, 98a.
Liber 777, 37b, 63a.
Library, Rosicrucian, 17a, 18d, 111b, 135c, 141c, 176d.
Living a Perfect Life, 150d.
Lost Books of Bible, 111c.
Lourdes, Grotto of, 132b.
Loyalty to Government, 127b.

M
Magnetism, Animal, 13 Id.
Making of Wills, 7d.
Mannerisms, Similarity of, 175b.
Marriage and Similarity of Appearance, 175b.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Master Jesus, 38b, 43a, 122d, 124a.

Masters
and 144'year cycle, 115d, 118a, 122d.
Direction from, 134b.
Knowing the, 122d.
Saint-Germain, 124d.
Matter and Space, 106d.
Measuring Psychic Development, 93 a.
Meat-Eating and Health, 167a, 187b.
Mechanical Music and Genius, 2 Id.
Mechanistic Doctrine, 69d.
Meditation, 13b, 53b, 70d.
Memory of Subjective Mind, 39b.
Mendel, Laws of, 68b.
Mental Creation, 163b.
Mental Healing, 130a.
Mental Inventory, 5d.
Mental Reservations, 25d.
Mesmer, 131b.
Methods, Right and Wrong, 157b.
Microcosm and Macrocosm, 40a.
Migration of Races, 24d.
Mind and Laziness, 83b.
Miracles at Lourdes, 132b.
Missions in Life, 172d.
Moderation, 3a, 187a.
Modern Abuse of Saint-Germain, 124d.
Monasteries, 53d.
Money, Distribution of, 66a.
Monographs, Study of, 60b.
Motion Pictures by Amorc, 176b.
Museum, Rosicrucian, 75b, 110c.
Music, Mechanics and Spirit of, 2 Id.
Mystery Schools, 104c.
Mystery vs. Mysticism, 53 a.
Mystic, Definition of, 5 Id.
Mystical Novels, 59d.
Mysticism, Pseudo, 27c, 52a.
Mysticism, Dilettantes In, 162a.

N
Nations and War, 57c.
Negative
Goodness, 49d.
Suggestions, 4 Id.
Thoughts, 174b, 188b.
Nerve Energy, 24a.
Nominalism, 23 c.
Novels, Mystical, 59d.

o
Objective Consciousness vs. Divine Mind, 12d.
Obligations, Fulfilling, 172d.
Occultism, True and False, 87b.
Oglethorpe U., Honored by, 108b.
Opinions, Preconceived, 157b.
Order of the Cross of Charlemagne, 177b.
Original Sin, Defined, 10b, 92d.
Our Invisible Guardians, 68b.
Ownership of Material Things, 8d.

P
Pagans and Christmas, 101b.
Pain Killer, 133b.
Pantheism, 103b.
Parapsychology, 89b.
Parmenides, 107d.
Paths to Illumination, 44d.
Peace Profound, 95b.
Perfect Life, Living a, 150d.

Page 191

Personality or Ego, 116d.

Philology and Ethnology, 24d.
Physical Body, 39c.
Pioneers and Masses, 98a.
Plotinus, 186c.
Population and Cycles, 167b
Positive Thoughts, Power of, 174b, 188b.
Power of Affirmations, 76b.
Power of Suggestion, 152b.
Preconceived Opinions, 157b.
Priesthood of Egypt, 104c.
Private vs. Secret, 181b.
Projection, 171d.
Prominent People and Amorc, 168b.
Propaganda, False, 46d.
Prospective Members, 63b.
Pseudo Mysticism, 27c, 52a, 87b.
Psychic
Development, Measuring, 93a.
Influence of Transfusion, 85b.
Phenomena, 80b, 170b.
Prospective Members, 63b.
Purpose, Adhering to, 38d.

Q
Questions for Forum, 27a.
Questions of Administration, 145b.

R
Race Discrimination, 24c
Radicals and Masses, 98a.
Raising Children, lib .
Realists, School of, 23 c.
Reality and Actuality, 142b.
Recognition for Amorc, 108b, 170a.
Reincarnation,
and Karma, 180d.
and Population, 167b.
Varying Length of, 116d.
Relapses and Health, 42d.
Relaxation and Sleep, 90d.
Religion and Superstition, 55c.
Reports to Headquarters, 15a.
Research Library, 17a, 18d, 111b, 135c, 141c, l76d.
Revelation and Occultism, 87b.
Right and W rong Methods, 157d.
Rituals in Daily Habits, 43b.
Rituals in Re Heads, 19b.
Romantic Origin of R. C. Temples, 69b.
Rose-Croix Sanitarium, 140b, 177c.
Rosicrucian
Administration, 145d.
Attitude on War, 57b.
Biology Laboratory, 17c.
Catechism, 19a.
Chapters, 164b.
Colombe, Office of, 74a.
Conception of God, 103d.
Constitution and Statutes, 15b.
Creed, 4b.
Doctrines, 4b.
Experiments and Exercises
and Insomnia, 9 Id.
Purpose of, 54d.
to Perform Daily, 62c.
Use of A and B Elements, 22d, 133d.
Use of Eyes In, 5b.
Visualizing Objects, 13d.
with Candle, 12b, 165b.
Grand Lodge, Statutes, 16b.
Imperator, Authority of, 15d.
Imperator, H. S. Lewis, 2a, 34a, cover No. 2, 95b.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 192

Membership,
and Adversity, 120d.
and Prominent People, 168b.
Constitution Governing, 15b, 147c.
Contact with Headquarters, 15a.
Donations, 7d.
Dues, 8a.
How to Get Most Out of, 8b.
In Chapters, 164b.
Know Facts of, 19a.
Sincerity Toward, 48b.
Motion Pictures, 176a
Museum, 75b, 110c.
Oath of Obligation, 58b.
Path, 44d.
Principles
Healing Methods, 22d, 183a.
Law of Duality, 70d, 119c.
Law of Karma, 179a.
Meditation, 13b, 53b, 70d.
Ownership of Objects, 8d.
Payment Always Exacted, 20c.
Projection, 17 Id.
Treatments, 36b, 172b.
Vibrations, Laws of, 3d, 23d, 74b, 172c.
Visualization and Concentration, 13b, 95c, 17lc.
Pronunciamento, 9d.
Research Library, 17a, 18d, 111b, 135c, 141c, 176d.
Sanitarium, 140b, 177c.
Shekinah, 7 Id.
Stations in Temple, 72c.
Supreme Grand Lodge, 16a.
Teachings
Application of, 6d, 7a, 14d, 54d, 119b, 184a.
Preserving in Vault, 108c.
Source of, 104b.
Study of, 60b.
Temples, Origin of, 69b.
Vestal Fire, 7 2d.
Rosicrucianism
and Propaganda, 46d.
in Germany, 47b.
Pseudo, 27c.

s
Saby, Edouard, 46d.
Saint'Germain, 124d.
Saints and Sinners, 49a.
Sanctity of Our Heads, 19b.
Secret vs. Private, 181b.
Seeing Colors, 170b, 172b.
Self Consciousness, 135d.
Sensation and Cremation, 26b.
Shekinah, Origin of, 7 Id.
Short-cuts, 45c.
Similarity of Appearance, 17 5b.
Sin, Purpose of, 49a.
Sincerity, Tests of, 48a.
Sin, Original, 10b.
Sleep and Catalepsy, 54b.
Sleep and Insomnia, 90b.
Smoking, 2d, 187b.
Something for Nothing, 20c, 46a.
Something Must Be Blamed, 120d.
Souls and Evolution, 58d.
Source of R. C. Teachings, 104b.
Space and Matter, 106d.
Spiritual Self, Stifling, lOd.
Stations in Temple, 72c.
Steel Furniture and Energy, 28b.
Stigmatization, 152b.
Stimulants, Use of, 187a.
Storehouse of Memory, 39b.

Studying Monographs, 14c, 60b.

Subjective Mind
and Borderline, 158b.
and Health, 4 Id.
and Involuntary Action, 12d, 149b.
and Memory, 39b.
and Suggestion, 42d, 153d.
Success, Definitions of, 139c.
Suggestion
and Catalepsy, 54b.
and Stigmatization, 152b.
and Subjective Mind, 42d, 153d.
for Forum, 27a.
Superstition, 55b.
Supreme Grand Lodge, 16a.
Symbolism of Head, 19b.

T
Taking Mental Inventory, 5d.
Talent, Helping to Foster, 67b.
Talismans
Origin of Belief In, 55d.
Sale of, 46b.
Telaesthesia, see Telepathy.
TehehAmarna, 106a.
Teleological Doctrine, 70a.
Telepathy, 89b, 138a, 171c, 176a.
Temperance, 2d.
Temptation and Virtue, 49d.
Tempter, Power of, 37d.
Tests of Sincerity, 48a.
Theism, Doctrine of, 102d, 179c.
Theological Doctrines, 179b.
Thoughts Are Things, 23b.
Effect of, 137c, 163b, 188b.
Span of Energy From, 143d.
Thyroid Gland, 176a.
Time Capsule, 108c.
Training Children, lib .
Transfusion, Influence of, 85b.
Transition and Cremation, 26b.
True and False Occultism, 87b.

u
Understanding vs. Knowledge, 6d.

V
Vibrations
Electrical and Human, 63b.
Laws of, 3d, 23d, 142d.
Power of, 74b.
Visualization, 13b, 95c, 171c.

w
War, Rosicrucian Attitude, 57b.
W e Are Honored, 108b.
W hat is a Mystic, 5 Id.
W hat is Original Sin, 10b.
What is Real, 142b.
W hat Makes a Lazy Mind, 83b.
W hat Path, 44d.
Whence Came God, 102b.
W hy Thoughts Are Things, 23c.
W ill
and Lazy Mind, 83b.
Freedom of, 50d.
Making of, 7d.
William of Occam, 23b.

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, C alifornia, u nder Act o f A ug. 24th, 1912

Vol. XI

AUGUST, 1940

No. I

NEOPHYTE'S PRAYER
God of my heart,
Now sorrow and trouble surround me,
Let gratitude
Rise like incense
From my altar;
I am conscious of darkness
Because I have walked in light;
I know that grief and sorrow
Are but shadows
That heighten
The light of joy and gladness;
That after the night of trouble
Shall come the dawn of Peace.
Soror Etta M. Rice.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres a n d So r o r es:

Should we associate ourselves with eminent

personalities because they are such? Is it advisable
that we as adults continue the childhood game
of follow the leader? Most men are not, in
tellectually at least, isolationists. Man prefers to
acquire his knowledge from his fellows, and likewise would rather publicly display it than secretly
employ it. One of the principles of modern
journalism is that people want to read about
people. Consequently, even such news articles as
relate the latest scientific discoveries, or the dedi
cation of a library of works on classic Greek,
vvill often be embellished with photographs of
persons not directly related to the subject.
Most men and women measure their attain
ments in life, not by their proximity to some self
established goal, but by what others are doing
or have done. Thus, if a man is preparing to
journey to a certain destination by a route which
he knows will lead him to it, and before proceed
ing he observes others whom he knows are going
to the same place proceeding by another direction,
he will most likely change his course to theirs.
Men prate about the freedom they desire, the
liberty they will sacrifice their lives to attain,
and yet they are inconsistent in their actions.
The freedom they fight for is not an absolute
individualism, it is the right to choose that group
or body of which they want to become an integral
part. Most human conduct and enterprise in
which we participate in business, domestic, or
social life is not the result of personal investiga
tion and a decision as to its rightness. It is an
assumption as to correctness based upon the fact
that a great number of people do likewise. True,
most of us will not participate in some activity
our conscience or personal experience tells us is
wrong, just because numerous others do, but if
it is innocuous, we will follow the others. W e
will find a fundamental reason for all of this if
we make an impartial analysis of our sentiments
and mental selves.
The natural vanity of man springs from his
instinct of self-preservation. As life endeavors
to persist and surmount all obstacles, so does the
self. Men are not blades of grass to be judged
as a whole, but to be singled out for their physical
and psychical characteristics. In his own mind,
each man stands out and against all men. He is
not just one of the species homo sapiens; he is
John Jones or Bill Smith. Consequently he likes
to believe that the ideas he embraces and the
opinions which he holdsor that which consti

V
tutes his knowledgeare of the highest and most
authentic nature, at least the most authentic to
be found among those of his own educational
and social class. However, all of this self-esteem,
whether expressed or unexpressed, has to be
founded upon something. Man, whether he
would deceive another or not, will not intention
ally delude himself. His convictions arise from
two sourcesfirst, personal experiences, and,
second, authority.
Our personal experiences may not represent
absolute truth, but, like it, if we have no doubt
about them and they cannot be refuted or found
to be in error, they stand as fact. In the things
we have seen and heard, and which we know
continue to exist, we find our greatest confidence.
W e are generous to the extent that we concede
that others would see and hear them as well, and
under like circumstances accept them as fact.
Consequently such experiences constitute a personal \nowledge. W ith most persons this personal
knowledge is very commonplace. It does not con
sist of anything which anyone does not already
know, and therefore little is added to the emi
nence of the individual by knowing it. The
average individual has little time to resort to such
methods as would afford him unique revelations
of facts not generally known, but which might
give him distinction. Further, a positive search
for the new in knowledge requires considerable
mental effort, for which often the only reward
offered is personal satisfaction.
Therefore, most men and women do not search
for knowledge, but just come upon that which lies
upon the surface of their daily routine lives.
Opinions which we all possess in abundance differ
greatly, however, from knowledge. A n opinion
is a conclusion we form from a chain of reason
ing. The premises upon which it is based may be
false or have no existence in fact. The opinion,
however, until its accuracy is disproved, has the
same effect upon us as truth. It moves us to
adjust our thinking and conduct to it. Though
we may feel that our opinions are truth, we
nevertheless are quite conscious of our inability
to demonstrate many of them. W e realise they
have no external archetypes, or at least we have
not discovered any of them that we can point
out to others. W e, with most of our opinions,
are put in the position of believing their rightness,
but not able to prove it. These opinions we hold
are most beneficial in one respect, for if they are
challenged they cause us to endeavor to substan
tiate them. Most opinions eventually provoke a
search for knowledge to authenticate them. One

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

may have an opinion as to what occurs after

death, and the conclusions may be so persuasive
that he may feel compelled to expound them as
truth. Being unable to produce any factual sup'
port, he gropes for something to add to what
consists of just his own statements. He seeks not
only confirmation of his opinions, but some means
to cause others to respect them. Here is where
he resorts to authority. A n authority may be one
who possesses a knowledge, one who has the ac
tual experience and can demonstrate a conviction
in a form that can be perceived by others and need
not just be believed. Thus, one may have a
theory about matter which he sincerely believes,
yet cannot prove to himself or others; however,
by consulting a physicist, he may have that au'
thority prove, by laboratory demonstration, that
the theory (if it is sound) is fact. Most often,
however, the authority resorted to is an assumed
one. Assumed because of its numerical strength,
or because of a forceful exposition of ideas paral'
leling those had by the one consulting it.
Returning again to the example of a man with
a personal conception of immortality, or life after
death. Being unable to prove his concept personally, or to find one who can, he seeks another
kind of confirmation. The more persons he locates
who think as he does, even though they may be
no more able to establish their belief in fact, seems
to lend to his conclusion the air of authority. It
is a foregone conclusion that most persons are of
the opinion that a great body of persons cannot
be wrong, just because they hold to the same
ideas. They sincerely believe that numbers add
conviction to an idea, cause it to take on the
semblance of truth. It is more startling that
people reason thus, when we have so much historical evidence to the contrary. It was only a
few centuries ago when millions of people thought
the earth was flat, and, not long before that,
thought the world was the center of the universe.
Less than 100 years ago, millions of men and
women throughout Christendom sincerely be'
lieved that the world was created but forty centuries B. C.
It is particularly noticeable that where an indi'
vidual has a magnetic personality, is vibrant, ingratiating, and possesses the ability to express
himself forcefully, and likewise speaks in favor
of others opinions, these others flock to him. His
effectual presentation of their conclusions seems
to give them an indirect authority. His assumed
or actual acumen appears to give the individuals
own thoughts an animation, makes them appear
real, as if they had an actuality, an existence in
fact. This glowing personality may be no more
near the truth than those who listen to his honeyed
words, but the perspicuity of his declarations
seems to establish their ideas as truth. Imme

Page 3

diately thereupon, the follower of such a personality is robbed of any initiative or resourceful'
ness which he may have had. He attempts no
personal investigation of his theories. He closes
his eyes to that which might even reveal the
error of his thought. The fact that Mr. So-and'
So, or Dr. So'and'So believes as I do is accepted
in lieu of actual Cosmic and physical laws to the
contrary or otherwise. These personalities build
up schools of thought not based upon experimen'
tation or inquiry into the phenomena of the uni'
verse itself, but upon a concensus of the opinions
of other people. Thus, if enough people believe
and want to believe that the moon is made of
green cheese, these garrulous sophists will regurgi'
tate the beliefs of the people, couched in words
that ring with emphasis, but are devoid of the
evidence or support of Cosmic laws or principles.
People want to hear a strong personality expound
their ideas because often it is the only corrobora'
tion they have of them.
Certain other danger exists in following a per'
sonality strictly because of his personality. Once
such an individual has won the confidence of a
group of people solely because he confirms by
declaration what they want to believe, he may
gradually inculcate into their consciousness bits
of his own opinions. These opinions he presents
in a very cogent manner, but they are often
equally as free of any substantiation of fact.
Eventually the personality has built a school of
philosophy around him, entirely out of supposi'
tions and assumptions. It is true, the ancient
philosophers established schools of philosophy
founded upon their concepts, but their concepts
have survived time because they consist of tru '
isms, because they resorted to analogies the reason'
ing and factual premises of which cannot be re'
futed. It is strange to note that these students of
modern schools of mysticism, occultism, and meta'
physics, revolving around a personality, hardly
ever put their teachers postulations to a test.
They accept them in good faith. Frequently when
an emergency arises, they have become so de'
pendent upon the personality that they rely upon
him to attempt what they cannot do themselves.
All of the individuals fundamental obligations
to, and his attitude towards, life have become
related to what his personal leader proclaims as
proper. These followers are, unwittingly perhaps,
like sheep being ledand oftentimes to slaughter.
The greatest asset these students derive from
their affiliation with their respective schools is the
dominant personality or leader each has. There
comes a time when the most dynamic personality
passes through transition, and then calamity be'
falls these personality followers. The great per'
sonality has taken with him his services of con'
sultation. The students are suddenly thrown back

Page 4

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

upon themselves, in whom they have not the

slightest confidence. They still retain their
original beliefs and opinions, which Dr. So-and-So
told them over and over again were excellent
however, he never took time to, or could not,
relate them to any fundamental laws of nature.
Then they begin to apply their beliefs, after
wasted years, and they come to find that perhaps most of them are contrary to the laws of
the Cosmic and they should have been discarded
years ago. On the other hand, they may find
that their beliefs are sound and workable, and
that they could have gone much further if they
had been shown how to apply them instead of
listening to orations about them. Most of these
student followers of personalities find that they
have hitched their carts to phantoms, that sud
denly just vanish and leave them stranded. Had
the leader of their school taught them esoteric
and exoteric principles which are eternal and
demonstrable, the truths would have remained
with the student as working tools, as an intimate
part of his consciousness, long after the departure
of the personality. Those who follow personali
ties alone are like travelers in the dark who do not
know the road they are on, or the direction in
which they are going, but they follow a blinding
light, with an unthinking faith that it will lead
them rightly and always. If suddenly the light is
extinguished, they are helpless in their ignorance,
for they have no internal or external guidance.
W e all admire personalities. W e cannot help
but respect great intelligence and outstanding
ability, but we should place dependence upon
another personality only when that personality
is imparting something of itself to us, which in
turn will build and make us masterful. The great
mastery of another is of little avail to us if we
remain weak. W e must ask ourselves the ques
tion: Do we wish to be spectators of anothers
actual or proclaimed powers and accomplishments,
or do we want to be able to do likewise? Rally
around a personality only when he is a master
ful teacher, not of his own theories, but of the
truths of nature, when he can demonstrate them
and, moreover, teach you how to do so. Such a
personality is truly an unselfish one. He is bring
ing about the impersonal pursuit of knowledge
on the part of his followers. He is not having
them merely bathe in his reflected glory. The
answer to the question as to why so many popular
schools of metaphysics and philosophy spring up
over night and vanish equally as suddenly is that
they have been founded upon personality instead
of precept.
Fraternally,
R a lph M. L ewis ,

Imperator.

Exercises and Experiments

This is certainly not a new subject, but every
day letters are received from members asking a
question regarding some certain exercise or experi
ment contained in one of the lower or higher
degree monographs, which throws a little different
light upon the members understanding of the
particular subject.
In his enthusiasm to grasp the fullest possible
understanding of Rosicrucian principles, a Neo
phyte frequently does not realise the true posi
tion of the exercises and experiments in their
relationship to other parts of his membership. For
example, a Frater from Virginia recently stated
in effect that he did not seem to be objectively
aware of whether or not an exercise was success
ful. In other words, he was unable to set up
in his objective mind a standard by which to
measure the results of the efforts that he was
putting forth toward the performance of these
exercises.
There is, however, a factor to consider, which
possibly has not been considered by this Frater,
and that is that all of the early experiments must
be considered as a means to an end, and not an
end in themselves. Any exercise which is for the
purpose of developing a certain ability cannot be
judged in terms of the ability that is to be gained.
For example, the early exercises of a musician on
any instrument are sometimes, even with the
furthest possible stretch of the imagination, not in
any way related to melody or harmonious music.
Anyone who has lived near a person who is be
ginning to study a violin or piano will realise
this. However, the fact that melody and the
general ideas of musical composition are absent
does not in any way indicate that these exercises
are not contributing to the ability of the indi
vidual to become a musician. In other words,
the exercises constitute a step toward the gaining
and developing of a technique and ability which
he seeks.
Bear in mind, therefore, that all of the exercises
in the lower degrees of the Rosicrucian teachings
serve a similar purpose; that is, they are all aiding
in developing certain abilities that lie latent within
the individual. W hether or not the individual
student is conscious of just how these exercises
bring about the development of his latent abilities,
or make possible the fullest expression of the soul
and inner power of man is not the question that
enters into consideration.
The point is that systematic application of the
exercises improves the individuals ability to do
what he wishes. Therefore, judgment of these
exercises cannot be based upon exactly what the
particular purpose of a single exercise is, or the
objective decision which we ourselves render as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to whether or not they are successful. Success

of the exercises cannot be measured in terms of
our immediate decision upon a few performances
of the exercises, but as a result of composite gain
in knowledge and ability after their systematic
use over a period of time.A.

Time to Complete Studies

Perhaps one of the questions most frequently
asked by the Neophyte student of Rosicrucianism
is: How long does it take to complete the Rosi
crucian studies? or How many years does one
have to study to complete the Rosicrucian work?
It is truly interesting to note this impatience on
the part of new members of the Order who are
so anxious for immediate mastership and development. Naturally, the large majority of these mem
bers soon gain a better understanding of just what
Rosicrucianism can and will do for them, and
they eliminate all thought of time in connection
with their progress.
Some few, of course, are actually in search of
a short cut to Cosmic Consciousness, and become
discouraged with their seemingly slow progress,
discontinuing their membership and, naturally,
their Rosicrucian studies. They then continue as
before, floundering about in search of a personal
teacher or a new course of study that will put
them in contact with the Masters in six or eight
weeks.
If one is a deep student, not merely superficial,
truly desirous of knowledge of the infinite laws
of the universe, time is of no consequence to him.
He does not wish to complete his studies in a few
months or even a few years. He will wish to
continue his development and progress for as long
as possible in his present incarnation, thereby pre
paring himself to the best of his ability for the
future. He will study something of benefit to him
right up to the very end of his present earthly
existence if it is physically possible. The real
student knows that a lifetime is insufficient to
gain, absorb, and benefit by all the knowledge
now available to man. It has been truly stated,
He who knows most grieves most for wasted
time, meaning time wasted in the pursuit of
inconsequential indulgences, pleasures of the flesh,
and other activities that add little or nothing to
ones mental and spiritual development.
In considering ones studies, let us remember
that it is the actual knowledge we receive and the
ability to use this knowledge, that is important,
rather than the amount of time we have spent in
acquiring it. Surely it is better to spend a life
time in the pursuit of one particular phase or
field of education and be proficient in its applica
tion than to complete a course in one or two
years, coming out with a general idea of what

Page 5

the course consisted of, but without the ability

to use it.
The purpose of the above is to fix thoroughly
in the minds of our students that they are mem
bers of a world-wide fraternal order, disseminat
ing knowledge of Cosmic law and mans relation
ship to it. The Rosicrucian teachings are just one
phase of membership in the Order, though, of
course, a very important one. O ur members are
not just subscribing to a course of study as they
would take a course in any correspondence school.
In fact, the Rosicrucian Order is not operated as
a correspondence school in any sense, though
many have this impression when they first petition
membership in the Order.
Keep in mind the fact that you can remain
a member of the Order for as long as you desire,
providing you conduct yourself as a Rosicrucian
should, and as long as you conform to the Consti
tution and Statutes of the National Grand Lodge.
You will receive personal instructions and teach
ings from the Grand Lodge Headquarters as long
as you are a member of this Grand Lodge. There
is virtually no end to the Rosicrucian teachings
or studies; hence, no specific duration of time to
complete the degrees of study.

Healing Effects
Many of our beloved fratres and sorores who
are using the Rosicrucian healing principles for
the relief of pains and illness for members of their
families and close friends report a rather interest
ing effect that they have noticed, and perhaps
it will prove interesting to many of our readers
of The Rosicrucian Forum. The effect is just
this: Although their treatments are felt by their
patients and the treatments are effective in bring
ing about relief in others, they fail completely in
treating themselves. They have no sensations of
any kind, even when they follow instructions
carefully.
It is a well-known fact to many of our ad
vanced members who are very proficient in the
Rosicrucian healing system that the healthier one
is at the time of treatment, the greater will be
the effect upon the patient, or the more definitely
the patient will feel the flow of vital energy
throughout his body. W hen he has received suffi
cient energy, the sensation will be felt very strong
ly at the radial points of the body. The first two
or three treatments are always felt more than
future ones, indicating an improved condition.
Eventually, when the patient is entirely cured or
when his vitality is balanced, he will no longer
notice any physical sensations when receiving
treatment.
In many cases, the vitality is so low that all
energy introduced into the body of the patient
by our methods is quickly absorbed and dis

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 6

tributed throughout the body, with the result

that nothing is noticed by the patient, for he is
anticipating certain sensations in certain specific
parts or points in the body. This often happens
to one treating himself. His vitality is low, and
he needs all of the energy he can possibly receive
through the special Rosicrucian practices that
energise the body. A t first he has no sensation
of the kind he is told to anticipate, but after
he builds up the energy to normal or nearly
normal, he will experience certain definite indica
tions of the treatment. These sensations will be
purely physical, and he will not notice any further
increase in power or energy. This increased
energy is noticed only when he first gives himself
the treatment. W e find that this vitality builds
up slowly at first, and, therefore, we may not
be aware of it until we gradually notice an im
provement in our health.
Strong, vital treatments by an operator of the
Rosicrucian healing system are dependent upon
good health, and so, naturally, we advise against
one using the healing unless he is healthy. The
best advice we could give to one using the Rosi
crucian treatments for others is to build up his
own health by the many exercises we give in our
studies, and continue these exercises daily. This
is especially true of the deep breathing methods
given throughout the degrees of study.

T he Color of Light
A t first glance a question such as this one,
W hat is the natural color of light? seems amus
ing and perhaps intended in the same sense as
How high is up? ; but the more we analyse
this question, the deeper is our realisation that
the question was asked by one who is a sincere
seeker for truth, with a desire for understanding
on this particular point.
In the first place, color is not an actuality, but
rather one of mans realities. Color is a condition
that registers upon mans consciousness through
the sense of sight. If this sense of sight is faulty,
then the conception of a distinct color will be
faulty. For instance, usually one who is color
blind will see what a normal person calls red
as what we ordinarily call gray. Green shades
might appear entirely different to one color-blind
than to a normal person.
Think for a moment of the confusion that will
result from faulty eyesight where color is con
cerned. To one who is color-blind, vivid, beautiful
colors blended in a harmonious setting or painting,
or even in nature, will be only dull, inharmonious,
lifeless things. Yet, this is the manner in which
his consciousness sees these colors, and he will
learn to call them by the names that man has
arbitrarily selected to distinguish between the
many shades found in the color spectrum.

In light emanating from the sun, we have the

ideal light condition. It is a perfect blend of all
colors of the spectrum. W e think of it and speak
of it as pure, white sunlight. In manifesting
artificial light, we strive to attain this ideal condi
tion of pure sunlight or perfect blending of the
color spectrum. In seeking elements and gases
to do this work, we have discovered many inter
esting things about the light spectrum. For in
stance, it is known that gases of various natures,
when introduced into a glass envelope, will pro
duce different colored light according to the par
ticular nature of the gas. Metals, when arced
with high-voltage electricity, will give different
colors, depending upon the type of metal.
The color vibrations register upon our sense of
sight, and we interpret them according to our
own understanding. If we have been erroneously
taught that a vivid, blood-like color is known as
green, then every time we see this color, we will
call it green. O ur consciousness will always asso
ciate the word green with this particular band of
color from the light spectrum. And so, we plainly
see that color is a reality or something that we
realise according to our own knowledge and
understanding, rather than an actuality.
As for light, it has no natural color. A
white light is a blend of all colors of the spectrum.
Darkness is the absence of light. In between these
conditions, we have varied degrees of light, and
we can have various colors of light. A red light,
for instance, is composed of light rays that have
had all other colors of the spectrum filtered out
but the red. A green light is light so filtered
that only the green band is visible, and so on,
right through the light spectrum. One color of
the spectrum is just as natural and important
as another.

W hat Constitutes Psychic Development

A frater from New England rises to ask this
FORUM the above question. It is one of those
questions that are extremely realistic and bring
us face to face with what we know or do not
know. W e are often inclined to think we \now
something because we have concerned ourselves
with different aspects of it, only to learn later
that our knowledge is most disconnected. In
other words, all through the degrees of the Order,
we devote considerable study to those principles
which will bring about, as we say, psychic de
velopment, and stimulate it, and yet we often
find it difficult to express just what it is we hope
to attain. Before we can expect to bring about
something, we should have a clear picture in our
minds of what it is we want. The desire to ac
complish psychic development implies that there
is some quality or attribute of our nature that
is designated as psychic and is so separate or

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

apart from our other characteristics that it can

be independently affected by our efforts.
If it were our belief that Self, that is, the
entity as a human being, consisted of a single
substance, and that the physical and psychical
were mere terms for its different functions, we
would not think of developing one independently
of the other. For example, we do not think of
inductive and deductive reasoning as separate and
apart from the process of reasoning as a whole;
consequently we do not attempt development of
one at the expense of the other. W e know that
to develop our reasoning powers generally will
make us proficient in both. It is a corollary that
the psychic part of man, to be considered apart
from the other elements of his nature, must dis
play some characteristics that are quite different.
W hat constitutes the physiological or physical
properties of man is comparatively simple to de
fine. The body, in so far as its substance is con
cerned, is comparable with any mass of matter.
It can be weighed, measured, divided, and its
equivalent, to some degree, can be found to exist
in other things which have mass. The body, like
any other object which is humanly discernible,
can be perceived by others as well as ourselves,
so we know it is not dependent just upon our
own inherent state of consciousness.
So far, we have dealt with only the tangible
things of m ans being. There are other attributes
which are intimately a part of him, and which
establish him, not just as a form, but as a living
conscious entity. These factors must be either
grouped as another independent substance, of
which man is compounded, or shown to be the
effects of the body. The characteristics of life
are not limited to man, and the science of biology
discloses that they are immanent. Reproduction,
assimilation, and simple consciousness are con
ceded to be the properties of all living matter.
Life, with its well defined attributes, cannot be
isolated in a test tube, or placed as a segment
under a microscope, free from all of the incum
brances of matter. Admittedly matter is infused
with something we call life. In fact, life is known
to us by its effects on matter, not by its absolute
nature. In all probability, we would not recognise
life if it existed separate from matter, for it would
have nothing to act upon by which we could
identify it. It would be like attempting to recog
nise motion apart from the thing being moved.
Therefore, though life is an immaterial element,
it is closely bound up with the chemical properties
of matter of and outside of the body. W e can
prove this by abusing the body. Such abuse cur
tails the efficient and orderly manifestation of
those functions which are ostensibly of life.
Though there are causes of mans existence as
an animate being, man himself is also causitive.

Page 7

He may by volition bring about changes in other

things. Thus he may alter the nature of matter,
or he may compel other humans or living things
to conform to some purpose which he has con*
ceived. Here, then, i$ a power which man exerts,
which is not immanent in matter, and yet it is
not the property of life either. It is true that
only live men can do this, but, on the other hand,
roses and trees cannot, and yet they are alive.
This function is more than simple consciousness;
it is more than reflex action to external influences,
such as an adjustment to thermal stimuli, heat
and cold, or the avoidance of irritations. It is the
ability to give identity to things which are apart
from man, to appraise them and to assemble them
in an order or arrangement which is conceived
solely by man. However, these mental and psy
chological functions again cannot be thought, of
as independent attributes or elements of his com'
posite being. Certain organs of man, particularly
the special senses and the brain, definitely con
tribute to these conditions. Mans ability to con
trol or master the things of his environment is
easily hampered by blindness, deafness, or inar
ticulation. Even the impairing of one of the
senses distorts his conception of his world. Con
sequently we know that reason, imagination, cog
nition, and reflection are products of a mental
mechanism. A healthy human brain, in a normal
body, can no more fail to register impressions,
identify sensations, or produce ideas, than can a
camera fail, when operated properly, to photo
graph an object, or a phonograph record fail to
reproduce a sound recorded upon it. These are,
then, effects which cannot be separated from their
material and organic causes any more than a
candle light can be said to be apart from the
flame.
Psychic functions, or the psychical, must ob
viously be that which has an existence apart from
the actual mechanism of the body; that is, it must
not have its seat in any one organ or section of
the body. The psychical must be that state or
condition which we are able to discern and yet
it must not be related to any other human attri
bute, or we cannot give it separateness. It is quite
apparent that the psychical is not a thing or con
dition which we can perceive objectively, for if
it were it would be a physical property. It is
true that the psychic may produce conditions
in the physical world, but they are effects of it,
not it itself.
W hat is there, then, of our nature that would
come within this category of the psychical? Fore
most, there is conscience. By conscience, we mean
the discernment of right and wrong conduct.
This moral discernment is an inner one. There
is nothing in most human conduct which offends
conscience that is disturbing or irritating to the

Page 8

physical senses. In fact, much which conscience

enveighs against would sensually be most pleas
ing. For example, if we see, unprotected, a valu
able piece of jewelry which we know can easily
be converted into much needed money, and our
observation and reasoning tell us that it could
be stolen without detection, there is nothing in
such circumstances that would preclude our tak
ing it. If we resist this temptation, it is because
of an influence which most certainly does not
have its origin in external things, nor even in our
reason. This conscience, this moral state, springs
from something not of the physical or material.
W hat also of the selfor self'consciousness?
The human has the ability to set himself off and
apart from all other things, even when in the
midst of them, or even when he cannot become
conscious of his physical being. He has an aware
ness of his own existence. He knows that he is
himself and is not someone or something else.
He has a consciousness of consciousness. In other
words he is aware, not just of things, but that he
is a sentient being. He feels his sensitivityif we
may use that terma response to himself. There
are internal sensations which contribute to this
idea of self, which do not emanate from brain,
and which are not associated with any particular
thing. Such a sensation may be that of love,
usually designated the higher love, a compassion,
a feeling of sympathy for and of unity with all
things, a desire to serve and to aid other beings
without a motive of personal benefit. Such a sen
sation or inner urge may shape itself into an ideal
which assumes a worldly or philanthropic enter
prise. The actual details of the ideal may be
shaped by reason. The ideal itself, however, is
aroused by a surge from within, and is not a
product of reasoning. These psychical sensations
become a stimulus for intensifying the mental or
psychological powers. They cause us to think
more clearly and to have greater profundity of
thought, which our ordinary reasoning might not
be capable of invoking. They vitalise our bodies
and they aid in furthering the natural curative
powers of the life force within us.
These surges of inspiration, these influxes of
psychical forces, always assume a constructive and
an intelligent order. It is the combination of these
functions which man has named soul. To soul
he has relegated a Divine nature. He considers
it a Divine property infused in his being, over
which he has no direct jurisdiction. Man realises
he can change and modify his body and its func
tions and his mental processes, but soul he can
but resort to, neither dominate nor alter. He
credits to it a Divine Intelligence, in contrast to
the intelligence he manifests objectively. Like
wise, he attributes to it all of the involuntary acts
of his body, as the rhythmic beat of his heart, the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

circulation of the blood, the secretion of the

glands, and the action of the respiratory organs.
Man holds further, that this Divine Intelligence
enters the body with life at birth. It is the order
or nature of the life force itself. This intelligence
permeates each cell of mans being and carries
out its Divine purpose, regardless of whether
man realises and appreciates it. It may be em
ployed to accomplish much greater tas\s than the

fulfillment of the functions of life.

Suppose, for an analogy, an electrical genius

had been engaged by a board of directors of some
vast power utility corporation to see that its mass
of complicated turbines, generators, dynamos,
transformers, control devices, transmission lines
and stations were kept operating efficiently. He
would need to be available every hour of the day.
His genius, however, would have so caused the
construction and arrangement of a multitude of
devices that he could very simply and instantly
observe and control everything. There would be
many hours during the week that he could be
consulted upon other electrical problems while
on duty. Such advice would be valuable and
instrumental in accomplishing many other great
things for the corporation. A board of directors
that would not avail itself of the wisdom and
experience of such a man on their staff would be
committing a great industrial folly. Likewise, the
human who does not resort to the psychic self,
this Cosmic Mind that exists within him, and who
does not take advantage of its guidance, its wil
lingness to further his purposes, if they are in
accord with Cosmic principles, and who is content
to permit it only to exercise control of his life
force, is casting aside his greatest heritage as man.
Though we commonly use the term psychic
development, by itself, it is not a true designa
tion of what we should strive to attain. Man
cannot add to the Divine Intelligence within him.
He can neither increase nor decrease the psychic
essence of his being. He can, however, develop
his powers of inner perception. He can improve
the means by which he can draw upon this im
manent intelligence. Mans attempt to introvert
his objective consciousness, so that it can blend
with the Divine Consciousness and permit a
passing of its strength and wisdom through to the
lower consciousness, when he is untrained in the
method, is crude and ineffectual. The development
that we refer to, therefore, consists in the use
of those organic governors, those glands which
regulate and transmit the flow of the Divine Con
sciousness into the mortal consciousness. It is
further a matter of attunement, a sensitive and
fine adjustment of the two consciousnesses bring
ing one into resonance with the other. T his re'
quires a technique, the perfection of which comes
from practice and knowledge of what to do. Psy

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

chic development consists then in facilitating our

ability and proficiency to readily commune with
and draw upon the psychic powers resident within
us, and to be able to direct them at will. Therefore, as we have seen, it is essential to distinguish
between the psychical, physical, and psychological,
as we have attempted to do. W hen we have at
tained that state where we have an easy access
to our psychical intelligence, it is reflected in our
living. W e are freed of the domination of the
elemental emotions and passionshatred, fear,
jealousy, envy, and greed. It is not that they are
purged from our nature, but that we are the
masters of them. W e will manifest in our conduct
the aspects of the Divine Love we sense as com
passion and as justice and as tolerance. W e will
be able to direct nature and avoid being influenced
by her moods. N o one can live such a life as that
described, without having this attunement with
the Divine Intelligence within himself periodical
ly, and being able to utilise his psychical powers.
Many who do live such lives may not refer to
this source of power within themselves as psychi
cal. They may call it the God within, the Christ
Spirit, the Universal Consciousness, or many other
things, but it is of the same nature and is psychi'
cal, as distinguished from mans other charac
teristics.X.

Strange Cargo
These comments are the result of various ques
tions that have come to the Correspondence De
partment, and to officers of the organisation, from
individuals who have seen the recent motion pic
ture Strange Cargo.
There is no doubt that the character concern
ing which all of the questions are asked takes
predominance in the picture in many ways and
represents a very mystical figure. For those who
have not seen the picture it is difficultand, in
fact, would spoil their enjoyment of the picture
to attempt to outline the plot. Therefore, if
you have not seen the picture, and you custo
marily enjoy motion pictures, we believe that
when Strange Cargo comes to a theater near
you, an evening could be well spent in going to
see it.
W hat was in the mind of the author of this
story, or the director of the production, in ac
counting for the appearance and disappearance
of the man who becomes the guiding force, or I
might say the director of the destinies of all
others involved in the picture, is not known.
There is no suggestion given in the picture itself
as to how this particular individual seems to walk
from out of nothing into the center of the plot,
influence the lives of every other individual in
the story, and then, at the end of the picture,

Page 9

apparently walk off into nothingness. It seems to

me that the most reasonable interpretation of
these actions is that the individual who so miracu
lously appears at a time to help the others who
are caught in their own littleness and narrowness
illustrates the conscience or true soul not only of
the leading characters in the play but of humanity
as a whole.
The main thought in the minds of all of the
leading characters in the picture was escape
escape from all conditions that existed about them.
Since the location of the picture was a prison
camp, naturally they were trying to escape from
the confinement of that prison, although they
realised that they were justly placed there. The
character to which I have referred, and which
dominates the plot of the picture, teaches them
that escape from physical conditions only is not
enough, that escape is necessary from the bondage
of their physical existence, that escape is neces
sary from superstitions, bigotry, narrowness, and
fear of the unknown, because as the plot evolves
an individual who is a devout Christian finds that
he has based his belief and hope of salvation only
on creed, and when faced with the decision of
preserving his own life or the lives of those about
him, he becomes selfish and thinks of himself.
Therefore, he had to learn escape from his own
selfish ends.
Another character wanted only power. He had
to learn escape from that, which he was not suc
cessful in learning, but before he passed through
transition he realised the littleness of his previous
viewpoint.
Some who have seen the picture believe that the
character who so greatly influenced all these
people was actually a M ASTER who took on a
physical form to direct the lives of these indi
viduals. Such may be possible. However, bear in
mind that it is only a story and that a physical
being came into the story to bring about the de
sired effectthat whether or not such a thing
could actually exist or take place is not the point.
The important fact is that these struggling indi
viduals, who were so lost in themselves and so
self-centered in their own desires and ends, were
directed by a force which was not the individual
himself whom they contacted but rather a force
which his life and purposes exemplified, and which
he guided.
Another point to bear in mind in seeing the
picture is a mystical principle which I doubt if
anyone besides a Rosicrucian or a true mystic
could comprehend. Notice that no character in
the play was forced to do anything by the indi
vidual attempting to help him or her. Even
though some of their acts were wrong, he did not
attempt to interfere. He only made possible his
help to them when they became ready for it. He

Page 10

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

guided them, but did not use force; and so it is

in our own individual lives all the time. The
force which this character represents is about us
guiding and helping, but neither forcing nor caus
ing us to use any one channel. The Cosmic
powers and laws exist. W e can learn to use
them; if we do not, we suffer by not working
with them, but they do not force us to be in
accord with their purpose.
These comments may seem rather fragmentary
to one who has not seen the picture, but I hope
that all those who see it upon this recommenda
tion will at least find good entertainment, and
attend with a point of view that will help them
to gain the lesson which is truly in this story.A.

From A n O ld Book
A t the 1940 Convention the Supreme Secre
tary, in special instructions delivered to the mem
bers of the Tenth and Eleventh Degrees, stated
that recently there had come to his attention an
edition of the book which we publish now known
as Unto Thee I Grant. This edition was pub
lished in Edinburgh in 1777, and upon carefully
examining it he stated that he found it contained
a chapter which the present edition does not con*
tain. Upon checking other editions which we
have here in our files and in the Museum, it
seems that this chapter may bealthough it is
not definitely provedcontained only in this par
ticular edition. Therefore, it is possible that it is
like some of the books of the Bible that are not
accepted by certain denominations of the Chris
tian Church but which may have been added at
a later date by someone who revised the publica
tion. Nevertheless, the wording and style of this
chapter sounds very much like the rest of the
book Unto Thee I G rant, and it may be
authentic.
W hen this chapter was read by the Supreme
Secretary at the class during the Convention so
many members requested copies of it that he
stated that arrangements would be made for it
to be published in some publication for members
of the organisation. Therefore, we are taking the
opportunity of using these pages to bring you
this chapter from an early edition of Unto
Thee I G rant which we hope you will enjoy
and in which there is inspiration and real food
for thought:
D EA TH
As the production of the metal proveth the
work of the alchymist; so is death the test of our
lives, the assay which sheweth the standard of
all our actions.
W ouldst thou judge of a life, examine the
period of it; the end crowneth the attempt: and
where dissimulation is no more, there truth appeareth.

He hath not spent his life ill, who knoweth

to die well; neither can he have lost all his time,
who employeth the last portion of it to his honour.
He was not born in vain who dieth as he
ought; neither hath he lived unprofitably who
dieth happily.
He that considereth he is to die, is content
while he liveth: he who striveth to forget it, hath
no pleasure in any thing; his joy appeareth to
him a jewel which he expecteth every moment he
shall lose.
W ouldst thou learn to die nobly? Let thy
vices die before thee. Happy is he who endeth
the business of his life before his death; who,
when the hour of it cometh, hath nothing to do
but to die; who wisheth not delay, because he
hath no longer use for time.
Avoid not death, for it is a weakness; fear it
not, for thou understandest not what it is: all
that thou certainly knowest, is, that it putteth
an end to thy sorrows.
Think not the longest life the happiest; that
which is best employed, doth man the most
honour; himself shall rejoice after death in the
advantages of it.A.

M ystical M ountains and Caves

The following is typical of a frequent question
asked by members of this FORUM : W hat is
meant in much mystical and sacred literature, by
the phrase "ascending the mountain? Must it be
taken literally, or is it strictly an allegorical and
symbolical term, having its origin in some longforgotten rite?
The things of nature, or natural phenomena,
as well as those things made by man, are never
arbitrarily associated with liturgies or rituals.
They may always be traced to some characteristic
in the structure, form, or use of the object which
suggests to man that it has a supernatural or
Divine quality or purpose. Even if the object is
not believed to possess such a quality, it may
become a symbol of one. Thus the cross, among
the more profound students of Christianity and
mysticism, is not thought to have any inherent effi
cacy, but depicts either Cosmic or spiritual doc
trines, or the agency of them, such as the Chris
tian church. W here it is believed to actually
contain certain powers we find an atavistic re
ligion, a reversion to simple phylactery and talismanic practices. Therefore, any mystical signifi
cance now associated with mountains is an out
growth of an interest engendered in them by
some original suggestion to the primitive mind.
Even modem man, well versed in the theories
and science of geology, which accounts for the
masses piled high on the earths surface, and see
ing on or in the vicinity of them evidence of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

their physical causes, is nevertheless awe'inspired

by them. Their majesty and apparent impervi'
ousness to the elements and to the passing of time,
their proximity to the sky, the ghost'like mist of
clouds which seem to crown their summits, and
above all, the appalling solitude which actually
seems to bear down upon man, all contribute to a
sense of greatness which cannot be measured al'
together in terms of their sise. If men of modem
civilisation are left speechless in their presence,
feel that words would shatter a silence that seems
to have an air of sanctity, it is not difficult to
conceive how much more the savage and barbaric
mind must have been impressed by them.
These sensations the primitive mind defines as
the spirit of the mountain. Their eyes see the
same form as the eyes of modern men who gase
upon the mountain, but the difference is that the
emotions caused to well up within their con'
sciousness are not associated with what is actually
seen, but with something invisible which it im'
parts. Their emotional reaction to the moun'
tains vastness implies it has a power which it
can exert, and, in fact, they believe that is what
they feel. It is this power which is regarded as
the spirit of the mountain. This spirit is akin
to that of man. It is assumed to be the person'
ality of the mountain. Though akin in quality,
it is regarded as far greater than m ans spirit, con'
sequently he humbles himself before it. Many
aborigines believe this spirit of the mountain can
exist in separate form and journey to the low'
lands to avenge wrongs committed against it.
Among certain tribes, mountains are not believed
to be possessed of a spirit, but are regarded as
the dwelling place of gods. This conception arises
from the fact that their summits seem to reach
into the sky, for they are surrounded by clouds.
In Korea mountains are personified. Each is
believed to be a god and is given the name of one.
These mountains are the guardians of the towns
on their slopes or at their bases. In Japan, the
term Kami, which is applied to deities, is likewise
applied to all mountains which are believed to
possess a power. In Tibet, many mountains are
named for gods. M ount Kanchenjunga once was
used as a place of worship, with a great temple
high on its side. Now it is regarded as the dwel'
ling place of the gods. In central India, it is
generally believed that the sun god dwells on the
mountain tops. In fact, the peaks of the Hima'
layas are considered to be seats of the gods. Siva,
name of one of the Hindu trinity of gods, means
mountain god. Ancient Greek mythology is re'
plete with the theogony of the time. M ount
Olympus was the seat of the gods, and Zeus had
a great palace on the summit. As one historian
so concisely puts it, the great deities dwelt to'
gether as a family on the summit of snowy Olym'

Page 11

pus, in Thessalia, and they spent their time feast'

ing, or schemed and quarrelled; or under the
presidency of Zeus, father of the gods and men,
they sat in council on the destinies of human
kind. Their society was a reflection from that of
earth, yet freer from moral restraint.
The Babylonian tower temples which were
erected of mud brick on the flat plains of what is
now Mesopotamia were copies of these world
mountains. The first tower temples of which we
have any knowledge were erected at Nippur, and
at their top was a sanctuary of the great moun'
tain god of air, Enlil, which the Sumerians w or'
shipped before they migrated from their mountain
country far to the north. As time went by, these
primitive beliefs became incorporated in the re'
ligions of the people, and even in the more highly
evolved and monotheistic religions, the mountain
retained a character of sacredness. It is during
this period that a transition from superstition and
supernaturalism to mysticism, with regard to the
influences of mountains on humankind, occurred.
Some mountains were considered as the focal
point of godly powers and deliberations. In other
words, certain mountains became an intermediary
between the earth and God. God would intercede
for man but oblige him in turn to rise or ascend
above the earth to the mountain top there to con'
verse with God. M ount Sinai was held to be
sacred, and all oaths of that kind were taken upon
it. In the Book of Exodus, chapter XXXIV2,
the Lord advises Moses: A nd be you ready in
the morning, and come up in the morning, unto
Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in
the top of the M ount. Again in Exodus, Chap'
ter XXXIV 5, when Moses had ascended the
Mount, A nd the Lord descended in the cloud
and stood with him there, and proclaimed the
name of the Lord. In fact, among the Semites,
several mountains were held to be sacred. In
particular, Mount Zion (Gen. 22:14) which is
referred to as Gods holy mountain, or the moun'
tain of the Lords house.
The ancient historian, Herodotus, speaks of
the Greek custom of ascending the highest peaks
and offering sacrifices to Zeus, father of the gods.
Even Mohammedan saints have shrines built for
them on hill tops. In all religions which have en'
couraged asceticismself'mortification, and ab'
stenance from worldly thingsmen have chosen
the solitary life among the mountains. Their
loneliness and majesty add to their atmosphere of
sacredness and the impression that they are con'
tiguous with the Divine. Added to this personal
conception or interpretation is the influence of
the tales of theopathic experiences which men
have had upon them. Consequently, early seekers
for spiritual illumination actually physically as'
cended the mountains, with the conviction that

Page 12

at their summit meditation, or communion with

God, would be facilitated by their proximity to
Him, and the sacred bond which the mountain
itself would establish. In all probability most men
were more than ordinarily successful, which added
to their assurance that the influence of the moun'
tain was responsible. The state of solitude, the
frank realism of nature, and the respect imposed
upon man for God, when surrounded by His
works, and the consequent humbleness man feels,
are ideal factors for spiritual communion.
The mystic, however, knows that there are
heights to be scaled within himself. There are
planes or degrees of consciousness to which he
can ascend within the solitude of his own being.
The lowest plane is that of objective conscious'
ness. By lowest, the mystic does not attribute to
the objective state a vice, but rather a condition
of inferiority, because it is the most common and
less indicative of personal development. For the
most keenly objective man, in so far as the acute'
ness of his peripheral senses are concerned, is not
advanced above the higher order of mammals be'
cause of it. It is through other aspects of his
consciousness that he achieves his divinely in'
tended status as man. Man mystically ascends
the mountain when he introverts his consciousness
and permits contemplation of the spiritual life
and nature of his being. W ith each period of
meditation that brings forth a spiritual reality,
the consequent solution of a mystery of life, man
rises higher toward the summit within himself.
W ith each such afflatus, the valleys of ignorance,
superstition, and darkness seem further below,
and the soul transcends them, eventually emerg'
ing into a light that is not earthly. The first at'
tempt, however, to ascend the mystical mountain
of consciousness may be as laborious as, and re'
quire more time and preparation than, the climb'
ing of an actual mountain peak by one who be'
lieves he is brought closer to God by that means.
That many of the mystics and avatars were
speaking allegorically when referring to climbing
a mountain to commune with the Divine Intelli'
gence can best be determined by their geographical
location, and the frequency of their ascent and
the time it required. Parsee and Brahman litera'
ture from India, written by those who dwelt 100
miles or more from the nearest eminence that
could be regarded as a mountain, and the further
fact that but a few hours were allotted for their
reaching the summit from the time they set forth,
indicates that the term ascending the mountain
was used only in its full mystical significance.
There is not exactly a parallel between the use
of caves as living abodes, and the dwelling on a
mountain, but they are both actuated by religious
motives. It is easy to understand why caves are
the oldest form of shelter for man. Possibly mans

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

arboreal existence antedated his residing in a cave,

but such a method of living can hardly be con'
sidered a shelter. Savage peoples are more moti'
vated by instinct than civilised men who fre'
quently interpose their will to mitigate it because
of their more highly developed reason. W e show
this primitive tendency in our daily conduct.
Thus, when there is a sudden downpour of rain,
we instinctively run for the nearest overhead
projection, corner or crevice that provides shelter.
If we reason at all about it, it is while enjoying
the temporary security and making a comparison
between where we are and what we avoided.
Consequently, caves, from slight incavations on
the sides of hills to deep caverns, must have been
welcomed by antediluvian man, as protection
against hostile elements and beasts. The troglo'
dyte man, therefore, was actuated by no re'
ligious purpose when he occupied caves. It was
wholly a matter of necessity. On the other hand,
within the annals of history, are records of a
large scale dwelling in caves by man, which in no
manner implies savage conditions of life. In other
words, the occupants voluntarily sought the caves
as a place to dwell in for other reasons than
shelter. It has been a practice preeminently as'
sociated with Buddhism for centuries. During
the early Christian era, thousands of Buddhists
dwelt in naturally formed caves in Egypt and
Syria, and the custom then passed westward to
Europe.
Sven Hedin, renowned explorer and the first
white man to give the world an authentic por'
trayal of the inner life and customs of Tibet,
visited a cave near the great monastery of Linga
The occupant was a lama who had lived there in
complete darkness and isolation for three years.
He avoided contact even with those who brought
him his food and drink. His daily supply was
pushed in through a long tunnel, through which
it was not possible for even light to enter or for
him to see his visitors. It was related that his
predecessor had spent twelve years there in abso'
lute silence. It was also recounted that he had
been preceded by one who had taken up occu'
pancy of the cave at twenty years of age and re'
mained there until his death, a period of forty
years. Records disclose that at the hermitage of
Lung'Ganden'Gompa, a lama lived for sixty'nine
years in absolute silence and isolation, and that
he was finally brought out to die. The account
further relates that his body was considerably
bent so that he could not stand erect, and was
as small as that of a child. The skin was light
gray and parchment'like. Though the eyes had
become colorless, they possessed an excessive
brightness, but were blind. The hair hung in
an unkempt, matted mass, but was snowy white.
The clothing had long since rotted but had never

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

been replaced, so that the body was but partially

covered by a rag. Even Prince Charles Edwards,
a representative of the Eighteenth Century
Europe, voluntarily became a cave dweller for
several months.
The impelling force of religion, which in the
main is responsible for this strange mode of living,
exerted its influence as early as the times of
ancient Egypt. The tomb-temple of Der-elBahari, which the writer has visited and photographed in the mountains of Thebes, on the
west banks of the Nile, built by Queen Hatshepsut is a hemi-speos cave. The tomb consists of a
deep incavation in the side of the limestone cliffs,
made by man; erected in front of it and adjoining it is the magnificent temple, now mainly in
ruins. Caves, whether natural or artificial, ac
quired a sanctity of character, from the fact that
they were used as sepulchres; in other words, as
tombs or burial places. Immortality, in so far as
we now have any archaeological or historical
record, first became a religious concept of man in
ancient Egypt. It is this belief in the survival of
the soul of man and its recurring in the body at
a future time that caused the early Egyptians to
place so much emphasis upon their burial sites.
The tomb was not merely a place occupied by
the body, but one to which the soul could, and
might frequently, return before again permanent
ly resuming residence in the body.
The soul, being Divine or of the essence of
the gods, wherever it visited or wherever its
earthly temple or body resided, was regarded as
sacred and should not be violated by profane
conduct or things. W hen men entered a tomb
they were being brought into the presence of
those who had passed on to a higher world, and
who now dwelt among the gods in an after life.
The whole tomb thereupon assumed a holy atmos
phere. Even today, modern cemeteries and mauso
leums command reverential respect from people,
not entirely because of the individuals love or
memory for those who have departed, but be
cause the place seems to be surrounded with an
air of sanctity, of being pervaded by a condition
more spiritual than temporal.
The ancient Hebrews commonly used caves as
burial places. They frequently had another
chamber or cave adjoining it, which was used as
a dwelling place. The sepulchre cave, with its
sanctity, must have deeply affected the lives and
thoughts of those who constantly dwelt adjoining
to it. The cave of Machpelah, in the field of
Ephrm, the Hittite, before Momre (Gen. 23-8ff)
was purchased by the Hebrew Patriarch A bra
ham, as his vault. The writer has also visited
excavated caves, apparently hewn out of living
rock, within the old city of Jerusalem, that were
undoubtedly occupied in Biblical times. Modern

Page 13

archaeologists are of the opinion that one of these

was more likely the true holy sepulchre of Christ,
than the one now so proclaimed, because of its
location. The great catacombs of Rome, the ex
pansive subterranean chambers, are often regarded
today as having been actually constructed as
sepulchres and not merely converted to such pur
poses at a later date.
The occupancy of caves for religious purposes
was also brought about by the anchoritic prac"
tices of certain religious peoples. Anchorites are
those who seek to withdraw from the world, to
be, in fact, recluses. W hy they do may be best
determined by a study of their religious require
ments. Unfortunately the world has so often been
identified with evil in contrast to the immaterial
and ethereal, which is regarded as spiritual. The
only evil of earth and earthly things is the use
or abuse to which man puts them. Nevertheless,
with such a concept prevalent among various
sects and particularly among the Oriental re
ligions, anchoritic practices flourished. The an
chorite seeks a place conducive to the spiritual
state he wishes to attain. He desires to deny life
and the world, on the one hand, and, on the
other, to cling to it without experiencing the
complete separation, or death. Only a few places
on earth have this sanctity, and yet do not con
tain a plenitude of earthly reminders. Since caves
had eventually come to be regarded as having a
character of sanctity, even when not used as
burial places, the anchorite made them his dwel
ling place. Sometimes he might reside in one for
life, as the examples recited above, or until he
experienced a theopathy, an illumination he
thought appropriate. The Koran relates that Mo
hammed dwelt for a time in a cave among the
foothills of Mount Hira, not far from Mecca.
There the great light came to him, and he mem
orised the Divine communication and exhorted
his followers to accept it.
Perhaps the Buddhist religion, because of its
doctrine of nirvana, has caused more anchorites
and more voluntary cave dwellers than any other
religion. The earthly nirvanas, to which the
Buddhist aspires, are a liberation, even if but
momentary, from earthly consciousness and that
which stimulates it. They consist of an absorp
tion, or rather having the mortal mind drawn
up into the absolute or Universal Consciousness.
The true mystic knows that this can be accom
plished within the world, and does not require a
denial of the world and its conditions. One who
dwells in a cave for this reason is practicing a kind
of nihilism, whether he realises it or not. W hen
such a dweller returns to the world again, after
a great religious experience in one of these caves,
and expounds his revelations, he thereby adds
to the sanctity of that particular cave. He causes

Page 14

it to become a shrine, a site to be used, not neces'

sarily for meditation, but a place of sacrifice and
worship. It becomes then a temple. In India,
this practice has caused a thousand local temples
to be built, many of which are magnificent in
their sculpture and architectural beauty, and most
of which are in the central part.

Hum anitarianism and Sunshine Circles

There are some things that money cannot buy.
There is no price that can be put upon the sincere
words of consolation of a true and tried friend,
when you stand beside the bier of a loved one.
Frequently persons apologetically offer as an ex
planation for their lack of regard for the distress
of others their own poverty. They relate their
great financial obligations and need to provide
for the security of their own families. From their
remarks it can be easily determined that they
measure the milk of human kindness by monetary
terms only. Money cannot buy true companion'
ship. One can hire someone to accompany him on
a journey or to converse with him, but such an
expenditure cannot produce a sympathetic bond,
a mutual interest in the same subjects. It cannot
bring forth that silent communion with each
others presence where words are not a necessity.
Only time and understanding can do that. Renumeration cannot purchase that same whole'
hearted advice from a professional consultant that
a loving friend will give, who looks upon your
welfare as his own. No sum of money can buy
that spirit of justice which is willing to sacrifice
life itself, that righteousness may be done.
There are far more persons starving for sym'
pathetic understanding and a word of encourage'
ment than for bread. In every d ty there are
lines formed by those who will receive free a
bowl of soup, a cup of coffee, but there are few
places where the distressed in mind may go for
inspiration and the regeneration of self'confidence.
W ith all due respect to the numerous religious
and social organisations which undertake and do
considerable welfare work, most of them fall short
of the very fundamental purposes of humani'
tarianism. A true humanitarian has one thought
foremost in his consciousnessthe help of the
unfortunate man or woman. He exacts no obliga'
tions, and imposes no considerations upon the
individual who is in need of help so that he may
help himself. He requires him to sing no hymns,
chant no liturgies, nor subscribe to any theology.
He does not attempt to convey to the recipient
the idea that I help you because I am a Metho'
dist or I am a Christian Scientist or I am a
Roman Catholic, and therefore it behooves you
to respect the religious source of this benefaction.
Neither does he convey the idea that he offers

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

aid to his fellows because of a Biblical or dog'

matic command of his faith. He assists humans
wherever and whenever he can, because he is
actuated by the inherent compassion of the divine
within his nature. He seeks no religious justifica'
tion for it. If you desire to convert one to a
higher course of living, and evolve the individual
morally, it is far better to set as an example of
humane conduct the personal desire to serve, than
a mere conscientious observance of a religious
duty. It is far better to say to a victim of cir'
cumstances, Brother, let me help you, than As
a devout follower of this or that, I fulfill an
obligation to serve you.
One existing in great adversity will instinctively
resort to any proffered aid regardless of the source
or motive which actuated it. The influence the
aid will have upon him will greatly depend upon
who extends it and what prompted it. Often
such beneficent acts will be considered by the
individual as a promotion of sectarianism by the
exploitation of anothers misfortunes. Conse'
quently, the one who has benefited feels it is a
battle of wits. He, on the one hand, is desperately
in need of help which he is going to obtain. On
the other hand, he feels he must avoid being
ensnared into a religious membership, or taking
an exacting pledge of some kind. To put it con'
cisely and candidly, a humanitarian has no
stringsreligious, social or politicalattached to
his proffered help. The innate sense of pride of
the average morally circumspect man and woman
makes it extremely difficult for them to solicit
charity of any kind, whether in the form of
sustenance or advice. They are extremely sensi'
tive under such circumstances, and are more apt
to be suspicious of the motives behind humani'
tarian gestures. The attempt to mix religion with
needed assistance, or political policies or social
welfare aspirations, brands the motive of the offer
to the needy individual as an hypocrisy, of which
he takes advantage, but with no inner respect
for it.
There is an ever'increasing denunciation of the
governmental agencies of charity and welfare. It
is said that they are having a demoralising effect
upon the populace. This criticism points out that
the recipients do not display the proper attitude
of appreciation, in fact, have come to demand
as a right what they receive. It of course should
not be the purpose of a governmental relief
agency to humiliate and humble those who re'
ceive its aid, but the lack of respect shown it is
due to its own impersonal nature. Wholesale
distribution of funds or materials on a scale never
known before in the worlds history requires the
setting up of a great machineryoffices, bureaus,
departments, stations, and a personnel of thou'
sands of individuals. Most of these agency

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

workers are qualified in only one sense for their

positionsadministration and clerical training.
The welfare or relief work to them is just a job.
So far as their attitude is concerned, they might
just as well be working for a packing house, an
insurance company, or a steel corporation. The
people before them are just numbers and names.
The function is just a routine set forth by rules
and regulations.
O f course these clerks and assistants cannot be
expected to have a personal interest in the thousands of persons they encounter in the course of
a year, but their psychological attitude is frequently definitely wrong, and creates resentment
toward the relief and welfare channels. The
petitioner to the agency senses that indifference,
that methodical spirit which is lacking in under'
standing. He knows, or rather feels that to the
staff, he is just part of a gigantic procedure. He
knows that the clerk has a position which pays
in salary far more money than he receives on
relief. The humane element has been definitely
minimized. It is the equivalent of pushing a but'
ton and receiving the relief check from a slot in
a mechanical device. Many who are the target of
criticism, who are said to have lost their initiative
and self'respect because of the wholesale relief
activities of the government, and who do not seek
jobs, actually feel that they are creating work
for the thousands of clerks, consequently they in
turn should receive the assistance of the state
which they are getting.
This attitude can be traced to the absence of
the true spirit of humanitarianism. Each clerk
cannot be a philosopher or a philanthropist, but
the supervisors of such agencies should inculcate
more of a spirit of the brotherhood of man among
their clerks. The recipient could be made to feel
that the staff is glad and happy to help the needy
to rehabilitate themselves. A cheery word and a
smile could do this. Unfortunately, many of the
executives are political appointees or just job'
holders who have absolutely no interest in the
flow of humanity that passes before them, and
who in all probability would not make the slightest
personal sacrifice to help a needy sufferer. It is
absurd with this prevailing condition to expect
the number of persons on relief to feel other than
that what they receive is their just due as citizens.
There are persons in your community who are
not out of jobs, who are not on relief, who are
not asking for financial aid, but who do need help.
Their spirits may be crushed by a relentless series
of unfortunate events. These persons may be
bitter. They may have renounced all faith in
humanity. They may be even resorting to the old
Mosaic law of an eye for an eye.' If they are
permitted to continue in their depressed state of
mind, they will create a hostile environment for

Page 15

their growing children, and become definitely anti'

social, and it is from such families that criminals
spring. A little word of encouragement to such
people, a helping hand, a display of sympathetic
understanding, and a gradual removal of their
distrust in their fellows by doing them small
favors with no returns asked or implied, is a dis'
play of true humanitarianism.
It is the duty of every Rosicrucian to do this,
to help spread sunshine in the darkened places
of the world, to emulate the ideal of our teach'
ings, namely, the betterment of humanity. To
accomplish just such things, our late Imperator,
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, established what he termed
Sunshine Circles throughout the N orth and South
American Jurisdiction of AM ORC. One of the
activities of the Sunshine group is to aid shut'ins.
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis said of this, in part: W hat
most of these shut'ins lack is sympathetic com'
panionship and an opportunity to enjoy a few
pleasures of life. W hether they have food a'plenty
or just enough, and whether they are in a com'
fortable bed or upon a straw mattress on the
floor, whether they have a nurse and doctor or a
neighbor who comes in to open a window or close
it, to give them food or wash dishes, there is still
the desire for that sort of companionship that
enables them to discuss the things that are nearest
and dearest to their hearts, that will bring them
laughs and smiles, that will cheer them and give
them some taste of the human brotherhood of this
old world. And, what they would give for an
automobile ride, a trolley ride, and a little outing
in a wheel'chair! Those who would help are also
making it possible for the shut'ins, one or two
at a time, to go to a theater, musical concerts,
parks, and to places of out'door amusements.
Many children have artistic talent, but not
even paper or pencils by which to express it ade'
quately. The giving of an inexpensive drawing
pad, costing but a few cents, two or three pencils,
or a very common set of water colors, may bring
untold happiness to a child and further develop
its latent creative spirit. The putting of a person
in touch with another, who may need the ability
he has, or who can give the advice he needs, may
be an act of great service and yet may require
but a few minutes of your time.
The Sunshine Circle consists of men and worn'
en, Rosicrucians like yourself. They too are busy;
they all have their personal affairs, their business,
their home life, their families, their studies, but
nevertheless they organise themselves in their com'
munity quietly and efficiently to help those whose
cases are brought to their attention. They do not
stress the giving of food. There are many agencies
public and otherwisefor that purpose; and
they rarely ever extend charity in the form of
money, for their purpose is to radiate spiritual

Page 16

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sunshine, to

raise the spirits of those

pressed and to help the individual
orient himself. The time required to
be no more than an hour a week.

who are de
to find and
do this may
W ould you

li\e to be a member of a Sunshine Circle in your

community, or would you li\e to start one? It is

your duty to take part in Rosicrucian humanitarianism. W rite today to the Secretary of the
Sunshine Circles, Rosicrucian Park, San Jose,
California, for complete information.

Seeking Employment
A Frater asks a question which has been dis
cussed in one way or another in the pages of this
Forum before. The question is How can my
Rosicrucian affiliation help me in seeking em
ployment?11 Possibly the reason the question is
asked is that a person does not think of seeking
employment until he is actually faced with the
necessity of doing so. W hile we train ourselves
to the best of our understanding or ability for
certain positions, how many of us stop to face
the facts as to what we would do, although em
ployed at the present time, if it were necessary to
seek employment otherwise?
In an article which appeared recently in The
Rosicrucian Digest11 the problem of service of
employees to employers and obligations of em
ployers to employees was discussed, and therein
lies the psychology back of seeking* employment,
because when an individual seeks employment his
purpose is to sell himself to the individual who
will find the services of another individual of
value. That is, if you owned a grocery store you
would wish to hire a clerk who would have a
number of abilitiesthose which are fundamental
such as honesty, sincerity, and ability to do the
particular work; but, in addition to that, the
valuable employee to you would be one who
attempted actually to enter into participation in
your business and to direct his efforts to the
expansion of your interests while giving his serv
ice to you.
Therefore, in seeking employment the first
principle to remember is selling yourself to an
employer. Among employers it is frequently
stated that capable individuals seldom are with
out work, but these capable11 individuals are
those who have considered the possibility of em
ployment from all points of view. One who is
contented and unconcerned about his present con
dition may be faced suddenly with the necessity
of seeking emloyment elsewhere, and his first re
action is panic, which is definitely opposed to his
being able to sell himself to someone else.
Now, to face the question of what value Rosi
crucian affiliation may be in adjusting ourselves
to our physical conditions, we must take into

consideration our environment as a whole. In

this modern world employment is necessary either
by oneself or by someone else, and it is the duty
of every employee constantly to take inventory
of himself and to make every effort to equip him
self to be able to render a certain type of service.
Therefore, always be on the alert for possibilities
to increase your abilities and usefulness. Use all
principles taught in Rosicrucianism to attune
yourself properly with the type of work you are
doing. Be determined to adjust yourself to con
ditions which you must face without complaining
about conditions that you may not particularly
like. T ry to see your employers point of view,
and above all, use your powers of visualisation
to advance yourself. By this is meant to visualise
yourself in those places where you know you can
do the work required. It would be ridiculous
for a janitor to visualise himself as president of
a corporation whose building he cleans, and to
do nothing else but visualise it. Visualisation is
an important mental process of helping us step
into other conditions, but it must be reached with
physical effort also. The janitor who wants to
advance himself in his particular company should
not only visualise advancement; he should
visualise advancement to a place that he can fill,
and then make every effort to gain the necessary
knowledge and experience to help him fill that
position, while at the same time he does the work
at hand conscientiously and as his employer de
sires it.
In other words, bettering employment comes a
step at a time. Do not waste your time concen
trating upon or visualising yourself in a position
which you are actually not capable of holding.
Look for the next step after you have determined
to prepare yourself for that place. Then when
you are there, forge ahead another step. Take an
honest inventory of yourself; honestly sum up
your abilities or lack of abilities. Determine to
use to the fullest extent your assets; determine to
replace with knowledge and experience those
points which you lack, and then by the proper
mental outlook, by the proper steps of concen
tration and visualisation help advance yourself as
you are capable of advancing.A.

W h at Is Astrology?
A recent article in The Rosicrucian Digest
has brought many questions on the subject of
astrology. One Soror wrote after reading the
article and asked if we could give her the name
of an astrologer whom she could consult.
Now the history of this organisation shows,
as has been pointed out in the pages of this
Rosicrucian Forum before, that there have been
many members of this organisation in the past

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and present who have made a serious study of

the science of astrology. However, insofar as it
can be determined today astrology has not been
a part of the Rosicrucian teachings any more than
any other related science is strictly a part. Did
you ever stop to think that there are many sciences
that are connected with the Rosicrucian teachings, some of which are elaborated upon in our
University? Those which are the most practical to
the largest number of students are in this manner
made available, but there are many subjects upon
which the Rosicrucian teachings have touched, or
in which many Rosicrucian members are inter
ested, that it would not be practical for us to in
clude even in supplementary work of the
organisation.
For example, many who are interested in our
studies are interested in anthropology, sociology,
higher mathematics, photography, therapeutics,
and many other studies or sciences that could be
named, but the scope of their teachings and in
structions lies in their own field and those who
are interested should study the Rosicrucian teach
ings to the best of their ability, and then study
the particular subject in the specific field where
they are interested. This is the attitude we adopt
in regard to astrology.
However, in discussing astrology we should de
fine some terms. W hat is ordinarily conceived as
astrology by the average individual does not con
stitute true astrology. Astrology has been ex
ploited and used as a means of fortune-telling
until the popular conception of the subject is
entirely different from the true esoteric astrology
that many great mystics in the past have studied.
Astrology cannot be learned in a few lessons. I
have had the opportunity of meeting individuals
who, in my mind, really have seriously studied
the science of astrology, and not only are they
interested in the practical application and under
standing of the material laws connected with it,
but they are true humanitarians trying to apply
that science to the best of their ability to help
humanity. One such individual I talked with not
so very long ago said that he had studied the sub
ject for thirty-five years, and for over twenty
years had devoted his full time to it, and that
now he was beginning to gain an understanding
of it. The expanse of the subject is as unlimited
as the universe itself, and for anyone to read a
few books or take a few lessons and then claim
that he can outline the life history of individuals
and nations and give advice on what we will
do tomorrow, or the next hour, or the next year,
is bordering upon the ridiculous.
Therefore, if you are interested in contacting
someone who can give advice and information
regarding astrology, make a serious investigation
as to that persons ability regarding the science.

Page 17

A few months ago an article appeared in one of

the leading astrological journals of either this
country or Englandit has slipped my mind
exactly where I saw itregarding astrological
prophecies of worldwide conditions; and it
pointed out that if any individual, either an
astrologer or a person basing his prediction upon
any other science, would state that he definitely
could predict what was going to happen, that
statement alone would be proof of the unre
liability of the individual. Some individuals be
lieve that prediction is impossible due to the in
exactness of the scence upon which the prediction
is basedwhether it be astrology or any related
science. W hether or not this is true is not within
the scope of our discussion here in this Forum,
but regardless of whether or not the science used
is exact, in order to arrive at a result anywhere
in the universe the exact causes must be known.
Or, to state it in a different way, we acknowledge
that for every result there is a cause, and there
fore, in order to predict a result we must know
the exact cause or causes.
In our everyday life we can think of simple
illustrations of this law. For example, if you
would see me about to place my finger on a
hot object, such as an ordinary iron used in a
laundry, or an electric light globe of high w at
tage that had been burning for a good many
hours, you could predict probably without the
least doubt in your mind what the result would
be if my finger actually came in contact with the
object. You would predict that either there would
be immediate withdrawal of my hand, or the hand
would be burned and the flesh and tissue injured.
Now how can you make that prediction? You
make it upon two considerationsexperience, and
knowledge as a result of experience, and due to
the fact that you have before you within your
visual range all the causes that brought about the
result of your prediction. In other words, it is
the contact of my finger with the hot object that
causes either the withdrawal of the finger or in
jury of the flesh by burning.
But imagine that you saw me walking along a
narrow walk on the edge of a high bluff over a
very deep canyon or ravine. If you were at a
distance where you could not hear me if I said
anything, let us say at a distance of three or four
hundred yards, as you saw me walk along it the
only way you could predict what I would do
next would be by your own conclusions; and if
I were a perfect stranger to you, the only con
clusion you could draw would be that I would
probably continue to walk in a general direction.
But what if you saw me suddenly voluntarily
jump off the walk, commit suicide, or run away
from the edge of the ravine? These results would
be based upon causes of which you knew nothing,

Page 18

and not knowing those causes, my past, my re

sponse to situations at the moment, my emotional
reactions, my financial or health problems, it
would be ridiculous for you to conclude that you
could predict from seeing me walking along a
dangerous point such as this whether I would
continue my journey, commit suicide, or in fear
run away from the edge of that particular point.
I have gone into detail in these illustrations to
point out that results come as a result of causes,
and in order to predict results all of the causes
and tendencies must be known. Therefore, prediction of worldwide events is impossible if they
are claimed to be exact, because all of the causes
are not known by any one individual. No one
even knows the workings of the individual mind
of a leader of a country, let alone all the factors
of environment that surround him and those who
advise him. There is no one point, for example,
at which astrology could erect a horoscope that
would be a solution to worldwide problems; that
is, no moment could be selected as the point at
which all things began, or all causes that exist
to bring about the conditions that exist today
had their first appearanceunless we select the
moment at which God created manbecause each
cause could be traced back from one step to
another until man made his first mistake.
Therefore, we see that prediction astrologically,
or on the basis of any other science, is not exact
and only trends can be shown. Astrology claims
that it can point out favorable and unfavorable
periods for certain things. These no doubt have a
certain effect upon us, but on the other hand,
man is not dominated by these effects. He can
use them, or he can work against them. It is
reasonable to believe that if a favorable condition
exists, and if man cooperates with its favorable
vibrations at the moment, he is benefited. As
pointed out in the book Self-Mastery and Fate
W ith Cycles of Life by the late Imperator, there
are moments or periods when conditions are constructive, and man should use those periods if he
wants to take the fullest advantages of the opportunity. Now this book, as stated therein, is
not based entirely upon astrology, but regardless
of whether we call it astrology or anything else,
there do exist in the universe vibrations which are
constructive or destructive to our purpose at any
given moment.
The point is that the vibrations exist; let us use
to the best of our ability a guide such as the
cycles described in Self-Mastery and Fate W ith
Cycles of Life as a means toward availing our
selves of the most opportune time for any par
ticular accomplishment. W e are not dominated
by our stars. God lies within us. Let us avail
ourselves, as I have already stated, of all ad
vantages to bring out that power within us, but

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

never must we give up and state that because

of this or that in our birth chart or at our birth
time we can never accomplish anything.A.

M ethods of H ealing
A Frater recently asked if we could classify
methods of healing. It would seem that a simple
classification is impossible when we consider all
the different fields of healing that exist in the
world today. However, the opposite is true. A
type of classification is comparatively simple, be
cause almost all forms of therapeutics fall into
three general groupingschemical, manipulative,
and mental.
Chemical therapeutics is based upon a principle
of changing the chemical composition of the body
by the introduction of some chemical or food into
the body, either through the digestive process or
directly into the blood stream. The use of drugs,
herbs and medicines of all kinds, as well as die
tetics, would come generally under this classifica
tion. W here dietetics are used as a form of
therapy, the purpose is to cause certain changes
to take place by introducing certain foods into
the system. Therefore, when an attempt is made
to introduce any composition into the organism,
we are really dealing with chemical therapeutics.
The next form is manipulative therapeutics.
Under this classification would come all adjust
ments of the body such as the setting of a broken
arm, the manipulation done by osteopathy, chiropractics, naturopathy, and other similar schools,
and in addition, surgery is a manipulative therapy.
The last form is mental therapy. This is car
ried out in various manners by different schools
of thought. Suggestion is used, and usually the
attempt is made, in one way or another, to reach
the subjective consciousness which directs all in
voluntary activities of the body and, if directed
properly, will direct the involuntary processes to
function in harmony.
Now it will be seen that there is a great over
lapping in most forms of therapeutics in the above
three fields. For example, a physician and surgeon
of either the medical or osteopathic school probab
ly would use all three of the above. He might
prescribe medicine, he might in one way or an
other use manipulative therapy either by surgery
or adjustment, and he would be encouraging and
giving proper suggestions, thereby using mental
therapy. Other schools limit themselves to one or
two of these particular fields. But it is probably
true that no one could be pointed out as the only
means of true healing. T hat is, experience has
shown that in all there is value, and it is hoped
that the limitations that separate one from an
other will sometime be definitely broken down

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and an attempt made to unify all therapeutic

treatments.
Under the above classifications, the Rosicrucian
therapeutics does not quite find its place. That
is, the purpose underlying all Rosicrucian thera
peutics is the establishing of harmony where inharmony exists, or helping the system to maintain
a harmony which is already there. W hen in
harmony exists the Rosicrucian methods teach
us that every reasonable effort should be made by
the individual who is suffering to have that har
mony reestablished. It may require a chemical
change in the body such as a change in foods, or
even the introduction of some type of medication.
It may require manipulation of the body at one
point or another, and it requires mental therapy
which frequently can be given through the
process of auto-suggestion by the individual him
self. But, in addition to the above, we as Rosicrucians know that the body is composed of both
immaterial and material substances; that is, spirit
and Vital Life Force, or as we refer to it in the
monographs, A and B polaritiesA being the
positive Vital Life Force, and B being the nega
tive, spirit forceand it is necessary in treating
conditions that, in addition to any other form
of therapeutics, an attempt be made to reestablish
the harmony between the A and B polarities.
This is done in addition to the other forms of
therapy by introducing directly into the body
the type of polarity that is needed, through the
Rosicrucian contact treatments, or through direct
ing certain Cosmic constructive forces by the use
of absent treatments. Therefore, we might state
that the Rosicrucian contact and absent treat
ments are to a great extent unique in that they
do not interfere with or overlap the fields of the
usually accepted forms of therapeutics.
Some schools of thought place a great deal
of emphasis on mental therapeutics based pri
marily upon suggestion. The use of suggestion
to the objective mind has proven itself not to be
completely efficient, because after all, direct sug
gestions confined to the objective mind constitute
little more than affirmation, and for one merely
to state in a case of a severe toothache that the
toothache does not exist is ridiculous; it only
denies an actual fact. Therefore, a true type of
mental therapeutics is one which subtley reaches
the subjective mind of the individual and assists
it in its constructive processes of helping rees
tablish balance and harmony. Remember that all
of the vital processes of the body are carried on
unconsciously by the objective mind; they are the
involuntary actions under the direction of the
subjective. Consequently, the lungs expand and
contract, the heart beats, the digestive organs
function, and all other involuntary actions take
place under the direction of the subjective mind,

Page 19

and if nothing interferes these processes will con

tinue until the physical organism eventually
breaks down.
It is important that we use a proper method
of Rosicrucian concentration and meditation to
direct the subjective mind to assist in the processes
of reestablishing harmony. How is this done?
First, by subtle suggestions such as when a person
is in a borderline stateas when he is just falling
asleep, or when in complete meditation. Secondly,
by another person directing Cosmic forces to' that
individual, which is a true process of absent treat
ments and is explained in the directions for giving
absent treatments, available to all Rosicrucians.
Thirdly, by assisting the physical body to carry
on its work constructively in all other ways
available to us.A.

Perfection of the Soul

A question which never ceases to come up
time and time again for discussion in one way
or another, not only among our students but
among all true thinkers, is that of the existence
of the soul in the human body as a perfect entity.
The question as it is most usually stated con
cerns why the soul must gain experience in a
physical body if it is already perfect. That is,
how can anything be added or detracted from a
thing which is already perfect? Pages could be
written in speculation on this subject, so conse
quently, at this time I am only going to leave a
thought with you that may help to answer this
question for yourself, because this really is one
of the questions the answer to which must come
to each individual intuitively; that is, no one other
than yourself will ever be able to answer this
question to your entire satisfaction, because the
answer to the question itself is a part of the ex
perience your soul must gain while it is in a
physical form.
Now it is true that the soul is a segment of
God, the complete Soul, and it is perfect in
itself and as such cannot have anything added
to its perfection or detracted from it, but that
does not mean it cannot participate in experience.
All Fratres and Sorores who know even the ele
mentary principles of chemistry will understand
that a chemical compound which is said to be
stable is one which will not decompose or break
up except under certain conditions. For example,
water is considered a stable chemical compound;
that is, unless water is heated to a certain point,
or frozen, it maintains its form. Naturally if
evaporation takes place, we understand to a cer
tain extent the laws which participate in evapora
tion, and we know if water evaporates it con
denses and then again becomes water. Therefore,
we might in the broadest sense of the word, for

Page 20

the sake of illustration, call the compound, water,

a perfect thing. That is, it is perfect in the sense
that if you pour out a glass of water you need
not be concerned that before you can drink it the
water will be gone, or something will have hap
pened to itunless a foreign element was introduced into itand you know it will continue
to be stable over a considerable period, eventually
evaporating after being exposed to the air for a
length of time. In other words, you can predict
its behavior with reasonable certainty.
Now taking a glass of water and considering
it as perfect, you could begin to add salt to it.
You could add salt and the salt would dissolve
in the water until it reached a point known as a
saturated solution; that is, where the amount of
water had dissolved all the salt it could possibly
hold. Now the question is, what has happened
to the water? You will see that the water is still
there; it has taken up the salt and holds it in
solution, but the water is still water. In other
words, the water is still perfect, and by distilling
that water, the salt would be left and you would
again have the pure water.
Now, to a certain extent, experience is to the
soul what salt is to the water. It is something
that the soul gains, but it does not change the
perfection of the soul itself. W e might say that
the experience of living in an objective world
in a physical body constitutes the salt that is added
to the soul which becomes a part of the total
memory. W hy this is necessary, as I have pointed
out, may be discussed again in these pages, but
will mainly have to be answered by the
individual.A.

Spirituality and Im practicability

Now we have a Frater arise to ask a question
that is rather new to this Forum, but most ap
propriate. His question is: Can a man be pro
ficient in business or science, take an active part
in the affairs of the day, and yet be spiritually
inclined and evolved in the ordinarily accepted
meaning of that term? If I may rephrase the
Fraters question, he means can a man be accepted
among real he-men, be a mans man in respectable
company, be a material success, and yet display
spiritual qualities?
A state of spirituality denotes conduct indica
tive of mans spiritual nature. To live a spiritual
life is, then, to be governed by aspirations, urges,
and inclinations originating in the divine self,
and as expressed by the dictates of conscience, and
to use these higher powers and faculties of which
man is possessed and aware. There are, therefore,
certain noble virtues which are characterised as
being spiritually endowed. Such virtues, if not
practiced by all men, are at least known to them.
A few of these are truth, justice, modesty and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mercy. These, of course, can be applied to daily

life, its labors and its habits. If we accept the
viewpoint that the noble virtues are the quintes
sence of spiritualityas well as that observance
of such commandments as the various sacred
works and the different religions expoundthen
a man is spiritual who is discerned as display
ing them.
It is not sufficient to know of the virtues, but
to live them. A man cannot retire from the
world and display justice toward his fellows. A
man cannot be truly modest in his own presence
alone. One who lives as a recluse can hardly
extend mercy. Man must consequently suffer
himself to mingle with the world. He must get
his feet into its damp soil, bathe in its waters,
partake of its fruits* rub shoulders with humanity,
share its social, economic and political problems.
He must be an absolute humanist and avoid none
of the responsibilities, hopes, and aspirations of
humanity, and yet transcend its temptations, re
sist its contaminations by the strength of his
virtues. He must, as well, indulge his appetites
and heed his bodily desires, and yet circumscribe
them with the discipline of his mind. Unless a
man participates in life, his virtues are but an
aphorism, an untried moral theory. Goodness,
Aristotle said, is the excellence of a function.
There is no quality of goodness in man unless
he uses his spiritual powers to their perfection;
that is, not to suppress his somatic existence but
to regulate and control it. A n honest man is not
one who is always surrounded with just his own
property, or one who is under constant surveil
lance. Honesty exists in the capacity to be dis
honest, and the intentional refraining therefrom.
A man is merciful, who is afforded the oppor
tunity to be otherwise.
The spiritual life is thus seen to be a very
practical one, for it requires participation in very
realistic affairs. The spiritual man is the one of
whom people say, His word is his bond. I would
trust him anywhere with anything. You can
always expect fair treatment from him. He has
a heart as big as himself. These are homely ex
pressions; they fit the man of the street, the
worker, the painter, the carpenter, the bank teller,
the mechanic, the salesman, the clerk. They are
the true testimonials of spirituality, yet they do
not proclaim for the individual a masterful knowl
edge of spiritual doctrines, nor astute wisdom of
divine laws, nor proficiency in exhorting peoples
to follow certain paths in life. Spirituality is
thus found not in high sounding interpretations
and definitions of sacerdotal phrases, but in that
reaction of human conduct to a personal inner
understanding and conviction.
The spiritual life is being lived by he who
tarries long enough on his way to offer succor

fHE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to one who has fallen by the wayside. It is not

just lived by the one who tells of the need to do
this in prettily worded speeches in book or from
rostrum or pulpit. Ones deeds travel farther,
faster, and are more lasting and convincing than
his words. The soul is a mover of the body; the
latter never disturbs the former. Coarsened hands
are far less a barrier to the spiritual virtues than
soft hands accompanied by a coarsened character.
Chewing tobacco can never stain the inner character like lies, deception and cruelty, no matter how
finely they are polished. Give me any man pursu
ing an honorable trade or work, no matter what
its nature, who lives the virtues, and I will show
you an earthly saint, for all of his overalls and
brogans. There is no necessary relationship be
tween the sensitivity of the inner life and crude
ness of external manner. Many a vile creature
lies behind a mild demeanor and a cultured ex
terior. One does not need to be an esthete, know
the technique of drama, the intricacies of the
great musical compositions, and be sensitive to the
penumbras of color, to be spiritually inclined.
The spiritually actuated need not sacrifice their
mental acumen, the sharpness of their reason, the
keen delight in consummating a sale, the joy of
participating in worldly competitions, and legiti
mate trafficking in food, minerals, or even gold
and silver. There is nothing which they can'do
that is profane, or a violation of the spiritual, if
it is always measured by the virtues to which
they respond. There is nothing of earth that can
blemish their lives, if the soul is the master at all
times. One who thinks that business efficiency,
good judgment and management in material
affairs, and practicability, are signs of a lowly
and profane nature, is either a hypocrite or ex
periencing an unfortunate delusion.
Spirituality is sexless; there is nothing effemi
nate about it. It is a state of adjustment of the
divine consciousness to the world in which we
live, and it is not found in a certain type of
individual, nor does it consist in a physical
function. One can be masculine, virile, conscious
of the strength and vitality of his body, and yet
possess the tenderness of spiritual understanding.
I have known persons to excuse their lack of
efficiency in business, their poor powers of con
centration, their devoidness of creative and execu
tive ability, by laying claims to spirituality and
an austere aloofness from the proficiency of liv
ing. I have heard them say sardonically, He is
a good administrator and therefore his mind lacks
those finer esoteric spiritual qualities. One who
excuses mental and character weaknesses and in
dolence by claims to spirituality is more than a
sanctimonious hypocrite. He is a desecrator of the
divine, by attempting to relate it to his own
mortal ineptness.X.

Page 2 1

Giving Several Treatm ents Simultaneously

A Soror of southern California arises to ask
this Forum the question: Is it well to ask for
help from several people or places about the
same timetreatments also?
The help to which the soror is undoubtedly
referring is absent treatment, whereby the indi
vidual petitions the Cosmic to use its constructive
powers to assist another, or where the individual
takes part in directing such Cosmic forces him
self. It is to be noted as well that the Soror wants
to know particularly about receiving such help
from several persons.
Presume that we desire to give an absent treat
ment to another. There are several factors which
have been enumerated and assiduously expounded
in the monographs, which, in a very general way
we shall consider here. The person that you are
to aid need not have a knowledge of the Rosi
crucian therapeutic methodsin other words, our
system of healing for if this were necessary,
then it would make it impossible to treat anyone
except a Rosicrucian, and, moreover, just those
who had attained a point in the degrees where
they had studied all of the healing principles. It
is important that the individual be aware of the
fact that you are going to assist him through
the use of certain Cosmic principles. The patient
must likewise have no fear of the methods you
are to use. In other words, he must not think
you are attempting to employ any supernatural
powers by the means of any incantations or rites
which may possess elements of danger, or which
profess to be magical in any sense. He must be
made to feel that you are using natural forces,
as natural as sunlight or as high frequency cur
rents. The fact that the forces you are to use may
not be visible to him, does not mean that they
are unnatural. He must also be impressed with
the fact that you cannot possibly wrongly use
these forces, for you are but a channel for them.
Actually the powers will but pass through you.
You will but petition the Cosmic Intelligence,
in the manner you have been taught, to use its
creative powers focalized through you to benefit
the patientto awaken within him the creative
forces resident within his own being. Your fail
ure, therefore, could not be detrimental to the
patient. If you fail, nothing will be accomplished,
but if you succeed the result will have a salutary
effect upon the patient.
It is best that you further understand this
relationship of the practitioner to the patient.
Suppose, for analogy, that you and another were
in a dark room, so dark that nothing would be
visible. Your companion, we will presume is con
siderably distressed by the darkness and wishes
the room to be illuminated, but he cannot do so

Page 22

himself. You inform him that through a sensible,

intelligent, mystical procedure you can bring light
into the room through yourself. Further presuming that the Cosmic forces and mind can use your
body as a torch to radiate light, you immediately
appeal to the Cosmic. You use those exercises
which you have been taught, that the Cosmic
energy may pass through you and will be focalized
in that room as light, so that all objects may become clearly visible. If there were such an exer
cise and if you were successful, suddenly your
body would glow with a radiation. It would
produce no physical sensations but the room
would be flooded with light, and your companion
would at last be able to see and his fears would
cease. If, on the other hand, you failed in the
attempt, nothing would occur. The room would
still remain in darkness and you would not in
any way have added to the distress of your com
panion. Therefore, the practitioner must have
confidence in the method and in the Cosmic, and,
further, in the fact that he cannot by ignorance
or through any error misuse the Cosmic forces.
As has frequently been related in the Rosicru
cian monographs, the practitioner is not actually
effecting the cure. Consequently he need not at
tempt to know or understand how the Cosmic
brings it about, or exactly what procedure or
combination of laws the Cosmic may use. His
sole duty is to have the Cosmic use its intelligence
to aid the patient.
The patient may have several persons assist
him in this method at one time without detriment
to him; in fact, with benefit, if certain provisions
are observed. Absent treatment methods will not
conflict with any of the established systems of
physical therapeutics, such as medicine, surgery,
osteopathy, et cetera. Consequently, the patients
regular physician, if he has any, may remain in
attendance. W here metaphysical treatment is to
be given, however, conflict may result if two
different kinds of mental systems are employed
simultaneously. Excluding the fact that one such
system may be far superior to another, and pre
suming that both are equally beneficial, still the
use of them simultaneously may be disturbing to
the patient. One system may require the prac
titioner to put into effect the universal healing
forces in a certain definite manner, which, though
not wrong, begins at a different point in the
procedure than the other. Consequently, though
each method when conducted independently and
brought to its conclusion will be satisfactory,
they would mitigate each other when concomitant.
To use another analogy, if a pail of water is to
be taken to a certain place and it can be brought
there by either a right or left route, if two
persons attempt to carry it, one going one way
and the other another, it is obvious that no suc

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cess would be had. If both would follow the same

course, the pail could be carried more rapidly to
its destination and with greater ease for each.
Several persons using the Rosicrucian method
of absent treatment for the rendering of meta
physical assistance at the same time can most
often accomplish more good than just one person.
There are numerous reasons for this. There is
focalized upon the patient more of the Cosmic
power, which therefore awakens more quickly,
or rather stimulates more deeply, the creative,
curative force resident within the patients own
body. In other words, the patients recuperative
processes are stimulated more readily. It must
be repeated again, as said in the monographs, that
man does not heal by any system; he but puts
the healing powers of nature to work God and
nature alone heal. No individual or group can
at one time command a full direction of all of
the universal healing powers of the Cosmic
which indeed is very fortunate. If it were other
wise, some needy persons would be left destitute.
Those who would desire to help them would
have nothing to direct. Therefore, since each
individual using the method only focalizes some
of the vast amount of creative energy, to the
extent of his ability to have it pass through him,
the concerted efforts of several persons are very
beneficial However, some individuals being much
further developed in the technique of the methods
to draw upon the psychical forces, can accomplish
as much as eight or ten individuals who are not
so fortunate. Thus, for example, a dozen pocket
flashlights focused on an object may not illuminate
it as much as one spotlight connected with the
regular power line circuit.
Most patients who solicit assistance are, of
course, desperate, and in their desperation, like
a drowning man, grasp for a straw, asking for all
and any kind of aid, with the hope that one
method or system or practice may be successful
in alleviating their pain or suffering. They do
not realise that the conflicting systems to which
they may appeal may defeat that very end. It is
difficult, and understandably so, to attempt to
reason with one suffering, but whenever possible
the sufferer should be made to realise that he
should give one system a reasonable trial, then
if it effects no results, try another, and not have
instead two, three, or four systems working for
him at one time. As far as the systems of absent
treatment being employed for a patient are con
cerned, the old adage the more the merrier
definitely does not apply. It is not the number
of systems, but the quality and efficacy of them
that is important.
Eighteen years ago I was very active in radio
research, and in the designing and constructing
of various types of receiving circuits. In those

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

days manufacturers of radio receiving apparatus,

of which there were but two or three in the
entire United States, and whose outputs were
mainly used by ships and the army and navy,
gave no guarantee for their equipment. If the
apparatus worked efficiently when it was purchased that was all that could be expected. The
purchaser assumed all responsibility as to its continued performance. Most receiving sets were
consequently built at home by fans, who, at that
time, had little or no technical training. Many
such instruments were eventually brought to me
for repair, or rather, I should say, for redesigning,
so that they could be made to function. I have
seen receivers with a cascade amplification consist
ing of thirty tubes which did not emit a volume
greater than a modern three tube set. A fter
ripping out some twenty-five tubes and their
related parts, which in those days represented a
considerable investment, and altering the circuit,
eventually the simplified and very much smaller
receiver would have a much intensified signal
strength, and the range of receptivity would be
greatly increased. The original builder or owner
of the apparatus had constructed it on the false
theory that two or three tubes have a certain
power of accomplishment, and therefore by in
creasing the number of tubes, he would obtain
proportionately greater results, regardless of all
other factors involved.
I understand that in the early days of the
manufacture of automobiles, this same theory was
prevalent as to the number of cylinders a car
should have. There are patients who seek absent
treatment and who act upon the same erroneous
premise as to the number of healing systems to
be used. Eventually they become discouraged
with the results and are thereafter critical of
absent healingyet the fault is definitely theirs.
Success with absent treatments is dependent upon
numerous factors, not just those we have outlined
above. The patient must not be consciously con
tributing to his own ill health. Thus, if a person
has a great fondness for a certain kind of fruit,
but he is allergic to it; that is, if for example, it
causes an excess acidity in his blood and he knows
this and desires absent treatment while indulging
in this food, no satisfactory results can be brought
about. The patient cannot intentionally violate
natures laws for self-gratification and then expect
that Cosmic principles can be invoked to relieve
subsequent distress. One cannot over-indulge in
anything, not alone food or drink, and expect
Cosmic curative assistance.
Before treating a person, whenever it is pos
sible, ask the patient or some member of the
family, who is aware of your purpose and who
desires you to help, if he is conducting himself
in a normal and proper manner, so far as his

Page 23

physical conduct is concerned. O f course, the

mental attitude of the patient is very essential.
If he harbors an intense hatred for anyone, or
is extremely jealous, he is putting himself into
such a negative state that he holds back the posi'
tive curative powers within himself. It would
be extremely difficult to regenerate him by using
absent treatments under such conditions. The
patient, to summarise, must do nothing himself
to hamper his own cause if he expects to be bene
fited metaphysically or by absent treatment.X.

Hypnotism
One of our Sorores from Canada, who has been
in the Order for just a few weeks, has requested
that a few pointed remarks be published in the
Forum dealing with the subject of hypnotism.
Her request is the result of our statements that
there is no power in so-called black magic and
that the Cosmic will not act as a medium for the
transfer of evil, harmful thoughts from the mind
of one to the mind of another.
She points out to us that the Cosmic assists in
the demonstration of hypnotic powers, and that
a so-called hypnotist does have the power to gain
control of anothers mind and this mind will do
the bidding of the hypnotist, even to the extent
of causing bodily harm to another and perform
ing acts against society; and through his powers,
a hypnotist can force another even to destroy
himself. Because of these conclusions, our Soror
from Canada is inclined to believe that black
magic is not only a possibility, but that the
Cosmic takes an active part in the mental and
physical destruction often attributed to black
magic.
All of this reminds us of the many interesting
experiments in the use of hypnotic powers of
some years ago when the general public knew
little or nothing of hypnotism and was awed by
the bushy-browed stage performer with the pierc
ing black eyes who would call for a volunteer
from his audience to come to the platform and
submit to his great hypnotic powers. The volun
teer, in most cases, was a paid assistant who was
a necessary part of the entire act. So great was
the popularity of these stage performances that
virtually the entire civilised world became the
stage for the display of their powers. Books and
stories were published and devoured by the
peoples of all lands. Blood-curdling, hair-raising
thrillers could be purchased from any dealer of
dime novels. Popular courses in developing ones
hypnotic powers were made available and sold
in many editions by the corner news and maga
zine hawkers.
So little was known of hypnotism and its power
that courts of justice even acquitted criminals

Page 24

pleading N ot guilty by virtue of having been

hypnotised at the time of the crime, and thus
not responsible for their acts. Naturally, the
hypnotist was never discovered and apprehended,
for it was accepted as a fact that certain persons
had such power and could place anyone under
their spell instantly with or without cooperation
on the part of the victim.
The final result of all of this was the developed
interest of various schools of science and psy
chology, including, of course, many highly de
veloped and learned mystics of the esoteric and
philosophical schools both in Europe and America.
Many years were spent in research. Many hun
dreds of experiments were performed. Many
private and public demonstrations were made, as
scientists slowly but surely lifted the veil of mys
tery from this strange and sinister power that was
said to be vested only in a chosen few. W hat
were their findings? you ask. Let us review one
or two of these experiments so that you may
determine for yourselves.
On one occasion, before a large group of doc
tors and eminent personages, one who was par
ticularly adept in the art of hypnotism placed a
subject in a hypnotic state. This was not accom
plished in a moment, but required many minutes
of concentrated effort, with the complete coopera
tion of the subject, who, incidentally, was a close
friend and colleague of the hypnotist. This sub
ject was then put through the usual routine, which
in nearly every case of this kind consists of barn
yard and domestic animal imitations and various
acts of a ridiculous nature that are always amusing
to the witnesses, and acts that the audience can
be quite sure the subject would not perform while
in a normal state with complete control of his
will.
A fter this amusing part of the demonstration,
the subject was handed a toy gun and told to
point it at one of the members of the circle and
pull the trigger. It is an interesting fact that just
as the gun started to raise to position for firing,
the subject woke up, returned to normal, and was
astounded to find himself standing before his
friend with a gun in his hand as though preparing
to shoot the friend.
On another occasion, a subject was ordered to
go in the still of the night to a jewelry store on
a certain corner, and, with a brick that was
handed to him, smash the glass show window
and steal a handful of jewelry on display there.
The subject carried out the command to the point
of raising the brick, but before he could smash
the glass, he woke up.
On another occasion, a subject was handed a
toy rubber dagger, and was told that it was a
knife and that he should stab a friend who was
present at the demonstration. The knife was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

raised, and the subject awoke. On still another

occasion, a subject was instructed to leap from
the window to his destruction. He went over
and actually placed one foot upon the window
sill, then immediately returned to normal.
Every command given to the subject that is
harmful to himself or another, every request that
would be labeled evil by society, results in an
immediate state of normalcy and complete selfcontrol on the part of the subject.
As we analyse these experiences and findings,
we realise that the user of hypnotism controls
only the objective will of his subject, and any
act repugnant to the divine, subjective conscious
ness will result in this same divine consciousness
protecting the subject from the harmful sugges
tions of the hypnotist. This divine consciousness
is the Cosmic Consciousness within man. It is
this inner being that is attuned to the Cosmic
forces, permitting mental contact with others, the
transfer of thoughts of love, goodness, harmony,
and peace profound. W hat a chaotic state this
old world would be in if it were true that we
could bend others to our will with a power once
attributed to the hypnotist.
I sincerely hope that none of our fratres and
sorores will ever again fear the power of anyone
they meet who stares at them with gleaming, evil
eyes that virtually pop out of their sockets, or
one with a deep, commanding voice, accompanied
by the Heh, heh! of a Simon Legree. It is a
fact proven by science and psychology that one
cannot be hypnotised against his will and forevermore enslaved, with no will of his own. It is
a fact that one cannot be hypnotised and forced
to do things, perform acts, or even say things that
will have harmful results upon himself or others.
W e deem it necessary to say in all fairness,
however, that a form of honest hypnotism exists,
and is taught in schools and universities through
out the world, that is useful and beneficial in
clinics and hospital operating rooms. Such work
is always in the hands of a competent physician,
usually with the cooperation of a psychologist
Such work is not, however, the sort of nonsense
written about, talked about, and taught in
popular books and courses containing such
phrases as The world at your feet in ten easy
lessons. Let us say right now that hypnotism
plays no part in Rosicrucianism or any true sys
tem of metaphysical science.

Miracle W orkers
Another frater brings to the attention of this
FORUM an interesting topic. Though not
framed as a question, it shall be considered by
us. He states: Our earlier monographs lead
the student to believe that all kinds of miracles

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

can and will be effected by him as he advances

through the degrees.' The inference contained
in this statement is that the member is made to
anticipate the impossible, or nearly so, and when
he is unable to realize his expectations is com
pletely disillusioned.
The average Rosicrucian is far from being
naive, or just credulous. He has affiliated with
the Order for its professed purposes, and if he
remains as an active integral part of it for years,
as thousands do, it denotes that he is gradually
acquiring what he seeks. It is admittedly extreme
ly difficult to make every member see eye to eye
with the administration. The officers have the
advantage of years of experience, plus the related
experiences of thousands of students whom they
interview, and with whom they are in corres
pondence. They know the essential importance
of the element of time in attaining the advantage
of Rosicrucian membership. The officers further
know why the early monographs must be in
choate, and that the fullness of the teachings is
reserved for later degrees. They know also that
certain things are impossible of performance, ex
cept after years of practice, whereas some mem
bers feel that what the Order proclaims should
be mastered by them in just a matter of weeks
or months. Some Rosicrucians, it is readily con
ceded by the Supreme officers, will never in this
incarnation attain the ultimate in Rosicrucian
perfection and achievement, and if they hope to
do so they must be doomed to disappointment.
AM O RC has not falsely encouraged them to
believe that it is possible.
One of the first doctrines of the Rosicrucian
teachings is that of the law of the triangle. It is
shown that the triangle is a symbol for triune
conditions or influences in the macrocosmic and
microcosmic worlds. It is disclosed that in nature
the three conditions must always be present for
a manifestation, or for success in anything. The
law of the triangle may be applied by a physicist,
a chemist, a business man or a metaphysician
alike. It is further postulated as a manifestation
of the law of the triangle that human perfection
consists in the inter-relationship, the proper inte
grating, of the positive soul quality of man with
his negative material body, and from them arise
that reflection and comprehension that we call
the personality the self.
The soul and the body both have their kinds
of perfection, but spiritual perfection on earth
consists in the mortal minds being able to bring
itself into absolute resonance, or attunement, with
the soul. This is not accomplished over night, or
even within the span of years of one incarnation.
It takes twenty, thirty, or forty years for a man
to become proficient in one of the worldly pro
fessions. That is, he must have attained at least

Page 25

forty years of age. The greater number of those

preceding years is devoted to the acquisition of
knowledge, an understanding of all of the funda
mentals of the science or art to which he is de
voting himself, the terms, symbols, phrases, his
tory, facts, and formulas. A fter that he must
learn to apply the knowledge which he has ac
quired, and before he has mastered the applica
tion, at least another five years may pass, and
then most professional men will advise you that
still another five years must elapse until the
individual has developed what may be termed a
consciousness of his profession, so that his mind
thinks in its terms until he habitually does what is
required of him and is not obliged to concentrate
upon details or incidentals, as the student must.
If this time then is needed for a temporal pro
fession, for one to become proficient in something
of the material world and purely devoted to the
intellect, certainly it is not difficult then to under
stand how the spiritual perfection of our per
sonalities, a development of spiritual mastery, can
not always be accomplished in one earthly ex
istence of but forty, sixty, or eighty years. W e
go so far in one life and then if we pursue the
training and perfection further in the next mortal
existence, we make additional progress. Now, if
each of us had begun our spiritual awakening
simultaneously; in other words, if each of us,
about the same time, had sought to know how
to direct Cosmic principles and command natures
forces, as it was intended we should, each would
realize success in the same incarnation, and during
some earthly span there would then flourish
thousands, perhaps millions, of adepts, as a climax
of a long period of evolution. Instead, however,
in reality, this evolution is graduated throughout
time. In each Age there are only a few who
attain perfection. The rest are in various degrees
of personal spiritual development and in the
spiritual development and in the mastery of Cos
mic principles. However, the reward for study
and personal development is not a final act in
some remote future age. Each personal effort is
compensated for by a real achievement. The
finally and completely enlightened personality
constitutes true mystical adeptship and that is
the greatest gift, but there are many lesser suc
cesses, splendid ones, that can come during each
incarnation. The rewards for our personal at
tainments increase in direct proportion to our
inner expansion.
Now, as to miraclesone of us in the state of
adeptship would not think miraculous the work
of a neophyte, but the neophyte in turn looks
upon the work of the masters as such. W e use
the terms, neophyte, postulant, and adept in our
Rosicrucian teachings in relation to the physical
degrees of the Order through which the student

Page 26
passes in one lifetime of study; but so far as his
soul expression, his development of the self is
concerned, he may, though an adept in the degrees intellectually, be actually for that entire
incarnation just a neophyte Cosmically. Thus,
no matter how hard he strives during this incarnation, such a student cannot bring forth the results
of a Rosicrucian adept.
Should he be discouraged, should he believe
that the Order has been over-zealous in its assertions, or has traduced facts? The member should
not measure his progress by what lies ahead, but
by how far he has come. The future can be the
incentive to draw him forward, but he should
take courage and find enthusiasm in what he can
now do or now knows, that was not possible be
fore, or of which he was once ignorant.
A student in the First Temple degree does not
want to measure his success in Rosicrucianism by
what a N inth Degree member may be able to
accomplish. He wants to compare his ability now
with when he was in the First Neophyte Degree.
W hat you do may not be amazing or startling,
in comparison with what someone in advance of
you can accomplish, but if you have applied your'
self you may be proud of your results, when
compared with yourself six months, a year, or
two years ago. Take encouragement from each
degree of success attained, not discouragement
from those who are in advance of you. W hen
you scale a mountain, you do not lament that
those who started hours ahead of you have arrived
on the summit when you are but one-third of
the way up in your ascent. Instead, you turn
and look at the valley far below, from which you
came, and you derive a sense of satisfaction from
the application of your physical powers and you
resolutely set forth again, eventually to join those
who have gone before you.
The value of the Rosicrucian teachings exists
in what they have done and are doing for you
now, not what they have done for someone else.
Suppose in this incarnation you may not ever
be able to do the things John Jones or Mary
Smith can, it matters not, if each day you are
personally growing in ability, in the mastery of
self and your affairs, and if you are conscious
of it. Let us presume that a man is weak and
puny from improper diet and regulation of his
living habits, and lack of exercise; he begins a
system of instruction embracing physical culture
and dietetics. He continually applies himself to
all of the provisions of the instructions. As weeks
pass, he senses a new-found vigor and vitality, a
stamina that provides him with an endurance,
making possible greater labors. He notices with
pride the filling out of his body with solid tissue,
and a considerable increase in his muscular development. Physical and mental feats, once be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

yond him, are now facile. He all too well realizes

how deplorable was his former conditionphysi'
cally and mentally. He now has a deep satisfaction in the advancement made, and a feeling of

devotion to the system which made it possible.

All during this time, he is quite aware that

there exist physical giants, superb athletes with
physiques and physical powers that he might
never attain. If he is a rational man, would he
abandon as false the system that has made him
what he is, because he is not another Sandow or
Charles Atlas? He would realize that perhaps
he has not devoted sufficient time to his exercise
to be as they, and that perhaps he is not physically
endowed by nature, in this incarnation, so as ever
to have a physique such as theirs. Consequently,
each Rosicrucian member, in his way, in proportion to the development his soul personality has
made in this incarnation, can bring about miracles
in his own life. If by miracles we mean, as we
should, astounding results from the intelligent
application of Cosmic principles. X.

Psychic Experiences and T heir Meaning

A soror from Canada asks this Forum a ques
tion that sounds like an echo of thousands of
similar questions received from various parts of
the world. She says: I frequently have expert
ences of a psychic or Cosmic nature, which are
very inspiring and thrill me for days, but I would
like to be sure that my understanding of their
content is correct.1
No one likes to be deceived, likewise no one
wants to delude himself, so persons are wont,
where a conclusion is not apodictical, to have it
confirmed by others. W e say confirmed, because
persons are reluctant to disregard an opinion
merely because it does not conform to someone
elses. Most empirical experiences that can be had
are, in so far as their general circumstances are
concerned, perceived uniformly by all men and
women and interpreted alike. In the details that
are related, however, there may exist a great
variation. This variation is due principally to
powers of observation, analytical ability, and the
control of the faculty of imagination.
A dozen persons, for example, may witness an
automobile accident on a main thoroughfare, in
which several persons may be severely injured.
Even a few minutes after the accident, when
these persons are perhaps being interrogated by
police offiicers, their descriptions of the accident
would not only vary, but probably be opposed.
One may hold that one driver was the cause of
the accident, and another, the other. One witness
would perhaps say that one car was stationary,
others might say that both cars were in motion.
A month or six months after the accident, the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

versions become more extraneous to the actual

facts, due to the memory of some of the witnesses.
All will agree, however, that an automobile acci
dent occurred and that they were present as w it
nesses. On the other hand, a psychic experience,
in the majority of instances, is one that is had by
the individual alone. There are hardly ever any
tell-tale evidences of it remaining, that can be
gone over and examined rationally or studiously,
nor would it be advisable to do so.
A n experience is anything from a single sensa
tion to a complex group of them, of which the
mind is conscious. The foundation of all of our
knowledge empirical or internal, exists in con
sciousness. I do not mean by that that the con
sciousness is the cause of thought, but rather it
is the cause of knowledge, our perceptions, ideas,
and concepts. Physical and psychical impressions
alike produce sensations, which, in the association
areas of our cortex, become our knowledge. Con
cisely then a psychic experience is the perception
by the consciousness of psychical impressions, as
contrasted to those which are perceived objective
ly, or which have an organic origin, such as the
sensations of internal fevers, pressures, or pains.
A still further distinction must be made. Em
pirical sensations, those received from without,
can be had simultaneously, consisting of a number
of separate elements which are not directly re
lated, are in fact, separate ideas, and the reason
subsequently, in a matter of seconds or hours,
synthesises them into one complex conception.
For example, we may be passing a bank on the
opposite side of the street, when suddenly a man
with a small black satchel hurriedly leaves the
entrance and bolts into a waiting car. A few
seconds later a loud gong on the front of the
building rings, and through the doors of the bank
and out into the street rush many people shouting
and gesticulating wildly. These are in and by
themselves detached incidents and experiences.
W e actually perceive no direct connection be
tween the man leaving the bank, gong ringing,
the people following later, and the shouting. By
the process of inductive reasoning, however, from
these particular circumstances, we reach the con
clusion, drawn from past experiences actually had
or acquired through reading, that a bank robbery
has been committed.
A psychic experience may be very complex,
consist of numerous incidents and actions occur
ring simultaneously in a logical sequence, as in
' an empirical experience, but the reason is not
obliged to draw conclusions as to the meaning.

The meaning of the experience is had by the consciousness as soon as the experience begins. W hat

you perceive psychically merely verifies the con

cept which you immediately have. To illustrate,
it is as though you read a synopsis of a play just

Page 27

as the first act was beginning; thereafter as each

character came upon the stage, or as it progressed,
you would understand fully the significance of
what was occurring. You would know what the
eventual climax would be, and yet watching the
performance would make the entire meaning more
impressive to you.
W e see in this, therefore, no possibility for
errors of reasoning. You can no more change the
true meaning of the psychic experience had than
you could change the story of a play with your
reason, after you had seen it enacted, according
to the program synopsis. W e may, after medi
tating upon the psychic experience, not like our
conception, the meaning given to us. W e may
personally prefer something else, but we cannot
alter one iota the significance given at the time.
The meaning is insuperable. If we have an ex
perience during the sleeping state, for example,
which is pussling to us, no matter how forceful it
may be in consciousness* no matter how deeply it
affects us emotionally, if we are obliged when we
awaken to analyse it to make it plausible, to at
tempt to derive some meaning from it, it is not
psychical, but is a subjective phenomenon, such
as a dream.
Psychic experiences may be suddenly truncated,
as though more could follow, or possibly should,
and yet you will, if they are true psychic ex
periences, have a thorough comprehension of
what occurred, as said, from the beginning to the
conclusion. Such experiences, in all probability,
will be extended or continued at a later time.
Like chapters in a book, each in and by itself will
be complete and cogent. Most persons give too
little thought to these distinctions between dreams
and superstitious beliefs associated with them, and
true psychic experiences. A psychic experience is
never terrifying, horrible, dangerous, or injurious.
There are various kinds of psychic experiences, of
course, which may be considered by this Forum at
a future time. Reception of projected thought,
telepathic communications, and the result of
hyperesthesia are often termed psychic experi
ences, but actually they really belong to the realm
of subjective phenomena, and are not Cosmic in
origin. A Cosmic experience may admonish us,
even be prophetic of a serious loss, or of the pass
ing of a dear one, and yet it will be accompanied
by that enlightenment of the Cosmic purpose that
will fortify us and prevent hysteria, though grief
may occur at the time of the actual transition.
A n experience, as has already been said, is the
consciousness of one or many sensations. They
may be auditory, tactile, and visual, or, in fact,
may embrace all of the qualities of our physical
senses. The same applies to the psychic experi
ences. W e may seem to see the incidents, or we
may see, hear, and feel them, or may even psy

Page 28

chically taste and smell objects. The experience,

however, whether visual or auditory, may be very
simple; it may consist of just a symbol or a brilliant golden triangle, or a rosy cross. It need not
always be an elaborate one consisting of persons
or scenes. It may even be the utterance of a
word, a strange word, one never heard or seen
before. Nevertheless, concomitant with the e%'
perience the meaning of it will arise in the
consciousness.
W e have practically answered the question, so
far, of what these psychic experiences mean.
They mean, in other words, whatever significance
was communicated to the recipient at the time.
This is not an attempt to evade an answer to the
question, but it is fact. W e have said that people,
in not understanding the above principles, are apt
to confuse them with dreams. Likewise some per"
sons are superstitiously inclined; they consult
dream books, which are printed by the thousands
and which sell for from 5c to $5.00, and which
are intended for the gullible to read, to find an
explanation for their dreams. In such books, an
attempt is made to give highly fantastic inter'
pretations of the different kinds of dreams had by
people, regardless of who and where they are.
The only truth associated with dreams is the
physiological and psychological causes of them
they actually augur or portend nothing.
The various differences in the personal evolu'
tion of persons, causes each, at various times dur'
ing his life, to have psychic experiences, each ac'
companied by a message that is auditory or
enacted, and is meant solely for his consciousness.
If each persons thumb print is different, as we
know it is, is it strange, therefore, that such a
faculty as the inner consciousness of an individual
should produce still finer differences in each in'
dividual? These finer differences account for the
personal meanings the individuals derive from
their experiences. To the eye, the strings of a
musical instrument may look alike, but when they
are plucked they produce different notes. Men are
strings of a great instrument, upon which the
Cosmic plays. The pressure applied on oneor
rather the experiences induced in one persons
consciousnesswill not produce the same concepts
in another.
It is dangerous then to try and get someone else
to interpret your psychic experiences for you. W e
say dangerous, because you are apt to become con'
fused if you try to relate your inner understand'
ing of the experiences with the guesses or per'
sonal interpretations of another. Some believe
that because another may be more psychically ad'
vanced than they are that that person is an
authority on psychic experiences. Such reasoning
is absurd for it is not predicated upon a knowl'
edge of Cosmic principles.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

To use an analogy to show how illogical it is,

if you have a cutaneous pain, which your con'
sciousness projects to and causes you to realise
as being upon the surface of your hand, and
which you rub to relieve it, need you ask another,
no matter how great a physician he may be,
whether you actually feel the pain on the back
of your hand, and whether you imagine it exists
there?hardly. You may not know how to rid
yourself of it, but you certainly know your per'
sonal interpretation of the sensation as a pain is
correct, and that you are aware of it in the area
which you point out. Then, likewise we say,
accept your own interpretation of your psychic
experiences, and only your own, the ones which
you have while they are occurring, not ideas
formed later while going over the experience in
your mind, or after comparing it with the
opinions of erstwhile authorities on the subject.
The person who tells you he can interpret your
psychic impression rightly, makes an imposter of
himself by that very statement. If, instead, he
says: According to my personal interpretations,
if I had the experience I would believe that it
meant so'and'so, he is at least honest in his state'
ments, but still the significance he attaches to your
experience will never be half as convincing and
reassuring as your own, because the Cosmic
wanted you to do the interpreting, and not some'
one else.
The only exception, if it may be called such,
to all of the above is what may be termed col'
lective experiences, where a group of people, for
a Cosmic reason, will be made to each have an
experience a psychic revelation at the same
time, and of the same nature, and consequently
each will have the same conception of it. One
well versed in Rosicrucianism and in the progress
students should make, can tell by the kind of ex'
periences another has whether he is advancing
and evolving, but he cannot give, with any as'
surance, a reliable explanation of the meaning of
the students personal Cosmic experience.X.

Study H ints
A frater brings to our FORUM this problem
and question: Study is easier said than done.
A re there any methods that we who profess to
be students can use to make study, not necessarily
more simple, but more effectual? For myself, I
desire to study, but find I have so many mental
disturbances, things that annoy me, that I waste
much valuable time in preparing for concen'
tration.
Study is a combination of observation and
analysis. It is obvious that one must see that
which he is to study, but observation alone is not
sufficient. For analogyin a stroll after dinner
on some warm summer evening, we observe many
things: children playing, dogs chasing each other,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

other strollers, passing cars, persons seated in

front of their homes on lawns. W e equally have
auditory and olfactory impressions. W e hear dis'
tant train whistles, voices of persons talking in
the shadows of some cool garden. W e smell the
scent of flowers and moist earth. However, two
days later, we cannot definitely recall any of the
experiences of the evenings stroll, the reason be'
ing that we merely casually observed, we didnt
study the conditions we encountered. W hen we
study, we hold a thing in our consciousness not
just to observe it, but to analyze it, to examine it
carefully until its nature is known to us, or until
we believe we thoroughly comprehend it.
If ours is visual study, then it requires visual
concentration. W e focalize our consciousness up'
on the thing, making the consciousness sensitive
to the impressions received by the eye, and that
come from the thing being studied. Through
volition, we not only make our other senses dor'
mant, or nearly so, by excluding their impressions,
but we will permit no other visual impressions
to enter our consciousness, which are not related
to that which is being studied. In addition to
registering the impressions of the thing observed,
we absorb the concepts of our conclusions, the
result of analyzing the thing observed. For ex'
ample, if we read the question, in conjunction
with some study: W hat animal looks like a
horse, but has its body covered with dark brown
bands?, to our minds would come the answer
a zebra. This deduction, the result of thought,
would have become as much a part of the study
factors and be as important as the question which
we read. A mere observation of the question,
without the subsequent thought, would not ad'
duce the answer. W hen we study something,
therefore, we combine what we see with a
thorough understanding of it, and we become
as conscious of the understanding as we do of the
visual impressions.
Concisely then, to study is to \now a thing as
well as just to perceive it. If when we study we
are not contemplating as well as perceiving, we
are not studying at all, and our reading will do us
little good. Too many persons confuse reading
with studying. One who reads may be far from
being a student. The process of reading is a tool,
an important one of course, but nevertheless just
a tool employed by the student. As everyone who
uses a hammer is not a carpenter, so readers are
not all students. Ordinarily when we read a
newspaper we are not studying, we are just let'
ting the words, which are symbols of thoughts,
form ideas in our consciousness. W e are not
stressing any one word or idea more than the
other. Our consciousness is definitely in a passive
state. Our concentration is not upon the ideas
but the words. If we remember one account of

Page 29

the many we may read in the daily newspaper

more than another, it is because its ideas, through
association, have aroused other ideas in our mem'
ory, which we previously had and which engender
emotions or sentiments that cause that particular
account to be remembered. If there is nothing
particularly exciting or interesting in the daily
newspaper, which means nothing that corresponds
to our likes or dislikes, or arouses our emotions,
we will never remember the next day what we
read in it. All of this, we repeat, is because we
read, not study the newspapers. If we read the
newspaper with the intent of relating its contents
to another, then we would concentrate on the
ideas so that we would be certain to understand
them and each impression would be registered
in our consciousness.
All of the above then constitutes study. The
two principal factors are perception and contem'
plation. A student can test himself easily. W hen
you have finished reading some study matter, if
you cannot repeat audibly, or even inaudibly, to
yourself what you have read, you havent truly
studied it. It is not necessary to memorize the
words, but the ideas should be firmly fixed in
your consciousness, and you should know what
you have read, not the exact words, but the
thoughts conveyed to you by the writer or author.
Persons who do considerable light reading, such
as popular fiction, magazines, novels, or just daily
newspaper accounts, depreciate their power of
concentration. Such reading requires no concen'
tration; the ideas just reach the threshold of con'
sciousness and no further; they remain just long
enough to be woven by the author into a pattern
of circumstances, and the conclusion is formed
by the author himself for the reader. The reader
is required to use no powers of analysis or reason,
just to observe, to see. He forms a lazy reading
habit; his eyes skim words and pick up surface
ideas. If they are not easily perceivable and com'
prehensive, he passes on, forgetting instantaneous'
ly the words read . W hen such a person is obliged
to read a text which requires contemplation,
where he must provide the answer himself and
form the words into ideas, the result of his own
interpretations, he is either confused or annoyed,
or both, and it seems very difficult to him. Such
readers like to coast through literature instead
of walking or climbing through it.
It requires a little more work to study, but the
satisfaction is so much greater, the experiences
remain in your consciousness; you are aware of
your mental expansion, of the \nowledge that
you have acquired, which is a lasting and not
just a momentary pleasure. The more one studies,
the easier it becomes. Good students can eventu'
ally study as easily as one ordinarily just reads.
That sometimes confuses a reader. He observes a

Page 30

student reading a text book, seemingly with as

little effort as he reads a novel, and he thinks the
student is just reading as he does. He doesnt
realise that the student has developed a process
of studying; that is, he doesnt realise it until he
attempts it himself. Students have trained their
objective powers so that they simultaneously ana'
lyse, contemplate, and comprehend as they
observe.
It is not unusual to hear a person say: I read
and reread the page over and over, and I could
not remember what I had read. Such a state'
ment reveals poor concentration. Never pass on
to another paragraph until the meaning of the
present one is known to you. Psychologically we
can be aware of only one thing at a time. This
does not often seem true, because we think we
are hearing or observing two or more things at a
time, but in reality our consciousness is just rapid'
ly alternating from one group of impressions to
another. Such rapid alternation of our conscious'
ness interferes with concentration and prevents
us from focalising our consciousness on certain
impressions to comprehend and register them
thoroughly.
You must shut out of mind any extraneous
thoughts when studying. You must not listen to
or think of anything not related to the ideas con'
veyed by the text being studied. Reading fast
is of no avail unless the ideas firmly register them'
selves in the mind as you read. It is better to take
an hour to read six pages like these, and remember
the contents, than to read them in fifteen minutes
and one hour later not recall anything you have
read. Since concentration is essential to study,
you must avoid anything that will disturb it.
Some persons have such strong will power that
they can focalise their consciousness so that it
can exclude all impressions, no matter how strong,
except the ones desired. Since most persons do
not possess such powers, it is best to create a
favorable study condition. Motion is a very
strong visual stimulus. It is exceedingly difficult
to concentrate if there are things in motion within
the range of our vision, or which cause changes
of shadow patterns. Motion arouses the instinct
of self'preservation, and we involuntarily look
up to see what is moving. Consequently, do not
sit near a window where persons or cars or any'
thing in motion can be seen, or that will cast
shadows which the eye will discern, for you will
be greatly disturbed. Changing electric signs that
cause an increase or diminishing in light are dis'
turbing as well.
T ry also to isolate yourself from sounds that
command attention. Footsteps going up and down
stairs or along a hallway, or indistinct voices in
another room prevent concentration. Further try

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and have the room temperature as near seventy

degrees as possible. Heat and cold stimuli inter'
fere with concentration, as do any somatic irrita'
tions, such as tight clothes, shoes, collars, vests;
physical incapacities, even of a minor nature, such
as headaches, toothaches, or chapped skin also
prevent study. Create an environment that will
have an agreeable atmosphere, if it is at all pos'
sible. T our sanctum can be very simple, even a
small closet'like room with simple furniture, or
practically no furniture at all can be made con'
ducive to study. W e repeat, the plainer the room
the better. A n elaborately furnished room sug'
gests to the mind a trend of ideas, and it causes
the concentration to deviate from the matter at
hand. A sudent finds himself constantly obliged
to bring his attention back to that with which he
is concerned. Books, terrestrial globes, maps, a
good painting, in fact all of that which by its
nature suggests contemplation and a studious attv
tude of mind form an ideal surrounding. That
is why when we enter a public or private library
we feel inclined toward reading and contempla'
tion.
Study is a habit. The more we study the more
effortless and effectual it becomes. Like all habits,
it is dependent upon repetitiondoing it over
and over again. Further, the more we study the
more we enjoy it. Whereas study at first, may
seem laborious and something from which the
mind strives to escape, later when the habit is
definitely established, to miss a study night or
period finds one disturbed and ill at ease. Ma\e
up your mind to study and not just read, and find
out how much more benefit you will derive from
the process.X.

Light and Sound Vibrations

A reference is made in the earlier degrees to
the fact that music might be considered a uni'
versal language, because anyone, regardless of his
speech or native tongue, can understand music to
a certain extent.
I presume it was this reference that brought a
Frater to raise the question as to why music is a
universal language. W hy, for example, can an
individual understand any music without explana'
tioneither comprehensively or partiallyany
more than he could understand any language
without explanation? The question resolves itself
into a consideration of many factors. In the first
place, we know that the perception of all things
through our physical senses is based upon vibra'
tions. Vibrations, we might state, are the com'
ponent parts of all things. Insofar as Rosicrucian
terminology is concerned, we call the vibrations
that bring about matter, spirit, and these spirit

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

vibrations exist throughout the universesome of

them perceptible to animal and man, and some
not.
Those who have studied the chart that accom'
panies one of the lessons of the early Temple
degrees are familiar with the fact that when the
entire scope of vibrations is considered, compare
tively few lie within the range of human percept
tion. By that we mean that our five physical
senses are attuned to certain types of vibrations.
W hen vibrations of a certain wave length reach
the ear they are translated by the brain into
sound. W hen other vibrations reach the eye we
are conscious of light and are able to see. The
same is true with the other physical senses, but it
must be remembered always that the vibrations
that lie outside, between, before, or beyond the
vibrations that we perceive with our physical
senses are just as truly existent as those which we
perceive.
Take the sense of sight, for example. The color
of the lowest vibratory frequency that we perceive
is red, but in the field of therapeutics and pho'
tography, citing these as two illustrations, infra'
redthe vibrations of light just below our field
of perceptionis known to exist and have certain
useful qualities. The same applies to vibrations
above the sense of sight, such as ultraviolet and
X'ray. W e have some knowledge of their be'
havior, but we do not perceive them directly; we
perceive only certain effects. The fact that must
be borne in mind is that the sense organs act only
as recipients of vibrations which are transmitted
to our brain, and we perceive in our consciousness
the effect of these vibrations.
During the Rose'Croix University session re'
cently completed, a local doctor who had been
invited to address the student body on the subject
of sight, and perception of light and color, pointed
out a very significant fact for Rosicrucians; that
is, that even though the eye is a very sensitive
organ for the perception of those vibrations which
are transmitted into light, we do not see with the
eyewe see with the mind. It is only when those
vibrations which are received by the eye are trans'
mitted to the brain that the sensation of sight
becomes known. This doctor illustrated the point
very well by telling the experiences of a young
man of unusually high intelligence who had been
blind since birth and by surgical operation became
able to see at about his eighteenth or nineteenth
year. Even though his eyes functioned normally,
or approximately so, he was unable to see because
his mind had not been trained to use those vibra'
tions. For example, he had no idea of the percep'
tion of space. W hen looking out of a window, he
could not understand why he could not touch the
buildings across the street; he could only per'
ceive space by looking through it. Also, when

Page 3 1

a foot ruler and a yardstick were laid on a table

before him, and he was told they were both there,
he could not distinguish which was the foot ruler
and which was the yardstick by looking at them;
he had to feel them. In other words, although
he saw them as well as you or I, he had not
learned yet to see with his mind, and the fact
is that he is still being trained by those capable
of doing so to coordinate all his perceptive facul'
ties in his mind and consciousness in order to be
able to use them.
Now we have deviated from the original sub'
ject in order to discuss vibrations that we per'
ceive. W hat has been said concerning the eye
applies to the ear, and what we hear can be classi'
fied into two factorsnoise and tone. The vibra'
tions producing those two factors are those which
register upon the nerve'endings of the ear. W hat
makes the ear sensitive to vibrations of noises and
tone can no more be determined than it can be
determined why the eye is sensitive to vibrations
of light, but because the ear is so built as to per'
ceive these two factors, man can interpret tone
and noise on the basis of his experience.
Now speech is a combination of the two. It
is artificial, man'made, and thereby we understand
why man must learn speechbecause he must
learn the combinations of tones and noises that
have combined to give man a medium of expres'
sion through the vocal cords. Tone, on the other
hand, is recognized by the ear and accepted by
the mind without explanation. Surely tone must
be closely related to some higher vibrations; not
in that they are high vibrations in the technical
sense, but they have affinity with vibrations that
exist on another plane, because even from the
most simple aborigines to the most highly civilized
of men, the tendency has been to express emo'
tions in terms of music. Some of the most primi'
tive music carries melody and tone quality, be'
cause it is mans true reaction to conditions about
him. Therefore, all who enjoy music find certain
inspiration and relaxation in it, and where it is
enjoyed it should be cultivated because it is con'
ducive to mans general well being.
This has not been an attempt to cover the sub'
ject of vibrations of sight or auditory perception
thoroughly, but it does open a field of thought
for all who are interested in this subject.A.

H E H U M A N BODY, though composed of the elements of the earth, is infused with

an ethereal force. T he mass of matter of which man is, when so infused, becomes a
vibrant, self conscious being. Through environment, wrong thinking and abuse of
natural laws, discordance may arise in the body of man. These disorders disturb the material,
chemical nature of man, producing DISEASE and ILL H EA LTH . BEYOND M A TTER , in
man, is this life force perfect in nature, undisturbed by physical abuse. This Cosmic power
when properly directed HEALS and repairs the body in which it resides. It is this PO W ER
that man M U ST D EPEND U PO N for recovery of health.

T h e A rt o f A b sen t H ea lin g
Physicians of every school of therapeutics are especially trained to aid in the prevention, of
abuse to the body of man. They are also proficient in preparing the body for its return to
healthy normalcy. The actual curative element, however, is the Cosmic force that flows through
the body. The direction of this force in an intelligent way is completely outlined in the
SIX T H GRADE of the Rosicrucian studies. For the benefit of the many Rosicrucian students
who have not as yet attained this grade and? who are especially interested in the Rosicrucian sys
tem of ABSENT H EALIN G, we offer the brochure, The A rt of Absent Healing. This per
mits the early grade student to have a working knowledge of this subject until he receives the
complete studies pertaining to healing. Even the student beyond the S IX T H GRADE will
find this simplified brochure of GREAT HELP. It is clearly written and easily understood.

For R osicracians Only

T he brochure, The A rt of Absent Healing, will not be sold to anyone other than a
Rosicrucian, AM ORC, student. A careful check of ail orders received will be made. The
brochure is well printed and nominally priced to cover printing, postage and clerical expense
only. I t is a helpful guide to every student of healing so do not fail
to procure a copy. It is priced within the reach of every Rosicrucian at
Do not ^ postage itamps.

O nlv 2 0 c

R O SIC R U C IA N S U P P L Y B U R E A U
SA N JOSE, CA LIFO RN IA, U. S. A.
R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S . L T D . , SA N J O S E , C A L I F .

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

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 34

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

Rosicrucians of the Americas who journey

abroad, particularly to the countries of Europe,
upon their return have often reproached the
Order because of its inaccessibility in those lands.
Frequently they have related that their faith in
the Rosicrucian Order had been severely strained
by the surreptitious methods employed by the
Fraternity in the countries they visited. W hen
speaking to anyone, some have said, about the
whereabouts of the Lodge or its principal officers,
the listener would shrug his shoulders, stare off in
the distance, avoiding the speaker's eyes, and ob'
viously evading the divulging of any information.
This, admittedly, is most vexing, but it is not in'
tended to be insulting, a display of indifference
to the entreaty, or a playing with the emotions
and patience of the inquirer. Frankly, it is an
innate caution, born of personal experiences or
ones that have been related.
In most of the countries of Europe, England
and the Scandinavian lands excepted, even for
years before the rise to power of the present
ideologies, freedom was a much qualified status
for the average citizen. The word meant one
thing, in fact, as we interpret it, but the applica'
tion of it to the lives of the citizens meant quite
another. However, no man or woman who wishes
to be a part of society, of a progressive and civi'
li^ed congregation of individuals, can ever expect
to enjoy, or even experience, complete freedom
of speech, religion, assembly, and choice of action.
Even in our great democracies, where the freedom
of man is vaunted the loudest, it has very notice'
able restrictions. W e cannot speak or write as we
may be inclined about another without eventually
encountering the libel laws of a state, and being
sued for defamation of character. W e cannot
become too vitriolic in our condemnation of what
we may consider to be unjust governmental poli'
cies and law enforcements without treading dan'
gerously close to the line of seditious language.
W e cannot assemble where and when we want
without often obtaining police permits. Then
again, we are entirely forbidden from assembling
some places under any circumstances. If we in'
sist, we risk a charge against us of illegal entry,
possibly unlawful trespass or disturbing the peace.
However, we of the democracies insist that we
are still a free people. It is because we still have
the good judgment to be able to distinguish be'
tween a hyperbolic freedom and a necessarily
qualified one. W e each relinquish to the state
some of our own freedom, so that it may have

V
enough power to enforce the most essential re'
quirements of our desired independence. A d'
mittedly, it is a problem of how much personal
freedom we must relinquish to the state to pro'
tect what we have left from violation by our
fellows.
In Europe for many decades the individuals
personal freedom has been skeletal. The meat has
been taken over entirely by the state. In most of
the countries on the continent of Europe, reli'
gious freedom was a guarantee the individual was
to receive in consideration of certain lesser free'
doms he transferred to the state. Under the gen'
eral heading of this religious freedom was the
right to affiliate with secret societies, clubs, fra'
ternities and orders which were not seditious
or, in some instances, not political or immoral in
their precepts or practicesand which did not
disturb the peace of the community. Generally
this is the same extent of authority granted
Americans, but in most of the countries of Europe
it has been a sham law. Members of mystical,
occult and fraternal orders, it is true, were per'
mitted to meet. The membership would assemble
and hold sessions, and the individuals would not
be imprisoned for so doing, but they would be
harassed, and this harassing of the affiliates would
eventually amount to a persecution.
W ith most of the nations of Europe, the separ'
ation of state and church has been a formal de'
cree on the statute books, and an outward sem'
blance of the independence of both. In fact, how'
ever, the political reins were held by church
dignitaries or their avowed agents. These coad'
jutors were assigned key positions where they
could keep under surveillance those whose atti'
tudes or lives were not entirely compatible with
ecclesiastical policies. In other words, these
agents occupied positions of trust, in the post
office, customs, health and police departments, as
well as supervising the circulation and accession
of the books of public libraries. Secret societies
and fraternal orders such as the Rosicrucians, the
Freemasons, the Martinists, the Hermetic and
Esoteric brotherhoods, were definitely considered
by the church as heretic bodies, and by their very
existence, no matter how innocuous their conduct,
a menace, possibly not to the institution but to
certain of its dogmas. Every form of their pro'
selyting was considered competitive. A n edict
prohibiting the functioning of these orders and
societies by the state during more recent times
would have been untimely, lacking in diplomacy,
for it would have been considered an arrogant
form of suppression. Such an act would have put

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the ecclesiastics in a position of displaying in'

justice. Consequently, more subtle methods were
employed. Any person who was a government
employee for example, in the customs depart'
mentwho was so indiscreet as to wear an in'
signia or emblem of his fraternal membership,
which identified him with one of these societies,
was discharged, no matter how competent, for
some non'existent fault or some act of negligible
consequence. The fact that it was because of his
affiliation with some order was never openly de'
clared or written, but the inferences always
caused the discharged employee to know the real
motive. There was no military censorship of the
mails, but there was a secret analysis and inspec'
tion of the exterior of the envelopes as to the
source and point of origin of their contents.
Nothing definite could be pointed to, revealing
this secret censorship, but the circumstantial evi'
dence made it very obvious. Members of frater'
nal orders holding political or other positions of
importance which could be controlled by the
statewhich in turn was influenced by the reli'
gious powersand who were so naive as to con'
tinue to receive correspondence in envelopes
bearing the symbols or name of the fraternal
order not favored by these church dignitaries,
eventually paid the price of their negligence.
Demotion or discharge was inevitable.
This is not an assumption or a bigoted state'
ment. This is a matter of personal experience and
knowledge. The writer recalls his visit to Vienna
a few years ago. He had an appointment with a
high officer of the Rosicrucian Order of Austria.
He visited his home, which was in one of the
large residential districts of the city. It was a
modest apartment containing many windows and
walls which were quite apparently anything but
absolutely soundproof. Whenever he attempted
to discuss intimate matters pertaining to the af'
fairs of the Order in that country this Rosicru'
cian would say, W e will discuss that later, not
here, please. In the afternoon, when walking
through one of the large parks of the city, he
suddenly stopped before a bench, the approaches
to which were all quite visible for a considerable
distance. Here, he said, we can speak quite
freely. I dare not chance, he continued, being
overheard, for fear I will sacrifice my position if
I am. In private life he was an important gov'
ernment employee. N ot only were government
employees who were Rosicrucians, Freemasons or
Martinists so affected, but also individuals in
private business. A retail merchant who inad'
vertently let it be known that he was a member
of one of these orders or their allied movements
found himself suddenly boycotted. His business
would decrease to a point where, if he did not
move to another city, he would be ruined. His

Page 35

leaving the city was no guarantee of protection,

for his reputation as a member of a fraternal
order would in some mysterious way follow him,
and he would experience a repetition of the same
unfortunate events.
As for the lodge quarters in a city, no realtor
or owner of property would risk renting or sell'
ing his property to one of the fraternal orders
such as named above, if he knew it was to be used
by them. And yet, we repeat, in those countries
there was no official ban on the existence of these
fraternal orders. The lodges frequently, if they
rented their premises, had to conceal their true
activities behind a false front. In the front part
of the building would be perhaps a cafe or book'
store or some other small retail establishment.
Behind it, in one of the adjoining rooms, perhaps
unknown to the patronage, would be the chamber
in which the temple or lodge room was arranged.
Then there was always the danger that the flow
of persons in and out on the occasion of convoca'
tions or ceremonies might arouse suspicion. The
writer also recalls that in one of the Rosicrucian
lodges which he visited on the continent of
Europe, not more than three of us, at one time,
were permitted to enter the front of the establish'
ment behind which the lodge was located. A
period of a few minutes would have to elapse
before another two or three members would dare
to enter. There was no such thing as a large in'
gress or egress of members. If there had been, it
would only have meant that the place would be
investigated by the police. The police would, of
course, ascertain that it was a legitimate order
and legally its membership would have a right to
meet and to hold convocations. However, some
time after his report had been filed with his su'
periors, the insidious campaign would begin.
Members of the order would actually be shadow'
ed, as if they were criminals, so that their resi'
dences could be determined; or boldly, on some
excuse, the entire roster of names and files of the
order would be seized. A few weeks later they
would be returned, with an official apology, but
the damage would have been done. All the names
of the membership would have been secured and
transferred to those whose duty it would be to
harass them, and eventually would come, for the
individuals, discharge from employment, boycott
of business or trade, and ostracization.
Outwardly these nations of people were free,
and they were taking their place among the na'
tions of free people throughout the world. Today
there is no attempt at concealment of the sup'
pression. The world conflagration that exists has
become license to disregard any pretext of toler'
ance. Americans, for example, hear of the cur'
rent brazen suppression and they presume that it
is a new outrage committed by the present mili'

Page 36

tary oppressors. It is, in fact, but a continuation

of the attempt to suppress light, brought out into
the open. It is not even really another example
of history repeating itself, for the suppression has
never entirely ceased. The most we can say is
that history is repeating itself insofar as the outward display of the attack and suppression is con'
cerned. The recent edict by the French Govern'
ment at Vichy, disorganizing and banning the
Rosicrucians, Freemasons, and all secret societies
throughout France, is only the outward positive
expression of what has been indirectly and sur'
reptitiously conducted for years. The difference
between now and before the edict is that at pres'
ent the followers will be imprisoned, if they meet.
Is it any wonder, therefore, that AM O RC mem'
bers who have visited the countries of Europe in
the past have found it difficult to locate Rosicni'
cian Temples, officers and members?
To be a member of the Rosicrucian Order has
always required courage, since the time of its in'
ception. It has never been an association for those
weak in will. It has and does take courage to
oppose ignorance, ridicule, derision and stagnant
conservatism which look upon progress as a hos'
tility to ease. The nominally interested Rosicru'
cian member has always been eliminated early in
his affiliation. He has been easily influenced by
what people say who are not in sympathy with
the Order. He wants to avoid such embarrass'
ment. He does not want to seem to be different
from others because he is a member. He is afraid
to meet such dangers as may arise because he hap'
pens to be a member. Such Rosicrucians are of
little value to themselves, as they have not the
courage of their convictions, and they are more
than useless to the Order for they are most un
dependable in time of emergency or need. Furth'
er, such weak characters could hardly ever con'
tribute anything to the enlightenment of man or
to the glory of the Order. Time after time in re'
cent centuriesit is not necessary to go back into
antiquity for incidents has the Rosicrucian
Order come under an edict, religious or political,
or both, of banishment and expulsion, because its
powers for accomplishment, for the dissemination
of knowledge, were feared. In the year 1735 it
was outlawed by the Dutch States when the
Sovereign was persuaded by ecclesiastical author'
ities to ban its activities. In 1737 the dissolute
and pampered Louis XV had the Order banned
in France and French Possessions. A year later,
in 1738, Pope Clemente XII issued a bull of ex'
communication from the Church for all who
were associated with the Rosicrucians in any
capacity. Pope Benedict X IV renewed the bull of
Clemente XII. In 1740, the Council of Berne,
Switzerland, likewise prohibited the Rosicrucian
Order in that country.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It is interesting to note, in connection with

this, the origin of the phrase Sub Rosa, which,
literally translated, means under the rose. This
term definitely had its provenance in certain
Rosicrucian activities during the middle of the
Seventeenth Century when there was much op'
position to the Order after it had publicly pro'
claimed itself in such tracts as the Fama Fra'
ternitatis, Fama Confessio, and the Chymical
Marriage. The meeting places of the brethren
had to be changed frequently and kept very
secret. W hen one of the brethren wished to meet
with his fellows or the Master wished to com'
municate something to the members, a wreath of
roses, as a sign, would be hung above a table or
on the back of a chair in the tavern which was
often the general public meeting place. The
brethren would assemble in some room closeted
off from the general public. From the center of
the room would be suspended a rose, or frequent'
ly the Rosy Cross emblem. Beneath it the Master
or member would impart to another or others his
message. Being communicated under the rose
meant that it was a secret communication; hence
the term Sub Rosa.
Let it be realized that the forces of darkness,
oppression and suppression welcome every na'
tional or international situation as an opportunity
by which, under one guise or another, they may
gain their malevolent ends. Fear of war or in'
ternal corruption always brings as a consequent
among the peoples of a land, or lands, hysteria
or near panic, and mistrust and suspicion of each
other. Under such circumstances it is easy to
accuse an organization or an order of improper
conduct, of which it may be innocent, and cause
excitable peoples to demand its suppression or
disbandment. Peoples minds at such times are
inflamed. Their reason and good judgment are
suspended. Their consciousness is fertile ground
for the insidious whispering campaigns of those
who have reason to suppress fraternal orders and
societies.
The Rosicrucian Order has always prided itself
on being a patriotic body in this and every land
in which it existed, it has always recognized and
supported every government which in turn ex'
pressed the will of the people. A t no time has it
allowed itself to be used as a vehicle for what
may be termed treasonous activities. Consequent'
ly it and all orders and societies of like nature
and conduct have every right to existence. It is
your duty, therefore, ever to be on the alert for
any kind of legistlation which may be introduced
in your country and which may be framed as
patiotic, and on one pretext or another be de'
signed to suppress or suspend the activities of all
duly constituted fraternal orders such as named
above, and those of like nature in your respective
countries. You must know that there would lurk

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 37

behind such legislation a deceptive purpose. It is

your duty, we repeat, to fight to the best of your
ability as a member, or as a sympathizer with such
orders, and as a law-abiding citizen of your country, in behalf of true freedom.
Fraternally,
R alph M . L ewis ,

Imperator.

Johannes Kelpius
A Soror has written questions concerning some
of the very early activities of the Rosicrucians in
the W estern W orld, and particularly concerning
Johannes Kelpius, who was the leader and, in
fact, the head of the organization in this country
when it first came to the W estern W orld in
1694. Johannes Kelpius, from the information
we have concerning him, was truly a mystic. His
abilities were varied, and his zeal to accomplish
the purposes to which he had set himself seems
to have been the most powerful force in his exist
ence. Kelpius was a devout Christian, and in ad
dition to his leadership of the early Rosicrucians
in what is now this country, he was closely con
nected with certain religious activities. In fact,
some historical sources would only recognize him
as a religious leader. However, at that time, as
in all times, Rosicrucianism was not a religion in
itself. However, in many cases its leaders have
been active in certain religious work and, in fact,
leaders in their own denominations. The fact
that Johannes Kelpius was a devout Christian and
a leader of a sect known as Pietists, who because
of restriction of religious worship left Europe and
came to America, does not in any way modify his
work as a Rosicrucian.
It seems from the historical sources to which
we have access that Johann Jacob Zimmerman
was the leader of the group in Germany who de
cided to migrate to Pennsylvania with a group
made up of pietists, among whom were also Rosi
crucians, because they wished to reach a land
where religious worship was unrestricted, and to
establish in the New W orld a nucleus of the
mystic fraternity which they supported. Zimmer
man passed through transition after arrival in
Holland, almost on the eve of their departure to
the New W orld. The leadership of the group
then fell to Johannes Kelpius, who proceeded to
England and later to Pennsylvania. The group
landed in Philadelphia on June 23, 1694 and pro
ceeded to the office of Benjamin Fletcher, who
was the Captain-General of Pennsylvania, for the
purpose of explaining their reasons for coming
through the colony and procuring their permis
sion for establishing themselves in Pennsylvania.
They then proceeded to what was then known as

Germantown, now a section of Philadelphia, to

establish themselves.
As stated before, the activities of the group
were known to the public namely through their
religious affiliations. However, it was well known
among all settlers in provincial Pennsylvania that
they and certain other groups seemed to practice
strange and mystic rites. These rites, of course,
were not explained to the uninitiated and, conse
quently, various conflicting stories in the minds of
those not connected with their activities became
prevalent. W e understand now, of course, that
these so-called rites referred to by outsiders con
stituted the secret work and practices of the
fraternity.
Johannes Kelpius gave all his energy mentally
and physically to the promotion of the work to
which he had dedicated himself. Like many other
mystics, he failed to take into consideration the
limits of his own physical ability. Burning the
candle at both ends, he passed through transition
comparatively young, but from the time he landed
in Americaand probably for years beforehe
had devoted himself to the understanding of those
mystic principles which he felt necessary to bring
to others. W hen or where he was initiated into
the Rosicrucian Fraternity no one knows, al
though he studied and travelled in many parts of
Europe where, at that time, there is good reason
to believe the Rosicrucians were well known.
W e know that it was his practice to give much
time and attention to concentration, meditation,
and contemplation. In fact, he retired to a cave
periodically for such meditation, and that cave,
which I have seen myself, is known as Kelpius
Cave, and still exists in Fairmont Park in
Philadelphia.
There was also built a tabernacle, as it was
called, which to the profane seemed to be only
for the purpose of religious worship, but it is
known that in a section built near the top of the
tabernacle there were astronomical instruments,
and many believe there was also an alchemical
laboratory. Here Kelpius and those closely as
sociated with him studied the laws of the Heavens
and of N ature and consulted all forces of the
universe within their knowledge regarding the
work they should do. Just what their contribu
tions in this research were I am unable to state
at this time.
W e know also that Johannes Kelpius was ex
tremely interested in education and that he not
only instructed or arranged for instruction for
the children of his followers, but he also did
teaching himself and permitted children from
many other groups in Pennsylvania to attend such
instruction. Julius Friedrich Sachse, a member of
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, is one of
the few men who have contributed the result of

Page 38

their research of this mystic group in Pennsylvania. He published a limited edition of a number of boots, most of which are now out of print.
As a result of his research, we know a great deal
concerning the activities of Kelpius and his followers that might otherwise never have been discovered. To point out some of the convictions
and ideals of Kelpius, I am going to quote from
a chapter in Mr. Sachses book, The Pietists of
Provincial Pennsylvania. The beginning of this
quotation is an account which he discovered from
the writings of Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg in
Saxony, who gives an account as submitted to him
of the transition of Kelpius, who was known as
the Magister of the group which he led:
Kelpius among other things was of the firm
belief that he would not die a natural death, and
that his body would not decay, but that he would
be transformed, transfigured, overshadowed and,
like Elijah, be translated bodily into the spiritual
world.
As his last hours drew near and the forerun
ners of dissolution, the Magister spent three long
days and nights in praying to God, struggling
and supplicating that, in his case, the Lord would
receive him bodily as he did Enoch and Elias of
old, and that there might be no actual dissolution,
but that body and soul might remain intact and
be transfigured and received in the flesh.
A t last, on the third day, after a long silence
he ceased his pleadings, and, addressing himself to
his faithful famulus, said: My Beloved Daniel,
I am not to attain that which I aspired unto. I
have received my answer. It is that dust I am,
and to dust I am to return. It is ordained that I
shall die like unto all children of Adam.
Kelpius thereupon handed Geissler a box or
casket, which was well secured and sealed, and
told him to carry it to the Schuylkill, where the
water was deep, and cast it into the river. Geissler
took the casket as far as the river bank, and be
ing of somewhat an inquisitive nature, concluded
to hide the casket until after his masters death,
and then possess himself of the secret of its
contents.
Upon his return Kelpius raised himself up
and, with outstretched hands, pointing to his
famulus, looked him sharply in the eyes, and said:
'Daniel, thou hast not done as I bid thee, nor hast
thou cast the casket into the river, but hast hidden
it near the shore. Geissler, now more than ever
convinced of the occult powers of the dying
Magister, without even stammering an excuse,
hurried to the river bank, and threw the casket
into the water as he was bidden.
The Manuscript goes on to state that as
the mysterious casket touched the water the
Arcanum exploded, and for a time flashes of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lightning and peals like unto thunder came from

out of the water.
W hen Geissler again return to the bedside of
Kelpius at the Tabernacle, the latter told him that
now was accomplished the task he had given him.
A few days after this episode the pious Magister
entered into rest. All tradition seems to agree
that his remains were consigned to a grave within
the orchard or garden belonging to the Taber
nacle over which he had so long and faithfully
presided.
Such of the brethren as were left of the
original Community performed the last rites ac
cording to the impressive ritual of the M ystic
Fraternity. (Ed. Note: Italics ours)
It was shortly before sunset that the cortege
with the bier solemnly filed out of the Saal of the
Tabernacle, the Mystics chanting a solemn De
Profundis, ranging themselves in a circle around
the open grave. The coffin was then placed over
the opening until the orb of day was far down in
the west. As the last rays were seen, at a given
signal from Seelig, who was now Magister, the
body was lowered into the grave. A t the same
instant a snow-white dove was released from a
hamper, and winged its flight heavenward; while
the Brethren looking upward and with uplifted
hands, repeated thrice the invocation: 'God grant
him a blessed resurrection.
The following is a eulogy given of Kelpius,
taken from an old manuscript:
Kelpius, educated in one of the most dis
tinguished Universities of Europe, and having
had advantage of the best resources for the ac
quirement of knowledge, was calculated to edify
and enlighten those who resorted to him for in
formation. He had particularly made great prog
ress in the study of ancient lore, and was quite
proficient in theology. He was intimately ac
quainted with the principal works of the Rabbins,
the Heathen and Stoic philosophers, the Fathers
of the Christian Church, and the Reformers. He
was conversant with the writings of Tertullian,
St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Cyprian, Chry
sostom, Ambrose, Tauler, Eck, Myconius, Carlstadt, Hedio, Faber, Osiander, Luther, Zwingle
and others, whose opinons he would frequently
analyze and expound with much animation. He
was also a strict disciplinarian, and kept attention
constantly directed inwards upon self. To know
self, he contended, is the first and most essential
of all knowledge. Thales the Milesian, he main
tained, was the author of the precept, Know
thyself, which was adopted by Chilo the Lacedomonican, and is one of the three inscriptions
which, according to Pliny, was consecrated at
Delphos by golden letters, and acquired the
authority of a divine oracle; it was supposed to
have been given by Apollo, of which opinion

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Cicero has left a record. He directed a sedulous

watchfulness over the temper, inclinations and
passions, and applauded very much the Counsel
of Marcus Aurelius; Look within; for within is
the fountain of good.*
Thus lived and died Johann Kelpius, the first
Magister of the Theosophical Community on the
Wissahickon, whose history is so filled with
romance and mystery. Learned and devout, he
sacrificed his life in the interests of humanity,
and in preparing himself and his followers for
the millennium which he believed was near at
hand.
I am sure that every Rosicrucian will read in
these quotations from the works of Mr. Sachse
principles which are somewhat veiled. Although
Kelpius was a devout Christian and believed in
Christian doctrine, I am sure that the millennium
which he anticipated was not that which is
ordinarily accepted in orthodox religious doctrine
that is, the millennium to him was the establish'
ing of the Kingdom of Heaven within mens souls
to the point where that would become the true
character of all men on earth. I further believe
that the reference to the fact that he anticipated
being taken bodily into a higher plane as Elijah
was, also has a veiled meaning. However, whether
or not he believed in some of these points liter'
ally has no bearing upon the organization, for
he had, as have all of us, his own rights to his
religious convictions.A

Personal Magnetism
A Soror has asked, How can the Rosicrucian
teachings assist in the development of personal
magnetism? Before considering this question in
the light of the Rosicrucian teachings, it would
be well to attempt some definition of personal
magnetism. In preparing to answer this question,
I have looked in a number of sources to find an
adequate definition of personal magnetism, with
the result that to me there appears to be no con'
cise or complete definition. It seems that personal
magnetism, like other terms used by schools of
popular psychology, has taken on the meaning
which has been assigned to it by the particular
writer or individual discussing the subject at the
moment. Personal magnetism has come to mean,
in a general way, the qualities of an individuals
personality which help him to fit himself to his
environment. This definitionin fact, statement
can hardly be considered as a definition, be'
cause it considers the subject in the broadest sense
of the word. It would be hard to point out, for
example, the amount of personal magnetism an
individual seems to possess. It is an abstract qual'
ity that comes as a composite of all the traits,

Page 39

ideals, background that have gone to make up an

individual as he is at the present moment.
In a narrower sense of the word we would
consider personal magnetism as the ability of the
individual to attract others and to make himself
attractive, insofar as this attraction would help
him in every phase of adjustment. For example:
A good salesman certainly needs personal magne'
tism if he is to sell himself as well as his product
to the individual whom he contacts. I think every
individual has had the experience of coming in
contact with a salesman who has almostor, in
some cases, completelysucceeded in selling him
something which he had no intention of buying
previous to the contact of this salesman. That
might be called salesmanship, but it seems to me
that it is more of an illustration of what real
personal magnetism is, in that not only the
product itself was considered, but the appeal
given by the individual offering the article for sale
was sufficient to bring ones point of view to
agree with that of the salesman.
The word magnetism infers attraction; so,
consequently, the development of personal mag'
netism is based upon the development of all those
qualities that will bring us the ability to attract
others, and, in fact, to attract things to our en'
vironment. Now, from a Rosicrucian standpoint
there is more to personal magnetism when con'
sidered from this viewpoint than merely an at'
titude of mind. How often have you had the ex'
perience of meeting an individual for the first
time and receiving a definite impression as to that
individuals character, ideals, and general outlook
on life, and at the same instant formulated your
own opinion of whether you will like or dislike
that individual. Experience has probably shown
you that sometimes your conclusion was right,
and sometimes it was in error. Did you ever stop
to analyze what brought about such a conclusion
upon your part? Some would say that it is mere'
ly a decision of the objective mind. This, no
doubt, does play a great part in causing us to
draw conclusionsthat is, we may without re'
membering it see in the individual whom we con'
tact a characteristic which we have contacted be'
fore in another individual, which was either
favorable or unfavorable to us, but we cannot
base all such conclusions upon objective thinking
alone.
Subjective impressions may come to us, but
probably more than anything else we are in'
fluenced because of the aura of the person. Now
as is definitely explained in the monographs at
the proper points in the studiesthe aura con'
stitutes a radiation about the body which is def'
initely influenced by the physical and mental
makeup of the individual being that is, those
who become highly developed and make a special

Page 40

study of the aura can diagnose physical and

mental conditions with a certain degree of accur'
acy. Also, the aura will reveal to a certain extent
the psychic development of an individual. As a
rule, we only think of the aura as something in
the possession of, or as an attribute of, the other
person, not of ourselves, but the fact is that our
own aura surrounds our body and everything
which we perceive is in a sense colored by our
own aura. To perceive anything visually we have
to look through our aura. Everything we touch
first passes through our aura before we come in
contact with it physically; so, consequently, what'
ever may be the makeup of our individual aura is
definitely reflected in our thinking, and every'
thing that we perceive is modified by it.
The aura, therefore, is very complex, and in'
cidentally, that is why the novice, or the neo'
phyte, should not attempt to draw definite con'
elusions from the examination of another in'
dividuals aura when he becomes able to perceive
it. Years of study and experience are necessary
to become familiar with its complex composition.
In connection with the subject under discussion
here, when the auras of two individuals clash,
there is definitely a resulting mental reaction upon
the part of these two individuals. If they are
harmonious, then that impression brought from
the subjective to the objective minds would add
to the objective conclusions in formulating
whether we are going to like or dislike the in'
dividual just contacted. If the two auras entirely
lack harmony with each other, this fact is also
going to have a very definite part in our decision.
A little thought upon these points will explain
why sometimes a first impression that we will dis'
like a person whom we met may turn out to be
wrong. This is because the auras are actually
harmonious, but, as in the case of many of our
daily decisions, we have let the opinion of the
objective mind become predominant and become
the cause of rendering a decisionthat is, the
objective reasoning viewpoint was that we would
not like the individual, whereas the auras blend'
ing harmoniously indicated that there was a bond
of unity and like purpose between them. The op'
posite also is true, of course.
Now, an individual who is mentally and
physically in a state to which we refer in our
monographs as harmonium certainly has an
aura more adaptable to others than one whose
mental life is somewhat in conflict between
various ideals and purposes, and whose physical
condition is not at its best. In other words, when
harmonium exists in the body, the radiations com'
posing the aura are also in harmony with N ature
and Gods Laws. The aura which is the most
harmonious is the one which has the broadest
adaptabilitythat is, it is the most in accord with

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

N atures Laws and as a result will fit into more

situations and conditions than one which is en'
tirely out of harmony. Therefore, the important
factor in a development of personal magnetism is
the development of harmony and balance in our
own lives.
This does not mean that an individual has to
be a walking encyclopedia, but it does mean that
his or her mental characteristics evidence truth,
tolerance, charity, and love, and that he or she
is striving toward physical well'being, and should
he lack in any of these, the lack is compensated
by a broad viewpoint and a consideration of the
abilities left. I mention this, because some of the
outstanding individuals who come to my mind as
having what I would call the maximum of per'
sonal magnetism had physical defects. I knew
one who was blind; one who had an artificial leg;
one who had a serious deformity which was evi'
dent to the sight; one whose race was not my
own, and yet these individuals had qualities of
what I would call personal magnetism far in ex'
cess of the average individual; so my previous
comments are not to infer that the lack of per'
feet physical condition will detract from per'
sonal magnetism, unless that lack dominates the
mind of the individual, nor will a difference in
such matters as race affect the magnetism one
senses emanating from others. The individual
who evidences personal magnetism in spite of
physical conditions or differences is one who
minimizes in his own thinking the physical
aspect.
It might be said here that I have talked around
the subject instead of coming directly to the
point, but when we approach a subject as broad
as this, there is no definite point. Personal mag'
netism is as broad as character itself, and Rosi'
crucianism can help to develop personal magne'
tism, because it teaches us how to develop the
harmony between our body, mind and soul that
the Creator wished to be established there. W hen
that harmony is perfect, personal magnetism is a
natural resultthat is, it comes as another tool
for us to use to be able to carry out our God'
given destiny.A

Obligations of Membership
Occasionally requests will come to the Depart'
ment of Instruction, or Recording Department,
that monographs be withheld, but the members
will in good faith be very definite in stating that
they wish to continue their active affiliation in the
Order. By that they mean primarily that they
will continue the payment of dues each month,
but that for some time they do not wish to re'
ceive additional monographs. It is easily under'
stood how, because of occupation or other matters

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that might require his time, any student can from

time to time get behind in his studies. It is for
that reason that suggestions are made in the early
degrees that in case one falls two or three mono'
graphs behind, he should make an effort to bring
that work up to date by studying two or three
monographs each week; but regardless of this
particular point, we must concede that the prob'
lems of modern-day life occasionally force them'
selves upon us to the point that we cannot do all
we wish to, and, because of economic necessity,
our good resolves to study must sometimes be put
aside. In such cases as this, we are always pleased
to make a reasonable adjustmentthat is, we will
withhold the monographs of a member for a
period of thirty, sixty, or ninety days, at the end
of which time the monographs will automatically
be resumed.
O f course, all members are familiar with the
fact that their contribution of dues is their means
of contributing to the physical expenses of the
Order, and in return entitles them to all member'
ship privileges. In other words, the dues are not
a payment for the weekly monographs and the
monthly Rosicrucian Digest. These are merely
the physical means by which vital factors of
membership are made available to the individual.
Such a necessity as that which prompted the re'
quest mentioned above occasionally happens to
any member and is legitimate, but the request
which brought this subject to my attention was
one from a member who stated that he was an
enthusiastic member of the Order; that he was in
full accord with the organizations principles,
teachings and policies, and that furthermore, great
benefit had come as a result of study and affilia'
tion, but that he wished now not to receive mono'
graphs for an indefinite period of time; but at
the same time he wished to show his interest by
continuing his dues and in all other ways be an
active member. This is appreciated, but it is based
upon an erroneous conception upon the part of
this Frater. W e are so used to measuring every'
thing we have, or which we anticipate having, in
terms of dollars and cents that we think the only
obligation of Rosicrucian membership is the d o t
lars and cents constituting dues.
Now, I am not trying to state that the financial
obligation is an unimportant one, because, natur'
ally, the organization could not function insofar
as its physical activities are concerned without
the financial obligations of its members being met.
A fter all, such items as paper, envelopes, postage
and salaries of employees must be paid, or the
work of the organization in this modern world
could not continue. This necessity, however, must
not be interpreted in the minds of members as
being the only membership obligation. In addi'
tion to the financial obligation assumed by the

Page 41

individual member to contribute to the physical

welfare of the Order, there are other obligations.
If this Frater, as was pointed out when his letter
was answered, had derived benefit from the or'
ganizations teachings, had found them wholly in
accord with his viewpoints, then surely he owed
it to himself to become more and more efficient
in the use of these principles, and as a general
rule efficiency can only be attained by continued
study and practice. Therefore, study of the or'
ganizations principles and a conscientious at'
tempt to apply these principles is another obliga'
tion of membership. The organization provides
the teachings to its members. The members in
turn affiliate to gain this knowledge, and not to
be Rosicrucians in name only, but to beto the
best of their ability exponents of the principles
taught, which can only be done by a continuance
in the acquisition of Rosicrucian knowledge, and
an attempt to apply consistently and conscien'
tiously in their daily lives that which they are
learning.
There are other obligations of membership be'
sides contributions financially and that of study.
W e might say that both of these just mentioned
are primarily for the benefit of the individual
that is, to make the organizations work available
to him and for him to have and use the results of
its work. But the individual member owes him'
self and the organization obligations in other
forms, such as helping to promote the activities
of the Order. W e cannot be very proud of a
thing which we do not wish to see develop. If we
have gained benefit, then it is not only the desire
of an average individual, but a duty to see that
some other human being is equally benefited.
Therefore, an obligation of Rosicrucian member'
ship is attempting to carry the Order on to some'
one else.
Other obligations are more or less indirect
phases of those already mentioned, such as con'
scientiousness. By conscientiousness we mean the
objective attitude of the individual toward adapt'
ing his life as best he can to the ideals and prin'
ciples that the organization offers. By conscien'
tious application of our principles, we mean the
attempt to use them systematically.
A Rosicrucian should also have the obligation
of setting an example. That does not mean that a
Rosicrucian should to everyone he meets be a
master, or be an example of the ultimate per'
fection that might come through the organiza'
tions teachings, but he should be an example of
everything that is held high in the organizations
principles. Such character traits are loyalty to
the ideals to which he owes allegiance; loyalty to
his country and flag; devotion to the high ideals
of all religions, ethical, and moral teachings;
tolerance in considering all things; love for his

Page 42

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fellow men in the broad sense and interpretation

of the word; all these things to the best of our
individual ability should be lived, not talked
about, so that all those who contact us will see
that an obligation of Rosicrucian membership is,
after all, that of being a good citizena good
citizen of the world or the human race, and a
good citizen of the country in which we live.
So many things are mentioned in these com'
ments, that it can clearly be seen that the obliga'
tions of Rosicrucian membership cannot be con'
fined to a few isolated points. The obligations of
Rosicrucian membership are the equivalent of ob'
ligations to Self. Each obligation, that is, can be
examined carefully in the light of ones own
conscience.A

A re Y ou Psychic?
This question was asked me by a Frater visiting
at Rosicrucian Park a few days ago. I could not
help but wonder what he expected my answer to
be. Had I answered a direct yes, I rather be'
lieve from previous conversation with the Frater
that his challenge would have been, Prove it.
Had I answered No, he might have challenged
my ability to hold the office which I do. To his
question possibly both answers would have been
correct, depending upon what he defined as
psychic. I presumed that he referred to psychic
development, in which we are all trying to per'
feet ourselves. However, we must bear in mind
that psychic development is not like physical
growth. As a child grows from infancy to adult'
hood we can by use of the scales and a rule for
the measuring of weight and height, as well as
by various achievement and intelligence tests de'
vised by educators, chart his growth to a certain
extent. In other words, there are physical means
of measuring physical growth and development;
but there is no means physically, or no instru'
ment, by which psychic development can be
measured. In other words, we cannot measure a
thing which is not physical in itself, but uses a
physical medium.
To answer the question, A re you psychic?,
every human being could truly answer yes. W e
are all psychic, because being psychic means be'
ing equipped with a subjective mind, with a soul,
and with an ability to perceive through these
sources. Therefore, the question is not whether
or not we are psychic, but the extent to which we
have allowed the psychic or soul qualities of our
beings to develop themselves. W hen individuals
discuss psychic development, it often sounds like
they were discussing their last operation or some
other physical condition. W hile I do not say this
in a sense of criticism, the fact is that psychic de'
velopment is something that does not well adapt

itself to discussion. It is one of those things that

grow within us, if we fit ourselves to make it
grow.
Therefore, let us consider in this discussion
some factors that constitute psychic development.
I am not going to enter here into a detailed dis'
cussion of how to develop these aptitudes, because
after all, the whole of the Rosicrucian philosophy
that is, the complete instructionsare for that
very purpose. Probably one of the first indica'
tions of psychic development is the ability to avail
ourselves of our intuitive faculties. Intuition as
it is understood by most of us is the voice of the
subjective mind which, as previously stated, exists
in any normal human being. Developing the in'
tuition is a step in developing our psychic facul'
ties, and the more we practice to depend upon
intuition, the more we bring our subjective minds
into harmony and accord with our objective
faculties. This is why exercises in intuition are
given very early in the organizations teachings,
and it is why every student should continue to
practice those exercises that lead toward its
development.
The next phase is that of concentration. Con'
centration, like intuition, is something which few
in the physical body ever attain to the point of
complete perfection. It also is a quality or apti'
tude which constantly must be in the process of
growth. Concentration is more closely related to
psychic development, because it is the ability by
which we can focus all our mental powers upon
a certain point. Closely related with these are
meditation and contemplation. They are the
means by which we consider new knowledge,
allow it to be, to use a popular term, turned
over in our minds. N ot to take time for medi'
tation and contemplation of what we gain in
actual knowledge, and what we experience in in'
tuitive flashes during concentration, would be the
same as reaping a harvest but not storing it until
the time it is needed.
These few factors are the fundamentals for the
establishing of psychic development, and psychic
development will indicate itself further in the
abilities which we gain in order to accomplish
certain things psychically and physically, as are
presented in the higher degrees; such as, healing,
projection, assumption, and so forth. As human
beings, while we do not always admit the fact,
we have certain tendencies to be listless occasion'
ally, or lazy. N ot only is this true insofar as the
physical body is concerned, but it is also true in
connection with the development of our psychic
faculties. Every member of this organization who
will conscientiously face the fact realizes that he
or she has had opportunities to practice the
simple little exercises on intuition and concentra'
tion, for example, but has done something else.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Consistency and patience are two admirable

traits in the gaining of any ability or technique,
and certainly after reaching adulthood, as most
of you have before affiliating with the o r g a n ic
tion or even seriously contemplating this type of
work, these two factors are most needed. To off'
set the years of training of the objective faculties,
we have to remake ourselves to a certain extent.
To some new members in the organization the
early exercises in intuition and concentration
seem childlike and rather simple. This is because
the beginning of any new process is very element
tal. There is no doubt that they are to a certain
extent childlike, but how else can we begin a
thing unless we begin at the beginning? O ur first
efforts to talk, to walk, to listen, were childlike,
because we were children mentally and physically.
Now, we may be adults mentally and physically,
but psychically we are still children, and it is
necessary that the simple exercises worked out by
those who have given their lives to these studies
should be systematically practiced by us to bring
about the development which we seek.
Many do not gain the psychic development
they wish, because they set up in themsevles a re'
sistance to it. A number of factors can prove a
resistance to psychic development. Of these I will
mention only a few. The first is curiosity. Curi'
osity should be eliminated as fast as possible.
This may sound like an odd statement, but it is
a fact that the human being is a curious animal,
and even though we may wish to deny it, there
is some element of curiosity in us when we go
into any field of endeavor. In fact, curiosity is
a useful tool when it does not work for itself
alone, but curiosity used merely to find out what
is in the next lesson, what will be the result of the
next exercise, and so forth is a factor which re'
sists psychic development.
The next is fear. Fear in connection with
psychic development is the result of ideas that
have become established in our minds because of
misconceptions. Some believe that the psychic
phases of man should not be considered, and as a
result have stated that it is dangerous. This is as
ridiculous as it is to state that it would be dan'
gerous to fill a cavity in a decayed tooth, or to at'
tempt to develop the muscles of the legs so we
could walk. Man is not born able to walk, but
he is born with the muscular apparatus in his
legs and back to hold him erect, so that with
proper efforts, instruction, and practice he learns
to walk. In other words, many of the abilities
which we use daily are potentially existent in us
at birth, but their actual use and our technique
of using them is acquired. So it is with the psy'
chic phase of our being. To say that it is danger'
ous to develop these qualities is ridiculous, be'
cause the greatest men and women of all time

Page 43

have been those who learned to use to the fullest

extent all their potentialities. Therefore, fear
should not enter into consideration, and as a
person with an open mind gradually learns the
facts, fear fades.
Another factor which is resistant to psychic
development is preconceived opinions other than
those of curiositiy and fear which an individual
may have. For example, hardly a week passes
here that we do not receive an initiation report
from a membernot only in the first but in the
highest degrees of the Orderstating that the
initiation which he performed was a failure. The
reason it was a failure, so he goes on to say, is
because what he expected to happen or take place
did not occur. This illustrates how a preconceived
opinion can hold up our progress. The initiations
in our work are to dramatize in our beings and
in our minds, as well as our souls, some of the
phases of the knowledge which are to follow.
It is impossible to go into detail regarding this to
the lower degree student. W e learn as we ad'
vance how important these initiations really are.
Therefore, initiation, just as the word implies, is
the beginning. It is the approaching of something
new; so, consequently, any preconceived opinion
as to what is to take place is a detriment to the
individual.
Therefore, to eliminate resistance to psychic
development, determine that you will approach
every new phase of our work which points to'
ward the gaining of psychic development with an
open mind, and to the fullest extent humanly
possible eliminate any preconceived notion or
idea of what you think ought to be, or what you
think should take place. These three factors in
your mind will help your psychic development,
because you will be conscious of attempting to
eliminate them. W ith the misconceptions elimi'
nated progress leads to psychic development.
Continue, in spite of all temptation, to do what
you have determined to do, and follow a practi'
cal, systematic course of study.A

Your Constitution
In a communication that reaches each member
with the first monograph he receives is a recom'
mendation that he avail himself of a copy of the
Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge.
A Frater upon receiving this recommendation
commented in reply that if the Constitution and
Statutes were so important that each member
should avail himself of it, they should be provided
that is, the members should not be obligated to
request them. This Fraters comment brought to
mind two good reasons why we ask members to
request a copy of the Constitution and Statutes
if they wish it. The first is that we believe any'

Page 44

thing that is appreciated is worth asking for and

making some sacrifice to obtain. Therefore, since
the Constitution and Statutes are not essential
from the standpoint of the comprehension of the
Rosicrucian teachings, it is not thought that a
sacrifice should be made in some phase of the
monographs to provide for the expense of print'
ing the Constitution and Statutes. For that
reason, we print a supply and provide them to
the member who wishes a copy at cost, which is
about fifteen cents.
Another reason for having the members request
it is that the members should have brought to
their attention and consideration their rights and
privileges, so as to always be aware of not only
the principles and teachings of the organization,
but also the physical establishment and authority
of the organization. Can you answer the follow
ing questions: How do the Supreme Grand Lodge
and the Grand Lodge differ? W ho are the officers
of each body? A re you a member of either body?
If so, which one? How can a Chapter or Lodge
be established? W hat constitutes Chapter and
Lodge membership, and how do they differ?
Now, these are questions which have to do with,
we might say, the framework or structure of the
organization. These questions are, naturally,
ones which would require reference to the Con'
stitution and Statutes either of the Supreme
Grand Lodge or the Grand Lodge, in order to be
completely understood. W e do not wish to with'
hold information from members, and for that
reason provide the Constitution and Statutes for
their reference. If you do not have a copy, may
I suggest that sometime when writing to the
Supply Bureau you include a copy of the Con'
stitution and Statutes in your order, and familiar'
ize yourself with some of its principles.
The answers to the above questions have been
mentioned in this Forum before, but now that
they have been suggested, I am sure there will be
some who would like to have answers to them.
The Supreme Grand Lodge is the hierarchy of
the organization, in whose hands are entrusted
the governing and destiny of the organization.
Quite naturally, the Imperator is the Supreme
Executive of the organization and the highest of'
ficial of the Supreme Grand Lodge, and together
with his vested authority from foreign jurisdic'
tions and other sources, the Supreme Grand
Lodge, in cooperation with the Imperator and
under his direction, carries on the true work of
Rosicrucianism, observing all the landmarks of
the organization in the past. In addition, the
Supreme Grand Lodge is the legal entity of the
Orderthat is, the Supreme Grand Lodge is in'
corporated as a civil corporation, thereby em'
powered to hold and own the property of the
organization and under its own Constitution and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Charter is limited in that this property must be

used for the furtherance of the work of the
Order, and none of this property can accrue to
the benefit of any individual. It is, in other
words, organized as a non'profit corporation.
The Supreme Grand Lodge consists of only five
members. The Grand Lodge, on the other hand,
is a subordinate body established by the Supreme
Grand Lodge to include the general membership
of the Order. Your membership is in the Grand
Lodge, which is the reason a copy of the Consti'
tution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge is im'
portant to you. As a Grand Lodge member, you
are a part of the general membership of the Rosi'
crucian Order in the body created and established
by the Supreme Grand Lodge to include all those
seeking Rosicrucian knowledge. The officers of
the Supreme Grand Lodge are the Imperator and
the Supreme Secretary, and the officers of the
Grand Lodge are the Grand Master, the Grand
Secretary, and the Grand Treasurer, all of whom
work to direct your activities as a member and to
make Rosicrucianism available to you.
Chapters and Lodges are phases of Grand
Lodge membership. A Lodge of the organization
is established by special dispensation from the
Grand Lodge. In it members have the oppor'
tunity of attending classes in which a Master of
the Lodge reads instructions in the form of monographs, and this Lodge in turn contributes to the
support of the Grand Lodge, but its members do
not receive lessons by mail as do National Lodge
members. National Lodge members being the
term used to distinguish those who are not affili'
ated with local Lodges. Chapters consist only of
National Lodge members. In other words, if
there is a Chapter in your city, you have to be a
member of the National Lodge receiving your
monographs regularly through the mail from the
Grand Lodge to affiliate with the Chapter.
W e hope that the bringing to you some of
these questions, as well as their answers, will in'
terest many members in becoming more familiar
with the work of the Order, and in turn more
familiar with their rights and privileges as mem'
bers of the organization.A

Needed Books
Some persons buy books for ornaments, because
their bindings are attractive and because they
seem appropriate lying on the library table or in
the living room, or because they add a touch of
color to the mantel, or even because they seem
necessary to fit in with the scheme of things.
Then there is a great body of persons who collect
books. One cannot call them bibliophiles exactly,
because they are interested in merely collecting
first'edition books, and not in their contents. A
collector of first editions may have several hun'

Page 45

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

dred or a thousand books, not one of which has

ever been read by him. Books to him are a matter
of merchandise, their intrinsic value, their age,
their binding and the renown of the author are
the important factors. Still another group of persons, who can be rightly designated as bibliophiles,
are students who love to read, but more than that,
they like to be surrounded by books, they like to
have the atmosphere and culture which they
convey. To them, books are friends, worthy
companions, and they have a deep affection for
them.
To the average man and woman, however, a
book is an instrument, an agency and a medium
for conveying an idea or number of them from
the mind of the author to the mind of the reader.
None of us should have in our homes a book con'
taining material that we would not permit the
author or writer to relate to us personally. Some
books can have their contents appreciated and the
full value derived from them upon one reading
or perhaps two. Other works may be termed
reference books, and their value is constant. They
are as helpful tomorrow, next week, ten years
from now as they are today.
Frankly, unless each of us is a bibliophile, it is
a little selfish to keep in our possession, in some
obscure corner of our home or down in the base'
ment in an old trunk, a book which we have
read and which we know we will never read
again. This book may have been given to us and
we have no interest in it, yet we keep it, and do
not permit that book to .come into the hands of
those who may derive every pleasure and bene'
fit from it that we do not. Most of us do not
want to be selfish in this respect; and yet I am
certain that a great number of our FORUM read'
ers must have in their homes some books which
would be very valuable to The Rosicrucian Re'
search Library.
Books that are placed in the Rosicrucian Re'
search Library actually become your books and
the books of every member in the Order, for the
simple reason that each member of the Order has
access to them. Every member cannot visit San
Jose, nor can every member attend the Conven'
tion regularly. Consequently, they cannot each
personally spend an hour or several hours in the
Rosicrucian Library each week, as they would
like to do. But, they can write to the Librarian,
Frater Orval Graves, and ask questions in ac'
cordance with the plan so established; questions
designed to obtain information, which is not
easily accessible elsewhere. Therefore, the books
which you or someone else may have donated in
all probability will contain the answer to some
question, and in this way the books in the Rosi'
crucian Library become the books of every
member.

So make a little examination of your personal

library or of the books that you have stored away,
perhaps almost forgotten about, and if you have
any which fit the following classifications, please
send them addressed: Rosicrucian Research Li'
brary, Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, California,
Attention of Librarian.
Mystical Fiction
Egyptian (History, Life, Religion, Travel,
Description, Etc.)
Antiquities
Music
A rt
Medicine
Radio
Botany
Anthropology
Alchemy
Light
Rosicrucian
Comparative Religions
Philosophy
Occult Science
Mystical Science
Reference W orks
There are also specific titles which we need,
possibly you have them, they are:
Yermah, the Dorado, by F. E. W ait
Colburn
The House of Fulfillment, by L. Adams
Beck
Prelude to Chemistry, by John Reed
Principles of Light and Color, by E. D.
Babbitt
There is a special postal rate that prevails in
the United States for sending of books through
the mails. It is known as the Book Rate; so when
you wrap your books, be sure to stamp or print
on the outside of the package, Book Rate Desired,
and ask for that rate at the Post Office. The rate
is most economical, it is only lMc per pound.
Other countries have similar rates. X

Progress and Development

Although this subject has been discussed time
and time again in these pages, it seems to be of
such importance that we once again turn our at'
tention to it. So many students of Rosicrucianism
find it easy to perform some of the early experi'
ments with success, and they are quite elated
over their ability. Then, later on, when they
reach some of the higher degrees and work with
other experiments, they seem to have difficulty,
often having no results at all. They cannot under'
stand it, for they feel that their efforts should
have resulted in an improvement in their abilities
to perform experiments in concentration and
especially attunement with the higher forces of
the Cosmic.

Page 46

Many times, too, members will write to us and

express disappointment because they no longer
have the interesting dreams and psychic experi
ences they did before affiliating with the Order.
Naturally, this is discouraging, because it was
progress and development they were seeking by
membership in the Order. To have all outer, ma'
terial manifestations cease after being accepted
as a member would indicate retrogression rather
than progress.
It is interesting to note that in the majority of
such cases, the member has at times in the past
been a student of theosophy, yoga, speculative
philosophy, or some other system or course of
study, of which there are a great many in the
world today. During the period of eight or ten
years of study, naturally some development takes
place and certain experiences are had, at times,
that would indicate unfoldment. But usually
these experiences are spasmodic and occur w ith'
out control or direction on the part of the
student.
W hen one sincerely desires membership in the
Rosicrucian Order and approaches the studies
with the right attitude, he at once begins an en'
tirely different line of development, for he must
learn how to control and direct his inner faculties
and develop them to a proper state of function'
ing. To make possible this orderly progress, step
by step, nature stops this spasmodic action of the
psychic glands and centers until the student has
learned thoroughly certain important laws and
principles that are necessary to the proper use
and direction of the psychic forces within. Rosi'
crucianism strives to teach us and train us to use
our inner powers for a definite, helpful purpose
and not simply to give us an unusual and impres'
sive vision or psychic experience occasionally
which, chances are, we cannot interpret or under'
stand. Such experiences are of no value unless
we are trained to understand them and thus re'
ceive and use the guidance and wisdom conveyed
to us by the experience.
The slow, steady progress that takes place as a
result of the proper study and application of the
Rosicrucian principles will prepare the student
member to have complete control over his psychic
faculties and make it possible for him to call upon
them for immediate help and guidance in times
of need. Surely an occasional vision, prophetic
dream, or psychic experience is of no value if it
is without direction. W e turn to The Rosicru'
cian Manual for the following words of wisdom:
The most rapid development is made by the
student who is least concerned, during the first
few degrees of study, about his or her psychic
status. Careful study of the monograph for an
hour on the night of the weekly lesson, and a
few minutes meditation on it each day, at a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

convenient time, plus an occasional test of any

exercise, will do more for the new student (or
the old student who is starting over) than any'
thing else.

Science and Rosicrucianism

In the monographs is mentioned the fact that
many scientific discoveries and developments have
from time to time confirmed the Rosicrucian
teachings. Various illustrations of this fact are
presented in the monographs and have been pre'
sented in the past in various other publications as
well as in this Forum, but all members who are
alert to the advantages and developments of Rosi'
crucianism are always interested in seeing illus'
trations of other such confirmations of Rosicru'
cian philosophy as the result of scientific research
and investigation.
Recently there appeared an interview given to
the Associated Press by Dr. Gustaf Stromberg,
who is on the staff of the M ount Wilson Ob'
servatory in Southern California. He has recent'
ly completed a book entitled The Soul of the
Universe, and in this book he has discussed
many facts concerning life and the Universe in
which we live. In the interview given to the As'
sociated Press he said, among other things, the
following: The soul is the owner of the memory,
the personality behind it. It retains its memory in
latent form at death. Seemingly a soul can never
be annihilated. In what form it survives is not
known. It may temporarily or permanently be
submerged in the world beyond space and time.
O r it may appear in reincarnations, for which
there is a certain degree of evidence. Then he
further proceeded to say that his study leads to
the inevitable conclusion that there is a world
soul or God and cosmic will.
It is very interesting that some Associated Press
newspapers gave this article front page space,
which is choice position for all news. In fact, it
is very reassuring that now when most front'page
stories in newspapers are devoted to accounts of
conflict, discord, and trouble between men and
nations, this should appear on the front page of a
daily newspaper to remind man that in spite of
all the conditions that exist in the world today
there are those capable and desirous of assisting
man to know his true relationship with the U ni'
verse in which he exists and which constitutes his
environment.
The quotation as given by the Associated Press
may not seem to be new to many Rosicrucians,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

particularly those who have advanced into the

higher degrees. They have read statements similar
to these as a part of the Rosicrucian teachings.
If they have not found similar statements, the
Rosicrucian philosophy and their own investigation and application of laws which are presented
have led many members to these very same
conclusions.
Therefore, we can take pride in the knowledge
that we are working as a part of an organization
which is not teaching a philosophy which will
merely be a readable and enjoyable study to build
up the individuals desire to live in the clouds;
but what we are learning and what the Rosicrucian teachings are continually attempting to
formulate in the minds of its affiliated members
are facts that are concerned with man as he exists;
that these facts concern man in his everyday
existence and in his preparation for a better existence by the use of the faculties which he now has.
It is true that there are many things which we
yet do not understand, and there is much left in
the fields of scientific investigation as well as in
psychic research, but it is interesting to know
that the road, the way, is being gradually pre
pared. The time is coming when no longer will
all endeavors of humanitywhich are for the
purpose of the realization of the facts which can
help manbe along divergent lines, but that man
as a human being is attempting to unify all con
structive efforts toward the better understanding
of his position in relationship to all other things.
There has been a time in the lifetime of many
readers of this Forum when such statements as
have just been quoted would be ridiculed by many
scientists. Now, one of their own number con
tributes the results of his researches, which open
a new field, or lend help to unify fields of thought
and endeavor which already exist.A.

Adm inistration M atters

There are two questions asked of this Forum,
one by a Soror and another by a Frater, that can
be appropriately answered under the above title.
The Soror asks: W hich foreign jurisdictions are
independent, and which ones derive authority
from and are dependent for instructions on the
N orth and South American Supreme Lodge?
The N orth and South American Jurisdiction
includes all the nations of those continents and
their territories and possessions. Thus, for ex

Page 47

ample, Alaska, Guam, Philippine Islands and

Hawaii are included as possessions, territories and
protectorates of the United States. A territorial
possession of a nation included in a jurisdiction
may never, regardless of the expansion of its
membership, become independent of it. For
analogy, Hawaii, no matter how greatly its mem
bership would increase in number, could never
function as a separate jurisdiction from that of
which the United States is a part.
Occasionally a nation mayif it has a very
rapid growth and there would be some practical
ends servedupon proper petition to the Su
preme Grand Lodge of its jurisdiction become a
jurisdiction under dispensation. The dispensation
period is probationary to determine whether it is
advisable for the nation to become independent.
If, after the probationary period has expired, in
the opinion of the supreme body, the membership
of that nation would fare better to continue as an
integral part of the jurisdiction, charter for it to
function independently will not be granted. The
Supreme Lodge of a jurisdiction will not recog
nize an extreme spirit of nationalism as a reason
for establishing a separate jurisdiction. Thus, if,
solely for nationalistic reasons, Mexico decided
that it must be absolutely independent of the
N orth and South American Jurisdiction, and its
petition was so worded, or inferred this reason,
dispensation would not be granted. In unity
there is strength. The more nations consolidated
in one jurisdiction, the more effective can become
their accomplishments. In centralization there is
power. Many small jurisdictions could do less to
disseminate the teachings of the Order than one
well-organized jurisdiction with many resources
at its disposal. This is understandable, because it
eliminates the necessity of setting up duplicate ad
ministrative staffs in each country.
Persons residing in a jurisdiction foreign to the
N orth and South American one may affiliate with
it, however. Thus if a person in France decides
he wishes the monographs for personal home
study, and if this arrangement is not possible in
France, he can submit an application for member
ship with the A M O RC of this jurisdiction. If
accepted, this would not constitute a violation of
the jurisdictional rights of France. The member
is affiliating with the N orth and South American
Jurisdiction; the latter is not establishing Lodges
or Chapters in France. In other words, one jur
isdiction is prohibited from organizing and char
tering Lodges or branches of its own in another,
but it can accept foreign individual affiliates.
A jurisdiction may establish its Lodges and
Chapters in a free country, that is, one not under
the jurisdiction of any Supreme Lodge of the
Order. New Zealand, for example, is not of the
jurisdiction of either America or Great Britain.

Page 48

It is a free territory, unorganized, in other words.

Its members have for years been mostly affiliates
of this jurisdiction, and likewise the American
Jurisdiction has established Chapters within that
country. If sometime in the distant future that
nation has a membership sufficiently large, it may
petition the American Jurisdiction for sponsorship, for dispensation to function as a jurisdiction
of its own. If eventually it became an inde
pendent jurisdiction, all existing Chapters in that
country would be transferred to its own super
vision. A fter that, neither the American, British,
nor any jurisdiction could establish Lodges or
Chapters there.
If jurisdictions refuse to sponsor a nation, or
after granting dispensation refuse to permit it
eventual independence, the members of that coun
try may appeal to the F. U. D. O. S. I. during one
of its conventions when the Imperators and high
officials of the Order representing all jurisdictions
are present, at which time the matter would then
be taken under advisement by that body.
There is no such status as a subordinate juris
diction. A country may be under dispensation,
but then it has not yet attained recognition as a
jurisdiction. W hen it has, and is so chartered, it
is on an equal status with every other jurisdiction
throughout the world. The N orth and South
American jurisdiction has sponsored several others
during the last quarter-century, all of which are
now independent, though some, because of the
international situation, have become inactive. The
latest nation so sponsored and receiving its in
dependence was Poland. Unfortunately, it had
but little over a year to enjoy its entity. Now the
Supreme staff is mainly dispersed. The former
Grand Secretary is in America. Another high
dignitary is in a concentration camp because of
his former position as a prominent military officer
in the Polish Army. Others have had to flee the
land for their lives. However, reports come to
our attention that these courageous peoples, even
at the point of sacrificing their lives, are attempt
ing surreptitious meetings to hold the threads of
the Order together, that the work may go on, and
that light may not be completely extinguished.
To be discovered, however, means execution.
Most are on the verge of starvation, and nearly
all have lost their properties and homes and pos
sessions in private life, yet they are undaunted.
It is this spirit that has carried the Order forward
through the centuries. One cannot help but com
pare their conduct with the statements of some
members of this jurisdiction, such as I find it a
little difficult to keep up my dues, so please drop
my membership, or, I think one night a week
is too much for study, so please discontinue my
membership, or further, It is too much of a de
mand upon my personal affairs to perform the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

task you asked (perhaps a request for an hours

service for the O rder).
Jurisdictions of the Order include N orth and
South America, Holland, Sweden, Denmark,
Norway, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
China, Egypt, and the sponsored jurisdictions of
the Dutch and East Indies. Some of these nations
during the past year have lost their sovereignty,
and in others the Order has had to suspend activ
itiesat least all outer operations. Many other
countries have individual affiliated members, but
as a nation they are either not associated with a
jurisdiction or they have been compelled because
of international circumstances to suspend activi
ties during the past decade.
Now the Fraters question is: Do the officers
and workers at the Grand Lodge receive salaries,
or is their time given freely? The Frater reveals
by this question that he has never read carefully
the Constitution and Statutes of the Grand Lodge
of A M O RC which each member is urged to ob
tain soon after his application for membership has
been accepted. For example, with reference to
the Grand Master, Chapter II, Section 4-B of the
Grand Lodge Statutes provides: He shall de
vote his time to the duties of his office, and for
his services he shall receive such salary as may be
determined by the Supreme Grand Lodge. Like
provisions apply to all Supreme and Grand Lodge
officers. Since these officers give their entire time
each day to the affairs of the Order, and conse
quently have little or no free time for any other
activities, it is reasonable that they receive ade
quate salary.
Some of the officers, because of their intense
desire to further AM ORC, even give much of
their personal time on Sundays, holidays and
evenings to planning, designing, and doing at the
offices of the O rder special work which they
could not find time to do during the day because
of their Constitutional duties. For this special
work for A M O RC, consisting of many hours
weekly, they receive no compensation whatever.
It is performed purely for the love of the Order,
as are such services rendered by thousands of
loyal and devoted Rosicrucians throughout the
jurisdiction. T he duties of A M O R C officers do
not constitute to them just a jobone where they
open their desks at 8:30 in the morning and close
them at 5 :00 P. M. without a thought of the
Orders welfare in the interim. The AM ORC
officers reveal their spirit of Rosicrucianism by
welcoming the quiet hours in the Administration
Building when the general employees are home,
for it gives them the opportunity to work out
plans, study statistics, examine matters and ac
complishments in the departments of the buildings
which they could not attempt at home after their
usual hours. N o officer would be worthy of his

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

office or of his title, or the responsibilities en

trusted to him, if he were not willing to give far
more for the Order in time and effort than specif'
ically required of him, or for which he receives
compensation.
It might be expected that the employees would
have no particular interest in the O rders activities
after their hours of work, but not officers who are
responsible for the welfare of AM ORC. How
ever, in justice to every employee on the staff of
AM O RC it must be said that they are imbued
with the spirit of what the Order is accomplish'
ing and hoping to attain, and many are, of
course, Fratres and Sorores in the highest degrees
of AM ORC. Since they, too, give their entire
time to AM ORC, and since they must have some
means of livelihood, they receive salaries in accordance with their training and ability. A t each
Convention the employees payroll and the sal'
aries paid to officers which are tabulated on certi'
fied financial statements are open to inspection,
examination, and audit by voluntarily composed
committees of members. X

Past Incarnations
A frater from the Atlantic Seaboard of the
United States asks our FORUM a question which
I believe is of interest to many fratres and sorores.
His question is: How greatly shall the incidents
and lives of our past incarnations concern us
now? W e could briefly answernot greatly.
It may be paradoxical to say that each incarna'
tion is a cycle unto itself, and yet is related to all
others that precede or follow. W e do not retro'
gress in our incarnations; we either progress or
retain our status. To explain furtherpresume
that in each life we have become more circum
spect, that we have given heed to the Divine In'
telligence of the soul within us, which speaks
through conscience. As a consequence, we have
become tolerant, compassionate, gentle, and
understanding; we have applied ourselves more
to a study of the wondrous works and laws of
the Cosmic, and have employed our wisdom to
the benefit of humanity. The personality would
gradually be attaining that mastership, that state
of perfection where it would have oneness with
itselfthe self of the soul. W e most certainly
would have made progress; our reward would
truly be what is generally known as psychic de'
velopment. However, at all times we would be as
subject to temptation and somatic appetites as
every other human.
One who lives a good or moral life does so
because he chooses to, not because he is ignorant
of or immune to the ways of transgression. As a
matter of supposition, in one life in a weak
moment we might yield to an act, or series of

Page 49

them, that would be in aberration of right Cosmic

conduct. In other words, we might do something
nefarious. O ur progress would be immediately
retarded. As said, we do not retrogress, we do
not slip back to a savage or elementary personal'
ity, but our progress stops. According to the Cos'
mic law of karma, we remain in status quo until
we have paid for our mistake and learned the
needed lesson not to trifle with Cosmic principles,
nor to feel at any time that we are immune to
their effects. The lesson may be had in the same
life in which the violation occurred, or it may not
come until another life. Time in the Cosmic
scheme of things is of no importance. W hat is to
be accomplished is. The memory of that lesson,
when learned, whenever that may be, is so firmly
impressed on the subjective mind that it becomes a
part of the personality, it leaves a stamp upon it
which clings to it through all earthly cycles of the
souls future existence.
W hat we often refer to as the dictates of con'
science are but the memory impressions of past
incarnations warning us and reminding us of
previous transgressions. W e may use the analogy
of childhood experiences and their psychological
effect upon our adult minds. Small children often
encounter psychical shocks which cause neuras
thenia later in life. Thus, for an example, a small
child passes a gabled house, and from an attic
window she hears violent screams of an insane
woman confined there. The screams greatly
frighten the child, causing abject terror, even
though the cause of them is unknown to her. In
later life when the incident is objectively for'
gotten, she may, whenever she passes a gabled
house, have a fear grip her. She again experiences
near terror until she can no longer see the house.
Some vague thing in her consciousness compels
her to flee from it. The deep subjective impres
sions cannot easily be removed, for the shock was
extreme.
To return again to conscience. In like manner,
when we are about to commit a wrong which we
do not objectively think improper, or at least not
very serious, the incarnated memory experience
that was implanted in our personality, which in
turn is an attribute of the soul, arises in our con'
sciousness to admonish us, to disturb us sufficient'
ly so that we hesitate and finally do not commit
the wrongdoing. These impressions we say are
the dictates of conscience; sometimes we refer to
them as hunches. Such impressions we can read'
ily understand are of the greatest value in pre'
venting us from repeating a mistake and being
compelled once again to learn another lesson and
experience further delay in the development of
self. To know exactly all of the details which
brought about the need for the lesson and the

Page 50

suffering we had to endure is not necessary; the

tutelary voice of conscience is enough.
It is apparent then that knowing past incarna'
tions has only one principal value, namely, to sub'
stantiate and to demonstrate to ourselves the con"
tinuance or recurrence of soul, and the retention
of its personality in future lives. As Rosicrucians,
we say we do not \now a thing until we experi'
ence it, hence the experiments for establishing
proof of past incarnations. Usually the incarna'
tion most easily discerned is the one immediately
preceding this present life. Remember your life
now is greatly like where you left off in another
incarnation. Consequently your most intimate in'
clinations and emotional feelings are principally
of the past rather than of the present. Wheti
conducting the experiments for disclosing a past
incarnation, as explained in the monographs, try
such an experiment during one of your most
natural and profound moods. In other words,
whenever your trend of thought is one that is
most common to you, or when the sentiments had
are most intimate and cherished, that is when you
should undertake the experiment because you are
your oldest self. You will become more easily
attuned with the psychic consciousnessthe true
you. Sometimes if that particular mood or send'
ment of your personality has endured for many
lives, you might perceive, in the manner explained
in the monographs, all of the lives with which it
was identified. Again, however, we repeat, these
lives mean naught to you, except as the demon'
stration of a principle.
For one to go about boasting that he or she
was this or that in a past incarnation shows a
shallowness of mind. It is like those who boast
of their ancestry. W hat matters it if we have
ancestors who were renowned and noble char'
acters, if we today in our own personal conduct
and attainment have added nothing to their
glory? W e are judged before men by what we
areand donot by what those who have gone
before us may have been. The world of humanity
revolves on the efforts, the enterprises, and the
characters of the present, not the past. It is true,
an excellent foundation is needed for any struc'
ture, but a weak framework can topple from the
sturdiest of bases. W e are often amused by the
inconsistencies of those who vaunt their past in'
carnations before assemblies. They prate of how
in such and such an era they were such and such
a celebrity or historical character. The more they
build up to others the importance of who they
were in the past life, the more most of them suffer
by comparison in the present life. If they were
great and noble in the past and now occupy a
position of mediocrity, and further are not so
noble or advanced in consciousness, it is an ad'
mission which they unconsciously make, that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

their progress has been retardedmoreover that

they have retrograded. The fact that one does not
retrogress in his incarnations reveals that they have
made a mistake in their explanations or have ex'
aggerated an experience. Such brummagem meth'
ods in mysticism and occult studies indicate that
those participating are not true students or
worthy ones.
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis once said, after hearing
several persons relate who they were, in their
opinions, in past lives: It seems that most
everyone was either a Mark Anthony, a Cleo'
patra, a pharaoh, dalai lama, king, queen, or
princess. W hat happened to all of those souls
who were just the common people the servants,
slaves, peasants, tradesmen, and craftsmenin
past centuries, have they not also incarnated
again?
It is our duty, each of us, mainly to concern
ourselves with this life. W e must make the most
of every precious hour. W e must add to our
understanding. W e must learn as much of Cos'
mic law as possible. W e must use the faculties
and powers which we have to the fullest extent.
W e must exercise that development which we
have carried over, so that our personalities will
further expand by the time it becomes necessary
for transition again. O ur past lives are pastour
future is in the present. By our conduct of the
hour, we are now greatly shaping the type of life
we will lead in a next incarnation. It, therefore,
behooves us to dwell long on the affairs and
events of today, and little on what we were
yesterday. X

A n Era of Prophecies
A Soror of the mid'west rises to ask our Forum
the question, I am a bit confused by all of the
prophecies that come to my attention pertaining
to world events. W hy are there so many, and
which shall we believe inasmuch as so many are
contradictory? The Soror is right as to the
sudden surge of prophecies, for the daily press
frequently quotes copious excerpts from them,
sometimes in a satirical vein. Booklets and pam'
phlets, announcing these prognostications, which
are mostly offered for sale, are received in large
quantities by our Mailing Department. Likewise
our Correspondence Department receives a hun'
dred or more letters each week asking us to con'
firm or disprove the predictions in this or that
authors book of Sensational Revelations.
The public at large is mainly responsible for
this epidemic of prophecies. The instability of
the times, which causes apprehension about the
tomorrow, compels the average man and woman
to seek somewhere an assurance as to what the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

future will bring forth. All of the usual reliable

sources of information on the trend of tomor'
rows events admit inability to comment with cer'
tainty. During the last year, renowned militarists,
who elected to post the world on future war de'
velopments, produced a staggering record of
wrong conclusions. They were not wrong in one
or two declarations, but in most all of them. One
of the belligerents did not exhaust its oil supply
in ninety days, as declared; it was not starved
out by a blockade in six months; it was not inad'
equately prepared for war. On the other hand,
its enemies were not overwhelmingly superior in
forces and resources, or able to compel a peace
within a few months. These men were authorities
who were accepted as relating conclusions of fact.
The errors of their advicelike mistakes made by
other official spokesmen in the field of economy,
business and international affairsleft the man
on the street in a dilemma. There is no terror
quite as extreme as hopelessness and absolute lack
of confidence. N o one wishes to begin any under'
taking without personal conviction that he has at
least better than half of a chance to succeed in his
enterprise. Every individual knows that there are
unknown powers and forces and unpredictable
events which may intervene and prevent personal
success. These risks are normal and accepted, but
when there are signs everywhere that are ominous
as to the future, or at least when the path ahead
lies completely obscured in a fog, instinct slows
down all human activities to a walk. The average
individual knows that stagnation will decimate
business or a career. He wants to expand his ef'
forts to materialize and realize his plans and
dreams, if only he could have knowledge of what
is to come. W ill things become more severe, or
gradually adjust themselves, is the question which
most men and women put to themselves.
The ordinary man has and does harbor some
one or more superstitions, but he does not inten'
tionally foster fraud or gullibility. On the other
hand, when his personal fortune and the welfare
of his family may be at stake, he is more than
ever inclined to be a gambler and susceptible to
things beyond the border of reason. Some of the
systems of presaging which are brought to his at'
tention are not consonant with good reason, this
he will concede. He is even aware that they con'
tradict each other, but there is, he believes, al'
ways that chance that possibly one may be right,
or that it might divulge the factors and needs to
stabilize his life. Thus the conservative becomes
an extremist. W e find persons having their palms
read, or their craniums studied by phrenologists,
who ordinarily would not give time to hear the
good or bad of such practice. If I may be per'
mitted to use a slang term, this gullibility of peo'
pies under strained conditions, constitutes a

Page 51

heyday for charlatans. The systems and methods

and predictions that they now expound would
never be countenanced in a period of greater ra'
tionalism. Is it not strange that these most
reliable systems of prognostications offered by
myriad authors came to be discovered just at this
time? On the other hand, if they were known be'
fore, why have they been kept from humanity all
of these years? If they are infallible now, they
would have been five, ten or twenty years ago as
well. The majority of predictions offered to the
public today, for a varying range in price, are
founded upon Biblical events or parables, and
principally on the book, Revelations.
A parable is an allegory. It is truth clothed in
strange words for emphasis, shall we say, roman'
ticized, so as to make an appeal to the imagination
rather than to the reason. W hen you are trying
to make a small child understand the moral value
of honesty, it is futile to orate on the philosophy
of morality and what constitutes virtue. It is
simpler and more effective to picture to him the
effect of dishonesty by relating a tale in which
honesty becomes the moral. Consequently, the
allegory may be accepted by one child literally,
as a sort of pleasant story, and the moral entirely
lost to him. Another may fully appreciate it, and
still another dwell upon some incident in the tale
which was not intended to be accentuated.
In this sense, adult minds are not different from
those of children. Such an exegetical story is not
accepted alike by them. One may accept it
literally, and another in searching for the moral
may relate it to immediate circumstances, and
presume that is what it is presaging. If you doubt
this, ask two persons unknown to one another,
and of different religious faith and cultural back'
ground to interpret a particularly enigmatic
Biblical quotation; it will be most unusual if they
agree as to its meaning. Many of these allegories
are not readily lucid, and their meaning is not
apparent in the contents. Consequently, the
mind, through imagination, seeks to make them
intelligent. The degree of intelligence of the in'
dividual, plus the extent of his imagination, de'
termine the ultimate meaning he ascribes to them.
It is quite apparent that the individual relates
them in some manner to his personal experiences
or to that which he has heard or read.
Thus, for example: Revelations, 9:2And
he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a
smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great fur'
nace; and the sun and the air were darkened by
reason of the smoke of the pit. 9:3And out
of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth;
and unto them was given power, as the scorpions
of the earth have power. A nd then again we
find in 9:9, And they had breastplates, as it
were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their

Page 52

wings was as a sound of chariots, of many horses

rushing to war. And further in 9:10, And
they had tails like unto the scorpions, and there
were sting in their tails; and their power was to
hurt men five months. In 9:17, And thus I
saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat
upon them having breastplates as of fire, and of
hyacinth and brimstone; and the heads of the
horses were as heads of lions, and out of the
mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.
W hat can we make of all this, might be asked.
W ith little tax of imagination, this can be construed to predict the following: The smoke would
depict the smoke screen now in use in aerial w ar'
fare. The locusts which became scorpions and
emerged from the smoke screen, with a great
sound like chariots, would become a host of war
planes; and the sting in their tails would be the
armament they carried. The power to hurt men
for five months, would be interpreted as a relent'
less five months air bombardment. Continuing
further, the horses with breastplates and with
heads of lions, emitting fire and brimstone, could
be conceived as British tanks attempting to expell
an invader. I admit, this interpretation seems
fantastic and preposterous. On the other hand,
there are actually in circulation, and generally
disseminated, predictions of events founded upon
exaggerated interpretations, as the one just given.
It can easily be seen, therefore, that each man
can take the Bible and by reading parts of it
become his own prophet, if he has an unbridled
imagination.
Almost equal in number to the Biblical prophe'
cies are those proclaimed to be of the Great
Pyramid of Gizeh, more generally referred to as
Pyramid prophecies. Real students of the Great
Pyramid use the numerical method of prediction,
which has been expounded for years, and its
authorities are well'known and established.
AM ORC, itself, published a book on Pyramid
prophecies several years ago, and sponsored an'
other one years before that. Now, however,
many books of Pyramid prophecies are literally
cluttering the market, and their contents were
never issued in any form previously. W hy did
the authors or the publishers of them not have ac'
cess to the same information before, and if they
did, why did they hide it all of these years? O r
is it that they merely issue them now to capitalize
on the times and the distress of the people? It is
amusing to note that in many of these books the
authors connote authority for their prediction by
relating events which have come to pass five or
ten years ago, and which they point out that their
system revealed. W hy didnt they announce them
before the events of five or ten years ago? W hy
wait until they are matters of history? Further,
it is obvious that some of their systems must be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

wrong for many of them very definitely contra'

diet each other.
It is further interesting to note that many of
these students of the Great Pyramids dimen'
sions, chambers and symbolism, have never been
to Egypt and have never actually seen the Great
Pyramid except on postal cards and in photo'
graphs; and are not well'grounded in the or'
dinary accepted archeological and historical facts
appertaining to it. They really, by their hypoc'
risy, belittle the eminence of the Great Pyramid
as an epitome of the knowledge of the ancients.
To attempt to relate the incidents of every day
for a year or more to some system of Pyramid
prophecies, as do some, is a willful, mendacious
practice.
Most of the systems of predictions are purely
commercial enterprises. The fact that they are
sold, and a profit made on each book is all right
in itself if there were an honest purpose behind
them; which there is not in most all instances of
these recent works. The authors and publishers
must know that one year from now 99% of all
their fantastic predictions will be found false. No
system of predictions, even one established on a
scientific basis, can be 100% accurate at all times.
For a method of predicting to be reliable it must
at least have an 80% to 90% correctness. The
men who issue these works have no institution or
organization behind them, whose integrity must
be kept intact. They will have made their profit,
and like the Arabs will have folded their tents and
stolen away into the night.
A reliable society or organization would not
dare attempt such methods. It would be ruined,
aside from the ethical principles involved. It is
for this reason that AM ORC has discontinued
issuing its annual prediction booklets which it
issued for years freely. It must and will wait
until it again establishes contact with the Euro'
pean sources, and is able to obtain information,
as heretofore, from charts and graphs which have
been carefully and scientifically calculated there,
and which show the tendencies, trends and cycles
of events, human and economic. O ur brochures
have never been completely accurate, and we
have never declared them to be 100% so. But
their high percentage of correctness has been
amazing and has won for them distinction
throughout the world. W e need only invite one
to read the past several years booklets to sub'
stantiate this. Sometimes a reader will quickly
grasp an error in one of the booklets, and ex
pound it; and yet it may be the only inaccuracy
out of one hundred predictions in the entire
work.
Methods and systems of prediction which can
be respected today, are those which are tradi'
tional, which are periodically issued, which have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

proven their worth, which have some rational

background.
In the 16th century, a remarkable character,
Michael de Notredame, a French doctor of medi'
cine, acquired an enviable reputation as a seer.
His personal means of prophecy was by revela'
tionvisions he declared he frequently had. He
called himself 'Hostradamus. Most of his predic"
tions were couched in veiled language and al'
though obscure, corresponded with important
events in history which came to pass. The follow'
ing is a brief summary of some of his successful
prognostications:
He placed the date of the French Revolution
in 1792.
He predicted the date of the fire in London.
He went into details about the rise, reign and
fall of Napoleon, even naming minor matters and
events in his life.
He saw an impetuous rain from the skies. A
bombardment of stones and fire.
He stated, The Oriental shall come forth from
his seatbreathe fire through the skyand strike
everyone with his rod.
He saw France assailed on five sides because of
neglect.
He said that the French would have to fight to
keep Tunis and Algiersand these were cities
the French conquered centuries after N ostra'
damus death.
He further predicted, Those in the isles
(British?) a long time besieged, shall take vigor
and force against their enemies who will die of
famine. Children shall be transported from the
isles, two out of seven.
X

Awaiting Cosmic Direction

A Frater, new to our Forum, asks on this oc'
casion the question, Shall I put my problems, as
they arise, to the Cosmic Mind and forget them,
or is it advisable that I tell the Cosmic what to
do for me?
In his question, the Frater has entirely missed
the middle course. Instead, he wishes us to con'
firm one extreme or the other. In fact, neither of
the methods he is considering is proper, without
much qualification. W hen we make the necessary
qualifications we find we have an entirely differ'
ent procedure, and this is what we shall consider.
First, we must answer to ourselves, what is our
conception of the application of Cosmic power?
Is it servile, like one who understands his duties
and is obliged to perform them without question
as to their merit, or their effect upon others, or
do we conceive the Cosmic as a sort of genie
who makes an appearance upon our command,
as described in the tales of the Arabian Nights,
and fulfills our slightest wish. Then again, do we

Page 53

think of the Cosmic as an omniscience with which

we may commune for enlightenment in hours of
personal darkness or confusion?
The Cosmic is an attribute of God. It is the
orderly manifestation and extension of His intelli'
gence. If God is Mind, and not a mechanistic
force, then that denotes a divine intelligence
which pervades all, since God must of necessity
be everywhere, or He would not be supreme.
This intelligence accounts for all phenomena
those of the microcosmic and those of the
macrocosmic worlds. The realities of the universe
are the movement and force of this Mind of God.
It follows as a corollary that all things are of the
order and nature of this Divine Mind. Conse'
quently, the Cosmic is the orderly manifestation
of the intelligence of God, which we commonly
designate as spiritual and natural laws. Being of
God, these laws must be impersonal in their ap'
plication to the affairs of men. It would be in'
conceivable that these laws would favor one in'
dividual, group, or class of humans in preference
to another. It is more consistent with our in'
herent feeling of divine justice that these laws
can be invoked by any human under proper cir'
cumstances. Summarily, then, all men stand be'
fore the Cosmic alike insofar as being human is
concerned. If one man or woman were to be
helped merely by virtue of the fact that he or
she was a human, all would need to be. If one
individuals life were to be constantly guided, di'
rected and freed from obstacles and suffering,
and made extremely happy because he wished for
it, every human who desired likewise would ex'
perience the same earthly Utopia, since most
every human wants this liberation from earthly
trials and tribulations. The fact that very few
come to have it denotes that the Cosmic is not
assuming the tasks of living for man.
If the responsibility for human well being or
happiness were vested entirely in the Cosmic,
man would not need to possess many of his pro'
pensities. He would not need moral discernment
and such notions as right and wrong, good and
bad, just and unjust. There could be but one
state of existence for him. However, man is able
and he is permitted to get himself in and out of
difficulty, to submit to or master adversity, and
that should be sufficient proof to the average in'
telligent person that the vicissitudes of life are
greatly of his own doing. This being so, we have
no right to expect the Cosmic to assume our
problems entirely for us as we encounter them.
Suppose, for example, ours is a problem of em'
ployment. Perhaps on very little notice we have
been suddenly dismissed from a much needed
position. Our financial resources are low, and our
obligations many. It follows that it is impera'
tive that we find other employment quickly, and

Page 54

there are two ways in which we may go about it.

W e may elect to visit daily every employment
agency of which we have knowledge. W e may,
in addition, make a study of the city directory to
determine what business might use our particular
services, and canvass each one. W e might also
answer personally or by letter each help wanted
advertisement in the daily press, whether or not
we were experienced in the line of work, if we
thought we could possibly qualify. In other
words, we could be diligent in exerting effort to
obtain employment.
Then again, we might try the method of making no other personal effort than resorting to the
Cosmic. W e might merely petition it, in a vocative or silent manner, to locate remunerative em
ployment for us. In the light of the foregoing
explanations, do we have any right to expect that
in the latter instance we should have Cosmic assistance? W hy should the Cosmic assume our
tasks and obligations, especially when we are obviously indolent? It is a Cosmic decree that man
have will and reason by which to direct the affairs of his life. Most certainly the Cosmic will
not mitigate its own order to satisfy the improper
appeal of man. Concisely, by this latter method
man is asking the Cosmic to make ineffective the
powers divinity has conferred upon him.
It is this misunderstanding of what the Cosmic
will do for man that causes many men and
women eventually to lose faith in Cosmic efficacy.
Often we hear people say, I turned my problems
over to the Cosmic, and I have no indication,
after a long wait, of any improvement in my affairs. Consequently, I do not believe that we can
expect Cosmic help. W e must not believe that
the Cosmic will do for us what we are often quite
capable of doing for ourselves if we have the
initiative to do so. Some may reply to this by
saying, Suppose we do not know what to do
for ourselves; then what must we do? Such is
a different circumstance. One who is blind is incapable of locating a lost article, but one who can
see and makes no search for it is not entitled to
help. It is quite different to ask for vision, that
you may make a personal search for something,
than to ask another to do it for you when you
can see.
W hen we sincerely want to solve our personal
problems and are willing to expend mental and
physical effort to do so, but lack the knowledge
of how to proceed, it is then proper to petition
the Cosmic. O ur petition should run something
like this: Cosmic Mind and God of my Heart,
this is my problem (briefly explain it) . I, in good
faith and before my conscience, believe I am entitled to what I seek, and that I am not injuring
or depriving another of what is his just due. I
therefore beseech thee to illumine my conscious

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ness with the idea or concept which will constitute the way by which I may attain my desires
if they be proper. By this procedure you have
turned to the Cosmic, not as a master to a servant or as an employer to an employee, but as a
humble human seeking advice from a benevolent
intelligence. You are not negating your own
powers, but instead asking that you be shown how
best to use them. The one who resorts to the
practice of just shifting his problems to the Cosmic, without first making a personal effort toward
the solution, is adopting a negative attitude which
will eventually leave him sadly disappointed.
Conversely, man must not be too presumptuous
and attempt to instruct or command the Cosmic
to perform or materialize something for him.
Man must not consider himself a modern Aladdin
who can rub a lamp and have his wishes fulfilled
by the Cosmic. O ften we may in our finite,
limited, and frequently selfish consciousness honestly believe that what we want or think we need
should rightly be ours, or that it will be of the
utmost benefit to us. W e cannot always see the
consequence of what we may be asking for.
Actually our lack of knowledge of Cosmic prin
ciples may be causing us to ask inadvertently for
something which is in violation of what is Cosmically right or just. The Cosmic, on the other
hand, in its infinite wisdom and justice, will not
permit us, especially when we are innocent of
any wrong doing, to jeopardize our lives seriously
by fulfilling such a request. To demand that the
Cosmic comply with our wishes is wrong, then,
for two apparent reasons: First, we may be ask
ing for something to be brought about that is
detrimental to our good; second, man must in his
relations with the Cosmic admit his humble sta
tion and not be vain enough to dictate demands.
Consequently, one does not tell the Cosmic what
to do. One prays that his problem and his humble
petition are worthy of Cosmic consideration and
that he be directed and guided to meet his own
requirements.
I know a young man, a Rosicrucian, an intelli
gent chap, a diligent worker and a good student,
who has often demonstrated these principles to
himself. He is an accountant and office manager.
A t times, due to the prevailing economic condi
tions, he has had to sacrifice his position because
the firm consolidated with another or discon
tinued branch offices and economized. W hen he
found himself out of employment his procedure
would be as follows: First, he would analyze him
self, try to be as impersonal as possible; in other
words, look upon himself as he would upon a
stranger or perhaps some clerk or office worker
whom he himself would be employing. He would
ask himself what were his real qualifications; what
had he to sell or offer to someone in exchange for

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the compensation he wanted or expected? Then

he would evaluate these services after he had
listed them, either on paper or in his mind. W ere
they the best of their kind? Could he do as well
in his same trade or profession as most anyone
else who had the same experience? He would
then ask himself, had he tried to improve his
qualifications or had he been satisfied to just get
by, namely, command the utmost for his services
and give in return just what was necessary to hold
the position.
W hen he conscientiously felt that he had
something to offer, and that what he had to offer
was honestly worth a certain salary, for his employer as well as himself, then he would proceed
to seek the places where he could best offer his
wares, his ability and his experience. Usually
about the same timeand it happened in two or
three instances, one just a matter of a few days
agohe would petition the Cosmic personally,
himself, and also through the Council of Solace,
to help him. The results he obtained in going
about seeking employment in this manner were
quite startling.
In the recent instance, not more than seventytwo hours after adopting such a method as this,
and after petitioning the Cosmic and the Council
of Solace, while on the way to call upon the
manager of the concern where he thought he
might secure employment, in line with his cam
paign of contacting many of them in his com
munity, he was impressed with the feeling that his
wife was seeking to get in touch with him at
home. He was quite some distance from home,
and felt that if he were to return home, he might
be too late for an interview with the employer.
However, the impression persisted, and grew
more aggravating, so eventually he gave up the
thought of calling upon the employer that morn
ing and hurried home. Upon his arrival his wife
informed him that she had been endeavoring to
locate him at the various places where she thought
he might be, because his former employer had
called for him to come immediately to see him.
He did, and the employer put him in touch with
another concern where he was given the branch
management at a splendid salary.
Now a problem might not always work out as
satisfactorily as in this case, but there are so many
similar cases of success that have come to our at
tention where the parties intelligently sought em
ployment and intelligently asked for Cosmic aid,
that it behooves us, therefore, to give every con
sideration to these principles.X

Inharmonious Thoughts
In glancing through a group of interesting
letters that have come to us in the last day or
two, we were struck with the truth of a state

Page 55

ment in one of them in which one of our dear

sorores stated that somehow, when one thing
goes wrong, everything goes wrong, and she ex
periences a feeling of panic and fear for the
future as well as the present. How often do we
all have such experiences. It is just as though our
whole world suddenly collapses upon us. W e
become ill in mind and body, and the struggle
upward is long and difficult. Everything we at
tempt to do meets with obstacles that mount
higher and higher as we seek ways and means of
solving our problems. W ith each frustrated plan,
each disappointment, we sink deeper and deeper
into the depths of despair, until we find ourselves
on the verge of calamity.
Perhaps one of the outstanding causes of our
continued misfortune is self-pity and condemna
tion of everything and everybody around us upon
whom we can lay blame. Interesting enough,
this is not an unnatural reaction to misfortune.
Seldom do we take our troubles into our medita
tions and there spread them open for careful in
spection in an effort to find a solution to them.
Too often we are so concerned with the thought
of placing blame that we are in no proper mental
condition to solve our problems. A nd too, we dis
like finding our own mental attitude wrong. W e
prefer to feel that we are victims of forces be
yond our control, rather than victims of our own
black thoughts. W e almost revel in the thought
that we are being persecuted by others, held down
by those stronger than we are, maliciously taunted
and tortured by those who enjoy a little more of
lifes material blessings. W ith such an attitude, it
is little wonder that we experience nothing but
trouble and worry. W e find a gradual breakdown
in health because we do not eat and sleep proper
ly. As conditions grow worse, we find ourselves
becoming envious of all who seem to be enjoying
life and its blessings.
W ith this attitude in mind, we merely add fuel
to the fire that is glowing within, destroying every
possible chance of overcoming and subduing the
terrible evil forces that are bent upon demolishing
us. To our many inharmonious emotions we have
added that resulting from jealousy. No other
thought can be more self-destructive. If most
people would spend as much time worrying about
what they do not have as they do about what
their neighbor has, there would be much less
strife in this tired old world of ours. Further, if
the peoples of the world who seem to enjoy com
plaining about what they do not have would look
about them and seek ways and means of deriving
more benefit and happiness from what they do
have instead of lamenting their lot in life, there
would be little need for reminders such as this.
The Rosicrucian teachings are intended to help
one to overcome the habit of dwelling upon such

Page 56

destructive thoughts as suggested above. Is it a

surprise to you that we refer to these thoughts as
habit? It should not be, for it is just as easy to
form a mental habit as it is a physical one. W e
hasten to add, however, that the mental habit, if
harmful, is not as simple to conquer as a physical
one. Reference to our Rosicrucian monographs
will reveal the fact that we are intensely inter'
ested in the power of thought. From the very
beginning of our Neophyte work, we discuss
thought vibrations, their usefulness, and their
power of destructiveness. W e are taught to
demonstrate the power of mind over matter and
the radiation of thought vibrations from the
human mind. W e are shown that the thoughts
in our consiousness have a definite effect upon
our health and also upon the fulfillment of our
dreams and ambitions.
Knowing this through actual demonstration, it
is easy for us to understand why a wrong mental
attitude will only add to our troubles and burdens
that already seem too great to bear. Since this
seems to be true, what are we going to do about
our difficulties? Deny their existence when we
can see and feel the result of them? This would
be like denying a toothache that is keeping us
awake at night. Negation will not remove a con'
dition, its cause, or the physical and mental worry
resulting from it. Denial is simply an admission,
for if there is no trouble, there would be no need
of negating it. Like our toothache, we should
admit our troubles and then set about in search
of a cure for them, just as we seek a dentist
capable of curing our toothache.
Unlike the toothache, however, it would be'
hoove us to seek the cure of our troubles first of
all within our own being. W e should strive to
find just where we ourselves are in error. This
does not necessarily mean self'condemnation, but
rather constructive self'criticism. It has been said
that man himself is his own severest critic. No
doubt the place to begin that will give the best
results is with ones mental attitude toward life
and ones fellow man. Purge the mind of all in'
harmonies and be absolutely honest with yourself
in doing so. If you are guilty of black, negative
thoughts of malice, hatred, jealousy, envy, admit
it to yourself and resolve to make every effort to
free yourself from the entangled mesh of the
mental trap that you are caught in. Practice
every principle and exercise that you have learned
in seeking mental freedom.
You will find an immediate change for the
better, and this probably will manifest first of all
in an improved physical condition. This is well,
for illness even to a slight degree tends to
weaken our power of will and determination.
Naturally enough, as we improve physically, we
become stronger mentally. This strength is great'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ly needed to complete our program of clearing

the mind and heart of black, ugly thoughts toward
our fellow beings and leaving the consciousness
clear and free to carry on an intelligent program
of reconstruction. Above all, eliminate self'pity
and develop the habit of feeling sorry for others
who may actually be in far worse circumstances
than you. Give thanks to the God of your heart
for the many blessings that you may have but
which you have hidden by worry and resentment
of what you do not have. Remember that the
moment steps are taken to help yourself, forces,
perhaps unknown to you at present, will come to
your assistance and help you to grope your way
out of your mental fog.

Power of Curses (? )
A soror apologetically asks about curses. Her
reticence in asking is due to what she believes is
a lack of interest in the subject. The topic, how'
ever, is one that we feel certain is most instructive
and will give our FORUM members a deep in'
sight into the workings of the human mind. The
sorors question is: W e, each of us, I am sure,
dislike to believe that a curse may actually be ef'
fective, and yet the custom of invoking curses
prevails even among the higher classes of modern
society. Strange, too, that there are occurrences
which seem to be the direct result of the curse.
I would like to know how curses began and what
causes people to still have faith in them, and
moreover can they possibly bring injury to
others under any circumstances, intentionally or
accidentally?
Cursing and blessings, and even simple prayer,
are fundamentally the same in procedure, yet en'
tirely opposite in principle. The former has as its
intent the conjuration of evil and the latter good.
A curse, like a prayer, is a wish or desire, which,
in its development is actualized by word and often
gesture, and frequently an elaborate mimicry,
even among the more highly evolved races; for
curses are, after all, universal and not limited to
any ethnic group. They very seldom assume the
form of a mere unexpressed wish, and are most
often vocative. The curser perhaps subjectively
realizes that he himself is not a sufficient vehicle
for the transmission of the idea. This is easily
deduced from common experiences. Each hour
of the day we have a great number of concepts or
ideas pass through our minds which never
actualize, and consequently within themselves ap'
pear to be devoid of any power. If it were as'
sumed that thoughts immediately establish a cor'
responding reality, curses, like wishes, would
never be woven in to religious or magical rites
and practices. The mere thought would be con'
sidered sufficient.

fHE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Man realizes, however, that each thought, to

be productive, must be accompanied by some kind
of a substance, agency, medium, or action. W e
think that we will climb a hill to reach a spring
of water, then after making the decision we act
upon it. Curses, then, as mere wishes or desires,
were too distant from the end sought; a word,
a verbal utterance gave the curse an efficacy, put
it into motion as it were. The word was a far
greater vehicle for the transmission of the curse.
The curse, when made vocative, was given entity.
It was set up separate and apart from the execrator; it did not just remain with him. To the
human mind, the spoken word gives the idea a
form or reality which it would not otherwise
possess. Psychologically, something that stays
within the human seems to have little potential'
ity of accomplishment except within himself.
W hen man speaks, however, the thought is no
longer confined. It is a thing separate from him,
even though it may be under his control. Intense
thoughts, when spoken with deep emotional feel'
ing arouse energy, a sort of kinetic spirit which
psychologically is termed a neurO'muscular dis'
charge. Thus it becomes difficult not to accom'
pany the verbal utterance with some dynamic
gesture. If there is feeling with the word, with a
statement of determination, it will often be ac'
companied by striking the clenched fist in the
palm of the other hand, a stamping of the feet,
or setting of the jaw. Thus a violent gesture when
the oath or curse is uttered is thought to confer
upon it a dynamical certainty.
The curse is often thought to be a nebulous
force or energy of some kind that is transmitted
through the air, and when it alights it becomes
effective. From this point of view, curses are
bombardments of vitriolic energy. In Irish folk'
lore, it is related that a curse will float through
the air for seven years and then may descend any
time upon the head of the recipient, inflicting
sickness, misfortune, or expose him to great
temptation. Among earlier civilizations, a curse
was often uttered with the face of the execrator
distorted with all of the grotesqueness that wrath
could engender, and was turned in the direction
of the enemy. This, it was thought, made the
curse more effective.
In the Talmud, we find that it was customary
to bring down a curse upon another with an
angry look. It is often said today that if looks
would kill, implying that the glance was
vicious. In ancient times it was thought that
hatred could emanate from the eyes, as a sort of
venom, and when combined with a vocative curse
was particularly destructive. This belief has sur'
vived to the present day. It is quite commonly
accepted among the Bedouin tribes, who think
that a light shade of the color blue is a protective

Page 57

influence against the evil eye. The evil eye is

the one that looks with evil intent upon a person
or thing, accompanying the look with a curse held
in mind or spoken. Houses in Islamic countries
frequently have blue streaks painted upon them.
Camels wear a blue bead suspended by a cord
about their necks, and small incisions on the
human forehead are filled with a substance which
dyes the scar tissue a purplish blue for the same
reason.
A curse is likewise conceived as a baneful sub'
stanceas an actual material which is invisible.
This is derived from the generally conceded idea
that good and evil have a content. It is only
among those of the higher strata of thought in
our present society that persons conceive good and
evil as notions of the mind or as standards of
evaluation of the effect of things upon men. It
is generally held that good and evil are definite
influences which are extant in the world, are, in
fact, as finite realities as is man himself. It is ex'
ceedingly difficult for the human mind to con'
ceive of a thought which can deeply affect and
produce realities within the self, such as peace of
mind, hatred, and great distress and not have
an archetype beyond the mind itself. W e find
this idea more or less expressed in Descartes
principle of causality. He holds that in every
cause there must be at least as much reality as is
revealed in the effect. Otherwise, we should have
a portion of the effect arising out of nothing. He
further contends that if there exists in our minds
any single idea, which evidently is too great or
different to have originated solely from our own
natures, then we can be sure that outside of us
there is a commensurate cause. Therefore, it is
thought that once this curse leaves the mind, it is
transmitted through space by its own force, or by
some related medium. The Arabs believe that the
curse is projected in a straight line like bullets
fired from a rifle. It is customary for an Arab to
lie on the ground in the presence of one uttering
a curse, so that it may pass over him.
Adding further conviction to the supposition
of the tangible nature of curses is the custom of
the Berbers to strip before taking an oath to pre'
vent it from clinging to the clothes. Curses are
believed to descend from one generation to an'
other, until they have spent themselves upon
someone who is related to the originally intended
recipient. A curse that is invoked without proper
motiveor, in other words, is not thought to be
justifiableis said to return like a boomerang to
injure the execrator. Grimm, in one of his works,
said: Curses, like chickens, come home to roost;
they turn home as birds to their nests.
Curses of those who are dying are believed to
be much more efficacious. A dying person, it is
conceived, is professionally in touch with magical

Page 58

or supernatural powers which constitute an ef'

fective agency for their enforcement. The curse
of a dying person strikes terror in the hearts of
religiously superstitious people, even of our own
times. The memory of such a curse has frequent'
ly haunted persons into their graves. Execrations
associated with the poor, likewise blessings, are
considered especially potent. Sacred literature is
quite replete with blessings that the poor and
wretched have conferred upon individualsand
which are supposed to have borne fruitand con'
versely with the disastrous results of their curses.
In most religious literature, the poor have at'
tributed to them the special compassion and grace
of the gods and goddesses. In other words, they
are favored by divinity. They are permitted to
suffer their wretched lives because of a divine pur'
pose. Therefore, it is implied, because of this and
in consideration of it, they are shown favor and
their curses or blessings are of greater consequence.
Curses which are contingent upon a circum'
stance or a condition are termed conditional
curses. A property curse is of this type. Property
curses were common among the ancient Egyptians
and Babylonians. Many Babylonian landmarks
have been found bearing, in cuneiform characters,
the inscription, Upon this man may the great
gods, Anu, bel, Ea, and Nusku look wrathfully,
uproot his foundation, and destroy his offspring.
This, of course, referred to any desecration of the
property, such as by a thief or invader. These
property curses have a deep hold upon the
imagination, principally because we are all, to
some extent, embued with a belief in and fear
of the supernatural. There are things beyond our
comprehension in nature, the phenomena of
which are most uncanny, and we are wont to
attribute such effects to causes not within the
realm of natural law. There is the unexpressed
belief among many that possibly in some inex'
plicable manner the ancients could command the
forces of nature to commit, if they chose, heinous
crimes.
There is, therefore, a combination of mixed
feelings of revulsion and dread when one is
obliged to violate, even in the interests of science
and culture, the venerated remains of an ancient
civilization, which bears ominous property curses.
The writer has personally experienced this inner
conflict himself. It is nearly impossible to obtain
the services of natives to work in excavations, if
it is known that they carry such inscriptions. It
is quite understandable, therefore, that this form
of mental poisoning, as Dr. H. Spencer Lewis so
aptly called it in his book by the same name, was
the cause of the spread of fear about the Egyptian
curses that would befall the Egyptologists who
violated the sanctity of King Tut'Ankh'A m en,
and the tombs of other prominent pharaohs and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

nobles. The argument that Lord Carnarvon and

others, stricken years later, might have naturally
suffered some malady at their ages, and would
have eventually passed through transition even if
they never had been associated with such enter'
prises, was entirely lost on the superstitious minds.
Possibly the high priests of ancient Egypt were
sincere in their belief of the power of a curse, or
perhaps they wished to protect the tombs with
their mental poisoning of fear. The fact remains
that the fear they created reached down through
the centuries to clutch minds of our day and age.
Perhaps the most common form of a condi'
tional curse is the selfnnvo\ed one. How com'
mon it is to hear one say, may God strike me
dead if thus and thus. The individual is in'
voking God to bear witness to his words, and if
he perjured himself to punish him by enforcing
the curse which he brings down upon his own
head. For many centuries the self4nvo\ed curse
was part of the regular procedure of witnesses in
trials by the state. The law now invokes a penal'
ty for perjury instead. In Samoa, even today,
one suspected of theft is brought into the tribunal
building and obliged to place his hand upon the
sacred stone and then utter the following oath,
I lay hand on the stone. If I stole, I speedily
die. The old trials by ordeal are characteristic
of this method. A curse was put upon the
suspected transgressor. He was compelled to walk
through fire and plunge his hand in boiling water,
and if he was innocent it was believed that God
would intervene, and he would suffer no injury.
If guilty, the curse of excruciating pain or death
would befall him. It is easily to be seen that most
were adjudged guilty.
From all of the foregoing, it should be readily
understood that the efficacy of a curse was made
to depend upon some medium of transmitting it,
of imposing it upon the one execrated. In prayer,
we invoke the Supreme Being, God, by petition
to intercede for us, or to heed our personal needs.
The prayer is but a request to the Divine Power.
The prayer, further, except in mysticism, is
thought to have little value to the individual un'
less Divine communion is established. Converse'
ly, a curse is ineffectual unless there be some
malevolent spirit to carry it as a substance, or as
an energy through space. If we do not conceive
a satanic power having equal jurisdiction over
our world with a God, then it is quite cogent
that a curse falls of its own weight. If all of
nature, all of the forces of the universe are of
Divine origin, being, and direction they would
naturally, by their difference in quality and polar'
ity, quell an evil force.
The belief in curses, of course, is the very basis
of the superstitious practice of black magic. In
black magic we know that the greatest destructive

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

power it possesses is the fear it can establish in

the minds of its believers. If we fear it, through
the self "engendered power of our own minds do
we inflict destruction upon ourselves. Disabuse
our minds of it, and we rob black magic and
curses of any semblance of effectiveness.X

Killing Animals
A n interesting thought that has recently come
to our attention is one resulting from a study of
the Confessions to M aat that are to be found
in one of our Neophyte monographs. The soror,
in commenting upon the Confessions to M aat,
desires to know just what attitude she would take
in regard to the slaughter of chickens and other
fowl that she and her family use for food. One
of the Confessions to Maat states, I have
caused no pain to be inflicted upon man or
animal.
This soror feels that she cannot make such a
confession if she causes to be killed, for food,
chickens, rabbits, birds, ducks, and other small
animals that man has found to be delectable and
nourishing. It is also asked what attitude should
be taken in keeping ones home free from pests
such as mice, spiders, flies, etc. Is it not true that
in destroying a spider or a mouse you are causing
pain, and if so how can one affirm that he has
caused no pain to man or animal if he has killed
these household pests, or if he has killed, or
caused to be killed, a chicken for the evening
meal? In the strictest literal interpretation of the
confession, the affirmation could not be made, for
there is no doubt about the sensation of pain ex"
perienced by these lesser forms of animal life
when they are killed, unless, of course, some pain"
less method of taking their lives is used. But
then, the average person killing a chicken for the
table is so inexperienced that much suffering and
pain is caused before its head is finally chopped
off. This, of course, is not true of the chickens
and other small animals or fowl bought in the
butcher shop. The action is so fast and so ex"
pertly done that little or no pain is sensed by the
animal.
O ur greatest interest in this whole question
naturally is whether or not it is wrong in the
eyes of the Cosmic to take the life of such" a
creature as a chicken for food. To what extent
will we suffer Karma by destroying house pests
that bring filth and vermin into ones home?
First of all, we must realize that one of the funda"
mental laws seen at work in nature is the survival
of the fittest. W e see throughout all life that one
form of animal thrives at the expense of a lower
form. Look at the robin, for instance. A staple
part of his diet is earthworms, and nature has
even provided him with the intelligence to hop

Page 59

about over the ground, causing vibrations that

result in bringing the worm out of the ground,
only to be pounced upon and devoured. There
are many birds, such as the hawks, that prey upon
smaller, seemingly defenseless, birds. A re we to
condemn nature for giving these birds the power
to inflict pain upon each other as well as upon
lesser animals?
W e see certain kinds of birds catching and
eating small fish, large fish devouring smaller ones,
and even the small fish eating still smaller ani
mal life. The survival"of"the"fittest law extends
throughout all living things, even into plant life;
and so it is not surprising to find it in man. Like
all animals, man has a keen instinct of self"
preservation.
A t one time in mans evolution, he experienced
no sensation of guilt or sorrow for killing one of
the lesser animals, for it meant food and clothing
for himself and family. Even today, if circum"
stances require it, man will not hesitate in taking
the life of a creature of a lower order of develop"
ment. Many persons feel that this is wrong and
a sin. Many feel that to take the life of any ani"
mal, or cause such a life to be taken, will pre"
vent ones spiritual growth and development. A
great many persons become vegetarians and re"
fuse meat in any form because of this belief. For
the majority of people, a certain amount of meat
is a necessary part of the diet, for it provides
elements that they cannot get from any other
source.
The point in this whole discussion that must
be kept in mind where Karma is concerned is the
motive back of the taking of a life. Let us sup"
pose that you lived way out in the wilderness far
from any city or village, and you were thus
forced to seek your food and other needs in the
nearby woods instead of the grocery store and
other shops. It is hardly likely that you would
hesitate to kill a rabbit or a wild fowl when you
were hungry; and if you preferred to go hungry
and thus jeopardize your health, surely you
would be carrying a point of ethics to an extreme.
Now, if you w ent into the woods with a lust
to kill as many birds and animals as you could
find, not because of your needs, but because you
felt a thrill and joy in taking these innocent lives,
you would have good reason to fear the conse"
quences. This also would be true if you felt the
same sensations when killing a chicken for your
table. Even exterminating pests from your home
does not call for a feeling of elation every time a
mouse becomes the victim of your mouse trap.
If you caught and killed the mouse just for the
joy of it, then you would not hesitate in killing,
or trying to kill, a harmless little field mouse that
you might encounter during a walk through the
woods. Surely there would be no good reason for

Page 60

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

taking this little animal's life, and, therefore, you

could be sure of the Karmic debt incurred by
your sin against these little creatures of nature.
From the above we see that more important than
taking life is the attitude of mind and the emotions stimulated by the thought as well as the act,
insofar as Karma is concerned.

News
W hat things of interest are occurring at Rosi
crucian Park? is an unexpressed question of
nearly every member. Things that happen here
have an effect upon every member of the Order,
wherever he or she may be located. Even the
ancillary activities of the Order are beneficial or
detrimental to members. Let us consider, for
example, the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental
Museum. Upon first blush, a member may ask
himself, Unless I can go to San Jose and personally visit the Museum, in just what way am I
benefited by its collection?
The Order, since its inception, has always
furthered cultural pursuits. It has sponsored
artists, musicians, poets and philosophers, as well
as scientists. M any of the renowned in these
cultural and intellectual endeavors have been
members of the Order. The Rosicrucians have
always held that a great work of art or a musical
composition or literary piece belongs to mankind,
not to a nation or a group of people, to be ex
cluded by them from others. W e do not mean
that the author or artist should not be adequately
compensated, or does not have any property right
in his works or labors, but such products of
civilization should be preserved and made avail
able to all who have a love and need of mans
better achievements. Such works must not be
identified with a race of people, a nation, or a
religion, but with humanity as a whole. How
often in times of war will people, in their hatred,
refuse to permit an immortal opera to be pro
duced because the composer is of an enemy na
tionality. Immortal achievements are of and for
men. They are not to be confined to eras or
nationalities. If it were not for some individuals,
groups and societies, such treasures would be in
tentionally destroyed in times of intense passion.
In cooler times, people in their sanity are thank
ful that organizations have existed which pre
served these great works. Such organizations win
the acclaim and respect of the public.
The Rosicrucians have had recognition through
out history as being one of these preservers. T o
day, in our Rosicrucian Museum, we are exhibit
ing what we have gathered from the far ends of
the earth, namely, very valuable collections of
antiquities. Some of these collections have been
sacrificed because of the economic stress, and

would not ordinarly be procurable by AMORC.

Some have been sent to us at comparatively small
cost rather than to sacrifice them to the ravages
of war. The fame of the Rosicrucian Egyptian,
Oriental Museum, which was founded by our
late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, is now
quite widespread. It is known to curators of the
largest museums throughout the world, and to art
collectors, antiquarians and students, to profes
sors, and to lovers of these things who come from
throughout the world to visit it. Frequently they
recommend those who have a collection to sell or
loan it to the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental
Museum.
This recognition makes the word Rosicrucian
and the Order known in circles where possibly it
could not find another approach. Humanitarians
and philanthropists look with great favor upon
the Order because it expends sums of money to
do these things for civilization, for mankind, and
not just for its own members, and further, be
cause it does not request or expect any monetary,
political, or material returns. Whenever 'these
persons have occasion, we know, they speak and
write favorably of the Rosicrucian Order. Think
also of the effect upon the minds of the several
thousand grammar, high school and college stu
dents who annually visit the Rosicrucian Museum
as history or art classes. They are charged no ad
mission, they are asked for no fees, they are
placed under no obligation. They do not know of
the Rosicrucian philosophy but they cannot help
but become conscious of its effect. They admit to
all that the Rosicrucians have a fine Museum and
are doing a great deal to further art, archaeology
and history. W e know they invite their friends
and their parents to visit the Museum as well,
which they do to the extent of many thousands
annually. Each visitor is given the opportunity,
of course, to learn of the Rosicrucian teachings
and to inquire about membership if he so desires.
Thus you see one additional channel for your
contributions, your dues. This unselfish activity
of AM ORC obviously creates public good will.
The more the Order wins recognition and ac
claim, the more it can accomplish. The more it
can advance its teachings, the more it has access
to sources of information, documents and treas
ured writings, to heretofore closed archives, which
in turn will personally help you. Twenty-five
years ago, as our late Imperator has often re
marked, the word Rosicrucian was a strange, un
known one to everyone, with perhaps the excep
tion of a few, a very few scholars of literature,
mysticism and philosophy. Now, at least, several
million persons in the United States alone, have at
some time read or heard the name Rosicrucian.
It is true they may not be in sympathy with our
doctrines, they may never become members, they

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

may have no understanding of our ideals; but

they have heard of tis and that is important.
Recently, through the kindness of his son, we
received the Egyptian collection of Dr. Charles
Moldenke, known as the first American Egyptolo
gist. He is the renowned author of many scholar
ly works on Egyptian history and archaeology.
He passed through transition a few years ago.
His son, himself a prominent botanist associated
with a large American civic botanical garden, de
sired to perpetuate his illustrious fathers memory
by having the excellent collection exhibited in an
institution where it would further public educa
tion and which had no commercial ramifications.
He consulted a prominent eastern museum. The
Egyptologist of the staff stated, with regret, that
they could not accept the fine collection because
of lack of display room, and if they received it
they would be compelled to store it. This celegrated Egyptologist, who is well acquanted with
the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum, then
recommended to Dr. Moldenke our Museum in
San Jose, as a most appropriate and dignified in
stitution, and one which serves the publicthose
interested in culture and improvement of self
in the manner he had in mind. The result was
that this most worthy collection, consisting of
amulets, statuettes, jewelry, scarabs, sarcophagi
fragments, and papyri, is being given to our
Museum for exhibition purposes, without cost,
obliging A M O RC only to pay for the packing
and shipping. In addition, part of the personal
oriental library of the eminent Dr. Charles
Moldenke, is being sent. This latter, of course,
is a valuable contribution to our own Rosicrucian
Research Library.
Then, again, about a month ago a member sent
us a copy of Thomas Dixons latest novel entitled
The Flaming Sword. Thomas Dixon gained
world fame some years back for his story entitled
The Birth of a Nation, which was later pro
duced as a motion picture, and captured the
imagination of peoples, and was exhibited to
millions of spectators throughout the course of
many years. He wrote other celebrated novels.
The Rosicrucian who sent this latest work to us,
which deals with the old South, points out where
in it the author devotes several pages to an ex
planation of the Rosicrucian Order, AM ORC,
and of Rosicrucian Park, which he has one of his
characters visit. The interesting novel has already
had several editions and can be purchased from
the Monarch Publishing Company, Atlanta,
Georgia. Think of the tremendous constructive
publicity we receive from the circulation of this
book. The author, or a friend, undoubtedly
visited Rosicrucian Park and its buildings on
some tour of California, and was so deeply im

Page 61

pressed that he decided to include his experiences

in his novel.
Now had Rosicrucian Park but administration
buildings consisting of offices and mailing depart
ments and stockrooms, no one would be attracted
here except members. But the fact that Rosicru
cian Park has an appeal to all peoples, even
though they may not be interested in the organ
ization as an organization, brings many important
peoples in touch with the Order annually. The
Rosicrucian Museum is not, shall we say, the
only magnet. The Rosicrucian Planetarium is
equally important. It is the only Planetarium in
the northern part of California, and one of the
few in United States, and in fact the second on
the Pacific Coast. In the Planetarium is given a
learned and scientific demonstration of the move
ments of the planets, their relation to the earth
an astronomical discourse and display. The lobby
of the very attractive building contains scientific
instruments and exhibits as well. These things
impress the visitor with the educational and cul
tural background and activity of AMORC. He
sees it is not a fanatical society, and no matter
how high our aspirations, and how abstract we
may be in some of our mystical doctrines at times,
we have a very practical side as well. This practi
cal side is equally reflected in the Rose-Croix Re
search Institute and Sanitarium, where the phys
ical needs of man are taken care of by a com
petent staff of physicians who employ the latest
systems of therapeutics and the Rosicrucian tech
nique of treatment as well.
Many of these enterprises have no revenue di
rectly connected w ith them; consequently, they
depend upon the prompt and regular support of
the membership in the payment of their dues.
W hen members become delinquent for a certain
length of time, the Order carries themwithin
the bounds of possibilitybut when members are
just negligent or forgetful, and let their dues
lapse, they are working a great hardship upon the
organization. It is true that the organization
could relieve itself of considerable expense if it
would just support those activities necessary to
maintain the individuals personal membership.
How selfish an organization we would be, how
un-Rosicrucian in principle, if all we were con
cerned with was just providing that from which
we in turn could get a personal benefit. It is our
duty to do something for humanity at large as
well as for ourselves. X

Binding Ourselves to Religion

Another Soror rises to ask our Forum two
questions. The Sorors questions are: Need a
person have any qualms of conscience for having
left the religion in which she was baptized and

Page 62

brought up? Does one show lack of character in

not wanting to keep promises someone else made
for him or her in good faith?
These questions are most delicate because they
concern religious matters, and religious votaries
are almost always offended by any explanation
which might be contrary to their beliefs or
opinions. In an attempt at answering these ques
tions, we will therefore avoid as much as possible
any dogmatic considerations and confine ourselves
to the principle only.
It is appropriate that first we go on record
again as to the Rosicrucian attitude toward the
church as an institution of society. The church as
a whole symbolizes morality, regardless of sect.
It expounds that there can be no true happiness
in life if the individual violates the divine pre
cepts of nature to attain it. The world at large
encourages ambition and sets an ambitious goal
for each man. This goal more often is made to
appear as cupidity and power. He who possesses
a wealth of material things, or who exercises di
rection over his fellows, no matter what its na
ture, is thought to be a success. Temporal success
is acquisition of these two things. The legal struc
ture set up by the state restrains a man only from
preventing another from his rightful efforts to at
tain the same things. This restraint is an external
one, the compulsion of the law. Consequently,
one can be avaricious and despotic, and so long
as he does not violate the letter of the law he may
continue his pursuit regardless of its conse
quences. This worldly attitude is an encourage
ment of the savage instinct of the survival of the
fittest. There is nothing about it that is creditable
to man or commensurate with the spiritual qual
ities of his nature. If it were to continue without
being exposed to some refining influence, every
man would be set against another. No one, as
among savages, would have a true friend. The
qualities of loyalty, trust and honor, and the
moral values of conscience, would be non-existent.
No one would make any sacrifice of what he considered his birthright, to have and to hold, that
character might survive. Sentiment would expire
and brutality would be more prevalent than now.
Society, even among a small gathering of men,
would exist under an armed truce, each armed
against his fellows.
It is not, as we Rosicrucians and students of
mysticism well know, that the consciousness of the
Cosmic and Divine can only be imparted through
a physical agency such as the church, for we
know that moral precepts lie just beneath the
border of the thinking mind. However, a devotee
of worldly interests is more persuaded by reason
than conscience, which is never given the oppor
tunity to move the body rightly. The body and
mind each has its domain, and for harmony man

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

must oscillate between the two. W e know that

there must be a time when man, the outer self,
will choose to give audience to his own soul. Any
environment or atmosphere that becomes a theater
for the psychic self becomes an ideal state for this
soul communion. This communion may be a brief
period of meditation and reflection in a home
sanctum; it may be while one is caught in a spirit
of reverie while humbly walking a forest trail, or
it may be while seated in the solemn sanctity of
a great cathedral. Unfortunately, most men are
incapable of engendering the proper state of attunement themselves. They have so long kept
dormant the finer and more sensitive emotions and
sentiments of their own beings that they do not
know how to arouse them at will. The stage must
be set for them, the lights, scenery, sound and
design all must be powerful, overwhelming in
their suggestion of the spiritual. They must by
sheer force divert mans thought to higher planes,
invert his consciousness to the self within.
The church has been insuperable for the crea
tion of such an ideal state and for the perpetua
tion of the moral and spiritual ends in life which
prevent man from sinking entirely into bestiality.
If the church falls without an adequate substitute
or without each individual being capable of pre
serving as forcefully spiritual convictions and
understandings, it will mean the ruination of
society, notwithstanding our developments of
science and longevity, for what is life without a
personal peace? T hat churches have erred is
readily admitted. For one to deny it is to pro
claim himself a bigot. The puerility of religion
has been in its attempt to rationalize the spiritual.
It has sought to make inflexible that comprehen
sion of the spiritual truths which men have con
ceived in different centuries. This has brought in
tellectual conflict. A spiritual truth is that which
is experienced more than it is conceived. The
mind for its own peace may clothe it in a doctrine
of words. But just as the costumes of men
change, so the verbiage of truth needs to change.
If not, the flame of truth is distorted by the out
moded lamp in which it burns. The vehicle of
words in which truths are placed is conceived by
man to have the same immutability as the truths
themselves. This is the great error. Man makes a
fetish of human thought and of language. It is
this inertia of dogmatism and the fixity of church
liturgies that has discouraged church attendance,
and.is an indictment of its councils, dignitaries
and prelates.
The wise man will not include the church as
an institution in his condemnation, and will work
towards a new reformation. There can be no one
church if by that it is meant one religion, one
method or system of spiritual awakening. If we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

admit that the church has committed an error

when it does not keep abreast of human progress,
and when it attempts to clothe spiritual truths in
words acceptable only to the minds of the Middle
Ages, then likewise we cannot accept that there
should be just one church appealing to only one
class of our present society, or one level of intelligence, and neglecting the others. The theology
which binds man to God must be a fetter made
of different substances. Every mind and con
sciousness will not be bound alike. The appeal of
the church to mankind must be upon a graduated
scale. There must be a church for every man
not every man for a church. There are those, the
mystics know, who can find spiritual solace and
beatitude within their own cathedral of the soul,
yet they are tolerant of the ones who need struc
tures created of masonry. No one can prescribe
a church or a religion for another, unless he is
able to see within the depths of anothers con
sciousness and perceive there what spiritual rem
edies he may be in need of. As water seeks its
own level, so does the consciousness of the in
dividual seek those interpretations that will bring
it illumination.
W ith a child, the mind has not reached its
fullest maturity. T ruth in any cloak is accepted
and unquestioned. A child has not the personal
experiences by which to weigh what is expound
ed, and to find in it any faults of human equation.
To a child mind the adult is an authority. Since
the child is most often incapable of phrasing and
expressing the great wealth of spiritual feeling
which it has, it is proper that its parents place it
in a church or have it receive the religious guid
ance which their understanding makes it seem
proper. This early religious training often pro
duces a quickening of the spiritual qualities of a
child, and helps the inner self to keep pace with
the intellectual faculties. To attempt to bind a
child, or to make pledges which will keep it bound
to a religious faith, is not a broad view of parents
or guardians. Encourage church attendance. Have
a child go to Sunday School and develop a reli
gious consciousness, but do not make for it prom
ises which the child later in life cannot or will
not keep because of his understanding, or which,
if he does, for his partents sake alone, make of
him a hypocrite.
On the other hand, there is no moral violation
upon the part of an adult who has been baptized
or in any other way inducted into a faith to

Page 63

which he did not subscribe, and from which he

later deviates. The old legal adage of the meeting
of the minds applies to religious obligations as
well. One who has not consciously and \nowingly
bound himself to a religion is not personally a
party to the faith, no matter what pledges may
have been made in his behalf by parents or others.
One does not merely give lip service to religion.
He marries his spirit to it, or it is never a part of
his convictions. One may have no hesitancy in
making new religious affiliations later in life
which are not commensurate with the pledges
parents may have made in his or her behalf. X

Difficult Subject Simply T reated

From time to time we receive requests from
members asking if the book entitled Cosmic
Consciousness by Dr. Bucke is available. It was
our understanding that the publication of this
book had been discontinued, but we have been
informed that it has recently been republished,
and the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau has arranged
with the publishers to have copies available for
members who may wish this book. This is a large
book of three hundred and eighty-four pages, and
can be secured through the Rosicrucian Supply
Bureau for five dollars postpaid.
This is another of the books which the Order
has recommended for supplementary reading. Dr.
Buckes study of Cosmic Consciousness is not
in all respects in accord with the Rosicrucian
philosophy; in fact, in many places it is definitely
contrary to some of the basic Rosicrucian prin
ciples, but nevertheless, is a well-prepared and in
spiring work.
Our late Imperator frequently quoted from this
book in the higher degrees, particularly those
parts that show the effect of Cosmic consciousness
upon those individuals who have been leaders and
responsible for the development of certain schools
of thought. The analysis given to the lives of such
individuals as Buddha, Mohammed, Francis Bacon
and many others who have been outstanding in
their fields is very interesting, and each member
who is interested in supplementary reading who
may have access to this book will enjoy it as a
supplementary source of information. The Supply
Bureau will keep in stock a sufficient quantity to
meet the demands of any members who wish us to
secure the book for them.A.

Glethe Ijc u i Books cVt D im ity

A da Distinction to Your Books with this
M YSTICAL B O O K PLA TE
g H O W m e a m ans library an d I will
tell you his tastes is an adage th at
ever rem ains true.

T h e books we read

reflect our thinking as th e clothes we wear

indicate our personal appearance. A care
fully arranged hom e library, no m atter
how small, with each book well identified
with an attractive book plate, shows th a t
you have book pride.
U niform ly m ark your books with this

personal, mystical book plate. T h e latin

phrase on th e plate, D e D ie I n D iem
S apientia, m eans knowledge from day to
day. T h e figures allegorically depict birth
an d death. T h e book between them rep
resents knowledge, bridging the interval
o r tim e

between, to

which

the

hour

num erals allude. T h e re is am ple space,

you will observe, to write personal n o ta
tions, dates and titles. E ach book plate is
printed o n durable stock, and is exactly
as shown here in size and design. So th a t
every student and lover of books m ay
have these, they are reasonably priced at

100

for only
1.00
postpaid

The

Y O U R N A M E P R IN T E D
For the small sum of one dollar additional your nam e
will be printed in q uaint O ld E nglish type on each book
plate where shown above by th e two horizontal lines.
T his will add th e strictly personal touch.

ROSICRUCIAN

SUPPLY

R O S IC R U C IA N PA RK , S A N JO SE, C A L IF O R N IA , U . S. A.
R O S IC R U C IA N P R E S S , L T D . , SA N J O S E . C A L I F .

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

BUREAU

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC.
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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

Vol. XI

DECEMBER, 1940

No. 3

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" H e th a t goeth forth and w eepeth bearing precious

seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bearing
his sheaves with him ." Psalms 126-6

Seeds and Sheaves

A soul excarnate grieved because o f earth
As the law o f cycles marked approaching birth,
A nd vainly sought to g ather will, and brave
The strangling dark o f this app arent grave:
For life on earth is a fa r more solemn death
Than silenced heart or loss of bodily breath.
His cry arose: "M a s te r how can 1 bear
That heavy body! the brain th at must im pair
M y mem ory three dimensions binding sight
Forgettin g fo rm e r lives and prone to indict
M y brothers fo r Karm ic debts 1 have to pay
Perceiving effect, not cause! 1 would delay
This bleak descent! O b help me now, 1 p ray!
"Beloved child," the Master's thought replied:
"Assimilation ceases; now, to guide
Thy new descent, and keep thee upon the W a y ;
Transmuted knowledge from th at form er day
Upon the earth shall be thy precious seed.
A n d lest thou go forth w eeping, pause and read
For O n e has prophesied within these leaves
Thou shalt return rejoicing, bearing sheaves."
C IA N IS V. T O R T I0 .

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 66

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

W e frequently execrate our machine age. W e

attribute to it many of our economic and social
ills, such as unemployment, class conflict, and
curtailment of individual initiative. The oftenreferred to good old days'to many persons
alludes to the past period of individual effort
and accomplishment, in contrast to the mass pn>
duction of the present.
The advantages or disadvantages of our tech
nological advancement do not concern us here,
but there is one important lesson that we can
learn from our machines. It is timing. Timing in
mechanical devices means the determination of the
occurrence of some function. In other words, in
many mechanisms such as combustion engines
used in automobiles, for example, and in electrical
devices, a certain action of the device is made
to occur periodically. Perhaps a lever is to be
tripped or a piston to be thrust downward or up
ward at a certain time. This action, for its great
est efficiency, depends upon the entire apparatus
being so timed as to operate concomitantly. A
machine or mechanical device that is not timed
correctly may be operated, but it most likely will
dissipate its power and produce unsatisfactory
results, as any engineer or mechanic knows.
Further, because the parts are not in harmony
with each other, and there is a lack of consequent
unity, the machine will also depreciate much more
rapidly.
You are all familiar with the fact that the
spark plugs in your car are timed to fire in a
certain order, so as to generate a constant and
smooth combustion to drive the pistons of the
engine. W hen they are out of time, your en
gine sputters or misses, and your car loses power.
Thus presuming that everything which exists in
the universe has a purpose and constitutes a
cause of something, we can say that some things
are a constant and immediate cause, whereas
others are a delayed and progressive cause. To
elucidate, a nail from which a picture is sus
pended against a wall is a constant and immediate
cause of the pictures retaining its position against
the wall. It obviously is constant, because when
ever it would be removed the picture would fall
to the floor. It likewise is immediate because it
is ever of the present. Now, the nail may have
held the picture up in the past and it may do so
in the future, but the important point is that it
does so at the present as well. On the other
hand, let us imagine a revolving fly wheel to
to which is attached at right angles an arm or pro
jecting rod, which, when it reaches a certain

V
point in the revolution of the fly wheel engages
a like rod on another revolving fly wheel for a
second or two to accomplish some purpose for
which the machine was constructed. Here we
have an example of a delayed and progressive
cause. The cause is served when the rods engage
each other. However, this engagement is not
constant but is delayed until a certain time; in
other words, until they contact each other. How
ever, even though the engagement of the rods is
only periodic, they must always be attached to
their respective fly wheels in the right position.
Since the fly wheels and the rods were constructed
to do a certain thing, we have in them a progres
sive cause, or a series of things intended eventu
ally to fulfill a purpose. This purpose is delayed
until a certain time or period, as explained. Obvi
ously, if one fly wheel is accelerated or retarded
in its speed, its timing will be out, and it will
not accomplish its purpose, even though it exists.
Thus we see that timing, or the right period
for things to occur is as important as the things
needed to produce the results. W hat is meant by
all of this? Just thisattunement with the Cos
mic or with the Cathedral of the Soul, or with
the Universal Cosmic Consciousness, likewise as
in the functioning of machinery, requires the
right time, if success is to be obtained. It is not
sufficient as a cause for meditation and the intro
version of our consciousness that we have the
need for some assistance or higher advice, and that
we are familiar with the procedure to follow.
It is also imperative to know whether the right
time exists to begin our experiment, our period of
meditation. If there is not the right time, we will
fail to have that ecstatic experience that lifts us
up and causes us to transcend our ordinary mental
state of consciousness, and places us in rapport
with the Higher Intelligence.
In so far as the Cosmic is concerned, it is ever
ready to perform, to unfold, to reveal, and to
assist a sincere petition from humanity, if the
order of that appeal is proper. W e ourselves are
often not ready for the state of attunement. W e
have not made the proper preparation, and it is
for this reason mainly that most of us fail. Most
frequently persons begin their periods of medita
tion and concentration while in a negative state
of mind.
The negative state of mind is a trite expression,
I will readily admit. It is frequently used without
the user knowing what is meant by it. Perhaps
a little elaboration is appropriate. A negative
state of mind is a passive one. It is one which is
receptive to dominant thoughts which may be im

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

planted within the consciousness. It, however,

itself is lacking in the formulating of any concept
or idea which impels the power of mind to action.
One who has a vacillating will, who cannot come
to a definite conclusion is of this type of mind.
Further, a negative mind is one that has the pro
clivity to negate every positive declaration or ac
tion. To put it simply, this type of mind says
no to everyone elses yes, without offering
any equally positive substitute thought. To oppose
the affirmative does not mean that you have a
negative state of mind. Thus if one person de
sires to go to the left and the other is equally
emphatic in going to the right, the latter is not
negative in his attitude. He is equally as positive;
he merely differs in the details of his positiveness.
Frequently, however, a person will negate the
positive declaration of another and just say no
for no justifiable reason.
Such persons are perhaps the victims of fear.
This fear may arise from doubts of their own
ability, or because of some lack of understanding.
This confusion and fear which they have causes
a hesitancy and this, in turn, a negative attitude,
one of withdrawal or retirement. A positive state
of mind is a creative state. The mind is active,
moving, and accomplishing. Sometimes the results
may not be creative, but at least the mind is pro
ducing. If we are positive in our thinking, it
means we have formed an opinion, have an idea,
or a concept which commands the energy of our
minds and bodies to realize it. Every positive
attitude of mind has a corresponding action of
mind and body. W hen we are positive we are
moved to express ourselves, or to bring the idea
into existence by pursuing some method or plan
for its development. No one has ever been known
to be positive about something, who was reluctant
to demonstrate or attempt to illustrate his opinion
or ideas, or to materialize them. To define briefly
the difference between the two states of mind,
we may say the positive attitude is where the
consciousness seeks to extend itself in some mode
of expression. The negative, on the other hand,
seeks to arrest itself, to subordinate its own con
sciousness. The positive is like a magnet that
draws out and focalizes our powers of accom
plishment. The negative is like a check rein that
holds them back and repels them.
There are, however, numerous factors which
contribute to engendering these states of mind.
Poor health is the most common factor. For ex
ample, if we desire to memorize a poem, the
memorizing process requires concentration. W e
must be conscious of every word which we visual
ly perceive. There must be the utmost coordina
tion between our visual impressions and our will
and reasoning, which makes the words we see
understandable, holds them long enough in con
sciousness to be known and to form a definite

Page 67

impression on the memory. This focusing of the

consciousness on one thing to the exclusion of all
else is an effort, and the will is the principal in
strument used to attain this end. One who is
quite ill is frequently very weak. He cannot com
mand will as he would like. It becomes too much
of an effort to try and compel the consciousness to
be harnessed to one series of thoughts or visual
impressions, and the mind is inclined to vacillate
to let go. It consequently becomes negative, and
there is no attempt at aggression or concerted
action.
On the other hand, there are other factors
which contribute to the negative state of mind.
Sometimes a series of failures in some enterprise
may rob one of his confidence and cause the es
chewing of any new efforts. Under such cir
cumstances, the will is never fully developed to a
point where it is able to attract and draw out the
powers of self to the fullest extent, and so it re
sults in further failure on the part of the indi
vidual, and a further negative state of mind, a
sort of vicious circle. That is often why it is said
that nothing succeeds li\e success. Each success
establishes confidence; there is then no negation,
no holding back of any of our powers. Our full
abilities are easily crystallized when we attempt
to do something with confidence.
Athletes are quite familiar with the influence of
a negative state of mind on their achievements.
If there is a feat that taxes their skill and strength,
if they are positive in their attitude of mind and
establish an ideal or goal for their efforts, the in
centive arouses confidence, and will power is
stimulated, and with it they can more easily co
ordinate their minds and muscles, and achieve the
desired results. If they doubt that they can per
form the feat, or are skeptical as to their condi
tion or ability, they most assuredly will fail or
fall short of their previous record. I participate
in a form of exercise which consists of weight
lifting. I indulge in it, not as a sport, but as a
needed exercise. W hen the bars are weighted
to the extent of my ability to lift them, on some
evenings I have no difficulty in performing or
going through the usual routine. However, on
other evenings, after a days strenuous duties, and
being reluctant to perform the exercise, and not
having the usual enthusiasm, I lack the mental
stimulus, because of the negative state of mind,
to make the same lifts. In other words, I cannot
properly command the powers which I ordinarily
possess. W e should, therefore, I repeat, enter a
state of attunement, seek to bring our conscious
ness in harmony with the Cosmic only when we
have a positive attitude of mind.
Unless it be an emergency when we turn to the
Cosmic to prevent some immediate threatened
wrong or disaster, or to relieve an urgent distress,
the periods of attunement should occur after a

Page 68

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

feeling of exaltation. No matter what our status

may berich or poor, powerful and influential,
or humble, each of us has emotional moods. No
matter how distressed our condition may be, or we
think it, there are times when we feel an im
provement, when we are more content or happier
and more hopeful. These then are the times to
enter the state of psychic attunement. W hen you
are in such a mood or state, then formulate in
your mind the purpose of your attunement, the
reason why you want to commune with the
Cosmic. You will then have the positive support
of your whole being, and you will give that pur
pose and your faculties the acceleration they need.
Nothing will seem insuperable and you will be
amazed at the results you will have.
W hen you are confused, worried, excited, and
fearsome, every constructive, creative power of
your mind is diverted. Your power of concen
tration is actually weakened by the energy ex
pended for these negative moods. You may feel
then that you need help, more than any other
time, but if you can wait until you have calmed
yourself inwardly a little, until you have gained
some emotional stability and mental equilibrium
it will be to your advantage. W hen, to some de
gree, you once again feel an inner conviction
that you will and can conquer, with Cosmic help,
then make the appeal, then prepare for the at
tunement, and you will be fortified with satisfac
tory results. O f course, you always have the
means within you, as a cause, to effect Cosmic
contact, but there must be taken into considera
tion the timing of these means, the using of them
at just the right period, under the right circum
stances. Take your problems and your questions
to the Cosmic when your heart is full of com
passion, or singing with joy, when life seems
hopeful and worthy, and not just at those times
when you are entirely surrounded with the threat
ening clouds of trouble. Our late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis, said that no man or group of
men can rise higher than their consciousness;
therefore, you can ascend to the heights more
easily when your spirits are high, when your
thinking is right.
Fraternally,
R a l p h M . L e w is ,

Imperator.

Violation of N atures Laws

It may seem strange to a great many of our
membersespecially those in the higher degrees
but all too often we find it necessary to encourage
a member to continue his affiliation with the
Order after he has been receiving lessons for five
or six weeks, and often even before he has taken
his initiation into the First Neophyte Degree. A t

times it is difficult to determine just why a mem

ber should anticipate the occurrence of a miracle
in his life, with an immediate rise to riches or a
divine purification of all bodily ills, even chronic
ailments that have taken years to manifest. Per
haps it is due to misinterpretation of a word,
phrase, or statement hurriedly read or overheard,
or it may be because our literature is not thor
oughly read and digested before seeking mem
bership in the Order.
It is a natural thing for one who is desperate to
reach for a helping hand as a drowning man
reaches for a straw. Many will request member
ship in the Order with the belief that mere mem
bership is all that is necessary for them to ex
perience a complete change in the affairs of life.
They may even labor under the impression that
they can go right on living as always in the past,
constantly violating all of the natural laws of life,
and yet be relieved of the penalties of such viola
tion. It is often a surprise to the member to
learn, upon receipt of his First Mandamus Les
son, that he will be required to study certain
lessons each week and that definite rules of good
living must be followed in order that he enjoy
the full benefits of membership in the Order. It
is true, however, that these points are plainly
set forth in The Secret Heritage and other
literature.
It has been said so often before that it hardly
seems necessary to repeat, that the officers of
your lodge, the Master of your class, the Impera
tor of your jurisdiction, cannot make you a Rosicrucian or practice the laws and principles for
you. W e can supply you with the material; we
can make suggestions that are sometimes helpful;
but the member who expects to draw a deep
breath and relax, with the thought that his ac
cepted application for membership is all that is
required for perfect harmony and good fortune, is
doomed to disappointment.
No doubt many of our new members reading
these lines will wonder just what benefit is to be
derived from their membership if it is not to re
lieve them of the burdens of a material existence.
W hat good is Rosicrucianism if it is not to be
used in offsetting the dire consequences of the
violation of Gods laws, either through ignorance
or willful violation? Here again is a type of
member who is going to be disappointed in the
Order and himself. That is, the one who is an
ardent student, who uses the principles daily to
perfect himself in the practical application of
mysticism, but with the sole purpose in view of
using the principles to make himself immune to
the suffering or consequences that naturally fol
low the violation of natures laws. One who
knows and understands these laws will suffer to
a greater extent for his violation than one who

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

violates through ignorance. This is easy to under'

stand, because he adds to the natural consequences the suffering of self-condemnation.
Fratres and Sorores, you can realise from the
above that the main purpose of the Rosicrucian
teachings is to help you to understand yourself,
God's laws, and your relationship to these laws.
The teachings help you to understand the proper
way to live in harmony with the laws of nature.
If you abide by the natural laws, it no longer
becomes necessary to seek ways and means of off'
setting the consequences of their violation. This
whole thought is expressed in the old adage, A n
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.11
Another thought that seems appropriate here is:
W hen you are studying the lessons and some suggestion is given that will help you to build up your
health, do not think to yourself, That is good;
I will keep it in mind, and when I feel ill I will
use it. Start using it immediately, and very
likely you will not have to resort to it at a future
date in an attempt to restore your health.
Those who are most successful in the use of
the Rosicrucian principles are the members who
are living according to the suggestions given in
the lessons, those who have made the teachings a
part of their lives, just as they have developed
certain habits of personal hygiene. The greatest
disappointments and sad experiences befall those
who try to violate Gods laws and then apply
their Rosicrucian knowledge to avoid suffering
the consequences.

Light, Color and O ur Lives

W ithout light, mans world would be in dark'
ness, for darkness is the absence of light. W ith'
out color, the world would be cold and drab, for
color perception gives us an appreciation of the
wondrous beauties of nature. Seldom in this busy
world of materialism do we stop for a moment
and consider the importance of light and color
upon our lives, or the extent to which our reali'
nation of the world about us would be affected if
ours was a monochromic universe, yet this is the
fate of many of the lower forms of animal life.
In other words, all pictures registering upon the
retina of the eye are perceived in one color, with
a few varying shades or densities of this color.
Perhaps the only one who can appreciate what
a colorless world is like is he who is totally color'
blind. But for a full appreciation of the colors in
nature, we can make a comparison between an
ordinary black and white photograph and the
same picture processed by the new methods of
color photography. Then, and only then, can we
realise just what we would miss if our eyes failed
to respond to the light vibrations of the color
spectrum. It would be sad indeed if when we

Page 69

gazed upon a beautiful red rose it appeared to us

a gray, muddy shade.
The method of practical experiments has re'
vealed that a large majority of the lower animals
fail to perceive the colors of the spectrum. The
bull, for instance, contrary to all popular belief,
is color-blind. The color red, as we perceive it,
causes no particular reaction or emotion within
the animal. This color simply appears as a deep
shade of gray, which can be seen more distinctly
than can a lighter shade.
Light rays, as is explained briefly in some of
our work, are nothing but high vibratory rates
that come to us in a wave-like motion, much in
the same manner as sound waves. In a ray of
white light, we have a perfect blend of all the
colors in the spectrum. These light waves are
vibrations ranging roughly from four hundred
billion per second, which gives an impression of
red, to eight hundred billion, which, when perceived, is an impression of violet. The various
colors of the spectrum lie in between. It is real
ised that there are persons whose eyes are sensi'
tive to vibrations lower than four hundred billion
and higher than eight hundred billion, but these
are unusual in their ability to perceive and distinguish light vibrations.
The Rosicrucians have always known that light
and color play an important part in the lives of
men and even in the existence of all forms of life.
A t times special discourses containing unusual
facts regarding colors and mans reaction to them
have been issued to Rosicrucian students. Many
of our high degree members have been studying
light and color effects upon life for years. Their
findings have been interesting, to say the least.
Today color therapy is steadily moving out of the
experimental stage and is becoming standard
equipment in the treatment rooms of thousands
of doctors throughout the world, especially those
specialising in physiotherapy. Rosicrucian investigators and researchers have contributed much to
this science. This is easy to appreciate when you
realise that light and color are waves of vibra
tions, and vibrations in nature constitute an im
portant subject in the Rosicrucian curriculum.
Because of the advancements being made and
because much that has for years remained in the
notebook of the experimenter now becomes fact
and of practical value, we have prepared a new,
special course of study for those who desire to
know more about light, color, and mans relation
ship to them. Much of the material contained in
the course is being taken from the ancient ar
chives, where there is still preserved much in
formation and data that has never as yet been
released to the masses. Some of the material in
this new series of special supplementary lessons
is taken from Rosicrucian books and records that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 70

are no longer in print and therefore impossible to

obtain in the average city library. Naturally
enough, these new discourses will be augmented
with helpful information and discoveries that
are the result of years of study and practical
experimentation by Rosicrucian researchers and
scientists.
Such a course as this has been requested by our
members for a long time, and we now feel that
the moment is opportune for its release. It is now
available from the Readers Research Academy
at a cost of 50c a month, for which the student
will receive two of these large and extremely
valuable monographs.

Curiosity
A member wants to know if a person who is
merely curious or desiring to satisfy his curiosity
in soliciting membership in this organization can
become a good member. W hile curiosity in its
purest form could hardly be looked upon as an
ideal motive for soliciting membership in an organization of this kind, it cannot be denied that
in the case of some members curiosity does enter
to a certain extent. This is probably true of any
fraternal order, particularly fraternal orders which
have rituals and teachings that are confidential to
the affiliated member.
Curiosity is a usable ability as well as one
which may get the user into trouble. It seems to
be evidenced in all animal life and has been the
undoing of many living beings. A t the moment
I cannot think of any example of curiosity serving
a good purpose in the lower animals. Usually we
are only aware of curiosity on the part of an ani
mal when it gets that animal into trouble, such as
an animals investigation of a trap; but on the
part of the human being curiosity, like many other
things, has a positive and a negative side.
W ithout meaning to minimize in any way the
greatness of the modern mechanical age, and the
many achievements of inventors who have con
tributed to it, I believe that there is no doubt but
what curiosity in some way or another entered
into the original making and perfection of many
mechanical things which we accept without ques
tion in our daily lives. W ithout curiosity a human
beings life would be rather dull. That is, in order
to make life interesting we must have other mo
tives besides merely those of equipment to do
things. Curiosity can be directed very effectively
in the life of a child, as well as that of an adult,
and is a challenge to accomplish certain things.
If a persons motive in affiliating with this or
ganization is entirely curiosity, then the chances
are that his membership will not be very per
manent, because if the motive is curiosity and
nothing else, the purpose in the mind of the in
dividual is to find out what is not known, and as

quickly as a general glimpse of this information

is available, the matter is dropped.
In other words, in the case of this organization,
when it is clearly brought home to the student
that, in order to gain all of the information which
the organization has to offer, study and applica
tion of oneself to the principles is required and
that there is work involved, unless there is a mo
tive beyond that of curiosity there is a tendency
to give up. Nevertheless, there are cases when
curiosity has challenged the individual, when as a
result of curiosity the individual has been led to
see a different field before him. He has gained a
different perspective which has grown beyond
mere curiosity and become a new basis of thought.
Probably there are members of the organization
in the higher degrees who acknowledge that
originally in soliciting membership curiosity was
one important motive, but that the curiosity was
satisfied and opened to them the possibilities of
the knowledge which they could gain and to
which they dedicated themselves seriously.
Therefore, do not condemn curiosity as being
entirely useless. As Rosicrucians we should al
ways be ready to see both the positive and the
negative possibilities of all things.A.

Using the Law of the Triangle

Now one of our fratres arises in our Forum
Circle to ask the question: How can I apply
the law of the triangle to a personal problem?
The law of the triangle is a fundamental doc
trine of the Rosicrucian teachings. It has that
status because it consists of profound Cosmic
principles. Since the basic purpose of Rosicrucian
ism is to apply the laws of the Cosmic as ex
pressed in nature and man to human welfare on
this earth plane, all of the teachings must there
fore have some practical counterpart. It conse
quently will not suffice to propound a theory or
mystical explanation of certain Cosmic laws, with
out integrating them in some manner with our
everyday affairs. This, therefore, we will now
attempt.
It must be realized that a symbol in itself has
no inherent power or efficacy. If we wear a
symbol about our necks, or carry one in our
pockets, it will exert no salutary effect upon us.
Even if we make use of symbols in some vocative
manner, such as speaking or spelling out their
names, they will not aid us. To attempt any
such method is to make a fetish out of a word
or an idea, which is a rank superstition. A sym
bol is a design or emblem which represents a
thought, idea, or mode of conduct. The equi
lateral triangle then, and the position which it
assumes, depicts certain Cosmic laws or principles
only by picture or suggestion. Unless we under

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

stand these laws or principles, the triangle as a

symbol is of little benefit or use to us.
The triangle is a symbol of the numeral 3,
and of perfection in the use of natural laws, or
in any undertaking. It represents the figure 3,
because of its three planes and points. It depicts
perfection because in every perfect manifestation,
as we shall see, there must be three conditions,
qualities, points, or phases present. It is a common
saying that things happen or occur by threes.
This statement possibly originated with the ob'
servation that three qualities, conditions, or parts
are always necessary for the perfection of a mani'
festation. The numeral 1 represents the beginning
of anything, or a point of departure. One by
itself is neither complete nor perfect. W e have
learned in the sciences, and it is demonstrable,
that so far as manifestations in nature are concerned, there is a principle of duality which exists.
There are two phases or qualities of things. Per
haps we may best call these contraries, as did some
of the ancient philosophers. Thus we have night
and day, good and evil, man and woman, positive
and negative, hot and cold, hard and soft, black
and white, and an infinity of others. It may be
contended that some of these contraries are not
always realities. In other words, one of them
may be, and the other may be conceived to be
an opposite just by the mind. For example, night
may be said to have no existence as a quality. It
may be just the absence of sunlight, sunlight be'
ing the positive reality. On the other hand,
throughout nature this duality prevails, and with'
out the combining or coming together of these
opposites, certain other manifestations would not
occur. Each of the opposites is one by itself.
W hen one and one are united mathematically,
we say we have the sum, or numeral 2. Actually,
in manifestation, two is not the creation of an'
other 'factor. The two separate qualities, or ones
still retain their nature but are blended, and from
their blending comes a third or new condition or
state, having the attributes of both of the separate
ones. W e bring together a negative electric cur'
rent and a positive one, in fastening wires to an
electrical fixture or socket in which an electric
bulb or lamp has been placed, and we produce the
phenomenon of light. The light is the third point
or condition, which is the perfect manifestation.
The third point depends upon the other two, the
positive and negative electrical polarities, being
blended. Neither of the single polarities produces
the manifestation. They must be united and then
the manifestation occurs, which makes the tri'
angle perfect. Therefore, one is the beginning,
two is duality or unity, and three is perfection.
In the manifestation of matter, this is demon'
strated in the three elementselectrons, atoms,
and molecules.

Page 71

Man himself is created according to this law

of the triangle, these three points of manifesta'
tionand perfection. Man has body, mind, and
soul. It is the combining of the physical body
with the essence of soul with which it is imbued
that gives man those attributes of consciousness,
realization, and intelligence which are his mani'
festations as a living soul. For perfection in living
according to this universal law of the triangle,
man must ever be aware of the two phases of the
cosmos, of which he is a p art: the material world,
the world of the particulars, of matter and its
forms, and the psychical, Cosmic, or Divine
Realm. The harmonious duality of these two
produces perfection in the realisation of life on
this plane. To ignore one or the other of these
points of the triangle, or to vacillate in interest
from one to the other, will cause an imperfection
in our daily lives, which may mean unhappiness
and mental anguish. W e must not expect any
enterprise in which we participate, or any event
which we may undertake to be permanent, if we
do not advance to the second stage of comple'
tion, and, further, if we do not integrate the
second point of the triangle with the first point
I must reiterate, knowledge of what the second
point of the triangle of some procedure is, is not
enough; it also must be united with the first.
To return to our analogy of the electric lamp
Knowing which wire has a positive flow of cur'
rent in it and which one has the negative would
not bring forth the electric light, or, in other
words, cause the filament in the bulb to become
incandescent and glow. It must be known in just
what manner the two wires must be connected
and brought into relation with each other, to
effect the phenomenon.
Before considering the application of the law
of the triangle to mundane affairs, I would like
to digress for a moment to consider it in relation
to cause and effect. This subject may be con'
sidered a purely metaphysical abstraction. W e
say that every effect has a cause. Nothing just
happens. Most of us, however, realise that there
can be no such thing as a single cause. Nothing
can in and by itself produce a condition. There
must be a minimum of two conditions, one mov
ing and the other relatively inert. A baseball, no
matter how swiftly it travels through the air,
cannot break a window or do any other damage,
unless there is something which it can act upon.
A thing cannot change itself or produce a change
unless it is brought in contact with something else.
Thus a window which exists in the vicinity of a
baseball traveling through space contributes as
much to the eventual broken pane as the baseball. If the baseball were not traveling in its direc'
tion, the window pane would not be broken;
likewise, if the window were not there, it couldnt
be broken. It is a corollary, therefore, that there

Page 72

is a minimum of two causes for every effect

one active and the other passive. W hen the two
conditions or kinds of causes are brought together,
we have an effect, a manifestation. This is just
another example of the Jaw of the triangle.
To attempt to cite all of the cases in which
this law of the triangle can be applied to our
personal lives would be impossible, as every act
of human conduct is rooted in it. In fact, that
is where good reasoning and meditation enter
into the problem, namely, the determination of
what are the points of the triangle that lead to
perfection in every individual circumstance.
Therefore, our instruction at this time must, of
necessity, be general and the individual must
adapt it to his own problems. In healing our
selves and others, for example, the law of the
triangle is quite apparent. Suppose a self'treat'
ment is sought. The first point of the triangle is
the Cosmic or spiritual powers which are to be
utilised to effect the treatment. W e begin with
something. The first element obviously is the
source of curative power, which, in our methods
of self-healing, is the Cosmic energy which is to
be induced through the sympathetic nervous sys
tem, in the manner outlined in our monographs.
The second point of the triangle is the healer
himself, who is in this case also the patient. The
healer with his method of procedure and tech
nique is as necessary as the first point of the tri
angle. The points unite, the Cosmic and the
healer, and the resulting third point is the mani'
festationthe treatment, the relief, or cure. It
will be seen that some persons have little or no
success with treatment, because they stress either
one point or the other too much. W e know of
students who pass over the Rosicrucian technique
of treatment with its clear exposition of the
nervous systems, the functioning of the organs of
the body and certain manipulations. They assume
the attitude that the Cosmic will effect the cure,
and that their own efforts are of little conse
quence. This neglect of this one point of the
triangle is the frequent cause of their failure.
Conversely, allowing oneself to become too in
volved in the technique of healing, or the mechan
ism of the body, to the disregard of the Cosmic
powers will cause the same unsatisfactory results.
Now, for another generality, let us look at
employment, and the application of the law of the
triangle to it. W e have posited a number of rules
for the use of Rosicrucian principles in home
and business, and, in fact, there is a book by that
very title by our late Imperator. All of its prin
ciples and suggestions are founded upon the law
of the triangle. Also mental creating, which is
treated extensively in our monographs, employs
the same law; however, we shall repeat some of
these principles here in perhaps a little different
manner. In seeking employment or the bettering

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of ones present position, the third point of the

triangle is, of course, the fulfillment or the mani
festation of the end sought. Let us assume that
a man is out of work entirely. The first thing
most persons think of is the third point of the
triangle, the manifestation, the job itself. They
set out looking for work as a condition already
created for them, and toward which they have
done nothing to bring into existence. To use a
common analogy, if you want a fire for some rea
son, you dont perambulate looking for one as an
established condition. Instead, you begin a search
for the elements or the materials by which it can
be made manifest. Consequently, it must be
realised that employment is the culmination of a
process, not a thing or state to be sought by itself.
It is like the fact that one cannot search for
success, because success is the satisfactory cul
mination of some enterprise which one first must
have begun or undertaken. Persons do not give
work or employment to someone just because one
wants it. Employment is an exchange for some
thing which you have or which you can render,
so the first point of the triangle in this instance
is yourself.
Begin a process of self-analysishave you any
thing to sell? Have you any talent, abilities, or
experiences to offer as wares, or can you produce
any? W hat can you do as good or better than
someone else? A rent you quite sure? Cant you
answer immediately? If you cant, or are not
positive, then your shop of personal attributes
is in terrible disorder. Suppose you walked into
a store in which there were a number of tables
scattered about, and on which there were heaps
of all kinds of commodities without any semblance
of order or arrangement. Suppose you said to
the proprietor, what do you sell?, and he re
plied, oh, I dont know, just anything, I guess,
just see if there is anything you need, you would
be amased at such inefficiency and lack of busi'
ness proficiency. I repeat then, how about your
self, in so far as your own talents and proficiencies
are concerned? Do you know what you have to
sell or exchange? If you are not sure of what
you have, how are you going to sell them?, or to
be more emphatic, what are you going to sell?
Make a list of your assets and liabilities. Under
assets, put down, not the things that you like
to do, but the ones you can do and do well. Remember, you cannot sell your wishes, but only
your services. If you like something which you
also can do well, that is splendid, but if you just
like it and cant do it proficiently, disregard it as
an asset. A man cant buy a house on the money
he hopes to have some day in the bank. He can
spend only what he can actually obtain directly
or through credit. If you have experiences which
can be utilised by someone else, they, too, con
stitute your assets. W hat of your character? Do

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

you have to be driven to work? Must there be a

foreman, boss, or superior over you, or watching
you in order to get the utmost from you? Are
you inclined to let down, if not observed? Be
honest with yourself in making this list. If you
cheat, you cheat yourself and no one else. If
you are conscientious, list it as an asset. If not,
ma\e it a liability. A re you clean, neat? Are you
cantankerous or congenial? Are you lazy, or do
you like work that you can do satisfactorily?
Have you any talents that can be developed and
made useful to someone? Do you study, read
good literature, improve your mind, stimulate
your intelligence, or do you just drift with the
times, work when you have to, and then sort of
mentally and physically hibernate in between
times? Do you resent those in more fortunate
or affluent positions than yourself? In other
words, are you covetous or jealous? W hen you
have finished with your self-analysis, your assets
and abilities will give you a very clear picture
of what you have to sell, what you have to dis
card, or else push far into the background in
seeking employment. Further, if your assets are
very few, trivial, and exceedingly common, you
must rid yourself of any delusions as to being
entitled to great pay or a position of importance.
Obviously you must seek an opening compatible
with your offers, until you can elaborate on and
add to your assets.
The next point of the triangle is the market
for your personal wares. This requires an intel
ligent course of action. If you had a good micro
scope to sell, you would not canvass the black
smith shops in your town for a prospective buyer.
Possibly in one of them you might sell it, but in
all probability you would not. You would instead
think of those persons or concerns who would be
most apt to have need of a microscope, and they,
then, would constitute your mar\et. Consult tele
phone directories, business directories, chamber
of commerce lists, professional and manufacturers
directories, trade journals, and specializing em
ployment agencies. You will then find the market
you need and concentrate on extolling to it the
virtues of your assets, and only your assets. Do
not say to a prospective employer, I can do
most anything, for that is just another way of
saying, I can do nothing in particular. W hen
you and your market are brought together in the
proper way, the two points of the triangle are
integratedthe duality is completed, and the
third point, or perfect manifestation occurs,
which in this instance would mean employment.
Now I know quite well that it is not so simple
as it sounds, for the market you need may be
overcrowded, or there may be no such market in
your town or your city, but those are the prob
lems and the hurdles which you must overcome.

Page 73

Sometimes it is a problem of a personal nature,

other than employment or health, that must be
solvedagain the solution constitutes the third
point of the triangle. Dont dwell on the solution,
for that must follow the other two points of the
triangle; begin with yourself again as the first
point. Is what you want a selfish wish?, are you
entitled to it? W ill it bring harm or injury to
others? Have you prepared yourself for whatever
it is that is desired? W ould you be just as happy
and as well off without it? Dont avoid asking
these pointed questions. If your conscience re
veals to you that actually there is no need for
you to undertake the activity, or participate in
the matter, then your first point of the triangle
is weak, negative; therefore, go no further. If
it is a strong point, your next step is the second
point of the triangle; and that, in this instance,
would be to consult the Cosmic, in the manner
which the monographs have instructed you, for a
revelation of the plan or method to pursue, to
realize the eventual third point, or perfection. X.

Childlike Activities
The title of these comments seems out of place
in this magazine, but it is the result of a letter
recently received from a Neophyte member in
which it was stated that the member did not care
to practice some of the exercises suggested in the
Neophyte Degrees because, to quote his question,
Are they not childish for an adult to perform?
The answer to that question is quite frankly,
Yes. And why are they childlike, or just what
do we mean by the term childlike? I think a bet
ter term would be simple. The exercises given in
our early grades are simple. They are the begin
ning of something, and we know that anything
complex must develop from simple beginnings
which form a basis of understanding for an indi
vidual who wishes to gain knowledge of a process
or technique.
When a child starts to school, everything he
receives from his instructor is in terms of his
comprehension. It would seem foolish to adults
to waste their time reading the simple books used
by the first grade pupils of a public school, or
doing other work they are given. However, it is
not foolish for the child to use that material be
cause it is definitely within the range of his under
standing and constitutes a means to an end rather
than an end in itself. W hen we become members
of such an organization as this, most of us are,
in a psychic sense, children. Many of us have
given no serious thought to the duality of exist
ence or to the realization that in order to establish
absolute harmony within our own beings we must
develop both phases of our existence. In other
words, duality in its full meaning is a new thing
to us, because we have lived exclusively in the

Page 74

objective consciousness for so long and have edu

cated ourselves in that phase of existence so per
fectly that the other phase of our being has had
no attention whatsoever. Some who have studied
in other schools may challenge this fact, but there
are few existing schools of thought that do more
than speculate in regard to mans duality and to
the true purpose of his soul. The Rosicrucians
have always attempted to treat both phases of
mans existencebody and soul, objective and
subjective mindas things of equal importance
during the time man lives in a physical body. In
other words, as previously stated, harmony is
the thing toward which we all must work. A
complete harmony within our body means that
both the objective and subjective phases of our
existence are functioning to the fullest point of
efficiency.
In everyday life, in the home and school, the
child receives objective training and gradually ac
quires habits and techniques that make it possible
for him to speak, read, write, walk, swim, play
the piano and numerous other things. He gains
knowledge of mans history and beliefs, of the
earth itself, of various sciences, etc., so that by
the time he reaches adult years he has a wealth of
abilities and information that is very much worth
while, and necessary to fit him into his physical
environment. But then he begins to realise that
there is something missing. Many problems come
to him that cannot be explained in terms of his
abilities and knowledge. He is faced with situa
tions that cause problems he is unable to solve,
or he finds he cannot make satisfactory adjust
ments to certain conditions. Conditions about
him that are unexplainable as far as his past
experience and knowledge are concerned affect
his life vitally and he finds himself unable to rely
upon his objective reasoning powers. It is then
that man consciously begins to think along such
lines and begins to search for something that will
fill the gap. In other words, although he may not
be able to express it in words, he is looking for
the other polarity of his existencethat which
will bring balance and harmony into his life and
make it what he believes he is entitled to have it
be. He finds that religious doctrines contribute
to his understanding, and in the lives of many
individuals religion is of vital importance in mak
ing the necessary adjustments. However, many
others realise that even religion is not enough.
Man does not want faith alone, he wants some
thing else, and so he goes on trying to discover
whether or not another phase of his existence lies
latent with the possibility of development.
A n organisation such as the Rosicrucian Order,
which devotes itself to the very purposes of
mans search, can be very helpful to him if he is
sincere in his desire and willing to start at the
beginning and allow his subjective mind to gain

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

knowledge and abilities which in turn will open

the way to enable the soul to express itself. It
may be questioned whether knowledge can be
conveyed to the soul, but knowledge of the soul
can be conveyed to the objective mind, and so we
find in the Rosicrucian teachings objective knowl
edge that is useful to us in reaching an under
standing of subjective faculties. But in addition
we find, as our Frater stated, childlike exercises
which, to the individual not completely conscious
of the purposes of his affiliation with the Order,
or who cannot see beyond the exercises them
selves, may seem rather foolish and a waste of
time. On the other hand, he who will acknowl
edge that the exercises are childlike in a sense, be
cause they must be in order to be adapted to the
childlike abilities of man as far as his subjective
being is concerned, will realise that they are all
stepping stones which will lead him to an ever
expanding field of abilities. In turn, this will
make it possible for him to learn how to fill the
gaps which previously existed in his under
standing.
That is why the practice of the exercises in our
early degrees is so importantnot for the sake of
the exercises themselves, but because they are the
only way man can master new techniques and
bring forth into existence his latent possibilities.
Therefore, think twice before you ever conclude
that anything, whether in this organisations
teachings or in some other study or everyday ex
periences, is too childlike to merit your considera
tion. Many an employer has had the experience
of discharging an individual, who might have
been successful in his work, because he refused
to cooperate in performing duties that seemed
to be beneath his ability. Never conclude that
another process or another way of doing a thing
is of less value than yours simply because it is
apparently very simple to perform. Realise that
there is value in all things that work toward a
good end.A.

One-Sided Interests
A soror asks our Department of Instruction:
W hy cant we have more in our monographs of
the subjects in which we are particularly inter
ested? Our Department of Instruction believes
this question one which would be of especial inter
est to our Forum readers, and for that reason it is
answered here as well as in the letter replying to
the soror. In fact, this question is asked in a little
different manner rather frequently by Neophytes.
W e are not all cut from the same block, as the
old adage goes. There are factors which exercise
a tremendous influence in shaping our emotional
and intellectual lives differently. O ur emotional,
intellectual, and psychic proclivities constitute
what is generally referred to as character. It

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

hardly seems necessary to point out the variations

of character; however, it is these disparities in
character which account for the multitudinous
interests of man. The two principal factors which
shape mans life and character are heredity and
environment. The most pronounced character
istics of heredity, other than the destructive effects
of disease are ethnic. These make themselves
manifest more commonly as temperaments. From
experience, we all know that a child of Latin
parents has certain physical traits which are more
or less pronounced, for example, than a Nordics.
Likewise, an Oriental childs sentiments and emo
tional self will show a marked difference from an
Anglo Saxons. Environment may, to a certain
extent, modify these ethnic tendencies, but not
greatly. In San Francisco where there exists the
largest Chinese population outside of China, there
is a so-called China Town. Its streets are lined
with buildings, many of which have architecture
similar to that which the traveler may find in
China proper. Many of the stores carry mer
chandise appealing solely to Chinese trade. A
number of the signs on windows are in Chinese
characters, as well as the price tags attached to
some of the objects for sale. A good portion of
the moving throng is garbed in Chinese costumes.
The Oriental population is so great that several
Chinese newspapers and magazines are published
in native dialects. The only telephone exchange
outside of China, with Chinese telephone opera
tors speaking in their native tongue, is found
there. A goodly portion of the elders cannot
even speak the English language, and they live
in their quaint homes, as did their parents for
several generations before them in China.
However, the great majority have been born
in San Francisco, and are of the first or second
generation. They are clean, wholesome, attrac
tive, and very modern in appearance. As they
move briskly down the streets, from the rear you
would not be able to distinguish them from any
Occidental American. The youth go to the same
high schools, attend the same universities, display
the same interests in sports, politics, and the
movies, and use the same American slang as the
other youths of the city of San Francisco. En
vironment has played an exceptional part in mold
ing their lives. They appear very much western'
ized. On the other hand, heredity has not been
entirely submerged. In the deeper functions of
their lives and characters, the Oriental traits as
sert themselves. Most of these Chinese youths
take their religion, even if it is now Christianity,
more seriously than their western brothers. Their
respect for their parents and ancestors is a very
fundamental part of their emotional selves, and
is seriously displayed by them far more than it is
by the western youth. Consequently, one might

Page 75

say that in each of us heredity and anvironment

vie for the control of our lives.
Poverty has forced many parents to raise chil
dren in sordid, filthy slums, in the great cities of
the world, such as New York, London, and Ber
lin. Crime is usually a companion of filth, squalor,
and oppression. It seems to breed best under such
conditions. There are generally two kinds of
people who dwell in such places. First, there are
the unfortunates, who, because of economic cir
cumstances, cannot for the time being find the
means of rising above and out of their environ
ment. They know their plightit is dangerous
and they hope and pray for a change; their
courage is to be commended. They possibly con
stitute the majority of slum dwellers. Theirs is a
position of helplessness. However, a great number
who reside in such an environment are, frankly,
what may be called the derelicts of humanity.
They have become deafened to the urges of am
bition, and unmoved by initiative. Personal pride
has been so long suppressed within them that it
no longer causes any pangs of conscience when
they neglect it.
You have all seen persons who were in a state
of abject poverty, whose clothes might be patched
and mended many times, or even be threadbare,
but who attempted cleanliness of body and ap
pearance. They still retained their personal pride
in their appearance, to the extent that they
combed their hair and tried to arrange their
clothes presentably. You admired the strength
of character that persisted against such odds.
Children of such noble characters of the slum
districts are obliged to mingle in play with the
offspring of morons, mental unfits, who, because
of their mental instability, have little or no moral
sense and are potential criminals. One child in
such an environment, because of his heredity, may
by nature be cruel and malicious, and have little
or no sense of moral values. Another child in
the same environment, who plays with him, and
is the offspring of noble characters, has an innate
sense of right and wrong, but is continually
tempted by the exploits of his companions. It
consequently takes strong character for that child
to rise above such temptations. Yet, some of our
greatest leaders in science, literature, music, and
in government have come from such districts.
There is, therefore, a continual contest between
these two factorsheredity and environment. As
we adjust ourselves to them, we form sentiments
which are the modifications of our emotions, or
rather various manners of expression of our emo
tions. For example, one who has even an ordinary
love of nature, but who has spent many years in a
congested area of a city, and is able to see only
flowers in a florists window, perhaps, or to raise
a potted geranium on a fire escape, is going to
have a sentimental affection for trees, flowers, and

Page 76

growing things that will not be shared as fervently

by one reared in a more fortunate environment,
where these things are more or less common.
W ithout going into a lengthy psychological analy
sis of love, we can say that we love those things
which bring us the greatest pleasure. This does
not always mean a physical pleasure; it may be
intellectual or psychical. W e may have an ideal
which we cherish. Anything which we experience, which participates in or approaches that
ideal, brings us a sense of pleasure, therefore, we
love those things or objects. It is to be expected
that we would pursue those things as chosen
interests in life.
Many persons think it proper that they con'
cern themselves exclusively with their sentiments,
loves, and interests, and nothing else. This does
two thingsfirst, it narrows us, because there are
many other things which might become important
interests to us, if we comport ourselves in such a
manner as to let them; that is, if we attempt to
change our environment and open our minds.
You know of persons who have not had the
slightest inclination to do a certain thing, or
to witness a certain event, because they said it
would be of no interest to them. You knew that
it was of no interest to them only because they
had never experienced it, and couldnt visualize
what they were missing. Once they were induced
to participate, they most likely readily admitted
that they had had no conception of how fine or
excellent it was.
There is still another danger in limiting ourselves to just our interests. It is that we may be
avoiding something which does not particularly
interest us, and, in fact, might never do so, yet, it
might become of the utmost value to us in our
lives. Let us use the analogy of a childhow well
parents know that it would be disastrous to a
childs future in life, to let it confine itself to just
its interests. How many boys of eight or ten
years of age, if left to their own resources, would
take an interest in frequent baths, brushing of
their teeth, a balanced diet, and regular sleep?
How many boys of fifteen or sixteen years of age,
or the period of adolescence, would continue in
school, if it were not for parental or civil pres'
sure? Our interests are by no means the criterion
of what is best or what is only for our welfare.
W hen you send your child to elementary school,
why dont you let it select what studies it wishes
to pursue? The reason is that you know the child
is, first, not in a position to determine what is
best for it educationally, and, moreover, the child
would be apt to ride its pet interests to the exelusion of all else, and would finish its education
with a very warped learning. All of you sorores
and fratres who may have disliked arithmetic,
geography, or history in grade schooland would
have abandoned them if, as children, you had

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

been left to your own discretionare undoubtedly now very thankful that you were obliged to
study these subjects. Their practical value is
obvious to you, even though you were then not
interested.
Now, how does all of this relate to our Rosicru
cian studies? First, just what is Rosicrucianism?
Is it a single subject or topic? Is it a particular
science or art? Perhaps one of the simplest defi
nitions is that which appears on A M O R C s offi
cial stationery: A non-sectarian fraternity, de
voted to the investigation and study of the higher
principles of life, as found expressed in man and
nature. W e see, therefore, that it is a body of
men and women studying Cosmic and natural
laws, laws that are expressed in the cosmos, and
in man in particular. Obviously such a study
must be very comprehensive, and also extensive.
Man and nature are not one or two things; they
are many, rich and varied in their expressions.
Just to study reincarnation, the development of
the personality, symbolism, concentration, spiritu
al attunement, the formation of matter, or any
one of the hundreds of subjects of Rosicruciaism
would be to defeat the purpose for which the
entire system or method exists. W e must not let
our environment, our previous educational back
ground, and associations which have shaped in
terests for us, or sentiments, or particular kinds
of loves, as explained, influence us in our study
of life, of nature, of Rosicrucianism. W e must,
in Rosicrucianism, study all of its topics equally.
I repeat, if you let your favored interests influence
you, you will fail in Rosicrucianism, just as you
would have failed in public school had you just
concentrated upon one or two subjects.
Sometimes we hear a person say, I have been
in the Order (meaning A M O R C ), many months,
and I have gotten so little from the work and
studies. Officially, as officers of the staff, the
first thing we ask such a person is: Just what
is it that you have derived from your member
ship? Such a question usually touches off the
spark, and the frater or soror will expound at
some length on the one or two topics in which
he or she may have been interested. If we say
then, how is it you think you have obtained so
little from your membership? the reply most
likely would be, because it took me so long to
get this information. W e would perhaps answer:
W hat of all of the other subjects in between?
and he or she would retort, I was not interested
in those subjects. So we can see that the mem
ber was measuring Rosicrucianism, not by what
it actually is, but what he was interested in. He
brushed aside, or discarded, much useful informa
tion, factual matter, from which he could have
derived much practical help, merely because he
was not interested. Such persons are not truly
students of Rosicrucianism; they are rather just

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

students of their own narrow sphere of interests.

Beware of riding your interests to the exclusion
of other useful knowledge and experiences. The
teachings have not been prepared, nor are the
monographs disseminated, with the view in mind
of what the member may be interested in, but
rather what is useful or beneficial to him or her.
All such information which constitutes the teach
ings of the Order is made as interesting as pos
sible, but the first consideration is its value to
the student. It must further be realised that
AM O RC is not a form of entertainment, an intel
lectual pastime for dilettantes. It is a method of
psychic and intellectual expansion, personal ad
vancement and development. For example, we
know that physical exercise, which may be bene
ficial for us, is not always entertaining; sometimes
it is a little painful. This also applies to learning.
W hat you do not particularly care for in the
monographs, another may, and vice versa; but the
important point is that all subjects, the ones you
are interested in and the ones in which you are
not, are of equal value to you. A child needs
external influences to compel him to acquire what
is needed and good for him. -On the other hand,
an adult, such as our members, must use the dis
cipline of his mind, which, because of the fact
that he is an adult, it is presumed that he has.
Real study and self-improvement are one thing,
and entertainment is another. Sometimes they may
parallel each other, but where they do not, selfcontrol, discipline of mind, and will power must
be exercised. If you lack them to the extent that
you cannot take in your study, subjects which do
not quite appeal to you, as well as those which do,
your chances for advancement and success, not
only in Rosicrucianism, but in life itself, are ex
tremely meager.X.

Incense Its Meaning and Use

A Soror residing on the Atlantic Seaboard of
the United States now asks this Forum the ques
tion, W hy do we use incense in our rituals, and
how is it conducive to success in mystical exer
cises? This question affords us an excellent op
portunity to show the evolution of a custom which
has had various meanings and purposes through
out the centuries. Many such customs are worthy
of perpetuating.
It is not our intention to make this answer
verbose, but it is essential to divide it into three
principal parts. The first is the primitive and
physical cause and origin of incense. The second
is its religio'tnagical use; and finally, its mystical
application. W e cannot treat the latter by itself,
as might seem possible, for it is an outgrowth of
the other two. The olfactory sense, like the visual,
auditory, and other special senses, produces sen
sations of pleasure when the impressions or im

Page 77

pulses registered in our consciousness are con

sonant with our physical or mental well being.
W e may never know what the divine or Cosmic
purpose of limiting us to five empirical senses is,
but we can easily conceive why the ones we have,
have been given us. W ithout them, we would be
brought into greater conflict with the world
around us than we now experience. It would
seem that the elements or nature of the realities of
the physical world that can do us the most good
or harm lie within the sphere of perception of
these five senses. How much exists which we can
not objectively discern, we are just beginning to
learn. Consequently, it is incumbent upon these
physical senses to acquire for us the essentials
for our existence, or rather, to make it possible
for us to realise them, also to compel us to ward
off what might be disastrous.
Each sense has its own qualities. Thus, taste
qualities are sweet, sour, and salty, with various
modifications of hot and cold. In addition to
these qualities and modifications, the sensations
of all of the senses are always either pleasurable
or painful, with a variation between the two ex
tremes. It is quite true that the things that please
us may be detrimental, and conversely, that which
is disagreeable may be beneficial. On the whole,
however, things which are gratifying contribute
to our security and preservation. It is quite ap
parent why we enjoy sweet smelling scents and
dislike fetor. Most foul-smelling odors are from
materials or substances which might be injurious
to the body internally or externally, and we are
warned by the odor and our repugnance toward
it, to be cautious of it. Man, therefore, finds
pleasure in agreeable scents and odors, as do most
animals. Man gives little thought to the reason
whereof; he merely reacts to his instincts and the
inclination of his physical senses. It is quite
understandable that man should surround him
self with fragrant odors. In nature are to be
found many aromatic substancesflowers, woods,
herbs, even soils. It was only another step, when
these could not easily be acquired in their natural
state, that artificial ones should be compounded;
and thus originated the use of incense and per
fumes.
The religio-magical adoption of incense is but
a logical extension of its personal use by man.
Primitive religion sprang from magic. Magic is
the belief in supernatural powers or forces which
transcend this world or are immanent in it, and
which account for all of the phenomena that are
inexplicable and often uncontrollable. Man is so
constituted by nature that he principally fears
or is awe-inspired by such phenomena, and there
fore apotheosises them. W hen he attributes to
natural phenomena gods or deities, his magic is
merging into religion, for the latter embraces
sacerdotalism and ways and means intended to

Page 78

approach the gods and to plead for their interven

tion and assistance. Religion has never fully de
parted from magic, though in the advanced or
higher order of religion, the latter is subordinated.
If, therefore, incense or sweet scents were agree
able to man, they would likewise, it was thought,
be most acceptable to the gods. Conversely, if
man found some odors offensive, the gods or
supernatural beings would also find them ob
noxious. This reasoning is borne out by historical
facts, actually known practices and customs, some
of which we will relate.
A t ceremonial banquets among primitive tribespeople, the tables or grounds are strewn with
flowers, as well as the roadway along which the
religious processionals must pass. Unctuous smoke
was agreeable to the gods, and fires giving forth
such smoke were kept continually burning
throughout certain ceremonials. Further, since
the dead were to enter the world of the gods, it
seemed appropriate that they be decked with
flowers and their bodies anonted with scented oils,
so that they would be favorably received. It is to
be noticed that in all primitive religions there is
a parallel drawn between God and man. This is
not only an anthropomorphismthe physical like
ness of manbut a similarity of mans desires,
habits, and customs attributed to the gods. In
fact, the gods not only liked but possessed pleasant
odors. In one of the ancient Egyptian texts it is
stated that the goddess Isis had a most pleasant
scent which could be, upon occasion, transferred
to others. If men sought to live in or create a
fragrant environment, by surrounding themselves
with aromatic shrubs and grasses, then the gods,
likewise, would seek a fragrant habitat.
Most all religions are paradisiacal; that is, they
have their heaven, Elysian fields, Valhalla, or N ir
vana. These regions are almost excessive in their
appeal through the things which please mans
senses, so they are therefore places of great fra
grance, according to man. In fact, on medieval
Christian tombstones have been found inscriptions
extolling the aromas of heaven which the de
parted would enjoy. It likewise was an early
Christian practice to anoint the bodies with a
fragrant oil to repel demons who were thought
to revel only in the obnoxious scents. The earliest
use of aromatics is found in an inscription of the
11th Dynasty of Egypt, when King Sanchkara
sent an expedition for them through the desert to
the Red Sea and to the land of Puntnow known
as Ethiopia, and once a state conquered by Egypt.
In ancient Egypt, at the funerary rites, the
deceased was prepared with the use of incense.
In fact, frankincense and aromatic herbs were
placed in the cavities of the body created by the
removal of the organs in the process of mummifi
cation. In the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental
Museum, for example, a large oil painting exe

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cuted by our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer

Lewis, hangs in the funerary hallthat is, the
room containing the exhibit of mummiesand it
depicts the preparation of the bodies. It shows
one of the assistants holding the cup-like censer
from which rises the smoke which permeates the
linen wrappings in which the body is being
swathed. In India, the Hindu sect of Siva burns
sandal-wood before the stone representing their
god. In Buddhism, the offering of incense is one
of the seven steps of worship, which also include
offerings of flowers. In certain Tibetan monas
teries, especially in those in which are practiced
the perverted forms of Buddhism, incense is
burned or carried upon the person continuously,
because it is held that it is dreaded by the evil
spirits. Incense is, therefore, one of the ingredients
of the Tibetan priests amulet boxes.
The use of incense by the Semites was wide
spread. Its name among the Babylonians was
\utrinnu. It was made from such odoriferous
woods as cypress, myrtle, cedar, and herbs. Its
preparation and use is mentioned in the Old
Testament of the Bible. Herodotus, ancient Greek
historian, said that 1000 talents of frankincense
(about $1,200,000.00) were offered on the great
altar at the Temple of Bel of the Babylonians at
every annual feast. In our Rosicrucian Egyptian,
Oriental Museum, in the Babylonian and As
syrian hall, there are exhibited stone or clay con
tractstablets, in factmade between the priests
of the Temple of Bel and the people, to provide
costly supplies, foods, and delicacies. So there is
no doubt about the lavish expenditures for the
Temple of Bel. Isaiah, Chapter 65, Verse 3, re
ferring to the Babylonians, says: A people that
provoketh me to anger continually to my face,
that sacrificeth in gardens and burneth incense
upon altars of brick; . . . Some of these
Babylonian bricks from ancient temples are like
wise to be seen in the Rosicrucian Museum.
The transition from this religio-magical use of
incense to the mystical application was not sud
den. In fact, there were indications of its exist
ence coeval with the earliest magical practices.
In ancient Egypt, among certain of the mystery
schools, incense was said to have strange physical
properties, each ingredient having different prop
erties which produced varying effects upon
humans. The smoke, likewise, was held to carry
upward from man the words of prayer offered to
the souls beyond. The god Ra was said to draw
the soul of the departed upward in the smoke
of the incense. In many rituals, even today, the
smoke of the incense has the mystical application
of an offering to God as it spirals heavenward.
The Malays bum incense as an offering at shrines,
saints tombs, and it is accompanied by invocations
to the spirit of the incense.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The ways and means of establishing communion

with God are as numerous as the religions which
men have invented, and as flexible as their imagination. V otary offerings to the god or the gods,
or resorting to prayer or incantation, still left
the mortal in doubt as to the gods awareness
of his appeal. There was no sign, no material
or physical evidence of mans having received the
attention of the supernatural forces or the deity.
Sometimes among the cruder religions, theurgic
practices were entered into, by which the gods
were compelled to epiphany, that is, a bodily
manifestation of their powers, to give some human
assurance of their presence. The dissimilitude of
the two realmsthe divine and the temporal
was so apparent that man continually feared that
his efforts would never bridge it. He sought some
bond, some medium by which to tie himself at
least periodically with this other realm and with
the infinite intelligence which he conceived existed
there. If gods, like men, loved beauty arid agree
able things, they most certainly would be attracted
to fragrant scents. These scents, rising heaven
ward in the smoke of the incense, would reach a
congregation of the gods, or the one Supreme
Being, depending upon the religious concept.
W ith the fragrance would go forth mens prayers
and appeals to be considered by the Deity. Thus
incense was used in this elementary mystical sense
to bind men to their gods.
W e may smile at this simplicity, and yet today
in the churches of well established and respected
Christian sects, the burning of incense is sym
bolically used to typify prayer, as mans spiritual
bond with his Creator. Theologians disagree as
to how it found its way into the rituals of the
Christian Church. Some say it was first used
merely as a fumigation of the churches to create
an agreeable odor. Most likely by the process of
syncretism it was borrowed from the so-called
pagan rites which we have described. It was not
in the earliest Christian rituals, and one early
churchman named Lactantius agreed with the
Neo-Platonic writers that God neither needs nor
desires incense in any form.
The mystics, even centuries ago, realized that
the inhalation of certain harmless burning ingre
dients, and particularly certain scents, affected
or rather stimulated and acceleratedthe func
tions of the psychic glands. By psychic glands, we
mean those glands that are governors of the flow
of the psychic forces of the Cosmic through the
nervous system. W e all know how the sensa
tions of smell will, by the association of ideas,
cause us to remember incidents or events. Further,
certain scents have a psychological effect upon us.
They may raise our spirits, make us happy, or
they may depress us and make us melancholy; at
times irritate us. W e must not think from this
that incense was used as a drug or a narcotic,

Page 79

for it was not. The mystics and early alchemists

made a careful study of scents and their effect
upon our moods and temperaments, just as music
or sounds affect us emotionally. It has always
been the hope and aspiration of the philosophers
of old to bring all of the senses of manthe
physical ones at leastin harmony one with the
other. To them, ideal physical harmony would
exist when something would be equally agreeable
to each of the five senses simultaneously. It is
known that when this is done, the resulting
ecstasy would facilitate attunement with the
spiritual forces in and around man. It is the
distraction of the physical which nails mans soul
to the earth, as Plato had Socrates put in in his
dialogues.
The color organ, one of the largest in recent
times, which was built by our late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis, was one of the attempts to
coordinate the senses of sight and hearing (which
it did successfully) by harmonious colors and
sounds. Certain scents, when delicate in their
aroma, or relaxing and seeming to quiet the
body, liberate the psychical powers. They assist
in meditation, and they give us a greater puis
sance to meet the obstacles of the day. In
churches, we know from experience, the incense
seems to harmonize with the surroundings of the
place, its tranquility and its beautiful music, the
solemnity. Most people do not know why. Mys
tics and Rosicrucians do. Rosicrucians also look
upon the smoke wafting upward as a symbol, and
a symbol only, of a spiritual essence resident with
in man as a silver cord extending from him and
binding him to the Cosmic. It is quite true that
Cosmic attunement is not dependent upon the
use of incense, nor upon the use of any material
medium. To appreciate the spiritual and to make
use of our bond with it, we need nothing of the
beautiful, perhaps. W e might succeed as well
without music or the symmetry of form and
beautiful art and achitecture, or without any of
the esthetic influencesbut the way would be
much more severe and discouraging. Since in
cense, like music, has proved its value to our
psychic selves and functions, why not continue
with its use, regardless of what primitive, irra
tional rites may have been performed with it by
primitive minds of centuries past? The most
glorious customs have had rude beginnings. X.

O ur M onographs
Quite frequently a question will come from a
member regarding the method or procedure by
which our monographs are prepared. This is
naturally in the mind of each student, for it is
through the medium of the monographs that he
becomes aware of the teachings of the Order.

Page 80

In presenting the Rosicrucian teachings to the

members, the officers of the Order are faced with
as many problems as there are individual mem
bers. No individual can gain a complete knowl
edge of anything in exactly the same manner as
another, and so it is that through many years, in
fact centuries, the Rosicrucians have worked to
ward the presentations of their teachings in a
form that would be beneficial to all who seek
that knowledge.
In this jurisdiction of the Order at the present
time the most practical methods of presenting
the teachings are through the medium of the w rit
ten word in monographs or lessons given to the
members, or through having the members attend
the sessions of a Lodge where the monographs
are read by the Master of the Lodge. In these
ways the organisation is conveying to its members
the information it has to offer. To secure this
information is the main purpose of a members
affiliationthat is, although the Order is a bonafide fraternal organisation, the benefits other than
those derived from the teachings themselves are
not as important as the comprehension of the
teachings.
The teachings, therefore* constitute tools that
are placed in the hands of the member. W hen
the organisation has supplied the member with
these tools, one might say that technically its
obligation is fulfilled, but this organisation does
not stop there. A fter such information is given
to the member, the organisation continues to con
sider his welfare in relation to this information.
That is something many other organisations do
not do. W ithout any additional cost to the mem
ber, he is entitled to write to our various depart
ments for additional information, if it is avail
able, on a particular subject, and especially for
ways and means by which the information re
ceived can be used and applied in solving his
individual problems.
Like any other tool, these tools are not perfect.
Consequently, the monographs are constantly be
ing revised and new features and improvements
added, based upon the questions and comments
received from members and from new information
obtained from various sources. W e also find that
material supplementary to the work itself must be
added to the teachings. Experience has shown
that at certain places in the monographs seventyfive to eighty-five per cent of all members re
ceiving these lessons will write the same type of
letter asking about the same questions. Therefore,
over a period of time at suitable places we have
incorporated answers to these questions as part
of the monographs themselves. Surely the mem
bers would prefer that this be done so that the
organisations time and effort, as well as its finan
cial reserves, need not be used to send out answers

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to these questions by individual letter to large

groups of members each week.
W hile the Order can furnish these tools to the
member and direct him in the way they should
be used, neither the organisation nor the mono
graphs can make him proficient in the use of the
principles. This means, or course, that as in any
other worthwhile undertaking there is required a
definite effort on the part of the member to make
effective in his own life, in accordance with his
own needs, the principles conveyed to him
through the medium of the monographs. This
may sound as if the only help a member can re
ceive is from himself, and in the ultimate analysis
this is true, but that does not close channels of
assistance from the outside. In other words, out
side forces and individuals can direct and help
you to gain abilities, just as your teacher did
when you were studying in school. But do not
come to depend upon gaining complete compre
hension and use of a principle from the outside.
This must come from within.
In the nine Temple Degrees, which constitute
the basic philosophy and instructions of Rosicrucianism, you will receive information on how to
use what you are given. Above the N inth Degree,
of course, there are special instructions, and in
this higher work we find not only information
and exercises of a higher nature, but general dis
courses which give the member an opportunity to
practice systematically the exercises which have
previously been given. Therefore, the obligation
of every member is not to look forward to a
revelation coming at some future time in a cer
tain monograph, but to avail himself of the help
at hand.
Some of the most important exercises in our
entire curriculum, as far as the development of
our latent abilities and faculties is concerned, are
given in the Neophyte Degrees. Use them; re
view them occasionally and make their effect
noticeable in your daily life. A t the same time
continue your advancement into the higher de
grees for the additional information you will
receive, and in order to build upon the foundation
which you establish from the practice of the early
degree exercises.
In the material world which surrounds us we
have built our actions too much upon fixed meas
urements. W e expect within in certain length of
time to gain a definite objective. W e expect after
traveling a certain distance to have arrived some
where. However, we cannot set these physical
standards for our development mentally or physi
cally. There is no monograph in all our teachings
that can be said to be the point at which psychic
development and Cosmic Conscipusness are at
tained. Every monograph contains those factors
which contribute to the gaining of these things
which we seek. Therefore, our first obligation

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is to derive all there is from each monograph in

order to actually absorb it and make it a part of
our conscious thinking existence.A.

T he Objective M ind and Reincarnation

Much has been said in these pages regarding
reincarnation, but, as in gaining a knowledge of
the ultimate purpose of life, this is one subject
that cannot be fully comprehended by an indi
vidual except through experience and through a
complete understanding with his own inner self.
Man is placed here on earth to learn certain
things, but as we have pointed out repeatedly in
the Forum, as well as in the monographs, not all
those things which man must learn can possibly
come through objective knowledge. Objective
knowledge can only direct man to place himself
in a better condition or state of mind by which he
can learn certain things that evade objective ex
planation. One reason why it is so difficult to
write or speak about reincarnation is that it is not
of the physical, objective world and therefore
cannot be limited to any physical medium of
expression.
The question which brings up this discussion
is from a Frater who is a member of our SpanishAmerican Division. He writes as follows: In the
monographs of the First Degree it is repeatedly
stated that the objective mind is mortalthat is,
at the hour of transition it ceases to exist. In the
same monograph we are told that our limitations
and imperfections are of the objective mind. If
these principles are true, which I do not doubt,
what then is the purpose of reincarnation? Since
the objective consciousness ceases to exist with all
its limitations and imperfections, and since the
subjective consciousness is what continues, and
being of the soul is already perfect, how do we
benefit through the process of reincarnation?
Members in higher degrees than this Frater
will probably understand that the answer to this
question must be based, first of all, upon the Rosi
crucian conception and definition of some of the
terms involved. The statements made by the
Frater are truethat is, the objective mind is the
seat of consciousness of the brain, which is a
physical part of man and therefore transient or
limited in expression to the physical body, and the
subjective mind is the seat of the consciousness of
the soul, which is permanent and not dependent
upon any physical manifestation or vehicle for
its continued existence.
It is true, therefore, that the soul being the
part of our existence that incarnates, the objec
tive mind as such is not incarnated or, we might
say, does not exist as an entity from one incarna
tion to another. Therefore, in its simplest form
the question raised by this Frater is, W hat do
we gain by our earthly existence? If we judge

Page 81

our earthly existence in terms of objective knowl

edge only, what we really gain in consideration
of the whole life of the soul is truly relatively
small. The answer to this question is based en
tirely upon a proper conception of man in his
relation to the universe. In another article in this
issue of the Forum I have pointed out that har
mony is the point of ultimate perfection toward
which man must work. W e might feel that the
development of the objective consciousness is a
waste of time because of our habitual materialistic
attitude and viewpoint. So much time and effort
are given to the development of objective con
sciousness and the gaining of knowledge which
goes no deeper than the objective consciousness
that we fail to realise we are only limiting our
selves by directing our education or general
knowledge in this way.
W e must also take into consideration in an
swering this question that the subjective mind
does have communion with the objective and that
this communion works both ways. W e are able
through the use of our initiative abilities to re
ceive information from the subjective mind, by
turning our thoughts inward and listening to the
voice within our own beings, sometimes called the
conscience, or a hunch. W e are able to be
guided if we will develop the habit of listening
in our objective consciousness. By doing this we
gain knowledge that is worth-while; we give the
other half of our dual existence an opportunity to
express itself, to take its true place in the whole
of our life. If we listen to these hunches or
directions of the subjective mind, then surely we
will be directed to use our objective faculties in
a way that will contribute to our well-being in
our immediate physical life, and will also direct
us toward experiences that will become a part of
our complete existence. Such experiences will
contribute to the formation of our innermost con
victions, ideals and character, which, when once
established, go beyond the objective mind and be
come attributes of the soul.
It is through this channel of utilising informa
tion which the soul can convey to the objective
mind that we contribute to the necessary ex
periences of the soul itself. In other words, the
soul takes on the experiences of each physical
existence just as salt is taken into water and held
in suspension until the saturation point is reached.
As has previously been explained in these pages,
such a chemical solution does not change the
water, it only adds to it. So experiences add to
the soul, which is a perfect medium to absorb
them.
It is a fact that in the physical world some
simple conditions, from the viewpoint of man,
are apparently the result of complex processes.
For example, the water with which we are all
familiar is a chemical compound of two elements

Page 82

which must be combined under certain conditions

to produce water. As you probably know, the
chemical formula for water is H 20 that is, two
atoms of hydrogen combined with one atom of
oxygen make a molecule of water. But more than
the mere bringing of two atoms of hydrogen into
the environment of one atom of oxygen is necessary in order to form water. Once water is
formed it is very stable. It is not apt to return
to its original component parts of oxygen and
hydrogen before you can use it, for example. The
same is true of the experiences of the soul. W e
pass through one life after another, going through
many years of objective experience to add to the
soul its true traits of character, its ideals, convictions, and purposes, which are necessary for it to
acquire. From the standpoint of objective reason
ing, this may seem a waste process, but that is
because we see the process only in part and not
as a whole.
The soul, then, reincarnates many, many times,
carrying with it the attributes which we have contributed. W e can only contribute these attributes
by passing on to our subjective mind the expert
ences which we first gain objectively. Therefore,
we see in this sense that the objective mind is a
contributing factor to our total existence. The
soul takes on certain attributes of the objective
self until it becomes a composite of many such
personalities, but when the objective mind has so
served its purpose of contributing to this de
velopment, it no longer needs to exist as an entity.
But the real I, the real ego that is our true individuality, never ceases to exist. W hile man is in
a physical body his tendency is to give attention
only to the physical and objective. This distorts
his viewpoint. Rosicrucians should weigh every
explanation in terms of duality.A.

Rosicrucian Humanitarianism
A frater asks our Forum: W hat things can
we do in our own respective communities to help
troubled humanity? I read of the international
stress and turmoil, and of the confusion of our
own people, and I feel conscience-stricken that I
am not doing something to relieve these sufferers
and troubled minds. I have no vast, or even sizeable sums of money to give to charity, though I
contribute some whenever I can, but there must
be something else which I can do which would
be helpful and appreciated by others.
The Rosicrucian Order is and has always been,
during its lengthy history, an humanitarian or'
ganization. Its interests have never been self'
centered. It could hardly declare to others to
have a plenary philosophy, if it neglected the wel
fare of humanity, other than its owri members.
Each individual is encouraged in his studies to
become a master of Cosmic and natural law, so

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that he may order his own mind and life, and

find a resultant happiness. Such happiness, how
ever, possibly depends upon the happiness of
others whose lives are contiguous with his. In
life we cannot bury our heads in the sand like
ostriches, and ignore others. W e cant all be
anchorites and hie ourselves away to some moun
tain fastness. W e are part of human society.
The Rosicrucian teachings make us ever conscious
of the fact that the efficacious use of certain Cos
mic principles depends upon our working closely
in various ways with our fellow humans, whether
they are Rosicrucians or not. Contact with human
society is necessary to awaken certain latent
powers which we possess. The interchange of
social experiences plays upon our psychic facul
ties, as a musician does upon a piano keyboard.
To escape the human touch is to miss much of
lifes greatest joys, but, likewise, to remain in
society and seek isolation while in it in a world
of our own thought and living, while human
suffering sweeps about us like a gale, is not only
irrational but wholly un-Rosicrucian.
In this Forum and elsewhere, we have dis
coursed numerous times upon the content of
charity. Charity is not a commodity. No one
thing can be so designated charity that under all
circumstances it will suffice to assist those in need.
The giving of money is the most common charity,
because it becomes the medium of providing the
more directly needed things. However, money
should only be given as an humanitarian gesture,
if it will meet the requirements. If it does not,
it is not charitable to give it. If a man on the
desert is in need of water, it does him little good
to put silver or gold in his hands. If a man has
lost faith in himself and needs words of encour
agement, a bank check will not fill the void. Too
often a monetary gift is made because it is the
easiest way to quell the pangs of conscience.
W hether the needy person will find the money a
relief or a sting to his pride is too little considered
by some doners. They are more concerned in
being able to feel secure personally in the fact
that they have done their part. Intelligent charity
or humanitarianism is very essential. Study the
needs of those you wish to help, without em
barrassing or humiliating them. If a donation of
money will help, give it to them, even if it hurts
you a little. If money is the lazy way, or not the
most effective, do not give a penny, no matter
how easily you can spare it. Always keep your
charitable acts free from any ostentation. If your
motives are right you will wish to serve, not to
glorify yourself. The average man or woman
thinks of charity or humanitarian service in terms
of money only, and has little or no realization of
the other things he can do to fulfill an obliga
tion in life to help his fellowman.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Recently the following suggestions were made

to officers of A M ORC Lodges and Chapters, and
District Commissioners of the Order, by the
Supreme Secretary. I see no reason why the
individual member cannot have the same suggestions. It is conceded by most all authorities on
international affairs (and we, because of our
worldwide connections and ramifications as an
organisation, may be so classified), that the people
of Europe will suffer more during this coming
winter and year than in any other period in
modern times. Starvation, malnutrition, disease,
exposure will be rampant throughout the Continent of Europe. This is a dire prediction, but a
logical one. There are a number of factors which
contribute to this, most of which must be ap
parent to you. Direct money contributions are
not only impossible in most instances, but inad
visable. This we officially know from our personal
experiences. Shipments of clothes, used clothing
hats, shoes, coats, dresses, and sweatersfor
adults or children, or both are acceptable and will
be distributed. There are few, very few families
in this our W estern world, no matter what their
status in life, that do not have some discarded
clothing, which, with slight repair, could provide
comfort and protection from exposure to others.
It is not necessary that these clothes be completely
repaired. Unless they are threadbare, they are
acceptable to the war and other relief agencies.
If you have the time to sew on a few needed
buttons, so much the better, but if not the gar
ments will still be gladly accepted. Certainly in
closets, bureau drawers, attics, or basements, you
have discarded wearing apparel. W hen one is
seeking to keep warm, stylea product of vanity
is of no concern, so regardless of how old the
clothes may be, make a bundle of them. In fact,
here is exactly what you should do:
1. Make a search for old clothes and discarded
toys. Make a bundle of them.
2. Inquire of your Chamber of Commerce,
Better Business Bureau, or Police Chief where
there is a war relief or Red Cross agency in your
city.
3. Take them to the agency and say: I am
donating these as part of the AM ORC, Rosicru
cian humanitarian activities.
4. If you cannot take them in person, call the
agency on the telephone and they will send some
one for them.
By doing this simple service, you will be greatly
helping a needy cause. By saying you are doing
this as a Rosicrucian, to further the Rosicrucian
humanitarian activities, you permit others to
know that AM O RC today, through its present
membership, is active in humanitarian work, as
it was in the past.
Do you also realize that the old magazines and
newspapers in your basement, garage, or closet

Page 83

would be of value to such relief agencies? Little

children in distant lands who can neither read
nor write, or at least cannot read our language,
and to whom it will mean nothing whether the
magazine is a year or ten years old, will derive
much enjoyment from cutting out the pictures,
or just looking at them in childish wonder. Fur
ther, old newspapers when stacked, trimmed, and
baled by relief agencies bring good prices in the
industrial market. Such money is used by the
agencies to purchase necessities.
Let me tell you what one frater is doing, as a
Rosicrucian, to help others. This frater is an
engineer by profession, but since childhood he has
been fascinated by violins. He states that he is
not what would be termed a good musician. In
fact his interest does not lie in playing the instru
ment, but in making it. Violin making has be
come an avocation with him. He has become so
proficient in it that he has acquired a considerable
reputation for the quality of the instruments he
produces. He has never, so he says, had extensive
training in making these beautiful instruments,
but as he terms it, I seem to carry the knowledge
over from a previous incarnation. In his medi
tations, he frequently sees himself as a monk in a
monastery in the Basque country of Spain, several
centuries ago. There has been revealed to him,
Cosmically, a formula for a varnish, with which
he treats his violins, that makes them have a most
splendid tone. Experts declare this varnish is
similar in its effect to that produced centuries ago
in Europe by the old master violin makers. This
frater stated that he has felt that in the pastin
another lifehe was instrumental, through the
violins he made at that time, in contributing to
the musical development of struggling young
artists. He desires and feels it incumbent upon
himself now in this incarnation to do likewise.
He wishes to use AM O RC for the medium of ap
proaching those to be helped in this manner. He
has donated several of his splendid violins to
AM ORC, through our late Imperator.
In a recent conversation, in fact, just a day or
so ago, he made plain a plan to me, in which we
are collaborating. Wherever there is a child of
a member who has real musical talent and who
seeks to learn the violin, and who, because of the
financial means of the parents or guardian, is
compelled to practice or learn on an inferior
instrument, that one of his superior violinshis
excellent instrumentsbe loaned to the child for
its use, for a designated period. Realize what
that means to a young boy or girl, to whom music
is life and the mastery of the violin is the highest
end, but who now is obliged to use an unsatisfac
tory instrument with impure tones. Think of
their gratification when afforded an instrument
which in quality and workmanship is equal to
some of the finest on the musical market. This

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 84

frater feels that he will be able to help others

give expression to latent or undeveloped talents,
through the medium of his instruments. The
violins, of course, are always to remain the property of the Order and are to be returned to it,
or transferred upon its instructions to other neophytes in music.
Have you a son or a daughter, a young boy
or girl under eighteen, who has real talent and
is struggling to master the violin, and who is in
need of a superior instrument? I do not mean one
who is just beginning, taking his first lessons, but
one who has been practicing for some little time
and who is said, or declared, to have talent.
Members who wish to have their children eligible
for this frater s instruments must arrange with
the Master of an AM ORC lodge or chapter for
an audition of the boy or girl. A letter to the
Master of a chapter or lodge, referring to this
article, will be sufficient for the making of further
arrangements. If, in the opinion of these local
officers, or a qualified committee which they select,
the child should have the instrument, arrangements will be made by the Supreme Grand Lodge,
to send the instrument to the Master of the Lodge
or Chapter, to in turn be loaned to the child or
youth. There are no obligations or costs. A paper
must be signed, recognising that the title of the
instrument is vested in AM ORC, and that the
property must be cared for and returned within
the specified time.
In these things which I have outlined and told
you above, fratres and sorores, you will see a
modem and a continuous application of Rosi
crucian humanitarianism, and things which you
can do to help. Have you other suggestions of
things Rosicrucians can do to help persons and
the Order? If so, we welcome them.X.

Soul-Travels
Perhaps the most pussling of mans experiences
are those that occur after he has gone to the
land of dreams. Dreams have held mans attention probably since the beginning of consciousness.
W e can even imagine primitive man waking after
a night of restless slumber and being surprised
not to find the carcass of a deer, killed and
stripped of its hide during the hunt of which
he dreamed. But why not surprise? A fter all,
primitive man knew nothing of dreams. To him
they were as real as any experience during the
awakened state.
Such experiences no doubt caused primitive
man to think and try to analyse this other being
that would arise in the night and travel about
the countryside as swiftly as the deer itself, this
being that was so free that it would be upon its
game in a flash and with no effort make the kill

and return to the mouth of the cave dwelling

with its burden across its shoulder, there going
about the work of preparing the skin for clothing,
the meat for food, and the bones for tools or
ornaments. Primitive man was perhaps even a
little afraid of this other part of himself. He
probably imagined all manner of superstitious
ideas about the prowess of this other self, its
abilities to cope with situations and battle the
great beasts of the forests with a cunning and
power unknown to man in the awakened state.
Even to this very day entirely too much super
stition is based upon experiences in the dream
state. I recall an occasion when, as a very small
child, a statement was made to me that caused
a great deal of worry and mental agony. It was
upon relating a dream in which I was falling
through emptiness, and just before striking the
ground, I woke up. Probably everyone has had
similar dreams. Upon relating this dream, I was
told that it was a good thing I woke when I did,
for if I ever hit bottom, I would be killed. No
explanation was offered, and for a long time after
I would worry about hitting bottom during such
a dream. It was not until several years later when
I did hit bottom that this fear was dispelled.
On this occasion, I again dreamed of falling
through space, this time prompted by the fact
that I fell out of bed. I awoke very frightened
at first, until I realised where I was and that I
was not hurt. A fter that, I no longer feared this
dream. But you see how easy it is to build up
fear and superstition in the mind of another or
even yourself, for that matter. W ith a little use
of the imagination and lack of logical reasoning,
we can create all manner of ridiculous beliefs re
garding our dreams, their cause, and what takes
place during the dream state.
In an interesting letter and report from one of
our new members who had just studied her
Second Mandamus Monograph, we note her men
tion of dreams in which she experienced travel
through space to different cities in the United
States and even into foreign countries. These
dreams were so vivid and interesting that she be
came curious as to whether they really were
dreams, since she had not traveled much and
therefore had not been to the places visited in her
dreams.
A t the time she had these experiences, which
was several years ago, this member was reading
the magasines and publications of an organisation
in this country that is devoted to Bible interpreta
tion, Christian healing, and some studies in psy
chology. One of these publications conducts a
Question and Answer Department. Therefore,
this new member of our Order wrote to the de
partment and asked what caused her dreams and
if they had any psychic meaning to her. She was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

told that her experiences were called soul'travels

and that the best thing for her to do was to discourage such experiences. W e realize what is
being hinted by this statement, for it is not a new
idea at all. In fact, there are several teachers of
new thought and psychic phenomena who ex
pound the theory that the soul leaves the body at
night and travels about through space, over moun
tains and valleys, visiting other cities and foreign
lands, having a gay old time while released from
the shackles and restrictions of this mass of matter
we call a human body. W e are told to dis
courage this insubordination on the part of the
soul and make it stay home where it belongs, for
it is said that there are other souls traveling about
in like manner that would enjoy nothing more
than to play a joke on our soul and occupy its
earthly temple, taking possession and refusing to
permit our soul to come home again. It is pre
sumed that this soul whose body has been stolen
will have to continue its wanderings until it also
can steal a body of another or perhaps sneak back
into its own home again when no one is looking.
W e cannot help but wonder what keeps the
body alive during all these soul-travels. The Rosi
crucians know and set forth in their teachings that
the soul comes into the body with the taking of
the first breath of life and leaves the body only
upon transition, when the last breath is expelled.
Even then it does not rush forth all at once, but
leaves in a slow, gradual manner. It may even
hover about the body for several hours or perhaps
two or three days after death is said to have
occurred.
There are psychic experiences to be had while
one is asleep, but they do not require the soul
to leave the body; in fact, if it should, transition
would result. O ur high degree members, of
course, know of and experience almost daily, in
carrying on their Rosicrucian work, psychic pro
jection or the extension of the psychic body; but
they also know that this psychic body, although of
the soul, is not the soul force, without which life
could not remain in the physical body. These
psychic projections are sometimes involuntary,
that is, they are uncontrolled; but, nevertheless,
they are accompanied by certain definite ex
periences and sensations that distinguish them
from the ordinary dream.
Let us spend a few minutes meditating upon
the suggestion that we discourage these experi
ences that have been labeled soul-travels.' You
notice there is no explanation as to how to go
about this, just the statement, Discourage it.
How are we going to discourage something unless
we have control over it? In the dream state the
objective consciousness is dormant; we do not
have the power to reason. If we did, we would
not have such fantastic dreams as we sometimes
do when we eat rich, heavy food late at night.

Page 85

Perhaps just before going to sleep we could con

centrate upon the thought that we will not dream,
but even then if we happen to kick the cover
off part of the body, exposing it to a change of
temperature, we might be awakened enough to
set up a train of thought that would register upon
the objective consciousness from the storehouse of
memory, uncontrolled by the objective reasoning.
Thus, we might have the experience of being
frozen in a cake of ice, fighting our way through
a blizzard, or any number of similar experiences
that might occur to you. Thus it is seen that to
discourage dreams or experiences while asleep is
difficult, if not impossible. To those who wish
more definite knowledge of dreams and The
stuff dreams are made of, we suggest that you
obtain from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau the
interesting discourse, The Phenomenon of
Dreams.

Initiation Results
A soror arises in our Forum to ask a question
which we receive rather frequently. She says:
W hen there is no remarkable experience, can the
initiations have any beneficial influence?
W hat initiations are intended for, or the
reason why we participate in them, greatly de
termines what benefits we will derive from them,
because our attitude of mind at the time is very
important. In the December, 1939 issue of the
Rosicrucian Digest, under the title, The Errors
of Belief, beginning on Page 427, we trace the
origin of initiation and how A M O RC today is
perpetuating the traditional intention of initia
tion. In answering this question, we would first
suggest that each, if possible, read that article.
Next, we ask that each recall the phrase appear
ing on the covers of the official A M O RC initia
tions. It reads: Initiation brings into the realm of
reason, the purpose, and into the realm of emo
tion, the spirit of ones introduction into the mys
teries.
By mysteries, we, as Rosicrucians, adhere to
the traditional ritualistic definitions of that word.
W e mean all those phenomena, those happenings
and occurrences in our own natures, or in the
universe in which we exist, which in themselves
are not readily comprehensible, but which we
realize do in some manner determine the course
of our lives. W henever one sets out by some
method of thought or action to probe into those
mysteries, to be introduced to their workings, he
is being inducted or initiated into them. There
fore, initiation in the general sense is an intro
duction to some mystery or mysteries, but this
explanation is not complete enough and it is apt
to give us a wrong understanding. For example,
if the principles of chemistry constitute a mys
teryin the sense given aboveto someone,

Page 86

and he decides to study the subject and begins

with an elementary textbook, he can, by the
above explanation, be said to be initiated into
the mysteries of chemistry.
Initiation, however, is more than an academic
or intellectual approach to a subject. If it were
not, every student entering a new field of thought,
regardless of its nature, would then be termed an
initiate. Most of us feel and believe that initia
tion has a far deeper and more mystical signifi
cance than just that.
But let us return again to the phrase appear
ing on our initiation covers. W e are told there
that initiation brings into the realm of reason,
and into the realm of emotion certain experiences.
Initiation is, therefore, dual in purpose. W e
could perhaps approach all of the mysteries, as
some do, solely by ratiocinationan analysis, a
series of definitions, purposes, and conclusions as
to our findings. There is no doubt that this would
reveal some light to us. In fact, much of the
material of our monographs does and is intended
to make us th in \ and reason. If, however, we
were just intellectual beings, reason alone would
be all that is necessary, and would be our measur
ing rod of all things, including ourselves; but we
are more than reasoning beings, we are feeling
beings. W e perceive and we feel. Our perceiving
causes us to become sentient. W e see something
and our response is more than just comprehension
or realisation of what we see. W e likewise have
an emotional affinity with the sense-object. This
may take the form of curiosity and compel us
to go closer for further examination, or we may
become fearful, startled, or surprised. Likewise
our emotions move us from within to act coward
ly. Anger may cause a process of reasoning to
occur that would impel us to violent bodily action.
Both the reason and the emotions play a large
part in our lives and living. To attempt to sup
press one or the other completely is disastrous.
The ancient Stoics went so far as to declare that
the emotions were weaknesses of the bodya
diseaseand were to be ignored. Their false
reasoning caused them to contend that pity and
compassion were extreme weaknesses, which we
should purge from our natures. Personal mastery
in life requires the right balance of the emotional
with the reasoning self.
Some things, as we said, can have their essence
procured through reason alone, others through
emotion, and still others can only be truly evalu
ated by the use of both reason and emotion. An
unsatisfied reason leaves a gnawing sensation, an
unsatiated curiosity, a constant inquiring mind.
On the other hand, ungratified emotions cause a
restlessness that no persuasiveness or oratory will
curb. Has anyone ever been successful in reasonmg away a love of something which sprang from

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the emotions? As an analogy, each of us knows

that as powerful as the written word is when
executed with skill, yet it is often inept at en
gendering the same ecstatic experiences that actual
sight will manifest. Can anyone adequately de
scribe the grandeur of the Grand Canyon of the
Colorado, the Nile at sunset as it silently flows
past majestic temples bathed in a rosy glow, with
stately palms bowing majestically to it from the
banks? Has anyone found words to tell the pride
and love in a mothers eyes as she looks upon her
new-born? No novelist can produce, through
words, the emotional feelings which we can ex
perience when in the presence of one actually
extremely happy or in deep sorrow. Reason with
out the emotions, for a complete understanding
of lifes vicissitudes, is like attempting to enjoy
a modern motion picture play without the accom
panying sound dialogue.
W e all know how much more easily we can
appreciate the moral of something by having it
dramatised for us, than by just reading a philo
sophical discourse on its moral content. The
physical side of our natures cannot be aroused
or developed by intellectual means. W e can read
by the hour the meaning and purpose of what
Cosmic Consciousness consists, and yet never ex
perience it. To experience it, we have to partici
pate in it, not with our objective consciousness,
not with our reason, but with our inner conscious
ness. It is exceedingly difficult to describe the
state of oneness, or entering the absolute. They
are really ineffable. Words suffice merely to ex
plain the method of approach. The experience
must be had. Initiations are intended to cause
us to appreciate the plane of consciousness, the
degree of psychic attainment we are to acquire,
by the study and use of certain principles and
laws in the subsequent monographs. Let me use a
homely analogya cook book may give in detail
the recipe for the making of a delicious apple
pie. It may list all of the ingredients needed and
in what proportions it should be compounded; it
may tell as well the oven temperature and the
length of time for baking. These things in them
selves constitute dry statistical tabulations and
figures, and they would not inspire one to make
the apple pie, as would a slice of the actual pie
made from the recipe. The taste and fragrance
would establish an ideal which one could realise.
He would come to know what he was seeking to
accomplish. He could more easily visualise the
ultimate end. He would have an incentive, in
other words, to make the pie.
A n initiation, therefore, permits us, through
its dramatisation and manifestation of certain of
the laws, which we must eventually master, to
experience in a small degree that to which we are
aspiring. The monographs of the subsequent de

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gree will permit us to learn the laws of accom*

plishment, but the preceding initiation, because
of its psychological and emotional effect upon us,
introduces us to the inner soul purpose of the
teachings. Unfortunately, however, many neophytes conduct or participate in the initiations
only with the expectancy of an objective expert
ence. They expect to see something startling,
amazing, or spectacular, over which they can
ponder for days, or on which they can concentrate their reason for analysis. Sometimes such
experiences do occur, but when they do notto
answer the sorors question explicitlyit does
not mean that the initiation has been a failure or
of no benefit. I have spoken to fratres and
sorores who told me they had failed in initation.
They explained at length that nothing, absolutely
nothing occurred. They had neither heard nor
seen any phenomena. Inquiring further, they
would admit that perhaps they did experience a
sort of inner satisfaction, a sense of tranquility,
unlike anything they had ever known, and that
perhaps certain fears immediately began to ebb or
were quelled. Others have said that the peace
and confidence they felt remained with them for
days, and strengthened them in their daily affairs,
and yet they had discredited all of these things.
To them, these hadnt constituted results because
they were looking for something else in initiation.
There are two things which may occur during
initiation, and by one or the other, or by both
sometimes, you can measure your success or your
failure. Either there is a material manifestation
of some kind which occurs in such a manner that
you can actually perceive it, that you can see or
hear or objectively feel it, and because of which
you will be enlightened, you will have a new
knowledge, new vision perhaps. Then again you
may experience instead an afflatus, ecstatic sensations, an inner peace and power, you will seem
to transcend your harassing trials and tribulations,
be able to relegate them to their place. If you
have one or another of these realisations, I repeat,
you have not failed in your initiation, and you
most certainly have been benefited.
Again let me call your attention to part of
the Rosicrucian definition of initiationthe realm
of reason and the realm of emotion. X.

Treatm ent by Suggestion

Here is an interesting letter that we wish to
bring to your attention this morning because it
deals with an important phase of the Rosicrucian
work; namely, the use of the Rosicrucian laws
and principles in coping with the everyday, ma
terial affairs of life. In another part of this
Forum we have discussed in detail the great law
of the triangle and how to use it, but this point

Page 87

deals with a little different phase of practical

Rosicrucianism. W e will not quote the letter in
full, only that portion dealing with the problem.
Our Soror w rites: If a person has a false idea,
hallucinations through the excessive use of intoxi
cants, and by continually turning these false im
pressions over in his mind until they become
obsessions with him, what can be done about it?
He has a fine personality, and until drink took
hold of him he was influential in the business and
social world. He could stop drinking but doesnt
wish to do so. A mistaken idea that he has more
trouble than anyone. Is there a solution to this
problem?
W e see right away that there are several im
portant points to consider in giving this Soror
the advice she needs in order to help in this and
similar cases. You note the statement to the effect
that he could stop drinking but does not wish to.
This would seem to suggest that as yet it is not
a serious habit with him. However, it must have
an effect upon his health, character, and his power
of will. Knowing as we do that successful work
in behalf of another depends largely upon the one
we are trying to help, we might be inclined to
say that without this patients cooperation nothing
can be done for him. You know that we insist
that all who wish the help of the Council of
Solace express their desire in a letter to that de
partment. There is a very good reason for this.
First of all, it places the patient in the proper
frame of mind to receive the help of the Cosmic.
Any effort on the part of the patient makes it
just that much easier to direct help and assistance
to him. The desire for help from the Cosmic
automatically sets into action those forces that
will eventually bring the patient into harmony
with it. This does not mean that mental or meta
physical assistance depends entirely upon ones
faith in the system, but it is true that such faith
is beneficial, because at once you have the full
cooperation of the patient. If the medical doctor
does not enjoy the confidence of his patient, he
will not have the cooperation he needs to effect
a cure, for without this confidence the patient
will not follow the instructions given him or take
the medicine prescribed. This is found to be true
in any therapeutic system.
In this case before us it is not so much the fact
that the man of whom our Soror writes drinks,
as it is the fact that something is prompting him
to seek refuge in the use of alcohol. If it were
possible to learn what this trouble is and help
him to eliminate it, he would probably stop drink
ing to excess, if not entirely. W e have suggested
to our Soror that she or someone else attempt
to discuss the problem with this man and try to
point out to him the futility of running away
from his troubles by way of the whiskey bottle.
He thinks that his troubles and worries are greater

Page 88

than those of everyone else, but if he could trade

with another, he would no doubt regret it. He,
being an average person, probably blames his
problems on others or conditions outside of him
self. Perhaps he has resigned himself to a life of
sorrow and grief. Inwardly he may be admitting
his own shortcomings, and when his conscience
seems too severe, he trys to subdue it or become
insensible to its wrath by taking alcoholic stimulants. Naturally, this does not help, for while
under the influence, he strives with all his mental
effort to justify his act. In this way he becomes
thoroughly convinced that the world and everyone in it are working against him, trying to do
him evil. W ith such negative thoughts, his con
dition grows steadily worse.
This gentleman is suffering the consequences
of a warped viewpoint of life and its problems.
Alcohol so deadens his objective faculties that he
has lost the ability to think, reason, and analyze
the circumstances that are blocking his path to
success and happiness. The negative thoughts of
malice and hatred have a very bad effect upon
his subjective consciousness, resulting in hallu
cination and obsession, a persecution complex.
O ur problem is how to eliminate these impres
sions from his consciousness. If we could con
vince him that success and happiness depend
largely upon himself and his attitude toward life,
and not upon forces outside of himself, we would
be taking a long step toward helping this man.
If he could only realize that he alone is the master
of his destiny and determines by his actions
whether he is a success or a failure, enioys hap
piness or is steeped in misery, it would tend to
give him confidence in his own abilities. As it is,
he lacks this self-confidence and thus leans upon
others who, in his opinion, are failing him. W e
have instructed our Soror, who reported this case,
to use the laws and principles that she has learned
in directing to this man thoughts of peace, kindli
ness, harmony, and health, doing this when she
can be sure he is asleep, thus making it possible
to contact the subjective consciousness with these
absent treatments.
W e have also suggested that thoughts of selfconfidence and proper living habits be directed
to the subjective not only by the absent treatment
method but also by the spoken word. This can
be done by someone close to the patient who
would have an opportunity to speak to him while
he is asleep. This is a method of treatment that
has been used successfully for many years by
Rosicrucians and within recent years by various
schools of psychology. O ur members in some of
the higher degrees will realize the laws that are at
work when they read the following brief explana
tion or procedure.
First permit us to explain that when one is
asleep, it means that his objective faculties are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

dormant. This includes objective reasoning, as

well as the five physical senses. The body and
mental processes are in the hands of the divine
mind or subjective consciousness. W ith the ob
jective consciousness dormant, thoughts and ideas
of a constructive nature can be directed to the
subjective without interference from the outer
self. This fact has been proven by hundreds of
practical experiments in past years. Because of
this it is possible to replace harmful, unhealthy
habits and acts with those of a beneficial nature
without having to depend entirely upon the use
of the objective will.
A fter the patient has gone to sleep, someone
should proceed to talk to him, very softly, of
course, so that he will not wake up. Sometimes
he will answer when his name has been called
softly several times. This is good, for it indicates
that he is on the borderline between complete
sleep and wakefulness. Continuing with the
method or procedure, go right ahead with the con
versation. Tell the patient that he has confidence
in himself, that he not only can but will be suc
cessful in his business endeavors. Tell him that
since it is harmful for him to drink, he will
discontinue it. State that his troubles are not so
great, certainly nothing that he cannot overcome
through a little effort on his part.
No matter what you say to him, be sure that
you voice it or express it in a positive manner.
Suggest action on his part rather than such nega
tive things as Dont do this, or Dont do
that. This is negative and brings forth a re
bellious reaction. W e see this even in the small
child. The mother or father who tells little
Johnny, Dont run through the house, may find
Johnny a bit defiant about the whole matter; but
a suggestion that Johnny walk through the house
and he will not slip on the rugs or trip over the
chairs will find him quite agreeable. The differ
ence is simply one of a negative statement as
against a positive suggestion.
The procedure of talking to one while he is
asleep has the same effect or reaction as our in
structions that pertain to directing thoughts and
impressions to the inner consciousness by meditat
ing upon something just before going to sleep. A
simple proof of the efficacy of this plan is to con
centrate upon getting up at a certain hour in the
morning. W hen you do this, you will find that
you awaken either exactly at the hour thought
of or a few minutes before.
In using this system to help the gentleman in
the case under discussion, we must remember that
a change may not be noticed immediately. It
may take several days or even two or three weeks,
but with patience and perseverance and a will
to help in this case, Our Soror will eventually
notice the fruits of her efforts.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Spiritualistic Experiments
A few months ago the well-known scientist,
author, and psychical researcher, Sir Oliver Lodge,
passed through transition. He had attained an
age of 90 years, and was very active in his study
and research work up until a few weeks before
the illness that took him through lifes greatest
experience.
Sir Oliver Lodge was one of the worlds out
standing investigators of physical science even
long before he became interested in life after
death. His studies and researches gave to the
world many facts in the fields of modern science,
especially facts pertaining to electricity and the
propagation of high frequency radio waves in
space. He was a firm believer in the duality of
man and that the soul after separation from the
body continued its existence, perhaps on another
plane.
N aturally enough, he was severely criticised
for his belief in spiritualism and the time and
money he spent in his investigation of psychical
phenomena. He was not daunted, however, by
the opinions and caustic statements of his col
leagues and contemporaries, who are prone to
label as rubbish anything that they themselves
cannot see, hear, feel, taste, or smell. Sir Oliver
was indeed a brave and noble scientist, open at
all times to arguments and proofs that his opinions
and beliefs were wrong. Since modern science
could not disprove these beliefs, he continued his
efforts to prove to the world that contact with
the after world was not only possible but
demonstrable.
Since the passing of this great psychic re
searcher, we have received many newspaper clip
pings and letters pertaining to his life, his death,
and his psychical work during the last thirty-odd
years of his life. M any questions are asked as
to our opinion of him and the effort he put forth
in behalf of spiritualism. For obvious reasons,
we cannot but admire Sir Oliver Lodge. His
books on psychic phenomena are indeed interest
ing. W e do not, of course, agree entirely with
him on many points, especially as to just what
takes place in the seance room. W e do not, for
instance, approve the theory that it is necessary
to have a medium place himself or herself in a
trance-like state to contact the higher forces of
the Cosmic plane. W e also know that much that
takes place during a seance is misinterpreted and
not thoroughly understood by those who make a
practice of public and semi-private demonstrations.
Like the average well-known psychical re
searcher, Sir Oliver Lodge admitted that he per
sonally was not a psychic, and the only experi
ence he had ever had was the inner sensation, on
a few occasions, that there was a presence of some

Page 89

kind in his room. He believed it to be the soul

of his wife, who had passed through transition
several years before him; but even unto the end
he experienced nothing sufficiently concrete to
prove this belief.
Throughout ones investigation of Sir Oliver
Lodge and other great researchers, we find that
one of their greatest errors is an attempt to ma
terialise or bring into earthly manifestation the
subtle forces of the Cosmic plane. There is no
material manifestation of the immaterial. The
average medium seeks to have the soul personality
descend upon a group and speak in a material
voice through a trumpet, always in a feeble, far
away voice, perhaps pick up and ring a small
dinner bell or maybe tip up one side of a table
or move a chair across the room. These soul
personalities are always expected to answer ques
tions through the mind of the medium in a trance.
Members of the higher degrees of AM ORC
know that such methods are unnecessary for at
tunement and contact.
From the sensational newspaper articles, it
seems that Sir Oliver Lodge has left certain sealed
secrets that are to be conveyed by him to his
friends and former associates through contact
with a spiritualistic medium. He did not state
just when this would be done; in fact, he sug
gested that it may take him several years to make
the contact. His purpose is to give conclusive
proof that communion with the other world is
quite possible.
W e are reminded of the demonstrations that
are conducted each year by the wife and close
friends of the great magician, Houdini. These
demonstrations, of which there have been several,
are always done in public places with a large
audience, including newspaper men, photogra
phers, and newsreel men. The spirit of Houdini
is called upon to prove by a physical act that it is
near at hand, waiting to demonstrate. On the
occasion last year, the rendesvous was held out
in the open at a spot previously decided upon.
Those present were requested to remain in silent
prayer for a minute or two. Then a close friend
and former associate held his cane up and out
away from his body. He then lifted his head and
two or three times, in a loud voice, called upon
the spirit of Houdini, if it were there and could
hear, to prove it by striking the cane from his
hand.
To Rosicrucian students it is hardly necessary
to point out the fallacies of such demonstrations,
or rather, lack of them. W e know that Mrs.
Houdini and her friends are wasting their time
and money traveling about to different parts of
the country each year to held these public seances.
Our remarks may in some respects seem critical,
but this is only true insofar as these methods are
concerned. W e are not critical of communion

Page 90

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

with the personality of one who has passed

through transition. W e know that such contact
is frequently made under the right conditions
and more especially, with the right motive. In the
first place, this communion is easier between those
who were especially close in attunement here on
the earth plane. Such attunement continues even
after transition; but to establish contact, it is
necessary to seek quiet, peaceful surroundings, if
possible in a place that has been near and dear to
both persons. In these ideal surroundings, without
the thought of a public demonstration, not for the
purpose of materialising the immaterial, but for
soul comfort, peace, happiness, and health, complete harmony and attunement will be experi
enced by both personalities. Each will be bene
fited by the contact; both will be manifesting in
the immaterial, where mental communion only is
possible.
You see how necessary it is to raise your con
sciousness to a degree of ecstasy where it may
free itself from its material surroundings. You
see why we tell you to turn your thoughts within,
even forgetting for the moment that you are you.
So long as you are conscious of the material, the
physical, you cannot experience communion with
the immaterial, the psychic.

O ur M any Bodies (? )
A frater recently wrote to our department of
instruction: In connection with the psychic body
or personality, why do not the Rosicrucians adopt
the vital, desire, and other bodies of many other
occult schools and teachers?
This question was answered adequately, but
briefly, by the Department of Instruction, and I
believe it will be of interest to our Forum readers
as well, so I will answer it more fully here. The
question is really in two parts, if we examine it
closely. One part is, why have we not adopted
the terminology or usage or doctrinal material of
other occult schools or teachers? The other part
of the question is, why have we not in particular
added certain references to bodies to our ex
planation of the psychic self and personality, as
given in our monographs? W e, therefore, shall
answer this question in the order of its two parts.
The Rosicrucian Order today is the oldest mys
tical and metaphysical brotherhood in continuous
existence. That which it expounds as its teach
ings was, in essence, taught for decades, yes, even
centuries before many of the present-day occult
schools or teachers existed. This is not a vain
statement, but an historical fact, which the im
partial investigator may easily determine for him
self. To adopt the writings or postulations of
other teachers would mean, first, a reversal of
much of which we now teach, except that which

has already been purloined from the Rosicrucian

teachings; and then, second, why adopt them at
all? There is no need for Rosicrucians to abandon
their teachings or any portion thereof merely for
different concepts. If it can be shown that what
the Order, AM ORC, has taught and demon'
strated for centuries is basically wrong or im
practical, it will be the first to propose and make
a change. Certainly there would be no purpose in
AM ORC s clinging tenaciously to erroneous con
cepts, and thereby deceiving itself. If, on the
other hand, our age-old and still demonstrable
and rational teachings are worthy, then it would
be foolhardy to change them. Further, the Rosi
crucian teachings are not the personal views or
concepts of any one member or officer, but are
an evolutionary philosophy to which many minds
and personalities have contributed their knowl
edge and experience. Their weight of authority
in this alone is greater than the many flash-in-thepan concepts, unsupported except by the views
and opinions of self-styled teachers or occult
schools begun one, two, or even four decades ago.
Now, as to the second part of the question
the limitation to two bodies only, namely, the
physical and the psychic, or Divine. By contrast
with the postulations of some of these occult
schools, A M O RC is all too conservative. One
occult, theosophical, Christian, mystical, and selfstyled Rosicrucian movement has, in its teachings,
assigned numerous bodies to mans nature. It has
made man appear an extremely complex entity.
The different spheres of bodily states and ac
tivities are attributed to different bodiesper
haps that is easier than trying faithfully to co
ordinate such functions with one or two bodies.
It would appear that almost as soon as some
manifestation in mans nature was discovered
which was not in itself objectively explanatory,
it was enshrouded with a body. This particular
school, in one of its books, attributes to man the
following bodies, and several modifications there
of: the desire body, dense body, vital body, and
spirit body. Some of these terms made their ap
pearance in the literature of other occult societies,
so perhaps this school to which we are referring
synthesised them for its own benefit.
I think I will be borne out by all philosophers
and students of philosophy, that the purpose of
philosophy itself is to unite, that is, integrate all
of the workings of the Cosmic so as to show a
harmonious whole a sole reality in the universe.
Even mundane science today is trying to corre
late all of the physical sciences to show where each
one merges into the other. To do other than this
i$ to deviate into myriad channels of investigation
and to dissipate ones powers to know the truth.
Analysis has its merits, if the particular is being
examined only to better understand that of which
it is a part. A watch, for example, is an aggregate

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of its cogs, wheels, screws, jewels, and springs.

No one part is more important than the other;
neither is each mechanism a complete reality, it
is just an attribute, if we may use that term, of
the watch.
It is easily understandable, of course, that im
portance should be attached to mans body. It
is also comprehensible that simple minds, and
those not capable of profound thought should
associate with it all of the mental and physical
states and activities of which man is conscious.
This is very commonly done among primitive
peoples. Each organ of the body has had various
powers attributed to it, many of which really
belong to the category of the psychical and psy
chological. It is known that savages have at
tributed the soul to different organs, such as the
heart, head, solar plexus, and abdomen. Man ex
periences the psychical and emotional states, and
among primitive peoples they are thought to have
their seat solely in the body, usually the region
being where the sensations are felt, if they can
be so localized. A fter death African tribes burn
to cinders certain parts of the body which are
thought to possess virtues, such as the tongue,
eyes, ears, and heart. The early Hebrews held
that personality could not be separated from the
body, and that after transition it possessed a body
in substance and form, not unlike the physical
body in which it had resided during life; in other
words, a personality body.
The Platonic philosophy places emphasis on
the immortality of the soul, by acceding a very
subordinate state to the body. In this and the
Orphic philosophy, the body is a prison, a hin
drance, a temptation, definitely an obstacle for the
soul to overcome, and which it must transcend.
The body is so placed as to have little or no rela
tionship to the true and one reality in the uni
verse, namely, the soul and its source. Plato ac
knowledges the two spheresthe Divine and the
temporalbut incongruously contends that the
body and the material of which it is composed
are not realities, except under certain conditions.
Arguments for the relation of body and mind
truly began in the meditations of Descartes. Des
cartes strives valiantly to keep intelligence, which
he considers in his philosophy as something wholly
of the soul, apart from brain. W hat we ordinarily
think of as the intelligence of the brain directing
the movements of the body, the functioning of
the limbs, he conceives as a sort of animal mechan
ism which is acted upon by the soul, but the mind
itself is not resident in the body. Descartes has
the soul influence the body through the pineal
gland, where, through an intricate method, soul
sets up, on occasion, the movements of the body
which we ordinarily think of as being caused by
objective intelligence. This dualistic conception
carried into the ethical sphere the continual con

Page 9 1

flict between the bodily passions and other desires,

and the higher claims of reason and conscience.
The passions and appetites were easily related to
somatic needs, such as food, drink, and the sex
impulses. Abuses of these appetites produced
noticeable effects upon the body. On the other
hand, the moral influences were not localized.
These influences were not simply associated with
material things. The pangs of conscience are
most intangible in their nature and indefinite in
their origin, therefore, these higher forces and
efficacies were by contrast held to be spiritual and
Divine. The body was depreciated and often
made to appear as offensive to the higher judg
ment and interests of the mortal.
In Buddhism, in the strictest application of the
sects doctrines, the body is regarded as impure,
full of sickness, a heap of corruption. It
was something to be endured rather than admired
or cherished. The mystical state of earthly N ir
vana is to the Buddhist an escape from the body
momentarily, as is the indwelling of the soul, to
which Plato refers, a temporary death or separa
tion of the soul from the infirmities and the cor
ruption which he infers are of the body. In past
times, the paucity of knowledge of the physiology
and anatomy of the human body, the nervous
systems and psychological functions, only caused
a further separation to be made of the body and
soul, a larger gulf between them. It also caused
the custom of embodiment of the functions of
mind and of the emotional states into numerous
so-called bodies. Thus the passions and the ap
petites, having to do with the lower nature of
man, were by some unthinking, unphilosophical,
and unscientific occult students and teachers em
bodied in such nonexistent forms as the desire
body and the elemental body. The physical form
itself, or the chemical and material configurations
of the human, were classified as the dense body or
the atom body. They, of course, were considered
quite apart from the desire or elemental bodies,
but in some strange, highly fantastic manner, re
acting one upon the other, and causing the emo
tions and appetites which we experience. Then
there was life itself to be considered. It was
thought necessary to embody that, so it was given
not the allegorical and symbolical status of body,
but an actual intangible sort of substance called
the vital bodyor the animal, spirit body. The
thinking and the sentient spheres could not be en
tirely left out, so they were added, and they were
termed the mental body. Sometimes our moods
and temperaments are difficult of explanation, and
they are not always wholly complimentary to us,
so they were assigned to forms called entities, or
entity bodies. These entities and their alleged
conduct are contiguous with some of the most
absurd superstitions of the Middle Ages, and

Page 92

these entities, like the little imaginary creatures

elves and fairiestook possession, it is claimed,
of certain of the bodies at times, or inclined these
bodies toward the conduct for which we are often
responsible. Actually there is an occult school,
very unfortunately terming itself Rosicrucian,
that teaches the antics of these elves and fairies,
and how they affect us and possess our bodies at
times.
Now, what do the Rosicrucians really teach
with regard to the body? First, we recognise a
dualisma body and souland an integration of
the two. To Rosicrucians, body is that gross mani
festation of spirit, that configuration of matter,
which has that form which we can objectively
discern, that is a reality to our objective senses.
Soul, by contrast, is an intelligence, and conse
quently a potent order or force which imbues
the body with certain faculties which are not
found in dead or inanimate matter, or even
in animate matter of lower or simpler states of
development. These twobody and soulunit
ing cause the manifestation that we regard as the
conscious, realising and morally aware self, which
we term the human. However, even though Rosicrucians respect and admit of a duality, it is only
in the sense of both of its phases being attributes
of a whole. In other words, to Rosicrucians, the
physical body is not existing in the universe as an
entirely separate substance from the source from
which the soul emanates, and, conversely, the soul
in its turn is not considered by Rosicrucians as a
separate substance from the source of that which
gives the body form. They are really two phases
of the Cosmic; each complete in its function, but
each depending upon the other for the higher end
it is to serve. Thus soul as a Cosmic force can
and does exist in the universe, without embodi
ment, and on the other hand, the chemical ele
ments of which the body consists exist as just
matter, without the soul, but neither has attained
its ultimate end until they are united as the
living soul. W e might say that one creates, or
is responsible for the existence of the other, like
the two poles of a magnet. The positive produces
the negative; the negative is such because of the
existence of the positive.
The body is not degraded in fact or in status,
for, as the Rosicrucians contend, spirit, or that
energy commonly referred to as electronic or
atomic, which gives matter its gross form, is no
less of the Divine than is the soul itself. The
latter, or soul, however, is of a higher order. In
music, for example, in the diatonic scale, one note
may be in a higher octave than another, but most
certainly no one can say that the lower note was
less a reality as music than the higher one. The
fact that the body is a manifestation that is within
a realm in which it can exercise an influence on

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

other material things and in turn be affected by

things which may abase or pervert it, does not
make the body immanently corrupt or evil, as
some philosophers and even religions, as we have
shown, have come to believe. Each of these two
attributes of our Cosmic being, for we are truly
as humans one of the realities or beings of the
Cosmic, has its modes or functions and operations,
its particular activities. Some of them are so pro
nounced, so very definite in the manner in which
they function, that we must be cautious not to
conceive them as separate substances or bodies.
Thus, as explained, the^re are conscience, the in
tellect, consciousness, perception, realisation, and
the appetites and desires. All of these must be
harmonised, fit into their scheme in relation to
the body and soul. W e must not make a separate
thing of them. Just as the colors separate, yet
we know they are all of the spectrum of sunlight
and blend there harmoniously, so must we relate
these functions to one body, and to one soul.
W e speak of and can demonstrate, as Rosi
crucians, the duality of consciousness, but we
also show that this consciousness is an attribute
of soul. W e do use the term psychic body, merely
to illustrate better the purpose of the psychic. W e
point out that this psychic intelligence or mind
of the soul has a spiritual form which corresponds
to the form or extension of the physical, material
body. It is not that the psychic body is an actual
substance, but rather it is like a shadow. It is
the field of manifestation of the soul in the physi
cal body. The soul exists, then at a certain time
it is clothed with matter. Like a master it enters
its temple. To use another analogy, the body is
like a building constructed around a shadow. The
shadow is not in itself a reality, it rather indicates
the existence of something other than itself, so
the so-called psychic body is the indication that
there is within us an extension of the soul force.
The soul clings to us like a shadow, thus the
term psychic body. It can also, like a shadow, be
projected into space. Then again,we, as Rosi
crucians, speak of the life force (V.L.F.), that
which gives matter the means of extending itself,
the power of reproduction. It is one of the attri'
butes, however, of the dual principle; it is, in fact,
the soul force. A human may have many quali*
ties, but this does not give him separate substance,
or bodies. A table may be hard and black, but
neither the hardness nor blackness are the sub*
stance of the table, even though they give it cer*
tain characteristics. A true philosophy strives for
simplicity, and, further, does not conceal its lack
of thoroughness behind unessential terms 01
bodies. Therefore, no matter who or how many
occult teachers or schools adopt for their
use, desire, vital, dense, and myriad other bodies.
The Rosicrucians will not submit to the fashion.
X.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

A re Animals Psychic?
In a recent issue of The Rosicrucian Forum,
there appeared an article entitled Are You
Psychic? Much that was said in that article,
as far as general conclusions are concerned, might
apply also to this question. Being psychic is an
attribute of any living thing, if we consider in
the broader sense of the word that our psychic
faculties are an attribute of lifeby that I mean
of the Vital Life Force, which comes from the
source of all life. The average interpretation of
the term psychic is very limited, but as Rosicrucians we should realise that the true meaning of
the word is limited only by our capacity to under
stand. As we advance in the comprehension and
use of simple laws of nature, until we reach the
point where we can employ more complex laws
and thereby broaden the scope of our understanding and usefulness, we are also advancing
in our comprehension of all things and pushing
b^ck the boundaries of our limitations.
To return more directly to our question, since
early times man has speculated as to what attri
butes animals possessed in comparison with his
own. Until comparatively modern times, his ob
servations were largely confined to those animals
that came into his environment, and included
the domestic animals closely connected with his
own living. Various conclusions have been
reached. Some believe animals have no compre
hension at all, that they are merely mechanisms
with all their reactions based upon reflexes or
instincts with which they are born. Anyone who
has been closely associated with animals, par
ticularly one who has had a pet, that has shown
intelligence, will definitely disagree with such a
conclusion.
All of us have had experiences, or know of
experiences, that prove a certain intelligence upon
the part of animals. Many writers who have dis
cussed the fourth dimension have come to the con
clusion that animals are simply living on a dif
ferent plane, as far as dimensional perception is
concerned, and that they have intelligence, reas
oning ability and other faculties adaptable to that
particular plane of existence. They have what
Dr. Bucke refers to as simple consciousness, in
comparison with mans self-consciousness and the
ability to aspire or work toward the attainment of
Cosmic Consciousness. Simple consciousness,
then, is limited in comparison with mans con
sciousness, but it serves the purpose at that par
ticular phase or plane of existence.
In the book, Mansions of the Soul, by our
late Imperator, a chapter is devoted to animal
soul in which the conclusions are reached that an
animal does have a soul, but of a lower vibratory
rate than that of man. This would confirm the
conclusions of Dr. Bucke and many others who

Page 93

have given considerable attention to the subject.

If we consider then, as have many great lead
ers in this field, that animal consciousness is simply
on a lower plane than mans, we must conclude
that all animal abilities and faculties are similar
to those of man except that they exist on a dif
ferent plane or in a lower vibratory scale. There
fore, we could definitely say that animals are
psychicthat they gain certain impressions, just
as we do, from the environment about them.
I know of a case that may sound somewhat
exaggerated, but for which I can vouch as abso
lute fact. It is the case of a cat about ten years
old which was confined in a veterinary hospital
where it received proper care while its owners
were out of town several times during a period
of two or three months. Each time it returned
from the hospital in a rather poor physical condi
tion, since it refused to eat as much as it should
while there. W hen the cats owners were called
out of town for the third time within the period,
the animal was within hearing distance while the
necessary arrangements were being made over the
telephone for the veterinary to come and take it
to the hospital. The cat immediately put up a
definite protest by moving about the room and
expressing itself audibly to the fullest extent of
its abilities. It realised that some change in its
environment was going to be made that was not
satisfactory to it. I would not go so far as to say
it understood that the veterinary was being con
sulted, but the cat certainly received through
some medium the impression that an environ
mental change was about to occur.
This, you may ask, amounts to what? O f what
value is it to know this? It does illustrate that in
a general sense animals have limited abilities of
perception which we humans also possess on a
greater scale. It is possible we may learn some
thing from this fact. If these potentialities exist
within every living thing, surely in view of the
fact that man has developed certain of his po
tentialities far in excess of all other living things
he should be able to develop still other faculties
in equal proportion. Sometimes it seems that ani
mals sense things that humans do not. Frankly,
I do not believe they do so because of any ability
of extra-sensory perception not possessed by
humans. The human being probably possesses
extra-sensory perceptive ability far in excess of
any lower animal, but in most cases it has not
been developed. O f course, an animal cannot ex
press itself because of its limitations in many
ways. It cannot speak, for example, and that
too might be a lesson to us. If we would say less,
and hear and do more, we might better equip
ourselves to carry out our own needs and obli
gations.A.

Page 94

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W hat Should W e Practice?

W hat past experiments should be repeated as
members advance into the higher degrees? This
question was asked by a Frater who proceeded
to state that he believed it would be advisable
that instructions be given from time to time in
the monographs, particularly those of the more
advanced degrees, as to what experiments in the
earlier grades should be repeated occasionally.
Theoretically, this suggestion appears to be very
good, but upon analyzing it carefully it will be
found to be impractical.
The decision as to what experiments should be
practiced again and again depends upon the suecess or lack of success the individual member has
had with them. Each member should determine
through careful analysis what is necessary for him.
For an illustration, let us use the subject of mathe
matics. If you were studying higher mathematics,
such as trigonometry or calculus, and found that
your lack of comprehension of some phase of
lower mathematics was interfering with the
knowledge you were now attempting to gain,
you would concentrate upon that particular phase
until you had mastered it. For example, if it
was addition in simple arithmetic that was bother
ing you, you would attempt to become more pro
ficient in that phase, but you would not give your
time to practicing the multiplication tables as you
did in grammar school, since you were having no
trouble with that process now. The same applies
to your Rosicrucian exercisesthere is no need
for you to practice those exercises with which you
have become proficient, particularly when there
are others with which you know you have not
completely succeeded.
Therefore, the member who wishes to review
some of the exercises of previous degrees should
make an honest appraisal of his abilities. In
what do you lack? Concentration or certain
phases of it? The ability to visualize? The ability
to direct one of your sense faculties toward a
certain point? T urn to those exercises that will
contribute to the building up of those abilities
you seek. Most of the exercises in the early
grades are directly or indirectly for the purpose
of assisting you to develop your ability to con
centrate, while at the same time opening the door
to the use of the latent possibilities of your sub
jective mind. In the higher degrees exercises are
given of a more specific nature, and here it is
absolutely essential that those having to do with
particular needs in the life of the individual be
selected and used for review.
Bear in mind that the gaining of a technique,
as has frequently been stated, is a process that
requires systematic practice of the exercises which
lead to the attainment of the desired ability.
Therefore, when an exercise has been selected by

you, you should practice it systematically. Do

not use it once and then lay it aside. W hen you
find you have a definite need, determine to prac
tice the appropriate exercises a number of times
each week for a period of a month or two, and
you will derive far more benefit than you would
in selecting a number of exercises at random and
doing them only once over a period of a month.
It is important to realize too that many of the
exercises given in our monographs can be prac
ticed successfully without any elaborate prepara
tion. Of course, some of them do require prepara
tion in advance and you will have to have certain
conditions under which to work. Many can be
practiced just after retiring at night or before
arising in the morning. Regardless of lack of
privacy or other conditions that may exist about
you, you can carry on certain of these activities.
Never forget that it looks easy to do a thing
when all conditions about you are perfect, but
that the greatest accomplishments in the history
of humanity have taken place when human beings
worked under adverse rather than favorable con
ditions. Therefore, do not let your environment
excuse you from doing what you know ought to
be done.A.

Assumption
This subject is one that is discussed in the
higher degrees of the Order. Therefore, a ques
tion concerning assumption cannot be treated here
in as much detail as one regarding a subject
taken up in the Neophyte or lower Temple De
grees. However, the type of question recently
asked by a Soror can be answered in general
terms rather than by a definite explanation of the
process of assumption, with which all members
will become familiar when they study the work
of the N inth Degree. The question is: Can
another individual who may know of the process
of assumption influence me by that process against
my own will? In other words, to make the ques
tion more general, can one person influence an
other person to say or do something that is against
his will? Can one person cause another to say
something or commit an act which he would not
think of doing under ordinary circumstances?
The answer to this question is very simple; it is
No. No one need ever fear that he could be
influenced by the thoughts of another person,
regardless of the process used.
This is true because of a definite psychological
fact. Almost everyone knows that in the process
of hypnotism a subject cannot be made to go
against the ideals and convictions of his own be
ing. Character is much deeper than a mere ob
jective opinion; it is really a part of our true
being and reflects itself in all activity, objective
and subjective. N o one under hypnotic influence

fHE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

can be forced to do something that is against the

fundamental principles of his own nature. This
has been proved time and time again by those
capable of making such tests. The reason for this
is that within us we have establishedthrough
habit, time and our own reasoning powerscer
tain attitudes and beliefs that are just as much
a part of us as our physical attributes. These
things become so definitely fixed within us that
only we can modify them, and then only through
a process of reasoning, suggestion, and acquisition
of new habits. Therefore, through assumption or
any other process, an individual could not be
made to steal, for example, unless he was already
willing to commit such an act. A thief might
be influenced to continue an act that was custo
mary to him; but you, or the average person,
could not be made to do anything by this process
that you would not do as a result of a direct re
quest. For instance, if I should tell you to walk
into a bank and steal any money in sight, you
would think it a ridiculous request and would pay
no attention to it, since to steal would be against
your nature. Therefore, you could not be in
fluenced by assumption, thought transference or
any other process to do such a thing, any more
than by an oral command.
Bear in mind that regardless of what process
is used in contacting the mind of another the
channel that is open to be used is that provided
by the Cosmic. The soul of one individual is
connected with that of anotherthat is, the Great
Soul of God is a unit of which we are all seg
ments. Therefore, the connecting point is a
Cosmic channel, and only those things that are
acceptable to the Cosmic may go through that
channel. The Cosmic is good, it is constructive;
it works for the purpose for which God ordained
it, and only those things in accord with these
purposes can be transferred.
The belief that the thoughts of one person can
affect another adversely is based upon the teach
ings of black magic, which are so well explained
in the book entitled Mental Poisoning, by our
late Jmperator. W hen one person is influenced
by another to his detriment, it is only through
fear, superstition and misunderstanding. There
fore, if you meet every situation in life with an
open mind and are not in fear of what another
person can do, you need never be concerned
about the thoughts of another having an adverse
effect upon you.A.

O ur Research Library
From time to time comments have been made
in The Rosicrucian Forum regarding activities
existent here at Rosicrucian Park. W hen our
Research Library was mentioned recently, a letter

Page 95

was received from a Frater stating how much

benefit it must be for those who have the oppor
tunity to visit San Jose and have actual access to
such a well equipped library. There is no deny
ing the truth of this statement. W hen the library
is open, as it is daily, members have the privilege
of referring to many books that are not found in
most libraries available to the general public. To
those who wish to do research work in addition to
the actual teachings of the Order, it opens a
splendid opportunity for reference in those fields
that particularly interest them.
However, we want the members to bear in
mind the thought that the facilities of the Re
search Library are not limited to those who can
actually visit Rosicrucian Park. As stated when
the library was first conceived, its facilities are
available as far as possible to the entire member
ship. Methods have been provided whereby all
members can secure information they may want
upon specific subjects. If you did not receive an
announcement regarding this arrangement, write
to the Library and ask how you can use its
facilities.
Naturally, members cannot use the library as
a general information bureau, but we are able to
give a great deal of help on many questions upon
which you want authoritative opinions. This re
search is done by our librarian and his assistants
without any cost to you for the research itself,
but of course we must ask a small amount to
cover the cost of postage, stationery, labor, etc.,
for the preparation of your material.
Learn how the library can serve you, and do
not hesitate to avail yourself of this or any other
membership privilege to which you are entitled.
Occasionally a member will write and say he
would like to have the help of the Council of
Solace or would like us to do one thing or another
which he is entitled to request, but hesitates to
ask our assistance. W e appreciate consideration
on the part of a member in regard to the number
of requests he makes or the questions he submits.
Some members do not realise that the time neces
sary for doing such work is time that cannot be
used in the constructive work of expanding the
influence of the organisation in other fields. How
ever, when there is a definite need on the part
of a member he should not hesitate in submitting
a request for the information or help he needs
which we can give. On the other hand, the mem
ber must be tolerant and consider carefully the
reply he receives from us, for we will be frank
in telling him to what extent we can advise or
help him. The member should try to understand
just what we can do and cooperate to the fullest
extent in getting the utmost benefit from our
assistance.A.

GOME WITH ME ON AN . . .

Adventure
into the
Mental W orld
^ There is a lure to tales of embarking on
a journey to strange lands, or setting out in
search of a place whose known location is
but a crude tracing on a time-worn parch"
ment map. One can also easily imagine the
crackling of underbrush as it is trampled
beneath the cautious feet of intrepid ex
plorers as they wend their way through
Natures living barrierthe jungle. A cold
chill can be felt as one reads of gurgling
water rising over a daring diver as he slow
ly sinks to the inky bottom of an inlet in
search of pirate loot aboard a galleon now
embedded in the shifting sands of the sea. But none of these challenges the imagination,
quickens the breath, or causes the pulse to pound quite like an adventure into the un
knownthe mental world.

SOME M YSTIC A L A D V E N T U R E S
<J Come with me to seek out what the eyes cannot see, the ears hear, or the senses perceive. There
lies more to be conquered, more to be mastered than all the expeditions of the world have brought to
light. You who are adventurous may, in the security of your home, travel through space and time in
search of mysteries far greater than those which lurk in the jungle or frozen Arctic.
TH E READERS RESEARCH ACADEM Y offers to you a supplementary series of enticing and
instructive lectures entitled, Some Mystical Adventures. They are concerned with such questions as
the strange influences which are cast over human life and what lies behind the veil of the commonplace.
You may obtain two of these most interesting lectures a month for the cost of only 50c per month.
Just write to the Readers Research Academy and state that you would like to receive these lec
tures and enclose a remittance of 50c for one month, or for as many months as you wish. You may
discontinue at will. These lectures will bring the mental world to your fireside with all its fascination.
The number of this particular series is 196. Address:

READERS' RESEARCH ACADEMY

(AMORC)
R o s ic r u c ia n P a r k - S a n J o s e , C a l if o r n ia

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC.
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California,
under Section 1103 of the U .S . Postal Act of O ct. 3, 1917

Vol. XI

FEBRUARY, 1941

No. 4

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AUGURIES OF INNOCENCE

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To see the w orld in a grain o f sand
A n d heaven in a w ild flo w e r
H o ld infinity in the palm o f your hand

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A n d e te rn ity in an hour.
WM. BLAKE.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY
OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC. AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

Non-resistance and pacifism seem in practice,

if not otherwise, to parallel each other. Nonresistance, or as it is more commonly termed, the
quality of passivity, has in recent years been pub
licised considerably by the conduct of Mahatma
Gandhi, Indian leader for national independence.
In the instance of Gandhis cause, passive resist
ance or non-resistance to violence has been as
much necessitated by the circumstances as by any
exalted religious or moral values. Great Britains
Colonial army in India, though small, is well or
ganised, and modernly and extensively equipped
with the latest weapons and armaments. Added
to this are the many thousands of British-trained
regiments that constitute the private armies of the
Maharajahs. These latter groups are pledged in
any emergency which India confronts, internally
or externally, to support the British cause. If the
National Party of India were to gain control, the
tremendous grip which these wealthy Indian po
tentates have upon the people would be deci
mated. Consequently, support of Britain is gladly
given, in opposition to Gandhi and his followers.
This is not meant to imply that every Indian
Prince or Maharajah is hostile to a cause which
represents the equality of the peoples, but many
are. Though Indias population may be counted
in the teeming millions, the masses are unorgan
ised, unequipped, and untrained militaristically.
A show of force would, as it has been, be put
down quickly. The National cause of India would
suffer in demoralisation, and it would seem to
justify the statements emanating from some
sources that her people are barbarous and need to
be continually policed and subjugated. Therefore,
refusal to comply with orders and Britains dic
tates, and following the line of non-resistance and
passivity, gains for them much more. It is a prac
tical end in this instance that is being served by
non-resistance, for Britain could not put three
hundred and fifty million people in prison for
non-compliance with law.
The question before us now, however, is
whether mystics and intensely devout religious
peoples, and many others, are warranted in con
doning the practice of non"resistance or pacifism
whenever or wherever actual war, or preparation
for it, occurs. Thou shalt not kill is one of the
Ten Commandments which is frequently quoted.
It appears as a Divine dictate. On the other hand,
the Old Testament is replete with accounts of
Gpds hosts destroying His enemies and smiting
them for their evil ways, and of the angels even

V
directing some of the armies in their campaigns.
Consequently, according to this, if we were with
out any personal convictions, we would be apt to
be confused by tl'ese apparent inconsistencies of
the Bible. However, man is truly not a creator of
life. He is biologically merely an agency for its
expression and a medium for its continuance.
Thus, of course, he cannot really destroy life, but
he can prevent its survival in form, that is, in
substance, by killing.
A re there, therefore, any extenuating circum
stances which might make this destruction of lifeform right? The only immediately apparent one
is self'defense. The justification of self-defense is
two-fold. First, of course, there is the instinct of
self-preservation, with which man is imbued. The
natural order of life force is to maintain itself.
Upon this instinct are founded many unconscious
acts, by means of which we have survived as a
species. If this instinct were mitigated, we might
experience a tremendous wave of suicides, as we
know from experience with various perverted re
ligious sects in the past. Then again there might
be a diminuation of the natural caution that
would result in almost the annihilation of man
kind itself. If man disregarded self-defense, or
cared little about preserving self, that higher
idealism which man conceives and which naturally
depends upon life and its gradual evolution of
body and consciousness would cease as well. Thus,
in the final analysis, self-defense is a circumstance
under which man must \ill or be killed. Second,
he may choose, if he desires, to sacrifice his life to
his principle, but if he does, his principle dies
with him, because for a principle to survive, there
must be that which would keep it alive and en
force it.
This brings us to the concrete reality of war
itself, and the needs of preparation for it. A na
tion is a collection of peoples, a gigantic family.
The national family, like all families, either by
choice, custom, or compulsion, has established cer
tain ways of living, which it enjoysor at least
accepts, and wants to continue. Now, it may be
said by some that peoples of many of the nations
today are suppressed by their respective govern
ments. However, history has shown us that when
people can no longer endure mistreatment, and as
a whole desire to abolish oppression, there is no
army or government that can enforce the regime
for any length of time. W e must presume, there
fore, that the Nations of peoples, as a whole, do
favor their respective national ways of living, as
do the members of a private family their personal

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

habits and customs. These nations of peoples will,

if it is truly necessary or made to seem so, fight
instinctively to preserve what to them may mean
life itself. If they believe, or have cause to think,
they are being attacked and that their cities will
be destroyed that they will be enslaved, their
daughters ravished and their sons maimed or
killed, they will strike in defense, even if that
would mean killing their fellowman.
Now, what alternative does the absolute pacifist
offer for this conduct? If the same one who de*
clares his belief in non-resistance to attack by
nations who would starve and enslave him, were
to awaken and find himself faced by an armed
homicidal maniac who was obsessed with the idea
of taking his life, would he then display nonresistance? W ould he yield and be murdered, or
would he grapple with his attacker and use force
to subdue him, even to the extent that that force
meant death to the assailant?
In defense of many pacifists, it must be said
that a distinction must be made between those
who are rational and those who are irrational in
their views. There are those pacifists who believe
in resorting to every just measure to preserve
peace and to avoid war. They will even go to the
extent of appeasing an avaricious nation, by sacri
ficing some of their national assets and privileges,
and will not let a chauvinistic pride commit them
to the folly of war. On the other hand, these in
telligent men and women will not sacrifice life
itself, and the opportunities it affords, to bestial
ity, lust, and brutal attack. They will fight, even
kill, in defense of the higher purposes. There is,
of course, a considerable difference between a true
war of defense and one of aggression. It is far
more noble and in accord with the Divine Cosmic
purpose to endure hardships which do not eventu
ally take life itself, than to participate in combat
which compels the killing of others.
There are those who contend that all wars are
promoted by the selfish interests of individuals or
groups of individuals who profit thereby, and that
no great conflict between nations is actually for
the preservation of life and liberty. Consequently,
these persons hold that absolute pacifism and nonresistance must be upheld, or man is apt to be
morally responsible for the killing of a brother.
It is reasonable to try, to the best of mans ability,
and to the extent of his sources of information as
a citizen, to determine the cause and extent of a
war before participating in it in any manner;
however, there are certain circumstances which
compel the individual to become part of his na
tions armed forces, regardless of what may have
provoked the conflict. If his nation is being in
vaded, his cities bombed, and his and his fellow
citizens homes destroyed, it is hardly any time to
consider the motive for the conflict. The realities
themselves must be dealt with. Another problem

Page 99

to which we have given thought elsewhere is the

causes of war. The matter of submitting and sac'
rificing everything, even life itself, or fighting
back, is the paramount issue considered at this
time. Before and after conflict, every effort should
be exhausted to bring to justice those who may be
responsible for war. But actual war is not the
time to try to evade the consequences it may
bring.
Belligerancy and preparation for war as a de
fensive measure are two distinctly different things.
It is one thing to have the malevolent desire to
attack unwarrantedly and to inflict injury upon
another, when possibly the same ends might be
obtained in a bloodless manner. It is still another
thing to repel force with force, as defense. Even
the blood stream of the loudest advocate of nonresistance, experiences a raging conflict between
the white corpuscles and the invading force
every time he contacts a cold or disease. W oe
be unto him if his white corpuscles became abso
lute pacifists, not resisting by force, under any
conditions, the inroads of the excessive bacteria.
These white corpuscles kill that which they are
compelled to combat. If they did not, the person
whose blood stream they compose would not be
able to live, to determine whether he should offer
resistance to military attack in his world.
The recently enacted legislation which pro
vides for the conscription of American youth and
young men for national defense, has brought
solidly to the fore the question of whether all
persons, regardless of their convictions, should be
compelled to bear arms and to train for war. The
statements of many are that they would kill under
no circumstances, and that training for the use of
arms means preparation for the destruction of life.
It is safe to say that all who contend that defense
preparation is the contemplating of the use of
force and resistance, and therefore is to be con
demned, put locks on their windows and bolts on
their doors, and deposit their money in banks
They feel, as individuals, I am certain, that to
have peace of mind and freedom to pursue their
interests, they must keep intruders from their
homes and property and keep inviolate their per
sonal rights. By placing or establishing a physical
barrier that stops trespassers, thieves, and assas
sins, they are offering resistance in order to pro
vide the desired security. The training of youths
in the manner of resisting force, if necessary, with
force, is security on a Rational scale. Since we
cannot build walls around our country as we can
build a fence around our house to safeguard it
and our rightful interests, the next best thing is
to fortify it with a navy and with air and land
military forces. These are the locks and bolts on
our national doors. Just because the young men
of the nation are armed and trained under the
national defense plan, doesnt mean that they are

Page 100

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

going to seek out others to kill, any more than because we have the capacity to clench our fist implies that we may go about and club some of our
fellows with it.
As mystics and as Rosicrucians, we truly do
envision a time (and we hope it is not too far
distant) when national boundaries and political
fences will be a thing of the past, when peoples
will look back upon them and smile at the elemen
tary concepts which made them necessary. W e
hope for a time when the earth, all of the earth,
will be a habitat for all men, that no man will be
barred from any section of this planet. W e also
hope for a time when such a brotherhood of man
will prevail that men will be equal in conscious
ness and in vision, and in breadth of understand
ing, and will share alike each others aspirations
and moral restraints. W hen such a time comes to
pass, no arms will need be borne because no one
will have a cause which will justify it. All of this
is what we pray and strive for today and what
may come about tomorrow. As Rosicrucians,
however, we are not blind to what our senses re
veal of the world in which we live, and to the
realization we have of these impressions. W e
employ our God-given reason, which makes us
fully aware of the realities of the present, the
needs of the hour, and so we endorse national de
fense. One may th in\ beyond today and he is to
be complimented on the projection of his con
sciousness into the future, but he who lives be
yond today removes himself entirely from human
society and is of no help to the men of today and
their problems. Therefore, we say arm against
injustice and the wrong application of force, as
you guard yourselves with warm wearing apparel
to resist the conscienceless rigors of the winters
blast.
Fraternally,
R alph M. L ew is ,

Imperator.

Bible Interpretations
For the benefit of new members of the Order
and those who have subscribed to The Rosicru
cian Forum in recent years, it seems appropriate
to again set forth our attitude toward Biblical
discussions in the correspondence departments/
In the first place, the Order is not a religious
organization, that is, our members are not re
quired to adhere to any particular religious doc
trine, creed, or Bible interpretation. The members
of the Order are representative of all races, creeds,
nationalities, and colors. Being from all parts of
the world, naturally enough they represent all
religious doctrines and beliefs. There are mem
bers who are Christians, and those who are Jew
ish. Others are Mohammedans, Brahmans, and

Buddhists. Could we therefore discourse upon,

recommend, interpret, or ask our members to ad
here to any one religious belief? Or, could we
possibly, in fairness to all, attempt to expound
and perpetuate any distinct faith other than faith
in the God of Your H eart?
Even if we dared make a policy of interpreting
Christianity for our members of this particular
doctrine, would it not be in order for members
of other religions to ask us to interpret their
teachings for them? Is it not true that for an
explanation of the Koran we would go to a
Mohammedan? W ould we go to a Christian for
an interpretation of the Jewish religion? If we
did we would receive a very biased explanation
or personal opinion.
Of course, the only interpretations we are
usually asked to give pertain to the Book of
Genesis and the New Testament, but stop and
think for a moment of the widespread difference
of opinion to be found in Christian denominations
alone. The Baptists do not agree with the Metho
dists. The Presbyterians do not always agree with
the Episcopalians, who in turn are at odds with
the Catholics. W e make no discrimination whatso
ever; therefore, we would have to give the inter
pretation of the books of the Bible of each one
of the various denominations of the Christian
religions. Think what an impossible task this
would be.
Furthermore, would this be of any benfit to
the one asking for our help? Hardly, because he
would still find it necessary to choose between the
many explanations to find one that suited him.
The Rosicrucian teachings embrace the doc
trines and teachings of all schools of philosophy,
science, and psychology that have withstood test
and trial through the ages, thus proving them>
selves truth and knowledge. If a theory ex
pounded by an Oriental religion proves to be a
natural, immutable law, certainly it is not rejected
because of its source. A fter all, such would be a
Law of God, not of man. It would be real, abso
lute, working for one and all alike. Just as no
nation or race of people has a corner on Gods
Laws, neither do these laws work in behalf of
some and not others. It is this absolute knowledge
that the Rosicrucian teachings embrace and per
petuate to help the seeker know himself and his
relationship to the universe.
For the benefit of those who would like a
better understanding of the source of religion, we
might recommend such books as The Story of
Religion, This Believing W orld, The Dawn
of Conscience and similar works that can be ob
tained in the public libraries or purchased from
your local book dealer. For a clear understand
ing of the various Oriental schools of philosophy
and religion, the book, Oriental Religions, will
serve you. There are entirely too many different

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

translations of the New Testament presented for

us to recommend any particular one. The version
most widely used in English-speaking countries,
of course, is the King James version. Two of the
most revealing and inspiring books of modern
times recommended to the student of mysticism
are our own publications The Mystical Life of
Jesus and The Secret Doctrines of Jesus, both
available from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau
and both written by our late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis.
Again we say, we cannot interpret the sacred
Scriptures for our members for the reasons that
are quite obvious from the above statements. It
is hoped that this will answer the questions of
many who have written to us about this matter
during the last few months.

Subtle Demonstration of Cosmic Power

It is believed that you will enjoy a letter from
one of our sorores who is in the Neophyte De
grees and has just completed the performance
of her first Personal Home Contact. The reason
for bringing this letter to your attention will,
I am sure, be quite obvious to all of you.
W e have said over and over again that you
must not try to judge success or failure by out
ward signs at the time of making a Cathedral
contact or attuning to the Cosmic during a Per
sonal Home Contact exercise. The results are
so subtle at times that you are conscious of
nothing of a physical nature, but later you may
have a sense of attunement, a feeling of peace
and harmony. The burden of lifes problems may
be lighter, or the perfect solution of some prob
lem may unfold before you like a well-made plan
or pattern. All such experiences are due to the
close attunement you have established between
yourself and the Cosmic forces. Notice from the
following letter the truth of these facts about
successful contacts:
W hen notice of Home Exercise #1 came, I
anticipated the event with keen delight. My one
prayer was to be sufficiently prepared psychically
as to be receptive to or in attunement with the
vibrations of the Cosmic Conclave of Masters and
the officers of the Temple.
However, about a week before the date set,
a series of adverse happenings plunged me into
a deep pit of black despair. I was emotionally,
physically, and mentally paralysed. My constant
striving to attain greater beauty of character, my
struggle against certain habitsall was relin
quished. Cathedral prayer periods went un
heeded. I had no heart for anything.
Such was the mood when the hour of contact
came. Instructions for doing my part were care
fully followed. Nothing happened. That is, no

Page 101

physical reaction such as described in the notice.

I arose to resume my household duties.
But, gradually, it dawned on me that I was
no longer depressed, and havent been since. O ut
wardly (yet) nothing has happened to change
these untoward circumstances spoken of, but I
am my old fighting self again. Mysteriously, my
Life Force and courage have been renewed. Could
it be I was in attunement? To me this experience
is a miracle.
It is not often that we discuss here in our
Forum correspondence or reports of our members,
unless these reports contain some specific demon
stration or illustration of our teachings. Those of
our members who have been discouraged with
their Home Contact exercises and Cathedral of
the Soul contacts will be benefited by the ex
perience of our young soror who sent us this
encouraging letter.

Purpose of O ur H igh Degrees

Some time ago I was interested in a letter from
a member who had completed the N inth Degree
and advanced into certain higher work of the or
ganisation, in which she commented concerning
the fact that in certain lessons of the higher de
grees she could not find the practical value that
was contained in many of the lower degree les
sons. A t about the same time I received another
letter from a lower degree member who stated
that too much was packed into the lower degrees;
for example, too many subjects were treated in
the Neophyte Degrees and dropped before com
pletion. Now, I regret to say that both of these
members are not deriving the maximum benefit
from their affiliation with the organisation just
because of a point of view, and I hope that if any
member who reads this may have been a little
confused regarding the presentation of certain
subjects in the Rosicrucian teachings, these com
ments will help clarify in his or her mind any
existing confusion.
W e do not want Rosicrucian members simply
to accept everything that is said in the mono
graphs without question, as if it were dictated
from a source beyond this earth as the absolute
word of a higher power. It is true that those who
have contributed to the Rosicrucian knowledge
and to the presentation of the Rosicrucian mono
graphs in their present form have been those who
have reached high in the scale of psychic advance
ment and illumination, but still they were human
beings, and we want members to realise that they,
too, are human and that the final knowledge that
can come to all individuals does not come from
without, on a printed page, or in a spoken word,
but from within. M any people go through life
hoping to find a few words or a simple set of in
structions that will make their lives different. No

Page 102

word that has ever been spoken by the physical

voice, or written with the hand of a human being, can convert or change the life of an indi
vidual unless the knowledge or meaning which is
carried by those words is sufficient to inspire the
individual to turn to the source of all knowledge
and wisdom within himself, and from which, in
the final analysis, must come all things. W e carry
the potentialities of all knowledge and wisdom
within us, but we are not in a position to gain
that knowledge without direction at some time in
bur lives or some time in our cycle of incarnations.
As stated so well in The Rosicrucian Manual,
it is true that when the student is ready the
master will appear, but the student does not get
ready by doing nothing. W hen the student in an
academic course is ready, he will pass the exam
ination and need not worry about it, but he does
not get ready simply by sitting back and hoping
that he will pass. He must learn the information
on which he will be examined. This deviation and
these comments have been to point out the fact
that members, in order to derive the most from
the Rosicrucian teachings, must realize that they
are the composite of many pieces of information
from many sources, and that they are presented
as well as it is humanly possible to do so in a
modern language; in a modern form easily avail'
able to those who will direct their attention toward them.
The method and sequences of presentation of
our teachings have come through the result of ex
perience not only by the present Supreme Officers
of the organization, but by those who have gone
before, even in centuries past. Therefore, the
statements which were quoted by the Frater and
Soror at the beginning of these comments are true.
The Neophyte monographs do contain many sub
jects, some of which are only touched upon in one
monograph and then dropped. There are various
reasons for this. One reason is to round out the
general point of view of the new member, so that
he will understand the fundamental purpose of
Rosicrucianism and its terminology. Another is
to test the real sincerity and conscientiousness of
the Neophyte in order to see if there is a deter
mination to go ahead to the places where he or
she can be directed to the full information con
cerning the subjects mentioned. Through the nine
Temple Degrees those points with which the stu
dent needs to be equipped in knowledge and ex
perience are presentd. Then in the higher degrees
of these nine and those that follow there is the
opporunity for the student to begin to review the
information and experiments of the other degrees,
and in that way through actual participation and
use of the material presented, the whole theory
and practice of Rosicrucianism will become a
working tool in his hands.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

In any profession that requires the use of tools,

particularly in fields where precision instruments
are necessary, there is first the requirement of
learning the use, purpose and actual technique of
handling each tool. As time goes on, with the
increase of knowledge and the application of
these tools, results take place in the mind and
ability of the individual attempting to gain this
information, and there comes a time when the
worker with these fine instruments does not think
in terms of the individual instrument itself, or in
terms of the smattering of knowledge he acquired
concerning one of them when he began his apprenticeshop, but there is in his mind a composite
knowledge of the application of the information
and experience he has had as a unit.
I have observed a master watchmaker repairing
a watch. He focussed his attention upon the
works within the delicate instrument itself, and
he reached for the tools which he used without
raising his head. They were in their places; they
had their purpose. I seriously doubt, so intently
did he work, that he could have named a moment
later the tools that he used and the sequence in
which he used them. This was because the pur
pose of all those tools put together, and the pur
pose which his actions with them would accom
plish, was an integral part of his thinking. How
could such an ability ever come to exist in one
man? In the same manner that our abilities be
come existent in us through the acquisition of
knowledge; through the application of the knowl
edge; through benefiting by the experience that
comes from the first tool; and through either a
desire or a necessity to keep doing whatever the
process is. More abilities result from necessity
probably than from choice, in the illustrations
which I have given in the matter of earning a
livelihood.
The purpose of the higher degrees is to give
the members the opportunity to apply the knowl
edge and practical experience learned previously.
Just as the craftsman gains new knowledge every
day as he proceeds in his work, so must we pass
on the experiences and the inspiration of those
mystics who have contributed in the past in the
form of monographs. Therefore, the message to
every sincere Rosicrucian, whether he be in the
first or the highest degree, is to remain patient and
not judge any part of Rosicrucianism as a whole
by any segment. Do not consider the benefits of
the monographs in terms of any one of them, but
look upon the whole, look upon ultimate perfec
tion and mastership which must surely come
eventually to everyone who conscientiously fol
lows the instructions as laid down.A

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Family Objections
A soror asks our FORUM CIRCLE, W hy
do members of ones own family become so ob
stinate, so unreasonable as to seek to interfere
with such an innocuous activity as ones AM ORC
membership? This is my problem, can you throw
any light upon it?
W e might eschew discussion of this matter be
cause of its personal nature, but since many mem
bers, both fratres and sorores, have similar con
siderations to confront, we will examine it. Upon
first consideration, it might seem sufficient to ex
plain this attitude as intolerance upon the part of
some wives or husbands, mothers, fathers, sisters,
and brothers toward one of their number who
has affiliated with AMORC. However, the sub
stitution of a word for a condition does not clari
fy it, and, further, in all instances the interfer
ence is not motivated by intolerance.
From actual experience, we each personally
know that our own brothers or sisters may be as
different in habits, inclinations, and temperament
from us as strangers. In fact, more so at times.
One brother may be mild-mannered, genteel, and
visionary; another may be cunning and acrimon
ious in his remarks. It might seem strange that
this could be so when both are of the same par
ents; however, the science of heredity, as ex
plained by biologists, removes this mystery. The
hormones secreted by the ductless glands are
greatly responsible.
It is generally conceded that each of the en
docrine glands secretes a specific hormone, which
is given to the blood or lymph, and which in
fluences some functional activity. Etymologically,
hormone means I excite. Their effect, therefore,
as a stimulant is threefold. First, a person is
affected by the nature or probable hereditary
growth power of his organs and his bodily parts.
Second, by the quality or amount of the hor
mones produced by the endocrine glands of the
parents at the time of conception; and third, by
the receptivity of each part of his body to the
stimulation of the hormones. Of course, a physi
ological change may occur later in life, due to
health or shock, which may affect and alter the
temperament of an individual. These hormones
may cause one to be inclined toward meditation
and reflection; another to be extremely impetuous
and moved only by his immediate experiences.
They may, for example, cause a father to be
credulous and superstitious, and a son inquiring,
thoughtful, and analytical. They may produce an
inclination toward study on the part of one
brother, and indulgence in superfluous things by
another. One may become, because of these fac
tors, a rank materialist, who accepts all realities
for their apparent nature, and who lives from

Page 103

day to day, employing his experiences only for

his immediate needs. Such a person cannot con
ceive the temperament and imagination of some
one who is intrigued by the thought of initial
causes. He cannot understand why another per
son wants to know why certain things happen, or
what the relationship, order, and ultimate pur
pose of things are.
A person having the former temperament criti
cizes the latters serious beliefs, yet he does so
with a sincere conviction that he is extirpating
some false ideas that may cause his brother, son,
or family member a later misfortune. Actually
the objections and interferences on the part of
some family members assumes at times a status
of protection. They believe that because your
thoughts are so different, so extreme in compariison to their own, that they are doing you a favor
which you are not now able to appreciate, by dis
couraging and ridiculing our concepts and prac
tices. T ou can classify family objections. If they
are of the particular physiological and psychologi
cal class which we have just described, they will
display, not alone by their arguments with you
but by the conduct of their private lives and in
terests, that they are of this class. If they actually
do pursue interests and hobbies which they con
tend are the only true values of life, it shows that
they are sincere and cannot help expounding what
they feel is right, no matter how much it may ag
gravate or annoy you. Such persons, however,
are usually as reasonable and as just as yourself,
and if approached impassionately, they will
eventually shrug their shoulders and let you think
as you will.
The worst condition usually prevails among
husbands and wives. Let us begin with the ob'
jecting husband. One of the principal objections
of some men to their wives membership is based
upon what they offer as economic reasons; name
ly, that they cannot afford membership for the
wife. In some very extreme situations, where the
husband has been out of employment for a con
siderable time, or has contracted large debts be
cause of illness, the family actually for a few
months may not be able to afford anything but
necessities. On the other hand, frequently those
husbands protesting that they cant afford mem
bership for their wives, are using economy as an
excuse. Their incomes are quite sufficient to meet
the nominal dues, but to them the expenditure of
any amount over and beyond immediate necessi
ties and somatic pleasures constitutes an extrava
gance. Can I prove my pointyes, most easily.
Let the wives of these husbands place a new lamp
upon the living room table. Perhaps they have
acquired it because its different coloring or new
design is a relief from the one that has been there
for some time. An objection will be immediately

Page 104

forthcoming: W hats the matter with the old

one? It still gives out light; two lamps are a
waste. Then again, perhaps the wife buys some
little artistic article that has no strictly utilitarian
value, but to her enlivens some nook of the home.
This again becomes the incentive for a dispute.
These objections are easily explained. The hus'
band has no esthetic taste whatsoever. A thing
must be useful, that is, to him it must serve some
practical end, like a knife, fork, or cup, or it is a
wasteful unessential. Wives of such husbands
can expend quite large sums of money for visible
quantities of food, without provoking a domestic
scene, because the food gratifies the appetite and
its value is easily appreciated by them.
Culture to such men, if it cannot be readily
converted into cash, is a dissipation of funds.
They would readily ask you, W hy study music,
do you intend playing or securing a paying posi
tion in an orchestra? W hy attend an art
school? they would also ask. There are too
many indigent artists already. These men are to
be pitied. They are devoid of that finer sense of
appreciation of the things of life. They can no
more understand your interest in higher thought,
mysticism, esotericism, or hermeticism, than a deaf
individual can an orchestration, or one who is
color blind can thrill to the penumbras of a fine
painting. The association areas of their brain are
just not sensitive to such sensations. This does
not detract from their character or merit as individuals, but does explain what seems to be al
together a bigoted viewpoint. There are, of
course, those wives who are extremely unfortunate to have as a mate one who is very selfish.
Such an individual resents any expenditures by
his wife in which he cannot also participate, that
is, he conceives her as depriving him of funds for
his personal avocation, hobby, or pleasure.
There are wives who harass their husbands
equally as much as husbands do wives, because of
membership in AMORC. The symptoms and
causes are somewhat different, but none'the'less
annoying, boorish, and offensive. W ith most
wives, the objections to their husbands member'
ship, though of course not admitted, are based
upon an inferiority complex. Their husbands
perhaps have a better education, are more con'
versant with topics of which the wives are either
ignorant or are incapable of discussing intelligent'
ly. These husbands, because of their positions,
move daily in intellectual circles which are far
beyond those of their wives. The wives fully
realise this, and become actually envious of the
greater world which their husbands enjoy. They
are incapable of raising themselves up to the in'
tellectual plane of their mates, or they are too in'
dolent to do so. During their hours together at
home, such a wife is continually seeking to re'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

duce her husbands interests to her own level.

She desires to plunge him into the shallow super'
fluities of her own life. Worse still, she is sar'
dcnical in her comments about his pursuits, other
than his occupation. She can find no fascination
or appeal in the subjects of metaphysics, philoso
phy, art, occult science, or mysticism. Conse'
quently she is trenchant and unkind in her re'
marks when her husband voices his opinions. She
is envious of any association he has with persons,
in which she cannot participate, even though she
is creating her own barrier to such associations.
Her criticisms of the subjects or topics of study
of A M O RC are childlike and mendacious, as
would be expected, because she has no slight con'
ception of their true nature. She will nag her
husband for neglecting her or spending money
on interests which should be for their home, or
even maliciously attack the character of the of'
ficers or members of the Order, to try and selfish'
ly deprive her husband of that which she cannot
or w o n t understand.
This is not an exaggeration, but a portrayal of
many actual circumstances. Frankly, many husbands who undergo this experience are themselves
responsible. They failed before marriage, to take
into consideration to any degree, the true value
of mental companionship. A wife to them was
solely a physically attractive member of the op'
posite sex, with an ingratiating personality. They
never once dreamed that the intangible substance
of difference in intellectual pursuits, or the mental
life, could ever become a factor of inharmony in
their lives.
Another cause of wifely objection to AM ORC
membership is religion. This cause may also exist
with husbands, but it occurs far less frequently
with them. It is indeed most unfortunate when
ones religion can inculcate intolerance and bigO'
try within ones consciousness. It is, however,
understandable that when persons have been
raised in an orthodox faith that has satisfied them,
and when they have not been of a studious na'
ture, philosophical and mystical terms and names
which come to their attention will alarm them.
The content of these things is strange to them,
and they are apt to conceive them as hostile to
their religious faith, and consequently they shun
them. A n orthodox religionist who is considerate
of others will at least permit her husband to ex'
plain his membership, what he is studying, and
why it brings him pleasure. She will listen atten'
tively and tolerantly; she will let him point out
how it neither attacks her dogma, nor any re'
ligion, nor does it necessarily interfere with ones
faith, and that, in fact, Rosicrucianism is not a
religion. Seeing that it is not harmful to their
morals, or the welfare of their domestic life, and
is educationally beneficial, she will not interfere

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

with his membership, even though not personally

interested. A fter all, she does not object to her
husbands eating spinach, even though she doesnt
care for it, or to his reading the sports page,
which does not appeal to her. Likewise, her hus
band can be an excellent Rosicrucian student, and
not detract in any way from their mutual happi
ness, if she is tolerant of his interests.
W hat, if any, you might ask, are the reme
dies for these situations? The first, where a hus
band is so mundane as to insist on the practical
and material side of everything, and inquires of
his wife, what do you get out of it?, the reply
to him should be, Pleasure, for that would be
comprehensible. Tell him you derive a mental
satisfaction and enjoyment from your studies like
he may obtain from attending a theatre, a boxing
match, or smoking a good cigar. Ask him kindly
what material things and benefits he derives from
his pleasures. In other words, reduce your satis
factions of membership to terms which he is ac
customed to by disposition, and which he can
readily realize. Dont try to explain the higher
and esoteric merits of your membership. They
will not be understood or appreciated, and such a
presentation would only weaken 'your cause .
W here a husband is selfish in using the extra
family funds for the furthering of his personal
whims and fancies, and objects to the wifes ex
penditures, she should as tactfully as possible in
sist that he cease participation in an outlet for
his interests in which she cannot join him. She
should insist on a pleasure which he may not
particularly enjoy (even if she doesnt enjoy it
either), then compromise by allowing each to
pursue their separate interests over and beyond
the mutual domestic relations.
In the instance of the wife, as described previ
ously, who is incapable of truly appreciating
AM ORC membership, and who because of envy
seeks to prevent her husband from continuing as
a student member, the following tactics, for rem
edy, have proven to be very satisfactory, as they
are established upon a study of human nature.
Endeavor to locate another male member who is
married, whether his wife is a member or not.
A fter gaining his confidence, have him help you.
Explain that your wife is not a member and is not
favorably inclined toward the Order and that she
thinks its teachings must be strange and inept to
todays ways of living. Invite this couple to your
home as guests for an evening. During the course
of the evening have them, particularly the wife,
discuss with your wife things of her world, things
that appeal to her. In other words, put the topic
of conversation on the level of her understanding,
appreciation, and response. This will establish
confidence on her part in the guests. The Rosi
crucian teachings should not be discussed, except

Page 105

to make it known to your wife that either the

visiting man and wife, or just the husband is a
member. If the wife of your guest is not a mem
ber, she should display not only interest in your
wifes world and affairs, as said, but also must
indicate complete confidence in her husbands
membership in A M ORC, and speak favorably of
it if the topic arises. This contact with other
Rosicrucians will reveal them to your wife as
sociably agreeable and not hostile or superior to
her ways or beliefs. There is no better method to
remove prejudice than an example of this kind.
Now, a final word of caution. Many husbands
and wives provoke family antipathy toward their
membership because of their unreasonable con
duct. Your teachings are private and confidential,
and the monographs must be disclosed only to
another member or companion member who is in
the same or higher degree than yourself. There
is, however, nothing mysterious about your mem
bership. Do not pitter-patter about when ar
ranging for your study night, as though you were
preparing for a nocturnal journey to the moon.
Dont wear that smug look of, if you only knew
what I know. Further, do not become arrogant
in your new-found knowledge, superior in your
attitude, or assume the demeanor of what befalls
others is due alone to their ignorance and could
not possibly happen to me. It is our hope that
all of the above may make for better Rosicru
cians and a happy family understanding of the
true purpose of Rosicrucian membership. X

T he Mystical Meaning of W hite

A frater of Canada now directs a question to
this FORUM, or we should say, a number of
questions. They are: W hat is the mystical
meaning of the color white, or its significance in
a mystical or psychic sense? Is there a state of
consciousness where the color white, a living,
luminous white would have a special import?
Second, there must be a reason why the Great
W hite Lodge has such a color in its name; in a
word, why white?
It will be observed that the frater referred to
white as a color, and that is a common mistake
which many of us make. W ithout attempting to
become pedantic, it is necessary to point out that
white is not a color, but in reality consists of all
of the colors. W hite is produced by a regular re
flection of the rays of the solar spectrum, or,
namely, sunlight. To put it more simply, white
light is a harmonious blending of all of the rays
of light which emanate from the sun and are in
cluded in its spectrum. By contrast, blac\ is the
absence of color because it absorbs all light waves
of the solar spectrum. Color actually does not
exist, except as a sensation in our consciousness.

Page 106

Sunlight consists of a series of waves of energy

which, we may say, vary slightly though they all
have the same velocity or speed. The optic nerves
of the eyes are sensitive to some of these waves,
consequently, they fall within the ocular range;
that is, we detect them as color, or we are con
scious of them as color. All color is blended har
moniously in sunlight. N ot until this light falls
upon a prism and is diffused, are the waves separ
ated and we see then in sunlight the many
familiar colors. Objects themselves are colorless.
All of the particulars of reality are devoid of
any color. They do have the capacity for causing
us to realize them as colored. This, incidentally,
becomes an excellent example of our doctrine of
actuality and reality, which is expounded in our
monographs. A n object appears red to us because
its atomic and molecular structure is of such a
nature or density as to obsorb all light waves that
fall upon it, with the exception, for example, of
the red rays which are reflected to us, and the
object is realized by us as red, whereas in actual
ity it is not. The same is true of any color. Ob
jects, we may say, are filters of light waves. A
white object is one that equally reflects all of the'
waves of light which fall upon it, and to which
the eye is sensitive. No wave predominates in
white light, and so no color exists, and white is
just something that the consciousness realizes.
Black, as said, reflects none of the waves of light.
It really traps them, to use a common expression,
consequently, the object appears colorless. W e
might almost say that black is a hole in light. If
we have a light area and in it we see a black
object, the form of that object is the extent of the
absence of light.
There are many simple little experiments in
physics that can be conducted to prove that a
white surface reflects direct radiations and that
black absorbs them. If two little metal vanes,
about one inch square, are mounted upon a
spindle in a so-called vacuum tube, one painted
black and the other white, and a strong direct
beam of light is made to fall upon the black vane,
it will absorb the energy, producing heat, and it
will retract, causing the vanes to revolve or turn
about on the spindle. This phenomenon will not
occur by having the same beam concentrated upon
the white vane alone, proving that the white re
flects the energy.
Now we are not in possession of any knowl
edge which discloses that the ancients knew that
white light was a harmony of all color, and yet
their symbolism of it would seem to point to it.
W hite was most certainly not arbitrarily selected
by the ancients to symbolize spiritual qualities.
Certain other causes for this conception are
posited. The earliest written records appertaining
to the symbolic significance of white appear in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the Old Testament. To the ancient Hebrews

white symbolized purity and innocence. It repre
sented light, which not only impressed the Hebrew
mind with its brilliance and purity, but with its
Divine symbolism, for it seemed to have a moral
connotation. Priests, and those officiating in re
ligious ceremonies, were clothed in white to sym
bolize the purity of their functions. In fact, in
Leviticus 16.32, we find And the priest, whom
he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to
minister in the priests office in his fathers stead,
shall make the atonement, and shall put on the
linen clothes. Linen, which was superbly made
by the Egyptians, and which was obtained by the
Hebrews, was principally, in its finest texture,
pure white, and we know from contemporary
artists that the priests were clothed in it. The
relationship of light and white to purity is ex
pressed in Psalms 104.2: W ho coverest thyself
with light as with a garment.
Conversely, black, the oposite of white, the ab
sence of light or color, had a different meaning.
Since blac\ absorbs all color and thus buries light,
to the ancient Hebrews, who were the originators
of much of the symbolism we perpetuate, it de
picted death, humility, and mourning. The use of
black, of course, for garments of mourning or as
a sign of death is commonly known to us today,
because of the still prevalent custom throughout
the world of using it in this manner.
Meanings were also associated with other
colors. Blue represented the unclouded sky, and to
the Hebrews symbolized revelation. It was the
first of the colors used for the curtains of their
sanctuaries, and the Israelites were commanded
to have a ribbon of blue fringe on the edge of
their garments, in order to remind them of
JOHW EH. This is brought to our attention in
Numbers 15.38: Speak unto the children of Israel
and bid them that they make them fringes in the
borders of their garments, throughout their gen
erations, and that they put upon the fringe of the
borders a ribband of blue. Then, again red had
its symbolical significance. It alluded to blood
shed or the running of blood. Purple was the
sign of royalty; it represented dignity and honor.
Green, as the color of plants, was the symbol of
those growing things to which people looked for
ward during the drab, dismal months of the win
ter. It also objectively symbolized rejuvenation,
resurrection, and hope. Oddly enough, it also
represented the moon. The attaching of mean
ings to these colors and to white and black, how
ever, are principally obvious or logical deductions.
In other words, they appeared to identify them
selves naturally with the essence of certain things
or conditions. The oozing of blood from a living
thing, when injured, must have made a very
definite impression upon the early mindsas it

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

still does upon us today. One could hardly ever

look upon a similar shade of red without being
forcefully reminded of blood. By association of
ideas, that color would more quickly cause one to
think of blood than anything else, especially in a
time when colors as paints were either not used
at all or sparsely so.
W e, as Rosicrucians, also know that the vibra
tory rates of certain of the colors affect our sym
pathetic nervous systems in such a manner as to
engender certain emotional responses or attitudes
of mind, which we always consciously or uncon
sciously thereafter associate with the particular
color.
Since sunlight, especially in the Near East and
in Egypt where the earliest great civilisations began, was so intense, so brilliant in its whiteness,
it, too, made a profound impression upon the
peoples. It appeared to bathe all things in its
whiteness. Moreover it, itself, remained unblem
ished. There was nothing which man or the
things of earth could do to alter it. It was a
thing of splendor to behold. As the sun, for
various reasons, became deified in the various re
ligions, white consequently became a symbol of
Divine efficacy. W ith respect to white, however,
there are certain psychological reasons which we
must take into consideration as well. W hite, like
sunlight itself, is searching and very revealing. It
dispels all shadows. It makes any blemishes in an
otherwise orderly surface or texture conspicuous
and easily visible. W e, ourselves, know how any
spot of color is strikingly contrasted on white.
Thus, in the minds of men, white became asso
ciated with purity and absolute perfection. Spir
itual substances, such as mans soul, were con
ceived as white. As light and white were so
identified, teachers of spiritual truths were there
fore clothed in white, depicting the purity of their
character and their doctrines.
Might I remind the members of our FORUM
that for this same reason the Colombe or the
Vestal Virgin of our Rosicrucian Templesthe
symbol of conscience and consequently the purity
of mind and thought and purpose is likewise
robed in white.
Psychically, there are colors which actually de
pict and truly represent man's spiritual and psy
chic attainment. In other words, when we are
pure in mind and consciousness, or have attained
a degree of Cosmic Consciousness, our auras
radiate colors quite different than white. Thus
we can see that white is merely a symbol of mys
tical attunement and spiritual attainment, and not
physically a result thereof. W ithout attempting
to divulge certain principles of our higher de
grees, we can say that the colors of the rainbow
have a relationship to the twelve planes of our
Divine Consciousness, the twelve stages or steps

Page 107

through which this consciousness passes. The

color corresponding to the lowest of these twelve
steps, as we shall call them, is dark ultra violet;
then the color progresses by gradation to a violet,
which is found at the highest stage, or at the top
of the successive stages.
W e also hear of white magic and of blac\
magic. W hite, as a symbol of purity and because
it has been associated with Divine things, as ex
plained, is also identified with that notion of our
minds which we call good. Consequently, right
conduct and morals, or the good of them, is sym
bolised by white. W hite magic, therefore, means
the application of the laws and the phenomena of
nature (which magic is) for good purposes. Con
versely, blac\, being associated with moribund
things, and with obscurity and imperfection,
represents evil.X

Negative Use of Psychic Powers

I have a letter from a member who states, in
effect, that he cannot conceive of how the prin
ciples taught by this organisation, or in fact any
other principles having to do with the use of the
psychic powers of man, can be used for any other
purpose than that for which they were destined.
He further states that he could not conceive of
anyone being able to use constructive powers for
evil purposes, even if he so desired. He reasons
that since these powers are of divine origin and
are ours to be directed by us when we have
reached a certain degree of attunement and
understanding, it would be impossible for such
forces to be used in a negative manner.
This question involves so many factors that it
is difficult to analyse in the space of an article in
this Forum. In order to explain some of the
points involved, one must also take into consid
eration the individuals to whom the explanation is
made. Since this Forum reaches many members
regardless of the degree of their advancement in
the studies or in their own personal understand
ing and development, there are certain factors
which cannot be discussed, but which have a
direct bearing upon the question itself and which
will be understood by the members in the highest
degrees, and eventually by all members when
they reach a certain point.
The use of any force in the universe is directly
connected with the user. There exist throughout
the universe many forms of latent force which
are not put into effect by the voluntary action of
man. Possibly the best illustration of this would
be the force of electricity. Anyone who has w it
nessed an electrical storm does not have to be
convinced that electricity is a latent force avail
able to be made manifest when the right condi
tions exist for its manifestation. W e all know

Page 108

further that this same force can be harnessed and

directed to accomplish certain things for man,
such as producing light, heat or power. W e also
know that electricity in these forms becomes
mans servant, but if not properly directed can
cause him harm, even to tearing down the cells
of the body and causing eventual transition.
W ith all of these factors in mind we can hard
ly state that electricity is an evil force because
when improperly used it can bring about transi
tion. And yet, how can we say it is a good force
exclusively when it can be used as an agent of
destruction? This brings forcibly to our attention
a factor underlying all Rosicrucian knowledge
that good and evil are relative terms and that it
is entirely from the consideration we give these
terms and from our own understanding, training
and viewpoint that we interpret whether the
force is used for good or for evil.
Electricity is further a splendid example of
polarity. In itself it is a dual force, having nega
tive and positive polarity, as well as in its purpose
of manifestation, being used for constructive or
destructive ends.
Now, the power which we use, insofar as psy
chic abilities are concerned, is also a latent power
within us. W e do not gain through study and
practice the possession of something which we
did not have before beginning that study. In
other words, a person whom we say has become
highly developed psychically has not gained some
new quality or ability. He has simply developed
a part of his latent ability which he has had since
birth. One of the purposes of mans existence is
to develop all of his abilities, and if he does so he
becomes a full-grown, normal adult and puts
these abilities to use for one purpose or another.
One person turns to one form of expression,
while another directs his energies elsewhere. One
may become a banker, another a criminal the
same forces are being used. Physiologically the
two men may be the same; the difference is in a
sense an immaterial one. It is a difference of
viewpoint, of training, and of directing their
God-given faculties.
Applying ourselves more definitely to the orig
inal question, with the above thoughts in mind,
we might first ask how the psychic abilities which
we may be able to develop can be used. They
can be used to bring about different manifesta
tions than we had previously known in our lives
and in our environment. Let us take for an ex
ample the ability to project. W hy is there any
reason for a person to learn to project? One
reason is that man must learn to use all of his
latent possibilities. That is his destiny. If he does
not, then according to the principles of reincar
nation he must continue to reincarnate in a
physical body, experiencing pain and suffering as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

well as some happiness, until he reaches a stage

where he can enter upon the next step of life,
whatever that may be.
Unfortunately, projection is looked upon by
some as being almost an abnormal manifestation.
If we look upon this ability in its true light as a
perfectly normal process, as normal as the process
of digestion or the process of thinking, we have
an entirely different viewpoint. If man is equip
ped with the ability to project, it is a perfectly
natural thing to develop that ability, and it must
therefore have some purpose. If man learns to
project efficiently, he has gained a very helpful
ability. W hat can he do with that ability? Can
he use it constructively or destructively at will,
or can it only be used for constructive purposes?
Possibly the most constructive use of this ability
to project is the assistance of others by applying
our principles of healing to the advantage of those
who may be suffering and whom we could not
contact physically.
W e can also carry on many other activities
through this medium, as you have learned or will
learn at the proper point in the studies. But as is
pointed out in the Seventh Degree, projection
could not be used in a negative or destructive
sense in the way most persons would conceive of
it being used. For instance, one could not use
projection to obtain information that would harm
another or to interfere with anothers privacy.
As pointed out time and time again in the pages
of this Forum and in the monographs themselves,
and, in fact, in any authentic work on the laws
of subjective phenomena, a person cannot be made
to do anything in a subjective state that he would
not do in an objective state. Along this same
theme is the principle that all force, all power,
must be transferred from one point to another
through the medium of a certain channel. There
must be a certain harmony between the power
and the channel. Let us use electricity once more
as an example. Electricity can be transferred and
directed from one point to another through the
medium of a copper wire. It cannot be directed
through a piece of glass, since electricity and glass
are not in harmony. In fact, glass is used for the
construction of insulators, which are no more
than places in a line of force to stop that force.
Therefore, returning to projection as an illustra
tion of one phase of psychic development, it
could not be employed destructively in the sense
that it could harm another person or that we
could project into the presence of another person
and thereby create a condition which would be to
the detriment of that person.
W e simply cannot carry out a negative pur
pose through a positive channel. To elaborate
upon this point, you cannot project through the
medium of the Cosmic, which is positive, good

Page 109

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and constructive, in order to carry out a purpose

which is evil, negative or destructive, any more
than you can direct electricity through glass,
porcelain or some other non-conductor. This raises
a question in the mind of the Frater first men
tioned about as to why any mention should be
made at any point in our literature of the possi
bility of psychic forces being used in a negative
manner or for evil purposes. For example, this
Frater refers to an article written by the late
Imperator and recently reprinted in the Rosi
crucian Digest entitled W h y W e Have A Secret
Order, in which mention is made of the wonder
ful secrets of the universe falling into the hands
of the incompetent or the evil minded. As I am
sure every high degree member who has followed
these comments will understand, it is not in the
misuse of these powers to the detriment of an
other individual that the danger lies, but in what
the use of them will do to the individual himself.
Taking the example of projection again, we say
that when an individual knows the laws of pro
jection, and after proper practice and sincere
study is capable of carrying out these laws into
an actual manifestation, he has learned to utilize
a force. W hen a force is existent, a certain pres
sure is created. W hen water piles up behind a
dam it can accumulate to the capacity of that
dam to hold it back, but when the pressure be
comes greater than the strength of the dam there
is no alternative except that the dam shall give
way. W hile I am not an expert on the subject of
electricity, I understand that the same illustration
can be applied to electricity. If the power present
in the conductor of electricity exceeds the ability
of the weakest point in the line to carry that
power, then that weak point will give way, which
is the reason why we have fuses on the power
lines of our homes.
The individual who is going to project, by fol
lowing the exercises and instructions to that end,
has built up a power or force which is going to
manifest. If that power and force has been built
up of such a nature that it is in accord with the
medium through which it is to be projected, then
success will be the result and nothing can stop it.
On the other hand, if the purpose in projection is
evil, if the intent of the individual is to secure
information, for instance, that will bring grief or
trouble to another person, then theoretically he
has created the same force or power within him
self ready to act but which cannot act because
there is no channel by which it can be carried to
the other party. Then the same thing happens as
when a dam is broken down by the force of water
or a fuse blows out because of an overload or a
short-circuit on the electric line. It all, in a sense,
explodes within the individual. That is, the full

force of what has been built up reacts upon the

individual creating that force.
I have tried to point out by various deviations
from the original question that this is a perfectly
natural law and that there is nothing mysterious
or weird in the process; that when a force has
accumulated it must play itself out, to use a com
mon expression. Therefore, the individual who
has gained certain information and psychic devel
opment and who seeks to use it for a negative
end is only building up the power of destruction
within himself. He is making manifest the nega
tive polarity of a worthwhile, constructive thing.
Unfortunately, there exist in the world today, as
there have existed in the past, many persons who
have wrongly used powers made available to
them. W e cannot tell how many people who are
physically, mentally or socially maladjusted have
brought the condition upon themselves because of
this very principle, but there is no doubt but that
some such cases can be attributed to that cause.
Therefore, it is not necessary to admonish Rosi
crucians to use these forces constructively, but we
simply wish to explain why many of the most
profound subjects dealing with psychic develpoment are withheld until the individual has proven
over and over again his ability to use construc
tively the knowledge he is seeking.
I think this will also answer the question as to
why this information cannot be made available
to those who are unworthy of receiving it be
cause they would not direct it properly. Just as
I have attempted to illustrate how closely in ac
cord with perfectly natural processes are all of
these laws, so it is that no one who has the desire
of gaining knowledge and attempting to better
himself and his fellow men by the acquisition of
this knowledge need have any fear of negative
results from his study and experimentation.
Neither do we need to have any fear of what
some one else may do with that power, but it is a
sacred obligation of all who understand to see
that those who would not use the power properly
are safeguarded from its acquisition.A

Am I a Failure?
This question was asked recently in a letter
from a member, and apparently not in a mood of
despondency but rather in an attempt at true
analysis. A t some time in life probably all of us,
either consciously or unconsciously, ask ourselves
the same question. The answer lies in the consid
eration of many factors. Some persons consider
themselves failures if they do not accumulate
great material wealth, and yet we have all met
individuals who have nothing from the stand
point of material wealth but still are happy and
contented, and seem to spread that happiness and

Page 110

content to others. They can hardly be considered

failures.
This question really contributes to another
point which is more important the tendency
upon the part of a person to become pessimistic
occasionally or to develop an attitude or, we
might say, a thinking process, of failure. Another
letter along this line from a member stated that
he saw no use in continuing his Rosicrucian af
filiation or anything else, that he was just a fail
ure, and regardless of what he might do he would
remain a failure. That individual needs some
pretty frank explanation. W hat he stated is all
absolutely true because his attitude and thinking
make it so. If a person decides he is a failure,
and that whatever he may do he will continue to
be a failure, then he has in a sense shut the door
upon any type of success. W hat has led a person
to this point of view? Probably the judging of
success from terms of something he has not
achieved. Therefore, before deciding whether you
are a failure or a success it is well to take a care
ful inventory of what you have, both material
and immaterial, and then compare that inventory
with what you really wish to do and be.
If your ambition is to retire with a large in
come for which you do not have to work, possibly
in this sense you will be a failure all of your life.
But if your desire is to attain happiness you may
never be a failure. Time and time again it has
been pointed out that we cannot alter all of the
particular experiences of our lives to fit into a
specifically desired end. Man strives to attain
those things which he believes will bring him hap
piness. W hy not direct that same effort to the
attainment of happiness itself and let the methods
and procedures for attaining it take their own
course. If you can look into your environment
most of the time and see good in many things, if
you have a full conviction of the fact that the
laws of the Universe were created to bring about
a certain purpose, and if you can understand that
at least a part of your efforts in life must be di
rected toward helping those less fortunate in one
way or another than you, then you are not a
failure. These things are what Rosicrucians
should seek: The ability to consider life as a
whole as a constructive unit, and the fitting of
themselves into it as an adaptation to environment.
Therefore, possibly the person who is the
greatest success is the one who thinks the least
about failure. So if you have been tempted to
develop a failure viewpoint, your first big step
toward success is to dismiss from your mind the
idea of the existence of failure. It is negative and
contributes to other negative results.A

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Healing Precaution
It would hardly seem necessary to take this
means of again warning our members of the dan
gers of a promiscuous use of the Rosicrucian heal
ing principles, since such notes of warning are
struck time and again in the weekly lessons.
However, recent correspondence would tend to
indicate that our attitude regarding the use of
Rosicrucian healing is not quite clear. In the first
place, only those who are licensed, practicing
physicians are permitted to use any kind of
therapeutics for remuneration. This means per
sons practicing the art of curing illness and dis
ease in accordance with the laws of the state or
country in which they live, and who are com
petently trained in one of the many recognised
fields of therapeutics. Being competently trained,
they are licensed to set up offices or healing
establishments and receive pay for their advice
and services.
On several occasions within the last few months
there have been several ambitious students of the
Rosicrucian teachings who have protested and
stated that they have the power to help others by
magnetic healing and feel that they should ask
for and receive remuneration for their time and
effort. They do not agree that their work should
be confined to the members of their families and
close friends. They wish to become known as
healers and thereby obtain as large a patronage as
possible. To these persons who feel that healing
work is their chosen field, that it is to be their
niche in this life, their place in the Cosmic scheme
of things, we could do no better that to urge
them to arrange to prepare themselves for work
in one of the several fields of healing accepted by
the laws of the land. In this way, they enlarge
their field of knowledge and operation; they meet
with no damaging opposition from the various
professions that are bound to object if attempts
are made to carry on a regular healing practice
for hire.
Let us assure you, fratres and sorores, this ad
vice is not for the purpose of limiting your ac
tivities or preventing you from entering into a
field that may be suited to you, nor is it to pre
vent you from earning a livelihood. It is, how
ever, to prevent you from getting into difficulty
with the laws of the country whose privileges you
enjoy as a citisen. By all means, use the principles
set forth so clearly in your lessons, but avoid at
tracting unnecessary attention to yourself, and
never set forth any claims as to your ability as a
healer. Use the principles freely if you are a
licensed physician, for as such you are interested
in results and the cure of your patients; but if
you are not a physician, try to help others when
you can be sure your efforts are desired by the

fHE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

patient and no adverse publicity will result to

you or the Order. This is a most important point
to remember when going about the business of
treating those who are ill or in need of assistance.
You wish to avoid giving anyone the impression
that the Order is fanatical in any of its teachings
or that we think that our healing system is the
only system of any value and that it will cure all
conditions in all persons without reservation.
The Rosicrucian Order is not, we repeat again,
a school of magnetic healers operating for the
purpose of training as many persons as possible
in the art of healing. Rather, it is a great world'
wide fraternal order, the purpose of which is to
help men and women in all walks of life to know
themselves, Cosmic law, and their relationship to
this great universe. W ith such knowledge, one
can derive the greatest benefit from his present
earthly existence. He can use the principles to
grow and expand inwardly as well as outwardly.
Finding oneself in the great scheme of things
means building the body to as near perfection as
possible and building a logical, intelligent philosophy of life. Rosicrucianism helps the member to
do just that without resorting to any impractical,
unintelligent, fanatical practices or indulgences.
Again we say we cannot give approval to any
plan that will permit the use of Rosicrucian principles for the cure of illness and disease for
pecuniary interests, unless by a competent licensed
physician.

Lost Souls (? )
A soror in the north now rises to ask the
FORUM : W hat is meant by a lost soul? How
can such a thing be? I would like very much to
hear something about this subject.
The term lost soul originates with certain theological doctrines and dogmas, and is included in
the eschatology of the churchmen. It is due to
certain exigetical interpretations. In other words,
there are many statements in the Bible which, if
taken literally, connote that mans soul is lost
under certain conditions. W e find, for example,
in Lev. 22.3: Say unto them, whosoever he be
of all of your seed among your generations, that
goeth unto the holy things, which the children of
Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his unclean^
ness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my
p r e s e n c e Then again we have the classic verse
in Matthews 16.26: For what has a man profited
if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul. Further, in Ezekiel 18.4: Behold all souls
are mine; as the soul of the Father, so also the
Soul of the Son is mine; the soul that sinneth, it
shall die.
These quotations can be comprehended as
meaning that the spiritual part of man shall be

Page 111

annihilated or separated from God, never to exist

again, because of wrong conduct or that which
provokes Divine displeasure. However, there is
every reason to believe that the prophets and
disciples (allowing for later faulty translation and
intentional alteration of wording) also meant by
lost soul, the loss of life or of earthly existence,
and not just the spiritual entity. To further il'
lustrate, in Ezekiel 18.27: . . . he shall save his
soul alive. This can be construed in the manner
in which we commonly designate lives lost or
saved at sea, when we recount in newspaper artides that so many souls perished, or were rescued.
In such an instance, we most certainly are not in'
ferring or making a positive declaration that in a
rail or sea disaster, the spiritual life or entity of
those who met with death has been destroyed.
However, the old scholars and Biblical students
have made every reference to lost soul denote this
particular spiritual significance.
There is still another orthodox Christian con'
ception of lost soul, which we must consider be'
fore giving the Rosicrucian and mystical inter'
pretation of the phrase. In Christianity, God is
accepted as the absolute and complete reality, on
the one hand; on the other hand, things are said
to have existence with God, namely, the earth,
the planets, and all living things, in fact, man
himself. Further, God is declared to have created
them, and yet he did not create them from any
other substance having existence, for in Genesis
1. 1, we have: In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth. W e are to presume,
therefore, that all of these things were created out
of himselfand the living soul of man as well,
with the first breath of life. However, these other
realities, the heavens and the earth, though ere'
ated by God and apparently out of himself, since
they could not have been from anything else, are
not given the same Divine status as himself. W e
have then the peculiar situation of a double
reality; in other words, two conditions, each of
the same source, and yet one inferior to the other.
Man, in so far as his soul is conceived by Chris'
tianity, is connoted to be absolutely of the same
essence as God, or was before the traditional fall
of man. Since that event, from the strict Chris'
tian interpretation, it is said that mans soul has
lost some of its Divine perfection. Herein then
enters the Christian doctrine of salvation. Through
various prescribed rites, practices and obligations,
man must redeem himself. In other words, the
soul must be restored to its original status, and
yet the soul is said to be of God.
W e can see how this particular doctrine is dis'
putatious and confuses many sincere investigators
for truth. However, speaking from the orthodox
point of view, since all souls must go through a
process of salvation, they are considered lost, un'
less they do. To further complicate the pro'

Page 112

cedure, a soul, we are told by theologians, can

jeopardize its possibilities of redemption. By
malevolent and nefarious conduct, it can be
damned to purgatory or hell, where, after eons of
time, or never, it may be purged and once again
be eligible to transcend the body and be absorbed
into the Kingdom of God. From this conception
of Christianity, a soul that is so damned to hell is
quite definitely lost.
The question that undoubtedly puzzles the
soror is one that has turned so many millions of
people throughout the centuries to mysticism, and
many less thoughtful ones to what is termed
paganism and atheism. This paramount question
is: If mans soul is of God and it is conceded
that the pneuma or breath of God, which was
breathed into him, was the Holy Ghost or Divine
Mind of the Creator, how could it be, or what
could contaminate it? First, does it lie within
the province or the accomplishment of man to
soil or to desecrate or pervert that which is
Divine, whether it be done intentionally or un
wittingly? If man can do this, he is then equal in
every respect unto God, and that doesnt seem
sound as a conclusion, for there are so many evi
dences of the lack of perfection of man and his
inability to master the things about him as hewould desire.
Further, if the souls of men are separate from
their source and divorced from the absolute, or
God, when in mans body that would only mean
that God or the Divine was divisible. In fact,
God would be just an aggregate of parts, and by
such reasoning, we would actually be drifting
back to polytheism, when it was thought there
were many gods or separate Divine beings. Furth
er, if this were so, if the souls of men were separ
ate from God and consequently could be lost, it
would be impossible for man to commune with
his God, for there would be no medium, no bond,
no connection between the Divine Essence within
him, and the Divine source from whence it came.
Consequently, by communion and attunement we
know the souls of man are not separate.
If, on the other hand, the soul in man is an ex
tension of God, there is still another problem. It
is this: if man contaminates soul because it is
contiguous with his body and with his mortal
conduct and thinking, it would make it appear
that man has the evil power to sear the fringe or
outer extension of Gods consciousness. This
thought, of course, is repugnant to us, if we
th in \ as well as believe.
The Rosicrucians contend, as did almost all of
the venerated mystics of yore, that there is but
one soul, the soul of God, and this soul is the
consciousness of God, His Divine Mind. It is also
indivisible, it cannot be divided because, to divide
something, something else must come between the
parts of it before it can be said to be separated.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W hat could come between or intrude on the con

sciousness of God? To God, therefore, there must
be, if he is limitless and infinite, no such confining
standards as those which men have as notions,
such as time or space. Therefore, God has always
been, and as a cause is likewise ubiquitous. The
souls of men are therefore extensions, or shall we
say, projections of this one soul essence of God.
While this force flows through men, it is simul
taneously always in attunement, always directly
in contact with, and bound to that of which it is
a part God.
The Rosicrucians say, as did the ancient philoso
pher, Aristotle, that God must be considered a
great unmoved mover, that is, he moves and by
his nature causes all things to change, but He
Himself remains unchanged; therefore, mens
souls cannot lose any of their Divine efficacy.
There is nothing in the world of matter that
could alter the essence of soul. There is nothing
which could separate it from God, for it is God.
It cannot be damned, lost, or imprisoned. If we
think in terms of God, when we think of soul as
the only absolute spiritual quality resident in
man, we will know that it must be inseparable
from Him.
To use a homely analogy, a scintillating gem,
such as a perfectly cut diamond, never has its
brilliance permanently diminished because it is in
the possession of one of low moral orderin fact,
neither does an owner of great virtue add to its
quality. The inherent qualities of the gem are not
affected by anyone who possesses it. Indifference
to the qualities of a gem may conceal them, may
prevent them from being displayed as they should
have been, but they are not destroyed. If one
dwells continuously in dark places, the most radi
ant diamond he may wear upon his person will
perhaps not be seen, and its characteristics will
not be known to others. Likewise, a man or wom
an who disregards the voice of conscience and the
dictates of soul deprives himself or herself of its
qualitiesa splendid, highly evolved personality
but he or she has not lost that which is not his
or hers to losethe soul itself.X

Study Procedure
In preparing the monographs that are sent to
all active members of the Order we strive to in
corporate into the instructions suggestions and ad
vice to the student for the most ideal way to study.
Whenever it is possible, we add to such instruc
tions those points brought to our attention by the
general membership through its correspondence.
Nevertheless, there are many seemingly inconse
quential situations that arise during the course of
the members progress along the path.
It seems appropriate to take this opportunity
to answer a few of these questions. A point that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

has come up several times within the last few

weeks is in regard to studying by candle light.
It seems that the instructions in the First Neophyte Degree are not as clear on this point as they
might be and leave the member with the impression that it is necessary for him to sit at his sanc
tum table and read his weekly lesson by the light
from his sanctum candles only. This makes it
quite difficult for the average student because
there is insufficient light for him to read his lesson
for more than a few minutes at a time.
The opening ritual is very important to the
student from a psychological point of view. It
tends to place him in the proper frame of mind
for the work at hand, thus he derives the greatest
benefit from his work if he follows the instruc
tions and participates in the ritual of lighting the
candles and also using the Rosicrucian chant and
prayer. A fter the opening ritual and then spend
ing a few minutes in silent meditation seated be
fore his sanctum table holding thoughts of peace,
harmony, and health for his fellow beings every
where, he may then turn on his electric reading
lamp and take up his monograph for the evening.
It is not expected that he sit at the sanctum table
and strain his eyes, probably inducing headache
in an attempt to read and study his lesson by the
light of a candle.
A fter he has finished reading and concentrating
upon his lesson, he should then extinguish the
reading lamp and, with the eyes closed, sit for a
few minutes in silent meditation, absorbing and
digesting the important principles contained in
the lesson. Then the next procedure would be to
close the study period with the thought or salu
tation for the evening and extinguish the candles.
It is not infrequently that we receive a request
from a member of the National Grand Lodge to
grant permission to extinguish the sanctum
candles during the actual reading of the weekly
monograph. Usually it is explained that the
lighted candles tend to distract the student, pre
venting complete concentration on the work at
hand. The candles sometimes flicker, the light
goes brighter or dimmer at times, and quite often
the candles will sputter and crackle, causing slight
annoyance to the student, particularly those who
are in the early degrees and as yet untrained in
the art of complete concentration. Such requests
are naturally granted with the suggestion that,
after the period of meditation, the student light
the candles again and complete the sanctum study
period with the usual closing ritual.
The above brings to mind another question in
connection with the study period; it is that of
review. The lessons sometimes give the impres
sion that the student is permitted only one hour
a week to study, but this is not true. He can
spend as many hours as he wishes reading and
absorbing the Rosicrucian teachings. The ideal

Page 113

way would be to review last weeks lesson, then

at any time during the coming week the new
lesson can be reread, studied, and meditated upon.
The student is not limited insofar as the amount
of time he wishes to spend with his work.
Now this does not mean that he must partici
pate in a regular ritual when reviewing the work.
He can pick up a lesson whenever it is convenient.
He can study it over in any location suitable to
the purpose. Many enjoy doing this in the quiet
of a peaceful Sunday afternoon, in an easy chair
near a window reading by the normal daylight.
This definitely will have no detrimental effect
upon ones progress; in fact, it may prove ex
tremely helpful depending, naturally, upon the
circumstances surrounding the particular case.
Speaking of review, it has our wholehearted
approval, but at the same time we advise never
setting aside the new lessons in order to review
the old. W e know by experience that this is very
harmful from a psychological viewpoint. It re
sults in an accumulation of unstudied monographs
and ultimate discouragement, and even at times
an attitude of abandonment; therefore, when re
viewing have an extra study period during the
week especially set aside for this purpose.
A question that is invariably asked by the
young member of the Order pertains to the con
centration exercise given in the early lessons of
the First Degree. You will remember that in this
exercise we are instructed to sit comfortably in a
chair during the period of the experiment. Many
desire to know if it is not permissible to lie down
on a couch or across their beds for the exercise.
It is advisable to point out that for complete and
perfect results, comfort is a necessary considera
tion. If comfort cannot be obtained while sitting
up in a chair, then it is permissible to lie down.
The only effect physical position has upon this
exercise is in connection with physical comfort.
If sitting up tends to cause a cramped, uncom
fortable sensation, preventing relaxation, then
the prone position should be assumed. Remember,
however, that deep breathing plays an important
part in the results obtained; therefore, the posi
tion assumed should allow for free action of the
lungs.
W hen simply in meditation or concentrating
upon some particular thought or idea, you may lie
down if you wish. This is also true for the Per
sonal Home Contacts and the Cathedral of the
Soul Contact periods. Any position that gives
greatest freedom from cramp or discomfort
should be taken by the student. You cannot
properly relax the nerves and muscles when
cramped, tense, or uncomfortable. It is also ad
visable to try both methods, sitting up and lying

Page 114

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

down, then continue to follow the procedure that

proves best in your particular case.
Remember that there is no advice that will
give perfect results in the cases of all students.
In this respect we are very definitely unique and
individual.

About Books
Frater Anton Svanlund, patriarchal Grand
Master of the Rosicrucian Order of Sweden, in
whose country a national convention was held in
August, 1939, attended by representatives of the
A M ORC of America, has just sent us several
copies of books published through his diligence by
the Order there.
The first received was The Mystical Life of
Jesus by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, our late Imperator. The book, in Swedish, is a very faithful
translation from the original English text. It is
attractively bound, and is a credit to the labors
of our good Frater Svanlund. The energy and
effort displayed by this Frater in the interest of
Rosicrucianism in his jurisdiction are indicated by
the further translation into the Swedish language
and publication, of another work by Dr. Lewis,
namely, A Thousand Years of Yesterdays. Our
members of this jurisdiction will recall that it is
a story which effectively dramatizes the doctrines
and principles of reincarnation. The benefit which
Rosicrucianism will derive in his country from
the circulation of those books is quite apparent.
Those of our members in this jurisdiction who
may desire the books in Swedish can obtain them
direct from Frater Svanlund by writing to him in
care of the Grand Lodge of A M O RC in Sweden.
The address will be given upon request. Other
books of the Rosicrucian Library will be published
in the same language at a future date. In fact,
the AM ORC Rosicrucian publications have ap
peared in many languages in recent years, and
are to be found for sale in nearly every country
of the world.
Our Research Librarian, Frater Orval Graves,
is recently in receipt of a new English translation
from the French text of the book of Prophecies by
the renowned Nostradamus. The amazing ac
curacy of these prophecies has startled not only
the modern world, but the peoples of centuries
ago. Nostradamus is actually a pseudonym of a
French physician, mystic, astrologer, and philoso
pher, born December 13th, 1503, at St. Remi. He
received his degree in medicine at Montpelier in
1529, but had for years previously studied phi
losophy and humanity at Avignon. A fter finishing his schools, he settled near Agin, a small city
where he practiced medicine. Later, in fact in
1544, he moved to Salon. It was in this latter
place during the Great Plague that he won dis

tinction for his cures and unselfish labors in aid

ing the distressed.
No one knows exactly when Michel de Notre
Dame (his actual name) began his monumental
work of prophecies, but in the year 1555 he pub
lished a book under the title of Centuries con
taining rhymed prophecies. A s they became ful
filled, they were brought to the attention of
Catherine de Medici, who was favorably im
pressed. Three years later, he issued a larger edi
tion which he dedicated to the King. The accur
acy of the predictions caused Charles IX to name
him as physician in ordinary.
Nostradamus wrote many other treatises, but
his prophecies won him his distinction. Some
time ago in this Forum we gave quotations from
them, and we pointed out how relevant they were
to the affairs of today, of right now, in fact. A l
most all past publications of the Centuries have
been in languages other than in English. This
work is an agreeable and true translation and
very readable. It is published by Charles Scrib
ners of New York City and retails for $2.00 per
copy. Members may obtain it direct, however,
from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau at this same
or retail price. Transportation or mailing charges
will be paid by the Supply Bureau.
W e take this opportunity, as well, to thank the
many Fratres and Sorores of our Forum who have
so kindly contributed books to our Research Li<
brary in response to our appeal. W e are now
exceedingly proud of our collection of several
thousand works upon almost every conceivable
subject, and we have been, or rather I should say
our Librarian has been, most assiduous in culling
out works that would merely occupy shelves and
have no real value philosophically or mystically,
or other than just as fiction. That fiction which is
on our shelves is of the better class, and of partic
ular importance to members, not only from the
point of view of interest, but instruction as well.
You Fratres and Sorores who find it difficult to
obtain interesting technical information from the
books of your personal or local public libraries
may do so through the facilities of the Rosicrucian
Research Library. For example, such questions as:
W hat is Brahmanism? W hat is the Hindu mytho
logy of Siva? W h at are some of the great quota
tions of Hermes? W ho were the true Aryans?
W hat are the meanings of the different crosses?
and numerous other questions may be submitted,
and you will receive two-hundred word concise
answers. Accompanying each answer is a biblio
graphy of the sources to which the member can
refer for more elaborate information if he or she
desires. There is but a nominal charge of twentyfive cents (25c) for the typing and mailing of
each answer no charge is made for the research.
Questions should be addressed to Rosicrucian

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Order, AM ORC, Rosicrucian Park, San Jose,

California, attention Research Librarian. Mem'
bers may ask as many questions as they desire.
The fee of 25c for typing and mailing is requested in advance for each answer. Those who
live in the vicinity of Rosicrucian Park, or who
are travelling through, are cordially invited to
visit the Library and spend pleasant hours there
reading, browsing, or doing their own research.
There is, of course, no charge to members for
visiting and using the Library. X

T he Courier Car
W e presume that most of our Forum readers
have read the recent announcement, in the February issue of the Rosicrucian Digest, of the
1941 tour of the Courier Car. The Courier Car
is the result of meeting a very definite need,
which made itself apparent in the Order years
ago. There were thousands of members, as there
still are, who do not live adjacent to an AM ORC
Lodge or Chapter, and who consequently had
never heard an AM O RC officer or representative
speak. They had never enjoyed the privilege of
participating in or looking upon any of the inspiring mystical temple ceremonies of the Order.
Likewise, they had never seen any of the principles of the Rosicrucian teachings scientifically
or mystically demonstrated. Many of these members, in fact, lived in small towns or villages and
had never conversed with or known personally
another Rosicrucian. Physically, their contacts
with the Rosicrucian Order were remote or impossible. The Courier Car was invented, shall we
say, as a means of bringing to them these and
many other membership privileges and facilities
without extra monetary obligation or cost. The
first of these tours was launched several years
ago, with great success, and for the building up of
good will.
Our present tour, which began this last January
12th, is the most complete in its plans and services
to our Fratres and Sorores. It is the most costly
as w ell The term Courier Car was originated
because the car, with its staff, is like a Rosicrucian
courier or herald of old, bringing greetings and
messages from the Supreme and Grand Lodge of
ficers to the members at distant points. The car is
accompanied by a specially built trailer which was
designed to accommodate and transport the elab
orate and necessary paraphernalia that makes pos
sible the extensive program which the personnel
provide in each city visited. Each compartment
contains its devices, instruments, and appurten
ances essential to a Rosicrucian temple ceremony
and ritual, or for a demonstration of the laws of
matter such as magnetism, attraction, repulsion,
vibration, sound, or the human aura.

Page 115

The personnel of the tour this year includes a

well-trained and qualified Rosicruian lecturer,
Frater Gilbert N. Holloway, Jr. Frater Holloway
has been identified for several years with the ac
tivities of the A M O RC Chapter in New York.
Before beginning his tour, he spent several weeks
at the Grand Lodge in San Jose for study, re
search, and training. So as to make his lectures
and demonstrations most effective and beneficial
to all the members, he familiarized himself with
all of the scientific equipment which he is to use,
and which was taken from the laboratories of the
Rose-Croix University for the purpose. He has,
as his technical assistant, Frater Bernard Ellis,
who likewise underwent an intensive training be
fore departing on the tour. Frater Ellis will also
take part in the rituals and ceremonies, and will
operate the professional sound and talking motion
pictures which will be shown both to members
and to the general public. The motion pictures
were produced by A M O RC especially to illus
trate Rosicrucian principles and to exhibit sub
jects of the utmost interest to AM ORC members.
Some of the films have been made at considerable
cost, not only in money but in time, by the Im
perator and the officers. It is this painstaking care
and uniqueness that will make them particularly
instructive to Rosicrucians. Soror Holloway ac
companies Frater Holloway, and is in charge of a
complete display of all Rosicrucian literature,
books, and supplies.
The Courier Car personnel will remain a mini
mum of three days in each city. Two days will
be devoted to private lectures to Rosicrucian mem
bers. There will be no fees or charges for such
convocations, even though, we repeat, the finan
cial burden of such a tourtravelling expenses,
hall rentals, equipment depreciation, announce
ments, postage, advertising, and incidentalsis
considerable. On the evening of the third day, a
free public lecture will be held in each. city. Mem
bers are urged to invite their friends and ac
quaintances to attend. Especially are they asked
to invite to the public lecture those who are in
terested in mysticism, metaphysics, New Thought,
and occultism, but who have not had as yet the
full explanatory literature of AM ORC. This is
understandable, for one who has read all of our
literature to date, including The Secret Heritage
which tells what the A M O RC is, what it can do
for the seeker, and is not interested in going
further, should not occupy a seat at the public
lecture that could better be filled by one who is
interested. So invite all those whom we want to
interest. The public are under no obligation,
monetary or otherwise. The public lecture will
be extensively advertised in the newspapers and
by other means.

Page 116

The Courier Car will visit, on this tour, nearly

every principal city in the United States, from
the Pacific to the Atlantic, and from Canada to
Mexico. It will be on the road many months. If
it will visit your city or town, or will be in your
vicinity, you as a member will be notified at least
one week in advance of its arrival.
There is still another reason for the Courier
Cars visit. It is by the personal visit of these
Rosicrucians and the demonstration of the principles which they will conduct, and the ritual and
ceremony which they will make available, that
each member in a small way is made to realise
what the annual Rosicrucian Convention can
mean to him if he will attend. If these activities
of the Courier Car will bring you enlightenment,
if you will find enjoyment in contact with other
Rosicrucians, in the spoken word, in the instruc
tion, realise how much more enjoyment, instruc
tion, and pleasure you can derive by attending
one of the annual Rosicrucian Conventions in
San Jose. During the Convention you will meet
with hundreds of Rosicrucians from every walk
of life. You will hear their experiences. You will
listen to advanced Rosicrucian members and
teachers discourse upon the subjects nearest and
dearest to your heart. You will have unexpressed
questions answered, and problems solved. You
will participate in temple convocations, initiations;
you will witness mystical exercises. You will hear
lectures on every phase of the Rosicrucian study
and activity. You will learn how you can use the
principles in your every-day life. Every building
and department, and every facility of the re
sources of the Supreme and Grand Lodges, will
be made available to you. You will spend pleasant
hours in the Research Library and the Plane
tarium, viewing astronomical demonstrations. You
will examine intricate devices and equipment in
the Science Laboratories. You will spend time
and meditation in the harmonious, peaceful at
mosphere of the Egyptian Supreme Temple. You
will look with contemplation and wonder upon
the beauty of the collection of antiquities in the
Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum. You
will have the opportunity of personal interviews
with the highest officers of the Order. You will
attend the class your classof your own degree.
So when the Courier Car visits your city, or if
you are invited to attend its convocations if it is
near you, and when you enjoy the things it brings
to you, remember that you will get so much more
if you plan now to attend the next Convention.
Remember the dateJuly 13th to 19th. X

Does Cremation Desecrate the Body?

A Soror who I believe has never addressed this
Forum before now directs the following questions :
The Rosicrucians in their funeral rituals and in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

structions advise cremation. Is not cremation a

desecration of the body? Is it not wrong Cosmically for man to have his body so destroyed
after transition?
To the best of my knowledge, this is the first
time that this subject has ever been propounded
to our Forum for consideration. Very little upon
the topic of cremation has been written in the
monographs of the various degrees of AM ORC,
possibly because it has been the concensus of
opinion of those in charge of the instruction of
the Order that when cremation is recommended,
not as a membership compulsion but in conform
ity with our teachings, the reasons therefore
would be apparent from what has been taught
about body, soul, spirit, and transition. However,
nothing should be left to supposition, so we will
endeavor to set forth our reasons for recommend
ing cremation for the disposal of the body after
transition. W e will try to show the origin of the
custom, and why some persons offer objections
thereto.
Cremation as a mode of disposal of the body
has been adopted from time to time by nations
widely scattered over the surface of the earth.
Evidences of cremation, actual remains, artifacts,
and written records indicate it was a custom well
established centuries before Christ. In some coun
tries it is almost the only mode for the disposal of
the dead, due to tradition and religion. In India,
it is common with both the aborigines and the
Hindus. In our W estern W orld, it was practiced
by tribes on the plains of N orth America and by
those tribes that habited the Mississippi basin. It
is believed, though there are no actual facts to
confirm this theory, that cremation started in the
Neolithic Age which archaeologists say began
about eight thousand to ten thousand years before
Christ. The custom became common during the
Bronse Age, and among many tribes, and was
continued as a fairly general practice until con
version by Christianity. The northern invaders
who established the polity of the Homeric Age of
Greece introduced the practice there. Before that
time, it was foreign to the usages and beliefs of
the Mycenaen Age. From the eastern Mediter
ranean it spread westward across the Alps to
Italy. Though practiced extensively by the
Romans, it did not oust the prior custom of
inhumation. Inhumation is the gradual disposal
of the body by contact with heat, but not with
the actual flames.
Before reviewing various ancient and religious
methods of cremation, we will consider the
reasons for the procedure. First, and perhaps the
earliest reason, is that tribes without a settled
abode found it more convenient if they wished to
carry the remains of the dead about with them.
Further, it prevented desecration of the bodies if

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they were captured or defeated in battle by

enemies. It must be remembered that in ancient
times, in Asia and along the fertile crescent, one"
half of the tribes took up a permanent abode, and
the others, sometimes almost all of the races, were
nomads peregrinating from one area to another.
To come down for a moment to fairly recent
times, the Cocopa Indians who dwelt in the lower
valley of the Colorado River, which section was
annually inundated, cremated their dead upon a
pyre with their personal belongings, just before
the inundation. The huts of the deceased were
likewise burned. Migrating tribes were also in
duced in ancient times to burn their dead because
of their fear of witchcraft or sorcery being practiced upon the bodies after the departure of the
living from the region.
An example of this belief in necromantic practices is found in the W est Indian voodoo cult rite
of zombism. The bodies are exhumed, and it is
accepted by the votaries of the rite that they can
be reanimated and live a mechanical sort of exist'
ence following the commands the sorcerer gives,
but having no souls of their own, namely, just be'
ing living corpses. It was to avoid this sort of
imagined witchery that many tribes cremated
their dead. Then, of course, there is the reason
of desiring to be rid of the ghost of the dead.
The fear that spirit, consciousness, or personality
of the dead remained on earth to haunt the living
was a common belief among primitive peoples,
and those of early civilizations. In fact, the super-*
stition is still found to exist in our age. The cre
mation of the body prevented the ghost, it was
thought, from remaining on earth. W ith this
practice was a more enlightened concept. The
burning of the body freed the ghost, liberated it
from its bondage and fitted it for its union with
the society in the life beyond. The W ayana
tribes of French Guiana burn their dead, they de
clare, so that the soul may fly up to heaven in
smoke. It is interesting to note this reference to
smoke carrying the spirit of the dead upward to
the other world. This Forum a very short time
ago gave the mystical significance of the burning
of incense in which it was shown that man, even
in Christian rituals, used the smoke of incense to
waft on high his prayers, so that the prayer would
ascend by that means; and in the Roman Church
the smoke of incense became a symbol of prayer.
Here we see, then, the beginning of a phase of the
mystical purpose of cremation upon which we
will discourse more fully later. W e shall see that
the mystical reason adumbrates all of the practical
and superstitious motives.
Now as to specific rites and religious customs.
Burial and cremation were equally common with
the ancient Babylonians. To an extent, cremation
was influenced by their religious beliefs. How'

Page 117

ever, life after death, or immortality, as a concept,

had a very minor influence upon the customs of
the Babylonians. In fact, to the Babylonians who
acquired most of their religious rites from the
Sumerians before them, the present life was su'
perior to the next one or the one beyond this.
Their conception of soul was significant, how
ever, in some respects to us as Rosicruciansand
to all mystics. The Babylonion word for soul is
zid and means rush of wind. It was derived
from the Sumerian word napistu meaning
breath. This latter, I repeat, the identifying of
soul with breath thousands of years before Christ,
shows the constancy of that concept throughout
the centuries. However, the negative aspect of
their belief in immortality is seen in their fear
of death. This fear is expressed in the word dig
which means to seize away. In other words, death
meant to them a seizure of the existence of life
a taking away of this napistu or soul'breath.
W e quote below a portion from a cuneiform
inscription conveying the Babylonian conception
of life after death:
He that sleepeth, he that dieth when together
(they lie)
In death they preserve not their solid form.
W hen the gallu (a conductor to the shades of the
lower world) and the guardsmen have greet'
ed them, the Anunaki, the great gods,
assemble.
Mammit, fashioner of destiny, with them fixes
destiny.
Death and life they arrange.
But of death the day they make not known.
This, defined, means that the soul descended to
Arollu, a desolate land, to pass a drab and
dreary existence in Hades or the land of shadows.
The god Mammit, referred to, was also the god
of childbirth. The body, however, fared a little
better than the soul, for it was buried or cremated.
To its remains, kinsfolk brought food or drink, or
both, and also those implements that characterized
the occupation of the deceased. The cremation
ashes were placed in urns not unlike those used in
our practice of today. A t Nippur, funeral'urns
have been found which are estimated to be of
about 3000 B. C. In the ancient city of Lagash
or Shirpurla, two great fire^necropolises have been
found. Bodies were placed in clay casings after
being first wrapped in inflammable material.
These clay casings or coffins were placed upon a
brick platform. The exact manner of igniting the
fire is not known. The ashes were later placed in
terra'cotta urns and later placed in the family
plots. However, the family plots for the interring
of the urns or the actual body were usually be'
neath the floor of the home.
The different Hindu sects have an equal num^
ber of reasons for cremation. However, great fear

Page 118

of the dead and their possible interference with

the living is one of the principal reasons for the
practice. During cremation, fire-brands and jets
of water are used to ward off evil spirits which
occur because of the death, or that may try to in
habit the spirit of the deceased. This fear of the
ghost or spirit of the dead is displayed in one
particular custom. On the way to the site of the
cremation, a number of stones are laid upon the
ground at different places. Upon the return from
the ceremony, these stones are used to obliterate
the mourners footsteps so that the spirit of the
dead may not follow and haunt them. The actual
cremation is in accordance with a lengthy ritual
istic formality involving many rules and require
ments as to orientation of the pyre, types and
sizes of wood to be used, and innumerable other
factors. Nothing is left to caprice. These condi
tions are important to the soul and for the scaring
away of demons and gods. W hen the body is
finally placed upon the pyre, the cords which cir
cumambulate it are cut free, as well as those
about the pyre. Several fires are started at differ
ent places on the pyre, each having a different
meaning. The fire that reaches the body first
augurs certain religious concepts, such as the
body being put in the custody of this or that
particular deity. To the north of the pyre
crouches the widow of the departed. A t a certain
command in the ritual she arises, alluding to her
return to the world of the living. The fire gener
ally is conceded to be conducting the corpse to
heaven as a sacrificial gift. Relatives, upon taking
their departure after the cremation, are each
given 7 pebbles which they are to scatter upon
their return. They must not, in retracing their
steps to their homes, mourn or show signs of
grief, but are obliged to recite tales of virtue.
Sometimes a professional story teller is engaged
for this purpose.
W e have gone to this length to relate the
origin, history, and a few important customs
of cremation, to establish two facts. First, that
cremation had a functional or practical purpose
throughout the centuries, namely, a disposal of
the body to prevent its desecration by vandals or
enemies when it had to be left by migratory tribes,
and for hygienic purposes where graves were not
feasible. Second, to liberate the ghost, spirit, or
soul of the departed, and have it begin its new
life as soon as possible after transition. O f course,
too, as we have seen, there was, on the part of
some tribes and nations, the element of fear, of
the dead body or of its presence, even in a grave.
To a great extent, some of these reasons prevail
in todays custom of cremation. W here there is
no strict orthodox religious objection, and where
superstition does not exist, cremation is the ideal
method for the disposal of the body. W ith an

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ever-increasing urban population, there is the

problem of having large cemeteries and the con
sequent polluting of the ground because of burial;
and since few persons can afford such types of
coffins as will keep the body intact indefinitely,
it is receiving the attention of health authorities.
It is generally accepted that eventually in great
metropolitan areas or adjacent thereto, the prac
tice of cremation will become compulsory because
of its cleanliness.
Even more important, at the moment, is the
Rosicrucian and mystical conception of crema
tion. As Rosicrucians, we base our approval and
practice of it on the first law of our Rosicrucian
ontology. This first law, expressed in our mono
graphs, is God created man out of the dust of
the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life and man became a living soul Now this
law is found in the Book of Genesis as well. W e
have not made it the first principle of our ontolo
gy because it was in the Bible, but rather because
it is a truism, a Cosmic law, no matter where it
appears. M ans body is composed of the dust of
the earthly elements. It consists of those chemical
properties which we can replenish, and which we
do, by the assimilation of food and drink. The
inanimate body is a form only, just as a form of
clay or marble or any other material, corporeal
substance. W e are told that matter is always
becoming, and we know that spirit energy, the
electrons and the subsequent atoms and mole
cules, are continuously in motion, and that every
form of matter goes through a series of eventual
changes. Sometimes the transition is rapid; at
other times it may take centuries. The most com
plex material form will eventually be reduced to
the simplest elements of which it is composed,
to the dust, to the very particles of spirit.
Mans body, therefore, is imbued like all other
matter with the negative polarity of Nous, which
we call spirit. In this sense, then, it is no different
from any other material or physical thing. W ith
the first breath which man takes into his lungs,
he becomes animated. He lives, he begins to grow
as an independent being, and he acquires the
functions of all living things. He enjoys all the
attributes of lifethose things which we have
seen in our monographs which distinguish the
living form from the dead one. Consequently,
the animated form is possessed of still another
energy from spirit. That is, it has Vital Life
Force. However, the first law of the Rosicrucian
ontology says that with breath, man becomes
a living soul, not just a living body. Therefore,
when breath has entered into his being, the mortal
side of him has been imbued with the divine
essence of soul, with all of the attributes which
this essence possesses, and which we do not find
in other things which are also alive. A t death or

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

transition the entire order is reversed. Life leaves

the body, and the only resemblance to man is the
physical form. But in that sense this form, insofar as it approaches the living consciousness or
being, is hardly any more perfect or real than a
statue. The personality, the conscience and consciousness, qualities of soul, have been drawn
back into the Divine Soul from which they emanated. The physical body, the dust, no longer
serves a purpose. It is just spirit energy, just like
the thing upon which it rests. Is it not advisable
that this spirit energy be accelerated in its process
of changing, so that the particles may be used to
compose some other form? There is little to be
gained except false sentiment in attempting to
preserve the shell when the essence has departed.
W e, as Rosicrucians, are more concerned with
the future of the soul than with the body after
transition. Cremation, as a process for the disposal
of the body, returns the earthly remains to the
original absolute state of spirit in a hygienic man
ner. The Rosicrucians do not expect the soul to
return to earth again and inhabit the same body,
neither do we expect the corporeal body to rise
from the grave in the literal sense of the word,
and stand before God and Judgment. The body
is of earth. It was intended for an earthly pur
pose, and when that mission is fulfilled we should
allow the myriad spirit particles and the electrons
to sing freely in their new assembly. Let a new
order arise from the old.
Fire reduces all things to their simple state, and
purifies as well. Fire cannot possibly desecrate the
body after transition. The body no longer retains
a soul. Thus the continuing of a form resembling
the living soul when it inhabited the body is an
attempt by man to simulate a work of God, and
is contrary to Cosmic law. Let us remember one
of the fundamental laws of mundane science,
matter cannot be destroyed. To reduce the body
to its particles is not destroying it, but changing
the form, for which there is no further use. X

Self Healing Problems

A frater of the western section of the United
States, who also is, I believe, a newcomer to our
FORUM CIRCLE, asks us some questions which
open up interesting channels for thought. He
says: I have fair success in treating other people,
but I cannot do anything for myself. May I ask
the reason for this? W hen a person does what he
can for other people, either physically or psy
chically, does that not earn for him the privilege
of being aided Cosmically as well? I find it physi
cally difficult to give myself the treatments I
need.
It will be noted that the frater interposes in his
question the moral problem, namely, is he entitled

Page 119

to relief in his own distress because he has in turn

assisted another or others? In other words, does
the help he has rendered entitle him to commen
surate personal relief from the Cosmic? From our
experience, we say that he will receive aid from
the Cosmic in self-treatment, if his motives are
right and if he properly and intelligently uses the
laws of nature. W hen he assist others, he builds
up a karmic debt in his favor, upon which he can
draw by appeal in emergencies, providing his aid
was not rendered solely with Cosmic reward in
mind. The Cosmic takes into consideration
whether our labors in behalf of humanity are in
spired by service or selfishness. Certainly where
we help others, with the view of just receiving
return compensation, we are at all times merely
working for ourselves. It implies, under such cir
cumstances, that if we thought we would not be
succored in time of need, we would not expend
effort to help others. On the other hand, I repeat,
where we spontaneously respond to appeals for
help, because of a conscientious urge to do so, we
in turn, when in need, may expect Cosmic con
solation and assistance.
Today we smile at those advertisements appear
ing in newspapers or elsewhere, which offer bottled
liquids, brightly colored, and sweet tasting, which
declare, if not in direct wording, at least in their
inferences that they are panaceas for all ills, no
matter what their nature. W e know, from our
more widespread knowledge today of physiology,
anatomy, and hygiene, that true treatment for the
remedy of illness or disease cannot begin until an
intelligent diagnosis has been made. Further,
hardly ever is there one treatment, formula, or
ingredient that will relieve more than two or
three conditions. O f course, there are tonic treat
ments, whether metaphysical or medical, which
tone up the blood stream, but they are intended
merely to help the blood cells to resist negative
conditions and to fight illness for us. W here a
specific disorder is manifested, a general tonic,
and particular treatment for the malady are nec
essary. On the other hand though, as I have said,
we smile at the panacea for illsthe patent medi
cines often advertisedyet, some of us in giving
ourselves self'treatments metaphysically, resort to
just such methods, and consequently we obtain no
results and feel discouraged. Now, we do have
general Rosicrucian treatments which we are ad
vised to give ourselves. W e are told how to give
a self-treatment for fatigue, as a stimulant to
tired nerves, after a particularly gruelling day of
labors. On the other hand, if we feel depleted in
energy day after day, always tired regardless of
our diet and hours of sleep, we should know that
it is an abnormal condition and that just a gen
eral stimulating treatment is not sufficient, nor an
intelligent method of healing. The next step,

Page 120

therefore, would be to have our condition diag'

nosed by a licensed physician of one of the schools
of therapeutics. Once knowing the cause of our
ailment, then we can begin to use the proper and
particular Rosicrucian treatment for relief, in ad'
dition to what may be prescribed by the physician.
W e repeat here, as we have done in so many of
our monographs, that our Rosicrucian system of
healing does not in any way interfere with what
a physician may prescribe, nor do the physicians
methods interfere with the Rosicrucian system of
treatment.
The reason why some members have unusual
success in treating others, as apparently this
frater has, and not themselves, may be due to the
fact that those who are their patients \now the
nature of their malady or disorder and they so
inform the Rosicrucian member, who gives the
proper treatment, but when the member goes to
treat himself, he is apt to guess as to the cause,
or just treat its result or immediate effects. To
illustrate, suppose you have a headache. It is
most annoying, it throbs, pulsates; it is affected
when you move rapidly, or turn your head quick'
ly; it even affects your sight; the eyes may be'
come hypersensitive to light causing them to be
irritated unless they are shaded. Further, suppose
these attacks occur rather frequently and do not
subside quickly or are not helped by the so'called
common methods of relief. You decide to give
yourself a Rosicrucian self'treatment for head'
ache, as thoroughly described in the monographs.
You press your right forefinger firmly but not
severely against your right temple. Next, and
while still holding the right forefinger in position,
you place the left forefinger against your left
temple; you then take a deep breath, forcing the
air deeply into your lungs, but not so as to cause
you any distress, and you retain it as long as you
can comfortably do so, and then exhale slowly.
The next step in this procedure is to remove your
fingers from your temples and breathe normally
for about two minutes, then you repeat the pro'
cess. Finally you place the palm of your right
hand lengthwise and flat against your forehead,
holding it there about two minutes. W hile doing
this, you breathe normally. Headaches which are
caused by no serious condition are frequently and
satisfactorily relieved by this method. On the
other hand, suppose the headache described above,
which you may have, is not aided, it would ob'
viously appear that you had failed with giving
yourself a self'treatment, especially if you had ap'
plied the same method on numerous occasions.
However, did you stop to realize that when you
are treating the headache you are really treating
just an effect? If the cause is a minor one, the
effect is easily removed and may not return. If,
however, the cause is a serious one, the effect

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

cannot be removed unless the cause is first treated.

W hat is causing such a serious and frequent
headache is the question you must first have an'
swered. Suppose the headache is due to excessive
blood pressure, the blood forcing itself through
the veins and arteries and expanding them causes
a dreadful pulsation, a sensation of swelling in
the head, and the added pain when moving sud'
denly or bending over, and the sensitivity of the
eyes by; the pressure upon nerves in their region.
It is futile to give a self-treatment for a headache,
if such a cause exists, and the cause itself is not
first treated. The recurrence of such headaches,
especially frequently, is a sign for a needed diag'
nosis. Once learning the cause, use the proper
Rosicrucian treatment in conjunction with your
physicians orders to remove it. If we proceed in
such an intelligent manner, we will not experience
disappointment with self'treatment.
There is another factor which we wish to em'
phasize at this time. In our Sixth Degree, in par'
ticular, we are told of the two different polarities
of the sides of the body, and of the energies they
radiate from the radial nerves of each hand. W e
are told why one hand radiates one energy or
polarity and the other another, and their relation
to the dual paths of the sympathetic nervous
system is also explained thoroughly in the mono'
graphs. These polarities never change their rela'
tionship to the sides of the body, nor are the
emanations from the radial fingers of each hand
altered. However, where a person is left-handed,
we have an exception; that is, where all of the
natural functions and dexterity of the right hand
are performed by the left, the polarities of these
curative energies are reversed. Left'handedness is
due to a transposition of the association areas of
the brain, which control the motor and sensory
nerves of the hands. Consequently, the polarity
of the hands or the energies radiating from them
are also changed. If in self'treatment, therefore,
or in the treatment of a patient, you are required
to use your right hand, and you are left-handed
in your functions, you will then use the left hand
instead, because of the reversal of polarity. If
you did not do this and take this physiological
fact into consideration, you would obviously fail
with treatments.
Another important point that has been men'
tioned many places in the monographs, and
especially in the Sixth Degree, is that whether
treating yourself or another you are not doing the
healing. You are merely a channel or medium for
the direction of the Cosmic forces which flow
through you. Through the formulas and methods
given you, you direct the curative powers of the
Cosmic to the right area, to that region where
they will cure the body through natural and per'
feet means. As a further example, if we are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

treating another for a gastric ailment, we know

through our Rosicrucian teachings, and through
the instructions in physiology which they contain,
that the first thoracic verteba of the spine con
nects with the nerve plexuses on the small intes
tines, liver, spleen, kidneys, and stomach. W e
know that a positive polarity treatment given at
that ganglion results in the transmission of ex
cessive Cosmic constructive energy from our sym
pathetic nervous system to the particular dis
tressed region in the patient, which stirs into ac
tivity his natural processes of digestion. It, for
example, stimulates the flow of gastric juices and
the action of the pancreatic fluid, especially help
ful where the stomach is not acidified or prepared
for food. In such a case, we have not done the
healing; we, to repeat, have just brought the nat
ural Cosmic forces to aid the physiological pro
cesses of the patient, which are not functioning
properly, to return to normal and to do the work
for which they are intended. W hen you give self
treatments, even when required to give yourself a
positive treatment, you should realize that you
and your condition are predominantly negative,
in contrast to the positive, constructive, remedial
Cosmic forces which you are provoking and try
to be receptive to these energies. X

Personality and Individuality

One of the rather difficult phases of the Rosi
crucian studies that has a tendency to confuse the
Neophyte and sometimes even the advanced mem
ber of the Order, is the distinction we make in
our work between individuality and personality.
A typical question follows: Is the soul of man
not individualized? A fter all, I am distinct and
individual from my next-door neighbor. This
statement is true insofar as personal appearance
is concerned. Ones features may be different;
ones complexion may be light, anothers, dark.
Ones manner of dress and ones habits may be
individual, but not the soul essence or force flow
ing throughout every cell in the body. This is the
same in all forms of life.
In making this point clear, we constantly use
the electricity analogy that most of our members
are familiar with, especially those who have been
fortunate enough to have read the Rosicrucian
book, Mansions of the Soul, The Cosmic Con
ception, by our beloved late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis. Right here it is appropriate to
recommend the book to all A M O RC students
who have not as yet added it to their personal
collections. You will find it listed and well de
scribed in the catalog of Rosicrucian books and
supplies.
To go back to the analogy: Let us think of the
great force emanating from one central source,

Page 121

permeating everything that lives, as the great

force or energy flowing out into a network of
cables and wires from a great generator of elec
tricity or a great steam or water turbine, the pur
pose of which is to accumulate electrical energy
and force it out through the wires of an electric
circuit. It is the great soul force that animates
man and animal. It is the quality that distinguish
es the live, vital body from the one without life,
the one in a condition of so-called death.
This great energy or force we call soul is resi
dent in each one of us, just as is the electric en
ergy resident in the filaments of the electric lamps
connected in an electrical circuit. W hen the lamp
burns out, the electricity no longer flows in the
lamp, but continues nevertheless to flow in the
electric circuit. W hen the body of man dies, the
soul force leaves the body, but otherwise is un
affected. It remains a part of the great source. It
does not even return to its source, for, as a matter
of fact, it has never been separated from its
source. The great force, therefore, is not individ
ualized, for if it were, it would only be found in
the animated body as a broken-off segment or in
dividual piece. It would have to die with the
physical body, since it would have no other place
to go. Just as the electricity causing each lamp in
an electric circuit to glow and give forth light is
the same in each and every lamp regardless of the
size, shape, or color of the lamp, so is the great
force energizing each individual body the same
regardless of the size, shape, or color of the body.
This great energy emanates from the same source
for all persons, just as the electricity in the circuit
comes from the same source.
Accepting the above as sufficient evidence that
the soul is not individualized, you might ask what
it is about you that causes you to be conscious of
yourself, that causes you to know you are you
and not someone else. This consciousness of self
is the personality and is an attribute of soul, but
not the soul itself. W hen we speak of ones per
sonality, we refer to that certain quality about
him, those characteristics, that separate him, set
him aside from all of his fellow beings. This per
sonality pertains to the inner man, the psychic or
divine being residing within the physical body,
and expresses the character the soul has evolved
through the cycles of time from the hour of crea
tion as a soul. Personality reveals the true psychic
identity of each individual of the human race. It
is this characteristic of the soul that leads to the
question, Is not the soul of man individualized?
The Rosicrucian teachings make a definite dis
tinction between personality and individuality in
that the personality is an attribute of the soul
whereas the individuality pertains to the outer,
material, objective side of man. To quote from
The Rosicrucian Manual, we find that, While

Page 122

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it is true that individuality signifies that which

may not and cannot be separated, this term ap
plies not to the soul, which is not separable from
its creator, but to the objective individual who
possesses a body composed of units which cannot
and may not be divided or separated from one
another without destroying the objective mani
festation. The individuality is essentially worldly
and material, because its purpose in life is to
function on the mundane plane. The personality
is essentially unworldly and immaterial because its
purpose is to function on the immaterial plane.
The two, personality and individuality, or the
psychic and the mundane, the immaterial and ma
terial, working in unison, reveal an entity recog
nised both through its individuality and person
ality as it expresses itself in daily life.'
From the above it follows that a change of
dress, a change of hair style, in fact, any change
of the outer appearance, will only change the in
dividuality but cannot and does not change the
personality in any way. Again we repeat that the
great soul force animating man cannot be indiv
idualised; it is the same at all times in all beings
everywhere. The personality, on the other hand,
does change as man evolves in his progress
through lifes experiences. The personality per
tains to the soul or the psychic; it is not changed
at the will of the objective mind of man, but
changes by gradual growth through the process
of evolution. The individuality, the outer, objec
tive part of man, is changed at will just as man
can change his outer appearance by casting off his
mechanics overalls and donning a full dress suit.

W orld Cycles
A frater now asks this FORUM : W hat is
meant by world cycles and how do they affect our
lives? Do the heavenly bodies actually influence
us, as astrologers claim? Just what are the cycles
anyway? Any one of the fraters questions is
sufficient if completely answered to provide ma
terial for an extensive volume. W e will attempt
to explain in this limited space, and yet endeavor
to do credit to the worthiness of the questions.
Let us not think of being, everything that
exists, no matter how it is perceivable, as just an
aggregate of things, but rather as a single sub'
stance. The singleness or unity of reality, at first
blush, is a difficult conception, for as we look
about us we see a myriad of different things.
Many of these particulars are not only dissimilar
in appearance, but we cannot perceive any con
nection between them. To our senses there ap
pears to be a void or space separating them. W e
now know, however, that space, or what we per
ceive as the absence of substance is an illusion,
for it is quite complete with energies and forces,

such as electricity and magnetism. Even if we did

not possess such knowledge, by reason, we could
hardly accept a theory of absolute space. W e
must admit that that which persists is positive. A
thing or condition which continues to be, no mat
ter how it impresses itself upon our consciousness,
infers that it has sufficient reality as a state to be
realised by us. Thus, if we experience a condi
tion in which there seems to be no matter, no
particulars of any kind, we may call it negative,
but so long as our consciousness can realise it to
the same degree as something, it is. W e are re
minded of the famous saying of Rene Descartes:
Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore, I am ). He
meant that no matter how he reasoned everything
away, he still could not reason out of existence
that which did the reasoning, namely, himself.
W e may argue that space is the absence of all
else, yet space is itself a quality which has exist
ence of a kind.
W e may approach this problem from still an
other point of view. W e accept the idea that the
universe contains all phenomena, no matter how
we realise its manifestations. In other words, the
universe is comprehensive, all inclusive. As a
corollary then, we must hold that space is part of
the universe. It could not be something apart
from it. Further, if all there is is the universe,
there cannot be any absence of it or any part
thereof. The conception of non'being, that some
thing isnt, follows from and is dependent upon
the idea that first something was or had existence.
W hen we say that there is a void or space, we
mean that we are conscious of an existing condi
tion or state, in which something of a different
nature once existed or could occupy. Consequent
ly, absolute space, or a condition of non-being is
but an illusion of mind. Being then must be a
combination of the seen and unseen, a continuum
that is perceived and unperceived. Even if we
did not have the scientific means of proving that
matter is constantly in motion and accounts for
all change and variety of form, from pure phi
losophical abstraction, we would therefore come
to deduce the idea that it is change that causes
the illusion of absolute space. Pure being, or be
ing in its absolute primary state, that is, the in
herent nature of it, must, it would seem, be just
motion itself. A conception of motion, unrelated
to forms or objects, is admittedly a most abstruse
thought. It is difficult for our finite minds to con
ceive something which has existence and yet is
formless and without quantum. However, we
must think of it as qualitative only.
In the study of motion and kinematics in the
science of physics, we find that there are various
kinds of motion. First, there is displacement. This
consists of the study of the state of position of a
particle before and after it has been changed, and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

not the study of the actual processes of change

itself. In other words, we analyze the present
position of a particle in relation to where it was
before it was displaced. Motion itself is treated
by physics as the taking into account of the process of change, or the gradual transition by a
particle from one position to another along a
path. Then, there is also motion of translation.
This consists of the change of a body or particle
along a straight line in reference to a fixed point
of origin. For example, a ball rolling down a
bowling alley is this type of motion. The particle
or object moves in a straight line from one fixed
point to another. It becomes separated from the
point of origfn by distance. There are also rotation and curvilinear motion. This is uniform motion in a circle around a fixed point or axis, where
the distance of the moving object or particle from
it is always equal, as for example, a pulley on a
shaft.
Objects may have motion of translation, a
change of position, and rotation. For example, a
wheel on a wagon both rotates and it changes its
position as the wagon progresses as well.
These definitions of motion as used in the prinr
ciples of mechanics hardly apply to a conception
of universal or absolute motion, because they require the movement of an obejct in relation to
some fixed point or body. There can be no fixed
points in the universe, for fixity is limitation.
W hat would constitute the borders of the uni
verse? W hat could bound it? W hatever might
confine it or constitute a point of departure or
destination would itself have being, and thus be
of the universe. Cosmic or universal motion
must, therefore, have no reference to direction or
anything other than itself.
Let us turn to energy for a possible clue to this
prima materia. Energy is the capacity of a body
to accomplish work. A bullet passing through the
air has an energy, because by its motion it is
capable of producing heat, or by its velocity,
when it loses its motion by encountering obstruc
tion, it penetrates whatever obstructs it. Kinetic
energy, therefore, is the energy of bodies in mo
tion. W e do not find this definition suitable for
a conception of absolute energy. W e are still
obliged by it to take into consideration some other
body or substance. Potential energy is still another
kind. It is where a body may be at rest in a cer
tain state, but when permitted to be acted upon
or returning to normal is capable of producing a
definite amount of work. A common example of
potential energy is the spring of a watch which is
tightly wound. Under stress it has a potential
energy, for when it is released it can accomplish
a certain work. A suspended weight also has po
tential energy, for it can create an impact when
it falls, because of gravitys attraction. This defi

Page 123

nition of potential energy likewise cannot apply

to absolute Cosmic being.
W e must, therefore, presume to make our own
definition. Let us say that this motion of Cosmic
being is action, or the power of accomplishment,
without reference to anything else. This action
has no states of fixity, constancy, except in the
order of its own nature, by which it is a law unto
itself. By this, we mean that this action, of which
all Cosmic being exists, has no constant exertion
in one direction or a fixed velocity, or any limited
quality or quantity. The essence of absolute be
ing is then its immanent power to be. To avoid
what we ordinarily conceive as inertia or con
finement to dimension or a specific quality, this
action must be universal in its nature and func
tion. It is like a pulsation of electrical energy that
simultaneously yet progressively includes all wave
lengths at one time and an infinite scale of veloc
ity. Let us use an analogy so commonly referred
to, but which is very illustrative. This Cosmic
action of being pulsates like waves or concentric
rings on the surface of a lake when the water is
pushed outward by the dropping of a stone into
it. The lengths of these longitudinal water waves
increase as they leave the point where the stone
was dropped, that is, from the crest of one wave
to the crest of another, the distance increases.
Likewise, the speed or velocity of the waves varies
as they cross the lakes surface, and their fre
quency as well. However, in Cosmic being, or this
universal action as we shall call it, the heights or
amplitudes of the waves increase and decrease
alternately as well. The waves of this universal
action do not pulsate from one fixed point out
ward, like the waves on the lake when the water
has been agitated, but even their very polarity
changes. For analogy, it would be as if the waves
of the lake spread out from the point on the sur
face where the stone fell to the shore, and then
would reverse themselves, returning again. Like
wise, think of this pulsating, universal action as
not only being horizontal, as the waves on the
lake, but vertical as well, and in every direction
which we are able to conceive, or degrees of them.
For further example, let us think of this uni
versal action in its function as being like a balloon
which expands and contracts and assumes various
proportions and degrees of tension and pressure.
Now we can easily understand the resultant dif
ferent sizes of a balloon and degrees of pressure
when inflated or deflated are not separate states
from the action of the inflation and deflation.
Thus, for example, the balloon cannot arbitrarily
assume a twelve-inch circumference without first
passing through the stages of lesser expansion. It
cannot return to a two-inch circumference with
out successively passing through the ones preced
ing, no matter how rapid the deflation. The sizes

Page 124

it assumes and the degrees of pressure are always

the consequence of its immanent nature. Being is
what it is and what manifests because of it is not
by caprice or fiat, but because it could not occur
otherwise. Now, as explained, when the balloon
expands and contracts, certain phenomena take
place. W e have changes in size, tension, and even
thickness of the material, and perhaps, because of
the surface changes, a little difference in density
of color or in its luminosity. Each time the balloon
attains a particular state, certain qualities or mani'
festations make their appearance. If we would
carefully chart the expansion and contraction,
and the results thereof, we would know what
phenomenon to expect at each degree. The uni'
versal action in its pulsation, in like manner,
passes through various octaves or periods of phenomena, which invariably occur. Thus, in some
are to be found the phenomenon of sound, others
heat, still others light, and continuing on and be'
yond that which our senses and consciousness can
discern, even with instruments.
W e measure this phenomenon by two means,
one, its extent in the illusionary condition called
space. The other, by the duration of our con'
sciousness of it, or its persistence in time. The
time in which a phenomenon occurs is called a
period. The human embryo during gestation, for
example, assumes forms resembling various other
living things before attaining its final state. The
length of time of each such manifestation is its
period. The development of a phenomenon may
be either so rapid, or the transition so gradual
that we are not able to see its stages of develop'
ment. For example, if we have a clock face,
around which a hand revolves at its customary
speed, we can perceive the various periods of its
movement in twelve hours. In other words, we
can notice each number that it passes. However,
if we had a faulty mechanism in the clock and
suddenly the spring was released and the hand
swung around the dial from one to twelve almost
instantaneously, all that we would perceive would
be a blur of motion and finally the hand at rest
at the number twelve. The stages of progress
would not be perceivable to us. In nature, there
is just such acceleration of phenomena. The tran'
sition is at times so rapid that the progression
from one state to another is not noted. W e either
eventually realize a different thing or condition,
or a reverse state, but not the intermediary ones.
However, a cycle is the periodic recurrence of
a phenomenon, that is, within a given time, the
same manifestation is perceivable. Such a cycle
is the ebb and flow of the tide caused by the grav'
itational pull of the waters by the sun and moon;
also the coming of day and night, due to the
diurnal motion of the earth. These cycles are
caused by minor forces or energies which are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

established in each of the larger octaves of the

universal action, yet they have the same qualities
as being itself, namely, the interchanging of their
polarity and the same oscillatory nature. Any
motion, during its progression, is positive in
polarity. As it approaches the zenith of its func"
tion, it declines, becomes negative by contrast.
The positive nature then asserts itself, and it pro'
gresses again, in accordance with the order of its
being. For further illustration, the function of a
pendulum is, shall we say, motion. W hen it,
therefore, reaches its most distant position in its
swing or oscillation, where it is apt to become
inert, its potential energy, because of its position,
forces it back to repeat its cycle of motion.
Positiveness is the quality of a thing to maintain
its nature. W hen it reaches a point in its func'
tion or development where a departure is im'
minent, it is then negative and is drawn back to
its inherent orderto be what it is. The forces
and energies of the universe all have these quali'
ties, so obviously cycles are inevitable. W e find it
demonstrated in the rotation on their axes of
Cosmic bodies and of planets in their orbits around
their suns.
W e, as individuals, pass through cycles or per'
iods of progression in our physical and mental
lives, consisting of seven years each. Each cycle,
as it attains its zenith, is negative unto the next
one into which we pass each year, or each hour,
for our blood stream even has its cycle of seven'
minute changes. Some of the cyclical manifesta'
tions are like great magnetic tides that ebb and
flow throughout the solar universe. They are re'
sponsible for the increase and decrease of various
energies, which we can detect, such as, for ex'
ample, the Cosmic Rays and other radiations.
They polarize or change the lesser cyclical ener'
gies with which we and our earth are infused.
Consequently, they retard or accelerate the nor'
mal instinctive functions of living things, and
likewise affect the nature of inanimate realities.
Since life is a combination of that energy of mat'
ter which we, as Rosicrucians, call spirit, and an'
other, which, by contrast, is positive in polarity,
any disturbance of the united equilibrium of the
two polarities consequently affects life, its sensi'
tivity, cell development, objective consciousness,
and even the development of personality and the
intellect and those intangible inclinations such as
the talents. Just as we can affect living cells by
the concentration upon them of infra red and
ultra violet rays, so, too, is the unity of our beings
at times disturbed by these changes in Cosmic
polarization. To determine to just what extent
planetary changes in polarity may affect us is still
quite questionable, regardless of the expositions of
astrologers. U ntil the exact nature of these radia'
tions can be determined and the cycles of the zenith

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of their influence can be proved by a recurrence

of their maximum exertion, we must not presume
to know the exact extent of the effect. Since the
sun in its celestial course indirectly has an influence upon the qualitative primary nature of the
planets, as sources of radiation and receptivity, it
can plausibly cause them to produce periodic or
cyclical influences or changes in the earths mani
festations, living and otherwise. As causes they
may produce effects upon mens reason and upon
their psychic selves, but they are quite minor in
contrast to mans own volition, for man makes his
own worldly cycles. Certain conduct, mental or
physical, begets another, and a continuation of it
produces monotony or a negative state. A de
parture from such behavior is desired, and then
there is a return to the original conduct, which by
contrast is positive again. Our civilisations in their
rise and fall, which history has made quite clear,
show this cyclical tendency of mans behavior.
A t best, we must think that planetary influences
have had but a minor part to play in our social
and economic lives. Extremes of reaction to our
psychic and spiritual selves cause those moral,
economic, and social poles between which we
oscillate.
For a thorough treatment of the subject of
cycles and their application to our lives, for the
purpose of self-mastery, we urge every member to
read the book by our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spen
cer Lewis, SELF-MASTERY A N D FATE
W IT H TH E CYCLES OF LIFE. You will find
the subject intelligently presented and based upon
a masterful \nowledge of Cosmic laws and prin
ciples. It is not a work merely prepared for gul
lible readers or issued just to appeal to the present
wave of superficial interest in this topic. It is re
plete with graphs, tables and charts and may be
obtained from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau.X

New Psychology
A Frater from the Northwest has asked for our
recommendations concerning modern textbooks on
the subject of psychology that present a viewpoint
similar to that of the Rosicrucian teachings. A fter
investigating in the Rosicrucian Research Library,
and also investigating the works of different pub
lishers, we are not in a position to recommend
such a book, because to the best of our knowledge
no book of that type exists at the present time
among those that have been written in the past
few years. To explain this it is necessary for us
to consider just exactly what psychology is. Up
until comparatively recent years psychology was
considered to be a branch of philosophy. It was
considered as a study of the mind, or a science of
the mind, and since the word mind itself is not
clearly defined by all individuals, or even in all

Page 125

sciences, religions or systems of thought, it can

easily be understood that psychology was for
many years simply a science of individual opinion.
As a result, psychology was looked upon by those
outside the field of philosophy as merely a specu
lative division of philosophy, and few considered
it as a science in itself.
Then, during the Nineteenth Century more
and more men and women began to give special
attention to psychology itself, and gradually it
began to find its place among other sciences and
subjects. One of the greatest contributions in
synthesising psychology as a subject in itself was
a contribution of the American philosopher, W il
liam James who, in the latter part of the Nine
teenth Century, wrote his Principles of Psy
chology, which in spite of many changes and
recent investigations still stand as reliable in the
field of this particular subject. However, in spite
of the contributions of Jamesand many others
of probably equal importance psychology still
was more or less considered to be a subject matter
of philosophy. However, there were those who
were desirous of placing psychology on its own
basis as a science, and although this was accom
plished to a certain extent, in accomplishing the
purpose there was also a swing to the other ex
treme; that is, in making psychology a science, it
became an objective sciencecompletely material
istic in its outlook.
Gradually psychology became known as a sci
ence of behavior rather than the study of the
mind. This probably reached its most extreme
point in the work of Dr. John B. W atson, who,
in his various works on behaviorism, has practi
cally substituted that term for psychology. Be
haviorism is a study, exactly as the word implies;
that is, the study of the behavior of human beings.
Dr. Watson admits himself that it is more closely
allied with biology than with philosophy, and al
though many psychologists have not adopted the
points of Dr. W atson and others who have fol
lowed the general thesis of psychology being a sci
ence of behavior, his presentation has affected the
field, and now practically every modern textbook
on psychology discusses psychology as primarily
a science of behavior on objective terms, and
passes by subjective phenomena and the existence
of the soul without reference or explanation.
It might appear at first thought that psychology
has lost a great deal in the contributions it can
give to humanity. Ones first tendency is to be
lieve that Dr. Watson, for example, went too far,
and yet I believe that in the future the contribu
tions he has made to the science will be considered
outstanding, because all things work in cycles, as
is pointed out time and time again in our princi
ples. The pendulum swings from one extreme to
the other. Psychology, for example, has come
from an unknown speculative part of philosoph

Page 126

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ical thought to a hard, cold, material objective

science. Although many psychological tests do not
seem to be encouraging them, recent investigations
have been made bearing out the fact that as more
people who are capable to do so deal with human
behavior, even though it is in a purely objective
nature, they cannot help but contemplate the fact
that there are causes underlying the effects which
they can objectively observe. Therefore, more and
more are beginning to acknowledge that psychol'
ogy can never find its true place as a purely
physical science, and thus the pendulum is swing"
ing back, and I believe within the next twenty'five
years psychology will find its true place as a sci'
ence in itself, and be neither a branch of philoso'
phy nor a branch of biology.
Furthermore, it will truly be a science which
considers all phenomena of behavior regardless of
objective or subjective origin, and will consider
as its subject matter not only the reactions of hu'
man beings to external stimuli, but also the in'
ternal workings of man; the discovery that life
itself is the first thing upon which behavior must
be based, and that life is not a part of man that
can be measured objectively, but is an innate
quality that comes to him with the entrance of the
factor called sour' into the body. One scientist
who has mentioned this is Stromberg, who wrote
The Soul of the Universe, which has previously
been mentioned in the pages of this Forum.
Therefore, I am sure our members who are inter'
ested in this subject will see that the lack of
present'day texts on psychology on the basis
which we would like to understand it is not any'
thing to be particularly concerned about, but
rather an indication of a period of transition out
of which there has aways come some good.
I am sure our members will be interested to
know that one of the Supreme Officers will give a
series of lectures on psychology at the Rose'Croix
University again during the 1941 term. This year
these lectures will not be so much on the subject
matter of psychology itself, but upon the psy'
chology of certain parts of the Rosicrucian work,
such as the psychology of initiation the psychology of learning in connection with the gain'
ing of ability from our monographs and the appli'
cation of our teachings.A

Intellectual Pastimes
In commenting upon a certain tendency in this
country today toward inquiring into many things
through quiz programs on the radio, games of
various natures which are labeled as educational,
and even short subjects in the motion picture
theater, a Soror wonders if this is an indication
that the average individual is taking a more cul'

tural viewpoint in regard to life as a whole.

Now, it is not the purpose of these comments to
condemn anyones choice of hobby or enjoyment,
but it must be constantly kept in mind by all
sincere students that there is a vast difference be'
tween a true desire for the acquisition of knowl'
edge and wisdom, and merely a superficial desire
to, in the eyes of other people, have certain facts
at ones fingertips. I cannot help but wonder just
what value comes from radio programs, which
total a number of hours a week, in asking and
answering questions on all subjects. That in'
formation is available in encyclopedias and books
in free and private libraries throughout this
country, and practically throughout the world.
However, probably the programs prove a great
deal of enjoyment to those who do not have the
time to do the research on subjects in which they
might be interested, and they are, in fact, an in'
tellectual pastime.
It is impossible for man to become perfect in all
lines of knowledge, and yet there is a certain
amount of curiosity or desire upon the part of
each of us to gain a smattering of knowledge in
various fields. Such a trait is to be commended
as long as we do not reach the point where all our
knowledge and information is of that nature. In
other words, do not deceive yourself into thinking
that the gaining of a little knowledge about a lot
of things in a second'hand manner is going to take
the place of the acquisition of certain knowledge
which is useful to you. W hy, in the first place,
do we seek information and knowledge? In the
broadest sense of the word, it is primarily to fit
ourselves into our environment better; that is, to
make us happier, healthier, and able to fulfill the
purpose of our existence here. Consequently, the
average individual must think of knowledge, and
think of the acquisition of knowledge, in two
ways; one to fit himself better to carry out his
chosen occupation or profession. W e might say
that this is specific knowledge, directly in relation
to our livelihood, and the other is the acquisition
of knowledge which better fits us into Gods
scheme of things.
Many people like to read or gain information
for the sake of the information itself and to
broaden their outlook. Therefore, it seems to me,
in regard to the comments of this member, that
a great deal can be gained from the following of
intellectual pastimes. However, do not make the
mistake of allowing pastimes to take the place of
some determined effort on your part along the
lines just mentioned. A few minutes each day
devoted to improving your abilities, gaining a
little more knowledge than absolutely necessary
to carry out your days routine, and improving
yourself as a whole, as comes through the study

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the Rosicrucian teachings, is not an indiscrim"

inate selection of study, but something that is
taking you on and on. Then, in addition, if you
enjoy bits of wisdom and knowledge that may
come in hours of recreation, that, too, will be"
come an asset.A

T he M ental A rtist
Create your future by imagining or visualizing
it. This is discussed briefly in the early Neophyte
degrees and later elaborated upon time after time
throughout the Rosicrucian studies. W e have
commented upon visualizing many times in The
Rosicrucian Forum, but because of its import"
ance to the successful application of the prin"
ciples, we again give it our attention.
Recently while relaxed and in a meditative
mood listening to a series of short human"interest
stories or playlets on the radio, there was one that
was rather impressive that we would like to out"
line briefly because it seems so appropriate in any
discussion or suggestion where visualizing is con"
cerned. The story begins with a conversation be"
tween two little boys between ten and twelve
years old. One little boy is striving to get the
other to smile, laugh, and be happy, but this little
fellow is very sad and bitter. He tells his friend
to leave him alone, he does not wish to laugh for
there is nothing left for him in this world. The
little friend finally gives up the struggle and goes
away still not understanding why the lad refuses
to smile and be cheerful. Then the voice of a
middk"aged man comes into the play asking the
little boy why he does not wish to laugh when
there is so much happiness yet to be found in this
tired old world. The little boy replies, There is
nothing for me to laugh at, nothing to be happy
for. I cannot see for I am blind. My eyes were
put out last Fourth of July by fireworks. It is
then that the boys new found friend points out
the beauties to be found in the youngsters world
of darkness. He first tells him that he can see
things far more beautiful and exciting than any"
thing he has ever seen before. His world can and
will be more vast and thrilling than that of any
one of his friends or playmates. The man then
describes to the little boy a beautiful sailing ship
of the kind used by the pirates of old. He tells
the little boy to look at it. A t first, of course, the
boy sees nothing, but as his imagination builds
up through excitement, he gradually confesses to
seeing the ship in all of its splendor. The man
has at last succeeded in bringing this little fellow
out of the darkness into the light. He describes
this great, white, pure light that the boy can now
see as a great artists canvas upon which to paint
any scene, any picture that may be desired. Need"
less to say this transition from total darkness into

Page 127

brilliant white light gives the little boy new life,

new happiness, and he can laugh again.
The interesting point in connection with our
own mental exercises is the reference to the great
white light that can be likened unto the sun that
lights up the wonders of the universe for those of
us who enjoy the faculty of physical sight. This
great mass that warms our earth and is so neces"
sary to life makes it possible for us to see the
magnificence of the world about us. The same
thing happens in the case of the little boy who is
now conscious of the great white light upon
which he paints his mental pictures, pictures that
he alone can enjoy, pictures more wonderful,
more beautiful in richness of color and tone quali"
ties than man can ever perceive through the
physical sense of sight.
This, Fratres and Sorores, is what we should
strive to attain in our concentration and medita"
tion exercises, this great white light, this large
artists canvas on which to paint our mental pic"
ture in all of its detail. Our mental canvas is
much more valuable to us than the physical can"
vas of the artist, for we have complete control
over it, we can wipe it clean at will, and place
upon it a new scene or a new picture. W e can
focus this white light upon the faces of our
friends at will and bring them right into the sane"
turn with us. W e can plan and visualize our
future attainments, see them complete in every
detail, then go about the business of physically
bringing them to realization.
This is truly creating your future by visualizing
it. You must work hard of course because this
ability to see the white light, to create the mental
pictures, is not always easy. Some, of course, are
more developed than others and find it a simple
process. Failure to see immediately is one of the
greatest causes of discouragement, and discourage"
ment in turn proves our greatest bugbear to sue"
cess. The student or the worker who truly strives
to attain complete success is the one who derives
the greatest practical benefit from the Rosicrucian
teachings. Let nothing prevent you from spend"
ing at least a few minutes each day relaxing with
the eyes closed, eliminating first of all thoughts
and impressions of physical conditions around
you that invariably interfere with the procedure
of mentally creating. Avoid going back over the
events of the day, the cares, and worries experi"
enced in the course of living in this fast'moving
world of ours. Such thoughts only delay and
interfere with the business at hand of planning
and mentally bringing into realization the long"
ings and desires that result in truly living the
abundant life.

HAVE YOU

TimeonYourHands
These Long Winter Evenings
9

" W i n t e r Evenings were made for reading. Snow, how ling winds, rain beating
against w indow panes * all these add zest to good reading. G ood reading is the lit
erature w hich you feel is worthy of remembering and w hich does not give you that
guilty feeling of having w asted your time.
Spend an hour or two each w eek in broadening your know ledge of life, of its mys
teries, and of the accomplishments of great people. R ead the titles of the unusual
discourses below , and select the one which appeals to you. E ach discourse is just
about the right length for a pleasant evening s reading. T hey are written in simple,
forceful language, and are released as interesting, supplementary reading by the R eaders
Research A cadem y. Begin with w hat you want and discontinue w hen you please.

ARCANE COSMOLOGY

SOME MYSTICAL ADVENTURES

Is the earth a cell, and do we dwell in

it, instead of outside of it? (i$ dis
courses) No. i.

Pull aside the veil of the commonplace,

explore the unknown. (35 discourses)
No. tg6 .

EVOLUTION

NUMEROLOGY

Why are there different races? Has

man descended from other beings? ( i 2
discourses) No. t 2 .

Is numerology a Divine science? Is it

possible to foretell the future by num
bers? ( i 6 discourses) No. 328.

THE MYSTERY OF MIRACLES

W^iat strange powers did the ancients

SUPERNATURAL

Have you strange psychic or mental ex

periences? 'What causes them, and what
do they mean? ( i 6 iscourses) No. 294

possess? Are their feats possible today?

(32 discourses) No. 23 i.

You may remit the small sum of 50 cents each month and receive two discourses, or you may
secure the entire course at one time, whichever you prefer. Furthermore, you may discontinue a
course at any point and transfer to another, by merely continuing the same payments. Subscribe
to a course today. Bring a world of interesting subjects into the
Pf
$ PER
heart of your home. O rder the course by number.

j U

The READERS RESEARCH ACAD EM Y

ROSICRUCIAN

SA N

JOSE,

PARK

C A L I F O R N I A

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

U. S. A.

month

ENTITLES YOU TO TW O
LARGE DISCOURSES
EACH MONTH
P R IN T E D IN U . S . A .

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a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Vol. XI

APRIL, 1941

No. 5

INITIATION
Sometimes the blood is privileged to guess
The things the eye and hand m ay not possess.
Sometimes the inner heart illuminates
W h a t brains m ay not betray,
A n d brings to tongue those glories it creates
To m anifest its way.
The kinship and the unity o f earth
In all its counterpoint o f death and birth,
To our souls, our inner essences,
C an best be clearly brought
To mind, in all its irridescences,
W hen it seems most unsought.
For sometimes, when the intellect is clear
O f all philosophy, and all the drear
O f fa c t has been fo rg o tten and grown thin,
A veil is pulled aside,
A n d consciousness is floo ded from within
W ith wisdom's deepest tid e .
For in the heart resides a further power,
That patien tly awaits the proper hour
To m anifest itself, and show a man
His purpose and his aim ;
Knowing th a t once the truth is told , he can
N o longer be the same.
For such a change is w rought when a man's sight
Is used to darkness and then looks on Light.
R. John Francis Knutson.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

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

Page 130

Greetings!
V
D e a r F r a t r e s a n d S o rores :

There are many tales extant in literature con

cerning the occult and mystical that are highly
fantastic. Possibly all of the apparent improbabili'
ties which they contain are intended as examples
of the powers adepts can exert. Then again, per'
haps the authors think that the mystical is license
to employ an unbridled imagination. W e may
never know the truth or falsity of them, but
they make interesting readingif often mislead'
ing. However, no matter how romantic, or how
embellished with weird, unexplained phenomena
the content of these popular mystical narratives
may be, there are true adventures which match
them with spectacular, unaccountable events.
Each human life is a great adventure, composed
of commonplace experiences, with variations.
Either our unfamiliarity with or ignorance of
how the variations occur makes them strange and
almost inexplicable.
These perplexing differences, the little unusual
occurrences, pour across my desk each month,
from almost every corner of the world. If there
were not such an organization as A. M. O. R. C.,
most of them would never be recounted. Those
who have not experienced similar circumstances,
or who are not willing to admit a world of hap'
penings which lies beyond the border of the
objective consciousness, have no ear for them.
For centuries millions of persons have had no
sympathetic listeners for the strange deportment
of their psychic selves. If they dared tell of them,
physicians sought to treat them as neurotics. The
clergy attempted to rid them of evil obsessions,
and the rank materialists, often an emotionally
sub'normal associate or neighbor, shunned or ridi'
culed them.
I am not violating a confidence by telling a
combination of these storiesone of which was
related to me in a very general manner but a few
days ago. M y visitor was a Russian, tall, heavy
set, and perhaps in his forties. He radiated physi'
cal strength, gave indication of a man capable
of much endurance. Before he began his story,
I sensed that at some time he must have lived
a vigorous, dangerous life, filled with hardships
which may have also steeled him against the
finer spiritual intuitions and sensibilities. His
name will neither add to nor detract from what
is to follow, so I refrain from giving it. He was
of noble birth. As a child he was accustomed to
those luxuries and comforts which his station af'
forded the cultured Russian, and which were

V
reflected in the furnishings, art salon, and music
conservatory of his native home. These were of
no particular interest to him. He received the
customary social training of a boy of his class, but
followed such instructions perfunctorily.
Every time he stepped outdoors his entire being
tingled with the experience. The very air in'
toxicated him. His pulse pounded; a surge of
power took possession of him. N ature was a
challenge to life, to live as one was moved by
his emotions and feelings. N ature dared him to
use her attributes to the fullest. The hills nearby
were to him borders of an unknown world
beyond them meant liberation from all restric'
tion. Rare sensations and treasures awaited there
to be claimed. Each road led to adventure, to
different happenings. The uncertainty of the next
moment, the unpredictability of a future u n'
reasoned and uncontemplated, invited him to give
himself with abandon to the present. Conventions
were to him artificialities, meant little restrictions
which hampered and mocked the spirit. Cer'
tainly a passion and a love were as much a part
of the human as his fingers and toes. W hy
should they not be displayed and indulged, as
the rolling of the eyes or the parting of the
lips into a smile? One does not throttle another
because he has powerful hands, neither will one
necessarily abuse another if he is fired with the
vigor of lifeand displays it.
His natural fondness for animals grew into
admiration for them. They were not compelled
through some inculcated or developed moral sense
to eschew the functions of their being. They were
not forced to endure a struggle with themselves,
to divide their nature, to pit one self as virtuous
and the other as carnal, against each other. He
decided, therefore, to divest himself of the social
attributions. It was in the garden, on the hill
side, and along the wooded paths that he could,
he believed, find his salvation as man. The insects
then became his friends. Their fundamental pur'
poses were the parallel of his own. They sought
to live, finding security and satiety where they
could. They never pretended to be what nature
had not intended them. Every act of each little
flying, crawling, creeping thing seemed a con'
firmation of his own defiance of convention. His
store of knowledge of insect life became tre'
mendous, yet it was not endowed with technical
terms, but it had the thoroughness which sincere
interest alone makes possible. Obviously, dank
forest trails and furrows and the bush do not
make for the finesse necessary for one to acquit

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

himself on the ballroom floor, or at the club as

a gentleman of the nobility. It was, therefore,
decided that this impetuosity and irresponsibility
of youth could best be curbed by the cultural
influences of university life. His anticipated ob'
jections were overcome by proposing a study
close to his heart, namely entomology.
For years he labored with the technicalities
of the science, and submitted to the prevailing
restrictions. He lived only for the time when
he could devote his life to those minute animate
things, for which he felt the greatest companion'
ship and understanding. He mingled with none
of the other students, except by scholastic com'
pulsion. The energy of his being, the dynamic,
almost savage drive to be up and away gnawed
at every nerve fibre. In order not to be con'
scious of this physical and mental unrest, which
caused his body to ache as with an ague, he
plunged into his studies for escape. W hen he
could stand it no longer he would go to a nearby
meadow and, as an anodyne, in the early hours
of the morning while the dew lay heavy upon
the grass, he would race wildly, barefooted, with
arms outstretched, head and eyes upturned, until
he felt as free as the wind which stung his face.
The release from his ordeal came with graduation, and finally a doctorate in the science of
entomology. Here, then, seemed to be license to
capture a lost world and to reclaim* a love. A
strange thing had happened, however, and it
startled him. The alchemy of time, the years of
study, the realm of textbooks, and the knowledge
of each genus, of what before had been but
squirming or colorful creatures, had now robbed
them of their fascinating illusions. They were
no longer pus&ling little beings of the microcosm.
They were bristling with such nomenclatures as
Scolytidae, Dendroctonus Ponderosae, and H y h '
bins Abietis, etcetera. As much as he tried he
could not return these creatures to their simple
state in his mind. He had forced upon them the
very things from which he wanted liberation
an artificiality. He no longer could look upon
them as a spectator would a great performance.
His very eyes now were like dissecting instru'
ments. He segregated their parts in his conscious'
ness and mentally classified them as a clerk
would bills. The blow was great, and for awhile
he sank into the lethargy of despair.
Phoenix'like, his spirit arose again, for he still
possessed his own life. W as he not ruled by his
thoughts and desires alone? He could again find
the emancipation he sought. He decided to woo
life anew. She must now be a bride worthy of
him. No complacent security would do, no smug
wealth, or access to the conveniences which men
substitute for the virility of self'sufficiency. The
dangers when man stands constantly poised upon

Page 131

the edge of eternity, pitting his own strength and

cunning against the ferocity and indifference of
nature, are, he thought, real allurements for the
true lover of life. One must embrace life, not
stand and await her chance caress. One who has
not known the pain of a hurt can never ex'
perience the pleasure of relief.
Under a decree, officers of the Cossack armies
were endowed with land, providing them finan'
cial independence. The long period of service
required, conferred upon the Cossack military a
distinct kind of autocracy that amounted to a
dispensation to do as one pleased, limited only
by the demands of the existing cause. Though he
was inordinately given to freedom of self'expres'
sion, regardless of its effects upon others, never
was he abusive or cruel. Never could he be ac'
cused of brutality or sadistic tendencies. His de'
sire was to avoid abstentation of any kind, but
not to crush or harm other things of life, whether
man or beast. He had despised hunting and had
never reflected much upon military life, except
to think that the regimentation and imposed disci'
pline would be repugnant to him. However, now
the life of the Cossacks offered him adventure-
danger; moreover, constant activity, a state of
intense objectivity, in which he could flee from
self. His educational background and his birth
assured him promotion and the liberties the offi'
cers enjoyed. He selected his regiment. In due
time, he was commissioned and rose rapidly to
captainship. His indifference to exposure and per'
sonal danger were interpreted by his fellows as
extreme courage. His requests for and voluntary
selection of difficult tasks, by which he sought to
evade ennui, were construed as diligence by his
superiors.
He was not disappointed with the Cossacks.
They drank deep of the cup of lifethey played
as hard as they worked and fought. There was no
curbing of desires. Though indulgence of concu'
piscence was not permitted, they were not re'
quired to be circumspect in the satisfaction of
their appetites. However, salacity did not appeal
to him. Hard riding, in a choking dust or slash'
ing sleet, or a hand'to-hand struggle, in which
every muscle was strained, with the hot breath
of his opponent pouring upon his face were the
only rewards he sought. Time passed, unrealised.
Each dawn and sunset was a rising and dropping
of a curtain upon another scenein which he
was always one of the principal actors.
The campaigns took him deep into Chinese
Turkestan. This vast part of Central Asia is
bordered on the extreme East by the Gobi Desert,
on the N orth by Siberia, and on the W est by
the Caspian. To the South lie Afghanistan and
India. It was to the Eastern frontier, on the
fringe of the Gobi desert that his travels now

Page 132

brought him. Young in years, he was now a

seasoned veteran. The land was foreboding,
dreary, a monotonous waste. Marco Polo, in re
lating his travels there, said: The length of the
desert is so great that it would take a year and
more to ride from one end of it to the other.
Etymologically, the word Gobi is derived from
the Turki great. It is also said to be the Chi
nese equivalent, like Shambo, of the general
term, sandy. Geologists declare that it once
was a vast sea like the Mediterranean. Its coast
line is still discernible on the mountains that
fringe it. The towns are few and far apart. The
western section of the Gobi, through which he
passed, was not composed of shifting sands, as
the East, but rather of low hills or downsthe
whole of a rocky nature. The bulk of the people
were Persians and Uzbeg stock, interspersed by
Mongol Hazaras and Hindus.
In the year 790, the Tibetans were masters of
East Turkestan. They established remote monas
teries in the wastes. M any have endured. These
sects were of the brotherhoods of Tibet, of which
there are principally two, with their variations,
one W hite and the other Black. These designa
tions were given them because of their practices
and belief. The W hite, of course, being symbolic
of purity of purpose and adherence to high ideal
ism, the black contra. W hy they should establish
monasteries and temples in such a remote place
as the Gobi Desert, such a desolate land, could
also be asked of those located today in the rugged
heights of the Himalayas. Possibly it was to be
free from the superfluities of life and those inade
quate ideas, as Spinoza says, which mainly arise
from our common and often false sense percep
tions. There, perhaps, in the imposing physical
silence, and absence of distraction, men might
come closer to the Absolute and the intuitions
that descend therefrom.
To our friend, the squat, monochrome, mudbrick monastery structures, like something the
land had spewed, were a respite. There was goats
milk to be had, sometimes a coarse cake, a con
stant shade, and cool, if more often bitter, water.
The soft chanting that would reach his ears, as he
would lie prone upon the ground near the sanctu
ary walls, and the sound of the distant tinkling
of bells emanating from the interior, were to him
but a mumbo-jumbo. He had often given these
strange people a passing thought. W hat quirk
of fate, what distorted conception of life moved
them to resort to this self-confinement? To him,
any form of self-abnegation was a disease. These
men were running away from the very pleasures
and interests which he sought. Then, with a
shrug of his shoulders he would forget their
existence. Their absurdities were not his responsi
bility.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

This particular night was the first occasion his

company had ever spent in the vicinity of this
monastery. It was no different in appearance
than any other. Yes, possibly, he reflected, more
worn by the sandstorms which lashed it, and per
haps further from human habitiation than most
others. He felt strange. He was exceptionally
restless, and yet he was not possessed with a de
sire for any outlet of energy. In fact, he sur
prised himself by not entering into the usual
ribald songs around the campfire. A wind was
coming up. The impalpable dust was beginning
to swirl. It penetrated everything. Nothing was
a protection against it. As the winds intensity
increased, the dust choked; it became difficult to
breathe; the particles irritated the membranes of
the nostrils, and caused violent coughing; the
eyes became bloodshot and smarted painfully.
Above the shrieks of the wind, he could hear
periodically, as though their tempo had increased,
the chanting and the tinkling of the Temple
bells. The votaries were participating in some
ritual. There was no sleep that night.
The dawn came as a sickly, ominous, yellow
glow, through the swirling sands high above,
though the wind close to the earth had now
abated. There were no clouds, just a different
density of this yellow light, as though one were
looking at the sky through a colored gelatin light
filter of different thickness. He was suddenly
conscious of the presence of another behind him.
By habit and caution, born of experience, he did
not turn immediately. Stealthily he reached be
neath his blanket for his holster, and whipping
out a heavy service revolver, half turned and rose
to meet a possible danger. There stood before him
one of the monks of the monastery, garbed not
unlike many he had seen before. He was wearing
a tattered burlap-like robe, in the form of a bur
noose, half draped and half hung upon his gaunt
frame, fastened as the waist by a cordeliere. The
benign expression of the visitor, and his advanced
age were disarming, and stilled the oath he might
have otherwise uttered, because of this strange
approach.
The monk addressed him in perfect Russian,
in soft-spoken tones, assuring him he had no in
tention of startling him. He stated that visitors
to the monastery were infrequent, and he could
not afford to pass by such an opportunity of
conversing with one of them. The command of
his native tongue by this stranger intrigued our
friend, and he expressed his surprise. The monk
replied that he had mastery of several languages,
and to prove it spoke fluently in English, which
our friend knew as well. The others were still
attempting to sleep. He asked the monk why he
sought to be a recluse. In fact, he was almost
arrogant in his questioning as to what they hoped

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

to accomplish by such a life. The monk hesitated

a moment before replying. A man is like a
house/ 1he said, pointing to the nearby monastery
rising above its crumbling outer wall. He has
several sides. Now, neither one of the sides
constitutes the house. The sides arise by necessity
from it. The sides are its aspects. They indicate
a dimension or extent of its elaboration. If we
stand close to one side, we are compelled to give
it our whole attention. N ot only can we not
discern the other sides, but we lose sight of the
whole, the house itself. Most men are like that
about their lives, he continued. They cling
tenaciously to one side or another of their nature.
Usually it is the one that is most dominant, and
therefore to them appears most important. They
lose sight of their other natures, and they try
to adjust their lives to this one side; try to live
by it alone.
A man who stands close to one side of a
structure is apt to construe it as being a single
wall, beyond which there is nothing of import"
ance, for if it were a single wall, it would contain nothing in itself. There is no denying that
any one side of our nature is real, is a part of
ourselves, whether it be physical, mental, or spirit
ual. W e should, therefore, not negate it, but
neither should we so let it deceive us that we
believe it is the only and important one. Yonder
temple has four sides. One side alone has been
designated as the entrance. The possessions that
lie within could as well be approached from any
of the other sides. It is our human construction
and preference that has moved us to choose one
side alone as the portal. T hat choice was not
made upon the relationship to the interior, but
rather to something outside, which intrigued us.
Perhaps it was the direction, rise, or setting of
the sun. W hether we have chosen a wrong approach to the interior, we may never know or
we may discover too late in life to make a change.
So it is with our lives. W e must be cautious in
designating the particular nature of our being,
which we shall use as the appoach to life. It is
best that each side be equally recognised and
constitute an entrance to the inner and true life.
To you, those of us here have seemingly
ostracised ourselves from our fellows, but we
have done so in order not to be partial to any
phase of our nature. W e keep free from the
tide of temporal pleasures, so that we are not
engulfed by them. Yet, we are not, as the world
may think, fanatical ascetics, subjecting ourselves
to mortification for ill-conceived spiritual ideas.
W e eat, we sip of wine, we know the ease of
relaxation, we experience heat, and the sweat of
the brow from labor, as we compete with the
elements for our sustenance. W e even indulge
such sentiments as pity, hope, and faith, and we

Page 133

have also fought against fear, anger, and hatred.

Albeit, we enjoy periods of meditation, and the
contemplation of those powers, of which we are
a minute manifestation. Ours is not a flight from
life, but a simple existence. W e do not mock
society, we measure it, we weigh it, and we hope
to learn its faults and virtues impartially, and
turn back to it benefits of our deliberations.
Every act of nature, of man; every physical
movement, whether conscious or unconscious, has
a paralleling psychic or thought cause, or you
may say, a causal law. If we learn to distinguish
these laws, we can augur their results before they
happen, be true prophets, and master this earthly
interim. As profound as these Cosmic laws are,
simple geometric forms which follow from them
depict their nature. Just as an earthen jar may
hold a rare gem, so these symbols contain in
their nature the wisdom of God. Behold, overhead, he said, pointing to a strata of sand float'
ing high above and irradiated by the streaks of
the rising sun, which penetrated it, see the
patterns formed. There is a square, and there
a cross, yonder a circle, and directly above the
triangle. Each of these is rich in meaning, for
they are signs of truth. The greatest of them all
is the triangle.
W hy? our friend ventured, having been
silent, not alone out of respect, but because of
an admiration for thoughts which could grip his
imagination and his emotions, and yet not compel
him to bodily action.
Because it symbolises the law of perfection
and unity, the highest order of God, was the
reply. There is but one substance, and that is
never at rest. It has two aspects activity and
relative passivity. One flows toward the other.
W hen they converge, to avoid the monotony
which would be a kind of rest, the substance
changes, not in quality, but in its flow, and lo
we have another manifestation, and this, on and
on into the infinity of time and space, is perfec'
tion. The unity occurs in that the two aspects
of the substance must come together periodically
for manifestation, so that the attributes never
themselves become separate and result in the
division of the one. Neither your soul nor your
body alone is you. Only as they unite, do they
compose that substance of the conscious being
or living soul, the reflection of God, which you
are.
By now, the monk sitting on his haunches, his
knees close under his sharp chin, his eyes lit with
a fluorescent-like glow, with a gaunt finger was
tracing in the sand before him geometrical illus'
strations of the principles of which he spoke.
Strangely, our friend related, he seemed to
impress me as a theurgical character, something
that had been materialised or conjured from out

Page 134

of the very atmosphere. I do not remember the

questions I asked him. In fact, they were without
volition. I found myself as a spectator listening
to my questions and to his replies, and looking
at his demonstrations. Yes, they were demonstrations. How shall I explain? I cannot really. He
touched me, he intoned softly, in his very movements there was a strange rhythm. I experienced
a sort of transmutation of the space around us,
as though we were in a circle set off from all
else. I knew the universe. I was freer than I
ever had dreamed of being. I looked upon the
heavens, the sand, the pebbles at my feet, and
at my sleeping companions, with an understand
ing that transcended any I had ever known. I
was more thrilled at that moment than during
any military engagement in which I had ever
participated. Then, as though I had awakened,
this feeling was gone, seemed to surge out of me.
The monk had arisen. He was standing emotionless. His eyes alone told a storyhe was search
ing my soul as if to discern if a seed had been
planted there.
The men were stirring; some were already
arising, looking with curiosity at the monk and
at myself. I felt as though I had been hypnotized,
or cast under some kind of a spell. I felt a
little ashamed at what I considered a sign of
weakness, of succumbing to this oriental, this
magical humbuggery. To reclaim what I thought
my self-respect, I would have ordered him away,
in a tone of reproof; yet, I felt a glow throughout
my entire beinga warm sort of an after-effect
of an internal stimulant. I made the mumbled
comment, very interesting. As if in answer, not
to my spoken words, but to unspoken ones, he
said: Each of us is of the brotherhood of human
ity, and of the greater brotherhood of the living.
In the latter you have shown considerable in
terest, even in the most insignificant little
creature. In the brotherhood of humanity there
are minor brotherhoods. Each adherent is bound
by a mutual understanding, a result of his per
ception of the whole, just as each step, though a
part of a stairway, is of varying degrees of prox
imity to the plane to be attained. These brother
hoods are necessarily as many as the thoughts
of men. In the lower levels there are many. In
the higher, there are few, only because there are
few who ever reach them. Toward one of these
you shall be drawn, just as a river eventually is
drawn to the sea. It will be many miles from
here and many years from now when again you
hear the word, Rosicrucian. A t that time you
will respond, not with ear but with heart as well,
or you will have a great and painful lesson to
learn. Adieu, brother. W ith that he was off.
I can still see him, a majestic figure, even with the
shredded garment he wore. Slowly, head erect,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

looking neither to the right nor left, he retraced

his path direct to the crude wicket gate in the
monastery wall. To my astonishment, (I am cer
tain it was not my imagination) it swung open
without human means, to allow his passage, and
closed behind him. For days, the word, Rosicrudan, haunted me. I had never heard it before,
yet I could pronounce it with ease. It was not
difficult because it was seared into my conscious
ness. In fact, I fought against continuously hear
ing it, by indulging in raucous laughter and talk.
My friends ridiculed him after he had departed,
though they had not heard his remarks to me. I
could not, because something within me always
extolled him, and made me sober of mind and
of speech when I thought of him.
Several years had elapsed since my Turkestan
campaign, our friend continued. The old monk
and the monastery were just one of many inci
dents in a very full life. It was one I hardly ever
related, for I never associated with those who
would understand as if I even did myself. Most
of my old friends were gone. W hether they were
still alive was problematical. The Czars Armies
were hard pressed in their encounter with the
German forces. The Cossack cavalry, perhaps
the finest body of its kind in the world, was in
adequate to meet the German and Austrian heavy
artillery. O ur supporting infantry were ill-fed
and ill-armed. Unrest was rampant in the ranks.
There was no spirit among a great number of
the men. Some had to be driven like cattle into
the foray. They were not cowards. To them
had leaked the tales of the uprisings at home.
The clash between the old regime and the growing
revolutionary front. To me home had no par
ticular meaning. I had no personal attachments
any longer. The Czarist Regime stood for cer
tain customs and traditions that were part of my
life. The opponents to me seemed quibbling with
their own existence. Get out from under it had
been my wayseek what you desire. Perhaps
that is just what they were attempting, by cast
ing out their oppressors. I began to wonder
whether there had been any rectitude in my
Cossack adventures, when I had participated in
quelling what I had thought to be the riots of
half savage peasants and serfs. A time came
when one was careful, even among his fellow
officers, not to express feeling or sentiment openly
one way or another. Dissension was an ever
present spectre.
The inevitable finally fell upon us. The men,
almost as a body, aligned themselves with the new
regime. The officers, with few exceptions, held
loyal to the old order, and united with the W hite
army. W e fought valiantly for principle, some
times engaging men who were still clothed in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the uniforms, wearing the insignia of our old

regiment. I was one of the thousands who, be'
cause of the dissolution and impoverishment of
our forces, was compelled to flee into neighbor'
ing Manchuria. I roamed the streets of Harbin
with others, solemn, hungry, and with a bum '
ing resentmenta man without a countrymy
youth gone. Moreover, an uncertain philosophy.
I had lived. I had tasted life. It was sweet at
times, but the deeper I drank, the more bitter
had become the dregs. I was no more a dashing
cavalier, a soldier of fortune; I was coarse, common; yes, even brutal. I sought to bury my own
memory and my sentiments in a profane way.
Inwardly I despised myself, but I found no incen'
tive for change. Manchuria offered nothing but
poverty, ignorance, and temporary refuge from
the Red hordes on the border, who momentarily
threatened invasion. The other countries of
Europe were tightening restrictions, because the
inroads of Russian refugees were more than they
could cope with.
Days went onone after another. Long, cold,
hateful, hideous nights of mental torment, and of
enduring stench in some crowded quarters, with
companions (if one could call them that) in an
atmosphere that one conceived must resemble the
quarters of Roman galley slaves. Days of tram p'
ing streets and jostling others, who, like myself,
stared ahead with vacuous eyes. Feet covered
with rags wrapped around to keep out the biting
cold, and, for a while at least, the slush and ice;
sacks wrapped around our heads. Humanity
looked like an army of zombies. Truly we were
lost souls. All of the possessions I could take
with me had gone at a sacrifice. One hundredth
of their value had I recovered, and I paid one'
hundred times more than the value for the simple
necessitiespitiful food and lodgings which I
purchased. W hat I had I would not have given,
when in the Cossack army, to a captive Mongol
to eat.
This night was like many others, and I was
seated at a table in a cafeone of the sidewalk
tables. M y fare did not permit me to enter,
I was sipping my black coffee, which had lone:
since cooled. I was delaying the time that I would
have to depart from the light and from the friend'
liness it radiated. A t a. table across from mine
were three men. I paid them no attention. I knew
no one; I did not want to know anyone. I no
longer could thinknot even hateeven brood'
ing was an effort. My consciousness vacillated
between things occurring around me and the un'
controlled, distorted fancies that would well up
and flash across my mind. The conversation of
the three near me was an indistinct monotone.
Like the flash of a rifle shot close at hand, and
with a similar report, came the word, Rosicrucian.

Page 135

Had I heard it? Did I see it? I blinked. I sat

upright. In my mind, I could see the monk as
he had uttered the word to me. His face was as
vivid as the flagging under my feet. I was con'
scious of someone staring at me.
I turned slowly in the direction of the three.
W hen I had quickly sat upright, my movement
had startled them. They ceased conversing, to
look at me. W ith a sardonic smile, I was about
to make a retort to their observation. Then I
realized theythese three, must have spoken the
word. Gentlemen, I said, you will pardon my
intrusion. You did, I asked (perhaps my anxiety
showed in my emotions) say the word, Rosicru'
cian?' They looked at each other, yet relaying
no meaning in their glances. Then the oldest,
a kindly gentleman, well on in years, with iron
gray hair, and eyes like pools in which one could
lose himself, stated that they had spoken the
word. They invited me to be seated at their
table. I was reluctant at first. They were gentle'
men, shabby in their dress, but clean, cultured,
and as prosperous as anyone could be in Harbin
at the time. Perhaps merchants or professional
men. They questioned me as to what I knew of
the Rosicrucians. I refrained from telling, until
I knew if such a brotherhood existed in Harbin.
They assured me it did. In a gracious way, which
even my remnant of pride could not resent, they
made me have dinner with them. Finally I told
them of the monks prophecy. Ordinarily I
would have laughed after relating it, to sort of
indicate that I put no confidence in such an ex'
perience, but not now. However, they did not
seem surprised. I made an appointment with
the youngest of the three, to meet him the next
day at his place of business.
He was a book seller. His little stall was
along one of the main boulevards, sheltered by
an awning but open to the biting air. It was
well patronized, the refugees spending a few coins
for good literature, perhaps to forget the past
and not to think of a future. He needed a clerk.
W ould I help him? I told him my studies were
very much removed from general literature, and
my experiences had been as well. He prevailed
upon me. I accepted. They were wondrous
weeks. I was again in possession of a certain
degree of self'respect, and of clean garments.
My pay was small, but sufficient for my clothes
and dingy, but healthful quarters, and a coin or
so extra in my pocket. I met in a public way with
this group at numerous other times, and with
their friends. All were obviously Rosicrucians.
Many were the discussions. I joined in with
my remarks, which were mostly eristic. I did
not intend to be cantankerous, but it was a sort
of self'defense, which I admitted to myself, to
cover a conscious ignorance of topics that went

Page 136

beyond, not my intelligence, but my comprehen

sion and credulity. I was fascinated. I admitted
that tooand to them.
A t last it cameas an invitation. I remember
the day. It was a Sunday. W e were seated in
the garden of M .s home. I say garden, yet, it
was a plot, perhaps a dosen feet square, adjoin'
ing the rear of his home. It was bounded on two
sides by the drab brick walls of warehouses, yet
the suns rays reached down and found an opening and brought forth in this, the Spring, blotches
of welcome colora contrast to the streets and
to the colorless flow of humanity outside. The
meal had been sumptuous. It was a celebration,
a tribute for a service rendered by one of the
brethren of the Order. He was deeply affected
by this consideration. He rose and expressed his
thanks to all present. By then I knew him well.
A man of perhaps my own age. A Russian, but
not a refugee. He had been established in Harbin
many years. A fter clearing his throat, for he
was laboring under deep emotion, he said to the
others : My work is not quite done. There is one
more thing to be accomplished. It is to invite
our friend here, (pointing to me) to come with
us into the greater light, to cross the threshold
from the outer world in which he has so long
dwelt, and to know the warmth, the friendship,
and hope of the rose and of the cross.
I had been expecting it for some time. I
knew it must come before I left. Yes, I had
intended going on to some other place. W hy,
I do not know. I had never quite thought of what
I would reply to such an invitation or query
when it did come. My interest had not been
supine. They had the right to presume that I
would be honored by this invitation. I rose, my
face flushed, my comport awkward. I felt, and
looked, guilty. This was parsimonious on my part.
I should, in gratitude, at least, respond in the
affirmative. A titanic struggle was going on
within me. Finally I burst out: I must think it
over, gentlemen, And bowing as graciously as
the circumstances and my feelings would permit,
I mumbled some inept excuse and rapidly de
parted, none saying anything during the pro
ceedings. N ext morning my employer, who had
been present, never mentioned the incident and
conducted himself toward me in his usual honor'
able and gentlemanly manner. It added to my
hurt, and to my self-reproach. Days passed be'
fore I dared again meet with them at their little
cafe rendezvous, so timid was Ia new experi'
ence for me. I had anticipated some reproach
for my conduct, either subtle or direct. I was
welcomed in the usual cordial manner. Only one
change was apparent in the conversations. Though
they were infused with what I surmised to be
doctrines of the Rosicrucian Order, not once was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the name ever mentioned again in my presence.

It seemed that each individual had made some
paramount sacrifice, as vital in their lives as I
thought I had madeperhaps more. One had
lost his high position and estate in the political
holocaust and war. Others had suffered the dis'
solution of their families. Others had known the
loss of sons, daughters, and wives. I remember
well the remarks of one, whom, for this purpose,
I shall call H., at one of our informal evening
sessions. W hen becoming of age, he began, I
received a patrimony of nearly 150,000 rubles,
consisting principally of negotiable bonds, de'
posits in the Imperial Banks, and the family
estate. Moderate in comparison to others; yet,
as you must realise, sufficient to keep me from
the degradation of any kind of labor, he said,
with a tinge of sarcasm reflecting upon the belief
of the former nobility that indulging in labor of
any kind was a social stigma.
I used my volition and reason to select the
things of the world which brought me pleasure
and a kind of happiness. I was not a gourmand,
nor did I revel in sensual pleasures, but I made
the mistake of assigning them a reality, a per'
manency which was not theirs. It is true, I
could realise that poverty could make them diffi
cult for me to obtain, if possible at all, but never
once did I doubt that they were truly the high
values of life. Things were relatively good and
bad to me. The soul was a foreign substance or
essenceforeign, because I had never experienced
its reality. To me, it was a tradition my parents
in church had passed on to me. Something like
a legend or saga. It was a positive good by
reputation only. There were other goods; there
was a gradation of them, in fact. All of the
things which I accepted were of that nature, and
that which I wouldnt was bad. A satisfying
meal, an interesting bookthey were goodbut
not as the soul was said to be. Thought about the
content of this Divine good of the soul was per'
plexing, confusing to me, so I disregarded it as
I would bad wine or bitter fruit. Life was the
good, and the only good, so I imagined. My
fortunes are known to you. All I treasured has
vanished. I had one thing left, my intuitions
my meditations.
These things I had avbided. Now they were
dominant factors in my life, but not understood
and feared. I feared the cause of my own
existence. God seemed a ruthless tyrant who took
the world from man, at his own pleasure. Took
all of my loves and yet commanded that I give
him love in return. W ho was I? W hy am I?
were questions of torment to me. There seemed
to be no pattern to existence. W ere thoughts,
of God, of the body, or were they merely sen'
sations of matter? It seemed that eons of time

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

passed before a unity began to form in my mind;

then I saw God as a universal principle in all
things. I saw attitudes of mind or notionspity,
fear, hope, and courageas mere adjustments
of the self to the whole. I was always real, it
dawned upon me, because I was of God and God
was of me. Thoughts and things were but modes
of the onepassing reflections or shadowsnot
real themselves, but indicating that the real substanceGod or the Cosmicalways was and
could be relied upon. Happiness was to be found
in the understanding that arises from the spiritual
intuitions which keep men from having false affections and attachments.
These remarks of H. stung me. I had not revealed the details of my own life to them, nor
even my concepts, except what they might have
gleaned, but apparently my former philosophy of
life was known to them. I became embarrassed
by the striking parallel to my own thoughts in
his description of himself. I blushed; I felt like
a small boy receiving a stinging reprimand. No
matter how I reasoned with self, I could not
mitigate the conviction that this was a reproach
for my refusal to accept the invitation.
Never again did I meet with those men.
I was urged to attend the conclaves, by my good
friend and employer. Each time I had a pretext
for remaining away. Frequentlywas it an in
hibition or superstition?when occupied with
duties far removed from these matters, there
would ring out in my consciousness the admonish
ment of the monkW hen again you hear the
word Rosicrucian, at that time you will respond,
not with ear, but with heart as well, or you will
have a great lesson to learn . .
W h at more
could befall me than already had death? I
smiled, because I had courted it a thousand times.
I would not take my life, but neither would I
hesitate to venture the experience of death. I
was haunted by the circumstances. I had come
across the word, Rosicrucian, as the monk had
prognosticated, and I had refused, would next
a dire result occur? I knew that the monk had
not meant that I would be compelled to attain
Rosicrucianism, but that I should not deny such
an opportunity as membership would afford my
soul. M y soula strange term for me to use.
Soul to me had always been associated with
sanctimonious hypocrisy, religious cant, beads, in
cense, even a brummagem display. It had another
significance, since I had met those three months
past. It stood for intriguing, profound thought.
In fact, it seemed to represent the substantial
part of me, and by a queer transmutation all else
appeared false. But why had I not accepted the
invitationwhy? why? W hat damnable bigotry,
what evil in my nature made me do this ac
cursed thing? I could not explain my own ac

Page 137

tions, no matter how much I brought my senti

ments before the bar of my reason.
This acrimonious obstinacy divided me against
myself in a manner I had never known. I knew
no sleep, no peace of mind. W hy would I not
surrender, yield to what I could reason was a
higher purpose? I had always been master of my
life. I met its ordeals as they came. I asked for
and I gave no quarter. Pity to me had been a
contemptible weakness. I had been, and I would
be independent. Now I thought I knew the cause
of the conflict. I was being asked to cast aside
my self-reliance, my strength, to believe in a
paternal power called force, mind, or order
whatever term they had usedthat was said to
bless those who would be constrained by its in
exorable decrees, but which would assign those
who refused to a strange kind of hell. So this
was mysticism! Admitting a master and obeying
his fiats for some end other than your own! I
had demonstrated my puissance before. Though I
had had relapses, I could and would do it again.
W hat I had found worthwhile in life came
through memy efforts alone. I asked not for
this life, and I would not share it with an in
visible, unknown entity, or an impersonal maze
of laws, about which men talk in deep wells of
meaning. Had I conquered? I believed so. A t
least the monk and his words faded. Very in
frequently did I think of them, or the group of
these sanctimonious sages in Harbin, as I was
now wont to call them.
I could not conscientiously remain at the
bookstore. I resigned my position. I was defiant
in my attitude; rude, in fact. It was an attitude
assumed to quell what otherwise might have been
a contrite spirit, because of the kindness which
had been shown me. M y employer bade me fare
well. I recall now, his face was sad at the part
ing. I had walked perhaps a dozen yards, when
I felt inclined to turn and look back. There he
stood, as when we had said farewell, gazing after
me. I hastened my steps to turn a corner, so that
he could no longer see me. W ith the turning of
that cornor, came another turning in my life as
well. For a week I was like a boy on a lark,
without parental supervision. I do not recall, but
it seems I indulged nearly every vice. Each mo
mentary gratification seemed to vindicate the
casting off of the yoke of circumspection which
I had voluntarily worn the past months. In the
boisterous laughter of these companions, which
I enjoyed while the temporary affluence of my
sparse savings lasted, I thought I heard the old
ring of freedom of the life I had relished as a,
youth.
I had drifted w ith the world tideFrance,
Belgium, England had known me, and I them.
Even now they do not seem like countries to me,

Page 138

but rounds of pleasure, of coarse friends, tinsel,

lights, bloated faces, snarling lips, rasping voices.
Like wolves, I was with the pack. W e hunted
down what we wanted. Sometimes we destroyed
even that which we thought we desired. W e
poisoned whatever virtues these things had, with
our own touch. W e fouled them with our pres'
ence. I was satiated with life. There was not a
thing, not a fantastic pleasure that could whet
an appetite. I was nauseated with my own ex'
istence. On I must go. On! was a throbbing,
feverish impulse of my brain. To remain in a
place, it seemed was to stagnate. More and more
must I see and do, and always of the same sordid
nature.
Through my former station as one of the
nobility, (the very term seemed to leer at me
as I heard it) I was able to execute arrangements
for entrance into America. America, the land
of fabulous plenty. Opportunity to me meant
something different than to the simple peasant,
who hopes to give of himself in the new land,
in return for a wholesome life.
On my passage across, I excused my recur'
rent headaches as due to sea travel. I knew, yet
would not admit, that these throbbing, piercing
pains, also the accompanying violent nausea were
not due to prostration caused by the motion of
the boatespecially on calm days. On these OC'
casions, my body was racked with violent tremors.
I concealed all of this from my fellow'passengers.
I knew well that if the ships physician discovered
my condition I might be quarantined for some
disease I might have contracted. I succeeded,
for after an uneventful passage, I arrived in New
York. M y knowledge of English stood me in
good stead. I secured mediocre positions here and
there, never accumulating enough even to raise
my standard of livingor my self'respect. My
malady, whatever it was, was increasing. I tried
Various patented nostrums, to no avail. I would
return to my ilhventilated, back hall room, after
my days labors, to lie as in a stupor, in the de'
clevity of the old mattress, sometimes half on
and half off the bed. I feared to move. I would
not even breathe deeply, or this thing, this ex'
cruciating pain, like some caged beast, would tear
itself from my brain, at which it seemed to be
fiercely gnawing. It was to be expected that I
could not long hold any kind of employment. I
was most inefficient. I was discharged from every
kind of work, even those menial tasks of which I
was now capable. To myself, I cursed my superi'
ors, yet I knew they were right. I came finally
to the point where I even lacked the courage to
voice my acrimony. Like one whipped, I
whimpered as I stumbled from place to place.
I was like an automaton in my actions. W hat I

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

did for days at a time will never be known. They

are a hiatus in my consciousness.
I left New York. M y departure was more
like a hegira. A t last, in desperation, I was trying
to run from myself. Direction was of no conse'
quence. I stopped off, in fact, was expelled from
an empty refrigerator car of a slow'tnoving freight
train, in which I had taken refuge. It was in
the Midwest, and it was spring. I stumbled along
an unpaved road that paralleled the tracks. In
some unexplained way, the commonplace beauties
of nature penetrated my fevered mind. It is
strange what sensations the consciousness will
fasten itself upon, when uncontrolled. Never
was the verdure more vivid. M y eyes moved
from one island of color, from one burst of wild
flowers to another. Down the road was a little
white steeple of a church, and the broadside of
barns, with a cluster of houses around them.
Glistening in their whitewashed splendor they
appeared to me as a mirage. Fortunately, the
streets were free of people at the hour, though
perhaps eyes were peering at me from the cool,
green depths of the lawns and gardens, in the
shelter and solitude of which most of the humble
homes were situated. I stopped before a tin mail
box, fastened to an oblique post at the edge of
the gravelled path, that constituted the public
walk of the village. A sign attached to the post
had arrested my attention 4 Rooms for Rent,
it read. I entered. It was a room such as I had
not enjoyed since I could not remember when.
Cool, airy, it had the fragrance of the spring
air, and the delightful odor of freshly laundered
things, and of floors newly scrubbed and scoured.
My last resources were sufficient to pay for a
weeks lodging. How the motherly woman came
to accept me as a lodger, I do not know. She
inquired as to whether I was ill. M y answer was
not only evasive but impertinent. She brought
me cold milk in a copious crock, and fresh fruit.
I did not even acknowledge her entrance or de'
parture.
It was beginning againthe painat first it
was fleeting, a tingemomentarylike an omin'
ous warning. M y heart began to palpitate rapid'
ly, mostly from the anticipation. I knew what
would follow. Perhaps an hour or two, or more
of torture. I had come to know fear. I dreaded
this scourge. W ith an air of futility and utter
dejection, I threw myself upon the bed. The
crisp linen and soft pillows were no relief for
my feelings. I reached out, grasped the bedpost
to support myself through the ordeal. Its capital
was smooth and round. As a kind of subliminal
act, I ran my fingers round and round this smooth
surface, first slowly, then faster, faster. I seemed
at last as though my fingers were stationary and
penetrating the middle of a rapidly forming vor'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tex. The vortex then began to expand, like a

whirlpool that drew everything into it. Then
there was a great circular space which came out
of it, perhaps nine feet in diameter. I was in
the center. I could not see myself, but it was me.
I had the awareness of my existence in the circu
lar area. It was as though my own consciousness
was the only reality, and as if it had dimensions
which I could perceive. Nothing was beyond the
circle; nothing was in it but me. There was
neither a positive condition beyond, something I
could discern, nor was there space or the nega
tion of anything. T here was just one thing or
substancethe circle, this, shall I say, was a
circular cloud of my consciousness.
W here had I experienced before the titillation
I now feltyes, I rememberedwhen I was con
versing with the monk in the wilds of Chinese
Turkestan. He had seemed to draw a mystical
circle about us that excluded all else. The sensa
tions now were the same as then. Pain was gone,
hatred, bitterness, the world and its problems, all
had vanished, rather dropped from me. There
remained just my consciousness, but how differ
ent, how peaceful. There was no place I wanted
to be, for this circle seemed quite complete. N oth
ing lay outside of it. M y exalted consciousness
seemed self-contained. W hat restfulness I now
knew. W hat I had previously gone through I
could not seem to remember. All before ap
peared as an indistinct, hideous nightmare. W ait!
I heard something! It seemed like the rush of the
wind; like the sound of a desert storm beginning,
which I had heard many times. It ceased as sud
denly as it began. Now there was a silence. The
quiet was heavy, so heavy I felt it would crash
by its own weight.
A t last words were spoken. I would take an
oath that it was the voice of the monk. It came
from every part of the circle. In fact, it seemed
to arise from my consciousness, which was syn-'
onymous with the circle itself. The words, then,
really came from me, and yet I knew they were
not mine. I remember them perfectly. How
can I ever forget them? They were: You are
alone; you are free from the world. Truly free,
for the first time. N o earthly things encompass
you, or compel you to act other than you will.
You are restricted neither by time nor by space.
You are everywhere and you are always. You
have no master, nor anyone to command. You
are now one with both cause and with fulfillment.
W hatever needs be, now is. In the absolute, there
is no progress, from a means to the need. The
idea is the law, the way, and the substance simul
taneously. There is neither beginning nor end.
There is no special pursuit which leads one to a
fixed goal. There is no departure from that which
is self-contained. N o matter how far or how

Page 139

long your journey, you are always in the center

of this universal circle, of which you are now
conscious. By remembering where you are, and
looking into the depth of the very circle which
surrounds you, you can always find what you
seekunless you as a mortal try to transmute the
substance, to make of it what it really is not.
W hat you are, so is this substance. W hen you
think rightly, you are in attunement with the
essence of the substance, and you will realise the
results of your thoughts, for true thought exists
in the nature of all things. Each thing is paral
leled by thought. True desires can be satisfied
because the things they conceive exist in the same
essence as themselves. You have wilfully sought
to bring about a wrongful separation of this
universal unity. You have set your consciousness
against the universal mind. You have sought to
make the Cosmic serve a world of your own
selfish, hateful, tyrannical liking. You must be
compelled, for your own attainment and for
freedom from bondage, to have your temporal
consciousness restricted. You must have vision
only of that which heretofore you have deliberate
ly and with contempt turned against. Your les
son shall be learned and only then will you
always know the Peace Profound you now enjoy.
The voice had gone; the vortex was reduced.
The circle was now being invaded by flashes of
memory. The ecstatic consciousness was subject to
an influx of somatic impressions, the ones of
common human experience. I heard a murmur of
voices, hardly audible, but they were human. I
rubbed my eyes. W as I dreaming? Had I over
slept? W hat time was it? It must be late. The
room was inky black. I reached out to support
myself as I arose. M y hand struck an object.
There was a crash of breaking glass. It must have
been the tray of food. Before I could make any
further attempt to get upon my feet, I heard her
speaking clearly (the elderly woman). She patted
my hand and said: You are ill. Just lie back.
I have a physician here for you. T urn on the
lights! I shouted frantically. W hy keep the
place in darkness? W h at is the meaning of this?,
I angrily demanded. A man then spoke. I felt
his firm grip on my arm. Calm yourself, he
said. He introduced himself as a local physician.
I tried to brush away his restraining hand, and
with my other hand I continued to rub my eyes.
He spoke again, quietly: The room is not in
darkness. Your eyes have been affected by your
illness. Do not be alarmed. W e may be able to
help you.
For seconds I was stunned, paralysed seeming
ly, mentally and physically. I sat rigid. I did
not want to move. Perhaps this was more of the
strange experience, the psychic adventures I had
heard the men in Harbin speak of. Perhaps this

Page 140

darkness, too, was a nightmare. My next move

ment would tell me. I would know my fate. I
commanded all of my courage for the effort.
Slowly I raised my hand again and passed it be
fore my eyes. Black, velvety space slowly re
volved in concentric rings. It was all I could
see, no form, no figure, just billows of black
blac\. I must have gone berserk. I screamed. I
pounded the walls. I struck out at everything
which came in contact with my body. Death I
would have welcomed. I had never feared it, but
this was hell. To live and yet be veiled from
life itself. To know the tantalizing anguish of
proximity to the world and its myriad things,
and yet have to grope for them. I exhausted my
self. Sobbing violently, I threw myself face down
again upon the bed. W ith outstretched arms, I
grasped the sides and convulsively I gripped them
until my fingers ached. Then I would relax and
repeat the processI do not know how many
times, or how long. In the background of my
own feelings, and in the utter confusion of my
mind, I was aware that the man and the woman
were speaking to me, trying to console me. The
physician compelled me to drink, to swallow
something. I was too weak to resist. I slept an
indeterminate number of hours. It was the sleep
of obliviona voidwhich is a blessing.
I was awakened by a coolness and moisture
on my brow. The elderly woman was wiping
my forehead with a damp cloth. I stared with
open eyes. It is morning, she said. It all came
back to me then. Morningwhat irony that
term held for me. Me, doomed to a life of eternal
nighteternal shadow. My emotions caused me
to breathe heavily. My chest rose and fell rapidly
with my breathing. She saw I was agitated and
sought to quiet me. I am a simple person, she
began. Perhaps I am not the church goer I
should be, or that some of my friends are. I do
know, however, that there are purposes beyond
our own. Things in which we must take part,
of which we cannot be the judge as to whether
they are useful or evil. There is nothing quite
without some benefit. The doctor says you may
recover your sight. Perhaps much benefit, which
none of us can now understand, may come from
from she hesitated for words to soften the
description of my hell. From your present
plight, she blurted out at last. Drink this,' she
said, placing a glass in my hands. The doctor
says it will help you. I will bring your breakfast
and help you be seated in the comfortable chair
by the window.
She was gone. I could hear her descending
the stairs. Later, I sank into the chair. The air
from the open window was laden with the sweet
ness of damp, rich soil and the fragrance of blos
soms hea.vily perfumed. I strained my eyes. The

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

muscles ached. The more I strained, the more

little pin-point flashes of light, far away in the
depths of inky blackness, rapidly seemed to ap
proach me, growing larger and larger, and then
just as they were about to overwhelm me, break
into prismatic sprays of color. I know they were
caused by my own nerves, and by ocular fatigue.
I wouldnt try to think. I must, I would reclaim
this world. I reached out. I felt carefully every
thing I could touch. I tried to conceive what
each thing was. There is nothing quite so tor
menting as to have something in your hand, being
able to feel it, bite it, and smell it, and yet have
no knowledge of its actuality. In anger, I would
throw the unidentified object across the room.
% * * * *
Several weeks had passed. I spent hours each
day, pacing to and fro in the room. A t times I
would submit to the womans entreaty and go
below to the garden. There was a narrow walk,
and a cane someone provided. I could tap my
way from one end to another. I fought against
rest. I fought against myself. I would appraise
my fortune in oaths only. Everything had be
trayed me. Life principally. Suddenly I would
feel, or imagine that someone was staring at me.
In a strident voice and abusive language, I would
order them away and stamp my cane to vent my
wrath. The woman would come running. W hat
is wrong? she would cry, and then assure me
that no one was there and no one was looking
upon me. Frequently the physician visited. I had
many examinations. I was tautological in the
questions I put to him, as to whether I would
recover, and when. His replies were always the
sameevasive, meaningless platitudes about hav
ing courage, to be calm, and to face my ordeal.
W hat did they know of ordeals, of danger, in
their smug, safe, stupid little world? W hat, I
trenchantly would ask them, did they know of
what I was experiencing?
It must have been three months after the
calamity befell me, after the time I was precipi
tated into my Hades, that it dawned upon me.
I was seated in the garden; the weather was ex
tremely warm. I could feel the hot air, like a
blast from the furnace, upon my face. W ho was
paying my keep?the physicians charges? I
had paid only one weeks lodging, months ago.
By association of ideas, I could recall numerous
expenditures in my behalf. I ran my hand over
my shirt and trousers. They were not the ones
I had when I entered this home. For weeks I
had eaten at someones expense. W hat was the
reason of this? W as I a curiosity, a guinea pig
being fattened and preserved for continuous ob
servation? Perhaps for some kind of moral ex
ample? Then perhaps I was the product of some
asinine charity, by which individuals submerge

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

their real indifference in ostentatious gestures to

convention. I would not tolerate this. I would
leave at once. I arose; I stepped forward; my foot
slipped from the walk, wrenching it. The pain
brought me to my senses. I was helpless. I sneered
at my own desire to want to be off, to go some
place. I could not even be certain that I could
safely travel this little garden walk.
I sat down heavily, resolved to ask herthe
womanthe questions foremost in my mind. M y
mind was a congeries of ideas. W hat would I
say? W hat could I do to repay, to no longer
be dependent? She came at last with a glass of
cool cider. She made some passing remark about
the temperature. I was silent. I had not even
my customary cynical remarks to make. I began
to speak with a control, with a resonance to my
voice that was foreign to me. I am indebted, I
said, to someone for the expenses of my living
here all of this time, and for the physicians care.
A struggle was going on within me. I did not
want to be compassionate. I wanted to dictate,
to demand explanations, to vaunt defiance and
arrogance. Something restrained this. My de'
meanor did not truly display my feelings, and I
spoke in an even tone. I have met the expenses,
she said. They are trivial. I have my husbands
pension. He passed on some time ago. Her voice
was soft, but vibrant. She continued, T easily
raise most of my fruits and vegetables here in the
garden with little outside help. You have been
company to me. I love to serve, to help some
others. I feel burdened if I cannot. Life has been
good to me. There are so many things, perhaps
you might call them insignificant, which have af'
forded me little moments of happiness. If I let
them accumulate one after another, I seem heavily
laden. I feel ill at ease, unless I can pass them
on. It seems to me that these things, she went
on, the little joys of living, come to me through
the inner channel of my nature. If I do not
distribute them, the way will become clogged,
and I will shut off from myself the source.
Strange as it is, she continued, in the same
tone of voice, but like a little stream, the more
it is dredged, the more it flows, and so it has
been with the bounties I have enjoyed. I must
keep passing them on. Doing something for some'
one. O f course, I have had my disappointments.
I have known great sorrow. The loss of Jim,
my husband, was one. She faltered as she spoke.
I could imagine her lips quivering. It seemed
unreal, but by listening to her words, by getting
outside of my usual self, and allowing my senti'
ments and intuitions to go unchecked, I could
see I could see, but within me. Eyes within
were opened. I could see the flowers, only the
scent of which had come to me objectively pre'
viously. I knew the garden. I could see the

Page 141

walk, the chairs, the roadway along which people

passed* Inwardly I could see these things. More'
over, I could understand and feel the things I
sawall inwardly. There was a lasting realism
about them.
She must have stopped speaking for a moment.
Perhaps my feelings had revealed themselves in
my facial expressions. A t last she continued, in
a steady voice: The little sufferings, pains of
body, and of mind they, too, have been neces'
sary. They have been needed contrasts. How
welcome they made each comforting act or word.
How much I looked forward to the peaks, only
because at times I dwelt in the hollows. Life, I
have found, and I \now , is a series of cycles.
It is the low that makes the high possible. W e
can never know life until we experience it, and
sameness is not experience. If we were just con'
scious of one thing, of one series of happenings,
or one quality of them, we would not truly be
conscious of anything. It is variation and change
which makes realization possible, I bit my lips
to hold back tears, as I listened to her. I must
have been very ill these past months to give vent
to such an emotion.
I spoke: I have avoided people. People with
thoughts like yours, I stammered. I have been
of the opinion that there was but one philosophy
of life that was a real one, and that I knew it,
and I associated only with those who seemed to
bear out my convictions and conceptions. There
are so many views, I went on; they cannot all be
right. People are so different, so full of right
and of wrong conduct. I have come to despise
humanity, I said, half apologetically.
She had not interrupted me, but now she
spoke: A tree, she said, completely covered
with foliage is a beautiful thing. Looking closely
at its leaves, no two appear alike. W e are not
certain just which leaf is the perfect one, if we
examine them. W e, as mortals, arbitrarily es'
tablish a perfection of our liking for nature.
Some leaves even may seem to be quite imperfect
to us in coloring or in formation. Each has its
little, shall we say, personality. If they were all
the same, the tree would appear ugly in its uni'
formity, a solid blotch of color. There is, how'
ever, a pleasing relief when all of the leaves are
blended together. This understanding comes about
through two things. First, having the greater per'
spective of the tree as a whole; next, being able
to examine each of its parts, and realizing how
they contribute to the whole, and that imperfec'
tions are not actually such, but very necessary
parts of a unity. Perhaps, she said, slowly and
softly, obviously trying not to offend me, you
have not so taken men, and further, perhaps you
have not looked upon the whole. All things are
expressions of the Divine, and lie within the

Page 142

power of the human to discern. Nothing is apart

from it. Mens eyes can look upon men and the
particulars of their world, but mens souls and
their inner consciousness can alone look upon
the great Cosmic and obtain the needed Divine
perspective.
I jumped to my feet. My God! I gasped.
W here do you learn these things? They remind
me Remind you of what? she said plaintive
ly. I did not answer her. You would like to
know the source of my information? she queried.
I nodded my head, which was bowed, in the
affirmative. Tonight, she said, I will reveal it
to you.
The hours passed too slowly. I had had dinner
some time before. Finally there came a knock
at my door. It is nearly eight, the woman said.
Come, let me help you. She led me downstairs.
I knew the room. I had been there several times
before. It was the parlor. Occasionally she met
with friends there, and entertained them with the
radio. I was seated. She crossed the room, as I
knew from her footsteps. She switched on the
radio, and the announcer made his usual remarks.
I paid them no particular attention. I was too
excited. I was waiting for her to reveal this
strange source of her knowledge. W e now bring
you, the announcer began, another in the series
of the quarter-hour programs of the Rosicrucians.
I was electrified. The word Rosicrucian, I loud
ly exclaimed, I hear it again after all these years.
She switched off the program abruptly. A re you
ill? she asked excitedly. No, I replied, that
word Rosicrucianis it the Rosicrucian Brother
hood? I know of them, I gasped. You do? she
said inquiringly, and then answered my question.
It is the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. It is the source
of my knowledge. I am a member. My knees
were weak. I trembled all over. W ould you like
to know more of them? she asked. Yes, yes, I
replied. Tomorrow. Now I am tired. Please
assist me to my room. She did, and then left.
I stood at the foot of my bed, my arms at
my sides, my hands clenched, my head thrown
back. I cried silently to myself. As I cried I
seemed to purge myself. I felt lighter, lighter in
spirit, and in body. The room was disappearing;
I was now in a haze. I had even left the room
and seemed to have transcended, or been pro
jected above it into space. I sensed I had reached
tremendous height, and then, once again the circle
formed. I was face to face, not with a figure or
a form, but with the consciousness of self. There
was I, not a human, not a being, but a soul
within the circle of a greater consciousness. There
flowed through me like an energy, an intelligence,
an omniscience, my every question answered. It
wasnt that I asked questions, but I seemed to
understand all things. Nothing was vague. Then

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the voice againthe voice of the monk. I could

not mistake it. It said: Through this conscious
ness of the Cosmic have you found self, and
though your eyes are closed to the world, your
mind is opened to the realities and to the beauty
and to the law of the Divine Plan. You now
know the way. Again you have heard the word.
Turn not back upon it this time, or never in this
life will you have another opportunity to for
sake it.
Needless for me to say I now know Peace
Profound. I have relegated the elements of my
being and my nature, and the things of life to
a comprehensible order, in which no confusion
can exist. I earn a simple living through my early
mastery of insect life. However, I do not glorify,
as once I did, the lack of conscience of these
little living things, but rather their conformity to
the law of their being, the functions of their na
ture, necessary unto them in the great scale. I
see them as just one principle; man as another,
and neither to be measured by the other. I am
not sightless, for my vision is far greater. It is
true I cannot see the things of the world, but
faculties have been awakened which make life a
far greater treasure than when I looked out upon
it with eyes of the flesh. Am I a Rosicrucian?
Does a thirsty man refuse drin\ ?
Hs $ sfc * sfc
Fratres and sorores, this ends the tale. It is
not composed entirely of one individuals life.
It is really the mystical adventures of several lives
incidents taken from many true stories brought
to my attention. The details, the words, yes, even
some of the places, are my construction and
choice. I offer an apology for utilizing space in
the RO SIC RU CIA N FORUM, in this manner,
but occasionally there is a time for an event, or
to accomplish a purpose, and I believe that this
tale is best told in this manner at this time. W e
will not resort to this method again, or deviate
from the past or usual style of the ROSICRU
CIA N FORUM for some timeif ever.
Fraternally yours,
R a lph M. L ew is ,

Imperator.

Visualization and Self-Help

A very interesting problem has been brought
to the attention of our forum this morning and
I would like to read to you a few lines from our
Sorors letter and then we can discuss the impor
tant points in an effort to solve the problem. Our
Soror writes: It was with the purpose of creat
ing happiness within the home circle, and to be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of benefit to others, that I joined the Order. Now

I have been studying with you for several weeks
and Fm not getting very far. M y family con
sists of my husband, grown son, 23, and daugh
ter, 22. The boy has a fine personality. The
father and daughter have difficulty making
friends; at least, they are always looking for
something better and never finding it. Daughter
does have girl friends and they all have boy
friends and she doesnt; consequently, loses out
on many a joyous time and gets bored and blue,
weeps on my shoulder, goes into hysterics time
and again, and really things just seem to break
wrong for her. The question arises in my mind
whether the Rosicrucians can help me solve this
perplexing question, whether I should take the
matter to a psychologist, or to someone else who
can really give me some sound advice, if it is
not too late.
In considering the problem of our dear Soror,
let us remember one important fact: It is the re
sults that count, regardless of the method used to
bring about these results. This mother is deeply
concerned for the welfare of her daughter. The
young ladys unhappiness is her mothers unhap
piness, this being a perfectly natural reaction.
Now you know that we cannot advise this mother
with any positive assurance simply because we
do not know her daughter personally. W e have
had no opportunity of observing her and noting
her actions and reactions among her friends and
the members of her family. A ny discussion that
we may enter into here in our forum will at best
be pure speculation. It is possible, however, that
this young lady suffers the burden of self-con
sciousness, is ill at ease among others, and perhaps
even has what is popularly referred to as an in
feriority complex. H er mother practically admits
this by her suggestion that she take the young
lady to a psychologist for examination.
This young ladys mother is striving desperately
to find a solution to her daughters unhappy life,
and as in so many similar cases, she is seeking
the answer outside of the young lady herself.
The mother has even gone so far as to blame her
self for the girls mental state. The mother has
recently attempted to call upon the Cosmic for
help in visualizing her daughter happy and go
ing out with friends, but the daughter failed to
respond to the mothers effort. In the first place,
you here in the forum know that one of the first
requisites of seeking Cosmic aid is adherence to
the law, God helps those who help themselves ;
therefore, it is necessary to use every objective
power at our command to bring about that which
we desire and need for the fulfillment of our
happiness. It is not enough simply to visualize
or concentrate upon a thing and continue to sit
dormant awaiting its occurrence. For instance,

Page 143

you can sit in concentration for days on end

visualizing yourself as a great violinist, but unless
you get yourself a violin, take lessons, and prac
tice, your desire will never be fulfilled.
The purpose of concentrating on and visualiZ'
ing a wish or a desire is to suggest actionmental
and physical effort in fulfilling the desire. Our
dear Sorors desire offers the same problem inso
far as directing Cosmic help to her daughter is
concerned. H er efforts will meet with failure if
her daughter chooses not to make friends or go
where she will meet nice people who will like her
and enjoy her company. A nd this brings us to an
important point that must be considered. The
young lady, like everyone in this life, must work
out her own solution. N o one actually can settle
her problem for her. Another can make sugges
tions, but cannot carry them out for her.
This girls mother visualized her happy and
contented, but the girl failed to respond because
nothing in her life had changed that would make
her contented and happy. The mother should
continue her efforts and not be discouraged be
cause of apparent failure. A fter all, it requires
unusual effort and an undying faith in the Cos
mic to succeed in an undertaking of this kind. It
must be remembered that the girl has a brain and
mind of her own that she uses according to her
own desires and will. She is not a puppet on the
end of a string that will react at the will and de
sire of another. She may even turn a deaf ear to
the inner whisperings of the still, small voice
within. The concentrations of her mother or
anyone else will not cause response unless the girl
herself wills it so.
Believing that this young lady has a real prob
lem in life that must be worked out by herself,
it seems appropriate to advise that she take stock
of herself and note her abilities and her own
shortcomings. She should be perfectly truthful
with herself in recognizing any personal faults
that may be causing her unpopularity, and then
make a sincere effort to overcome these faults.
If it is jealousy and enmity that is in her heart,
or a tendency to blame her troubles upon others,
this surely will show in her character and person
ality. If the young lady is suffering from an in
feriority complex and selfconsciousness, she must
overcome it not by running away from it, but by
facing it. She should affiliate with clubs and
groups of young people, social as well as business
clubs. If there are art groups in her city, she
should seek them out and associate with the mem
bers. This young lady has studied art and even
now is working in commercial art. This, then
seems to be what she is especially interested in.
Courses in art appreciation will place her in con
tact with those of like interests and such associa

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 144

tions will help her to forget herself and act in a

more natural, pleasing manner.
One of the most efficient and rapid methods of
overcoming self'consciousness and an inferiority
complex is the study of dramatics, or perhaps
public speaking. If the young lady under discus'
sion could arrange to join a dramatics class or
society and there receive instruction in this great
art, we are sure it would prove of great benefit
to her. There she would attain poise and social
finesse. She would strengthen her character and
personality. It would then be easy for her to
make friends and become popular in her social
activities.
Throughout the Rosicrucian teachings we state
that Man is Master of his destiny ; he is not
pushed hither and yon by an unseen power or at
the will and command of a Svengali. W e make
our happiness by our acts and especially by our
thoughts. It would seem that the case under dis'
cussion here is a perfect example of this truth.
Here we have a saddened mother and an even
more saddened daughter, both of whom are seek'
ing to answer a problem from the outside when
actually the answer or solution lies within the
heart and mind of the daughter. If she could only
be made to realize this she could take immediate
steps to overcome the condition that brings about
her sadness. The mother can help her through
suggestion, both mental and by word of mouth,
but she, too, must recognize that the fault is with'
in the daughter and not elsewhere. She must also
realize that the solution to the problem is entirely
up to her daughter. It cannot be solved by an'
other except by suggestion, and then only if the
suggestion is acted upon by the daughter.

T he T hird Eye
W e have with us in our FORUM CIRCLE
today a soror from Massachusetts. Her request
is brief. She says: I want to ask if you would
explain more about the subject of the Third Eye.
This topic is rather extensively presented in one
of our higher Temple degrees; however, there is
more information which can be added. The
reason why some of the following was not in'
eluded in the monographs is because it was not
essential to an understanding and use of the
Rosicrucian teachings. The subject falls under
three divisions. First, traditionthe stories and
legends which refer to a Third Eye, or a super'
sight of man. Second, the anatomical and physio'
logical possibilities of the existence of such an
organ. Third, the function or purpose of the
organ.
W e shall proceed with our explanation in this
order. O f all of our sense perceptions or objec'
tive faculties, sight seems to be the most dominant

and important to us. This is particularly so in

the number of qualities which sight assigns to
objects. Sight and touch alone of the five facul'
ties convey the idea of dimension. Sight, of
course, has its forms, or the shapes and propor'
tions it confers upon things. Touch also has its
qualities, such as hard, soft, cold, hot, et cetera.
However, sight makes possible, at the same time,
through suggestion and association of ideas, the
varied other qualities of our objective senses, w ith'
out bringing them to bear. For example, if we see
a beautiful flower at some distance from us, we
not only perceive its form and coloring, but
by suggestion we recall other beautiful flowers,
the fragrance of which we have experienced. W e
then think of this particular flower as pleasant
smelling as well. If we look upon an ingeniously
made wax apple, without knowing it is a model,
we not only see its form and its coloring, but
the sight sensations recall memory experiences of
the sweet taste of a similar real apple. Sight,
therefore, gives the objects we perceive, directly
and indirectly, more qualities than do the sensa'
tions coming to us through the medium of our
other senses.
Likewise, we know that in the human certain
of our basic instincts are more easily aroused
through sight than through any of our other
peripheral faculties. On the other hand, a dog
will not rely upon his sense of sight to determine
whether an individual is a friend or foe, but will
resort to his sense of smell, especially if there is
something visually unfamiliar in the persons ap'
pearance. Since human emotions are aroused
more easily through sight, the ancients considered
the sight organs, or eyes, as direct channels to the
soul, because the soul was thought to be the seat
of the emotions. In fact, Democritus declared, in
his doctrine of images, that our visual perceptions
were caused by external objects casting off images
or shells of themselves, which entered organs ar'
ranged to accommodate them. These images,
Democritus contended, after entering the eyes,
caused the soul to become shaken, and in con'
sequence man had the sensations or sense ex'
periences. W ith little modification, this doctrine
of images lasted until the time of Locke. The
eyes were thought to be windows of the soul, as
Leonardo da Vinci said in his now classical ex'
pression. They were not only considered by the
ancients to be orifices to admit external objects
or influences, but permitted the exit of forces or
strange powers from the soul. This appeared a
verisimilitude, because the eyes, in their expres'
sions, do reveal intense human emotions, no mat'
ter how immobile the facial muscles, or otherwise
motionless is the body.
In antiquity, centuries before the doctrines of
Mesmer, or telesthesia, or mental telepathy were

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

known, it was held that thoughts which engend

ered intense feeling or emotion created an ether
eal, invisible substance, which was transmitted
from the mortal. Thus certain sentiments and
passions were said to be projected through the
eyes. Outstanding among these transmitted pas
sions was hatred. There is still the common
phrase: If looks could kill, implying that the
glance was malevolent. This phrase was not a
simile to the ancient Egyptians, nor is it even
today to superstitious peoples of the Oriental
lands. The eyes of a hateful or evil man were
conceived to be destructive to all who came within
their range of vision. To have such eyes look
upon you was to become accursed with ill fortune.
A fter death, these evil eyes separated them
selves from the body, it was believed, and con
tinued to exist. The superstitious were in con
stant terror that the evil eye might look upon
them. In accordance with theurgical or magical
practices of the time, amulets and fetishes, thought
to contain supernatural properties, were worn or
carried about to ward off the evil eye. Even
a color was selected to provide an immunity. In
many of the Islamic countries, the traveler will
see today upon the outer surface of the tents of
the nomads, or painted upon roof tops, stripes
of a particular shade of blue. This color is the
guardian against the evil eye. Camels of the
caravans have beads of the color suspended from
their necks, to protect them and their burdens
from the dire effects of a chance glance from
the evil eye.
All of the influences of the eye were not ne
farious, however, for the eye could be an instru
ment of good, a constructive factor as well. Es
pecially the eyes of the gods or of the wise ones.
The Egyptian god Horus, of the early Egyptian
religions, according to their mythology, was the
son of Isis and Osiris. He had eyes which radi
ated a tremendous power, it is related. The right
one was especially efficacious. So respected and
awesome became this right eye of Horus, that it
finally was separated from the figure of the god,
and apotheosized, that is, it became worshipped
itself, not as a god, but as a symbol of the om
niscience and omnipresence of God. The AllSeeing Eye, as we term it, is therefore one of
the oldest symbols of man, still in constant use
and with a meaning that has remained almost
continuous for centuries. It is even included in
the theological symbolism of some of the presentday Christian sects. To Rosicrucians, and to mys
tics, it means the ever-pervading consciousness, the
all-embracing and encompassing Divine sight of
God, outside of which nothing exists, and from
which nothing is concealed.
Concomitant with these powers attributed to
the eye, were the tales and legends of uni-eye

Page 145

and multi-eye beings that were said to have once

roamed the earth. Most of us are familiar with
the Greek Mythological characters, the Cyclopes.
According to ancient Greek cosmology, Eros, the
spirit of love, brought together pairs of many
things, when the world was formed. Two of
these brought together were Uranus (heaven) and
Gaea (earth.) They in turn peopled the earth
with hosts of beings. Some of these were Titans,
and Cyclopes. Cyclopes were three in number
Brontes, with his thunder; Steropes, with his
lightning; and Arges, with his stream of light.
They were reported as having one eye, placed at
a juncture between the nose and brow. It was,
however, a large, flashing eye, as became beings
who were personifications of the storm cloud,
with its flashes of destructive lightning, and peals
of thunder. Early paintings depict a beam of
light emanating from this sole eye. This revealed
that this eye not only could perceive, but was
able to radiate a power. The tales of the Third
Eye are related as well to the ancient Lemurians.
W e are told that this Third Eye was a big knob
like protrusion, just above the bridge of the nose,
by which the individual was capable of discerning
the existence of things not visible to the other two
eyes.
The term, eye, would thus not really apply, if
such an organ as described immediately above
existed, for though the organ would have the
power of perception, it would not be sight as we
ordinarily understand the word. For example,
suppose the faculty of imagination were confined
in an organ about the size of a small hens egg,
and protruded from the center of the forehead.
By means of it we would have the mental pictures
or imagings associated with the imagination. It
would be quite understandable how, through con'
fusion this organ could be identified as an eye,
and yet in the physiological sense it would not be.
That such a third organ as an actual eye, or an
extra perceptive faculty existed, there is much
evidence.
Let us digress for a moment to consider primi
tive eyes, or the eyes of simple animals or organ
isms. Under the term, eyes, we include those
organs, or in the simplest cases, those sensory
cells, which are especially adapted for the per'
ception of light. Nevertheless, sensitiveness to
light can frequently be established for animals
in which eyes are not demonstrable. In such in
stances, we must assume that the entire surface of
the skin is either sensitive to light, or that single
sensory cells which are very inconspicuous in
their structure, and are bearers of the sense of
light perception, are scattered in the skin. There
are also what are called eye spots, which exist
in many species, and are perhaps the simplest
form of eye. These eye spots are really photo

Page 146

sensitive cells. N ature places them in a pit-like

depression, thus forming an eye cup (optic cup)
for them. These simple eyes are perhaps already
prepared for perception of direction. By that, we
mean they are able to direct the organism of
which they are a part to the light. Medusae,
star fish, and some annelid worms have these
eye cups, the little depressions in which the sensi
tive cells are located. In other species of living
things, which have more complex organs of sight,
there are still vestiges of these early eye cups,
or little pit-like depressions to be found. The
photo-sensitive cells which once occupied them
have been discarded by nature, in the processes
of evolution. Man, too, then, in his physical
development, may have been given a special or
third \in d of eye at one time, which specially
served him, when his brain was not adequate to
protect him through reason. Since this other kind
of organ was commonly used, it may have pro
truded and could be as easily discerned as our
present ears and eyes. It does not mean, however,
that such an eye was sensitive to light or con
sisted of photo-sensitive cells. It was, we have
reason to believe, and to \now , sensitive to other
external and internal agencies, which affect man.
Have you ever thought why you have eyes
to see, you say. Yes, but why must you see? Only
because light makes possible to our consciousness
the existence of manifestations of nature essen
tial to our existence, whether they are to be ac
quired or avoided. There are, however, different
kinds of sight, which serve living things in vari
ous ways. Most lower animals enjoy what is
known as perception of movement only. They
do not recognize or have cognition of an object,
unless it moves. A thing which is motionless is
not perceived at all by some animals. A hare
will display no alarm in the presence of a hunts
man, if he remains still. If he moves, the hare
detects the motion and is off. There are insects
that have eyes so constructed as not to be affected,
except by the perception of motion. A light can
be switched on and off in their presence, ap
parently without their perceiving it. There are
other animals, those living principally under
ground, that are affected neither by forms nor
by movement. A variation of the intensity of the
light or shadows alone produces sensations within
them. Thus if the light is diminished or is partly
blocked out, their eyes detect it and they are
alarmed.
Visual perception of direction is possible with
most animals. They are able to follow in the
direction of their perception and are thus able to
avoid going around in circles. W e know the
principle of mans perception of direction. He
selects an object ahead, in the path of his visual
perception, makes toward it and when he has

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

reached that, selects another still farther. Most

lower animals do not follow objects, but paths
of light, particularly many insects. They keep
to the right or left of light, and travel parallel
with it. Some insects are positively phototactic,
they are drawn to the light. For example, a bee
will fly in a direct line to an open window. On
the other hand a cockroach is negatively phototac
tic. He will avoid light, travel away from it.
There exist in this universe many factors that
are important to our welfare, as physical being
and as being of a spiritual origin. W e have not
been left destitute by the Cosmic of a means
to utilize these factors. The endocrine glands
and psychic centers are some of the instruments,
in addition to our usual sense faculties, given
us as part of ourselves to direct and control those
forces necessary to our health, mentality, and
spiritual understanding. One of these is the
pineal gland. It is near the centers of the brain,
and on a line with the center of our forehead,
above the root of the nose. W hen we expand
it in ways which we are taught, we have physical
sensations of the expansion, sometimes a pulsation,
a little throbbing, and a feeling of warmth. These
sensations are often transferred to a region in the
front of our heads, or about between our eyes.
Before men actually knew, through the means
of surgery and later the X-Ray, the exact loca
tion of the pineal gland, they imagined that it was
in the anterior portion of the cortex, about the
center of the forehead. It is a very small organ,
about the size of a grain of wheat, and yet it is a
most vital one. It is, shall we say, a transformer
of the Cosmic Consciousness, of the intelligence
of the Cosmic, into rates of vibration, into an
energy which is discernible by our objective minds.
For further explanation, and as an analogy, we
may say it is like a little valve that at certain
times, depending upon our thinking and our
meditation, and because of certain psychic exer
cises we perform, opens and permits Cosmic in
spirations and Divine Wisdom to pass through
and become reduced to a means that the brain
can translate into comprehensible notions and
concepts. Again, we may say, it is like a radio
receiver that reduces high frequency electrical
radiations to sound waves to which our ears
respond and which can be conveyed to our brain
where we can interpret them. It is a bridge across
which the Divine Consciousness passes from the
Cosmic to the mortal mind of man.
This, then, is the Third Eye. It gives us vision
of the Cosmic, a perception of God, and an in
sight into those Divine realms, far removed from
the physical. It is the true eye of the soul. The
philosopher Descartes and the school which fol
lowed from his thoughts (the Cartesians) de
clared that the pineal gland was the seat of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

interaction between mind and body. Upon OC'

casion, it was declared, the soul through the pineal
gland affected the fine particles of the blood,
which in turn caused the mechanical motions or
physical actions of the body. X.

Cosmic Transference of T hought

A n interesting thought has been brought to
the attention of our forum this morning. It per*
tains to seeking Cosmic help through intuition and
also to the transfer of thoughts from the mind of
one to the mind of another, or as it is popularly
termed, mental telepathy. A statement in an early
monograph has brought forth the impression that
there are times when it is impossible for ones
inner self to penetrate the mental armor, so to
speak, of another person. This being true it
would also seem logical that at times all effort
to direct Cosmic assistance to another would
meet with failure.
In commenting upon this thought or idea, we
must go back to a very early monograph where
we find an interesting discussion of the duality
of man. O ur readers will recall the explanation
of man as a dual being, enjoying both body and
soul. In this lesson it was learned that man is
dual in every respect, even insofar as his mind
is concerned. The mind of man, though not
actually separated into two distinct parts, never'
theless, functions in duality. These dual func'
tions are termed objective and subjective, re'
spectively. Now the objective function pertains
to the outer man and the world outside of him'
self. This objective consciousness has for its sense
impressions the five objective senses, seeing, hear'
ing, tasting, smelling, and feeling. M ans knowl'
edge of the world about him comes from these
five objective senses or the sense organs. Now
what happens to the impressions received through
these organs? A re they lost to man after once
having had an experience? N ot at all; an idea
of the condition experienced registered within
mans consciousness and remains a part of the
storehouse of memory. This memory is in many
respects connected with the subjective functions
of the mind of man. It serves, in fact, both the
objective and the subjective consciousnesses. This
subjective consciousness in turn is of the Divine
mind of man. It is not necessarily the soul of
man, but rather an attribute of it.
You will recall the explanation of the soul of
man given to you in an early lesson. It states that
man is a material body imbued with a great force
called soul. These souls of men are not individual
souls but rather one great soul essence that is
universal and absolutely the same in all men. It
is because of this soul force that mental attune'
ment is possible between the minds of humans.

Page 147

Now let us see what happens when we wish

to contact another with a thought or idea. First
we have the thought in the objective conscious'
ness and we dwell upon it, analyze it, consider
its worth, and decide to send it on to our friend
or to the individual we wish to impress. To do
this two things are necessary: First, a clear'cut,
concise picture of the idea or thought; second, a
clear, definite mental picture of the friend or re'
ceiver of the message. W e then go about the
business of concentrating on these matters; that
is, the idea and the receiver. This action is purely
objective and may be referred to as the positive
action or positive concentration. W hen our ob'
jective mental picture is complete in every respect,
we then release it into the Cosmic by forgetting
it. This does not necessarily mean sending it
forth anywhere outside of ourselves like unto
throwing a ball with all of our strength out into
the distance in the general direction of our re'
ceivers home or place of residence. Rather it
means placing the thought or the idea into a
pigeonhole in the storehouse of memory, the
subjective mind. From there it can be recalled
again by the objective consciousness if desired
or should necessity require it.
W e must remember, however, that this store'
house of memory or subjective mind is of the
soul. Therefore, actually the thought, idea, or
impression has also been placed into the hands
of the Divine mind of which the soul is, with
instructions to impress it upon the mind of our
friend. Since all souls are of the one universal
soul, the friends soul is also our soul. O ur Divine
knowledge, consequently, is also his Divine knowl'
edge. It is now only necessary for him to be in
a mood or state of mind to receive the thought or
message. This means the extent to which he is
attuned to this inner self, this Divine mind. If he
is in a passive, meditative mood or perhaps work'
ing at some familiar task requiring no thought,
but rather automatic action of the hands and feet,
automatic through habitual functions, the mes'
sage directed to him may easily penetrate the
veil and register upon his objective consciousness.
On the other hand, if he is mentally engaged in
deep study or working at anything requiring care'
ful concentration of the objective functions of the
mind, then the message, the idea, or thought may
make no impression upon him whatsoever. Even
so the thought or the idea may come to him at a
later date, perhaps even in the dream state when
his objective faculties are at rest.
Now in order for the transfer from our objec'
tive to our subjective or Divine mind to take
place, the thought must be released from the
objective to the subjective and this takes place
when we dismiss the thought or put it out of the
objective mind. W e cannot help doing this, for

Page 148

even though we may hold a thought throughout

an entire day even into the late hours of the
night, we eventually must go to sleep and then,
if not before, we turn the thought over to the
subjective or Divine mind. You can thus realize
that it is not possible involuntarily to withhold
knowledge, thoughts, or ideas and prevent others
from receiving our creative subjective impressions
which they need to cope with problems that arise
during the course of everyday affairs. It is, how
ever, necessary that a personality be associated
with such ideas, if they are to ultimately be re
ceived by the person who needs them.
This discussion of the workings of the Divine
or subjective consciousness might at first lead to
the belief that all thoughts regardless of their
nature may be transferred in this manner, but
this leaves an opening for the projection of nega
tive, destructive influences. W e must remember
that this great force or energy that is the universal
soul force is purely positive in its nature; in fact,
it is the positive element of that tremendous source
of all energy known so well to members of the
Rosicrucian Order in the higher degrees. Being
only a positive force it is the medium for positive,
constructive thoughts only. All thoughts of the
negative classification will remain within the heart
and mind of the one conceiving them and right
there do their work of evil and destruction. This
is why we are told early in our studies to clean
house, as it were, and adjust our attitude toward
life, seeking and dwelling upon only that which
is classified as good, constructive, or in other
words, Divine.
One of the mistakes that is most commonly
made in petitioning Cosmic assistance is to seek
outside of oneself. It is the false method of try
ing to project the consciousness out into space,
to contact some source of assistance, either a
condition or thing, which usually is very vague
in the mind of the average person. The real
source of assistance lies within the being of each
of us. Instead of seeking attunement with some
place or condition, we should turn our thoughts
within, for it is here that we will make contact
with the great source of knowledge and under
standing.
Remember, we are given many exercises and
experiments in our teachings simply to develop
those faculties necessary for attunement with the
great Divine consciousness. W hen adept in this
art of attunement it is possible to enjoy at all
times that condition called psychic illumination.
The Cosmic is always with you, ready to help
you with your trials and problems so long as you
are constructive in your desires and altruistic in
your motives, not necessarily one hundred per
cent so, but at least fifty per cent unselfish.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Religion and Fraternalism

For some reason or other the question still oc
casionally arises as to what constitutes the differ
ence between a religious and a non-religious or
ganization. Some individuals seem to believe that
the Rosicrucians are a religious organization, re
gardless of what they say and do to the contrary.
Even some members just affiliated with the organ
ization, in receiving the instructions regarding
ritual and other procedures of study, are con
fused in their minds as to why we can state the
fact that the organization is strictly not a reli
gious sect.' In order to discuss this subject thor
oughly, it is necessary for us to analyze some con
ceptions of religion. In the first place, what con
stitutes religion? In the second place, do some of
the procedures and practices ordinarily associated
with religion make any other organization that
may use some of these procedures also a religious
institution? W e will discuss these two points one
after the other.
A dictionary definition of religion is rather in
adequate. The reason for this is that one cannot
put into words an inner experience. Religion is
based upon mans acknowledgement of a force
greater than himself. This acknowledgment may
be due to fear on his part, or it may be due to his
desire to supplicate help and direction from a
power which he believes to be in a better position
to direct him than he is to direct himself. In this
wide sense of the word, religion is the response of
any living thing to anything outside its own
limited physical environment. In other words,
when an aborigine, by merely relaxing and con
sidering some of the things he sees about him,
wonders what lies back of their manifestation
for example, when he wonders what causes the
stars to exist, the wind to blow, or thoughts to
pass through his mindin a very elementary
sense he is engaging in religious speculation; he
is paying tribute to a higher force. As I have
pointed out, he is considering forces and the
cause, which does not appear self-evident as phys
ical phenomena in the force or manifestation of
the force itself. In this sense every individual is
religious. W hatever may be our belief regarding
any of the actions of our lives, we make those be
liefs our religion, whether we acknowledge it as
such or not. These beliefs may not always be con
structive, but they are the purposes by which we
live, and in that sense they constitute our religion.
In such a broad interpretation as this every in
dividual is religious, but the word religion is
usually not extended to such a broad interpretation.
Let us consider the term religion in connec
tion with its usual accepted meaning. In the
world today this term is considered as applied to
ones belief in God and the practices which are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

customary in his life to acknowledge that belief.

Man has affiliated himself with traditional systems
which have grown up in order to carry out this
purpose. The religion may be based upon premises of various natures, the most common being
divided into monotheism, polytheism and pantheism. Monotheism is probably the most universal,
and its fundamental doctrine is based upon the
principle of there being only one God. Polythe
ism, on the other hand, is based upon the principle
of many Gods, each having certain jurisdiction
over the affairs of man. Either a polytheistic or
monotheistic principle may be expressed in pan
theism, which believes that God exists in all
things, and the very existence of life and matter
is considered a manifestation of God. In some
cases pantheism omits the belief in the personality
of the Supreme Being.
The worlds religions of today have been estab
lished upon these various principles or methods,
with modifications and overlapping of each. In
the W estern W orld we are possibly more familiar
with Christianity than with any other religion.
However, most of us are familiar with Buddhism,
Islam, Confucianism and other religions to a cer
tain extent. W ithin each religion there are cer
tain interpretations, and these interpretations tend
to divide religion into those who follow one inter
pretation or another. These are commonly dis
tinguished in Christianity as denominations, each
denomination basing its particular existence upon
its own interpretation of the teachings of Christ
and certain sacred writings. The theology and
doctrine of each denomination tends to explain
that particular conception of the fundamental
teachings, as we have them today. Now, when
one practices religion in the accepted sense of the
word, he does so in accordance with the inter
pretations that these various denominations place
upon the means of acquiring the aim of the re
ligion itself; that is, a contact or attunement with
our Creator. Some religious denominations believe
that this is only possible through elaborate pro
cesses. Others go to the other extreme and state
that contact with God must be on the very
simplest of planes; merely a relaxation and con
sideration of God himself.
Now, we come to the second point of our dis
cussion. W e have acknowledged that there are
certain procedures ordinarily associated with re
ligious doctrine and practice. For example, ritual
ism in its broadest aspect is practiced by every
religion. The means which a religion has adopted
and which its adherents should follow to gain the
benefits of that religion is ritual, whether it be
lighting a candle, going through certain move
ments, or merely sitting down and doing nothing.
It is still ritual, and without ritual any religious
comprehension would be impossible. One must do

Page 149

something in order to gain something else, and

whatever is done is ritual. This is not only ap
plicable to religion. W hen one picks up a fork
at the table to eat a certain piece of food, that is
ritual, because it is a means of accomplishing an
end. That is the accepted ritual today. If we eat
it with our fingers it is still ritual, but it is hardly
accepted in most social spheres of our present-day
activities.
Therefore, we see that the means of reaching
an end is not the end in itself. All fraternal or
ganizations, many societies and other groups prac
tice various forms of ritual. Most leading frater
nal organizations demand a statement of belief in
the existence of a Supreme Being, just as do the
Rosicrucians before one can affiliate with their
activities. Because the Rosicrucians, the Masons,
the Odd Fellows, the Elks, and other fraternal
organizations I could name, require that those
who seek affiliation declare their belief in a Su
preme Being and require that their affiliated
members be initiated by a certain ritual, certainly
does not make any of these organizations a re
ligion. They all teach high ideals and principles
which help man in better understanding his God
and his fellow human beings. To the best of my
knowledge, each of these organizations encourages
its members to affiliate with a religion and to sup
port such activities. The Rosicrucian Order par
ticularly does advise its members to affiliate or
maintain their membership in a church or religion
of their choice, which is a fact that indicates in
itself that the organization is non-religious in the
sense that it is perpetuating a particular religious
doctrine or organizing itself in competition to
existing denominations or creeds.
Furthermore, if prayer is an indication of re
ligion then any form of supplication makes a reli
gion of the process. To the best of my knowl
edge, there are prayers given daily in the Legis
lative Houses of the Congress of this country and
the respective states, but that does not change a
legislative body into a church. W hen man utters
a wish silently to himself, or silently thinks to
himself how fortunate or thankful he is for one
thing or another, he is praying, but that does not
necessarily make him a religious devotee to some
particular religious denomination. Meditation and
supplication are closely related to prayer and are
practiced by all who seek to understand more of
their Maker and of their place in life. The medi
tating of the Rosicrucian Neophyte in his sanc
tum and the performing of those experiments
which lead him to be able to unfold the psychic
faculties of his being are not substituting for a
religious affiliation which may also be an im
portant factor in directing him to a better under
standing of these forces with which he is seeking
attunement. Therefore, anyone who states that a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 150

fraternal organization is religious because it has

rituals, prayers, meditationand possibly periods
of thanksgiving in consideration of the benefits
that God bestows upon humanityis merely not
considering a broad interpretation of the terms
used, and attempting to become so involved in an
interpretation of terminology that he misses true
value where value actually exists.
The Rosicrucians pride themselves on the fact
that they are disseminating and teaching a phi'
losophy of life for humanity, regardless of what
the fundamental religious beliefs may be of each
individual who composes the membership of the
Rosicrucian Order. The institutions, such as the
churches, which uphold religion today need the
support of those who believe in the purposes to'
ward which they are working. W hile this organ'
ization will not dictate to its members what their
religious attitudes should be, it highly recom'
mends the support of some religious activity. The
ultimate decision as to what extent this support
should be given, how it should be given, or if at
all, rests entirely with the member. Religion, as
inferred in these comments from time to time as
being an expression of the self to realize its true
relationship with God, is an individual matter
after all. Processes may widely vary, but anyone
who in true humility and acknowledgment of the
existence of a Supreme Power approaches that
God with the purpose of paying homage and ask'
ing guidance, whether it be by elaborate or simple
ritual, is truly practicing all that the word reli'
gion can possibly imply.A

Personal Interests
In a communication recently received from a
Soror, the question was raised, A re not all per'
sonal interests to a certain extent selfish? I pre'
sume the Soror meant to express the thought that
to pursue something to which we gave particular
attention, and from which we derived enjoyment
and benefit, would, to a certain extent, indicate
selfishness. Undoubtedly there are few persons
who do not have selfish interests. However, there
are degrees of selfishness, and probably moderate
selfishness is not a serious matter, particularly
where such selfishness does not hurt others. On
the other hand, many things in which we have a
personal interest and which may be dominating
factors in our lives have within them a means
of helping others. Certainly a person who devotes
his whole life to philanthropic ideals and activities
could not define that personal interest as an ex'
clusively selfish thing, since he would be helping
others. This is an extreme illustration, of course,
but it serves to show that personal interests may
affect others without injuring them.

This question comes at a time when we may

be called upon to sacrifice some things. Is the
sacrifice of our personal interests always benefi'
cial? In other words, if a person were called
upon, for example, to assist with an undertaking
or render help to those dependent upon him,
should he sacrifice his membership in this or'
ganization in order to give more material help?
W ould it be to the best advantage to sacrifice the
study of Rosicrucianism, or of anything else,
when it is contributing not only to his own well'
being but to the well'being of others? Take, for
instance, membership in this organization. Is it
a selfish thing? Perhaps this could best be an'
swered by each individual in consideration of his
motives in affiliating with the Order and main'
taining his membership. W e might ask ourselves
why we are Rosicrucians. The answers would
probably be as varied as our particular interests
and outlooks at the time the question was put to
us. But in addition to a desire for better under'
standing, and for the attainment of that for which
man is prepared to attain, I believe every consci'
entious Rosicrucian will also reveal that one
reason for continued membership in this organi'
zation is to equip himself better to live in the
world in which he exists. Now, if we are go'
ing to equip ourselves better to do this, it means
we are striving to get along better with other
people and to fit into the conditions that exist
outside ourselves. If we are going to try to live
in harmony w ith those about us and with ex'
ternal conditions, then our purpose is not selfish,
since in attempting to accomplish it we are also
contributing to their happiness.
Frankly, I do not believe a person is using
proper judgment if he sacrifices membership in
this organization in order to give more assistance
of a material nature to a cause that interests him.
It is true that we all have obligations in addition
to our membership in this organization. There
are causes and charities we want to support. But
this organization can teach us how to help with
those needs in other ways than by the giving
of material means. This brings us to the point
of considering those obligations every Rosicrucian
has of which he may not always be entirely con'
scious. One, at the present time, is to promote
peace by our thoughts. Every Cathedral of the
Soul period and every period of meditation which
we can observe should be devoted in part to the
directing of thoughts of peace. True, one indi'
vidual or one organization cannot change over
night the chaotic conditions that exist in this
world today, but to say that one individual can
do nothing is the same as denying that a few
cents saved each day will eventually lead to an
accumulation of money, which is the basic prin'
ciple of thrift.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Continued membership in this organization,

through continued study and experience, will
teach us how we can better direct thoughts of
peace and harmony. Possibly we have dear to us
a cause which needs our support. Do not think
you have fulfilled your duty as a Rosicrucian
when you have donated one dollar or one thousand dollars to that cause, unless you conscienti
ously and sincerely devote a few seconds of your
meditation each day to directing the healing forces
of the Cosmic and the constructive ideals you are
learning toward those who are in need. Here
lies an obligation on the part of every Rosicrucian,
not only to apply what he already knows to help
others, but conscientiously and consistently to
learn more in order to be able to extend his field
of service.
You can therefore conclude that those things
in which you have a vital interest, those things
that are classified as your personal interests, are
not selfish if they are for constructive purposes.
Good judgment and reason are necessary in de
ciding to what extent you will give, materially
or otherwise, to one or another of the causes
that interest you.A.

Regarding Minors
Recently a Soror who has been a member of
this organization for some time, and who has
contributed in many ways to its activities, raised
a question concerning why we reject the appli
cations of minors. This question was prompted
by the fact that her son at fourteen years of age
had submitted an application for membership
which was rejected due to his age. Since the re
cent institution of companion membership in its
broader form, many more applications have been
received from minors than in any equal period
of time in the organizations history in this juris
diction. It is quite convenient for a father and
son or mother and daughter to become companion
members, and undoubtedly this has resulted in the
increase. W e have tried to be very reasonable in
regard to such applications. The Constitution of
the Grand Lodge provides that membership is
open to men and women twenty-one years of
age or over who are sincere in their desire to
carry out the ideals of the Order and who are
of good moral h a b its .............and declare their
belief in God. However, it is further stated
that special dispensation can be granted to per'
sons under twenty-one years of age, and fre
quently such dispensation is granted.
O ur Membership Committee is instructed that
when an applicant is at least eighteen years of
age, is regularly employed, and his petition is in
every other way acceptable, his application will
be accepted, provided a signed statement of con'

Page 151

sent from his parents or legal guardian is ob'

tained. However, during the past few years
there has been a tendency on the part of the
organization to discourage the acceptance of ap'
plications of minors who are still in school. The
reason for this is that we wish to consider first
of all the welfare of the individual. High school
and college demand a great deal of timein fact,
the young person in attendance at either is de'
voting practically all his time to school matters,
either through actual study or the various social
activities and obligations that are a part of school
life. This is all very worthwhile to a young
person. In most cases the academic obligations
are enough to occupy the time of the student, but
the social and other extra'curricular activities are
an experience which comes only once in a life'
time, and the young person should have the op'
portunity of deriving from them all possible en'
joyment and benefit.
W e feel that what will be gained by a sincere
and capable person through his academic studies
will make him a better member when he eventu'
ally affiliates with the Order. W ere he to try to
carry on both his school studies and his Rosi'
crucian studies it would result in a compromise
and a sacrifice of the quality of work given one
or the other. Because of his immediate needs
and the pressure exerted upon him, his academic
studies would probably have first consideration,
which would mean giving up his membership in
this organization. Experience and statistics both
show that when a young person becomes a mem'
ber of the Order, then gives up his membership
after only a short time for such a reason, he
usually does not again affiliate. This is because
he has not gained an understanding of what the
organization has to offer. There is confusion in
his mind in attempting to judge whether he should
give time to this study or to other work, which
naturally tends to build up in his mind a wrong
attitude toward Rosicrucianism.
Also, the mind of a young person between
the ages of fourteen and twenty changes so fre'
quently that this factor must be taken into con'
sideration. W e must judge each applicant not
only in the light of his present interest, but in
the light of his possibilities as a good member
in the future.
W e realize that there are exceptions to the
above general rules. W e are reasonable and very
tolerant in our consideration of every application
received by us, whether it is from a minor or
not. Naturally, we make a broader application
of the rules in a case where there are other mem'
bers in the family of the young person petition'
ing for membership. But as a general rule we
advise parents to interest their younger children
in the work of the Junior Order, and, as they

Page 152

grow older, in the books and magazines of the

Order. W e would never advise tying a young
person down to a course of study which he has
neither the time nor the inclination to follow
carefully. Make every avenue of instruction lead
toward the point where, when he reaches the
proper age and other conditions are right, he
will of his own accord make the decision to be
come a Rosicrucian. In such a case the chances
are very favorable that he will continue to be
one all of his life.A.

Premonition of Transition
A very fine letter was recently received from
the wife of a Frater who had passed through
transition a short time ago. A t the time she
wrote she was not a member of the Order, al
though she expressed in her letter the desire to
submit her application in the near future, ex
plaining that she had not done so before not
because of lack of interest, but merely because
of the human trait of procrastination. This lady
stated that her husband had received a definite
premonition that he would pass through transition
soon, although he was apparently in reasonably
good health. They had discussed the matter
frankly, which had proven beneficial both from
a material and emotional standpoint, and she
stated that all fear was gone from the mind of
each, and when transition did occur, although
from the standpoint of the personal loss of a
loved one she felt as deeply as anyone else, there
was a sense of understanding and peace that
otherwise would not have been present. She
attributed these things to the fact that her hus
band had had this premonition that he would pass
through transition very soon, which proved to
be true in a matter of a few months.
There is no doubt but that many people have
had such a premonition, but whether or not it
has always been to the benefit of those concerned
is doubtful. This would depend a great deal on
the emotional stability of the individual, upon his
philosophy of life, and upon the understanding
with which transition is met. If every person
knew the hour of his transition it would probably
bring havoc into the world, rather than peace.
This is due to a distorted viewpoint as to what
transition is and to the fact that most individuals
are not in a position to face certain facts of
life.
Transition is only one illustration of the fact
that there are many persons who are not ready
to receive certain truths, and that is why any
constructive organization dedicated to a mystical
purpose will present its principles gradually and
see that such instruction is given as will allow the
individual to acquire in a normal manner the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

knowledge and wisdom he seeks. Therefore,

whether or not it is beneficial to have a premoni
tion of transition, as pointed out, depends en
tirely upon circumstances. Such a premonition
cannot be brought about voluntarily, for the indi
vidual who probably thinks he would most de
sire to know the hour of transition is probably
the one least capable of adjusting the conditions
of his thinking and living to that information
should it be received. I believe I am safe in
saying, therefore, that ninety-five per cent of such
premonitions are more imagination than pre
monition.
A premonition of any great change is of value
in proportion to the understanding of the indi
vidual in utilizing that knowledge. It should not
be the purpose of a Rosicrucian to devote the
wisdom and experience he has gained to the
acquisition of knowledge through the channels
of premonition, intuition or Cosmic contact for
which he is not yet ready. If, for example, a
premonition of transition is to come to you, it
will come and nothing you can do will cause
it to exist in your objective mind. This is what
leads many people to confuse imagination with
premonition. Intuition responds in accordance
with its use, it is true, but you cannot develop
the ability of intuition to its most perfect mani
festation by simply trying it out on foolish ques
tions, the answer to which you are either not
capable of coping with or not ready for. There
fore, direct your attention to understanding any
intuitive knowledge that may come to you in
voluntarily.
If man so lives that he is ready for transition,
he need not know when it is to come. Every
individual should make certain preparations for
transition, in both the material and immaterial
fields of his existence. Those who have depend
ents should provide for them as best they can.
This can usually be done through a suitable form
of life insurance. Any other arrangements, such
as the proper disposition of property, should be
made at a time when the individual is in good
health and able to think clearly as to what he
wishes done with such things. He should also
prepare himself through an understanding of his
purpose in life and attempt to carry out that
purpose whether life continues for a few minutes
or many years. W hen these things are done and
a resolve is maintained by an individual to live
as best he can in accordance with the dictates
of his conscience and understanding of life and
God, for the most of us the question of the
when and how of transition should be dis
missed entirely from mind for our own well
being. W hen, as in the case of the Frater referred
to. at the beginning of these comments, it seems
that the knowledge received did come for a bene

Page 153

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ficial and constructive purpose, we need have no

fear of the fact that it did come to us in such
a way that we can utilize the knowledge con"
structively. W e will not have to attempt to
bring about a premonition, for it will come to us
clearly and definitely without the shadow of a
doubt, and not needing, incidentally, the inter"
pretation of anyone else to clarify it in our
mind.A.

Office H ours at Rosicrucian Park

Reference has been made in this Forum in the
past to the disappointment some members have
experienced in visiting Rosicrucian Park outside
the regular office hours, but I wish every member
to read these comments carefully so that each
Frater and Soror will realize some of the things
we are doing here in order to cooperate with our
members. In turn, we are asking the members to
cooperate with us, for we might as well face one
fact which we have found members sometimes
do not take into consideration.
If a member from a thousand miles away ar
rives at Rosicrucian Park at three oclock Satur
day afternoon, for example, he will find all of
the buildings closed and no one available to see
him. Now, the member must realize that the
officers and employees here are human beings,
and like other human beings must eat and sleep
and have some hours of recreation, although in
the case of some officers these hours are very
limited. Furthermore, the member should realize
that there are certain activities carried on at
Rosicrucian Park in the maintenance of the physi
cal organization which are of a business nature.
Therefore, in accordance with the provisions of
the federal wage and hour act, which exists for
the regulation of those organizations, concerns
and institutions whose work extends beyond the
state in which they are situated, we have adopted
certain policies and procedures. Regular em'
ployees of this organization work forty hours a
week. Those who work over forty hours are
the two Supreme Grand Lodge officers, the three
Grand Lodge officers and five department heads,
who, because of their work in administering the
policies of the Supreme Grand Lodge in a particular department, are classified as executives
and therefore not limited to any certain number
of hours per week as far as working time is con"
cerned. Naturally, the officers and executives of
this organization are anxious to promote the or"
ganizations welfare regardless of actual hours
put in at the office.
General office hours are from eight"thirty in
the morning to five in the afternoon, Monday
through Friday, and from eight"thirty to eleven
on Saturday mornings. However, in addition,

the Museum is open from nine to one oclock on

Saturday, and from twelve to six Sunday after"
noons, and from seven-thirty oclock to nine
oclock Sunday evening. There is an attendant
present in the Museum who will direct visitors
through the Museum itself and who will also con"
duct members through the Supreme Tempe. I am
sure every member will agree this is allowing a
considerable number of hours, in addition to the
actual office hours, for visitors to enter the Mu"
seum. Furthermore, the Museum is open on the
afternoons of some holidays, although it is not
open on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years
Day. Also, beginning last year, none of the
buildings or offices is open on August 2, the date
set aside in memory of the late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis. The Planetarium is open
Sunday afternoon from two to five oclock, and
Sunday evening from seven"thirty to nine.
The Research Library is open during the usual
office hours and also until one oclock Saturday
afternoons, and from seven oclock to nine"thirty
each Monday and Wednesday evening. A n d
here is an important announcement: Until fur"
ther notice the library will be open from twelve
to five oclock on the afternoon of each holiday,
with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas
or New Years Day, for the benefit of those mem"
bers who cannot visit the library on any other
day. Therefore, if you are in or near San Jose
this year on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July,
Labor Day or Armistice Day, you will find the
Rosicrucian Research Library open from twelve
to five in the afternoon so that you may take ad"
vantage of its facilities.
W e hope the members will keep these hours
in mind and will realize that the Imperator, the
Supreme Secretary, the Grand Lodge officers and
executive heads cannot always be available for
interviews, even during the hours when the build"
ings are open. W e try to arrange interviews for
all members who wish them, but unless we know
some time in advance that a member desires an
interview it is not always possible to do this. If
you know you will be in San Jose at a certain
time, write or wire ahead for an interview, and
it will be arranged if it is at all possible, although
perhaps not always with the officer you have
designated. Frequently an officer is away from
the office on business or out of town. Bear all of
these things in mind, as well as that fact that in
order to serve you to the fullest extent of its
possibilities the Order must operate on a business"
like basis.A.

T he Power of T ru th
There has been a tendency upon the part of
many individuals in one way or another to ex"
press a distaste of existing world conditions. This

Page 154

is only natural, but it was expressed recently by

a Frater who said that certainly this period of
the worlds history is one of the most unfortunate
that has ever existed, and that possibly it would
have been better to have lived at another time.
In fact, this Frater raised a question of whether
or not in his present incarnation he had gone
back in certain requirements of experience, rather
than progressed. Should this be true, then every
person who lives must have gone backward instead of progressed, which is a false conclusion.
W e cannot all be in a less advanced state than
in a previous time. To be perfectly frank with
this Fraters viewpoint, he has arrived at his
conclusion due to a false perspective.
This statement may be contradicted, but the
fact is that conditions are not worse today than
they have been in other times of the past. I
speak in relative terms. All through m ans history
there has been hostility and bloodshed. Modern
forms of communication and transportation have
changed only the aspect and the extent. On the
other hand, man has also gained certain mechani
cal knowledge to counteract by the very means
used for destruction. One of the bloodiest wars
in history was the war within our own country
of the past century. People who lived then
lamented the conditions which existed and
thought the worst possible conditions that evei
prevailed had come about.
W e cannot solve our problems by considering
other times. The past is gone; the future lies
ahead. The present is here, and the present exists
in direct relationship to previous experience and
understanding. The gaining of certain knowledge,
we might say, changes the complexion of everything about us. W hen truth is brought home to
us, we cannot live in a form which was
erroneous; that is, truth changes conditions.
Knowledge of fact affects our behavior. A man
may believe he is in perfect health, and if informed that a disease exists within his body which
gives him only a few months to live, his complete
attitude and habits will be changed in a few
moments, and he will set out for better or for
worse on an entirely different type of living.
W e may cross a bridge which we believe to be
safe with the utmost confidence, but if we were
informed in the middle of that bridge that it
was not substantial and apt to collapse at any
minute, our behavior would immediately be modi
fied. W e may live from day to day unaware of
an imminent danger that hangs over us, but once
knowledge and truth bring to us the fact that
the danger exists, again our habits and attitudes
are modified. In other words, an individual can
not proceed to act and live on the same basis that
previously existed before a truth was made known
to him.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

In connection with the attitude expressed at

the beginning of these comments, sometimes there
are those who have been Rosicrucians who oc
casionally secretly, or openly, wish that they
did not have some of the knowledge which they
possess. They wish they could live again in simple
faith. Some have tried to do so. Some have
turned away from the light of knowledge and
truth, and have decided to seek in certain forms
of religious experience a complete philosophy of
life based upon faith and upon no questions.
They find this impossible. This is not a criticism
of religion, because religion through faith offers
us confidence and hope. However, power, truth
and knowledge modify our habits to the extent
that we cannot blindly walk guided by faith
alone after knowledge and truth have directed
our way. Therefore, the power of truth is the
exerting of a tremendous force upon all who
approach it.
It has been stated by someone that ignorance
is bliss; that as long as we are unaware of con
ditions which may be detrimental to us and
exist about us, we can live in happiness. That
is very true. If we were ignorant of all things
existing today that may not produce happiness,
we would be happy in the simplicity of our ex
istence. A child is happy without knowledge.
He loses that state of happiness only when he
is suffering or impeded physically or mentally. A
person who is actually illiterate, and because of
geographical location has no knowledge whatso
ever of anything outside of his own few miles
of environment, is comparatively happy, as long
as he is able to satisfy certain physiological desires
and necessities. However, that is not the answer
to the complex problems of civilization. To re
turn to ignorance would not solve our problems
and bring about happiness, for one very signifi
cant reason; that is, it is impossible for an intelli
gently equipped human being to return to ignor
ance once he has gained knowledge. The power
of truth sways man. It gives him new standards
and new life. It cannot be taken away anymore
than an act once committed can be changed. W e
can only modify the consequences by committing
new acts. Therefore, those who seek more truth
must be aware of the consequences of yesterday
directed in that manner. They must realize that
the assumption of that obligation is mandatory;
that if it is postponed today it must be done
tomorrow. It has been said that metaphysics is
a science of the determination of absolute truth.
Man must determine exactly w hat constitutes
absolute truth before he fulfills his mission of
physical existence, even though this requires many
incarnations.A.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Fortune-T elling
In this fast-moving world of change and ad
justment that seems to be tossing humanity about
like a cork on a stormy sea, an outstanding sub
ject in our correspondence is that of fortunetelling. O ur members in the early degrees of
the work, those who have barely become ac
quainted with the history of the Order and
know nothing of its teachings, seek from us a
chart of their lives. N o one particular system
of setting up this fortune is stressed. That is not
the important thing. W hat is important to them,
however, is that they know what the future
holds in store. Oh, how dull life would be with
out its expectancies. W ould we not be ready
and willing to experience the great initiation
called death if we knew what our future was
to be? W ould there be any further reason for
our existence here on earth? Think for a moment
how much all of us would miss the little joys
in our lives which come to us unexpected and
with complete surprise. Even our greatest dis
appointments in life, and many of our great
sorrows, are later realized to be blessings in dis
guise as our wounds heal with the passing of
timeor rather the added events and experiences
of an earthly existence.
W hat is it that we enjoy most about a birth
day or Christmas gift? Surely you will all agree
that it is the excitement of wondering what is
in the package and not the article itself. W atch
a little child at Christmas time rush from one
package to another. As each is opened and ad
mired for a moment it is cast aside for future
examination and the face will light up with a
bright gleam in the eyes as he or she pounces
upon another unopened gift. You will also
notice the lack of enthusiasm when opening a
parcel the contents of which is already known.
Surely this same lack of enthusiasm would
exist if we knew from hour to hour, day to day,
or year to year what to expect in our lives,
even if this were possible.
But to get back to the point we desired to
discuss here this morning: Many new members
of the Order are seeking some knowledge of the
future becaues they feel that such knowledge will
help them to cope with their material problems
and give them a sense of security they otherwise
cannot feel. In some respects these persons are
correct in their belief that some knowledge of
the future will tend to remove fear and doubt
from their consciousnesses and give them confi
dence in themselves. But this would be true only
if they were told that they had nothing to worry
about, for their futures would be bright and
filled with happiness, with an abundance of ma
terial wealth. Let us suppose for a moment that
fortune-telling by cards, palmisty, numerology,

Page 155

astrology, and the dozens of other systems did

have merit and we could place complete confi
dence in them. W hat would be the result in the
life of an individual if he was told that his future
was dark and filled with all of the misfortunes
imaginable? W ould this person be better pre
pared to meet these obstacles placed in his path?
Could he approach his future with utmost confi
dence and sureness? W e do not believe he could
unless at the same time he had been told not
to worry because he would succeed in life in
spite of the pitfalls and disappointments he would
experience.
This whole business of knowing the future
reminds us of the story of the man who was
granted one wish in life and his wish was to
have placed in his hands the following days
newspaper showing the stock quotations and to
morrows news. He was elated when his wish
was granted. He carefully scanned the columns
of quotations with a sense of excitement over his
expected profits, but at the end of the column
he noticed a small item that turned out to be
his own obituary notice. He immediately suf
fered a heart attack and died. W hat good did
he gain from knowing the future?
If we knew in advance what to expect in life
we would naturally attempt to cope with the
unfortunate periods and cycles. If we were suc
cessful, then we would no longer be living up to
the future as it was read for us by our seer,
card reader, or whatever system we sought to
give us knowledge of the future. W here then
is the advantage in knowing our fortune if we
are going to change this fortune by exercising
our own free will? If the fortune-teller can give
us a true reading of our future, why cannot he
tell us at the same time, But this will not come
to pass, for you will take steps to prevent it.
If he or she did tell us this fact, then why bother
to tell us about the dark obstacles in the first
place?
Some years ago our beloved late Imperator,
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, related an interesting little
story that in many respects illustrates the point
we are trying to impress upon you. This inci
dent occurred many years ago when Dr. Lewis
was on a trip throughout the United States, meet
ing with and lecturing to groups of Rosicrucians
in all of the principal cities of this great country
of ours. W hile in Los Angeles there was a rather
violent earthquake. It occurred during the period
when Dr. Lewis was lecturing to the members
there. Well, it happened that although the build
ing suffered great damage and there were several
minor casualties, he came through without a
scratch, only a bit of plaster dropping about him
and covering his clothes with white dust. Later
when the excitement was over it occurred to him
that his family in the east would be terribly wor

Page 156

ried about him and so he went to the telegraph

office to send them a wire. This is what he
wrote: Earthquake quite severe, but I am all
right, Love. He presented the wire to the clerk
who told him he could not send such a message.
The clerk deleted all but the words, all right
and love, explaining that he could send these
words, but could not mention an earthquake.
Dr. Lewis was amused by the insistance on the
part of the clerk that he send this short message
in spite of the fact that news of the quake was
being suppressed and would not be sent to the
eastern newspapers. He naturally sent nothing
since his family would not even know an earth'
quake occurred.
W hy tell anything of the future if we change
it either through our own physical and mental
efforts or those of another? If we can change
our fortunes by our will then we cannot truly
know what the future holds in store for us, and
that is what we wish to make clear to our mem'
bers in our correspondence when they write to
us for a reading of their future, or inquire as
to the merits of any of the various systems be'
ing offered to the world today; that none of these
systems takes into consideration mans ability to
upset the entire reading by his own acts that
may be contrary to what the cards hold in store.
W e can just hear the fortune'teller shouting
with excitement, You cant do that for you will
upset my reading of your future.
W e say that man is his own master and he
can control his own destiny; in fact, he is daily,
hourly, and each minute of his conscious life
making his future. He either constructs for him'
self a bed of roses or the contrary, a bed of thorns.
He may not be following an intelligent, systema'
tic method, thus gaining the uttermost from his
efforts; in fact, many of his fortunes and mis'
fortunes may be due to a hit'and'miss system,
nevertheless, each hit or miss has a bearing upon
what we will experience in the future.
Let us consider for a moment the average in'
dividual being held in penal servitude. Natur*
ally most of us have a tendency to feel sorry
for such a person and rightfully so. Neverthe'
less, the average one is serving time for an act
against society and the laws of the community
in which he lives. N o one forced the bandit to
rob the bank. Either his was a misguided thought
or a swaggering, superior attitude that caused
him to feel that he would not be apprehended
for his crime. He was well aware of the conse'
quences if caught and convicted. He had the
power to decide for himself whether or not to
carry out the act. He made the decision of his
own free will and thus brought down upon him'
self the wrath of the people, whose laws re'
quired his confinement to prison. He, by his

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

own act, mental and physical, made his bed of

thorns and now must lie in it.
The important purpose of our Rosicrucian
teachings is to help humanity follow a system
of planning and building the future that elimi'
nates the trial and error method. The knowledge
gained from Rosicrucianism helps us to live from
day to day, week to week, and year to year in
such a manner that the bed we make for our'
selves will be one of roses rather than thorns.
There is, as you know, an outstanding system
that is most helpful to everyone who will con'
scientiously follow it. W e, of course, refer to
the cycles of life set forth so clearly in Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis book, Self Mastery and Fate
W ith the Cycles of Life. This is not a system
of fortune'telling; in fact, it has nothing to do
with knowing the future, but rather is a system
of living that eliminates hit and miss from our
daily lives. This book should be highly recom'
mended in all correspondence to new members
requesting charts of their future. W hen describ'
ing the book refer to the AM O RC Supply
Bureau catalog for a complete description and
its price.

Some Physical Aspects

It has frequently been said that duality is a
fundamental principle or doctrine of this organi'
nation. M any of the principles which we study
and put to practical application would have no
meaning if not based upon this fundamental con'
cept. The tendency in our studies is to confine
the interpretation to the individual. Any Rosi'
crucian can see the idea of duality in being
that is, it is clearly manifest even to our objective
senses that there exists the physical body and
some other force which is immaterial, the two
together composing physical existence as we
know it. But like many other principles which
apply to the individual, the idea of duality also
applies to a greater extent to society. It is hard
to conceive of something which applies to one
individual that will not apply to individuals col'
lectively. Consequently, everything that is man'
made or even man'conceived carries with it cer'
tain attributes of the individual himself.
This organization is a typical illustration. It
is dual in every sense of the word. Its dual na'
ture is clearly understood when we realize its
fundamental purpose is to perpetuate, add to and
prepare man to use knowledge, and particularly
esoteric knowledge. Knowledge in itself is an
immaterial thing. As the organization in setting
up the necessary arrangements to carry out this
purpose must do so on a physical basis, we see
a definite example of duality. The most emphasis
should be given to the main purpose or ideal of
the organizationthat is, the perpetuation of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

esoteric principlesbut in the world in which

it functions today and the conditions under
which it must continue to grow and advance,
the physical basis for the organizations functioning must not be considered as unimportant.
W ithout a well established physical organization
the individual members could not gain the bene
fits they are now receiving.
There is little necessity to list here all of the
material factors of this organization. The mono
graph which is received weekly by each member
is probably the most important physical unit,
considered from the standpoint of the members
and of the organization. There is also the month
ly magazine and the practically unlimited cor
respondence which is permitted and encouraged
by the organization. The institution and its al
most one hundred employees are all working
directly or indirectly with the furnishing of these
physical evidences of membership. The housing
and mechanical arrangements necessary to bring
this about are very important physical problems
which must be carefully supervised by one ex
ecutive who acts as office manager of many of
these routine departments. W ithout them you
would not receive your monograph each week
in fact, you might not receive it at all some
weeks. There is also the Department of Instruc
tion which handles your correspondence. In this
respect the organization probably differs from
many other institutions, in that it gives the mem
bers the privilege of writing direct to head
quarters without limitations. W e attempt to an
swer every letter that is received, but of course
we are sometimes handicapped in this and de
layed by some members who take advantage of
this fact that their correspondence is not limited.
Now that we have entered a new Rosicrucian
year, it might be well to have a period of reckon
ing in these comments to see where the organiza
tion stands from a physical point of view. It
has advanced in many ways. In psychic fields
we have continual reports of the work rendered
by our Council of Solace and other esoteric ac
tivities. In the physical field we have certain
problems to meet which are brought about by
definite physical conditions. In spite of some
environmental factors which might not be con
sidered favorable, the organization has advanced
in its physical work during the past year. Its
Research Library has grown to one of which
every member may be proud. W e have added
to the Rosicrucian knowledge through the re
search work of members who are experts in their
particular fields, and who have contributed the
results of their work to be added to the accumu
lated wisdom of the Rosicrucians, to be received
by the members at certain points in their studies
in the form of Pronunciamentos. This is a par
ticularly important contribution, for while this

Page 157

information and knowledge are now incorporated

in special discourses sent out with isolated mono
graphs, in the future the most important factors
of these special discourses, and those proven most
worthwhile, will become basic principles in the
Rosicrucian teachings. W e can presume that
much of the teachings we now have may have
been formulated in a similar manner in the past,
until now the particular points have lost their
identity as far as their connection with a per
sonality is concerned, and are merely a part of
the composite Rosicrucian philosophy.
Further evidences of physical growth and ex
pansion are the plans now being made for the
Rosicrucian Convention and session of the RoseCroix University. W e feel that the faculty of
the Rose-Croix University is one of the best
trained and most capable of any institution of
its size. All of the faculty members who teach
the sciences, the philosophies, and the arts are
high degree members of this Order, and the
courses are to be supplemented by special out
side discourses by the Imperator and the Supreme
Secretary.
However, with these physical advances there
is no need to deny that the organization has also
had to make some adjustments. Since this jur
isdiction is the largest active in an English-speak
ing country, we have many English-speaking
Fratres and Sorores throughout the world, par
ticularly in countries of the British Empire. In
some of these countries the forwarding of funds
to us has been definitely restricted. In others the
rate of exchange is so unfavorable that it would
be beyond the means of many members to meet
these demands. Nevertheless, it is important for
every member to bear in mind that the expenses
here continue, whether these members are able
to send in dues or not. The monographs, the
magazine and the correspondence costs are the
same, and in the case of some members residing
in other countries even more because of postage.
However, many members are conscious of this
fact, and members in this country have been
willing to help those Fratres and Sorores in other
lands who are less fortunate. Therefore, the
organization has assisted members living overseas
in various ways. In some cases we have estab
lished depositories where the dues of the members
need not leave the country. This is more of a
hardship on the organization than you might
expect, for although the dues are being con
tributed they are not assisting the organization
with its current expenses. However, we are con
fident that in establishing this administrative pol
icy those members who are able to do so will
help us carry on this work in all countries where
there are sincere members who want to continue
or even begin their Rosicrucian work.

Page 158

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W e will continue these policies as long as it

is possible to do so, until world conditions are
adjusted so that these Fratres and Sorores abroad
can resume more direct contact with us. In the
meantime, all members must realize that the or
ganization has to meet increasing costs without
being in a position to increase its basic income.
The fact is that the dues have not been modified
for a number of years, and many of the things
which you receive as members have prices based
upon costs quoted as far back as six or seven
years, when costs of materials were considerably
lower than they now are. Costs have gained
as much as five per cent to thirty-three and onethird per cent, and yet the dues remain fixed. It
is not the desire of any officer to ask our mem
bers to contribute larger dues, and we wish to
assure our members we will do everything we
possibly can to meet these problems as we have
in the past. W e do not wish to increase the cost
to the individual member or curtail any of the
activities and benefits. W e shall continue ever
growing, ever expanding in all phases of the or
ganization's development.A.

Intolerance
A n interesting thought that has recently been
brought to our attention pertains to the young
king of Egypt, Amenhotep IV. This question
asks if it would not seem that Amenhotep IV was
intolerant in his attitude toward the priesthood
of his day. Is it not intolerant to force new ideas
and teachings upon a people when their present
views are well established through years of custom
and habit?
In considering the pros and cons of such a
question, it is first necessary to give some thought
to intolerance itself. Just what do we mean when
we say someone is intolerant? Do we mean that
he does not agree with our own point of view?
It would not seem just to accuse another of in
tolerance simply because he fails to agree with
us. If this were true, surely there would be no
one left in this world blessed with the virtue of
tolerance. A fter all, we cannot be expected to
agree with one another in all things. W hat is
truth and realization to one because of his ex
periences may be quite different to another who
may never have had the experience or may have
had a similar experience with an entirely different
result. Sometimes it is very difficult to distinguish
between an intolerant attitude and one that is
fair in its judgment.
To say that Amenhotep IV was intolerant is to
say that all of the world's free thinkers and re
formers were and are intolerant. W hen one is
personally affected by changes and reforms, then
he will cry, Intolerance. Those, on the other

hand, who are freed from the enslaving bondage

of greed and suppression will surely praise the
great work of the emancipator. W e might accuse
Amenhotep IV of intolerance toward the religious
and political views and practices of the priest
hood, but at the same time it becomes necessary
to accuse the great emanicaptor, Abraham Lin
coln, of an intolerant attitude toward the slavery
that existed in America for so long a time. It
seems just as fair to accuse the priesthood of intol
erance toward Amenhotep IV and his God, Aton,
as to say that the young ruler was intolerant.
Let us assume for a moment that according to
the strict dictionary definition of the word, intol
erance, Amenhotep IV and all great reformers
before and since his time are guilty of intolerance.
W ould it not seem that such intolerance becomes
a virtue, something to be sought rather than
shunned? W ere it a matter of choice, such intol
erance, which freed the masses from suppression,
superstition, and darkness, would seem to be de
sired and preferred to an attitude of tolerance
while sitting in the middle of privation and cor
ruption with the power to remove it and yet, like
the little monkey, placing the hands over the eyes
and acclaiming, I see no evil.
Amenhotep IV , it is true, was a great dreamer,
an idealist, and no doubt suffered a great deal at
the hands of the mighty priesthood of his day.
There were at that time at least two such orders,
each claiming supremacy for their God. One such
order was of the God, Amon; another, nearly as
strong, was the order of the God, Re; and, of
course, there were a great many lesser gods to
whom all were forced to pay tribute. Such a sys
tem certainly was one of corruption and greed,
the priesthood profiting magnificently in gifts arid
sacrifices to these gods. This system we call poly
theism, and rightfully so, for it is a system of
many gods. Amenhotep IV set up a new order
of religious belief and teaching for his people.
His god was the Sun, Aton, just as was the god
of the order of Re. The order of Re was agree
able to the work of the young Pharaoh because of
its hatred for the order of Amon, which had en
joyed an extremely rapid growth during the reign
of Amenhotep III and, in fact, had displaced the
God, Re, as number one God of the Empire.
Even after the establishment of the God, Aton,
Pharaoh Amenhotep IV permitted and tolerated
the continued existence of Amon and the Amon
priesthood, until it was obvious to him that in
order to truly help his people and relieve them of
the religious slavery of Amon, drastic measures
would be necessary. It was then that he ordered
defacement of all writings, monuments, statues,
and tombs paying tribute to the God, Amon,
even to the removal of his father's name from
public buildings and property. He even went so

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

far as to change his own name from Amenhotep

IV to Akhnaton.
History records Amenhotep IV as the w orlds
first individualist, and truly he was an individual'
ist, a free thinker with the courage of his beliefs
and convictions. If this great idealist to whom we
trace the traditional history of the Rosicrucians
was intolerant, then it would seem a blessing for
many more intolerant individualists to come forth
with the wisdom and foresight displayed by
Akhnaton, Pharaoh of Egypt.

O ur Growing Library
In some respects the following comments are
a deviation from the usual comments in this
Forum in that they are not in answer to a
definite question concerning the Rosicrucian
teachings. Nevertheless, they concern an important Rosicrucian activity. W hether or not information similar to that contained in this article
will be repeated in the future will depend upon
the comments received from readers concerning
the value of the following information. In other
words, from time to time we will be glad to make
this information available in the Forum, if our
members wish us to do so. If no comments are
received, we will presume that the readers desire
other types of material to be used in this space.
Since the Rosicrucian Research Library was
established it has grown steadily through the
kind gifts and contributions from members and
friends throughout the world. Almost every day
new books are received for the Library, or contributions are made available for the purchase of
new volumes. In fact, sometimes members send
books which they know we have a duplicate of
already, but because of exchange privileges we
have with various publishers and connections with
other libraries, we are sometimes able to exchange
such books for those which we do not have.
In certain respects the Rosicrucian Research
Library is one of the most unique that exists,
at least in this country and probably in the
W estern W orld. There are few libraries which
extend benefits over such a large geographical
territory, other than those maintained by the
governments of countries. Members from all over
this jurisdiction use the facilities of the Library.
Members take advantage of visiting it during
its regular hours, if they are here at Rosicrucian
Park, or through the special service which has
been made available by which members can secure
certain of its facilities by correspondence. If you
are not familiar with this procedure, you may
write for full information concerning it.

Page 159

The main purpose of these comments is to

lead up to a listing of new books added to the
Library. The following is a partial list of books
which have been added to the Rosicrucian R e'
search Library in the current year, 1941:
Stores of the Occult, by Stitser.
A Preface to Metaphysics, by Maritain.
Doctor Hudsons Secret Journal, by Douglas.
Gospel of Appolonius of Tyana, by Guthrie.
Ancient Society, by Morgan.
The Zohar (five volumes), by Abelson.
The Serial Universe, by Dunne.
In the Pronaos of the Temple of Wisdom, by
Hartmann.
Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci (two volumes),
by MacCurdy.
Practical Occultism , by Kenilworth.
Rationale of Mesmerism, by Sinnett.
New Avatar and Destiny of the Soul, by Buck.
Herbs for Health, by Mausert.
Pythagoras, by Holbrook.
Symbolism of Colour, by Conroy,
Ruskin and the Religion of Beauty, by Galloway.
Consciousness of the Atom, by Bailey.*
Practical Grammar of the Sanskrit Language, by
Williams.
Beginning and W ay of Life, by Littlefield.
Household Physics , by Butler.
Encyclopedia Britannica (Second Set).
Ether of Space, by Lodge.
Mohammed and Mohammedanism, by Smith.
Behind the Doctor, by Clendening.
Chemicals and Drugs, by Eimer.
Book of the Dead (three volumes), by Budge.
Asiatic Mythology, by Hackin.
Life and Times of Tut'anka'amen, by Nahas.
Memory, by Atkinson.
Mysticism and Modern Life, by Buckham.
Practical Organic and Bio-Chemistry, by Plimmer.
History of Modern Philosophy, by Wright.
Stories of the Magician , by Church.
Hindu Gods and Heroes, by Barnett.
Philosophy of Ancient India, by Garbe.
Natures Symphony, by Balliett.
Marie Corelli, the Writer and the Woman, by
Coates.
Complete Works (fifteen volumes), by Burroughs.
The Romance of Medicine, by Clendening.
Past and Present, by Carlyle.
Theory and Practice of Mysticism, by Addison.

W e hope the above information will be of

interest and value to many members, and as
stated at the beginning of these comments, this
information will be made available from time to
time, if the members wish it.A.

Remember the Rosicrucian Convention

July 13-19

HAVE YOU A QUESTION

or a Problem ?
Jlet Me
*lji044,
answer questions that
may definitely affect your
life for the betteror perhaps
solve a personal problem. No.
I am not an oracle nor a sage. I
am the Rosicrucian Forum A r
chivist. I have access to thou
sands of experiences of men and
women throughout the world.
The things you want to know
parallel the information con
tained in these timeless, fas
cinating disclosures below. Look
at the numerous subjects listed.
You may have any issuea n y
T can

U N IT OF FOUR MAJOR ARTICLES

for the small sum of 25tf, post

paid. If, however, you order
five units, the total cost for the
five will be only $ 1.00, post
paid. Order by the unit number.
(For Members Only.)
Cosmic Illum ination,

Cosmic Consciousness,

T h e Cause of Disease,

T ransition,

P atriotism ,

W h a t is Psychic?

M agnetic W ater,

N egative 8C Positive T reatm ents,

Causes of Psychic Inharm ony,

T h e Soul E ntering th e Body,

Psychic P hotographs,

and thirty other interesting and

instructive articles included.

and fourteen other interesting

and instructive articles included.

C ontacting M asters,

and twenty-two other interesting

and instructive articles included.

1.

2.

3.

Instantaneous Cures,

S trange Cosmic D em onstrations,

Past Incarnations,

T h e Effects of Y our A ura,

T h e G reat M asters and the G reat

W hite Lodge,
D ieting an d E ating,
New Facts A bout Jesus,
M an, E nvironm ent, an d th e Sur
vival of th e Fittest,

Spirituality an d Goodness,

N atu ral H arm onics,

T h e D ruids,

Science and Religion,

and thirty other interesting and

instructive articles included.

and twenty-seven other interesting

and instructive articles included.

and twenty-nine other interesting

and instructive articles included.

4.

5.

6.

Bacon versus Shakespeare,

Lost Lem uria,

Psychic M anifestations,

R eincarnation,

T h e S ouls Selection of a Body,

Sleep W alking,

T alking with M ars,

M ystical N um bers,

Interferin g W ith K arm a,

U niversal Consciousness,

C hildrens Psychic Playm ates,

C ontacting th e C athedral,

and twenty other interesting and

instructive articles included.
7.

and twenty-six other interesting

and instructive articles included.
8.

and twenty'two other interesting

and instructive articles included.
9.

The ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

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

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

.a

a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

cv
ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Vol. XI

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JUNE, 1941

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No. 6

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

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" O f som ething felt, like som ething here;

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Such as no la nguage m ay d e c la re ."

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LORD TENNYSON

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 162

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

To the spiritual nature of man, we attribute

those virtues which are indicative of the Divine.
To each phase of that duality of man which we
recognize, we not only assign differences in sub'
stance and configurations, but the contraries of
the notions of our minds as well. W e define the
material side of man as that which is objectively
perceptual, that which can be weighed and meas'
ured. On the other hand, the spiritual is con'
ceived as an intangible, immutable essence, or
force which acts upon us, but which cannot be
discerned in the same manner as we discern an
arm, a leg, a tree, or rock. To the material and
finite, we also attribute weaknesses, imperfections,
errors, and where man is concerned, willful misconduct, moral wrongs, or sins. Thus, while the
material side of man, in his general opinion, is not
intrinsically evil, it has the potentiality of becoming so.
Conversely we conceive, that is, think of the
spiritual or soul nature of man as the contrary of
evilas having such virtues as creativeness, omniscience, and a constancy of its nature, that is,
the spiritual side of man is not only conceived as
perfect and infallible, but as incapable of being
other than that. Obviously, then, the spiritual
content of man and of existence is the ideal to'
wards which those who seek a better and higher
life aspire. This aspiration consists either in en'
deavoring to check any tendency in the mortal
man to decline or to degrade to a possible evil
state, or it consists in the mastery of those imperfections of the outer self, of which we are per'
sonally aware. Consequently, the spiritually motivated man or womanthe morally good individual, in our general opinion, is one who displays
those virtues we conceive as being of the nature
of the Divine. If you want to sum up what you
think constitutes the spiritual beingthe one who
reflects the qualities of soulask yourself what
you think or believe are the virtues of a goodly
life. If you honestly believe, for example, that
they are justice, \indliness, tolerance, honesty,
fortitude, veracity, and humility, then all of those
possessing such qualities are masters, avatars, or
saints, or whatever term you use to designate a
mortal expressing spiritual perfection.
The average man and woman would unfortun'
ately never attribute to such a spiritual character
the quality of militancy. A militant attitude is
one displaying combativeness, a desire to do battle
or contend with persons, things, or conditions. A
person when ever he reveals such a disposition is

V
frequently shamed as having fallen from a lofty
perch, or from the spiritual standards which men
have established. Those who abhor a militant
spirit at times, upon the part of another who seeks
to follow the spiritual inclinations of self, do not
realize the injustice they are doing him by their
criticism. They are asking him in so many words
to live as a mortal, as a human being, having a
body with all of its appetites and desires, and
with the imperfections of the physical self, in a
material world, governing himself by the spiritual
and moral motives of self, but at the same time,
they wish to deny him the means of opposing the
so'called evil forces and temptations with which
the body can and does become afflicted.. It is like
telling a man: you know that fire is destructive
if not controlled or suppressed, but when you detect a fire, it is misconduct for you to physically
exert yourself, or resort to any manual means of
extinguishing it. In effect, they are saying to
such an individual: your knowledge of the destructive nature of uncontrolled fire should be
sufficient. Any physical effort to put it out or
to combat it is unbecoming and beneath the dig'
nity of your knowledge. One might respond to
false reasoning by saying: of what use is the
knowledge if it cannot be demonstrated or used
effectively?
There is a very definite distinction between
\nowledge and wisdom. The former is perception
and comprehension, and the latter is the experi'
ence derived from applying knowledge. No man
is truly wise who just knows. To be wise, one
must be able to know, and to do. Thus one who
has the spiritual insight to know the difference
between right and wrong has the power to intervene, to prevent actual or anticipated wrongs or
injustices. If he doesnt do so, he himself com'
mits a wrong. Omission is as great a sin as cornmission. The former is negative and the latter
positivein effect they are the same. Thus the
spiritually inclined person, the morally circum
spect individual, and the kindly person likewise
must often be militant. There is a norm to go by
in determining whether militancy is being dis'
played rightly or wrongly. One must only ascer
tain the motive for becoming militant. If one is
militant to acquire what he does not need for
himself or those dependent upon him, or if the
same end can be accomplished without resorting
to force or combat, he obviously is not consistent
with the spiritual qualities of his being. If one,
however, is militant to prevent abuse of the rights
and of the virtues of self and of others, he then

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is applying his objective material powers in a

manner to further the divine dictates of self.
This matter really goes back to the fundamental
principle of human individuation, or personal
will. Either man has the right, because he has
been given will, the power to think and act according to the spiritual urges of himself, or his
will is a fault of his nature and it should be suppressed. If the latter is the case, then man is but
a spiritual puppetand subject to inexorable fate.
Since all men have will, we are obliged to assume
that it is a natural faculty of man. Therefore,
man is justified in expressing it to act in a militant
manner to further his realization of the spiritual.
W hat manner of man would he be who would
stand idly by and see a small, innocent child
abused by a brutal adult, merely because he would
not become militant or combat injustice? Could
any normal human being witness such indifference
or disregard of justice by another and sanction it
in his own mind as spiritual conduct simply because the indifference was motivated by a pacifist
attitude? W hat purpose is served for example,
by one refusing to militantly defend his own
name and character against gross defamation?
Even grain has to be threshed to separate the
kernels from the chaff. Force, after all, is positive
action. Force in itself is not a wrong or an evil,
as so many people are wont to believe. The end
which force serves must be analyzed and judged
as to whether it is rightfully or wrongfully
exerted. The little seed that finds soil in the
crevice of some concrete walk must combat tre
mendous odds to survive and to grow. It uses
force to spread out, to crack and push up and
away from its roots and tendrils almost unbeliev
able weights in proportion to its size. Its per
sistence indicates a will or intelligence inherent
in the seed, which militantly seeks to overcome
the opposition of environment to its higher
purpose.
To be militant for a cause of righteousness does
not imply that one is intolerant of the differences
in opinion. Militancy and tolerance can be dis
played concomitantly by a human being, for they
are not fundamentally in conflict. W e can toler
ate anyones opinion, no matter how diverse from
our own, and yet be ever-ready to combat any
opinion or act which attacks true spiritual values.
It is folly to compel tolerance of wrongdoing or
injustice, or to demand it as a code or to expect
it. In fact, there can be no true tolerance of in
justice, for such would amount to a tacit approval
of misconduct. It requires courage to oppose the
weaknesses of the flesh and to 'fight1 for the
supremacy of ones spiritual and Cosmic urges.
Many persons will not make the effort to do so,
and they prefer to submit to their somatic weak
nesses. If this tendency is permitted, we would
have a great degradation of humanity, which

Page 163

would amount to committing a sin against self,

in the mystical sense. If we discourage those who
would apply force to suppress and remove wrong
ful forces, or if we define the spiritual nature as
a sanctimonious complacency, we are contributing
to the prevention of the manifestation of the spir
itual nature of man. Stand up and fight for what
is right! Be governed at all times in such a fight
by the consciousness of the inner dictates of self.
If you have a true sense of righteous indignation,
allow that urge to transmute itself into a power,
a force that moves you to act in behalf of the
spiritual, the moral, and the right.
Do not take refuge within yourself, by pulling
the shades of indifference and inertia down over
your consciousness. Every spiritual teacher, every
avatar, every master, everyone who seeks to be
one of these, and all worthy of the title of even
a true neophyte have, and must, fight for right.
Evil exists only in mans conduct, in his violation
of spiritual and natural laws. These violations
must be stopped, not by wishful thin\ing, not even
by prayer alone. God has made us an instrument
of his power. Let us use it, let us prove that His
laws have not been in vain in making us a being
capable of thinking and acting.
Fraternally,
R alph M. L ew is ,

Imperator.

Expanding Perceptions
It is seldom we have the opportunity of exam
ining an actual demonstration of many theories in
which we are inclined to believe. The fact is that
through faith in certain principles which we have
found to be effective in our lives we are able to
accept as fact many things which are not at the
moment clear to us. Man has to have a certain
amount of faith as a working basis upon which to
build knowledge, but he is also desirous of being
able to prove anything he accepts. As Rosicru
cians we wish to constantly hold before us the
idea of searching for facts, not only for theory.
A demonstration closely related to many of our
principles is coming to the attention of many peo
ple at the present time. It revolves about the life
of a Mr. George Campbell, of Oklahoma, who is
sponsored in his lectures throughout the United
States by state boards of optometrists. If he
should lecture in the city of any of our Forum
readers, and you have an opportunity to hear
him, you will find it an evening well spent.
Mr. Campbell was born totally blind as the
result of a deformity of the lens of the eye.
As anyone knows who has the most elementary
knowledge of the physiology of the eye, the lens,
as it is usually called, is the means by which the

Page 164

eye is able to focus objects on the retina so that

they can be perceived by the mind. In the case of
this individual, the eye was normal except for the
lens. In other words, if by some manner or means
a substitute lens could be put in the eye he would
be able to see. This fact was discovered when he
reached the age of eighteen, at which time a suecessful operation was performed, in which the
entire lens was removed. Then by fitting him
with special glasses which provided artificially the
lens his eye did not then have, he gained average
normal vision. As he states himself, he can see as
well or better than nine out of ten persons.
The experiences he tells of his eighteen years
of blindness illustrate certain facts of perception
which are extremely interesting and also very
practical, both from a physical standpoint, which
he has presented so capably to his audiences, and
from the standpoint of Rosicrucianism or from
the standpoint of psychic development. There are
many lessons contained in his experiences which
I wish to touch upon in these comments. Mr.
Campbell knew the limitations under which he
worked during his eighteen years of blindness,
although he attended regular public school and
made an excellent record there. He had the best
education he could possibly have attained in those
years for his age and state of blindness. Consequently, when sight was gained he had the advantage of as complete a knowledge of the outside world as one could possibly obtain through
the four senses whose use he had enjoyed.
Mr. Campbell illustrated his abilities by pointing out that an individual has five fingers, and by
placing those five fingers in the proper position
can easily balance an ordinary rubber ball on them
without the ball rolling off. In a sense this illus
trates what the average individual with the proper
use of his five sense faculties does in balancing his
whole life. He brings into play the senses of see
ing, feeling, hearing, tasting and smelling in order
to assist him in establishing a harmonious rela
tionship with his environment. However, it is
still possible if one finger is tied down or cut off
to balance the ball on the tips of the remaining
four fingers, and so Mr. Campbell pointed out
that that lesson, early made clear to him by his
parents, taught him to use to the fullest possible
extent the four sense faculties he had. As a re
sult of his application to this purpose he was able
to develop his hearing, tasting, smelling and feel'
ing, as well as his ability to memorize and con
centrate, above the average, although intelligence
tests and other measuring methods have shown
him not to be of unusually high intelligence in
comparison with others with whom he associated.
An interesting commentary on this point is that
with the gaining of sight he lost some of his ability
to memorize and concentrate and to use his other

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

senses, because it was a natural tendency to rely

on the new faculty he had acquired.
Many interesting experiences are related by
Mr. Campbell, particularly one which is hard for
another person to understand and hard for him
to describe. This was the fact that he could have
no preconceived opinion of how anything looked.
He could not imagine anything having appearance
because he had never seen anything. Even when
he dreamed his dreams were entirely sound, taste,
smell and feeling, because he could not visualize
anything. Visualizing was outside the world of
his experience. Another interesting fact is that
when he was made able to see by the means al
ready described, he had to learn to see. A fter
eighteen years of blindness and never having seen
anything one is not just able to open the eyes and
see. Objects which he saw meant nothing to him.
For example, there were placed on the table a
foot ruler and a yardstick, and he could not dis
tinguish one from the other until he felt them.
Likewise, he was given a glass of milk and a glass
of water. He did not know which was water
until he had tasted them.
Mr. Campbell said that the most unusual ex
perience he had was with color, because color, of
all things, could not be conceived without vision.
It was very difficult for him to adjust himself to
the perception of color. Another thing that con
fused him was the perception of space. He would
reach out to touch an object across the room, or
the street, or a mile down the road, and when he
first began to move about by himself after leaving
the hospital, when he came to a street intersection
and saw automobiles coming in several directions
and other objects moving about, he would have to
stop and shut his eyes and locate their distance by
sound before he would risk crossing the street.
This inability to judge distance also led him to a
near state of panic when riding in an automobile
to see another car coming toward them. He said
he could not understand how they could possibly
meet and pass without a collision.
In learning to read Mr. Campbell had to begin
like a child, although his vocabulary was highly
developed. The difficulty was that he could not
coordinate his reading with his mental develop
ment, and it required weeks of practice under the
supervision of various doctors and specialists in
the field to train him to use his eyes at a rate that
corresponded to his comprehension of what he
was reading.
I have used the pages of this Forum to go into
some detail on the experiences of this man, who is
very desirous of telling the world of his experi
ences and feels that in this way he is somewhat
fulfilling the debt of gratitude he owes to science
for having been able to bring about his sight. Mr.
Campbell particularly makes his plea for those
who have sight to treat it well, to see that proper

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

attention is given the eyes, that proper lighting is

used for all study and activity where the eyes are
involved, that children are taught to be careful
in handling articles which might result in injury
to the eyes. But there is another message as well,
that of man realizing the potentialities of his
abilities. I have told you in some detail his ex"
periences in learning to use a sense faculty of
which he had been deprived since birth and also
to show how he lived a somewhat normal exist"
ence with only four sense faculties for eighteen
years. W e are interested primarily, in the study
of Rosicrucian philosophy, in the development of
our potential abilities. This means starting with
the physical body. Most of us believe we have
done quite well in the mastery of our physical
being. W e think we perceive through our five
sense faculties those things which are necessary
for us to perceive, as far as they relate to our
environment and our adaptability to it, but the
fact is that we see, hear, feel, taste and smell a
very small percentage of the range of vibratory
conditions which fall within the limitations of our
perceptive apparatus. Therefore, as has been
stressed in these pages before, early in the study
of Rosicrucianism there are given exercises to
develop our sense perception, because until we
gain some control over the use of our physical
sense faculties we are certainly not yet in a posi"
tion to advance beyond their limitations.
However, it is also important for us to perceive
and understand that while using our five sense
faculties to the very best of our ability and to the
fullest extent of their capability to perceive, we
are still functioning as human beings only in part.
Mr. Campbell, before gaining sight, we might say
in his perceptive abilities was four "fifths perfect.
W e who have the normal use of five senses
would, on this basis, be five"fifths perfect, or one
hundred per cent, but there lies beyond this
physical sense perception the field known as extra"
sensory perceptionthat is, the perceptive abili"
ties of the subjective mind. Therefore, while one
who is unfortunate enough not to have the use of
all five physical senses is going to devote as much
of his attention and time as he could toward com"
pensating for lack, so it is that those who do not
or cannot use the perceptive powers of their sub"
jective minds should set themselves to the develop"
ment of perfection in the five physical senses and
as a result to understand how to get the use of
this sixth sense.
The gaining of the perceptive ability on the
part of the subjective is the equivalent, insofar as
we can give a physical comparison, to the gaining
of a lacking sense faculty. This state of the sixth
sense is usually referred to as psychic develop"
ment, or Cosmic Consciousness or illumination.
To understand it in terms of objective think"
ing and physical experience is as impossible as it

Page 165

was for the young man to whom I have devoted

these comments to understand what sight could
be before he had it. Naturally, when something
lies beyond the field of human comprehension we
interpet it as best we can in terms of what we
already know. Consequently, the average in"
dividuals idea of Cosmic Consciousness is an ex"
panding of our present consciousness, or an ability
to perceive beyond the range of our sense facul"
ties. However, there is more to it than this. Just
as color proved to be an unusual experience to
Mr. Campbell, so there do exist in the world,
or rather in the universe, vibrations beyond the
realm of light, color, sound or all other things we
perceive, and for our objective mind to define
them is impossible. T hat is why many students
who sincerely and conscientiously follow proper
instructions for the development, or the beginning
of the development, of their psychic faculties are
confused or misled by some experiences they may
have. Their experiences indicate something has
taken place which they have been unable to de"
fine in terms of their previous experience. The
more they analyze a particular experience the
more they attempt to force it into words, or into
physical comprehension, and the longer they at"
tempt to translate physically what has occurred
psychically, the more it seems to lack sense on
the basis of the judgment of the objective mind;
and finally, after turning it over and over in their
minds and analyzing it from every point of view
of their previous training and experience, they
dismiss the whole thing as either ridiculous, un"
believable, the result of their imagination, or pos"
sibly a dream.
If when this blind man first saw color he had
started to analyze in his mind that such a thing
could not exist, and had he not been able to see
again, he might have thoroughly convinced him"
self that color was an illusion, that it was only a
flash he perceived at one time. The more he
analyzed it the less faith he would have had in its
actual existence. But his experience was not a
fleeting one. Even though difficult, he was de"
termined, as a result of knowledge he had gained
from association with others, that it would be to
his advantage to learn to use this new faculty
which had been given him. Follow the same
analogy in connection with this psychic experience
referred to above. Here in a sense one has
glimpsed something different, but regrettably
there is not the social pressure to cause one to
continue to experience it. T hat is, there are few,
comparatively speaking, who have had such ex"
periences, and so many doubt that such experi"
ences could take place that this doubt carries over
into the objective analysis of the person having
the experience.
Every student of metaphysics who is beginning
to seriously consider the investigation of the psy"

Page 166

chic world must be willing to throw aside the

scruples and preconceived opinions which will
cause him to be unable to benefit by that which
he perceives. W hat exists exists because it has
been so established. Our perception will not
change that existence, although our interpretation
of perception may modify its meaning to us.
Therefore, it is not within our power to control
what we will perceive. It is within our power to
understand what we have perceived. Unless one
is sincerely desirous of knowledge of the psychic
world, desirous enough, in fact, to be able to put
behind him prejudices, preconceived opinions and
ideas of what he thinks the extrasensory world
should be, he is not ready to take the first step.
On the other hand, the student who is sincerely
seeking knowledge and will use his five objective
faculties to the best of his ability to obtain that
knowledge, will put that knowledge into effect,
will perform with regularity, persistence and pa
tience the exercises and experiments for the purpose of bringing out the use of the faculties of
this sixth sense, that student will gradually begin
to perceive in a world which he did not know
existed, where experiences cannot be translated
into objective realisation or put into the words of
any language.
The whole point of our life is to use all our
faculties, and until man learns this lesson he is
going to have to keep on with this problem of liv
ing and adjustment until finally he finds that living is no more than a perfect coordination of his
faculties with his environment in accord with
Cosmic law established by his Creator.A

Seeing and Counting Electrons

Now a frater arises to ask our Forum Circle a
question often asked of our Department of In
struction. He asks: If electrons are too small to
be seen by the most powerful microscope, how
are they counted to form the atom?
This question is a reasonable one, yet it reflects
the almost insuperable tendency of man to stand
resolutely by the often disproved theory that
seeing is believing. W hether we realise it or
not, much which we accept as reality today, as a
thing having existence, is deduced from something
else. In other words, it is not actually perceived
in its absolute state. To make this more per
spicuous, we discern much of our world remotely
and not directly. W e cannot, for example,
actually see with our eyes the diurnal motion of
our earth, yet by the means of the instrument
known as the Foucault pendulum, such as is sus
pended in the Rosicrucian Planetarium and in
similar other institutions, we can prove that our
earth revolves upon its axis once in every twentyfour hours. Further, we cannot see the various
colors in white light or sunlight, yet the spectrum

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

can be demonstrated by the means of a prism.

W e cannot see sound waves pass through the air,
but we can prove that they agitate it, by the use
of a vacuum jar, for when we evacuate or pump
the air out of the jar a bell suspended in it and
vigorously shaken cannot be heard. W e can't
completely see the rotundity of our earth, yet by
traveling in one direction in a line from a given
point on the surface of the earth, we return exact
ly to that point again, convincing us that the earth
is spherical. W e cannot see or smell certain gases,
yet we can determine their existence by their
weight.' W e cannot see Alpha, Beta, or Gamma
Rays, yet we can prove their existence by their
penetration powers and their effects on other
realities. For example, if a specimen is covered
with several sheets of paper, the Alpha Rays are
absorbed; and if the specimen is covered with a
sheet of lead (one or two millimeters thick) then
the Beta Rays are absorbed. But Gamma Rays
will penetrate several inches of lead.'
You cannot see your own conscience, but you
know that there is some factor, some subliminal
power or faculty which causes you to have that
moral discernment which you attribute to con
science. Let us realise that even those things
which we do see are only relative to our con
sciousness, to our perspective, to our position in
time and space, and they do not have the per
manence and absolute nature which we are ac
customed by habit to attribute to them.
Now this is not intended as an exordium, so we
will return directly to the fraters question. To
Michael Faraday in 1883, (a prominent physicist
known for his great discovery of the electro
magnetic principles, and a Rosicrucian) must go
credit for the first practical demonstration of the
electrical nature of the atom, and the proof of the
existence of such a thing as an electron. In his
experiments, he found that the passage of a given
quantity of electricity, through a solution con
taining a compound of hydrogen, would always
cause the appearance at the negative terminal of
the same amount of hydrogen gas.
Frater Faraday further found that all atoms
which are univalent in chemistry, that is, which
combine with one atom of hydrogen, convey pre
cisely the same quantity of electricity. All atoms
which are bivalent (combining with two atoms)
convey twice the electrical charge. This led him
to conclude that valency in chemistry, or a prop
ertys combining qualities and number of elements
is always proportional to the quantity of elec
tricity conveyed by the atom in question.
Dr. G. Johnstone Stoney put Frater Faradays
law in this gimple form : for each chemical bond
which is ruptured within a electrolyte (a chemical
solution which is decomposable by passing an
electric current through it) , a certain quantity of
electricity traverses the electrolyte, which is the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

same in all cases. Dr. Stone added: This defi'

nite quantity of electricity, I shall call the elec'
tron. In other words, a solution of certain chenp
icals was prepared and then an electric current
was passed through it. This electric current broke
up the bonds or affinity between certain chemical
elements. For each bond that was ruptured, a
minute electrical charge was detected by instru'
ments as passing through this solution. These
minute charges were called electrons. In fact it
was Dr. G. Johnstone Stoney who first suggested,
in the year 1891, the word electron, now in com'
mon use. He did this to indicate that it was a
natural unit of electricity. It was discovered that
several such charges may be in each atom. In fact,
each atom has a certain number of such negative
and positive electrical charges, or electrons.
Professor Stoney revealed that the hydrogen
atom contains just two such electrons, one posi'
tive and the other negative. This, then is the
minimum that could be found in an atom, for we
knew from our Rosicrucian studies that there
must be an equal proportion of such charges, or
negative and positive electrons in an atom. The
mass of the electron was based upon the hydrogen
atom. It was established at 1/1835 of that of the
hydrogen atom. In a normal state, the atom is
neutral, that is, the sum of the negative charges
of electricity (electrons) is equal to the positive
charge. One atom, orthodox science declares,
confirming our teachings, differs from that of
another atom only in the number of electrons and
the quantity of the charge on the nucleus. If
we substitute the phrase vibratory rate for the
one, quantity of the charge on the nucleus, we
have the Rosicrucian explanation of how one
form of matter may be realized by our conscious'
ness as distinct from another.
The term, positron, often heard today, and
used in modern lectures and textbooks on physics,
is merely a name applied to positive electrons. It
is not something different from electrons. Elec'
tron is a general or family name for these little
minute electrical charges. For example, we say
men to designate the genus homo, and to
designate the male representative of that genus.
However, woman is the name for the female
representative of the same genus. Likewise, elec'
tron is used by science as a term applied to the
specific phenomenon, and to mean negative elec'
trons in particular. W e, as Rosicrucians, do not
use the term positron, but merely say positive and
negative electrons.
Now, we can, by means of the electrical charges
explained above, count six negative electrons
and six positive electrons in an atom of carbon.
The positive electrons (called positrons by sci'
ence, as you will remember) form the nucleus or
center of the atom. In an atom of sodium, for
further example, we can count eleven negative

Page 167

electrons or charges; consequently, we know there

must be an equal number of positive ones form'
ing the nucleus or center. From all of the fore'
going, we are able now to realize that though we
cannot see an electron as such, we are able to
count them by their electrical charges, when they
are liberated from atoms.
In the Rosicrucian Planetarium, as a still fur'
ther example of this detecting of a phenomenon
without being able to see it directly, we have an
elaborate instrument which is known as the Cos'
mic Ray Coincidence Counter. The original in'
strument was added to and improved upon in the
laboratories of our Rose/Croix University, to
make it effective for public demonstration. In
fact, in the year 1937, it was demonstrated by a
Rosicrucian lecturer on a Courier Car tour, in
every large city of the United States. This in'
strument, as its name indicates, make it possible
to count the periodicity and frequency of
Cosmic Ray bursts or discharges in any area on
the surface of the earth in which the instrument
is placed. Cosmic Rays, of course, cannot be seen
therefore, the actual rays themselves are not
countedbut their effects or manifestations are.
It is known that Cosmic Rays have a penetration
power exceeding many times such terrestrial rays
as the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Rays. Cosmic
Rays will penetrate great thicknesses of lead, and
to great depths of water, consequently, substances
or conditions which will filter out all other rays
will give passage only to Cosmic Rays. The ener'
gy which will come through is thus determined as
Cosmic Rays. The above'mentioned instrument
has a series of specially created and designed elec'
trical tubes or valves, known as Geiger'Mueller
tubes, named after the inventors, which are high'
ly evacuated, that is, have been pumped quite
free of gases containing but a comparatively few
molecules of hydrogen. W hen these tubes are
electrically connected in parallel, such common
rays as mentioned above are incapable of coinci'
dent passage through them. Only the strong
Cosmic ray bursts can accomplish this. The Cos'
mic Rays collide with the hydrogen atoms in the
tubes, producing free electrons which they knock
loose. These free electrons are attracted to a fila'
ment or wire in the tube, through which passes a
current acting as a potential for the attraction of
the electrons. This energy then is amplified to a
point that it is able to produce a sound audible
in a large auditorium and capable also of actU'
ating a standard Neon tube, that is, causing it to
produce a brilliant flash of light. For all effects
of counting, this is as satisfactory as if the rays
could actually be seen with the naked eye.
I hope then that this will answer the fraters
question as to how we can measure many things
which in themselves are not possible of percep'
tion.X.

Page 168

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Proof of Projection
A Frater whom I do not recall having previous'
ly addressed our Forum circle now propounds
some very interesting questions. He asks: If a
person sees in his mind, vividly, a place where he
has been, and can almost think he is in that place,
does he project to it, or is that but a picture in his
mind? If I see myself sitting in a school-room seat
and can almost feel I am there and see the fur
nishings of the room, why is my psychic body
there, or is it just a picture in my mind, and do
I see it as such? Is the picture in my mind, or
have I projected there? If this visualization takes
place when I am wide awake in the daytime, is it
a projection or just a picture in my mind?
This series of questions by the Frater indicates
a serious analysis of the art of projection and a
desire to be certain of his ground, so as to avoid
the possibility of self-confusion and deception.
This is an admirable trait in any student. If I
may be permitted, I would sum up the Fraters
questions in one: How can I determine the dif
ference between a vivid recollection, a memory
experience, and an actual projection? W e all
know that we can recall events in our lives with
such realism as to be able to see colors, shapes,
designs, and even sense odors that will engender
in ourselves the same emotional response as we
originally experienced, or as if we were actually
physically repeating the experience. On the other
hand, for all this vividness of a memory recollection, it is not a projection.
Before considering projection, let us analyze
memory experiences. In the first place, memory
can only establish in our consciousness what was
originally implanted there by actual experience.
Simply put, we cannot recall something which did
not exist to us at one time. Further, if a memory
picture contains elements or factors of any kind
which were not actually once experienced, it is a
composite mental picture and not truly one of
memory. A memory picture, as we all know, can
be quite incomplete, but it cannot be augmented
or added to. A memory picture, in all of its elements, the things of which it is composed, is fixed
in point of time. They are of the past, and exactly as they were. They cannot have any degree of
change, or they would not be a recurrence of the
original experience.
Let us take the Fraters own example, that of
sitting in a class-room seat and seeing the furnish
ings of the room. If he had a memory experience,
the school room would need to be, to him, as it ap
peared twenty-five years ago when he attended as
a young pupil, for example. The benches would
need to have the old, exactly familiar inkstains
and scratched and carved initials, the same teach
ers desk would need to be there, and the old black
board with the identical crack in one comer; the

bookshelves would need to be in the same end of

the room, and the extra umbrella with the tri
angular tear in it would need still to be standing
by the clumsy iron stove, as of old. In fact, not
one thing, from a crack in the floor to a cobweb
on the ceiling, as he knew it, could be altered. If
anything was changed, we repeat, it would not be
a memory experience.
Memory pictures are arrested in time. They
cannot improve nor decline. There is hardly any
thing, of which we have knowledge, which will
not show eventually the effects of timememory
pictures are an exception. They may become less
complete with the years, but what remains is as
it was at first experienced. W e may project our
selves, our consciousness, to a place which we have
often experienced in memory. Its general appear
ance may be the same, and we are often confused
as to whether it is a memory picture or a projec
tion. But if we carefully scrutinize on the screen
of consciousness each element, each thing, each
article in the room or place, instead of integrating
them as a whole, we will have the proof we need
as to what the experience really is. If it is a
memory picture, we will see no changes, not a
thing different, no matter how many years have
elapsed, just what we originally perceived. If, on
the other hand, our consciousness is exactly at
that given place, if our psychic body exists there,
and if we have been thorough in our projection,
psychically then we will have the same ability of
discernment of things and conditions, of realities,
that we have objectively. W e will be able to see
any slight modifications or changes or new things.
If we do, no matter how inconsequential or slight
they be, it is proof that the experience is not a
memory picture, but rather a projection. Such
would be proof that you had projected yourself
to a place that you once knew objectively.
A further verification, which might not always
be possible, would be to have someone adjacent to
or residing in the place investigate and confirm
the changes which you personally observed. The
opposite is also a means of proof. If you are not
certain as to whether you experienced projection
or a memory recollection, describe as best you can
all you realized in a place or room, to one who
has actual physical access to it. Ask him if there
are things which it includes, which your descrip
tion and experience does not, no matter what it
may bea picture on the wall or a different kind
of wallpaper. Any difference proves you did not
project, but recollected.
Another means of distinguishing between mem
ory and projection is the rediscovery of realities
you once knew, and since have forgotten W e all
know that time takes a great toll of memory.
Sometimes we think we recall a place accurately
after years, only to eventually discover, upon re
visiting it, that so many things still exist there

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that we had long since forgotten. Obviously in

a memory picture you would not discover for'
gotten things. W hen you recollected, you would
recall all that your memory was capable of at the
time. If, therefore, in consciousness, you find
yourself among familiar surroundings, ones that
you can place in memory, and as you peregrinate,
you see or experience things or persons whom you
had forgotten, you may be certain then that you
have projected. O ur common projection experi'
ences are always, therefore, of the present in
point of time. W hen you go to an open window,
for example, and look out below, concentrating
your faculties upon what exists there, you do not
perceive a scene identically as it was yesterday,
one year, or forty years ago. Rather, you per'
ceive those factors, those modifications and condi
tions which make it definitely of the present. You
know it is of the present, because you can
compare it with memory. So, too, it is with pro'
iection. W hat vou experience in projection is of
the now, and if it is a place or thing which you
have ever experienced in some manner before,
you are able to make the time comparison.
Another proof of projection is, of course, the
realisation by another of our presence. If one
actually sees us in a projection, that is, our visual
form, or becomes conscious of our presence at a
time we too are conscious of them or their sur'
roundings, we have had an apodictical projection
experience.
One need not be asleep to project. He can
enter the subjective state which makes possible
the extension of the nsychic body and conscious'
ness, while awake. However, though awake in
the sense that he may be walking or seated or
standing, he is as much in a subjective state for
the period of projection as if he were asleep.
Many persons have experienced projection, that
is, the extension of their psychic body and con'
sciousness to a distant place, while in the very
mundane and prosaic environment of a streetcar
or subway train, and while hanging on a strap to
support themselves from its swaying movement.
X.

A and B Polarities
Naturally, the individual looking for help with
his physical condition is going to give a great deal
of attention, in his Rosicrucian studies, to those
parts of the teachings which refer to healing and
health. Most Rosicrucians know, after consult'
ing the Manual, that the degree of study given
primarily to the consideration of health and the
maintenance of a healthy body is the Sixth
Temple Degree. The degree is placed where it is
in order to serve as a foundation for the study of
certain higher psychic principles. Rosicrucians
have always maintained, not only as a theory but

Page 169

as an actual fact, that balance and harmony are

essential for the perfection of anything, and that
a healthy physical body is an important factor in
the manifestation of a well developed, healthy
psychic growth. This does not mean that a person
not in perfect health cannot develop psychically,
because when forced to do so the human being is
capable of adapting itelf to almost the impossible.
W e all hear of instances of the blind reading,
the deaf hearing, the legless walking, and so
forth, through various kinds of instruction and
assistance. Consequently, it is true that one not
in perfect physical condition can develop psy'
chically, but one in perfect condition is in a posi'
tion to develop better psychically than one who
is not. Therefore, even though we feel our
health is average, we should not consider it wasted
time to give some thought to the maintenance of
pood health. A healthy body is something that is
better appreciated when we do not have it than
when we do. For example, there are organs of
our body of which we have no conscious knowl'
edge, either of their existence or function, since
they function as an involuntary action and never
reauire our obiective consciousness to direct them.
But let something go wrong with one of them so
that it creates a pain or some disturbance and we
are immediately aware of its existence.
I have heard doctors state that in the case of
stomach trouble one of the unfortunate things in
the treatment of the condition is the fact that the
average person never stons to think he has a
stomach, or what the digestive process is, until a
chronic ailment affects it. Then there is the op'
posite result and they think of it all the time and
as a result are stomach conscious. They cannot
dismiss it from their minds, and the least thing
that would disturb it reacts in their minds as a
recurrence of a serious condition.
Many members have requested that we give
more information from time to time regarding
Rosicrucian healing. Unfortunately, such broad
questions can hardly be answered in the pages of
this Forum, because the principles of Rosicrucian
healing are contained in the monographs, and we
cannot repeat them here. Therefore, we can only
attempt to answer specific questions which may
not be understood from the reading of the mono'
graphs themselves. One question has recently
come to mv attention that of an exercise to help
in the maintenance of general good health or to
help a person regain energy that has been de'
pleted due to nervous tension, over work, or the
ravages of a disease or serious illness. Any kind
of treatment that would answer this question
might be considered in a general sense as a tonic
treatment.
W e might state that there are numerous kinds
of tonics, possiblv all of them effective, but in
different ways. Tonics can be drug or drugless.

Page 170

A tonic containing a drug has an immediate ef'

feet. That is, if a person needs a stimulant and
the proper drug is given and the tonic taken in'
ternally, there will be an immediate feeling of
well-being after a person has taken it. However,
any good physician will not prescribe such a tonic
except in case of emergency or extreme need.
Most tonics, whether they are administered inter'
nally or are the result of manipulation, through
other systems of therapy, are a means of assisting
the body in doing its own work, and the results
are gradual. Therefore, in suggesting a tonic
treatment based upon Rosicrucian principles one
must bear in mind that this treatment is not the
type that will give immediate relief of any condi'
tion, but that if it is used consistently week after
week and month after month it will help in
breaking down any chronic condition. Of course,
it should not be used independent of all other
treatments, whether Rosicrucian or otherwise,
which the individual has been following.
As pointed out at the beginning of these com'
ments, the Rosicrucian principles of health main'
tenance and healing are a basic part of the Rosi'
crucian teachings and are contained throughout
the monographs. The principle I am explaining
here is one contained in the Fourth Degree which
many members have never appreciated until it
was called directly to their attention. In the
Fourth Degree it is stated in the consideration of
Nous that in order to bring about a perfect mani'
festation the positive Vital Life Force is added to
the negative phase of Nous. O f course, we mean
perfect manifestation here in the sense of a per'
feet manifestation in physical existence or on the
earth planethat is, a perfect body. A new born
child in perfect condition is an example of such
a combination, the breath adding the Vital Life
Force to an already existent negative physical
condition. In a certain sense, breathing is the
very process of carrying on this activity, continu'
ally adding the positive to the negative. W e well
know that without that process life would cease.
However, we can increase the effectiveness of
this process by occasionally increasing the amount
of breathing. Therefore, for a tonic treatment try
this once or twice a day: First exhale the breath
from the lungs two or three times, holding the
lungs empty of air for as long a period as you
comfortably can. Do not force the experiment.
Immediately after doing this inhale two or three
times, filling the lungs as full as possible and hold'
ing the breath each time as long as it is comfort'
able to do so, and visualizing the positive force
entering to complete the perfect manifestation of
the body as it should function. You will find you
are assisting nature in carrying out one of its
own fundamental laws by this exercise, and it
will act, as already pointed out, as a tonic treat'
ment.A

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Fitting Individual Needs

In a recent communication a member raised the
question of why there continue to be so many
different schools of thought in fields of religion,
philosophy, science, etc. The answer might be
made simply by stating that the reason is due to
human nature. In other words, as human beings
we are to a certain extent individualistic, and are
usually prone to set forth our own interpretations
and ideals. Some persons go about this with more
enthusiasm than others. Those who choose to let
others do their thinking for them then follow the
ones who are eager to have an audience, and as a
result groups form about a leader. W ithout such
leadership some of the greatest social, religious
and political reforms that have taken place in the
world's history would not exist. A leader who is
in every sense a true leader, who is interested in
helping those who follow him to carry out an
ideal, is all too rare, for unfortunately the pur'
poses and motives of leaders are not always altru'
istic and for the benefit of those who follow them.
There is no doubt that in the field of religion,
for example, all sects and creeds that are founded
upon sincerity fill a definite need, although all are
not looked upon as orthodox or authentic. Prac'
tically all fraternal organizations are faced with
the problem of pseudo'organizations using their
name without authority. There are clandestine
movements in this country, for example, of prac'
tically every fraternal organization that exists,
and as a result some are confused or wrongly led
in their seeking of the truth. But regrettable as
it is that man should imitate in order to attract
attention, we cannot deny that there are some
followers and enthusiastic supporters of clande'
stine and unauthorized organizations who are deriving help from their affiliation with such groups.
It would be well for all who contact groups of
any kind if they would rest their decision as to
the value of such groups upon an examination of
the motives for their beginning, and their actual,
rather than apparent, motives for continued exist'
ence. It is seldom that an organization whose be'
ginning was made upon a foundation of revenge,
greed or hate will be found to be doing construc'
tive work. Therefore, an organization that ap'
proaches its followers and friends from a nega'
tive point of view, tearing down everything else,
should be looked upon with extreme suspicion.
On the other hand, those that are a result of
the conscientious desire of a few individuals, or
perhaps a large group, to carry out the purposes
for which they have been established, should have
the respect of everyone, whether or not he is in
agreement with their aims and purposes. All stu'
dents of occult and metaphysical thought should,
in the consideration of organizations purporting
to promote this activity, bear in mind all of these

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

things and one other. A n individual who has

studied to any appreciable extent the principles
of occult phenomena does not have to be told
that any organization is no more nor less than a
physical medium through which a group can
work. As we say in Rosicrucian ritual, the purpose of a Lodge session is for work and worship
that is, where man can have an opportunity to
use physical media for carrying on his activity of
gaining more knowledge and putting it into effeet, and at the same time, in periods of meditation and attunement reach out for the help and
guidance which is beyond his physical grasp. Any
Rosicrucian knows it is not the temple itself, its
fixtures, or even the individuals composing its
officers, which creates this condition. A temple
can be the open sky, and there can be one individual sincerely desirous of contacting a source
above himself. There we would have minimized
the physical conditions to a point where the body
of the seeker would be the only temple.
The same is true of organizations as a whole.
They are shells through which the true purpose
can only be found by careful investigation. The
Rosicrucian Order, through ages of history, has
been misinterpreted from its outside appearances.
History and comments which have been written
about it are very misleading, and even today it is
not infrequent that comments concerning the or
ganization will be made which are completely un
founded and to a member or one taking the time
and trouble to investigate are utterly ridiculous.
To carry out its best purposes an organization
must do so according to a plan. Value is not pro
duced promiscuously. The universe is an example
of law and order, and if anyone is going to gain
benefits from the Cosmic forces which compose
the universe, he is going to have to learn to abide
bv that law and order. Many members have had
the opportunity in the last few months of wit
nessing the ritual as presented by the staff of the
Rosicrucian Courier Car, which is visiting cities
in the east at the present time. Many of them
have repeatedly asked the lecturer why it is that
the Rosicrucian ritualistic ceremony has such a
profound effect upon them. There have been ex
amples, well substantiated, of inspiration, of
actual healing taking place in such ceremonies.
The reason is contained in so many factors that
it is hard for a student in the lower degrees of the
teachings to grasp it, but the Courier Car ritual
does demonstrate an important fact, that the
building, the room, or even the apparatus with
which you work is only secondary to the true
purpose.
W hen members of this organization get to
gether with a true purpose and desire for knowl
edge and to illustrate in their lives the principles
of harmony, love and peace, and are directed
along certain lines of thought that are not the

Page 171

opinion of the individual directing the group but

the result of the investigations and contributions
of mystics over a long period of time, there is
bound to be brought into existence a condition
that could not exist under any other circum
stances. In other words, the thoughts and atti
tudes of the individuals, combined with certain
emotions, certain sounds, such as those used in
the intonation of vowel sounds, music and in
struction, all contribute toward one end. It is an
example of focussing a number of forces toward
one point, that of attunement.
Anyone who denies the value of ritualism is
harboring a false impression. He is confusing the
physical with the true purpose. Ritualism is
simply a descriptive word for the law and order
of the universe. W e perform ritual all of the
time, as has been pointed out in these pages over
and over again, but just as there are certain ways
to do anything we may set about doing, so there
are certain forms that will assist in bringing
about the attunement, inspiration and instruction
we wish. Notice I have said ritual assists in do
ing this. Because elaborate ritual is not absolutely
necessary to the development of Cosmic Con
sciousness, any more than a ladder is absolutely
necessary to scale the side of a building. W e have
probably all seen individuals, sometimes known as
human flies, who could scale the side of a
building without a ladder, but if you or I found
it necessary to get to the roof of our home, we
would approve using a ladder. So it is that if
you and I find the desire to go to the mountain
tops of inspiration we need a ladder, not a physi
cal ladder but that which is described in our ritual
as a means of uplifting us.A

Exemplifying Practical Rosicrucianism

The word practical is used in connection with
Rosicrucian teachings to the extent that I some
times wonder if its true significance is not lost.
Members are prone to accept it as a fact that
Rosicrucianism is practical, because they have
found it so in their own lives and have been able
to demonstrate the principles that are taught, but
as far as helping to make the principles they have
learned even more practical, they adopt the
natural human tendency of procrastination.
Rosicrucianism has practical benefit, not only
for its members, but for any who wish to avail
themselves of that benefit. I believe all of our
members know that many of our services are
available to members and non-members alike,
such as the Council of Solace, which renders
metaphysical assistance for problems of health,
etc. W hen non-members write for that assist
ance they are given it without question or with
out any promise that they must in any way com
pensate for the help received. W e also gladly send

Page 172

the instructions concerning the Cathedral of the

Soul to non-members, and as far as it is possible
answer their correspondence and assist them.
A number of years ago the late Imperator, with
the assistance of cerain Fratres and Sorores who
had like ideas and purposes, established what is
known now as our Sunshine Circles. These Sunshine Circles have been mentioned in our literature, in this Forum and in the Rosicrucian
Digest, and all members know that the purpose
of the Sunshine Circles is to carry on work for
the assistance of those less fortunate than we, to
render aid to members and non-members who
may be in need of help. Therefore, we would
like to see more and more Sunshine Circles or
ganised and the effectiveness of this type of work
extended.
A Sunshine Circle does not take the place of a
Lodge or Chapter. It consists of a group of mem
bers and interested non-members who wish to be
of help to others. Its meetings are for the purpose
of planning such assistance. O f course, social
activities can be carried on if desired, but there
is no meeting in the sense of ritual, lectures, etc.
Therefore, leadership is required mainly on the
basis of desire to help rather than anything else.
The Sunshine Circle puts into practical effect
Rosicrucian theory. It consists of a group of per
sons who realise there is value in Rosicrucianism
and that the benefit resulting from that value
which they have received is an obligation to be
passed on to others. In each Sunshine Circle
there is a committee which gives metaphysical
treatments. This is usually composed of high de
gree members of the Order, and they are subject
to call night and day, and when called give absent
treatments to those who are ill. There is another
committee which visits those who are confined to
their homes or to hospitals because of illness. A n
other committee investigates those in need, and
to the best of their ability gives advice and ma
terial assistance when it is within their power to
do so and the case warrants it.
You may think this is overlapping a great deal
upon the work of other social and relief agencies.
It is the attempt of the Sunshine Circles not to do
this very thing, although to a certain extent there
is a duplication of work. But the main thing the
Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle does is to show the
application of Rosicrucian principles in the giv
ing of metaphysical assistance, in addition to and
above all other assistance rendered. There would
be no Sunshine Circles if members who were
conscientiously interested in helping others would
wait until someone else organised one. Therefore,
let me make in the pages of this Forum another
plea to those who have a few hours a week to
devote to helping others, and would like to do so
in cooperation with others of like interests, to
write to the Supreme Secretary for information

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

on the procedure under which the Sunshine Circle

can be organised and operated.A

W ill Civilization Survive?

In desperation some people ask today whether
the present conflicts throughout the world may
be the beginning of the disintegration of civilisa
tion. This question was brought up by a Frater
who recently asked whether or not civilisation
can survive the present international conflict. It
might be well first to consider the question in
terms of history, not that history will always re
peat itself, but to show a psychological considera
tion of the question.
This question has been asked periodically, par
ticularly in connection with every major war or
catastrophe since man began to think. In the life
time of most of us we recall the same thing was
asked during the first world war, as during the
great civil war between the states, in the time of
Napoleon, and in many other eras of history.
The same arguments are used each timethat
man, by involving himself in such conditions and
using the progress made in past years to make
more deadly his instruments of war, has made it
impossible for civilisation to survive. But it has
always done so, and at least from the standpoint
of the usual standards by which we judge mans
progress, its forward movement has been ac
celerated after every such catastrophe or period of
war in the past. Odd as it may seem, war fre
quently serves as an impetus to new industries or
new modes of living. As one example, the air
plane industry would never have advanced to the
point it has now reached in the same length of
time had it not been for the first world war.
Therefore, if we answer the question to our
selves anywhere near satisfactorily, we cannot be
pessimistic merely on the basis of historical back
ground. If we adopt a pessimistic attitude it will
be mainly because it is a psychological viewpoint
always adopted by mankind when it appears so
many institutions and ideals he has upheld have
been shattered.
The next question in connection with this dis
cussion might very well be, what is civilisation
itself? It would require a book to answer that
question if we presented every viewpoint; so let
us limit these comments to a very short summary
of one or two phases. Unfortunately, when many
peoole ask a question regarding the survival of
civilisation at this moment, they do so in such a
way that they define civilisation at the same time
as being a state of perfection. This is untrue, and
every thinking man or woman, if he will stop to
analyse the matter, will agree that civilisation is
not a perfect state, at least insofar as man has
experienced it up to this point in history. If
civilisation were perfect, then sociological and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

economic problems which lead to war would not

exist.
But the fact is, and what is meant by most in
dividuals is, that civilization as we know it is
something for which we have worked, to a greater
or less extent, or have simply accepted as the most
favorable form of living. If we wish to preserve
the civilization which man has gained, then we
should stress the preservation of its best phases.
Consequently, the real issue before us is not the
question of whether or not civilization will survive, but what are we doing to maintain the
worthy advancements of civilization and make
possible the continuance of such advancement in
the future. It seems there is little an isolated individual could do to contribute to the advancement of civilization, but it must constantly be
born in mind that civilization is not an isolated
factor removed from us as individual beings, but
something of which we are component parts. It
is a composite of society, and if the majority
making up the population of this country, for
example, believe civilization will perish, then the
chances for this civilization not enduring are
much better than if the majority believe in the
principles of civilization and the principles under
which we live, with a determination to do their
little part in upholding these principles.
The duties of Rosicrucians have been pointed
out from time to time in the past. Their duty is
to avail themselves of the practical use of the
knowledge they are receiving not to become
mere storage places of information, but to read
and study and then set out as best they can to
apply the principles they have gained and show
the world their value. In doing this they also
carry the principles to others. Civilization survives upon knowledge and creative thought.
Rosicrucianism is teaching man to think creative
ly and to use all of his potentialities. Therefore,
it has a definite value to civilization today, and
while it is going to be necessary to give in various
ways to the support of our country and the ideals
which it upholds, as a very component part of
civilization today, it is also our obligation to
spread to the best of our ability, among all men,
the fact that knowledge and truth are tools that
will help them as individuals and help them to
preserve civilization. W e have repeated time
after time that Rosicrucianism is of more value
under such circumstances as exist today than in
times when everything runs smoothly. Therefore,
meet the challenge of bringing this information to
those who can and will use it.A

Publication Vultures
In the bird world, a vulture is one that lives
upon carrion. It is despised because of its cow
ardice and lack of display of ingenuity in seeking

Page 173

out and overcoming prey. It is characterized by

its tendency to locate helpless, stricken, living
things, victims of injury or lack of food and
water, and to hover over them, coming closer as
life ebbs. Upon death, it descends upon the vic
tim and tears its carcass to shreds. There is only
one saving grace in this most unpleasant picture.
It is that this bird is so constructed by nature that
it is consequently incapable of realizing any other
kind of conduct.
It is deplorable that also in human nature there
exist such characters who thrive, and who for
their existence depend, upon the unfortunate cir
cumstances and calamities which befall other
men. Their livelihood is not gained by aiding the
distressed, but by exploiting their predicaments.
If such low moral standards and behavior con
stitute a stigma upon the human race when mani
fested by an individual, how much more does it
reflect upon society when such men are permitted
to establish institutions, concerns, or enterprises
whose sole object is such an activityand partic
ularly when society has laws in which they can
take refuge.
There exist in America dozens of daily news
papers whose sole circulation is established upon
an appeal to the lowest basic elements and pas
sions of mankind. They cater to the maudlin, to
the sensationalist, and the scandalmonger. True,
vice is news, as are corruption, moral turpitude,
perfidy, licentiousness, and infidelity but is it
preferential news? By what standards can a
newspaper or periodical justify the featuring and
excessive display of that kind of events? Is it
sufficient to say that a large portion of the read
ing public want to read about filth and immoral
ity? If a large portion of the populace would
want to commit adultery, would it be morally
proper to allow them so to indulge? Is any news
paper or publication contributing to human wel
fare and progress by catering to human frailties
and the foibles of character? A re the people of
N orth America going to allow certain of the press
to maintain the editorial policy that whatever the
desires of the masses, satisfy them?
W e have laws enacted and enforced compelling
the arrest of purveyors of salacious and indecent
pictures and literature in pamphlet and book
form. But we permit certain of the American
press to make statements and charges so filed or
presented as to give them immunity to legal re
sponsibility and to couch or surround them in
phrases in such a bombastic manner that they
make the same appeal to the lower natures of men
and women. Under the guise of news, they take
unproven, untried charges, and smear characters
and reputations on the fronts of their yellow
sheets as an enticement to those weak and
frustrated humans who derive a certain satisfac
tion from reading of behavior in which they often

Page 174

yearn for participation, although they have lacked

the courage to further such desires. Every vice or
crime in such periodicals and newspapersno
matter whether brutal murders, repugnant acts
of degeneracy or of violent passionis in blatant
phrases and bold type, given copious and promi'
nent space, and continues as long as the state'
ments can be added to or so arranged as to sus'
tain their appeal.
A re the virtuous acts of such individuals, per'
haps now victims, later or before that with which
they are charged, given the same prominence?
Absolutely not. Does an artists creation receive
the same prominence as a scandal story? Is there
an interpretation of his work published, or the
recognition it received as prominently displayed
in such journals? Such news is either entirely
ignored, or subject to the ignominy of facetious
remarks and inconsequential space. The state'
ment is made by the publisher, Our readers are
not interested in that type of material. W e can'
not offend them by featuring it, This insipid
reply is given as an explanation of their indiffer'
ence to culture or worthwhile news. It is the sort
of a reply one would expect from the heads of
the decadent ancient Roman State, if a protest
had been made to cease throwing Christians into
the arena for lions to devourthe crowd then
would have been offended if there were any sur'
cease of their fun.
The self'respecting reading publicnot snobs
or prudes, but persons with a sense of decency
and ethicshave their constructive newspapers
whose policies are conversely different. They can
read such daily newspapers as the New York
Times, the New York Herald'Tribune, the San
Francisco Chronicle, and the score of others
which are a credit to American journalism. The
fact that the average intelligent reader can turn
away from the yellow sheets to clean newspapers
is not sufficient. To do that alone is merely to
adopt the attitude of the ostrich of putting ones
head in a hole in the sand. The yellow journals
do not care whether you, as a circumspect, decent
citizen, do not read their sheets. They estimate
that there are ten to your one who will and
circulation means dollars to them. They barter
reputations, characters, integrities, and the fruits
of decent labor, all for money. There is one thing
they do know, however, and that is, that their
readers as a whole do not boast about their
papers, and that such readers have no pride in
the choice of their news literature. Thus the pub'
lishers of these scandalmongering, lewd news'
papers know that if they are faced by a well'
organized attack by an intelligent minority, the
majority of their readers will not come to the
front and further stigmatize themselves by offer'
ing them defense.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

If you are really sincerely desirous of aiding

humanity in lifting it above the sordid, helping it
to find higher levels, take part in A NEEDED
CRUSADErid America of its yellow journals.
Go to your churches, to your clubs and societies
of which you are a member and which stand for
moral advancement and better citizenship. Argue
and demand that a protest be filed with the city
authorities that the press, the newspapers, clean
their pages. Let them state facts, but not play up
and dress in lurid dramatizations and headlines
all the vile hatreds of litigates and the weaknesses
of human nature. Compel them to cease catering
to the elemental nature of the peoples of your
community. Your city and county officials, poli'
ticians though they be, whose duty it is to in'
gratiate themselves with the press, still fear public
opinion. Organized protests from churches, civic
clubs, and womens clubs will bring a pressure to
bear upon these officials, greater than their ties of
obligation to the press. Take the next story in'
volving personalities and dealing with morals and
the abasement of virtue which is spread profusely
through your daily press, and show it to these
club, society, and church members whom you wish
to interest in this crusade. Form a little committee
to get up petitions to submit to the officials of the
city and county. G et prominent concerns or in'
dividuals who are large advertisers and who still
can place decency above the dollar, to support
you in your work. Get your clergyman, rabbi, or
priest, to exhort against yellow journalism in your
community. Do not be bewildered or confused
by the press cry that it is an attempt to suppress
truth, that those guilty or charged with guilt or
misconduct are endeavoring to silence the press or
to conceal their acts.
The New York Times is perhaps one of the
freest of all of the free presses in America. No
one or thing is muzzling it. Legal charges or
actual crimes are published in its pages. They
are given the space that their news deserves.
However, they are not featured above and beyond
educational and cultural news, and current, con'
structive items and events. It is not a question of
keeping news out of the press. It is, rather, to
prevent the yellow journals from overexaggerating
and inserting innuendos in their articles, and
overemphasizing sordid, salacious news at the
expense often of helpless victims and public
morals. For example, the press of Great Britain
is not, in normal times, controlled. It will publish
the fact that Mrs. John Jones has filed a divorce
suit action against her husband for adultery, one
of the very few grounds for divorce action al'
lowed in England, but it will not permit an ag'
grandizement of all the lurid details as to what
transpired, or the intimate, vile remarks of w it'
nesses. It will not permit the dramatization of
the details by photographs, or the sketches of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

artists, frequently a product of imagination. A

happening can be news without being a canard.
There is a Sunday magazine, one of several in
the United States, included with a chain of Sun
day newspapers as a Sunday supplement, whose
circulation runs into millions, and which thrives
upon the breath of scandal. This Sunday supplewent dramatises in the most lurid, sensational,
and damaging way, every charge or story that
finds its way into the daily news columns con
cerning prominent individuals or organisations.
W ith its facetious editorial remarks, just staying
within the bounds of the law and avoiding libel,
it seeks to and does often shape the opinion of its
readers about matters which have not yet ap'
peared in court. Against the defendant may have
been hurled charges which are mendacious, and
which are part of a legal complaint. He has not
yet had the opportunity to vindicate himself in a
court of law or justice, yet he is tried before the
bar of public opinion by this yellow Sunday scan
dal sheet with its distorted, one-sided presentation.
I say one-sided, because the editorial innuendos
disqualify whatever of the other side it decides to
publish. To further its ends, it surrounds char
acters with an atmosphere of ignominy. If the
case had been tried and become a matter of court
record, and the defendant was guilty even though
it would not be an ethical thing to do, yet the
publication afterwards of such a story, even if
highly dramatised and sensational, could not
possibly wound him any more than what he was
responsible for by his conduct. But think of the
one who may be innocent, and who has not yet
had a chance for vindication! How can the de
fendant, or any individual, prevent this cruel
prostitution of character, prevent them from pub
lishing such stories, until his innocence or guilt
has been established by a court of law? Today
you cannot-but with your help in organising a
campaign, we can compel a change in this kind of
freedom of the press. It is within the bounds
of possibility. A certain religious denomination
proved that to the all-powerful and affluent mo
tion picture industry, when it compelled a cleans
ing of the motion pictures but a few years ago.
W hy am I so vitriolic? I speak from experi
ence, not just of the present and its circum
stances, but of the past, and with a knowledge
born from the experiences of many other persons
throughout this and other nations, with whom my
position has put me in touch. You each know of
the attack on my character, impugning my race,
reputation, and integrity, as well as upon the
honorable organisation which I represent. W heth
er this matter will ever come to trial, I do not
know; yet I will do all in my power to bring it
there for the Orders and my own vindication.
However, as yet I have not had such a trial or
opportunity for legal defense. It is, of course, too

Page 175

soon to expect it. But one of these Sunday scandal supplements has already consulted the plain
tiff for all of the details of the charges, so the
representative of this yellow journal has advised
me directly, for the sole purpose of a sensational
story to satisfy the desires of the readers to whom
they appeal. O f course, such innuendos as their
writers and as their editorial policy will permit
and sanction, would or will be damaging because
of the circulation which they enjoy. That, of
course, is no concern to them. They, as I have
said, thrive on what they crush from others. The
subterfuge resorted to by the representative in his
statements in soliciting me for remarks, was that
I could defend myself and give answer to the
charges through their Sunday supplement to our
Rosicrucian members. The absurdity, the insol
ence of it! As if A M O RC or I were obliged to
contact its thousands of members for a defense or
trial through the pages of a weekly journal noted
for such policies. I of course refused. A t one
time A M O RC tried a few conservative advertise
ments to test the reading response of one of these
Sunday supplement scandal sheets, and found it
quite unsatisfactory.
There are periodicals, other than newspapers,
particularly certain picture news magasines,
which resort to the same tactics, the same insidious
method of scandalising individuals and organisa
tions by their photographs, with their false and
misleading captions, and the deliberate lies which
wrongly brand the character of societies and in
dividuals, to further their circulation. One of
these national picture magasines a few years ago
published a photograph of the A M O RC Shrine,
which it had obtained in some manner. In a story
which was intended as an expose of the nudist
cults and fanatic and faddist societies which are
quite profuse in Southern California, but which
likewise may be found in New York, Illinois, and
many other states, the Shrine and AM O RC were
referred to as being located in Southern Calif or'
nia, whereas Rosicrucian Park is hundreds of
miles to the north, and in fact, in Northern
California. Further, the Shrine was called the
Supreme Temple of the Rosicrucian Order,
AMORC, another obvious absurdity, for it is a
monument, not the Supreme Temple, and a sign
erected in front of it at the time it was con
structed plainly so designates it, and could have
been easily read if an investigation had been
made before the publication of the story. Still
further, in this picture magasine story, the name
of the Order, or Rosicrucian, was misspelled, and
yet the word can be found in any of the un'
abridged modern dictionaries, and the purposes
of the Order were deliberately distorted. I say
deliberately, because any large modern encyclo
pedia sets forth the true aim and purposes of
AM ORC, and such encyclopedias are almost the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 176

working tools of any editorial department. Thou

sands of members from every country of the
world poured protests in on the editors and pub
lishers of this national picture magazine. So
many were the protests calling attention to the
geographical and spelling errors, wrong descrip
tion of the Shrine, and deliberately wrongly pre
sented facts about the Order, that the publishers
had to acknowledge the letters by the means of a
mimeographed form letter. W ere they big
enough, fair enough, to admit their error? Would
they do an honorable Order such as AM ORC
the justice of a printed apology? THEY W OULD
NO T. They published one short letter of protest
which they received from a member BUT
W IT H N O EDITORIAL RETRA CTIO N .
They would not admit their error, regardless of
the damage which they had committed.
This same picture magazine had a representa
tive call upon me just yesterday, for the declared
purpose of writing a story and publishing pic
tures about the AM ORC buildings and grounds.
Could we rely upon them? W ould not precedent
and experience indicate that they would once
again exploit a reputation to further their pe
cuniary ends? Is it not strange that when they
wrote the captions of ridicule three years ago,
and then learned in a voluminous manner of their
mistake, they did not then, within a reasonable
time, offer to publish a constructive storywhy
wait until now, if that is their purpose (and they
did not designate it as their purpose) to run a
constructive story? Perhaps the real reason is that
they, like others of their type, wish to tie in a
picture story about AM ORC with the recent ad
verse publicity, in other words, to continue to
play the part of the vulture. Needless to say, no
comment or story or pictures were given to them
by the Order or by me.
Men and women, rise up! Stop being puppets
to further the ends of yellow journalism. I recom
mend that you see the motion picture entitled
Citizen Kane directed by the noted playwright,
Orson Welles, which constitutes an expose of the
yellow publishing racket in America. He was
threatened, as were his producers, with suits,
litigation, and other penalties, by a certain chain
of yellow newspapers whose true history strange
ly parallels the events and sequence, so we are
told, of the story in the motion picture, Citizen
Kane. Use that motion picture, which is good
entertainment as well, as your incentive and the
means of arousing others to fight for and in this
crusade.X

Rosicrucian Symbolism
Quite often, recently, fratres and sorores have
asked this FORUM CIRCLE: W hat does the
beautiful symbolical Rose Cross which appears on

the birthday greetings folder I received from

A M O RC mean?
According to our late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis, every writer on true Rosicrucian
symbolism in the past three centuries has referred
to this as the Encyclopedic Symbol, because it
contains the keys to the most sacred truths of
the Rose Cross. O ur Research Librarian, Frater
Orval Graves, upon request, has consulted our
archives on ancient Rosicrucian source material,
and gives us the following excellent description
and interpretation of the symbology of this par
ticular Rose Cross:
It is usually called the alchemical and hermetic
Rose Cross, and is a very old and mystical Rosi
crucian symbol. On the four ends of the cross
there are three alchemical symbols mercury,
sulphur and salt. A t the top and bottom of the
cross mercury is in the center, sulphur is on the
left, and salt on the right. Also on the ends of
each arm of the cross, but closer in, are four
pentagrams. The circle at the top of the penta
gram stands for spirit; the first triangle on the left,
with the point downward, and a line parallel to
the base, stands for earth, the other triangle with a
line parallel to the base, but with the point up
ward, on the left, stands for air; the triangle on the
right of the pentagram, with the point downward,
stands for water; and the triangle on the right,
with the point upward, stands for fire. The
pentagram is very deep in mystical meaning, be
ing a symbolic representation of the Rosy Cross
itself. The end of the longest arm of the cross,
or the lowest, is divided into four sections. Each
section stands for the colors of Malkuth of the
Cabalistic Tree of Life. These four colors are
lemon, olive, russet, and black. Above these four
sections of the lower arm there is a six-pointed
figure or hexagram, which has six planets on its
pointsthe bottom, Moon; next to the right,
Venus; Jupiter; Saturn; Mars; Mercury; and
the Sun in the center. The hexagram was once
considered the most powerful of all symbols.
These planets are arranged in the order of certain
Cabalistic rituals which they represent. The four
large rays or points projecting out from behind
the cross are symbolical of the rays of Divine or
Cosmic light. These rays have the letters
I N R I, which, according to Frater Wittemans,
stand for Latin words meaning nature is com
pletely renewed by fire.' The other smaller rays
with letters on them represent the first letters of
resonant names as used by the Greeks and
Egyptians in their ancient mystery schools.
The petals of the great rose on the cross are
twenty-two in number and represent the twentytwo letters of the Hebrew Cabalistic alphabet.
The twelve outside letters represent the twelve
signs of the Zodiac. The seven petals or letters
in the middle rose stand for the seven planets and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the seven double letters of the Cabalistic alphabet;

while the three inner petals, or mother letters,
represent air, fire, and water. The four project
tions behind the small Rose Cross are the points
of the Maltese Cross. It, too, is rich in symbolic
meaning. Then, of course, there is the Rose Cross
proper with its five petals, in the very center of
the large cross. This large 'Encyclopedic Rose
Cross symbolizes all the majesty, power, beauty,
and protection which the Rosicrucian Order has
to offer.
Another frater asks what is the meaning of the
little oval symbol that appears in the lower right'
hand corner of each page in the Rosicrucian
Digest. He is referring to the Egyptian cartouche,
which is now the official seal of the Order. Such
cartouches were seals giving the name of a king,
queen, or god, and were impressed on papyri, or
inscribed in stone, wood, or metals, and used
much after the manner in which we use personal
or business seals today. This particular cartouche
was also the personal seal of Pharaoh Thutmose
III. It was a praenomen, his first or religious
name, or title. Literally translated, it reads,
reading from the bottom to the top, or in other
words, starting with the scarab included in the
oval, and upward to the sun disc: Men'Kheper'
Ra. The little scarab is a copy of the scarabaeus,
common to the lands of Egypt. To the ancient
Egyptians, this little beetle symbolized immortality
and resurrection, because the scarabaeus had the
inherent power or means to seemingly die and
remain inanimate for an indefinite time, or until
certain conditions were reestablished in which it
would be placed, then it would appear to resur'
rect, showing no ill effects from its previous
death. The Egyptians called the scarab, or this
particular design as we refer to it here, Kheper.
As the Egyptians were the first of mankind to
expound and teach the doctrine of immortality in
their mystery and arcane schools, this little crea'
ture symbolized the great principle of living
again, and reincarnation.
The circle at the top of the oval, with the dot
in the center, is the symbol of the solar disc of
Ra, namely of the sun. During the time of
Amenhotep IV, in 1350 B. C., the Eighteenth
Dynasty, it was taught that the sun was the
medium through which the creative power of
God reached down to earth and gave life to all
things, brought them forth, and raised them up'
ward to the heavens. Frequently on statuary,
and on the walls of tombs and temples, we see
inscribed rays descending earthward from the
lower portion of the disc. A t the end of each
ray is a small hand representing this creative
power of God reaching down to bring forth
living things from earth. During this latter per'
iod, the sun of course was not worshipped as
God, but merely as a symbol of His power.

Page 177

The middle figure in the oval, or cartouche, is

the sign of a draughtS'board. The Egyptians called
it men. Actually, however, it meant to them,
to abide, to be stable, and to establish.
A short time ago, I had occasion to deliver a
lecture concerning the life of Thutmose III. The
following is a quotation from that lecture, and
will explain how the seal of Thutmose III, or
this particular cartouche, came to be adopted as
the official seal of the Rosicrucian Order:
Some five hundred years later, or in fact
about 1501 B. C., there ascended to the throne
of Egypt one Thutmose I. The early years of
his reign are quite generally known, and are
related in most of the reliable histories of Egypt.
The later years are quite obscure. W e are not
quite sure why. He had two sonsThutmose II
and Thutmose III. By right of accession, T hut'
mose II would have followed him on the throne,
and would have been entitled to reign. The other
son, Thutmose III, we are told, concerned him'
self little with political aspirations, with the ma'
terial power of Egypt at the time, with its con'
quests, or even with its religions. Nevertheless,
he was a deep student and took an active part in
the studies of the mystery schools, to such an ex'
tent that he gathered about himself the most ad'
vanced of these students. They met with T hut'
mose III in his private chambers or court for dis'
course, for contemplation, and for understanding.
These were private sessions, but not necessarily
secret, since it was generally known that he was
conducting such private classes in the royal
palace.
Then history relates a very strange occurrence
that is mystically important to us. W e are told
of a great feast which, oddly enough, if that is the
term to use, occurred about on the occasion of the
Spring equinox. This great festival was being
held in the Temple of Amen, one of the prevail'
ing gods of the time, in the great Temple of what
is now Karnak at Thebes, Egypt, the then great
capital city. W e can visualize this ceremony, if
we will; the magnificent colonnaded halls of this
splendid edifice, the balmy air of a March evening
in Egypt, the Nile nearby, swaying palm trees,
the heavy shadows, the flickering light of the
torches, the colorful attire of the priests and the
assembly, the chanting, the soft strains of the
string instruments.
History relates that Thutmose III, as was his
custom, was present at the feast. He, with his
colleagues, was seated in the Northern Hall of the
great Temple. The chief priests or Kheri Heb
were perambulating and carrying a little image
symbolic of the god Amen. As they passed the
different groups of personages they were ac'
claimed. But, strangely, the High Priest would
walk over to each group and peer into their faces
as though he were searching for someone, and

Page 178

then as if realising that they were not the ones,

he would shake his head in the negative, and cross
over to the opposite side and repeat the process.
He knew all the time that Thutmose III was
present, but finally when he reached the Northern
Chamber of the Temple, he acted as though he
had suddenly discovered the one for whom he had
been searching. He placed at the feet of Thutmose III the image of Amen which depicted, in
the customs of the time, that he, Thutmose III,
had been chosen instead of his brother to succeed
the father upon the throne, and the great assemblage broke forth in acclamation.
W hat interests us mostly, and which is recorded in history, is Thutmose IIFs explanation
of his experience upon the occasion. He had no
knowledge that he was to be chosen to become
Pharaoh, because by right of accession, his brother
should have been. But when the image was placed
at his feet, he was seen to stand up; however,
according to Thutmose III he felt raised as
though his feet hardly touched the ground, and
as though he had ascended into the heavens, and
there he tells us God duly appointed him to serve
his people. In fact, he felt as though he had been
divinely ordained because of the mystical experi
ence, and it became not even necessary for him
to journey to Heliopolis where the Sun Temple
was located, as had been the custom, to be formally coronated.
The priests and sages of the mystery schools
had wisely chosen Thutmose III. Almost immedi
ately thereafter, he proposed to the class meeting
with him in his chambers that they become a se
cret order and that they take certain vows to pre
serve and to protect the knowledge which came
to them through their illumination, and to see
that it be passed on to those worthy. W e are told
that there was no dissenting voice, and all were
happy to establish the secret order. The first
council was formed, consisting of but twelve men
and women. Taking into consideration the vari
ous changes of the calendar, it has been estimated
that this first organisation of the secret order and
the council of twelve occurred about March 28,
in the year 1489 B. C. No name was given to the
order, but an official seal was selected for the
certifying of its manifestoes and its early decrees
which were written on papyri, or inscribed in
stone. The seal which was adopted was the per
sonal seal or cartouche of Thutmose III, and that
seal has come down to us today as the official seal
of our Order, and is used in numerous ways. The
most common usage of its is seen in the Rosi
crucian Digest. If you will examine each page
of the Rosicrucian Digest, on the right-hand
side you will find the cartouche of Thutmose III,
the seal of our Order.X

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Superstition and T ru th
A frater who frequently corresponds, now
asks those of our FORUM CIRCLE this morn
ing a very interesting and thoughtful question.
It is: In what way, if any, does a superstition
differ from a truth believed, but not known or
understood? W e do not known whether the
frater meant, How do these two factors differ
inherently in their substance, or how do they dif
fer in their effect upon the human mind? Con
sequently, we will endeavor to answer from both
points of view.
Almost all of us could readily recite some super
stitious practices or beliefs, if we were asked to
name them. Few of us could, however, explain
just what constitutes the processes of mind which
account for a superstitionor just what a super
stition is. W e presume, however, to venture the
following definition of our own: Superjstition is
the assumption that certain realities have a
causal dependency upon supernatural powers.
This is not necessarily so involved as it may read.
If we say the nature of a thing is understood to
us, we mean, do we not, that its constituency,
that of which it is made or composed, is conceiv
able to us, or that its function is comprehended.
For example, if we declare that there is no mys
tery about the nature of a cherry pie to us, we
imply that we have knowledge of the ingredients
which it contains, and that further, we are familiar
with, or possibly have actually experienced, the
method by which it is prepared and baked. There
fore, on the whole, our knowledge is rooted in
perception and apperception. In other words,
those common empirical states of consciousness
seeing, feeling, hearing, et cetera, and finally the
inner understanding of reason and judgment,
based upon the actual perceptions, composing our
knowledge.
Now, let us inject a supposition into this con
sideration. Every time there is a full moon and
its light falls upon a certain area of the back
fence of a residence, a pale, eerie cross becomes
visible on the surface, which does not appear at
other times, and which leaves no trace. Here then
is an experience without apparent explanation. It
is a phenomenon, the cause of which is not per
ceivable. It is a creditable trait in human nature
that man seeks to attribute all things to a cause.
If the causes can be perceived, they are accounted
for as physical or natural effects or events. That
which cannot be discerned, as the fanciful exam
ple given abovethat is, where the cause cannot
be traced directlyis not by the credulous person
left as an unanswered occurrence. Rather, it is
assigned to the realm of the supernatural. Con
cisely, then, all things which do not have per
ceivable causes are attributed to the invisible and
immaterial forces and energies, thought to be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

either Divine or satanic, or of their agencies. This

belief is the basis of all theurgy, past and present.
It is quite understandable after all. W e cannot
eschew or deny the existence of a thing, merely
because its origin or cause is unknown to us.
Therefore, the unthinking man assumes a nonphysical or immaterial source for its existence.
The truly superstitious man is not a guesser, nor
is he a speculator. He will not develop a series of
presuppositions, as will the philosopher and scientist, for the existence of something. If he can'
not perceive a finite cause, to his mind the object
or event falls into the category of having a definite supernatural origin. To the superstitious, the
supernatural is not an imaginary state, it has as
much reality to his mind as has the physical.
Consequently, he is not obliged to imagine probable material or finite causes.
Superstition makes for fear, principally because
the supernatural or invisible agents or powers are
conceived capable of any kind of phenomena.
Also, because they cannot be objectively per
ceived, they are thought of as being outside the
bounds of human control or direction. Superstition, therefore, becomes a kind of assumed \now l'
edge. One of the principal tendencies of super
stition is to develop a conclusive attitude of mind.
It closes the door to all inquiry and investigation,
in fact all rationalism. It stops the further search
for truth. It is one thing to be continually puzzled
by a mystery which one seeks to solve, and still
another to assume \nowledge, as superstition does,
by a belief in supernatural causes.
A belief, on the other hand, is a substitution
for knowledge. It is presuming to know some
thing, or having faith in a subject, which has not
been substantiated by the actual proof of human
experience. Before the time of Copernicus and
Galileo, for example, the people believed that the
earth was the center of the universe. There was
no way, from actual observation at the time, that
they could prove otherwise. Such belief was a
corollary deduced from interpretations of Biblical
literature and theological dogma and dissertations.
W hen no actual knowledge of a factual matter is
obtainable, a belief may stand until possible of
disproof. Consequently, many of our beliefs to
day are posited as knowledge in this light.
The frater in his question refers to two kinds
of truthsthose \now n and those believed. The
latter, or those of belief, we have just considered.
Those beliefs which are not even justifiable are
the ones which are clung to tenaciously, even
when avenues of knowledge, such as empirical
investigations, remain open to disprove them. An
example of such a belief is the one had by a mod
ern religious sect, that the earth is square and
flat, in face of demonstrable truths to the con
trary. On the other hand, our \now n truths,
as the frater puts it, are often founded upon our

Page 179

relative powers of observation and are later

proven to be false. The X-ray disproved some of
our conclusions of the functioning of live organs
which had been deduced from perceiving external
phenomena with the naked eye. In substance
then, a superstition differs from a true belief, in
that the former always' has its root in supernatur
alism, whereas the latter is faith in conclusions
arrived at, no matter upon what they are founded.
To put it simply, every superstitious person
believes his superstitions, but every believer is not
superstitious.
As to what effects these different attitudes of
mind, or the processes of our thinking may have
upon us, we may answer with the single word,
identical. That of which we are convinced, and
which is a reality to us, whether for the moment
or for a lifetime, while it persists, is positive in its
influence upon our actions. Thus, beliefs, truth,
and superstition all compel us. Truths are perferable because they are more enduring. They do
not expose us to sudden disappointments, and are
usable in pyramiding and forming a mofe durable
foundation to stand upon to reach for further
knowledge.X

M ental Alchemy
Here is an interesting thought or idea that
recently appeared in our correspondence. It was
probably prompted by some of the writings in
our magazines, or perhaps even some of the Rosi
crucian books that are for sale in the Rosicrucian
Supply Bureau. This question deals with the
works of the alchemists of the past, in a way, and
yet only indirectly. The question asks whether
or not the members of the Rosicrucian Order will
be instructed in the art of transmutation of mat
ter, in case this country should experience a sud
den devastating catastrophe that would result in
a shortage of food and water, thus preventing our
members from suffering along with the rest of
the populace.
Now, our only interest in this question pertains
to the reason for the experiments of the ancient
alchemist and why he was so interested in demon
strating the transmutation of matter. Our mem
bers in the higher degrees of study know and
realize that it was not because of personal need,
or a desire for personal power and wealth, that
the men of science in centuries past sought to
perfect the art of changing the manifestation of
matter through alchemy. Rather, their experi
ments were for the purpose of demonstrating
knowledge and understanding of the higher laws
of nature. They sought to reduce matter to its
fundamentals and demonstrate the fact that all
matter was primarily vibrations and that it is
simply a question of changing the vibratory rate

Page 180

of a substance in order to change its earthly

manifestation.
The Rosicrucians of centuries ago, as we are
today, were primarily interested in the transmu"
tation of the soul through a profound understand"
ing of Cosmic law and mans relationship to it.
Their greatest interest first, as is ours, was in
mental and spiritual alchemy, rather than material
transmutation. Thus, we deal extensively with
such subjects as the relation of soul and mind, the
distinction between soul and electrical, magnetic
energy, the study of the vital life force in man,
the development and use of psychic centers, the
explanation of the psychic self, an explanation of
the doctrine of reincarnation, and how to attain
Cosmic Consciousness, which lead man to an
understanding of his purpose of existence and
how he may derive the greatest benefit from each
earthly incarnation and thus continue his progress
and development along the path of Light, Life,
and Love.
Naturally, there will always be those who are
deeply interested in the scientific experiments and
alchemical demonstrations of Rosicrucians of the
past, but these members of our Order are not in"
terested in physical transmutation for personal
benefit except insofar as knowledge and wisdom
are concerned. W e are more interested in the
principles demonstrated by an experiment in the
refining of a base metal than in any monetary
gain that might be possible therefrom. Anyone
seeking wealth through such experiments is, we
fear, doomed to disappointment, for every demon"
stration of a successful transmutation of a base
metal to gold has proven extremely costly, thus
making this phase of alchemy, at least, far from
profitable. A nd so, we should not expend our
mental and physical effort and energy toward
learning and demonstrating the transmutation of
matter with the thought of material gain in mind.
W ith a desire for a better understanding of nat"
ural law, yes, for this makes for continued growth
and development, which leads to spiritual progress
and transmutation of the personality, an attri"
bute of the soul.
Going back to the question of want and de"
privation in case of a great catastrophe in this
country, which is the thought that was especially
stressed in the correspondence that prompted
these comments, it seems safe to say that plans
are being made for a nationw ide campaign to
train men, women, and children in the art of
self "protection and the steps necessary to over"
come much of the suffering that usually follows
in the wake of a major calamity. N ot only will
our citizens be taught proper conduct for safe"
guarding life, property, and general health, but
very likely they will be educated to the benefits
of concentrated foods and the use of vitamin
capsules and tablets that have been made avail"

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

able to us, thanks to the efforts of modern

chemists.
It hardly seems necessary for us to worry about
the necessity of transmuting matter to foodstuff
in light of the thousands of varieties of concen"
trated nourishment that are being manufactured
daily in the great chemical laboratories of this
country. In many respects, these modern chem"
ists have carried on the work of the alchemist,
though they may seem reluctant to admit it.
However, just as we see the essence of foods being
extracted and prepared for consumption in con"
centrated form, so too did the ancient alchemist
extract the essences of herbs for medicinal and
nourishment purposes. It may even be said that
such practices were the forerunners of our mod"
ern medicines, which are largely extracts and oils
taken from roots, herbs, and all varieties of plant
life, as well as acids and solutions made from
chemical elements.
W e feel we can with confidence leave this
matter of providing food and drink in the hands
of the modern chemist and his elaborate equip"
ment, devoting our attention to the problem of
establishing peace, harmony, and mental consola"
tion within those of our fellow beings who fall
victims to any catastrophe, regardless of its source
or the nature of its origin.

A Helpful Suggestion
One of the most helpful, and perhaps bene"
ficial, methods of stimulating mental action is
through conversation with friends and acquaint"
ances, especially those with similar interests and
hobbies. Conversation is mans method of ex"
changing ideas and comparing experiences in life.
In fact, mans attempt to convey impressions from
the mind of one to the mind of another resulted
in crude pictures and symbols that developed into
present"day language and writing. O ur objective
knowledge is obtained from early childhood
through conversation and, later, through our
ability to read.
A long or even a brief conversation with a
fellow being can never be considered a waste of
time; for even in the most casual discussion, some
little thought or expression may set up a train of
ideas flowing through the consciousness that will
give us the key to the solution of some problem
that has seemed to resist all previous effort. In
our own Rosicrucian teachings there are occa"
sions when we do not fully understand a law or
principle, which may later on become perfectly
clear through a discussion of the principle with
some fellow student on the path. Therefore, one
should, whenever posisble, discuss the teachings
with his friends and relatives who, of course, are
also members of the Order. Affiliation with a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

chapter is to be highly recommended to those who

live in the cities where chapters are located.
In recent weeks the writer has had an opportunity to enter into conversation with various
members of the Order living here in San Jose,
and has found such discussions of the principles
most refreshing. You know, there are times when
one becomes mentally stale, and though realising
it, is unable to find a way out of the fog until a
simple discussion of problems and thoughts with
another just seems to sweep away the cobwebs,
as it were, and clears his whole mental atmosphere.
Just a few days ago while in conversation with
our Frater William Ray of this city, a thought
was suggested by him that we feel is worth passing on to our students through the medium of
The Rosicrucian Forum. It is a thought that
perhaps we have more or less taken for granted
in the past, but there may be many members to
whom it has never occurred.
Frater Ray suggested the importance of first
mentally tearing down before building up. He
means it is important first to use the Rosicrucian
principles of creating, in reverse, before building
your mental picture of the thing or desire that
you wish to have manifest in your life. For a
simple analogy that all can understand, he refers
to the procedure that is followed when building
a new home or an office building. The first action
on the part of the builder is to tear down and
move away any old structure or half-completed
building that may be on the lot or property. The
lot is first cleaned off level before the setting of
any foundation forms can take place.
W e find a craftsman following the same procedure, and all who have worked at a workbench
will be able to testify that their efforts are hampered bv a cluttered bench where the tools are
scattered about and half-finished proiects are in the
center of the bench. If in the middle of a half
finished project new work must be started or a
new idea forms in the mind, the first thing that
should be done is a clearing up of the workbench,
removing all of the half-finished jobs, putting the
tools away in their respective places, brushing
away the sawdust or iron filings or any other
debris that hampers ones progress. Then and only
then can one work with complete ease and
satisfaction.
W hy not try this same procedure when men
tally creating, planning, or building? W ith a
cluttered mental workbench, one is definitely
handicapped, for invariably the half-completed
proiects and plans get in the way and interfere
with proper progress. Parts and pieces of un
finished work must be continually set aside or
placed over in the corner of the mind, but they
soon find their way back again right in the middle
of our new picture that we are struggling to
paint. This means lost time, wasted effort, and

Page 181

mental fatigue. A nd so, it seems logical to start

with a clean workbench before laying down even
the first line, the first part of our new picture
or plan.
Some have the ability to brush the bench clean
with one sweep; others may find it a little dif
ficult to do this, and for them it will be necessary
to demolish their half-finished structures by the
mentally tearing down process. Start with the
top of the picture, and bit by bit, piece by piece,
remove the picture from the canvas until nothing
remains but a clear, clean screen. Then, just as
the artist paints a picture, start with the founda
tion, adding a little at a time until you have com
pleted your mental creation. T ry not to leave it
until it is finished, for otherwise it will become
just another half-completed plan or structure that
will have to be removed at some future time be
fore you can start in anew. Remember, you can
not go out and buy a new canvas every time you
wish to paint a mental picture; therefore, you
must blot out in some satisfactory manner any
and all old, unfinished plans and dreams.

O ur New Research Activities

A frater states to our FORUM CIRCLE: I
am ever reading in newspaper accounts of scien
tific discoveries, and in science journals of new
developments, found upon principles which have
been expounded in our monographs, at least for
the several years that I have been a member; how
long before that I do not know. The fact that
AM ORC did not create or invent some of the
new devices does not, in my opinion, detract from
the credit due our Order for having had knowl
edge of these principles. It is, of course, not the
duty of our Order to invent utilities, but rather
to know the ways in which they can be evolved.
To me, this shows the progressiveness of Rosicrucianism. Also I am impressed with the inclu
sion of Pronunsiamentoes in our teachings, con
cerning the latest scientific findings, the result of
efforts put forth by our own fraters.
Rosicrucianism has never been a decadent phi
losophy, but always an evolving one, and it has
always kept abreast and in advance of the times,
in the manner that the frater has brought forth.
The Rosicrucian Order differs, for example, from
the scholasticism of the Middle Ages, when the
church presumed that the revelations of the
traditional disciples and saints constituted the
complete and final word in knowledge. The pre
mise upon which the Rosicrucian philosophy is
established, however, is that knowledge begets
knowledge. Enlightenment sharpens our facul
ties and gives us a wider perspective, develops our
consciousness, and our sensitivity, deepens our
reason, stimulates our intuitive powersand, most

Page 182

important, causes us to realize how much more

there still is to know.
W e have traditional rites and rituals, which
must remain unchanged, because they are founded
upon eternal and immutable principles. Our
factual matter, however, or the subject matter of
the teachings, is ever expanding and subject to
enlargement and change, if errors in previous concepts are proven. The officers of the Supreme and
Grand Lodge have a tutelary responsibility over
the teachings, which cannot and will not amount
to suppression of truth, or the arresting of prog
ress, as we often see in some systems of philosophy
and religion. In the early centuries of Rosicru
cianism in Europe, what we now designate as a
system of science was an admixture of the true
scientific attitude of mind and superstition. Fur
ther, the scientific world was extremely limited.
Public opinion was hostile to science because dog
matic religion and theology and ignorance op
posed it. The only true support early science
gained was from such liberal organizations as the
Rosicrucian Order. Consequently some of the
greatest scientists of the period were members of
the Rosicrucian Order, and for this very reason.
In the Middle Ages particularly, the only
laboratories available to most of these investigators
were those that were established in the secret
sanctuaries of the Rosicrucian Order. Sometimes
such laboratories were in the garrets of buildings
(see the photograph of the Cagliostro garret
laboratory in the January, 1937, issue of the
Rosicrucian Digest ) . Sometimes they were
established in subterranean chambers in castles or
private homes. A t other times, they were hidden
away in caves and grottoes, in the forests, or high
on the sides of nearly inaccessible mountains.
The findings of these investigators were not re
vealed as is now done by general science. The
public mind was not nearly as broad and tolerant
as today. Almost all of these scientific conclusions
and discoveries of natural law were diametrically
opposed to the religious precepts and customs. To
announce these new discoveries, these opposing
principles, might have invited death and dire
penalties for these early scientists, as it sometimes
did. They would have been proclaimed heretics,
witches, or workers in magic. Now, however, that
general and profane science is looked upon nearly
as a god by the massesas the last court of ap
peal and as a means of solution of nearly every
problemhas the usefulness of the Rosicrucian
Order ceased as a contributing factor to human
knowledge and welfare? O ur answer must be
emphatically no. Unfortunately, science itself
has, to a great extent, become as dogmatic as
many of the religious sects with which it was once
in conflict. There are some schools of science
which actuallyin practiceare contrary to the
purposes of science, for they insist upon their in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fallibility, and they express reluctance to go

beyond that which they have established or
theorized about.
On the other hand, today, we have Rosicru
cian members, chemists, physicists, engineers, biolo
gists, psychologists, artists, and musicians, holding
academic degrees in their professions, and who in
their private lives are associated with commercial
enterprises. In such enterprises, they are com
pelled to limit their investigations to the purposes
of the concern. However, upon their own time
and in their personal laboratories, or at odd hours
in the great laboratories in which they are en
gaged, they do research for the Rosicrucian Order,
A M O R C . They test the AM ORC principles,
and they enlarge upon them. Their findings are
brought to you in the form of the special Pronunziamentoes which you receive periodically.
This not only keeps you abreast of what science
has discovered, but often it places you consider
ably in advance of general science. Each contribu
tor, each one of these Rosicrucian investigators, is
an unquestioned authority in his particular realm
of knowledge, and all are truly tolerant and
broad, and have the right Rosicrucian attitude of
mind toward the acquiring of knowledge. These
men and women constitute a body known as the
Rational Research Council of the Rosicrucian
Order, AMORC. Many of their manuscripts are
even not as yet published, and are in the archives
of the Order awaiting a propitious timeothers
are being received.
Also here at Rosicrucian Park, as part of the
facilities of the Rose-Croix University, are mod
ern chemistry, physics, biology, photography, and
light and color laboratories. Each is quite suffi
ciently equipped with the latest apparatus to in
struct Rosicrucian students in the various sci
ences, and to do considerable research. The in
structors are all Rosicrucians, each qualified and
an expert in his subject. They present the laws
of nature in such a fascinating and simple manner
that even those who have never studied any
physical science and who are not college or uni
versity students or graduates can gain much use
ful information and knowledge. Men and wom
en, who in early life did not have the opportunity
to obtain higher education, now since they are
members of the Order can spend three weeks each
summer here at the Rose-Croix University, and
receive highly beneficial experiences and instruc
tion, and quite within their understanding.
In addition, during other times of the year,
these laboratories have been used periodically for
the development of certain apparatus to demon'
strate Rosicrucian principles, as expressed in man
and nature. However, the officers of the staff
have a limited time to devote to such research
because of their many other duties and obliga
tions. It was, therefore, decided, some time past

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

by the Board of Directors of the Supreme Grand

Lodge, that a Rosicruciana qualified researcher
in certain fields of scienceshould be engaged to
devote his entire time to specific research. He
would investigate Rosicrucian principles and aid
in demonstrating them in various ways. He would
also investigate new theories and hypotheses of the
Order. Naturally, he would need to be placed
upon a salary basis. Consequently, one hundred
members of AM O RC were asked to contribute
toward making the first years salary possible. W e
are happy to announce that this has been done
through the generosity of these hundred members,
and our research will begin as of September 2nd
of this year, in other words, this coming fall.
This researcher will work continuously in our
physics laboratory in the Science Building of the
Rose'Croix University here at Rosicrucian Park.
W hen the first year expires, we will then ask an
other hundred members of AM ORC to donate
another years salary for additional research work.
The findings of the researcher will be issued
periodically in bulletin form to all members, w ith'
out cost to them, and as an added benefit and
feature of membership. Factual matter, after being approved by the Imperator, will be added to
the monographs, and thus become a heritage of
knowledge which we shall leave to future Rosi"
crucians, just as we enjoy our heritage from the
great thinkers, students, and profound investiga'
tors who were members of the Order of the past.
Here is something each of you fratres and
sorores should think about and take pride inwe
today, the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, form
the only mystical and metaphysical society in
North and South America, as well as any that
purports to be Rosicrucian, that actually maintains laboratories for the investigation of the
physical laws of nature, as well as that which is
defined as the esoteric. Almost all other such societies and organizations resort for their informa'
tion to the findings of general and profane sci'
ence, or else they guess and speculate about such
principles. TAKE PRIDE, THEREFORE, IN
THE A CTIV ITIES OF AMORC. Realize as
well the burden that such activities impose upon
the officers and the administration, and your responsibility as a member, to see that they are
maintained in the face of present adverse times.
Now a word about our new researcher, Frater
Erwin Watermeyer. He has degrees of B. A. and
M. A. in Science from Columbia University of
New York, and has been on the teaching staff of
Brooklyn College, a large institution, for several
years. In fact, he has obtained a leave-of^absence
from that institution, in order to conduct special
research work for us. In the past, he has also
taught physics during the summer at our Rose'
Croix University. He is a young man, energetic,
and has expressed himself sincerely as to his in

Page 183

terests in the Rosicrucian teachings and principles,

and he is now enthusiastic about his prospects for
research for A M O R C .
There is much original research that thinking
and investigating Rosicrucians can do in their
own homes, or in their own localities, even with'
out having a scientific background, by using the
Rosicrucian principles, which they learned from
their Rosicrucian monographs exclusively. The
following is what a frater in a mid'western state
of the United States is attempting. To quote his
words: W e know that from the right hand come
positive, and from the left hand negative, vibra'
tions. Now, seeds planted by hand would pick up
these vibrations, or such vibrations would be im'
parted to them. W ould these vibrations change
the polarity of the seed enough to make any dif'
ference in their growth? I believe so, but I am
going to enlarge on my theory. I am going to
conduct some home experiments of my own. This
spring I am going to plant seeds two days before
Full Moon and two days after, to test what was
once declared to be superstition, but which may
have some basic natural law behind it. Each time
that I plant, I shall charge the seeds, some with
positive, and some with negative vibrations. In
other words, using one hand exclusively, and then
the other. I shall watch for any difference in
growth.X

Rosicrucian H ealth Principles

Mans one big aim and purpose in this life on
earth is the pursuit of happiness. Happiness is
something that is measured differently in each in'
dividual. Some consider themselves happy when
they are traveling through foreign lands and
places. Others are on the heights of happiness
when they are puttering about their home gar'
dens. There are those of us who are restless and
ill at ease until indulging in our favorate hobby,
whether it be study, playing music, building an
article in our craft shop, or simply sitting in
meditation, mentally creating.
However, we will all agree that we do not at'
tain peace of mind and complete happiness unless
we are enjoying good health and strong vitality.
The question of physical health will almost seem
to be the keynote to the attainment of happiness.
W e know that in our Rosicrucian work health
plays an important part. The glands of the body
and other important centers are not doing their
work properly when the body is not in proper
condition.
W e have all had the experience of being un'
able to think clearly because of minor aches and
pains, especially that condition we usually refer
to as sick headache. Such conditions seem to pre'
vail when our vitality is low and when we fail
to follow the very fundamentals of bodily health

Page 184

and hygiene. The Rosicrucian teachings are, even

from the early Mandamus monographs, virtually
filled with health exercises and suggestions.
Actually, there is no reason whatever for a stu
dent member who has completed the Neophyte
grades to be suffering from such common condi
tions as lack of vitality and ambition, acid in
digestion, physical and mental fatigue, poor cir
culation, and especially poor elimination, unless,
of course, these members are suffering from
chronic conditions of long standing and have so
suffered for many years before being accepted as
members of the Rosicrucian Order.
Yet it is obvious from our correspondence that
there are still members on the path who do not
feel well every day, and, in fact, seldom enjoy a
full day of perfect health and strength. This leads
to the impression that such members do not con
scientiously follow the suggestions in their lessons
for health and happiness. O f course, all that we
can do is to advise methods and practices that we
have learned from years of experience are valu
able in maintaining health and happiness. W e
cannot possibly follow these principles for the
student member. If the member prefers to ac
cept our advice as intelligent, sound, sensible logic
and beneficial from an educational point of view,
and yet something not to be actually practiced,
then we are at a loss to be of real assistance. No
system of health is any better than the extent to
which it is practiced. If, for instance, it is sug
gested that a glass of water be taken before re
tiring and again upon arising, and the member
does it for two or three days with good results
and then discontinues it, of what value is this
knowledge to him? He might just as well have
never received the advice in the first place.
It is almost safe to wager that there are mem
bers in the high Temple grades who have dis
continued the practice of many of the health
exercises given in the early lessons, and yet who
will advise their friends and acquaintances who
are not entirely well to indulge in certain rules
of diet, exercise, and deep breathing that they
have learned from their Rosicrucian monographs.
These members have confidence in the teachings,
but seem to lack the ambition to carry out the
principles. O ur correspondence departments are
busy each day reminding members of the Order
of certain suggestions and principles that they
have covered six months, a year, or even five
years ago. The member will invariably write back
saying that the law or principle was practiced
with very good results in the early days, but
gradually discontinued and eventually forgotten.
I ask you frankly, is this living the life of a Rosi
crucian? Is this the way to benefit from the teach
ings? I know you will all answer these questions
in the negative, for there is no other answer.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

And now for the benefit of some of our read

ers who may have passed over some of the health
exercises or who may be among those who prac
ticed the principles in the early grades and yet
have discontinued them for some reason or other,
and also for the benefit of many of our new read
ers who have been members of the Order for just
a short time, let us review a few of the principles
recommended for health, vitality, and the cure of
disease. First of all, I would remind you that ill
ness in the body is a lack of harmony in the body.
Remember, man is a dual creature. His is an
earthly body animated by a spiritual force. In
our work, for the convenience of distinction, we
refer to man as having a physical and a spiritual
body. The physical is thought to be of a lesser
nature than the spiritual. W e call this lesser body
the negative side of man. The spiritual, of course,
is the negative affinity. W hen these two blend in
perfect harmony and strength, we then enjoy
perfect physical health.
W e learn from our studies that the negative
element for the physical body is obtained from the
food and water that we take into the body
through the acts of eating and drinking. The
body cannot live alone on the negative element,
so God has given us organs through which we can
obtain a supply of positive life force. These or
gans are the lungs. W e have been so constructed
that these lungs will function whether we like it
or not, and this is very fortunate indeed. The
same thing is true of the digestive organs of the
body. Man is so constructed that nature would
keep him quite well if he would and could follow
the dictates of nature, but modern civilization has
changed all this, virtually leaving man stranded.
He is now forced to exert mental effort to main
tain health and rid his body of the effects of im
proper and unwholesome living.
For instance, we have learned to cook our foods
and prepare soft dishes that require no mastica
tion and hence no exercise for the teeth or the
gums and nothing to excite to action the salivary
glands. W e have artificial light, and so we stay
up late at night and do not get the proper sleep,
and sleep is Gods way of restoring vitality. Man
is socially inclined, and food plays an important
part in his social life. Does he eat enough to
simply satisfy his hunger? As a rule, no, for this
would be an insult to his hostess. Chances are he
will eat to such an extent that he will be uncom
fortable for hours afterward. He is then drowsy,
unable to think clearly. He lolls about and is un
able to take a little exercise to overcome the ef
fects of too much food, not that he should exer
cise after eating; but even so, if he should leave
the table just a little hungry or just satisfied, he
could, if called upon to do so, enter into physical
activity without discomfort or illness.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Another seemingly bad habit man has devel

oped through the advance of civilization is that of
eating and drinking late at night just before re
tiring. There are some persons who are so in the
habit of doing this that they invariably become
hungry around midnight. This means practically
no rest whatever for the organs of the body. It
has been said, and perhaps rightfully so, that
modern man is steadily eating his way into the
grave. He eats at certain, set times of the day or
night whether he is hungry or not. He eats en
tirely too much at a time, and virtually gulps his
food down as though he were always in a hurry
to catch a train.
Speaking of trains reminds me that the average
person traveling any distance on a train or a boat,
and especially a train, experiences great discom
fort from overeating and lack of exercise. A fter
the monotony of two or three days on a train, he
will find himself watching the clock, awaiting
meal time, not because he is hungry, but because
it gives him something to do with his time. A
boat is a little different, for there are many ways
that time can be spent to advantage, but even so,
one will seldom miss a meal unless he happens to
be seasick, and, incidentally, on a boat they serve
food six or seven times in 24 hours. Further, if
you wish, you can have something brought to
your stateroom in between meals. Under such
conditions, you are never really hungry. Hardly
an hour will pass when the organs of the body
are not at work. This obviously is not conducive
to the maintenance of good health.
The food that man eats supplies the necessary
negative force to the body; the air we breathe
supplies the opposite force that we call positive.
The negative charge of the blood cells will take
up the positive charge as the blood passes through
the lungs, but the cells will only take up the amount of positive energy equal to their negative
charge. If, due to improper food or diet, this nega
tive energy is low, then the entire vitality is low,
regardless of the amount of deep breathing we
may indulge in. If we have a sufficient negative
charge in the cells of the blood, and we do not
follow the rules of proper exercise and breathing,
then we will have an insufficient amount of posi
tive energy for the purpose of charging the blood
cells with vitality. The vitality of the body is not
just the amount of positive energy or the amount
of negative, but rather a combination of the two.
If we will only follow the breathing exercises
recommended in the Rosicrucian monographs, we
can supply ourselves with sufficient positive ener
gy. This leaves only the negative to worry about,
and obviously this is very important for the main
tenance of physical health, for after all, the body
of man is essentially negative, being composed of
earthly materials. O f course, in view of what has
been said, the positive and negative forces are of

Page 185

equal importance. Complete health cannot be en

joyed when one or the other is deficient. How
ever, it is easier to supply the positive than it is
the negative. It is not just a question of eating
and drinking, but rather one of eating the proper
thing that will supply the necessary elements that
are required to obtain the negative force for the
body. Also, we must consider the form of the
food that we eat. There are some foods, a small
amount of which will supply a large quantity of
the negative force. Others will require the taking
of a large amount and yet give only a negligible
supply of the B or negative element.
In the past it has been a custom to recommend
certain foods that members of the Order have
found valuable. W e have also recommended that
food be taken in certain forms; therefore, we feel
that we can mention here in the Forum the vege
table juice diet that is becoming so popular
throughout the world. It is difficult to say just
who started this fad that is now sweeping the
country. It might have been the manufacturers of
vegetable juicers that sell from $15.00 to $40.00
each, or it might have been the canneries that put
up the juice for the convenience of the busy
housewife. Regardless of how it got started, there
is no doubt but what it has merit. The taking of
vegetable juice is valuable in stimulating elimina
tion and renewing energy. So, too, is the drink
ing of magnetized water. However, one should
not try to live on a vegetable juice diet.
It is said that the fresh juice is better in taste
and benefit than the canned. Perhaps this is also
true of fruit juice. In the process of digestion,
the stomach absorbs much of the energy or nour
ishment from foods through its walls, and thus
juice is of more immediate benefit than vegetables
or fruits in bulk. However, a complete liquid diet
would soon bring on complications conducive to
illnesses of various kinds. The taking of juice,
either fruit or vegetable, is to be recommended as
a part of one's daily diet; say, for instance, a
glass of fruit juice in the morning and perhaps
during the middle of the day, and then a glass
of vegetable juice at night one or two hours be
fore retiring. This is not, however, to take the
place of a glass of water that should be taken the
last thing at night.
Besides the fruit and vegetable juices, we must
not overlook the importance of fresh greens eaten
in salad form. There is perhaps nothing of great
er benefit in supplying certain chemical elements to
the body than a green vegetable salad or lettuce
and tomatoes with fresh, uncooked peas, or a
salad of grated carrots. You will recall that in
our monographs we recommend the use of water
cress and dandelions. These, of course, should be
taken uncooked. W e have also found that fresh
chopped spinach is very tasty and especially

Page 186

healthful, particularly in supplying the body with

iron and other minerals.
In some of our monographs and special studies,
we have mentioned earth currents and their ef'
feet upon all living things. Early in the Neo
phyte grades, we took up the subject of sleep
and what simple rules should be followed to derive the greatest benefit from our periods of rest.
You will recall the suggestion that the bed be
placed in various directions until the particular
location best suited to the individual was found.
Some persons rest better with the head to the
north; some find it best to have the head toward
the east; some, the northeast. Some will even find
it better in their particular case to sleep with the
head toward the south or the west. Finding the
location best suited to our individual needs is of
great value in promoting sound, restful sleep.
However, there are many of us who are unable
to change the position of our beds because of the
manner in which the bedroom is constructed or
laid out. A practice that can be followed with
good results is to lie down upon the floor for a
half hour or more with the head toward the
north, and just relax completely. It is unim'
portant whether you lie on the back or the stom'
ach, or you may prefer to lie first on the back for
a half hour, then on the stomach for a half hour.
W hen following this suggestion, be sure that you
are not lying in a draft, which is to be found
near the floor of the average home. Further, it is
not wise to lie on the floor or the ground after
some violent exercise that has stimulated the
sweat glands, for there is always a possibility of
taking cold if you cool off too rapidly. Many will
be fortunate enough to be in smaller cities and
rural districts where they can go outdoors into
their gardens and lie down on the lawn. This is
even more beneficial than lying on the floor inside
of the home. W e realize that this practice may
seem foolish to some persons, but let us assure
you that if you will follow it, you will be sur'
prised to note the extent to which it renews the
magnetic energy of the body.
This reminds me of an interesting visit that I
enjoyed from one of our sorores living in the
foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 12
or 15 miles from San Jose. She took occasion to
tell me about her little cottage, beautifully located
just off the highway in a more or less secluded
spot. This little lady told me of the remarkable
results she has obtained from a return to nature, as it were. Living out in the country,
breathing pure, fresh air, she has succeeded in
building up her strength and vitality to such an
extent that although a woman of 60 years of age,
she never knows a moment of ill health; and yet
at one time she suffered a great deal from sinus
trouble and other annoying bronchial conditions.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Soror Da Camara has expressed the wish that

some member of the Order who can do so and
who is in need of a thorough rest from the harsh
living conditions usually found in cities, espec
ially some of those of the East, come and stay
with her in her cottage in the hills. She stated
that the only cost would be sharing in the general
expenses, which would be extremely nominal, not
more than $30.00 or $40.00 a month. Judging
from the benefit our soror has obtained from the
few months she has lived out in the open, we feel
we should pass this information on to our read'
ers. There may be someone who is seeking just
this sort of proposition. It would mean plenty of
fresh air, good food, a daily walk in the fields and
wooded areas, with a chance to write or paint or
follow any one of many hobbies that cannot be
enjoyed under the stress and strain of a busy city
life. Soror Da Camara enjoys many hours each
day following her own particular interest, which
is writing short stories. Incidentally, she has had
experience in practical nursing and diet. She has
stated that she would enjoy nothing more than
helping some member of our Order back on the
road to good health through sharing her home,
her companionship, and her knowledge of nurs'
ing, as well as of the laws of diet.
W e discussed at length the great benefit she
has derived from her daily walks in the woods,
with periods of meditation while reclining upon
the surface of mother earth, bathed in the per'
fume of flowers, trees, and wild plant life. Her
description of her location sounds ideal for six
weeks or six months of convalescence and re'
cuperation. It happens that the cottage is situ'
ated in one of the most healthful spots in N orth'
ern California, just five miles south of Los Gatos,
which area is famous for its fine climate. W e
hope that someone will be able to take advantage
of, and benefit from, this kind offer of Soror
Da Camara.
W e realize that not everyone is in a position
to break away from his duties and take advantage
of periods of rest far from the din of the city;
but, nevertheless, there are laws and principles
that one can follow that are beneficial in restoring
the energy. Therefore, besides eating intelligently
and in such a way as not to abuse the organs of
the body, especially those of digestion and assimi'
lation, we mention again the deep breathing exer'
cises and concentrating upon the parts of the
body while holding the breath. Such an exercise
should be followed by five minutes of complete
relaxation, as suggested in an article that ap'
peared in the May issue of The Rosicrucian
Digest. W e also highly recommend one or two
daily convocations of contact with the Cathedral
of the Soul. In the Cathedral, you contact the
high vibratory forces of the Cosmic, as well as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the strong radiations from fellow students who

are reaching out to contact all those in need of
assistance and who wish to benefit by such contact.

A nother Age of Materialism

A Frater recently expressed an opinion that has
been quite common in the last few months. He
stated that from his observations the world seems
to be drifting toward another era of entirely materialistic conceptions. Some will immediately
question this statement by the response that the
thinking in the modern world has been primarily
materialisticthat there has been no deviation
away from materialism. Possibly it is a matter of
opinion as to whether or not the statement is true,
but there is no one in the past twenty-five years
who can deny a growth in idealism as well.
Thousands of people have turned away from
materialistic conceptions to find help and direction in various schools of thought and principles
of religion. Therefore, while possibly we can
agree that materialistic conceptions have primarily
been the basis of modern thought, there is no
doubt but that the growth of many organisations
such as the Rosicrucians is indicative of the fact
that many people have found that there are
values, other than those which are entirely objective, concerning which they wish information.
Ten or twelve years ago financial conditions contributed to this to a certain extent. Individuals
who had based their whole future upon material
possessions lost faith in these material things when
they were gone, and many turned toward some
thing else.
Today pressure outside ourselves is causing us
to be drawn into a network of materialism again.
W hen industry is speeded up and when attention
is directed toward objective facts at all times,
such as are necessary in the present world crisis,
it is easier for man to let his thinking drift along
with these tendencies than it is to sit back and
think for himself a part of the time. W hen we
pick up our newspaper, we see before us items re'
lated to destruction and equal space devoted to
the efforts of man to forestall destruction; both
of which are material factors. W e hear the same
thing from the radio; so if man hears it and allows
it to affect him, he will be permitting his whole
outlook to be formulated for him. As a result, if
he is not careful he will slip into that type of
thinking. He will begin to gauge everything as
being outside himself. Now, to bring this discussion to any point of value, we must ask ourselves
the question, W hat, as Rosicrucians, can we do
about the situation? There are a number of
things that can be done. In the first place, we
who have decided to make our stand in life upon
the consideration of the duality of man; upon the

Page 187

realisation that of equal importance to man is the

consideration of the immaterial as well as the
material, must not only direct our thoughts to
ward these purposes in the form of an opinion,
but we must definitely live these ideas in the form
of a conviction.
The Supreme Secretary points out from month
to month in The Cathedral of the Soul, a sec
tion of The Rosicrucian Digest, the necessity
of man availing himself of the purposes of The
Cathedral of the Soul in order to withdraw
from the world about him long enough to gain
some assistance from the other side of his being.
This type of direction is needed, and it is difficult
in a world tending towards materialistic concep
tion to meet the man on the street and say to him
Your conceptions are all too material, you must
change your ideas, you must look to your soul.
Such an individual, presenting these ideas indis
criminately, would be considered a religious
fanatic. Consequently, the real approach to the
situation is to live the convictions represented.
As Rosicrucians, in this world today, we have
important obligations which we automatically as
sume, and which we will pay in Karma if we do
not fulfill. The first of these, as pointed out here,
is to live in our day-to-day life, to the fullest ex
tent of our possibilities, and actual knowledge
which we have gained; in other words, put it
into practice. The second important obligation is
carrying this to others. This can be done through
direct contact, which is necessary, and also
through illustrating in our own lives what we can
do.A

Vowel Sounds
A recent question pertains to the vowel sounds
given in the monographs of the Neophyte degrees.
In the Second Degree, we mention the vowel
sound oom, and we comment upon the value of
the letters in this sound. A frater has analysed
the explanation given in his monograph and has
come to the conclusion that the lesson must be
wrong, because the letter o would have an entire'
ly different meaning or value than the oo in the
vowel sound oom. O ur frater bases his decision
upon his knowledge of the Latin pronunciation of
the vowels, a, e, i, o, and u.
It is an interesting fact that our good frater is
correct in his statement. The letter o pronounced
like the o in oh has a very different meaning and
value than the oo in the vowel sound under con
sideration. The oo has practically the same sound
and value as the letter u found in the word true
or the name Ruby or the oo in the word room.
This discovery on the part of our frater is not
at all surprising to us, for we naturally are well

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 188

aware of the facts he points out. He will also find

as he travels along the Rosicrucian path that there
is a great deal more to be learned about vowel
sounds, their meanings and value. He will have
pointed out to him that each sound is not only
different in value but also in tone quality, and
that each sound has its particular musical pitch,
and that the pitch, quality, and value will be
definitely changed or affected by the consonants,
which sometimes change the manner in which a
vowel sound is pronounced. For instance, the
sound Ho in the name Howard is quite different
from the sound
in the word 7\[ora. In fact,
the Ho in Howard has the same pitch and value
as the sound ah in the word father or the ar in
the word Martha. The sound oh has a very definite value and use, as is known to our high de
gree members, who receive an elaborate course of
instruction on the vowel sounds and their uses.
The vowel sound oom also has a very definite
value and use. It is given to the student in the
early Neophyte degrees for a particular purpose.
The sound oh does not and cannot replace it or
perform its work. The vowel oom is used to
synthesize the psychic effects of all the vibrations
of the several psychic centers and cause these vi
brations to harmonize in one unit of power. This
sound does not affect any particular psychic cen
ter, but stimulates all of the psychic centers.
Therefore, you can see the actual value of the
sound oom in increasing the development of the
young student of mysticism.
W hen we give you a particular vowel sound in
a particular portion of the work, it is known that
this sound is what you need for the work at hand.
Therefore, it should not be changed to some other
vowel sound simply because in your opinion it is
not correct. If you feel that an error has occur
red in printing your monograph, then write to us
about it. But go ahead with the use of the sound
given; do not change it to some other sound. If
you prefer, omit the use of the sound until you
receive an answer to your question. The wrong
and improper use of the vowel sounds can do you
more harm in deterring your progress than the
entire elimination of the sounds.

Can W e Help?
All thinking people, and particularly those who
have any humanitarian principles which they are
attempting to put into effect in their lives, can
not help but ask the question over and over
again, How can we help those who are suffering
today as a result of circumstances beyond their
control? W e receive this question from mem
bers of the organization, particularly those in this
country, who wish to know if there is anything

they can do to help those individuals, particularly

their Fratres and Sorores in war torn countries,
who are victims in some cases of physical injury
and in many cases of loss of property, friends,
relatives, and so forth. W e here in America think
of the war as being across the ocean. I have had
occasion a number of times to have it brought
very closely home to me when word reaches us of
members who have passed through transition as a
result of air raids upon England and other coun
tries. Bombs have taken the lives of a good many
Rosicrucians since this war began. This brings it
close to us and makes us realize that those who
have the same ideals and purposes as we are sub
ject to these conditions.
There are many ways in which we can help.
It is not our purpose to recommend any agencies
in this country that are carrying on work for the
relief of those who suffer, because in each com
munity there are agencies in existence for that
purpose. Every member, therefore, who wishes to
give material assistance to those in war torn coun
tries should consult agencies of his own choice
for ways and means of doing this. One member
has asked, C an we help these people through
metaphysical means? W e can to a certain extent
in fact, the Imperator has requested several
times in the Rosicrucian Digest that members,
particularly those in the higher degrees, direct
thoughts of peace, well-being and good will to
ward those who are suffering. There is no reason
why every Rosicrucian cannot devote a few min
utes each day to the giving of absent treatments,
on the basis of the Rosicrucian principles, to those
who may need their help. This may seem to a
certain extent to be contradictory to some prin
ciples given in regard to Rosicrucian absent treat
ments, when it is stated they are most effectively
given when the individuals themselves request
help. That is true, but we know there are those
who are actually members of this organization or
in sympathy with its work who are in need of
help and are calling for that help, possibly not
objectively, but trying to reach those sources that
can help them. If for a few minutes each day we
will direct constructive healing vibrations toward
those who may be in need of them, visualizing
those members of the organization in other lands
who are subject to conditions which we do not
have to face, we will be rendering a service which
will probably never be known to us, as far as
specific results and knowing whom we have
helped are concerned, but we will be contributing
in a way that will bring us a certain amount of
satisfaction that is in itself sufficient reason to
justify our efforts.A

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 189

IN D EX O F V OLU M E X I (Comprising the Entire Six Issues of the T enth Y ear)

NO TE 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,

Absent Treatments, 21c

Adeptship, Attaining, 25d
Administration Matters, 47b
Alchemical Rose Cross, 176c
Alchemy, Mental, I79d
All-Seeing Eye, the, 145b
Amenhotep IV, 158b
Am I a Failure, 109d
AMORC, see Rosicrucian
Anchorites, Use of Caves, 13c
Animals:
Killing of, 59a
Psychic Faculties of, 93a
Another Age of Materialism, 187a
Application of Knowledge, 162d
Are You Psychic?, 42b
Artist, Mental, 127a
Assistance Thru Absent Treatment, 188b
Assumption, 94d
Astrology, 16d, 124d
Atoms, Combining of, 166d
Attunement, Preparation for, 66d, 101b, 113a
Aura, 39d
Awaiting Cosmic Direction, 53b

B
Babylonian:
Temples and Mountains, 11c
Mystical Customs, 117b
Beliefs vs. Knowledge, 2d, 179b
Biblical Interpretations, 5Id, 100b
Binding Ourselves to Religion, 6 Id
Blindness, of Russian, 139d
of Geo. Campbell, 163d
Bodies in Mystical Literature, 90b
Books and Magazines:
A Thousand Years of Yesterdays (Lewis), 114b
Bible, the, 51d, 101a, 111b
Cosmic Consciousness (Bucke), 63d
Mansions of the Soul (Lewis), 93b, 121b
Mental Poisoning (Lewis), 58b, 95b
Mystical Life of Jesus (Lewis), 101a, 114a
Oriental Religions (M uller), lOOd
Principles of Psychology (James), 125c
Prophecies of Nostradamus, 114b
Rosicrucian Digest, 85d, 109a, 177a, 182a,
186d, 187c
Rosicrucian Manual, 46b, 102a, 12Id
Secret Doctrines of Jesus (Lewis), 101a
Self Mastery and Fate (Lewis), 18b, 125a, 156c
This Believing World (Browne), lOOd
The Dawn o f Conscience (Breasted), lOOd
The Pietiests of Prov. Penn. (Sachse), 38a
The Story of Religion (Potter), lOOd
Unto Thee I Grant (Extra Chapter), 10b
Books for Research Library, 45c, 159c
Breathing Exercises, 186d
Buddhism and Use of Caves, 13d

Campbell, Geo., Case of, 163d

Can W e Help, 188b
Cartouche, Official Seal, 177a
Cathedral Periods, 113d, 150d, 186d. 187c

Cats, Psychic Faculties of, 93c

Cause and Effect, 7 Id
Causes, Types of, 66b, 71 d
Caves :
and Mountains in Mysticism, 10d
and Primitive Man, 12c
as Tombs, 13b
Channel for Healing, 120d
Character vs. Hypnotism, 24c
Charity, Forms of, 14d, 8 2d
Charlatans and Prophecy, 51b
Chemical Therapeutics, 18c
Chemistry and Food Concentrates, 180b
Childlike Activities, 73d
Church Attendance, 63b, 150a
Citizen Kane, 176a
Civilization, W ill It Survive, 172c
Color:
and Light in Our Lives, 69b
A s Symbols, 106c
Blindness, 6b
of Light, 6b, 106a
Vibrations, 107a
Conditional Curses, 58a
Conscience, 7d, 49d
Consciousness, 8a
Planes of, 12a
Conscription, Issue of, 99d
Constitution of Grand Lodge, 43 d, 48c
Cosmic Direction, Awaiting, 53b
Cosmic Ray Coincidence Counter, 167c
Cosmic Transference of Thought, 147a
Council of Solace, 17Id
Courier Car, 115b
Creation, Tearing Down Process, 181a
Cremation, 116b
Crusade vs. Yellow Journalism, 174c
Curiosity and Membership, 70b
Curses, Power of, 56d
Cycles, World, 122b
Cyclopes, 145c

D
Demonstration of Cosmic Power, 101b
Diagnosis, Necessity for, 119d
Diet and Health, 185c
Divine Consciousness, Planes of, 107b
Divine Intelligence, 8b, 147d
Dreams, Interpretations of, 84b
Duality of Initiation, 86a
Duality, Law of, 156d
Dues, Necessity for, 41a

Earth Currents, 186a

Efficiency and Spirituality, 20b
Egypt, Use of Caves. 13a
Use of Incense, 78b
Egyptian Cartouche, 177a
Electrons, Counting, 166b
Naming of, 167a
Embryo, Development of, 124b
Emotion and Reason, 86b
Employment, Seeking, 16b, 53d, 72b
Energy, Potential, 123b
Environment, 75a

Page 190

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Evil Eye, 145a

Exemplifying Practical Rosicrucianiam, 17Id
Experiments:
and Exercises, 4c, 26d, 39d, 45d, 73d
Spiritualistic, 89a
Which Most Valuable, 94a
Expanding Perceptions, 163d
Experience and the Soul, 20a

F
Failure, What Constitutes, 109d
Fairmount Park, 37c
Family Objections, 103a
Faraday, Michael, 166d
Fear and Psychic Development, 43b
Fitting Individual Needs, 170c
Five Senses, Perfection of, 164b
Food Concentrates, 180b
Foreign Branches of AMORC, 34a
Form Letters, Necessity for, 78b
FortuneT elling, 155a
Fraternalism and Religion, 148c
Freedom, Here and Abroad, 34a
Freemasons, 34d, 36a
Fudosi, 48a
Full Moon Planting, 183c

G
Gandhi, Mahatma, 98a
Greece, Beliefs in re Mountains, lib , l i d

H
Harbin, Rosicrucians in, 135 et seq.
Harmonium, 40b
Healing:
Effects, 5d
Fundamentals, 183d
Left'Handed Operator, 120d
Methods, 18c, 21c, 72a, 87b
Precautions, 110c
Tonic Treatments, 169b
Health and State of Mind, 67b
Heredity, 75a
Hermetic Brotherhoods, 34d
Hermetic Rose Cross, 176c
Hindus, Use of Cremation, 117a
Home Contact Exercises, 101b, 113d
Humanitarianism, 82b
and Sunshine Circles, 14a
Hunches, 49d
Hypnotism, 23d

i
Imperator, 44b
H. S. Lewis, 15c, 60c, 68a, 78c, 79c, 153c, 155d
Incense, Meaning and Use of, 77b
India, Beliefs in re Mountains, lib , 12b
Use of Incense, 78c
Individual Needs, Fitting, 170c
Individuality and Personality, 121b
Inharmonious Thoughts, 55b
Initiation Results, 85d
Intellectual Pastimes, 126b
Interests, O n esid ed , 74d, 76a
Interpretations, Biblical, 5 Id, 100b
Intolerance, 158b
Intuition, 42c

J
Japan, Beliefs in re Mountains, 78c
Jealousy, Destructive, 55d
Journalism, Yellow, 173b
Jurisdictions of AMORC, 47b

K
Karma in re Animals, 59b
Kelpius, Johannes, 37a
Killing,
in Self Defense, 98b
of Animals, 59a
Knowledge
and Belief, 2d, 179b
from Authorities," 3a
through experience. 2c, 102c
vs. Wisdom, 16 2d
Korea, Beliefs in re Mountains, lib

L
Law of the Triangle, 70d
Left-Handed Persons, 120d
Lewis, Dr. H. S.. 15c, 60c, 68a, 78c, 79c, 153c, 155d
Life, Manifestations of, 7b
Light:
and Sight, 146b
and Sound Vibrations, 30d
Color and Our Lives, 69b
Color of, 6b
Lodge, Sir Oliver, 89a
Lost" Souls, 111b

M
Magic, Use of Incense in, 77d
Magnetism, Personal, 39b
Manipulative Theraputics, 18d
Martinists, 34d
Materialism, An A ge of, 187a
Matter, Mans Alteration of, 7c
Meditation, Preparation for, 66d
Memory Pictures, 168b
M ental:
Alchemy, l79d
Artist, 127a
Creation and Tearing Down, 181a
Telepathy, 147 a
Therapy, 18d, 19b
Methods of Healing, 18c, 21c
Militancy, Necessity for, 162d
Minors, Membership of, 151b
Miracles and RC Teachings, 24d
Mohamedanism, and Caves, 13c
and Mountains, l i d
Moldenke, Dr. Charles, 61a
Monk and Russian, 13 2d, 139b
Monographs, Preparation of, 79d
Monotheism, 149a
Motion, Types of, 122d
Mountains in Mysticism, lOd
Mount Sinai, 11c
Muhlenberg, Heinrich M., 38a
Mystical:
Adventures of Russian, 130 et Beq
Meaning of White, 105d
Use of Incense, 78d
Use of Mountains and Caves, lOd

N
Natures Laws, Violation of, 68b
National Research Council, 182c
Negative:
Electrons, 167b
Force Supplied by Food, 185b

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

State of Mind, 66d

Use of Psychic Powers, 107d
New Psychology, 125b
News of R. G Park, 60b
Non-Resistance, 98a
Nostradamus, 53a
Nous, 118d

o
Objections, from Families, 103a
Objective Mind and Reincarnation, 81a
Obligations of Membership, 40d
Office Hours at R. G. Park, 153a
Omission, Sin of, 162d
O n esid ed Interests, 74d
Opinions, Forming of, 2d
Organizations, Judging Other, 170c

P
Pacifism, 98a
Pastimes. Intellectual, 126b
Past Incarnations, 49b
Patriotism and AMORC, 36d
Perception, and Contemplation, 29c
Expansion of, 163d
Perfection of the Soul, 19d
Perfect Manifestation, 71a
Persecution of Mystical Groups, 34a
Personality:
and Individuality, 121b
Danger of Following, 3b
Personal:
Interests, 150b
Magnetism, 39b
Will, 163a
Personification of Mountains, etc., 1 lb
Phila., Rosicrucians in, 37c
Pineal Gland, 146d
Planes of Consciousness, 12a, 107b
Planting by Moon Period, 183c
Polarities, A and B, 169b
Positron. 167b
Power of Curses, 56d
of Truth, 1 53d
Practicality of Spiritual Life, 20b
Prayer and Religion, 149d
Precautions with Healing Methods, 110c
Predictions:
An Era of, 50d
Unreliability of, I7d
Premonition of Transition, 152b
Problem of Self-Healing, 119b
Projection, 85b, 108b, 168a
Pronunciamentos, 157b
Prophecies, 50d
Psychic:
Body, 9 2d
Development, W hat Constitutes, 6d, 8d, 42b
Experiences, Interpreting, 165c
Experiences, Meaning of, 26d
Experiences W hile Asleep, 85b
Faculties of Animals, 93a
Powers, Negative Use, 107d
Psychology, Development of, 125b
Publication Vultures, 173b
Purpose of Higher Degrees, lOld
Pyramid Prophecies, 52d

Page 191

R
Ra, Symbol of, 177b
Reading vs. Studying, 29b
Reality of War, 98d
Reason and Emotion, 86b
Recollection vs. Projection, 168b
Reincarnation, 48b, 81a, 177b
Religion:
and AMORC, 104d
and Fraternalism, 148c
Changing, 6 Id
Use of Incense in, 77d
Research Activities, 18Id
Researcher for AMORC, 183a
Rituals, Value of, 17 lb
Rosicrucian:
Constitution of Grand Lodge, 43d, 48c
Coiyicil of Solace, 17Id
Courier Car, 115b
Cross, Encyclopedic, 176c
Experiments:
and Exercises, 4c, 45d, 80d
Aura, Sensing of, 39d
Concentration Exercise, 113d, 186d
Deep Breathing, 186d
Home Contact Exercises, 101b, 113d
Most Valuable, 94a, 184b
Projection, 85b, 108b, 168a
Psychic Experiences, 26d, 85b, 101b
Simplicity of, 73d
Visualization and light, 127c
Visualizing Employment, 16b
Vowel Sounds, 187d
Foreign Branches, 34a, 157d
Humanitarianism, 82b
Imperators, 44b
H. S. Lewis, 15c, 60c, 68a, 78c, 79c, 153c, 155d
Initiations. Importance of, 85d
Jurisdictions, 47b
Membership, 5c, 41a
and Minors, 151b
and Progress, 26a, 45d
Attitude Toward, 68c, 70b, 76d
Benefits, 157a, 173b
Dues, 41a
Duties in Time of Chaos, 173b
Foreign, 34a, 157d
N ot Selfish, 150c
Obligations, 40d
Museum, 60b, 153c
National Research Council, 182c
Order and Science, 46c
Park, Office Hours, 153a
Planetarium, 61a, 153c, 167c
Prediction Booklets, 52d
Principles and Laws,
Assumption, 94d
Duality, 156d
Healing:
A" and B Polarities, 169b
Absent Treatments, 188b
Effects, 5d, 119b
Fundamental Exercises, 183d
Left-Handed Operator, 120d
Methods, 19a, 21c, 72a, 87b
Precaution in, 110c
Law of the Triangle. 25b, 70d
Nous, 118d
Personality and Individuality, 121b
Reincarnation, 49b, 81a, 177b
Transmutation of Soul Elements, 180a
Unity of Soul, 112b, 121c
Use of Cremation, 116c
V. L. F., 118d

Page 192

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Pronunciamentos, 157b
Research Activities, 18 Id
Research Library, 45b, 61b, 95b, 114d
153c, 159b
Settlement in Penn., 37c
Sunshine Circles, 14a, 172a
Teachings, lOOd, 111a
and Astrology, 17a
and Miracles, 25d
and Psychic Development, 6d, 42b, 45d
and Thought Habits, 55d, 76c
Form Letters, 80b
Length of Studies, 5b, 25a
Preparation of Monographs, 78c
Purpose of Higher Degrees, lOld
Rituals, Use of, 17 lb
Study Hints, 28d, 80c, 112d
University, 31b, 157c, 18Id
Rosicrucianism, Family Objections to, 103a
Rosicrucians in Harbin, 135 et seq.
Russian, Story of, 130 et seq.

s
Sachse, Julius F., 37d
Scarabaeus, 177a
Science and Rosicrucianism. 46c, 18Id
Secrecy, Necessity for, 34d
Seeking Employment, 15b, 72b
Self'Consciousness, 8a
Self Defense, Right of, 98b
Help, 142d
Invoked Curses, 58c
Pity, 55c
Treatment, 72a, 119b
Selfish Interests, 150b
Semites Use of Incense, 78c
Sight, Gaining, 163 d
Limitations of, 166b
Some Physical Aspects, 156d
Soul, 8b
Perfection of, 19d
Travels, 84b
Unity of, 112b, 121c
Souls, Lost, 111b
Sound and Light Vibrations, 30d
Spiritual Evolution, 25b
Spiritual Life and Practicality, 20b
Spiritualistic Experiments, 89a
Strange Cargo, 9b
Stoney, Dr. G. J., 166d
Studies, Length of Time, 5b
Study Hints, 28d, 80c, 112d
Studying vs. Reading, 29b
State of Mind and Attunement, 66d
Suggestion, and Therapeutics, 19b
Contrary to Character, 24c
Sunlight, 6c
Sunshine Circles, 14a, 172a
Sub Rosa, Origin of, 36c
Sunday Supplement, Scandal Sheet, 175a
Superstition and Truth, 178c
Supreme Grand Lodge, 44b
Survival of Civilization, 172c
Sven Hedin, 12d

T
Tearing Down Process, 181a
Telepathy, 147a
Third Eye, the, 144b
Thoughts, Inharmonious, 55b
Thutmose III, 177a, 177c
Tibet, Beliefs in re Mountains, 1 lb
Use of Caves, 12d
Timing, Importance of. 66a
Tolerance vs. Indiffeience, 163a
Tombs and Caves, 13b
Tonic Treatment, 169b
Transition, Premonition of, 152b
Treatments, by Suggestion, 87b
Methods, 18c, 21c, 72a, 87b
Simultaneous, 21c
Triangle, Using Law of, 70d
Truth:
Power of, 153d
and Superstition, 178c

u
Use of Psychic Powers, Negative, 107 cl
Uses of Caves and Mountains. 1Od
Uses of Incense, 77b

V
Vibrations:
in Form of Rays, 166c, 167c
of Color, 6c, 69b, 107a
of Light. 69b
of Thought, 56a
Light and Sound, 30d
Rates in Atoms, 167a
Violation of Natures Laws, 68b
Violins for Talented Students, 83d
Visualization, 127c
and Employment, 16b
and Self Help, 142d
V. L. F., 118d
Vitamine Capsules, 180b
Vowel Sounds, 187d

w
War, Reality of, 98d
Watermeyer, Prof. E., 183b
W ill Power, Use of, 163a
W hat is Psychic Development, 6d
What is Astrology, 16d
White. Mystical Meaning of, 105d
Will Civilization Survive, 172c
Wisdom vs. Knowledge, 162d
World Cycles, 122b

Y
Yellow Journalism, 173b

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

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

Vol. XII

AUGUST, 1941

No. I

RESURGANCE
The earth is preg na n t with new seeds o f life!
Yo u n g stars are now ascending in the sky!

The waters o v e r all the w orld are rife

W ith grow ing things . . .

A ll exist to d ie

A n d then to b e again! C a n man d en y

Renewal, when the sky and sea and earth
Proclaim this universal law rebirth!
Beth C o n le y .

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
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Page 2

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

The little boy who takes his father's watch

apart to see what makes it tick is often declared
to be destructive. Adults, however, could employ
such a propensity with benefit. W e do not advo"
cate mature men and women dismantling intricate
and seemingly inexplicable devices merely to sat"
isfy curiosity as to their functioning, but rather
that they periodically resort to mental dissection.
Such mental dissection we can define as the taking
apart of ourselves; in other words, the careful
analysis of our characters and an impartial, or
nearly so, appraisal of our habits and ways of liv
ing. W e all too frequently act upon the false
premise that our responses to circumstances, our
judgment of situations and our observations of
occurrences and things are, if not infallible, at
least average and quite normal. W e thus, with"
out rectitude, often reject contra-opinions and
insist that we govern our relations with others as
we th in \ best. The fact is, that we truly do too
little thinking and too much casual and habitual
responding to daily circumstances, without think"
ing of their effects upon others and ultimately
upon ourselves.
As we begin this mental dissection, we hardly
get beyond the surface before we find that we are
possessed of ego. Ego is not a contamination, it is
natural to man, and no one need be reluctant to
admit he has it. Like blood pressure, it is quite
essential, but its beneficence depends upon its
quantitative nature. The display of human ego is
guised under various names, such as pride, con"
ceit, and vanity. The ego is your consciousness of
the existence of self; it is your determination that
you are; the realisation that you are a thinking,
acting, living being. You then become to your"
self a reality, a thing to be considered, evaluated,
and contended with as are the other things of
which you are aware. Obviously of an aggregate
of objects or realities, none is quite as close to
you as self. It is the most intimate thing or con"
dition of which you can be conscious. This is so
because all other things during our conscious life
are evaluated in terms of their effect upon self;
that is, whether it finds them agreeable or not. It
is, for analogy, like a woman who makes her
home the center of her interests. All efforts she
expends, all articles she acquires are in their value
related to how they enhance the appearance and
comforts of her home. Thus ego is quite ap"
parently closely associated with the instinct of
self"preservation. W hile this instinct furthers
life itself, ego, on the other hand, seeks to preserve

V
those emotional states, desires, and judgments
which we have and which come about as a result
of that higher development of life which is man.
Pride consequently is selfesteem, the judgment
of ones own acts and conduct. It is quite natural
and in accord with the characteristics of ego that
we hope and w ant to believe that all that we do
and which represents our efforts excel or be to our
credit. W hen it is, the ego expands and gives us
courage and reliance upon our capabilities. In"
volvement often occurs when the individual en"
counters exceptional success in some accomplish"
ment, or when he receives the approbation of his
fellows for some particular thing done or said.
The ego expands out of proportion and mitigates
the ordinary control which reason and common
sense exercise over it; thereupon each thing which
the individual does is habitually approved and
esteemed without reference to whether it actually
is deserving of merit. This kind of manifestation
of ego falls into the category of conceit and
vanity. Such persons make their lives miserable
bv continually imagining that they are the victims
of personal slights. Since in their opinion each of
their enterprises, and themselves as individuals are
notable, failure of others to so recognise them is
considered an effrontery. Common courtesies, the
ordinary exchange of greetings, and the attention
shown them, which are equally extended to others
are thought to be disparaging. They expect much
more. Their false pride is continually wounded.
They either assume the air of an injured person,
or else become extremely vindictive to others,
which provokes an actual retaliation toward them,
which eventually causes their further embitter"
ment. They, therefore, come to surround them"
selves with either imaginary or actual enemies,
which they themselves have created.
A negative effect of conceit, of which many of
us are guilty and which a little mental dissection
will expose, is preiudice. This assumes the form
of disqualifying all accomplishments of others, or
of individuals who do not conform to our stand"
ards, or who do not do such things as directly
complement our own views. It is an indirect at"
tempt to remove the competitive prominence of
the acts, concepts, or opinions of others. To hold
that another is right when he differs with us, or
that his achievement is splendid, is to make him
excel or equal us. The exaggerated ego goes be"
yond finding pleasure in realising its own accom"
plishments. It becomes so perverted that it can"
not endure other than the thought that all of its
expressions are superior. Such a person is apt to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

remark of another's works, when they are praised:

Oh, I don't know, I have seen better," whether
he has or not. Then, again the disparagement may
take the form of: A fter all there wasn't anything really different about what he did; anyone
could have done the same, if they devoted an
equal time to it."
This prejudice, or conceit often includes not
just disparaging those things which others do
better than we do, or as well, but those interests
which are opposed to our own. Those who adhere
to certain religious or political views, have definite
philosophical conceptions, or move in certain
social circles are often inclined to denounce violently persons who are equally sincere in a realm
of mental or physical activity which is diverse
from their own. Their attitude is that a mere
different interest had by others constitutes a personal attack upon their own character and intellectual preference. Such prejudices develop into
a habit, whereupon the individual is no longer
conscious of the evils of his way. In fact, we have
all encountered persons who actually and with
blind sincerity indignantly defend their own
intolerance.
Bring your prejudices out into the open in your
mind, then look fully upon them, without having
presuppositions. W hy do they exist? W hy do
you acrimoniously reject and object to certain
views affirmed by others or their affiliations, in
terests, or activities? Ask yourself the questions:
Is the subject of my prejudice intrinsically wrong?
Is it an aberration from the commonly accepted
morals of my community? Is it injurious to my
or anyone else'shealth or welfare? Have those
who pursue such interests the same right to do so
as I have to follow mine? A fter all, is your prej
udice founded upon a personal dislike for a per
son or his activities and are you merely resorting
to a means of displaying your resentment? If you
can conscientiously answer these questions, you
will by this method of mental dissection be well
on the way to removing an impediment from your
character. One most certainly is entitled to the
preferences of his own tastes. This no one will
dispute. W e may like apples better than oranges,
and we may so state our preference, but when we
bitterly criticise those who eat oranges because we
do not like them, or wilfully try to justify our
preference for apples by defaming the qualities of
the orange, we have gone beyond the bounds of
indicating preference, and are displaying prejudice.
Such conduct amounts to saying: what I do not
like, you must not either," or what I do not like
is therefore not good."
Mental dissection will also disclose the fact that
we penalise ourselves severely by our snap judg'
merits. Immediate conclusions or opinions, of
course, are often associated with intuition or
Cosmic impressions. W e have all had the experi

Page 3

ence that regardless of reasoning to the contrary

an intuitive voice or command or impression, as
you will, compels us to accept or reject something,
and eventually we have come to find the intuitive
impulse was right. There are, however, those in
dividuals who confuse such intuitive guidance
with the conclusions of their own reasoning pow
ers. They imagine the results were due to their
own keen observations and the consequent ac
curacy of their judgment. Thereafter they make
the mistake of immediately and voluntarily form
ing an opinion under all circumstances which
parallel those in which they were once intuitively
guided. It may be that they had a hunch" at
one time, not to enter into a transaction with a
certain tall, thin man, with a visage that suggested
a predatory disposition. Perhaps subsequent events
proved the hunch" and the restraint to be justi
fied. Thereafter the individual, instead of at
tributing the occurrence to intuition, and con
fining the circumstances to that one experience,
takes it upon himself to hold that all tall, thin
men of like appearance are unreliable. He com
pliments himself upon his knowledge of human
nature. Obviously he comes to judge falsely many
fine characters and will even go so far as to ex
claim freely to others about such physical types:
I wouldn't trust that man!"
Control your habits. T ry to avoid doing any
thing habitually unless you have at some time
thoroughly analysed the habit to determine
whether or not it is innocuous. There are so
many selections which we make daily which are
not truly of our own volition, but are the result
of habit. W here we are seated, what we eat,
what statements we will accept, what acts we will
perform, and what we will rejectthese things
usually do not represent a decision, a careful
weighing of the facts, but they have become a
routine with us. Upon superficial examination,
many of these daily habits seem to be devoid of
any ill, and we resort to them as a kind of escape
from the necessity of thinking, which unfortunate
ly is an effort for most of us. These habits, how
ever, may become the means of stifling our per
sonal progress. They may blind us to opportuni
ties which careful thinking and analysis would
disclose.
There are many thousands, yes, millions of per
sons, who do the same things each night of their
lives. Is it the best routine for them? Is there
something which would be more beneficial and
interesting that they could do? They do not know
because, for example, as soon as the dinner dishes
are away and the children put to bed, they follow
the inclination of their habits. Their conduct is
not one really of choice. It may have been a
preference at one timeperhaps years agonow
it has become the path of least resistance. Some
day they may discover quite by accident how they

Page 4

could have used their evenings more profitably,

and also more enjoyably, and they will regret
their years of diffidence. May we admonish you,
therefore, to do nothing unless it represents your
careful decision that it is the best and only thing
to be done under the circumstanceseven trivial
things. Endure no habit unless it withstands the
test of serving a purpose as essential today as
when it was acquired.
Begin tonight to, as said in common vernacular,
pick yourself apartto dissect yourself mental
ly. Determine whether you really want to put
yourself together again in exactly the same way
as you now are.
Fraternally,
R a l p h M. L e w i s ,
Imperator.

Principles of Construction and Destruction

A frater of New York City arises to ask our
FORUM CIRCLE the following questions on ab
stract and ethical problems about which some of
our readers have been considerably p u lle d . His
first question is: W hy is it that mankind con
ceives the progress or process of good activities
or conditions that are favorable, as an upward
trend, and the opposite conception as a downward
one? The second question is: W hy is it that to
build,to construct, and maintain a structure, or
the finer concepts of society, requires a tremen
dous amount of force or energy, in comparison to
that required to destroy that structure?
W e, mankind, establish concepts of moral
progress and regress. Two factors contribute to
these standards. The first, our inner perceptions,
those moral values which we discern, and which
as amorphous sensations and impulses, we fashion
into self and conscience. Basically all humans ex
perience them alike as impelling emotions and
instincts. Intellectually, we are not all capable of
interpreting them alike. From an intellectual
point of view, we gravitate to that definite code
of the good, or the interpretation of the moral
that is consistent with our understanding of our
personal feelings. Thus, the standard of right
conduct is of our own feelings, and of those in
terpretations expressed as rules, laws, and ethics.
This, then, gives us a starting point. There is
hardly an individual, normal in mind, who is so
vain as to conceive himself as perfect in a moral
sense, or as he defines the content of such moral
standards. To put it otherwise, we each have an
idea of moral perfection, of conduct, and of be
havior, founded upon the method we have ex
plained. Hardly any of us, however, believe that
we have thoroughly acquired such perfection in
every detail. W e will admit, at least to ourselves,
that there is room for improvement. Thus each

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of us, to some extent, falls short of the ideal or is

guilty of an occasional aberration. The impec
cable standard then becomes that for which we
reach. It is above us. It is above us only because
we are accustomed to relegating to the heavens or
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,
below and beneath us. Thus moral and ethical
progress is always upward and regression downward. They are, we can see, purely arbitrary di
rections. It matters not whether good is up or
down. W e know its qualities are contrary to
that which is thought as evil, and that is the im
portant point.
The fraters last question is also not difficult to
answer. In general, destruction requires very little
organisation, planning, or method. Conversely,
construction, as we all know from experience, re
quires intelligent effort, bodily and mental exer
tion, which is controlled so that results may con
form to a purpose had in mind. Construction has
a specific end, or seeks a definite result, whereas
destruction is a very general effect. W e may use
the analogy of childrens building blocks. To build
with, let us say a dosen blocks, a definite design
or form, requires thought and organization. One
misplaced block, and the whole purpose is de
feated, the design in mind is not realised. To
tear down all one needs to do is to disrupt exist
ing forms. It is immaterial how they are torn
down, what method is used or what the appear
ances afterward may be. so long as the existent
becomes non-existent. Construction would be
necessarily as facile as destruction, 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 came 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 a^s the process of destruction,
or knocking down the blocks.
So, from this, we can see that construction is a
process related to the creating or bringing into
existence, not just anything, but a specific thing.
Destruction is just a processthat of doing away
with a thing or condition, 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 realise an ideal. To
establish a concept, develop, and preserve it, re
quires much sacrifice in time, study, and of tran
sient pleasures. T o just take the day as it comes
and drift with it makes it possible to avoid many
discomfitures and annoyances, but also causes
one to dissipate his powers and faculties as a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

human being, and to become, by his own will or

lac\ of it, just an animated mass of matter. The
non-thinker and non-planner is an innocuous
being, as contrasted with the destructive person,
but he is just as useless to society, and, in fact,
often a burden to the creative and worthy minor
ity of society.X

O ur Child Culture Accomplishments

There are modern miracles. Their results are
just as astounding to those today who do not
understand their basic principles as were the
miracles described in Biblical literature to the an
cient peoples. O ur Child Culture instructions
and practices produce such miracles daily.
However, they are not founded upon supernat
uralism, but rather upon demonstrable natural
laws and Cosmic principles.
The aid which the Child Culture Institute ex
tends to parents and prospective mothers is two
fold. First, it is devoted to prenatal care, not
particularly the physical welfare of the mother,
her diet or exercise, but her psychological and
psychical well-being. Second, the training of the
child during its early years to establish traits of
character and to prevent careless or maladroit
suppression or distortion of the childs personality,
by cultivating its innate talents. The principle
that the mothers thinking, her temperament, dis
position and interests definitely influence the un
born childs talents, personality, and psychological
characteristics, is a belief that is not new. During
the Periclean age of ancient Greece, it was not
thought sufficient that prospective mothers, dur
ing the prenatal period, give thought just to their
bodies, so that they might bring forth healthy
children. It was espoused that the emotions of the
mother and her dominant thoughts, and the en
vironment in which she placed herself, would
likewise affect the unborn child. It was held that
the unborn child is subject to mental as well as
physical influences. Consequently, just as the
average physician today lays out a program of
donts and dos for the prospective mother as to
her diet, exercise, and clothing, so the ancient
Greeks established a cultural program for the
mother, to affect the esthetic and psychical nature
of the child. The prospective mother, as soon as
pregnancy was determined, was obliged to con
form to specific rules and regulations. They in
sisted -upon the avoidance of situations of em
barrassment, states of mind such as hatred,
anxiety, or the stimulation or arousing of any of
the elementary and so-called lower emotions and
passions. Every talent or inclination of a creative
or artistic nature which the mother possessed was
encouraged by a prescribed means. She was
obliged to read certain types of literature, to sur
round herself with music, artistic things, such

Page 5

objects and conditions as appealed to her esthetic

tastes and complemented her concept of beauty.
Thoughts of harmony, love, and an ecstatic reali
sation were produced continuously in the con
sciousness of the prospective mother. She was re
quired to do or say certain little things which
helped shape her attitude of mind and her mental
environment. These prospective mothers were
kept away from or isolated from sordid things
and from brutal persons, and all selfish desires
were suppressed. The ancient Greek State con
sidered the prospective mother a most vital factor
to society, and the prenatal period as very essen
tial in determining the ultimate personality and
character of the unborn child.
That this was not all abstraction and theory,
or cogent just in word, has been shown by the
success the Greeks had by the method; the noble
examples of mankind and womankind which they
brought forth. In no period of history, in no
other such small area of the land surface of our
earth, or from such a proportionately small popu
lation, have there sprung forth such great in
tellects, such exalted principles; nor in any other
equal time were the arts, sciences, and philosophy
given such great impetus, and new ones devel
oped out of nothing. The beauty of body of
the ancient Hellenes and their love of beauty is
renowned.
W ith the decline of Greek culture, due to the
inroads of barbarism, the practice of prenatal
child culture was abolished, or rather, forgotten.
In modern times, whenever attempts have been
made to restore it, gynecologists, obstetricians,
and other specialists attacked the principles and
endeavored to discredit, to depreciate, the prac
tices and results of the ancient Greeks. The fol
lowing are some of the present day admissions
made, and the form of attack on these doctrines
as well:
Genetics has adduced cogent evidence that
despite strong influence of the environment in
modifying the body as a whole, and even the pro
toplasm of its cells, the genes within the germ
cells of that body retain their original structure
without specific alterations caused by the modi
fication of the body, so that when the modified in
dividual reproduces, it transmits to its offspring
genes unaffected by its own internal acquired
characters.
Here, then, is an admission that environment
not only affects the body as a whole, but the
protoplasms of the very cells. But it also states
that the genes remain unaffected by any acquired
character of the parent; rather, any'modifications
brought about in the parent by her environment
are said not to be transmitted to the child, because
they are not noticeable in the genes. Perhaps they
may not be visible or discernible under a micro
scope, but because no such mutation is physically

Page 6

perceivable by the means of an instrument, does

not mean that the genes have not been affected
by the strong influence of the environment." It
does not mean, in other words, that after birth,
and as the child matures, these influences do not
become apparent.
The Child Culture Institute has taught for
years a system of prenatal culture based upon the
ancient Greek -doctrines, employing as well the
experiences of modern liberal researchers, which
demonstrates what effect such influences can have
upon the development of the character, mentality,
and personality of the child. Hundreds of mothers
can testify as to the striking differences apparent
in their own children, namely, those who were
born under such care as advocated by the Child
Culture Institute, and those who were not. To
attempt to quote even one per cent of these letters
would take considerably more space than this entire periodical provides. The following letter
from a young mother in Arizona, however, is
typical:
All the things I had prayed for as to the
physical appearance of my child have materialised,
for he has a perfect body and is an exceptionally
beautiful baby.
My health is very good, and my doctor is very
pleased with my condition. Being a Rosicrucian,
I know the wonderful metaphysical aid given me
and I am deeply grateful, for it has again proven
to me the blessings one can receive from Cosmic
contact. You see, two and a half years ago I was
told by a doctor he did not believe I could ever
have a child, but with Cosmic help now that has
all been changed.
May I say those lessons on prenatal care are
truly of great benefit, and I am sure it would be
of great help to our future generation if all
prospective mothers could study those lectures.
W hen my child is old enough, I shall continue
with your lessons to aid me in correctly bringing
up my son. Again I say I am a most happy and
grateful mother.
In conclusion, therefore, may I urge all of you
parents with small children from the ages of three
to eight, or prospective mothers, to write today
to the Child Culture Institute, College Heights,
San Jose, California, and ask for the free prospectus or booklet telling of this exceptional work
and what it offers parents. The booklet, of course,
will be sent to you postpaid at once.X

Activities at Rosicrucian Park

Our members at large are always interested in
the activities of fellow students, especially those
who live in the immediate vicinity of Rosicrucian
Park and who take advantage of the many valuable assets here at Headquarters for following
their particular interests. One such activity that

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is growing with great momentum is music. Music

is, of course, highly cultural in nature and an
activity that is of great value in promoting spiritual development and refinement.
Sometime last fall, our enthusiastic Soror Fast
of this city encouraged a number of the girl employees here at Headquarters to organise a glee
club of female voices. A fter a few weeks of
training, Soror Fast and the girls gave a recital
of Christmas music that was indeed worthy of a
group with far more experience. This first re
cital was so encouraging that the glee club has
continued its activities and now has a very fine
repertoire of classical and spiritual music. This
glee club gave a recital for the benefit of the
members attending the Rosicrucian Convention
this year. W e were greatly surprised and pleased
by the vast improvement shown since the last
public appearance of this group, and feel that
they well deserve the fine reception extended to
them by their audience. W e must offer thanks
to our high priestess, Soror Fast, for the long
hours of hard work, as well as thanks to the
members of the glee club for their conscientious
efforts that have resulted in a beautiful blend of
female voices.
Just about the time the glee club gave its first
performance, a few of us here at Headquarters
expressed the thought that an orchestra would be
very valuable for the purpose of self-expression
and as a relief from a long week of hard work
and study. A nd so, a group of us, including officers and members of the staff, started meeting
once a week in the Francis Bacon Auditorium to
play a few simple pieces of music that did not
prove too difficult. Like many similar activities
starting with just a thought or idea, this small
group of 7 has grown to a well-blended orchestra
of 20 pieces, including our director, Frater W il
liam Ray. Frater Ray has had many years of ex
perience in musical activities throughout the
Middle W est, where he organised and directed
several symphony orchestras. He enjoys a back
ground of music that goes back to his early days
of experience with vaudeville and stage plays. W e
feel fortunate indeed to have the benefit of Frater
Rays knowledge and ability.
Obviously the growth of this orchestra has en
couraged us, and we are constantly in search of
members of the Order who can contribute a few
hours a week to this cultural activity. U nfortun
ately, it is easier to find musicians than it is to
find instruments for them to play. Occasionally,
however, members outside of the immediate vicin
ity of Headquarters and thus unable to donate
their talent, send us an instrument that they may
happen to have stored away in the basement or
attic, and such contributions are always deeply
appreciated. This is especially true of instruments
of the brass family. Just recently one of our

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

members in Canada sent us a very beautiful flute

that he had no further use for, and it is now
being used in the orchestra to good effect. W e
are very hopeful for the continuance of these
musical activities, because they are quite in accord
with the ancient principles and traditions of this
age-old fraternal organisation.
Besides the arts, we still continue our interest
in activities of a more material nature, such as the
science of physical phenomena, electricity, light,
color, and radio. A few weeks ago several of the
officers and workers here at Headquarters met
and organised a radio society for the purpose of
studying the science of electricity, radio, and the
propagation of magnetic waves into space. W e
have a regular meeting and study room with
equipment and reading material to further our interest in this branch of science. Thanks to our
very good Frater, Franklin I. Miller, in one of the
eastern states, we have a very fine transmitter and
other apparatus with which to engage in amateur
radio activities.
The organisation of this radio club will be of
interest to many of our members throughout the
United States who engage in amateur radio as
their particular hobby. W e expect to seek a radio
license for the club, which, incidentally, will be
known as the Rose-Croix Radio Club. It is our
hope to engage in regular radio schedules with
our members. Several years ago it was suggested
to us that an amateur network of Rosicrucian
radio amateurs be formed. This idea is in the
embryonic stage, but, like our orchestra, we hope
to see it grow and develop into a very useful
activity. It has possibilities, and we hope to be
able to announce it at some future time.
O ur readers who are radio amateurs and all
others who may be interested in the activities of
the Rose-Croix Radio Club may address their
communications either to the Secretary of the
club, Frater Orval Graves, or to the President,
Frater James Whitcomb. W e will see that such
expressions of interest are duly acknowledged.
W e will continue this policy of announcing
new and interesting activities to our members at
large through the medium of this publication.

Emotions and Reason

W e are often faced with the question as to the
relationship of emotional reactions to sound judg
ment. Both reason and emotion play an important
part in our lives. Convictions and opinions read
ily change when an intelligent person is presented
with sufficient evidence or facts to supplement
that which he already has. It is impossible for
anyone to have a conviction that changes over
night like opinions. I remember a professor I had
in the university who defined an opinion as some
thing one carries around, and a conviction as

Page 7

something that carries one around. There is a

distinct difference. Convictions do not change
with our fads and fancies, but they are subject to
basic change when knowledge and experience are
added together to bring into our consciousness a
different conception. W hat goes into the modifi
cation of convictions? Fact alone is not enough;
experience is not enough, because those two things
can be a part of anyones life, and regardless of
the facts that are presented, you cannot argue a
person out of a conviction.
Did you ever try to argue on a matter of poli
tics or religion? You cannot argue a person out
of his convictions, regardless of how rational may
be your concepts. I have my own religious beliefs,
beliefs which I think are adequate. However, you
would find something in my religious concept that
is not what you believe it should be. In fact, some
of you might be very much opposed to it. Yet, to
me my system is logical, orderly and worthwhile.
That conviction, then, is a part of my viewpoint,
a part of my philosophy of life. How can it be
modified? Even though you could prove to me
from your own experience that something else
would be better, I would still have my conviction.
You would do the same if the procedure should
be reversed.
W hen emotional experience enters into the
situation, it is entirely different. W e are faced at
times in our lives with emotional factors that supplant all previous reasoning. W e judge our fel
low men frequently by their actions and reactions
to certain things, particularly when those actions
are completely out of line with socially accepted
procedure, such as a man who abandoned his
family, or someone who committed a social crime.
W e who are trying to live according to the laws
of God and N ature and the principles of ethics
and social practice are immediately in a position
to want to criticise such an action. However,
what would we do in a similar emotional situa
tion? Have you ever done anything under emo
tion that you would not have done if you had
stopped to reason? You must all acknowledge that
this is true. The emotional reaction within the
individual is a factor which molds our whole life.
Emotions are not strictly a physical factor, al
though they have reactions within the physical
body. W e know that, because an emotional ex
perience can break us down physically, or it may
build us up.
True emotional reaction brings about a modi
fication of our whole behavior. Sometimes that
emotional experience must be on a very high scale
or something of a very drastic nature, such as the
sudden transition of one of our family, the losing
of a close relative, particularly a parent or a child.
You who have shared with me that experience of
losing a parent or child know the terrific change
that goes into our own mental makeup. Anyone

Page 8

who has contacted church activities knows what

type of conversion takes place under emotional
pressure, sometimes after an experience such as I
have mentioned. Those things must be faced. W e
like to be more solid in our reasoning; we like to
say we make our own decisions on the basis of
reason, that we study and decide upon the courses
we must take. However, unfortunately all human
beings do not do that exclusively. W e study and
decide on the courses we should take. W e know
the steps we should take when we do not. Yet
we do something under emotional tension that we
would possibly ridicule in another individual. My
whole point is to try to have you adopt a little
different outlook toward these emotional reactions.
It seems to me there was a time in psychological
literature, and in ethics, when humanity as a
whole tried to cover up those phases of psycho
logical, physiological and biological reactions and
behavior with which they did not want to concern
themselves. W e like to belittle a persons decision
upon emotional impulse, because we do not want
to acknowledge that weakness in ourselves. The
fact is, emotional conditions can be used constructively, and we must take advantage of this.
One of the basic ways of constructive use of emo'
tion is in initiation. True initiation changes a
persons viewpoint. It changes his concept and
gives him new knowledge.
W hen you conscientiously and sincerely go
through an AM O RC initiation, you are creating
an emotional reaction in your own life. You can'
not learn a great deal by reading an average Rosi'
crucian initiation, because what can be contained
in four, six or eight pages of typewritten material
in relation to experience? You may find some
well'worded phrases or some interesting informa'
tion, but it will not change your life unless you
experience it. As a result of following initiation
ritual there will be a mild emotional reaction take
place in you. Emotional factors react and affect
your life all the time, and you are merely utilising
this power, this force within you, in a positive
constructive manner when you are participating
in a ritual or exercise which brings about an emo'
tional reaction that constructively changes your
viewpoint. If you can couple with fact, reason
and knowledge an emotional experience which
meets the response of your inner being, your con'
victions will change, because they are like any'
thing elsethey are never perfect, but always
moving toward a perfect point. It will take that
type of experience to assist you in reaching that
perfect point or that point of perfection.
Therefore, the Rosicrucian teachings constitute
a consideration of the actual intellectual and ex'
perimental part of our existence coupled with
those emotional reactions which bring into play
the fullest capacities of our organism, both physi'
cal and psychic. W hen we stop to consider we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

think that it is a tremendous load and that we

are incapable of assuming it in any way. However, once we have taken the step of attempting
such an assumption, we can never turn. Did you
ever do anything you wished you had not done,
perhaps some minor act, and then you reason back
that if you had only done some other thing noth'
ing would have happened? Regardless of how
much you reason, and how much you would like
to visualise in your own mind the existence of the
thing which no longer exists, you cannot change
it. W e cannot go back. W hen man takes a step
he is going into a new world. Regardless of
whether or not we consider it from a social view'
point as being up or down, he has still entered
that step, and he can never go completely back.
I regret more than anything else the individuals
who affiliate with this organisation and for no
legitimate reason drop out. These people do not
realise the step they have taken. The point is,
they have taken a step into a new consideration
of their existence, into a field from which there
is no turning. They must go on. W e have as'
sumed obligations when we assume to understand
these types of things, and our reactions as in'
dividuals will be different. W e have to look
ahead. As I have already pointed out, reason does
not change conviction. Everything of importance
you have done in your life has an emotional fac'
tor. Birth and death are outstanding factors. All
important changes in our lives are closely tied up
with emotional experience, which is the difference
between being able to select on the basis of reason'
ing and something we cannot objectively describe.
It is commonly said that love is blind. This is
because it is impossible for one to understand the
emotional experience of another. W e could go
on in the consideration of emotion unceasingly,
because it never has been pretended that the sub'
ject has been fully discussed. Every psychological
textbook tends to leave you lost at the end of the
chapter on emotion, because it is something that
is not localised insofar as physical existence is
concerned.
Some years ago the theory known as the James'
Land theory was advanced, in which there was
described a close relationship between the body
and the mind. The theory upon which it is based
is that when we are happy it is the laughing
which brings the emotion, and when we cry it
causes us to be sad. In other words, it is the
physical condition which brings about the emo'
tional condition. T hat theory is not favored in
psychological circles at present. As Rosicrucians
we cannot accept this theory, because we cannot
attribute to a physical condition the complete
cause of a psychic response. They are two differ'
ent things. You cannot consider laughing, for
example, as bringing on a state of ecstasy in your
soul, because there is no connection. The physical

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

reaction to an emotion is entirely within the individual makeup, and one of the proofs of the
falsity of that theory is that we have seen people
cry when they have been happy. Consequently,
if a physical reaction brings about a certain emotional experience, it would always be the same.
A person in the very throes of grief and sorrow
may hysterically laugh, which does not bring a
state of happiness by any means. O ur emotions
cannot be localised to any one physical organ.
W e have to consider the makeup of the individual. The individual is composed of such factors
that it is hard to analyse and get down to the
basis of all those involved, and after all, that is
the reason why the subject of psychology exists.
A

Asking Cosmic for M aterial Assistance

Here is a question that I would like to place
before the Forum this morning because it deals
with important laws that must be thoroughly
understood before one can truly enjoy the peace
and harmony of the Cosmic. This question is:
As you progress on the path, in order to corre
late your objective life with your spiritual life, is
it necessary to take up all your desires with the
Cosmic, or do all the changes for the better come
about gradually and as a result of your better
understanding with the Cosmic? It seems to me
rather selfish to ask for material things for your
self, which you really could do without. I would
like a little more enlightenment on this question.
It will be obvious to many of you that the ques
tion is answered completely, though in brief, by
the phrase, or do all the changes for the better
come about gradually and as a result of your
better understanding with the Cosmic? A fter all,
why do we seek Cosmic attunement when we are
in need of a new car, a new fur coat, or a new
home? It is not because we feel that the Cosmic
will place these material necessities, or perhaps
luxuries, in our laps, but rather we seek attune
ment that we may bring about a harmonious rela
tionship between ourselves and the Cosmic forces.
Such attunement, such harmony and peace of
mind make possible a careful analysis of ourselves
and our needs. W e are better equipped mentally
and physically to cope with the material problems
confronting us and which we have taken with us
in our search for Cosmic guidance. Therefore,
you must realise that it is guidance and nothing
more that we seek from the Casmic. If you say
to the Cosmic, I want a new car, and I want you
to give it to me, then you are making a serious
mistake in your effort to use the Rosicrucian prin
ciples. However, if you plan to buy a car and
you are not sure what car would best suit your
needs, then a proper petition to the divine forces
within will help to make a decision favorable to

Page 9

you. Thus you receive the guidance of the Cos

mic, and not just a Cosmic gift which perhaps
you do not deserve, or, at least, have done little
to bring into materialisation.
Our question suggests that it is wrong and
selfish to ask the Cosmic for material gifts and
blessings that we could either do without or ob
tain through our own efforts without asking the
Cosmic for aid. Now, on the subject of selfish
ness, actually there is very little that we can de
sire or wish for that is not selfish to some extent.
Even if a request or wish is entirely for the bene
fit of another, we will find that it gives us happi
ness and, therefore, is in some respects selfish. But
this is quite in accord with the Cosmic scheme of
things, and we can expect help or guidance if we
are satisfied that our desire is fifty per cent or
more altruistic.
There is one important point that must always
be remembered when seeking help from the Cos
mic. It is that God helps those who help them
selves. Therefore, after seeking and requesting
the guidance of the Cosmic, it is necessary to set
out and exert the material bodv as well as the mind
to help bring into materialisation that of which
we are in need. A fter all, we must be quite will
ing to do something for ourselves if we hope to
continue to enjoy the confidence of the Cosmic
Suppose someone came to you and asked if you
knew where he could obtain a job, and you gave
him the information he requested; and then he
did nothing more about it. You would be auite
disgusted with him and probably would do little
or nothing more to help him. If we react in this
manner, why should we assume that the Cosmic
is any different? If you should see someone strain
ing his every muscle to lift a heaw load onto a
truck and you realised he needed help, you would
very likely give him assistance. You would be
happy and willing to do so. However, if you
passed a man on the street who was sitting along
side his truck and load, and he asked you to put
the load on his truck for him, you would, if he
were an able-bodied man, be quite indignant and
suggest that he do it himself. Now, the Cosmic
works in quite the same way. If you are willing
to put forth effort in your own behalf and act
upon the guidance extended to you, you can, with
complete freedom of mind, approach the Cosmic
for assistance with your material problems. Never
theless, the Cosmic expects you to do everything
you possibly can for yourself before seeking its
help. Our late Imoerator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis,
often stated that Cosmic assistance should not be
sought until one had exhausted his every outlet,
his every material channel through which his ma
terial problem could be solved.
Many may wonder, in the light of what has
been stated here, why our early monographs set
forth instructions for seeking divine aid with our

Page 10

simple problems of life, such as telling time intuitively, and similar experiments. But let me
hasten to assure you that these exercises and
practices play a most important part in our sys'
tem of instruction and unfoldment. Such experi'
ments help us to develop technique in applying
the principles. They aid in stimulating and
awakening areas of the mind and brain. They set
into action subtle psychic functions of the glands
and centers. They develop the memory and, most
important of all, the ability to concentrate and
attune the objective consciousness with the sub'
jective, the divine inner man. All such develop'
ment leads to a better understanding and a close
relationship with the Cosmic forces, and thus we
correlate the objective life with the spiritual.

M editation and Visual Phenomena

Many of the exercises and experiments given in
the weekly monographs that are sent to student
members of the Order require deep and careful
meditation. So often before the experimenter has
reached a state of perfection in his technique
or abilities, he experiences unusual impressions
through the sense of sight. As a result, we are
often asked such questions as: W hat are these
pin points of light that flash across my conscious'
ness during meditation? W hy do I so often when
concentrating see hasy, cloudy formations ac'
companied by black spots in front of the eyes?
Is this a natural result of psychic or mystical
unfoldment?
The students who have such experiences are
generally p u lle d by them and invariably explain
that these impressions are very real and not due
to an illusion of any kind; and, of course, they
are quite correct, for such impressions are not due
to illusions. For instance, when you close the eyes
and place the tips of the fingers upon the closed
eyelids and press them, various colorful impres'
sions will register upon the consciousness through
the sense of sight. Very often an athletically in'
clined person will have similar experiences, such
as dancing dots before the eyes when he has be'
come exhausted after running for some distance,
or even a short distance at his most rapid speed.
This is caused by the blood rushing through the
body and particularly to the head, causing a pres'
sure upon the nerves in and about the eyes. Some'
times such experiences will be noted when one is
suffering from a serious head cold, particularly
when clearing the channels of the nose and sinus
through the act of blowing the nose. These sen'
sations are all the result of external stimuli; in
other words, they have perfectly natural causes
and, obviously enough, are not due to psychic de'
velopment or impressions, the result of the awak'
ening of the psychic glands and centers.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It is realised that no obvious external condition

has brought forth the impressions in the cases
where they occur while in concentration or medi'
tation. However, this pressure takes place never'
theless. The individual so often unconsciously
closes the eyes very tightly when sitting in medi'
tation striving to attune to the divine inner being.
Thus, pressure is brought to bear upon the closed
eyes by the muscles of the eyelids. This, of course,
should be avoided when sitting in meditation or
attunement. W hen it does occur, it is obvious
that physical effort is being put forth in an at'
tempt to force a manifestation or a psychic ex'
perience. W e stress throughout our teachings the
importance of relaxation. This means physical
as well as mental relaxation. If we sit in medita'
tion with the eyes closed to shut out impressions
around us and we permit a frown to come over
the features, it is apparent that we are straining
physically to attain that which we seek through
meditation. Such will cause the pin points of
light, the murky, cloud'like effects and black spots
before the eyes. The more completely relaxed we
are, the greater will be our state of attunement.
It is then that a harmonious attunement will oc'
cur between the objective and subjective minds.
Under such conditions, the impressions that may
register upon the objective consciousness from the
subjective can be recognised in their proper light,
and such impressions are always so definite that
they are never misunderstood.
In explaining these pin points of light and dark
spots away as the result of pressure, we are, of
course, not referring to the murky, cloud'like for'
mations that will at times be noticed in the sane'
turn and which our high degree members under'
stand as stressed atmospheric conditions and nuclei
formed by high vibratory rates; but such impres'
sions are only noticed under certain ideal condi'
tions when the eyes are open and the member is
fully conscious of his surroundings and the work
that he is performing at the time.
W e cannot place all such experiences in the
same classification, for there are certain conditions
that will bring about similar results which will not
be due to pressure upon the optic nerves. In the
majority of cases, however, it can be shown that
these darting lights and dark spots are due to an
external condition of which the experimenter may
be fully unconscious.

How T o Receive Cosmic Impressions

A Frater from the Northwest rises in our
Forum circle to ask, I of course do not question
the vital importance and value of Cosmic im'
pressions, but must we be dependent upon their
casual occurrence? Can we not bring them forth
when we need them, and how could this be
accomplished?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

I recently had occasion to discourse upon this

subject in relation to other topics, so the prin
ciples are very definitely impressed in my mind,
and I offer them here as an answer to the Frater.
W e have, as we know, a duality of conscious
ness. First, there is the psychic consciousness, or
rather the consciousness of the soul; or to put it
more simply, the' Divine Mind which is taken into
our being with the first breath of life. It is this
Divine Mind which is the consciousness of each
ceil. It is the universal order of our very being.
It is that which maintains the functions and plan
of our physical existence, and which governs our
involuntary actions and the functions of our
organs and digestive, circulatory, and nervous
systems. It is an intelligence over which we have
absolutely no direction. Then, there is that com
mon or objective consciousness by which we are
sentient. For simplicitys sake we may refer to it
as the consciousness of the organ of brain, because
it has its seat of registration there. For analogy,
we may liken it unto the light on a miners cap
which radiates from him as a beam into the dark
ness. Only that on which it falls becomes visible
or is made known to the miner. Likewise, this ob
jective consciousness when directed outwardlv
makes us aware, through our five sensory facul
ties, of the external world. All impulses which
it detects and convevs to the brain become
knowable to us. All things upon which it is
focused like a great searchlight stand out apart
from us, and are thus given an actual existence
equivalent to our own. The various sensory im
pressions which this consciousness receives are re
corded in certain association areas of the brain.
For example, visual impressions and their subse
quent sensations are registered in the occipital
region of the brain, and the auditory impressions
or sound impulses are said to be recorded in the
temporal lobe area. W e, of course, quite under
stand the psychological process where, by associa
tion, whenever there is a recurrence of the im
pressions externally, the elements of the previous
experiences are released from their respective
areas and reassembled in the consciousness. How
ever, this consciousness which, for analogy, we
have likened unto a beam of light, is not confined
to focusing on external things. It can also be in
verted, turned inward. It is as though the miners
light were turned about on his cap and focused
in toward his forehead. This inverting of the con
sciousness is called introversion. The conscious
ness can then become aware or perceive the im
pulses of things which exist within the brain, or
within our being itself.
W e have explained how the consciousness reg
isters impressions which it receives in certain areas
of the brain. Such sections are said by psycholo
gists to constitute the objective mind, because they
are concerned with objective or empirical things.

Page 11

However, the same brain registers in another area

entirely different impressions, and they are re
corded not through our volition, that is, not by
means of our will, for we have no control over
them. Such areas of the cerebrum and cerebellum
are known as the subjective or subconscious mind.
This means that consciousness which is in or be
hind or beneath our ordinary thinking, objective
consciousness. W h at is recorded in the subjective
mind? Just as the areas of the brain related to
our objective consciousness are the seat of the
peripheral sense faculties such as sight, hearing,
etc., so the subjective areas are contiguous to the
Divine Mind or consciousness within our being.
As we have said, the Divine Consciousness per
meates every fibre of our structure, but the sub
jective area of our brain is the only place where
its impressions register and some become per
manently recorded there. In that area thev be
come integrated into a useful knowledge. W hen
we meditate and practice introspection, that is,
turn our objective consciousness inward to inspect
ourselves, we enter the subjective state. That is,
we begin to become conscious of the impressions
which the Divine or Cosmic Mind has recorded
there. Some of them may become very useful to
us: others are not comprehensible. The knowledge
which registers in the subjective, or which is taken
from the Divine Intelligence that flows through
us, is governed bv our thoughts and conduct
though we may not fully realise this.
W e often make the mistake of giving our ma
terial problems oyer entirely to our powers of
reason and analysis: in other words, to our ob
jective consciousness. Now of course we must be
realistic and practical enough to admit that ma
terial problems, insofar as their performance,
their function, is concerned, should be dealt with
materially and objectively. But advice on the
technique of concerning ourselves with such prob
lems and the laws and principles of the Cosmic
and of nature and self which should be used in
their solution, can come to us through the sub
jective consciousness. W hen we rely upon our
reason exclusively, our own judgment and objec
tive experience, we labor long and wearily at
times without success. This concentration objec
tively on some plan or problem or circumstance
causes the subjective mind or areas of the brain
related thereto to attract from the Divine Mind,
with which it is in close attunement, those ele
ments of inspired wisdom which we need. Such
wisdom remains there, that is, in the subjective,
until we turn the consciousness inward and at
tune ourselves to the subjective state when it is
released to us, perhaps in the form of a picture,
such as a visual image, or sometimes as an in
audible word or message.
Frequently, those who never resort to this
meditation and introspection are rewarded by a

Page 12

forceful and sudden hunch. These hunches force

their way into the objective consciousness and
make themselves known as useful ideas. They are
the Cosmic impressions drawn into the subjective
by our own interests and pursuits, if such inter
ests are of the proper nature. However, such
hunches, as they are popularly called, are all too
infrequent to be of any real benefit to us. The
knowledge of the Cosmic, the intelligence of the
Divine, which can aid us with our mortal affairs,
is of such an ethereal and fine vibratory rate that
it is with the utmost difficulty that it can pene
trate the gross objective consciousness, and so dis
rupt the coarser vibrations of our physical senses
as to make us aware of it. The difference between
the rates of vibration of the Cosmic Intelligence
and those of our perceptory senses is far more ex
treme than, for example, the delicate notes of the
violin and the raucous sounds of a boiler factory,
we can certainly realise that if one were em
ployed in the latter place, it would be difficult for
him to hear the beautiful strains of a violin be
ing played nearby. For the individual to wait to
hear the chance notes would mean that he would
deprive himself of musical enjoyment. He would
need to leave the factory and go to where the
music, in all of its grandeur and harmony, could
be distinctly and easily heard.
The intense concentration upon a problem, that
is, striving to accomplish something objectively,
thinking, planning, putting forth effort, is what
attracts that Cosmic wisdom which is most need
ed, and which causes it to be implanted in the
subjective mind. Even if it is not capable of
forcing itself into our outer minds as an idea or
as a hunch, perhaps days later, or even weeks,
when during a leisure period we resort to cogi
tation, and go within ourselves, the conscious
ness through the process of introspection becomes
attuned to the subjective mind and suddenly there
is released, as said, a visual image, scene, word, or
sentence which is needed to aid our problem.
Originally, such an impression was drawn from
the Cosmic into the subjective to await a propi
tious time, such as a period of meditation, for the
objective consciousness to be able to perceive it.
However, all of these Cosmic impressions do not
immediately appear, in themselves, quite relevant
to our problems or difficulties. In other words,
we may become conscious, have a clear Cosmic
impression of an object, distinct in all details, and
yet it will not be shown in what manner that ob
ject is to be used, what its significance is. W e
may, in fact, pussle over it.
To use an analogy, a chemist may have been
working with some technical problem such as
making a certain metal become more heat-resisting. He may have labored weeks, perhaps months,
without coming any nearer to a solution. Then
one day after having almost abandoned his prob

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lem, at least not thinking of it, and while relaxed

and musing, he gradually enters a subjective mood.
Then there appears in his consciousness, as if out
of nowhere, the symbols of a chemical compound
with which he is quite familiar, in fact, maybe a
compound that he has used commonly for many
things. There is no message as to its significance
or its relation to anything. He is apt, like many
persons, to be inclined to dismiss it from his mind
as a fleeting mental impression, a casual recollec
tion. If he does this, he is guilty of a sin of omis
sion. If, however, he realises that it is a Cosmic
impression, and that it must have a relevancy to
something in his life, some incident, some problem
or circumstance, something he should know, he
will then soon be apprised of its purpose. Under
such circumstances, the chemist would need say
to himself, Now what has this mental image or
Cosmic impression to do with what I have been
thinking about, or have been occupied with? His
best approach would be to try to relate it to any
baffling or engaging problem, not only of the im
mediate but of the past. He would soon find by
association for what it was intended. In this par
ticular analogy he would have the solution to his
problem of increasing the resistance to heat of the
metal, by the inclusion of the compound, knowl
edge of which was given to him Cosmically, in his
formula.
There is, in the all-inclusive wisdom of the Cos
mic, aid for every human problem in which man
becomes interested or involved, unless it is of a
nature contrary to Cosmic law. This intelligence
of the Cosmic flows continuously through man in
all of its perfection, in all of its absoluteness. W e
may liken it unto a stupendous conveyor belt in
some great automobile or other manufacturing as
sembly plant. Upon it are all the elements, the
parts needed to complete any enterprise. Once
the impression has gone on, passed through the
consciousness of man, if it is not seised by him it
may never return, and the success of a venture,
or the greatness of one with which man mav be
engaged, and for which the impression could be
used, mav fail, or not be what it should be. In
big assembly plants, the parts of the machine
which is being constructed are arranged either to
fall off through an aperture in the conveyor belt
constructed to accommodate them at just the right
pointthat is, where they are to be assembled
or are removed at that point by a workman whose
duty it is to fasten them on the object being con
structed. The conveyor of Cosmic knowledge in
our being is also like this. If we take our prob
lems into the subjective mind periodically, instead
of continuously trying to cope with them objec
tively, we create an attraction sphere in our ob
jective mind by holding the thought there, even if
but for a few seconds. This attraction sphere
draws to itself, from the ever-constant flow of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Cosmic impressions which pass through the sub

jective mind, the right answer or the immediate
advice, counsel, or suggestion. W e then become
aware of it as a Cosmic impression.
Learning how to hold in mind properly and con
centrate on just the right things needed for our
problem makes it possible when many Cosmic
impressions pass through our consciousness, and
when we are in a subjective state, to select im
mediately just what is needed. Remember, you
cannot help a person who himself does not know
what he wants or needs. Have you ever seen a
skilled mechanic at work on a complicated piece
of machinery which he is either constructing or
repairing? Perhaps he tries to connect a certain
gear to a shaft, but some little thing is needed to
make this possible, which he does not have. He
walks from his work to his parts supply bench,
and he studies various little devices for a few
minutes; then he picks one up and returns to his
work. Invariably whatever he has selected will
help him accomplish his purpose. He knew what
he wanted when he walked to the bench to get
the part. You should approach the Cosmic for
impressions in the same manner. Turn to the sub
jective mind with your needs well defined in your
consciousness. Concentrate carefully while in the
subjective state, upon the flow of Cosmic impres
sions to which you will be susceptible, and then
make your choice. Learn to go to the Cosmic.
Do not wait for hunches to flow in upon you
occasionally or break through into your con
sciousness.X

Rosicrucian Psychology
There exists today considerable confusion in
the minds of the general public regarding what
constitutes psychology. The question which con
fronts us, and which is frequently asked by mem
bers, is, W hat constitutes a Rosicrucian inter
pretation of the various phases of popular and
academic psychology? Probably volumes could
be written on this subject, but it might be well
for us in these pages to consider a few of the
fundamental principles of psychological subjects
and their relationship to Rosicrucian interpretation.
Psychology, on one hand, has been confused in
a sense with being a system of miraclesthat is,
something not in the ordinary accepted daily
existence which we use or have to meet. On the
other hand, there is the strictly academic psy
chology as taught in our universities and col
leges today, which is attempting to become a sci
ence in order to stand among other sciences.
There is in addition to these two theories a typical
Rosicrucian psychology, and I am going to at
tempt to point out some of the fundamental prin
ciples of psychology as academically and popular
ly considered in the world today, and at the same

Page 13

time help you gain a psychological conception,

as I will call it, that will assist you in adapting
the fundamental theories, principles and practices
of Rosicrucianism to your daily life, as well as
opening up avenues of investigation and study
to you.
General psychology as seen in the thinking of
the masses today is either disregarded, or, as I
pointed out, thought to be something that will ac
complish actions or purposes that no other pro
cesses will do. Many individuals seek psychology
with the one viewpoint of eliminating effortthat
is, by a psychological process perform what other
wise would take physical effort, or, in other
words, avoid work. Psychology is not a miracle,
nor a method of teaching people to perform
miracles. In fact, it is very much down to earth,
and we must consider it in that sense. W e often
hear people refer to a thing they do not under
stand as being psychological, or someone will
speak of a process of a persons physical and men
tal condition and say he has not the right psy
chological approach, or they do not see the
psychological phases involved.
The phase of psychology with which we are
primarily interested has to do with man, although
there are other fields of psychology also. A ny
thing that lives, lives for the two fundamental pur
poses, and I am not attempting to reveal some
thing new here, but trying to present the funda
mental purposes of life. Nevertheless, man search
es to adjust himself to his environment and to the
will of his Creator. He may do one or both in
tentionally or unintentionally. Many people
would deny trying to adapt their environment to
the will of their Creator. Man, in attempting to
adjust himself to environment, is working to
further himself best under the physical circum
stancesthat is, where he lives.
W e all like to be in harmony to our environ
ment, because it indicates a number of things. It
indicates health, which is something we all strive
to obtain. It indicates peace in the sense that we
are not in friction or conflict with things around
us. It indicates a certain amount of happiness,
because we have peace, health and happiness, and
we also add to these possessions. If we are in per
fect harmony we feel we have control over cer
tain phases of our environment. The farmer finds
satisfaction in ownership of land. W e may not
want to own land, but we find satisfaction in hav
ing something which we own or have acquired.
Now, this deviates from Rosicrucian theory, or I
might say Rosicrucian principles, since we are
taught in the early degrees of Rosicrucianism that
possession is merely an objective illusion. W e
cannot possess anything. Possession amounts only
to the use of those things to which we can adapt
ourselves in our environment, and because we are
either fortunate or intelligent enough to bring

Page 14

them into our environment for our own purposeful intention. Then where does that feeling of
possession and security of possession come from?
It does not come from any Cosmic source. It is
not a part of our adjustment to the will of our
Creator. It is forced upon us. Man probably did
not prefer possessions in the sense of withholding
goods of value from others. He gained the idea
of wanting those possessions in order to compete
with others; in order to hold up his head among
his fellow men. In possession we gain that out'
look of superiority, confidence and, to a certain
extent, happiness that makes us feel more ad'
justed to our environment. That is definitely contrary to many evidences of the fact that those possessing the least are sometimes the happiest. However, proof of that has come through happiness.
I read an article in a recent issue of The
R eaders Digest which presented a case of a
former author of Austria who told of the psychological effect that the money inflation following the first W orld W ar had in Germany and
Austria; how prices rose in terms of the money
system, and how he lost the money value he
previously had. It is quite interesting to study
this adjustmnt to environment. M ans attempts
to adjust himself to his Creator are varied. The
average individual seeks harmony not only in en
vironment, but in his whole life, and finds that
adjustment to a perfect state in environment is
not enough. There is another factor which enters
into the thinking and is forced upon man, and
this is to harmonise himself with others. W e have
all failed time and time again in adjustments to
environment, and those failures can either make
or break us. In a sense man is scarred by failure
to adjust himself to environment, and his present
status is sometimes indicative of the results he has
had with conflicts in adjustment in the past. W e
all take some hard knocks from time to time. W e
are prone under such conditions to lay the cause
of those difficulties outside ourselves, because in
our thinking we are trying to acquire something
outside ourselves. It is remarkable that man has
not attempted to look within for an explanation
of failure.
The average individual, you and I included,
has to be hit on the head occasionally to make us
utilise facts that are apparent, that are right be
fore us. How many things do we do from month
to month in our daily lives, and wonder why we
did not see the possibility of doing them before?
W e make adjustments constantly. W e make
changes which are beneficial, and the beneficial
qualities are so apparent to us that we feel ridicu
lous that we did not see them before. If man is
going to understand the real psychology of being,
and if he is going to make an adjustment to his
true purpose of life, he will have to look to his
Creator and find out what can help. Maladjust

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ment is usually blamed on organisations, churches,

fraternal orders, or on the intent of others. Mans
tendency to project his difficulties outside himself
has brought many attacks upon established insti
tutions that are doing good. The one who says
the church is not worthwhile in the world today
is one who has projected his failures to that point.
There are also those who state that persons who
join fraternal orders are doing wrong. The intent
of others is also blamed. Those are factors of
human reasoning of the most elementary type
that bring us to the question of whether or not
there exists a science that will help man to make
these adjustments better, to consider himself better
as a whole physically and mentally in relationship
to his environment.
Psychology, as a science, and I mean by science
something that is definitely fixed in procedure and
subject matter, is open to considerable question.
Psychology among sciences is literally an orphan,
because it has been accepted and rejected by all.
First it was apparently a part of philosophy,
closely related with religion. Then in the past
twenty years there was an extreme swing of the
pendulum and psychology was associated with
biology. Now we find that that materialism, or
that materialistic viewpoint, in such an extreme
sense is gradually being tempered. W e find that
in modern textbooks on psychology, education
and those things which bring man to understand
his relationship to environment, there is a more
tempering quality, a desire upon the part of those
studying the subject to present a more literal sci
ence. Man, after all, is the subject matter of all
sciences, and psychology is the science which
particularly treats on man as a wholehis life,
his actions and his reactionsand therefore we
are arriving at a point where serious-minded
people and those capable of so doing are acknowl
edging a so-called orphan science to be possibly
the only science that is worthwhile today and
that is fundamental to all other things.
The study of man as a unit is, after all, the
very thing we are doing all the time in Rosicru
cianism. Rosicrucian psychology is based upon the
philosophical system of idealismthat is, the con
ception that man is aware of the outside world
only through his ability to perceive that which is
actuality, that which exists only to him in proof
of reality. I am not going to try to present to you
here the Third and Fourth Temple Degrees of the
Rosicrucian graded studies, but fundamentally, as
the illustrations are given in our monographs
themselves, a sense impression does not exist un
less the sense is there to register the impression.
If a tree falls in the forest miles from any human
being or animal, it does not make a noise, because
no noise may exist unless it is registered by a
human or animal ear. Only vibrations exist. There
are vibrations in this room of which we are not

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

aware. W hy do we not know them? Simply because we cannot attune ourselves to them. W e
are not in a position to reach out and grasp them
and bring them to our senses.
W hen we question the placing of psychology
in the category of science, we are answered that
a science which includes the scope of psychology,
the study of manhow can it be a science? How
can it be perfect? The answer is, Is any science
perfect? W hat is perfection in science? Perfec
tion would be stagnation. It would be the end.
There are two types, or two phases, of the con
sideration of our reaction to environment that
primarily come under the subject of psychology,
and these are the perception and interpretation of
all stimuli that affect us. In other words, we, as
human beings, are receivers of stimuli that enter
our beings. W e are the subject matter upon
which certain objects play. In rules of grammar
we learn that a sentence has a subject and a
predicate. W e define a subject as being what the
sentence is about and a predicate as telling some
thing about the subject. W e are the subject
matter; the objects are playing on us all the time.
They are constantly coming in and being inter
preted on the basis of our experience, on the basis
of our own sense perception, and that sense per
ception differs.
For example, your attention is not focused
upon an unexpected occurrence, and when one
happens you miss much that actually occurs. Con
sequently, the unexpected is something that oc
curs almost before you realise it, and you im
mediately, from what you saw or what you
heard, set up in your own thinking a chain of
thought which you come to believe. The amasing
thing is that such explanations are often entirely
false. Those who study legal psychology and go
into the serious study of criminal tendencies
realise that many perjurers tell their stories and
really believe they are true. They will tell their
stories as they interpret them. That is why you
can never get two people to tell a story the same
way. T hat is what causes the story to be changed
by the individual unintentionally, adding his own
experience and retelling it in terms of his own
experience.
W here is the subject matter to which I refer
red? The subject matter is the internal man.
There have been so many terms assigned to it
that it makes little difference what we call it. The
psychological term is usually ego or mind.
As Rosicrucians, we also define mind in a similar
way. However, the material psychologists would
make no definition between mind and brain.
Consciousness itself is a state which evades
definition, and it must be the subject matter to a
certain extent of anything considered as a part of
man. Consciousness is a world of being, which is
about as far as we can define it. Descartes said:

Page 15

I think; therefore I am. He proved to himself

the existence of a state of consciousness. Selfconsciousness is a realisation in ourselves that we
are doing what I have just said we have done.
In other words, when we analyse self-conscious
ness we do a most unusual thing. W e define our
selves as the object of consciousness. The subject
becomes an object to be analysed by itself, and
unrealised by most of us, that analysis is one of
the most unique facts in the universethe ability
to make our self-consciousness the object of our
own self-conscious analysis. That is what makes
possible the perception of soul. The material psy
chologists state that the soul cannot be perceived,
that it evades the physical senses. It does insofar
as objective realisation is concerned. W e cannot
perceive soul in the same way we perceive a table
with an object lying on it. You have to perceive
it through self-consciousness.
Self-consciousness matters little until it estab
lishes symbolism. If it were possible to contact an
adult who was raised by himself on a desert
island, and we could by some process teach that
individual to express his ideas in words, we would
learn a lot about psychology that we do not know
now. Self-consciousness is the one factor of mans
existence outside his physical being that we can
positively be conscious of. W e must define selfconsciousness as an attribute of some factor other
than the body, because it cannot be tied up with
the physical. In the first place, I have given one
proof. No physical thing can be the object of its
own perceptionthat is, a desk cannot perceive
a desk; your glasses cannot perceive the lens
within them. Only self-consciousness can be the
object of its own perception. Consequently, it is
an attribute of something other than physical.
I am presenting conclusions and theories which
are to the best of my knowledge somewhat in con
formity to psychological science today, and in
conformity with Rosicrucian doctrine. In the
world today psychology plays a part in helping
man to understand the adjustments which are
necessary, and man must deal with psychological
factors in the same manner he must deal with
physical factors.A

Living In the Past

All too often man is inclined to bemoan the
passing of time and object to natural changes in
ways of living, methods of government, and sys
tems of business, crying aloud: That is not the
way we used to do it. My father and grandfather
had a different system. Would that we could go
back to the good old days. But, Fratres and
Sorores, we are living in a world of change, a
world of actionrestless action, perhaps, but
evolution nevertheless. There is nothing that we
can do to prevent such change, and, in fact, we

Page 16

should not wish to do so. One cannot grow,

evolve, and develop and at the same time live
either mentally or physically in the past, surrounded by the customs and practices of fifty,
seventy-five, or one hundred years ago. This con
tinual movement onward and upward is natural.
It is a very necessary law in the entire Cosmic
scheme of things. W e find this changing world
of ours following an orderly, systematic plan that
is advantageous to all as a whole. A t times we,
as individuals, find changes not to our personal
advantage, especially if we have made no effort
to keep up with modern methods and practices.
For example, suppose a doctor or physician,
after completion of his medical course and intern
ship, was satisfied that he knew everything neces
sary and, therefore, discontinued further study
and refused to keep up with modern practices,
new discoveries, new uses for old remedies, and
latest developments in the art of surgery. Such a
one would soon find what little business he did
have falling away from him, and he probably
would even lose his original ability and technique
as a healer.
W hat of the automobile mechanic who fails to
keep pace with modern design? He will wind up
with a few customers who, like himself, are satis
fied with the old-style gasoline engines and Model
T accessories.
Fratres and Sorores, we cannot return to the
past, and even if we could, we would be much
dissatisfied. The average person who is born and
reared in a small town or community and then
seeks his future in the big city often expresses his
dislike for the cold, unfriendly atmosphere, the
hustle and bustle of big business and competition.
He dreams of the day when he can return to the
place of his birth, meet once again his old friends
in surroundings once loved. Invariably, however,
he thinks of the old home town as when he left it.
He forgets that he personally has changed, espec
ially insofar as his habits and tastes are concerned.
He always visualises the corner drug store as it
used to be, with its bevy of friends and familiar
faces lined up at the soda fountain. W hen he re
turns, what does he find? The familiar faces no
longer there, the personnel changed, the ice cream
soda not nearly as good as it used to be. His taste
for ice cream sodas has changed, but he does not
realise it. He thinks he has remained the same
and everything else has changed when, in fact,
complete evolution has taken place with the pass
ing of the years. And so, our hypothetical one
goes away disappointed in the old home town.
He is anxious now to return to the environment
of the big city where he has made new friends,
where he has become accustomed to an entirely
new routine of life. His entire system, meaning
physical anatomy, and his mental faculties are
geared to the fast-moving pace of the big city,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

where physical, material changes occur at a great

er tempo than they do in his old home town.
The part of interest in connection with this
matter is whether or not man is benefited by all
of this change. W ould he be better off spiritually
and materially if he could recall the past, not
simply through bringing back memory impres
sions, but in actuality? W ould it be helpful if
one could mark time for a while instead of travel
ing along with the rest of humanity and, in fact,
all of Gods creatures? Now it has been implied
that change means evolution, and even when it
appears to be devolution, it is actually progress
and development. Certainly we all desire to pro
gress, and this results from experiences in this life.
Our material experiences add to our knowledge
of material circumstances and surroundings; spir
itual experiences add to our inner development,
expand our personality and character, taking us a
little nearer our goal of attunement with the in
finite. The experiences of the past and of the
present are merely stepping-stones to a brighter,
more progressive future. Each experience results
in a change within us, subtle, perhaps, but a step
forward nevertheless. W e change physically and
spiritually through experiences that change our
conception of the world within and without. This
is progress, evolution, development, and quite in
accord with the Cosmic scheme of a changing
universe.

W hy Should I Be Thankful?
During the entire year I receive, by appoint
ment for interviews in my office, many fratres
and sorores from nearly every part of the world.
Some live nearby, while others may be from
Australia, South Africa, or Europe, and when
they arrive in California they think little of the
extra distance or time required to come to San
Jose when relatively so adjacent to it. However,
during the annual Rosicrucian Convention held
here in Rosicrucian Park, I sometimes have as
many as two hundred ten-minute interviews with
Rosicrucians in six days time. Such interviews
are most stimulating to me. It is a pleasure not
only to be able to meet personally so many with
whom I have been in correspondence, but to learn
of their ideals, and to know what our beloved
Rosicrucian teachings have done for them. Equal
ly important is it to hear them express their views
upon many philosophical questions and problems.
Such opinions, sometimes erroneous and at
other times highly enlightening, become the incen
tive for many Forum discussions. A t this time, I
am particularly reminded of a question put to me
by a soror during one of these interviews. She
was very apparently a cultured woman, and her
remarks indicated she had no proclivity toward
positing meaningless or paradoxical questions. She

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

prefaced her statement by saying: The question

that I am about to ask has been given serious
thought by me, and I hope it will not be construed
as being sacrilegious or facetious. Then she
queried: W hy should I be thankful for the benefits I receive? Possibly my face revealed my
perplexity, for she followed, before I could reply,
with an elaboration: If I am to be grateful to
some source or being for the so-called blessings I
receive, such as good health, or at least freedom
from pain and suffering, freedom of my person
and thoughts, and the welfare of my family and
friends, then by the same token, should I not be
condemnatory or reproving to the same powers
for my misfortunes? In other words, she con
tinued, W hy should I express gratitude for those
things which I enjoy?
By habit and tradition, we could marshall many
platitudes and trite sayings intended to point out
to the soror how false her reasoning was, and how
shocked she ought to be for saying such a thing.
A number of them would be hypocritical and not
explanatory. Actually such statements would not
suffice. This soror was not an ingrate; she was
not an atheist, nor even an agnostic in the broad
est sense of the word. She was a profound thinker.
She wanted to know why she should be grateful
for the beneficial things of life, which either came
as an apparent direct result of efforts she person
ally expended, or which came to her by virtue of
her living.
Such a question cannot be brushed aside verbal
ly, nor in our consciousness, by the mere affirma
tion that it is our duty to be grateful for boun
ties received, or that we must show our apprecia
tion, et cetera. This would amount to requesting
one to have an unintelligible devotion. If we love
a person and are loyal to him, or to a precept, we
should as well have the knowledge of why we are.
Usually the insincere person who feels no gratitude
towards anyone or anything for such bounties as
life may afford him, contends that he did not ask
for life; that it was thrust upon him with all of
its vicissitudes. Since he had no choice in this
existence, he likewise has no obligations because
of it. Such an individual (in which category this
soror could not be placed) has failed to distinguish
between arbitration and the law of necessity. By
arbitration, it would be presumed that man before
birth would and could have the choice of arbi
trating with his God, with the Divine Mind, or
with some purely physical or mechanistic powers
of the universe, whichever he may conceive to be
the initial cause of all, as to whether he should ac
cept a mortal existence. If man were disinclined
toward life before birth, and so expressed himself,
and the decision was arbitrarily made by a power
beyond his control that he should be born against
or in defiance of his will, it would follow then
that he would have incurred no obligation for that

Page 17

which he did not desire, regardless of whether its

effects were salutary or otherwise. However, even
in this sense, such reasoning would be quite ex
aggerated, for it places the opinion and judgment
of man, as to whether he should be born, on a
parity with a God, Cosmic Intelligence, or at least
a universal system of natural law. However, since
man is not afforded such an opportunity for con
sultation and decision as to life before he is born,
and, further, since he could not be capable of such
a decision until after he has a physical existence,
his birth then is one of necessity, and not of
arbitration.
The faculty of choice does not exist until man
is born. His birth is an inescapable necessity, it is
part of an immutable concatenation of causes and
effects, from which his life must follow, just as
three sides follow from the geometrical form of a
triangle. A t no time was his life ordained. There
is a law that life shall be, and his follows from
that decree. How he shall evolve, what he shall
learn, suffer, or experience are not individual
judgments. These, too, are the links in a chain of
inescapable Cosmic laws. This does not connote
that the experiences of life are a fatalistic decree
and are predestined for each individual. The ef
fects we experience in our living are greatly the
result of our own doing, either in this life or an
other, but the causes which produced them, we
cannot evade. Each time we think or act, we con
sciously or unconsciously put them into effect.
W e did not, it is quite true, ask to be born a
John Jones, or whatever our name may be, but
if we had not been born thus, it might have been
a Mary Smith or some other personality, and if
not in this age, perhaps a thousand years hence.
That man shall be born is not a decision which he
can oppose, or with which he can intervene.
Man has no existence, such as he now experi
ences, until he is. Consequently his present exist
ence is merely a transition from one kind to an
other. It is not a state of which one may have
advance knowledge and so be able to make com
parisons. M ans present existence is not separate
from what has gone before. Our present life is
like a bud unfolding into a flower, a continuation
of a process of development, like a spiral consist
ing of concentric rings, each higher than the other
and yet without any visible beginning or end. It
is not as though a bud could say, I do not want
to be a flower, for the seed, the little green stalk,
the bud, and then the bloom are all part of a
cycle; one cannot be separated from the other.
They are various manifestations of but one single
nature. Probably when the flower reached the
bloom stage, if it could become self-conscious and
could look out upon its environment and be aware
of its struggle for existence, it might not prefer
that aspect of its life, but it could not ever hope
to prevent blooming, for the flower has to be, not

Page 18

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that day perhaps, but some day. The flower cannot detach itself from the laws of life. That
which gives it existence is all existence, is part of
the entire Cosmic.
For further analogy, man did not ask for two
arms, yet he has them, and they, too, follow from
the necessity of his physical being. In his opinion,
he may owe no particular obligation to any power,
divine or otherwise, for them. He cannot help,
however, but have a sense of gratitude for what
they make possible in his existence. W hen he
loses an arm he is aware of what it has afforded
him. If all men had been born without them, the
individual would never know, it is true, what he
could accomplish or enjoy with them, but he does
have them and he is in that state of development,
and has those powers of perception and appercepby which he can evaluate the functions of his
arms, in comparison to what life might be like for
him without them. Each time he experiences a
pleasure, mental or physical, because of his arms,
there should well up within him the thought that
by the majesty of the Cosmic plan alone, he has
been given those arms as a necessity. W e should
indeed be grateful, therefore, that the Cosmic In
telligence, through the necessity of its own na
ture, has made it possible for man to conceive cer
tain human experiences as enjoyable, or as con
ducive to his own happiness. W e should be
thankful that such states of mind exist, by which
we can be conscious of a benefit and that we can
evaluate our environment and call some things
good. W hen we are happy, we are in harmony
with the essence of our being, in rhythm with the
universe as a whole. W e are thus given an insight
into the Cosmic Order, which might not have
been afforded us, and, in fact, which we know
other beings cannot perceive. True, we did not
ask for them, and these faculties have not been
especially assigned to us, they follow from the
fact of the kind of beings we are. However, we
are not amoebas, insects, or reptiles, and how
magnificent is the thought that we are not. As an
inferior species, we might not encounter mental
anguish, that is true, and we could possibly live
a life of oblivion, but since by necessity all things
living and inanimate are made part of the game
of life, how much more gratifying it is to be
aware of the game and to be grateful that the
Cosmic order has made this possible.X

Dangerous Misbeliefs
I have a telegram, just received, which I wish
to bring to the attention of this Forum, because
it illustrates a point for our consideration at this
time. So as not to violate the confidence of the
sender and the privacy of the message, I will
delete the full names of the parties, and certain
other unimportant details. The communication

was sent me by a soror who resides in a South

western state of this country. The telegram reads:
Please try treat my son John. He is in Hawaii.
A fortune teller told him he would die before
August 5,1941, his thirty-fourth birthday. Johnnie
is frantic with fear that it may happen.
It would seem from first blush that such a fear
or obsession could be easily extirpated by realising
that there is no foundation for such a prediction,
other than the mere verbal statement of the for
tune teller. Such a prognostication would be quite
ineffectual where no confidence had already been
established in the source of the information. How
ever, it must be realised that this young man con
sulted the oracle for his or her advice. It was
not just proffered himhe solicited it.
There are three kinds of persons who patronise
seers, fortune tellers, soothsayers, and diviners.
First, those who do so for entertainment, who con
sider it amusing, who are skeptical, and who have
no interest in the method or alleged system of
prognostication which is used. Second, those who
are students of psychical phenomena, or psychical
research, and who are not so naive as to accept all
that is said. They are intelligent and informed
investigators, and they are more concerned with
the psychical, telepathic, or powers of hyperes
thesia which the medium or operator may possess.
They are likewise not prejudiced or possessed of
presuppositions. They conduct their tasks of in
vestigation in no perfunctory manner.
Third, there are those who believe sincerely
that certain individuals command faculties, not
only possible of discovering what exists in an
others mind, but being able to reveal in almost
minute detail the future events of anothers life.
Such believers are not seeking entertainment. It
is a serious venture with them when they consult
seers. Further, they are not students. Most
have not even a knowledge of the most rudimen
tary facts of general psychology, and they know
nothing of hyperesthesia, or extra-sensory powers.
They are convinced that the seer is endowed with
a supernatural power. In other words, that he
or she is an agent for some force or intelligence
which the average man could not even experience.
Consequently they will not concede that if the
future could be so revealed that such a faculty
and its function could and would need be ex
plained by natural laws and causes. In fact, the
phenomenon alone is all in which they are in
terested, and in which they place implicit faith.
Their desire for the predictions adumbrates
all else.
Patently this young man, now terror-stricken
on what he imagines is the eve of his transition,
is of this third or latter kind of persons. Since
he is convinced of the reliability of this type of
divination, it is quite comprehensible that he will
also believe what is told him by such seers, no

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

matter how bold their predictions. The thought

of his approaching death is as much a certainty
to him as if he had been sentenced to be executed
on that date by a military court-martial. There is
unfortunately no persuasion, no dialectics, or
reasoning which can disabuse his mind of its pres
ent inhibition. All who extend aid, or attempt
to rationalise the circumstances to him are at a
very decided disadvantage. They are put in the
position of positing what, to the believer, consists
of but a personal opinion, against one who is
thought to have access to supernatural revelations.
In other words, the statements of a mortal and
ordinary man, opposed to another who has, or is
believed to have, traffic with a source of omni
potent wisdom. W e may, through Cosmic assis
tance, be able to reach the subjective mind of this
individual, and there try to mitigate the fear
which has been implanted, and thus ease his tor
ment. The belief in the efficaciousness of the pre
diction, however, can only be shattered through a
personal experience to the contrary. The young
man will need, perhaps on several occasions, to
have disclosed the fallacy of some of the seers
divinations before he becomes finally convinced
that all of the predictions are not infallible. By
the time this FORUM reaches our members
hands, the young man will have his faith quite
shaken, and will be inclined to listen to the ad
vice of his friends.
W hat concerns us most at this time is, what
accounts for these dangerous misbeliefs? W hy do
some people have such implicit faith in fortune
tellers? Sometimes their faith is founded upon
knowledge, an actual experience, and not an
opinion which merely develops into disbelief.
Thus, for example, out of sheer curiosity, an indi
vidual may consult a fortune teller. He may be
absolutely ignorant of psychic phenomena or psy
chology, and to his utter amazement, upon his
first visit he is told his name, his fondest hopes,
and there also may be recounted to him incidents
of his life. He believes these things could not be
possible, could not have been the knowledge of
the seer, unless he or she actually was possessed
of some supernatural powers. It is admitted that
such an experience makes a profound impression,
and especially upon those unfamiliar with such
occurrences. The seer may have been a very
clever charlatan, well-versed in deceptive methods,
and by leading questions, a well arranged inter
rogation, and by careful deductions arrived at the
information without her subject being aware that
he inadvertently contributed the information.
This method is well known to psychical research
ers; however, only very naive persons are sus
ceptible to it. On the other hand, some prognosticators resort to no perfidy. They actually have
telesthetic powers and are able to attune them
selves with the subjective minds of their patrons

Page 19

and receive as impressions their dominant

thoughts, which, in a startling manner, they easily
interpret and relate as actual facts. This is just
as one can experience a sensation of coldness, and
then by association of ideas, explain it in terms
of things which have similar qualities of coldness.
It is, however, quite surprising to discover that
some individuals are not able to differentiate be
tween a disclosure of past events or facts known
to them, and that which would amount to predic
tion. For example, if intimate facts, of which
they have no knowledge, are related to them by
fortune tellers, they accept this then as a token
of powers of prognostication. I have listened to
many persons extol the virtues of such prophets,
in terms of having been told things about them
selves, with which they were already quite fa
miliar. I ask repeatedly, W hat were you told
that you did not know, and which was in a future
tense, and which has since come to pass? Per
haps my experience is limited, but I have never
had a person relate that there were future events
revealed to himevents which have actually come
to materialise. Generalities, yesthat he might
travel, that he would experience financial difficul
ties, that he would lose a friend, that he would
receive news that would gladden him, et cetera.
Actual dates, specific amounts, complete names of
unknown persons, and definite placesno! Be
that as it may, one who is not inclined to be
realistic about such matters as these, accepts even
the generalities as proof of the powers of the
diviner, and the experience of telepathy seems to
confirm to him the ability of such seers to tear
aside the veil of tomorrow. On the other hand,
if you were to tell such a subject that you knew
where there was a person who had the faculty
of telepathy, and could, as is popularly said, read
his mind, he would display no interestit is the
future that interests him. But when actually a
fortune teller, under such a pretense, does no
more than recite to him his own past experiences,
he naively accepts the statements as predictions.
Unfortunately some persons who command
such telepathic powers, themselves believe that
they are seers, and that their developed psychic
sense makes it also possible for them to predict
events, the causes of which are non-existent. They
come to accept every passing impression of their
own minds, every suggestion that enters their
consciousness, as auguring a future event. Each
thought becomes a symbol, a sign of what is to
happen. They vend these impressions of their
own minds as predictions, not mindful of the
consequences upon their patrons, who are apt to
be so credulous as to shape their lives by them,
as did the young man in the case to which we
have referred.
It is dangerous to believe, unless there is some
rational foundation for your belief. Belief is an

Page 20

assumed knowledge. In some realms it is quite

harmless. In others, it is disastrous. W here a
belief is beyond the test of experience and the
retaining of it is detrimental to our peace of mind
or personal welfare, it is better that we abandon
it. In such an instance, the risk of abandoning
what might eventually prove to be fact is far
less than suffering continually and finding that it
was not necessary. In other words, it is far better
to discard a probability than endure suffering
for an uncertaintyand belief without knowledge
is that. Ask yourself not just what do you believe,
but why do you believe it. If any of your beliefs
are fraught with danger, and if you cannot sub
stantiate them, other than with the conviction
that you like them or they appeal to you, cease
them before it is too late. Dont harbor what
might be a serious misbelief.X.

Reincarnation Fully Presented

Here are several of many questions on the sub
ject of reincarnation which have been asked of
this Forum circle again. W hat happens to the
soul of the stillborn child? How are our lives
decided upon, that is, what body should the soul
again inhabit? W hat experiences or lessons are
learned by the soul which is confined from birth
in a body having an imbecilic mind? Do we in
the after-life know who we are, that is, do we
have the same identity as here on earth? W hy
must a little child, perhaps two years of age,
pass through transition? W hat is gained by
the soul residing on the earth plane so short a
period?
I could go on and list hundreds of such ques
tions which are brought to the attention of this
Forum each month. If we were to answer them
all, we would need devote each issue of the Rosi
crucian Forum entirely to these topics. W e have
been quite generous in our answers and in our
consideration of the subject of reincarnation. One
needs only to refer to the annual index of the
Forum to see how much space under such topic
headings as Soul, Reincarnation, 144-Year Cycles,
incarnations, etc., has been devoted to it. Fur
thermore, each time we answer one of the ques
tions, next month the same question, worded a
little differently, is submitted by another Frater
or Soror. Consequently, it cannot be answered
again immediately, as we are obligated to think
of the diversity of interests of our Forum readers.
The number of questions on reincarnation in
dicates that there is a tremendous interest in the
doctrine on the part of at least a good majority
of our fellow Rosicrucians. Reincarnation, of
course, is but one of the many doctrines which
are expounded in the Rosicrucian teachings, and
it is by no means a central or pivotal principle
about which the teachings of the Order revolve.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

However, what pu%les me is how many members

who are obviously sincerely interested in the sub
ject, and wish to examine its principles thorough
ly, as is indicated by the numerous questions they
ask, have not obtained or read the most compre
hensive work on this subject, namely, Mansions
of the Soul, The Cosmic Conception/ written by
our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. The
book is the most simply worded and logically
presented thesis on reincarnation that I have ever
had the opportunity of reading, and I have ex
amined many such works. The fact that most of
the questions which are repeated by Fratres and
Sorores on reincarnation, such as the examples
given above, are of a nature most thoroughly
answered in Mansions of the Soul, proves that
those members have never read the book. Time
and time again they write, W e enjoy the articles
on reincarnation in 'The Rosicrucian Forum, but
can we not have much more than what is written
there? A nd then they ask questions which are
superbly delineated in the Mansions of the
Soul.
On numerous occasions this book has been ad
vertised in the Rosicrucian Digest and even on
the back cover of the Forum itself, but apparently
it has been overlooked by these reincarnation en
thusiasts. Look at the following titles of the large
Chapters of this book, which are all-inclusive in
their information:
I Go to Prepare a Place for You
W hy A re W e Here?
The Ancient Beliefs
The Quest
The Cosmic Conception of the Soul
The Personality of the Soul
Does Personality Survive Transition?
Heredity and Inheritance
Karma and Personal Evolution
The Aggregation of Personalities
The Religious and Biblical Viewpoint
Christian References
The Over-Soul and Cycles of Incarnations
Between Incarnations
Multiple and Secondary Personalities
Souls of Animals and The Unborn
Recollections of the Past
The Fear of Death
Questions and Answers
It will be noted that the last Chapter is de
voted to answering questions, the very same kind
of questions which are submitted to this Forum
on reincarnation, but to which no such great
space could be devoted. Just a few of the ques
tions which are fully covered in that last Chapter
alone, are: W h at about twins? If two bodies
are born at practically the same minute are there
two segments of the Soul or two personalities in
the bodies, or just one? W hat effect has suicide

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

on the evolution of the Soul? W hat determines

the nature of the Soul for any specific body that
is to be born?
Furthermore, Mansions of the Soul contains
many most elucidating diagrams and illustrations
upon this subject which could not be included in
The Rosicrucian Forum. The book, of course,
must be purchased separately, but it contains nearly three hundred and fifty pages of subject matter,
and it would be a saving to the member who is
greatly interested in reincarnation, because he is
given all the needed information on the topic in
a very condensed and interesting form, to which
he can immediately and frequently refer. The
book was written by the late Imperator after years
of study and preparation, and intensive research, and it has had several editions, with a
wide circulation. It is so comprehensive that hard'
ly anything more could be written in The Rosi'
crucian Forum on this subject, that is not al*
ready adequately treated in the work.
To make it possible for manv of our Forum
readers to possess this most valuable and instruct
tive book, we are happv to announce a reduced
price to them only of $1.95 per copy, order and
remittance to be sent to the Rosicrucian Supplv
Bureau. This, of course, constitutes a material
saving to our Forum members. The price is ex
tended at this time, we repeat, just to Rosicru'
cian Forum subscribers The special offer will exDire and cannot be granted bevond October 5.
1941. I hope that our Forum members will realise
that this offer is being made not for the purpose
of iust selling the book, which as said, has already
had several editions, but of bringing those members who are continually desirous of more complete information on reincarnation and the boo\
of full explanation together.X.

A Element at H igh Altitudes

An interesting thought for consideration this
morning comes from one of our sorores living
iust outside of Tohannesburg in the Union of
South Africa. This soror has asked whether or
not the life-giving force known to Rosicrucians
as the A element is more abundant at low alti
tudes or levels, such as at sea level, than it is high
up in the mountains.
It is a noticeable fact that one has more diffi
culty breathing at high altitudes than near the
seashore. Mountain climbers experience shortness
of breath and early exhaustion when they climb
high mountain peaks where the air conditions
are rarefied. This would seem to indicate that
the A or positive element that we take into the
system through breathing is in insufficient quanti
ties in the upper regions. However, knowing the
source of this all-important energy, we must
realise that it is just as abundant in high altitudes

Page 21

as it is near sea level. Our teachings tell us that

it is not just the air or oxygen that we breathe
that is important in sustaining life, but rather
this positive element emanating from the sun that
is taken into the body through the act of breath
ing. If this element is just as plentiful in high
altitudes as in low places, then it would seem
that no exhaustion or shortness of breath would
be noticed by the mountain climber or by the
passengers taking transcontinental, flights in air
planes. The fact of the matter is that there is
just as much A element high up in the moun
tains or at high altitudes as there is at sea level,
but there is a condition that is just as damaging
to the individual as a lack of A element would be.
This condition is light or thin air. The air we
breathe at lower levels has considerable moisture
in it. It contains sufficient oxygen and other gases.
A t high altitudes, little or no oxygen is to be
found. This makes it necessary to breathe much
more rapidly that we may take into the lungs
the amount of air we are accustomed to. It is
this air with its moisture, oxygen, and other gases
that acts as a medium of transfer to the lungs
and hence to the blood of the A element so neces
sary to life. W ithout this medium of transfer,
we cannot enioy the benefit of the A element,
even though it mav be all around us in great
abundance. W e, of course, cannot see it, nor
can we benefit by it unless we have air to breathe
that brings the A element into the body. It is
iust like the presence of dust narticles in a room.
W e are seldom conscious of them, vet thev are
there just the same. W e can see them plainly if
we darken the room and then allow a bit of sun
light to stream into the room through a small
aperture cut through the window shade. The
stream of light becomes the medium of transfer
of the existing dust particles to our consciousness
through the sense of sight.
The two vital elements that join, unite, and
blend one into the other to form life must have
carriers that they may manifest in the body as
the bodys vitality. The carrier of the A element
is the air we breathe. The carrier of the B ele
ment is food and water. You may cut off the
carrier or attain an altitude where the carrier
of the A element is hardly perceptible, but you
cannot cut off or shut out or find a location on
the earth plane where the two great vibratory
forces no longer exist.
Let us use still another analogy to make clear
this point under discussion. You perhaps know
that sound vibrations will not travel through a
vacuum. There is a laboratory instrument in the
physics laboratory of the Rose-Croix Science
Building that demonstrates this fact to us. This
instrument consists of a large glass or jar within
which we can fasten a little dinner bell with a

Page 22

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

means of ringing it from the outside. The jar is

so fixed that the air can be pumped out of it.
Now, before turning on the motor that runs the
vacuum pump, we can ring the bell and hear it
ring quite loudly. The medium of the sound vi'
brations is the air in the jar and the jar itself,
for a solid carries sound vibrations very well.
Now when we start to pump out the air, the ring'
ing sound becomes fainter and fainter until finally
it can no longer be heard. W e have removed the
medium through which the vibrations travel from
the bell to the inner sides of the jar. W e have
not changed the sound vibrations one iota. W e
can see the clapper striking the insides of the bell,
and thus we know that vibrations are being set
up in the metal of the bell. They cannot travel,
however, for their carrier has been removed.
Liken the A element to the sound vibrations and
the rarefied atmosphere to the condition of
vacuum within the far, and you can appreciate
what it is that is missing in the upper regions
and high, mountainous areas.

Interesting Personalities
A convention is like a family reunion. W e
renew old friendships and discuss Rosicrucian
events of the past and present which are close
to our hearts. W e meet the new members of
our Rosicrucian family and take pride in them.
There are so many worthy things that could be
said about these hundreds of fine men and women
who compose these annual happy conclaves, many
of whom have come for the first time. There
is so much that is notable about their lives and
characters, no matter what their social or eco'
nomic status in the outside world. A t this time
I want to discourse upon but a few of these
personalities who were present at our recent Con'
vention. I hope that these Fratres and Sorores
will forgive me for bringing them to the fore in
this manner.
During the early part of the year 1925, I be'
lieve it was, in San Francisco where the Supreme
Grand Lodge was then established, one afternoon
a man and woman entered our Rosicrucian re'
ception room. I had been duly elected Supreme
Secretary but a year before, and was a very young
man. I stepped out of my office to greet these
visitors personally. Their bearing immediately
impressed me. The man was dignified, cultured,
striking in his appearance. His face was a mir'
ror; that is, it seemed truly to reflect the character
of the individual, namely, open, frank, kind, in'
telligent. The lady with him, his wife, somewhat
more retiring, soft'spoken, was equally cultured
and personable. Neither was a Rosicrucian. In
a straightforward, simple manner, they explained
that they sought Rosicrucian membership. They
had discussed the Order with members, and they

expressed a sincere desire to tender their appli'

cations for membership immediately. The man
was by profession a professor of music, a real
artist. He had his own conservatory in the Middle
West, and later became affiliated with the faculty
of a large university in that section of the country.
These two persons have been Rosicrucian mem'
bers continually since that time, loyal to the pre'
cepts of the Order, inconspicuous in their efforts
to further it, yet never hesitant to speak or act
publicly in behalf of it. They have been instru'
mental in bringing into AM ORC, as students
and members, many other persons. In any crisis
which has ever arisen, whenever the Order was
subject to attacks by enemies, they stalwartly
lent their defense. They have not sought honors
or titles. On the other hand, the Frater has often
served as Chapter Master and as a special dele'
gate for the Order. He has weathered all the
various vicissitudes of our times and made sacri'
fices to remain a member. He has taught for the
past two years on the staff of our Rose'Croix
University, and was accompanied each time by
his charming wife. To me it is amazing how
little time has affected their personal appearance.
It seems as if it was just yesterday that I first
met them. These two members, our Frater and
Soror, are Mr. and Mrs. F. H. Ingersoll of
Indiana.
Another who has been a member for several
years is a Frater who is an official of a midwestern
city, and also a lieutenant colonel of the United
States Army. He is a man of few words. Though
not loquacious, each time he speaks he has a con'
structive remark to make, and one that is worthy
of listening to. Having a love o the mystical
precepts of the Order, and being a devoted stu'
dent of the teachings, he is nevertheless down to
earth, practical, and ready to meet material affairs
on their own plane, and his counsel reflects his
good judgment. He is not given to approbation
or forwardness, yet he has accepted upon a num'
her of occasions the Chairmanship of the Rosicru'
cian Convention, and made a great number of
friends, and he has frequently lent his services
to committees voluntarily formed at our Conven'
tion. He inspires confidence in all who know him
I refer to our good Frater, Orlando Hughes, of
Kansas.
An ardent worker, a jovial spirit, and one who
likewise places upon a pedestal the ideals of the
Rosicrucian Order and his membership, and who
has made many personal sacrifices of time to
further the Order, is a Frater of Texas. He fre'
quentlv visits A M O RC Chapters to aid them
with their problems and to give them the benefit
of his advice and long association with AM ORC
Year after year, he and his good wife, sometimes
accompanied by their sons and daughter, attend
the Rosicrucian Convention. A t such conclaves

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

he has served as sergeant-at-arms, and as a voluntary committee member. I refer to Frater James
Blaydes, and to Soror Blaydes.
W ith us also this year was a Soror from
Southern California, who has given much of her
personal spare time to serve the Order. W hen
there are matters to be investigated concerning
the welfare or promotion of AM ORC, or when
it is necessary to call upon a member who is ill
or distressed or to assist with their personal problems when that is possible, or to acquire something
of which the Order is in need, she always gra
ciously and willingly complies with such requests.
For years she has been associated as a member
and as an officer of the Order with Hermes Lodge
of A M O RC in Los Angeles. I refer to Soror
Blanche Whipple.
And then there is Frater Earl Braga, who recently made a very valuable contribution to the
Order in the filming of historical sites of the
Order in America, which films were exhibited
at the Rosicrucian Convention banquet, to the
pleasure of all members attending; and Frater E.
H. Twight, a master of several languages, who
assists in translations and who is also a chemist
of note, and who sometime this forthcoming year
will kindly do special research for us in our
laboratories. There are numerous othersFrater
and Soror Jesse Freeman who flew to the Con
vention from New York City, and who have
served the Order so well in that city in the past
and have performed many special duties for
AM O RC; Soror Anna Johnson, the wife of the
present Master of the New York Chapter; Dr.
Arvis Talley, Master of the Chicago Chapter;
Dr. Gisbert L. Bossard, Master of the Dayton
Chapter, who served so admirably as Convention
Chairman; and other officers and delegates, in
cluding Frater Atherton Whaley, a young man
of most admirable character, a qualified professor
of chemistry who has been on our Rose-Croix
University faculty in that capacity for two terms;
Dr. Mayo Louis Hotten, professor of biology, a
prominent physician of Southern California who
leaves his personal practice each year to teach on
our staff of the Rose-Croix University; Frater
Erwin Watermeyer, our physicist, who for the
next year, beginning with September first, will
devote his entire time to research here in our
physics laboratory; Frater William Popper of
Sacramento, who lends his administrative experi
ence to help make the Convention activities a
success.
I have made particular reference to these few
persons because they typify the spirit and type
of members who attend our Rosicrucian Conven
tions, and who likewise constitute, we are proud
to say, the great majority of the Rosicrucian
membership throughout the North and South

Page 23

American Jurisdiction, including of course those

thousands who have not yet attended the Con
vention.X.

Contacting the Cosmic Masters

A Soror who has not previously propounded
a question to our FORUM CIRCLE arises to
ask: Is there any specific time recommended for
communion with or contacting the Cosmic
Masters?
Let us first again define what is meant by the
Cosmic Masters, and why we should commune
with them. According to mystical traditions and
Cosmic law, there is what is known as a Celes
tial Hierarchy. A t least in ancient times, it was
so named. Today we Rosicrucians refer to that
same mystical body as The Holy Assembly. W e
are told in the arcane writings of the Order, and
in sacred, mystical literature, that this Celestial
Hierarchy consisted of a group or assembly, if
you will, of enlightened personalities, not resident
in physical bodies, and who, as a part of the
great Cosmic Mind, were arranged according to
their rank of personal development and enlighten
ment. The Hierarchy consisted of nine spiritual
orders, each of three ranks or degrees of develop
ment. W e must not confuse the term order
with the one that we generally use with reference
to fraternal associations or bodies, rather we mus*think of these orders as being invisible concentric
rings, each spreading out throughout the universe,
beyond the other, like circular waves on the sur
face of a pool into which a stone has been
dropped. The center ring containing the minds
of those disembodied personalities or souls who
are of the highest order in spiritual unfoldment
and illumination. They are those who are closer
to the Cosmic Intelligence; that is, they most
nearly approach a complete absorption into the
Universal Soul and Consciousness.
In this order or circle, these minds are also
arranged by ranks of three. This, of course, is
according to the mystical law of the triangle. The
first rank consists of those who are most perfect
in the sense of attainment, the next less, and
so on. Thus we are told that the entire assembly
is graduated according to their attainment
throughout the whole nine orders, of which this
Celestial Hierarchy consists. In the omniscience
of the Cosmic, these enlightened beings become
mediators for man; that is, acting between the
Divine Mind, or God, and the mortals of earth.
Man communes with them and then becomes a
recipient of an influx of knowledge, which he may
utilise in coping with the material affairs of his
earthly existence.
This Hierarchy then really amounts to mans
mentor and preceptor in the spiritual realm.

Page 24

This may appear somewhat ambiguous, or at

least inconsistent with what we have said or you
have studied previously, for, are we not told by
almost all of the traditional and evolved religions
and mystical doctrines that man may directly and
personally approach his God? Are we not also
told that man is not required to negotiate through
any priest, minister, rabbi, or potentate for com"
munion with the Divine Mind, that, in fact, all
men stand as equal in His presence? For one to
commune with his God through an intermediate
agency would seem to presuppose the inequality
of mans soul qualities. Have some men a more
Divine Soul than others? Are there some humans
whose virtue of soul efficacy or fortuitous birth
affords them closer proximity to the Divine Intel
ligence? Are there spiritual preferences, a desig
nation that some men shall have a closer bond
with the Divine than others? To all of this we
emphatically postulate the answerno. Each
human, no matter how humble his station in life,
no matter how inferior his social standing or
education, or how menial his occupation, is by
virtue of his soul given the Divine privilege of
direct personal communion with the Cosmic In
telligence. His periods of attunement will, if suc
cessful, bring into his objective mortal conscious
ness the Divine Wisdom. This, then, he must
interpret and apply to meet the requirements of
his life. However, the mortal mind, being finite,
is often unable to interpret fully the influx of
light which it receives through Cosmic com
munion. Therefore, it is to assist with such an
understanding that the Cosmic has established a
Hierarchy of masters, The Holy Assembly, as a
council of interpretation for man.
For analogy, the laws of the land are made ac
cessible to every citizen. The Federal and State
Constitutions and the Statutes and Municipal
Ordinances are not limited to perusal by just
lawyers or attorneys. Any citizen may have ac
cess to Federal. State, and Countv law libraries,
and mav himself scrutinise any enactment he de
sires. However, because of the technical nature
of the statutes, there is quite a probability that
the average layman might wrongly accept a legal
precept to apply to his problem. Such an error
obviously might prove to be most costly or disas
trous to him. Consequently, he exercises good
judgment when he consults a lawyer, one who is
trained to interpret the law and who bv experi
ence as well knows how it shall be applied. Like
wise, then, when one communes with the Cosmic
Masters he is being personally guided or instructed
in the application of Cosmic principles, the same
principles which he could receive direct from the
Cosmic, but which he might interpret erroneously.
It is a false assumption that there is assigned
to each mortal a guiding spirit, a disembodied,
Cosmically illumined personality, who, like a

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

parent with a small child, takes his hand, figura

tively speaking, and leads him step by step
through life. If this were so it would amount to
mans own reasoning faculties, his intelligence,
and his will being substituted or supplanted by a
higher invisible intelligence. Man has been given
his faculties with which to judge himself and his
world. He must live his own life. No mortal or
immortal can live it for him. W hen he is con
fused, he may commune with the Cosmic Mas
ters, with The Holv Assembly, and ask for and
receive guidance. This guidance, however, does
not amount to a performance of mans duties for
him or a miraculous, sudden dissolution, in some
unexplained manner, of all his complications. If
this were accomplished, man would become indo
lent and dependent upon such assistance at all
times, and consequently his personal development
would cease. The help he can expect from the
Cosmic Masters amounts to a disclosure of the
ways, means, and methods which he can employ
for his welfare. It also amounts to an admonish
ment of the dangers which he may confront.
W hen and how man uses such knowledge is left
entirely to the individuals initiative.
The Rosicrucian member or student of mysti
cism, who, when confronted with some issue vital
to his welfare, savs: I shall wait until the Master
directs me, or, I shall await the Masters clarifi
cation of the present circumstances, is inviting
personal disaster. Likewise, those who say: It
is not for me to decide wha.t to do. I shall go
on as I alwavs have, and the Master will protect
me. Those who believe this, imagine that a per
sonal master runs ahead of them on the path of
life, clearing away all obstacles, and strewing i>
with roses, and that thev, like a juggernaut,
can maladroitly go on with indifference to Cosmic
laws.
Now as to the time when we should commune
with these Masters. There is no specific hour or
period, as we mortals designate them. The pro
pitious period for such attunement is governed en
tirely by circumstances. There are certain rules,
if we wish to term them that, which determine
the proper period, and also whether we can ex
pect results. One must not seek the guidance of
the Masters, through the method explained in the
Rosicrucian teachings, unless he himself has sin
cerely and conscientiously exhausted his own men
tal and physical efforts in behalf of himself. A
man will be sadly disappointed, if, when he con
fronts an obstacle that is annoying and difficult,
he resorts to Cosmic attunement to facilitate his
progress; in other words, to avoid expending his
own energies. The Cosmic Masters assist man,
but they are not substitutes for his own powers,
nor are they genii to be commanded to do his
bidding, like Aladdin rubbing his magic lamp. If
you know you have earnestly striven to meet your

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

own problems, have studied, used your intellectual

resources, drawn upon your personal experiences,
resorted to the teachings and precepts that have
been made and are now available to youall
without successthen is the time to ask for the
help of the Masters. Such an occasion might be
night or day, or any hour thereof.
It must be understood, however, that because
you have sincerely tried, have been resourceful,
and all without success, and then have consulted
the Cosmic Masters, you will not always be shown
how to overcome your problems by such Intelligences. The law of Karma or compensation
must be taken into consideration. The balance
of the scale of Cosmic justice which rewards men
for their deeds and likewise teaches them, through
sorrow and suffering, of their violation of Cosmic
laws, cannot be stopped. If complications in your
life develop, it may be because they are the effect
of causes which you yourself through some mis
conduct produced. Until you have learned your
lesson, until you have comprehended, are con
scious of the errors of your ways, until you admit
to yourself your transgressions, you must endure
the adversities which you experience. W hen you
know of them, then the Cosmic Masters will un
fold a way by which you may again, through your
own efforts, find the lightand the joy of liv
ing.X.

Soul Surgery ?
A frater states to our FORUM that there
seems to be either a discrepancy in the Rosicrucian
teachings, or else the postulations of modern sci
ence, in some respects at least, are exaggerated,
for, he continues, it seems that man has within
his power the means to alter the nature of the
soul at will, and this by purely physical means.
He then encloses a sensational news article cap
tioned as this article, Soul Surgery, from which
we quote excerpts below, sufficient to at least
show the cause of the fraters concern and con
fusion.
Severing with a knife emotion, imagination,
and past and future bridges in the human brain
with what is perhaps the most fantastically daring
operation in modern surgery is reported by two
brain specialists. . . . The cerebral cortex, or top
layer of the brain is spread approximately in two
halves, breadthwise by a deep wrinklethe socalled fissure of Rolando. Behind this fissure are
the brain areas, for the most part rather minute,
which form the sites for the sensationssight
hearing, touch, heat, cold, etc. The greater part
of this back country of the mind is concerned
with coordination of the impulses coming through
the senses. They are tied together to form new
ideas, and apparently Dr. Freeman believes are
also coordinated with the experiences of the past.

Page 25

. . . . The operation in which the front of the

brain is partly disconnected, Dr. Freeman says,
have led himself and Dr. W atts to believe that
the majority of the frontal cortex is concerned
with the projection of the whole individual into
the futurewith the capacities of imagination,
planning, and foreseeing consequences. A fter the
operation, the frontal lobes themselves remain
essentially intact, and the capacities for imagining
and foreseeing remain, but parts of the wires
connecting them with the past have been severed
. . . . The operation produces a certain change
in the personality of the individual, characterised
by a reorientation in the direction of introversion,
and a reduction in the interest of self. It reduces
self-consciousness and it promotes satisfaction witn
self and surroundings. The changed behavior
seems to depend, to some extent, on the original
make-up and to some extent on the amount of
the frontal lobe that is still in connection with the
rest of the brain.
As to whether what has been accomplished by
this surgical method amounts to an alteration of
the soul is dependent upon what one conceives
to be the nature of the soul. If we believe the
soul to be the aggregate and source of our emo
tional responses, our desires, hates, passions, fears,
our ideals, and to consist generally of the struc
ture of our imagination, and that it is resident in
an organ, then any physiological change of this
source brings about a control of the soul. In
other words, if these things are said to be of the
soul, and the soul has any physical relationship
or organic connection with the brain, then natur
ally an alteration of the brain would be an altera
tion of the soul. W h at man thinks the soul con
sisted of in the past and in the present is to be
clearly found in a review of the development or
history oof the subject of psychology, to which
we here cannot devote much space. Psychology
itself, insofar as the word is concerned, we know
is derived from the Greek word, psyche, meaning
soul. The oldest records of psychology can be
traced back to the Fifth and Sixth Centuries B. C.
In fact, for example, we find Democritus, in 460
B. C., offering an explanation for the images
which we perceive through our senses. He held
that external objects give off images or husks of
themselves, which enter the sense organs best fitted
to receive them, and there set the soul atoms into
motion in a manner that gives rise to perception.
True thought, he affirmed, was caused by the
finer images which copy the atomic structures of
things, and which are able to reach the soul atoms
in our being directly. They do not cause any
violent disturbance of the soul and these finer
images are the profound thoughts which we have.
The coarser impressions, or husks are the ones
which produce the sensations of our physical
senses. The soul was said to consist of a quantity

Page 26

of very fine atoms, which were not localised in

man, but were thought to be distributed through
out his entire body. Here we see that the conse
quences and concomitance of mans inner nature,
such as the emotions, thought, and perception
were held to be the result of three factorssoul,
body and external objects.
W ith Plato there began the defining of the
attributes of the soul. To Plato also, man was a
dual being, as was all reality. First, there was
the Divine, which in man was the soul; then there
was matter, of which, of course, mans body was
composed. In fact, the soul was held to be a
positive reality, whereas matter and the body were
negative, that is, the latter became real only under
certain conditions or relations which it had to the
soul. To Plato, the soul was complete Divine
Wisdom, which was experienced as those uni
versal ideas or concepts which all men have alike,
such as beauty, justice, love, etc. All emotions
were of the soul and had no physiological origin
or connection with the bodily functions.
Aristotle is the first teacher of a scientific psy
chology, or that which the western world today
recognises as psychology. From his work entitled
the De Anima, and his other associated writings
were drawn the subject matter for almost all of
the psychology taught in Europe until the close
of the Eighteenth Century. To Aristotle the soul
was an entelechy, the culmination of the function
of an organism when all of its parts are united
and active. To further explain this, all manifesta
tion in the universe is, according to Aristotle, a
process of development like unto our present
theory of evolution, each thing passing into the
next highest in the great scale of development
The final end of each cycle of development, that
is, that stage before something passes into the
next expression, constitutes the soul, the purpose
for that thing in the great scale. Thus, the en
telechy, or soul of plant life is nutrition. The
soul of the simpler species of living things is
reproduction. In the higher animals it is sensa
tion. In man, all of these lesser souls become but
the functions of his body, and mans soul is held
to be the highest function of which he is capable,
namely, reason. Thus Aristotle explains sensa
tions and emotions in a manner that relates them
to the human organs, in a broad sense, similar to
modern psychology.
Descartes, father of modern philosophy, began
a real distinction, a separation of soul and body,
or renewed the old dualism along different lines.
Both mind and body were minor substances and
attributes of one master substance, or God.
Reason or mind is of the soul. The body is in
capable, by means of any organ, of thinking or
reasoning, or even exercising an influence upon
its environment. Consequently, animals, accord
ing to Descartes, no matter how by their actions

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

they seem to have traces of mind, memory, reason,

or will are not able to think because they have
no soul. Descartes even went furtherman him
self cannot of his own volition will to do a thing.
The soul must intercede, must react upon the
body in a strange way. God actually directs
those actions of man which seem to be of his
own will upon occasion. O f importance to us
here is that Descartes contends that the emotions
and desires are inferior effects of the mind upon
the body, and, as said, the former he held to be
of the soul.
From the time of Descartes on, we might boldly
assert, the psychological functions of man were
separated from what we now generally define as
his spiritual qualities. The soul became a force
which conveys the attributes which cause man to
develop his moral code, and conscience, also an
attribute, by which he is able to perceive or know
the existence of a supreme and directing being,
or God. The soul is identified either as an exten
sion of the consciousness of God in man, or a
spiritual property, or body deposited within the
physical. Even the word psychical has taken on
a dual meaning. To the religionist and mystic,
psychical still refers to the soul or divine qualities
within man. To the scientist, however, it has
become associated with the new definition of psy
chology, namely, that which is concerned with the
inner perceptions, sensations, and functions of
mans physical being. To the present-day psy
chologist, the psychical is a non-physical, but
nevertheless resultant effect of organic causes.
Conscience, morals, precepts, personality, intui
tion, all so-called subjective phenomena, projec
tion, revelation, vision, the ecstatic state, or Cos
mic Consciousnessall of these are reduced to
the category of psychological phenomena. Such
phenomena, furthermore, are said by the modern
psychologist to have their source in the integration
of mans spinal nervous system, brain, sense or
gans, glands, and bodily functions. Soul, to the
modern psychologist, is a term given by the lay
man, or by the devout, but uninformed, re
ligionist or mystic to those expressions of self for
which he is unable to see or understand the or
ganic cause.
The average psychologist is quite ignorant him
self of what the mystic believes and knows, for
no real student of mysticism today attributes
memory, habit, imagination, aspiration, character,
fear, and the emotions generally to the functions
of the soul, nor does he believe that reason or will
are attributes of it. The modern mystic quite
understands that brain surgery can alter responsivity to fear and that operations on the cortex
can change coordination of sense impressions, and
that they can cause a lack of apperception and
of comprehension of such values as time, space,
and color. They also understand that such sur

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gery can prevent orientation, so that the indi

vidual can no longer separate his personality from
the present and conceive a future. However, the
mystic holds that all of this has not altered the
soul qualities. You may, the mystic says, so alter
the subjective areas of the brain that a man may
become in his manner, and his conduct as a beast,
and yet the soul remains intact and in no way
corrupt. All such surgery would have done was
to make a change in the brains reception of the
souls finer impulses. For analogy, a beautiful
musical composition on a record constitutes the
soul of a phonograph. If we throw out of ad
justment the tone arm of the phonograph, or
change the proportions of its sound box or baffle
board, we distort or alter the quality of the musi
cal composition, its expression, in other words,
but most certainly not its intrinsic substance, for
the record has been undisturbed.
It is, after all, the intelligence of the soul itself
in man, which directs the order of the life force
which gives him existence. Any serious attempt
at altering merely releases the soul and causes
the end of life. The soul is then liberated from
the control or influence of man. No science has
been able to do away with completely, or substi
tute that which makes for the very nature of
man, and still retain that which is recognisable
as man. Whenever that is done, then it would
be time for science to declare that it has perfected
a soul surgery and not before. Man, for analogy,
can finish the wood of trees into a multitude of
forms and styles, but he has not yet been able
to make a tree without nature.X.

Frustrated Desires
A Soror asks the question, A re frustrated de
sires carried over into another incarnation as a
part of our soul consciousness? It might be well,
in answering this question, to define exactly what
we are attempting to analyse. In the first place,
a desire must be distinguished from a whim or
fancy. Throughout our lives we have interests
of the moment which may constitute desires in
sofar as our thinking is influenced at that time.
However, as we look back later we find that
many of the desires which dominated our think
ing at a certain time, in terms of our whole life
have turned out to be no more than passing
fancies of the moment connected with a partic
ular series of events or activities. For a desire to
be frustrated or incomplete it first must be some
thing that is a part of our being, that is so im
portant it dominates our entire life as a thought
in the back of our minds constantly coming for
ward again and again.
A n individual may think that the acquisition of
certain things is the most important desire he has,
but failure to obtain such material things may

Page 27

prove them not to have been as important as he

first thought, and therefore the desire proves to
be only a reaction to the particular thoughts and
environment of a limited period. On the other
hand, there are in the mind of practically all of
us definite desires to do or accomplish a certain
purpose. Many persons have wished all through
life that they might have had the opportunity or
training for a certain profession or occupation, or
they may have had a desire to travel, or carry on
some other activity which would be their main
purpose in life, but because of circumstances it
was never possible to do these things. If such a
desire continues through life and is actually
frustrated by the individuals inability to meet
the demands of his own environment, but as long
as he lives is a part of his thinking and desire for
accomplishment, it truly becomes a part of his
personality that is, such a dominating desire
continuing through life is as much a part of per
sonality as are the actual experiences which have
contributed to the sum total of his personality.
Therefore, as the soul carries over those per
sonality traits which become an integral part of
its existence, it is only logical that whether or not
the desire materialised it has become a dominant
part of the individuals thinking and will influ
ence the personality adjustment in another in
carnation. For example, if it were a persons de
sire to become a doctor, and that desire continued
through life and was never completely abandoned
although it did not materialise, it is certain that
the personality in the next incarnation will carry
on that same desire, and probably with a greater
opportunity for accomplishment. W e may even
go so far as to supposeand this, of course, could
only be speculationthat every accomplishment
in a single lifetime is based upon a frustrated de
sire in a previous life. In other words, for some
thing worthwhile to be accomplished, for us to
obtain a position in life where we are carrying on
an activity that is beneficial and worthwhile, and
furthermore satisfactory to us, is evidence of the
existence of a frustrated desire in a previous life
which entered into our personality as the founda
tion for such an activity. Therefore, it is quite
logical for us to believe that our frustrated desires
in one life may be the foundation for accomplish
ment in another.A

Visualization Again
Due to the fact that visualisation is one of the
most important steps in the successful accomplish
ment of many experiments, questions concerning
it arise continually in correspondence. Recently
there was brought to my attention a question on
visualisation which was somewhat different from
the questions asked by most members who first
approach this subject. The ability to visualise

Page 28

comes with practice, but just as no two individuals

see exactly the same, so no two individuals can
be made to visualise exactly the same. The ques
tion in connection with this thought was, Is it
possible for a person to analyse a situation in his
mind until it becomes an actual existing thing,
insofar as his conception of it is concerned, rather
than merely to shut his eyes and see a mental
picture? Now, all terminology is relative; there
fore, when we refer to visualisation as a process
we refer to it merely as a step toward the ac
complishment of a purpose. In other words, we
mean by visualisation the broadest interpretation
that can possibly be placed on the wordthat is,
the ability of an individual to comprehend a situa
tion which is not being immediately perceived by
the physical senses.
Most of us understand visualisation best by
simply closing our eyes and actually seeing, inso
far as our perception is concerned, a situation
which does not exist before us at that moment.
For example, while I am dictating this article, if
I shut my eyes and visualise a room in my home
some distance away, I see the room in my minds
eye, as we usually term it, as clearly as if I were
sitting in that room. My ability to perceive that
room as clearly as if I were physically present in
it is due to a number of factors. It is due to my
familiarity with that physical situation, but that
alone is not enough, because many people who are
familiar with a room cannot visualise it because
they have not practiced. Consequently, my ability
to visualise it clearly and completely is due to
years of practice.
W hen I say I see or visualise that room, which
is some distance away, I am merely attempting to
convey the fact that my consciousness is aware
of that particular physical arrangement. If it
were possible for someone else to see with his own
eyes what I state I see in my minds eye, he
would probably have no comprehension of what
I was visualising. In other words, if a photo
graphic print could be made of what I was visual
ising, it would probably not carry the same con
ception to the individual who viewed it as the
process would to me. Therefore, whether you can
visualise from the standpoint of actually repro
ducing a perfect picture or not is not as important
as whether you can become completely aware of
a situation in which you are not physically
present.
The practice of visualisation will lead you to
the ability to comprehend with complete aware
ness a situation in which you are not physically
present. This is the broadest and truest meaning
of visualisation. How you arrive at that ability
depends a great deal upon your individual way
of perceiving things. Once we have a complete
comprehension in our own minds of what we
wish to focus our consciousness upon at the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

moment, we are literally visualising, because wc

are bringing our consciousness into a state of
awareness of the situation which we wish to
enter. This takes practice, and it is a necessary
accomplishment for many of the advanced exer
cises having to do with perceiving through our
subjective faculties.A

Projection and Time

A Soror asks the question, Is it possible to
project into the past as well as into the present?
The answer to this question is very simpleit is,
No, it is not possible to project into the past.
To understand why it is not, it is necessary to
bear in mind that projection is an existing condi
tion, that it is something that happens at the
moment. Furthermore, man has only one connec
tion with the past, and that is by retention in his
mind of experiences and sensations which he can
recall, usually referred to as memory. The true
storehouse of memory in the subjective mind re
tains and holds all experiences of our lives. There
fore, what might seem like a projection into the
past is very likely nothing more nor less than a
vivid memory, so vivid, in fact, one almost relives
the condition. It is possible to dream of true past
experience, because dreaming is the releasing into
consciousness of something within the subjective
mind that is not necessarily always present in our
objective thinking. Therefore, when we dream an
exact or similar past experience which has actually
occurred to us, we are not projecting ourselves
into that experience, but rather we are simply de
voting our consciousness of the moment to the
experience, and if this is so vivid, it seems like
an actual reliving of the experience itself.
W e must understand that projection is a con
dition which exists as the result of realisation
through the faculties to which we have access.
Unfortunately, there are those who have gained
the erroneous impression that projection is a
supernatural or abnormal process. This leads to
difficulty, because such an individual refuses to
acknowledge that any attribute of the body or
soul which is God-given is made to be used con
structively, and is not given merely to lie dormant.
Therefore, the ability to project is an ability
which each of us has, but, just as we do not all
master every potential ability, so it is that com
paratively few human beings master the ability to
project.
This is not the time nor the place to discuss the
method, purposes or reasons for projection, but
it is well to point out that it is a faculty which
everyone can develop, and when developed places
upon the individual an obligation, just as does the
development of any other faculty. This obliga
tion is to use the faculty constructively and for
the assistance of others. Everything which man

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

possesses, whether it be physical possessions or

the acquisition of abilities, obligates man to make
his abilities useful, and projection is no exception.
A

Foreseeing the Future

In the pages of this Forum it has been men
tioned before that under conditions existing in the
world today there is a deluge of prophecies liter
ally flooding the country and the world. It is
certainly interesting to look back over some of
these prophecies in the light of actual events. I
had fall into my hands a prophecy of the course
of the war which was made during the first month
of the war, and to read it now is extremely amus
ing. That is, it would be amusing if it were not
so tragic in the light of actual events. W hy any
one would have ventured to make such a proph
ecy in good faith is more than I can conceive. If
it was done in good faith the individual should
have kept it to himself, because as it has turned
out the prophecy was almost the exact opposite
of what has actually occurred.
To confine ourselves to the question of whether
it is possible for individuals to foresee the future
in its entirety, we should work upon the premise
that if it is possible to foresee the future then the
ability to do so is an attribute of the soul, because
we know that the physical body cannot reach out
beyond its actual existing condition at the mo
ment. Therefore, if the mind, or soul, or inner
man, whichever you wish to call it, can see the
future, that particular attribute is a faculty com
mon to every individual because we are all living
souls. W e would have to conclude from this that
the ability to foresee the future would be an at
tribute which only needed cultivating in order to
bring it to a point of perfection in every human
being. Should this be possible, if we would accept
as an axiom that all men have the ability to fore
see the future, we could conceive of a time when
all men had developed that ability to perfection,
when each and every individual could foresee the
future. W hat would be the result? The future
would not be what they foresaw, so again they
would not be seeing the future. If everyone knew
what was going to happen tomorrow, it would
not happen; so the future would not have been
seen.
There is no doubt but that there lies within the
ability of the Supreme Intelligence a conception
of all thingsthat is, in the mind of the Supreme
Being there is no time, and from that standpoint
the future may be conceivable in this Universal
Mind. But no man can see the future in its en
tirety as long as he acknowledges the existence of
time. Because so far as the whole is concerned
there in no time; therefore, there is no past, pres
ent or future.

Page 29

It is possible for those who have access to the

proper information, as did the late Imperator of
the organisation previous to the present war, and
who furthermore have the ability to interpret that
information, to pick out trends, and on the basis
of those trendswhich are causesshow certain
conditions which are going to take place. In the
past few years it has been impossible for us to get
to the source of the records held by various of
ficers of this organisation in Europe, but before
that, when the late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, examined certain charts and documents
which showed certain tendencies in world affairs,
and then analysed those on the basis of present
and past occurrences, he prepared a little booklet
which showed certain trends. It is interesting to
note that never did he claim these to be purely
his own interpretation, nor did he claim them to
be infallible. He would state they would be ap
proximate, and if they ran seventy-five to eighty
per cent accurate would be an indication of the
proof that tendencies directed certain activities in
certain ways.
In conclusion we should say that no man can
see the exact future because that would be seeing
something that does not exist. There is no time
the only thing which we know is that which is
now, and anyone who offers a prediction which is
claimed to be absolute fact regarding what is go
ing to happen, regardless of what foundation his
prediction is based upon, is giving sufficient evi
dence then and there that it is false.A

Do W e Become Members by Chance?

An interesting thought for our consideration
this morning is that of the origin of membership
in the Order. This matter has been discussed here
in our Forum before, but it would seem that the
question brought to our attention this time is
somewhat different in scope. One of our readers
has asked for some assurance that contact with
the Rosicrucian Order will be made during his
next incarnation. He feels that his present con
tact with and membership in the Order is by pure
chance.
Now, in our comments today, we naturally can
not assure this frater that he will be a member of
the Order in his next incarnation. In the first
place, we cannot be sure that his rebirth will occur
in a location or nation of people who are at the
time enjoying an active cycle of Rosicrucianism.
Suppose, for instance, he returned in his next
earthly existence to the United States of America
at a time when the Order in America was in its
passive or inactive cycle. Now, unless he hap
pened, for reasons that mere man cannot know,
to be born the son or daughter of Rosicrucian
parents, pledged to carry on the teachings and
traditions of the Order only in their immediate

Page 30

family, in all probability he would not enjoy the

benefit of actual membership in the Order or have
the opportunity of studying the Rosicrucian
teachings. However, his present interest in the
Rosicrucian Order and his desire for mystical
growth and development will have a definite bear
ing upon his future interests. Therefore, he will
very likely lean toward higher learning, the arts,
sciences, and philosophy, whether or not he is
fortunate enough to establish actual contact dur
ing his next earthly sojourn.
W e must realize that this is a highly speculative
question and depends greatly upon the progress
and development that our frater makes during his
present life on earth. Then too, what of the Kar
mic side of this question? Remember that our
earthly experiences and interests, though definite
ly of our own choice, have but one purpose, and
that is to lead us on to perfection and the develop
ment of our personality. Suppose, for instance, it
became necessary for one to have experiences that
could only be learned by one living in a wild, re
mote part of the world, a portion virtually un
civilised or at least in a primitive state of civilisa
tion. Under such circumstances, it is highly im
probable that contact with the Rosicrucian Order
would be established. Such a rebirth need not
necessarily constitute retrogression; in fact, it
would not be such, for every experience leads us
one more step upward in our climb toward mas
tership. Furthermore, our presence on the earth
plane under these seeming adversities of life among
primitive people might easily be in the form of a
leader and educator, a great one among those of
lesser understanding. In other words, we may be
carrying on the work of the Masters in accord
ance with the Cosmic scheme of things, helping to
lift our fellow members of society, as primitive as
they may be, upward and onward in their own
search for knowledge of God and natures laws.
W e should, therefore, advise all of our fratres
and sorores who may bring this point to our at
tention in the future, to give their entire attention
to their development, their education, spiritual
and mundane, and climb as high as they possibly
can during their present earthly existence so that
they will be prepared to cope with the trials and
tribulations that they may face during their next
materialisation on the earth plane. The further
we advance today, the better prepared we will be
to carry out the duties of tomorrow.
There is another point to our fraters question
that I know you have been waiting for me to men
tion. It is his statement that his membership in
the Order now is by mere chance. O f course, it is
true that chance may be responsible for bringing
to his attention a leaflet, a piece of Rosicrucian
literature, or perhaps one of our advertisements.
But it was not mere chance that the frater re
sponded to the work and teachings that are ex^

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tended to our members. He was ready and anxious

for affiliation with the material organisation pre
pared to supply him with the knowledge of Cos
mic law that will lead him to an understanding of
himself and help him to find his place in the
scheme of life. W ere he not seeking and search
ing for such knowledge, all of the literature we
have to offer would not have struck that respon
sive chord, aroused that deep inner desire to ac
cept the invitation to unite as a member of this
ancient and august body of Rosicrucians known
throughout the world as A. M. O. R. C.

Modern Education A Failure?

A subject of great interest to practically all per
sons in the civilised world today, and especially to
the mothers and fathers of the younger generation
of the United States, is that of methods and sys
tems of education. The greatest controversy exists
between those of the school of conservatism and
those who hold to the more progressive theories.
It is interesting to note that although practical
tests and experiments have been conducted
throughout this country showing proof of the
advantages of progressive school systems, the con
tender for half-century-old methods holds fast to
his beliefs that modern school children are not
properly trained in the fundamentals of education.
He insists that public schools of the progressive
type fail to train the child to think and reason
He claims that the young men and women who
step out into the business world today are far
from being ready to fill any kind of a position
that requires knowledge of English, grammar,
common, simple arithmetic, letter composition, and
other subjects that constitute the fundamentals of
education. The conservative view condemns as
sugar-coated education project methods of
study. He feels that the modern school makes for
a lasy mind because the child learns too rapidly.
He states that entirely too much time is wasted in
having the child construct models for demonstrat
ing the subject matter contained in his school
books. The conservatist will not agree that a child
should have as broad a field as is possible, but
rather claims that he should be made to realise
early in life what he wants to do in the business
and professional world, and then to specialise in
those subjects that are required for fulfilling his
plans for the future. In this argument, naturally,
the conservatist is right, and everyone will agree
that a goal should be fixed and every effort be
made to attain that goal. The trouble is that all
too few of the thousands of young people in the
public schools today, even as those in the past,
know what they really want in life. How many
times has it occurred that a goal will be set by a
young high school student, only to have his career
interrupted in the middle of his college work by

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

unforeseen circumstances? It is a fact that lack

of funds to continue has discouraged many uni
versity students who would no doubt have be
come very good physicians or attorneys or scien
tists. In the meantime, they have spent their
entire time, effort, and money along one line of
endeavor; thus, they are unprepared to step out
into the world and fill a position in a banking
institution, in the literary field, or any one of
numerous lines of endeavor.
Then we have still another type to consider.
W hat of the chap who decides in high school that
he would like to be an engineer and build great
structures, perhaps because his father or uncle is
an engineer; and yet this young man does not
have the capacity to train himself for such great
work. Perhaps he will rock along year after year
with poor grades in his required curriculum, and
it will be obvious to his teachers that he will never
make the grade, and even if he does eventually
pass the requirements, will not be outstanding in
his chosen field. The old systems of education
would permit this student to go right ahead and
spend his time, his money, and his effort to be
come eventually an engineer, good, bad, or in
different. The progressive system is designed to
help this type realise early in life what he is best
fitted for, not just what he thin\s he would li\e
to do. This, then, gives the student an oppor
tunity to make a second, third, or even a fourth
selection without seriously hampering him or
wasting his time.
Ten, fifteen, and twenty years ago a very small
percentage of our high school students went on to
college and university. There were several reasons
for this. Outstanding among these reasons was
lack of finances. A t one time it was very costly
to go to any college, even a state normal school.
Today this obstacle has practically been elimi
nated, except in certain types of universities such
as Columbia in New York City, Stanford in Palo
Alto, California, and schools of a similar type.
Today a student can go to college, if he so desires,
without much difficulty. The result is that the
majority of our students graduating from high
school plan a college education. O f course, there
will always be those who go to business school
instead, or who work in their fathers stores. For
these thousands upon thousands of high school
graduates, the progressive system of education
offers a wide field to choose from. They have the
fundamentals necessary to change their courses
after a year or two if their interests should
change. W hen they enter college they are broader
in their general knowledge. Their project work,
if not carried to extremes, has taught them to
think, reason, and use their minds, not just to
repeat parrot fashion what is in the textbooks.
It is admitted that early experiments in progres
sive education were radical, extreme, and in many

Page 31

cases even ridiculous. There are still in operation

some few of these experimental schools. However,
those that have taken the middle path and are
using rational, intelligent methods of presentation
are beyond doubt obtaining wonderful results in
raising the educational standards of the future
citisens of the world. The progressive contenders
hold that it is better to have a large majority of
generally well-educated people than a compara
tively few highly educated and specialised indi
viduals. Just as we will always have some in the
lower educational brackets, so, too, will there be
those who specialise. Under the new system, there
will probably be more in this latter classification
than ever before.

Inferiority Complex
Literally reams have been written by the mod
ern psychologist to help those who are hampered
by fear, nervousness, and that inner emotion
called an inferiority complex. This subject has
been discussed here in the pages of The Rosicru
cian Forum on various occasions for the past ten
years. There are, however, many who still write
to us for suggestions as to how to overcome this
handicap. It is not our purpose here to go deeply
into this subject, but rather to repeat a few practi
cal applications suggested to one of our members
by our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis:
A feeling of inferiority can be analysed and
be directly traceable to a feeling of fear. It may
be a feeling that was instilled in recent years or
in very early childhood. A good way to overcome
it is to discover what the cause is, and once you
see it, you will find that it no longer bothers you.
See if you can uncover some instance where you
were impressed with a feeling of fear of what
others would say or what your parents might
think, or a feeling of extreme embarrassment that
might have been brought about by a ridiculous
situation of some kind. Psychoanalysts have un
covered some trivial things like this and found
that they were so instilled in the minds of men
thirty, forty, and fifty years of age that they were
serious stumbling-blocks to their progress.
Another thing: Begin to assert your will
power in little things. For instance, if you have
a habit in the morning when the alarm clock
rings of shutting it off and going back to sleep,
although you had said to yourself the night before
that you were going to get up when the alarm
went off, begin now to do exactly what you had
made up your mind to do. That is, when the
alarm rings, shut it off and get up. W hen you have
any disagreeable job to do, like cleaning out the
furnace, chopping wood, etc.,do not keep putting
it off, but simply make up your mind to it first
and foremost and get it done. Such things as this
will help train your will power and will aid in
overcoming that feeling of inferiority. It is a
battle that you, yourself must work out.

i H E H U M A N BODY, though composed of the elements of the earth, is

infused with an ethereal force. The mass of m atter which man is, when
so infused, becomes a vibrant, self conscious being. Through environment,
wrong thinking and abuse of natural laws, discordance may arise in the
body of man. These disorders disturb the material, chemical nature in man, produc
ing DISEASE and ILL H EA LTH . BEYOND M A TTER , in man, is this life force
perfect in nature, undisturbed by physical abuse. This Cosmic power, when properly
directed HEALS and repairs the body in which it resides. I t is this PO W ER that
man M U ST D EPEND U PO N for recovery of health.

THE ART OF ABSENT HEALING

Physicians of every school of therapeutics are especially trained to aid in the
prevention of abuse to the body of man. They are also proficient in preparing the
body for its return to healthy normalcy. T he actual curative element, however, is
the Cosmic force that flows through the body. T he direction of this force in an
intelligent way is completely outlined in the SIX T H DEGREE of the Rosicrucian
studies. For the benefit of the many Rosicrucian students who have not as yet at
tained this degree and who are especially interested in the Rosicrucian system of
ABSENT H EALIN G, we offer the brochure, The A rt of Absent Healing. This
permits the early degree student to have a working knowledge of this subject until
he receives the complete studies pertaining to healing. Even the student beyond the
S IX T H DEGREE will find this simplified brochure of G REA T HELP. It is clearly
written and easily understood.

For Rosicrudans Only

T he brochure, The A rt of Absent Healing, will not be sold to anyone other
than a Rosicrucian, AM ORC, student. A careful check of all orders received will
be made. T he brochure is well printed and nominally priced to cover printing,
postage and clerical expenses only. It is a helpful guide to every student of healing
so do not fail to procure a copy. It is priced within the reach of every Rosicrucian, at:
Members not in the U . S. A . must include difference in exchange
with remittance. Do not send postage stamps.....................................

Only 20*

RO SICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

Rosicrucian Park
P R IN T E D

IN U . S . A .

San Jose , California, U.S.A.

THE ROSICR UCIAN PRESS, L T D .

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A .
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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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

Vol. XII

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OCTOBER, 1941

No. 2

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SECRET THOUGHTS

'I

1 hold it true th a t thoughts are things

Endowed w ith bodies, breath, and wings,
A n d th a t we send them fo rth to fill
The w orld w ith g o o d results or ill.

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It is G o d 's law. Remember it

In yo u r cham ber as you sit
W ith th o ug h ts you w ould not dare have known,
A n d y e t make com rades when alone.

>
>

These tho ug h ts have life ; and th e y will fly

A n d leave th e ir impress by and by
Like some marsh breeze, whose poisoned b reath
Breathes in to homes its feve re d de a th .

>

>
>

A n d a fte r you have q u ite fo rg o t

O r all o u tgro w n some vanished tho ug h t,
Back to your m ind to make its home,
A dove or raven, it will come.

>
>

Ella W h e e le r W ilco x.

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

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Page 34

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

The need for peace is apparent to almost every

one. To millions of humans in Europe it would
mean the cessation of the frightful destruction of
life on the block of war. Even to those not
touched by blood, disease, and pain, and who
live remote from the holocaust, it would be a
relief from economic and industrial extravagance.
W hen peace comes, however, it will in all proba
bility be the result of the exhaustion of men and
materials, rather than because of a sudden transi
tion of ideals and motives. If the peace is to be
more than a truce, then a campaign of reason
and re-education must immediately get under
way and be extensively expounded, so that when
the combatants are strong again, war will appear
less attractive as a solution to any existing prob
lems. W e all know that where passion is extant,
reason is absent. Two men on the verge of blows
can only, with difficulty, be exhorted to resort to
other measures.
Though lengthy essays have been prepared con
cerning the need for economic adjustment, if the
world is again to experience harmony there are
simple things which can contribute greatly to
establishing a permanent peace. Since the time of
the illustrious Socrates, the phrase know thy
self has often been recited; in fact, in so many
ways that it has even become trite. I would sub
stitute, as a more timely and appropriate aphorism
today, \now thy neighbor. W hat the world needs
most is world understanding, a tolerance of the
peoples for each other, born out of a familiarity
with their mutual customs and traditions. There
is nothing that breeds disrespect, contempt, and
ridicule like ignorance. It is amazing how many
influential persons, those prominent in business,
professional, and, most unfortunately, in political
walks of life, are ignorant of the basic causes of
the conduct of peoples on the opposite side of the
world from themselves. W e are each possessed
of enough false pride to presume that that which
we do or like, or have been accustomed to doing,
is therefore superior to that which others do
and especially if we see many about us doing the
same. The road to the north is not necessarily
inferior or superior to the one to the south, merely
because it is in an opposite direction. It is this
artificially inculcated superiority about the things
we do or believe, which many of us have, which
causes a breach of understanding between peoples
of our constantly growing smaller world.
There are many homely illustrations of this
principle. Most of us have had the experience of

V
viewing a news reel motion picture in a theatre,
of perhaps an Oriental religious processional in
China, India, or Asia Minor, for example. The
figures are in robes unfamiliar to the audience;
they chant in a weird manner and play fantastic
looking instruments. They likewise carry appur
tenances which, to the audience, also appear
ludicrous. Almost immediately the spectators
burst out in raucous laughter, in which it is very
easy to detect scorn. On such occasions, I have
been compelled to look about me at those who
were laughing the loudest, and I felt certain that
some of them were also members of religious sects
here in America and extant elsewhere. During
religious processionals, when their own pontiffs,
dignitaries, clergy, or priests are in ritualistic
regalia, carrying the implements of their office,
though different in nature than what was appear
ing on the screen, they are as meaningless and as
amusing to others who know nothing of their
nature, and yet these people were not conscious
of this fact when they laughed. W hen one
laughs at the movements, costumes, and rites of
the Confucian priests in high regalia, after he
has also seen the pontiff of the Roman Church
in the processional of a Eucharistic Congress, or
other dignitaries in Christian or Judaic pompous
ceremonies, it is an indication that his vision is
clouded with ignorance. If he would put aside
his familiarity with the religious rites and cere
monies of his own land and would analyse them,
for the lavishness of their paraphernalia and for
their archaicism, he would find the function of
the foreign religious sect appearing on the screen
only different than his own, not something which
was cause for hilarity. If there is a solemn reason
why Christian clergy carry a censer and swing it
from side to side in certain ceremonies, or wear
a stole or voluminous robes, trimmed with decora
tive lace and gothic pointed helmets or headgear,
or if there is a dignified significance for sprinkling
drops of water to the right and left upon the
heads of persons of the watchful multitude, as
they perambulate, then the feathered wooden
heads of reptiles carried on staffs, and the brass
rattles jangled by robed shamans in Afghanistan,
for example, must also have attributed to them
some sacred and comparable purpose.
To the average man and woman, many foreign
cities and countries are just names, many of
which they cannot even pronounce, often not
heard by them until mispronounced by a radio
announcer. They are not quite sure whether the
place is East, W est, North, or South; whether

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it is tropical, frigid, or temperate in climate. They

do not know how the people live and what their
origin is or may be. They do not know what arts
or crafts the people are noted for. Moreover, they
are not concerned. Their attitude is one of indif
ference. Perhaps it should be expressed as W hy
shall I trouble myself about them and their affairs,
I have my own problems/' If, however, these
people about whom they are not concerned be
come aggressive, launching a war which involves
them, then they are forced to make far greater
sacrifices than a study about them. I do not mean
to imply that knowing the climate, topography,
products, and customs of a nation is going to pre
vent it or its people from precipitating war, but
I do say that knowing them and their problems
and needs may make it possible to remove the
causes of a war. There is much our respective
governments could do in peace times to bring
about adjustments of international situations, and
prevent war, if pressure were brought upon them
to do so by a \now ing citizenry. Knowing so
little of our neighbors, we never exert such
pressure.
Travel, if one is observant and if it is not
indulged as just another luxury, is of course the
best way to become acquainted with your world
neighbors. However, your armchair can take you
about the world if you are a little conscientious.
Comfortably seated in your home, a study of
interesting histories of the nations and peoples
of the world, in conjunction with the use of a
good Atlas and geography will be amazingly en
lightening. You may not have been interested
in history in school. You perhaps recollect it as
being something dry and consisting of a mase of
dates which had to be repeated parrotlike, but
modern history textbooks are much improved and
are written in a far more interesting and enter
taining style. The presentation is more dramatic
and enthralling, more of a narrative. If you enjoy
fiction, the drama, tragedy, and the comedy of
human life, you will equally as well be entertained
by the histories of the world as published today.
Remember history concerns human beings and
their problems, and truth is still stranger than
fiction.
I recommend, for example, that you read such
works as The Conquest of Civilisation, by
James Henry Breasted; and The Ordeal of Civili
sation,' by James Harvey Robinson. Perhaps
your Public Library already has them, or will
gladly acquire them for you; also the Cambridge
Shorter History of India, by J. Allan, Sir T.
Wolsely Haig, and H. H. Dodwell. Purchase an
economic copy of Rand-McNally's W orld A t
las ; discover for yourself where the great deserts
and mountains of the world are located. Find
out the origin of the great rivers, and what water
ways they become for some of the nations, what

Page 35

boundaries touch upon them. Find out how the

peoples within those regions live. Also secure,
for a small sum, a Rand-McNally Geography, and
find out something about the climate and soil of
these different sections of the world, and what
your world neighbors can raise, what they have
to export, what perhaps you use in your daily
life and on the sale of which they depend. Learn
whether they are fisher people, agrarians, crafts
men, or simple seafaring folk. W hy do they dress
as they do? W hat is the value of their money,
compared to our own?
I also suggest that you read a copy of Robert
Ernest Humes W orlds Living Religions. As
you will read it, you will note each religion, with
its various dogmas, no matter how strange it
appears to you in practice or rites, is fundamental
ly not unlike your own religion in many particu
lars. Next time that you personally view a news
reel, in which there is presented what appears
as a weird religious processional or custom, you
will then recollect that those oddly dressed and
acting people also have a doctrine of immortality, and that they, too, believe in a Divine
Being and hope and pray for an infinite eventual
justice. Therefore, as we all come to know our
world neighbors, we will become more tolerant,
and tolerance always makes for peace.
Fraternally,
R alph M. L ew is ,

Imperator.

Sharing O ur M aterial Goods

A Soror in Transvaal, South Africa, asks a
number of questions concerning the extent to
which we should assist others from our own ma
terial possessions. By way of illustration, this
Soror points out that for a number of years she
has frequently helped many persons to go from
one place to another by providing her automobile,
if they would pay for the gasoline and oil, or at
least a reasonable amount. She now states that
she does not feel inclined to continue this type
of help, since the wear and tear on the car has by
far exceeded the consideration those she has
helped have given her. She has had expenses on
her car, as any automobile owner can appreciate,
far in excess of the amount she would have in
curred in using it only for her own business and
pleasure.
This Soror raises the question presented in the
monographs concerning possessionsthat is, that
we should share what we possess and not use our
possessions selfishly. Unless we can share what
we have to the benefit of others, it may be taken
from us or we may be deprived of its maximum
benefit. Therefore, this Soror is uncertain as to

Page 36

whether she should discontinue the practice of the

past, or continue to provide transportation for
anyone who may ask it, even though much of the
expense must fall upon her shoulders. Like many
other things which must be decided by us from
day to day, there are two points of view illus
trated in this example. W hile I do not know the
facts, I believe the Soror has been too generous.
I believe she has allowed others to take advantage
of her desire not to be selfish. She even refers to
the fact that some of her friends have sold their
own cars, since they found it was so convenient
and economical to allow her to serve their trans
portation needs, by meeting a small part of the
expense. Such persons have clearly taken advan
tage of the situation, although undoubtedly many
others have been helped who would otherwise
have been placed under a distinct hardship if she
or someone else had not been able to help them in
their time of need.
Every one of us is faced with some decision of
this kind. W hat is the usual reaction to the in
dividual on the street who asks for money to get
food? W e have contributed to so many agencies,
such as the Community Chest and allied organisa
tions, and realise that even a part of our taxes is
being used for relief purposes, that every seriousminded person stops to consider the advisability
of giving assistance to everyone who asks it. Yet
the sincere individual, particularly the Rosicru
cian, realises his obligation to others and recog
nises that it is not within the scope of any in
dividuals ability to completely judge the needs
of another.
The fundamental doctrine of possession, as re
ferred to by this Sororthat is, that in reality
nothing is completely possessed or dominated by
any human being, but is only placed at his dis
posal by the goodness of God and nature and by
the individuals ability to use and appreciate it
properlymust be considered in relationship to
all our possessions. He who realises that physical
things are only used by us, not possessed, and
who does not build his philosophy about posses
sions to the extent of denying the use of some
thing to someone else, or adopt a philosophy of
greed merely for the sake of accumulation, is go
ing to have a different point of view in meeting
the situation of dividing or sharing material
wealth. A great deal depends upon attitude
that is, the individual who is desirous of serving
others will seek out opportunities to do so, and
will unhesitatingly give assistance to anyone who
needs it and whom he is in a position to assist.
Surely no Rosicrucian would permit someone
actually to die of starvation if he had any ma
terial goods whatsoever and knew of the case.
On the other hand, a Rosicrucian or anyone else
is within his rights in denying the sharing of what

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

he has with someone else who is trying to avoid

assuming the obligation of obtaining the help,
food, assistance, transportation, etc. he needs
through proper channels.
This Soror is discouraged because she has in
many cases deprived herself in order to help others
who possibly were in a better position to help
themselves than she was to help them. However,
this should not cause her, and I am sure it will
not, to refrain from ever giving assistance to those
who need it. But when we find that an individual
who asks for part of what we consider to be in
our trust is doing so because he does not have the
energy or desire to go out and gain something for
himself, we are within our rights, from any stand
point whatsoever, in denying his request. The
best help anyone can give another is that which
is conducive to bringing about a better adjust
ment of the individual who needs the help. The
man who is hungry is better helped by having
food than by receiving money, because if he feels
that the money was too easy in coming he may
develop the attitude that it will always come, and
that whenever hunger approaches someone else
will be ready to supply him with funds. But true
help in his case is that which will satisfy his im
mediate needs and then direct him in helping
himself to satisfy future needs. The business man
who gives a hungry man a meal and a job, re
gardless of how menial the job may be, is doing
far more than the individual who might be af
fected by the needs of the moment would do in
giving him a five dollar bill.
W e are all proud of our self-respect until it is
lost. Therefore, all help that is given should be
directed toward the purpose of maintaining the
recipients self-respect. Independence and selfrespect are closely related to the creative powers
of the individual. A person who has lost his in -,
dependence and self-respect is no longer inclined
to direct his thoughts and energies along lines of
action which are creative and beneficial to other
people. Therefore, while it may at the moment
seem in accord with our usual aims and ideas to
give money to one who may need it, we must also
consider that we are not trying to deny the in
dividual but trying to help him maintain his in
dependence. The mere giving or sharing of ma
terial things is only a part of this problem, but a
part which seems to over-shadow all the rest.
Therefore, let those who assist another begin to
judge this assistance in terms of more than the
money given. By this I mean consider the in
dividuals life as a whole. W ill monetary help at
this time hinder or advance his progress, even
though it may care for his immediate needs? W ill
it help reestablish his self-assurance or tear it
down even further and cause him eventually to
become a burden to society? W hat we give we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

must give in terms of building the individual,

morally, physically and psychically, psychically
being used here to refer to all of the mental traits
of the individual which will go to make him a
useful, constructive citizen.A

O ur Chapters
I have before me a letter from a Soror in a
large city of this country who is a member of the
AM O RC Chapter in that city. A t the present
time, with the cooperation of the officers of the
Order, the Chapter in that city is planning a
special day of activity to take place in the near
future. This member states that she was not in
favor of this particular activity, but after she had
expressed her opinion to that effect and found
that the majority of the members were opposed
to her views, she offered her services to do every
thing she could to contribute to the success of the
plan. As I happen to know, she is now working
as hard as anyone sponsoring the activity to insure its success, and considers that it will have a
good effect, although she is still not in favor of
certain aspects. She believes the good effects will
more than outnumber the drawbacks which are
in her mind.
This illustrates the true Rosicrucian attitude
toward a Chapter. Any organisation represents
more than one individual, and when a number of
individuals become involved in any activity the
whole unit or group takes on certain characteristics which are not entirely unlike an individual.
By that I mean, those who are affiliated with a
group, if they are sincerely desirous of seeing that
groups purposes, ideals and activities carried out
successfully, will sometimes have to subordinate
their personal feelings to the will of the whole.
The fundamental principles of a republican form
of government are seen here, and that is the type
of government which we all prefer, a type to
which we lend our support, and under which we
as individuals may state our opinions and con
victions, and, as far as they do not interfere with
the rights of others, put them into practice.
W hether we are in the minority or in the ma
jority in regard to an issue, everything that is
worthy should have our support. In the last
presidential election in this country bitter things
were said on each side, and yet, while there is still
opposition to the present administration of the
government, millions who voted for the other side
are today cooperating with the administration.
W hether we agree with it completely or not, that
is the proper attitude to take, for when we deny
someone who disagrees with us the right to ex
press that disagreement, we are only asking for
limitations to be put upon our own actions. Re
member that if someone you disagree with is not

Page 37

permitted to have the same right of expression

you enjoy, you will find that the means of binding
his expression will someday bind yours.
In all of our Chapters and Lodges members
work together for a common purpose. This pur
pose is embodied in the principles of Rosicrucian
ism, and is to gain a fuller and more complete
knowledge of the laws of God and nature of
which we are a part so that they can effectively
manifest themselves in our individual lives and en
able us to adapt ourselves better to the environ
ment in which we are placed. W orking alone with
the proper instruction we can accomplish this. W e
cannot say that working together in groups will
accomplish it more quicklyin fact, members of
Chapters and Lodges are not better developed, as
a general rule, than those who have never con
tacted the organisations subsidiary bodies. But
they have recognised the benefit, not particularly
to themselves but to others, that can come through
association.
Unfortunately, I have seen evidenced in some
correspondence the fact that members frequently
affiliate with a Chapter not for the good they can
do but for what they can obtain for themselves.
Only recently I received a letter from a member
who said he did not attend a Chapter in his city
because, to quote his words, W hat good would
I get out of it if I did? I told this member quite
frankly that he could probably get very little out
of it, with that attitude, but that if he would go
to the Chapter with the idea in mind of how he
could help the other members through attending,
he might gain a great deal of goodhe might
gain a satisfaction and knowledge beyond his
comprehension at that time because it was beyond
his experience. A great deal of satisfaction comes
through working with others when that work is
done unselfishly and for the benefit of all, rather
than for the benefit of self. There is only one
way to prove this, and that is to try it.
AM ORC Chapters are composed of members
who receive their other membership privileges,
benefits and instruction by being affiliated with
the Grand Lodge through its correspondence
division. The majority of our members are so
affiliated, with the exception of those who are
members of local Lodges. W e wish all members
could have the opportunity of sharing in a Chap
ter activity. However, we know, as does each
member, that it is not practical to organise a
Chapter unless there are sufficient members in a
locality to carry on the Chapter activities. A
definite number is hard to arrive at, in terms of
what the minimum should be, but there must be
in any group enough members to serve as officers
without the same individuals having to serve in
one capacity or another year after year. There
must be sufficient members so that a suitable

Page 38

meeting place can be provided without working a

hardship upon a few individuals. The Constitu
tion and Statutes of the Grand Lodge set the
minimum at forty, in order for a group to re
ceive a charter and function as a subordinate body
of the Grand Lodge. However, smaller groups
are allowed to operate under special dispensation,
and if they show a steady tendency toward
growth they are encouraged to work toward the
attainment of a charter.
Those Chapters which grow and succeed, and
whose members benefit by their affiliation, are
those that are composed of members who are de
sirous of seeing Rosicrucianism in practical opera
tion in their locality. In addition to wanting the
association, contact, and additional experience of
Chapter instructions, which come in rituals and
supplementary discourses, they are desirous of
helping those who may be in need of help, and,
since they are proud of their affiliation with the
Order, of having a local group that is truly rep
resentative of the Order.
But helping others does not mean one should
set himself up as a teacher or represent himself
as being more highly developed and advanced. It
means being ready to lend a hand when it is
needed, whether physically or otherwise. Certain
humanitarian ideals pervade Rosicrucianism. To
day there is a great demand upon humanitarian
organisations to assist in various fields of en
deavor. Rosicrucianism should take its place in
those fields. Chapters and Lodges of the organi
sation have, during the past months, made con
tributions to worthy enterprises in their localities.
Let us hope that this policy will be maintained.
These contributions need not be large amounts of
money, but may be contributions of clothing or
ncessary articles that are no longer needed by the
members, and which seem insignificant as each
individual piece is considered, but when taken to
gether will help more than seemed possible. Many
worthy agencies are collecting articles of this
kind. Therefore, if you are desirous of making
your life a little fuller, if you want to feel that
you are doing something else besides earning a liv
ing, and are making your life a definite influence
upon others, then support an AM ORC Chapter,
if there is one in your locality. If there is not,
make an effort to see that your work will bring
increasing membership to the Rosicrucian Order
in your vicinity with the idea in mind of eventu
ally establishing a truly representative group of
the Order there.A

O ur Members In the British Empire

As this jurisdiction of the Order is the largest
jurisdiction carrying on its work in the English
language and providing its monographs in Eng

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

lish, it can be readily appreciated that we would

have members throughout the English-speaking
countries of the world, particularly in Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and other
parts of the British Empire where no active juris
diction of the Order functions. Previous to the
present international crisis these members carried
on their affiliation in the same manner as anyone
living in the United States, with the possible ex
ception of a longer period between the mailing
and the receipt of monographs. However, once
the sequence of monographs was well established
they were received with a fair degree of regular
ity and very little inconvenience to the members.
Many things have happened to interfere with
this procedure. In the first place, transportation
facilities are uncertain, and these members can
not be sure they will receive their monographs.
In the second place, there are financial obstacles.
Members in certain of these countries are unable
to remit their dues to the United States, because
of governmental restrictions on the export of
money. W hat is the alternative for the organisa
tion here in such cases? Surely everyone ap
preciates the fact that the organisation is faced
with increasing, rather than decreasing, costs.
Everything which the organisation uses has in
creased in cost in the past months, particularly
paper, which is one of the most important items.
Nevertheless, every possible adjustment has been
made to assist members, wherever they may be,
in maintaining their affiliation. Additional time
for the payment of dues has been granted in
order to assist members in this respect. Every
possible means has been employed to help our
members remain active. This is made possible
through the kind support and contributions of
members who are in a position to render such
assistance.
Many members living in countries outside the
western hemisphere have written that they are in
a position to continue their membership, if only
permission would be granted to send remittances
to us. Insofar as the organisation could continue
to do so, membership privileges have been con
tinued in such cases. The contributions of others
have helped with thisin fact, without such con
tributions it would not have been possible. W hen
you receive your monograph and carry on your
study period in your sanctum, do not forget the
needs of Fratres and Sorores who are closer to
world problems than you may be. The reality of
war is brought very close to us here when word
is received that Fratres and Sorores with whom
the officers have had contacts have passed through
transition as the direct result of the bombardment
of cities or actual participation in the war itself.
Remember, then, these Fratres and Sorores who
are faced with danger at all times. Send them

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

your thoughts of good will, health and peace.

And if you are in a position to help, you may be
sure any contributions sent to the organisation
for their assistance will be appreciated by them,
and that they in turn may be able to assist in the
future with a problem facing you. W e are called
upon to give our contributions and assistance to
many things in these troubled days, but it is well
that we keep in mind the needs of those who
have the same ideals, aspirations and hopes as
we have.A

T h e Law of Duality In M an
In our Forum discussions this morning it
will be to our advantage to spend a few minutes
reviewing one of the important laws of nature
vital to an understanding of life and the mani
festation of matter. It is the Law of Duality.
This law states that all matter, regardless of its
form of manifestation, has a dual quality. That
is to say, it has a positive and a negative potential. M atter is the result of these forces coming
together and uniting as one. W hen positively
charged electrons unite with negative electrons
the result is an atom of matter. Its nature is dependent upon the vibratory rates of the electrons
that have united to form the atom. In other
words, positive electrons of a certain vibratory
rate, when joined wi^h negative electrons of a
certain rate, will manifest as an atom of hydrogen. The hydrogen atom will be dual in that it
retains its positive and also its negative potential.
Man is, in every respect, a perfect expression
of the Law of Duality. First of all, there is the
physical body of man formed of the material
elements of the earth. Each individual part of
this physical body, each minute cell, is of a dual
nature, having both positive and negative energy.
This combination of positive and negative forces
constitutes the vitality of the physical body of
man. M ans body, even without Life Force, is
dual in nature; but let us look upon man as a
live, animate being infused with an essence-like
force that we call soul. This soul force may be
referred to as the spiritual body of man.
Thus we see man as a dual creature with two
bodies, the physical and the spiritual. Neither of
these two bodies in and by itself constitutes man
as a live, animate being. It requires the two bodies
joined as one to manifest as a conscious body.
The mind of man is also dual in nature. It
functions in duality. To facilitate our under
standing of the dual functions of mind we often
speak as though man has two separate minds:
one the objective or physical; the other, the sub
jective or divine. Actually, however, there is only
one mind, which is dual in nature and function.
W hen we speak of the objective mind we refer

Page 39

to the objective function or phase of the mind of

man. Likewise, when we refer to the subjective
mind we mean the divine or spiritual function of
mind. This subjective phase of the mind is that
which is most closely related to the soul and
psychic forces. The objective phase directs the
voluntary acts of the physical body and is the
intelligence of the brain.
Let us be reminded again that the mind of man
and not the brain is the thinking, knowing part
of mans consciousness. The brain is the seat of
sensations, the organ through which mind func
tions. This is illustrated by the uni-celled animal
which will react to physical changes, showing that
it has mind and intelligence, and yet it has no
seat of sensations such as the organ, brain.
And so, in our study of man as a dual crea
ture, we find that he virtually consists of two
bodies and two minds: the physical body contain
ing all of the vital organs, including brain, and
the objective phase of mind; the counterpart, the
spiritual body with divine mind. The objective
function of mind is that which is related to the
physical body, and thus it is directly affected by
the five physical senses through which we receive
our knowledge and understanding of our objec
tive surroundings. Immediately we can see that
if our objective senses are faulty, our understand
ing of the world about us will be faulty. This
fact is clearly demonstrated in the case of the one
who is color-blind. To him colors of red will ap
pear as shades of grey. W e can easily see then
that the objective mind is not always perfect. It
is incomplete and very often false in its under
standing. The divine mind, on the other hand,
is closely related to the soul of man and directs
the involuntary actions of the body. It strives to
keep the body in health and harmony in spite of
the abuse the body receives at the hands of the
objective mind. The subjective or divine mind,
we say, is complete in wisdom. However, this
does not refer to knowledge of bookkeeping, manmade law and government, the science of radio
or electricity. Rather, it refers to a complete
knowledge of the laws and principles of nature
and their functions.
This subjective, divine mind, which is so close
ly related to the soul of man, constitutes or com
poses mans personality. This personality reveals
the character which has been built up throiigh
the many experiences of life that have been ab
sorbed into the personality as part of its very es
sence of expression. Man is limited in his abilities
and functions unless an attunement is established
between the two phases of mind that we have
been discussing here this morning. Therefore, we
seek by study and experiment to stimulate and
awaken certain dormant faculties and centers that
will establish such attunement. It is, therefore,

Page 40

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

vitally important that we urge all of our members,

especially those in the lower grades, to be conscientious in their experimental work and to
persevere in spite of handicaps and limitations
that they may enjoy the benefits possible and
available through the psychic illumination which
inevitably follows tireless effort and sincerity of
purpose.

Time To Review
A most timely suggestion that has been submitted for discussion in our forum talks comes
from one of our conscientious and enthusiastic
students in the higher degrees of study. This
soror suggests that a review of the monographs is
vitally important, especially to one in the higher
degrees, for very often the importance of a prin
ciple in the lower grades will be overshadowed by
the presentation of new facts, new principles, and
new practices.
This soror is quite correct in her statements.
W e do inadvertently tend to lose sight of the
benefits to be gained by practicing rather simple
experiments presented in the lower degrees.
W hen we reach a certain point along the path it
is not easy to go back to the beginning and prac
tice exercises in concentration that seem dull, in
the light of more recent knowledge, that have lost
their fascination to us in view of the exciting
practices and applications presented to the high
degree student.
As an example, let us take the student of
music. W hen he first takes up an instrument the
simple notes and tones stimulate and arouse his
interest. He then desires to try the more compli
cated scales and combinations of tone. Next he
moves into the class where he can play simple
tones and melodies. Later on he is able to play
compositions that challenge his knowledge and
ability. By this time the early scales no longer
hold his interest. They are dull and lack rhythm
and melody. Unless he is making music his lifes
work, planning to be a solo artist or concert
musician, he will forget all about his first scales
and exercises. The seasoned artist, on the other
hand, will spend a few hours each day practicing
scales, exercises, arpeggios, and all types of simple
passages, not because he wishes to perfect him
self in these simple forms of music, but rather to
keep his fingers nimble, his mind alert, and his
coordination smooth. He has realised either from
experience or training, that the simple exercises
he practices make possible his ability to handle
the difficult compositions that he plays before his
audiences.
W e, as Rosicrucians, wish to be artists in the
application of all of our principles so that we may
call upon our knowledge of natural law in living

the ideal life and helping ourselves as well as

others. The high degree principles and methods
can be successfully used only to the extent that
we have practiced the experiments and exercises
in the lower grades. You who have reviewed the
work of the past are aware of the benefit you
have received by so doing. It is surprising to note
the profound truths that seem to be discovered
for the first time by a systematic review of the
early grades. Such discoveries may be due to
several things. First to consider is the intellectual
advancement we have made as a result of our
studies. This advancement changes our viewpoint
and gives us a different conception of the early
monographs. W e are better equipped mentally to
comprehend and interpret as intended the state
ments in our lessons.
Another possibility and a vital one to remember
is the fact that so much is given in the many les
sons that there is a tendency to forget certain im
portant laws and practices until they are called
to our attention, either through review or men
tion of them by other members during the course
of conversation.
W e are entering the fall months, and the
weather generally takes a decided turn toward
the cooler side of the thermometer, at least this
will occur here in the Northern climates. The
public schools throughout this and many other
countries have either opened for the fall and
winter schedule or they are planning to in the
near future. Home students are lining up their
home studies, planning an intellectual pastime for
the long fall and winter evenings. Truly it is the
time for Rosicrucians to review and dig into their
studies and practices with renewed ambition.
Many who are systematic in their lives will ar
range for themselves a regular routine of activity,
setting aside a definite amount of time for study,
and a certain hour each day or each week to play.
Many will plan to take reading courses, which
are new to them. Those who can will take up
new indoor hobbies, either for physical or mental
exercise. To our members who are planning their
fall and winter schedules, let us urge that they
include an hour or two each week for review of
past lessons and the practice of early experiments.
Such a period of work should be aside from their
regular night of study when they take up the
new lesson they have received. This, of course, is
the most important to them and should always
take precedence. So, too, should the fifteen-ortwenty-minute period of daily meditation and at
tunement, during which contacts with the Cathe
dral of the Soul are made, when thoughts of
peace, harmony, and love for all mankind are
formed and projected into the Cosmic mind.
Such daily meditations should be a part of the
life of every Rosicrucian.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Now that it is agreed that a review is im

portant and beneficial, let us consider a plan or
procedure to follow. In the very earliest mono
graphs the member is urged to use a notebook in
which to write laws and principles as well as exer
cises that are important. Those who have done
this are fortunate because they do not have to go
back over each lesson, trying to find the principles
which they wish to review. The Supply Bureau
has made available Indexes to the degrees to help
students review the work. Those who wish in
formation about the Indexes should write to the
Supply Bureau. It is possible that many high
degree members have not had an Index of the
experiments. This helpful little pamphlet is also
available from the Supply Bureau.
A good plan would be to take inventory of
ones knowledge and memory. Make two lists on
a piece of paper, separating the lists by a drawn
line. Head one list Know and the other Dont
Know, then with the use of the Indexes set
down the subjects that you feel you know quite
well and those that you feel you should study.
This self-analysis will help you to determine the
progress you are making and help you to save
much time that might otherwise be spent in con
sideration of those things in which you are well
versed. A fter all, we study to learn something
new, not to verify our present understanding.
A fter determining by self-analysis the subjects
that need your attention, the rest is simply a
matter of taking up those monographs that cover
these subjects and studying them as though you
had just received them and opened them for the
first time. Read and concentrate upon them until
the subject is thoroughly understood. If questions
arise, set them down on a piece of paper and later
on analyse them, trying by observation and rea
soning to determine the answers. Answers ob
tained in this way are more valuable to the stu
dents than answers submitted by another, for
even if their answers are not entirely correct, at
least they have had the benefit of thinking for
themselves.
As far as the experiments are concerned, any
one that appeals to the student at the time will
be valuable. However, these should not be prac
ticed haphazardly or by the hit-skip method.
Take an experiment that you have not done for a
long time and try it several times. If you are un
successful with it, try it again on the occasion of
your next period of review. Then take another
that uses the same principles, trying it on one or
two review nights. Continue with the experi
ments until you have completed all that are listed
in the Index. Determine from an examination of
the Experiment Index which are similar and
might be listed as a series. Try one complete
series before going on to experiments of a dif

Page 41

ferent nature. Remember this work is aside from

your daily practice of certain exercises that you
naturally have made a part of your daily routine.
W hen you complete all of the experiments in
the Index, go back over those with which you
failed. Also repeat some of the others for the
purpose of improving upon the results. Such
practice of the experiments will stimulate inner
growth and steady development. This prevents
stagnation and that unpleasant sensation or emo
tion which follows a sudden realisation that our
lives have fallen into a rut and we are slowly but
surely slipping back instead of forging ahead in
doing our best to fulfill our lives work.
If our members will follow the suggestions as
outlined above they will truly be awarded by re
newed interest in their studies, better results with
their experiments, and particularly with their ap
plication of the teachings in coping with material
problems that arise in the lives of everyone, even
members of this age-old esoteric order.

Training Your Child

i
In our discussion this morning we should give
some consideration to a subject vitally important
to fathers and mothers, especially those whose
children are still quite young. This subject per
tains to child training and punishment.
First of all let me tell you a story that occurred
in the neighborhood, and which I indirectly w it
nessed. These neighbors were being visited by
some friends who have a little girl not yet six
years old. Sometime early in the evening the lady
of the house noticed that her purse was lying out
on the table open and empty. It had contained a
little more than three dollars, all in silver money.
She questioned her own little girl, who said she
had not taken the money, and she questioned her
two older boys and learned that they had not
been near the purse. She then asked the little girl
who was visiting her home and the little one
denied all knowledge of the purse and money. It
just so happened that an hour or so before miss
ing the money she heard the distinct jingle of
silver in this youngsters dress pocket when she
was skipping up and down the driveway. A t the
time this lady thought nothing about it. It was
only after discovering her purse lying open that
she remembered hearing money clinking as the
youngster skipped up and down.
Now the lady felt that the little girl had her
money, but it was rather difficult to accuse her,
since the little girls parents were there and, after
all, there was the possibility of error on her part.
A fter an hour or more of search in the house
with questions and denials on all sides, the little
girls father put his fingers down into the young
sters pocket and pulled out the money, all in

Page 42

silver, and the exact amount that was missing

from the purse. W hen asked where she got the
money she said she found it in the garage at
home. This everyone knew was not true. This
baby girls father went into a terrible rage. He
screamed at the youngster so long and loud that
the poor child was virtually frightened speech'
less. He then took off his heavy belt and for fully
ten minutes strapped the little girl all over her
body. He was, without doubt, beyond all sense
of reason. He only stopped beating the baby after
cries of protest from its mother and the lady
whose money was taken. Even then he continued
shouting that no child of his was going to steal,
he would kill it first. He was not going to have
a thief in his family. I can see you wince as you
read these harsh words. Let me assure you the
temptation to butt in on this family drama was
great. The father went into another rage and
struck the child several times more. A fter that
the case was argued and discussed by the four
adults, still in extremely loud tones that could be
heard several doors away. During this conversa'
tion the father stated that he knew the child had
the money all the time because she often took
money from his trouser pockets.
Now fratres and sorores just imagine this situ
ation for a moment. This little girl is not yet six
years old, actually still just a baby. Her father
acclaims her a thief, yet he has made ho attempt
to educate her to know and understand that silver
money is anything more than shiny coins that
clink and jingle when in her pocket. There is
hardly a parent that has not gone through this
phase with his children. Coins are fascinating to
the babv just as is the shiny gold watch. A child
cannot know from instinct the value of money or
the watch This is mundane, material knowledge
that must be taught bv the parent. In this particular case it would almost seem that the father
was waiting for a serious occurrence that would
offer an opportunity to strap and abuse the poor
rhild. Now, it is realised that this case is unusual.
The oarents are definitely in the lower standards
of education. They probably have never read or
been interested in child psychology or any other
elevating literature. These people have been
forced by circumstances to work long and hard
for a living. Being of the laboring class, neither
has given thought to mental development or
moral refinement; therefore, some leniency must
be shown in our judgment of them and their
methods of child training. W hat a blessing it
would be if we as Rosicrucians could help such
people to see the fallacy of their methods and
urge them to read and study literature dealing
with psychology and child training. Here is a
man trying to educate his little girl through fear
and terror. Such a system may have a lifelong

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

effect upon this childs psychic nervous system.

It may bring about a fear complex that will,
throughout this lifetime, prevent her proper
growth and mental development.
W e contact adult members of the Order in our
correspondence who are suffering today from
complexes that are traceable to just such causes.
It is indeed difficult for these members to rise
above such complexes and overcome these handi'
caps to their progress and understanding.
It is very doubtful if any of our readers are
personally handicapped by a nature so carnal as
that of the father of the baby girl in our story;
however, there are probably many who are sometimes vexed as to how to proceed with training
and influencing their children, directing them
along the proper paths of thought, teaching them
to understand and appreciate right and wrong,
positive thoughts from negative, and the proper
use of their many faculties. Our members have at
their disposal vast files of valuable material ineluding their weekly monographs from the Grand
Lodge; nevertheless, several years ago the need
for special knowledge on child training was real'
ized and a course of study was made available to
our members and others who desired it. This
course on child psychology is obtainable from
The Child Culture Institute, Rosicrucian Park,
San Jose. It is designed to help modern parents
cope with all types of situations that arise in the
lives of their children. This course is definitely
different and unique from the average course in
child psychology that attempts to classify and
tvpe the child. Such a method attempts to show
that children who do certain things are of a cer'
tain type and will, therefore, always react in a
particular manner to particular circumstances.
This is all very wellexcept that in most cases
the child does not react as it should according to
the book. The parent is then left in a dilemma
as to how to proceed. The Child Culture Course
offered by the institute at Rosicrucian Park deals
with certain fundamental knowledge that can be
used and applied in handling the problems of all
types and classifications. The child does not have
to react in a certain way in order that the knowl'
edge be usable. Those who are interested in
knowing more about The Child Culture Insti'
tute mav request information from the Depart'
ment of Extension.
And now let us see for a moment what better
way could have been used to handle the case that
has just been related to you. The first thing these
parents should have taken into consideration is
the age of the cliild. A fter all, five years old is
pretty young, and yet an age when a child can
understand right from wrong if it is properly
explained in the language of the child mind. In
other words, in a language within the scope of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the childs understanding. W e must realise, of

course, that the father had failed in his duty to
the child by not taking this matter up months
before when the little girl had taken coins from
his pants pockets. Right then he should have
pointed out that the money was his and that she
should not simply take things that belonged to
others.
Incidentally, all children pass through a stage
of possessiveness. They will take toys that belong
to their playmates. They seem to enjoy the
thought of having something all their own. In
the case of money they are conscious of the fact
that their parents place a certain value upon it.
They feel a certain sense of importance when
they have a few coins to look at and jingle in
their pockets. W hen children show an interest in
money it is the right time to teach them some'
thing about it, to tell them where it comes from,
why it is necessary, and how without it they
cannot obtain food and clothing. Also, and particularly, that it is obtained through work or
service to another and that money belonging to
someone else should not be touched.
Sometimes a child will be guilty of several of'
fenses of taking coins from its parents. Often
some form of punishment is necessary to help
them remember. Such punishment need not be so
severe as to cause mental or physical complica'
tions. The thing to do is try denying the little
one certain privileges. Very often having to go
to bed for awhile is very effective, especially in
children between the ages of seven and twelve
years. It is safe to say that the average boy be'
tween these years will prefer corporal punishment
to going to bed. One should remember at all
times that it is the lesson that is important and
not the punishment. Therefore, one should care'
fully consider the various methods of teaching
the lesson and select the one best fitted to the in'
dividual child. It is admitted that a few children
will respond best to a spanking. These are the
ones who are humiliated by it, rather than those
who fear the physical pain.
So much for punishment; now let us con'
sider the application of mysticism in training and
teaching the child. O f all persons the child will
respond quicker than anyone to mental sugges'
tion. Many parents today use this system in train'
ing their children. Lessons learned through the
subjective consciousness are not forgotten because
they become habit.
Man generally is a creature of habit. Some are
good; others detrimental. The first act of taking
something that belongs to another is an objective
act. W hen it is repeated a number of times, it
becomes habit, thus we have what is termed the
habitual criminal. If such a habit has been
formed by the child it is up to the parent to help

Page 43

the child rid himself of the habit and not just

punish him for the act. Besides a logical, sensible
discussion of the matter with the child in a
language the child can understand, the parent
should talk to the child after he has gone to bed
at night and is asleep. The exact procedure for
such application of mental suggestion is given in
detail in the Child Culture Courses mentioned
above. It is also given in the Rosicrucian teach'
ings. Briefly, however, it is this: A fter the child
is asleep, go into its room, sit down beside its
bed and, in a soft voice, call the child by name.
Do this several times for this will bring the child
to the Border Line State, where a close at'
tunement exists between the objective and subjec'
tive phases of the mind. Many times when doing
this the child will answer, showing that the
Border Line State has been reached, then go
right on talking to the child, making the state'
ments in the positive form for it is positive
thoughts that denote or imply action that will
bring about response on the part of the subjective
consciousness. In a sense you are actually talking
to the subjective mind through the objective.
Now the child could do this for himself if he
had the will to do so and understood the process.
But since this is asking a great deal of the child
mind, it is up to the adult to apply the principles.
Going back to the conversation with the young'
sters subjective mind, we have stated that the
statements should be in the positive form, assert'
ing action. If it is a case of breaking the habit
of taking money, or other childrens toys or any'
thing else that does not belong to the child, the
statements to the child should be to the effect
that he will play with his own toys or ask his
parents to get him toys of his own. Tell him
that he will take only money that is given to him
and that he will avoid taking money from his
mothers purse or the purses of others. The same
goes for his fathers pockets. Here you see the
total absence of negative instructions, such as,
dont, wont, do not touch, and so on.
Now what about the length of time for such
application of this method? Frankly, it should be
used every night until the habit is broken. Some
cases will take longer than others. This is de'
pendent upon the depth of the habit, if it is a
habit. It is to be realised that the above system
of treatment is in no sense confined to breaking
habits. It can be used to develop any form of
habit that the parent is desirous of developing
in the child so long as the habit is beneficial and
not designed to upset or interfere with the normal
function of natures laws within the child.
To conclude this discussion, let me say that
this system can be used to great advantage in
helping a backward child with his or her school
work. For example, if the little child in the

Page 44

second or third grade has trouble with some

arithmetic problem, it can be explained when the
child is asleep and will become a part of the
storehouse of memory, never to be forgotten so
long as it is used regularly.

T he Im portance of Constructive Thinking

Today I would like to mention a very encourage
ing letter that came to my attention through the
secretary of the Council of Solace. This letter
is quite brief in some respects and yet full of
sincere appreciation of the benefit the writer has
received from her membership in the Order and
the Cosmic help made available to her through
the efforts of the Council members. In her letter
our soror points out the many changes that have
taken place in her health, her personal affairs
generally, and her mental outlook. A careful
medical examination after a few weeks of at'
tunement according to our directions reveals the
complete disappearance of a nervous condition
suffered for a long time and a decided improve'
ment in a stomach complaint that has been most
stubborn.
In closing her letter our loyal soror suggests
that we discuss here in our forum The Im'
portance of Constructive Thinking. In every
respect she attributes the improved condition to
an improvement in her thoughts and general at'
titude. Our correspondence with this soror has
been designed to bring about just this, for we
know that little can be done toward bringing one
into harmonious relationship with the Cosmic
unless we can first of all help one to adjust his
thinking and broaden his entire attitude toward
himself and his relationship to the universe. Once
we are successful in establishing the impression
within the mind that the true self of the indi'
vidual is not individual, but rather one with the
universal soul, we begin to notice a very definite
improvement in the circumstances and general
affairs of the one seeking our help. Let us see
for a moment why this is so. In the first place,
so long as we look upon ourselves as separate and
distinct from all other beings we limit the ex'
pression of the personality and we limit the field
in which the personality may function or work
in our behalf. To what extent does one, who so
limits his personality, expand his consciousness
and understanding? Only to the extent of his
own small, insignificant, material universe, which
is to and from his work, in the immediate en'
vironment of his home, and within the homes of
his very close friends. He cares nought for the
sorrows, cares, and worries of his fellow man,
except if they be members of his family or ex'
tremely close friends. He is always ready and
willing to relate his own misfortunes or boast of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

any material benefits of life that may have come

to him. He is not prepared, as a rule, to lend
a willing ear to anothers troubles, nor does he
express within his heart happiness and best wishes
to a fellow being who is enjoying certain worldly
happiness, no matter how deserving he may be.
In other words, within himself his thoughts are,
for the most part, entirely of himself.
Surely you will agree that such a material, per'
sonal, mental world is small indeed. By such,
the natural expressions of the inner self are de'
nied, curbed, pushed into the background, finally
to become atrophied through nonusage. Certainly
we can label the thoughts of this mentality nega'
tive, destructive, and selfish. Thus we can agree
that so long as the thoughts are confined to the
realm of the material, one cannot enjoy the men'
tal freedom of Cosmic attunement. W ithout this
attunement, conscious or unconscious, one is out
of harmony with the great source of all that is
good. Such inharmony leads one further and
further away from forces that, if permitted,
would lead to help, inspiration, Divine Guidance,
and deliverance from so'called evils that harass
and confine one.
Therefore, in our dealings with those in need,
and in our efforts to help our fellow men find
themselves, let us give particular attention to this
question of constructive thinking. Point out the
importance of pushing into the background selfish,
personal thoughts and desires. T ry to help others
to understand that Cosmic attunement will bring
harmony, and harmony will bring mastership of
worldly problems, not by mysteriously sweeping
them aside, but by bringing to one knowledge, in'
spiration, and a clearer insight into the problem.
The fact that the mind will be cleared of a lot
of petty, personal thoughts of self and self'pity
will make room for the constructive and the bene'
ficial thoughts of universal love, harmony, and
peace profound.

How Different Are Rosicrucians?

A frater from our Great Lakes region of the
United States arises to make the following state'
ment to our Forum. He says, From time to time
I have noticed how new members of our Order,
with a desire for self'improvement, make a very
definite improvement in the light of their under'
standing of the monographs, and also how they
try to govern their actions by R + C ethics. They
very rightly conclude that certain petty acts and
foolishnesses do check personal advancement;
therefore, on occasion if they witness some evi'
dence of discourtesy or unkindness on the part
of some older member, they express surprise. The
comment is so often answered by an older mem'
ber, with the statement that Rosicrucians are no

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

different than anyone else. To my understand'

ing, continues the frater, such a statement
without further explanation is tactless and not
true in fact. I, therefore, respectfully submit this
matter for consideration to the Rosicrucian
Forum.
The statement that Rosicrucians are no different than anyone else is only a partial truth. Biologically and physiologically, of course, a Rosicrucian is no different than any other normal
average human being with whom he rubs shoulders daily on his way to and from work or in
the market places of his community. If, by far
and large, Rosicrucians were physically disproportioned, in comparison to other men, as for example, if they were giants or dwarfs, two-headed,
or having three arms, they would fall into the
category of being freaks of humanity. Further, if
all Rosicrucians were alike, and yet physically
different from the norm of human life, then they
would not be humans, but some other kind of
being.
As a whole, speaking from the physical point
of view, Rosicrucians are not unlike any other
group of healthy, clear-eyed and minded people
to be found upon this planet. They possess the
same type of cerebrum and cerebellum, and they
have the same nervous systems. Consequently,
they feel and are subject to pain, and they know
and enjoy the sensations of pleasure. They are
not immune to the ravages of fevers, physical
exhaustion, and the ill effects of unsanitary con
ditions. They have egos, and can and often do
experience all of the human emotions and pas
sions. They are born as humans and they will and
must experience the ultimate transition known
as death.
This description of the physical and somatic
characteristics of a Rosicrucian is not very glori
fying. It, in fact, makes of him just one of the
multitude. The advantage of being a Rosicrucian
is in the knowledge with which a Rosicrucian is
put in touch. This knowledge, like a key, gives
him access to a storehouse of preventives and
curatives, as well as restoratives, which unfortu
nately the average man does not possess, only
because he turns his back upon them.
As Rosicrucians, we are instructed in the
duality of our beings. The marvels of our physi
cal selves, the temples which our bodies are, are
divulged to us, and how they function. The laws
upon which health and the proper use of our
faculties depend are also disclosed to us. W e
are likewise told of the positive and negative
polarities of the blood and what causes disease
and ill health. W e are taught the secrets of
memory and what causes habits to form and the
good and ill effects of suggestion. W ith all of
this and much more, we are further advised
about the frailty of our beings, and that our

Page 45

bodies in their unity with life force and soul con

stitute a very delicate adjustment. It is explained
to us that the gross forces and influences of na
ture can disturb this sensitive unity and cause
a sudden transition or untold suffering, if they are
not intelligently directed. There is no attempt by
the Rosicrucian Order, in any manner to compel
us forcefully to conform to such advice as is ex
tended to us or to make us apply the wisdom
which is tendered us as members. W e may dis
regard it, if we are so lacking in sagacity. W e
learn early in our Rosicrucian studies, the nature
of will and how it may be imposed, and how
it should be controlled. If we choose to disobey
and violate the natural laws, that is our right of
choice. It is an example of mans power of will.
If we do, however, we are subject to the same
Cosmic discipline and to the same effects of
causes which we have put into motion as is one
who is not a Rosicrucian, or who may never even
have heard the word. For analogy, fire burns as
severely and is as painful,* to the Rosicrucian who
puts his finger in the flame, as to one who is not.
One difference, therefore, in being a Rosicru
cian is that we can \n o w the consequences of our
acts. W e have the same proclivities as other
humans, but are given ways to strengthen our re
sistance and to avoid the pitfalls of error and
ignorance. It is far more to the discredit of a
Rosicrucian when he suffers the consequences of
wrong deeds and the violation of natural law,
than it is for the ordinary man, for the latter
has not been given the opportunity which we as
Rosicrucians enjoy.
Let us come to understand at this time that the
Rosicrucian, by virtue of his membership in
AMORC, is not surrounded thereby with im
munity. He is of the same mortal stuff and sub
stance as is his neighbor, but he possesses the
means and the knowledge of building for him
self in his life a protective armor of understand
ing. Whenever, however, a Rosicrucian becomes
careless or indifferent to Cosmic or natural laws,
he then causes a weakness to develop in this
armor and then he is as susceptible to the con
sequences as is any other human being. W e
might, as I have o ften ;done, liken a Rosicrucian
and a non-Rosicrucian to two men walking on
a high plateau, in a mountainous region. One, the
Rosicrucian, because of his knowledge, his studies,
and his exercises and the experiences he has de
rived from them, knows of certain existing
dangers. For analogy, he knows that not far dis
tant is a precipice and a deep ravine. He even
knows in what direction it lies. His companion,
who we will say is not a Rosicrucian, and who
has not had certain studies, has no knowledge
of the terrain. In his ignorance, he walks rapidly
ahead without due caution. The Rosicrucian, on
the other hand, is mindful; he watches for what

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 46

he \nows lies ahead. He further knows that if he

avoids it, he will be able to save himself and his
companion. On the other hand, if the Rosicrucian
disregards the knowledge given him and is care
less; if he suddenly comes upon the precipice and
falls into the ravine, the law of gravity will most
certainly be equally exercised against him as any
other person, and he will be severely injured by
the fall.
In other words, malicious or wilful conduct,
which amounts to a violation of Cosmic laws and
principles, is productive of the same results as
ignorance. The difference and the efficacy in be
ing a Rosicrucian is, therefore, in \nowing how
to live. W hat you do with that knowledge is
your own responsibility.X.

Promoting Rosicrucianism
Here is an important point for our considera
tion this morning. A frater in the high degrees
of our work asks for further light on the subject
of answering questions put to him by those out
side of the Order. This frater, perhaps like a
great many others, would like to understand
more fully ones duties and limitations in giving
out information to questions asked by those out
side of the Order. I say this is an important
question and one worthy of careful consideration.
It is especially vital now because of the present
upset and turmoil throughout the world. It is no
secret that now, more than ever in the immediate
past, the masses throughout the world need our
help, our understanding, and our teachings. The
big problem of the Grand Lodge is how best to
bring the works of the Order to the attention
of the thousands of seekers who are floundering
helplessly in the throes of materialism, unable
to rise above the sordidness of material realities.
W e watch for and take every opportunity to
bring Rosicrucianism to the attention of the
peoples of the world. W e offer information re
garding our activities through all of the honest,
clean, legitimate, and uplifting channels of ad
vertising available to us today. Through the
hands of active members of the Order we dis
tribute thousands of pieces of literature through
out the world. The Order is at present in its
second active cycle here in N orth America and
thus it is our duty to bring as many people into
contact with Rosicrucianism as humanly possible.
W e are occasionally criticised for the modern
methods we use in carrying out this duty, but
invariably we find upon investigation that the
critical one has forgotten the source through
which he became interested in our work. So
often we find that the source was an ad appearing
in one of the magazines that he mentions in his
criticism. On one occasion it was the very ad
that interested the member that he criticised, but

his criticism did not come to us until some years

laterafter he had reached the higher degrees
of study.
But returning to the point under discussion,
the proper answer to a question submitted by one
interested in the Order and its activities can have
a tremendous influence upon the seeker. It is a
known fact that many misconceptions and many
wrong impressions have resulted from members
trying to answer questions about the Order and
its teachings when they, themselves, were not
truly qualified to give the correct information.
It is suggested now that it be the duty of every
member at large of the Grand Lodge to equip
himself with the proper information regarding
the Order and its activities so that he can at any
time present a clear, concise picture of the Order,
its aims, purposes, doctrines, and the philosophy
it embraces. Perhaps one of the most embar
rassing of all positions is a members inability
to tell another what Rosicrucianism is and what
it is not. W e should, therefore, not only stress
Rosicrucian teachings and principles, but also the
importance of knowing your Order. Remember
it is our duty to help all of humanity, and we feel
we can do no better than to bring our friends,
acquaintances, relatives, and all others we contact
into the organisation as members, that they, too,
may benefit by the age-old truths and the modern
up-to-date knowledge which is the result of con
tinued investigation and research.
All members of the Order in the North and
South American Jurisdiction are familiar with
our practice of eliminating initiation fees for each
individual degree. Instead of charging such fees
we ask the member to serve the Order and pro
mote Rosicrucianism in his or her community.
This by distributing literature, talking with
others, answering questions about the work, and
doing everything he can in an honorable way that
is worthy of Rosicrucianism to publicise the or
ganisation and make its existence known to the
world.
Possibly there are a great many members who
do not know just how to go about the business
of promulgating the work of the Order. Some
are reticent in speaking of their membership to non
members, especially to the type who have heard
derogatory remarks about Rosicrucianism and who
tend to ridicule the intelligence of anyone who
would stoop to such a low level as membership
in the Order. Every member should be proud
of his Rosicrucian affiliation. If he is not, then
he should not be a member because he cannot
benefit by the knowledge and teaching if he is
ashamed of it. H e will be too conservative in his
application of the laws and principles. He will
lean over backwards in his effort to prevent those
he contacts from thinking him different. But,
sorores and fratres, we are different. If we are

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

not, what is our purpose in studying esoteric

mysticism? W e can be like the masses, wallowing
in materialism without affiliation with any esoteric fraternity.
Now this does not mean that we should treat
Rosicrucianism lightly and not hold it sacred unto
us. W e should, but at the same time we can be
ready and willing to talk about the Order and
the benefits we receive from it without violating
or treading upon its sacredness to us. In talking
about Rosicrucianism we can answer any question put to us that pertains to the organisation
and the activities here at Rosicrucian Park, or
any subordinate Lodge or Chapter for that mat'
ter. Actually our only restriction pertains to the
monographs that each member receives for private
study. These are strictly private and personal
and should be kept so by every member. But in
discussions of a philosophical or scientific nature,
a member is privileged to permit his Rosicrucian
influence to enter into his comments, his state
ments of personal beliefs, and he can, with a
clear conscience, if called upon to do so, reveal
the source of his knowledge and understanding.
There is a vital warning that should be stressed
in connection with this matter, and that pertains
to psychic, mystical experiences of a member.
More harm can be done than a person realises
by a promiscuous discussion of psychic experiences. The member whose enthusiasm results in
constant discussions of seemingly strange, mental
experiences will cause more harm to himself and
the Order than we can overcome in years of constructive activity. Everyone, therefore, should
avoid such discussions, particularly to members
in lower degrees of our work and to outsiders.
These mystical experiences are too easily misunderstood or misinterpreted and the uninformed
will label one who indulges in such a practice as
queer, strange, up in the clouds, or steadily on
the road to the insane asylum. It gives the wrong
impression of the member, the organisation, and
its teachings. Now, this is strictly because others,
unless in the higher degrees of study, are not
prepared to understand these phenomena. Furthermore, the member having such an experience
often misinterprets it himself. If strange phenomena are sought, one will experience them
whether they be hallucinations or truly mystical.
Personal misinterpretation is even more reason
to avoid relating to others sensations, emotions,
and phenomena. To the one who has not studied
our work such experiences tend toward spiritualistic sensationalism.
This we must avoid, and we can avoid it by
carefully choosing our topics of conversation per
taining to Rosicrucianism. In other words, do not
try to sell another the benefits of membership in
the Order by relating your strange, mental ex
periences had while in contact with the Cosmic

Page 47

realm. Rather, deal with the scientific and philo

sophical side of the work. Show by clear ex
planation or by act the material as well as spiritual
benefits of membership in the Order. Relate some
of the history of the organisation, its origin, and
why and how it came into existence. Give names
of authors and titles of books that may be re
ferred to for verification of the facts you expound.
Be proud of your fraternal affiliation. Be ready
to challenge any and all persons whose remarks
are uncomplimentary to you and your Order.
Remember, when a person insults the organisa
tion, he also insults you and your intelligence.
W hen you challenge such statements, be sure
you are prepared to straighten out the misunder
standing that exists.
It is because of lack of knowledge and true
facts that the derogatory remarks are made. Our
duty is to educate the peoples of the world where
in Rosicrucianism is concerned. Be sure you can
place an appropriate booklet or leaflet in the
hands of anyone you contact who has a wrong
conception of your fraternal order. W ear a
Rosicrucian lapel emblem or pin. This arouses
the interest of others and gives you a chance to
talk about the Order and its work. To those who
have the wrong idea about the Order, give a
leaflet or booklet that will answer their questions,
such as W ho and W h at Are The Rosicrucians,
as well as what we are not. Always stress the
fact that we are a fraternal order, not a cult,
church, or any of the hundred and one other
things that we have been called since the be
ginning of the present active cycle in this country.
This is the time of year when activities of every
kind are moving at a faster tempo and we must
do the same. Nothing is any better than personal
contact, but it can also ruin us if not properly
presented; therefore, everyone is urged to spend
a few days or weeks analysing the Order, listing
the subjects embraced, listing the many things
the Order is not, listing its aims and purposes, its
ideals, what it stands for and doing everything
necessary to truly know more about the Order.
If you are not sure on some point, write to an
officer for information, get literature from the
Supply Bureau and also the booklet, Things
You Can Do To Help. Put on a regular propa
ganda program. The object in all of this? Dis
semination of Rosicrucianism to the world at a
time when it is most needed.

Relieving Eyestrain
A subject that I would like to take up with
you today pertains to the care of the eyes. W e
might say that the eyes are the most vital tools
of the student. W hen he is suffering from eye
strain it is almost impossible for him to concen
trate upon his lessons and books. Almost all of

Page 48

us have been handicapped at times from overuse

of our eyes. This is particularly true of those
who use the eyes in close work all day long and
then take up their studies at night.
Many of you will recall an interesting discussion of this subject that we had with our late
Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, in which he
answered the question, If Rosicrucians have so
much knowledge of the anatomy and the care of
the body, why is it that you and other officers
of the Order wear glasses? The smiles on your
faces show that you remember the fascinating,
amusing, and diplomatic answer Dr. Lewis gave
to this question, which was presented in a rather
critical and belligerent form. In his answer, Dr.
Lewis showed clearly that the eyes were like deli
cate, precious instruments that would function
perfectly for years to come if properly used and
maintained. The eyes, like any instrument, re
quire care and rest. Abuse, overuse, and lack
of care would eventually wear them out.
You remember Dr. Lewis told of the many
hours of continuous work necessary by the officers
of the Order and how all of us, without excep
tion, continued our studies and researches into
the wee hours, sometimes under poor lighting
conditions when we should be resting the body
and especially the eyes. He pointed out that on
occasions when he had taken long boat trips, in
stead of reading all of the time he would spend
several hours each day standing at the rail gazing
across the water at the horizon and thus would
rest his eyes from the strain of months of close
reading, writing, and working with scientific ap
paratus. He explained that such a practice improved his eyesight to a great extent, but then
it was almost impossible to indulge in such prac
tices when at home working in his office by day
and his sanctum or laboratory by night. Just as
this was true in the life of Dr. Lewis, so, too, is
it true in the life of our present Imperator and
other officers. The result is that many of us
wear glasses and others suffer eyestrain.
In times past there has been some discussion
of just what this eyestrain is. Today it is gen
erally conceded to be paralyzed muscles and
nerves. The paralysis being due to overwork at
a fixed focus. This weakens the eye muscles and
eventually the eyes will not change focus fast
enough to allow for different distances at which
we wish to view objects. Exercises in the form
of focus changes will strengthen the muscles of
the eyes, just as exercises with weights will build
up the muscles of the arms, shoulders, back, and
legs. However, if you hold the weight out away
from you and just keep it there as long as you
can, the arm muscles will be practically paralyzed
and will be weakened instead of made stronger.
Since it is granted the eye-muscle exercises will
build up strength and overcome fatigue, it seems

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that proper maintenance of the normal eye would

be easy and it is except for one thing, very few
persons enjoy an occupation that requires con
stant change of focus; that is, looking at an object
a short distance away and then seconds later
looking off ten or twelve feet, then back to the
short distance again, almost immediately to gaze
off into the distance toward the horizon. If one
could only spend his day in such use of the eyes
and then retire at a time that would allow eight
to ten hours of sleep, he would never have to
worry about eyestrain. One occupation will require reading and writing at ten, twelve, fifteen,
or twenty inches, another will require sewing
on a machine, another typing and watching the
flash of letter hammers on a typewriter, and still
another occupation will require close sight run
ning a machine. People who are so occupied
usually wind up with glasses to relieve the strain.
Now the same thing happens to one out in the
open. A truck driver for instance, or a bus driver,
or even the pilot of a boat all experience fixed
focus on a distant point. This is just as bad as
looking constantly at a close object. Here again
glasses seem to be inevitable, but what do the
glasses do? It is true that they seem to relieve the
strain and we can see better. The eyes do not
hurt as much as they did without glasses, but
nevertheless, the glasses are not correcting the
condition. In other words, they are not exercising
the eye muscles, they are simply amplifying the
object and making it sharper to our vision. Now
it is hoped that you who wear glasses will not
rush right out to the ash heap and discard them.
A fter all, you are getting some definite relief
from the misery of eyestrain. It will help you,
nevertheless, to try to spend some time each day
exercising the muscles of the eyes in the manner
suggested; that is, by rapid focus changes.
A n exercise that must be very helpful came to
my attention through one of our girl employees.
W hile discussing this problem that so many of
our members have, she told me of a case in which
a young chap went up for a physical examination
for entrance into the air corps of the United
States Army. He was in perfect health except
for his eyes. The trouble was eyestrain and
weakened muscles. He failed to pass because of
his eyes. The examining doctor suggested that
he take up juggling and after practicing that for
a few weeks to come back for another examina
tion. You can readily see what the doctor was
after in this young chap, eye muscle exercise.
Incidentally, he passed the tests and was accepted
as a cadet.
Later on, when telling one of the Grand Lodge
officers of this incident, he told of his own ex
perience in eliminating glasses that he had worn
for years. It was remembered that he wore them
all the time when he first came to Rosicrucian

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Park. In this case it was handball in the gymnasium that relieved the condition that made
glasses necessary. This is a very good recom
mendation. The ball is black and the walls of
the court are white so that the ball can be seen.
The hand ball travels at a fast rate of speed. It
is very hard to follow and it is back and forth
across the court in a flash. The eyes work very
rapidly in following the ball. The officer of the
Lodge found that the more handball he played,
the less he needed his glasses Then he noticed
that it became necessary for him to remember
to put the glasses on. Today he seldom, if ever,
wears them. He attributes this recovery of perfect
sight and relief from eyestrain to the eye-muscle
exercise taken while following the little black ball
as it bounded back and forth in the handball
court.
Recently an opportunity to play golf afforded
itself and during the first five or six holes it was
difficult to see the golf ball after it was hit. A t
first it could not be seen past fifty or sixty yards,
but gradually the eyes became accustomed to the
change in focus and the ball could be seen clearly
as far as it was hit. The following day it was
noticed that everything was clearer and sharper
to the eye, regardless of the distance of focus.
Here again a game involving the use of a ball
helps to relieve eyestrain.
There is a book on the market entitled, Sight
W ithout Glasses, by Dr. Harold M. Peppard.
Everyone interested in this question of the care
of the eyes and how the eyes see, should try
to get this book. W e have a copy of it in the
Rosicrucian Library. Dr. Peppard points out why
glasses do not help in a case of eyestrain He
tells how to relax the eyes when reading or doing
close work. Such relaxation prevents eyestrain.
The artists model who is trained in the art of
posing can remain in one position for an incredible length of time without undue fatigue.
He knows how to strike a pose and then relax
in the pose without changing his position. One
who tries posing will find it very difficult to re
main still for any length of time. Many untrained
models have actually fainted from fatigue be
cause of the nerve and muscle fatigue of holding
a set pose. The eyes can be relaxed while in use
just as a model can relax in a pose. Dr. Peppards
book teaches one to master this ability to relax
the eyes while reading.
The eye exercise that is given to our members
in one of their early monographs also relaxes
the muscles and nerves of the eyes. Far too few
of us practice this exercise when we should. W e
wait until the eyes are in very bad shape before
we try to do anything for them. Instead of
maintaining the eyesight, we let it get bad and
then try to repair the damage. Proper mainten
ance would prevent the damage in the first place.

Page 49

If we would all give ourselves an eye treatment

two or three times a day, whether we have eye
trouble or not, we would be very much better
for the effort put forth. It would only take four
or five minutes for each treatment and certainly
the eyes are of sufficient value to us to warrant
fifteen minutes of our time each day, regardless
of how busy we are or to what extent we may
value our time.

Some Questions Answered

One of our high degree sorores in Southern
California brings to our attention two very in
teresting questions that I feel should be mentioned
here in our forum so that we may once again
clarify certain points that still seem to confuse
some of our members.
The first of these two points pertains to the
subject of Rosicrucian healing and its practice in
behalf of mankind generally. W hile in conversation with a Neophyte student after a Chapter
meeting, the subject of treating others was
brought up and the Neophyte mentioned her plan
to go to the local hospitals and doctors and offer
her services to help cure the sick and injured,
especially those cases that seemed to baffle medical
science. O ur soror of the high degrees realizing
the possible harm that might result, gently but
firmly advised the Neophyte against her plan.
The Neophyte later changed her mind about this
matter and, hence, saved herself a great deal of
embarrassment and averted much possible adverse
publicity as well as misunderstanding where the
Order is concerned. Again we must point out the
folly of such moves on the part of enthusiastic
students who want to go out and apply Rosicru
cian healing to each and every case of sickness
that comes to their attention.
The natural tendency is a sincere desire to
treat another through our simple and easily ap
plied methods, but there are always complications
that stand in the way. First there are the manmade laws of the state that prevent the application
of any form of therapeutics that does not emanate
from a recognized school of healing. The Rosi
crucian Order is not a school of healers. W e
simply know and have the knowledge to apply
certain important laws of God and N ature that
assist greatly in effecting cures of certain illnesses.
In the application of these principles we know
it is very important to have the cooperation of the
patient, for this one reason alone it is necessary
to avoid a promiscuous use of these healing
methods. Look what happened to the Great
Master, Jesus, when he went through the Holy
Land performing His great miracles of healing.
It was this public display of His ability and power
that finally resulted in His crucifixion. All of
the great healers down through the ages that

Page 50

were not strictly orthodox came into bad repute

and suffered at the hands of those who were
powerful enough to influence the authorities of
the state.
This being true in the years past, think how
much more so it is true today. There are persons
who earn a livelihood going about the country
from one city to another visiting healers of every
school and especially those using methods con
sidered unusual or unorthodox, seeking evidence
of malpractice and use of privileges not permis
sible under the licenses granted by the state. W e
have in the past had our share of worry in this
regard. From the very beginning of the study of
Rosicrucian healing principles, we warn the stu
dent to confine his practice to himself, his family,
and his very close friends. This warning would
not have been sounded were it not most important
for the personal protection of the member, the
Order, and the Rosicrucian teachings. Naturally
we have certain outlets, as it were, for the use
of principles for those in need. One such outlet
that is familiar to all members of the Order is
the Council of Solace, consisting of officers of
the Order and certain high degree members who
have shown particular interest in this phase of
the Rosicrucian philosophy. Every member who
wishes to, may take part in the work of the
Council by attuning with us at the periods speci
fied in the Cathedral of the Soul booklet, Liber
777. It is hoped that it will not again be neces
sary to explain this matter, which should be quite
obvious to our student members who are not
doctors or members of a recognized school of
therapeutics.
The other interesting situation that our soror
brings before us is an experience she had shortly
before applying for membership in the Order. On
an occasion she mentioned her intention to join
the Order to a friend who went right up in the
air warning against association with such a
terrible group of people. She stated that a sisterin-law had ruined her life and broken up her
home simply because she joined the Rosicrucian
Order. O ur soror stated that in her opinion the
broken-up home and other difficulties would have
occurred regardless of membership in the Order.
The friend finally stated that it might be possible
for some to withstand the horrible trials of
membership without a ruined life, but she was
certain it was Rosicrucianism that ruined her
sister-in-law. Now I know that such a situation
leaves many of you speechless with wonder, for
you cannot conceive of membership in an ancient,
honorable fraternity, devoted to the upliftment of
man and dedicated to the works of the Creator,
bringing havoc into ones life.
It is impossible to discuss this particular case
showing the possible reasons for the difficulty this

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

member experienced, for we know little or

nothing about it. W e do not even know the
name of the member in question. W e do know,
however, that out of the thousands of members
of the Order throughout the world it is certain
there will be some whose lives at home are not
a bed of roses. There are naturally some whose
material affairs are a definite burden and who ex
perience trials and tribulations of varied natures.
This is bound to be true in the membership of
the A M O RC just as it is true in any and every
other organization of men and women. You will
find it in every church and every fraternity
whether social or for study purposes. W e also
know that among our membership at large there
are thousands of men and women who are prac
ticing Rosicrucian philosophy in coping with the
adversities of life. Thousands have successfully
eliminated trials, tribulations, incompatibilities,
and all manner of complications from their lives
and now enjoy a richer, fuller understanding of
life and also why it is sometimes necessary to
have experiences that strain the mental and physi
cal as well as the psychic nervous system. W e
can rest assured that Rosicrucianism as a philoso
phy of life is not the cause of ruination, but
rather the ruination has occurred in spite of
Rosicrucianism.
Another thought in connection with this mat
ter is that the breaking up of the home may not
be considered ruination at all on the part of the
member, but only on the part of the companion
in marriage who might be of such a selfish and
jealous nature as to object to any and all personal
interests of his or her mate. Such a situation
would certainly make for incompatibility in the
home that eventually would lead to separation
and divorce. This type of home is no home at
all and should be broken up in the best interests
of both husband and wife, regardless of which is
the offender.
The purpose of discussing this matter this
morning is to show you just one of the problems
we have to face and overcome in the course of
carrying on our work in behalf of the Order
and its members. The result of the difficulty in
the home of the member is bitterness being carried
on to others by conversation and otherwise with
out any attempt to investigate Rosicrucianism
even if only for the purpose of substantiating pre
conceived conclusions. It is the duty of every
member of the Order to do all in his power to
adjust such misconceptions in the minds of those
he may contact who are unfair in their criticism
and perpetuate derogatory whispering campaigns
against the Order and the principles for which
it stands.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Energy N ot Lost
Here is a thought for consideration today that
perhaps many students have wondered about.
One of our sorores has asked, If it is true that no
energy is ever lost or destroyed, then in the case
of a man who tries to move a large stone and
cannot, yet after a few attempts feels tired and
exhausted, what becomes of this energy that he
apparently has used in trying to move the stone,
or in what form does it now exist? This is a
very interesting question and contains much food
for thought. It also contains room for controversy
as well as speculation.
In the science of mechanics this energy is said
to be converted into pushing, pulling, or lifting
power. The fact that the stone did not move does
not alter this fact, for force applied does not
always produce motion, and yet the energy within
the body that makes possible the application of
muscular force has been converted into power.
And so, we see that even in the laws of physics
no energy is lost or ever used up.
Energy is something that cannot be created.
It is a natural condition existing within the body
of all animate beings to a greater or lesser degree.
The larger and stronger the body is, the more
energy it possesses; the more energy, the more
potential power or force there is to exert. Note
that force is exerted when it is applied, not
energy. W hen we become tired, we say our
energy is depleted, used up. W e accept this
statement because we are tired, exhausted, and
seemingly without energy. But we still have the
energy within us, only it has turned to heat and
perspiration. So again we find the energy not
actually used up, but converted to something else.
It will interest many of you to know what causes
muscular fatigue, physical exhaustion. According
to present-day accepted belief, violent exercise
causes the muscles to secrete poisonous acids.
There is an increase in heart beat and blood cir
culation. The lungs function at a greater tempo,
providing additional oxygen, all of which is to
carry off the acid waste. The sugar in the blood
is depleted, but the starch stored in the liver
turns to sugar and restores the sugar content in
the blood. In this process the chemistry of the
human body is involved. Through chemical re
actions certain changes take place throughout the
body during the act of violent exercise. Exhaus
tion results from the overactivity of the organs
and glands of the body which are acting to keep
the body in a normal state in spite of the abnormal
work being performed.
It is all a matter of transmutation, change or
conversion from one thing to something else. W e
might make a comparison with the gasoline in an
automobile. Seemingly this gasoline is used up in

Page 51

the process of running the car. W e know that we

have to put new gasoline in the car after every
certain amount of travel. This gasoline is the
potential energy that will run the car. In the
process of running the car, the gasoline is burned
in the cylinder head. The intake valve lets it into
the combustion chamber. The rising piston com
presses it to vapor. The spark jumping the gap
on the end of the spark plug ignites it, convert
ing the vapor to light, heat, and power. As the
piston goes down, the exhaust valve opens and
lets out the smoke or exhaust which is led off
through the exhaust pipe and is a gas known as
carbon monoxide. In this process you can see
that nothing has actually been used up or de
stroyed. The form or manifestation of the liquid
gasoline has been changed. In fact, several
changes have taken place before the gasoline is
finally converted to carbon monoxide gas. This
gas is still a part of the universe or the atmosphere
of this earth plane.

Discordant Conditions
A frater asks how one can adjust his own
vibrations to discordant conditions. There are
few people who have not had the experience of
entering a place where they immediately sensed
that harmony between themselves and the place
did not exist, for one reason or another. Many
people have sensed this in walking into a room
or going into anothers home or into a public
building. Travelers in Europe have repeatedly
told of entering buildings which in the past had
been used as prisons, or certain rooms as torture
chambers, and sensing the vibrations there as be
ing out of harmony with themselves and very
depressing. Others have had the experience of
having to spend a few hours in a place which in
every way was unsatisfactory to them.
Many of these individuals are not students of
the occult or of mysticism, and cannot arrive at
any satisfactory explanation of the reason for
their reaction. They simply feel uncomfortable,
dissatisfied with themselves or with the conditions
about them. It is an undefinable sensation to
them. Frequently the individual who does not
understand the condition assigns it to some indi
vidual or some occurrence. I do not doubt that
the basis, or rather, the beginning of many super
stitions could have been built up on an individual
finding a place inharmonious with his general
purposes and happiness, and assigning the ex
perience or unhappiness that might follow to an
insignificant event that might have been only co
incidental. For example, we might presume that
an individual who moved into a house in which
everything seemed to go wrong, in which happi
ness was non-existent, might remember that when

Page 52

he first saw the house or first moved into it he

walked under a ladder, or a black cat crossed his
path, and that could have been the beginning of
such a common superstition. Please understand I
am not stating that this was the beginning of
these two particular superstitions, but I am simply
using these as an illustration of how easily bad
luck could have been attributed to such insignificant occurrences.
It is the tendency of every human being to look
for the cause of his troubles outside himself, and
to select the obvious, even though the obvious
may not be based on good judgment. For example, it would be ridiculous to think that the
mere presence of an animal in the immediate
vicinity of an individual could affect him over a
period of time. W hat actually exists in such
cases is inharmonious vibrations, established by
one cause or another, possibly due to previous
suffering or sorrow, continued disharmony between two individuals, or many other factors.
The question of concern to the frater who writes
inquiring about this subject is what can be done
in such a condition. Are we victims of our en^
vironment under such circumstances? Do we have
to suffer through certain conditions of this kind
with which we had nothing to do? The truth is
that man can become, practically by his own
choice, a victim of his environment or a master
of it.
There are many persons who believe in the
science of astrology, some of them to the extent
that they will not perform even the simplest act
without first consulting authorities and charts to
determine whether such an act is propitious at
the particular moment. The esoteric astrologer,
who understands that the symbology of astrology
is only representative of certain forces in the
universe, realizes that the stars, or in fact any
other physical manifestation, cannot control mans
destiny, that man can work in spite of conditions.
He does not have to be a victim of them. This is
somewhat illustrated in the physical world. Anyone knows it is harder to row a boat up stream
than to drift with the current. It is harder to
climb up hill than it is to walk down. And when
we are faced with discordant vibrations we are
faced with a problem that is going to require
effort, just as when we are faced with a physical
situation that requires effort to succeed rather
than to go in the opposite way in an easier
manner.
Insofar as discordant vibrations existing in a
room or other place are concerned, it must be
borne in mind that the same thing which brought
about the existence of such vibrations can bring
about other vibrations. Ask yourself why the
vibratory effect of the room is inharmonious. As
already pointed out in these comments, it is be
cause those vibrations were set in motion by suf

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

fering, greed, jealousy, grief, or some negative

process continuing over a period of time. Now,
ask one more question. W hat existed before those
inharmonious vibrations were established? There
is only one answer, and that is some other type of
vibration. In other words, the vibration which
exists at this time has supplanted what existed be
fore due to a particular condition. Therefore,
the same process can be repeated. The inhar
monious vibrations existing now can be sup
planted with harmonious ones if we dedicate our
selves to the creation of those vibrations. This
will take a little time and patience in some cases,
but by a practical use of the knowledge which the
Rosicrucians obtain in their monographs it can
be done without great difficulty. The quickest
way to do it is through the use of the proper
vowel intonations. Those vowel sounds which
we are taught are positive in their effect will
rapidly create harmonious, positive vibrations
which will take the place of any others that ex'
ist. This is proven by entering any sacred struc^
ture or building which has been dedicated to
positive, constructive purposes. The great ca
thedrals in which chants incorporating certain
principles of vowel sounds have been used con
sistently always have a feeling of peace and quiet
about them. Temples used by the Rosicrucians
have the same effect upon anyone who enters.
You can create the same constructive, quieting
vibrations in your own home as well as they can
be created anywhere else. However, once existent
they must be maintained. One cannot maintain
these constructive, positive vibrations by repeating
the vowel sounds once a week, and the rest of
the week carrying on destructive activities or
holding thoughts that are not conducive to peace
and harmony, because in that case the vibrations
that we wish to have about us and which we have
built up will be torn down practically as fast as
they are established.
Therefore, there are both the physical and the
psychic sides of the question to be considered.
Physically, through the use of the proper vowel
sounds we actually create a different vibratory
condition, but through the proper psychic and
mental attitude we keep ourselves in harmony
with the types of vibrations we wish to establish,
and in that way assist in their continued existence.
Of course, the above explanation does not an
swer the question for the individual who wants
to know how he can affect a temporary condition.
W e are all called upon from time to time to enter
a condition with which we are not harmonious.
W e may have to attend a meeting in a place
where we do not like the atmosphere, so to speak.
Here man must use will power. He must realize
that the purpose of his going to such a place is
of specific importance to himself or to someone
else, and that purpose must overshadow the in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

convenience or difficulty. For example, if one

belongs to an organization which is carrying on
a constructive activity, then he will have to put up
with any disagreeable phases that may exist in
order to carry out that constructive purpose. If
the purpose is not constructive, then there is no
use in maintaining such affiliation or contact, and
it would be best to withdraw from such an
activity.A.

Reincarnation and Religion

In the last forum it was stated that so many
questions were received regarding the subject of
reincarnation that it would be impossible to an
swer them all or discuss this subject in every
issue of the Forum, without actually duplicating
the book by the late Imperator, Mansions of the
Soul, or the contents of the monographs. There
fore, it was suggested that members read the ma
terial already available on the subject in order
to help them formulate their opinions and under'
standing on this basis.
The question which prompts these comments
is one which indicates a misunderstanding of the
principles of the theory of reincarnation as pre
sented in our Neophyte monographs, and believ'
ing that other members may have the same mis'
understanding, I am reproducing here part of the
letter sent to a Frater. The Frater points out
that he cannot reconcile all of the statements
concerning the theory of reincarnation with his
religious beliefs, but in so doing he made it clear
that in his mind he had reached an erroneous
conclusion regarding an important point of rein'
carnation which perhaps stood in the way of his
better understanding the theory. He stated that
according to his understanding man reincarnates
indefinitelythat is, that the only time man re'
sides outside the physical body is during the
period between incarnations. He asks how this
can possibly be reconciled with the statement in
many religious beliefs that there is an eventual
state referred to as heaven where man has reached
a state of perfection. The following is a quotation
from the letter sent him:
The theory of reincarnation is one that cannot
be objectively proven. By that I mean I cannot
prove to you that reincarnation is a fact. Further'
more, no one can prove to me that it is truth.
It is one of the things which we are only able
to prove to ourselves, and until that proof is
definite in your own mind you do not have to
accept the theory of reincarnation as fact. W e
only ask, in consideration of Rosicrucianism, that
you consider all theories and facts presented with
an open mind from a fair viewpoint, realizing
that truth exists throughout the universe and that
man, being only a small part of all the universe,

Page 53

cannot ever hope in his present state to compre'

hend fully all truth that is. Therefore, mans lot
is to gain this truth step by step, point by point,
and when the time may come in the future when
we will know all truth through having developed
to that point where we gain union with our
Creator, we will probably realize that our groping
for truth here in the physical body is as an infant
or small child interpreting in its own terms, on
the basis of its understanding, the world in which
it finds itself.
As we understand the teachings of the great
masters of the past, the theory of reincarnation
does not contradict certain principles of existing
religions. You have, as you state your interpreta'
tion, misunderstood one point of our theory,
which has led you to a false conclusion which I
wish to clarify at this time. You state your under
standing of reincarnation is that the soul of man
lives on earth for eternity, excepting for the time
between transitions. This is not true. The soul
of man is incarnated in a physical body as long as
it is necessary. By necessary I mean as long as
that soul is to gain experience through the medium
of a physical body. This is not the time or the
place to go into a detailed discussion of why the
soul must gain experience in a physical, mortal
body on this earth. That is a subject which is
gradually unfolded through the higher degrees of
the organizations teachings, and it has been dis'
cussed in these Forum pages previously, and in
other publications. The fact that we find our'
selves in a physical body and the knowledge that
our real existence is the soul is evidence that the
soul does reside in a body, and it is the reality
of that fact with which we are immediately con'
cerned.
According to the theory of reincarnation, man
will continue to be placed in the physical body
until he learns certain lessons and fulfills certain
obligations. The mistakes we make today establish
our Karma, which means that these mistakes must
be corrected and compensated for in the future
either in this life or another. The obligations we
assume are to carry out the purpose of our
Creator. For example, Christ was incarnated in a
physical body, although we know as a great
Master His incarnation was not for the purpose of
teaching Him lessons, but to give Him the oppor'
tunity to teach other men. Therefore, in a small
way all of us are incarnated not only for the
purpose of learning lessons ourselves, but to ad'
minister to the needs of others to the extent we
are able to do so. These periods, or, we might
say, epochs of an incarnation in a physical body,
will continue until man has gained the knowledge
and experience which the Creator has established
for him to gain, and fulfilled the obligations that
will give him the experience to complete his
knowledge, development and purpose. Then man

Page 54

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

will reincarnate no more. He will, as you point

out, live in eternity in a future no longer connected with the physical universe.
W e hope this explanation will assist many
members in better understanding the theory of
reincarnation, and furthermore we hope it will
encourage everyone to realize there is no need to
sacrifice his convictions in order to have an open
mind. Tolerance of all truth is a fundamental
belief of the Rosicrucians, and a necessity on the
part of the member who will progress.A.

Contacting the Cathedral

Judging from the recent requests submitted to
the Forum it seems that there are quite a few
members who still have some difficulty attuning
themselves with the Cathedral of the Soul.
Some years ago when the Cathedral was first
announced, our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, spent some time explaining the Cathedral to us, telling us its purpose, how contact
with it could be established, what benefit would
result from such contacts and also a few rules to
follow for attunement. Dr. Lewis talks and ex
planations were published in early issues of The
Rosicrucian Forum that are no longer available
in the Supply Bureau. Perhaps it will be helpful
to many of us to review briefly some of Dr.
Lewis suggestions.
In the first place let us see from analysis just
what the Cathedral of the Soul is. The name
Cathedral implies a great edifice or structure of
the nature that we are all familiar with in this
material world of ours, though larger and more
magnificent than all of the earthly cathedrals com
bined into one. O f the Soul implies that our
cathedral is a meeting place for the Soul and not
the material, earthly body. Such a place must
necessarily be for the benefit of all mankind;
therefore, we think of it as tremendous in size,
beyond comparison with anything here on earth
that we may have seen with the physical eyes.
Because we are prone to make comparisons with
things that are familiar to us in a material way,
it is difficult for some to realize and feel the
majesty and beauty of the Cathedral of the
Soul. Recall to mind the greatest material structure, the most beautifully decorated church or
cathedral you have ever been in, heard of, or
seen, then magnify it a hundred times and you
have some idea of the size and beauty of the
Cathedral of the Soul as first built up and con
structed in the mind of Dr. H. Spencer Lewis
years ago, when he and a select few of our most
advanced fratres and sorores were preparing this
great meeting place for the benefit of all souls
everywhere. And so we have, to a small degree,
a general idea of what the Cathedral of the

Soul is. In short, it is a meeting place for the

soul of man, just as is a church, a temple, or
a sanctum here on earth a meeting place for the
physical bodies of men.
It is thus realized that the purpose of the
Cathedral of the Soul is to provide a place
to which the soul, crying out for temporary re
lease from material realities, may soar for peace,
harmony, wisdom, guidance, inspiration, and contact with the soul personalities of all who wish to
enjoy such contact and communion. W ith this
brief description of the Cathedral of the Soul
and explanation of its purpose, many members
will perhaps find it a little easier to visualize and
mentally see it, thus helping them to establish
better contact during their attunement periods.
This leads us to the main purpose of our dis
cussion this morning: How can I contact the
Cathedral of the Soul? The first advice to give
one asking this question is to read carefully the
book, Liber 777. Read it over several times,
especially the chapter entitled, How to attune
with the Cathedral. You will note that there
are only a few instructions which can be given.
After these rules are well established in the mind
all that remains is to practice daily contacts, using
the suggestions and salutations recommended. If
you see nothing, hear nothing, sense or feel noth
ing, try again at some other time. The next desig
nated period, for instance, or any other time that
you may wish. Lack of confidence and discourage
ment are common troubles in attuning with the
Cathedral. Prepare for the contact just as you
would prepare yourself to visit a material temple
or cathedral. This means washing the hands and
drinking cold water, symbolizing the cleansing of
the body before coming before the Great Masters
within the Cathedral of the Soul. Do not
slight these rules including the use of prayer for
admittance and the expression of thanks for the
privilege of visiting the Cathedral. These rules
are very important. If they were not, they would
not be included in Liber 777. The mental and
physical attitude toward a visit to the Cathedral
is important. This attitude must be dignified and
serious. The Cathedral must be approached
with deep respect and reverence, just as much
so as if you were being accorded the privilege
of a visit to vour God. You must be sincere of
purpose and humble in your appreciation of the
privilege about to be accorded you and remember
it is a privilege, not something that is owed to you
by the Cosmic Masters, and yet no one will ex
clude you from the Cathedral or prevent you
from contacting it but yourself. In other words,
by an improper approach and an improper atti
tude the individual excludes himself from the
Cathedral. Contact is offered and extended to
you if you will but accept it. You must, how

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ever, be grateful for the opportunity and ex

press this gratefulness by a proper attitude and
sincerity of desire.
You will note, incidentally, in the instructions
in Liber 777 the fulfillment of the old adage,
You must ask. In the practice of mysticism
we find this law of vital importance. W hy or
when it was discovered or set forth is not im
portant. Its use, however, has been appreciated
by mystics and sages for centuries. It will be
noted by the reader of Liber 777 that there is
very little we can offer in the way of further
instruction for making the contact. However, as
Dr. Lewis has explained to us in the past, there
are a few suggestions that may help those who
are having difficulty.
Now that we understand the importance of
seeking contact with the proper mental attitude
in complete respect and reverence, let us consider
for a moment thoughts to be held in mind while
preparing to enter into the silence. It is safe to
say that the majority of members and nonmem
bers are over-anxious when they attempt to attune
with the Cathedral for the first two or three
times. This anxiety to make the contact is quite
all right during the period of preparation It
will not interfere with results to look forward to
the contact with excitement and ecstasy. Such
enthusiasm, excitement, and anxiety should be
confined, however, to the period of preparing the
sanctum, the room, or place where the contact
is to be attempted, and also in preparing the
person, such as washing the hands and drinking
the cold water. A fter that, one must sit down
quietly and passively to enjoy the manifestations
that may occur and which have been enthusiastically anticipated.
You may dress up in your best clothing and
visit your local theatre to see a motion picture
that is starring your favorite actor or actress, but
though you are greatly excited about the picture
and the pleasure you anticipate, after you are
seated in the theatre, you do not hang on to the
edge of your seat straining every muscle and
nerve, anxious as to the outcome of the picture,
but rather you sit back and relax so that you may
enioy to the utmost the story or drama being un
folded before you on the motion-picture screen.
You have learned from experience to accept what
is proiected upon the screen for your pleasure
or displeasure, whichever the case may be. Strain
ing will not help one iota. The same thing is
true in regard to a Cathedral of the Soul con
tact. The only effect your excitement or anxiety
will have upon the contact will be to prevent you
from being conscious of it. Of this you can be
assured and so once seated in your sanctum, your
favorite chair, or even on a park bench, relax
your mind, eliminate all thought as to what will

Page 55

happen, what will take place, or be experienced.

Do not under any circumstances try to watch for
some sign or some indication that you have made
the contact. To do so is like lying down to go to
sleep at night and then trying to watch for sleep
to overtake you. You know that this cannot be
done and such thoughts will only prevent sleep.
Instead of doing this you simply retire at night
confident in the knowledge that you will go to
sleep; therefore, you simply abandon yourself to
sleep. Now you must do the same thing when
making the contact; that is, abandon yourself to
the contact, confident in the knowledge of what
will take place. This, of course, does not mean
that a Cathedral of the Soul contact is like
going to sleep, but it simply means that the mental
attitude is the same. Now this requires a passive
state of mind; that is to say, a meditative mood
as compared with active concentration. W hen
actively concentrating upon a thought or idea, or
picturing in your mind the Cathedral, you are
holding the thought or picture before you. If
this is done when trying a contact nothing will re
sult insofar as a conscious contact is concerned;
therefore, sit down and relax the body and mind,
attaining the passive state, confident that the con
tact will be made and with a firm conviction
that the desires and expectations will be gratified
This will be far more productive of results than
any form, system, or process of concentration on
the part of the objective consciousness.
If no contact is felt do not be discouraged, offer
a prayer of thanks for the opportunity of trying
and then try again when you can do so. Remem
ber no one can answer your question, W hy
cannot I contact the Cathedral of the Soul? N o
one would know why a particular individual
cannot make the contact. There are, however,
two possibilities: One, that something within the
person of a psychic natureor perhaps some
thing in the persons mind of a physical or mental
natureis not quite ready, or perhaps the Cosmic
itself is not quite ready for the contact to be
made. Another possibility, and this is perhaps
the most likely, is that the one unable to attune
with the Cathedral does not proceed in the
right manner to make the contact.
One more dont that may help you is this:
In our awakened, conscious state we are accus
tomed to analysing our experiences and being
conscious of the world about us. Often while in
conversation or when witnessing a condition or
experience, we think about it, analyse it, and
try to figure what happened, why and how. This
must be avoided during a contact with the Ca
thedral. It calls for objective, mental action and
this will break the attunement. If you wish to
analyse your Cathedral experience, wait until
it is entirely over. You can then give it your

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

undivided attention. It may be wise to remind

you that contact with the Cathedral is a psychic
experience and an immaterial condition; therefore,
you cannot compare it with anything physical or
material. Your objective analysis, therefore, may
prove unfair to yourself and the experience you
have had. Many may anticipate something most
unusual and quite spectacular and be disappointed
because they were conscious only of something
calm and peaceful. Such however, is due to the
nature of contact and is very often more to our
advantage than an experience of an audible or
ocular nature. For instance, what could be better
than this peace and calm resulting at a time when
we were worried and upset because of some
material condition that had occurred in our lives?
This is just one of the many ways in which one
can benefit by a meditation period at one of the
specified hours in the book, Liber 777.
And now let me say again that continued
effort and practice in spite of seeming failure
will bring fruit. It is just a matter of confidence
and inner assurance that you can and will make
contact with the Cathedral of the Soul.

Regeneration
A letter from a Soror in Ohio asks, I would
like to see discussed in the Forum something con
cerning the principle of regenerationthat is, is
there a knowledge which saves us from rebirth or
renders one free or not subject to additional re
incarnations? If this Soror is basing her question
on whether or not it is possible to live indefinitely
in the physical body, then the answer is No. If
the question is based upon the principle of
whether there is a knowledge which eventually
frees us from earthly reincarnations, then the
answer is Yes.
To elaborate somewhat upon these two answers,
let me say first of all that there is no knowledge
or instruction available that will teach an indi
vidual how to live indefinitely in a physical body.
It has always been an intriguing point of investi
gation on the part of man to develop longevity.
The fountain of youth has been sought many
times throughout history. It has even been
claimed for some individuals that they did live
indefinitely. The story of the wandering Jew,
Lew Wallaces intriguing story of the Prince of
India, and many other accounts illustrate this in
an interesting manner. It has also been claimed
that there are Masters in Tibet who have lived
untold years in one physical body. This myth
or belief was popularized by James Hilton in his
book, Lost Horizon, which truly did present
many facts, except for the incident of the indi
vidual who seemed to be able to live for hundreds
of years in the physical body.

Rosicrucians should be able to see the facts

back of such accounts. W e acknowledge and base
our philosophy upon the duality of man. W e ob
serve about us every day the change in matter
that is, in things that are of the physical universe.
Our philosophy is based upon the principle
that matter is becomingthat is, always changing,
always modifying, never the same for even two
successive moments. As our bodies are changing
and being modified, it is evident that they will
eventually cease to function as efficiently as they
do now and will finally disintegrate and the body
return to its component parts. This gradual
breaking-down is a natural process. The body was
built or formed for that purpose. It is only a
temporary residing place for the soul, and when
it has served that purpose it returns, regardless
of what may be the desire of the objective reason
ing of the individual. This does not mean that
man should not attempt to maintain his physical
body. W e cannot be fatalists to the point where
we can say that the body will function as long
as it is supposed to, and then discontinue, be
cause the soul has an experience to learn through
the medium of the body; and it is only logical that
we accept the fact that the more perfect the body
functions the better opportunity the soul will
have to learn what it has to experience. There
fore, since the body is the temple of the soul, an
obligation assumed by us is to maintain that
temple. This is being done, we know, because
the span of life has increased in past years, and
there is no reason, according to the teachings
of the Masters, why man should not be able to
live a good deal longer than he does nowin
fact, he could live 144 years according to the
natural cycle and then immediately reincarnate
But man will never develop the ability to main
tain one physical body indefinitely, because should
this be done it would be an acknowledgement
that matter is of more value and significance
than have ever been assigned to it by idealists,
philosophy and religion.
If the body could survive forever, then man
could disregard the soul and work only for the
maintenance of his body; but who would want
the body to survive forever? W hat possible
progress could be made if we were bound to the
physical limitations which we now have? Every
one of us, no matter how perfect our health may
be, is still limited by certain bonds which con
stitute our own particular physical makeup.
There is probably not a human being living who,
if he could, would not change some physical
characteristic, even if this characteristic were no
more than his appearance, as no one is vain
enough to believe he is a perfect specimen in
appearance.
The other phase of the question is, Can knowl
edge and experience bring us to the point where

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

additional reincarnations are unnecessary?" As

I stated at the beginning of these comments, the
answer to this is Yes. There are Masters residing
on the Cosmic plane, and in some cases on the
physical plane, who have passed through all of
the necessary experiences and completed their
cycles of incarnation for the gaining of knowledge
and information. They therefore only reincarnate
if it is necessary to do so for others. Such ex
amples are the great Avatars who have come to
earth not for their own experience but to assist
those who are still struggling. To the best of
our information and knowledge, those who have
advanced the highest do not reincarnate again
on earth. Their sphere of activity is beyond our
comprehension. There is little use for us to specu
late as to what they do, except that we do know,
as pointed out in the highest degree teachings
of the Order, that they direct certain activities
among those who seek their direction on this
earth plane. W e cannot conceive of what is done
outside of a physical existence that would be con
structive and useful and conform to the economy
of life, but continue to exist. Therefore, what we
are concerned about in regeneration takes two
phases: First, what we might call the negative
phase, the maintaining of our physical body, not
for the purpose of having it last forever, but to
have it serve well the soul that inhabits it. I
say this is a negative phase, because it concerns
the material side of our existence, which is com
posed of spirit, the negative element of the uni
verse. Then there is the positive phase of re
generation, the gaining of knowledge and experi
ence which will bring us to that point where we
will have accomplished the purpose of physical
incarnation and can go on to learn and under
stand the true purpose of life and the soul which
lies beyond the training period.
Did you ever wonder why all philosophies try
ing to explain the purpose of life seem to fall
short, regardless of how elaborate they may be?
In these last few words above is the answer to
why they fall shortbecause as long as we are
in a physical body we are still in a state of
preparation and gaining of knowledge. Just as a
child entering the first grade of school and study
ing through the early years of school cannot see
clearly the endthe reason why he should learn
reading, writing and arithmeticso we in these
elementary stages cannot see beyond some of the
conditions which we face at the moment.A.

T rue Appreciation
Mention has been made in these Forum pages
before of demands which have been placed upon
us due to the international situation. Differences
in the monetary exchange between countries work

Page 57

a definite hardship upon many members who re

mit dues to the United States for affiliation with
this jurisdiction. For example, ever since the war
began members in Canada have been paying, in
terms of their own money, considerably more
than $2.00 a month for dues. By the time they
make arrangements to send their dues and pay
the difference in the exchange, their dues amount
to from $2.25 to $2.40 a month. All Canadians
are called upon to make many sacrifices at this
time, to a much greater extent, in fact, than are
we, and in order that our Canadian members will
not be deprived of affiliation with the Order the
organisation has recently adopted the policy of
accepting the Canadian dollar at par. This has
been made possible through the contributions of
members in this country who wish to assist in
this regard. The Supreme Secretary received the
following two letters in one day from members
commenting upon this arrangement. The first
reads as follows :
You will find enclosed a money order for
$6.00 to cover dues through the remainder of this
year. I wish to thank the officers of the organisa
tion for their kind offer to accept Canadian dollars
at par. However, I am following the usual pro
cedure, as I feel that although I am not affluent
I can still afford the difference, and the saving
to AM ORC may help some other Frater or Soror
who may be less able to meet the dues.
The other letter is as follows:
Enclosed please find a money order for $4.00
for two months dues. I received your recent
letter regarding Canadian members dues. The
exchange has been steady for some time, and if
this continues, in order not to interfere with your
bookkeeping I will be glad to continue remitting
the same as in the past. I am receiving an increase in income, and as long as I can do so I will
be glad to absorb the difference. Thank you for
your kind offer.
These two letters are examples of the splendid
attitude of A M O RC members throughout the
world. The average member is not trying to take
advantage of any situation. He realises that the
funds which the organisation receives as contri
butions to its support are necessary for the main
tenance of the institution with which he is proud
to be affiliated. W hile our Canadian members
have the right and privilege of remitting in terms
of Canadian currency, which incidentally would
bring to the organisation less than $2.00 in United
States money, they realise that there are many
who need this advantage more than they, and if
they can remit in the usual manner it will assist
the organisation in extending the privilege to
those who are less fortunate than they at this
time.
There are many things which this organisation
likes to do. It makes every effort to assist the

Page 58

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

member in his membership activities, extending

privileges and incorporating special material as a
part of the regular membership features. All
great advances that the organisation has been able
to make have been due to the support and con
tributions of the members. The Research Library,
the Rose-Croix University, many of the enclosures
and the present form of preparing certain mono
graphs, the Pronunciamentos, and numerous other
features that are not items which were originally
guaranteed the receiving member, were all made
possible because the members are interested in
Rosicrucianism and wish to advance it. W e can
not all assist in the same way, but we can all do
our part. W e hope our members will not forget
that today there are Fratres and Sorores who may
be less fortunate than some of us, and that it is
we upon whom they are depending not to be
deprived of the work and studies which they
have undertaken.A.

O ur Dreams
The subject of dreams is not new in the pages
of this Forum. Dreams are intriguing. They
sometimes alarm us; they sometimes please us,
but always they interest us, because it is a human
trait to keep in consciousness all phases of experience, or at least experience which is strong
enough to register upon our consciousness. From
a purely objective and psychological point of view,
a dream is experience, because it is the action of
the objective mind, or at least it is an objective
realisation of thoughts that come from our mem'
ory or storehouse of memory and are related in
forms of experience while we sleep.
There have always been stories told and statements made regarding the truth, and particularly
the prophecy, of dreams. These comments, in
fact, are the result of a direct question as to
whether dreams are prophetic or are directly re
lated with psychic development and psychic experience. In other words, are we, through our
dreams, obtaining information we might not
otherwise obtain? To answer the question bluntly,
the average dream is neither prophetic nor does
it have any bearing upon what we as Rosicrucians
call psychic development. I will point out why
this is true in these comments.
First of all let us consider what is the compo
sition of dreams. They are the result of a free
activity of the consciousness. The average dream
is extremely short. Just as you can in fifteen
seconds think of the outstanding events that have
occurred to you in the past week, so you can,
when asleep, have those same events pass through
your consciousness, and when you awake they
would seem to have a continuity which produces
the illusion of time. This is borne out by the

fact that almost everyone has had the experience

of having intentionally, or otherwise, timed him
self by the clock, having fallen asleep for a few
minutes and dreamed what constituted in his
memory upon awakening a long experience which
could not possibly have transpired during the
time he was asleep. Incidentally, although not
directly related to this subject at the moment,
this is an indication of the illusion of time. In
reality time as a fixed physical measurement does
not exist. Time, after all, as pointed out in our
studies, is only a measurement for the duration
of consciousness. Habit has forced us to measure
that consciousness in our accepted daily method.
Dreams, according to some psychologists, have
external as well as internal causes. Something
either a sound, a light, or a sensation to the ex
ternal part of the body, such as an uncomfortable
position or an object pressing against the body
will cause a person to be slightly aroused from a
deep sleep and set up a certain trend of thought
which will develop into the sequence of a dream.
This is one indication of the insignificance of the
average dream.
One most peculiar thing in connection with
dreams is that a person who is worrying or deeply
concerned about some particular thing may never
dream about it. It would seem that something
which was on ones mind constantly during wak
ing hours would dominate his dreams, but it is
an infrequent experience for one to dream of that
which causes him the most concern in his waking
state. However, there will be times when a per
son will dream incessantly of a problem he is
trying to solve in a waking state. Another ex
perience that is very common to individuals be
ginning a new type of work or skill which
requires considerable effort and leaves them ex
hausted at the end of the day, is to dream about
that work all night and be equally exhausted after
the nights sleep.
It seems that in dreams the most unexpected
things come into consciousness. Persons whom
we have not seen or thought of for years may
be recalled, or we may relive incidents in our
early lives, or incidents that are based upon facts
of our early lives. Concern over certain things
will sometimes bring a dream related to those
things but not consistent with them. For example,
I know of an individual who had a dream which
was rather peculiar. He dreamed that he opened
the safe in his office and found that it had evi
dently been robbed, because everything was out
of place and certain things were missing. He was
so startled that he awoke with the thought in
mind of immediately investigating to determine
whether the safe had actually been robbed, but
instead fell into 4a sleep and dreamed that he
was investigating the safe and upon opening it
found that it was all right. Here is an interesting

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sequence of thought, one caused by possible con

cern for the responsibility of safeguarding the
contents of the safe, and the other by the evident
ly logical train of thought which entered his mind
during the short period of wakefulness, when
objectively he assured himself that the safe could
not have been opened. Incidentally, upon check
ing on the dream after reaching his office, he
found this to be the truth. If the safe had been
robbed, that individual would probably have be
lieved he had been warned of the condition in the
dream. The fact that it was not robbed indicates
that the dream was not in any way prophetic,
and furthermore, as already stated here, that the
average dream does not carry with it knowledge
usually not objectively available to an individual.
Someone will state, in regard to these remarks,
what of those dreams which have definitely car
ried prophetic information? There is only one
explanation, but it has two phases. In the first
place, our objective memory is incomplete, as we
know from the study of the Third Degree of the
Rosicrucian teachings. In other words, the objec
tive mind has the ability to recollect, but it does
not have the ability of perfect memory. There
fore, if a person dreams that something he has lost
is at a particular place, and he goes there and
finds it, that is not proof of a supernatural con
dition, nor of a prophetic form of dream. It is
simply proof of the fact that during sleep when
he was perfectly relaxed and the objective mind
was not reasoning, the memory of the subjective
mind was able to enter the objective consciousness
and the incident was remembered. Nothing new
was gained.
W hen information comes through a dream
which could not possibly have been part of our
memory, then we must admit that the experience
was psychicthat is, that the knowledge came
from the soul, from the subjective, through what
we know in our waking state as intuition. But
the whole fact of the matter is that one is no
more psychically developed while asleep than he
is while awa\e. A person who has no psychic
development, who seldom pays attention to intui
tive ideas in an objective state, will not be in a
position to do so while asleep. W hen one has
reached a point of high psychic development, he
will gain information through subjective channels
from the source of all knowledge, as described
in our teachings, whether he be asleep or awake.
Therefore, when we ask the question, Are
dreams prophetic, or do they have significance
beyond objective interpretation? the answer must
be that it depends upon the individual.
Most dreams have no significance, but a person
with a high degree of psychic development will
have dreams which are significant prophetically
or which provide information, just as he will gain

Page 59

information while awake through the medium of

the subjective consciousness. Remember that
when you are asleep you are the same individual
you are when you are awake. Sleeping is a
natural process. It does not add particular powers
or abilities to an individual who only seeks or
aspires toward psychic development. It produces
an opportunity for gaining information for those
who have psychic development. Therefore, the
gaining of intuitive inspiration and knowledge is
based upon the ability of gaining psychic develop
ment.A.

Self-Diagnosis
It is most gratifying to have so many interest
ing topics of conversation brought before our
forum this morning. Here is one that is very
appropriate: I have never noticed in the pages
of The Rosicrucian Forum a discussion of selfdiagnosis through the principles of Rosicrucian
healing. Searching back through early issues of
the magazine we have been unsuccessful in finding
an article dealing exclusively with this subject
However, so many of our discussions here have in
cluded the subject of illness and health that actu
ally the question has been covered, though per
haps in an indirect way.
In considering the question of diagnosis, let us
be reminded of a few facts in regard to the
mystics attitude toward disease. You will re
member that from a mystical point of view all
illness is the result of inharmony in the body, no
matter what it may be called or named in the
field of therapeutical science. This is an important
fact when applying mystical or metaphysical
methods of healing. W hen we are ill or depleted
in vitality, we are lacking in either one or both
of the elements vital to life. In fact, if one ele
ment is below normal, the entire vitality is below
normal because the positive and negative ele
ments tend to stabilize or equalize in the cells
of the blood.
For instance, suppose that we set normal vi
tality at 100 per cent, 50 per cent positive and 50
per cent negative. If the positive drops to 40 per
cent of normal it will draw unto itself just 40
per cent of the negative element even though
there may be an abundance of the negative ele
ment to draw upon. The result is that the total
vitality or energy will be just 80 per cent, or 20
per cent low. To bring the vitality back to
normal, we can either raise the positive polarity
through the methods outlined in our studies or
we can raise both the positive and the negative
by the proper treatments. In this way we restore
the body to a state of harmony where illness and
disease cannot exist. In using our methods of
treatment, it is naturally to our advantage to

Page 60

know which of the two elements constituting the

bodys vitality should be applied.
Through years of experience with the healing
methods we have been able to prepare a list of
general classifications that indicate which treatment should be given. These we list under the
titles most commonly accepted, such as colds,
abnormalities of the respiratory system, stomach
conditions that prevent proper digestion, depleted
vitality and general fatigue, sleeplessness, loss of
appetite, and several others. These conditions
are easily recognized, both by the patient and the
practitioner. Knowing the particular element that
is below normal, the proper treatment is easily
determined. There are, of course, times when one
is not sure just what treatment to give. He can
then call into use the mystical method of diagnosis
that is carefully explained in the Rosicrucian
monographs. This method that is familiar to all
who have studied the healing instructions is one
that can only be applied to another. In other
words, it is not a method of self-diagnosis; how
ever, it can be used by having someone else apply
it. The only trouble would be the fact that a
great deal of practice is necessary before one can
be successful. Furthermore, one must train him
self in the art of interpreting what he sees. A
suggestion that may help would be for two mem
bers to try to arrange to practice together for
twenty or thirty minutes a day or even a week.
This is especially applicable where there are two
members of the Order in one family. In the case
of a member who is the sole representative of the
Order in his family, if there is another in the
family who is in sympathy with him and his Rosi
crucian interests, he can call upon this member of
his family for help. In other words, he can work
with this person by explaining briefly that he is
trying an experiment and would like assistance.
He need not go into too much detail regarding
the principles, but just enough to encourage the
necessary cooperation that will manifest in results.
In this way the member of the Order can practice
the art of diagnosis and at the same time have
his own condition diagnosed.
There is still another way of determining in a
general way the condition of ones general health
and that is by the study of the human aura. This
is an ability that requires much practice for it is
very difficult indeed to see and recognize the
subtle colors that appear in the field surrounding
the physical body. The lighting in the room must
be just right in brilliance and color. The eye
must be trained to sense and detect these fine, high
vibratory rates. It is an achievement that all
should strive to attain and through practice the
perception of sight can be extended to include the
high vibrations. Many, however, have difficulty
developing this art. The condition and magnitude

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of the human aura disclose much knowledge to the

one able to read it. For instance, certain colors
seen in an aura indicate various degrees of health
or vitality. The extent or size of the aura will
indicate the condition of the bodys vitality. In
other words, a strong, wide aura will show a
strong, vital body. The predominance of certain
colors, however, may indicate a slight abnormal
condition, or the need of either positive or nega
tive energy. The colors that indicate which ele
ment is lacking are the same as given in the lessons
for diagnosing a patient. W hen one attempts to
use this method of studying the aura to determine
the state of his health, he must avoid deep thought
on any subject, he must avoid any form of excite
ment or display outward or inward of the emo
tions, for emotion and thought activity will affect
the size and color of the aura, thus giving a false
impression or reading. It will naturally be neces
sary to watch for the aura to appear in the
sanctum mirror, surrounding the head, shoulders,
and torso of the reflection. For this a careful
lighting arrangement must be worked out. This
will be determined only through experiment. One
will have to find the arrangement that is best in
his particular case.
Aside from the above suggestion there is only
one thing to do in the case of self-diagnosis and
that is to pay attention to material, physical signs
of ill health. If depleted in vitality, give self
treatments. If no results are noticed in one or
two days, go and have a check-up by a diagnotician. Continue the self-treatment along with
whatever else may be prescribed by your physi
cian. In the meantime, do not wait for the neces
sity of diagnosis, but practice the recommended
habits of health given in your monographs. This
ounce of prevention will be worth far more to
you than the time and effort spent diagnosing
and taking the pound of cure.

Vitamins
It is quite natural that questions should reach
this Forum which are the result of interest in a
subject outside Rosicrucianism. A number of
questions have been asked recently by members in
various degrees regarding vitamins. N ot so many
years ago the word vitamin was practically un
known, except to scientists who specialized in the
study of foods and related subjects. Now we
have been made vitamin-conscious through adver
tising, through producers of many products em
phasizing the vitamin content of their particular
product. In many cases this has been carried to a
ridiculous extreme. Some years ago the late Im
perator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, wrote an article,
either in these pages or in the Rosicrucian
Digest, in which he pointed out the absurd

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

claims which have been made by some manufac

turers in regard to the vitamin content of their
product. Like many other things which are com
paratively new to the average individual, it is
necessary to consider the subject free from some
of the extreme claims made, and actually face the
matter squarely.
Generally speaking, a vitamin is a substance in
food which is essential to life and growth. In
other words, should we eat food deprived of all
vitamins we would be denying our bodies the es
sential part of the food itself. These essentials
are classified in various wavs. The most accepted
method is by the letters A, B, C, etc., designating
various types of vitamins which have been chem
ically isolated and studied. Careful experimenta
tion under proper control has given us a fairly
good idea of the particular value to the human
body of each of the vitamins studied. It is found,
for example, that a deficiency in one vitamin will
cause a certain resulting condition in the body.
I will not here attempt to analyse what each
vitamin does or how it assists the body, because
there are many reliable books and publications
available in libraries to anyone who wishes to
make an investigation.
That vitamins are contained in food shows
the wisdom of nature. W e must not gain the
impression that vitamins are something new
which man has made. They are evidence of na
tures wisdom in the preparation of those things
which will meet the need of man, which after all
is another manifestation of natures purposes.
Many years ago, before vitamins were ever heard
of, there was a remarkable number of people who
went through life with a reasonable degree of
health. They did not understand that when they
ate certain foods they were getting certain vita
mins. Neither did they give particular considera
tion to their diet, except to eat when they were
hungry of what was available. I mav be criticised
in this statement, because statistics show there has
been a betterment in general health conditions as
a result of modern medical and dietetic research.
This is mainly indicated by the longer life span.
However, the question cannot help but come be
fore us as to why many people were healthy who
never heard of vitamins or modern dietetics. The
reason is that they secured their vitamins just as
we secure them todaythrough their food. The
vitamins are there, and it is quite probable that
the synthetic production of vitamins in the last
few years has been brought about by the higher
refining of food and the over-cooking of it. W hen
food was simpler and more in the form produced
by nature, practically all that nature included in
that food was there and ready for human con
sumption. Now if foods are over-cooked, or the
original product so refined there is little left of
food value, the vitamins are naturally gone. In

Page 61

fresh vegetables cooked an excessive length of

time the percentage of vitamin content is greatly
cut down. The highly refined products of many
food manufacturers also contain a much lower
vitamin content. Progressive food manufacturers
are aware of this, and the reason we hear so
much about vitamins today is that they are mak
ing efforts to add synthetically to the vitamin
content of their products. You frequently see
advertisements today of products that are vitaminenriched.
Vitamins are prepared also in concentrated
formin tablets, capsules, liquids, etc. There is
probably need for these at various times. A defi
ciency in the body of some certain vitamin can
be remedied by the inclusion of larger amounts
of that particular vitamin, in conjunction with
the regular diet. However, while these are not
drugs, it is advisable not to attempt diagnosing
oneself in regard to taking such things. The tak
ing of herbs, drugs, medicines or any similar
products is for a specific cause and should be done
under the direction of a properly trained physi
cian who can diagnose the cause and the amount
of medication necessary to assist the body in fill
ing its needs.
Another question regarding vitamins pertains
to whether the vitamin is a part of the A or
B element. I believe from the previous com
ments it is apparent to most members that it is
a food, something of material composition which
nature has included to balance that which men
and animals must necessarily take for sustenance.
Furthermore, we have seen that these vitamins
can be produced syntheticallythat is, made of
other physical things in proper chemical composi
tion. Therefore, it is apparent that the vitamin
is a part of the B element.
W ith this in mind it is clearly evident to any
Rosicrucian that regardless of how much vitaminenriched food we may eat, how closely we may
follow a diet made up of foods approximately in
a state in which nature produced them, or how
many bottles of synthetic vitamin preparations we
may take, little result can come unless the other
side of the harmony of the body is considered.
In other words, we know that man cannot live
in perfect harmony by the taking of the B ele
ment alone. Therefore, in cases where indications
are that there is a vitamin deficiency, while it is
of utmost importance that the deficiency be made
up by proper treatment and diet, it is doubly im
portant that the individual who may be suffering
from the deficiency be given treatments that will
add to the A element, and thereby balance the
total state of the body, contributing to a condi
tion of harmonium. Deep breathing exercises are
an essentia! accompaniment to proper food if our
bodies are to be normal and healthy.A

Page 62

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Being Degree Conscious

A Frater from Ohio asks the question, Is there
not a certain danger in selecting one particular
point of the Rosicrucian teachings to the exclu
sion of the consideration of the technique of the
studies and the application of Rosicrucian principles as a whole? This question can easily be
answered in the affirmative. There is always the
dangerous tendency, on the part of any individ
ual, to isolate those things in which he is most
interested. A small child illustrates this human
trait by selecting first from those things it can eat
whatever appeals to it most, putting the dessert
before the rest of the meal, or in play selecting
the brightest colored toys rather than dividing its
attention among a number of objects.
As adult human beings we more or less do the
same thing. A n honest appraisal of our own
habits would probably indicate that when we sit
down with our favorite morning or evening
newspaper we usually turn to a certain part first.
It may be world news, local happenings, stock
market quotations, editorial comment, or even
the comic section. Whatever has the most appeal
to us at the moment is what we develop the habit
of giving our first attention. It is not unusual,
then, that the student who affiliates with this
organization should have in mind certain prin
ciples, or certain information, which he is most
interested in receiving; in fact, some members
are so impatient that they write to our Depart
ment of Instruction after the first or second
lesson, stating that they have not as vet received
information on a certain subject and expressing
disappointment in not having it presented sooner.
It is verv difficult to explain to an individual who
is so enthusiastic about one particular subject the
necessity of building a foundation for the correct
understanding of that subject. But to one who
will use sound judgment and reason it is plainly
evident that there are prerequisites to all learn
ing. For example, simple mathematics must pre
cede higher mathematics. Certain laws of chem
ical combination must precede experimental activ
ity in a laboratory. This latter is a good illustra
tion of the necessity of knowledge preceding
utilization of chemical formulae as a matter of
protection to the individual, because in this field
an error in judgment or an error due to lack of
knowledge could be disastrous.
Today is a time of specialization when the
tendency is to direct our attention toward the
parts rather than the whole; but when it comes
to building a practical philosophy of life and the
gaining of the knowledge which is for the pur
pose of helping us to attain that philosophy, as
well as to be able to apply certain laws of God
and nature properly in our own lives, it is im

portant to keep in mind that the end in view is

the seeking of the mastery of life, the gaining of
happiness, understanding and contentment. These
in themselves are all abstract terms. The fact that
they are abstract indicates that the conditions or
states of existence represented by them are ideal,
sometimes primarily in the mind of the individual
who conceives them. Therefore, since they in
fluence life as a whole we must consider the
things which contribute to the bringing about of
these states as a whole as fast as we are able to
do so. The qualifying phrase at the conclusion of
the last sentence means that we will consider
Rosicrucianism as a whole as rapidly as we master
the individual techniques; that is, it would be
foolish for us to consider that according to this
reasoning there would be no necessity of ever
giving directed attention to individual steps and
processes. For example, one must learn to con
centrate properly, for this is one of the most im
portant steps toward the gaining of more com
plete Rosicrucian knowledge and ability. But
should the student completely lose sight of the
fact that each of the steps he takes is contributing
to an end, then he loses times and effort in gain
ing the very ability he seeks.
Possibly this is evidenced by degree conscious
ness more than anything else. It is not unusual
for one member, upon meeting another, to ask,
W hat degree are you in? This is a natural
question, and from the standpoint of mere curio
sity is not important; but it is a bad habit from
the standpoint that it tends to cause the member
to make his estimate of another Rosicrucian or
another human beings accomplishments in terms
of physical limitations. A fter all, the degrees in
this organization, while numbered as they are due
to certain reasons which will be revealed in the
higher degrees, are, regardless of these facts,
somewhat arbitrary. Any physical limitation is
arbitrary and is usually a matter of convenience.
One is a Rosicrucian whether in the first or the
highest degree, and while those who are in the
higher degrees are more fortunate because of the
fact that they have taken steps before those who
are just beginning, this does not mean they are
necessarily more highly developed or are innately
of a different caliber. In fact, being in a higher
degree entails added obligations. Errors can be
excused on the part of a beginner, but should not
be excused on the part of those who have gained
certain knowledge as to how to correct or avoid
those errors.
Therefore, a great deal can be gained by every
member of this organization by giving some con
sideration in each study period to Rosicrucianism
as an inclusive philosophy. It is of definite bene
fit to each member if he will spend a few moments
in meditation recalling various points of in forma

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tion, experiments, and results of these exercises,

and then think of these individual items as being
threads which are woven into one complete pat
tern, this pattern forming a foundation con
tributing to the stability of his whole life. Such
consideration will do a great deal toward bringing
success where failure may have previously existed.
The very fact of doing this occasionally, I would
say at least once a week with regularity, helps the
individual to adopt a more comprehensive point
of view which is more conducive to attuning him
with the entire Cosmic scheme rather than leav
ing him a separate segment with no apparent im
mediate relationship. Try this consistently for a
while. You will find it beneficial.A

Time for Exercises

A Soror asks whether: even though certain peri
ods of time are usually outlined for various exer
cises given in the monographs, is it not possible to
carry out these exercises for a longer period of
time than specified? Two factors are involved in
answering this questionfirst, a consideration of
personal adaptation; and second, a consideration
of the learning process. No two people learn in
exactly the same way. W e can all remember in
school how disappointed we sometimes were with
the results of our efforts, while a fellow student
seemed to gain perfection with apparently no
effort. This may have applied to only one sub
ject and the facts were reversed in other subjects.
To put it briefly, man is born not only with
potentialities but with certain aptitudes. These
aptitudes make it possible for the human mechan
ism to adjust itself to certain phases of environ
ment. Just as we find there ate no two things in
nature exactly alike, so it is that the aptitudes of
two human beings differ, and the adjustment of
these two individuals to the same external situa
tion is different.
There is no hard and fast rule which can be
established for the exercises of the Rosicrucian
teachings, or, as far as that is concerned, for any
other exercises necessary to bring about profi
ciency on the part of every individual. Some in
dividuals, if they do one thing too long, develop a
nervous tension which impedes the learning pro
cess. Others find that only by driving themselves
on and on are they finally able to gain the end
they wish to acquire. Therefore, the times sug
gested for certain experiments and exercises in
the monographs are average. Some individuals
may tire before that time is up. Others may find
that within that time they have not gained suffi
cient hold upon the exercise, and it is necessary,
therefore, that the time be adapted to the partic
ular needs of the individual.
There is one general rule which is definite
do not perform any exercise presented in the

Page 63

Rosicrucian monographs beyond the point where

you begin to tire. Nothing can be gained in prac
ticing exercises for the development of our psy
chic or physical bodies, particularly those having
to do with the development of psychic qualities,
beyond the point of physical fatigue. In the
lower degree monographs, for example, there are
a number of exercises which require the individ
ual to concentrate his attention upon a certain
thing or to look at a certain point. One should
never perform such exercises after the eyes be
come tired. Looking at a candle flame one should
gase normally, at a distance at which the eyes
feel no strain, continuing until the experiment is
successful or there is indication of fatigue in the
eyes. It is far more beneficial to perform these
experiments for five minutes each day than to
try them a half hour at a time once a week or
once a month. This applies to practically every ex
periment presented in the Rosicrucian teachings.
If members would only realise that consistency
is more important than duration with all exer
cises, they would have better results. Many of
the exercises can be performed for one, two or
three minutes each day, if we would only remind
ourselves to do it. N o elaborate preparation is
necessary for most of them, and it would be very
simple to follow some of the exercises consistently.
This is the type of practice which produces the
best results, because we gradually grow in our
understanding and our ability to utilise what the
exercises teach us.
The second point in consideration of the
fundamental question involved here is that of the
learning process itself. This is the subject of re
search by those who have spent a lifetime in its
study, and it is summarised in various books on
educational psychology. N ot only are the factors
which I have already spoken of to be considered
in connection with the learning process, but it
has also been found that there is a general curve
of learningthat is, when a person starts to learn
a new process he makes rapid strides at first. He
learns some of the skills almost immediately, and
it seems as if the new subject or skill would be
mastered very soon. Then there is a leveling off
in speed of adaptability. It is during this period
that a learner frequently becomes discouraged.
While he notices progress from day to day the
first few days, he soon reaches a level or plateau
period when no apparent gain is noticed, some
times for weeks. It is in this period that the new
skills and abilities are being developed as a part
of our whole habit system, and if we give up here
the skill will never be perfected. If we go on the
time will come when we realise it was only tem
porary, and suddenly we have the skill perfected.
Therefore, do not become discouraged in learn
ing any new skill or process if progress seems to
slow down after the first steps are taken.A

The Universe Beneath Your Reading Lamp!

le)

ITHIN the cloister of your own home, in your favorite nook illuminated by the rays
of your reading lamp, you may find adventure and startling knowledge. Without
the aid of stupendous telescopes or the intricate paraphernalia of the physicist,
you can glimpse some of nature's profound secrets. Your pulse will quicken as your thoughts
explore space, and you contemplate the form of the strange world you live in. For cen
turies man thought the earth tne center of the universe. This theory was then challenged
and supplanted by another. Then he was told the earth was a minute speck in a sea of un
limited space. This theory, too, is challenged with the advent of the new
one of the bending of light waves.
Now comes one of the most unique and gripping cosmologies of all.
It is that the earth is a gigantic cell. The earth itself is the universe,
and that within its center are vast Cosmic bodies which we previously
thought were millions of miles distant. It is declared that the earth is
like unto all other cells of living matter and that it has life and action
within its center. This intensely interesting subject is discussed in a
series of simply understood and to the point lectures entitled ARCANE
COSMOLOGY. It is one of the special subjects
taught by the Readers' Research Academy. The
course consists of fifteen lectures. Two a month
will be sent you for only 50c a month. You can
subscribe for one month or for as many months
as you please, until the course is completed. Do
not fail to get this real enjoyment and pleasure
for this nominal sum.
Address:

The
READERS* RESEARCH ACADEMY
ROSICRUCIAN

PARK,

SAN

JOSE,

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

This is a cross section of

the universe, the earth; in
its center is space with the
specks c a lle d p la n e ts
Around the inner edge of
the outer circle can be seen
the to p o g ra p h y of the
earth, mountains, plains, etc

The inner surface is a nega*

tive, magnetic area, and the
center positive, accounting
for the condition of the sun
and other phenomena.

CALIFORNIA,

U. S. A.

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

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THE LOST WORD

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As knights of old long sought the Holy Grail

And found it not, nor knew where it might be,
So in the Golden Age when men were free
A Word was dropped beneath the mystic veil;
It passed, like comet with a gleaming tail
That briefly shines and sinks below the sea;
And thus the Word became a mystery
Though many searched for It without avail.
The winds remember It and whisper low,
The ocean sings It to the somber shore;
But save man learns the language nature speaks
Or can attain to what the angels know
He must keep searching on, forevermore,
Until he finds that Sacred Word he seeks.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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DECEMBER, 1941

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

Vol. XII

A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 66

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

There is no greater wrong, or more dangerous

practice, than the negligent or wilful distortion
of a truth. There is an old philosophical axiom
which says, There are no half truths.1 In other
words, that which is stated as a law or principle
having veracity is either so in its entirety, or not
at all.
It is indeed most unfortunate when students
of Rosicrucianism, mysticism and occultism read
a simply presented mystical principle and then
make out of it a harmful misconception. It is
hardly necessary to recite here that our mono
graphs, in certain of the degrees, explain about
The Holy Assembly, The Cosmic Hosts, and
The Celestial or Esoteric Hierarchy. It has
simply been presented in our teachings that these
intelligences, of which there are but a few, by
virtue of their spiritual development, constitute
an intermediary for defining for man the Cosmic
decrees and the Divine revelations which he has
from time to time. These Cosmic Masters are
often mentors only in the sense that they aid us
in establishing contact with the Cathedral of the
Soul, and in properly understanding the Cosmic
impressions which we receive as our conscious
ness is quickened by the practice of the exercises
contained in our Rosicrucian teachings.
W e first w ant to make plain and emphatic that
there is not an individual Cosmic Master for each
individual human being, as a sort of an ethereal
shadow behind or light that goes before man. The
same limited number of these Cosmic Hosts may
assist millions of mortals. Over and over again
we have recited in the pages of this FORUM and
in the RO SICRU CIA N DIGEST, and in mono
graphs and special letters that it is not in the
province of these Cosmic Masters to become per
sonal guides of mortals in that they supervise
their every human act. Such conduct would be
in violation of the powers which the Cosmic has
decreed man should have, and which he person
ally should exercise. If we were to be continually
guided in everything and in all things, man
would need no soul, with its means of deter
mining right or wrong in the Cosmic sense. He
would not need will, or the agency of choice.
He would not need to reason, or to analyse, or
to consider the voice of self, in fact, self as an
ego would not need to exist. All man would be
come would be a puppet, a sort of flesh and blood
robot, who would be actuated by these masters
to do and not to do certain things. Mankind
would be as a person in a hypnotic state, who

V
loses all self-initiative and objective powers, and
whose actions are subject entirely to the com
mands of the operator under whose influence
he is.
To intelligent men and women belief in per
sonal Masters, in the sense described above (and
as believed by some) is most objectionable as it
attempts to negate the Divine faculties with
which man has been blessed. Further, it is most
dangerous to harbor such a thought, for the per
son who so believes suppresses his own objective
powers almost entirely. Though the Cosmic
Masters are not continuously directing every
simple, homely little personal human affair, such
persons are wont to believe that every idea, every
impulse that flashes into their objective minds is
not merely the result of the psychological func
tions of their mental selves but the voice of the
Master commanding them to do thus and thus.
Such ridiculous beliefs are not founded upon
Rosicrucianism, as taught in the official mono
graphs of AM ORC, nor on the true principles
of mysticism, as expounded by the great teachers
throughout history. It is an abortive conception
that, if persisted in, eventually leads the believer
into the realm of mental aberration, and to the
door of a psychiatrist.
The worst type of these cases, or we should
say, a logical development of them, have the de
lusion that their personal Master has made them
a medium by which to decree the conduct of
others. They thereupon begin issuing and pro
claiming fearsome edicts, attempting to regulate
the lives of those most credulous people with
whom they associate, or who come to listen to
them. A t first they confuse their friends, for they
speak with such words of assurance, in such a
positive manner that the unthinking person is
inclined to respond to their suggestions. He is
apt to think that they are gifted with some
power which the ordinary mortal does not pos
sess. As time goes by, however, suspicion creeps
into the minds of the well-meaning and trusting
friends and associates, for each week finds their
personal lives, their own wishes and desires en
croached upon. This invisible Master is constant
ly compelling them, through the mouth of this
medium, this third party, to do this and to do
that. They can see that if this relationship were
to continue, their own souls would be in bondage
to this person, who claims to be in constant com
munion with this or that Master. Further, from
the nature of the edicts, when they begin to think
about them, they can see how uncosmical they
are, how nonsensical some of the comments ap

THE ROSICRUCfAN FORUM

pear, and how unlike what would emanate from

a great true Cosmic Master.
I have had letters come to my attention which
are worded somewhat along the following lines:
Mrs. John Jones tells me that she is constantlyattuned with the Master Blank. This Master has
ordered her as number 55 (?) to tell me that I
should cease living at home, that I should cease
studying this philosophy, or my soul development
will forever be thwarted. Mrs. Jones further says
that Master Blank has declared that my number
is 71 (?), and that I must report to her each
week for further Cosmic orders which she alone
will receive and issue. Moreover, some of these
innocent victims, like the one who wrote the
above type of letter, have the Cosmic truths
which they have gleaned from a concentrated
study of long traditional and well established
sources of knowledge, torn to shreds, which
leaves them bewildered, mentally upsets them,
and affects their health. The person who is deluded into thinking he or she is a medium for
Cosmic inspiration for all other persons injects
all of his personal opinions on every profound,
mystical topic into these so-called messages which
he passes on. He is apt to give ridiculous definitions and interpretations of the nature of soul,
of the Cosmic, of the functioning of the laws of
nature. His conceptions are often such that if
followed they would prove ruinous to the health,
morals, and sanity of those who believe them.
It is not always that those who claim to be in
constant communion with the Cosmic Master,
who is giving them messages for everyone and
the world at large, are malicious in what they
are doing. It is, in fact, often that they are ig
norant. sometimes mentally deranged. Frequent
ly each impression which enters their objective
consciousness, and about which they form a conelusion, is not conceived by them as a personal
opinion which they have arrived at by a normal
mental process, but they conceive it as a Cosmic
message from the Master. It has in it all of the
flaws of their illogical reasoning, often their lack
of experience and education, and yet they try to
compel all others to guide their lives by such
words, as if they were the declaration of a Cosmic pundit.
W hen, fratres and sorores, the Cosmic Masters
find it essential to enlighten you, it will not be
on the petty, common affairs of lifewhere you
should go, what you should do, and whom you
should meetrather it will be the interpretation
of some Cosmic experience about which you are
not certain, and from that interpretation you will
gain personal power and knowledge. You will be
able to think clearly, and, most important, you
will be able to direct the mundane affairs of life
yourself, as the Divine Mind intended you
should. Beware of individuals who proclaim

Page 67

themselves mediums for a Cosmic Master, with

the intent of diffusing their impressions and
opinions hither and yon, and imposing them
upon others. The Cosmic Masters need no other
individual to attune with in order to deliver a
message to you. The psychic self we each pos
sess is the bond, the Divine Bond, with these
Cosmic Intelligences. It is the assurance that we
can personally attune ourselves with them, and
that we do not need the channel of another
human.
Do not be intimidated by the dire threats made
by these persons, who have set themselves up as
channels for the Cosmic Masters. If the voice
within has not spoken to you, no message at the
time is intended for you; no message 'has been
given another for you, thus you do not need to
accept what others say was intended for you,
and you will suffer no punishment for refusing
to heed them. No ill will befall you, I repeat, if
you do not heed the words of these selfproclaimed Cosmic mediums. If you once be
lieve that the threats they utter might actually
invoke a destructive power, you are making
yourself subject to the oldest fear known to man
the superstitious belief in black magic. The
Cosmic will inform you direct, or personally
through a Cosmic Master what is intended for
your consciousness to comprehend, what is need
ed as a stimulation or inspiration for you, and
will not use the deluded minds of mortals who
believe they have been chosen as messiahs by the
Cosmic Masters. Also beware of the teachings,
the doctrines, the exercises, and any and all
things which emanate from such persons, or that
which they ask you to do or perform under any
circumstances, if you value your health and your
sanity.
Fraternally,
R a lph M. L ew is ,
Imperator.

T he Nervous Systems
It is the purpose of the Department of Instruc
tion to assist all student members of the Order to
understand the teachings of the Order better,
through answering the questions which arise in
their minds as a result of the study of the mono
graphs themselves. However, all students are en
couraged to realise that many questions are an
swered in subsequent monographs, and also that
there are certain types of questions which lie out
side the field of Rosicrucianism, or rather, are
better treated at other sources. Students who have
studied those parts of the Rosicrucian teachings
which deal with healing and health frequently
submit questions concerning the nervous system,
or the nervous systemsthat is, the spinal and

Page 68

sympathetic systems. Many of these questions

simply require explanations of anatomical or
physiological principles, and it is felt that it is
outside the field of Rosicrucianism to explain
these. The careful study of the Sixth Degree, in
conjunction with the charts, diagrams and explanations contained in the Rosicrucian Manual,
will give the student a general picture of the
nervous system of the human body, together with
certain schematic illustrations which show the re
lationship of the sympathetic and spinal nervous
systems as they need to be understood in the application of Rosicrucian principles. Further than
that it would not benefit the student to have the
monographs go into greater detail.
The student who wants a general picture of
the nervous system should refer to any good text"
book on anatomy or physiology. There are many
such books, and your librarian could direct you
to a number of excellent texts. Those who wish
to specialise in the study of the nervous system
will find in the elementary books bibliographies
and references to more advanced studies on this
subject.
It might be of interest to mention here that
two years ago in the Rose-Croix University sci
ence department a course was established cover
ing the subjects of biology and physiology, and
presenting certain elementary principles of Rosi
crucian healing. This course can be taken by any
Rosicrucian member that is, no special pre
liminary training is necessary. It is in a sense a
survey course, but is taught by a competent Frater
who is a practicing physician and surgeon and
who leaves his practice for three weeks each sum
mer to conduct this course in the University. It
has been found to be very constructive and help
ful. W e hope those who have a special interest
in this field will have an opportunity in future
years to study under the direction of the faculty
of the University in this particular field.
The Rosicrucian principles of therapeutics, as
presented in the monographs, are closely con
nected with the functioning of the nervous sys
tem. This is not the time nor the place to enter
into a discussion as to the fundamental principles
underlying these facts, as a large number of
monographs are necessary to explain these the
ories. But for the application of constructive
forces to the human body, the Rosicrucians have
taught and maintained that the charging of the
nerves leading to the affected parts of the body
with the proper polarity of Nous, or the con
structive energy of the Cosmic, assists that part
to return to its normal function. It is on this
basis that the Rosicrucians supplement all forms
of therapeutics. It is not wise that some forms of
therapeutics claim their system alone is sufficient.
The Rosicrucians do not advise that their form of

THE ROS1CRUC1AN FORUM

treatment be used to the exclusion of all others.

Rather, it is only reasonable that we realise there
are so many contributing factors in the mainten
ance of health in the body that all must be con
sidered in order to maintain a perfect state of
harmony.
A t the Rose-Croix Research Institute and Sani
tarium a practical utilisation of various therapeu
tic fields is producing very good results. Here we
find representatives of various schools of thera
peutics, doctors trained in their own fields and
using Rosicrucian principles and forms of treat
ment. The results have been most encouraging,
as have been the results of similar experiments
and activities in the past.A

A Tribute
It is not customary to use the pages of this
Forum for a tribute to Fratres or Sorores who
have passed through transition, but there are cer
tain lives that have such a profound effect upon
all who contact them that they are worthy of
mention. I frequently think of those who pass
through transition after a successful career, leav
ing behind many pleasant memories in the minds
of those who have had the privilege of knowing
them, as having done so because their services are
needed elsewhere. You and I who live on do so
because we have things to learn which have been
learned by those who have already graduated
from this life.
Frater Trbuhovich of Detroit, who had ad
vanced to the highest degrees of the Order, passed
through transition recently. His career was out
standing, and possibly unusual. The opportuni
ties for service in his life were many, and, filled
with a seal to carry out the ideals in which he
believed, his callings and activities were varied.
This Frater was a priest in the orthodox church.
He served faithfully the obligations of his office,
ministered unselfishly to those who looked to him
for spiritual guidance, and even, in many cases,
for physical assistance. He radiated confidence,
inspiration and happiness to all who contacted
him, and was a firm believer in the principles of
his religion, which he lived not only verbally
statedand in the principles of Rosicrucianism.
Until the time of his transition he had been con
tinuously a member from the very day his appli
cation was accepted many years ago.
I believe no other summary of his life could be
more complete than the following paragraphs
quoted from the Detroit Free Press of Monday,
August 25 :
Bishop Dionisije, head of the Serbian Ortho
dox Church in America, will come here from the
Churchs headquarters at Libertyville, Illinois, to
officiate at the funeral rites for the Very Rever

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

end Dushan S. Trbuhovich, D. D., pastor of the

Ravanica Serbian Church, East W arren and Rus
sell, at 9 P. M. Monday.
Dr. Trbuhovich, who was the leading Serbian
Orthodox priest in this country and administra
tor of the diocese in the bishop's absence, died
Thursday. He was born in Yugoslavia in 1880
and went to college there. As a young teacher he
was one of fifty-four fiery young Serbian patriots
who defied an Austrian Governments orders and
who were sentenced to be hanged in 1908 after
a famed treason trial. Intercession of the Pope
and the King of Spain saved them.
A fter three years as a newspaper editor, he
was ordained to the priesthood in Serbia in 1914.
W hen the W orld W a r broke out he volunteered
in the Serbian Army, but when his identity was
discovered he was assigned to a staff position.
He was said by his friends to be the only
person in America wearing the Order of the
W hite Eagle, an award of the Serbian Govern
ment, which also conferred upon him the Order
of St. Sava. He was the only Serbian clergyman
awarded the Stavrophor Cross in America.
Shortly after he came to America in 1916 he
organized his present parish, still the only Serbian
Orthodox congregation in Michigan. In 1918 he
went to New York City to fill a journalistic post.
He returned to Detroit in 1926, after leading a
parish in Chisholm, Minnesota.
Surviving are a son, Mladen, editor of a
Serbian daily newspaper in Pittsburgh, and two
married daughters in Yugoslavia.
All Serbian Orthodox clergy east of the
Rockies will come here for the last rites. Tuesday
morning the funeral cortege will leave for burial
in the Churchs monastery at Libertyville.
May the zeal with which he worked for the
causes which he found worthy continue to radiate
in the lives of all who contacted him. I am sure
that all Rosicrucians have another friend on the
Cosmic Plane.A

Eugenics and H um an Improvement

From time to time theories have been advanced
regarding the improvement of the human race by
the practical application of the principles of
eugenics. A frater recently wrote to one of our
departments asking why the principles of eugenics
had never been effectively carried out, although
to a certain extent they had been practiced with
animals and plants. Probably one reason why
eugenics has not proven successful, even when
carried on experimentally as well as it could be
controlled with human beings, is that the theory
is not adjustable to the emotional responses of
human beings.

Page 69

Theoretically, eugenics seems very logical from

the standpoint of bringing about an improvement
in the health and physical condition of the human
race. It seems very reasonable for us to think that
two individuals who are in perfect health, physi
cally, mentally and spiritually, should make an
ideal combination for marriage. W hile we think
of it in a detached manner in relation to two
other people, the idea remains good, but I need
not repeat here that when the factor of love
enters reason no longer sways the final decision
of two young people who are contemplating
whether or not their lives are to be one in the
future. In other words, the improvement of the
human race becomes a secondary consideration to
the emotional reactions of the two individuals.
Therefore, as long as human beings are human,
as long as we give more consideration to our
emotions than to our reasoning, man will not be
in a position to adjust or fix the human race on
an established, preconceived basis.
Most of us will be glad that this is true. The
human race, with its faults and its points of per
fection, is the human race. Any other way it
would be something else. The fact that in dealing
with plants and animals things happen in direct
ing and propagating that are not according to
theory indicates that certain fundamental laws of
God and nature enter into the process which are
not man-made, man-directed or even desired by
man. Probably the laws of Karma affect such
things far more than we might realize. There are
certain experiences which man can realize only by
participation, and if the experiences involve cer
tain conditions of the body, then the visualization
of a perfect race with no physical defects and no
possibility of there being anything but perfect
health would not provide those media.
The answer, then, to the thinking person is evi
dent. Eugenics has emphasized merely the modi
fication of the physical structure of the human
being by considering only the physical factors in
volved. Perfection of the human race cannot
come solely through physical channels. It must
come through the perfection of the whole. W hen
man thinks right, as well as develops his physical
body correctly, he will have taken a step which
will contribute to a point of perfection. W hen
man so understands his whole makeup in a way
that leads him to direct his efforts to the utiliza
tion of all his abilities, to a proper balance be
tween body and soul, to the gaining of perfection
in fact as well as in theoryin other words, when
man has reached the point of becoming a master
eugenics will not be necessary; the human race
will become perfect.
This is not a criticism of the efforts of those
who have attempted to point out how man can
improve his physical lot, but it is a clear indica

Page 70

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tion of the fact that such efforts have been made

in one direction only; whereas, those things which
contribute to the perfection of humanity must be
on the basis of considering the human being as a
living soul, not only as a physical structure.A

Rosicrucian Psychology
In our last Forum some psychological aspects of
Rosicrucianism were briefly considered. These
brought comments and questions from our members, among them a question as to what is Rosi
crucian psychology. Defining psychology as we
have previously done in these pages as a science
of the mind, we will see there is no definite Rosi
crucian psychology, any more than there is a
Rosicrucian physics, or a Rosicrucian astronomy.
But, on the other hand, since Rosicrucianism deals
with subjects closely related to mind and be
havior, we find that the subject of psychology is
drawn upon in all Rosicrucianism, and further
more, that science could learn a great deal from
Rosicrucianism. Psychology cannot lend itself to
definition or limitation to definition as well as
other sciences, because in the final analysis a psy
chological viewpoint is adopted by the individual
himself.
It is interesting to note that the laws of physics
and physiology take no account of the individual
that is, they deal with physical factors. In
physics and physiology sound is motion in air
wavesthat is, it is a physical phenomenon.
Digestion is simply a sequence of chemical changes
within the body. This explanation does not sat
isfy us. W e acknowledge our debt to the physi
cal sciences, because we must study physics and
physiology if we are to be aware of all the fac
tors about us. On the other hand, we need the
viewpoint of psychology, which does not deal
with sound as air waves, but sound as we hear it,
and does not deal with digestion as a chemical
change, but as hunger and thirst which we feel.
There is a vast difference between considering
sound as mere physical waves in the air, and con
sidering music which we find in music apprecia
tion. W e may be able to describe the chemical
process of digestion, but that does not help if we
have not eaten for a few days. These experiences
of hunger, thirst and music appreciation go be
yond the physical phenomena. Our understanding
of the emotional possibilities of our makeup are
the result of internal sensations, not exclusively
of stimuli from the outside. W hether you know
the physical facts or not, when you hear music
your consciousness is taken up with the internal
reactions to certain qualities of sound which exist
in the music. You will remember an illustration
in a certain monograph where it is asked if there
would be any sound if a tree fell in the woods

miles away from any human being. The truth is,

there would be no sound in such a case; there
would only be vibrations.
There is a difference between considering sound
from the standpoint of physiology and psy
chology. Sound, as we experience it, is something
that is completed in our own being. W e do not
all appreciate music. Consequently, if any of you
do not appreciate music and have no desire for
or particular interest in the tonal qualities, you
will find music sets up a different reaction in your
mind than in one who appreciates it. Neverthe
less, your reaction will not be as a result of the
stimulus on the outside, but as a result of your
own interpretation and reaction to internal sen
sations. How accurately we express these internal
sensations in words is evidenced by our inability
to describe to another the complete enjoyment we
derive from such a factor as that of music, or art.
You cannot explain to me why you like a partic
ular piece of music, why a piece of art work ap
peals to you, or why you like to take a walk in
the twilight. You can only evidence your interest
by your actions and by those words you can com
mand. However, you cannot bring that interest
to me, so that I can appreciate those factors in the
same way you do. A teacher very much appreci
ates the factor that you cannot bring appreciation
or even knowledge into the mind of an individual
through your own physical effort.
W hat is it within us that makes us appreciate
beauty? It is not our eyes or our brain, but it is
a composite experience within us that is a part
of our soul, a part of the subjective faculty within
us. Do we search for truth just for truths sake,
or to satisfy ourselves? W hat difference does it
make what date it was insofar as an historical
event is concerned? Yet to anyone with any
reasonable imagination and interest it is necessary
to have proof of such a thing, to have that proof
brought to you, and yet you cannot objectively
tell why. I believe the reason is that the soul is
perfect and its tendency is toward perfection.
I think that within every human being there is
dominantly characteristic of his whole life a great
deal more of the influence of the soul than most
of us are willing to acknowledge. Religion, meta
physics and philosophy have had a tendency in
the past to emphasise the fact that an individual
has to come to a realisation of the soul, but many
of us who have tried to bring about this realisa
tion have been criticised. W orking with children
for years, I have seen spontaneous manifestations
of a knowledge in them that I did not have, and
I was compelled to pass it by in favor of certain
educational standards that have been arbitrarily
established. I claim that such a system of educa
tion is not an asset to our modern civilisation,
that we have only begun to realise that perfection

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

is already there, and we have to be careful not

to cover it up, instead of taking the attitude that
the child is no more than a plastic piece of clay
to be molded. W e cannot consider a human be
ing as something to be molded, because the per
fection is already there. W e have only the neces
sity of pointing the way as to how that perfection
can be continued to be made manifest.
The fundamental law of all religion, philosophy
and theosophy is that of the macrocosm and mic
rocosm. W e realise physical limits as we grow in
psychic development, and as we make that ad
vance we build up a reservoir of interest. It is
true that the power of mentally creating is a
potential factor. I have sometimes wondered if
we do not bring into our own environment a
good many trials simply because we create them
mentally in advance.
In all that I have said here it might be asked,
If this is psychology, what is Rosicrucianism?1
Psychology, after all, has to be interpreted in
terms of our understanding; to us Rosicrucianism
is psychology. Can psychology be an exact sci
ence? Let us consider objective concepts here. An
exact science demands observation and experi
mentation. Observation and experimentation in
the physical sciences are all made on material that
is common social propertythat is, when we ex
periment in biology we use animal tissues, to
which you all have equal access. In the case of
psychology the observation and experimentation
are made upon private property. Consequently,
if you carry out any kind of psychological ob
servation and experimentation it is dealt with in
terms of your own individual reactions. W e
cannot interpret anothers reactions. Therefore,
the most intelligent method which may be used
in psychology is introspection. Is introspection a
contribution towards a scientific basis for study
of ourselves? Regardless of the questions or the
basis of the use of introspection, it is still the only
source by which we can determine what is inside
of us other than from a physical standpoint.
Therefore, it still has to be used. In physical sci
ences we behold a world that is shared by all. In
psychology we look within our personal world
known only to ourselves and to no one else, ex
cept as they judge the responses which we make
to certain situations.A

M ental A ttitude Toward Projection

The following question asked on the subject of
projection is one which might indicate that the
student asking it was making a sincere effort to
become more proficient in this work. It is: In
projection is it not more important to sense ones
presence in the particular place to which one is
trying to project than to see all the physical de

Page 71

tails of that place? It would, of course, be out

of place here to attempt to analyse the projection
process and purpose. These are discussed in the
proper place in the Rosicrucian studies. The
point made by the Soror asking the question in
volves one of concept. To succeed at all, projec
tion involves the mind adopting clearcut concepts
of the process and of the ends to be attained.
That is why projection, from a purely experi
mental standpoint, is not always successful. It
must be remembered also, and constantly borne
in mind, that projection is a natural process.
There has been an attempt on the part of some
pseudo-metaphysical teachings to state that pro
jection is abnormal and dangerous. Such a thing
is ridiculous. The fact that the soul has the
ability, through the essence of which it is itself
composed, to contact other such souls is nothing
abnormal, unnatural, impossible, or a perverted
use of the soul on the part of man. W hen one
thoroughly understands projection, its techniques
and processes, one realises it is purely an attribute
of the soul, and nothing is to be feared by its
mastery.
To revert directly to our question, projection
to be successful, must bring about a clear concept,
on the part of the student, of the condition to
which he is attempting to project. The more com
pletely the attitude of mind is in accord with this
principle, the more successful will be the process
itself. Therefore, it is important, through any
means possible, to sense completely the environ
ment of the place to which one is going to pro
ject, as a means of assisting the process to be suc
cessful. This is usually done through visualisa
tion. The normal human being uses his eyes so
much and relies upon them so completely for his
concepts of the environment of which he is a part
that in trying to sense anything we usually do so
by seeing it in our minds eye. Instructions are
therefore given, in the preliminary exercises re
lating to projection, to visualise the place to
which one is attempting to project. This does not
mean, however, that one must rely entirely upon
visualisation that is, be able actually to see
every physical detail of the place. Visualisation is
usually the beginning of the bringing about of
this complete sensing on the part of the individual
of the place to be contacted. It is well to visualise
it as completely as possible, but at the same time,
in connection with the visualisation process, one
should attempt to become more and more con
scious of the surroundings of the particular place
until one feels he has actually established his con
sciousness in that locality. In fact, when the
student has reached a point in this process where
it is difficult to determine how he senses the place,
or there exists a certain amount of indefiniteness
as to whether he is seeing the place or merely has

Page 72

a realisation of its existence as if he were there,

it is indicative of the fact that the process is about
to be successful and that one is no longer entirely
dependent upon the physical senses, but is actu
ally receiving impressions through the psychic
senses.
The difficulty here upon the part of many stu
dents is that when they have lost hold of any
thing closely related to a physical sensation they
stop to analyse, to reason objectively upon the
matter, and thereby lose the contact they may
have established. But worse than this, they lose
their confidence in what they have already ac
complished. It is true, Rosicrucians should not
accept everything that is taught upon faith alone,
but they do have to consider that to learn one
must be guided in the first steps by a teacher who
has already mastered what they are learning. To
reason too much in connection with the first in
troductory steps is to postpone learning. It is far
better to postpone the reasoning and analysation
until you can do so in terms of the process that
has been presented, but on the basis of that pro
cess compared with your own experience.A

Mysteries and Strange Adventures

Everyone who has travelled or who has studied
extensively any of the philosophies, or who has
become deeply interested in science or natural
phenomena, knows that the old adage, T ruth is
stranger than fiction, is quite right. A great
many of us are intrigued by real mysteries. W e
can know no peace of mind, and cannot go about
our daily affairs happy and at ease, if there is a
strange happening or phenomenon, or some cir
cumstance of which we have knowledge and
about which we cannot find a satisfactory answer
or explanation. Eventually we find it necessary
to devote a considerable amount of our time to
an attempted solution of the mystery. Persons
who are so inclined, with open minds, that is,
who have a desire to bring out into the light what
seems to be in the dark, are contributors to the
worlds knowledge and advancement.
On the other hand, there is a certain percent
age of people who are fearful of mystery. If a
thing is not easily explained, self-explanatory,
cannot be comprehended at once when it is per
ceived, they believe it has to do with some magi
cal force and perhaps is of satanic origin. They
think any attempt at a solution or to tear aside
the veil which conceals its cause, will bring upon
them great misfortune. O f course such persons
are superstitious. A t one time, particularly in
the Middle Ages, they composed such a vast
majority of the populace of Europe that the
world gradually slipped backward into barbar
ism. No man dared to raise his hand, lift his

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

eyes, or seek to trouble his consciousness about

anything which was unusual, different, or not
quite comprehensible.
There are also those who are adventurous, who
are not particularly desirous of knowledge or of
contributing to their own or the worlds enlight
enment, but who just seek a thrill. They are per
sons who like to live dangerously, in the physical
sense. They love to challenge life, to come as
close as they can to the border of transition and
then snatch themselves away. Intense excitement
is a sort of nourishment for them. Such adven
turers very seldom add much to the times in
which they live. But when one is adventurous,
and inclined toward an intelligent solution of
mystery, he is an asset to society.
The Rosicrucian Order is interested in the
mysterious, only in the sense that we want to
make it \noum , and to show that nothing is
really mysterious. W hat we call the weird,
strange, or mysterious, is only that which we do
not understand. A century ago many of the
phenomena which are now common to us and
are quite acceptable would have stricken terror
into the hearts of the peoples of Europe. They
were not capable of understanding these things.
They had not the education, experience or
knowledge; they could only relate such things to
satanical or theurgical powers. A nd so the mys
terious is a challenge to a Rosicrucian. He is
trying to transmute as many of these things into
the understandable as possible. The more he
understands of life and himself, the more he is a
master cf both. Possibly more and more the gen
eral public is becoming aware of our attempt to
focus light on darkened places, circumstances,
and things. Consequently the most intriguing,
the most fascinating proposals of a mysterious
nature are frequently being submitted to us.
And, I repeat, they are more interesting than
mere fiction; yet the Rosicrucian organisation
cannot indulge the great majority which are
submitted, because most times they are of a kind
which is outside of the jurisdiction or scope of
activities of the Order. On the other hand,
though they may contain much factual matter,
as they often do, and much evidence which
seems to support them, yet upon careful analysis
there is usually a lack of those necessary condi
tions which tie the whole proposal together so
that it has plausibility.
Because of the fact that just a few days ago a
most unusual and highly interesting adventure
was proposed to AM ORC, I am going to con
sider here at this time, as briefly as I can, some
of the past proposals that have been made to the
Order. Some are of quite a mystical nature and
quite in line with those things in which we are
interested as Rosicrucians. I will first dispense
with a review of the recent proposal, and begin

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

with one of several years ago. If space allows I

will also consider the most recent one; if not, at
a future time.
Perhaps you have read the book, Along
Civilisations Trail, written by myself, or per
haps you read portions of it in its abbreviated
form in the Rosicrucian Digest several years
ago. During the running of the travel narration,
I received communications from a Frater residing
in Jerusalem who was interested in what we had
accomplished on our journey to the out-of-theway places of the world. He proceeded in the
correspondence to make a proposal to AM ORC
to finance an adventure. If the Order were suc
cessful, it would accumulate a lot of historical
data and reveal to the world the truth or untruth
of many legends. Possibly, also, AM ORC would
acquire gems, jewels, and mineral wealth. Here,
briefly, is the strange and fascinating tale related
to me, and I give it to you in my words. Because
of promises I made, I must refrain from disclos
ing complete names.
A Russian colonel, a former member of the
Nicholas Roerich expedition to Tibet in 19271928, while travelling on other business in Arabia
in the year 1935, lost his way near the mouth of
the Persian Gulf. He was surrounded by danger
ous quicksands, in which he expected almost any
moment to be engulfed. His water and food
supply were running low. Then accidentally he
came upon the ruins of an ancient city, half
buried in the sands. He rubbed his eyes to be
certain that he was not delirious or that it was
not a mirage. There he found many structures
in a very perfect state of preservation. Even
from his first hurried inspection he could deter
mine that it was an ancient but seemingly un
familiar culture.
He took photographs, but unfortunately they
were spoiled by the intense heat. He did make
notes and sketches, and copied many of the
hieroglyphics and inscribed signs which he saw.
Not far from the barrier of quicksands out of
which there was but a small, winding, hardsurface path, perhaps fifteen or twenty feet in
width, which could only be determined by tap
ping with one foot ahead as one walked, he came
upon a hospitable, small Bedouin encampment.
The Bedouins gave him food and drink, and he
remained with them several days, returning each
day to make further investigation of the ruined
temples and buildings which he had discovered.
A t last he returned from the desert and made his
way to Jerusalem. The discoverer realised that
the site which he had come upon was of the
greatest fundamental importance, but that it
must be kept secret until more was known about
it. It was his intention to arrange to finance an
expedition; that was why he had contacted our
Frater who wrote to me. He related in detail to

Page 73

him what he had discovered, what he had seen

in the ancient city.
The city, half in ruins, was buried in sand, in
a sort of natural depression which formed an
oasis. One of the strange phenomena, yet not
unknown in other sections of the world, was a
peculiar evaporation in the area of the city, and
of the oasis, that made its detection from the air
quite impossible. The city covered a great area,
and generally speaking, was in two partsthe
living quarters, and what constituted the public
buildings and district. The living quarters were
of stone, sort of elliptical-shaped buildings quite
high, consisting of several stories. Architecturally,
the stones were Jonger horisontally than they
were in height. They were well fitted together,
though apparently no cement of any kind was
used. Each story had an external door, one above
the other, that was in the form of a horse-shoe,
yet only the first door was accessible from the
ground level. How one entered the doors above
was not apparent. There was no ramp, no
steps, and because timber is an unknown thing
in the region, it is hardily possible that ladders
were used. A short distance from these living
quarters, and on the outskirts of the city, there
were remnants of what had once been great
fountains made of lead. Around them were the
ruins of carved red and black marble.
The great surface temple was circular. It, too,
had an entrance in the design of a horseshoe. A t
the eastern end was a place of sacrifice which
was connected by a long stone pavement or
causeway. The diameter of the temple was at
least two hundred and fifty feet, and the height
of it in the center forty feet. In the center stood
a stone statue, only partially above the ground,
as heaped around it was debris, fragments of
carvings, of plaques and statuary. The part that
was still unearthed showed an uplifted arm. The
face was turned toward the East, and toward the
place of sacrifice. This temple also contained
triangular-formed columns; on the top or capital
of each, as an inscription, there was a sacred
symbol. It consisted of the conventional design
of the human heart, emanating from the top of
which were seven rays. Beneath the point of the
heart there appeared what looked like a large
capital letter S, and which undoubtedly was
intended as a serpent, but did not portray such
an appearance. The equilateral triangle, in fact,
seemed to form the basis of much of the archi
tectural design of the city, its buildings and the
ornamentation of their interior.
The place of sacrifice in the geographical East
of the temple consisted of a platform or dais,
only slightly raised above the causeway leading
to it. The platform was about thirty feet square.
A t right angles to the approach to it, and on each
of its two sides, was a stone couch. The couches

Page 74

were about seven feet in length and rested upon

triangular supports. In between these couches,
and in the center of the dais, there was an aper
ture about three feet in diameter which seemed
to penetrate deep through the dais and far below
the surface of the stone temple floor. In light of
the evidences of the advanced culture of this
strange and unknown city, it is quite doubtful if
originally the peoples which occupied it had any
religious or ceremonial customs that actually re
quired human sacrifice.
N ot far from the temple, the discoverer found
what seemed to be a vault, and which he care
fully explored. A fter entering the square stone
building, he saw a false wall at one end. The
depth between that wall and the end of the
building was several feet. Apparently there was
no entrance to penetrate it. Its surface was cov
ered with a shapeless pattern of geometrical de
sign. This surface was also a strange glased or
glass-like substance. W hen at the opposite end
and moving about the vault, he happened to look
back at the wall, he was amased to find that there
was produced a queer optical illusion. The great
mass of the glased wall seemed to move. W hen
he ceased walking or moving about, this wall
appeared quite stationary. This may have been
an artifice to* create the impression of an invisible
wall. Then again it may have been intended to
frighten away the curious, because the discoverer
believed that this vault was the treasury of the
ancient city and that behind this invisible or
eerie-effect wall, there might still remain rare
jewels or gems, perhaps golden ornaments used
for religious rites or ceremonies, or wealth in
other objects.
There was still another temple in this city con
nected with the religious rites of the peoples, but
it was quite some distance from the public build
ings and homes. It was not located on the sands
but subsurface in a little hill, which was of a
rocky substance. It was entered through a small
portal, also horseshoe in shape. One would
imagine that he was entering a mine, except
from the rather symbolical form of the entrance.
Over the portal, and almost obliterated by the
sandstorms, which are indigenous to that section
of the world, were hieroglyphics. Immediately
inside was seen a statue of what might have been
a goddess. She was clothed in a single garment
which fell to her knees. H er left breast was ex
posed. In her right hand she held a cup with a
hole in the bottom. Because of the uniformity of
the aperture, it apparently was intentional. The
headdress was quite odd, as it left the front and
back of the head exposed, and yet covered the
ears. Entwined about her head was a snake, with
its head rising above that of the goddess as if to
strike outward in front of her. On the left

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

breast, and partially on the solar plexus, could be

seen what apparently was the same sacred sign.
In the center of the temple stood a sarcophagus,
made of a transparent stone, somewhat of the
nature of alabaster but definitely not that sub
stance, in which was a mummified human figure.
The floor of the temple was of a smooth stone or
marble like flagging on which murals were
painted. Most peculiar, and a phenomenon which
pussled the discoverer, were ball-like projections
around the walls of the temple, spaced at regular
intervals. These ball-like projections were also
of a transparent stone, even more so than the
sarcophagus, and they contained a red liquid
which diffused a red glow throughout the temple
and illuminated all objects. The murals on the
floor were reproductions, apparently of religious
ceremonies; their color was in an excellent state
of preservation like those of the tombs in Egypt.
He was impressed with one in particulara man
in elaborate garb, perhaps sacerdotal robes, and
undoubtedly a priest. His left breast was appar
ently ripped open by a knife which he held in
his left hand, and in his right hand he held what
appeared to be a reproduction of the formal
symbol of the heart. In this organ, delicately
carved, were the veins, which were still quite
plainly visible.
The discoverer then went on to tell our Frater
in Jerusalem certain legends related to him by
the Bedouins about this mystical and mysterious
place. He said that it was with difficulty that he
got them to speak about it whatsoever, and they
would not accompany him to it. He could not
quite explain their reluctance. W hat they did
finally relate to him was this: The place to them
was known as Kharayib Saba, or the ruins of
Sheba. They stated that these legends and this
name came down to them from their forefathers.
The principal legend relates how the country be
yond the quicksands was once occupied by a
cruel race of giants, and its ruler was known as
Yokum. One d a y ,' the legend continues, Tio
Ticoli, the father god or deity, and his wife and
daughter who accompanied him, came from out
of the inner world to live with these giants, and
after exhorting them to see the way of light, he
finally reformed them. Then the father god, Tio
Ticoli, gave his daughter in marriage to one of
the two sons of Yokum. The city then flourished
and became quite famous, and the father god
conferred great powers upon the inhabitants
the power of the lion, and the eyes and swiftness
of eagles. However, Yokums other son, referred
to by these Bedouins as a reincarnated devil, be
came extremely jealous of the marriage of his
brother, and one day he found his way through
the invisible wall.
Now you will note here the Bedouins refer
ence to an invisible wall, which seems to corre

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

spond to or suggest the strange wall which the

discoverer encountered in the vault which we
have previously described. W hen this son of
Yokum had passed through the invisible wall, he
had then overcome the barrier which separates
the mortal and immortal worlds, and he had
penetrated into the pearl city, the great sacred
city of the father god. There, by having seen
the light, he became an immortal, but his inner
nature was not changed, and by the strength of
his immortality he returned again to the city of
these giants and took away the wife of the
father god, Tio Ticoli. This so angered Tio
Ticoli that he lay a fearful curse upon this city,
which, the Bedouins stated, was that it shall re
main as deserted as a ship in the sea until the
devil son (meaning the son of Yokum) had died,
when he, Tio Ticoli, would return again to the
city and bring with him a holy nation.
Now this legend is rather involved and most
strange, but according to the discoverer, an
actual religious rite of this Bedouin tribe en
camped not far from the city was quite consistent
with some of the symbols, and with what seemed
to be the basic form of worship of the unknown
inhabitants. The first point is that these Bedouins
themselves, in that section of the world, worship
a father god whom they call Tio Ticoli. The dis
coverer was then permitted to witness a cere
mony at full moon on the open desert. It con
sisted principally of a sacrificial rite. The throat
of a goat was cut, and then a young girl stepped
forward with a cup, somewhat similar in design
to the cup which one of the statues held in the
mysterious city. W hen the cup was filled with
the blood of the goat, the young girl passed it to
the assembled worshippers, who formed a circle
about her and about the goat, and each person in
turn would dip his fingers into the blood and
then, according to the discoverer, would make
the same sacred sign upon his breast, over his
heart, as we have described, and which was so
commonly displayed within the ruins of the
strange city. Immediately thereafter they chanted
in Arabic. It was an archaic form of Arabic,
and the discoverer could only make out that it
had to do with the nature of blood and its vital
source of life to man.
I would like to state here, at this time, that
Arabic literature mentions a pearl city in Arabia,
a sort of fabled El Dorado, a city of great wealth,
supposedly found accidentally by a contemporary
of Harun al Rashid, and then lost again, and to
which he could never find his way back. The
Koran mentions a similar city, but names it the
city of the seven columns. Obscure records in
the Vedas, the discoverer brings out, bear refer
ences to a heart-worshipping cult. However, he
did not seem to realize the religious importance
of blood to the Mohammedans themselves, and

Page 75

this city is located in the sacred land of Moham

medanism. For example, we find in the Koran,
in Sura (Chapter) XCVI, the following:
Recite thou, in the name of the Lord who
created:
Created man from clots of blood
Now, among many primitive peoples, the blood
was not only the flow of life through man, but
it was life itself, and from which living things
were created, and this is a doctrine of orthodox
Mohammedanism. It is my conjecture that pos
sibly a Mohammedan sect was formed, departing
from orthodox Mohammedanism to worship the
creative power of the blood; and the heart, as
the primitive peoples also accepted it, was con
ceived as the reservoir of this life force in man.
W e know there are many sects which are de
partures from Mohammedanism, just as we have
many Christian sects which are departures from
the original Christian Church. Sufism, for ex
ample, is a highly mystical sect of Mohamme
danism. These unknown people may have formed
another. They may have located themselves in
the isolated section and built this city. If this is
so, their original worship was quite mystical, and
the city could not date back further than perhaps
the year 700, or be in age about eleven or twelve
hundred years old. This seems more plausible
than the story that it was the original city of the
Queen of Sheba.
The discoverer, through the aid of our Frater
in Jerusalem, was able to interest a Count B. de
Prorok. The Count signed a contract for the
forming of an expedition, and he set out to try
to discover the city, photograph it, and bring
back as much material as he could about it, early
in January, 1937. The expedition was ill-fated.
It was ambushed by Arabs, of which there are
many barbarian tribes in the region. They lost
two members of their party, camels, luggage,
equipment and ammunition, and they were forced
to return. The Count, however, gave a story to
the press in Jerusalem which was published, and
I have a copy of the newspaper account in which
it was announced that he had found the fabled
realm of the great >ueen of Sheba, and that he
had likewise found traces of a great irrigation
system which had conveyed water from the
Yemen, the destruction of which by the Abyssinians condemned the people of Sheba to die of
thirst, as recounted in the Bible. Consequently,
another expedition was to be formed, the party
to be larger, to take motion picture equipment
and to be better armed. A M ORC was to finance
it. AM ORC of course did not, because of the
unsatisfactory evidence that anyone had actually
found such a city, and because of the speculation
and suppositions which developed in the exten
sive correspondence which we had with the in
terested parties.

Page 76

Later there was transmitted to me what pur

ported to be further secret information for the
writing of a book upon the subject. I was sup
posed to write and A M O RC publish the book.
I never wrote it, because again, there was too
much speculation, too much assumption, and not
enough fact in the manuscript material forward
ed me. It would have made interesting fictional
reading, but I was to present it as an actual adventure and discovery, and I could not do that
on what I considered too dubious evidence. I do
believe, however, that the Frater in Jerusalem
acted in absolute good faith.X.

Is Celibacy Necessary T o Spiritual

Development?
Now we have a soror of the Middle W est, I
believe new to our FORUM CIRCLE, who asks
the question: Is celibacy essential to spiritual
unfoldment, as often advocated in some mystical
and religious literature? Frankly, I am confused
by the controversy about the subject in certain
circles. The "antiY argue that normal sexual de
sires are perfectly natural to the human body,
and should not be suppressed any more than the
desire to sneese or cough, and, too, that constant
repression tends to unduly focus the mind on it.
Please enlighten me.
Celibacy, as generally accepted, refers to com
plete abstinence from marriage and sexual rela
tions. The practice dates far back into antiquity.
The Egyptians demanded virginity for the brides
of their templesthe young chaste girls who
served in them. The Roman vestals, who like
wise officiated in the temples dedicated to Vesta,
the goddess of fire, had to be virgins and remain
so during their sacred term of obligation and had
to live virtuous lives. W e could recite numerous
other examples of the requirement of virginity
and celibacy for women who participated in the
sacred rites and ceremonies of a religious system.
Though celibacy as a practice of the Roman
Catholic priesthood is well known, it was part of
the Buddhist monastic system long before the
former. On the other hand, celibacy has not by
any means always been made a dogmatic element
of a great religious system. In early Judaism, it
was compulsory that all priests be sons of priests.
The priesthood perpetuated itself, and, therefore,
marriage was quite in order. In fact, barrenness
was considered quite a disgrace, as is evidenced
from reading the books of the Old and New
Testaments of the Bible. As far as Christianity is
concerned, the first attempt at enforcing celibacy
upon the clergy occurred in 305 A. D. The
church council of the local Spanish Synod of
Elvira forebade marriage to the higher clergy.
In the last part of the Fourth Century, there was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the famous decretal of Pope Siricius, which en

joined strict celibacy alike upon bishops, priests,
and deacons, even ordering the separation of
those already married.
There are various causes attributed to the
adoption of celibacy by the Christian Church,
some of a practical nature, and others of a philo
sophical origin. Perhaps the greatest single in
fluence on the church was Manichaenism, a phi
losophy of the Persians. Manichaenism was par
ticularly strongly diffused during the Third to
Seventh Centuries. It spread in what might be
said to be the eclectic period of Christianity, an
era when Christianity was borrowing greatly
from the philosophies of the East, to round out
and rationalise the rather loose form in which it
then existed as a religious system. One of the
principal tenets of Manichaenism was the dia
bolical origin of all matter, including the body.
Manichaenism advocated a continuous conflict of
two forces, good and evil, between which man
was tom asunder. The body, because of its falli
bility, its susceptibility to disease and corruption
was a thing of evil, evanescent, and not depend
able. Good, by contrast, was exemplified by the
incorruptible and indissoluble spirit, or soul,
which was not affected directly by contact with
matter and the body. The emotions, appetites,
and passions were elements of the body, weak
nesses and temptations which hastened the evil
state into which man would sink if he heeded
them. All of the appetites and passions were ap
peased only by things of the world, of matter,
and of the body. From this reasoning it was but
one further step to conclude that the sexual de
sire was animalistic, because it was somatic, and
that, when appeased but further lowered man
spiritually. Since the body and its worldly rela
tions were nefarious influences, in fact, tempta
tions of a satanic nature, man could show his
spiritual strength only by resisting all of those
appetites which did not actually destroy the
union of body and soul. He, therefore, who
could suppress his sexual desires, it was contend
ed, was indeed displaying the supremacy of his
spiritual nature.
It must be seen from the foregoing that this
sex appetite was not thought to be part of the
God-given processes of nature, but rather a stigma
which man had assumed by reason of his contact
with the evil things of the world. Ordinary men
could and should indulge the sex desire for re
production purposes, just as animals, but they
must pay for this indulgence, it was held, in los
ing the possible high attainment of an ecstatic or
mystical nature. Each indulgence was conceived
as lowering mans spiritual estate. The priest
hood, who were to administer unto the layman
in spiritual matters must have, it was believed,
no worldly ideals, such as would be related to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sexual desires. They were thus compelled to re

press the sex urge as an evil influence: conse
quently, they must not marry.
The falsity of such reasoning should be quite
apparent to everyone. The sexual desire is a
normal appetite, like that of hunger and thirst.
It is inherent as a bodily function. It is necessary
for the physical existence of man, so that the
body may be perpetuated in offspring, and that
the spiritual essence can have a temple in which
to reside. W e know today that the body is the
result of spiritual laws and principles working
through nature, pursuing a purpose as divine in
essence as the soul of man. It is indeed unfor
tunate that an unhealthy mind and body more
often distort the sexual appetite than any other,
but that is not a divine fault. Normal marriage
relations no more prevent one from aspiring to
and eventually experiencing Cosmic Conscious
ness and an understanding of mystical truths,
or an application of their powers than do tem
perate eating or drinking. Let us remember that
that which is natural to man is of God, in which
no error can exist or from which no evil can
emanate. W hen we attempt to eliminate the
faculties or functions immanent to mans body
or mind, we are tampering with the handiwork
of an intelligence far superior to our own. There
can only be one result of enforced celibacy, and
that is an unnatural life, which leaves its effect
upon the mentality, nervous system, and person
alities of those who indulge it.X.

W hen Is Psychic Development Complete?

There have been previous comments in these
Forum pages regarding the possibility of measur
ing psychic development (December, 1939; Page
93). However, the question constantly arises be
cause we are in the habit of judging so many
things we do or deal with on the basis of certain
standards, that we like to fix standards for all
activities. They give us something toward which
to aim and a means of determining whether or
not an end is accomplished. Furthermore, the
establishing of measurements or fixed purposes
coincides with physical phenomena and is easily
set up. On the other hand, non-material condi
tions do not adapt themselves easily to measure
ment. Therefore, in determining whether or not
a non-material condition has been accomplished
a great deal depends upon an analysis within the
thinking of the individual.
A Soror recently stated in a letter, in answer
to the question of when is a person psychically
developed: I believe that a state of psychic de
velopment exists when man has eliminated from
his thinking the feelings of hatred, cruelty, selfish
ness, and kindred evils; when man has developed
in his mind, to take the place of these, the true

Page 77

feelings of love, sympathy and respect of Gods

laws. This in turn will cause him to no longer
covet his fellow mans possessions. He then will
have only love and sympathy for all humans.
There is no doubt that we may find here a
close approach to an objective standard by which
to judge the degree of Cosmic Consciousness a
person has attained. If in his daily life an in
dividual clearly practices the ideals above indi
cated, he certainly has advanced beyond a state
of mere physical accomplishment. If it were
possible to set up any kind of rule, surely these
would be the standards by which we could judge
the internal or subjective development of another.
All of the things mentioned by this Soror are
outward manifestations of a changed condition
in the thinking of man. This is in accord with
the familiar Biblical quotation: By their fruits
ye shall know them. Mans actions and his in
nermost feelings are so closely coordinated that
it is extremely difficult for one to conceal either
by emphasising the other. It takes a very clever
actor to control every action arising out of his
habits, reasoning and feeling. That is why no
two individuals on the stage performing the same
part will do it exactly alike. It is extremely dif
ficult for an individual to adapt himself to a
condition not completely in accord with his feel
ings. Those who are living one life on the sur
face, while actually living an entirely opposite
existence, will usually eventually be found out.
A person with criminal tendencies, for example,
will give himself away sooner or later in another
form of society. Therefore, it is difficult for man
to display the outward manifestations of any
type of psychic development unless he has the
inner experience and knowledge that cause him
to really live it.
I have had occasion in past years to meet many
people who have claimed for themselves certain
degrees of Cosmic Consciousness, even to master
ship, and I have had an opportunity to observe
their behavior when they were off guard, and
that behavior has eventually given them away
unless their claims were the absolute truth. And
frequentlyvery frequentlythose who claimed
mastership were the ones least apt to have it, for
those who have attained a certain degree of psy
chic development and have reached a point on
the road to mastership do not have to advertise
this fact by pointing it out verbally. It is evident.
Here again we see how important it is that
that which is developed within us, which consti
tutes our true ideals and purposes, really comes
to the surface and is exemplified in our acts and
words. The measurement of psychic develop
ment is consequently of minor importance com
pared to the attempt to gain it. Disciplining our
selves according to standards which we have seen
exemplified in the lives of real Masters is a way

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 78

toward accomplishment. Furthermore, we must

never cease to learn, and never cease to put into
practical effect, the knowledge we acquire, so
that we may grow in experience and under
standing.A.

Seeing and H earing Aids

In commenting on the exercises contained in
the earlier degrees, a Frater asks this question:
If one habitually wears glasses, should they be
removed during any of the experiments involving
concentration and the focusing of the eyes upon
an object? In other words, the point with which
this Frater is concerned is whether or not the
wearing of glasses will impede the success of the
experiment or exercise. Briefly, the answer is
that the wearing of glasses will neither impede
nor help. They have nothing to do with it. If
one must have his vision corrected with glasses,
and it is normal for him to wear them to see the
distance involved in the exercise or experiment,
then he should wear his glasses during the exer
cise, just as he would in looking at anything at
a similar distance.
It is difficult for many people to understand
the exact purpose of glasses. They must be con
sidered as a crutch. If a person seriously injured
his leg so that it could not serve its normal pur
pose, he would have to resort to a crutch, a
wheelchair, or some other means of moving about
if he did not wish to remain passive and quiet.
The crutch takes the place of the leg as nearly
as it is possible for any artificial thing to take the
place of a natural function, and therefore permits
a somewhat normal continuance of ones daily
activities. To the eyes glasses serve as a crutch.
They compensate for a deficiency. The defici
ency may be inherentthat is, it may be present
from birthor it may be acquired, which is more
often the case. W e use our eyes, in this modern
world, far more than they were ever intended to
be used at a short distance, since we do more
close work. Furthermore, up until comparative'
ly recent years little consideration was given to
the matter of illumination, so that much of the
eye strain in many cases is not only due to excess
use of the eyes, but to using them under unfavor
able lighting conditions. I am confident that with
the present campaigns by organizations and
manufacturing concerns to promote proper il
lumination in homes and offices the percentage
of eye difficulties due to strain and use of the
eyes under improper conditions will be greatly
reduced.
Many conditions of the eyes, like disease in
other parts of the body, can be corrected through
treatment without the use of glasses. For example,
not every condition that would affect the leg

would cause one to use a crutchin fact, the

average individual would adopt a crutch as a last
resort. There has been a tendency, however, on
the part of many people not to take that attitude
with the eyes and to secure glasses as a first re
sort, not a last. A person who has to wear glasses
all of the time knows how inconvenient they are,
even after wearing them has become second
nature. Therefore, it is advisable that when par
ents take children to have their eyes tested they
should be certain of the integrity and competence
of the person they are consulting. A good doctor
who is competent to examine the eyes will fit
glasses when they are necessary and will prescribe
treatment when necessary. Sometimes both are
needed and sometimes only one can do the work.
To refer back to the original question, if it is
necessary for you to wear glasses in order to have
normal vision, then do not have any fear that
the wearing of glasses will in any way impede
the development or perfection of the technique
you are attempting to attain through the prac
tice of the Rosicrucian exercises and experiments.
In commenting on this subject it is interesting
to note the general attitude of society as a whole
toward the adoption of certain types of assist
ance for conditions which we must face from
time to time. Today one gives little thought to a
person wearing glasses, but did you ever stop to
think how few people who are hard of hearing
will adopt a suitable mechanical device to help
them hear? W hile they would wear glasses with
out hesitation, they put off going to the proper
doctor to be fitted with the mechanical arrange
ment of microphone, receiver, etc., that will im
prove their hearing in case they are partially
deaf. This is due to a failure on the part of
many people to accept the use of mechanical
hearing devices without comment or unnecessary
attention. W hy there should be any more dis
crimination, or why a person wearing a hearing
device should be singled out for attention any
more than one wearing glasses, is very difficult
to understand. Therefore, it would be doing
those persons who are hard of hearing a great
favor for every intelligent person to adopt a
policy of being very careful to pay no attention
to a mechanical hearing device another person
may be wearing. The average person who is
hard "of hearing is very sensitive and dislikes hav
ing attention called to his problem. (Other
articles on these subjects in past issues of The
Rosicrucian Forum will be found in the follow
ing issues: December, 1937 Page 95; April,
1938Page 130; August, 1939Page 5; June,
1940Page 165.)A.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W hat Is Immunity?
A Frater asks the question, W hat is the Rosicrucian interpretation of what is commonly called
immunity to disease? I believe that from the
standpoint of a physician immunity might be
generally defined as the ability of the body to re
sist an invading disease. That is, if one is im
mune to a cold, the mumps or chicken pox, his
body is so constituted chemically at the time of
contact or exposure that the disease cannot get a
hold and come to its full manifestation within the
body. From the Rosicrucian standpoint, then, we
can only conclude that immunity is harmonium,
or perhaps it would be better to reverse the
statement and say that a state of harmonium
constitutes immunity. If a person is in perfect
healththat is, if a perfect state of harmonium
exists within the body between the physical and
the psychic self, disease cannot make inroads and
become established. Therefore, the place where
the Rosicrucian interpretation might differ from
other interpretations is that the major effort a
person should make to immunise himself against
disease is in the consideration of his being as a
whole, not in the case of isolated diseases. A fter
all, the names applied to particular diseases are
only forms of terminology. W hen the body is
out of harmony and balance no longer exists,
trouble will result.
W e are told that we carry in the mouth and
respiratory passages bacteria and disease germs,
many of them of serious diseases, but as long as
the individual keeps himself in good health the
body is able to overcome them faster than they
can build up within the body. But should a per
son, through various causes, become weakened
and unable to keep the harmony of the body
established faster than it is being broken down,
then disease and disintegration of various types
will become dominant. In a world where a man
has to concern himself with the problems of daily
existence and the making of his livelihood, it is
extremely difficult to maintain a state of perfect
harmony. There are probably very few people
who do it. Furthermore, there are so many ways
or means advanced for doing this that one is apt
to become confused. Some say eat no meat, while
others say eat no vegetables, or drink extracts of
fruits and vegetables. Some systems advise fast
ing, while others advise eating all you want of
what you want. In short, in the field of diet and
the maintenance of health almost any system can
find confirmation in one place or another.
As pointed out in the Rosicrucian monographs,
the body demands certain chemical replacements,
we might call them, to keep it in the physical
condition it was originally supposed to maintain.
Therefore, one has to derive nourishment through
food, and as is also pointed out in the mono

Page 79

graphs, food that is enjoyed is usually more

nutritive and healthful than food which we force
ourselves to eat simply because someone tells us
it is good for us. Unfortunately, some critics of
Rosicrucian principles of therapy and health have
interpreted this to mean that the Rosicrucians
teach intemperance in eating or drinking any
thing and everything they wish. Every student
of Rosicrucianism knows that this is not so.
W hat is meant by the Rosicrucian interpretation
is that an individual should use good judgment
and reason, that he should not eat chocolate, for
example, because he likes it and eliminate all
other foods from his diet. But if a person likes
certain vegetables and does not like another, even
though the latter be spinach, he is better off to
eat those he does like and enjoy than to force
himself to eat large quantities of something that
is disagreeable to him.
As many questions on health cause one to do,
we have deviated from the original question
which brought about these comments. However,
immunity is something which cannot be definitely
isolated. It is a condition toward which we have
to direct all our consideration in regard to health.
Reasonable exercises, proper food, proper breath
ing, and good and constructive thoughts all con
tribute toward a general well-being and the
establishment of harmony, which create in the
body the ability to withstand any invasion of
foreign matter which might develop into a seri
ous condition. There are times when specific im
munity is good judgment, of course. Opinions
differ on this point of vaccines and immunisa
tion through innoculation, but in times of epi
demic those who have to do humanitarian work
and keep going have found it necessary to adopt
these measures to protect themselves and their
families and those whom they serve. But above
all, the maintenance of harmony within the body,
in accordance with basic Rosicrucian principles
as contained in our Sixth Degree, is the best form
of immunity that can possibly be followed by
anyone.A.

Self-Control and Self-Reliance

A soror makes the following statement to our
FORUM: I would like to know more about
self-control and self-reliance. It appears to me
that in them exist the secret and power of success
in life.
Aristotle defined virtue as the mean between
an excess and a deficiency in human conduct. To
be virtuous, according to this simple definition,
requires one to know wherein what he does goes
beyond what is required or falls short of the
conduct that is expected of him. Patently, selfcontrol has the saime requirements. In other
words, what shall we control and why? The

Page 80

problem reduces itself down to our code of ethics,

morals, and religious preceptsif we have any.
If a dogma of your religion forebade the eating
of pork, or of meat of any kind on Friday, and
if you wanted to be conscientious in your ob
servance of these restrictions, and yet were
tempted to indulge, you would then be faced
with a problem of self-control. Others who did
not have these same religious demands made upon
them would obviously not need to control or re
strain the desire to eat meat, or to do so only on
certain days.
Self-control is made unnecessarily difficult by
some persons because of what they impose upon
themselves as denials. Fanatical beliefs which
conflict with the very fundamental nature of man
often make self-control an impossibility. One
must look fairly upon his appetencies and under
stand that they are not weaknesses of the flesh
or temptations of some evil power. Every crav
ing, desire, appetite, or passion which is normal,
and thus common to all men and women, is
divinely conceived and part of that Cosmic order
which created man, his existence and conscious
ness upon this plane. Complete repression or ab
stinence is not wise. It is actually attempting to
oppose Divine will and Cosmic law. Obviously
any philosophy or religion that advocates such
methods is unsound.
Self-control, therefore, if it requires continu
ous restraint of such somatic urges, would be
most difficult and would amount to self-destruc
tion of normalcy and good health. Conversely, if
we live a normal life, meeting as best we can the
wants of nature and the reasonable ethical and
moral demands of society, no appetite should
dominate our consciousness. For example, con
cupiscence is the result of ill health; most times
of glandular abnormality. To control it is most
difficult, until the physical cause has been reme
died. The very fact that there may be a func
tional or bodily desire which dominates our
thinking and persists, oftentimes proves the need
for a physical examination, and an eventual cure.
W hen the cure has been effected, self-control
then becomes quite simple. Almost all inordinate
physical desires are prompted by subnormal or
abnormal physical conditions.
Let us realise that will itself is really an arti'
ficial desire. W hen we will to do something, it is
because we are dominated by that thought above
all else. In other words, that thought is supreme,
above every other physical or mental desire. W e
may love to go fishing, and yet we, of our own
volition, may remain home to care for an ill
member of the family. The sense of obligation
has created an artificial desire, expressed as will
power, which, when served, gratifies us more
than the pleasure of fishing. If this were not so,
we would not remain at home. W e have said

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that will power is an artificial desire. This is so

because it is mentally created. It is not involun
tary or instinctive.
Habits, however, tend to weaken will power,
insofar as their particular nature is concerned.
Many times there are two desires in conflict
with each other. W e know, or believe that one
has more rectitude, yet we will submit to the
other. W hen we have so decided or chosen, we
have exercised will. W e have engendered and
assigned more power to one of the desires than
to the other. Each time we do this, will is more
easily opposed. Eventually, by repetition, as we
are told in our Rosicrucian monographs, a habit
is formed. The objective mind suggests to the
subjective mind that the habit become a law.
Thereafter whenever the circumstances or inci
dents related to the habit are experienced, the
subjective mind, as a habit, reacts to them with
out our willing ourselves to do so, and sometimes
hardly without conscious effort.
A fter the conclusion of the habitual act, we
may regret it, and wish that we had the selfcontrol, or the will power to restrain it. In such
circumstances, we can best strengthen our selfcontrol by forming a counter habit. It is not
sufficient, when the undesired habit takes pos
session of you to mentally or orally affirm, I
shall not do this, or I will not do this. That
would be of no avail. Such efforts and affirma
tions are puerile because they are too late. If you
had the will to restrain the habit, you would have
done so immediately, and so the affirmations add
nothing. You must create competition for the
undesired habit. Ask yourself: W hat appeals
to me more strongly? W hat is it that I love to
do and that is constructive, healthy, and morally
proper, in which I can indulge every time the
unwanted habit makes itself felt? W hatever
that may be, if it can be easily done, and if it can
be done immediately, by all means indulge it. It
may take a little will power to do this, but since
you like to do it, it will require far less effort
than attempting to repress the detrimental habit.
By doing this each time you are tempted, you
eventually form another habit, which also be
comes a law in your subjective mind. Further,
it becomes associated with the unwanted habit,
and consequently every time the former makes
itself known, the opposing influence or habit does
likewise, and your self-control becomes compara
tively easy. Once the volition to control some act
as a habit, for example, has been broken, the
only remedy is that which has been suggested
a contra'desire or counter-habit.
The subject of self'reliance now takes us into
a different realm of consideration. Another word
for self-reliance is confidence. Every normal hu
man being has a certain amount of self-reliance,
and when he is young it exists in a generous pro

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

portion. Psychologically, the quickest method of

destroying that confidence or self-reliance is to
have a series of failures. This is especially true
if the failures reflect upon our good judgment
and our abilities, and if they embarrass us extremely. W e cannot avoid failures in life, simply
because we are not perfect in our knowledge and
cannot anticipate everything that may occur and,
further, because our experiences are limited.
Extremely disheartening failures, however, can
be prevented if we do not hitch our wagons to a
too distant star. The old adage, hitch your
wagon to a star is more often a dangerous than
a successful pursuit. To put it simply, dont try
to take a whole flight of stairs in one jump. If
you would hesitate a moment, and think, you
would inwardly know and admit to yourself, at
least, what your abilities and powers are, and
also your limitations. Unless you have had experiences which cause you to believe that you
have the agility and strength to reach the top of
the flight in one jump, dont attempt it. It is best
to confine yourself to three or four stairs or steps
at first, and have a limited success, than to experience a failure.
Just as the realisation of each ideal which you
have set for yourself stimulates you mentally and
physically, and gives you reliance upon the pow
ers you have exerted, so, too, failures rob you of
that same confidence and strength of accomplish
ment. Dont set your sights too high; shoot at
those things which there is a great probability
that you will hit. Climb upward; dont leap in
a general direction. Each time you succeed, your
self-reliance makes it possible for you to com
mand and coordinate your faculties easily so as
to be able to go a little higher and to do a little
more the next time. Parents often ruin the selfreliance of their children by imposing upon them
tasks far beyond their age, merely to flatter the
parents themselves. The child knows that these
things are expected of him. W hen he fails, his
confidence in himself begins to wane, and if this
is continued, eventually an inferiority complex is
developed.
From the study of childrennot as experts,
but just from careful observationswe can gain
some excellent lessons in psychology. Let a person
set a goal of some kind for his small son, which
he knows the boy can accomplish because it is
within his possibilities, and then have him ques
tion the boy in a challenging manner as to
whether he thinks he can do it. The little son
will desire to show that he can master what has
been set before him. W hen he does, if the par
ent expresses apparent surprise and pleasure, the
boy realises then the satisfaction of attainment,
and his self-reliance is greatly strengthened.
Therefore, let me say, set for yourselves difficult
tasks, perhaps those which will compel you to

Page 81

exert yourself, your abilities, and talents to the

utmost, but tasks which are within the limits of
your abilities, and which you have a good chance
of accomplishing. W hen you succeed, you are
victorious, not only over the circumstances, but
over self, for you have enlarged your selfreliance.X.

T he W hy and How of T ithing

A Canadian Frater rises to ask the Forum the
question, W ill you kindly explain the why and
how of tithing, that is, its historical background
and its mystical significance?
Tithing, as a custom and also as a compulsion,
dates far back into antiquity. In a religious sense,
it was connected with the offering of first fruits
and firstlings. Politically, it was assocaited with
tribute and taxation. The taxation often took the
form of a tenth of the crop, or the proceeds there
from. Even though the amount varied more or
less, the term tenth or its Greek and Latin equiv
alents, OEKARN and DECIMA, were retained.
There is no historical explanation as to why a
tenth was selected as the amount of the tithe.
There are various suppositions. One is that the
number was related to the fingers and toes; still
another, that it was adopted because of the deci
mal system of counting. Both the political and
the religious tithes in ancient times were incum
bent upon the individual. From the religious
point of view, it was as necessary for the votaries
to keep up the sanctuary as it was for them
politically to support the state or royal person.
Tithes were common in ancient Babylon, and
their use is found during the time of Nebuchadnessar II, 600 B. C. Numerous small clay tab
lets inscribed in the cuneiform language consti
tute receipts for tithes offered to the temples and
the sanctuaries of the gods Marduk, Enlil, and
the goddess Ishtar, and are to be found as an ex
hibit in the larger museums throughout the
world. Such tithes consisted principally of corn,
oil, sesame, dates, flour, oxen, and sheep. In the
Babylonian and Assyrian Hall of the Rosicrucian
Egyptian, Oriental Museum, for example, there
is a large collection of such ancient Babylonian
temple receipts for tithes. Each bears the seal of
the high priest who received them, and a list of
the articles offered. In ancient Egypt, the gods
were expected to receive a share of the produce
of the fields, vineyards, orchards, and fishponds.
Even in that remote period, a tenth was consid
ered the proper amount of the tithe.
Chinese literature also mentions a tenth of the
produce of the fields being annually levied.
W hether such tithing in China was a religious
mandate or a political tribute is not known. The
Hebrews of Old Testament times made reference
to tithes in relation to the first fruits and first

Page 82

lings. The tithes were called an heave offermg. In fact, in Numbers 18:24 we find, But
the tithes of the children of Israel they offer as
an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to
the Levites to inherit . . . In the early Chris
tian Church, tithing was undoubtedly first de
veloped as a need. It had a utilitarian purpose,
namely, to support the clergy, who had surrend
ered their secular livelihood. It became an eristic
subject among the ecclesiastical heads as to
whether the amount should be fixed or free, that
is, voluntarily given. Augustine regarded the
tithe as something done by Christians for God,
though he was inclined to the ideal of free
giving.
There is no exegetical definition of tithing, but
in the ancient schools of mysticism and among
the mystics today, including of course the
AM ORC Rosicrucians, it has, as a practice, a
very definite mystical import. The mystic affirms
that all things which occur, even those which ap
pear to be the results of man-made causes, are
primarily because of the functioning of some
divine principle or law which man has invoked.
This is explained in that all things are of the
Cosmic, even those which seem to have their
origin in mans thinking, because it is the In
finite Intelligence in man which makes him a
conscious, creative being. Consequently, no
matter how much man has labored to till the soil
and harvest his crop, it is expounded by the mys
tics that the fruits are not alone of his efforts.
They are also because of the fulfillment of na
tures beneficent laws. Man has naught to do,
for example, with the germination of seed, the
warmth of the soil, the creative energy of the
sun, the plenitude of rainfall, and all of the phe
nomena upon which he has depended, even when
he has expended all of his efforts.
Man is, from the mystical point of view, ever
in the relationship of a minor partner of the
great Cosmic. He is, therefore, always obligated
to offer a portion of the rewards and benefits he
receives, to the furtherance of those agencies
which bring man closer to the Cosmic and to the
God within him. The great Cosmic is munificent.
It is, therefore, incumbent upon man likewise to
show compassion, and in some manner to express
the spiritual side of his nature in charity and un
selfishness. It is further held that the more man
so gives, the more he becomes a recipient of
Cosmic blessings, which are many fold his offer
ings. As we give, in other words, so we draw to
ourselves. Thus, the mystic contends, man should
give a portion of his income, no matter what its
source, to a church, to a charitable institution, to
unfortunate persons, to any organisations or
societies that are furthering humanity and ex
pounding Cosmic principles.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

As of yore, it is expected that when one re

ceives a gift, a legacy, an award, an income
which was not expected, a portion of it as a
first should be contributed in the manner ex
plained above. If man does not do this, he grad
ually shuts the door to these Cosmic blessings,
or as a man in the street would say, the streaks
of good fortune disappear. In ancient times, the
first of the newborn sheep of a flock or calves of
a herd, as firstlings, were always tithed to the
temple or sanctuary, likewise the first bushels of
threshed grain or harvested fruit.
O ur late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, ex
plains in a very excellent manner the mystical
and Rosicrucian principle of tithing, in the cele
brated brochure, The Cathedral of the Soul,
by our beloved Past Grand Master Charles Dana
Dean. To the Rosicrucians, this esoteric princi
ple of tithing has always been known as The
Law of Amra. W e can do no better than quote
Dr. Lewis words with respect to this Law of
Amra, as they appear in the booklet, The
Cathedral of the Soul.
There is an ancient custom found in all the
old Rosicrucian records called The Law of
A M R A . This law became a sacred doctrine
with the Egyptian people, and later with the
Jews in their religious practices. It was finally
adopted by branches of the Christian church. It
was originally a mystical law and the Rosicru
cians still hold it to be a mystical law, although
many modern forms of religion have turned it
into a purely material law. The law of A M RA
is this: If you pray to God or petition the Mas
ters for any special help in sickness, worry, trial,
tribulation, or poverty, and your prayer or peti
tion is answered, you are obligated to make com
pensation not alone by prayer and thankfulness,
but by passing along to others some portion of
the blessing you have received. If you have asked
for an improvement in your health, relief from
some pain or suffering, the gift of some material
thing, or help in your business and social posi
tion, then, according to the law of A M RA , you
should tithe yourself either by setting aside a
small amount of money, or of some material
element, which can be used to make some other
person happy or at Peace with the world. U n
less this is done each time you receive a blessing
through the Cathedral, you cannot rightfully
petition in the future for any other blessing.
It has been suggested by some of our members
that inasmuch as many of our members will con
stantly contact the Cathedral for help and bless
ings in many ways, that they voluntarily adopt
the law of A M R A by having a small bank in
which they can deposit a few coins each time
they receive some answer to their prayers. The
small amount thus deposited in this bank should
be kept as a sacred fund and never extracted for

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

any personal or selfish purposes. A t the end of

a month or at the end of every two months, the
amount of money in the little bank should be
taken out by you and used by you, to help some
sick person, some child, or some local organisa
tion or movement in your city or town that is
doing some good work. You should make it your
business to find some way of secretly and anony'
mously doing some good with this money.
If you find it inconvenient or difficult to use
this money to help someone near you, then you
may send it, by means of a check or Money
Order, to A M O RC and the Imperator will see
that it is used to help in the many ways in which
he is asked by mail and otherwise for personal
help in hundreds of needy cases by persons who
are not members of the organisation. Such checks
and Money Orders may be sent with the under
standing that they are to be used by the Gathe'
dral W elfare League and not for any propaganda
work of the A M O RC organisation. Gifts of any
kind to the Cathedral will always be used to help
in spreading the work of the Cathedral or in
helping those who need the blessing that you can
give in this way. X.

H aving Success with Experiments

A soror of the Atlantic Coast, who has previ
ously addressed this Forum, now asks the ques
tionA long time ago I read somewhere that
the reason some of us have so little success in
experimentation or exercises is because of a nega
tive mood which we are in. Is there any way
whereby we can become positive, even if only for
the time being?
Let us first understand the reason why
A M O RC lessons or monographs are so replete
with experiments and exercises. The experiment
does not explain the principle, point or law which
is included in the particular monograph. The
text, the subject matter, the words in the mono
graph do that, but the Rosicrucian Order,
AM ORC, and its supreme officers and those di
rectly responsible for the presentation of the
teachings of the Order have felt and have \now n
that the mere telling or relating in print, or
orally, of a Cosmic law or principle is not ade
quate. Apperception is not sufficient. It is es
sential that the individual believe in himself, and
it is his duty to invoke and utilise these natural
laws to serve him in the manner described in the
monographs.
To illustratesuppose, for example, one of the
monographs contained instructions in swimming,
and it went into the physics of water and its re
lation to heavier and lighter bodies, and under
what conditions water should support them, or
they would float. Let us further suppose that the
Rosicrucian member had never seen swimmers,

Page 83

but he had seen heavy objects sink in water.

Now he is told in the monograph that his body,
which weighs perhaps 170 pounds, will not only
not sink when it is in water, under certain condi
tions, but that he can propel it through the deep
est water with comparative ease. W hat would be
the state of mind of that frater? He is a loyal
Rosicrucian; he affiliated with the Order because
he believed in what it was doing and teaching.
He wants to have confidence in the monographs,
and in those who are responsible as officers for
what they proclaim. O n the other hand, against
these statements in the monographs, stand his
actual experiences. He has seen with his own
eyes, as we have said, heavy objects, yet much
smaller and lighter than his own body, sink im
mediately when thrown, or when they fell into
water.
Knowledge is of two kinds, that which is re
lated to us by another, and that which comes as
the result of our own intimate perceptions. The
latter kind of knowledge is experience. It places
us in direct relation to the object of knowledge.
The former, that which is told to us, and that
which we read, requires confidence and belief on
our part. It is quite natural, therefore, and man
is so constructed, that he would be dubious as
to whether what he heard about swimming is re
liable, when it is not consistent with his personal
experiences.
Now, in this illustration, this analogy, if
nothing more is done than just to explain the
method of swimming in the monograph to the
frater, what is apt to occur? He will, most like
ly, not enter into any controversy with the Rosi
crucian Department of Instruction, trying to
reconcile his experiences with the emphatic
declarations in the monographs. In all proba
bility, after studying the monograph, he would
put it aside with no intention of actually trying
to swim, for he would assume it would be too
much of a risk. The knowledge imparted by
AM ORC, in its monograph, would thus be use
less to the memberonly because he had no re
liance upon it. There would even be other dan
gers. Monographs which sought to instruct him
in other matters, and about which he had no
contra-experiences, would also not have their
contents accepted as they should be, for the mem
ber might feel that they, too, were not depend
able. Eventually the member would adopt, not
intentionally but nevertheless actually, a negative
attitude when studying his monographs. Conse
quently, they would completely lose their value
to him.
W hat is the solution to such a problem? It is
that the knowledge which the monographs con
tain must be made intimate. The member must
be brought into personal contact with the laws
himself. He must perceive and experience their

Page 84

manifestations. This cannot be accomplished by

merely explaining the law, but only by letting the
student and member demonstrate it to himself
wherever possible. Such experiments do not need
to be elaborate. Simple, homely, little acts, pro
cedures which may almost seem childlike can
often prove the most profound Cosmic and nat
ural laws and principles. For example, it only
requires the throwing of a little stone into the
air, or a little pebble or stick, to prove that there
is such a force as gravity. Sir Isaac Newton,
physicist and scientist, proved the diffusion of
light, and demonstrated that white, or sunlight
consisted of a harmony or unity of all of the
colors, by making a pinhole in a window shade,
and letting a beam of sunlight enter a darkened
room and fall upon a glass prism. The different
wave lengths were separated, forming the rainbow-like spectrum. It was a very simple experi'
ment. It really required nothing but a pin and a
small glass prism, but look at the magnificent
laws which it demonstrated. Once you try a
simple experiment and prove to yourself that the
law exists and that it is an actuality, then you
are ready to use it for more complex and im
portant purposes than that required by the very
simple experiment. Once you \now that the law
is demonstrable, you are prepared and willing to
use it in the manner which is explained in the
monographs. You then can wholeheartedly enter
into the spirit of the instructions of the mono
graphs. You have no negative attitude of re
straint, doubt, or fear.
Now, of course, there are a number of prin
ciples taught in the Rosicrucian system of guid
ance that you cannot prove to yourself by home
ly, simple experiments. Such, for example, is the
principle and Rosicrucian doctrine that the soul
enters the body at birth with the first breath of
life. These must be accepted on faithbut where
the member has demonstrated to himself, by
means of the experiments provided with the
monographs, many of the other laws which have
been expounded in the teachings, he then has
established the necessary liberal faith on a sound
foundation of personal experience. The reason
why some members fail with the experiments,
particularly in the higher degrees where the more
complex laws are studied and, by necessity, more
difficult experiments are given, is because they
passed up, or laid aside the early experiments
which they thought of no consequence. Frankly,
they do not now have the necessary requisite of
confidence. Perhaps in the Neophyte Degrees
they considered the simple experiments super
ficial, and not worthy of attempting as, for ex
ample, putting drops of oil in water, or a match
stick in water to experiment with its movements,
or to work mentally with the candle flame. They,
therefore, have just the intellectual aspect of the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

teachings, and not the experience of demonstra

tions, and they consequently approach the ex
periments of the higher degrees with an abso
lutely negative attitude of mind.
Let it further be realised that every experiment
cannot bring good results for everyone with the
first trial. Some fratres and sorores are success
ful, even with their first experiment and with the
first trial, but many are not. For example, ex
periments in chemistry and in physics, as perhaps
many of you know, even where the laws are al
ready known and where they are included in
textbooks, are not always successful. Perhaps
the experimenter or scientist was not careful in
his arrangement and preparation for the experi
ment, or in following a formula. Then again,
perhaps conditions were not exactly proper. In
the instance of such scientists, they must try
again, and they do under slightly different con
ditions. If a scientist acquired a negative, skepti
cal, fearful attitude when he failed with an ex
periment, science would today be centuries be
hind its present accomplishments.
Therefore, remember, never attempt experi
ments if you are extremely tired mentally or
physically. You cannot properly concentrate or
follow instructions. Do not attempt any but the
self-healing experiments or exercises if you are
very ill. If the experiments require you to do a
thing in a certain way, do as instructed. These
experiments have been carefully prepared, after
much research, trial, and test, and if there were
any shorter or better ways of performing them,
you would be so advised. If you deviate from the
procedure outlined in the monographs for the
exercises ancj experiments, hold yourself responsi
ble if you do not succeed. Always consider each
experiment or exercise in a serious and sincere
light; especially is this so if they are of a psychic
or Cosmic nature. You cannot invoke Cosmic
principles to amuse you. If you do all of the
proper things, and yet you still fail, lay aside the
particular experiment or exercise. Continue on
with your monographs. Perhaps in a later one
some suggestion or some explanation may help
you and then at some future time you will be
successful in re-performing the experiment. By
all means, do not become discouraged by not be
ing able to perform such experiments, for such
failures the first, second, and even the third time
does not mean that the Cosmic has forgotten you
and that it did not imbue you with the same
faculties at birth which other human beings
possess.X.

C oncentration Its N ature and Use

A frater of the Northwest, who has been in
this Forum Circle before, now propounds to it
the question: The monographs through the de
grees contain enlightening references to concen

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tration, but I would like this Forum kindly to

condense these principles if that is possible, and
add to them further examples, for I find so many
who are in need of such knowledge.
W e will first review here the essence of the
Rosicrucian principles of concentration, but we,
of course, cannot divulge them in the words of
the monographs; then we will endeavor to add
some further helpful suggestions. If I were asked
to give a mystical definition of concentration, one
that would make it better understood to me, I
would say it consisted of seeing with the mind.
Until we are fully aware or conscious of a thing,
it does not truly exist to us, no matter if it has
been seen through our physical eyes, or perceived
through our other objective receptor organs and
senses.
As Rosicrucians, we are told not to confuse,
in our concentration, the method of imaging with
imagining. The former, or imaging is related directly to the process of concentration. It con
sists of creating in the mind an image or picture,
and holding it there for a time by focusing our
consciousness, our mental eyes upon it. Imagin
ing, on the other hand, often is not an orderly
process. It frequently does not begin with an
actuality, something that is known and then ex
tended logically from the present to the future,
but rather often begins with no foundation in
fact, and is therefore not possible of attainment
because it is merely fanciful. Thus, concentra
tion must not concern itself with imaginary con
ceptions, in the sense of being fanciful, but
imaging that which is consistent with the present.
In other words, we should build a logical picture
for the future, out of our consciousness, and out
of those things which now exist. To simplify this,
certain rules have been given us as Rosicrucians,
which I present here very concisely.
FirstPURPOSE. Ask yourself, W hy do I
wish to concentrate? W hat is the thing that
you wish to concentrate upon? If the purpose is
hazy in your mind, if you are not quite sure,
dont attempt concentration, it would only cul
minate in failure for you. Be sure that your pur
pose is not composed of several thoughts, acts, or
things, for concentration must be confined to
a single purpose. You cannot hold several things
in mind at one time and concentrate on each
simultaneously to an equal extent. Limit your
purpose to a single idea, one that is as simple as
possible.
SecondMOTIVE. W hat is the motive be
hind your purpose? In other words, your pur
pose is to concentrate upon a certain thing, for
example, but why do you wish to do so? Is it a
selfish purpose? W ill you and no one else even
indirectly, benefit by it? Remember the Cosmic
has no powers or fortunes for those who seek
in a selfish spirit.

Page 85

ThirdDESERVEDNESS. You must further

ask yourself, before proceeding: Am I deserving
of what I seek in concentration? Are you ask
ing for something which, because of your station
in life, education, position in society, or morals
and conduct, you are not entitled to? A re you
asking that, through concentration, you shall re
ceive some benefit which would injure another,
constitute an imposition upon others, or deprive
persons of what they are rightfully entitled to?
You cannot make the Cosmic forces, through
concentration, a partner in any injustice. Man
proposes, but God disposes. Therefore, ask
yourself: Do I deserve what I am concentrating
for or upon?
FourthA TTU N EM EN T. Constantly dwell
ing upon, or holding in the objective conscious
ness the picture of what you want to receive, or
to occur is not alone going to bring it about. Your
concentration, if it is to require Cosmic aid for
its fulfillment, must eventually be released, that is,
the subject of the concentration go into the Cos
mic Mind through your own subjective mind. As
long as you hold the picture in mind, or keep
repeating what you seek or wish verbally, you
are keeping the suggestion brain-bound. In other
words, you are confining it to the objective con
sciousness of your brain alone.
Attunement with the Cosmic forces is an es
sential part of this type of concentration. Your
picture, as a motivating force, must be released
into the Cosmic, where it will set into motion
those Cosmic laws which will manifest it, if it is
proper, and you will come to realize it. Start by
building pictures, I repeat, of what you want.
Begin with facts, what you can do, or what you
have already, then add mentally in your mind
those elements or things, or factors needed to
make it complete, even though they may not yet
exist. Make the final thing for which you are
concentrating as complete as possible in your
mind. W hen you see it clearly in your objective
mind as one single idea, then STOP concen
trating, and by that means release the idea as a
suggestion into the subjective mind, there to be
transmitted to the Cosmic. W hen holding this
picture in your mind, or concentrating, exclude
all other impressions. Forget where you are, who
you are, and even try to lose consciousness of self.
Concentration is psychologically a domination
of your consciousness by one sole idea. The most
difficult function of concentration is this focusing
of the consciousness upon the single idea. There
is a tendency upon the part of most persons to
allow their consciousness to wander, to vacillate
from one thing to another until its powers are
dissipated. For analogy, let us think of the world
apart from ourselves as containing (which it
does) myriad activities, things, particles, and
particulars. But, further, let us think of this

Page 86

world as being absolutely dark, and consequently

its things are concealed from us. To see or per
ceive any of them, we must focus a light, like a
flashlight beam, upon them. W e may compare
our consciousness to this light beam, in other
words. As it is focused upon the thing or object
that is perceived, that object can be analysed,
and we have the great opportunity of under
standing it. It stands out apart from all else,
clear and sharp. If we switch this beam of light,
or our consciousness from one object to another
we never quite clearly see or have the oppor
tunity of thoroughly acquainting ourselves with
any of the objects which our consciousness per
ceives for the moment.
For further example, if you are entering a dark
house and you use a flashlight to find the keyhole
in the door, and your beam of light eventually
reveals the keyhole, you concentrate the light
upon it until you have inserted the key and
opened the door. You dont flash the light about
from window to roof, and from roof to sidewalk,
as you would not then clearly see the keyhole,
and you would only delay the opening of the
door. Now you must, in your concentration,
mentally do the same thing. In other words,
focus your consciousness on the one idea. Dont
let the light of your mind vacillate or include
anything else but what is to be concentrated
upon.
You all know how perfect is your concentra
tion if you are absorbed in an interesting book,
or watching the portrayal of a play upon a mo
tion picture screen. You have no sense of time
and place, except that which is revealed by the
book or the story upon the screen. You are un
aware of any other environment except that
which the author unfolds to you. You are not
even aware of self. You lose your consciousness
in the characters and the places of the story.
Perfect concentration consists of more than hold
ing the idea in mind and building the picture
visually. W e have to so actualize that picture
that it reacts upon us in the same way as some
actual thing which we would ordinarily see, feel,
or taste. In other words, the mental picture we
form must also produce emotional responses.
You know when you look upon the motion pic
ture screen and are witnessing an interesting tale
that it is more than just visual impressions with
you. You feel for the characters, you sense their
emotions, you have the same joy, or even ex
perience the fears which they have. A nd so it
should be with your concentration.
If, for example, you are properly concentrating
on a scene of a beach in summertime, you should
not only see in your minds eye the sands and the
rolling breakers, the surf, and the white spray,
but you should feel the burning sun on your back
and neck, and you should feel when you step

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

into the waters the shock of the comparative

coldness, then the cool, refreshing sensation. If
you do not, for the period of your concentration,
become emotionally an actual part of what you
are concentrating upon, you are not properly
concentrating.
Another point to remember is that the period
of concentration need not be long, laborious, and
tortuous. It doesnt require us to stare with fixed
eyes upon something until they smart and burn,
and tears course down our cheeks. The period of
concentration is determined only by whether you
have been successful. If you completely concen
trate, make all of your objective senses receptive
to the one thing upon which your consciousness
is focused, it may require just a few seconds for
a complete understanding of what to do and how
to act, or to release the suggestion to the sub
jective mind.
For further example, if you are driving a car
and you hear near you the sudden loud blast of
another cars warning horn, and you turn in the
direction of the sound and see a heavy truck
bearing down upon you, your instinct of selfpreservation is aroused by the visual impressions
you receive. This causes intense concentration of
all of your objective senses upon the impending
danger, and then likewise your physical powers
are immediately concentrated to act so that you
can withdraw to immediate safety. Thus, in a
few seconds of time, because of perfect concen
tration, you possibly avoid the loss of your
life. From this you can understand that insuffi
cient, inaccurate concentration is not helped by
prolongation.
Concentration is a most vitally important sub
ject, and it is very definitely linked psycholog
ically with memorizing. W e cant remember any
thing about which we have never had a very
clear picture, or which has not made a very
strong impression upon our mind. The more
definite our sense impressions, and the more firm
ly they are implanted in our consciousness, the
more they create a furrow from our brain and
from the association areas there, in which they
are registered, to be easily recalled. Poor concentration always means poor memory. You will
find that the person who cant remember, doesnt
properly concentrate. These two things are so
important in our daily lives, regardless of our
business or home life, trade, or profession, that
our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis thought
it advisable to prepare two simple little brochures
that could be carried about in ones pocket, to
which one could make reference in order to help
develop concentration, or to help with the de
velopment of memory. He designated these two
brochures, The Key to the A rt of Concentration
and Memorising. Book one concerns Concen
tration and Book two Memorizing. They have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

been very economically published. They may be

had for 35c each, or the two for 60c. It is not
our purpose to use this article a s ,a sales argument, but frankly these booklets are so effective,
so simple, and so forceful that you who wish
added information on concentration and the de
velopment of memory should not fail to purchase
them from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau.X.

Divorce and Remarriage

A soror, very active for years in the W ork of
one of our Rosicrucian chapters, asks this Forum:
W hat is the Rosicrucian idea of divorce and
also remarriage?
There is, of course, as is known to most per
sons, a serious divergence between what some
orthodox Christian sects consider as the sin of
divorce, and the modern states conception of it
as a social necessity. The objection of certain
religious sects and theologians to divorce is
founded upon the Biblical injunction, in Matthew
19:6, W hat therefore God hath joined together,
let no man put asunder. Men would be moral
ly obligated to enforce that admonition rigidly,
if marriage were actually divinely inspired, or,
in other words, if marriages were made in
heaven.
The only Divine semblance to marriage is the
immanent desire within men and women, as be
ings of different polarity, manifested as sex,
which draws them together physically. For suc
cessful marriage, a compatibility and intellectual
companionship should develop out of this purely
physical attraction. Therefore, we repeat, beyond
this inherent physical impulse, there is no Divine
or natural law associated with marriage as a
custom, or as a social institution. In fact, from
the purely physiological and biological points of
view, the rites, ceremonies, and the moral and
legal obligations that compose marriage would
not be necessary, for they are solely of mans
origin.
Long ago, man in his most primitive state,
perhaps even as far back as the Paleolithic Per
iod, found it necessary to restrict sexual promis
cuity. Polygamy must not be confused with pro
miscuity. Ancient peoples and races, and cer
tain aborigines today practice polygamy, but
each husband is nevertheless compelled to sup
port his wives and his children, and he cannot
take any more wives than those for which he can
care, as required by the customs and code of the
tribe. The abolition of, or taboo on, promiscuity
among primitive peoples was not inspired by any
moral restraint, but because of very realistic
problems. The offspring of unmarried parents
or of promiscuous mating were apt to be neglect
ed. They would become a burden to the com
munal life of the tribe. Further, the mortality

Page 87

rate would be increased because of possible

neglect and then, as now, warriors were needed.
These causes prompted the enforcement of what
constituted marriage rites and customs; however,
the enforcement was made facile by telling the
conventicle of tribesmen that it was decreed by
a god. Implied Divine authority suppressed
promiscuity more than could any temporal dis
cipline. Thus, today the state and our modern
laws take the position that God has not made
marriages, but men have, and, therefore, men can
tear them asunder, if they prove to be faulty,
and they can do so without incurring Divine
displeasure.
Much is dependent upon marriage in our com
plex modern state. Marriage is the nucleus of the
home life. Each home is a center from which
emanates an influence upon the state. In the
home originate ideals and incentives which come
to direct the course that the state shall take, by
the pressure they bring to bear upon it. Homes
of culture, even though not very prosperous,
bring about the love of knowledge, the desire to
further the arts and sciences, and the need for
perpetuating the great institutions of the state,
its universities, churches, museums, libraries,
schools, hospitals, and various humanitarian activ
ities. Let all homes cease cherishing these things,
all families, and within a generation most of
these institutions would have disappeared. Homes
where refinement, gentleness, and compassion
reign, compel a state to become aware, to take
cognisance of these things, and to evaluate them
as the firsts in its problem of expansion. Let
homes breed vice and immorality, and crime
spreads from them throughout the nation like an
epidemic.
If marriages were truly made in heaven, or
if, as the precepts of many of the churches con
tend, God made them, their effect upon the com
munity and the state would always be most bene
ficial. On the other hand, where incompatibility
exists as a fact, or an environment is detrimental
to children of the marriage, or those who may
come into the family, and where one of the
parties to the marriage seeks freedom from his
marital contract, the state is justified in granting
the divorce. Certain religious sects, in their
creeds, hold that divorce subverts family life and
contaminates the morale of the children. T hat it
leaves them bewildered and confused. The ills of
divorce, admittedly, are numerous. Divorce can
not be panegyrised as a civic virtue. A t its best,
it is a corrective measure, but in that sense it is
of inestimable value to society. For analogy, no
one desires or enjoys a surgical operation, but
such operations are of value to life in certain
health emergencies, and that reality cannot be
denied.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 88

From the Rosicrucian point of view, no moral

stigma rests upon the divorced party, if his (or
her) own conscience informs him that he was
not guilty of the cause for divorce, and if he has
not truly violated any Cosmic laws in bringing
about the divorce by his conduct. Rosicrucians
do not recognize the theological misconception
that God has made marriages. Therefore, Rosi'
crucians do not believe that divorce breaks any
spiritual bond that exists between two persons
that have been married. A t times, even before
marriage, there develops an attunement between
a man and woman that goes far beyond the
physical attraction, and may rightfully be con
sidered a psychic or even Cosmic unity. How
ever, where such a unity exists, no divorce ever
occurs, and, consequently, man has no opportun
ity through his laws to tear asunder such rela
tions. In the majority of marriages, such a bond
develops afterwards. W here there are causes for
divorce, no such bond ever existed, and divorce
consequently is not in opposition to mystical laws
and principles. Further, if no such psychic bond
has been created, after divorce there is no reason
mystically why each of the parties may not re
marry another.
The Roman Church considers such remarriage
a kind of legal prostitution, only because it con
ceives marriages as being Divinely ordained, and
that parties once thus united can never be separ
ated by the act of man. This assumption is based
upon either one or two things: that the ritual
which is man-conceived imbues the parties with
the spiritual unity, or that such unity spiritually
exists because they have sought each other in
marriage. W e repeat, no ritual can create such
a bond, and no such bond exists where the parties
see\ divorce.
Furthermore, we hold, from a logical point of
view, aside from any mystical aspect, as our late
Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, often said, that
divorce should be made as simple as is the mar
riage contract. If our state permits two persons
to become married easily^ without thorough
understanding of each other, and without know
ing whether they have a common bond mentally,
intellectually, and as far as social interests are
concerned, and makes it possible for a great
many to make serious mistakes by marrying one
whom they should not, then it is obligatory upon
the part of the state to permit such parties to
extricate themselves as easily from the unfor
tunate relationship into which they plunged
themselves.X.

T he S. P. C. A .
Perhaps the greatest display of the virtues
of compassion is found in mans love of and
charitable attitude toward animals. There is often
the moot question as to the reason for his benefi

cence toward his fellowman, that is, whether it is

prompted by some ulterior motive. Fear and
political power may often cause a man to be
patronizing to another, to the degree that it re
sembles a genuine virtue. The man, however, no
matter how niggardlly or bellicose he may seem,
who goes out of his way to feed a stray dog or
to bandage its wounds, has an inbred kindliness
that is only concealed by his exterior assumed
personality. There are men, who, in their char
acter and emotional structure, are as gentle and
as tender as most women, and more so than
many. Unfortunately some such men have the
erroneous conception that a display of sympathy
constitutes femininity, or at least detracts from
their masculinity. Such men only reveal their
true personality whenever they experience the
abuse or suffering of an animal.
W e have an obligation to every domesticated
animal. W e changed its mode of living. W e took
it from the forest, or desert, or mountainside,
where by instinct it was capable of foraging for
its own food and caring for itself. W e made it
dependent upon our support. By constant breed
ing, we even altered its instincts, so that it would
no longer be capable of surviving in its original
environment or habitat, without mans aid.
Usually this domestication was for selfish pur
poses because we wanted the animal to serve us
as a beast of burden, or guardian of our safety
if not just for food alone. W e have, therefore,
shown our supremacy by our dominion over
these dumb beasts, but, on the other hand, we
show our inferiority or our equality with them
by our neglect of them, or by cruelty.
The faithfulness of these many animals to man
needs no relating here. Each day in your daily
newspaper, as humanHnterest stories, there is re
lated some tale of the superb loyalty of an animal
to manoften at the expense of the formers life.
Coldness, pain, discomfort, even want never re
press this sense of loyalty, this expression of an
absolute love of a pet for its master. There is
hardly any circumstance that could alter or cause
a breach of this sense of devotion. As for man,
it is regrettable that the same cannot always be
said of him. W hen the first emergency arises,
which concerns himself and his interests, his
family, his property, or his nation, he is apt to
forget the animals depending upon him. Per
haps he will care for his own pet, but will not
think of those multitudes of others dependent
upon humans, because man has made them so.
N ot many years ago in the United States, it
was common to see drivers unmercifully lash
horses that were underfed, and that could not
pull a load far in excess of their strength. It was
common to hear or read of persons tying up dogs
and neglecting them, letting them starve or be
without drink for days. The courage of one man,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

and those who later came to his support eventually brought about legislation to prevent, and to
punish those who, as individuals, had no compunction about abusing animals. This group of
men and women, who were humanitarians,
formed the notable Society For the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals, which today is widespread.
Every little donation, or small annual dues which
they receive is used to care for homeless animals
somebodys neglected pet. This Society, for
example, picks up the crushed and mangled
bodies of animals from highways and streets, the
result of often unconcerned and reckless drivers,
who would otherwise let them lie as hideous
masses of matter.
Today man is crying aloud for all-out aid of
his own kind. Taxation and donations are levied
and solicited. Even in the defense of his kind of
living, man employs animals, plunges them into
slaughter, a slaughter in which they should have
no partand yet they continue to serve him
faithfully, undubious. But he forgets to support
such societies as the S. P. C. A. He neglects those
companion living thingsthe domesticated ani
malswhich he has made dependent upon him.
Dogs freeze for want of shelter, starve for the
want of food, because the Humane Society and
S. P. C. A. are inadequately supported, while man
concerns himself with selfish interests.
True, humans are suffering today in the great
catastrophe in which the world has been plunged,
but man brought this catastrophe upon himself
either because he wants war or because he makes
it possible. This, however, does not relieve him
of his obligation to animals, which are helpless
without his support. Christmas, whether you are
a Christian or not, is a period of the year that
symbolises the spiritual nature and being of man.
You can display it by sending a dollar or more
to your local S. P. C. A., or Humane Society.
You will find their address in your local tele
phone book. State, if you wish: I am sending
this as a member of the Rosicrucian Order,
AM ORC, and as a lover of animals.X.

T he Smoking H abit
I am not bringing up this subject to be discur
sive or to inveigh against smoking. Many Rosi
crucians smoke. A great number of them are
high degree members. Some are even officers of
the Order. Most of these smokers could, if they
so desired, break the habit, but they do not wish
to do so. Does it seem offensive to you? A re they
comporting themselves wrongly? W hy do they
smoke? The answer is quite simplebecause they
like to. Namely, that they find a gratification in
so doing. This, then, makes smoking a practice
indulged for sensuous pleasure.

Page 89

Before you look upon this declaration or

would you have it an admission with horror,
if you are a non-smoker, realise that each of us
has formed many habits for no higher purpose
than smoking, habits which we look upon as quite
innocuous. Many persons started smoking for
one reason or another, or perhaps without any
reason, just as many chew gum and continue to
do so, because they like it. You know of persons
who have a sweet tooth, as the popular term
goes, and who consume great quantities of can
dies, cakes, and pastries during the course of a
year, only because they enjoy them. These things
are not vices in a moral sense, unless we look
upon them from a prejudicial point of view, con
sidering them violations of the laws of health.
Ninety-five per cent of our simple pleasures
do not, from a hygienic point of view, con
tribute to the excellence of our physical welfare,
yet their injury is so slight that we consider them
innocuous.
It was the philosopher Plato, who defined for
man what constitutes the higher pleasures. He
said they were of the mindthose activities
which engage the philosopheror today, the phi
losopher, educator, scientist, and moralist. These
mental pleasures, of course, do excel the physical
ones, because the former are most always crea
tive, and contribute to the benefit of society, as
well as to the individual participant; however,
those who, by choice or necessity, are constantly
engaged in mental activity, which they prefer
and enjoy, are often inclined inadvertently to
exhaust themselves, to tax the strength of their
bodies. Complete relaxation, periods of absolute
ease and bodily comfort are required for their re
generation. Little somatic pleasures, which grati
fy the consciousness, and relieve and relax the
mind, taken in themselves, as I have said, could
be considered not actually conducive to health.
Taken, however, in relation to the greater pur
pose which they serve, they have a salutary effect
upon the individual. The will power and per
sonal supremacy of the individual is shown in
limiting these indulgences, restraining them so
that they do not become excessive and alarmingly
serious to the health and personal welfare.
W e all know, from personal experience, how
we relish a most appetisingly prepared, palatable
and wholesome meal. It is an essential gratifica
tion of a fundamental appetite. On the other
hand, we must know what constitutes our reason
able capacity for such food, for if we retrograde
into gluttons, the same nourishing food becomes
a menace to our health. Admittedly, smoking
cannot be compared to food. One is an essential
and the other is not. However, until manevery
man and womancan so occupy his mind with
the higher interests and their consequent pleas
ures, exclusive of all else, he still needs, as a

Page 90

human being and as a mortal, some little inno

cent pleasures which please the physical self
alone. W hen men begin to do otherwise, you
find them existing as anchorites or recluses in
caves, living an unnatural and unbalanced mental
life.
A t times, however, the simple, harmless, little
indulgences get out of control, go beyond the re
striction of our will power. Smoking is one of
these. W e receive many letters each month, ask
ing how the habit can be broken. Then we give
such information, not as a condemnation of
smoking, but rather to help the individual to rid
himself of something which he himself does not
want. Many of these members would find in
their monographs the principles to assist them in
overcoming the unwanted habit. One frater did
so quite successfully. His explanation is so inter
esting and cogent that I am going to quote it
below, for it should be a very effective lesson for
others :
To stress a point in this relation, I wish to
call to mind a monograph in an early grade, third
or fouth degree, I believe. It depicted a clear
and impressive picture of man and his five senses
seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and feeling.
These senses constituted a board of directors con
trolling the operations of a large factory, the
human body. A nd I well remember the Chief
Engineer'* hired to carry out the W ILL of those
directors. In one of their sessions, Mr. Smelling
and Mr. Tasting complain of fumes escaping
from the air shaft into the ventilating system,
causing great discomfort and some inefficiency in
several departments. Mr. Seeing stated he had
noticed for some time irritating effect of these
fumes. It therefore was decided to discuss the
matter with the Chief Engineer whom they
finally instructed to trace the source of the fumes
and rectify the condition immediately. The Chief
Engineer thereupon checked carefully every net
work of his Central Control Board covering each
department and found a switch causing all of the
trouble. This control switch was an old installa
tion that was no longer necessary in functioning
under normal conditions. He therefore discon
nected it and hung a sign over it reading Out
of Order. W ithin a few weeks, Messrs. Tasting,
Smelling, and Seeing noticed considerable im
provement in the efficiency of their departments.
Last November, the above parable entertained
my thoughts one evening at a time when my
throat was a little sore and was being further
irritated by the smoking of a cigarette, a habit I
had harbored for the last fifteen years. I recalled
clearly the characters in this parable, and I won
dered if my own Chief Engineer possessed the
power and ability to carry out my will to dis
continue this irritating habit. I visualized the
Board of Directors in extraordinary session on

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

the top floor of my factory, their consultation

with the Chief Engineer, his analysis of the
Master Control Board, and finally his placing an
Out of Order sign over the disconnected switch.
Then I watched him sit at his desk to make out
a report of his actions to the Board of Directors.
A t the top of his report he wrote the date and
timeNovember 14th, 1940, 8:10 P .M .
Each day for a week thereafter I many times
wanted to take that sign down and throw the
switch into operation; but always, there stood
the engineer guarding that sign and stating he
had definite orders from the Board of Directors
and he was hired to carry them out. By the end
of the second week, I was admiring with pride
the ability and efficiency of this engineerand
since, I have never felt the urge to throw that
switch.
From all of the above, it perhaps may seem
that I am defending smoking with all of the
fervor of a smokerthe fact is, I do not smo\e.
However, I see in the practice (if it is not in
dulged to excess) no moral wrong, nor any more
interference w ith mans growth inwardly and
psychically than many of the other little habits
which man forms and which he thinks are
quite proper or not injuriousmay cause. It is
ridiculous for one to begin to smoke just to do
so for custom, fad or convention, but in doing so,
he is by all means, if moderate, not damned to
an existence of spiritual sterility. X.

Rosicrucians and the Problems of Life

W e have before us an interesting question for
consideration that asks, W hy is it Rosicrucians
seem to suffer and experience misfortunes the
same as others, yet in the early degrees and initia
tions we are told how they will avoid many con
ditions and circumstances which other persons
confront? In the first place, we must realise
that mere membership in the Order will not
bring to one immunity from the pitfalls of a ma
terial life. If it did, we could simply offer mem
bership in the Order on the basis of it being a
cloak to wrap up in or a shelter to hide behind
in the face of the oncoming storm. So long as
man manifests as he does on this material, earthly
plane, he will be subject to all things earthly. It
is not the fault of God and N ature that man
suffers war, disease, hunger, privation, and debt.
It is man and the code of life he has established
for himself that causes him to so suffer.
Take hunger for example: God not only
brought into existence man, but at the same time
lower forms of life were created. Man was en
dowed with the ability to think, reason, and in
telligently make use of lesser beings to his own
benefit. Through his intelligence he was able to
combat the animal life that was greater than he

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

in size and strength. He learned through experience and experiment what plants and fruits were
palatable to him and nourished him. Gradually
man learned to till the soil and grow foods. He
learned to domesticate animals and make of them
beasts of burden, thus lightening his task of
wresting an existence from the natural sources
that were created by Nature, just as man was
created as an earthly being.
Nothing in N ature itself has changed to cause
man to suffer and experience problems such as
we are so familiar with in this modern life of
ours. Man, however, has continued his steady
growth and mental development. He has estab
lished great cities and communities whereby he
can enjoy social contact with his fellow beings
and band together for greater protection from
his natural enemies. It was this formation of
community life that played a great part in pre
senting to man his many problems of a moral,
ethical, and social nature. Then there were those
who began to complicate their methods of exist
ence. They no longer lived the simple, natural
life of the tiller of the soil. They so weakened
their physical bodies that they became the victims
of their own overindulgences and fell before the
onslaught of social diseases, manifested by un
cleanliness and lack of sanitation. God did not
do this. N ature did not do it. Man alone must
hold himself responsible.
W ith the development of communities, vil
lages, and cities with their many complications,
came the expression of passionate emotions,
jealousy, envy, and hatred. M ans life became
more and more a problem with the passing of
time, until today in this greatest of all ages, the
so-called civilized world is truly a boiling pot of
strife, intrigue, worry, and adversities. Men, yes,
whole nations of men, are surely victims of cir
cumstances, but circumstances they themselves
have wrought by their failure to properly con
duct themselves toward their fellow beings. Man
has been in the past and still is intolerant in his
attitude, selfish in his desires, and unfair to him
self and his creator. Practically all men are more
or less subject to environment, thus it is difficult
even for the strongest of us to stand against the
masses and hold firm to a high ideal or code of
life that perhaps would bring down upon us the
criticism of fellow members of society. Thus as
members of modern, civilized society, we are sub
ject to all of its adversities and at the same time
we are subject to all of its benefits. The extent
to which we suffer or benefit depends largely
upon our own mental outlook on life. Rosicru
cians are, insofar as their existence is concerned,
no different than anyone else. They, too, are sub
ject to the conditions that exist in the communi
ties in which they live. They are subject to com
petition in the business world. They are subject

Page 91

to epidemics of disease as are their neighbors. If

famine and drought beset their land, their coun
try, their community, they, like all others, are
subject to it. The only way in which they could
avoid being confronted with these social and
economical problems of community life would be
to retire to some lonely spot, perhaps some un
inhabited island, where competition with natural
forces would be their only source of worry.
W ith the mental growth and development of
man, there came into being schools of learning.
Just why these groups or these schools were
started is of no consequence here. The fact of
the matter is they were formed. Some of these
schools of thought confined their investigations
to the workings of universal law, others to the
problems of men in their relationship to each
other, and still others delved deeply into the
spiritual side of mans being and his relation to
the natural forces at work throughout the
universe.
A t a time in history when Egypt was at its
height and was virtually the center of culture
and knowledge, Amenhotep IV, young Pharaoh
of Egypt, offered to his people what to them was
a revolutionary idea. It was that of a one everliving, all-loving God. W ith this public an
nouncement of a new spiritual order in Egypt,
we might say came the first outward, active cycle
of the Rosicrucian Order. This great order has
continued to exist throughout the ages in various
lands and has always been the center of culture
and learning. From it have branched a great
many schools of thought, investigation, experi
ment, philosophy, science, mathematics, chemis
try, and even the science of healing by herbs,
drugs, minerals, as well as physiotherapy. Be
sides the Rosicrucian Order there have been
other organizations that have come into existence
at various periods in history, each with more or
less the same ideal or the same purpose; that is,
the upliftment of mankind, the raising of his
ideals, and a higher understanding of himself and
his relationship to the universe. Many such or
ganizations and fraternal orders have been spon
sored by and allied with the Rosicrucian Order.
In many of the European countries they use the
meeting rooms and temples of the Rosicrucian
Order and members of the Rosicrucian Order are
also associated with these other organizations.
Because of their ideals, their purpose for exist
ence, and the knowledge they pursue, they have
come to be known as esoteric organizations. In
other words, spiritual orders seeking to develop
the spiritual side of mans nature, thus rounding
out his personality and balancing the dual quali
ties within him. M an is fortunate indeed that
there are available to him such refuges from the
all-to-often sordidness of materialism. Such con
tact with the spiritual aspects of life, even if it

Page 92

be only occasionally, is extremely valuable in

maintaining a balanced state of mind and body.
The Rosicrucian has an advantage over his
non'Rosicrucian neighbor for he has an under'
standing of cause and effect. He knows and ap'
preciates the limitations of the physical, material
side of his being. He also knows the unlimited
abilities of the divine qualities within him. A l'
though he is faced with the same problems as his
neighbor, he knows how to cope with these
problems. He is spared the many heartaches and
sorrows of worry and fear because he realises
that these material conditions that cause such
worry and fear of the future are merely passing
incidents in his life and, therefore, have no actual
existence. Through his knowledge of the God
Consciousness within him, the Rosicrucian can
lift himself above his worldly problems and
there, basking in the warmth of the Cosmic
light, plan and build for the future while at the
same time receiving understanding and guidance
in the face of discouragement.
There are in our files thousands of letters from
members of our Order who have found joy,
peace, and contentment while virtual chaos
reigned throughout the civilised world, not be'
cause they were not subject to the same condi'
tions as everyone else, but because of their better
understanding of the worlds problems and their
knowledge of the laws of cause and effect, and
their ability to call upon the reserve strength of
their Divine Inner Beings in the face of crises.
To conclude, let us be reminded that mere
membership in the Rosicrucian Order does not
make possible the ability to overcome all obstacles
placed in ones path. There is much more to the
problem than that. It requires a thorough knowl'
edge of the Rosicrucian ontology of life and then
the practical application of these laws and prin'
ciples, not just on occasions when faced with
adversities, but every hour of the day every day
of the week, year in and year out. This is being
a true Rosicrucian and following the Rosicrucian
way of life. Those who do this, and there are
hundreds of members all over the world who do,
are virtually free of the setbacks and worries re'
suiting from problems, trials, and tribulations
that confront them in their progress through a
modern, high'geared life. W e cannot force one
to so live. Here again man is free to choose. All
we can do is to provide him with the knowledge
that has come on down through the ages. If the
Rosicrucian member refuses to study and apply
the teachings, all we can do is express regret and
extend to him our sincere sympathy and best
wishes.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Fear
Fratres and sorores, once again we have been
requested to discuss here in our Rosicrucian
Forum the subject of fear. In going back over
early issues of our publication, it is found that
fear in some form or another has been a topic of
discussion in at least one issue of every volume,
beginning with issue Number One. The fact that
there are so many questions on this subject would
seem to indicate a need for it. However, we
often wonder whether or not too much time is
spent by the average individual dwelling upon the
things and conditions that set into action those
emotions that we think of as fear. In other
words, are we building for ourselves a fear com'
plex to haunt us throughout the remainder of
our lives by constantly thinking and talking of
fear?
During the early years following the stock
market crash of 1929, such a complex took hold
of the world to an extent that hundreds of per'
sons, otherwise normal and intelligent, took their
own lives for fear of the consequences of their
losses, for fear of the future that actually they
had no reason to believe would not be just as
bright and filled with happiness as had been the
years previous. It is interesting to see in our
correspondence letters from members of the
Order who sought consolation in study and
spiritual pursuits after the market crash. W e find
such statements as, Never have I been so happy
as since I joined the Rosicrucian Order. Before
1929 my only interest was the money I could
earn or make by speculation. My impression of
happiness was watching the stock market ticker
with its steadily soaring prices, then going out in
the evening to dine and wine, satisfying the
physical desires, but returning home empty, not
knowing just what was missing. I now realise
that I lacked harmony in my being and was
failing to stimulate and develop the spiritual,
divine side of myself. Following the pursuit of
knowledge has helped me to realise just how
superficial was my conduct in those years pre'
ceding the market crash. Such members have
known days of plenty insofar as material bene'
fits are concerned. They have gone through the
worry and anguish of losing material wealth and
position. They probably came into the Order at
a time when they were wracked with fear; how'
ever, their spiritual growth and understanding
have helped them to overcome these fears and
find happiness, peace, and contentment often
even in the face of apparent material disaster.
Now today in a world filled with grief and
sorrow, the peoples of the earth are again under
the strain of fear and worry of the future. In
the countries not yet touched by actual physical
combat, there is a rapidly rising pessimistic out'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

look. Granted there is far too much to warrant

such an outlook; nevertheless, it will do us no
good to sit down and worry about it. If our wor
ries and fearful thoughts will set into action a
force that will change the condition, then our
worries have borne fruit. Usually, however, the
attitude is one of defeatism. A resignation to a
fate. This sort of attitude is the one that is
dangerous, for it breeds everything sordid and
vicious that one could ever look for in a lifetime.
Among the worst conditions is ill health that re
sults from such an attitude. The loss of selfconfidence that can occur under such reasoning,
or should we say lack of reasoning, can and does
turn a strong, active, virile being into a weak,
phlegmatic, almost lifeless, human wreck.
As we have suggested, there is much, in fact
far too much, in the way of chaos to warrant a
pessimistic outlook on the worlds immediate
future and it surely would be illogical to, in the
words of our late Imperator, Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, smile at everything that goes wrong and
in the face of a cold winter and an empty coal
bin, sit down at a foodless table and laugh your
self into hysterics with a fictitious joy that is as
shallow as some of our California creeks in the
rainless period of the summer. Nevertheless,
the effort we expend in mental worry for the
future is indeed wasted effort.
W e have been asked, Just what is fear and
why do we experience it? This question assumes
that fear is an actuality or rather an entity and
has real existence. Seeking the answer to this
question, we find from our Rosicrucian teachings
that, Fear is the anticipation of the unknown.
In other words, it is an emotion that we experi
ence when we anticipate a catastrophe in our
lives. W hat we know we do not fear. Fear of
failure in performing a task is a good analogy.
Once we succeed we gain confidence in ourselves
and can repeat the task without apparent effort.
The more often we repeat it, the greater becomes
our self-confidence. Stage fright is typical of this
form of fear. The emotional reactions are hor
rible indeed. One who experiences such emotions
can best overcome them by continually facing the
situation that brings them about. The concert
singer, for example, can overcome stage fright
and gain confidence by appearing before the
public as often as conditions will permit. Each
successful performance will build just that much
more confidence.
In an early issue of The Rosicrucian Forum
Dr. Lewis tells a story of a Dear Old Lady
who lives in mortal fear of receiving telegrams.
There are, no doubt, thousands of persons who
have the same experience, yet this Dear Old
Lady receives many telegrams each year, all
bringing messages of joy, peace, and happiness.
Such messages, for instance, as birthday greet

Page 93

ings, mothers day greetings, telegrams of Christ

mas cheer, and New Year best wishes. Actually
she has no reason to assume that a telegram will
bring news of disaster, tidings of sorrow, or grief.
Here is a typical illustration of fear as the antici
pation of the unknown, yet very definitely un
warranted. Dr. Lewis recalls a statement of El
bert Hubbard: The saddest things in our lives
are the things that never happen, because living
in dread of them and fearful that they might
happen, we have made ourselves more sad about
them over longer periods of time, then we have
over the things that did happen. The unfortunate
things that happen in our lives happen so quickly
and so suddenly and are done away with so
quickly, that often we have but a few moments
or hours of grief about them; whereas the things
we fear and dread and expect to have come into
our lives often torture us for days, weeks, and
months, and then perhaps never happen at all.
W ho is better off, the one who suddenly experi
ences an attack of appendicitis in the middle of
the night and is rushed to the hospital for an im
mediate operation or the person who experiences
an occasional pain in the abdominal region and
because of what has been read or because of what
has been said by others, lives in daily fear of an
impending operation?
There are many women who keep themselves
in a constant state of terror for fear of cancer
of the breast. They perhaps have brought on a
muscular strain that causes slight pain or maybe
a congested condition from a cold. They worry
themselves away to shadows. They are irritable,
sick in body and mind, but not from cancer. If
they would only go to a competent doctor for
examination and learn the truth, they would no
longer have this mental torture. Even if the con
dition proved to be cancer, the mental anguish of
not knowing the truth would be gone, thus the
wasted effort of worry would be directed toward
treatment and relieving the condition. This same
thing applies to all forms of abnormal conditions.
Usually the illness itself is doing far less harm
than the mental strain of worry.
It seems safe to say that our misfortunes in life
are the things quickly forgotten, whereas the
pleasures and joys are the experiences long re
membered. For instance, we soon forget the pain
of a broken leg and when relating the incident
will place more stress upon the amusing incidents
that might have occurred during the weeks of
hospitalisation. One might ask, W asnt the pain
terrible? and chances are we would answer,
Oh yes, it was very bad, but you should have
seen the funny expression on the face of the
fellow in the bed next to mine when he was com
ing out of the ether.
Since we must admit that we enjoy far more
pleasant things in life than we suffer unpleasant

Page 94

nesses, it should not prove too difficult to dispell

fear and worry over the things that have not yet
happened to us. It is surely true that we will
have more happiness, pleasure, and good things
in life than things evil, if we will but look for
the good things and blessings and stop seeking
the evil. The Rosicrucian teachings tell us that
fear is the result of improper reasoning and can
be dispelled by reasoning inductively from effect
to cause. Fear is the result of reasoning from
the present to a nonexisting future or conclusion.
If our reasoning is balanced, we find that what
we fear does not exist. O ur late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis, provided us with a most in
teresting and valuable book that thoroughly cov
ers this entire subject. The book is entitled,
Mental Poisoning. Everyone should have this
book in his private collection, whether or not he
is a victim of self-inflicted worry as a result of
fear. The Rosicrucian Supply Bureau can pro
vide you with a copy of Mental Poisoning.

Rose-Croix University Activities

To many members the Rose-Croix University
is an institution which exists far away from them,
but in reality its activities are an integral part of
modern-day Rosicrucianism. More and more its
activities and influence are being felt through the
work which is being done and the students who
travel out to all parts of the country after at
tendance here in the actual class sessions. One
way, in particular, in which the University has
extended its activities is by holding regular night
classes. The attendance at these classes is, of
course, limited by geographical limitations, and
it is for that reason that the classes for this year
were announced only to members living within
about a hundred mile radius of Rosicrucian Park.
The classes this year are under the direction of
Professor Watermeyer, who, as has been an
nounced in these pages and in the Rosicrucian
Digest, is spending a year on the AM O RC staff
directing certain research work under the per
sonal supervision of the Imperator. The night
classes constitute a general survey course of
physical sciences. Many interesting lectures are
presented and demonstrations in all fields of
physical science are used to illustrate the topics
discussed. The reception of these classes has been
most gratifying. Members come from long dis
tances to attend, and as the continuity of the
class discussions is not so definite that attendance
at one class would not prove interesting or en
joyable, members who are visiting Rosicrucian
Park on Wednesday evenings often take advan
tage of the opportunity to attend a class. In this
way we are presenting to the members an inter
esting survey course, as well as fundamental prin

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ciples connected with the world in which they

live, principles which have directly to do with
the physical universe. However, in addition to
the mere presentation of the fundamental scien
tific principles discussed, there is a definite corre
lation with Rosicrucian principles. All points and
all subjects are handled in direct relationship to
the Rosicrucian teachings, both in sustaining
them and in showing the student how he can
better use the knowledge he is acquiring.
This, of course, in a small way is an illustra
tion of the purpose of the Rose-Croix University.
Its regular summer session presents classes in
various subjects, all of which show a definite re
lationship to the Rosicrucian studies. Only Rosi
crucians can attend the Rose-Croix University,
and they must be in good standing and have
previously matriculated and been admitted by
proper examination and consideration. This does
not mean that the requirements are difficult to
meet. If you can understand these comments
concerning the University you can understand
the instructions that are given. W e want the
Rose-Croix University to be unique in that it
represents Rosicrucian knowledge in relation
with other sciences. If you have not recently
read a copy of the booklet, The Story of Learn
ing, which presents the full scope of activities
in the University, you should write to the RoseCroix University Registrar immediately. Times
were never better than they are right now to ar
range to attend a session. Do not put it off, be
cause the knowledge you can gain is something
you can utilize now. not at some indefinite future
time.
Another activity current at Rosicrucian Park
exemplifying true Rosicrucian spirit is, of course,
the temple sessions held in the Supreme Temple
each Tuesday evening under the supervision of a
Supreme or Grand Lodge officer or someone
designated by them. This gives members the op
portunity to participate in an activity at the
Grand Lodge if they visit here on that particular
evening. On the first Friday of each month there
is presented in the Rosicrucian Research Library
a review of some outstanding book in the field of
metaphysics or occultism, or in other fields close
ly related to the Rosicrucian teachings. So you
will see that activities here are constantly increas
ing the value of Rosicrucianism, adding to the
total knowledge that has been handed down as a
tradition in the past.A.

Obedience is the result of discipline, but re

spect is the outgrowth of admiration.Validivar.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

O ur Thinking and W orld Conditions

A Soror asks that there be discussed in The
Rosicrucian Forum the general question of to
what extent it can be assumed that our thoughts
and conversation intensify conditions that exist
in the world today. Everyone is conscious of
hearing prophecies of doom, of coming inflation,
of world upheaval, of the fall of civilisation and
the end of all for which we have sought in mod'
ern civilisation. Is this condition a reality with
which we are going to be faced in the future?
Is it only the result of the panic and the thinking
of so many individuals today, or, as the Soror
who asked this question points out, are we in a
sense creating it if we join with these individuals
who prophesy doom?
A t least it might be well to realise that we
could do some good by directing our thoughts
constructively. How many things have happened
in the world contrary to the wishes of the majority of people, because they brought them upon
themselves through fear, it is difficult to say.
However, there are certain cycles of activity
through which we as individuals, and as groups,
must pass. Some of these cycles are conducive to
constructive activity, and some are not. Therefore, it is true that man can direct his environ*
ment and create his future and conditions by tak
ing advantage of constructive periods or redoubling his efforts during those periods less conducive to constructive activity. Many members
of this organisation know this to be true in their
own lives through a careful analysis of the daily
and yearly periods of life which are outlined in
the book entitled Self-Mastery and Fate W ith
the Cycles of Life, by the late Imperator, Dr.
H. Spencer Lewis.
This is not entering into a discussion of what
the inevitable must be, any more than man is
prophesying the future when he tries to adapt his
actions to conditions that are favorable to the
time the action is begun. But it does not have to
be explained to any intelligent person that the
world is passing through an unfavorable cycle
for constructive work. It is clear from the activi
ties of all nations that little effort is being di
rected along constructive lines, and that which is
constructive secures less following and less sup
port than the activities which are necessarily
given our attention in a hostile world such as
exists today.
If we will acknowledge, then, and use as the
basis of our thinking, the fact that the^e times
are not as conducive to constructive activities as
other times might be, we can easily proceed a
step further and realise that if we allow our en
tire lives and thinking to be dominated by de
structive theories we are simply fanning the coals

Page 95

that already exist, trying to make a fire where

now there are old smouldering embers. In times
such as these, when destruction is rampant, it is
so easy for us to become negative in our own
attitude that we find it more and more difficult
to pick out of the news of the day and the activi
ties of our times those constructive conditions and
activities to which many men still devote them
selves. W e read the headlines of the newspapers
and believe that everything that is being done is
destructive, that all mans attention is being
turned toward war; yet how many people, how
many millions of people, are actually going about
their daily work in about the same way as they
have always done, except that their cost of living
is a little higher and they may give more concern
to national affairs than they did when everything
was less unsettled.
Therefore, as Rosicrucians, it is wise that we
exert influence toward constructive thinking, that
we do not join in a general wail that civilisation
is doomed, that all hope for the future is gone,
that inflation, deflation, depression or some other
condition will ruin our plans. Remember that
every crisis that has ever faced humanity has
brought about these same prophecies. Of course,
someone will say to this that while this statement
is true, never has there been such a serious con
dition as there is today. The answer to that is
that never has there been in the past such a state
of civilisation to combat such a condition. Never
has there been the mechanical means which man
can use constructively as well as destructively.
W e cannot expect one side of the scale to lower
while the other stands still. Consequently, while
the world is in a greater political upheaval than
it has ever experienced before, man is in a better
position to meet such a problem.
Man has to learn the same lessons in similar
situations over and over again. To deal with a
less serious condition than exists now would not
tax mans abilities, because he would already
know the solution from the past. If we face the
matter squarely we realise that the condition fac
ing civilisation today is no more serious than it
was to us who remember the same situation
twenty-five years ago. Therefore, constructive
thought, like all constructive activity, is con
ducive to advancement. Let us do our part in
spreading it.A.

Hence it happens that he who seeks for the

true causes of miracles, and endeavors, like a
scholar, to comprehend the things in nature, and
not, like a fool, to wonder at them, is everywhere
regarded and proclaimed as a heretic and an
impious man by those whom the multitude rever'
ence as interpreters of nature and the gods.
Spinoza.

The Romance of Rosicrucianism

INSPIRING PAGES FRO M TH E P A S T '

oes

the world look dark? Have increasing demands and regimentation

your sense of individuality?

DTakediminished
counsel from the past. There is no greater teacher

or example. Read
what King Solomon did to enlighten a brooding people! Learn how several
millions of souls were literally inspired to great ideals overnight by a young
manI Discover what still another man did to lift an entire nation from the
mire of ignorance and superstition during the Middle Ages.
Travel through the centuries with great Rosicruciansmen and women
like yourself #who endured privation, war, and bigotry to bring peace of
mind, new vision, and the mastery of life to men and to nations. In the
revelation of their characters and the romance of their lives, you will find
renewed determination and faith in yourself.

New, Enlarged, Illustrated History . . .

This large, new edition of the Rosicrucian Questions and
Answers, With Complete History of the Order relates fascinating
tales and incidents about the Rosicrucians and mystics of yore,
never before disclosed^ in any work of its kind in the past. It also
tells how the mystery schools of ancient Egypt were
formed iand of the great truths hidden in the rites of
the Osirian Mysteries. Contains heretofore unpublished
Rosicrucian documents of authority.
Many more pages! Beautifully bound
in silk cloth cover and stamped in gold. posTTAiD
Send your order to:
(A fte r D^ :c^ ^ 29J ^

The ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAU

R o s ic r u c ia n P a r k , S a n J o s e , C a l if o r n ia ,

U.S.A.

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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

FEBRUARY, 1942

>

A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

Vol. XII

l>

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No. 4

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THE PATH
Out of an eon of sleeping
Insensate eternity
Forth from my dungeon creeping
Hearing you call to me
Since I am come at your behest
Now, Life, now may I rest?

Ho, my child, you must not stay.

Come follow me, I will lead the way.
The road is long, and I have grown weary
Faltering, falling time after time
The winding path through the valley so dreary
The stony hills have been hard to climb
Surely this is the final test
Now, Life, now may I rest?
The answer again was No, child, no

There are many more long miles to go.

Toward yonder beacons faint gleaming

Upward through dark nights of woe
Upward through bright days of dreaming
Leaving them all far below
A t last I attain the loftiest crest
Now, Life, now may I rest?
My child, not yet do you understand

Here, if you will, you may take my hand.

Ah yes, let us continue the quest.

Nevermore, Life, will I ask for rest
For I glimpse the Way, how it reaches far
Beyond the beyond of the farthest star.
W a n d a M a r t in H e w it t .

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC. AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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Page 98

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

W hat do we mean by morale? Since the war,

we use it almost as a by-word. It is one of those
background, atmospheric terms that sound nice
when related to certain topics of conversation.
Most all users of it are quite aware of its diction
ary definition, but what it actually consists of as
a condition or thing, or how it is to be accom
plished, is usually a mystery to them.
Let -us look upon it realisticallymorale is an
attitude of mind conducive to attaining an ob
jective. The objective or final end to be accom
plished may be something in which we will par
ticipate personally or possibly indirectly, by
desiring someone or others to do so. Thus, for
example, students of a university who watch
their football team depart to play under adverse
conditions may have a high morale in expecting
them to win, yet they personally will not play,
nor even witness the game. Naturally, if it is
always left to an individual to select an objective,
it will be one that is attractive to him; that is,
which he finds appealing. No one will set for a
final goal something which he does not like or
desire. W e will frequently establish intermedi
ary aims which do not in themselves inspire us,
but we consider them as merely ways to the final
desired end. Under such circumstances, we
transcend the mean, unpleasant duties of the im
mediate ends by keeping our thoughts focused
upon the ultimate one sought. That is why it is
so essential to morale in life generally, that we
have a supreme ideal toward which we strive.
The congeries of human experiences are prin
cipally very disagreeable. Look back over the
years. You can recall far more unpleasant cir
cumstances, mean incidents of the times, than
you can enjoyable ones. To endure all of these
things in themselves would most certainly dis
courage one to live. One thing alone carries you
onyour conception, your ideal, be it philo
sophical or religious, as to why you should live.
That alone compensates for all hardships or sac
rifices. Think. Is it not true that you would not
want to endure life if it were not for that one
transcendental conception of it which you have?
The individual in life, without such a philosophi
cal concept, can only look ahead and conceive a
repetition of more of what he has already ex
perienced. Such a vision does not engender en
thusiasm. In fact, the opposite occursmelan
choly, depression, and the dulling of the mind
and powers of accomplishment, both physically
and mentally.

V
Unfortunately there are so many human be
ings who live only because life has been given
unto them. Such a negative acceptance of life is
the equivalent, for example, of carrying a heavy
sack of bricks on our backs, merely because they
were given to us freely, and we do not know
what to do with them.
You as an individual had little or naught to
do with the declaration of war by your govern
ment, or with your nations participation in it.
Its victorious conclusion by your country has
been made a Rational objective, transcending all
other interests. As an individual, to have the
proper morale, you must have the attitude of
mind which will further a realisation of the win
ning of the war. You will require a positive outloo\, that is, you must correlate all of your acts
and thinking, so that they become focused upon
furthering that end. Each day and hour you
must become conscious that you are attaining the
objective. If you do, enthusiasm, which is emo
tional stimulation for a purpose, will run high.
If you do not, you will become more conscious
of those sacrifices which pain and distress you,
and you will, therefore, retard your progress in
eventually attaining the National end.
W e cannot have a high morale unless we
understand our objective and accept it. Candid
ly, we cannot become enthusiastic over something
which we do not comprehend. As said, though
you did not bring the war about directly, nor
were you, in like manner, given the opportunity
to decide if we as a nation should participate in
it, nevertheless its satisfactory culmination exists
now as a National objective. The first thing,
therefore, is to try and understand why we are,
as a people, at war. Comprehend the necessity
that we become victorious. Ask yourself what
would have occurred if we had not gone to war
under the provocative conditions that existed.
And dont measure the need in terms of the im
mediate inconveniences and demands made upon
you, for that is a narrow and improper concep
tion. If, for analogy, from a mountain top you
could experience a never-to-be-forgotten, magnifi
cent vista of a sunset, you could not truly evalu
ate that experience by concentrating upon the
rigors of climbing the mountain, and the aches
and pains you might incur and the shortness of
breath you would experience. They would all be
the labors which contributed to make it possible
for you to realise the spectacle from the moun

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tain top. The greatest rewards come from labors

expended.
Therefore, to be realistic, you must determine
whether life would be worthwhile if this Nation
did not go to w ar and if it were not victorious.
Would all of the comforts you might now find it
necessary to forego still prevail if we did not
participate in this conflict? If, under the present
world-conditions, and in the era in which we live,
this day and age, there is no possible escape from
war, and yet we wish to be able to preserve our
standards of living, then a victorious war be
comes, for want of an alternative, a necessary
objective. It becomes an unpleasant duty to be
performed, out of which will arise a supreme
satisfaction, which, after all, is what we wish to
attain.
High morale, then, first consists in convincing
ourselves of the need of our objective. It is mani
fest that in our daily lives we will be inclined to
measure and weigh all things with reference to
this objective. It is equally apparent that those
things which may be seen in the light of directly
furthering it will enthuse us, and contrarily de
press us. Since mental depression detracts from
our personal powers of achievement, the more we
become depressed, like a vicious circle, the more
we permit conditions to arise that will disturb
us. The man in swimming, who realizes that it
is with difficulty that he keeps afloat, and yet
allows himself to be gripped with despair and
abandons swimming, immediately brings disaster
upon himself. Let us understand that every man
and woman would always be an immediate suc
cess in everything they undertook, if every factor
which contributed to it were known and master
ed. However, each enterprise which is new to
any extent, that is, that has never been experi
enced in just the same manner, will contain ele
ments of surprise. For a man not to come upon
unanticipated obstacles in aspiring to attain a
goal, he would not only need to be a complete
master of himself and of nature, but of mans
minds as well. As yet, no men upon this earth
are such complete masters. Therefore, adversi
ties, or conditions which do not add to the means
of reaching our objective, should not break down
our faith and confidence in our ability to do so.
Rather, they must be accepted in the light of a
challenge, a challenge that makes the goal more
difficult to reach. You know, in your immediate
experiences, in the things with which you are
concerned, and the efforts you expend, that that
which was more difficult to secure or accomplish
has always brought you greater pleasure.
Psychologically this is quite understandable,
for you experience a dual pleasurethe enjoy
ment of the thing had or done, and the personal
pride of accomplishmentthe satisfaction of a
victory. A fter all, hardships which surround a

Page 99

campaign or an enterprise, in which we wish to

be successful, make the whole venture a conflict.
It is a pitting of conditions against our mental
and physical resources,' our strength of character,
body, and mind. If we emerge successful, we are
victors. There is no deep satisfaction in easily
achieved ends, because there is no pride or selfrespect which arises from them. Therefore, con
sider adversities as challenges, as lashes to spur
you on. Remember you must have already de
cided that the objective is supreme the thing
that counts most. Consequently, the cost can
never be too great. If you are considering the
costs and sacrifices in attaining an objective as
exceeding their worth, then that is an indication
that your objective is not supreme with you. Is
there anything you would not do to save your
wife, mother, or son or daughter from death?
Would there be anything you would consider too
great a price to pay for their lives? Obviously
not, because their lives to you are a supreme
objective.
It is admitted that adversities and circum
stances unfavorable to the end we seek are very
often attacks upon our strength, and therefore a
strain upon our morale. Consequently, it is nec
essary to avoid all of those things which we can,
without deviating from our course. It is advis
able to avoid engaging in useless heated argu
ments over the war, and the manner in which is
is conducted. Unless your counselors are ex
perts, their opinions can only confuse and often
unduly alarm you. Further, clever dialectics can
often make white appear black. Therefore, why
expose yourself to depressing and usually con
founding opinions? Fears are one of the greatest
disrupters of morale. They induce hesitancy, re
luctance, and doubt, which slow down the prog
ress we make as individuals, or collectively to
ward an objective. Fear is the anticipation of a
yet unrealized condition. If a circumstance or
condition can with reason and logic be projected
out of the present, as a very probable future
event, then prepare for itdont fear it. A fear
anticipates misfortune. No one is certain that
misfortune will occur until it actually does, con
sequently fears are useless. It is instinctive for
man to be prudent and cautious, so as to protect
himself and his interests. Fear, however, even
prevents these necessary precautionary measures,
for it paralyzes initiative and the powers of
reason and action.
Therefore, to summarize. First, understand
your objective. Second, relate all things to it.
Third, realize that sacrifices are only intermediary
and the objective is worthy of them. Fourth,
avoid circumstances apt to implant fears. Fifth,
we must also avoid fatuous statements or chau
vinistic lectures or articles. W e are not superior
men, as we are being told so often. God is not

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 100

definitely aligned on our side to any further extent than we act in accord with justice and Cos
mic principles. The fact that we are strong, in
dividually or collectively, does not mean we can
not become weak. Further, because we have
never been defeated does not preclude our being
so. W e are not invincible, except as we so make
ourselves. O ur intelligence and innate qualities
are not superior to our enemies, just because our
customs and living conditions are different.
Your objective in this instancevictory in the
war in which we are participatingis yet un
realised, and, therefore, it is still an ideal. But
all things which you will need to realise it must
in the main today be factual, capable of per
ception and of being put to use and applied.
Consequently, feed yourselves a minimum of
opinions, as they are advanced by commenta
tors, analysers, and reviewers of the wars news.
Most of these opinions are saturated with specu
lation. Remember, no man or group of men
knows exactly how each move of the war cam
paign is going to result. If they did have such
knowledge, they would not be permitted to di
vulge it in a public manner and in advance.
Therefore, this is a time for planning and not for
prophesying. If you are one of many who are
inclined to put great faith in these radio and
newspaper war strategists, consult their past
predictions made a week or a month in advance
of each major move in the present war. You will
find that, with very few exceptions, not one of
them anticipated what actually did occur. Such
arbitrary speculations as to outcomes, if negative,
create fears; if optimistic create diffidence, and
lessen initiative, which often proves fatal. Your
morale is high if you know these things and live
by them during these days.
Fraternally,
R alph M. L ew is ,
Imperator.

Assumption
A Frater from Canada asks to have the follow
ing question answered: In using the law of as
sumption, does one not accept a grave responsi
bility? This might be answered by the statement
that in using any natural law we accept a grave
responsibility. In fact, do we not accept a grave
responsibility by even living and attempting to
influence the lives of others about us? If things
were not done, or put aside because they involved
the acceptance of responsibility, nothing would
ever be accomplished. Everything that is worth
while is accomplished because someone accepts
the responsibility for doing it, and often even
incurs risk in carrying out the particular activity.
Man is brought into a world where he must com

pete with physical factors about him. He must

always be alert to the fact that life is of value in
proportion to the service it is able to render, and
that there is no progress in a state of inertia or
simply doing as little as one can. Therefore, if
we do anything, regardless of how simple it is,
we assume a certain degree of responsibility.
That responsibility increases in proportion to the
strength and extension of our ideals. A man who
learns to drive an automobile, to use a common
example, assumes a responsibility not only to
himself, but to those who may ride with him and
those who are driving other cars at the same time.
The individual who is ignorant of the laws of
life may have certain responsibilities, but on the
basis of the old saying that ignorance is bliss,
they bother him little. On the other hand, the
sincere student who reaches out to understand
the laws of nature, to delve into all its hidden
meanings, to advance into the field of occultism
or the search for knowledge that is hidden, is
assuming a responsibility, because he can never
be the same after he gains some point of truth.
Some students believe they can advanec to a cer
tain place and then stop, but they cannot, for if
they do they are creating Karma which will bring
about difficulties in the future. If man advances
he must assume the responsibility of living on a
par with that advancement or admitting defeat.
The knowledge of the Cosmic is the knowledge
of God. Man cannot treat lightly these laws
and principles, expecting to take them up and
lay them aside at his own whim. If he finds some
truth he must be willing to live that truth and to
use it as a light to direct his way to further
knowledge. So we see that in using or learning
to use any law we accept a certain responsibility.
The Frater who asked the question concerning
assumption pointed out as an illustration that by
using the process of assumption as explained in
our higher degrees, he might bring about a serious
condition in trying to influence an individual to
do something different from what he was intend
ing to do, even though what he wished to have
accomplished was just and good. For example, if
this Frater knew that an individual of his ac
quaintance was going to commit a criminal act,
and by the process of assumption tried to dissuade
the individual from so doing, and as a result did
cause him to take steps which might lead him into
other paths he would not otherwise have known,
or might direct his steps in a certain way that
would actually bring him physical injury or place
him in danger, would he not be responsible?
The Frater concludes with the question, Is not
the responsibility of the individual in using the
process of assumption to be carefully considered,
and furthermore, would not the complete consid
eration lie beyond the knowledge of anyone us
ing the process? By that he means that no one

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

could possibly know the complete experience

and background of another individual. The con
cept here is somewhat erroneous. By assumption
we can influence others, but we cannot command
them unless they are willing to be commanded.
In other words, when we use the process of as
sumption we are working through natural prin
ciples. W hen we try to dissuade someone from
doing some wrong act, through this process, the
knowledge will come to him in the form of con
science as it would come at any other time, and
we would only be instrumental in making that
conscience stronger.
Therefore, as long as we use the process of
assumption, or any other process, for a construc
tive purpose, we are not interfering with the life
of another. W e are only trying to direct it con
structively into positive and useful value. How
ever, all use of natural laws should be carefully
considered. Experimental use is not necessary.
A.

Dispelling Undesired Influences

A soror of the Great Lakes region of the
United States now arises to ask our FORUM this
question: How is it possible for someone to close
out the influence of another when one feels it is
not of the highest caliber?
This question, simple as it appears, has many
ramifications. W hat are the influences which the
soror wishes to dispel, that is, what is their na
ture and kind? Mere associationthe presence
of anothermay be objectionable. For example,
a person may have repugnant personal habits, or
be unclean of body. Continuous association, the
aggravation caused by the disliked physical quali
ties of such an individual, may cause ill health to
those who must be around him, because of the
effect upon their nervous systems. For further
example, if the objected to individual is a member
of the family, your position in the family circle
might make it possible to exercise sufficient
authority to compel a change in the undesired
habits. If this is accomplished, then, of course,
the influence is removed. If, on the other hand,
the individual cannot be made to improve him
self, the only alternative in such a case is to leave
so that which is repelling to you can no longer
be perceived.
Then again, undesired influences may not be
of a physical nature, rather they may be of a
moral one. Many persons are thrown into con
tact with others in employment, or in school,
whose personal conduct is vile. The depravity of
those with whom they must often mingle for
hours each day leaves them most depressed. It, in
fact, seems to rob their consciousness of personal
inspiration. To them the whole world seems to
become discolored and drab. It is because they

:Page 101

find it difficult to throw off the memory of their

daily contact with such persons. There again the
only alternative, if you cannot dominate that
person with your own personality, so as to cause
him to alter his ways or suppress them, is to re
move yourself from the influence. Such an in
fluence really amounts to an environment.
It is wrong for us to think that it is always
necessary for us to transmute an objectionable
environment into one which we desire. If the
elements of an environment are in themselves not
corrupt and have merit, and the displeasure they
cause is merely because of improper organization
or misunderstanding, then it is just a question of
bringing order out of chaos, or of changing the
environment, in other words. Such is the kind
of circumstance where we should apply such
knowledge as we possess to master our environ'
ment. However, where the elements of the en
vironment are inherently prurient I would ad
vise abstaining from any attempt at transmuting
their nature. You will be dissipating your own
energies, to no avail. Move to another environ
ment where you have such materials as you can
utilize in constructing what you wish. For
analogy, a builder of fine edifices cannot waste
his ability, nor take the time to try and salvage
enough materials from decayed lumber and
crumbling bricks to construct a fine building ac
cording to his plans. Therefore, if you are going
to devote your life to missionary work, that is
one thing, but if you have another purpose, other
ideals equally as noble, then if you cannot reason
ably alter those who are degraded and who in
fluence you detrimentally, remove yourself from
their presence.
Actually such persons as we have so far con
sidered do not exert a positive influence upon us.
Their influence is purely negative in effect. Their
conduct, or their appearance, visually or audibly,
suggests the inharmonious or repulsive influence
we experience. In other words, if we could shut
our eyes or cover our ears, their influence upon
us would terminate at once, would it not? Thus,
I repeat, such influence is negative. The positive
effect is caused by our minds, our analysis of
their ways, and our comparison of them with
those ways which are generally accepted as proper
or good. Consequently, if we eschew them, let
us go where the suggestions they make to our
consciousness cannot be perceived. It is realized
that one cannot always just pack up, and travel
in search of the ideal environment. W hen you
are forced to remain, then combat the suggestive
influence. You must attempt to instil your con
sciousness with those elevating thoughts which
will mitigate what you perceive objectively. I
would suggest that you first enter your sanctum
before your work day begins, even if just for five
minutes, and ask the Cosmic to inspire you that

Page 102

day. Ask to have planted in your consciousness

some ideal or plan, or the outline of some activity
related to your work or duties that will so occupy
your attention that the undesired impressions
can be easily cast off because of the appeal which
the desired ones will make to you.
A child, for further analogy, whose mind is
free, or who has a duty which is so routine that
it has become habitual and requires no thought
or preoccupation of the mind soon has its atten
tion wandering, as parents and teachers know,
and is often apt to get into mischief. If your
duties, therefore, do not require thought or con
centration, try to occupy your mind with some
interesting subject or problem, with the aid of
the Cosmic, so that you partially dwell within.
During those hours make an introvert of your
self, so that you become less conscious of your
environment or the objectionable suggestions in
the conduct of the person or persons around you.
If you sincerely appeal to the Cosmic and your
petition is answered, you will know that you
have been helped. You will seem in consciousness
to transcend the undesirable. Your mind will be
filled with stimulating, pleasant ideas related to
your work, if that is possible, or your conscious
ness will be projected outside of your environ
ment. You will find yourself planning interesting
things to be accomplished as a hobby, or to do
elsewhere in your spare time, away from your
work. You will actually become so engrossed in
such plans that you will hardly be aware of the
effects of those who previously influenced you
wrongly, or annoyed you by their habits or ways.
By all means, however, realize that no one can
enslave your consciousness. They cannot extend
an influence that reaches out through time and
space to snare and torture you. Such destructive
thoughts on the part of another can not pos
sibly leave their own consciousness, for if they
could it would be in violation of the Cosmic
laws and principles. Those who believe such
thoughts are possible are only fear stricken and
superstitious, and what occurs to them as ill ef
fects are what they have brought upon themselves
by such fears.X.

Partaking of the Sacrament

A Soror asks if the partaking of the sacrament,
as given in most Christian churches, would be a
subject worthy of discussion in The Rosicrucian
Forum. It has been a policy of this organization
in all its publications and activities to avoid com
menting on religious principles, doctrines or ac
tivities. The sacrament comes under this heading.
It is a practice of the Christian church established
by Christ. It is interpreted in various ways by
various churches. In some the sacrament is a
very elaborate ceremony, and I believe in others

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it is considered only a symbolical ceremony, while

in certain denominations it is not actually prac
ticed at all. Regardless of how it may be inter
preted in the church with which you are affili
ated, it is a ritual filled with great symbology. It
represents the renewal of mans life and activity
in the religious belief to which he has subscribed.
I am not going to enter here into the discus
sion of the validity of any type of religious belief
or practice. It must be assumed that the person
asking this question, and those interested in its
answer, want to know the Rosicrucian attitude
toward this particular religious practice. As the
choice of his religious affiliation is up to the in
dividual member, according to Rosicrucian prin
ciples it cannot be said that the sacrament is
something which the Rosicrucians should recom
mend or disregard. To the individual who selects
his religion as one means of contacting his Crea
tor, it is only right that he sincerely utilize every
procedure which he finds will legitimately bring
about that end.
The discussion of any religious question brings
us down to the point of why man has a religious
feeling, and this subject would require many
pages of this Forum, which is unnecessary as it is
covered in many fields of anthropology, history
and psychology, as well as in the philosophical
and religious writings of great thinkers of all
ages. The individual who unites with a partic
ular religious group does so because he finds its
principles and teachings compatible with his be
liefs. In other words, in the lives of many in
dividuals religion is a confirmation of their feel
ings, rather than their feelings being an out
growth of religious experience. I do not mean to
infer that religious experience is not a valuable
factor in the lives of all, because knowledge and
theory alone have little value. So we see the man
who has religious convictions has them because
he finds that his choice of religion has provided
a chain or a link between him and his God which
supplements all other knowledge and experience,
but does not necessarily replace it. That is why
a student of philosophy, of metaphysics, of Rosi
crucianism, of the sciences, the arts, or anything
else will find that fundamentally religion in no
way is to be considered as an intrusion upon
these other fields, or vice versa.
Persons who have accepted a religion in which
the practice of the sacrament is a part of its pro
cedure are going to find exemplified in it a means
of closer contact with the source they are aspir
ing to reach. Therefore, from the standpoint of
Rosicrucianism the partaking of the sacrament
depends upon the viewpoint of the individual.
If it is a fundamental part of his religious belief,
and he enters into the ritual with the proper atti
tude, he is going to gain benefit. Probably most
of those who participate in this ritual could gain

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

far more out of it than they do if they would at

tempt to understand it historically, philosophical
ly and religiously. Anything that is worth doing
is worth doing to the fullest extent we are able
that is, really putting ourselves into it and not
merely going through a form. Therefore, if you
regularly participate in certain religious activities
connected with your religious beliefs, study them.
Determine just what they signify and determine
furthermore that since they have value you are
going to train yourself to gain the utmost benefit
from them.A.

Mystics and M aster Minds

A soror from Canada arises to ask our Forum
several questions. She asks: Can you tell me
why you use the term mystics and master minds?
Is a mystic a master mind, or what is a master
mind? Another thing that has often p u lle d me,
is why do educated missionaries from this coun
try, who spend twenty or thirty years in the
Orient, return with such poor opinions of the
people there? Is it possible in that time that they
never contact personalities of a degree of evolvement? These questions are somewhat divergent,
so we will divide them into two and answer
separately.
Mastership consists in not only being able to
surmount an obstacle or condition, but in so
understanding it that we can intelligently direct
or use it. Therefore, mastership includes not just
theory or abstraction, but practice or application
as well. You would most certainly not refer to a
musician as a master, if he knew the theory of
harmony in music or the science of music, co
ordinated sounds, and yet could not play an in
strument or compose a number, or arrange an
orchestration. Mastership then consists of having
a knowledge of something and developing a tech
nique to use such knowledge for the purpose of
accomplishment. Every apprentice in a craft or
trade, and every student whether of bookkeeping
or engineering, if his study is not perfunctory, is
seeking mastership.
It is indeed unfortunate that students and
teachers of occultism and mysticism have made it
appear that they have appropriated the term
Mastership for the exclusive use of those who
seek perfection in such subjects. Each of us who
aspires to a full, intelligent life is really striving
for mastership in life. If there are any differences
in mastership, they are to be found only in that
which man has mastered. Mastership is a tech
nique which we develop, and that technique can
be related to one thing or another. It is apodictical that if one becomes a master of playing cards,
he cannot possibly serve humanity as well as one
who is a master of the laws of health, for example.

Page 103

W hen you master a thing you gain dominance

over it. W hat is it then that you want to dom
inate? In the answer to that question, you will
find whether your mastership has more merit than
someone elses. A mystic may have a series of
masterships, as many often did. Leonardo da
Vinci, recognised mystic and philosopher, was a
master artist, scientist, mechanic, and musician.
Sir Francis Bacon was another of these multi
mystic masters. O ur own late Imperator, Dr. H.
Spencer Lewis, with his many accomplishments
and attainments, was still another example. To
them, as to all mystics, personal mastership the
mastership of self and the Cosmic principles of
livingwas the highest state of attainment, su
perior to all of the other masterships.
A man is strong in nothing, who is weak in
character. No man can rise very far, if he is
possessed of uncontrollable passions, or inhibited
with deep-seated fears. No possession or achieve
ment is secure, if it is built upon the faulty foun
dation of superstition and personal spiritual in
security. The mystic knows this. He knows that
mans objective mind is not infallible, that it is
subject to vicarious moods, and its stock of ideas
easily depleted. The mystic wants an inexhaust
ible source of supply, and an inexorable power
that he can draw upon before he attempts mas
tership in mundane things, such as the arts, sci
ences, and crafts. He knows that the intelligence,
the mind of the Cosmic is ubiquitous, that it per
vades all. Every mystic in this sense is a panthe
ist. He knows that this Cosmic Mind is not lo
cated off in a distant comer of the universe, nor
is it inherent in some remote object here on earth.
He is aware that it exists in his being as a higher
form of consciousness, as an intelligence which
directs and which is albinclusive. He knows that
this Cosmic Mind does not have ready-made an
swers and formulas to release to him, as one
would receive them from a slot machine in which
he deposited a coin. Rather, the mystic perceives
this infinite Cosmic Intelligence as properly in
fluencing his own processes of syllogistical rea
soning so that from his own mortal, objective
mind come the necessary thoughts, points, or
principles. Since the place where he is most con
tiguous with the Cosmic Intelligence is within
himselfthe researches of his inner conscious
nessit is there that he turns for this inspiration,
this stimulation.
Mystic mastership or mastery of mysticism is
therefore the finding of the God Power within
oneself, and, further, learning how to use to the
fullest extent the powers and forces with which
the Cosmic has endowed man. The mystic wants
to secure his position in the Cosmic. He wants
to know his relationship to it and how to draw
upon the Universal Consciousness, and how to
develop and put to use the faculties he already

Page 104

possesses, before he sets out to accomplish any

thing of a material nature. Most men function
conversely in their own lives. T hat is, they set
about to reach and master some material end
before they have any understanding of them
selves. Notwithstanding, many succeed by such
meansbut it is a painful way. They succeed
because they eventually discover many Cosmic
principles, by first violating them and experi
encing the consequences. W e would not think a
workman trainedor even very intelligentwho
sought to build or construct anything without
first haying knowledge of the tools needed and
how to use them. The mystic, through seeking
wisdom through the God Mind within himself,
learns to use these natural tools before setting
out on a worldly enterprise.
The mystic doesnt have to wait until he is a
complete master of self, because as he learns these
Cosmic principles he can gradually apply them to
the things of the world which he requires. The
loose popular use of the term master mind means
one who is a genius, or exhibits exceptional abil
ity in some intellectual capacity. As applied to
mystics, it means one who has or is mastering the
sources and powers of the Cosmic Mind ex
pressed within him.
To answer the next question, religious sectar
ian missionaries are most of the time anything
but liberal in their views of people and their
ways. Many missionaries consider intelligent,
law-abiding, and spiritually inclined people, even
in their own native lands, as hopeless pagans. To
many of these missionaries, men and women who
do not believe as they do are lost, that is, they
are spiritually condemned and incapable of con
secration to God. I have known missionaries who
considered a whole community in America as
deplorable and Godless, because it did not have
a church of their preferred denomination. There
fore, educated, refined, and evolved Oriental
characters who are not, for example, Christians,
might by many bigoted missionaries be impugned
as heathenseven as atheists.
In the opinion of such missionaries today, the
Orientals of that type would be considered a
detriment to the land in which they dwelt. On
the other hand, it is in the East that the light of
wisdom and inner understanding first shed its
rays upon men. It is in the East that the great
avatars, leaders, and searchers for truth were
born. This illumination has ever spread W est
ward, consequently, it is to be expected that the
schools of arcane philosophy and esotericism
would have been more numerous in those eastern
lands and that greater mystics and masters would
have been developed there. Also in those lands,
the opposing forces of darkness first became well
established and prospered. Such influences as ig
norance and superstition flourished and grew

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

strong among the masses. They opposed educa

tion, learning, enlightenment, and freedom of
thought. They became so strong that the mystics
had to isolate themselves in remote areas in the
wilds of nature, and in monasteries and temples,
to preserve what they had learned. They, too, of
course, sent out their missionaries into the world
to teach mankind and to help lead it out of its
darkness.
The world in those days was still young as far
as society was concerned. There was much room
for expansion centuries ago. Migration began to
new lands of opportunity. Multitudes of persons
who sought freedom went Westward and brought
with them their new ideals. Liberalism then flour
ished in the fertile W estern W orld. Systems of
education developed, which elevated the masses
of people in this new world far above those is
the Oriental lands. Unfortunately, most of this
education was devoted to exotericism and mater'
ial \nowledge. Consequently, though most men
of the W estern W orld are far more advanced in
the physical sciences and material knowledge,
they have less knowledge, or no more so of them
selves, their inner beings, than the ignorant serf
of many of the Eastern lands. The great mystics
in those Eastern lands, who are few in number,
still have the great knowledge and wisdom which
they inherited. Almost all of such wisdom has
been extended to the W estern W orld through
channels, schools, and orders which they have
selected as qualified, and now here in the W est
ern W orld they thrive and advance.
The Eastern W orld, or the Orient, was the be
ginning of the search for such truth, and the
Western W orld is now the new home for the
personal enlightenment of man. Those, there
fore, who see in Egypt and the Near East, and
in the so-called Holy Land, as well as in India
and Tibet, the great filth and disease and who
scoff at any statement that enlightenment could
come from out of such countries are thinking
only in terms of the present, and are looking only
upon the masses of people. The great teachers of
the East have done their work and they have
passed on the results. They have planted the
truth in the W estern W orld. W e must now,
with our greater strength and wealth, turn about
and help them. W e must extend simple educa
tion to their peoples, the rudiments of learning.
Teach them how to keep their bodies clean as
temples to receive a greater light.
Another point we must keep in mind is this
these missionaries who go to the Oriental lands,
and who, when they return, speak unkindly of
the peoples, spend almost all of their time with
the poverty-stricken, uneducated classes, and to
them it seems that among the people there is no
proclivity toward the spiritual or cultural things
of life. Further, often because of the narrow re

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ligious concepts of these missionaries, they will

refuse to associate with gatherings devoted to dis"
cussions of oriental philosophy, mysticism, and
occultism, where they might well meet the Orien^
tal avatars and mystics. They also refuse to visit
the monasteries, where they could meet many of
these personages, for they consider them and the
very subjects they discuss as un'Christian; con"
sequently, they turn their backs upon the learned
people and spiritual beliefs of the Oriental lands,
and since they do so, naturally when they return
to their home land they state that no evolved
persons can be found there, and no light could
possibly come from such a land or people.
On the other hand, travelers with open minds,
and who are sincerely in search of truth and not
just for a response to a sectarian aspect of it,
have met many of the great mystical personages
of the Oriental countries. It is quite true that
some of these mystical personages are humble in
station, but they are clean, courageous, and mor
ally upright. Others are potentates, autocratic
rulers, but kindly, compassionate, and understand"
ing, and exhibiting traits of character comment
surate with their mystical knowledge. X.

Artificial Conception
A frater and soror arise in our Forum Circle
to ask several related questions. The soror, re"
siding in Canada, asks: 'Artificial conception is
being widely practiced more and more. If true
marriage is a union of souls, I am wondering
what effect artificial conception will have morally
and ethically upon our social life, if it is increas"
ingly practiced? Also what its effects may be
upon the souls, the result of it.
The frater, who resides in Port au Prince, asks:
W hat do you think of parthenogenesis from the
religious viewpoint? Is it true as per old sacred
writings, that certain great initiates who were
bearers of light for humanity did have a spiritual
quasi"birth?
To begin with the fraters questions, techni"
cally, parthenogenesis is the development of egg
cells or ova, which have not been fertilized by the
male element. This is not uncommon in nature,
but was not discovered until 1762. Bonnet, in
that year, after extensive investigations, found
that the generation of summer greenflies (aphids)
are all, by nautre, parthenogenetic; that is, he
discovered that for many months during the sum"
mer period, or for six months, in fact, no males
occurred. Commonly, we also know that a drone
bee develops from an unfertilized egg, having a
mother, the queen bee, but having no father.
Parthenogenesis is a simplification of ordinary
sexual reproduction. It is a simplification of that
essential condition of development, namely, fer"

Page 105

tilization. Many dossiers have been prepared on

the subject, but almost all are in agreement that
there is no known general peculiar characteristic
of those ova which are able to develop without
fertilization. Simply put, general science has not
been able to find in all such ova not fertilized by
the male any outstanding characteristics that
designate them. Though it would seem to be an
abnormality, there is no evidence of degenera"
tion associated with long"Continued or perpetual
parthenogenesis. In other words, if this kind of
development were due to a fault, the species
would soon degenerate or fall from its standard,
and this has not actually occurred. There is, of
course, evidence of the usual mutation (inherited
variations), but this is also common where there
is fertilization by a male.
Biologists and physiologists admit that there
seems to be no justification, from a utilitarian
point of view, for parthenogenesis. They mean
by this, that they cannot conceive why the method
of development of the eggs is made an exception
in some forms of life, to the usual process of
fertilization. The only conjecture they venture
is a scarcity of males, or because of conditions
where fertilization is difficult. It is admitted,
however, that the cells seem to polarize them"
selves. This, then, is an admission that the dual
polarity of a cell, under certain conditions, makes
it possible for it to attain maturity and to divide
without external fertilization. The positive polar"
ity of the cell becomes sufficiently active to actu"
ate the negative particle and produce division
among the chromosomes without the male ele
ment. In fact, sufficient of the male polarity ap"
pears to exist in such a cell without the aid of the
usual methods of reproduction.
Parthenogenesis is further support of the old
philosophical and Rosicrucian doctrines which
contend that at one time all life was unisexual,
and that the duality we know as separate physical
and sexual types, did not exist. W e know this
duality of sex is a complexity of life, and not its
simplest state. Even now, it is just a matter of
the preponderance of hormones of a certain polar"
ity, which determines the sex of a human. A t one
time, such cells were neither preponderantly nega"
tive or positive, but consisted of an equibalance
of both polarities. Therefore, we see from the
examples given above that such a state still occurs
in nature.
To answer one of the fraters questions specifi"
cally: it is exceedingly difficult to reconcile many
factual discoveries and laws of nature with ec"
clesiastical or religious dogmas. If all religious
precepts and doctrines were actually of Divine
origin, no breach between natural law and them
would exist. It is, however, all too well known
that most theological decrees are naught but mor"

Page 106

tal opinions. Consequently, it is not necessary to

try and adapt nature to religion. Rather the
latter must attempt to conform to the former.
However, the traditional story of Adam and Eve,
even though it was mystically intended as an al
legory and not as an actual event, does bear out
the fact of parthenogenesis as once having been
common to all living things. W e are told in the
Biblical account that Eve was created from one
of the ribs of Adam. From the mystical view
point, this is taken to mean that at one time sex
did not exist as a separate element in living form,
but as one polarity, self-contained, and that wom
an, or rather the other polarity, was created or
separated from the dual form to bring about cer
tain developments of the consciousness and the
emotions of complex living things. These would
not be possible without such a division. On the
other hand, all nature attempts to return to its
unified state, accounting for the attracion or af
finity of the two polarities or sexes.
As to quasi'hirths, or the purported strange
births of spiritual personages, enlightened indiv
iduals, or messiahs being born of a virgin, such
stories and accounts abound in the sacred w rit
ings of the Orient. They are principally symbol
ical, and are not to be taken literally. For an
answer to that question, I refer the frater to the
Thought of the Month article appearing in the
February, 1942, issue of the Rosicrucian Digest,
just recently issued, which enumerates the prin
cipal legends of virgin and strange births. So far
as we now have knowledge, parthenogenesis was
not known to the ancients, and there is no refer
ence to it by any other term or phrase. The
quasi-births or virgin births cannot be identified
with it. In fact, almost all of the accounts of the
virgin births imply or infer a father, but the con
ception was not mortal. The conception was
caused by a Divine Being or Power. Further
more, the conception or fertilization was assumed
to have a physical agency, namely, to be caused
by a word, a look, a light, or a sound which made
contact with the virgin. N or does it ever appear
that the birth was solely dependent upon the re
productive powers of the mother alone.
The sorors term, artificial conception, refers
to what is technically known as an artificial in
semination. This is the practice of fertilizing the
ova by unnatural or artificial means. The prac
tice is indulged by medical science to overcome
sterility on the part of a woman or man caused
by abnormal physiological conditions or injury.
It was first successfully tried with rats and rab
bits, and now, as the soror states, it has become a
rather common and legitimate practice, though,
for obvious reasons, not frequently publicized.
The soror, however, propounds some interesting
questions of a mystical nature in connection with
this practice.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

W e agree with her that a state of marriage is

a union of souls. This union is established by a
concurrence of interests, compatibility; simply
putan attunement with each others personali
ties and mental and physical states. This attune
ment is not very often spontaneous, but a process
of development through association. In a mystical
sense, artificial insemination would not interfere
with such a union. First, it must be realized that
it is not promiscuously permitted, and is only in
dulged by medical science where the woman is
married and living with her husband. Conse
quently, artificial insemination does not interfere
with such sexual relations as would ordinarily
exist between man and wife. Thus it would not
be the cause of any physical inharmony which
would destroy the unity of the marriage.
As to the effect upon the morals and ethics of
society, to answer the sorors questions further,
as a practice in all civilized lands, it will con
tinue to be legally controlled, for the protection
of the state and for the perpetuation of the in
stitution of marriage. It cannot degenerate mor
als, for certainly it is a most dispassionate prac
tice, and one motivated, not for gratification, but
solely by the love of children. Furthermore, the
need for it arises only out of abnormal condi
tions. Thus, there is no incentive for a general
desire for it on the part of the public.
The male elementeven by the means of arti
ficial insemination can transmut all of the polar
ities and elements common to the parent to the
offspring. W hether any kind of efficacy is lost
by this means, which would affect the soul quali
ties of the offspring, it is impossible to say at this
juncture-time alone can determine that. It may
be surmised that any deviation from the estab
lished practices of nature, which are not evolu
tionary and which are merely alternatives, are
not Cosmically proper. However, I repeat, so far
this has not been proven in artificial insemina
tion. If the physical properties of the implanted
cell are not mutated by artificial insemination,
then we contend that the soul cannot be, for the
soul enters the body with the first breath of life.
W e know, and we understand, as Rosicrucians,
that a soul will only enter a body commensurate
with the stage of evolution of its personality,
which, as an attribute, enters the body with
the soul.X.

W hen Egypt Ruled the East

A Fine New Book
Thirty-five hundred years ago a great Empire
came into existence on the Nile, and flourished
for over three hundred years, and then gradually

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

declined. It was the birth period and place of

nearly every great custom and practice which we
cherish today in our civilisation. Though in many
respects we stand high above the ancient Egyptians in accomplishments, we do so only because
we stand upon their shoulders. Our language,
for example, finds its roots in theirs, and many of
our principles concerning painting and sculpture
were evolved by them. The first belief in a sole
God, or monotheism, was conceived during that
period, by our illustrious Amenhotep IV. Astron
omy had its birth in this era, as a science; also
agriculture, irrigation, mathematics, architecture,
physics, geography, and history.
Even esotericism and mysticism began there
that Secret knowledge, that profound wisdom
concerning the inner man, which has emerged in
symbolism and allegory. Today it is being taught
by AM O RC and the other authentic, traditional
arcane schools. These teachings of esotericism
have not all been inscribed on the Temple walls
of Egypt, or reduced to hieroglyphic or hieratic
writings on papyri or stone tablets, to be trans
lated by archaeologists and students. Much of
such knowledge had been imparted only by word
of mouth by the Kheri Hebs, of the Egyptian
Mystery Schools, to reach the Western World,
and us of today, in that manner. In fact, even
orthodox Egyptologists acknowledge this. Con
sequently studentspractical down-to-earth men
and women of our timescan greatly profit by
a study of Egypt, by learning something of the
great personalities of the time, and of the tre
mendous gifts which those peoples gave to man
kind during that particular three hundred years.
How ignorant so many persons are today of
this great period of culture and human enterprise
is found in the daily newspaper accounts. There
we often read that this or that daily happening
is the greatest, the worst, or the best in history.
Such statements are usually canards, for if these
individuals really knew their history, as they in
fer by such remarks, they would find past par'
allels to many of the events to which they refer.
W e are most happy, therefore, to announce
and bring to your attention the fact that a most
authentic and splendid new book on Egypt, en
titled W hen Egypt Ruled the East, has just
been released this month. Of particular import
ance to us as Rosicrucians are the following gen
eral facts: First, the author, Dr. Georg Steindorff, is the consulting Egyptologist of the Rosi
crucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum. His photo
graph, taken in the Memphis Temple of the Rosi
crucian Egyptian Museum, was published as a
frontispiece in the June, 1940, issue of the Rosi'
crucian Digest. Also an article by him, entitled
Lessons W e Learned From Ancient Egypt, ap
peared in the July, 1941, issue of the Rosicrucian

Page 107

Digest. On the occasion of the photograph, he

was classifying some new exhibits of our Rosi
crucian Museum, and translating inscriptions for
our curator. This book, published under the aus
pices of the Oriental Institute, noted for its
archaeological researches and expeditions, has a
statement appearing on its jacket, to the effect
that: Dr. Georg Steindorff is the greatest living
Egyptologist
Second, Dr. SteindorfFs chapter on the life
of Amenhotep IV, our traditional Rosicrucian
Grand Master of antiquity, is a particularly in
spiring one. He refers to his almost fanatical
seal in expounding his great illuminationthe
belief in a sole God. Let us realise that this con
ception by Amenhotep IV was had centuries be
fore the advent of Christianity.
Let us quote further statements about this
book: During the period between two world
wars, however, excavations brought to light new
sources of information, among them, the tomb of
Tutankhamun, which revealed to the world the
vast treasure of this Golden Age. Here the
authors have assembled for the first time in Eng'
lish the knowledge gained from these disclosures:
new material on the extension of Egyptian pow
er into W estern Asia during the Middle King
dom, on Egypts position in the Eastern Medi
terranean world in the Second Millenium B. C.,
and numerous other important facts. Interesting
details and anecdotes help to fill in the picture of
Egyptian life during these three hundred years.
The book telescopes the periods of the Old
and Middle Kingdoms, leading to the conquest
of Egypt bv the barbaric Hyksos, and its subse
quent rebellion; relates the glories of the Eight
eenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties, and
traces the beginning of Great Egypts decline.
The book is profuse with beautiful photographic
illustrations of the great temples, sacred sites, and
reproductions of the mystical liturgies of the
period. It is large and handsomely bound, with
a cover designed from the great Book of The
Dead. Its complete index makes the work valu
able as a historical reference.
Today this part of Africa, and the parts of
Asia which the Great Egyptian Empire once con
quered and ruled again hold the key to the trend
of future civilisation. W ill history repeat itself?
Do we embark upon a new future, or do we find
that we will begin to decline? Human events
follow in cycles. Compare the present with the
past, and you will better understand the probable
future. You will enioy reading and studying this
book, and knowing that its author is the leading
Egyptian authority of the world, and particularly

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 108

that he is likewise the Egyptian consultant on

our Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum staff.
The book, considering its elaborate illustrations
and the authentic nature of its contents, is most
economically priced at $4.00 per copy. This is
the established price, and it can be ordered direct
from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau, San Jose,
California. The Supply Bureau will pay postage
on the book to you. Because of the nature of the
subject, the edition is limited and it is advised
that you order now.X.

T he Problems of Self
There are no torments quite so great as those
inflicted on us by our own minds. As Ausonius,
Latin poet said: It is tormenting to fear what
you cannot overcome. These torments of mind
originate from causes often quite remote from
what appear to be their immediate contributing
factors. If the individual has no knowledge of the
true causes, he is incapable of removing them.
Since these torments exist in certain thoughts we
have, it often seems to the unafflicted that persuasive remarks or logical analyses ought to be
sufficient to dissipate them, or at least mitigate
their effects. So often victims hear such ineffectual statements by well-meaning persons, as
Just forget it, or Cant you see the improbability and impossibility of what you fear? To
the latter remark, the victim will most likely reply, Yes, I can, but nevertheless his torments
endure .
W hat is not generally comprehended is that
the effects of the experience contributing to the
mental torment are not in the objective consciousness, but rather are deeply implanted in the inner
or subjective mind. The reasoning of the vietims objective mind is not forceful enough as an
anodyneor as a suggestionto eradicate the
experience or its influence in the subjective, and
so it persists.
W hat are these torments and how do they
originate? Let me give you some examples that
have come to the attention of the Department of
Correspondence:
OneThree or more people are in a group
conversing quietly. John is seated nearby, and
does not hear the conversation, but he is convinced in his own mind that it is about him, and
that the people are attempting to ridicule him.
The truth of the matter is that the conversation
pertains to something entirely foreign to any
personality.
SecondJohn reads a book. He finds expert
ences related in this book which seem to parallel
some of those of his own life. He, therefore, as

sumes the belief that the author had him in mind

when he wrote the book.
ThreeA man spends quite some time think'
ing about the war, and desires to serve in the
armed forces, but for many reasons he cannot
seem to free himself from his present obligations.
A few days pass, and he is discharged from his
employment. He interprets this as a token of
punishment for not immediately having joined
one of the branches of the military service.
FourthA man and woman meet at a reli
gious synod; both are from the same town. They
are not introduced until some time after they
arrive. Upon discovering that they are from the
same community, they feel that there is a special
significance in their meeting at the synod, and
they proceed to get married, without any further
knowledge of each other or their individual in
terests. Their marriage is based solely upon the
significance they have attributed to the above
facts.
The first example is typical of what is popu
larly termed an inferiority complex and a perse
cution complex. Most inferiority complexes arise
out of an attitude of defeatism or extreme em
barrassment, the result of severe emotional shock
had in the past. In most instances, parents are
the antecedent causes of these emotional shocks
which take possession of an individual in later
life, after a long period of development. Thus,
a parent may say to a little girl of nine or ten
years of age, in the presence of a mixed group
of chosen playmates on whom she desires to make
an excellent impression: Now run along to the
party, Mary, with your friends, but for goodness
sake try and keep your hair in place. It always
looks like a bed of straw. This cruel betrayal of
a physical appearance which the child attempts
to conceal strikes at her egoit causes her to
think that each of her friends accepts her present
tidy appearance as a falsification, and that here
after no matter how neat her hair, they will see
it rather as her mother described it. She can no
longer enter society as a child free of extreme
self-consciousness, for her subconscious mind is
inhibited with the mental picture which her
mother created for her. Everywhere, in her
minds eye, people see her as unkempt.
To an emotionally sensitive child, who by nec
essity wears thick and conspicuous eye lenses, the
cruel ridicule by her playmates when they call
her four eyes, or 'goggle eyes, may cause the
child to become reticent about appearing in pub
lic and to retire gradually from all association
with others. These circumstances tend to develop
neuroses, such as fear of the presence of others,
and in some cases envy, bluffing, and anxiety
and always the extreme feeling of an inferiority.
A t first the emotional reaction of inferiority
may occur only when an experience is had which

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

resembles the. original one. As in the above il

lustration, each time the little girl finds herself
in the presence of others who look at her, she
then experiences all of the sensations of shock
which she had when she was first ridiculed. Any
new similar circumstances, by association, sug
gest the original factors to the subjective mind,
which reproduces the initial emotions had. As
time goes on, the imagination of the child per
ceives in other, even unrelated events, elements
which to the mind are cause for similar em
barrassment, and thus a repetition of the emo
tional state of inferiority, timidity, and the de
sire for flight. If this is permitted to continue,
it results in the immolation of seclusion from all
societythe desire to become a recluse. Obvious
ly it dominates the mind to such an extent that
it suppresses all capabilities of the individual.
Persuasion as a cure is ineffectual. This is be
cause the experience was shocked into the re
cesses of the subjective mind by an intense stim
ulus of the emotions. The memory experiences
of the subjective mind can always reestablish the
identical emotions to their full extent when they
are aroused. The victim, through reason, can
and often does later in life, admit the groundless
ness of his phobia, but he cannot exert enough
counter emotional stimulus to remove the effect
of the original experience. He can argue with
himself when so affected yet he will give every
physical evidence of embarrassment, of fear.
Cold beads of perspiration will appear on his
forehead; his extremitieshands and feetwill
be cold; there will be a dilation of the pupils;
and he will have a dry mouth. His emotional
sensations make futile his attempt to reason away
the cause.
A continuation of this condition also produces
what is known as neurastheniaa depletion of
the nerve energy. A nd like a vicious circle, the
more depleted the nerve energy the more fre
quent these experiences, and then the weaker the
will power to combat them. Often it is not criti
cism of a child, or ridicule of it which establishes
these neuroses, leading to an eventual feeling of
inferiority and a persecution complex, but rather
the disapprobation and delinquencies of the par
ents. For example, a young boy or girl may feel
and be quite sensitive to the public disapproba
tion of a drunken father or immoral mother. He
assumes the chagrin which the parent lacks. He
conceives, whether it is actually so or not, that
the disgrace extends to him, and that he is in bad
repute. The same mental mechanism which we
have outlined is then put into effect.
The most unfortunate of all cases is where the
shock occurs in a very young child, possibly five
or six years of age, from an experience which he
or she is unable to recall later in life, and yet the
suggestion of one element of it continues to in

Page 109

duce the effects. Possibly a little girl is at

tracted by a white satin gown lying across a chair
in a dressing chamber, and being curious, she is
about to touch it with soiled hands when an un
seen relative, or member of the family suddenly
shouts in a loud voice near her: Dont touch
that! This badly frightens the child into hyster
ics. Thereafter, as a young woman, she grows
faint in the presence of a white gown or dress,
loses her poise, and nearly becomes hysterical.
She cannot tell why. The objective mind has for
gotten, hut the subjective mind has not. How
these afflictions can be compensated for, we will
consider later.
There are also those persons who receive the
psychological appellation of being schizoid types.
These persons are characterized by their prefer
ence for seclusion and retreat from demands upon
them, or for any personal display. They often do
not manifest an inferiority complex, when con
versing with others or in the presence of others.
In fact, they may, without so declaring it, con
sider themselves superior to other people. In
other words, the schizoid can have either a sense
of inferiority or superiority. These types are
really forced introverts, and there are many noted
men of history, in politics, military life, science,
and literature, who have been designated as
schizoid types. Among them are Napoleon Bona
parte, Sir Isaac Newton, and the late President
Woodrow Wilson. If they possess a sense of
superiority, they seek this seclusion, this resort to
a mental world of their own creation, because
they do not find in their objective experiences
archetypes of their ideals. Then again, people
often do not respond to their conceptions, as
they would have them, and this they may imagine
is due to the inability of their audience to under
stand themand, in fact, many times it is so,
because the schizoid type may be actually intel
lectually superior to his associates; consequently,
he takes refuge in his own thoughts and becomes
an inexorable introvert. Many schizoid types are
normal in every other way, and, in fact, brilliant,
and have definite places in society, where their
attitude of introversion plays an important part.
Where, however, the schizoid type results be
cause of disease, the individual is apt to retire so
far into the world of his subjective mind that the
sensations of his peripheral senses become hazy to
him; in other words, the outside, objective, every
day world becomes to him a confused, unreal
place, to which he never feels inclined to return.
This unnatural state of living completely in the
subjective world is abhorred in our Rosicrucian
monographs and teachings, for we consider it as
insanity, which it is. In fact, in our Second
Temple Degree monographs, we say, in part:
But any form of insanity to any degree is mere
ly a subjective condition to some degree. The

Page 110

difference between a mild form or a deep form

of the subjective condition in sane persons and
the same degree in insane persons is that with
sane persons the subjective condition, no mat
ter how light or deep it may be, is only tem
porary, while with one who is insane, it is more
permanent.
The schizoids who have a sense of inferiority
have developed this often because they have been
called upon for more adaptation than that of
which their personality is capable. They may,
for example, be quite capable persons, outstand
ing in the work that they are doing, and have as
an ideal one who holds a superior position to
their own. Circumstances suddenly precipitate
them into the position of this other person, and
they believe, or it may be a fact, that they can
not adapt their personality to the demands made
upon it. They, therefore, become conscious of an
inferiority, which finds relief only in flighta
retreat from circumstances which make them
aware of their inferiority.
Referring again to the original example d u m
ber One, of our Correspondence Department, I
would say that that individual is conscious of
some lack in his mental or physical makeup, or
imagines himself placed in a socially inferior
status. These lacks are to him most obvious. He
believes that they are to others as well, and con
cludes when several persons are talking quietly
in a group near him, that he is the object of their
conversation.
As to example dum ber Tw o, this is an illustra
tion of atavistic thinking or reverting to primitive
thought, which is common among many people
today. This example is best explained by what is
known as sympathetic or contagious magic, which
is often indulged by people who are primitive in
their thinking. It is the belief that a material con
nection exists between things which are similar,
or which were once related. Objects once related
to one another, it is conceived, retain their con
nection even though they may be separated.
Further, whatever may happen to one part or ob
ject, the other part or object is simultaneously
affected. It likewise affects and will influence
similar objects and parts. A primitive person
having an enemy will make an effigy of him and
pierce its heart with a spear, believing that the
pain will be thereby induced in the heart of the
living person, by the magical bond or connection
between the effigy and the human. Now, many
modern men and women know nothing of sym
pathetic magic, but nevertheless their reasoning
as said, may follow these elementary processes.
Now to apply this to example 'Humber Two.
The individual discovers a startling similarity be
tween experiences related in the book which he
is reading and those which he has had in his own
life. He, therefore, reasons that there must be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

some relationship between them, and that his ex

periences influenced the author, caused him to
write of them, and, conversely, the authors com
ments about the experiences were meant for him.
There is, in other words, a contagious condition,
according to this individuals reasoning, between
these like experiences, one influencing the other.
It would be difficult to dissuade this individual
from his conclusions, because his ratiocination is
still of a simple kind.
It is not difficult to follow the reasoning of the
subject in example T^umber Three. The individ
ual was torn between a growing sense of obliga
tion to join the army, which he considered divine
ly imposed upon him, and his personal affairs.
In other words, according to his reasoning, he
should serve in the armed forces because it is a
moral duty, an obligation of his spiritual self,
motivated by a higher cause. W hen he fails to
comply with what he thinks is the spiritual urge
to join the army, he gradually develops a con
triteness. He believes himself subject to punish
mentanticipates some retribution because of his
failure. Consequently, the first misfortune he ex
periences he imagines is the result of that cause.
Therefore, the loss of his employment, to him, is
considered a divinely inflicted punishment. To
compensate for this kind of thinking, it is essen
tial to try and make self-evident to the individual
that his initial desire to enlist in the armed forces
was an internal, immanent cause of his own
mind, and not motivated by God. Thus it would
follow that failure to do so would not invoke
divine displeasure, and that any misfortunes he
subsequently experienced had no relation to that
cause, as an effect.
In example J^umber Four, we have still further
proof of primitive reasoning, and another illustra
tion of sympathetic or contagious magic. The
coincidence of the two individuals meeting at
one place for the first time, with a common in
terest as their purpose, and as well being from
the same community, seems to augur, to them,
a special portent. Further, since they are both
unmarried and of different sex, and not un
attracted to each other, it follows as a suggestion
to the groping reason that marriage was thereby
intended by the circumstances. If they were, for
example, two men or two women and of the same
mentality and under the same circumstances,
some other condition might be plausible to the
reason, and would be accepted as the significance
of the circumstances. Here again, a similarity of
the events, to these minds, suggests a bond be
tween them, a conscious cause, namely, that it
was conceived that their paths should cross for a
result or purpose and the imagination supplies
the purpose, as marriage. Further, it is of the
constituency of mens minds to relate causes and
their purposes to their own advantage, when

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

their probable function is not known or under

stood. That marriages founded upon such rea
soning and principles of attraction are often apt
to be unstable and not enduring is quite apparent.
It is necessary to try and make such indviduals
understand that all causes which relate to indi
viduals are not conscious, and that probability
must be also taken into consideration as an un
conscious cause. If we do not think this way,
that is, do not take into consideration uncon
scious causes and probability, we are apt to fall
into the mental quagmire of conceiving every act,
which is not the result of our own reasoning and
will and in which we participate, as having been
inspired by some other mind or minds, or an in
visible intelligence. I would here like to quote
the philosopher Spinoza, who inveighed against
the belief that conscious causes account for every
act which we do not understand and which af
fects us. He said, in part: If, for example, a
stone has fallen from a roof upon someones head,
and has killed him, they will prove as follows,
that the stone fell for the purpose of killing the
man. If it did not fall in accordance with Gods
will for this purpose, how could there have been
a chance occurrence of so many circumstances?
Perhaps you will answer, it happened because the
wind blew, and the man had an errand there. But
they will insist, why did the wind blow at that
time? and why did that man have an errand that
way at just that time? . . . and so they will keep
on asking the causes of causes, until you take
refuge in the will of God, that asylum of ignor
ance . . . hence it happens that he who seeks for
the true causes of miracles and endeavors, like a
scholar to comprehend the things of nature, and
not like a fool, to wonder at them, is everywhere
regarded and proclaimed as an heretic and an
impious man, by those whom the multitudes rev
erence as interpreters of nature and the gods.
W here the cause of an inferiority complex is
due to neurasthenia, which, in turn, is brought
about by some abnormal physical condition, health
is the first requisite to the overcoming of it.
Sometimes low blood pressure, extreme fatigue,
and nervous tension bring it on. Minor worries
or concerns are then emotionally strengthened in
the subjective mind and cause the torment. W ith
the recovery of the physical health, the will pow
er is strengthened and the individual is fortified
and can fight against his affliction himself by con
tinuously engaging the fear, instead of taking
flight from it. This is a torturous method at first,
but one in which the victim will eventually be
successfulbut it may take years of time. W here
the sense of inferiority is caused by an affliction,
which takes the form of the individual fearing
that his contribution to society is useless, it be
comes necessary that he attain self-confidence and
respect by accomplishment in some other way.

Page 111

If, therefore, for example, he is greatly handi

capped by deafness and the learning of lip read
ing is not sufficient for him to conduct his affairs
with a sense of confidence, then he should make
his principal contact with the public through
some alternate means, such as letter writing,
where a channel for his full expression can be
developed. In such a manner his intellectual
functions are not then handicapped. Some of the
worlds greatest writers were poor public speak
ers, due to some impediment which caused them
to have an extreme inferiority complex. W hen
they avoided such channels for expression and
resorted to writing, and then gained recognition,
their lives were not only salvaged but they be
came assets to humanity.
One of the most important admonishments is
to keep sensitive, yet normal, children away from
unthinking, coarse adults as much as possible, or
even from other children who may say or do
something that will cause them an emotional
shock, before the maturity of their reasoning has
been established to act as a buffer. If a child is
sensitive and has an affliction, such as being
particularly homely, special care must be taken
that he or she does not become too self-conscious
of it.
To some small degree, we all have these prob
lems of self. Let us look realistically upon them,
and intelligently seek to relieve them, and not
just continue to harbor or endure them. Remem
ber that behind every phobia, there is a mental
shock which has implanted a distorted idea in the
subjective mind. You cannot reason these things
away; however, if you canas is often done
through hypnotism as practiced hy psychiatrists
reestablish the original experience in the subjec
tive mind, through suggestion, and then proceed
to dissipate each element of it by a counter sug
gestion, the objective mind will thereafter find it
less difficult to gain control. The only other way
to compensate, I repeat, is to keep in excellent
physical condition and to engage your fear time
and time again, so that eventually your weaker
objective experiences, by the power of repetition,
eventually mitigate the ones implanted in the sub
jective mind by the initial emotional shock.X

Family Clannishness
A frater now asks this Forum the question:
W hat is the Rosicrucian explanation of clan
nishness in some families? It is noted that in
many families when the children grow up they
drift to the four corners of the earth, and there
is no centralization of the family, but in other
families they all cling to the home and center
their interest around the parents.
A home, to almost all adults, is a place where
there is a centralization of personal interests. It

Page 112

must be an environment and an atmosphere that

complement the spiritual and intellectual selves,
as well as providing security for the physical be
ing, and serving as a storage place for ones pos
sessions. Any hotel room, for example, can pro
vide the latter, but rarely ever does the former.
Children, of course, are by necessity obliged to
remain with their parents, regardless of the en
vironment or atmosphere, until they are of legal
age and capable of making their own decisions as
to where they wish to reside. W hen of age, their
personal pursuits, if they do not correspond to
those of their parents, are most apt to compel
them to go to a point quite distant from the fam^
ily circle. Once distant, even the minor, common
interests are broken off eventually, and only a
strong filial love causes them to correspond or
periodically visit each other.
W here there is what the frater terms a fam
ily clannishness, where the members of the
family are closely united and seem to work and
strive together and to share each others fortunes,
you will frequently find a utilitarian and com
mon interest behind it. I do not mean that a son
or daughter will love their father or mother any
less because they do not work together, but where
there is an enterprise in which the family are all
united or participating, it develops a stronger
concord. In such an instance, the members of
the family become partners, co-workers, or fellow-students, as well as being bound by blood
ties. Since, as adults, they are in such constant
association, they get to understand each other
better. The children come to know their parents
as adults. They admire such worthy qualities as
they have, and they sympathize with their weak
nesses, knowing that they have weaknesses as
well. Since they are also closely related by blood,
usually there is a greater exchange of confidence
and loyalty than will be found among ordinary
fellow-employees or an employer and employees.
Aside from this utilitarian basis of family clan
nishness, there must be taken into consideration
those instances where respect is inculcated in the
children, by the accomplishments and character
of the parents. A child, until the adolescent age
at least, will idolize its parents. To the boy, his
father is the strongest, smartest man he knows.
The little daughter perceives in her mother the
realization of her own ideals of womanhood.
This, of course, is principally due to a lack of
experience. As a boy and girl reach maturity
and their associations become more extensive,
their comparisons also become more numerous.
The parents then either rise or fall by such tests,
in the estimation of the children. It is not that
the son will necessarily cease to love his father
as such, but he is apt to perceive the fathers
faults, his imperfections, which a more mature
judgment makes known.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

If the father continues to be not only loved

but respected and admired by his son or his
daughter, it is because he manifests those virtues
or qualities comparable with, if not exceeding,
what they have found in others. If a son or
daughter, as a man or a woman, does not par
ticularly enjoy the companionship of a parent,
except for the obligation of filial love, in most
such instances the parents themselves are re
sponsible. Parents can, by their authority, com"
mand the obedience and respect of a child, but
what are they doing daily in their lives to hold
it when that son and daughter become adults,
and they can no longer be disciplined? They
must ask themselves the questions: A re we lead
ing coarse or vulgar lives? A re we content with
mediocrity and limited knowledge? If they are,
then they must expect their children later in life
to look upon them apathetically, even though
they may not be disrespectful.
If parents w ant to hold a family together, it
must be done by more than parental love alone.
They should try and truly prepare their children
for the world. They must instruct them in morals
and ethics, and in the ways of the world, that so
long as the children live and no matter how much
their later academic training, they will always
say: I owe this or that to the training I re
ceived from my dear Dador from my mother.
Let such instruction which the parents give be of
a nature that it affects the self, the real person
ality of the child, and broadens its mind by open
ing it and freeing it from prejudices and hatreds.
These are the instructions, the training, and the
influences which a child will never grow away
from.
A father who keeps constantly endeavoring,
more for his own vanity than any other reason,
to interest a son or daughter in his work or pro
fession, and finds the child later in life selecting
another vocation or profession instead, may feel
hurt. He is apt to consider the child an ingrate,
and then, of course, no further bond would exist
between them. But the fathers first great mis
take was in thinking that all offspring are stamp
ed from the same intellectual, emotional and
psychic pattern. A brilliant mind will most often
be inherited, though not necessarily genius; and,
further, the intellectual sensitivity of the child
may not respond to the same things. The intelli
gence may, as it often does, manifest in different
channels; in other words, through different talents.
Rosicrucian parents should understand these
things, and fortunately most of them do. Through
the Rosicrucian teachings, they can prevent their
children from developing fears about the so-called
mysteries of life. They can awaken their intui
tive consciousness. They can help them to develop
natural talents, which often the parents them
selves do not possess. They can allow them to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

express their psychic powers, and they can de'

velop and round out character and personality.
These things will cause the child to be far more
grateful in life, than as if he were being com'
pelled to follow in his fathers vocational or pro'
fessional footsteps. Children of intelligent Rosi'
crucian parents, who have been directed by them
along these lines, will, as long as they live, have
a good ground for family clannishness, for they
will understand together the meaning and pur*
poses of the life which they live.X.

Cosmic Consciousness of Christ

A soror, a member of our staff, asks this Forum
the following well presented questions: W hy
was it necessary, or at least why did it occur in
the life of the Master Jesusthat the high spir'
itual contact (Cosmic Consciousness or Holy
Ghost) should leave his body at the time of the
crucifixion or ascension, leaving him an average
man to live many years yet on the earth plane?
Do not most Masters retain their Mastership
until the close of their earthly existence?
Her questions were propounded after a read'
ing of the ancient esoteric records most notably
presented in modern times in the book, The
Mystical Life of Jesus, by our late Imperator,
Dr. H. Spencer Lewis. In this work, Dr. Lewis
elucidates that Christ did not experience usual
transition or death upon the cross. He points
out that the early Christian translators of the
Greek and of the Latin profane records misin'
terpreted the account of the crucifixion, and so
it was not known in the early centuries that Jesus
had lived afterwardsthat is, after the crucifixion.
Dr. Lewis relates that the four books, of M at'
thew, Mark, Luke, and John agree in saying that
immediately after Jesus spoke the words: Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani? he yielded up the Ghost,
or gave up the Ghost. Jesus, it is affirmed, did
not mean, as it is now interpreted: My God,
My God, why hast thou forsaken me. Arcane
records, preserved in the Shrines of the East, give
the version instead, as: Heloi, Heloi, lama
sabachthani? In other words, that Jesus actually
said: My temple of Helois, my brethren of
Helois, why hast thou forsaken me. He was re'
ferring to the brethren of the Temple at Helois.
Dr. Lewis further explains that that is where
Jesus had been initiated as a member of the Great
Mystery Schools. These brethren were expected
to prevent unnecessary suffering, and to be ready
to render any aid that would be necessary. They
were not present in the throng in any great num'
ber during Jesus intense suffering, because they
were in fact endeavoring, unto the last, to ex'
pedite political influence and other influences to
prevent the crucifixion.

Page 113

Dr. Lewis also relates that the statements that

He gave up the Holy Ghost, are highly signifi'
cant in a mystical sense. Let us remember that
it was this same Holy Ghost which Jesus yielded
up at that moment that also came unto the womb
of Mary and manifested the creative power of
the Logos. It was also this same Holy Ghost
which descended upon Jesus at the time of his
baptism, and which infused him with the author'
ity and Power to be a living representative of the
Logos on earth. A t the time of yielding the Holy
Ghost, while on the cross, Jesus thus permitted
the special Power and Authority which had been
conferred upon Him to return to the Cosmic
Consciousness, and leave Him as one who had
completed his mission, and was no longer the
Living Power of the Logos on earth. This is why
Luke expresses the incident by having Jesus say:
Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit,
and John wrote that Jesus said, It is finished.
The crucial point of this matter concerns two
things. First, that it was not the Vital Life Force,
not animation, not life itself which Jesus relin'
quished upon the cross, but rather the Holy
Ghost. Second, also that this does not mean that
he no longer was a Master among men for the
rest of his mortal incarnation. Let us first under'
stand that the term Holy Ghost connotes Cosmic
Illumination and Power. The method, or rather
the symbolical rite which depicts its descent into
man is most often baptism. In certain of our
Rosicrucian degrees, it is pointed out that bap'
tism is closely associated with the coming of
Illumination, or the coming of that Cosmic con'
tact which is sometimes described as the Holy
Ghost descending. In fact, in the Scriptures,
the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 6 :2, 3, 4, we find,
as confirmation of this, the following: O f the
doctrine of baptism, and of laying on of hands,
and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.
For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were partakers of the Holy Ghost, . . .
In this instance of Jesus, the Holy Ghost, which
descended upon him during his baptism, was more
than an enlightenment in the sense of being in
rapport with the Great Cosmic Mind. It con'
sisted of more than a state of ecstasy, where for
a brief moment mans mortal mind is also the
Mind of the Cosmic and all dimensions of his
consciousness disappear, and all limitations are
gone, and the past, present, and future are but
a state of oneness and of complete comprehen'
sion. Such is Cosmic Consciousness. The mem'
ory of such frequent ecstatic states makes it pos'
sible for humans so blessed truly to become
Masters among men. They go and do those
things which fear inhibits and prevents in other
men. They see the broad way leading to ad'

Page 114

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

vancement, and they know how to circumvent

the obstacles which beset others. Their accom
plishments are manifold, for they are truly guid
ed to the extent of this magnificent influence
of Cosmic Illumination which they experience,
and which, I repeat, we designate as Cosmic
Consciousness.
But during Jesus Messianic period, or Christhood, and immediately following the baptism, he
was more than one experiencing the enlighten
ment of Cosmic Consciousness, in the sense we
have described, for, in addition, he was clothed
with the Logos. The Logos is the law of God,
the Power of God, the motion of the Mind of
God; therefore, Jesus was the Divine Law, a
cause unto himself. It was as though certain of
the great Cosmic laws were made to function
through one itinerant, and yet localized channel
a human form. To use a homely analogy, it
was not as though Jesus just understood the
physical laws of that energy which we call light,
but that for the purpose of his mission, He was
the Light.
Let us also understand that before Jesus bap
tism, when we are told the Holy Ghost descend
ed upon him, he had undoubtedly frequently ex
perienced Cosmic Consciousness, and was in pos
session of such Illumination as comes from it. His
sagacity as a child is related, and he displayed a
wisdom which could not have been taught him
in so short a time, as a child. This deep insight
into mans nature, and into mens souls, as evi
denced by his wise counseling, even while a boy,
was a consequence of Cosmic Consciousness, but,
on the other hand, he had not yet become a moti
vating law of Godthe Logos in human form
a Christ. As a Christ and while clothed in the
mantle of the Holy Ghost, he accomplished things
which were not possible even for one with the
knowledge attained through Cosmic Conscious
ness. W hen he gave up this Holy Ghost, he no
longer was a Logos, a Divine Law unto himself.
He no longer possessed that Divine Authority
which he, as Jesus, had like unto God, for he no
longer was in this sense a disseminator of Gods
power.
He did not, however, at the crucifixion, forfeit
or relinquish his mortal mastership, his wisdom
as a counselor, nor his knowledge of Divine Law
acquired through Cosmic Consciousness, the same
Cosmic Consciousness which he had before the
baptism, and which he retained after the cruci
fixion. He then', after the crucifixion, returned to
that status among men which had been his for
merly, when he. had completed his original Initia
tion in the Mystery Schools, and had become a
Master Initiate and teacher.X.

Bad H abits
Again we have a Frater and Soror of our
Forum circle ask us related questions. Concisely,
the Fraters questions are: W e are often told
that in dealing with or treating of those traits of
character or habits which are undesirable, we
must bring them out into the light of day as much
as possible and consider them in all their rami
fications; that by so doing we may divest them
of their power, and thus eliminate them from
causing further harm. Likewise, we are told that
failure to give way to such habitsnon-doing of
themlessens their power to enslave until they
finally wither, die, and disappear from lack of
expression. My question, in the light of the fore
going seeming contradiction, is: Does the ignor
ing of such habits or traitsa non-doing of them
merely serve to drive them but deeper within,
to come forth with added power or stronger dress
some day?
The Sorors question is: Does not stubborn
ness, exaggeration, and the alibiing to which so
many resort to cover up their bad habits, and to
avoid correcting them, actually add to the de
structive force?
It is interesting to note that most persons con
cerned with the subject of habit have reference
to the elimination of bad habits, and not to the
formation of beneficial ones. This is really a cir
cuitous approach to the problem. The capacity
of the conscious mind is limited. There are only
so many hours a day in which we can voluntar
ily decide to do something or to follow a course
of action, or to commit acts. If those hours are
so occupied in constructive pursuits, our so-called
bad or detrimental habits can be but very few.
If we have, for example, a glass jar that can only
hold so many dried beans, and if we carefully
and thereby consciously select the ones to occupy
the jar, very few spoiled or decayed ones will find
their way into it. The fuller the jar becomes with
good beans, the less space remains to hold bad
ones, in other words. The palmary thing, then,
is to form good habits and thus avoid deep con
cern over the removal of undesired ones.
Let us review, first, the general psychological
principles by which habits are formed, as out
lined with great perspicuity in our early Rosi
crucian Temple monographs. Our objective, or
dinary thinking mind or consciousness is the basis
of every habit which we have. Habits are first
voluntarily formed. I do not mean to infer that
we always resolve to establish every habit we
eventually have, but rather, that habits come
from a decision by our objective mind to do
something. A fter this decision, we determine to
do itwe will ourselves. That is, we command
the powers of our conscious mind to put our de
cision into effect. The decision may be, for ex

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

ample, to place a chair in a certain corner of a

room. Remember: W e do not only express the
mental desire, but we will this mental desire to
actuate our nervous system through the brain, so
that its impulses set into motion those muscles
which lift the chair and carry our body and it to
the corner, where we wish to place it. The power
of such decisions of our objective mind is known
as will power. W hen, time after time, we repeat
an act in the same manner, these decisions become
a law to the subjective mind. W hen the decision
is established as a law in the subjective mind,
there is no questioning of it on the part of the
subjective. It does not analyze why or what the
purpose behind the law may be. It merely en"
genders the forces necessary to execute it. W e
eventually find ourselves, therefore, doing some"
thing which at the moment we had not conscious"
ly decided to do, because the actions are now mo"
tivated by a habit. Thus we are told in our Rosi"
crucian monographs, Habit is an unconscious
law of the subjective mind.
A decision of the objective mind, if repeated
sufficiently, becomes a suggestion to the subjec"
tive mind to function in accordance with the
established procedure of the decision. W e are
also told in our Rosicrucian monographs that A
suggestion is a request, a wish, an order, or a law
of ones objective mind to the subjective mind,
and that Suggestion is, after all, only a subtle
but none the less effective form of will, and mere"
ly impresses the subjective mind to do those
things which should be done.
Now with these things in mind, let us be a
little more analytical in considering this mechan'
ism of mind. A decision of the objective mind,
something you are determined to do, and then
set about using your will to execute it, is a com"
plex thing. A decision consists of an end you
desire to attain, and the ways to that end. Most
frequently the decision is more concerned with
the result to be had than the way it is to be ac"
complished. In the analogy given above, that of
deciding to have a chair always placed in a cer"
tain corner of your room, in all probability very
little thought or conscious effort was given to
walking over to the chair, and to thinking about
how it was to be lifted or how far it was, or in
what way it was to be carried to its destination.
W e can see that many elementssome of which
were already habitswent into the execution of
the order or the decision of the objective mind
to move the chair to the corner.
I said some of the elements were already habits,
and they were, as for example, walking. W e do
not think, to walk. W e merely walk as an un"
conscious, habitual procedure. In doing this
thing, putting a chair in the corner, we have
formed a kind of mental formula or pattern,
parts of which are habits already established in

Page 115

the subjective mind. Once this pattern is estab"

ished by repetition, a decision by the objective
mind is no longer necessary. Thought about the
purpose is not even essential. A mere perception
a seeing, hearing, etc.of any one of the in"
tegral parts of the pattern as a suggestion is suf"
ficient to cause, by association, all of the separate
elements to unite and to form the composite
habit. For further illustration: A fter the habit
is formed, and our eyes fall upon the vacant
corner, we unconsciously, while thinking of some"
thing else, walk to where the chair is situated and
remove it to the corner. The vacant corner seen
by us becomes a suggestionthe subtle command
which sets into motion all of those related sen"
sations in the subjective mind which go to com"
pose the habit.
The point we wish to make plain is that the
subjective mind has not conceived the purpose,
I must put the chair in the corner. It is con"
cerned only with final ends, as a process to be
followed. The subjective mind reasons deductive'
ly; that is, from that which is established as a
general cause within it, to a final particular. A
particular element, however, something seen or
heard, as explained, may be received by the sub"
jective mind in the form of a suggestion, where"
upon it becomes a cause of a procedure, which
the subjective mind sets into motion. Since, there"
fore, the way we react to anything may become
a minor inconsequential habit, eventually to be"
come part of a major habit, it is necessary to
th in \ before we act. Do not allow yourself to do
anything unless you know why you do it, and
unless it seems harmless to you, not only now,
but for the future as well. If you do not do this,
the little, seemingly inconsequential, act may be"
come, whatever it is, a factor in fairly easily
establishing a major habit that you do not want.
The following may be an extreme analogy, but
it will suffice to make this reasoning clear. Sup"
pose you innocently enough, without hardly
thinking about it, reach out and take an apple
from a fruit bowl before you, on your way to
retire for the night. Apples are quite digestible,
and they will not interfere with your sleep. You
come to do this night after night. Finally, you
are so situated that apples are not to be had, for
some reason. You then find that you cannot re"
tire without eating something. In fact, as soon
as you prepare for bed the suggestion causes a
gnawing feeling and you must eat to satisfy it.
Therefore, you begin taking knacks of food
which are not so digestible from!the refrigerator,
and harm may be doneif nothing more than
producing a sleepless night. If We allow simple
acts such as this to become established, we create
a pattern of working for the subjective mind
a habitthe final fulfillment of which will be
undesirable, and not preconceived. In just this

Page 116

way, bad habits are often unconsciously created.

If we perform acts, the results of which we are
quite aware are detrimental, and if we repeat
them, we are then of course wilfully creating our
own bad habits.
To refer now to what the Frater said seems
like a contradiction: I would suggest bringing
our habits to the fore, and looking upon them in
the clear light of reason. W e are all quite famil
iar with our habits. Review them one at a time.
See if their functions oppose any of the creative
laws of nature, of health, of morals, of good
common sense. If they do, then they are negative, or, as called, bad habits. Do not just con'
sider the end of the habit, but also its function,
as we explained. W hat elements of its pattern
constitute suggestions which are apt to continu'
ally arouse it or cause its function? Focus those
elements or possible suggestions in your mind.
In fact, I would repeat to myself each one of
them, and then say right after them: These
things, as suggestons, cause a repetition of my
bad habit of this or that or whatever the habit is.
Do you know what you are doing by this
method? You are, in reality, making a new sug'
gestion to your subjective mind. You are telling
it that that thing or act which you do contributes
to a habit which you want to overcome. If you
repeat this method for a sufficient duration, you
will create a new habit. Each time you see such
things which have become suggestions, and which
have put your old habit into force, the thought
will now arise in your objective, thinking mind,
released by the subjective, that the thing you see
or hear is the cause of a bad habit. Consequently,
then and there you will th in \ and determine not
to let the old suggestion provoke the undesired
bad habit. By this means, you are establishing
a counter habit to oppose the undesired one. Try
it this week; but first, take your bad habits and
review them, one by one, and in this way you
can divest them of their power.
Now to consider the Sorors question: Fight'
ing habits or contesting them requires conscious
effort. There is the requirement of determina'
tion. Obviously, therefore, there is a certain
amount of mental labor demanded. Many peo'
pie greatly dislike labor of any kind, preferring
to follow the path of least resistance, even if the
labor eventually brings great rewards. Therefore,
they refrain from contesting habits, and when
othersrelatives or well'meaning friendstry to
help correct them, they resent it, and avoid the
effort by offering excuses or exaggerating circum'
stances to underestimate the effects of their habit.
Then there are those others who thoroughly
enjoy their habits for the gratification they bring,
and with a full realisation of their depravatory
effects. Perhaps at the time, the habit is innocu'
ous, but will later become injurious, and the vie'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

tim knows this. He has let the habit so endure

that the suggestions which compose it are far too
strong to be opposed by a weak will. Thinking
of the future which he must sometime experience
consequently causes distress, and so the victim
avoids those who speak to him about his habits,
for he does not want to become conscious of
them. Therefore, he resorts to subterfuge, and
to concealment. He even denies to others that
the habit exists. But if such individuals are sane,
the law of Karma must take its course, and they
must suffer their painful lessons.X.

Suicide
A soror in Canada asks our Forum Circle some
interest'provoking questions on this subject. Her
statements and questions are as follows: Just
what do we mean by suicide? It is taking ones
life, of courseyet there would seem to be grada'
tions between taking ones own life to get away
from personal troubles, and on the other hand
the giving of ones own life for a cause, or to
save a friend. W hat is the distinction between
taking ones own life and giving ones own life
we say that Jesus gave his life to save others?
To me, it seems that on one hand you are wrong
in taking your own life, and on the other you
are justified, am I right? Further, do those who
commit suicide in one incarnation have a tend'
ency toward suicide in the next incarnation
does it become a habit?
From a philosophical point of view, for a con'
demnation of suicide or an acceptance of it on
principle, it is first essential that man, in his own
mind, come to a decision whether life is his to
take. If we reason that life is a possession con'
ferred upon man as an instrument by which he
can shape experiences to his fancy and have them
serve an end which he conceives as best, then
patently he may use it as he will. He then will
need to bear only the resentment of those whom
he may injure by his use of life whether inten'
tionally or inadvertently. If he thinks of life
rather as a rare tool loaned to him as a servant
by a Master, so that he may take part in the
execution of some great plan, and he casts it
aside, he then, according to such reasoning, would
be unworthy and rightly subject to divine penalty.
Religions and philosophies vary between these
two extremes. In the Phaedo, Plato has Socra'
tes discourse upon the subject with a disciple in
this light: Cebes: Then tell me, Socrates, why
is suicide held to be unlawful? Socrates, as part
of his reply, says:
. . and if one of your pos'
sessions, an ox, for example, took the liberty of
putting himself out of the way when you had
given him no intimation of your wish that he
should die, would you not be angry with him,
and would you not punish him if you could?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Certainly, replied Cebes. Then Socrates said:

Then if we look at the matter thus, there may
be reason in saying that a man should wait and
not take his own life until God summons him,
as he is now summoning me. From this, we can
see that Socrates contends that man is not the
possessor of his own life; that he owes an obligation for it to a power beyond himself, and has
no right to destroy that which is not his exclusively to do with as he pleases. He also indicates that
man may be punished for this wrongful use of
life, or suicide.
Conversely, Epictetus, philosopher of the Stoic
School, the school that avowed that recompense
for right living was to be found here and not in
a final judgment in an after-world, had to say
with respect to suicide: W hen life is so questionable a good, why not renounce it? It is but
ridding ourselves of a troublesome burden. The
house is smoky and I quit itthat is all there is
to say. The door is open; be not more timid than
little children, but as they say, when the thing
does not please them; I will play no longer, so
do you, when things seem to you of such a kind
say; I will no longer play, and begone.
There are, however, many individuals who
have no religious scruples or philosophical objec
tions about taking their own lives, but who do
not value life any the less. They take a pride in
it, and desire life to be free from blemishes, as
one would a beautiful book which he treasures.
It may "become necessary, we know, to sacrifice
a rare book, perhaps because there is a demand
which compels us to part with it, but never
would we allow it to be abased. So, too, such individuals may seek to live a morally upright and
circumspect life, causing it to be a valuable asset
to society. If there comes a time, however, when
their life is no longer such an asset because of
powers beyond their control, or which they conceive to be, they gladly forfeit this life by taking
it with their own hands, rather than permitting
it to become degraded.
Here we have what might be considered the
sacrifice of life to an ideal. The individual has
dedicated his life to some noble purpose, for he
wants it to be an instrument for good. He wants
to fit it into some agendum which has good as its
motivating force. W hen he finds that his life as
he lives it fails him, that it hinders the realization
of his ideals, he gladly takes it to liberate that
purpose, whatever it may be, which to him
transcends all else in importance. This, then, is
an intermediary cause of self-destruction the
impersonal reason. Is it justified, or is it a wrong
no matter what or how many others may be
served by it?
Another example of this purpose for the de
struction of life is where an individual deliber
ately exposes himself to a danger from which

Page 117

there can be no other result than death for him,

so that other lives may be saved, or a cause
furthered. The only fine point of distinction we
can make between these two examples is that the
first, for perhaps an equally noble purpose, takes
his life with his own hands. The latter permits
an exterior agency to do it for him. If we take
the original view cited here, that we are agents
of a divine principle and entrusted with life,
which is not ours to use as we will, nor to abuse,
then neither the positive method of suicidetak
ing life by our own handsnor the negative way
of wilfully exposing self to instantaneous death is
justifiable.
Organized society considers suicide only that
where man employs by his own means the instru
ment which destroys him. This is really an in
consistency, for there are numerous examples of
the negative type of suicide which are commend
ed as noble sacrifices by society. This kind of
sacrifice is the giving of ones life. Has man any
more right to give what he does not own than he
has to take away what is not his? If we cannot
find an answer to this, presuming that man may
not arbitrarily do with life as he pleases, we
must then admit that all intentional sacrifice of
human life is individual or mass suicide.
The mystics contend that all aspects of suicide,
even the negative ones, which receive the appel
lation sacrifice to an ideal are Cosmically
wrong, and that man must, therefore, experience
karma. This karma, however, is commensurate
with mans purpose, his intent in submitting to
suicidal urges. If the act arises from wrongful
interpretations of the higher aspects of his char
acter, made in good faith, his Cosmic compensa
tion will be accordingly ameliorated. If, on the
other hand, he commits suicide, using the positive
method solely, namely, with his own hands, as a
retreat from the experiences of life which he
chooses not to endure, his penalty will be very
severe. For analogy, a man takes great pride in
his personal accomplishments and the fame de
rived therefrom. Misfortune befalls him, and he
quails before defeat and the ridicule from those
who once held him in awe. Thereupon he with
draws from life by taking it with his own hands.
He discloses, by this act, not alone a mistaken
conception of the value of life, but a desire not
to give of himself but only to be a recipient of
things. In other words, he displays a selfish,
limited interest in life.
To a great extent, war is a mass suicide. Men
freely cast their lives aside for ideals which at
their best are products of human intelligence,
founded on interpretations of their immanently
inspired urges. From a Cosmic conception, there
is no rectitude in men destroying their own or
other lives for ideals which they have established.
It is further evidence of the still low spiritual

Page 118

attainment among men. Humanity must be

taught its karmic lesson that life is a sacred gift,
not to be so desecrated. Consequently men must
and do suffer mental karma because of war, a
war in whichin their mindsthey participate
by necessity, and in righteousness. Such karma
expresses itself in worry about dear ones, and
experiencing the suffering which the war brings
upon innocent non-combatants, if not in this life,
in another.
Since war is a mass suicide, society and nations
as a whole will suffer the consequent karmic penalty, even those who did not take part and who
were not in accord with it. It is not just the
combatants who are responsible for war, it is all
peoples who permit it to exist as a reality with
out using their Cosmically endowed intelligence
to find other means to bridge the difference between themselves and those other groups of society, which their individualism has caused to
occur. Since, therefore, the non-combatant will
and must endure karmic retribution for war, as
we know it, he should, as oddly as it may appear
and as inconsistent to reason as it may seem, even
participate in it if it will assure a quick ending,
in defense of the man-made, nationalistic, ethical
ideals which may motivate it. He shall seek to
mitigate his karmic debt by realizing the wrong
and strive to end all wars and to bring about a
lasting peace in the future.
The Rosicrucians contend that the Cosmic im
poses karmic penalties upon those guilty of sui
cide, especially severe where one has used it as
a retreat from the demands made upon him by
the lessons of life. It is because he has wilfully
arrested, by any method of suicide and for any
reason, the evolution of his personality. The per
sonality is an attribute of the soul, as we know
from our Rosicrucian studies. It is the selfconsciousness of the soulthe real you. It evolves
only as it more closely becomes attuned to the
perfection of the soul. As the personality be
comes more cognizant of spiritual things and
laws by this attunement with the Universal Mind,
of which the soul is a part, it loses its duality and
more and more merges with the soul. For things
which are alike and between which there is no
difference, are one and it is this oneness with the
soul which the personality strives to attain.
W hen the personality, through each incarnation,
each earthly life and series of experiences, be
comes a lesser obstacle to the soul, it finally
merges, as we have said, freely with it and man
then is a spiritual being, no longer requiring the
residence of his soul on the earth plane.
It is for the Cosmic Mind to decree what shall
constitute a life cycle, how long it shall be, and
when the necessary period of instruction shall be
completed. The Cosmic alone is justified in tak
ing back the life which it conferred, to manifest

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

it again and again in mortal form, if necessary.

It is also for the Cosmic to ascertain when this
cycle of development of the personality of the
soul shall be accelerated, and when it shall be
retarded.
Suicide under any guise, or for any purpose
which man may propose or indulge, retards this
cycle of soul advancement. It necessitates that
man learn in another life what he terminated
learning here. A nd in addition to this, he brings
upon himself the probability of even more bitter
experiences by such audacity. Rosicrucians can
not accept the doctrine that life is mans to do
with as he pleases. All things are of God and
God, as Cosmic Law, is in all things. Man is no
free agent, in that he has faculties which are in
dependent of this Godship or the Cosmic. W hen
he is born, he is conforming by birth to a Cosmic
Law. There was no way in which he could have
exercised any independence of that concatena
tion of causes which brought him into existence.
His will permits him to further his life in ac
cordance with the laws of the Cosmic, to enjoy
fully his span on earth, or to create mental tor
ment for himself through abuse of his powers.
He, however, is never relieved of his responsi
bility and his obligations to the Infinite and Cos
mic Intelligence. It follows, therefore, that selfdestruction of life in any form will bring retribu
tion, but there is a gradation of such compensa
tion or penalties Cosmically, according to the
motive which actuated the suicide.
Now, to answer the sorors question as to
whether one who commits suicide during this in
carnation would continue to be so inclined in the
next. No matter what our conduct or crimes
against the Cosmic, there is no retrogression of
the soul or its personality. Improper conduct will
arrest the development of the inner self, cause
it to remain in status quo until the consciousness
of self is aware, and admits its wrong, in humil
ity and with contriteness, then progress will be
gin again. Consequently, one does not slip back,
nor does one follow in each life the channel or
pattern of conduct of a former life, for that
would be contrary to the law of spiralling up
ward; therefore, we are not inclined in future
incarnations toward suicide because we may have
been guilty of that violation in the past.
Now, I would like to inject here a question,
and answer it myself. My question is: W hy
do those who are Rosicrucian members commit
suicide? Yes, we must admit that occasionally
from out of the thousands of our fratres and
sorores throughout the world, some unfortunate,
miserable, unhappy individual is guilty of the
worst type of suicidethe method of retreat or
escape from his responsibility of life, by taking
his own with his own hands. O ur Rosicrucian
teachings, as evidenced by the precepts we have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

considered here, are opposed to suicide and point

out the consequences of this crime against self.
W e have not been negligent in informing our
members as to what to expect of such conduct.
The Rosicrucian teachings are not lacking in ef
ficacy, in strengthening human character, in ap
pealing to the reason, and in engendering that
inner consciousness which will guide the individual and which will help him to exercise control over his acts.
Further, we know that the Rosicrucian teachings are not lacking in these things, because of
the volume of letters which we receive each
month, which voluntarily express, with deep
gratitude, appreciation for what the teachings
have manifested and bought forth in the lives of
the writers. Those who commit suicide and who
are also Rosicrucians, are those individuals who
have either not kept up actively with their
studies and are nominal members (Rosicrucians
in name only), or they are those who have read
the teachings, know the principles from an in
tellectual point of view, but they have never ex
perienced them. They have not adapted their
consciousness to them. They have not come to
feel the principles and live according to them.
A fter all, pain and pleasure and the virtues are
but words and phrases, until we come to know
them as experiences, and the same is true of the
doctrines of the Order. Those persons who do
not try to live according to the teachings, and
commit such crimes as suicide, will come to know,
if not in this life, in some other, that the admon
ishments in the monographs were not idle plati
tudes. The Order provides the teachings, the
member must partake of them, drink of the pool
of knowledge, and live by it. To use a homely
adage: You can lead a horse to water, but you
cant make him drink.X.

Men In T he Service
Suppose I am conscripted, or that I enlist in
the armed forces; how will that affect my status
in AMORC? If I must join the army, would it
be impossible to keep up, in some respect, with
the teachings of the Order? W hat influence is
military life having upon those Rosicrucians who
have been inducted into the army, navy, and
marine services?
These are questions which our various officers
and department directors of the Grand Lodge
are now receiving. They are directed to us by
AM ORC members who are either contemplating
enlisting in the armed forces of their respective
nations, or who expect soon to be conscripted.
It should be understood that long before the
present W orld W ar Number Two, or the en
trance of the United States into the present con

Page 119

flict, there have been AM ORC members who

were officers or privates, or officers and seamen,
in the army and navy. In peace time we have
always had many hundreds of members through
out the world who have been soldiers or sailors.
They became members of the Rosicrucian Order
while so serving their country. As said, some
were and are high ranking officers, others just
plain privates, but these men are continuing their
membership even under the adverse conditions.
They, of course, cannot carry on every detail of
the studies and all of the exercises or initiations,
but they are keeping up the spirit of the teach
ings and periodically, at every opportunity,
studying their monographs.
The Rosicrucian member who, as soon as he
prepares to enlist or is conscripted, writes and
says, It will be impossible for me to continue as
a member, I am certain, so please discontinue my
membership, is not using his initiative. Further
more, he is not fair to himself or to AMORC.
Mail is delivered to all army camps and all navy
stations. If it were not, no relatives or friends
of the men would be able to communicate with
them after they were enlisted on conscripted. Of
course, it is realised that when they are travel
ling, mail will be delayed in reaching them, per
haps several weeks, but the navy or army depart
ments will dispatch it to them periodically. If
you are inducted into the service, ask your su
perior officer how mail should be addressed to
you, and then forward that address to AMORC.
An excellent attitude of mind about entering
the service is reflected in the following letter
from a Frater in Pennsylvania about to enter the
United States Army:
As you know, I have now completed my work
in the Neophyte Degrees, and am about to take
up the Postulant discourses, preparatory to enter
ing the Inner Chamber. Having passed through
this experience yourself, you will know how
deeply this privilege is appreciated, for mere
words can not express my feelings.
I am thankful for all the benefits I have al
ready received from affiliation with the Order,
including spiritual, mental, and physical improve
ment. I could have no better defense, in these
critical times, than the instruction the Order has
given me.
I am leaving home on Friday, to begin my
period of service in the armed forces of the
United States. O f course, I can not be certain
what conditions will be like in the future. How
ever, with the permission of the Order, I hope to
be able to continue my studies, as in the past.
It is my intention to contact any members of the
Order who may be located near me. W hile in
the service of our country, I shall endeavor to
conduct myself in such a manner as to reflect
only credit upon the Order. You may be certain

Page 120

that I will never turn my back on the Order, or

the great truths it has taught me.
Once again, I wish to thank you for the
privilege that has been extended to me, that of
continuing my studies in the Inner Chamber.
Your interest in my progress is also highly ap
preciated. I am looking forward to the day when
I can come to Rosicrucian Park, and meet
you all.
This letter, you will have noticed, indicates
how the Rosicrucian teachings have strengthened
this members morale, and given him that inner
fortitude which will help him confront and adapt
himself to the changes in his life he will have
to experience.
The following very fine, brief article is from
Frater J. W a tt Page, Brigadier General, Adjutant
General of Texas, and State Director of Selective
Service:
Many years ago, as a young officer, I had
formed the opinion that the army officer had to
be hard boiled, a martinet, if you please, in
order to impose the right leadership and discipline
on the soldiers under his command. True, we
studied psychology; the psychology of war, the
psychology of crowds, and individual psychology.
That was all well and good. However, in the
final analysis it was the heavy hand that had to
impose command.
As I grew older and travelled along the road
of life I began to take a new attitude in my own
thinking. A fter some years as an officer I came
to the conclusion that I would rather have ten
men who would follow me as a leader, than one
hundred men who followed me because they were
fearful not to. All this was before I knew any
thing whatever about Rosicrucianism and its
teachings. I have lived to see the leadership phase
very definitely supplant the so-called martinet
type. The teachings in the army during the pres
ent emergency are well-nigh a complete reversal
of the type of leadership in general vogue during
W orld W ar I. It is leadership that counts now,
and that leadership principle is applied not only
to the officer but all the way down in the ranks
to the lowly private.
To be a leader one must have, of course,
something in the way of personality. But per
sonality alone is only a weak sister. Personality
must be backed up by a sterling character. Char
acter can only be built by right thinking and
right acting. And to build character one must
develop will power. N ot the will power simply
to carry out ones own ends, but the will power
to think right and then act right; this to be exer
cised fearlessly, but justly and understandingly.
And how can one do this? Well, it seems to me
the only answer is that only through the knowl
edge of the natural and spiritual laws of life and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

their proper application to everyday existence on

this mundane plane can leadership, with char
acter, be correctly applied. And knowledge of
how to apply such laws is equally important, in
knowing how to apply them not alone to persons
but to material objects and to events.
As a brigade commander of combat troops I
have had occasion to talk to many, many officers
and men; to counsel with them when they were
wrong; to try to get them to see things in the
right way; to caution them that they were outof-line this time and that I wanted to give them
another chance, but that in event they failed again
due to their own shortcomings I would have to
crack down on them. Many, many of them have
so profited that they have become excellent in
their own sphere of work. Some, of course, have
failed. To the latter must come the bitter experi
ences of life; they must still bruise their toes or
bump their heads along the Path until by bitter
trial and error they are convinced that their mode
of conduct is wrong.
And what has all this to do with my subject?
Well, simply this: Through my knowledge of
life, and things, and possibilities within the Soul
of man, and things mundane and spiritual, and
the relation of all to the great Cosmic Force, as
taught by the Rosicrucian Brotherhood, I have
been able to help many, in my small way, to a
more fruitful life. By my knowledge of these
things (and that knowledge is yet all too little)
I have been able to sit down across the table, for
example, and assist them to steer a better course.
Through the knowledge of man which the Rosi
crucian teachings have given me (yes poor me),
I have been able to look into their faces in the
Rosicrucian way and I have been able to tell that
they \new I was telling them right; that they
knew I was sincere; that they knew I, myself,
had no axe to grind; that I was trying to be fair
and just; that I was understanding, yet firm.
They have gone away lifted up, if you please,
with a new determination and they have gone
away my loyal supporter and friend. N ot friend
to me, alone, but friend, very likely, to the God
of us all.
In my work as State Director of Selective
Service I have applied the things I have learned
to the problems of the selectees and to the Selec
tive Service boards with gratifying results in the
operation of the Selective Service System in the
largest state of our nation. I am humbly grateful
for this knowledge.
You will see from this Fraters splendid com
ments how he has used the Rosicrucian teachings,
not only to his own personal advantage, but he
has used them as well to guide other men with
whom he is associated, and who look to him for
direction.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

If you are called to service, it may be just as a

buck private. You of course would not have
all of the opportunities to put the teachings into
use in exactly the same manner as did this Frater,
but in a limited way you can do a great deal of
good with them. You will find some men with
whom you will be thrown into intimate association who will manifest an attitude of dudgeon
toward their fellows and associates. They will be
ones whose ideals have been shattered or clouded,
or who have formed a depressing conception of
life and society in general. By a little study of
them, you will find what principle, word, or
thought which you can express to them, taken
from the Rosicrucian teachings, will bolster them,
comfort them, console them, and set them think
ing rightly. The right word or thought at just
the right time may cause a man to re-evaluate
himself and his surroundings completely and help
him to transcend a state of deep moroseness.
W e urge every Rosicrucian who enters the
service to take with him the little book, Unto
Thee I Grant. Its words of inspiration, so
apropos to every aspect of human experience and
human emotion, will have so much more value
under such conditions, and you will treasure it
highly.-X.

T o W hat Extent Should W e H elp O thers

W e now have a question to be considered,
which has been offered by a soror who I believe
is new to our Forum Circle. She says: I have
one very real problemLangdon Davis calls a
social worker a meddler. How far should we
go in changing anothers life? Are persons not
often so placed in certain conditions that they
may fully learn the lessons connected with this
environment? I have roughly used as a rule, that
if they desire help they are ready for it. So many
times what we may thoughtlessly consider an ad
vance is not so. I try to place the pro and con
of a situation before them and let them decide.
But I should be so glad if a discussion of this
might occur in the Forum.
I cannot agree that a social worker is a med
dler. Some individuals, or persons suddenly vest
ed with authority, may abuse their power in the
name of social welfareas subalterns often do.
This, however, more often becomes a reflection
upon the individual than the cause which he is
serving.
In my travels to various parts of the world, I
have often heard other travelers remark, upon
observing the dire poverty, filth, and disease in
which the peoples of these distant lands live
why do they endure it? Upon first blush, it
does often seem as though such unfortunate per
sons actually show a preference for their circum

Page 121

stances, by making no attempt to leave or to alter

them. I have seen men who make just a few
dollars a week attempt to support a wife and six
or seven children in a large American city, with
its usual excessive costs of living. Such a family
is compelled to take residence in the slums. A
three-room flat houses the eight or nine persons.
Often the building was erected before existing
sanitary and fire codes were in effect. Adjacent
buildings crowd it. Sunlight hardly, if ever,
enters. Dust and dirt cannot be kept down be
cause of congested streets from which it is con
tinuously swirling upwards. Sometimes such flats
do not even provide toilet facilities. Tuberculosis
thrives because of lack of sunshine, pure air, and
insufficient food or balanced diet. The mortality
rate is high. O f the six or seven children, four
may grow to adulthood. One of that number, or
even two may be tubercular, or show evidence of
malnutrition.
The father of such a family could quite often
find work on some of the large farms or ranches
of the Middle W est, or Pacific Coast region,
where life would be far superior, even though
work or labor would be just as hard. He could
even obtain financial aid from some of the states,
if he would homestead farm land. The family
for a while would have no more comforts than
they now enjoy; however, they would, through
their own efforts, get wholesome food, air, and
exercisc. Further, each days labor would gradu
ally be winning for them a home of their own.
A nd to these advantages must be added that the
children would be removed from the influence
of social contamination, or contagion of crime for
which slum centers are noted.
Admittedly, it is not quite as simple as all of
this. The family would have to make further
sacrifices to leave their present environment to
find some form of transportation to rural districts.
The important point to be made here is that
many of these people are absolutely unaware,
ignorant, in fact, of how to improve their present
deplorable status in life. They have become re
signed to it. They consider that those who have
more than they in their community secured such
through influences which they do not possess
or through dishonesty.
A campaign of making these people discon
tented with their environment, showing them its
evils, and a way to a better life is certainly a
humanitarian service. Some of these mothers
have come to accept the fact that one out of
three children to which they may give birth must
die. It is not only necessary to show the causes
of these deaths, but to help people to overcome
them. Can a man or woman who knows these
things be called a meddler, because he or she
is trying to impart such knowledge to those who
need it, and to render a service for them? The

Page 122

psychological factors on both sides must be dealt

with. These unfortunate people instinctively re
sent what they consider interference with their
ways of living and their personal lives. In most
instances, they hurl the imprecation meddler
at the social worker, and execrate his or her wellmeaning efforts, as soon as they are made aware
of their wrong livingtheir lack of hygiene, for
example. A t such a time, many develop a strong
sense of inferiority and resent what they inter
pret as a display of superiority on the part of the
social worker. On the other hand, some of these
individuals are indeed grateful and cooperate
fully.
As we originally said, some of the social work
ers themselves are at fault. Their true motive is
not the help of others, but the exercise of author
ity, the opportunity to lord it over unfortunate
humans. Some of these types are dilettantes.
They play at social wor\. It takes up their idle
time, like indulging in bridge games and attend
ing social teas. Still others vie with each other
in their clubs for the chairmanship of committees,
one of which may be social welfare. Thus, this
humane work is made but a tool for social and
political aspirations. These are admittedly evils
in the system, but they are fortunately compara
tively few, and have few representatives.
The most rational way to help in social service,
which is a service that is really needed, is first to
win the confidence of those you are going to
assist. W hen you see a needy family or individ
ual, dont start off your conversation with, let
me tell you what you should do, or immediately
give forth a series of admonishments, such as
dont do this and that, and stop this. These
unfortunate persons are not entirely devoid of
pride. They have enough of the natural ego to
conceive that their opinions and their likes and
dislikes are equal to yours. If they are to be
guided or counseled, they want to feel that they
have made the selection of who is to be their
mentor. On the other hand, no sensible person
who is in distress, and knows that he is, is above
accepting proffered helpespecially when it is
not made to appear as charity, that is, extended
in a patronising manner. You cannot enter a
home and proceed to condemn its living condi
tions without immediately antagonising the mem
bers of the family. The proper way is to search,
not for the negative causes, but the positive effects
of them.
It is not difficult to find a home in slum dis
tricts, where a mother is frantic with a sick child,
for she has no money to buy food or medicine.
Never mind at the time what caused the illness
of the child, even if it is apparent to you. The
cause can be extirpated later. Do not give any
nostrum of advice. Get busy and serve. Call a
physician. Go out and buy a basket or bundle of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

good food and bring it to the family. If there is

no fuel, buy a cheap kerosene stove at least. No
person in such distress could, unless insanely cal
loused of emotions, fail to respond to such philan
thropic assistance. Your actions as a motive speak
far louder than any words they indicate that
you want to help, not just to instruct and to
supervise.
Call back later, the same week or the same
month, once or twice, or possibly more often.
Continue to help, and yet never once make a
suggestion as to what should remedy the situa
tionand leave all religious comments out of
your assistance. N o one wants to be made a re
ligious example for saving your, or their own,
soul. If you do this, that is, follow this practical
procedure, you will, I repeat, win the confidence
of the recipients of your kindness. They will
come to you for advice voluntarily when you
visit them, or there will come a time, remarkably
soon after your initial service, when you will find
it propitious to say, Is there some other little
thing I can do to help? And you will find them
asking you what precautionary measures they can
take to prevent a recurrence of their conditions.
Then you will have the opportunity of gently
and kindly offering suggestions for the change of
those conditions and customs necessary to im
prove their health or their economic affairs. In
this way, you are not forcing a service on a peo
ple, but causing them to realise the need for
something, and to seek it through you. Are men
and women who do these things meddlers? I
think you will agree not, and for every person
who should rightly be stigmatised a meddler,
there are one thousand of these other noble types
of men and women.
Now as to the mystical significance and prin
ciples involved. A re we interfering with what
the Cosmic has decreed that these people should
experience, when we so serve them? Such a ques
tion is based upon the doctrine of \armic com'
pensation. This doctrine holds that there is a
great Cosmic scale (in precept, of course, and
symbolically speaking) on which our acts are
weighed, in that we must compensate for wrongs
committed, by learning what not to do, or what
to do in the future, and that we also will be ade
quately rewarded for noble needs and acts. Some
times the Cosmic finds it necessary to cause one
to suffer bitter experiences before they come to
know humility, compassion, justice, and kindness.
However, the Cosmic is not a Simon Legree. It
takes no delight in causing an individual to be
come conscious of pain and misery. It does not
seek to punish but rather to teach. It begins with
simple lessons, and if we continue with an atti
tude of diffidence, the lessons proportionately
become more severe until eventually one is able
to penetrate our consciousness and we know

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

we are illumined. This may all be accomplished

in the short span of one lifeor in ten lives.
Time is non-existent in the Cosmic plan. Only
the objective matters, the lessons to be taught and
comprehended.
Presuming that each miserably unfortunate
human being who now experiences conditions the
equivalent of those which have been herein de
scribed, is doing so because of a karmic lesson to
be learned, we are not interfering by helping
him to learn it sooner. It may be that we, too,
are Cosmically directed to serve, to render the
very help which we would give such a person.
As explained, if we can interest the individual
in improving his station in life, so that he will
come to realize the conditions under which he
lives, then his lesson is learned. Cosmically, we
are wrong if we endeavor to help a person in
spite of himself. If, for example, a mother ada
mantly refuses kind assistance for a sick child or
husband, when she is desperately in need of such
help, because of false vanity or for some selfish
reason, then stop right there. If you have ex
hausted all reasonable appeals and there is no re
sponse, such a mother is not ready as yet to learn
her lesson. She has not had that experience which
has struck home in her consciousness. The self
has not been reached. If you persist in such cases,
you are, without a doubt, interfering with karma
and are likely to incur some yourself.
The soror who asked these questions has in
reality established the proper norm in such mat
ters for herself. She should continue to feel that
she should not render assistance unless it is the
desire of the individual to be helped so that he
may help himself. However, we repeat, be cer
tain not to offend the natural pride of the in
dividual, or you will not be able to reach his soul
consciousness. You must be tactful. If you are
thoughtless and hurt others, you will be kar
mically dealt with by the Impersonal Cosmic
Mind.X.

Evil Souls?
The most popular subjects presented for dis
cussion in our forum sessions are soul, personal
ity, reincarnation, and their many ramifications.
Just recently in a forum discussion the Rosicru
cian book, Mansions of the SoulThe Cosmic
Conception, was recommended to those im
patient for more knowledge of these subjects.
Occasionally we receive a question that is not
directly answered in the monographs or in M an
sions of the SoulThe Cosmic Conception. It
is felt that the following question will interest
many of you: Some schools of thought have ad
vanced the idea that souls or spirits who have
recently gone through transition and who have

Page 123

led evil lives here on the earth are exerting evil

influence upon people and are causing them to do
things against their wills, also that enemies in war
remain enemies in the Cosmic and go through
the motions of fighting. Is there any truth to ,
teachings of this kind?
In considering this question, let us be remind
ed of a few simple facts that students of Rosi
crucianism learned a long time ago. The soul
force that leaves the physical body at so-called
death is absorbed into the great oversoul within
a reasonable length of time after separation from
the physical body. This soul force is of such a
tremendously high vibratory rate that it cannot
arbitrarily remain in earthly contact for very
long after transition. Some degree of contact is
possible, but it must be made by one well known
during the life span, such as a close relative or.
friend. If a contact is desired by a loved one left
behind, it can be established under the proper
conditions and so long as the purpose for making
the contact conforms with the high ideals of the
Cosmic forces. For instance, the contact can be
made if desired for peace, comfort, and under
standing by a mourning wife, mother, father,
close friend, or relative. Such a desire is quite
consistent with the high ideals and principles of
the Cosmic. In such cases it is the sincere efforts
of the one left behind that establish the contact,
not the effort of the soul force on the Cosmic
plane.
If the purpose of contact is purely material,
for curiosity, publicity, or any similar reason, no
effort whatsoever will be sufficient to bring about
success. Such would be the classification of the
efforts of Mrs. Houdini to contact the soul per
sonality of her husband, the famous magician.
Rosicrucians who have reached the work of our
high degrees well appreciate why these dramatic
seances have failed to produce evidence of the
immortality of the soul. The soul force leaving
an earthly body and being absorbed into the uni
versal soul graduates, as it were, to a higher
standing, to a higher degree of manifestation. It
has cast off the bond of materialization, having no
further need, for the moment, of earthly associa
tions. It is quite difficult, therefore, to return to
the cast-off environment. However, just as one
would return to a lowly birthplace to help a
friend, relative, or fellow being in distress, so too
will the evolved personality respond to a sincere
prayer or plea designed to bring peace and har
mony into the lives of those near and dear who
have been left behind. Especially would this be
true if an untimely transition caused undue suf
fering and inharmony in the material life of the
wife, husband, or other close relative.
A point of important consideration is the pur
pose of intervals on the Cosmic plane between
incarnations. This purpose is to permit the ego

Page 124

or personality of the soul an opportunity to purify itself further and become illuminated by the
divine mind and Cosmic wisdom. You will note
that this is not the soul force that becomes purified, but the personality, which is an attribute of
the soul. This personality is undergoing constant
purification and evolvement through the experi
ences on the earth plane during earthly mani
festations and also during the period of Cosmic
residence. The interval on the Cosmic plane can
be likened unto the hours of rest after a long day
of physical and mental labor. It can be compared
with the meditation periods in the sanctum after
an hour or two of careful study of a lesson,
monograph, or principle. During the study period, we objectively absorb thoughts, laws, prin
ciples, analogies, and experiences of others, and
during the meditation period, we subjectively
absorb what we have studied. Thus we permit
the studied facts to become a part of our knowl
edge of the subject matter and a part of our
storehouse of understanding.
W e must always realize that man, in fact all
nature, is in constant motion, always changing,
growing, expanding, evolving to a higher degree
of manifestation. Even the personality, the ego,
undergoes this constant change, and fortunately
so, for otherwise civilization would long ago have
reached a state of stagnation. It is well to re
member that all are equal in soul essence, divine
power, and Cosmic wisdom, for all emanate from
and are at all times a part of the universal essence-like force we call soul. However, all are
unequal in worldly experiences, attainments, and
knowledge. Thus we find manifesting on the
earth plane some who are spiritually inclined,
others with criminal tendencies, some persons
highly evolved in spiritual understanding, still
others on the extreme low end of the scale, in
dulging, committing, and participating in all acts
of a so-called evil nature.
So many conditions may be the cause of such
evil actions that it is nigh to impossible to place
blame upon any one thing. Discounting possible
Karmic reasons, looking purely at the material
circumstances, we would have to consider, en
vironment at birth, degree of education, condi
tions under which the child is reared, possible
inherited diseases of mind or body, and numerous
others that will suggest themselves. A fter a life
on earth of sin and error, the soul essence with
its attribute, personality, returns to the higher
realm where it dwells in preparation for another
earthly manifestation, perhaps for another oppor
tunity to face the cares and worries of a material
existence. This proces of preparation consists of
a chance to repent, as it were, for crimes and
errors of the last sojourn on the lower plane.
This would be comparable to a period of medi
tation at the close of the day to mull over the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

days activities and determine thereby the errors

and offences that may have been committed, their
possible effect upon ourselves, others, and what
retribution we can make. In this way we better
understand life and sincerely atone for our socalled sins.
Thus on the Cosmic plane we receive knowl
edge and also divine benediction, for have we not
virtually confessed our errors? The knowledge,
the benediction, purges the personality, and since
this personality residing on the Cosmic plane is
well aware of the sin and error committed and
willing to make amends, it is forgiven and the
blot on the character is purged. This, you realize,
does not change the fact that compensation must
be made at some later date in the ego's progress
toward eventual mastership. In fact, part of the
process of preparation on the Cosmic plane is to
impress the ego thoroughly with the errors made
and the necessity for compensation. It is like a
judge admonishing one for insubordination to
help him realize the evil of his ways and at the
same time insisting that the sentence be served
as passed. Thus the personality is prepared for
its next incarnation when it will work out its sal
vation, compensate for sin and error and surely
lead a more noble, worth-while life.
From this brief review of a few facts regarding
the conditions and circumstances pertaining to
personalities dwelling in the Cosmic plane, we
can easily understand that there are not evil per
sonalities influencing and directing persons on
the earth plane into lives of sin and evil. Re
member, any mental contact whatsoever is be
tween the divine minds. Man still enjoys objec
tive reasoning and free will. Thus he can reject
any inner impression that he may conceive to be
unreasonable and contrary to man-made or nat
ural law as he understands it. Remember, too,
that the divine mind is closely associated with
God and the Cosmic; in fact, it is the connecting
link between the Cosmic and the personality.
It would be inconsistent with many laws and
principles to presume that this divine mind would
function as an agent for evil purposes and in
tents. It is for this very reason that so-called
black magic has no real power in itself, for the
principles of black magic assume that it is pos
sible to bring harm and evil to one by directing
thoughts of harm, illness, and disaster to him. If
this is not possible while manifesting on the earth
plane and in touch with all earthly conditions,
how could it be true after the soul personality
has ascended to a plane far removed from ma
terial conditions?
As to the second half of this question, war and
hatred are indeed earthly. Man is not born into
this world hating other men. This comes about
through misunderstanding. It is the result of
man-made systems of class and racial distinction.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

It manifests through business, social, and eco'

nomic competition, all of which are earthly
standards set up by man, not God. Men can and
do make peace and become friends even after
long, bitter warfare. If this hatred for one an'
other were a part of the divine mind, the soul
personality, such peace after combat could not
be; rather, combat would continue until all were
annihilated. This desire to fight for earthly pos'
sessions dies with the death of the material body
and is not taken on into the Cosmic to be con'
tinued there either in thought, action, or motion.
There may be a subtle memory of the hardships
and turmoil endured in a w ar'torn world, but the
effect would be regret, repentance, and a burning
desire to undo the wrong, relieve the suffering
caused by the part played in the warfare. Here
again the personality learns the evils of war and
may even some day in a future incarnation play
an important role in the world as an arbitrator,
a maker of peace.

Living the Life

W e are encouraged by the many interesting
thoughts and questions that have been brought
to our attention in recent weeks by members of
our forum circle. Here is one, for example, from
a frater in an eastern city that we feel all of you
have at some time or other considered. O ur
frater and fellow student rises to ask, W hat
kind of everyday life shall I live in order to pro'
gress along the path?
In discussing this question, let us be reminded
that there are no strange living requirements, no
dogmatic rules and regulations to be found either
in the teachings or policies of our Order where
methods of living are concerned. Our teachings
point out the importance of good health, and
they suggest certain healthful habits to be made
a part of the daily routine. However, neither the
monographs nor any other official writings state
that these methods of life and health must be ad'
hered to by all in order to maintain member'
ship in the organisation. Nevertheless, we must
acknowledge the fact that the Rosicrucian teach'
ings must become a part of the everyday life of
the student; otherwise, the purpose of member'
ship in the Order will be defeated. O ur ultimate
aim and purpose as Rosicrucians is not centered
in an academic knowledge of Rosicrucian phi'
losophy, but rather an inner evolution and de'
velopment as a result of this knowledge. Such
growth and progress can come only through a
practical use and application of our teachings.
In other words, we must live Rosicrucianism in
order to benefit by our study of it. Living Rosi'
crucianism does not mean having a single sanctum
study period of one or two hours each week, or
attending our lodge class the one night a week

Page 125

that it is held, then going about lifes everyday

affairs, forgetting all about these laws and prin'
ciples for the remainder of the week. To do this
is to be classified as a one'night'a'week Rosicru'
cian. On the other hand, it is not necessary to
maintain a study period in the sanctum every
night in the week. However, there are many stU'
dent members doing just this.
W hat then should one do? First of all, it is
granted that he must study each lesson thorough'
ly, whether it takes one hour or ten hours to
master it from an intellectual point of view. Then
the exercises and experiments should be practiced
in order to stimulate to action the centers, the
functions of which are necessary for practical use
of certain laws of mysticism. But we cannot pos'
sibly practice every day all of the experiments
that are included in the monographs. In fact,
this is not necessary; there are only a compara'
tively few such experiments that need become
a part of the daily routine. W e will not take the
time to review these now, for they have been
mentioned often here in our forum circle.
So much for the study and exercise side of the
question. But what of the daily living? Is it nec'
essary to make drastic changes in ones everyday
routine? Only if this routine is of a nature that
includes practices contrary to the laws of nature.
Only if it includes habits injurious to ones health
and spiritual growth. If unhealthy habits are
over indulged, then growth and development will
be hampered. Generally speaking, progress along
the path will be steady and uninterrupted with'
out change in your occupation so long as your
living habits are wholesome, healthy, and con'
sistent with the natural forces governing man
and his relationship to the universe. Physical and
spiritual harmony are important keynotes to de'
velopment, just as practice and perseverence are
keynotes to success with experiments. Harmony
will be the result of normal living with clean,
wholesome mental and physical habits, accom'
panied by careful study and practice of the Rosi'
crucian principles of life.
To all of you here in the forum we would ad'
vise that you refer to your copies of The Rosi'
crucian Manual and carefully read again the
special chapter entitled Attaining Psychic II'
lumination. There you will find a complete dis'
sertation on the subject of progress and its re'
quirements. Then study carefully the special
section entitled The Rosicrucian Code of Life.
W e seldom discuss this Code of Life here in our
forum sessions, perhaps because we have taken
it for granted. However, these rules and regula'
tions from old as well as modern manuscripts are
indeed jewels to be coveted by all Rosicrucians
who desire and seek mastership of self through
devotion to the ideals of Rosicrucianism. It is
hoped that our frater whose correspondence in'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 126

spired our discussion this morning will refer to

the Code of Life and incorporate as many of the
rules as possible in his daily journey through life.

Mental Telepathy
Here again we have the subject of mental
telepathy presented for discussion in the forum
circle. It seems that certain subjects find their
way into the forum more frequently than others.
However, each discussion of a subject, no matter
how often it be presented, is helpful in clearing
up points of misunderstanding that have arisen
as a result of misinterpretation of our mono
graphs. The latest question on mental telepathy
comes to us from a loyal reader of The Rosi
crucian Forum and one who has become intense
ly interested in the art of directing thoughts from
the mind of one to the mind of another. This
soror s question is, W hen sending a thought im
pression to another, is it instantly received; and,
if not, is it lost, or is it possible that the impres
sion may register upon the mind of the receiver
perhaps hours after it has been directed?
The look of surprise on so many faces would
seem to indicate astonishment that such a ques
tion would enter the mind of one who has studied
the teachings and who practiced the exercises in
mental telepathy. However, it happens that this
question is frequently received by the Depart
ment of Instruction, especially from new students
of Rosicrucianism.
Permit us a few brief moments to recall some
of the facts connected with the transfer of mental
impressions. O ur teachings tell us that such im
pressions register on that portion of the mind
directly associated with the psychic body. For
convenience, we often refer to it as the divine
mind. W e also speak of it as the subjective mind
to distinguish its function from that of the ob
jective mind, which is closely associated with our
outer consciousness of the world about us. As
practitioners of mysticism, we know that a trans
fer of impressions from the divine mind to the
objective consciousness takes place. In some these
impressions occur frequently; in others, not so
often. W e have also learned from experience
that the most difficult part of the whole process
is to be able to distinguish a real divine impres
sion from one that is entirely associated with ob
jective thinking and reasoning. W e know that
the vibratory rate of inner impressions is very
great; consequently, we often fail to recognize
them. Also, they do not always penetrate the
outer consciousness where they are translated
into the language in which we think.
The transfer of impressions from the divine to
the objective is highly subtle at best. Therefore,
one must be highly developed and trained before
being capable of tapping the divine mind, the
great library of knowledge and understanding, at

will. W e have long realized how important it is

to stimulate to action the dormant centers through
which the transfer of impressions takes place.
The ability to receive a mental message is far
more important and much more difficult than the
ability to transmit or send a message. This ability
is often called a function of the Cosmic Con
sciousness or one of the many phases of Cosmic
Consciousness. The one who enjoys conscious
ness of the Cosmic can call upon the divine mind
for help and inspiration whenever the need is
sufficiently great.
For the very reason that a certain degree of
spirituality must be attained, we give the student
exercises, practical experiments, and certain spe
cial ceremonies to perform to help awaken the
consciousness to spiritual vibrations. Just as high
er mathematics such as calculus and trigonometry
cannot be mastered, understood, or appreciated
so long as all of our attention and study is given
to simple arithmetic, so the high vibratory rates
of the psychic, spiritual realm cannot become a
part of our daily living so long as we confine our
mental work and activities to the objective, ma
terial world about us. W e attempt through medi
tation, prayer, and mystical ritualism to free our
selves, momentarily, of our carnal, material en
vironment and dwell in the sublime light of the
immaterial. In this way we become familiar with
the mental and physical sensations of Cosmic attunement and impressions from the divine mind.
W e can appreciate the fact that as long as one
is very active and engaged with things earthly,
as long as one is busy with objective thoughts,
there is little opportunity for him to be aware
of the gentle knocking upon the objective door
of thought impressions of the divine, immaterial
mind. Yet this does not mean that the divine
mind has failed to record a mental impression
directed to it. W hen such an impression is re
ceived, it is placed in the memory of the divine
mind, to be transferred or delivered to the ob
jective at a time when this objective conscious
ness is in a receptive condition. This may be as
soon as the thought is directed and received. It
may be hours later, or perhaps only after the re
cipient has retired and is asleep. W hen you call
upon a business associate who is extremely busy
with his material business affairs, you perhaps
leave a message to be delivered to him at a time
when he is not busy and is willing to give atten
tion to it. Thus we shut out messages of a divine,
spiritual source by ignoring them, giving them no
opportunity to impress us. W e owe it to our
selves to spend a few minutes each day in silent
meditation, in attunement with the God Con
sciousness within. By such a practice we main
tain harmony, balance, and stabilization between
the material, objective side of our beings and the
divine, spiritual man within.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Success By Determination
Do you ever pause for a moment to offer a
prayer of thanks for the wonderful faculties with
which you have been endowed? Surely the abil
ity to hear, feel, see, taste, and smell are common
place to the majority of us. W e seldom think
about the faculties, but simply accept them as a
matter of course. If these faculties were sudden
ly taken away, man surely would find himself in
a predicament. Few would survive such an or
deal; and yet there are persons in the world who
are without the most important of the objective
faculties, and their accomplishments are indeed
an inspiration. Many such persons have become
famous throughout the entire world for their will
and determination to overcome their handicaps.
Perhaps the most famous was Helen Keller, born
deaf, dumb, and blind. This famous woman con
quered her imperfections and became a world
traveler and lecturer and promoted educational
systems for others similarly afflicted. Think of
the tremendous strength and power, determina
tion and will of this woman and others like her.
Today in this modern world there are schools
using methods and systems exclusively for the
benefit of those born without their rightful facul
ties. Thus the world of the deaf, dumb, and
blind has indeed been extended beyond the
limits of the dark void into which they came into
this life. Can there be any more humane act, any
more worthy cause than work and assistance in
behalf of these unfortunates? W e are happy that
so many of our members are ready and willing
to sacrifice a few hours of their time each week
in the company of other members who are either
blind or whose eyesight is so bad they are unable
to read and study their lessons. O ur members
who are these blind students volunteer readers
are certainly performing noble acts for which
they will be well repaid in the final reckoning
and adjustment of their personal Karma.
These thoughts in connection with mans
matter-of-fact attitude toward his objective bless
ings, the five physical senses, were inspired by
an account of a young chap in Brooklyn, New
York, who was born deaf and dumb. W hen he
was very young, he lost the sight of one eye by
accident. This boy learned to read and write and
also to convey thoughts and impressions to other
members of his family by a method of his own
invention. W hen he was fifteen years old he
lost the sight of his other eye due to overuse;
thus, he was left totally without the three most
useful faculties. He could not talk, see, or hear.
He attended schools for the blind and thus
learned to use Braille, which is indeed a blessing
for the blind man. He not only learned to read
it but also to write it on a special machine pro
vided for that purpose.

Page 127

During the course of his work at the school,

he became friendly with a young teacher who
was conducting a course in the field of radio sci
ence for those students who could hear and talk
but not see. The teacher himself was blind;
nevertheless, he had made a name for himself in
the field of radio engineering. The student re
quested permission to attend the class, but the
instructor felt it would be too difficult since the
boy could not hear or talk. Finally, however, he
was permitted to attend class one hour a week.
This boy was so determined to master the study
that his progress was rapid, and within four to
six weeks he was permitted to attend the class
for four hours a week. One hour was spent in
radio theory, one in mastering radio code, and
two hours in practical application and construc
tion. It was a long, hard struggle for both teach
er and student. Special equipment had to be de
vised so that the boy could become conscious of
radio signals. This was done through the sense
of touch. This equipment was developed by the
boys blind teacher, a remarkable feat in itself.
Slowly but surely progress was made, until this
young chap, handicapped as he was, constructed
a very good and efficient radio station, even unto
a complicated receiver, the nature of which
would challenge the ability of one in possession
of all the objective faculties. A fter two years of
hard work and even many disappointments, the
United States Federal Communications Commis
sion permitted this boy to take examinations for
a radio amateur operation and station license.
Two full days were required for the test, because
of special equipment that had to be rigged up.
The boy exerted his every effort and passed all
tests required of him and was granted his licenses.
He now operates his own radio station and this
in itself is no easy task.
It is truly helpful to read occasionally of per
sons with such fortitude and intense desire to
overcome all obstacles in their path. It makes us
realize how truly puny our own efforts are at
times when we practically give up at the first
sign of trouble. This account is also a demon
stration of the fact that if we truly desire a thing
and want it to manifest in our lives, we will let
no stone remain unturned; no obstacle will be
too great. Our very wish and desire will provide
us with the will and determination to succeed.
This boy has practically created by visualization
a material pleasure in his limited world.

Qcdewcnf *10.
PERSONAL INSTRUCTION
at the
ROSE-CROIX U N IVERSITY
\ \ T AS your youth a disappointment? Did circumstances and necessity deprive you of completing
your education? H ave the years shown that regard
less of your early training there are things you should
have learned facts th at would make life more under
standable and enjoyable now? O pportunity is not
lost to youit knocks again at the gates of the RoseCroix University. Satisfy that longing to delve into
the mysteries of scienceto work in fully equipped
laboratories. Sit in modern classrooms, participate in
discussions concerning the great philosophical truths
of the ages. Listen to competent Rosicrucian instruc
torssimply and fascinatingly answer those questions
that have long puzzled and intrigued you.

Fun and Facts

Go to school again the Rosicrucian way. No
previous college or university training required. Re
turn home with reborn personal power and a confi
dence founded upon useful knowledge. A dd one week
to your usual two weeks vacation and attend this
summers term of the Rose-Croix University. Good
fellowship, splendid associations, and unforgettable
experiences await you. W rite today at once
for free booklet of full particulars. Address
Rose-Croix University, Rosicrucian Park,
San Jose, California.

Low
Tuition
5(35.00
June 22nd to July 11th
(T H R E E W E EK S)

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

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ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM

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A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER

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Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California,
under Section 1103 of the U . S. Postal Act of O ct. 3, 1917.

Vol. XII

APRIL, 1942

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No. 5

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ADVENTURE

TAKE
the road
of high adventure.
SEARCH
for mysteries
yet unknown.
DELVE
into the inmost secrets
of this universe
your home.
PROVE
that nothing is mysterious
when the natural laws
are known.
FIND
the source
of greatest knowledge
in the depths
of your own Soul.

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Estelle Delano Clifton.

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

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THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 130

Greetings!
V
D ea r F ra t r es a n d S orores :

N ot long ago I read a letter in which a frater

asked: W hy is it that persons will display enthusiasm and great interest in the remarks of an
individual speaker or lecturer, when what he says
is far less effectual than what can be obtained
from a lesson or book written upon the same
subject?
The question is one that I am certain will be
of interest to the fratres and sorores of this Forum
Circle. It might summarily be answered in the
four words: They are not students. Every
thing being equal, that is, where a subject can be
presented in writing with the same degree of
clarity, and does not require physical demonstra
tions or paraphernalia for its illustration, it is best
that it be read. Educators have found that in the
majority of instances visual instruction, that is,
by the method of reading and personal study,
leaves the impressions received more firmly regis
tered upon the mind of the student. There is a
reason for this. W hen we read, we usually re
quire a certain amount of quiet and seclusion.
W e arrange our environment to be as free as
possible from extraneous appeals or distractions.
Most of us would not think of reading or study
ing in a room where people were passing by or
carrying on a conversation. Study under such
conditions would be accomplished only by such
extreme power of concentration as few persons
possess. Consequently, alone in a room or in a
corner of a room where others respect our study,
there is little or no interference with such power
of concentration as we are able to exert on the
topic which we are reading.
The situation in a public hall or auditorium,
however, is entirely different for the student. In
such a place, there are many factors beyond his
control. The speaker may not articulate distinct
ly, causing the listener to miss some of his words.
Again, he may make disconcerting, even though
interesting, gestures which leave the listener more
aware of them than of his message. The lighting
and ornamentation of the auditorium, the types
of people seated nearby, and their conduct, may
compete for attention with the exact words of
the speaker. The fact remains that when real
students and thinkers attend a lecture, if it has
proven to be of interest to them, at the conclusion
they usually ask for a copy of the lecture, if it is
available, or as to where and when it may be
printed. Students in an audience will also be
noticed taking or making notes of the subject
matter. They realize that for a real comprehen

V
sion, for a digest of the material, if it is to be
used afterwards and not accepted as a mere pass
ing discourse, it must be carefully weighed and
reflected upon while being read.
There are, however, those types of individuals
who are more susceptible to auditory instruction.
Such persons are almost incapable of individual,
private study. They lack the ability to focus their
minds upon the printed word, and to become
mentally Eind physically actuated by it. W h at
ever such types receive as instruction must be
spoken or lectured to them. They can read the
same paragraph which someone else may speak,
and the ideas it contains fail to register on their
consciousness. They find it nearly impossible to
analyze and to separate thoughts, and to put
upon written words their real emphasis. Such
persons depend entirely upon someone else ver
bally stressing the meaning for them.
However, even though some persons are more
responsive to auditory impressions than to visual
ones, the two have no equal value. In other
words, the student who can acquire his knowl
edge more directly and beneficially by the method
of reading, in almost all instances excells the one
who depends upon another to give it to him ver
bally, or to lecture it to him. Most colleges and
universities today include both types of instruc
tion, auditory and visual. They, however, stress
the visual. The student does his real study in his
dormitory, or in the school library from assign
ments given to him. The auditory work consists
mostly of recitation, comparisons, and the cor
rection of various ideas which the students may
have, and demonstrations.
W e find that those who are inclined almost al
together to auditory instruction, or who must re
ceive it verbally are often phenomenalists. A n
other and simpler word for phenomenalist would
be sensationalist. They are the kinds of persons
who are not so much interested in the principle,
the law, or rule of the subject or happening, but
rather as to what does happen and its dramatic
effects. Such individuals are far more impressed
with, for example, a theatrical demonstration of
hypnotism, where an operator is able to put a
subject under his influence in their presence, and
to command the subject to perambulate on the
stage and resort to amusing antics. They go away
quite happy and well entertained with what they
saw. If you were afterwards to offer such in
dividual a treatise on hypnotism, which technical
ly explains the relations of the subjective and ob
jective minds to each other, and the law of sug

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

gestion and reasoning, and other psychological

processes involved, they would refuse it, perhaps
even admit they were not at all interested. They
are not interested, we repeat, in causes, but re'
suits, and, moreover, results that someone else
can accomplish in a spectacular manner. If they
would wish to accomplish these same things, they
would need to study the causebut instead they
wish to be mystified and amused, not taught.
For example, observe the crowds that attend
popular psychology lectures. They will laugh at
the wit of the lecturer, smirk with him, or applaud if he compliments their opinionwhich he
is careful to do, if he is theatrical. On their way
to and from the public hall or auditorium, they
will have perhaps passed bookstores and libraries
that could sell them reasonably priced reputable
works containing more of the fundamental prin
ciples of applied psychology in two chapters than
they probably received from the lecturer s remarks
of two hours. However, they most likely would
tell you that the books are too dry. By that they
mean that the books have no entertainment value.
Such persons are not students, we repeat, they
are purely sensationalists intrigued by spectacular
phenomena or demonstrations.
Then, again, there are persons who have access
through legitimate and authenticated organisa
tions and societies to time tested and tried principles of mysticism and philosophical doctrines,
which lead to a knowledge which will bring about
personal accomplishment. But since they are inclined to auditory impressions and sensationalism,
they will let their studies in such organisations
accumulate while they allow themselves to be intrigued by some passing, momentarily spectacu
lar, figure. For example, perhaps the individual
who intrigues them will wear a turban, perhaps
refer to himself as a high priest, a Yogi, a Swami,
or a pundit of some Oriental system or religion
a background, in fact, which the listener never
bothers to investigate. The speaker is an itiner
ant, traveling from city to city, having a tem
porary Post Office box headquarters perhaps in
the city in which he is lecturing.
He knows quite well that many of those of his
audience are not true students, although he is too
tactful to tell them that. He knows they do not
want to hear that kind of truth; they might be
come offended and walk out. First, perhaps he
affects an Oriental costumea flowing robe, a
turban, some medallion or symbol, and much of
the accoutrement of the laymans conception of
the mystics of the East. Oftentimes behind him
on his platform is a black drop or curtain upon
which have been painted stars and crescents, or
mystifying geometrical symbols. Sometimes also,
a large crystal ball, spectacularly lighted, is situ
ated upon the stage. Then, again, he may seat
himself in a cross-legged position and chant in a

Page 131

weird manner. His approach definitely is one of

mystery.
Frequently he begins by relating tales of the
unusual, so-called theurgical phenomena, which
the Masters of the country (in the Orient al
ways) from which he is supposed to emanate are
able to accomplish. Each of the achievements he
relates infers the attainment of great supernatural
powers. Most of them, however, consist of an
avoidance, if that were possible, of natural law,
an escape from the responsibilities, the labors and
studies which are the real factors of life to be
met, understood, and conquered. He knows that
persons of his audience are principally escapists,
and that frankly many of them are indolent, and
they are looking for short cuts to the pinnacle of
success and the apex of happiness. He clearly
makes gestures and pantomimes which suggest
the invocation of forces over which the average
individual is supposed to have no control. Then
this popular, often false, Swami or Yogi, implies
in so many words that what he has done or is
able to do, he can teach his listenersquickly and
easily (of course, always stressing that), without
laborious study.
All the listeners are supposed to do is to come
to his private classesfor a fixed fee, usually
quite a sisable sumand lo and behold the listen
er should be able to do the same as he. Presum.ing that you are one of such credulous thousands,
you pay your fee and you attend the class for
perhaps four or five nights, or six or seven times.
He is your Mastera master showman and sales
man, in other words. He keeps you constantly
entertained at each class with new tricks, witty
remarks, and new stories. Oh, yes, you too, under
his instructions, do a few antics yourself. You
stand this way, you sit in this manner, and you
breathe like this or that. Never once are you per
mitted a reflective mood, the opportunity of be
coming analytical. He is wise enough to keep
you in a state of extroversion at all times, just so
that you have no time to appraise the merits of
the purported instructions received.
Finally the classes come to an end as suddenly
as they beganand like the proverbial Arab in
the night, the lecturer steals away with his tent
and with your fees. Oh, yes, he may leave a
class behind him. He appoints one of the number
to be a teacher in his stead, which, of course,
flatters some individual. This individual has real
ly learned nothing; like the other members of the
class he was only being entertained under the
guise of instruction, and so when he is left, and
the personality which was like a light has gone
out, he fumbles. He tries to say something; tell
them something of which he knows nothing, and
after one or two weeks, or perhaps one or two
months, the class finally terminates, dwindles into
nothing.

Page 132

If some of these so-called students were asked

how they had benefited, under such circum
stances, you would undoubtedly hear them make
such remarks as He was such a nice man. He
was so forceful as a speaker. I could listen to
him all day. He had so many powers and he
could do so many things. If you persist in ask
ing the individual, And what can you do? W hat
do you really know?, you would find the gullible
person fumbling for words, attempting to show
you how he also can be seated cross-legged, and
how he too can utter an Oriental aphorism which
is supposed to do this or that for him. Really it
is pitiful to watch and see the results when such
personalitiess have gone and have left these blind
people behind.
Do they learn their lesson? Do they profit by
such an experience? Yes, some few do. They
were perhaps really investigators and never again
will they become personality followers. The audi
tory impressionist and the extrovert are, however,
most often incapable of real personal study. Their
minds, as said before, are not able to move them
to action. Alone with a book or a lecture or
lesson, they feel imprisoned, depressed, and they
crave for the next itinerant lecturer to come
along and entertain them again. On the other
hand, the real student knows that that knowledge
which you personally acquire through your own
ability, through your own understanding, and
through real study remains within yourself, and
it makes you a real masterindependent of anyone else.
The Rosicrucian Order avoids building up per
sonalities, on or outside of its staff. It expounds
doctrines and principles, things which are related
to the laws of nature, in a simple effectual way.
The Rosicrucian Order wants its members to
study these eternal truths, and wants each mem
ber to become his own leader; not to be fasci
nated by the glitter of someone else and swept
along, only to be left destitute again in the fu
ture. Personality followers are always distraught
and perplexed, unless they have Swami This,
Yogi That, or Master Someone Else with them at
all times. They remind one of a mirror; they
brighten up only when in the presence of some
one elses reflected lightthey have no light of
their own to radiate.
Do these personality followers ever become
members of AM ORC? Unfortunately, yes. Many
are sensationalists, as explained. They take par
ticular interest only in psychic phenomena and
in demonstrations. The underlying laws are of
no particular interest to them. The study of the
Rosicrucian teachings, in fact, except where an
experiment is given, irks them. Their monographs
remain unread, and they skim through them in
search for something spectacular, something sen

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sational. Some of these persons become members

of our Rosicrucian Chapters. There again they
are particularly interested in experiments and in
any dramatic effects which may occasionally be
adduced to demonstrate a law. W hen such ex
periments are not given, they are not. greatly in
terested in those lectures and instructions given
at the Chapter, which require thought and per
sonal development. Furthermore, when the first
sensationalist comes along, the first actual or pur
ported Swami, or Yogi who will put on a spec
tacular theatrical-like performance, they flock to
it and a goodly sprinkling of them are soon in the
audience.
Such persons, of course, as it stands to reason,
eventually eliminate themselves from AM ORC
membership. They come to learn that in AM ORC
a c c o m p lish m e n t com es only through reliable
knowledge and definite practice, and there are
no fantastic short cuts. So for the rest of their
lives these kinds of persons spend a good deal of
their time and considerable of their money at
tending the performances and private classes of
these traveling lecturers, hoping against hope that
maybe for the sum of $ 10.00, $20.00, or $ 100.00,
he will give them the open sesame to the good
ness of life, in a nice, pleasant, entertaining sort
of a way. So they pursue their illusions until
transition.
Fraternally,
R a lph M. L ew is ,
Imperator.

Cosmic Rays
A Frater in the East who is interested in sci
ence and the laws of physics, especially that phase
pertaining to magnetic and electrical rays, has
requested that we comment briefly upon Cosmic
Ray activity and its effect upon life.
So-called Cosmic Rays have been of interest to
Rosicrucians for many years. The Rosicrucians
long ago declared this Cosmic Ray activity to be
one phase of an all-pervading energy out of
which all matter was composed. The Rosicru
cians have always contended that life could not
exist, or even be formed, without this great essence-like energy that the modern scientist has
labelled the Cosmic Ray.
In the early days, perhaps twenty-five or more
years ago, there were two distinct schools of
thought whose findings did not agree as to what
this strange ray was, or where it came from. On
the one hand, were those who declared the rays
to be of a radio-active nature, being released
from, or rather radiating from, the surface of the
earth, and that it would therefore be possible to
rise sufficiently far above the earth to a point
where sensitive instruments would not record

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

them. It was claimed that these rays were released from the earth because of a breaking-down
process as it cooled. During this early period of
scientific investigation, no name had yet been
selected by science whereby to distinguish this
interesting radiation that was found to be so
powerful that it would penetrate a block of lead
many inches thick.
Then there was the opposing school of thought,
contending that the radiation was universal in
scope, and not confined near the surface of the
earth. This school claimed that the ray emanated
from somewhere in interstellar space, and fur
ther, that the higher one went into the upper
regions, the greater would be the velocity of these
radiations.
The debate went on and on, with new papers
being presented each year before the various sci
entific academies and associations, each school
seeking to prove its contentions and beliefs. The
Rosicrucians, in the meantime, continued to in
vestigate quietly, without publicity or public an
nouncements of their findings, but merely adding
to their teachings every new fact that would
prove of value to the many student-members
throughout the world in their practice of the
Rosicrucian principles of life. Finally, after long
years of argument and discussion, the opposing
schools of science set upon the idea of making
an investigation of the regions high above the
surface of the earth, and so huge balloons were
constructed at great cost, and new equipment
was built and tested for this great adventure.
Finally, after days and weeks of preparation, the
first experiment was made. The balloon rose
many miles above the earth, bearing strange in
struments and their scientific observers. A care
ful record was made from the very beginning of
the ascension, with the final result that the school
holding the radiation to be universal in scope,
and originating far above the earth, was the win
ner of this phase of the argument, incidentally
proving at the same time the truth of our own
contentions. A nd so it was that this strange
radiation, discovered by physical science virtually
by accident, with the development of super
sensitive instruments, came to be known as Cos
mic Raysin other words, radiations from the
region generally thought of as the Cosmic. W e
can well appreciate the delight and elation ex
perienced by those of the school whose claims
were borne out by the balloon ascension.
But now came into the picture hundreds of
other students and experimenters, curious to
learn just what part in life these Cosmic Rays
played. For a period of several years, crews of
investigators travelled the world over with re
cording instruments, testing frequency, strength,
velocity, and anything else that they could learn
about the Cosmic Ray. Some went to desert

Page 133

places, others to very high altitudes; instruments

were taken deep under the ground in caves.
They were even sunk deep down into water
to a depth of sixty feet. It was found in every
case that Cosmic Rays could be detected and re
corded. Though these tests have been interesting,
actually they have given little if any practical
knowledge.
In the meantime, two of the world's outstand
ing professors in science, Dr. A rthur Compton
and Dr. Robert Millikan, who incidentally head
ed opposing schools of thought, have worked long
and hard in an effort to make some practical use
of their knowledge of Cosmic Ray activity. A
year or so ago, Dr. Compton made extensive rec
ords and can now use these to study weather
conditions successfully. The weather reports
made by a study of Cosmic Ray bombardment on
the instrument known as the coincidence counter
are accurate for more than forty-eight hours. It
is indeed within the realm of possibility that Dr.
Compton s methods of weather detection will
enjoy universal usage before very long.
And what of Dr. Millikan? He has proven
beyond all doubt the important role Cosmic Rays
play in creating and maintaining life. Dr. Milli
kan experimented to determine the thickness of
lead necessary to shut out Cosmic Rays. This
proved to be a little more than six feet. He then
constructed a chamber that would hold a twentyfour-hour supply of oxygen for one rabbit. W hen
the rabbit was left in the air chamber, outside of
the block of lead, it lived twenty-four hours; but
when the air chamber was encased in lead, the
rabbit died in three hours. Thus Dr. Millikan has
proven the contention of the Rosicrucian teach
ings, in other words, without these rays science
-calls Cosmic Rays, life cannot exist.

Vowel Sounds
In discussing vowel sounds this morning, we
are not interested particularly in their origin or
how and why they came into use in the ancient
mystery schools, because this has been covered
many times in the past. Rather, today we should
comment upon how and when they should be
used. In the first place, you will all agree that
this phase of Rosicrucianism is all too often neg
lected by the average Rosicrucian student, this in
spite of the fact that many different types of
vowels are recommended with careful instruc
tions as to how they should be used and their
particular musical tones or pitches.
Members living in the vicinity of the Supreme
Temple have the benefit of vowel-sound practice,
which is a part of the Temple ritual. Members
who have had the privilege of visiting us during
our annual convention have also participated in
the practice of vowel sounds in the Supreme

Page 134

Temple. Usually we intone four or five different

sounds, thus giving the members an opportunity
to learn exactly how the sounds are made. They
can also feel and note the effect of these sounds
upon the psychic and emotional bodies. Some
persons are particularly affected by the vowels,
whether they intone them personally or are in
the presence of others who are intoning them.
This brings us to an important point in our
discussion this morning: that is, using certain
vowels for specific purposes. Each sound that is
given in the teachings is for one particular pur
pose and stimulates certain important psychic
glands or centers. For instance, A um and Oom
on the note of D above middle C stimulate the
pineal gland. This gland is important in receiv
ing and interpreting psychic impressions from the
divine mind. The extent to which it is developed
or functons determines the extent of ones socalled psychic development. Therefore, these
sounds should be used preceding sanctum medi
tation periods, Cathedral contacts, and all similar
periods of attunement held in the sanctum.
The sounds of Ra and Ma are valuable in stim
ulating strength and vitality. They should be
intoned when ones energy is depleted, for they
seem to build up positive as well as negative
energy within the body. These sounds are also
valuable in building up a strong magnetic qual
ity with its accompanying strong, vital aura. The
Ra and Ma sounds should be used by those prac
ticing Rosicrucian healing, whether it be the
physical-contact method or the more subtle absent-treatment method.
Then there are the many other vowels, all of
which are used for particular purposes, such as
Tho on the note of F sharp in the middle octave
of the piano keyboard. This, as you know, stim
ulates the thyroid gland, the action of which is
vital to good, healthy living. Also, we have the
soothing, sleep-producing vowel sound Ehm on
the note of B flat in the middle octave of the
keyboard. Here is a vowel that many members
could use to advantage, judging from the fre
quent comments about insomnia noticed in our
correspondence.
You can determine with a little analysis when
and under what circumstances the different vow
el sounds should be used. Besides using them for
specific purposes, they should all be practiced
occasionally. A n ideal time for such practice is
when doing the deep-breathing exercises recom
mended in our monographs. For instance, when
expelling the air from the lungs, intone one of
the vowel sounds. In this way you develop the
habit of using them. Very few persons enjoy
true pitch or the ability to sound a particular
tone with the voice unless they use a musical in
strument to give them the pitch. It is advisable,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

therefore, to obtain a small chromatic pitch pipe

to carry on the person so when you wish to use
a vowel sound, you can quickly find the note to
use and the pitch of the note.
It has been noticed that many persons are not
yet sure about the question of volume when in^
toning vowels. Often members write to us and
say that they cannot intone the vowels because
of disturbing others in the household or because
of attracting attention to themselves. These mem
bers assume that the efficacy of a vowel sound is
determined by the volume rather than the pitch.
The truth of the matter is that purity of tone
and correct pronunciation of the vowel are far
more important than volume. Therefore, those
who have hesitated to use the vowels for fear of
disturbing others may feel free to make extensive
use of this important phase of Rosicrucianism. A
vowel sound correctly pronounced on the right
pitch, though it may be uttered very softly to
oneself, will give the same beneficial results one
may expect from a vowel sounded in a loud
voice. You may even sound the vowels mentally
if conditions require it.
Many seem to be in doubt regarding the length
of time a vowel should be used. It must be re
membered that some persons are more susceptible
to vowel sounds than others. Consequently, one
person may notice results after the second or
third utterance of a vowel. Another person may
find it necessary to repeat a sound over and over
fqr ten or fifteen minutes. A fter repeating a
sound three or four times, you can pause for
thirty or forty seconds between each following
sound, awaiting the effect to make itself felt.
It is not a good plan to repeat four or five
sounds one after the other, unless it is merely
for practice. The better plan is to determine what
sound should be used for the particular work at
hand and then continue to repeat this one vowel
ovpr and over again until you feel its effects.
There are two exceptions to this suggestion, and
they are the vowels Ra and Ma, also A um and
Oom. If you wish, you can combine these with
good results; for instance, Ra'M a'Aum , con
tinuing the combination for the duration of the
practice period. Or, just use the Ra'M a to stimu
late physical energy and health. A um and Oom
can be used together, since they are similar vow
els on the same musical pitch and do much the
same work. W hen you are restless, nervous,
emotionally upset, and unable to relax or sleep
at night, the Ra'M a sounds should be avoided.
The sound of Ehm, pronounced like the word
aim, on the note of B flat in the middle octave
should be used to promote relaxation and sleep.
Continue sounding it aloud, softly, or to yourself
until you notice the effect of it. If Rosicrucian
students will follow the suggestions made here

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

this morning, they will notice a steady quickening of the vital glands, an improvement in gen
eral health, and a far more pleasing effect from
their sanctum convocations and study periods.

Subordinate Bodies T o the G rand Lodge

of AM ORC
In order to answer a number of questions and
at the same time provide a further explanation of
Division Two, Chapter One of the Statutes of
the Grand Lodge of AM ORC, we are here briefly
describing the types of subordinate bodies to the
Grand Lodge, and at the same time outlining
their scope of activity. For details of operation
and ritual of these various bodies, it will be nec
essary to refer to the specific sections of the Con
stitution and Statutes applying to those activities
or other rituals and special instructions which are
issued from time to time directly to the officers
of these bodies by or under the direction of the
Imperator. Section Forty-two of the Constitution
provides for three types of subordinate bodies.
These three types are a Lodge, a Minor Lodge
and a Chapter. All members should have a clear
distinction between these three bodies in mind,
in order to be able to discuss them intelligently
or to know in a general way what activities are
to be expected upon the occasion of a visit to one
of these bodies.
1. A Lodge: A n AM ORC Lodge is composed
of a group of members Whose membership privi
leges and benefits are transmitted to them through
the medium of the Lodge itself. A Lodge mem
ber, while primarily a member of the Grand
Lodge, looks to his general affiliation as being in
the Lodge, because it is there he receives his ini
tiation and the instruction of the Rosicrucian
teachings. The Lodge member receives all teach
ings in the Lodge session. A class is held in each
degree, and members of a particular degree at
tend the class of that degree to hear the lessons
read. They study under the direction of the
Master of the Lodge or his assistant and advance
from one class to another as they complete each
degree. They have the opportunity of partici
pating in Temple Initiations between degrees.
The teachings are received orally from the Master
of their class, as already stated. They are per
mitted to make notes and have periods of dis
cussion upon the teachings, but they do not re
ceive the monographs for their own personal ref
erence. All dues are paid directly to the Lodge;
that is, the Lodge collects dues from its members
and, in turn, pays twenty-five per cent of all dues
and initiation fees collected to the Grand Lodge
in the form of Royal Support.
2. A Chapter: A Chapter differs from a Lodge
fundamentally, due to the fact that members of

Page 135

a Chapter must first become members of the

Grand Lodge by submitting their applicatibn for
membership direct to the Grand Secretary at
Rosicrucian Park and receiving their instruction
and lessons in the form of monographs by mail.
Only a member in good standing with the Grand
Lodge can affiliate with a Chapter. Therefore, a
Chapter consists of a group of National Lodge
members voluntarily associating themselves to
gether, all retaining their membership privileges
and benefits with the Grand Lodge. This group
may petition the Supreme Grand Lodge to have
the Grand Lodge issue them a dispensation or
charter. Members of a Chapter support any
local expenses involved in their activities, but as
previously stated, their membership dues are con
tributed directly to the Grand Lodge. The ad
vantages of Chapter membership are numerous.
They provide supplementary activities to aug
ment Grand Lodge membership. W hile Chapter
membership is not essential to deriving benefit
from the teachings of the organization, it permits
the members to participate in certain ritualistic
forms that are provided especially for the Chap
ter, to attend meetings in which subjects related
to the Rosicrucian teachings are discussed, to hear
special discourses prepared by officers of the Su
preme and Grand Lodges, and to have the addi
tional advantage of social contacts with other in
dividuals of like minds. W hile the social activi
ties of any A M O RC subordinate body are not
stressed due to the fact that the Rosicrucian
Order functions primarily to instruct, Chapters
do provide the means by which members in a
locality may gather together after their meetings
for those social activities in which there is mutual
interest. The Chapter also provides a medium
for service. A member does not attend the Chap
ter merely for what he can gain in addition to
his National Lodge membership, but in order that
he may help other members by words of encour
agement, by helping to make the meetings inter
esting and successful, and therefore, inspiring the
members toward more complete understanding of
Rosicrucianism and its practical application. It
also provides a medium through which the mem
bers can work together within a community as
Rosicrucians to support worthy and charitable
activities and, in fact, to become a recognized
local group contributing to the well-being of their
community.
3.
A Minor Lodge: Provisions were made by
the Supreme Grand Lodge in March of 1941 to
amend the Constitution to provide for a Minor
Lodge. A Chapter which has been chartered for
a period of at least two years, has at least fifty
members, and maintains a regular Temple may
request dispensation from the Imperator to carry
on additional activities under his direction, such
as special classes in specific grades for the review

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 136

of monographs and to form a ritualistic team to

present certain Temple Initiation Rituals regu
larly given in Lodges, which will supplement the
members private initiation rituals held in their
own sanctums. W hen a Chapter has met these
qualifications and proven itself capable of carry
ing on this special work, and other forms of ac
tivity that may be designated from time to time
by the Imperator, and at the same time maintain
ing its previous Chapter activity, it may petition
for recognition as a Minor Lodge and function
in its previous capacity as a Chapter together
with the ritualistic privileges of a Lodge.A

Belief and T ru th
A Frater in Quebec asks the question as to
whether or not it is possible for an individual to
become a believer in a false project. Certainly
the answer is y e s I t is regrettable that there
have been many individuals, some of them out
standing in history, who have devoted themselves
to a false cause or have based their ideals on a
false premise. Some years ago a popular motion
picture entitled Oil For The Lamps of China
set forth this principle. The leading character of
this play misplaced his idealism. Notable char
acters in history who have become known to us
for their treasonous actions frequently believed
in what they were doing. There is no doubt that
many a man who has forsaken his God or his
family for a cause which he held worthwhile was
no less a strong believer in the ideals to which he
had subscribed than the individuals who took the
opposite stand. This was illustrated in our own
country during the Civil W ar, when many men
and women pledged their allegiance to the North
or to the South, building their whole ideals in
one or the other. A t the time it appeared that
the opposite side of the one favored was wrong.
Many men who took their stand with the Con
federacy, such as one ex-president of the United
States who -became an official of the Confederate
Government, were severely criticized, but it is
most interesting and a splendid example of toler
ance to see the different attitude today. No one
who knows anything of history can have anything
more than profound respect for both the N orth
ern and Southern leaders who subscribed to their
ideals to the point of being willing to sacrifice
their lives. W e, as Americans, are proud to see
in our own national capital the statues of leaders
of both sides given credit and remembered.
All human beings have the ability of attach
ment to a thing to which they subscribe, whether
that thing be in some cases the love of another
individual or tfye love or admiration of an ideal.
O f course, it is unfortunate when that attach
ment is assigned to a condition that is definitely

erroneous. W e strive to maintain the freedom of

choice upon the part of the individual, that he
may choose the religious and political viewpoint
that he feels adaptable, but in this freedom we
also strive to direct individuals not to choose false
projects or false ideals as a basis for their idealism.
Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous
individuals who are more aware of these facts
than are their victims. Many organizations have
been established entirely upon false premises,
making their claims ridiculously sensational and
at the same time appealing. Organizations that
claim they are, as individuals or groups, able to
communicate directly with God, for example, and
that no one else can do this without their par
ticular course of study and instruction, are ap
pealing to an individuals desire to communicate
with and address his Creator and to become a
better man or woman. If they convince the in
dividual that their process is the only right one,
they are certainly availing themselves of directing
an individuals ideals toward a false premise. No
human being has the only way to contact God.
There is no one ritual or activity that can be
carried out on the public platform that will bring
its leaders and followers into special considera
tion of the Cosmic Hosts.
Any activities based upon direct knowledge
transmitted from sources without historical con
nection are establishing a false premise. For ex
ample, I read in some literature recently that a
certain organization claims it has absolute knowl
edge possessed by those who inhabited the now
sunken continents of this world; that they are
the chosen group to transmit this knowledge and
information to the human race today. Now, the
Rosicrucians have claimed they have knowledge
that has been transmitted from the past, and it is
true that the Rosicrucian organization has been
a continuously organized Order for hundreds of
years. However, it would never claim that it had
actual written manuscripts from a now sunken
continent which had been handed down from
generation to generation. It has knowledge which
has been passed from one generation to another
and has proven itself of value by this test of use
and time. Its teachings will contribute to the
well-being of man when used, but it is acknowl
edged that they are not the only path toward
attainment.
As already stated, no individual, or group of
individuals, has any special control of the activi
ties of God and his communication with man.
Mans ability to believe gives him assurance,
courage and the basis for creative work, but the
process of believing can go on regardless of the
basis upon which the belief is established. There
fore, it behooves man to investigate his funda
mental premises. Upon what do you base your
ideals? That is the real testnot the process of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

belief itself. It is unfortunate to see individuals

enthusiastically believing and giving their time
and money to the support of an activity based
upon false premises, but it is a part of their experience. As Rosicrucians we know this is the
way they learn. W e have all done this at one
time or another. Therefore, the Rosicrucians are
very tolerant in the affiliations of their members.
A ny organisation that is legally, ethically and
morally upright in every respect is entitled to the
support of a Rosicrucian, if his interest lies in
that direction. The Rosicrucians have never dic
tated the affiliations of their members, and it is
well to remember that any organisation which
prohibits its members from affiliating with any
other group does so only because it feels that its
own group or activity might suffer by comparison.
A

H ave Twins One Soul?

One of our fratres of the Atlantic Seaboard
asks our Forum Circle some very interesting
questions. He says: A fter seeing the motion pic
ture entitled the Corsican Brothers, it brought
some questions to my mind, some questions I
think appropriate for the Forum.
The motion picture story is taken from a
novel by Alexander Dumas. The story opens
with the birth of twins physically joined together.
Through a miracle in operation they are separ
ated and kept alive. From the time of the opera
tion and up to their Twentieth year they have
been kept apart from each other and have lived
in separate countries. However, they are so close
ly attuned, according to the story, to the extent
that they are almost as one person, sensing and
feeling the same sensations the other twin experi
ences. In the story, one is apparently the trans
mitter and the other the receiver. The receiver
not only receives the sensations of the trans
mitter, his pain, his pleasure, his joys, and loves,
but in addition to his emotional experiences, he
has a clear mental picture of when and where the
sensation was experienced, as though he, the re
ceiver, was actually at the place at the time of
the happening. M y questions, therefore, are: Is
this purely fictional? Could it happen? Is there
a satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon?
A t the time of birth, would each twin have one
or two separate souls, or is the phenomenon strict
ly related to the physical body? W ould it be
possible for the receiving twin to feel sensations
at will, even though the emotions of the trans
mitting twin were n o t e s p e c ia lly strong or
aroused?
Several of the elements of the Dumas story
are purely fictional, insofar as these purported
phenomena are concerned. That is, they are

Page 137

purely legendary with respect to twins, and with

out factual support. However, some of the in
cidents have been known to mystics for years as
realities, and are just beginning to find orthodox
scientific confirmation. From a biological point
of view, it has been definitely established that
there are two distinct kinds of twins. The first
are identical twins. Identical twins are those
which are derived from a single fertilised ovum,
namely, one-egg. Identical twins are always of
the same sex, that is, they are always both boys
or both girls. Fraternal twins, that is, those who
just occur at the same birth and originate in two
distinct fertilized ova, may or may not be both
of the same sex. Fraternal twins are biovular or
ttuo-egg twins. T hat is, there is a distinct fer
tilised ovum for each twin.
Among lower animals, who have a litter of off
spring, it has been determined that each is of a
separate egg. In the example, however, of the
armadilla, it has been found that a single embryo
divides, and in man it is believed that one-egg,
or identical, twins originate in the same manner.
Man is the only kind that produces both single
egg and two-egg twins. Twins are most fre
quently of like sex, proving the frequency of uni
ovular or one-egg twins. Very exceptionally,
twins are joined at birth, like the celebrated case
of the Siamese twins. This juncture is usually
between like parts, that is, occurring in the same
region. It is perhaps due to their symmetrical
placing. It is interesting, in connection with the
fraters questions, to note that joined twins, to
which the Dumas story refers, are always one-egg
twins, and of the same sex. One-egg twins should
be exactly alike physically. Two-egg twins, how
ever, are no more alike than are brothers and
sisters by different births. In other words, twoegg twins may just bear that general family re
semblance such as exists between any brothers
and sisters who are not twins.
From the foregoing, we can understand that
any phenomenon whereby one twin will react to
the emotional experiences of the other would
need at least be limited to identical twins, those
of the same sex, in fact, to those cases where each
is a division of the same single fertilised ovum.
If they are not identical twins, then physically at
least they are as far removed from any degree of
sameness as brothers and sisters who may have
been born many years apart.
So for our consideration, we will dispose of
any but the identical twins. From the standpoint
of heredity, biologists and soologists are of the
opinion that environment has an effect upon the
determination of the sex into which the egg may
develop. Further, though this is a mooted point,
some are of the opinion that environment can and
also does produce some mutations, some altera
tions that account for the extreme differences be

Page 138

tween brothers and sisters, but not between iden

tical twins. Naturally, of course, the doctrines of
these investigators and their theories have no
provenience in mystical or even philosophical
postulations. Their approach is strictly confined
to the physical. However, to follow their thought
first, if identical twins are of the division of one
egg, or uniovular, then it is a corollary that all
extraneous effects which tend to alter or influ
ence the development of that egg, will also af
fect the later development of the nervous system,
the particular rhythmic nature of the cells of the
body, and, in fact, that consciousness which exists
in the two parts of the egg.
The consciousness which exists in all the cells
of every human being springs from the same
source. It is the same Divine Intelligence of the
Life Force, which according to the Cosmic plan
directs the evolutionary processes of the body as
such. Fundamentally it can never be changed.
In other words, it can never be anything but such
a kind of consciousness as it is; however, the ac
celerations of its function can be different in one
human than in another. For analogy, all normal
men can walk; it is an inherent characteristic of
their physical structure and function, but some
men, because of environment, or because of other
factors can and do walk faster than others.
Therefore, by the same reasoning, the conscious
ness of each part of the divided egg, in its de
velopment and sensitivity, in its rhythmic vibra
tory rate will be identical, because each will have
been subject only to the same environment, the
same mutations, and the same effects.
Since from each of these parts of a single fer
tilized ovum, come the bodies, brains, nervous sys
tems, and objective consciousness of the identical
twins, it is deduced that they will, in a psycho
logical sense, also be remarkably alike. They will
be particularly emotionally attuned. W hat af
fects the sympathetic nervous system of one will
likewise affect the other. Deep-seated emotional
disturbances will find both responding alike. This
does not mean, however, that both will have the
same tastes, will want to eat the same foods or
that they will always agree alike on the same
subject. Common experience with identical twins
proves otherwise. Insofar as their objective senses
are concerned, they may greatly differ. One, for
example, may have weak eyes; the other may
have poor hearing, and in their objective con
sciousness and in their reasoning processes, they
may evaluate the same things, which they both
empirically receive, quite differently.
That, however, which psychically affects the
essence of their being, which has a tendency to
register itself upon the psychical nervous system,
or that which is known to us as the sympathetic
nervous system, will affect them alike. Conse

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

quently, if one identical twin were to experience

a severe emotional shock, such as a tremendous
fear or grief, the other would simultaneously
have a corresponding emotional sensation. The
recipient, however, would not always have a
visualization, in other words, a mental picture of
the circumstances which caused his twin the
shock. Since the two sympathetic nervous sys
tems of the twins are, we might say, synchro
nized, the impulses which are transmitted by the
subjective mind of one often engender in the
consciousness of the other such identical sensa
tions that the recipient can tell whether his twin
is experiencing great pain, fear, horror, etc. Pro
jection of consciousness between such twins is
quite common. The mental picture of one twin's
surroundings, if accompanied by sufficient emo
tional intensity is radiated in such a manner that
the elements of it are reconstructed in the mind
of the recipient, or other twin. The recipient not
only receives the sensations which the other feels,
but he can also see those factors, the place, the
people, or the things which produced it. O f
course, we as Rosicrucians know that this latter
phenomenon, or projection, is not by any means
limited alone to one-egg, or identical twins.
W here the Dumas story departs from fact and
Cosmic law is in the fact that one of the twins
of the story is always the receiver, and the other
the transmitter. In actual fact, both twins are
receivers and transmitters. Either one can trans
mit such emotional sensations, not always at will,
but the other may receive them, if the emotions
are of sufficient intensity and if the receiver is at
the time in a responsive mood. W e may use for
an analogy the demonstrations of sound in phys
ical science. If two tuning forks of the same
pitch are in resonance, namely, tuned to each
other, each will vibrate to the same number of
vibrations per second. They are twin forks, in
other words. Either one can become a transmit
ter or a receiver. It depends upon which one is
struck the blow that causes it to vibrate. Im
mediately the air, agitated by the vibrations of
the fork which was struck, causes the sympathet
ically tuned fork to vibrate in harmony with it,
and both simultaneously produce the same stpund.
Then one can reverse the process by striking the
opposite fork, proving that both can be receivers
and transmitters. This we have often demon
strated in the physics laboratory of our RoseCroix University, and likewise members of our
National Lectureship Board have demonstrated it
to our chapters and groups of members through
out the United States, showing what happens
when two beings, two consciousnesses, for ex
ample, are in harmony with each other.
As to whether identical twins have one or
separate souls, let us answer by emphatically say
ing that each has its own soul essence. Further*

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

let us go back to a fundamental law related in

one of our Temple Degrees, namely, that the
soul enters the body with the first breath of life.
Organically then, even if the body developed from
a half egg, even also if there is a physical junc
ture of membrane between the two, each is when
born, a separate manifestation of the soul essence.
If each of the bodies of identical twins posses
ses separate circulatory and respiratory systems,
brain, and nervous systems, then each twin, with
its first breath of life, a taking of the soul force
within, becomes a separate soul. X

Rosicrucians T heir Study Interests

This morning I would like to call your atten
tion to an interesting point that has been noted
in correspondence from our members over a
period of several years. It is the extent to which
the study of Rosicrucianism leads our members
into new interests and new fields of investigation.
Just the other day a letter was received from
a soror in the East in which she expressed her
deep appreciation for the privilege of member
ship in the Order and stated that she would al
ways be grateful to the teachings of AM ORC
for leading her into new fields of endeavor. She
pointed to the fact that before her contact with
the Order her life, for many years, was one of
monotonous home routine with few, if any, in
terests outside of the cares and worries of main
taining a home for her familycooking, sewing,
mending, washing and ironing, with an occasion
al evening in her neighborhood theatre where she
could relax for an hour or two, only to return to
the same old grind that, for the average house
wife, continues for twelve to sixteen hours a day.
This soror explains that after a few months of
study her entire outlook on life changed. She
found herself greatly interested in the affairs and
lives of others of her community. She suddenly
found that her daily routine had changed con
siderably because of her new interest in art,
music, and literature of an uplifting, spiritual
nature. She began visiting her public library and
reading works recommended in her lessons from
A M ORC. This became a part of her new life.
She found that her whole life had taken on a
new meaning, and the point that especially sur
prised her was the fact that in spite of these new
interests and activities, her home was not neg
lected. She still did just as much work in behalf
of the comfort of her family. She did find, how
ever, that home life was extremely happy for
herself, her husband, and her children. In the
first place, her own health had improved. She
found that she had far more vitality than she
had noticed for years past. H er housework was
no longer a drudgery, something to struggle
through no matter how badly she felt or how

Page 139

much her head ached. Instead she no longer gave

it thought. She simply went ahead with it with
pride and joy, a song in her heart and on her lips.
This is typical of hundreds of letters of happi
ness and appreciation we receive each year. It is
found that after a few months of study members
who have never before enjoyed the relaxations of
a hobby take up some form of musical study or
painting. Very often physical science will take
their attention as a means to better understand
the wonders of God and Nature. This is a very
fine thing, for although Rosicrucianism gives us
the very fundamentals of creation and the forma
tion as well as working of matter, it leaves to the
students own personal interest the many rami
fications of physics, chemistry, biology and kin
dred subjects. This is as it should be, for after
all Rosicrucianism is intended to show the way,
point out the path, and lend a helping hand when
the path becomes rough and filled with pitfalls.
The study of languages foreign to the native
tongue has become a very popular side interest
of Rosicrucians in all lands. This is particularly
commendable because there are books and w rit
ings of great value to the student of philosophy
and the esoteric sciences written in different lan
guages and yet not translated into English. The
English-speaking student, for instance, can find
much joy and pleasure by learning to read
French or German or even both, because there
are many works important to the mystic that are
written in these languages and not available in
English. This is also true of other languages, such
as Spanish and Italian. On the other hand, much
valuable material is to be found in English only,
so it behooves the non-English-speaking student
to acquire a working knowledge of the mother
tongue of England.
It has been found that Rosicrucianism has even
inspired an investigation of higher and more com
plicated systems of mathematics, quite often in
cases where the student was not especially adept
in the art of numbers when attending grade
school. This is not because Rosicrucianism is con
cerned with outer, mundane education, but rather
because it inspires mental development and a de
sire for general growth through educational ac
tivities. The Rosicrucian student soon recognizes
the importance of exercising and using the vast
number of mental departments man possesses. In
fact, in the early lessons the student is urged to
take up new subjects, so that certain areas of the
brain and mind will receive proper exercise and
hence stimulation. The areas of mind are much
like muscles of the body in that they grow weak
and eventually will atrophy from lack of usage.
The development of the outer consciousness of
man, if accompanied by the development of the
inner consciousness, will result in a well-balanced

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Page 140

condition, a rounded-out state of being or what

Rosicrucians seek to attain, a harmonious rela
tionship of the material and spiritual parts that
make up all that there is to man.

T he Intervention of God
A frater now addresses those of us who as
semble as the Forum Circle. He states: I am
impressed and also perplexed by the account of
the peoples of the warring nations. These ac
counts relate how they file into their respective
cathedrals, churches, and temples, and offer many
prayers that their God intercede in behalf of their
cause. W hat pussies me is this: if the prayers
are answered, all would need win, that is, both
sides involved in the war, and since that does not
occur, is the fact that one nation is ultimately
victorious a signification that God interceded in
their behalf? Further, if the victors cause, in the
minds of men, let us say, those of a neutral na
tion, appear to be an unjust one, it would either
make mens conception of justice very erroneous
or put God in the position of supporting the
wrong side. W ill you kindly throw some light
upon this subject?
The fraters questions concern a matter that is
as old as history itself. In ancient Egyptian,
Assyrian, and Hebrew accounts of their wars,
we find liturgies in which the departing warriers
participated. They consisted of prayers, libations,
and oblations to the gods, either in general or to
the specific deity who, in their opinion, possessed
such powers as they wished him to exert in their
behalf. God, according to many of the ancient
accounts, even advised the warriors and their
leaders, and sometimes even participated in the
battles himself. W e find in the Bible, for ex
ample, in Lev. 26:7,8: A nd ye shall chase your
enemies, and they shall fall before you by the
sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred,
and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to
flight; and your enemies shall fall before you by
the sword. Then again in II Samuel 23:10, we
find this: He arose, and smote the Philistines
until his hand was weary, and his hand clave
unto the sword; and the Lord wrought a great
victory that day; and the people returned after
him only to spoil. W e often find in history the
Assyrian war lords paying respect simultaneously
to their gods at the ancient city of Ur, at a time
when their enemies, the Hebrews, were likewise
asking for the beneficent assistance of their one
sole God.
This inconsistency strikes deeply at mans re
ligious conceptions. In the first place, it consists,
if we look upon the subject with open minds, of
a transference to tiod of all of those particular
notions which we as men possess. W e believe,
on the one hand, that there are certain ideals

which we have established as part of our social

order, and which are worth fighting fordying
for, if necessary. We do not necessarily as hu
man beings all hold that we must be so positive
in our views that we should impose them aggres
sively on others, that is, make an offensive war
upon them. We do, as a human society (I am
speaking now of mankind in general), think that
it is necessary at times to engage in a defensive
war, which, insofar as the individuals actions
and loss of life are concerned often amounts to
the same thing.
We, however, in our creeds as humanity, and
in our dogmas, and in our sacred writingsChristian as well as non-Christianmaintain that
willful destruction of life by man constitutes a
moral wronga sin. And we very loudly inveigh
against it in our more limited social order, that is,
in the laws of our communities, our towns, states,
and provinces. When, however, it comes to those
larger issues which involve us, we put aside those
compunctions which we say would not justify
one in killing his neighbor, and so we collective
ly kill a group of our neighbors instead, and we
call it war.
We even go beyond this in war; we each turn
about to our respective gods, our individual de
lineation of the Divine, and petition Him through
prayer to further the cause of war. In other
words, it amounts to this. On the one hand, we
chant and read our sacred works, in which the
words of our God are made to utter His abhor
rence of mans destruction of his kind, and then,
on the other hand, we turn to Him to strengthen
us in our battle engagements, and to make us vic
torious, which victory patently includes the kill
ing of other men. From a rational point of view,
either the Divine Mind, or God, completely and
positively conceives destruction of human life as
opposed to His own nature, or He countenances
it under certain conditions.
How then, as human beings, may we arrive at
a decision in this matter? Whatever way we may
decide, we will be most certain that we will op
pose the religious, moral, and the realistic views
of some persons, and will bring condemnation
down upon ourselves. From the realistic point of
view, we find in nature the impulse of living
things to preserve their existence. Each cell is
continually fighting for its life. The red and
white blood corpuscles compete; bacteria, and
other microscopic organisms are continually con
flicting with the curative and constructive forces
of our bodies.
This destruction as a change, as a survival of
the fittest exists in our beings, and in our very
nature. There is no such thing in nature as
passive resistance. This fighting, this war goes on
or we as human beings can no longer exist to
argue about it. Since it is a natural law, are we

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

then to reason that it is God inspired, and that

we should carry it into our social worlds for the
survival of our ideals? Apparently that is the
reasoning of those who petition God to intervene
in their behalf in matters of war. There is the
assumption that w ar for those ideals which as a
nation or a people, they conceive as paralleling
the Divine purpose, as they may understand it,
is essential. They fail to take into consideration
that every other peoples or nation also tries to
the best of its particular ability and capacity to
make its ideals have a Divine parallelism.
For ex a m p le , as our en e m ie s' ideals work
against us and cause the slaughter of our loved
ones, their conduct appears degrading and de
generate. W e say, how can an aggressor nation
even make the attempt to justify invasion, bomb
ing, and the slaughter of peoples and of animals,
along any Divine principles. In the light, how
ever, of our enemies ideals, as they see them, or
as they want to see them, all such acts of de
struction are made to appear defensive. Even
invasions are made to seem, to them, a necessary
stroke to prevent, for example, encirclement,
blockades, and starvation, or to preserve some
sort of political ideology, which to them con
forms to a Divine impulse.
Thus God is implored, prayed to, and there is
an attempt to invoke His powers for that inter
vention sought by both sides.
Let us, as Rosicrucians, come to the conclusion
that wars and the reasons for which men indulge
in them, are manmade and not God furthered.
The Divine Mind has endowed man, in the
course of the manifestation of Cosmic law, with
faculties and with attributes which no other be
ing possesses to an equal extent. Man must strug
gle for his existence, that is a natural law. That
conflict cannot be argued away, but if he throws
aside his higher abilities and faculties, and thus
permits conditions to develop in his social order,
which he can only settle by slaughter, then he
must reap the harvest of his own futile efforts.
He may ask God, as he does, to help him to
become victorious, to help him to kill in what he
may consider a defensive war, and to stop his
enemies and those acts which he considers of
fensive, but let us be assured that such prayers
and implorations will not set the Divine W ill in
motion in his behalf. And let us be thankful that
such is the case. As we look back into history,
we find that there were many nations victorious
in long bloody wars. W e also find that the leaders
of these victorious nations before combat and
during the war spent considerable time endeav
oring to make their particular god, or the great
God, the sole God, intervene, in their behalf.
Time, however, has shown that their victorious
cause was a wrong one, wrong by what men now
hold to be the right. Thus, if their victory had

Page 141

truly been the result of Gods intervention, we

would now be in the ridiculous position of con
ceiving God to have been on the wrong side.
If we are engaged in a war, as we now are,
let us ask for enlightenment. Let us pray that
what we think we must do and what we actually
do be not too far amiss from Cosmic law and
principle. But do not let us ask God to further
our cause by helping us win a war. W e repeat,
war is a manmade product. He must solve it
himself. If we ask God to assist in war on the
assumption that our war is right, or that any war
is rightoffensive or defensivethe only benefit
we would derive from such prayers would be the
psychological uplift we may find in the blind
faith which we may have that God is partici
pating in war for us by supporting us. X

T he Fear of Karma
Here are some questions asked of our Forum
Circle by a soror and a frater who reside several
thousand miles apart. Both are seriously concern
ed with the answer which they may receive to
their questions. The sorors little baby has re
cently incurred some asthma attacks, from which
the baby quite recovered. The soror says: Please
God and the Masters, the lesson to be learned
and the knowledge gained has been fulfilled and
it will not recur. A member told us that our little
baby, Zethren, is a Master who is working off
some karma of others. Is there anything else we
can do for the condition, if this be true?
The frater asks: Can karma be transferred
from one person to another?
There are two implications in these questions.
First, a fear of karma, and second, a misunder
standing of what karma consists. I do not mean
to state that this soror and frater were possessed
of this fear or had this misconception, but such
questions, worded like this, often originate with
persons who do fear, or who do have a miscon
ception, and consequently we will use these ques
tions as examples. The fear of karma principally
exists in the belief that karma is of one kind. W e
do not mean by this that some individuals imagine
that karma always produces the same circum
stances, or uses the same methods for its accom
plishment. They do, however, think that its pur
pose or the end which it serves is always the
same, namely, disciplinary, or punishment, or at
least that it manifests as trouble, worry, strife,
and physical or mental suffering.
Stop and think a moment. How many individ
uals whom you know and who are aware of the
mystical and Cosmic law of karma ever say,
when they are very happy over some good for
tune, that This is my karma? In all probability
they look back to a series of related causes and

Page 142

point out how, through their own efforts, their

own ability, and initiative the results they now
enjoy are forthcoming. They take particular
pride in accepting the honor themselves for the
bounties or the joyful experience had at the time.
Perhaps in some cases they are more impersonal
and a little less vain. If so, and they had good
fortune, they pay their respects to others to
whom they imagine their good fortune is solely
due. On the other hand, there are some who are
often heard to say: I cannot account for my
good luck. It is indeed a great rarity that one
of such persons proclaims: I am profoundly
grateful for the just working of the law of karma,
by which I am rewarded for some commendable
act or acts of mine in the past, and of which I
am not now aware. However, let misfortune
befall the average individual who has some gen
eral knowledge of karma, and if he is unable to
point directly to the contributing natural cause
of his adversity, he immediately attributes it to
the law of karma. Consequently, the word karma
becomes ominous to many such persons. Karma
to them always augurs calamity.
As Rosicrucians, and as students of mysticism,
let us not make of karma a monster to be dread
ed. Let us not think of it as some malevolent
spirit that is seeking to ensnare our lives and
from which we can never have any assurance of
safety. Rather, let us consider it in its true light.
Karma is not an intelligence or a genie of some
kind who keeps men and women under its con
stant observation, waiting to pounce upon them
and in satanic delight impose severe penalties
upon them for their derelictions. Karma is a
cosmic law it is impersonal, it functions accord
ing to its inherent nature. It has no more per
sonal consciousness than, for analogy, the law of
gravity. It has its purpose to fulfill, under the
direction of the Cosmic Mind. The conditions it
imposes upon humans depend upon how they
react to it, as they invoke the law by their own
conduct.
Let us again return to the analogy of the law
of gravity. If we carelessly and thoughtlessly
throw a large stone into the air, and by that act
cause the ever-existing law of gravity to affect
it, and then we ignorantly, or with indifference,
walk into the path of the falling stone, what is
the result?disaster, is it not? Could we, after
such an experience, rationally confer upon the
law of gravity a personal conscious intent to in
flict injury upon us? W ould we turn around as
did primitive man, who believed in animism, and
kick the stone, utter a curse at it, or shake our
fists at the thin air? Would there be any justi
fication for us always shuddering thereafter when
anyone mentioned the word gravity, as if it were
a fearsome thing? W e all know by common ex
perience how the law of gravity serves us in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

many useful ways each hour of the day. In fact,

if we are thoughtful, we realize that the benefits
we can and do derive from gravity far adumbrate
any adversity that may come from it.
Karma then is, we repeat, as equally imper
sonal as any Cosmic law. Many of your unex
plained joys are the result of karmic acts on your
own partthat is, your instances of good for
tune, or what the superstitious and more ignor
ant person refers to as good luck. They come as
a consequence of some past loving concern by
yourself, some act of generosity, of compassion,
unselfishness, or some display of virtue. W hen
you have good fortune, you are, by the law, be
ing made aware of the effect of kindness, at a
time when it will mean the most to you. Again
we must resort to the word often substituted for
the Law of Karma, compensation. W e can, if we
wish to symbolize it, mentally picture it as a pair
of great scales. These scales will weigh anything
in the way of human thought or conduct that
intentionally or unintentionally we cause to be
put on them. If you put hate, cruelty, jealousy,
and envy in one of the trays of the Cosmic scales
of karma or compensation, you will then cause
it to balance with like consequences, that is, your
life at some time and at some place will experi
ence a fateful lesson. You will need to learn
what follows from such misconduct.
Karma is impersonal in weighing these things,
we repeat again. It is not motivated by ani
mosity or by malice. As soon as you have been
compelled to become conscious of the error of
your ways and when you resolve, at least to your
self, to amend them, the scales are then balanced
and you experience no further misfortune. You
are not being punished by karma, you are being
taught the weight of your acts. W hen you vio
late natural laws and the dictates of self, the
scales of karma begin to tip. If you immediately
and judiciously amend your ways, the scales are
again balanced. If you persist and ignore the
consequences, you only add to the weight. The
further down you weigh one tray of the scales,
it means the further up the opposite tray must
come in compensation sometime, if a balance is
to be reached.
This is borne out by the fact that some in
dividuals who have sinned against self and Cos
mic law, have experienced exceedingly light kar
ma, while others suffer many misfortunes under
similar circumstances. It is because one has dis
cerned his wrongdoing with the first tipping of
the scales of the law of karma, and is commensurately contrite. The other person perhaps was
defiant or indifferent to the law and, therefore,
it follows his experiences must be more drastic
so that he, too, may learn.
How do we know when we are incurring
karma? Moral discernment, the dictates of con

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

science, the impulses of the inner self these

things constantly advise youif you will listen.
Let no one attempt to deceive himself or others
that he is ever not aware that what he plans or
what he is doing is motivated by anything else
but the good. We all know whether it is or not.
If we suppress these moral impulses, we immediately set the law of karma into motion. We be
gin the tipping of the scales. Six months, six
years, or sixteen years laterwe may forget the
incidentbut the Cosmic does not, and karma,
ceaseless as time, like an ethereal tutor, expounds
the lesson we should learn, in the most effectual
manner for us not to forget it.
When some individuals experience karmic
compensation, in the form of some adversity,
they often rack their brains to see what might
have incurred it. It might not be of this incarna
tion. The karmic scales might have been tipped
at a time beyond the pale of objective memory.
The thing to do, if you cant recall any wrong
doing that would have set karma into motion is
to begin to adjust yourself to it at once. I do not
mean that we should become fatalists and resign
ourselves to happenings. Do all you can to rem
edy it. Use any expediency possible, but unless
you wish to incur further karma, liberate your
consciousness from acrimonious thoughts, from a
bitterness against people and life. Learn your
lesson courageously. Feel, if it is necessary, the
strength of remorse, chagrin, humility, pain,
grief, or what is being taught you. Petition the
Cosmic to enlighten you. Keep an open mind,
and you will find adversity changing rather rap
idly, and life taking on a transition for the better.
If you go about bemoaning your fate and are
critical of such Divine laws as have made you
suffer, you are accordingly bringing upon your
self more severe compensation, and things are
apt to be far worse before they improve. Re
member, we repeat, that your good fortune, your
bounties, the happiness that is bestowed upon
you is most always derived from the same karmic
lawsand so do not praise yourself solely. None
of us, no matter what we create, what we insti
tute, are independent. If we successfully bring
about something, it is also because Cosmically
we have been permitted to use the finite world
and its laws to materialise our success. We are
always dependent upon the Cosmic. Let us ac
cordingly show our gratitude.
Many persons are wont to lay at the feet of
karma every minor displeasure or discomfiture or
inconvenience which they experience. Such is
absurd. We are subject to natural laws. If we
work understanding^ with life, it is made easier
for us. If we work in ignorance of it, we set into
motion causes that produce effects which may
not be to our liking. Every time you bump your
head, stumble over a stone, or lose some money

Page 143

in a stock investment transaction, dont blame

karmaput the fault upon yourself. There are
certain necessary factors in business, for example,
that constitute its laws, which must be studied
and known. If you do not consult authorities,
or if you do not try to learn them yourself, then,
by your ignorance, you set into motion the causes
that will bring upon you the effects which you
do not want. That is not karma, it is good comwon sense.
Insofar as transferring karma from one in
dividual to another is concerned, that is not pos
sible. We cannot shift our burdens or our re
sponsibilities. Neither can someone else accept
for us the rewards of our right acts, of our good
conduct. Consequently, since we cannot evade
karma, neither can it be transferred to us from
another.X
Power of Suggestion

One of the outstanding and important subjects

embraced by the Rosicrucian teachings is that of
the power of suggestion. It is important to the
proper application of Rosicrucianism in guiding
and controlling the material affairs of the student
member. At first this subject is dealt with from
an intellectual point of view. Gradually the mem
ber is given experiments to prove to himself the
tremendous power of suggestion. He is then told
how to use this power in mastering his affairs and
directing forces in and about him for his own
good as well as the good of his fellow beings.
Sometimes we wonder if the majority of our
members appreciate the importance of this phase
of the work. Letters with questions and pleas for
help would seemto indicate that when faced with
problems, difficulties, and crises, many either be
come panicky and lose their calm control, for
getting all they have learned about the use of
suggestion, or they actually have no confidence
in the laws that govern these principles. Lack of
sureness and self-confidence is another great
hindrance to the use of these principles in time
of actual need. In other words, one will be will
ing to perform experiments that are given in the
monographs for the purpose of testing a law, but
will refuse to apply the law at a time when he
has actual need of it. This lack of self-confidence
is probably due to failure with experiments in
corporated in the lessons. This brings up the
main point of this discussion here in our forum.
It will be helpful to all members who are having
difficulty with some of the exercises in the mono
graphs if they will modify the experiments some
what. By this is meant, if they will use the same
laws and principles in other types of experiments
that, with a little thought, will suggest them

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 144

selves. Quite frequently we will try and try an

exercise without apparent success, and yet have
good results with one that is similar in applica
tion and which uses the same principles, perhaps
even the same methods of procedure.
In the application of the law of suggestion,
one of the popular demonstrations that is always
successful is willing the body back to conscious
ness at a particular hour after a certain period of
sleep. W e have a report in our files from a very
new member who tells of his success in the ap
plication of this experiment. He finds he can
sleep for a few minutes or for several hours,
whichever he prefers, and awaken quite refreshed
simply by so .directing or suggesting that it be so
when he goes off to sleep. There are a great
many persons using this system as their mental
alarm clocks and yet who are unfamiliar with
the principles involved. Now the successful ap
plication of the laws in a case that seems so simple
should give sufficient self-confidence to use the
same principles in matter of greater importance.
Mental suggestion, for example, is very success
ful in controlling illness and building a healthy
physical body. Mental suggestion is the only safe
and sure system to overcome bad habits that are
detrimental to health. Thousands of Rosicrucians
all over the world can testify to the great bene
fits they have received through the use of these
principles. It is sincerely hoped that students of
AM O RC in this jurisdiction and in all parts of
the world will develop the habit of using sugges
tion as outlined in their monographs to help them
cope with the trying problems that they are re
quired to face during this era of darkness before
the dawn.
A very interesting letter from one of our
fratres who has been experimenting along these
lines presents an experiment that has occurred to
him, and we would like to pass it on to others.
Many, of course, have tried it; nevertheless, it is
one that is usually very successful and, being so,
demonstrates the power of suggestion and builds
confidence within the experimenter. This frater
has used a half glass of water for his experiment,
and while sitting before it, has concentrated upon
the thought that the water would taste bitter like
a medicine containing quinine. A fter holding the
thought a minute he takes a drink of the water.
Then he concentrates upon a sour taste, then a
sweet taste, and many others that occur to him.
He states that these experiments have been very
successful.

A n Agency of Service
There are many ways in which we can help
our country and our fellow human beings today.
Many agencies have been established through

which we can work. W e should give our sup

port to the fullest extent possible to one or more
of these agencies. A t the same time let us not
overlook the opportunity to serve as Rosicrucians.
All members can serve individually in many
ways.
In larger cities throughout this jurisdiction
Chapters and Lodges are in one way or another
helping with the work of the Red Cross and
other agencies, but let us not forget our own
Sunshine Circles. They are a medium of service
whose work goes even beyond many other agen
cies of service, because in addition to being able
to have those of similar interests working togeth
er, there is the opportunity for giving meta
physical assistance, which is a vast field restricted
primarily to the work of this Order and similar
organizations. The Rosicrucian Sunshine Circle
is one of the few organized groups in existence
that provides methods and procedures for both
physical and metaphysical help.
If you have any member or nonmember friends
who would like to serve through such an agency,
why not undertake the organization of a Sunshine
Circle in your locality? It will require only a
small amount of your time, but no time spent
in any other way could be of more value in con
tributing to the welfare of thse who look outside
themselves for guidance and help. A letter ad
dressed to the Supreme Secretary will bring you
full information regarding the activities of Sun
shine Circleshow they are organized and con
ducted. This request places you under no ob
ligation.A

W h at Is T he Psychic?
Two members of our Forum submit additional
worthy questions. The first is: A re psychic
phenomenahearing voices, seeing lights, colors,
etc.synonymous with psychic development? If
not, please explain the difference. The second
question is: Can you tell me how to distinguish
between pure psychic manifestations, and that
which results from hallucinations and illusions?
These two questions reveal the truly inquiring
type of mind. Further, they indicate individuals
in search of reliable informationtruthpersons
who wish to avoid self-deception. To begin with,
as to the reason for the various colors we often
see before our eyes, and whether such are indica
tive of psychic development, our Forum circle
considered this matter quite thoroughly under the
title of Seeing Colors which was published as
an account in the June 1940 issue. It would only
be repetitious to dwell upon the topic again.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

However, in considering the above questions, it

is strongly recommended here that it be re-read.
A learned man once uttered a remark with respect to the popular attitude toward unfamiliar
phenomena. He said that men seem to say,
W hatever you are totally ignorant of, assert to
be the explanation of everything else. He meant
by this that something of which we do not have
factual information as to its cause, we usually inelude in some category which we hold to be the
source or to give the explanation of all unexplain'
ed things.
Let us use a homely analogy to see that this is
true and to prove how mens minds workwhen
they do not really think. Suppose a man had a
neighbor whose name we will say was Jones. Let
us further presume that this neighbor was a
mechanical genius, and in his experimentation he
would construct entirely new and seemingly com
plex devices. The layman would not understand
them. Therefore, this man, whenever he con
fronted a piece of apparatus that to him was
fantastic or inexplicable, would say, in all prob
ability, that it must be one of neighbor Jones
works. Actually, this man would know no more
about the device by merely relegating it to his
neighbor, but it would at least establish it; it
would, to his mind, give it a place of origin
and remove the mystery of its source. This is an
attempt of the mind to take refuge in some gen
erality when it can find no particular with which
to clothe itself.
For further example, during the Middle Ages,
or about 450 A. D. to 1500 A. D., with the de
cline of rationalism, such sciences as had been
preserved from antiquity had fallen into disuse.
Also, they were suppressed or kept for the study
of the churchman exclusively. Even the most
common astronomical facts or laws were not
known to the populace at large. W hen there oc
curred such a phenomenon, for example, as the
moving of a comet across the heavens, or the
earth was visited by an exceptional shower of
meteorites, s u p e r s titio n an d speculation ra n
rampant.
Everything such as these happenings, the cause
of which was not self-evident, was attributed to
God. It was said to be the result of his special
fiat or command. Two forces, according to man,
were continuously in conflict. It was the belief
of these superstitious, simple-minded folk, that
God as a personalized deity and as a majesty of
the good, and Satan as the regal power of evil,
were continuously in the struggle with each
other. W hen man could not trace the cause of
something, or relate it to the known, it was con
ceived as a theurgical result of either God or
Satan. If it was not fearsome, it was the will of
God; if it struck terror into their hearts, it was

Page 145

Satanic. Thus to these minds nothing was really

a mystery in origin. Everything came about in
some way. If man could follow the order of a
phenomenons development, it was temporal, and
of nature. If he could not, God or the devil
fostered it for some purpose of their own.
Instinctively man feels it necessary to establish
his relationship to everything which he perceives.
It becomes essential to him to know how he
should accept things, whether they should be re
garded as friendly and beneficial, or hostile and
dangerous. This instinct is seen displayed in his
immanent curiosity, by which man is always
drawn to the strange, even though at times timid
ly. Curiosity affords him the opportunity of de
fense, if needed, against this strange thing or cir
cumstance, or to seize upon it if it might be to
his advantage.
How does all this apply to determining what
is the psychic? It is the habit of many people to
attribute physical and psychological phenomena
which they do not investigate, to the realm of
the psychical. Thus, every sound they hear, every
flash of color before their eyes, every happening
which their limited knowledge may make mys
terious, receives at once the appellation psychic.
Autosuggestion, hypnotism, optical illusions, all
of these are often accepted by such persons as
psychical. It is apparent, therefore, that such
persons so thoroughly deceive themselves that
they are constantly entranced with physical or
psychological phenomena, to such an extent that
they actually keep themselves from devoting their
attention to what really amounts to the psychical.
Further, since they erroneously regard the tem
poral or earthly phenomena as the psychical, they
are kept ignorant of its nature as well. I have
known persons to be deeply engrossed with and
mystified by a phenomenon which they thought
to be psychical, and which could have been actu
ally demonstrated to be of physical origin in five
minutes in a physics laboratory.
W e must distinguishand the line is difficult
to draw between the psychological and the
psychical. The psychological is that phenomenon
which has its origin in our brain, in our objective
consciousness, and nervous systems, and which is
intangible; that is, which seems to have no ma
terial substance. To elucidate: By contrast there
is the phenomenon of blood coursing through the
circulatory system with its miles of veins and
arteries. This is a physical fact. W e can see the
blood, examine it, test it, weigh it. W e can see
the vessels which hold it. W e can actually see
by means of the X-ray, and often while the sub
ject is undergoing a surgical operation, the heart
pumping the blood. However, the emotions
fear, for exampleare quite different. You know
only their effects upon you. Those effects are in

Page <46

tangible, so much so that you cannot isolate them

from those visual or other sensations which cause
them, as you can the blood, referred to above.
The only substances which are related to the
phenomena of the emotions are those external
things or conditions which may arouse them.
W e generally mean, by the psychological, that
which may have its origin in a physical source,
but its effect, that which we experience, occurs
entirely within us, in an intangible way. Con
sequently, thought, memory, and sensation are all
held to be psychological processesof mind and
the organs related thereto. W e have a certain
control over the psychological. W e can at will
produce certain mental and emotional effects.
They seem, therefore, to us to be of the realm of
the mundane, namely, manifestations on the ma^
terial plane. As long as we are able to make this
distinction, no confusion arises, and we are happy
to designate this as psychological, and that as
physical. Frequently, however, a phenomenon of
our being occurs, and we as individuals have no
knowledge of its origin, its order or functioning.
In other words, its happening is a mystery to us.
W hat, then, do we call this? Most of us presume
that it is psychical It is such a presumption that
leads us astray.
The belief in psychic powers and functions is
deduced from the idea that almost all men have
of the dualism of their own being. There are,
generally speaking, two parallel systems of philo
sophical thought. One, which we may refer to
as the monadical, holds that there is but one sub
stance in the universe, and that substance is a
single reality. If they hold that there is a God,
or that there is a universal teleological cause or
mind, then they term this substance God Mind.
All else, to them, such as matter and extension,
mans mind and will and their characteristics, are
held to be merely different manifestations of that
one same substance. They are thought to be as
different aspects of the single power or force of
that substance.
Conversely, the other philosophical system, or
the dualists, in a general sense contends that there
is a dual reality. The divine is one substance, and
matter or body is another. They may conceive
that the two constitute a whole, but they never
completely remove their separateness in function.
The material, insofar as man is concerned, to the
dualists consists of his body with its configura
tions, its parts and organs, its brain and its nerv
ous systems. This body includes that phenomenon
which we term psychological, since its effects and
causes in part at least can be related to the body
and to the world in which man lives. Even the
ordinary thought processes are related to the
body, because the physical organs help make it
possible.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The soul, then, is all else. How does the soul

quality make itself known to man? W e are con
scious of it, of course, but not as we are of those
sensations which come about through the impres
sions which we receive from the peripheral or
objective senses. Is it not that cognisance we
have of the sum total of ourselves, as against all
other things? It is the realisation of that entity
which we have, which is neither our clothes and
body alone, nor its position in space nor in soci
ety. It is not just our reputation or our desires.
Then, again, it is not our point in time, our age,
our hopes, our ideals, our convictions, or our
compunctions. It is the aggregate of all these
thingsit is a kind of substance if you will, that
is not any one impression or a single group of
them. It is a realisation that it can be all of
them and more; therefore, it is aware of its own
sensitivity.
This self, as we may now rightly call it, in being conscious of itself, has no form of which it is
aware, or as we think of matter having a dimen
sional substance. For example, the brain has its
consciousness, its objective state of awareness by
which it registers as mental pictures the impulses
of matter we experience. However, if the brain
had a consciousness of self, then it would see
itself as an actual organ. But when we are con
scious of self, there is no picture which accom
panies this self-awareness except as we want to
associate our experiences with it. Thus we must
conclude that we have a kind of substance within
us of which there is no parallel in matter to
identify it, and yet it has a definite existence to
us as a potentiality of many things.
For a further attempt at illustration of this
almost inexplicable point, try to think of being
conscious that you have a cloak upon your per
son, yet you are not able to see it, its color, shape,
texture, or sise. You are not able to tell whether
it is heavy or light in material, smooth or soft.
All you know, and which you can not deny to
yourself, is that you are wearing a garment. It is
tenable, then, that those experiences which we
have, which correspond to or are compatible with
those which we accept as self or the conscious
ness of soul, are therefore psychical.
All edicts, commands, whether appearing to
our consciousness as audible voices or in written,
visual form, and which are of a moral nature,
are of the psychic. In other words, every order
commanding us to act or desist, and which can
and often does oppose our reason and our phys
ical senses, and which we commonly attribute to
that state of mind known as conscience, is the
voice of the Divine substance the soul itself.
Most certainly such, then, must be called psy'
chical. However, any such words which we re
ceive, and which are actually within the con
sciousness, and which are not external either as

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

auditory or visual impressions, even if they seem

to be, will never be offensive to our moral die
tates. They will never command you to resort
to those things which might injure anyone else,
or bring moral rebuke upon yourself. If they do,
they arc not psychical, but purely psychological.
All mental impressions which we suddenly
have, as a word, sensation or command, however,
are not of the psychic. Some may be the product
of your own subjective mind. Others may be the
reception of telepathic transference of anothers
thoughts. Whenever such words as you hear or
seem to see, leave you puzzled, depressed, alarm'
ed, or are in opposition to your moral sense, to
those restraints that you ordinarily put upon your
conduct, you can be certain then that such im
pressions, such phenomena, are not psychical
Many persons consider mental transference of
thoughts as psychic phenomena. They are not
completely so. In the projection of thought we
use our objective minds in conjunction with the
consciousness of the divine within us to accom
plish that particular phenomenon. Therefore, we
must further distinguish between man using the
psychic powers, the consciousness of self or the
psychic body which he has, as we refer to it in
our monographs, to perform some phenomenon
at his bidding, on the one hand, and the Divine
Mind wording directly within him, on the other
hand. W e can put thoughts into effect and
courses of action which we have conceived in the
consciousness, by having the psychic self perform
for us. It will do this, of course, so long as our
purposes are not opposed to the higher divine
ones. W e are told how to do this in our mono
graphs. For further example, another, whom we
want to be aware of what we are doing, may re
ceive in his mind a picture of our actions or hear
the words we wish to convey. He may even see
a physical manifestation of those psychic powers
we are directing. Such persons, however, will
always have their experience accompanied by
some physical sensation which will cause them to
realize that the manifestation projected into space
around them is external, that is, coming to them
from us or from a source beyond their own selves.
Deep within themselves they may feel this psy
chical response to another. It affects their own
psychic nature of course, or they would have no
realization of it. Accompanying that realization,
however, is the idea, the feeling if you want to
put it that way, that it does not originate with
them, but apart from them.
If it is a Cosmic revelation which you are hav
ing, a direct attunement with the Cosmic Mind,
not involving any other personality or the efforts
of any other individual, the experience will be
singular. In other words, you will know, not by
any words said, nor by any act, but by a deeper
understanding of the psychic consciousness with

Page 147

in you, that what you are hearing, what you are

seeing or experiencing, comes solely from within
and from the Cosmic and from nowhere else.
Furthermore, the experience will never be fright
ening or disturbing, even if it takes on the ap
pearance of a physical manifestation.
If your experiences, then, are not of these kinds
enumerated here, and you see colors and hear
noises, they may be purely physical phenomena
which you do not understand, because you had
no training, perhaps, in one of the sciences which
would explain them. Then again, they may be
psychological, quite understandable to those who
know the psychological processes of our objective
and subjective consciousness. It behooves you,
therefore, to investigate them. By all means do
not make the mistake of immediately relegating
them to the psychic, merely because their cause
or orgin is not apparent. Accept these sketchy
rules, then, for delineation of what constitutes
psychic phenomena as distinguished from the
physical and the psychological.

Im perators New Y ears Address

The following address was given by the Im
perator upon the occasion of the Rosicrucian
New Year, which was celebrated in the Francis
Bacon Auditorium, in Rosicrucian Park, Sunday
evening March 22, with many members in at
tendance from San Jose and vicinity. It was a
traditional ceremony, such as is conducted on or
about the same date in lodges and chapters of the
Order, not only in this jurisdiction, but through
out the world wherever conditions permit.
* * *
Fratres and Sorores, on behalf of the Supreme
Grand Lodge, I wish to extend greetings to each
of you on the occasion of this Rosicrucian New
Year.
In the Third Century A. D., a tremendous re
ligious controversy shook the then existing Chris
tian world to its very roots. This controversy in
volved some of the greatest scholars and promi
nent churchmen of the era. The polemic dis
cussion centered about the date of nativity of
Jesus the Christ, namely, the time his birth was
supposed to have occurred. During this era, there
were no profane historical records of the actual
birth of Jesus; that is, the populace at large and
the scholars generally had no statistics and no
factual matter to which they could point and
say, This constitutes the birth period of Jesus.
Therefore speculation and conjecture with re
spect to the date of nativity ran rampant.
During this period, or in the year 243, in fact,
a strange tract made its appearance and caused
considerable comment in these scholastic circles.
This manuscript was entitled De Pascha Com

Page 148

putus. The work was written by the celebrated

Greek Christian writer of the times, known as
Hippolytus. He attempted in this manuscript to
prove Christs birthdate. In the work, he de'
clared that the first day of creation, the begin'
ning of the world, the beginning of all things,
in fact, occurred at a time corresponding to the
Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox. It is the
time when the sun on its celestial journey crosses
the celestial equator, on or about March 21st.
He pointed out as proof of his theory that at that
time, or on the occasion of the Vernal Equinox,
everything brea\s into life, everything is rejuv'
enated, buds come forth, and that the whole of
nature is stirred and awakened from her great
sleep or dormancy.
As further proof, he pointed out that at the
Vernal Equinox, the day and the night are both
equal, and he said that God had made them equal
on the day of creation as well. Hippolytus went
on to contend that two or three days following
the Vernal Equinox, the Moon had been created,
and it had been created full, and, as a matter of
fact, from about two to ten days after the Vernal
Equinox, we do have a Full Moon. And so in
concluding his work, he set Sunday, March 25th
as the date of the Vernal Equinox and the an'
niversary of the first day of creation.
Now what concerns us here is the importance
which has been attached in the past, in antiquity,
by scholars, writers, and mystics, to the phe'
nomenon of the Vernal Equinox.- W e have seen
that it has been held to be the anniversary of the
nativity of Jesus. It was also thought to have
been the beginning of creation. Furthermore, it
was held to be the proper time to till the soil, to
plant things, to prepare the earth for the new
life. From out of this latter conception arose the
idea that the Vernal Equinox was the beginning
of a new year because it was the beginning of a
new cycle in nature, a time of new life. Even
today millions of people throughout the world,
and in the Orient in particular, look upon the
Vernal Equinox as the first day of a new annual
cycle.
Now, let us Rosicrucians think of this Vernal
Equinox in the light of its being the right time
to sow and to plant. I do not mean the time to
plant corn, for example, or the time to plant seeds
that will produce billowing fields of wheat or
rye, or to plant vegetables in our back yards for
home consumption. Rather, I mean that we as
Rosicrucians should think it the time to plant
the seeds of the future. To plant those seeds
which will mature and grow into those things
which we will want to harvest and to reap in
the remaining years of our lives, whether those
years be fifteen or fifty. W hat do we want our
harvest to be? The answer to that question should

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

determine what we should start planting now.

Our present harvest today of social disorder, of
war, of slaughter of men, of the destruction of
materials, d is s ip a tio n of power, energy, and
thoughtall of the things which we deplore and
which we are now reapingare the result of
poor planting and poor planning. It is due to the
corrupt seeds which were put deep into the con'
sciousness of man during the past many years.
So at this time, let us first plant the seeds of
spiritual value, from which we hope will grow
that happiness we want to reap. Let us ask our'
selves, W ho do we th in \ we are? In other
words, just what kind of a being are you? Are
you a first cause? A re things all dependent upon
you? Did you create the world in which you
exist? Did you create all of the things you use
daily? If we are fair with ourselves, we are, of
course obliged to admit that we didnt create
these things; that they are here, and that we
exercise little or no control over them, except to
combine them in formations which may prove of
value or interest to us. Consequently, if we
didnt create these things and didnt even create
ourselves, then there must be some other cause.
In our further examination, in our further in'
quiry, we are obliged to ask ourselves then,
W hat is our relation to this other cause? Are
we subordinate to it? Are we inferior to it? Are
we the direct result of it? On the other hand,
are we perhaps a cause ourselves equal to it?
May we be independent of this other cause, go'
ing our way, doing as we please, and disregard'
ing the other? W e find, however, that our be'
ings, our material substance; our very entity de'
pends upon certain very definite phenomena.
First, of course, there is birth, and there are no
exceptions to it. Then there is a maturing and
growth, that assimilation, that development to
which we are alike subject.
A nd so we discover, with respect to ourselves,
that there is a dependable, progressive order. One
thing evolves into the next, each reaching higher
in the scale of development like a series of rungs
in a ladder. As an example, there is the human
embryo. W e find that it passes through numer'
ous successive stages, each one corresponding to
the lesser form of some other living thing before
it finally attains human form. There can be no
exception to these stages, no deviation, no change,
or there would be no human. And then in the
greater realm, we discover still other phenomena,
phenomena which defy alterations. W e observe
the recurring seasons and all that which depends
upon them, and as we explore the heavens over'
head, we observe the ceaseless motion of the
planets. And we are also aware of the constancy
of the speed of light. The persistent action of
this phenomenon, its continuous function during
those intervals of consciousness, which we call

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

time; their apparent causes and the effects which

follow from themall of this we have come to
call and to recognise as law. Then this other
cause is law.
This system of laws which we have discovered
is supreme; it is superior to all else, because we
find that each thing is dependent upon it for its
existence, follows from it in fact. Is then, after
all, the initial cause, this first cause in the uni
verse, mechanistic? Is it just a series of events,
one developing out of the other like a concatena
tion of explosions, one producing the other? Can
we think of this system being so mechanistic that
it is like a laboratory formula, a mathematical
equation, by which things are put together in the
universe in an impersonal way?
Continuing further with our inquiry, we dis
cover, however, that this system of laws, this first
cause, does have certain definite immaterial values.
W e find that these laws are immutable, un
changeable, that they are not corruptible, that
they cant be set aside, that they cannot be with
held, that they work for the rich and for the
poor, for the wise and for the ignorant, that they
work for those who are slaves and equally for
those who are prominent or in positions of great
power. W hat do we call such conditions or those
effects, or that kind of action which works equal
ly for and against all men? Do we not say that
that sort of conduct or activity is justice? There
fore, we must hold that justice as an immaterial
value exists in this great system of Cosmic laws.
W e know as well that though these laws fol
low from the necessity of their own nature, man
is permitted to direct them, to use them, employ
them, and can derive benefit from them. Some
thing then which will serve other than itself is
not selfish, and so we must also attribute to this
system of laws, this first cause, another imma
terial value, that of unselfishness.
Since these laws in the universe are allinclusive, nothing having been left out, nothing
being extraneous to them and they are complete,
they are also then perfect. And perfection is
therefore, still another immaterial value, which
we must add to them.
Baruch Spinosa, the Portuguese Jewish philos*
opher, used the term: Sub-Specie Aetematatis,
which means, under a form of eternity. He
held that no thing by itself is self-explanatory.
No thing must be adjudged as it appears alone
and unrelated to all other things, because no
thing has independent existence, and its internal
nature can only be known to man as it is related
to all else under a form of eternity. In other
words, it can only be known as it is related to
the entire whole of this system of natural laws.
Consequently, when we adjudge a thing to be
false, to be wrong, or to be evil, it is merely be

Page 149

cause we are not aware of that which preceded

it, that which is subsequent to it, or its part in
relation to the whole. Consequently there can be
no such thing as evil or wrong in this system of
universal laws. They are eternal, they are har
monious, they are united, and consequently they
are peaceful. These laws have then still another
immaterial value, that of peace.
Now, to human beings justice, perfection, and
peace are not conditions inherent in nature alone,
or that arise out of material things, but we say
that these conceptions are exalted qualities of
mind. If they are qualities of mind, and if we
have found them to exist in this first cause as
well, then we must hold that this universal system
of laws is also mind. Consequently, by an intel
lectual process, by our own reasoning, we have
discovered the true nature of the Great Cause.
W e have found that it is not just ubiquitous law,
but, I repeat, that it is mind. W e are not obliged,
therefore, to accept the opinions and the con
jectures of others as to the content of this first
cause, what it is, what they may think it to be,
for we can by our own intellectual powers prove
to ourselves what it is, and that is far more inti
mate than the acceptance of anothers ideas.
But now, we want to know, how can we ex
perience this Divine Mind? W e can experience
it through a kind of knowledge, a distinctive kind
of knowledge, a knowledge of which most men
know little, and to which few men give much
thought. Knowledge is of two kinds. The first
is most common. It is perceptual. It is the knowl
edge which we experience through our peripheral
or objective senses. It is the accumulation of our
daily experiences, the impressions that come to
us through the channels of sight and hearing, for
example.
There is a second kind of knowledge which is
very important, and that we call apperception
It is the knowledge of understanding. The knowl
edge which permits us to know the content of
that which we experience. It is the result of de
duction, of ratiocination. It is one thing to per
ceive something. It is another thing to under
stand it. This latter kind of knowledge makes us
discriminating, makes us comprehend the part
that everything plays in life and the universe,
and their relationship to ourselves. It is this dis
crimination which most of us lack. I am remind
ed of an account, a reference in the writings of
Dr. Charles Kingsley, prominent author of social
ism of the last century. He states that upon one
occasion, while he was dissecting a caterpillar in
his study, a friend of his, who was superficially
inclined and who lacked this discrimination, was
amased at the exquisite viscera of the caterpillar,
and said to Dr. Kingsley: I always thought that
they were just skin and squash. It is, therefore,
necessary to have this understanding.

Page 150

Having understanding is the mystical approach

to God, to this Divine Mind. As we gain under
standing, things fall into their proper order, like
parts of a vast jigsaw puzzle; nothing remains
outside of the pale of its proper order. Fears and
doubts disappear. For something which we un
derstand we do not fear. W e know how to
overcome or master it. Furthermore, when we
understand something, its true nature is known
to us. There is no confusion, and consequently
doubt must disappear. W ith this understanding,
this apperception, self, things of the world, and
things of the universe become one, and with that
we experience the great Divine Oneness of the
whole, of the absolute.
But there is still another crop to sow, other
seeds to plant, for it is necessary that we plant
those seeds which bring about proper human re
lations. Most of our problems, most of our dif
ficulties, and our joys as well, are derived from
our relations with othersmembers of our fami
lies, the persons with whom we work, the peoples
of our community and our nation. The first seed
of this next crop to plant, is that which requires
you to be yourself. By being yourself, we mean,
let yourself go, react freely to your environment,
within the bounds of your own conscience, and
within the limitations set up by reason and good
judgment.
D o n t assume a mas\. Dont fall into a role.
Dont copy or imitate someone else. A fter all, a
role implies a deficiency. If we are acting like
someone else, it definitely means (whether we
admit it or not) that to ourselves we realize some
inadequacies in our personality, some deficiency,
some meanness about our disposition, some lack
mentally or physically, of which we are ashamed
or we wouldnt hide behind the mask. A fter
all, when we set up a silk screen in our homes
or elsewhere, for example, why do we do it? It
isnt to bar someone; it isnt to keep some one out,
because the silk screen is not sufficient for that.
Rather, it is to hide something, something that
we are not proud of, or something which we do
not want others to see or know that we have.
And a mask or role which you assume is for the
same sort of thing, it is to hide something about
yourself.
In defense of wearing a mask or playing a
rolebeing like someone else or something they
really are notsome persons attempt to justify
their position by saying, my role, my mask, has
brought or made for me many friends. That is
just itthe mask has made many friends, but
you have not. The real you hasnt made any
friends, because these friends do not know the
real you. Sometime by accident, unintentionally,
inadvertently someone may penetrate the mask
or you may let it drop for just a second, and the
real you will be revealed. The friends will dis

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

appear, for they were not yours, they were

friends of the mask. They wont like the real
you, I repeat, because they wont know it. So
get away from these roles and masks, and face
realities. Be yourself, admit any weaknesses you
have and any insufficiencies. Start now to cor
rect them, and the friends you make will be the
friends that will last, for they will never discover
any deception because you will not be deceiving
anyone.
Another seed to plant is not to take lightly in
life, in our relations with others, those things
which establish us with other people. In other
words those things which cause you to be accepted
by other people. Remember, the physical things
about you, your clothes, your mannerisms, the
way you comb your hair, the kind of lipstick or
rouge you usethose are things which merely
designate you, which merely set you off, as a
number, or like a label, from other things. They
help others to know that you are not someone
else, but they do not place you with other people.
Let us use the analogy of a book upon a shelf.
The cover and the color of the book constitute its
mere individuality. They make it separate on the
shelf from other books, but they are not the real
reason why that book is there. The important
part of that book is its subject matter, its con
tents, that which it contains, that which is be
tween the two covers. This subject matter of the
book is its personality, and it is that which estab
lishes it with the reader, which places it with
him, not just its color or design. Therefore, think
well of those things which establish you, not
merely distinguish you from others.
Now, without entering into any homely plati
tudes or aphorisms, or without concerning our
selves with the moral or ethical reasons why we
should tell the truth, let us reason out the prac
tical value of telling the truth in human rela
tions. N o individual today, in his conduct with
others, can afford to be known as a prevaricator.
Aside from any idealistic, religious, or moral
point of view, you cant afford to be excluded
from society because of untruths. The benefits
you enjoy, many of them, most of them, in fact,
the many opportunities which come to your at
tention in the social and business worlds, are the
result of the confidence you have established, in
others about yourself. To the extent that you
make people have confidence in you, to that ex
tent do they turn to you, wrork with you, and use
your abilities and services. You, therefore, cant
afford to do anything, no matter how inconse
quential it may seem, which disrupts this confi
dence to any degree.
A promise may make or break that confidence.
Did you ever stop to think just what a promise
really is? It is an invitation to others to rely
upon you. W hen you make a promise, you ask

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that person, by implication, to rely upon what

you say, upon your word; to have faith in that
word. W hen you break a promise, you do more
than destroy confidence. In a sense, you are a
thief because one who steals the faith of another
is after all a thief, is he not? Today, we as peo
ples, as nations, deplore the fact that governments, political systems and countries with little
regard break pacts and treaties, when for the
moment they seem not to serve their personal in
terests. W e consider such conduct morally de
grading and an indication of the degeneration of
a people, and yet, unfortunately, the average
man and woman break their promises in numer
ous ways. Many persons make promises which,
at the very time they make them, they do not
intend to keep. They are just evasions. For ex
ample, if you say to someone, I will drop around
at 8:00 oclock tomorrow night at your home, or
at your office, to talk the matter over, and if
you do not and if you didnt intend to, you have
broken down confidence, no matter how inconse
quential the material effects of the broken prom
ise. If you do that, you cannot expect others who
hold more important positions concerning your
affairs and the direction of your government, or
other governments to do otherwise.
Another seed that we must plant in this crop
of human relations is one of conservation. Dont
spread yourself too thin. Dont distribute your '
powers, your abilities, and your talents over a
field of too many enterprises. Dont participate
in too many ventures. Dont join this club, that
class, that movement, that group, and everything
that is urged or imposed upon you. The human
mind has various interests, and what may seem
extremely fascinating and appealing to another
may not have much important consequence to
you, and unless it does, do not be persuaded to
participate. Again, dont spread yourself too
thin.
For example, an ice cube can resist consider
ably more pressure as such, than as if the same
amount of water were frozen thinly over a large
area. The first unusual pressure would cause this
thin coating of ice to crack under the strain, but
the ice cube being more concentrated would re
sist. Many persons are failures in life, discour'
aged, despondent, and puzzled. They worry as
to why they dont get somewhere. They study
art one night, music the next, and science the
next; they feel that certainly success should come
out of one of those ventures. They are dissipating
their powers. If you want to participate in num
erous studies, make your studies relate to each
other, so that each thing in which you participate
is like a link in a chain. W hen the pressure gets
a little heavy on one, you can draw on the others
to support it. If you dont do that, they all fall
apart and you are left in confusion.

Page 151

A nd now there is still another crop which we

should sow, if we are to reap the kind of future
which we want. W e should safeguard against
the many false ideals wrhich are prevalent today,
and which th r o u g h subtle propaganda, many
times for selfish reasons, are being imposed upon
us. Some of these are fantastic propositions for
economic independence, for the acquisition of
wealth, their main theme being that the world
owes you something. Let me be emphatic at this
time in saying that the world doesnt owe you a
thing. All that you were ever entitled to from
nature, from the Divine mind, was given to you
when you were born. The greatest blessing and
gift that you could ever receive is birth your
existence as a being.
You were born rich, not poor. You were born
powerful, not weak. You were born with great
opportunities, not devoid of any, for when you
were bom you were given a chest of great tools.
They are the greatest treasure anyone could have
the tools of your Divine faculties, of reason,
of consciousness, of apperception, and of will.
You are truly wealthy when you have these
things. It is not incumbent upon the Divine law
or the world at large to give you anything more;
it has discharged its obligation with your birth.
If you feel that there is something more that you
need, if you feel that there must be brought to
gether in peculiar combinations substances or
things to afford you what you conceive of as hap
piness and as pleasure, if you want anything
more, it is up to you. You have to make it, you
have to get it, you have to start to use those tools
that were given to you.
Nothing in a complete state will be dumped
into your lap after your birth. You cant be a
miser in life. You cant spare yourself. You cant
run away from effort, circumstances, and re
sponsibilities. You have to spend life, spend your
self, your talents, your efforts, make investments
of your abilities. If you do, with that expendi
ture of self you will be able to make those pur
chases, bring about those things you think are
necessary to be added to life itself.
Also, we should avoid another false idea that
is prevalent today. W e should not accept the
divergent opinions of specialists. The world needs
specialists today; human endeavor and enterprise
are becoming more and more specialized, the re
sult of economic training and limited experience
in certain fields. M ans opinions on that in which
he has been trained, or with regard to that in
which he has had considerable experience are of
the utmost importance. His opinions, however,
on matters outside of his specialized training are
of no more consequence, and should have no
more weight with you than your own good com
mon sense and judgment. You should not be

Page 152

awe-inspired by the opinions of a specialist, if

they are divergent to his experience.
For example, a man who has become renowned
as a leading manufacturer of automobiles, who is
recognised as an industrial genius, and mechani
cal genius as well, must be respected and accepted in that field, as the result of great experience
and training, but his opinions on immortality,
for example, or life after death have no more
weight than those of any other individual. And
when the opinions of a renowned automobile
manufacturer on immortality are syndicated in
magazine or newspaper articles, do not be im
pressed by them; attach no more weight to them
than as if you were to listen to Neighbor Jones
or Neighbor Smith express his opinion upon the
same subject. His opinions in that field are out
side the scope of his training and great specialised
experience.
A prominent merchant who has attained great
wealth and power, and who occupies a lavish of
fice in a skyscraper in one of the large cities of
this country, may direct from that office a great
chain of merchandising stores throughout the na
tion, yet his conception of God should no more
be accepted by you, no more taken to be your
own, than that of any other individual. It is true
that such great specialists use logic, they use
reasoning, they use the power of their minds;
the success they have made in their profession
or field is proof of that. But all too often, and in
the majority of instances, they have harnessed all
of their abilities to one thing, put all of their in
tellectual eggs in one basket, and when they step
outside of that field it is amasing how often many
of these specialists have the most elementary, ex
traneous, and childlike ideas. You would be sur
prised if you could talk to some of these promi
nent menprominent in certain limited fields
how simple, behind the times, and illogical are
their conceptions of other matters. You, there
fore, make a tremendous mistake if you accept
the divergent opinions of specialists.
The mind is a great light. Anything upon
which it is concentrated or focused stands out in
sharp relief, clearly, complete, and comprehen
sive, and becomes a definite part of our under
standing. But that light of the mind, if it wants
to be all-embracing, if it wants to embrace the
world in which it exists, must be like a search
light on a shaft, it must revolve, it must con
centrate on numerous things, make many things
stand out equally sharp, equally distinct. If a
searchlight is trained continuously in one direc
tion, if the light of mind is specialized, it often
becomes one track.
The foregoing, therefore, are my suggestions
to each of you as seeds to plant at this time of
the year. Bury them deep in the furrows of your

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

consciousness, and each will then reap in the

future years of his life the kind of harvest he
wants. X

Rumors and Opinions

W hat is a rumor? It is that which is related
to us in a written or verbal form, and which may
have no factual foundation.
The content of every statement that is made
to us, or which comes to our attention, is not al
ways self-evident nor, can it be immediately
proven. Furthermore, each of us today cannot
take the time to do the needed research or make
the necessary investigation as to whether a thing
is true or not. Consequently, we are obliged to
put faith in many statements made. Unfortunate
ly, we often misplace such faith, and when we do
that, we give strength to rumors.
There are statements that under no circum
stances should ever be accorded the confidence of
faith for they are too dangerous in themselves.
A statement that impugns, for example, the char
acter of an individual, institution, or an activity
about which you have no personal knowledge,
should never be passed on without a thorough
investigation. W hen you do pass on such re
marks, whether they originate in the written or
verbal word, you imply to others that you sanc
tion the information. It indicates that you think
it to be true. Most certainly you would not re
port the statement if you knew it to be false.
Therefore, if the circumstances are not person
ally known to you, you are guilty of malice afore
thought in making the remarks.
W hen you relate to another a rumor, it indi
cates that you know it to be true, and that it is
reliable information given by you 'under the in
fluence of your best motives. Such conduct by
you is obviously deceptive. You cant frankly
tell, by passing it on, whether you are helping
the one to whom you give the information or
tearing down very wrongly the one to whom it
refers. It amounts to shooting an arrow blindly
in the dark, does it not?
W hen derogatory statements come to your at
tention, there is one of two things you should do
if you are honest with your conscience. First,
investigate. Look up or refer to the particulars
or the parties to whom the remarks have refer
ence. Get the other side of the story. Remember,
even the thinnest sheet of paper has two sides.
Let the defendant in the matter have a chance,
by letter, telephone, or in person, to be able to
offer as much in his defense as the rumor has
said in attacking him. A fter all, you would want
the same done for you, would you not? If you
cannot get to the other side for their comment
of refutation or explanation, then you have the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

alternative to follow. The alternative is to squash

the storysuppress it until you have the time to
know more about it.
Do not pass on an incomplete, and therefore
possibly inaccurate, tale. There are few, very
few , statements coming from so authoritative a
source that you are justified in passing on their
detrimental remarks without f u r th e r inquiry,
whether they strike at the reputation of an in
dividual or the merit of an enterprise. State'
ments made by your government and its agents
through its authorized channels are one of the
few exceptions. These official statements represent all the legal interests of our organized society
and the welfare of every man and woman. They
are intended to work for all law-abiding citizens,
and against none. Since you know by means of
the Constitution of the United States the motive
of such statements, you are warranted in passing
them on.
Men are complex beings. The intricate work
ings of their minds and the play of their emotions
have as many different expressions as they have
eyes to see and tongues to speak. Therefore, no
individual should be so explicitly trusted, or faith
vested in him so blindly, that his words which
might annihilate the character of another or blast
the good work of a group or department of the
government should be accepted without question.
W e would not permit another, regardless of his
repute, his intelligence, or his specialized accomplishments, to throw a knife in the darkness
where innocent persons might become his inten
tional or unintentional victims. Consequently,
we must not pass on unsubstantiated remarks
which have the potentiality of injury, no matter
who makes them or what their nature our
government being the exception, for in it we
must put trust, for it represents us. If we have
no trust in ourselves, we are doomed.
An opinion is a conclusion of thought. Time
and circumstances may prove it to be right. An
opinion, however, cannot be right until it has
been experienced as a realitythen it no longer
is opinion, it is \nowledge. Everyone has a right
to an opinion which amounts to a shuffling
about in the mind the things one knows with
those one does not, with a generous mixture of a
little imagination. If there is to be any progress
in life, we cannot wait for things to happen. W e
have to put ourselves intellectually, by means of
opinion, in a position where they may happen
and thus we learn.
The man who advances an opinion must be hoiv
est with others as well as with himself, and offer
it for what it is worth and not as knowledge.
If he does not do this he may cause disaster by
falsely inviting the confidence of many others in
his words. Since an opinion is the adventure of

Page 153

thought offer it just as such. All then may be

prepared for an eventuality, just in case reality
may reveal it to be erroneously formed.
You would not invite your friends to walk
boldly through an unknown dark passageway
with you, under the impression that you \new
there was no danger ahead. You would not want
to assume such a responsibility. Likewise, then,
when you pass on any opinion, always designate
it as one. Do not let opinion go forth camou
flaged as knowledge or fact, so that it may bring
suffering and misfortune to others who have re
lied upon it. You have a right to your opinions
but see that they travel under no false banners.
X

Applied Rosicrucianism
This morning we received an interesting letter
from one of our members who is an enthusiastic
reader of the Rosicrucian Forum. This frater has
been most conscientious in his application of the
Rosicrucian principles. He is anxious to make
outstanding demonstrations in the practical ap
plication of the laws of concentration and the
direction of conditions through the power of
mind. Our frater has outlined his method of
practice that is the product of his Rosicrucian
studies and his personal experiences. He has
asked that the Department of Instruction analyze
his system of operation and make any suggestions
deemed necessary to improve his technique and
assure the results he anticipates.
After a careful study of his plan of action, it
seems that nothing of real importance can be
suggested to him. This is because he is carefully
following his monographs; and if anything of real
value to the student were found or discovered
through experiment, it would naturally be in
corporated in the lessons. However, he does make
one very significant statement that should be con
sidered here in the Forum circle. To make the
point clear to all, permit the quoting of two sen
tences from his letter: W e will suppose that I
desire a certain person to do something. It may
be he is not inclined to do as I wish. O ur frater
then goes on to outline the method he uses to
bring about the manifestation of the laws of con
centration he desires to demonstrate. His method
needs no discussion here, for you can all refer to
the Rosicrucian lessons that deal with this subject.
W hat is important, however, is the statement,
It may be he is not inclined to do as I wish.
Now this is very important, because it means the
frater desires to force an action on the part of
another against his will. If the subject of his
concentration is sufficiently weak in will and de
termination, the experiment may be successful.
However, even in the demonstratons of hypno

Page 154

tism, where the subject has willingly submitted

to the hypnotic state and is thus entirely in the
hands of the operator, only those suggestions
compatible with the Divine Mind will be car
ried through. For example, you cannot will an
other to commit crime or to destroy himself or
another. He will, on the other hand, perform all
manner of foolish parlor stunts to the great
amusement of his audience. Tests and experi
ments that have been made consistently show that
the one hypnotized will not respond to sugges
tions that he commit murder or destroy himself
through suicide. It is necessary to have the will
ing cooperation of the subject for tests in hypno
tism unless it is being used by the physician in
handling cases in the psychopathic ward, work
ing with the mentally weak and ill. This being
the case, can our frater hope for much success
in mentally directing another against his will?
If the wish or desire is compatible with Cosmic
law and for some definite benefit to mankind,
the resistance of the will may be broken down by
constant direction of the thought to the subject.
O ur frater has also mentioned his desire to
have the subject think that the idea is his own.
Perhaps fortunately, this is usually the case. W e
often receive a mental impression directed to us
by another without knowledge of it. W e may,
for instance, have a desire to call someone on the
telephone; and when asked if we received a
mental message to do so, will say, No, I just
thought I would call. However, this thought
could easily have come as a result of a message
being directed to us.
Our frater may be sold on the merits of a
product he is handling in his store, and he may
desire to sell this product to another, say one of
his steady customers who has for years used the
product of another manufacturer. Now our frater
has placed in his store the usual placards and
displays setting forth the reasons why the new
product is better. He has even had an oppor
tunity to praise the new product verbally to the
stubborn customer who is satisfied with the old
brand. Is there any way in which our frater
can break down the customers sales resistance?
He knows from experience that he cannot con
tinuously hound the customer about this mat
ter, for the customer may resent it and stop com
ing into the store. He has done everything ob
jectively possible to sell the article. Here is a
case where success may follow the use of mental
suggestion to the customer. In fact, here is a time
when his effort may meet with complete success.
It is true that the customer has made up his mind.
It is true that he does not wish to change his
brand of the product. It is quite obvious that he
has a strong will, for he has withstood the bar
rage of advertising thrown in his direction, and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

only an American can appreciate what this means

here in the United States of America.
Now our frater should select a time when he
can be reasonably sure that the object of his at
tention is in a passive, meditative mood, perhaps
just after he has finished dinner in the evening
when he probably will relax for a little while and
rest. Sometimes just before the evening meal is
a better hour to select. To know ones habits is
helpful in a matter of this kind. If the habits
are not known, then the experiment should be
performed late at night when it is unlikely that
the subject is awake and thus mentally engaged
and active. O ur frater should then proceed, as
his lessons direct, to send a, mental picture of the
product that he desires to sell. This will definite
ly require confidence and especially patience be
fore the experiment will be crowned with suc
cess. It is true that any suggestion received and
realized will be subtle and will be presumed to
come from the mind of the customer, but he will
immediately discard it at first, as he has done be
fore. However, keeping up the practice daily,
perhaps several times a day, for a week, two
weeks, or even a month, may eventually break
down the resistance of the customer, mainly be
cause he believes that the whole idea is his and
he is not being forced into something against his
will.
This is truly a demonstration of direction by
suggestion and we believe our frater will be suc
cessful in his efforts as long as he keeps his ex
periments within the limitations which have been
set forth in his monographs. He must not, for
example, try to use this method to sell a worth
less product. He should make every effort to
prove the claims of the manufacturer. It is not
enough that he is sold on the product. A fter all,
he may himself be misguided and fooled by the
claims of the maker of the product. He should
satisfy himself that the customer is going to be
benefited by the change in brand. He should not
desire that this change be made simply to give
himself a little more profit. It is safe to say that
no specific rules can be laid down on this matter,
for each case requires individual attention and
analysis. Generally speaking, we cannot simply
expect to direct one hither and yon, forcing him
to do this or that as we see fit. W e cannot do
this in the material, mundane affairs of life. W hy,
therefore, anticipate doing it in the spiritual af
fairs of man?

Acquiring Cosmic Consciousness

A question which I think is in the minds of
many people was expressed in a letter received
from a Frater recently, who asked concerning
whether or not a great many problems in the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

world today and the solution of those problmes

were not dependent upon the acquisition by
more people of additional insight into the laws
of the Universe and the mysteries of life. There
is no doubt that if every human being in the
world today had developed the full potentialities
of his or her being we would not be engaged in
a war. In other words, whether they be on the
part of individuals or on the part of nations,
troubles are the results of misadjustments; they
are the means by which we learn lessons to com'
pensate for error.
If we all had Cosmic Consciousness to the
highest degree error would probably be complete'
ly eliminated, and consequently, there would be
no penalty to pay for error. Such a perfect world
is inconceivable to usa world in which every
human being had advanced to a state of Cosmic
Consciousness where his whole life and activities
would be completely in attunement and in har'
mony with God and the laws of the Universe.
Such would be a Utopia, and although plans
have been made by philosophers and writers for
an ideal state or an ideal group existence, the
plan has frequently begun or been established
upon the wrong premise. As any Rosicrucian
can see, such an ideal condition must begin with
the individual. W e cannot understand what kind
of an existence or what motives and incentives
there would be for living and advancing any
further if we had all reached a state of absolute
Cosmic Consciousness and perfection. Surely
such a state exists at some future time, and no
doubt when we reach it we will find more noble
enterprises and activities for our abilities. There
will be greater fields of accomplishment before us.
There will be necessities toward which we must
strive, although in all probability much error will
be eliminated; that is, man will be able to func'
tion on a higher plane and his adjustments, in
turn, will be on a higher and more noble plane.
W e must consider Cosmic Consciousness as a
process in our particular state of development
rather than an accepted thing in itself. It is
necessary to realise that as in the case of many
things any terminology adopted to describe de'
velopment of any kind is purely arbitrary. For
example, we might say that you, I and every
normal human being in the world today posses'
ses self'consciousness; that is, the consciousness
which makes us able to put together the sensa'
tions which we receive through our perspective
apparatus. In other words, I look out of the
window of my office at the moment and see a
number of things. I can combine what I see with
what I hear, the way I feel, with past experience,
with my ability to reason, and as a result gain a
comprehensive picture of the view out of the
window. I can place it as a certain scene and

Page 155

manifestation of certain laws of nature. I can

realise it is a place I have been before and that
there is nothing unusual there insofar as I judge
by my experience. In other words, our self'
consciousness makes it possible for us to connect
our experience in the form of reason and judg'
ment with what we perceive at the moment, and
to live intelligently in accord with the demands
about us, social, moral and otherwise. W ithin
our consciousness we construct our ideal, pur'
poses and aspirations. Therefore, we might say
that our self'consciousness is a cross section of
what we really are at any one particular time.
The question might be asked as to where con'
sciousness leaves off and Cosmic Consciousness
begins. Here we have the illustration of the fact
that it is a matter of real terminology. Just as
there can be no dividing line between night and
daya point where day ceases and night begins
or between natural and' supernatural, or be'
tween any two other established phenomena, so
it is that consciousness, self'consciousness, Cosmic
Consciousness or any other term that we use is
only an arbitrary statement of our conception of
a thing or of a state of mind. Consciousness is
a condition rather than a static arbitrarily estab'
lished point. Man can constantly raise his coiv
scious level or he can let it remain as it is. W e
raise our conscious level from birth through adult
development; that is, as we gain understanding
and new conceptions we are expanding our con'
sciousness. To the fullest extent that we use our
abilities we are further extending our conscious'
ness, and the more completely we come into ac*
cord with the laws of the Universe and with the
laws of nature and God, the nearer we approach
to a point which might be called a state of perfect
or complete Cosmic Consciousness.
In reality we all have Cosmic Consciousness.
It is not a question with us of the acquisition of
Cosmic Consciousness but of the development of
it. All members of this organisation have acquir'
ed a certain degree of Cosmic Consciousness or
they would not be in the organisation. It is their
realisation that they are developing abilities that
causes them to go ahead and to study. Naturally,
the desire of every sincere student is to know
how to continue this development and how to
gain a more complete development withiin the
least time and by the best methods. As pointed
out in some of the lower degree teachings of the
Order, occasionally the least method is the best.
That is why the Rosicrucian teachings consid'
cred as a whole are made for the development oi
Cosmic Consciousness. The degree of Cosmic
Consciousness that any individual has at any
particular time depends to a certain extent upon
his advancement in the teachings, but depends
primarily upon his use and application of the

Page 156

principles involved in the instruction that he has

received. In other words, the teachings them
selves do not create a certain degree of Cosmic
Consciousness within you. They provide the
necessary information by which you can be con
stantly developing and increasing the condition
of Cosmic Consciousness within you. Many sin
cere students question why it is that the con
scientious student cannot be told how he can
develop a state of Cosmic Consciousness more
specifically; why he cannot be told how to do it
as he can be told how to perform any other act
of daily life and then by practicing improve and
develop his technique. The reason can be illus
trated better than it can be explained, but first
bear in mind that it is impossible for a human
being to understand a condition of which he has
had no realization either through understanding
or experience. In other words, you cannot con
ceive of a condition or a state that is beyond your
knowledge and experience.
If you visualize, for example, what the Planet
of Mars would look like if you were suddenly
placed upon it, your whole conception would be
based upon past experience. W hile you could
imagine conditions very different in organization
and arrangement from what you are familiar
with on this earth, you still would imagine noth
ing completely new. Artists have attempted to
paint pictures of imaginary scenes on another
planet, but if you will analyze such a picture you
will find that the elements of the picture itself
are composed of conditions and things that are
the same as things with which we are familiar
here, even though in another form.
A higher degree of Cosmic Consciousness than
you now possess is something of which you have
no knowledge and have not experienced. There
fore, if anyone tells you that they can explain a
process to reach that state, they are m error and
either trying to deceive you or are misinformed
themselves. T ry this experiment: As you read
this article stop for a moment and think of some
thing you were doing six or twelve hours prev
iously. Think of some event that took place in
the past twelve hours that stands out vividly in
your memory. Give your whole attention to that
incident for a period of thirty seconds or a min
ute. A fter you have thought of it to the point
where you almost feel you are re-living it, re
adjust your thinking. Eliminate from your mind
the use of all words and visualization. In other
words, without using words in your thinking or
visualizing, try again to think of the same inci
dent. You will find that you cannot do it; you
will find that your memory is built up primarily
of visual images and words. W e translate prac
tically all our experiences into the terms of our
vocabulary. One modern psychologist defines

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

thinking as the process of sub-vocal talking. To

a certain extent this definition is quite accurate.
W ill you deny that when you think it is usually
no more or less than a process of talking to your
self? W e know that to be. The reason you can
not clearly think of an incident that is taken
from your memory without utilizing words or
imagery is because you cannot conceive of an in
cident except in terms of your experience. If
you cannot reconstruct in your own conscious
ness an incident with which you are familiar
without the utilization of the products of your
knowledge and experience, how could you con
ceive of reconstructing in consciousness a condi
tion concerning which you know nothing either
through knowledge or experience? That is why
the states of development in Cosmic Conscious
ness must be acquired by the individual. They
cannot be handed to one from the outside.
It is also completely clear why the interpreta
tion of psychic experience and psychic phe
nomena cannot be done second-handed. W e re
peatedly state from the lower degree monographs
into the higher degrees that psychic experience
will become understandable to you and to you
alone, because the product of experience is in
terms of your understanding, not in terms of
another individuals. Let us illustrate this by the
following example: Imagine that three individ
uals had an identical psychic experience. Let us
say these three individuals had a vision which
was inspirational and which produced within
them a sense of the magnificence of the laws of
God and brought out into their beings the ideals
of good and beauty.
Now, let us further consider these three in
dividuals as all being creative, as all having ad
vanced in the development of their Cosmic Con
sciousness, so that they could grasp something
from a vision or experience of this kind and put
it into actual manifestation. W e will consider
these three individuals as being a musician, a
painter and an engineer. Now, what form would
the interpretation of this psychic experience take
in these individuals? W ould not each convert the
experience into terms of his objective training
and understanding? W ould it not be logical that
the ideals of good and beauty incorporated into
the experience would cause the musician to find
inspiration for a magnificent piece of music?
Would not the artist incorporate the same prin
ciples into a great painting, and the engineer do
the same in an engineering achievement? If each
of these individuals proceeded through the in
spiration he had received to bring about an ob
jective manifestation of this psychic experience
and you could see before you the result of each
ones work, you might say in examining each that
the creator of that particular thingwhether it
be a painting, a symphony or a building, was

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

truly inspired. However, beyond that you could

not trace in any way the source of these three
manifestations as being identical.
The psychic experience which you have will be
transformed in your objective experience, based
upon your understanding and your abilities. No
one can interpret that experience for you, be
cause you alone are obligated to interpret it into
purposeful existence in the world to serve others
who are seeking for further development. There
fore, the acquisition of Cosmic Consciousness is
not an event; it is a process. The best we can
do is to work to achieve the continuation of the
process itself.A

Do Babies Think?
There have been a number of letters of late
from young mothers who are anxious to know
whether or not their babies think. There are
those who, upon observing the reactions of their
babies, are quite convinced that they think. It
would be difficult indeed to convince these proud
and loving mothers that their babies reactions are
more or less instinctive rather than the result of
pure reasoning. In discussing this question in
various sources it is found that opinions vary.
There is the school of thought claiming that the
baby cannot think because he has no language,
and man cannot think without one. In other
words, a language is required before one can
reason a problem and analyze a situation. Then
there are those of the school that claims man can
think without using a language, and this is proven
by the artist who often thinks in colors, never
calling them by name, but rather seeing them just
as they are or will be when placed upon the
canvas. Then we have the trainer of dogs who
will claim that the dog thinks and yet cannot
speak in the sense that we are accustomed to
understand the meaning of the word.
Thousand of experiments have been conducted
with young babies, even those just a few hours
old, in an attempt to settle this question once
and for all. It would seem from some observa
tions that very young babies do at times think.
For example, it does not take a baby long to find
out that its cries will bring the attention of its
mother or, in this modern world in which we
live, its father. I can hear some of you grand
fathers who have walked the floors as in the days
of old saying, W hat do you mean, this modern
world?"; and perhaps you are right, for after all,
there is today less and less tendency to rock, hold,
and walk the baby.
One question that has held the attention of the
experimenter to a great extent is how old a baby
is before he or she will smile. W e recall the first
occasion of seeing a very young baby smile. It

Page 157

was quite thrilling in view of the fact that the

child was only a matter of a few weeks old.
Great disappointment followed when it was ob
served that the smile was the result of gas pains
in the stomach and not recognition of a proud,
grinning father. It is generally conceded that
such recognition does not occur until the baby is
about three or four months old, and then it will
be of the mother and not the father.
So far we have been looking at this question
purely from the modern psychological point of
view, not from the mystical side at all. Let us
see what Rosicrucian mysticism says. A very
early monograph states that the thinking, know
ing part of man is not the brain but the mind,
and further that mind exists with or without a
seat of sensation such as a brain. The implica
tion is that the one-celled animal thinks and has
intelligence. Demonstrations are made to prove
it. Minute cells are agitated or soothed by play
ing varied colored lights upon them. Intelligence
is displayed by plant life; for example, the sun
flower. It turns its head or blossom toward the
sun. The morning glory closes its bud and seems
to go to sleep at night. It awakens in the morn
ing and opens its petals to the glorious lifegiving
rays of the sun. There are thousands more that
could be mentioned. Mysticism even implies that
intelligence exists in mineral life. It speaks of the
living rock. Can it be said that mind is not at
work in the magnificent crystal formations to be
noted in quartz, for example?
But what is this intelligence? Can puny man
with his material limitations name it? Perhaps,
but can he really understand it? W e generally
speak of this great and masterful force as the in
telligence of God, the mind of God working
throughout the wondrous manifestations of na
ture. If we accept the existence of such an in
telligence in plant life and in mineral life, we
cannot possibly exclude it from the animal king
dom and, of course, this takes in the genus homo.
This takes us back to the original question. Does
the tiny baby think or are its actions merely un
controlled reflexes, the result of external or in
ternal stimuli? In the strictest sense of the word
and in the general understanding of the question,
we must admit that there is no effort on the part
of the small baby to think and reason. It cries
when it is hungry because it senses pain. It jerks
its foot back when the bottom of it is pricked
with a pin because it experiences pain. The
jerked foot is a reflex action, quite the same as
the reflex of the eyelids when some object is
quickly and unsuspectingly flashed in front of
the eyes.
Then you say, why does the baby quiet down
when he hears a footstep on the floor? This
would seem to indicate that he is beginning to

Page 158

reason and think. This, however, is a product

of habit developed through repetition. A t first
there was no association between the sound of
footfalls and feeding time. Gradually, however,
the sound began to take effect and the subjective
self associated the footfall with and as a part of
its feeding, whether from the mother or via the
baby bottle. The taking up of the baby also is a
part of the whole process, and so the reaction is
more or less automatic and uncontrolled. Satis'
faction of the desire for food and attention be'
gins with the sound of the footfall and continues
until the baby has been fed, made comfortable,
and put back to bed again. It will then sleep
if comfort continues, for drowsiness seems to
accompany satisfied hunger and the digestive
process.
W ith the development of the objective con'
sciousness comes the ability to think and reason.
This part of man is developed through the five
physical senses, seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting,
and smelling. The sense organs are the vehicles
through which we receive knowledge of the world
about us. The objective consciousness is unde'
veloped and void of impressions at birth. This
side of man must be developed through observa'
tion. Again through constant repetition we de'
velop the objective side of the storehouse of
memory. W hen an impression is deeply seated
in the memory it will return again to the outer
consciousness when stimulated through the ob'
jective senses. It is through this gradual develop'
ment that we begin to exercise our God'given
faculty to think, to reason, to analyse.
A language is not essential to this process.
A fter all, the one'year'old baby who cannot as
yet talk develops a language all its own, and the
mother learns this language through her own ob'
servation as to what the baby desires when he
says ga, ig, goo, da, and many others that all
mothers are familiar with. In fact, it is danger'
ous to the babys development to give too much
attention to his own language. Many have been
retarded months and even years because the parents learned the baby language instead of teach'
ing the baby the tongue native to the land of its
birth. A t the dawn of consciousness man had no
language that he could write; he developed it
with sign writing of a very primitive nature. It
is unlikely that he thought in his language until
he developed to the point of setting down some
semblance of his ideas in picture form. Let us
suppose that an aborigine suddenly came into the
civilised world and for the first time in his entire
life saw a man wearing a hat. He has never
before seen a hat; there is no word in his lan'
guage to describe it. Yet he may form a mental
picture of it, go back to his native village, and
with his own hands, his primitive tools, and his
memory of the article, make for himself a satis'

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

factory head covering that may be the envy of

all his fellow tribesmen. Remember, he has no
name for it; this he develops later. W ould you
not say that this primitive being thinks and
reasons?

Questions In Correspondence
Every member knows that a large quantity of
mail reaches the Supreme and Grand Lodge of'
ficers daily. This mail represents the member'
ship of the Order. It consists of their reports,
comments, questions, suggestions, and in many
cases the submitting of their problems to the
officers of the Order. It is interesting to notice
what a similarily there is between problems of
individuals. T hat is why it is so often effective
for a letter to be prepared and sent to a number
of members, as it answers a question in the minds
of numerous members and at the same time as'
sists the organisation in handling the questions
faster. However, there are many questions that
come to the officers of the organisation that
mainly concern the individual who writes. These
questions are, of course, answered individually.
This is a service that no other organisation ex'
tends to its members.
It is also interesting to anyone handling cor'
respondence from members to notice how certain
questions will come repeatedly within a short
time. Everyone who has ever handled corres'
pondence for the Order has noted this interesting
fact; within a week, or sometimes a month, there
will be a series of letters from far separated
points that are similarly worded and ask the same
question or make the same comment. This indi'
cates the close association of the organisation and
its members together, even though at a distance
physically, their likes and dislikes, their problems,
their joys and sorrows are closely related; and
also it is a reflection of the times. W hen there
are conditions that tend to create questions of
one kind or another, these same questions will be
repeated when similar situations exist.
Recently we have had questions regarding the
membership and war. Most of these questions
were foreseen, however, by the article contained
in the January issue of the Rosicrucian Digest"
giving the official viewpoint of the Order in re'
gard to the war, and in various other communi'
cations which have asked our Chapters, Lodges
and Sunshine Circles to work on behalf of the
war effort. Some of the questions answered by
individual correspondence are interesting to other
members. Two such letters come to my attention
at the present time, and it will be interesting to
pass on to other members the opinion of an of'
ficer of the organisation regarding these specific
questions.
The first letter is written by a member in the
Middle W est who has advanced into the higher

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

degrees of the organizations teachings. This

Soror met with a serious injury as a result of an
automobile accident. The injury affected her
physically and emotionally. It was so sudden, so
serious and so unexpected that she hardly was
prepared to meet the physical and psychological
adjustment demanded. Fortunately, the Soror
was recovering physically^ at the time of her
letter. The main question contained in her letter
was her statement that in view of her study and
progress, she just could not understand why the
accident should have happened. Now, it is some'
times necessary in commenting upon a question
of as serious a nature as this to be very frank
and definite in order that the member or the in'
dividual seeking help may be set right in his
thinking. Therefore, the following is a section
of the letter written by an officer of the organ'
ization in answer to this Sorors statement:
The fact is that in our finite understanding
none of us can understand many things that
happen in life. For example, can you understand
why the sun rises and sets, or why the earth
turns on its axis? Can you understand why it
rains when you want to go on a picnic, why
hurricanes, floods and earthquakes devastate the
land, and why some people hate others, when
after all they are only human beings?
You state you do not understand why the
accident should have happened, in view of your
progress in the studies of this organization. The
great masters of the past have progressed far
more than you, and yet Jesus was crucified.
Many other masters sacrificed all they had for
their cause. Anyone who is interested and sin'
cerely desirous of perfecting himself is going to
sacrifice and be crucified time and time again.
That is a part of the scheme of the Universe,
and we must have the courage to face this if we
are ever to develop to the point we desire.
It is a very poor philosophy of life for in
dividuals who have studied occult, metaphysical,
philosophical or religious materials to believe they
are exempting themselves from certain problems
or in any way relieving themselves of the duty of
Karma; they are not. The fact is, they obligate
themselves more. To the individual who does not
know he is making a mistake, no Karma results,
but when you or I make just a simple mistake,
we know better and must pay. If we do not
come to the realization that we must pay, the
Karma in some cases may be rather heavy and
difficult for us to understand.
The occult student who believes that because
he is a student he does not have to take the or'
dinary precautions for his physical well'being is
adopting a point of view that is going to cause
him trouble. Please do not think that I do not
believe you are taking reasonable care of yourself.

Page 159

I am merely using that as an illustration. A ny'

one who adopts a cynical attitude toward the
happenings of life or bewails his lot is only add'
ing to his trouble. Instead of worrying about the
cause or the why, as you have done in the
past, carefully scrutinize yourself and determine
how you can gain lessons and benefit from the
unfortunate event. I acknowledge that this letter
may not be very comforting, but I believe it is
my duty as an officer of this organization to you
as a higher degree member to make clear some
of these principles which are the lot of all men
to learn through experience.
The reading of these comments at this time
may help fortify some other member for an ad
justment he may be called upon to make.
Another Soror writes concerning a different
type of problem. She states that she has always
been able to help younger students on the path,
to inspire courage and an appreciative value of
the work of the Order, and even to give assist
ance when a member is faced by difficult prob
lems, but she regrets that she apparently has u t'
terly failed in helping a member of her own
family. It seems that regardless of how carefully
she tries to present suggestions and help that
would be of benefit to this one so closely related
to her, it is without success. The following is a
comment made in answering her question con
cerning this point:
You should not be too concerned regarding
your failure to interest your husband in actual
affiliation in this organization. It is no reflection
against any individual when I state that there are
hundreds of people who contact Rosicrucians but
do not become Rosicrucians. The same is ap
plicable to certain religions and other worthwhile
activities and principles. The work that you and
I do, for example, in influencing the lives of
others is never known completely by ourselves,
or possibly by the other person. O ur greatest re
sponsibility to the Cosmic is not making other
Rosicrucians in the sense of causing them to be
actual affiliates of the physical organization, but
instilling in them through our own lives the ideals
which lie behind the organization. I know that
anyone who has been in close touch with you has
had some of that benefit. Your husband probably
has more than he will admit or than you realize.
O f course, we should not be completely satisfied
with our efforts and state that if that explanation
is the case there is nothing else to be done, but
at the same time we need not become despondent
because of failures upon our part to bring about
results in the way we would prefer.
Possibly other members have had this same
problem and must realize that everything that is
done constructively is of value, whether we can
gauge the returns or not.A

The

P A S S IO N
of
M ATTER

The Cosmic Influ en ce

of Magnetism
AS ABOVE SO BELOW. Like repels like and
attracts unlike. Myriads of minute particles
dance in frenzy about each other on the point of
a pin. Overhead, whirling stars race through the
infinite reaches of space to find their affinity
drawn by an irresistible attraction. W h at is this
invisible fieldthis aurawhich surrounds all
things, causing them to embrace one moment and
perhaps repel each other the next? It is a passion
which grips the atom and the star alikebut to
serve what Cosmic purpose?
In the study of this energymagnetic force
we learn the secret of polarity. W e come to un
derstand the orderly procession within the uni
verse. Moreover, we find that the same laws ac
count for our mutual attraction and the subtle
influence which things have upon us. Just as the
course of ships depends upon terrestrial mag
netism, so, top, does the path of our lives depend
upon mystical magnetism.
By means of simple home experiments, you can
explore this fascinating phenomenon of magne

tism. You can learn the useful fundamental laws

of this realm of nature which has intrigued sci
entists and philosophers for centuries.
Demonstrate to yourself how magnetism is in
troduced into objectsand the ways it can be
destroyed. Make your own compass; investigate
the relationship of polarity to the magnetic poles
of the earth.

Rosicrucian Laboratorium
H O U R S O F F A S C IN A T IN G E X PE R IM E N T S
U n it N um ber O n e of the Rosicrucian Laboratorium
has been created to m ake it possible for you to perform
all of the magnetism experiments in th e Rosicrucian
teachings and m any m ore. No scientific knowledge or
training is necessary. Anyone using the devices and
simple instructions of this unit can spend m any enjoy
able and profitable evenings at hom e.
You receive: 25 pages of instructions; 20 pieces of
equipm ent; 16 basic experim ents; and supplementary
electro-m agnetic exper
C O M PLETE
im ents. T here is no
W IT H ALL
g reater teacher th an
E Q U IPM E N T ,
nature. Send your re.
DIAGRAM S,
EX PER IM EN TS,
m ittance and order
and
for the Rosicrucian
IN S T R U C T IO N
Laboratorium, U n i t
O ne, to the address
i p 3 ./ o
below.
P O STPA ID

The R O SIC R U C IA N S U P P L Y B U R E A U , SA N JO S E , CALIF.

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

cv

ROSICRUCIAN
FORUM
A PRIVATE PUBLICATION FOR MEMBERS OF AMORC,
THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER
Entered as Second Class M atter at the Post Office at San Jose, California,
under Section 1103 of the U . S. Postal Act of Oct. 3, 1917.

JUNE, 1942

Vol. XII

No. 6

THE OTHER WORLD

w
The world is so small tonight;
The way is dark without the light
That shines upon that other plane;
G ladly would 1 return again. ,
My soul was stripped of all desire
For human things; a holy fire
Consumed me; 1knew harmony
And love and sacred unity.
1was merged within the Ocean,
Swept along by rhythmic motion
To the shores o f that strange land
That lies within the Father's hand!
Soror A m e lia Nyers.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM IS PUBLISHED SIX TIMES A YEAR (EVERY

OTHER MONTH) BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLICATION OF THE SUPREME
COUNCIL OF AMORC, AT ROSICRUCIAN PARK, SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, ONE DOLLAR and SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS ANNUALLY
FOR MEMBERS ONLY

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv'

Page 162

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Greetings!
V
D ear F ratres and Sorores :

Is it a sign of weakness when we consult others?

The question is obviously a broad one, for it depends upon the circumstances. It is to be expected that where technical matters are concern
ed, which involve a specialized knowledge which
we do not possess that we resort to an authority
for his advice. If we are concerned with a trans
action of great importance and its proper cul
mination depends upon the right legal steps be
ing taken, it would be foolhardy to conjecture
the legal procedure. Common sense would dic
tate that we consult a specialist, an attorney, to
benefit by his training and experience. There are
other similar examples, consulting an architect, a
physician, a chemist, or an engineer.
There are numerous matters, however, that
arise in our lives, which necessitate important de
cisions, but which do not require such technical
advice. The decisions can and must be ultimate
ly reached by ourselves and yet we go to others
with our problems.
For example, a man is working for a concern.
He is in an important position, and he is a capable
employee. He makes a good salary and commis
sions perhaps, but he knows ways and means of
not only increasing his own income, but that of
his employers as well. However, he is restricted,
for his employer is not progressive, is timid about
adopting new ideas or making essential changes.
This man, therefore, has the alternative of con
tinuing as he is indefinitely, with the assurance of
at least his present comfortable income and go
ing no further, or resigning and entering into
business for himself, where his only limitations
will be his own initiative and ability. In pursu
ing the latter course, there is the risk of unfore
seen circumstances thwarting his plans and di
minishing his personal comparatively limited cap
ital. This person is an intelligent individual. He
is logical and has met numerous complex prob
lems in his business affairs. Further, since the de
cision would include the intangible elements of
the future, his conclusion as to what to do is as
reliable as any other persons. This man, how
ever, and thousands like him, under similar cir
cumstances, consult others who are not authori
ties, because advice in such matters could not be
authoritative.
W hy do they do so? The very solicitations for
advice are evidence that knowledge is power, and
that it establishes personal confidence. W hen we
know causes and effects, from actual experiences,
we become quite independent of the usual chan-

V
nels of information, and free of dependency upon
others. W e \now what we \now . W e know our
own limitations, and what may or may not result
from our actions. W hen we have no such knowl
edge, however, and it cannot be obtained except
by actual experience, we are all confronted with
a certain amount of timidity. Perhaps timidity is
not exactly the word. Caution would be more
appropriate. W here we must rest our future en
tirely upon a decision which we in the end must
personally make, and for which there is no
precedent extant, we are not inclinedif we are
wiseto be impetuous.
W here there is a great deal at stake, the in
telligent man and woman want to weight their
decisions by the weight of the opinions of others
in whom they have confidence. It is not that they
are not self-reliant or that they cannot think for
themselves. In the end they will have to be the
ones to act, and to be the recipients of the con
sequences of their own acts, but in the absence
of positive knowledge, they want to feel certain.
They want to be sure that they have not over
looked something in making a decision, certain
potentialities or possibilities perhaps.
For further example, if you were to head a
small expedition into an unknown region of the
world, you naturally would not seek to consult
textbooks or authorities on what to expect on
your travels in that region, for there wouldnt be
any. However, before being conclusive in your
own selections, in the things to take and decisions
as to what to do for preparation, you would in
all probability consult those persons whose opin
ions you respected, in the event that they might
make suggestions of things about which you had
not thought.
It is most encouraging to have our own opin
ions confirmed. It gives us the conviction that we
are not acting beyond the bounds of good reason
ing. In the absence of positive knowledge, em
pirical knowledge or experience, all else is opinion.
Opinion, in time, may be proven to be right, and
then again it may not be. There is, we most of
us think, an assurance given us that we are right,
if good minds with no more or less experience
than our own, whom we consult confirm our per
sonal opinions.
The fact, however, that a hundred people, or
10,000 may not agree with a plan you contem
plate executing, or an opinion which you hold,
does not make it wrong. Many great contribu
tions to the sciences and to the arts, and to human
society began with an isolated theory, with which

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

no one else was sympathetic. If you have a decision to make, for which there is no precedent
of knowledge, and you hold to an opinion as to
how to act, not just stubbornly but because you
are convinced you are right, follow that inner
urge, no matter what the opinion of others.
It has often been said, confession is good for
the soul. It is likewise often valuable in making
important decisions in temporal affairs. Confess
your plans to a confidant. Things you think to
yourself, ideas you harbor in your own consciousness and accept in their generality, sometimes
sound very shallow and illogical when spoken,
even to your own ears. There is a reason for this.
Most of us, whether we admit it or not, do not
reach conclusions by logical processes of reason"
ing, that is, either inductively or deductively. W e
have an idea as to what we want, or think we
want. The final end we have in mind suggests a
few broad methods by which it can be attained,
and we assume, therefore, that they are proper
and acceptable.
For example, we hear that employment is
plentiful in a certain city. Then, without further
consideration or reasoning, it seems feasible to
us that all that is necessary to secure such employment is to transport ourselves to that city
and participate in the demand. If we were to
review our conclusions with a friend, we might
find him asking: W hat kind of employment is
plentiful in that city? Immediately we are confronted with the fact that possibly the employment may be of a nature for which we are not
trained. Then again, the friend may innocently
ask: Living conditions are much more costly
there than here, would the salary be sufficient to
meet the difference in expense? Possibly we
never thought of that and it therefore alters com
pletely our opinion and our ultimate decision.
If we had carefully reasoned, we would have
realised these factors.
Since we often do not carefully reason to our
selves, to speak of our opinions and conclusions,
to review the elements of a proposed decision to
a friend, to ask his advice, may make the matter
stand out in greater clarity. It may cause a pre
ponderance of possibility that a final decision
made under such circumstances would be a
right one.
I personally know that this method of review
ing our opinions and consulting someone else be
fore actually acting is a helpful one. Often hav
ing the responsibility of mapping out a campaign
of constructive activity, an idea would flash into
my mind as to how it should be accomplished.
Being anxious to execute the plan, I would be
disposed to accept the idea immediately and act
upon it. I finally acquired the habit of reciting in
detail what I wanted to do and the idea I had

Page 163

in mind for accomplishing it to our late Imperator. Often as I was selecting words and phrases
to express my idea to him, I would in the midst
of my own statements become immediately con
scious of the weakness of the whole structure of
the plan. In speaking it, in reviewing it, I estab
lished it outside of myself and could get a better
perspective of it than when I let it remain just
altogether within my own consciousness. To ex
press myself, I had to give more attention to the
details and certain lacks became apparent, which
otherwise might not haveor at least until a later
time.
On the other hand, do not depreciate your own
faculties of observation and of reason. Do not
expect everyone else to shape opinions and to
make decisions for you. If you do, you become
limited to the minds of others. Think out your
own problemscarefullydo not use snap judg
ment. Form an opinion, but be able to substantiate it logically. In other words, if you are asked
why you do think thus and thus, have a reason
for it.
If the matter is not one of great import, risk
your own opinion and decision. Dont run con
stantly to others. However, where it is a vital
issue to you, and perhaps concerns others, take
your carefully thought-out decision or opinion to
a trusted and judicious friend and air it. Speak
about it. Analyse it.
Dont have false pride. If, dialectically or by
actual fact, your friend can show you errors in
your reasoning, accept themotherwise why con
sult another? Make your own decisions, where
technical advice is not needed, but first put them
to the test of the sincere opinions of trusted
friends. Never consult another without first form
ing some sort of an opinion yourself. It becomes
a starting point for others to help you.
Fraternally,
R a l p h M.

L e w is ,

Imperator.

Sacredness of a Place
These comments are based upon the experience
of a Frater who stated that he has at one time or
another entered the temples of organisations,
churches and cathedrals and found that a feeling
of sacredness, or a vibration subject to the estab
lishing of harmony and peace, seemed to pervade
in some and did not in others. A fter comment
upon these experiences, the question is raised as
to what makes a temple or cathedral sacred.
It might be well before we consider this sub
ject in too great a detail to agree upon what we
mean by sacred. The word sacred is usually
connected with religious practice or creed, but it

Page 164

is not necessarily limited to a religious interpreta

tion. In a religious sense anything that is sacred
is considered to be holy; that is, dedicated to the
religious precepts that contribute to the sacred
ness. From a religious viewpoint 'sacred1 is also
closely connected with piety; that is, unless one is
pious, according to this viewpoint, the complete
meaning could not be appreciated. This surely
is a very narrow interpretation, because piety is
usually closely connected with creeds. One is
considered pious in a certain religious group if
he conforms to that groups conception of re
ligious practice, behavior, and procedure. W hile
the dictionary devotes one part of the meaning
of sacredness to religionits doctrines, rites
and historyit also sets forth other meanings,
such as to mean dedicated. A thing which is
sacred is set apart in the honor of someone, either
a human or a God, and therefore, devoted ex
clusively to a certain individual or certain pur
pose. The word sacred is also used as an indi
cation of dignity. In other words, a thing that is
sacred is dignified and need not necessarily have
a religious implication. Anyone who enjoys
the home life and finds in his home the oppor
tunity to do his work well and to plan and live
a balanced life, could well consider his home
as being sacred; that is, dedicated to a purpose
and devoted to a physical means of helping him
bring about the enjoyment that he seeks in life.
W ith this brief consideration of the meaning
of sacredness, we can perceive that anything
which is sacred to us is sacred because it strikes
an emotional note within our being. It finds
harmony with those things which affect our emo
tional reactions to a state of pleasantness or con
structive reaction. Therefore, that which we find
sacred may or may not be connected with our
religious beliefs, although a true conception of
religion should serve to increase mans apprecia
tion of those things which are sacred, and there
fore, contribute to his general well being and to
a true consideration of the cosmic forces which
cause him to be. W ithin the definition of sacred
ness we almost find the complete answer to our
question as to what makes a particular place
sacred; for example, a temple or a cathedral.
Many have had the experience of entering a
cathedral or a temple where it seemed that every
thing in it was different from the world from
which one had just stepped. Such an experience
is frequently acknowledged by those members
who visit the Supreme Temple of the organiza
tion for the first time and who visit Lodge
Temples of the Order. Recently a high ranking
army officer who has been a member of this or
ganization for many years asked to be taken into
the Supreme Temple or allowed to enter by him
self. He explained to the Frater who accom

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

panied him that his reactions upon entering the

Temple were just beyond words to describe; that
he was just literally transplanted from one world
to another; and that the inspiration of merely
sitting relaxed and quiet within this Temple
served as an actual tonic to his being and ex
hilarated him over a long period of time. I be
lieve everyone has had this experience in one
form or another.
I had the opportunity of entering a temple
of this Order in another country that stands out
in my mind. The temple was simple. It was not
as elaborate as some lodge temples, but the feeling
of sacredness and the vibrations that existed in
that room caused a reaction very similar to the
one just described. W hat made these vibrations?
In my estimation they had been created by the
sincerity of the hundreds of members who had a
number of times a week assembled in that temple
for the purpose of work and worship. It is be
cause they dedicated their ideals of devotion to
that place and in that room exemplified the pur
poses to which they had subscribed themselves.
All our Fratres and Sorores in Toronto, On
tario and those who have visited that city are
aware of an old church completely surrounded by
the wholesale and business district of the now
large metropolis. I do not know the full par
ticulars of this church, but it has been briefly told
to me that the land was given for the purpose
of erecting a church under the provision that
the property would always be used for this ca
thedral, as it trulv is, and that it will always be
open to anyone of any creed who wishes to enter
without fees or without any obligation. I have
had the opportunity of entering this cathedral
twice. The last time was only a few months ago,
and this particular time as I entered in the middle
of the morning the organist was playing the
mighty pipe organ in that building and it seemed
that it added to the total of the vibrations of the
building. Again I experienced what I have al
ready describedthat it seemed as though I
stepped from one world into another as I crossed
the threshold of that old building. Tust outside
and completely surrounding it, as I have already
mentioned, are large buildings a number of stories
higher than the cathedral which completely en
close it on at least three sides. A t one of these
sides was a loading platform of one of the largest
department stores in the city. Frankly, being the
back of these buildings it was a rather undesir
able picture, and the contrast of stepping into the
cathedral made one all the more appreciative of
the ideals represented in the establishing of that
institution.
W hile we can go on endlessly to discuss the
vibrations that have been established to promote
the ideals and high purposes of those who have

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

worshipped and worked in temples and cathedrals throughout the world, it is important that
we bear in mind that while we can and should
avail ourselves of the privilege of meeting in a
sacred temple for our work or meditation whenever possible, it is not necessary that we depend
upon a certain building or room to provide the
inspiration and environment that will be condu
cive to our development and psychic growth.
The most simple sanctum that a member of this
organization has ever put together with crude
materials in a corner of a room can have as high
vibrations and as great a conduciveness to peace,
rest and inspiration as the greatest cathedral in
the world. I have seen a sanctum of a member
who was a rather elderly woman. By herself
she constructed what constituted the simple parts
of her sanctum. By the ideals exemplified in her
purpose of doing this, it seemed that every move
ment of her hands in the preparation of what
would appear to be a rather crude arrangement
to the critical eye had multiplied and developed
those vibrations that contribute to the sacredness
of any particular place. From the moments spent
in this place she possibly derived a thousand times
the inspiration and help that the average tourist
would receive who can travel all over the world
and enter the greatest cathedrals and temples
ever built. It is sometimes a human trait to re
gret we do not have the opportunity to avail our
selves of those parts of environment that would
contribute to our better growth, and yet we must
constantly bear in mind that if we cannot crcate
a feeling of sacredness, if we cannot be conscious
of the high rate of vibrations that help to raise
us up into a higher plane, we would only find
that entering the greatest cathedral or temple in
the world would be a temporary tonic. W e can
not take away from any temple or any cathedral
a substance which we ourselves do not have al
ready.A.

T he Objective Faculties
Here is something that I would like to take up
this morning because it is a misconception held
by hundreds, perhaps thousands, of persons all
over the world. It is the belief that the partial
or total loss of one of the objective senses causes
the other senses to be more acute and extended
in perception, as it were. In other words, as a
frater has put the question to us in a recent letter
to the Department of Instruction, Is it not true
that one who is deaf enjoys a keener sense of
sight as well as a keener sense of smell and
touch?
Now the truth of the matter is simply this:
All the senses through which we receive knowl
edge of the world around us can be developed to

Page 165

a very high degree and each equal to the other

in sensitivity. Take the wine taster, for example.
He may not have, and probably has not, lost any
of his outer faculties, yet he can, through his
keen sense of taste and smell, tell all there is to
know about a wine put before him to test. He
can tell its age, its classification, how long it has
been in the bottle, its degree of dryness, sweet
ness, or whether it has turned the least bit sour.
Then there is the director of the symphony
with his highly trained sense of hearing. He can
tell when any instrument is the least bit out of
tune or when a violin is played a shade flat.
During rehearsals you will notice him constant
ly turning his head to one side or the other, lis
tening to the chords of harmony or quality of
tone emitted from the various instruments of the
orchestra. The musical director has trained and
developed his sense of hearing over and far be
yond all of the other senses, yet he may, and
probably does, enjoy normal sight, taste, smell
and touch.
W e could go on citing case after case to show
that training and physical effort are responsible
for the special development of one, two, or even
more of the objective senses, all of which has
nothing whatever to do with the partial or total
loss of any of the faculties. Look at the artist and
the delicate shades of color that he can distinguish
that are completely lost to the untrained eye;
and the astronomer and other scientists who dis
tinguish the planets not only from position but
from the shade of light they are reflecting. If a
star is under observation, it is possible for them
to determine of what it is chiefly composed by
the light it gives off. This is true particularly if
the light is viewed through a spectroscope. Many
persons in various types of industry must depend
entirely upon certain of the physical senses.
These, therefore, become more highly developed
than the others.
But what of a person who loses one of the
sense faculties? Is all of the nerve energy and
power of this particular sense then directed to
the four remaining faculties? N ot in the manner
that is usually believed. It is admitted that the
blind man may have an extremely sensitive touch
and hearing, detecting extremely high vibratory
rates and those of a lower frequency than possible
by the average normal person. However, this is
not because nature so decreed it. It is not be
cause the sensitiveness of the optic nerves has
suddenly been transferred to the auditory sys
tem. It is due entirely to the fact that more
attention is given the sense of hearing or touch
or both. The senses become highly developed
through directed training. If this were not the
case and it were true that nature, through some
miraculous act, transferred the optic nerve ener

Page 166

gy to the auditory system, then the great change

in the sense of hearing would be spontaneous,
immediate, without further ado; but we know
from observation that this is not the case. The
change, if any, is slow, gradual, and in direct
proportion to the effort put forth to make more
use of the faculty of hearing.
A recent case reported in the press, and also
in a popular science journal, was accompanied by
a statement of the patient who, after many years
of blindness, suddenly had his sight restored.
This man stated, in reply to a direct question,
that at no time during his period of blindness
was he aware of any change in his ability to hear
and detect sounds. However, he probably was
unable to realize the extent to which he placed
much dependence upon the sense of hearing. In
other words, his hearing may not have been any
more acute than before, but he undoubtedly was
conscious to a greater extent of sounds that failed
to impress him when he enjoyed his sense of
sight. Remember, we go through life every day
hearing sounds and noises to which we pay little
or no heed.
The same is true of impressions coming to us
through the eyes. The blind man, upon hearing
a sound, will stop short, turning his head from
side to side in an effort to distinguish and class
ify it. This is auditory training and will stimu
late that area of the memory having to do with
our knowledge of the world about us that comes
through the ears. The one totally deaf will con
stantly look from left to right or vice versa; he
will turn around and look behind him, carefully
observing all things within range of his vision.
This is how he can learn to read lips and dis
tinguish words spoken in his presence. He is
constantly exercising his eyes and optic nerves.
All impressions received in this manner will be
stored in the memory to be recalled, not by
sound, not by taste or smell, but by impressions
pertaining to the sense of sight. W hen a normal
person first views an apple, he observes it with
all of his faculties; he looks at it, feels it, smells
it, and tastes it. He might even thump it and
listen to the sound it emits. W hen he next con
tacts an apple, he remembers it by all of his
previous observations.
From this discussion, it is easy to appreciate
the fact that the loss of one sense will not neces
sarily stimulate another to action, though the loss
may be indirectly responsible for the exercise we
give another of the senses. W e see, therefore,
that nature will help us to develop the sense of
hearing if we become blind, but only to the ex
tent that we make a point of developing it. N a
ture will also aid us in our effort to develop all
of the five faculties to an extremely high degree
if we will only put forth the necessary effort.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Prayer
A Soror asks the question: To whom should
prayer be directed? If directed toward what one
conceives to be his God or representative of what
he believes to be God, is it as effective as when
directed to a personalized God? This question
raises additional questions, or rather it causes us
to consider the fundamental question of prayer
and supplication and the manner in which they
may be directed.
Those who believe in an anthropomorphic con
ception of Godthat is, believe in God as a pro
totype of a human being, have the conception of
directing prayer in much the same sense that we
as individuals might direct a request to another
individual. In fact, some religions have compared
prayer to being similar to the request a child
makes to its parent for something to satisfy its
particular need or desire of the moment. The
childs request or supplication is answered to the
best of the parents ability in terms of what the
parent conceives to be the understanding of the
child and what he knows to be good for the
child. If the child should ask for something to
play with that would be dangerous to its well be
ing, such as a sharp knife or a firearm, before it
is old enough to be able to handle these articles
intelligently, the parent would deny the supplica
tion. So this conception of prayer would have us
believe that we as children of God direct our
prayers to God, our Father, who knows our needs
and who answers our prayers in terms of our
need and in terms of what is good for us. This
conception of prayer is completely satisfying, pro
vided it is based upon the fundamental premise
already considered; that is, God himself is simi
lar to a human being.
There are others who do not consider God as
a personality. They consider God as representa
tive of Cosmic laws. In other words, some in
dividuals believe in pantheism, which is the be
lief that God exists in all things; that God is the
life in trees, in a blade of grass, in the human
being, in the rocks and everything that we per
ceive. The Rosicrucian conception of God is very
definitely stated in the phrase used in the direc
tion of our prayers in rituals and other activities
The God of our Hearts.
Each individual conceives God as the power
above him. Now, if we are realistic in our con
ception we cannot deny the fact that no human
being can possibly know exactly the form of God.
A t best we can only know that a force greater
than ourselves exists, because we find that force
evidenced within and about us. The thing that
causes us to be a living being is evidence of some
thing in addition to the chemical composition of
our physical body. The force or power that
causes a grain of wheat to burst and grow in

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

proper environment indicates that something

takes place in it in addition to chemical change
something that cannot be isolated and completely
understood by physical law. The terminology
which we use to apply to whatever this thing is
that is manifest in living things is only the label
which we decide to place upon it. Does it matter
if we call it God, Nature, Cosmic, Divine Mind,
Vital Life Force or any other appropriate term?
Regardless of the term, we must bear in mind
that the actual existence of this power existed
prior to the application of terminology to it.
Some conceptions of God are so surrounded by
terminology that God himself is almost shut off.
It is best to conceive of God as the God of our
hearts, as exemplifying the force which we know
permeates the Universe. If we can best do that
in the form of thinking of a human-like God,
then that is our most acceptable understanding of
him. If we think only of a mind or a great force,
then it is best that we direct our attention to that
conception. The question immediately arises,
does the individual who is devoted to a religion
that has as a fundamental premise what is ordinarily referred to as idol worship become less
sincere in directing his prayer to a wooden image
than the individual in a cathedral who directs his
prayer to a human-like being residing somewhere
in the sky? Anyone with sincere convictions will
readily appreciate that the human being who
sincerely pays homage to the source of his being
before an image of some type or other and recog
nises that image as representative of all the good
he has and all his potential abilities can be no
less sincere than one who accepts any other re
ligious interpretation of God. Therefore, it is
quite evident that the conception of God or the
medium to which we direct prayer, supplication
or thanksgiving is of secondary importance to the
attitude with which we approach that state of
thanksgiving or supplication.
If we are sincere in what we are doing, then
the God of our hearts, the God of the Universe,
cannot fail to hear what we ask. T hat God, who
is a just God, will make known to us the poten
tialities which we have to best satisfy our needs
or understanding. He who approaches his God
with sincerity does not demand, but only asks to
be guided. No one with reasonable intelligence
can deny the potentialities of man that are not
used. Therefore, all prayer, if sincere, should be
directed with the purpose of giving thanks for
what we are, for what we are able to do, and
asking for understanding and knowledge to use
our abilities to do more. This is the essence of
prayer, regardless of where we direct it.A

Page 167

M ind W ithin the Universe

The question frequently arises on the part of
any student of Rosicrucianism regarding how the
Divine Mind or Mind of God manifests through
the Universe. W e speak of the Mind of God as
pervading all things; being manifest in all mani
festations with which we come in contact in our
environment. In fact, we might say that a funda
mental precept to which we subscribe as Rosi
crucians is a conception that the Universe is in
fused with mindthe Mind of God. Pantheism
states as its premise that God manifests only
through other things; that is, Gods existence is
manifest in all that exists in the Universe. The
Rosicrucians do not completely accept the pan
theistic theory, but we do consider that the U ni
verse is the vehicle of God and everything within
this Universe is a manifestation of his existence.
W e consistently use the word Cosmic, de
fining Cosmic Laws as those laws which have
been made effective by God; that have been put
into operation in order that the eventual purpose
of the Universe and of being will come about.
Fulfillment of Gods purpose is possible through
the working of the laws that he has made ef
fective. The Universe as a whole works so close
ly in accord with the laws established for it that
man has been able to understand some of these
laws sufficiently to be able to predict their opera
tion at a future time and place. For example,
man has learned certain movements of the plan
ets and the stars. Because of these movements he
can predict to the minute the change in seasons,
the time of eclipses and other phenomena of the
heavens. By understanding other laws he can
predict with reasonable degrees of accuracy at
mospheric conditions and many other physical
changes that exist and are operating in accord
ance with the laws established for their operation.
W hen mans predictions fail or when an event
takes place that is unexplainable in the scope of
mans understanding of Natural or Cosmic Laws,
this is no indication of the fact that the laws have
not properly manifested. It is merely an indica
tion that there are other laws working parallel
with the known laws that man does not yet
understand, and therefore, cannot in any way
interpret in connection with his interpretation of
those laws which he has learned.
The challenge to man is to continue to under
stand his environment and to continue to grasp a
more and more complete knowledge of the work
ing of the Cosmic Laws. In fact, it is very fool
ish for man to give too much of his time to the
preparation for future states of existence, such
as preparing for the end of the world at a cer
tain date or any other arbitrarily accepted event,
when he has not in any sense mastered the under
standing of the laws which God has caused to

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 168

exist and which man has been put into the U ni

verse to attempt to understand. M ans destiny is
closely related to his understanding of the laws
of God. W hen man has fathomed and is able to
completely cooperate and work in harmony with
all the laws ordained and established by God, he
will have fulfilled one stage of his evolutionary
development in the Cosmic scheme and be ready
for another and advanced step.
If we would accept with no reservation the
working of Cosmic Laws in the Universe, we
would have a tendency to gain the understanding
that the Universe was nothing more than a ma
chine. However, the Universe is not exactly com
parable to a machine. To compare, let us con
sider some complicated piece of machinery such
as a giant printing press, which is used by a large
newspaper to print its daily editions. W e would
immediately see certain similarities between the
Universe as a whole and a large machine of this
type. W e would find that both are governed by
certain laws that cause them to exist and work
toward a certain end. W e would also see that
both are pervaded by mind; in the case of the
Universe by the mind of God, and in the case of
the machine by the mind of man. The key to
the difference would be in this last analysis. In
fact, it is the key to the difference between the
Universe as functioning under the direction of a
higher force and the conception of a purely
mechanistic form of existence that functions for
no purpose whatsoever. The machine is nothing
more than a senseless tool in the hands of an
external intelligence. The mind or intelligence
that guides and directs it is not a part of it. It is
removed from it, or as we might literally state,
the operator of the printing press stands beside
iit and it is his intelligence that directs the opera
tion-of the machine.
On the other hand, we see in the Universe that
the intelligence or mind which guides and directs
it is within and inseparable from the Universe
itself. The mind and the Universe are one. The
Universe is not directed by an external intelli
gence, but by the intelligence of God through
the establishment of his Cosmic Laws function
ing in and through it. The man-made machine
is, therefore, the result of mindthe result of
mans use of mind. However, the things in na
turethe Universe itselfconstitute the organs
of mind, and are in actuality the manifestation
of intelligence working through the principle
which causes it to carry out its purpose of mani
festation.A

Instantaneous Healing
The question is brought to us, W h at.is in
stantaneous healing? I frankly doubt that there
have been many cases of instantaneous healing.
In sacred literature we read of examples which

appeared to be instantaneous healing, and we

have no doubt of the ability of great Masters
such as Jesus Himself to have brought about such
a condition. W ith due respect to all the religious
teachings of the times and of the ages, we must
bear in mind that many of the fragments that
constitute the records we have of the lives of
these Masters have been changed a good many
times since they were originally written, and
some were originally written many years and, in
fact, many generations after the original incident.
There is no doubt that some records have, there
fore, been written by those who were not familiar
with all the incidents related to an event which
they tell. In other words, had the event been wit
nessed and more carefully analyzed by the writer,
further facts might have been revealed to us. In
fact, if it were not for the zeal of the writer of
some of these events to convince the readers of
the miraculous abilities of the individual, I do not
doubt but what we would have records of actions
that took place which would indicate those who
apparently healed miraculously used certain of
the laws and principles which are taught in our
Sixth Degree. It is conceivable that if one be
came so familiar with all the laws that go to
make matter and which cause matter to be in
fused with the manifestation of life, he could
so control these factors as to be able to correct
any condition instantaneously.
W e find that many of the greatest teachers
and masters have used what we would ordinarily
call natural and normal methods to correct any
errors, whether they be of the body or of the
mind. W e must also bear in mind that the prog
ress man has made in the understanding of his
physical body and to a lesser extent the under
standing of his mental capacity has caused him
to reach a point where he is in a better position
to take care of himself from the standpoint of
health than he has been in the past. For ex
ample, it is inconceivable for an individual to
have purposefully eaten something which is
poisonous, or at least which he knows does
not agree with him, and expect him to be
instantaneously healed of whatever condition
may be the result. On the other hand, there are
reliable records to substantiate stories of indi
viduals who have through error taken poisons
or some other foreign matter internally and have
been able to use their mental powers and call for
cosmic aid to make it possible for the body to
throw off the ill effects of such foreign matter.
They apparently suffered no ill effects, which
would be the equivalent of instantaneous healing.
Man must learn through experience. If he sticks
a finger in the flame it will be burned, and man
will have that experience impressed upon him
through the period that follows the burn by the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

pain and inconvenience encountered in its healing. W ithout that experience he would not remember or would at least become careless when
again around fire.
There have been claims and many times very
tangible proofs of instantaneous healings that
have taken place due to the fervor of religious
experience or under emotional tension. Various
stories have been told of individuals who were
apparently paralysed being able to get themselves
out of a burning home to avoid death. Stories
have been told in similar circumstances where
an individual who constantly used an aid such
as a crutch or cane was able to throw the aid
away and take a few steps without any assistance.
Evidently this indicates the actual power of the
mind just as we can rally strength under certain
demands which we did not realise was at our
service, so the mind can when the stimulus is
sufficient, control the muscles through the nervous
system of the body to a point beyond what we
ordinarily believe is possible. A great deal of research is needed in this field before sufficient data
can be assembled in order to judge this type of
phenomena from a cold scientific viewpoint.
W hen the average individual who has studied
anything at all concerning the laws of the uni'
verse sees that throughout the universe there are
evidences of law, order and harmony, he is not
so much interested in instantaneous healing as he
is interested in maintaining those same laws in his
body. It is not to be denied, of course, that anyone who is suffering would welcome an immediate
change, and man can learn to apply certain metaphysical principles that will help him in com'
batting pain, disease and various physical con'
ditions. However, regardless of physical condi'
tion, his prime purpose should be to help maintain the harmony that is present in his bodv and
make that harmony more complete until it be'
comes an absolute attunement with the creative
and constructive forces of the universe. Therefore, it is not in accord with the laws of God and
the Cosmic for man to spend his time and effort
working for shortcuts to anything, whether it be
to happiness, health, or prosperity.
Most things that are worthwhile come as a re'
suit of a number of causes working together. W e
feel that to a certain extent health is one of these
that we have a great deal of control in directing.
This is particularly true when the proper prin'
ciples of health are instilled into the minds of
younger people. There are already indications
in the lives of members of families or in cases
where the father, mother, or both are affiliated
with this organisation, that the children eniov
better health. This is probably true because of
some of the principles that are practiced early in
life. There is a great field ahead of us to instill

Page 169

the principles of good and balanced living into

the minds of younger people.A.

Can W e U ndo a Mistake?

The question that serves as a basis of these
comments is a question asked by a member of
this organisation in order that an interpretation
of the points involved might be made from the
standpoint of Rosicrucianism. Probably no
human being who has seriously considered his
position in life or in the universe has failed to
ask this question at one time or another* W e
have all had the experience of regretting an error
which was the result of our own choice or our
lack of choice due to forgetfulness or lack of concern at the moment. Many have been the times
when we have felt that it would have been
worth almost any possession we had to have been
able to rectify the mistakes which had occurred
due to our own effort.
The question of whether or not we can undo
a mistake depends upon our analysis of the mean'
ing of the error itself. I believe many individuals
who have made serious errors have undone them
many times insofar as their debt to humanity is
concerned. The very popular and worthwhile
novel of a few years ago by Lloyd C. Douglas
entitled Magnificent Obsession is built on a
plot involving an individual who thoughtlessly
was the cause of a serious error and who gave
his life to compensating for the error he made.
To consider the life of that individual from a
detached viewpoint, I believe almost everyone
would agree that he had undone the mistake.
However, he did not bring back to life the indi'
vidual whose transition resulted from his thought'
lessness. N o doubt a mistake can be corrected
when it only involves the replacing of property
or any other item that can be replaced, but a
mistake which involved life cannot be corrected
in proportion to the amount of suffering that may
have been caused those in immediate contact with
the victim of the mistake. Fortunately, most mis'
takes are not that serious. Many mistakes pri'
marily affect ourselves; in fact, the mistakes we
make in our daily living are usually those which
we might say are potential rather than active. By
that I mean the failing to take advantage of op'
portunities or deciding upon one course through
pure stubbornness, rather than being willing to
take the advice of another or consider the whole
matter in broader perspective.
From the standpoint of a mystical philosophy,
the law under which we are required to compen'
sate for errors in the past is truly built upon
fundamental cosmic law, which demands through'
out the universe that for every cause there will
be an effect. This makes clear that every action

Page 170

is the beginning or the cause of a future effect.

Everything we do, every thought we have, is lay'
ing the foundation upon which a future reaction
will be based. In other words, what we are now
and what we will be in the future is so tied
up with the past that everything we have done
whether right or wrong, is causing our general
viewpoints, activities and purposes to be modified.
This does not mean that we are necessarily tied
to a fatalistic conception of the universe that
gives us no freedom of choice whatsoever, but it
does bring us face to face with the fact that if
we are desirous of obtaining freedom of being, of
choice and of purpose, we must guide our every
action with that in mind here and now. The
more in accord we can live with cosmic law and
the more perfect our existence is at this time, the
greater margin of freedom of activity will we
have in the future for the simple reason that less
Karma has been created and, consequently, there
are fewer mistakes for which compensation will
be demanded. Therefore, the way to undo a
mistake is to accept our compensation philosophic
cally. The individual who is creating more diffi
culties is the one who is attempting to fight
against the iust compensation which must be paid
by him or her for errors made.
Time and time again we receive communica'
tions from individuals who lament the condition
m which they find themselves, who bewail their
lot and give their time and attention to consider*
ing how badly off they are in comparison with
others. If these individuals could only realize that
the best way, and in fact, the quickest way to gain
the position of others whom they envy is to
frankly face the circumstances with which they
are confronted, they would then be in a position
to accept the compensation and make adequate
adjustment for their previous errors. However,
some say that compensation is unjust; that we
should not be penalized or caused to have Karma
due to mistakes in past lives of which we can
have no objective remembrance: that it is unfair
for man to have to suffer for the mistakes
which he cannot be conscious of having made.
Here again is a path or argument, or a line of
thought, which will only lead to more trouble.
A fter all, man is one part of the entire universe,
and while he can question the laws of the uni'
verse if he so chooses, the questioning does not
change them. A man who lives on the W est side
of the city in which he daily works might state
the laws of the universe which cause the sun to
rise in the East and set in the West, and, there'
fore, be shining directly in his eyes when he
drives to work in the morning and when he re'
turns in the evening, are unjust laws; but it would
be ridiculous to presume he would have the au'
dacity to consider that these laws should be

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

changed, that the universe should not exist in

this form, merely for his convenience.
If the laws of Karma and compensation seem
unfair, it is because of our inability to fit our'
selves into the whole of the picture. W e only
see the part that affects us, and because of that
we see it all through the coloring placed upon it
by our own thinking. Therefore, until man
reaches the point of mastership and understand'
ing where he can comprehend all laws of the uni'
verse as a whole and see where each part fits into
another part, he must have the ability to face
each situatioii in a manner of sincerely attempt'
ing to ad just any error that might have occurred
and at the same time through that period of
adjustment gain what knowledge he can in regard
to the working of the laws. Anyone who is ex'
periencing this period of adjustment at the mo'
ment, and we all do at one time or another, will
say it is easy for another to sit back and write
this type of information; that if they were in a
position where matters which caused them grief,
difficulty and inconvenience were faced, then they
would not be able to pass it off so lightly. W hen
anyone has learned a lesson it always seems to
the individual who has not learned it that they
do not take their problem as seriously as they
would if the second individual were in the actual
position of the first.
Rosicrucianism does not demand a blind faith
to understand its principles. It does not ask that
man accept the laws of the universe simply be'
cause there are laws that exist concerning which
man can do nothing. However, it does ask that
we teach these laws, that we use every bit of
knowledge we can gain to help us put these laws
together. A person who knows nothing about
modern transportation could not possiblv visualize
or even conceive of the vast system of railroad
transportation in this country by visiting the rail'
road station of a town of eight or ten thousand
population. In other words, the passage of trains
and the activities around the small railroad center
would appear to have no meaning in themselves.
Trains would come from nowhere and go again
somewhere. One would move back and forth in
arranging different cars in different orders. It
would all seem to be a very confused activity.
Then if this individual could suddenly be trans'
planted to a place where he would see the vast
underground network of a subway system in a
large city, it would be difficult for him again to
reconcile the two transportation facilities into a
unit in his own mind unless it was further ex'
plained to him or through experience he gained
a more complete idea regarding railroad trans'
portation. So it is with us. W e see the universe
in segments. These segments are those we are
able to perceive. Now and then we catch glimpses

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

of parts which do not seem to fit into the whole,

and therefore, we are confused or caused to
question the purpose of the whole, whatever it
may be. The lives of many great men and many
mystics have evidenced in themselves the ability
of man to gain a better and more complete understanding. The final and absolute mastery of
all the laws of the universe lies far ahead for us
all. That is the ultimate purpose of at least one
phase of our existence.A.

Changes In W eather Conditions

Almost everyone has had the experience of
hearing explanations given for odd weather con
ditions. Every time the weather seems to be dif
ferent there are always many explanations as to
why conditions are as they are. Everywhere in
the world changes occur from year to year.
W eather is not exactly alike at one particular
place at the same season of the year for year after
year except in arid or polar regions, and even
then there is some variation.
It is interesting now to observe that when
ever an unusual weather condition exists there
are certain individuals who credit this condition
to the war, or at least blame the existing war for
its cause. A Frater recently wrote in and asked
if there was any truth to the stories stating that
the actual warfarebombs bursting arid other
conditions caused by the concussions of explosives
has any direct bearing upon weather conditions
in other parts of the world or locally where these
conditions exist. I had heard someone say that
the peculiar weather in various parts of the
United States this year was due to all the shoot
ing. W e are amused at such an observation as
this. There have been peculiar and odd forms
of weather, and in fact, unusual weather in
years when there was no war, and then other
causes were given as explanations for their ex
istence.
Furthermore, when we credit the power of
manmade activity to change the laws of nature
or at least to influence them, we are taking an
extremely egotistical attitude toward the whole
consideration of the manifestation of natures
laws. In other words, man is constantly, some
times unconsciously it is true, looking at the
whole universe through the understanding of his
own conceptions and comprehensions. Man con
siders the laws of nature from an anthropomor
phic standpoint, which of course, means that he
sees himself as the center of all things. Now,
while man does have the ability of utilizing and
directing toward practical benefits for himself
many of natures laws, man has not yet reached
a point in his development when he will change
the fundamental laws, and in fact, he probably

Page 171

never will. The laws that govern atmospheric

conditions are a part of the universal laws that
make up all manifestation through the universe.
These laws, as all cosmic laws, are set in opera
tion to carry out a purpose, and man learns he
cannot change or modify these laws. In fact, if
they were changeable by mans intervention or
supplication, it would deny the justice of a God
which had established these laws for the purpose
of carrying out the ultimate manifestation of his
purpose in the universe. These laws are im
mutable; they will function for a definite end and
function until that end is complete. Therefore,
when man assigns manmade action to explain any
apparent change in natural laws, he is only using
his imagination.
It is seriously to be doubted that the war in
any way can have any effect upon weather con
ditions. Man has experimented to artificially pro
duce rain. W e have read of some of these ex
perimentssome of them have been serious and
some of them have been extremely humorous. In
fact, a few years ago a famous comedy team then
popular made a motion picture based upon this
particular theme that presented an extremely
humorous viewpoint of the possibility of man
controlling the weather. In practically all the
methods used to produce rain or atmospheric
change, there have been some principles of con
cussion involved; that is, the use of a rocket or
the causing of some other high explosion at a cer
tain level in the atmosphere. As far as any au
thentic records are concerned, science at least
has not acknowledged the success of any of these
experiments, so it appears that concussion or the
use of explosives is not a means of controlling
atmospheric conditions. Therefore, it would ap
pear very unlikely that the explosion of shells in
the present war could have any bearing upon the
weather locally or otherwise.
It must be constantly born in mind, particu
larly by serious-minded studentsand I might
say this is of importance to Rosicruciansthat
war in all its undesirable events can harm in two
ways; first and self-evident is physical harm of
participants in an area where battles or warfare
are actually taking place. This is the obvious. The
other method is one which has practically been
overlooked by the average individual until recent
ly. That is the psychological effect. This psycho
logical phase, or the use of certain types of propa
ganda, has been particularly used in the current
war and it is a condition which can only be ef
fective when it falls on fertile soil. In other
words, the individual who is already alarmed, is
in a state of panic, who is emotionally unstable,
affected by grief, misunderstanding or some other
condition is the most susceptible to the psycho
logical change that is brought about by rumors
and attempts to create panic among the people.

Page 172

Only a few weeks ago I received a letter from

a Soror living in the East stating that she understood no one in the East could come to the Rosi
crucian Convention because all travel had been
definitely stopped on the Pacific Coast and no
one could travel from place to place. I tried to
write back assuring this Soror that the move
ment of no individual had been restricted except
in the case of enemy aliens who, naturally, were
under certain types of restriction and supervision
for the benefit of all, and to this date we live
perfectly normal lives in this country in spite of
restrictions that have been placed upon us in our
buying powfcr in certain commodities. W e are
going to be faced with other restrictions, but it
is not likely that our fundamental liberties are
going to be restricted long. W e are a country
which is trying to support those very principles,
and possibly one reason we are having to support
them in the form of war is because we have not
appreciated their full value in the time of peace.
So far it has only been more or less the luxuries
that we have been denied, and certainly we
should bring home particularly to younger people
that these things will not be denied in a world
of peace, in a world where men and women judge
well what they hear and use the full abilities of
their minds. Therefore, in a time when our ef
forts are needed for so much purposeful work,
when we are called upon to work directly or in
directly for the furtherance of the ideals which
we value so highly, let us guard against being led
to speculate on unimportant factors. A fter all,
what difference does it make if the war affects
or does not affect atmospheric conditions? It is
far more important for us to help the man or the
family that is in a state of fear or panic, to help
them realise they are a part of a cosmic scheme,
and that the experience which we all participate
in now is an experience which is ours in order
that we may be better prepared for greater ex
periences in the future. In other words, a thing
which Rosicrucians are in a position to teach is
that humanity must not bewail its lot, but must
learn to live and learn regardless of what its
position may be.A.

Projection-Past and Future

One of our good fratres, and a past Master
of a large AM O RC Chapter, arises to ask our
FORUM : Since there is no such thing as time,
except in our consciousness, is it possible to pro
ject to scenes which we consciously know to be
in our past and to places which might be in our
future?
This is indeed a very interesting question, and
one that involves important mystical, psychologi
cal, and metaphysical principles. The frater has

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

rightly said that time is a product of human con

sciousness, as is also its companion, space. Since
time, therefore, has no reality, except in the mind,
certain qualities which we associate with it, such
as past and future, are also non-existent, except
in consciousness. Experiences are given three
positions by the mind, in the stream of conscious
nessthose which we designate of the past, those
of the present, and those of the future. It is
quite apparent that past and future, as experi
ences, must possess such qualities to the mind as
make them appear quite distinct from the present.
Let us, however, begin our ruminations with
the present. Hold up a pencil before you. Look
at it intently. Is your perception of the pencil
of the past, the present, or of the future? You
will immediately reply, the present. But why
is it of the present? W hat is there about this ex
perience that causes you to designate it as of the
present? You see the pencil clearly. You can
confirm your visual impressions by squeezing
your fingers about it and receiving tactile sensa
tions or the feel of it. You can even put the tip
of it in your mouth and taste the lead. Further,
you can scratch it harshly upon a paper and hear
the scraping sounds. All of these sensations, how
ever, but prove that the pencil is a reality domi
nating your consciousness. In other words, any
thing you are conscious of exists to you in the
nowin the present. Sometimes we cannot al
ways clearly interpret our impressions. They are
vague, but even the vagueness of which we have
an awareness is of the now.
Let us use a homely analogy to explain this
state of the present. You are sitting on the bank
of a wide, fast-moving stream. It has a very long
stream. Shrubs obstruct all but a portion of it to
you. A n object floats into view. You perceive it,
that is, you see it. It exists to you now because
it is before you. You cannot see where it came
from. You will not be able to see where it goes.
The object, insofar as your seeing it is concerned,
has only one position in existence the present.
Everything that appears in that portion of the
stream which is visible to you, which is before
you, is now. Suppose that stream were your con
sciousness. You would have only one realisation
of realities, that is, that they were of the present.
Consequently, whatever you are conscious of is
always of the present. Your consciousness is of
you. You cannot sever it from yourself. No mat
ter how you may expand it, it still is always with
youalways of the now.
W e are, however, aware of such states as past
and future. There are two factors which are the
principal causes of the illusion of the past. W hen
you concentrate upon an experience that you say
is of the past, the incidents of it are actually of
the now, for they occupy your consciousness, and

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

your consciousness is when and where you are.

It is always with and of you. If a past experience
completely and constantly absorbs your conscious'
ness, you relive it so thoroughly that it seems
like the present to you. For analogy, you have
seen a person so deeply engrossed in reverie that
he was oblivious to all of his surroundings. There
was only one aspect of time to that individual
the present, the experiences which occupied his
consciousness. Nothing else had existence to him.
W here his consciousness, or mind dwelt, that was
the present to him.
There is still another useful analogythe mo'
tion picture. As perhaps you know, a fascinating
motion picture play of, let us say, a period of
one hundred years ago, may hold our attention so
thoroughly that our consciousness is projected
into it. W e are there with the people, with the
actors. W e are in the scenes, only to us they are
not one hundred years ago. They seem to be of
the present. They are of the now to our con'
sciousness. The so'called actual present, our phy'
sical surroundings, does not exist. Only the characters and incidents on the motion picture screen
are real to us, for they are all that there is of
our consciousness, when we lose ourselves in the
story. It is not until the motion picture story
ends that we return, so to speak, to the present
of our surroundings.
If it were not for certain factors we will now
relate, there would be no past as an illusion,
rather just a series of present experiences. W e
would experience something and then it would
pass out of existence, to have some other impres'
sions supplant it in our consciousness. There is,
however, the faculty of memory. Memory ar'
rests the present experiences. It stores them by
their integral parts and reassembles them under
certain psychological conditions. Thus, in the
consciousness an experience can be repeated.
W hen such an experience is repeated, if it then
completely occupies our consciousness, it is of
the present, it is of the now.
How do we know then whether an experience
is a memory recollection or something which we
realize for the first time? W e are able to make
this distinction because of our two states of consciousness, namely, objective and subjective. The
faculty of memory is of the subjective mind. W ill
power, on the other hand, functions more directly
with the objective, or the outer and physical as'
pects of the consciousness. W e can will ourselves
to recall memory experiences. W hen we do, we
are objectively conscious that we are drawing
from memory. Thus we realize, or are aware that
we do draw from memory and we are also aware
of that change or alternation from objective ex'
perience to memory, and this causes us to desig'
nate the latter experiences as of the past.

Page 173

W e can bring out of memory a series of ex'

periences, and since we are aware of a kind of
progression which they have, one seeming to fol'
low the other, one experience changing into the
other, they assume an order. W ere an indi'
vidual suddenly to lapse into a memory expert
ence without his being conscious of the transition
from his immediate experience to the one of
memory, the memory would not seem to be of
the past to him, but to be the present. Dreams
are such an example. Many dreams, as we know,
are very much of the present. It is because we
are asleep, and therefore we are not conscious
of the change of our consciousness, and those ex'
periences therefore which occupy our subjective
mind are of the present to uswe live them.
The objective consciousness is practically dor'
mant. W hen we awake, however, we are aware
of the transition. W e can partly recall the dream
sensations, and since we can do this, the dreams
then are put in the past, in contrast to our then
present and dominant state of consciousness.
Insanity is another excellent example of the
fact that the past is an illusion. The insane per'
son is often a captive of his subjective mind. Be'
cause of certain conditions he cannot coordinate
his subjective and objective consciousness. The
uncontrolled impressions of his subjective mind
are far more realistic and dominant than those
which Come to him through his physical senses.
The insane person, therefore, lives entirely and
unnaturally in a subjective or mental state. The
uncontrolled memory experiences and the impres'
sions created by the faculty of imagination are
entirely of the present to such an unfortunate
person. There is no change from the perceptions
of the objective consciousness, of the external
world, to those of memory. The external or ob'
jective consciousness does not exist to many in'
sane persons. Therefore, all of their dreams,
hallucinations, and obsessions are of the present.
The individual constantly lives them. They are
his whole state of consciousness.
W e all have had what is known as a hiatus, that
is, a gap of consciousness. These gaps are almost
infinitesimal in their lapse of what is called time.
It is these regular gaps in our objective conscious'
ness for a fraction of a second, which cause us
to realize changes in our experiences. In other
words, one experience seems to end and another
seems to begin. If it were not for this, all ex'
periences would seem to us to be a continuous
stream of the present, which, in fact, they are
The memory of these changes creates the helpful
illusion of the past. I say helpful, because with'
out such illusions our lives would be very much
confused.
An experience is not a tangible thing, except
as it consists of those realities which have sub'

Page 174

stance, or which are external to ourselves. Thus, for

example, the signing of the Declaration of Independence was an event that changed into others.
The individuals returned to their homes, the furniture in the room was changed, and there were
all of those major and minor changes which we
say occur in time. There was nothing in that
event that could remain stationary and intact,
except the material things which seemed to be
soand which also gradually change, as we know
such as the document itself and the place where
it was signed. Consequently we cannot project our
selves back to the event of the signing of the
Declaration of Independence, because it no longer
exists as such. Past experiences remain only as
memories of the soul and of the mind. They may
be drawn to the fore of our present conscious
ness. W e may, therefore, for a flash of a second,
which may seem as long as the original passing of
time, relive them. Thus the past is again, for
that brief interval, made to appear as the original
present. W e are, however, not really projecting
the consciousness back into those original cir
cumstances, but only into a reflection of them,
an image of them. A memory experience is a
reality, not an actuality.
The same may be said about the future. The
faculty of imagination allows us to combine ele
ments of memory, to assemble them into a pattern
which is not existential. If our imagination is
perfect, like that of many small children, we live
in the future, but so far as consciousness is con
cerned what we experience is of the present be
cause it occupies the consciousness now. W e can
not project our consciousness into an actual fu
ture, because the particular products of our
imagination have as yet no reality outside of our
own mind. The new arrangements with which
imagination is concerned are of the now. That
is, the mental picture is part of the subjective
processes of the immediate consciousness.
W hen eventually what we imagine can be cre
ated outside of the mind, so that we can actually
experience it through our objective faculties, it
will still be of the present. It will be of our im
mediate consciousness of it. Future, as the mind
conceives it, as in imagination, for example, is a
conception had in the present. It is without a
corresponding archetype in the world outside of
ourselves. Therefore, in the present, we can
project to places and to peoples in the material
world outside of ourselvesfor the past, we can
only project into the memory of the mind and
the soul.X.

W hat Value Affirmations?

A Soror, a very good AM ORC student, asks
this Forum the questions: How much value
should we, as Rosicrucians, put on affirmations?

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Some religions have used these declarations a

great deal. It has been a long time since I have
read or thought much of the Confession to
Maat. W hat is the real value of such affirma
tions?
By the custom of making affirmations, the
Soror means the practice of reciting aloud be
liefswhatever they may be. Every individual
should have a personal philosophy, so definite,
or a religious conception or creed so perspicuous,
that it constitutes an order in his mind. If you
are unable to formulate in some manner what
you believe, it is of little practical or even in
spirational value to you. For example, each indi
vidual should have a conception of a God or
Divine Cause that he is capable of relating to
another. The conception need not be as erudite
or as profound as anothers. It should, however,
represent his sincere belief, and should be an inti
mate part of his consciousness. If he cannot
formulate his conception, no matter how he tries
to do so, it depicts the depth of his own con
fusion. As a conception, then, it certainly will
give him little peace of mind or enlightenment.
Once you have ordered your beliefs, put them
into a systematic arrangement, or mentally es
tablished a creed of living, it is not necessary
that you make a liturgy of them. Unless you ex
pect to be a missionary, do not go about pro
claiming them or exhorting others to listen to
them.
Many persons, as Rosicrucians for example,
have a creed of life which they follow. They
have it handwritten, typewritten, or printed, and
the put it in a conspicuous place in their homes,
preferably the study or sanctum. It is there to
remind them of what they once formulated men
tally, or adopted, and with the best of intentions
intended to pursue. The old adage, Out of
sight, out of mind, is often true. W e all need
reminders.
However, there is more to affirmations than
just this. There is the ancient practice of making
our desires vocative. Among the ancients, there
arose the conception that a thought or idea
would have no efficiency unless it was spoken.
The spoken word had a power. As a reverbera
tion it went forth, according to the ancient view,
and created those conditions or circumstances
which it proclaimed. Consequently, among the
Babylonians, Egyptians, and ancient Hebrews,
prayers and curses were always made vocative.
W ords were conceived to be more active than
thoughts. Thoughts were held to cling to the
mind of the individual. Words became an em
bodiment of them a physical agency for
thoughts. Undoubtedly behind all this, among
the learned, the sages, was the realization and
\nowledge that the intonations of certain vowel

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

sounds actually do produce desired emotional and

psychical effects on others. The old curses of
the Semitics contained words which in themselves
had no meaning, but the intonations did produce
harsh, irritable vibrations, the effects of which
were known.
Conversely, ancient prayers and liturgies contained words without meaning that were used
solely for their vocal efficacy just as we Rosicrucians intone vowel sounds in our Lodge and
Chapter Temples and in our home sanctums for
their beneficial effects. Thus it became the custom, preserved until today, to affirm aloud what
we believe. Those who do are often convinced
that a belief made vocative is more efficacious.
Saying, for example, I believe in justice and
liberty for all," does no more to establish these
qualities than if you merely recite the phrase
mentally, unless the affirmation contains a special
combination of vowel sounds. A vocal affirmation
often becomes a religious cant, that is, an hypocrisy. There are those who stand in church and
cry aloud the creed of their denomination in
unison with others, and yet in private life and
conduct they contradict all they have openly said.
There are certain other psychological advantages, however in making vocal affirmations.
Aside from the intonation of vowels, often a
spoken word has a greater influence upon some
than when it is read. It inclines them to action more easily. Some people are so constituted
that they are more susceptible to auditory im
pressions than to visible ones. Psychological tests
have proven some individuals to react to verbal
commands almost immediately, but ignore or be
unimpressed by the same written ones.
To make a vocal affirmation have conviction to
the mind, it must ring with sincerity, it must be
said forcefully. The words must capture some
of the dynamic action of the mind, of the idea
which the words convey. It is difficult to make
a written word convey passion or emotion. Each
of us knows that a cry, or single word, can some
times embody more anguish, pathos, fear or hat
red, than a hundred written words. The inflec
tions of the voice through sound act upon us
psychically in addition to the import we derive
from the meaning of the word itself. However, a
strong mind, a determined one, with a concise
mental affirmation which is sincerely believed, can
cause a reaction, an effect equivalent to the affir
mation being spoken. The individual must make
the experiment himself. Let him repeat his affir
mations or convictions mentally and determine
whether he receives the same impetus or inspira
tion from them that he does when he makes them
vocative.
The real purpose of an affirmation is to pro
duce action. You believe something, and you

Page 175

want that belief to govern you, to influence your

conduct, so that you may bring something about
with the help of others or of nature. If an af
firmation, whether vocal, mental, or written, does
not cause you to act in conformity with it, it is
useless; abandon it. An affirmation is a sugges
tiona suggestion to yourselfa sort of re
minder. If you do not act upon it, of what value,
then, is it? Suppose you were continually for
getting to extinguish your home lights each time
you left. As a reminder, for example, you place
a sign over your front door which can be ob
served as you depart, and which reads: I must
switch off the lights. If you pass through this
door a dosen times weekly, each time reading
this sign, and yet do not extinguish the lights, of
what value is such an affirmation or reminder to
you? The affirmation is not going to act inde
pendently of you and for you.
The real purpose of an affirmation has been
perverted in recent years by many individuals
and by many systems of study, so called. Some
years ago, a French psychologist by the name of
Coue lectured in this country and wrote several
books extolling the virtues of verbal auto-sug-:
gestion, or implanting commands in our subjec-.
tive minds, which if we acted upon them, were to
produce desired salutary effects. One of the
commonest affirmations he suggested the individu-:
al say aloud under certain conditions was, P ay
by day in every way I am getting better and
better. The psychological principle of this was,
to inhibit the consciousness with a positive sug
gestion to supplant negative thoughts and to
change the mental attitude to one of self-stimulus
and help.
If it was accomplished, the individual would
begin by acting and doing those things conducive
to his actual betterment. Unfortunately, insuf
ficient explanation was made, and also, the
greater maiority who followed the practice as a
fad were not real students. They acquired the
erroneous conception that the chanting of the
affirmation, Day by day I am getting better
was some kind of enigmatic, theurgfical formula
like waving a wand or saying, Open, Sesame.
Thousands stood in homes and in auditoriums
and chorused stupid affirmations in monotone
voices, and then went about their usual ways of
living and thinking. Each day they expected
something to manifest, to materialise out of the
blue, that would bring about the desired trans
formation. The words they recited neither
moved them to action, nor did they themselves
put their words into actionso the affirmations
failed. The fad died a quick death.
Have you ever been very excited, extremely
agitated over something? You will recall that
under such circumstances you usually have a

Page 176

very positive opinion, and it is with the greatest

difficulty that you refrain from speaking, from
voicing your feelings. W hen you do speak, your
words have fire in them. They portray your real
self. Others who listen are affected by this con"
tagion of your feelings. T hat is the way an
affirmation should be vocally expressed. I am
not conveying the idea that you must be angry
or greatly agitated before making a vocal affirmation. I do mean, however, that you must be so
sincere when you vocally affirm, that you put
your whole feeling into it. If you do this, most
likely you will be successful in accomplishing
what the affirmation declares. If you can give
yourself the same impetus by mentally reciting
the affirmations, do so.
An affirmation should be a sacred thing to you.
It should represent your higher loves, or the
sentiments of self. Do not cheapen it by saying
it aloud before unsympathetic persons. You only
cause that which should be held in reverence by
you, to be defiled by ridicule. If you do not use
discretion as to where you recite your affirmations, and before whom you recite them, you are
like those adherents of certain religious sects who
plaster their doctrines, or the name and sacred
designation of Jesus the Christ, on billboards,
paint them on rocks adjacent to public highways,
and crudely letter them in white paint on rail
road trestles. X.

Is Being An Introvert Harm ful?

A Frater from the southern section of the
United States, we believe a newcomer to our
Forum, says: I would like to know something
more about the introvert. Is this mental state an
act of Karma, or a result of habits formed in
the present incarnation?
Let us please understand that each daily act
or experience during our lives has not been pre
meditated and laid out for us in advance. If
Karma were to prescribe for our compensation all
the joyful and baneful experiences which we
have, and those which lie between the two ex
tremes, we would be admitting that each of us
was subject to an ordained fate. Certainly the
Rosicrucian teachings, our own wills and reason
ing faculties, would avail us little under such
circumstances, for we could expect no freedom
in a course of life decreed in advance for us.
The law of Karma is not a free intelligence, a
mind that arbitrarily considers each individual
and determines the consequences of his acts. It
is an impersonal, inexorable law, as for example,
the law of gravity and the laws of magnetism.
Let us look at the matter in this light: Karma, or
the law of compensation, is the principle that our
thoughts, expressed as conduct, develop our lives

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

into a kind of polarity. Thus as we go about

our affairs, if we are compassionate, helpful, con
structive in a humanitarian way, tolerant, kind
and understanding, and as unselfish as possible,
we create within ourselves a capacity to draw
back into ourselves, from life, a like compensa
tion. If we think of ourselves, for example, as a
vessel containing a liquid to its brim, then to the
degree that we dispense this liquid, and the vessel
becomes less full, to that extent may it again be
filled. If we dispense from the vessel of our na
ture, violence, malice, hatred, jealousy, and the
cause of suffering of others, the law of compensa
tion then provides that we can draw or return
to ourselves, into the vessel of our nature, a
content of the same kind.
Consequently, Karma does not decree how we
must spend our lives. Spend them we must, but
by our own wills. If in the last incarnation we
gave off such an attitude of mind or participated
in such conduct as was contrary to Cosmic law,
then we must draw back into our selves a like
kind of experiences, until the balance has been
reached. Conversely, if our deeds in the past
were noble, there exists within us the capacity
to draw that much joyful experience from out
of life in return. W e must, however, not fail to
take into consideration our immediate conduct
as well. If all were just as explained, each of us
then would be only reaping the harvest of that
planted in the past. The fact remains that we
can alter our Karma by our individual thinking
and acting. W e can mitigate the effects of the
law, just as we mitigate one natural law by the
use of others in physical science.
For further example, if we have created for
ourselves in a past incarnation the reward of hap
piness in this life, we nevertheless can oppose it
by some voluntary act. W e may resort to some
thing which may be a weakness at the moment,
and create a retribution for ourselves right here
and now. W e can attract ill health and misfor
tune to ourselves that are not the result of Kar
ma, but the logical and natural consequence of
cause and effect.
If a man resorts to some foolhardy act which
his own better judgment in advance tells him is
not necessary and is inadvisable, the result he suf
fers is not Karma but the establishing of such
causes as produce the painful effects. Parents,
therefore, often through carelessness or weakness
in their own characters, inflict harm upon their
children by a neglect of some kind which they,
the parents, live to regret. For the child, it may
be Karma; if so, he must purge his own nature,
learn a lesson not realized in the past, before an
adjustment can be made. If, on the other hand,
the child is entitled to Cosmic reward, he will
soon find ways and means of correcting and of

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

mastering, perhaps a little later in life, the handi

cap the parent created for him. If he patiently
sets about to overcome the handicap, the child
creates even a further reserve of beneficial Kar
ma for himself in this or another life.
A test of whether what we experience as an
adversity at present, is the result of Karma or
our own or our parents immediate acts, is our
attitude toward it. If we are bitter, constantly
lamenting, envious of the fortune of others, de
fiant, and inclined to lay responsibility upon every
one and everything rather than ourselves, then
we are experiencing Karma. There is no rectitude
in such an attitude. It connotes our Karma, and
it is most indicative of why we are confronted
by the adversity.
On the other hand, if we set about patiently
to correct the condition, if we unreservedly ana
lyze ourselves, and try to determine what may
have contributed to our discomfiture, then we
display by such an attitude that what we are ex
periencing is not Karma. W e are then well on
the way to discovering some immediate means of
eliminating the undesired condition, or at least so
mitigating it that it in no way ruins our lives.
There is a difference between sincerely and dili
gently trying to remove some unfavorable condi
tion, and on the other hand, being belligerent
and spiteful about it.
It will be noticed that this Frater, in his ques
tion, presumes that being an introvert is some
kind of affliction, something which at all costs
should be removed as a stigma or a permanent
oppressive. It is quite true that an extreme introvert is subnormal, and is at a disadvantage in
life. Conversely, however, an extreme extrovert
is likewise. Psychologically, an introvert is one
who lives frequently in a world of his own
mental creation and finds there pleasures and
consolations which his own mind devises. The
sensations of pleasure which he experiences are
principally the stimuli of his own mental pro
cesses.
By comparison, an extrovert is one who must
live outside of himself nearly continuously; that
is, he can only be actuated to his satisfaction by
external stimuli the impressions received by his
objective senses. He must at all times be where
he can see, hear, and feel, for example, sensations
originating in the material or external world
about him. His activity is not mental; it is fphysi'
cal. He lacks the ability to arouse his own emo
tional self. Something or somebody must con
tinuously do it for him if life is to be enioyable
for him. An extrovert is in near torture when he
is obliged to be by himself. He can create no
happiness for himself. His life must be filled with
activitiesapart from himself. He is the kind of
individual who cannot swim in life. He must

Page 177

to get anywhere always be in a fast moving

current that sweeps him along.
An extreme introvert, on the other hand,
borders on insanity. He may have schizophrenic
tendencies. Such a type excludes himself from
all society. He prefers at all times the company
of himself to anyone else. The world of reality
is far less real to himand less exciting and grati
fyingthan the realm of his own imagination.
Consequently, such an individual is incapable of
self-care and meeting and adjusting himself to the
problems of existence as they arise.
A perfect or ideal state, of course, would be
where the individual was able to easily adjust
himself to the demands of self and to the world
equally. In other words, one who is free and
easy in society, who enjoys the stimulus of his
own objective senses, and yet resorts to medita
tion, to contemplation, and develops his inner
powers as well.
The individual who is an extrovert, active
among his fellows, even perhaps a leader, a
speaker, and acting collectively, but who dislikes
contemplation, is never a contributor of the great
things of humanity. History records the acts of
many celebrated extrovertsas leaders. It will be
found, however, that the great contributions to
society, as for example, in art, literature, science,
philosophy and invention, came from those who
were more inclined to introversion.
A man who is never alone with his own
thoughts, and who does not deeply think and
weigh values, is missing many worthwhile things
of life. His life is superficial. A person inclined
toward introversion, however, can mix with
others and take a part in society, and usually his
words will be listened to. He may never sweep
people off their feet as an extrovert often does,
but neither will he ever bore them. Further, one
inclined toward introversion can find happiness
wherever he is, for it lies within him. An extro
vert must keep moving, must be with the crowds.
His happiness lies always at the end of the rain
bow which he is continually chasing. If, there
fore, you are inclined toward introversion, be
proud of it.
There is, however, a vast difference between
introversion and an inferiority complex. If you
shun people and the world, and if you are afraid
to put yourself into competition with them, you
are not an introvert. You are, perhaps, a victim
of neurasthenia, possibly brought on by some ner
vous disorder which should be diagnosed by your
physician or a psychiatrist. Loud, boastful, vain
individuals with an unfounded sense of grandeur,
are more than extroverts. Sometimes they are
paranoicsa form of insanity. A differentiation
must be established between the extremes, and a

Page 178

normal inclination toward introversion or extroversion. The latter is perfectly proper, for we
are all inclined toward one or the other. X.

Auras T heir A ttraction and Repulsion

Fratres and Sorores are often confused by one
of the fundamental laws of magnetism which
also applies to the phenomenon of the human
aura. This law is that Like attracts unlike and
repels like." Since a positive aura represents the
spiritual aspect of an individual, his higher in
clinations, the creative force of the individual,
and the manifestations of an evolving personality,
what occurs when two such positive polarities
confront each other? Does the law still hold
good? W ill the two positive polarities oppose
each other? W hy should they not be attracted
to each other instead, since they are inclined
toward the same things? This does seem para
doxical or an inconsistency, doesnt it? So let
us consider this problem at this Forum session.
As you will learn, the aura of the physical
body is predominantly negative in polarity in
comparison to that of the psychic body or inner
self, which is predominantly positive. This is
because the physical body is composed of spirit
vibrations, as are all material things. Spirit,
though consisting of positive and negative vibra
tions, is predominantly negative, because as mat
ter, it manifests on the material plane.
However, the more we attune with the real
part of ourselves, with the psychic self, the more
positive our aura becomes in polarity. Conse
quently, some persons have a less negative aura
than others, or in other words, it is more positive
in polarity. Thus, where there are two negative
auras and one is less in that polarity, the other
stands in relation to it as of positive polarity.
They are therefore drawn to each other by their
magnetic opposite attraction. If the auras are
alike in polarity, of course, they will repel each
other.
W hat of two positive auras? W ill they, by
the same rule of Like repels like and attracts
unlike," repel each other? There are degrees of
positiveness also. Thus two persons' auras may
have a definite positive polarity in relation to a
third person having a negative aura, but in re
lation to each other, one may be predominantly
more positive. Consequently, they will be drawn
together by that relative difference in their auras.
On the other hand, where two auras have about
the same degree of positiveness, opposition will
occur. This repulsion, however, may not become
violent. It may not cause the individual to resort
to unethical or immoral conduct. It would, how
ever, produce a discord and inharmony between
them. Two persons having such strong positive

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

auras would not find the comfort, ease, and en

joyment in each others company that they would
experience in the presence of one having an op
posite, receptive, or negative aura.
How then, we may ask, do we account for
the fact that persons with the same high idealism,
good health, and resorting to the development of
their inner selves, are seemingly drawn together?
A re not their auras positive in polarity, therefore
should they not oppose each other? Such persons
are unified only in the sense that together they
are being drawn toward a common goal. In
other words, the attraction is not between them
as individuals, but is caused by an outside factor,
an attraction outside of themselves. For a simple
analogy: In experiments in magnetism, we find
that two pieces of metal which have been magne
tised so as to have a positive polarity, together
may be attracted to the negative pole of a magnet.
These positive pieces may be close together as
they cling to the negative pole of the magnet,
but they are not drawn to each other, but rather
to the opposite polarity of the magnet, for which
they have a common attraction.
For still another analogy: Rosicrucians meet in
Chapters and Lodges. Certainly we may presume
that the auras of many of these members are
positive in polarity. W hy do these individuals
associate themselves together if their auras are
positive in polarity? It is because of an external
attraction which draws them, and which has
naught to do with the radiations of each others
auras. They are seeking truth, knowledge, and
more wisdom. Their minds, regardless of their
auras, are negative in contrast to the positive
abundance of the Rosicrucian teachings which
they seek. Like the several pieces of metal of one
polarity attracted to the opposite pole of a mag
net, these individuals, these members, are not
being drawn to each other because they are in
the same Lodge or Chapter, but to a common at
tractionthe teachings of the Order. X.

T he Danger (? ) of Knowledge
A Frater of South Africa now addresses this
Forum for the first time. He says: The high
explosives which man has invented, he has turned
against himself in war. In fact, every bit of
knowledge science gives the world, man uses to
kill with and for the purpose of general mass
murder. W hat will happen when men get the
new knowledge we teach, and which will come
from numerous other sources in the futureand
with it a great power? W ill man not exterminate
himself, soul as well as body? Now he can only
exterminate his body. In the majority of in
stances, the more brains a man has, the more he
is able to defraud his neighbor. Give him more
knowledgeand then what?"

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The Frater, when he addressed these matters

to this Forum, was obviously in a morose mood,
affected at the moment by the horror known as
war which has swept the world. There is, as we
shall see, no occasion to attribute the cause of
these conditions principally to knowledge, and
therefore to disparage the attainment of wisdom.
There are two courses for the pursuit of knowl
edge. One is the field of sciencethe study of
the how of natural phenomena. The discovery
of these laws which cause the things of the world
of reality to exist, whether they be planets, the
aurora borealis, or the power of speech, is the
function of science. Science analyzes the particu
lars, and thereby discovers the general or the
operative laws by which they have existence. Sci
ence, unlike metaphysics, religion, mysticism, or
moral philosophies, is not concerned with why
things occur, or with the purpose which lies be
hind them, or how man shall evaluate them in
relation to his own life. The ultimate end of
science, it may be said, is to acquire a knowledge
of the laws of nature, so that man may direct
them to serve his ends. In this, science has ad
mittedly succeeded.
The weak point in such a purpose is in what
these ends of life shall be, toward which such
knowledge should be directed. Shall they be to
give man a material power so as to satisfy his
appetites and desires at the cost of a moral sense?
Shall they be to seek to get the utmost from life
by using knowledge as an implement or a weapon,
and without regard for mans fellows?
This question immediately precipitates us into
the field of morals and ethics and the realm of
spiritual thought. Such matters are not within
the scope of physical science. Sciences duty is
not to tell us how to respect the laws of nature
or why we should use them for constructive pur
poses only and for the evolution of the person
ality. Therefore, it is entirely improper to criti
cize science or to hold it responsible for the mis
application of those powerful laws of the uni
verse which it has disclosed.
Fire, for analogy, is a phenomenon of nature.
It can destroy, it can raze to the ground many
useful and needed things. Likewise, it has been
and is one of the greatest agencies for good which
man has been permitted to discover. To enumer
ate even a partial list of its contributing functions
would be impossible. It is obviously quite neces
sary, therefore, that fire must be controlled if
it is to be useful. How it is directed, determines
the effects it will produce. Therefore, let us hope
that science will continue its contributions to
civilization in revealing the basic laws behind
what once were mysterious phenomena. It is for
others to define the manner in which they shall
be used.

Page 179

Civilization, as I have had occasion to state

before, is a process of refinement. The common
est example of civilization is the refinement of the
external world, of the environment in which man
exists. Civilization generally denotes a greater
ease of lifemore of the conveniencesa re
moval from the crude form of existence in which,
for example, the beasts of the field and the forest
live. It is the easing of the ways by which we
must acquire sustenance. Thus, for example, high
explosives, electricity, steel and iron, engines,
motors, and chemicals, contribute to this outer
material refinement.
Civilization has still another kind of refine
ment. It is the refinement of the individual. It
is that culture which subdues the animalistic ten
dencies of man, which makes it possible for him
to respond to his inner sensibilities, to give heed
to his esthetic tastes and spiritual inclinations.
These inner impulses are of a vibratory nature,
or sensations which are far finer than the gross
impulses of the appetites and the instincts.
It is only when civilization is fairly well es
tablished that we find this latter refinement be
ing manifest in the arts and sculpture, in painting
and poetry, philosophy, and the social sciences.
A man who is constantly fighting, every con
scious hour, for food, shelter, warmth, and the
protection of his person, is so engrossed in the
objective that the subjective impulses are almost
imperceptible to him. It is as civilization refines
the methods and means of living that leisure
is provided. It is leisure that makes it possible
for man to attune himself to and become con
scious of the self within, and to distinguish be
tween bodily desires and the urges of the soul.
It is quite apparent that any civilization which
concerns itself principally with the external re
finement is in a position to destroy itself. Ex
ternal refinement only, makes it possible for those
instruments and processes which have been per
fected by science to be ruthlessly used by man
against man. The electricity that turns out use
ful products may turn out instruments of de
struction as well. The explosives which loosen
minerals from the bosom of the earth, deep in
mines, may be used also to blast man from this
plane of existence. The only restraint of this ex
ternal refinement, the assurance that it will be
used for the preservation of man, is the refine
ment of self.
A civilization which neglects esthetic and soul
culture is doomed. A civilization with fine cities
but with perverse human characters or citizens,
is a failure. Consequently, while on the one hand
physical science is rightly making such tremen
dous strides in the refinement of our environment
and in the providing of more and more leisure,
the science of right living and thinking, the de

Page 180

velopment of character and the expression of the

inner self, must keep pace with it. W e are rich in
worldly attainments and poor in inner compre
hension and self-discipline. An individual with
high character will apply a power he may pos
sess for the betterment of mankind, unselfishly.
One of despicable character will use the same
power for his appetitions only. This knowledge
of natural law, or material science is but an
instrument for man. It may be used as the indi
vidual will directs. One who has truly an awak'
ened self, and has acquired moral discernment,
will use the instrument rightly.
W hat the Rosicrucian Order is seekinjg to do
its very reason for existenceis to teach this
second kind of knowledge, this \nowledge of self,
to make men responsive to the divine qualities
of their own natures. Man should also have a
knowledge of material things. That is why, in
our Rosicrucian teachings, we include so many
principles and laws of the basic sciences. That is
why, as well, so many material scientists of the
past and of the present were and are Rosicru
cians. Thus we can see that no mundane knowl
edge is too powerful for man to haveif he has
complete knowledge. A complete knowledge in
cludes the understanding of his being. By that,
we do not mean just anatomy, physiology, and
those sciences which explain the structure of his
body and the configurations of his organs. Rather,
we mean also the knowledge which seeks to re
late him to life, to orient him, to set him out in
the proper direction. It should be a knowledge
which has as its purpose also the interpretation
of the voice of conscience, a defining of the
higher sentiments of self, in such a manner as to
point out to man his goal and the way he should
spend his life.
Unfortunately, these two \inds of knowledge
have not kept pace with each other. It is for
that reason that sciencethat is, its contributions,
its discoveries, and developmentsis often used
by men against mankind. People are often per
plexed, and wonder how civilization can resort to
such wars. Civilizations are incomplete. The
masses of people have a refinement of their en
vironment only. Most of them did not even con
tribute to bring about that refinement; they just
indulge in it. Their homes may be ornate, their
thoroughfares paved and brilliantly lighted, the
darkness of night being dispelled. On the other
hand, most of these masses, insofar as personal
refinement is concerned, continue to dwell in the
darkness of superstition and false beliefs, and
are possessed of avarice and hatred as when they
were barbarians. They walk in the bright light
of the city streets, but the light of self, of under
standing of self, is often nearly extinguished, so
little is it regarded. Is it any wonder, therefore,

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

that men use the products of the external culture

of civilization perverselyas in war?
Until there is a greater refinement of self, and
more knowledge of the inner nature of man, we
are doomed to greater and more disastrous wars.
Material science will continue to advance, and it
can be expected, therefore, that its fruits will
often be utilized wrongly, bringing about greater
and greater disasters known as war. This will
continue until there is a general improvement of
the characters of the peoples of the world.
This refinement of selfthe other aspect of the
dual nature of civilizationhas been principally
left in past centuries to the church. It is well
recognized by intelligent people that the church
has not kept abreast of material science. It has
not made equally important contributions to
civilization. Until the church revolutionizes itself,
or perhaps it is better to say, evolutionizes itself,
it will not make a greater appeal to man. It must
bring forth in our future civilization individuals
who can restrain and utilize correctly the material
knowledge which will be theirs, or civilization will
some day nearly, if not quite completely, eradicate
itself. Movements such as the Rosicrucian Order
are doing a great work in this direction, but it is
understandable that their appeals cannot com
pete equally with those appeals to the appetites
of the outer man which are more gross and im
pelling.
The Frater implies in his remarks that personal
intelligence is often used by individuals to ex
ploit their fellows. That is quite true, because
the intelligence has become or is more concerned
with temporal and worldly things, and there is
not the restraining influence of self. W hen, how
ever, an intelligent person is taught and trained
from childhood, the responsibilities of self and
moral discipline, and a strong character emerges,
in such a person we find a humanitarian and a
contributor to true civilization. X.

Boosting T he Rosicrucian Forum

W e ask every reader of The Rosicrucian
Forum to try to induce his or her fellow member
to become a subscriber. The Rosicrucian Forum
is not a commercial enterprise. The nominal sub
scription of $1.75 per year is just sufficient to
meet the actual expense of printing, envelopes,
postage, and mail handling costs. It does not at
tempt to take into consideration the hours the
Imperator and his two assistants give to the many
articles it contains, nor even the time to proof
read all the galleys before it is finally printed;
nor does it take into consideration the Imperators
secretaries, and his assistants stenographers, in
taking down in shorthand and transcribing the
articles.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The Imperator is happy to give his time to this

publication, for it makes it possible to answer
many questions more fully than he could attempt
to do in specific correspondence to single indi
viduals. However, we do feel that as many mem
bers as possible should be subscribers. The read
ing of the publication, we feel, would greatly
enlighten them with respect to many points rela
tive to the Rosicrucian teachings and about which
possibly they had not given thought.
If it were possible, we would like to provide
free to each member a copy of The Rosicrucian
Forum,' but that could not be done at this time
and under the present dues arrangement. The
sum of a subscription for a whole years issues
is so small that it is within almost everyones
reach. Consequently, try to induce your fellow
member to be one of our Forum circle. W e are
happy to say that very few of the several thou
sands of members who are subscribers have failed
to renew their subscriptions, which speaks well
for this publication.
W here you know a member would like to re
ceive The Rosicrucian Forum and cannot af
ford it at the moment, if it is possible for you to
do so, give him or her a gift subscription. Just
send the Fraters or Sorors name and address,
and the subscription amount for one year, namely
$1.75, and we will start the issues to him or her
at once. A good way of arousing interest in The
Rosicrucian Forum is to start discussing with
another Frater or Soror an interesting topic that
has appeared in one of the issues. W hen they
inquire as to the source of your information, men
tion The Rosicrucian Forum. Urge them to
subscribe. Tell them the many good things you
may have found within its pages.
Remember, if you do not ask questions of this
Forum, we cannot answer. Therefore, we wel
come your questions concerning the Rosicrucian
teachings and philosophical topics. However, be
judicious in your selection of questions. Select
some that are not only of interest to you, but
which you feel would have a general ap
peal to our other members as well. A rule for
this is, if the questions are in any way related
to the purpose and obiects of Rosicrucianism,
then naturally they would be of interest to our
members.
W hen you are studying a monograph and it
stimulates your mind, and a question comes to the
fore of your consciousness which vou think ap
propriate to be answered in this publication, send
it at once to: The Rosicrucian Forum, AM ORC,
Rosicrucian Park, San Tose, California. Your
question mav not be answered in the very next
issue, but if it is of the right kind, it most cer
tainly will be in a future issue W e try, of course,
to avoid repeating the same subjects in each issue.

Page 181

Therefore, a question received now, and which

was perhaps answered very recently, may be held
a few months. You certainly have interesting
questions. Maybe you have never expressed
them. Do so now. Let us have them. W e will
try to fit them into some future issue.
You might further help us by occasionally let
ting us know what you likeor do not like
in both The Rosicrucian Forum and the Rosi
crucian Digest. Rosicrucian members, many of
them at least, have developed the habit of ex
pecting AM ORC to be progressive, to make
many improvements, and to accomplish worthy
changes. Consequently, those things which we
do, and which may be entirely new, are often
just accepted by membersor in other words,
taken for granted. If something goes wrong, as
for example, issues are lost in the mail, or pages
in their copies are misplaced, we are advised at
once, as we should be. On the other hand, we
also like to know, by an actual letter, not just
tacit consent, that you approve of or enjoy what
is being issued to you.
Please understand us aright. W e are not
soliciting approbationwe do not want that. W e
want to know, however, whether you like what
is being done or what is being changed or added.
W hen you take your Rosicrucian Digest out
of the envelope, for example, and see an entirely
new cover, you naturally examine it. Right then
and there, you mentally find in it something re
sponsive, something that is appealing to you, or
you do not favor it in comparison to others which
you have had from AM ORC.
Let us \now those opinions. Express your re
actions to us. Does the cover contain that eye
a b peal which you think appropriate? Consider
able effort, thought, and expense go into a change
of the Rosicrucian Digest cover, for example.
W e wait anxiously after the first issue of the new
cover to learn how our Fratres and Sorores, our
fellow members, will accept it. The fact that you
may not write and criticise or even mention the
cover, of course, can be accepted as meaning that
you approvebut we would much rather have
you write and state what you think, fran\ly. So
please do so.
The same apnlies to the articles that appear in
the issues of the Rosicrucian Digest. Many
readersa great many, of course comment up
on them, but also many do not. W e might assume
that no news from these latter many is good
news. But is it? W rite and say, I like such
and such articles. I do not like the article en
titled (whatever it may be) that appeared in this
or that issue. Your comments have a practical
purpose. You help fashion our editorial policies
you help us make the selection of your reading
matter.

Page 182

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The Rosicrucian Order, ever since its new

cycle of activity in America, which was begun
by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, has prided itself upon
designing, creating, and issuing the best in useful
literature for its members. This has consisted
of not only unique designs and illustrations, but
effective portrayals, the manner in which a sub
ject is presenteddifferent presentations for dif
ferent purposes. Furthermore, it has developed
unique and helpful membership facilities. W e
can truthfully say, without any sense of vanity,
that of all the organizations purporting to be
mystical, philosophical, or occult, in N orth and
South America, a comparison of our literature
with theirs shows that AM O RC has succeeded
in its efforts to make its work outstanding. How
ever, we repeat, your opinions guide us. So
drop us a line from time to time, wont you,
about these things?X.

A bout Books and Things

Have you not often said to yourself, Just how
would the ancients express the same thought
which I have? There are many classical sayings
in Greek and Latin that have come down through
the centuries. The reason why they have per
severed in time is because they are truisms; that
is, truths intuitively revealed. Consequently, they
are concise and most effective in expressing an
idea. Many of our modern writers, as well as
students, resort to these classical quotations be
cause no other words can be' any more effective.
Unless you are a student of Latin and Greek,
these quotations are lost to you when you come
across them in print. Often it is with a great
deal of difficulty that you can locate a source
book for the translation. To use such phrases
continuously would be to assume the air of a
pedagogue, which would be distasteful. Knowl
edge of them, however, and the occasional use
of them, denote culture.
A book containing some of the most important
and commonly used quotations, an anthology in
fact, has been prepared by Frater John W . Lang.
He has entitled his work, Breviarium Philosophorum. The small and artistically bound book,
printed in English, has its contents classified by
subject, such as, for example, Philosophy, A l
chemy, Law, Music, Love, Initiates, and other
topics. A few of the hundreds of quotations are:
Abeund studia in moresPursuits influence
character.
Durante Causa durat effectusAs long as
the cause exists, will the effect last.
Natura non facit saltumN ature does not
skip.
Nequidquam Sapit, qui sibi non sapitHe
is not wise, who has no benefit of his knowl
edge.

The preface to the little book is written by Dr.

H. Spencer Lewis, a courtesy to the author. In
this preface, Dr. Lewis says in part: Here we
have a book that is typical of what every lover
of anthology and philosophy would appreciate
and hold dear to his heart for years to come. It
is a joy to read the various pages with their gems
of wonderful thought, and there is a thrill as
sociated with knowing and possessing and pre
serving a book into which has been put so much
care and thought and personal manual labor, as
well as mental labor.
This useful little anthology sells for but $1.00
postpaid. It may be obtained from the Rosicru
cian Supply Bureau, San Jose, California.
Certain of the back issues of The Rosicrucian
Forum are absolutely out of stock. There are
other issues of which we still have quite a num
ber on hand. Those of our readers who would
like a complete set of all of the copies of The
Rosicrucian Forum up until the beginning of
their subscription may obtain them, however. A
Frater announces that he has the first ten years
issues of The Rosicrucian Forum and is dis
posed by necessity to sell them to Fratres or
Sorores. If you are interested in obtaining a
complete set, write us, and we will provide his
name and address, and you may negotiate direct
ly with him. If you wish separate copies of past
issues, let us know what you would like to have,
and we will tell you whether we have them in
stock. W e are also in a position to provide you
with a list of all issues we still have in stock.
They contain timeless articles, as they are
founded upon truth, and still are as valuable
from the standpoint of instruction as they were
the day they were written.
W hat the Rosicrucians can do in strengthening
will and morale, and helping an individual to
adjust himself to rapidly changing circumstances,
comes in a letter submitted by our good Frater
Calcano. Often individuals underestimate the
value of the Rosicrucian teachings. They may
see in them only a possibility of acquiring ma
terial things or learning how to acquire them.
Inspiration, guidance, consolationthese qualities
are to such persons of little value, and the fact
that the teachings can provide them means
nothing to them. Consequently, when they are
confronted by adversity, and the material re
sources which they have accumulated are ex
hausted, they often become panic-stricken, do
not know to whom to turn or upon what to de
pend. Furthermore, they often commit acts which
are signs of great inner weakness. Frater Calcano
tells in his letter, which we will quote below, of
the tremendous courage and resourcefulness of a
Frater in his country, when confronted with al
most unbelievable misfortunes. It was to the

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Rosicrucian teachings that the Frater gave credit

for his courage and his indomitable will. Frater
Calcaiio says in part:
Our good Frater --------- of the 9th Degree
passed away on Friday, April 24, at 11 p. m. I
have already given notice that his mail be dis
continued. But at the same time I would like to
tell you, because Frater --------- , in life, was an
outstanding example of the true Rosicrucian at
titude. Long before contacting the Order our
Frater began to suffer from a gangrenous disease
and it was necessary to amputate his left foot.
A few years after, his left lower leg and his left
upper leg also were lost. Then his right foot,
then his right lower leg. Our Frater was a pro
fessional musician. He was an exceptionally good
bass player, but without his legs he could no
longer stand to play his instrument, so he
without dismayingstarted to learn the cello.
He was about 40 years old at the time. You can
imagine his financial difficulties during this peri
od. He could earn nothing any longer with his
string bass, and he could not yet earn anything
with the cello. So he started to repair string
instruments, and he was so clever and able with
his hands that he won the name of being the
best lutier in this country. He also mastered the
cello and until his transition he was cellist in our
symphonic orchestra and also a cello and bass
teacher in our National School of Music (an of
ficial institution). Our Frater suffered all the
time from such a painful disease as he had.
Shortly after contacting our Order, he began to
suffer in his left hand. For a few months he could
not play. Surgeons said he was about to lose his
fingers. But our Frater was confident in the
Rosicrucian principles. Help from the Council of
Solace, help from members here, and his own
harmonious living and devotion did stop for the
first time the ominous progress of the sickness.
His hands were saved.
He had, besides, many painful trials at home.
He lost one of his two beloved sons, and suffered
terrible hardships of every kind. In his life he
had only three good things: the love of his good
wife and remaining son, the Rosicrucian Order
which was everything for him, and his music.
Everything else was bitter sorrow and pain all
the time. And yet, it was indeed glorious to meet
our Frater. He was always smiling, happy in his
resignation, optimistic, balanced, encouraging.
Every member felt relieved and confident after
talking with him. He set an unforgettable ex
ample for all of us. May the God of our hearts,
after his higher Initiation, keep him in the holy
abode he so magnificently earned for himself.
Allow me to quote, also, from a letter received
from a Frater in the United States Army. He is
one of many of our Fratres who are serving their

Page 183

country at this time in one of the branches of

the armed forces. You will note how he con
tinues his Rosicrucian studies as best he can, even
under the most unfavorable conditions, because
of what they mean to him and what they have
proved themselves to be to him. How crestfallen
some Fratres and Sorores would feel after read
ing this letter, especially if they are those who
write and say that they havent the time to study
and to keep up with the Rosicrucian teachings, or
that they havent the privacy, or the necessary
conveniences. And yet such Fratres and Sorores
are in civilian life, not in the Army or Navy
and they are carrying on in their usual way. It
goes to prove that we can find time, privacy,
and convenience if we will to do so. W hat we
put into the Rosicrucian studies in the form of
sincerity, conscientious effort and application, de
termines how much we will get out of them, and
how much value they will be to us in time of
need. The Fraters letter reads in part:
Sirs, to you there, it may sometimes seem as
though some of us may not be making as much
progress as you would like, but really, if you
could see most of us in person, you could point
us out from among the crowd, as Rosicrucians,
because these new lessons are continually adding
on to the previous lessons, a knowledge that is
hard to forget, oh! so very hard! And probably
we would manifest this new inheritance, by the
way we would act and express ourselves, or how
we would accept others opinions, etc. And let
me tell you, that although we soldier boys may
not be able, physically, to perform some of the
experiments, because of lack of privacy and ex
pediency, we still have that undying interest and
devotion to study and learn, and practice and live
the Laws that are given to us. Even if the exer
cises are not practiced, they can be at least visual
ized, and then performed at a convenient time,
but even at that, there is much to be learned by
reading, and trying to fit these new truths to the
occurrences of everyday living.
Here we are in a new location, and the pat
tern of human behavior is still the same here as
at the one that we left. People, as we gradually
are finding out, live, talk, and love the same
everywhere, and if we could touch the core of
the common people, living in the so-called aggres
sor nations, we would find them worrying like
us, and laughing like us, and withstanding tribu
lations and anxiety, just like we do, in regard to
them. And because we are forced to try to clari
fy this world situation, with crude weapons of
words and argument, we are aligned in opposite
camps, we and they, and both of the human
family.
The late Dr. H. Spencer Lewis pointed it out
so clear, in the book, The Secret Doctrines of

Page 184

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Jesus, that if our teachings were to be sincerely

studied by almost all of the human race, there
could not and would not be any more such world
upheavals as have paraded in world history in
times past. These are some of the reflections that
a person inevitably expresses, when he studies
the lessons of Rosicrucianism, even though world
politics is not in our sphere of study. X.
i

Eliminating T he Ego
A Frater of Chicago rises to state to this Forum
the following:
The subject of eliminating the ego is men
tioned in the early monographs. It causes more
misunderstanding than any other topic, I believe.
My experiences and observations indicate that
few people seem to know what it means to elimi
nate the ego. Although I, myself, have not fully
succeeded in this, I can safely say that I am gain
ing ground. My personal experiences prove that
the elimination of the ego is one of the most im
portant steps in the attainment of mastership over
self, and could well be elaborated upon in the
monographs.
First, let us answer the Frater by saying that
the subject is dealt with much more fully in the
higher degrees. His reference to this topic is
founded upon the Neophyte monographs only.
Perhaps one of the initial steps to be taken to
clarify this subject would be to change the title.
Actually, what we seek to accomplish is not the
elimination of the ego but rather, to eliminate
the individualizing of it. W e may say that psy
chologically and mystically the word ego is a
synonym for self. The word has acquired many
false meanings by improper common usage. The
self or ego manifests as our personality, a part
of our being.
Personality and individuality are frequently
erroneously confused. The individuality is a dis
tinction, a separateness which is associated with
your objective mannerisms, characteristics, and
your personal appearance. The accent of your
voice, the gestures you make with your hands, the
kind of clothes you wear, the color of your eyes
and skinall of these constitute your individu
ality.
Most certainly they are not the real youthe
personthe personality. If they were, let us
see what would happen. If you were confronted
with someone who dressed as you do, who looked
enough like you to be your identical twin, your
individuality would have disappeared. How
would you know whether you were yourself or
the other person? Personality would designate
the difference. The way you thought, your in
nermost conceptions, your moral values, your re
actions to your inner feelings, your defining of

the urges of self, these as a substance, as a whole,

are your personality. Personality is the reflection
of the soul, of the self. You can change your in
dividuality as quickly as you can change your
clothes, but you do not change self.
Individuality, since it is a material, objective
quality, can be and often is quite distinct. The
personality may at times also appear distinct, but
since it is a manifestation of the self or ego, it
is not .really independent or separate. The ego
or self within us is of the universal soul force.
It is not a segment broken off from a Cosmic
whole and implanted within us. It is merely the
diffusion of the soul force through our physical
being.
If we, for analogy, cause a beam of bright
sunlight to fall upon a prism, what occurs? The
white light is diffused into all of the colors of the
spectrum. Red certainly seems visibly to be quite
distinct from blue, for example. W e know, how
ever, that the prism is causing this manifestation,
and that neither red nor blue can be separated
in absolute independence from the white sunlight.
Their respective qualities are part of and one
with the sunlight. Similarly, the many personali
ties of humanity are not separate, but rather
different aspects of the one same soul force that
pervades all mankind and the Cosmic.
W hen we think of self as being something in
dependent in existence, and when we think of
the inclinations of self as having originated just
within our physical beings and without having
been influenced by the Universal Soul, we are
certainly resorting to false reasoning. Therefore,
when we say I am inclined to this or that, if
we mean inwardly there is an inclination of self
to do this or that, that we are being Cosmically
motivated by the soul force, it is certainly not
you, a separate thing in the universe, that are
so inclined.
This really adduces the old philosophical ques
tion as to how free is man. Our wills are not
free. All of our desires are motivated because
of the kind of being which we are; they follow
from our motive. A baby cannot avoid crying
for milk; an ill person cannot avoid seeking re
lief from distress. You were given will power,
and so you are compelled to use it. Is using
something which we have to use, an example of
freedom? A man may say: I have the power
to choose between several things which I need, or
which I desire. This in itself, however, is an
admission that he is not an absolutely independent
being. First, if he needs things, or if he has in
herent desires, as we all do, he is not free. Sec
ond, he must choose or he cannot acquire what he
needs, or satisfy his desires. So there again he is
not free. There is a marked distinction between
selecting and absolute freedom. A condemned

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

man may elect to be hanged instead of electro

cuted. He has exercised choice, but certainly
by no means would we say he was free. There
are no free agents in the universe. The human
mind is no exception.
Spinoza, eminent philosopher, in his doctrines
of human bondage and salvation, pointed out
that man can be free from the evanescent pas
sions or the unreliable appeals of the material
world by turning his consciousness within to the
higher impulses of God. However, this again is
a mere shifting of obligation; it is not an absolute
independence.
W e cannot and should not attempt to elimi
nate ego, to crush the self within. W e should,
however, as much as possible, cease attributing
our arbitrary objective decisions to it, and making
it appear as though the self or ego were abso
lutely independent. Stop saying, for example, I
th in \ that this or that is good, as though your
individual, objective decisions make a thing actu
ally good or bad. If from within, the ego, the
self, has Cosmically determined for you what is
good, that is, what is beneficial and proper, it is
not a decision which you as an individual have
made, but rather, it is one the self, a part of the
whole, has made. The Universal Soul, in other
words, has determined it.
To use the term I, which represents the ego,
as though its conduct rose and set solely within
you as a separate being, is improper. U nfortu
nately, there is no adequate word to use to dis
tinguish those individual decisions, those acts and
thoughts originating in the objective part of
our being, as apart from those of the ego. Thus
we use the word I to mean ego or self one
moment, and the next, we use it to designate the
physical body and its effects.
As said in one of our monographs, we must
try to stop individualizing the ego. If you are
going to a lecture, try not to say I am going
to the lecture but rather, say W e or several
of us are going. If you are going to a lecture,
in fact, the whole Cosmic force will be repre
sented at the lecture, because the ego in you
is not a separate entity but a manifestation of
the Universal Soul. In other words, the I or
ego which you are, will not be truly going alone.
Frequently we use the term I in connection
with mistakes we make, as violation of Cosmic
laws, as though the egothe reflection of the soul
within uswas responsible. The soul and its ego
can commit no wrong. It can make no mistake.
So how erroneous it is to say I made a mistake.
Objectively we can wrongly interpret the soul
wisdom within us, and resort to erroneous acts.
That, however, is not the result of the ego, but
of the objective nature, and consequently, to say
I have wrongly done this or that is obviously

Page 185

improper. W e should, therefore (and this is a

reiteration) avoid as much as possible the im
proper use of I. Think before you say it. If
the manner in which you are to use the I does
not truly depict the qualities and functions of the
ego, try to substitute another word. W here no
substitution is possible, then use it with reserva
tion as we all must do at times.
In connection with this subject, it is brought
out that man truly is not a possessor of anything.
W e say that we own this or that. This ownership
or acquisition of property rights in things is a
man-made arrangement. It does not exist Cos
mically. . Cosmically we cannot own a thing be
cause we are constantly indebted, mortgaged if
you Wish to use that term, to the source of our
existence. If man could pay for his life, if he
could pay for the blessings of nature, and buy
and control the laws of nature, he would no
longer be under obligation. From then on, he
rightly could say: This is absolutely mine; I
owe no one nor anything for it. W hen we buy
a commodity and pay the price that mankind has
established for it, our ownership extends no
farther than the realm of society.
The Cosmic has provided all of the things of
which every article is composed. It has also pro
vided the intelligence of the workmen, craftsmen,
and inventors who gave it its physical design and
form. No man in all of the series of separate
transactions by which the raw materials were
paid for at the mine or field, and the finished
product was paid for at the factory or sales room
ever paid or could pay the Cosmic for placing
the elements in the earth. Furthermore, God was
never recompensed for conceiving the human
minds which in turn devised the commodity. W e
pay each other for the privilege of the use of
the advantages of this earth to man. W e have
never compensated God or the Cosmic. There
fore, Cosmically, we do not have an absolute
ownership in things, because our Cosmic obliga
tion is never revoked.X.

Strange Subjective Phenomenon

A Soror in California now addresses this
Forum. She says: My hobby is the study of
human nature. I find that a pictured resemblance
of a person brings out certain points not always
noticed when addressing the individual personal
ly. A framed picture of one whom I greatly re
spected stands on a small table in the little private
corner of my living room, where my study hours
are kept. It became a habit, one enjoyed by the
inner self no less than by the outer reasoning
self, to address some questions to this pictured
resemblance and try to understand the mental re
actions to that question I would perceive, as if the

Page 186

photograph were really answering. I am very

sure that my particular answers or the directions
I receive are true ones. However, I value your
opinion on this matter.
This is rather a common practice, though it is
not often admitted by the adherents. It is one
that has been indulged by primitive peoples as
well. Among primitive peoples, it is common
for them to take their problems into their temples
and shrines and submit them to an idol or an
image of their god. The presentation of the prob
lem is perhaps in the form of an entreaty, a voca
tive prayer, concluding with the imploration that
some sign be given as to the disposition of their
request. This waiting for and observing signs
from the gods is called theophany. It consists of
the belief in material manifestations by a deity,
such as a word spoken, or an act, or the gods
appearance in some form. The rites of some
primitive religions prescribe just what might be
expected by the votaries as a sign of consent or
disapproval, in response to the request made in
the prayer. Frequently, cozenage was practiced;
that is, the shaman or priest would surreptitiously
cause a sign to be given in such a manner that it
appeared as a reply from the idol or image.
W hat is known technically in psychical re
search as cryptesthesia also plays an important
part in such practices as these. Cryptesthesia is
the perception of facts or the acquisition of a
knowledge by means other than through the
physical senses. A person, for example, may have
a very important personal decision to make. The
decision may involve a struggle with his own
conscience. Objectively he may wish to do a cer
tain thing. As he reasons, he can find in his con
templated acts nothing which can be defined as il
legal, immoral, or unethical, or any reason why
he should not proceed. In other words, by
ratiocination he seems justified in going ahead.
However, there is just enough immanent re
straint to cause him to feel that he should bring
the matter before some other decisive influence,
or to the attention of some authority.
If it is a matter he is disinclined to discuss with
another individual, he is most likely disposed to
put himself in an environment which is conducive
to strengthening the sentiments of self, so that
at least he will be honest with himself. There
fore, under such circumstances, he may go to a
cathedral and sit in meditation, or in his home
sanctum. Again, he may walk along the side of
some forest stream or sit before a shrine, or gaze
upon the photograph of a beloved personality.
W hatever he is accustomed to consider most
reverential and inspirational is the method he will
use. If it is the latter, as he gazes upon the photo
graph he will frequently find in the expression of
the eyes or the lips or the lines of the face, what

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

he will conceive to be a look of disapproval or

approval of his contemplated acts.
Does this phenomenon actually occur in the
photograph as a physical reality? O ur answer is
assuredly not. T o think otherwise would be to
indulge a superstitious belief. W h at we see in
the face is what we want to see. It is the re
flection of a previously established decision of the
subjective mind.
Objectively, our desire may be contrary to our
subjective inclination. The objective inclinations,
however, are usually the most dominant. W e can
nearly always, and often do, easily suppress the
subjective impulseswrongly, many times. When,
however, the subjective restraint is sufficiently
strong to cause an individual to meditate upon
his course of action, or to look upon a photograph
in the manner described above, the subjective im
pulse is then given further efficacy by being ob
jectified. In other words, by gazing upon the
photograph, the individual waits and expects
some visible sign, some expression to appear on
the face. The subjective restraint causes the indi
vidual to imagine that he sees that expression oc
cur in the photograph, which confirms his sub
jective inclinations. Once he imagines he sees it,
his whole objective decision and reasoning is
changed with respect to the matter. W e all know
that our objective thinking is principally influ
enced by our empirical perceptions. W hat the
individual thin\s he sees in the photograph, there
fore, does more to fashion his ultimate decision
than could the subjective mind do otherwise.
The unfortunate part of such experiences is
that most individuals who have them do not
realize that such decisions are influenced by
their own inner selftheir own psychic being.
The Soror who has addressed our Forum about
this matter is an exception, for she said, It be
comes a habit, one enjoyed by the inner self no
less than by the outer reasoning self.
If we know that the decision is caused by the
inner self and that the fetish the photograph
in this instanceis not the real factor in bringing
forth our decision, why then resort to such a
means? The individual resorts to these practices
to give strength to the impulses of the inner self.
W hen there is a struggle between the reasoning
mind and the subjective mind or self, the power
is frequently on the side of the reasoning mind,
by force of habit, and because of our long early
dependence upon it. W e, as Rosicrucians, are
trying to overcome that habit and to become more
receptive to the inner dictation. Other persons,
until they find the means of being self-victorious
in these matters, resort to the psychological proc
esses we have described, and which amount to a
fetishism and a kind of autosuggestion.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Thousands of persons experience monitions,

that is, advice and counsel that come from with"
in, but unfortunately they often do not correctly
orient it, and they associate the point of origin
with some external agency. Environment is an
example. Environment plays a tremendous part
in acquiring intuitive knowledge, in helping to
establish a flow of creative ideas, and in aiding
us to reach profound conceptions. A t first, we
may find that there is actually something about
our surroundings, some thing or condition in
them, conducive to relaxation and to ease. It may
be a picture that we like to gase upon, the effect
of a stained-glass window, an unusual photograph, or the playing of a special musical num^
ber. W hatever it is, we find our greatest in
spiration under such conditions. It is because we
have been so placed at ease by them that we become easily attuned with self, that the self is
liberated. The objective side of man is withheld
for the time.
However, the conditions, the environment, do
not contribute the knowledge which we receive
under such circumstances; rather, they stimulate
the self, which causes them. The individual, consequently, must be careful to understand this and
not put his faith in the things of his environment,
in any object or substance, so as to make of it a
fetish or an amulet. He must always be cautious
that he does not develop the habit of thinking
that he cannot do his best work or his most pro
found thinking except when surrounded by cer
tain particular conditions, or else he may become
a slave to an environment.X.

M ust Animals Suffer?

Here is an interesting question for discussion
in our Forum meeting this morning. One of our
Sorores in a western state asks, W hy must ani
mals suffer cold, hunger, and thirst? O f all things
this seems to me the most heartbreaking and
hardest to understand.
As we analyse this question, we must keep in
mind the natural instincts of all forms of life,
especially the instinct of self-preservation that
expresses itself so strongly in all classifications of
animal life. This instinct is one of natures gifts
not only to the animal kingdom but to plant life
as well. For instance, look how a plant will
follow the sun in an effort to receive an abun
dance of sunlight necessary to its preservation.
Plants that are, through error, placed in the
shade will even turn the corner of a building in
order to receive the much-needed rays of the sun.
This is in effect an expression of the instinct of
self-preservation.

Page 187

In the beginning when the genus homo was

not much further along in mental development
than the lower forms of animal life, he too func
tioned for one purpose aloneto keep his body
alive, to protect himself from the larger and
more powerful beings that roamed the hills and
fields where man made his bed for the night.
Mans only means of keeping alive was tracking
down and killing the smaller animals that were
weaker than himself. He still does this. Man
has proven to be the most powerful of the entire
animal world, not in blood and brawn, but in
mentality. Thus he has been able to conquer the
entire world. He has used his cunning and reas
oning ability to subdue his natural enemies and
at the same time quiet the pangs of hunger that
even in our modern, civilised world will drive
a normal, well-educated person to dishonesty and
crime.
W hen life was brought into existence, it was
necessary to include a means of maintaining it.
Thus the animals in the cold climates develop
great layers of fat and huge, shaggy coats. They
hibernate in caves, dens, and holes in the ground
during the winter months in order to keep warm
and survive the intense cold of sub-sero weather.
W e cannot say that such animals are suffering
cold, hunger, and thirst. Their natural instincts
have resulted in their locating a warm, dry place
for the hibernating period. The normal function
of their glands has resulted in an abundance of
hair growth and the development of fatty tissue,
which supplies food during the winter months.
W hen the spring arrives and the snows thaw,
these animals come out of hiding. They have lost
their fatty tissue. They begin to shed their
shaggy coats. They are hungry and therefore
seek food and drink in those locations where the
natural instincts indicate it will be found.
Upon close examination, it will be noted that
these animals are none the worse for wear and
probably have not suffered nearly to the extent
that man would have suffered under the same
conditions. In fact, man could not follow such a
procedure of self-protection because of the great
difference in the structure of his body. Man must
use other means of protecting himself from cold,
hunger, and thirst. Great famines have caused
tremendous suffering to countless thousands of
human beings who have found themselves un
prepared and unable to protect themselves from
such catastrophes. This very day whole nations
in war-torn Europe are facing starvation and
need of the very necessities of life. Surely this
fact is just as heartbreaking and hard to under
stand as the suffering of the lower animal life.
But our question this morning would seem to
imply that such suffering of animals is a part of
the Cosmic scheme of things. It would seem to

Page 188

imply that God so decreed it. This, however, is

not true. God has given to all forms of life the
attributes of self-preservation and protection.
Man, the highest form of life of which we know,
has his ability to think and reason; thus he is able
to protect himself from the elements as well as
from stronger and more powerful creatures. The
rattlesnake has his weapon of defense, consisting
of fangs that connect to poison glands. The deer
is gifted with a certain cunning, but more im
portant is his fleetness and his coloring, which is
much the same as the brush in which he hides
from those who would prey upon him. These
animals do not suffer from cold, hunger, and
thirst, for even in severe weather they have the
instinct to travel to places where they will find
food and drink. Consider for a moment the
migrating birds. They have certain natural
enemies that prey upon them, but they are swift
in their flight and usually elude their enemies.
Their natural instincts take them to the warm
south in the wintertime where food and drink
are plentiful; therefore they do not suffer from
cold and hunger. A t one time in the history of
man the human animal also migrated to warmer
climates where he would find game plentiful and
vegetation thriving. Later on when he learned
through the application of his higher intelligence
to store his food and water and to build houses
to keep him warm, he no longer found it neces
sary to move about in search of his lifes sus
tenance.
There is still another side to this thought,
W hy do animals suffer cold, hunger, and
thirst? It, too, gives consideration to the part
man has played in the natural lives of the lesser
animals. Man in his effort to conquer the animal
world has domesticated many that were previous
ly wild animalsthe cow, the horse, the dog, the
house cat, and the hog, which was at one time
the wild boar. These latter will revert to the
wild state quickly if turned into the woods.
It is perhaps true that many domesticated ani
mals suffer at times, but this is not a decree of
God; it is a man-made condition. M an has taken
these animals out of their natural habitats; he
has changed the conditions under which they
normally live. He has housed the horse and cow;
thus they have lost their normal resistance to
cold and tempest. These animals must be care
fully watched for disease to which they are now
subject.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

The average small dog that has been turned

into a house pet and a bench-show dog could
no more care for itself than could a new-born
baby. A natural hunter, on the other hand, will
do quite well for a while if he is left out in the
open fields and woods. If he is brought into the
city where he can find no food except in garbage
cans, he will eventually suffer malnutrition and a
whole string of complications. Man is responsible
for all of this. N ature did not do it.
Since man has domesticated the animals, it is
up to him to care for them. If he does not, then
he most certainly will suffer the consequences
and will build for himself a Karmic debt of a
greater degree than any act he may perform
against his fellow man. Fortunately, in this mod
ern civilization the majority of people love and
enjoy the companionship of animals such as dogs
and horses. W e have come to learn that they ex
press a loyalty and love that is even rare in man.
A dog will give its life for its master; few men
will give their lives for their dogs. A dog will
pine away upon the transition of its master. Man
will be sad for a while but will eventually find
a new dog.
An interesting point in regard to mans do
mestication and training of animals is that origin
ally it came, not from love of the animal, but
rather from purely selfish reasons. Man noticed
that the hunting dog could scare up and kill
game much better than he, so he set about to
capture and train the dog to hunt for him. Man
found that the horse could be controlled and
forced to go in any direction; thus he captured
him and taught him to carry a burden upon his
back. The same was true with a cow. It was
easier to tie the cow in a near-by field than to
chase it all over the countryside to get its milk.
By such actions man prevented the various
animals from following their natural desires for
food, drink, and protection from the cold. It
is now up to man to carry on and care for these
animals. Originally his action was selfish and far
from altruistic. It is so even to this day, for if
nothing more, man derives pleasure and joy from
the loyal companionship of his dog, his cat, or
other animal he may have chosen for his pet.
The suffering of animals is seen to be confined
to those that have been domesticated. It is there
fore mans responsibility. N ature has aided the
animal to prevent suffering rather than forcing it
upon him as a natural burden of life.

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 189

IN D E X O F V O LU M E X II (Comprising the Entire Six Issues of the Eleventh Y ear)

NO TE 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.

A
Accidents, reason for, 159a
Acquiring Cosmic Consciousness, 154d
Adam, story of, 106a
Adaptation, 14b
Adjusting Environment, 5Id, 101c
Adventures and Mysteries, 72b
A Element and Altitude, 21b
Affirmations, value of, 174b
Agency of Service, 144b
Amenhotep IV, 9 Id
Amra, law of, 82d
Analysis o f Self, 2a
Animals, care of, 88b
Animals, suffering of, 187b
Anthropomorphism, 166c
Apperception, 149d
Appreciation by Members, 57b, 182d, 183b
Arabian Mystery City, 73b
Arbitration vs. Necessity, 17b
Aristotle, 26b, 79d
Artificial Conception, 105b
Artificial Desires, 80b
Assumption, use of law, 100b, 153d
Attraction in re Auras, 178a
Attunement and Concentration, 85d
Attunement with Divine Mind, 147b
Auditory vs. Visual Instruction, 130a
Aum, use of, 134a
Auras, attraction of 178a
Avatars, 57a (see Masters )

B
Babies, do they think, 157b
Bacon, Sir Francis, 103 c
B Element and Vitamins, 6 Id
Belief vs. Truth, 136b
Birth, inescapable, 17c
Blaydes, Fr. and Soror, 22d
Blessings, gratitude for, 17a
Blindness, and sharpening of faculties, 165b
Blindness, success despite, 127a
Blood and Life, 75c
Books and Magazines
Along Civilizations Trail (Lewis), 73a
Breviarium Philosophorum (Lang), 182b
Cambridge Shorter History of India, 35b
Conquest of Civilization (Breasted), 35b
De Anima (Plato), 26b
Key to Art of Concentration (Lewis), 86d
Liber 777, 50b, 54d, 82c
Lost Horizon (H ilton), 56b
Magnificent Obsession (Douglas), 169d
Mansions of the Soul (Lewis), 20c, 123b
Mental Poisoning (Lewis), 94a
Mystical Life of Jesus (Lewis), 113b
Ordeal of Civilization (Robinson), 3 5b
Prince of India (W allace), 56b
Rosicrucian Digest, 181c
Rosicrucian Forum, 20b, 180d, 182c
Rosicrucian Manual, 68a, 125d
Secret Doctrines of Jesus (Lewis), 183d
Sight Without Glasses (Peppard), 49b
Story of Learning, 94c
Sub'Specie Aeternatatis (Spinoza), 149b
Unto Thee I Grant, 121a

When Egypt Ruled the East (Steindorff), 106d

World Atlas (Rand M cN ally), 35b
Worlds Living Religions (H um e), 35c
Bossard, Dr. Gisbert, 23b
Braga, Fr. Earl, 23b
Brain Surgery, 25b

c
Calcano, Fr. J. A., 182d
Cathedral of the Soul, 50b, 54b, 82c
Cause and Effect (see Karma)
Celibacy and Spirituality, 76b
Changing Vibrations, 5 Id, 101b
Chapters of Amorc, 37a, 135b
Child Culture Accomplishments, 5b
Child Culture Institute, 6a, 42d
Child Training, 41d, 70d, 112d
Choice, faculty of, 17c
Churches, vibrations of, 163d
City, mystery of lost, 73b
Civilization, evolution of, 179c
Clannishness, 11 Id
Communion, partaking of, 102b
Compensation (see Karma)
Complexes, 3 Id, 108c, 177d
Compton, Dr. Arthur, 133c
Conceit, 2c
Conception, artificial, 105b
Concentration, nature and use, 84d
Confidence, self, 80d
Consciousness, duality of, 11a, 173b, 186c
Consciousness, self, 15b
Conservation of Energy, 151b
Construction, principle of, 4b
Constructive Thinking, 44a
Consulting Others, 162a
Contacting
Cathedral, 54b
Cosmic, 24a
Departed personalities ,123c
Masters, 23 c, 66a
Control of Habits, 3d, 90a
Convictions and Opinions, 7b
Cosmic
Consciousness
acquiring, 154d
and telepathy, 126c
of Christ, 113b
Guidance, 9b, 66a
Impressions, receiving, lOd, l i d
Intelligence, 12d, 147b, 149d, 167c
Rays, 13 2d
Coue and Affirmations, 175c
Creeds, individual, 174b
Cryptesthesia, 186b

D
Dangers of fortune-telling, 18b
da Vinci, Leonardo, 103c
Decisions, making ones own, 162a
Degree Consciousness, 62a
Descarte, 26b
Desire and Reincarnation, 27b
Destruction, principle of, 4b
Development, psychic, 77b
Diet and Health, 79b

Page 190

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Discordant Conditions, 5 Id
Disease, immunity to, 79a
Dispelling Undesired Influences, 101b
Divine Mind, 12d, 147b, 149d, 167c
Divorce and Remarriage, 87a
Dreams, types of, 58b
Duality
of consciousness, 11a, 173b, 186c
of man, 39b
philosophy of, 146b

E
East, light from the, 104b
Education, modern methods, 30d, 70d
Ego, 2b, 15b, 146d, 184a
Egypt, history of, 106d
Ehm, use of, 134b
Eliminating Ego, 184a
Emotion vs. Reason, 7d
Energy, transmutation of, 51a
Energy, conservation of, 151b
Environment, 5d, 13d, 15a, 16b, 5Id, 101c, 187a
Epictetus, 117a
Eugenics, value of, 69b
Evil" Souls, 123b
Evolution, 16c
Eyestrain, relieving, 47d
Exercises and Experiments
modification of, 143d
purpose of, 10a
review of, 41b
success with, 83b
time for, 63b
Experience and Knowledge, 83d, 153b, 180a
Extrovert, definition of, 177b

F
False Beliefs in re War, 99d
Fear
and propaganda, 17Id
conquest of, 92c
of Karma, 14Id
of predictions, 18c
psychological bases, 108b, 150a
Foreign Members, 38b
Form Letters, use of, 158c
Fortune-Tellers and Fear, 18c
Forum, Rosicrucian, 20b, 180d, 182c
Fraternal Twins, 137c
Freeman, Fr. and Soror, 23b
Free W ill, 17c, 180d
Frustrated Desires, 27b
Future, illusion of, 172b
Future, predicting the, 29b

G
Glee Club, Rosicrucian, 6c
God, interpretations of, 166c
God, intervention of, 140a
Grand Lodge, 135a
Gratitude to Cosmic, 16d
Graves, Orval, 7a
Guidance from Cosmic, 9b

H
Habit, control of, 3d, 80a, 90a, 114c
Habit, smoking, 89b
Harmonium and Immunity, 79a
Healing
and nervous system, 68b

and self-diagnosis, 59d

instantaneous, 168b
Rosicrucian method, 49d
Hearing Aids, 78b
Help
from Cosmic, 9c
self-, 9d
to others, 121b, 144b
Hierarchy, Cosmic, 23c
History of Tithing, 81c
Holy Assembly, 23 c, 24a
Holy Ghost, 113b
Home, basis of, 11 Id
Hotten, Fr. Mayo, 23b
Houdini, Mrs. 123d
Hughes, Fr. Orlando, 22d
Humane Society, 88b
Human Relationships, 150a

I
Identical Twins, 137c
Ignorance Breeds Intolerance, 34a
Immaterial Values, 149a
Immunity to Disease, 79a
Immutability of Laws, 149a
Imperators New Year Address, 147d
Impressions, receiving, lOd, l i d
Individuality, 150c, 180b
Inferiority Complex, 3 Id, 108c, 177d
Ingersoll, Fr. and Soror, 22b
Initiation, Rosicrucian, 8b
Insanity and Time Illusion, 173d
Instantaneous Healing, 168b
Interests of Rosicrucians, 139b
Intervention o f God, 140a
Introversion and Schizoid Types, 109d, 177c
Introversion, is it harmful, 176b
Intuition, 3b

J
lames-Land Theory, 8d
Jesus and Cosmic Consciousness, 113b
Jesus, birth date of, 147d
Johnson, Fr. and Soror, 23b

K
Karma, 25a, 30a, 118a, 141d, 148b, 159b, 168d, 169c,
176b, 188c
Knowledge and Experience, 83 d, 153b, 180a
Knowledge, dangers of, 178d

L
Lang, Fr. John W ., 182b
Law and Order, 148d, 167c, 170d, 17 lb
Law of Amra, 82c
Lewis, Dr. H. S., 9d, 3 Id, 48a, 54b, 60d, 93b, 103c,
182c
Living in the Past, 15d
Living the Life, 125b
Lodges of Amorc, 135b
Logos, the, 114a

M
Ma, use of, 134a
Magic, sympathetic, 110b
Man, duality of, 39b
Marriage and Divorce, 87a
Masks, misleading, 150b

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Masters
and reincarnation, 57a
contacting the, 23c
healing methods of, 168c
personal, 66a
pseudo, 13 Id
Mastership, definition of, 103b, 113d
Material Help from Cosmic, 9 c
Meditation and Impressions, 12b
Meditation and Visual Phenomena, 10b
Members, difference in, 44d
Membership (see Rosicrucian)
Memory and Concentration, 86d
Memory and Time, 173c
Mental Telepathy, 19b, 126a, 138b
Method for Concentration, 85b
Millikan, Dr. Robert, 133c
Mind
Divine, 12d, 147b, 149d, 167c
duality of, 39b
processes in babies, 157b
well rounded, 152b
within the universe, 167c
Minor Lodges of Amorc, 135d
Missionary Viewpoint, 103b
Mistakes, undoing, 169c
Mohammedan Beliefs, 75c
Monadical Philosophy, 146b
Monitions, 187a
Morale and the Rosicrucian, 98a
Mysteries and Adventures, 72b
Mystics and Mastership, 103b

N
National Objectives, 98c
Nervous Systems, 67d
Neurasthenia, 109b, 177d

o
Objective Consciousness, 11a, 39c, 173b, 186c
Objective Faculties, sharpening, 165b
Opinions
and convictions, 7b
and rumors, 152c
consulting others, 162c
of specialists, 15Id, 162a
Order in Universe, 148d, 167c, I70d, 17lb
Oriental Mysticism, 104b

P
Page, Fr. J. Watt, 120a
Pantheism, 166d, 167 c
Paranoia, 177d
Partaking of Sacrament, 102b
Parthenogenesis, 105b
Past, illusion of, 172b
Past, living in, 15d
Peace and Tolerance, 34a
Perceptual Knowledge, 149c
Persecution Complex, 108c
Personality, 124a, 150d, 180b
Personal Masters, 66a
Photographs as Fetishes, 186d
Pictures, concentrating on, 185d
Piety, definitions of, 164a
Plans, consulting others about, 162a
Plato, 26a, 89d
Popper, Fr. William, 23b
Possessions, sharing, 35d
Possessions, illusion of, 13 d, 36b, 185c
Power of Suggestion, 143d
Prayer, directing, 166c

Page 191

Predictions, fallibility of, 29b

Predictions, fear of, 18c
Prejudice, 2d
Prenatal Care, 5b
Pride, 2c
Problems of the Rosicrucian, 90d, 158d, 159d, 182d,
183b
Prognostication and Telepathy, 19b
Projection and Time, 28d, 172b
Projection, attitude toward, 71b
Promises, keeping, 150d
Promoting Rosicrucianism, 46b, 159d
Propaganda, false, 151c, 17 Id
Psychiatry and Suggestion, 111c
Psychical, definitions of, 26c
Psychic
development, 77b
dreams, 59b
phenomena, 144d
Psychology
and complexes, 3 Id, 108c, 177d
and self reliance, 81a
of dreams, 58c
oldest records of, 25d
phenomena of, 145d
popular lectures on, 131a
Rosicrucian, 70a
theories of, 8d, 13b

Q
Questions for Forum, 181b

R
Ra, use of, 134a
Reason vs. Emotion, 7d
Regeneration, 56b
Reincarnation
and desire, 27b
and religion, 53b
and suicide, 116d
end of, 56d
questions on, 20b
Relaxation, 10c
Relieving Eyestrain, 47d
Religion
and celibacy, 76b
and divorce, 88a
and instantaneous healing, 169a
and missionary viewpoint, 104b
and reincarnation, 53b
and use of sacrament, 102d
and vibrations of churches, 164a
Repulsion in re Auras, 178a
Resistance to Disease, 79a
Reviewing Studies, 40b
Rose'Croix Sanitarium, 68c
Rosicrucian
And Problems of Life, 90d, 158d, 159d. 182d, 183b
Chapters, 37b
Grand Lodge, 135a
Healing Principles
and nervous system, 68b
proper use of, 49d
self'diagnosis, 59d
Library, 94d
Membership
and chance, 29d
and personality worship, 132b
and problems, 92b, 158d, 159d
and Service Men, 119b
appreciation of, 57b
difference in, 44d
foreign, 38b

THE ROSICRUCIAN FORUM

Page 192

form letters to, 158c

interesting others in, 46b, 159d
Mode of Life, 125b
Museum, 8 Id
Musical Activities, 6 c
Personalities, 22b
Principles
A element and altitude, 21b
assumption, 100b, 153d
B element and vitamins, 6 Id
Karma, 25a, 30a, 118a, 141d, 148b, 159b, 168d,
169c, 176b, 188c
law and order, 148d, 167c, I70d, 171b
law of Amra, 8 2d
law of the triangle, 23d
possessions, 13d, 36b, 185c
projection, 28d, 71b, 172b
reincarnation, 56d, 116d, 20b, 27b, 53b
visualisation, 27d, 7 Id, 85a
vowel sounds, 52c, 133d, 174d
Propaganda Work, 46b, 159d
Psychology, 14d, 70a, 112d
Publications (see Books)
Radio Club, 7a
Studies
concentration, 84d
degree consciousness, 62a
exercises and experiments, 10a, 41b, 63b, 83b,
143d
initiation, 8b
psychic development, 77b
reviewing, 40b
teachings, 8b
Sunshine Circles, 144c
Temple Sessions, 94d, 133d
University, 68b, 94b
Rosicrucianism, promoting, 46b, 159d
Rosicrucians, interests of, 139a
Rumors and Opinions, 152c

s
Sacrament, partaking of, 102b
Sacredness of Places, 163 d
Schizoid Types, 109c, 177c
Science, purpose of, 179a
Seeing Aids, 78b
Self
Analysis, 2a
Consciousness, 15c
Control, 79d
Diagnosis, 59d
Help, 9c
Knowledge of, 180a
Or ego, 2b, 146d
Reliance, 79d, 162a
Respect, fostering, 36d
Sensationalists, 131b
Senses, sharpening objective, 165b
Service Agencies, 144b
Sharing Possessions, 35d
Smoking Habit, 89b
Snap'judgement, 3b
Social Service, value of, 121b
Socrates, 116d
Soul
Ancient Definitions, 25d
And Brain, 25b
Essence, 124a
Of Twins, 137b
Manifestation of, 146c
Sound, psychology of, 70c
Sowing Seeds of Future, 148b
S.P C.A., 88b
Spinoza, Baruch, 149b, 185a

Spirituality and Celibacy, 76b

Spring Equinox, 148a
Students, mode of instructing, 130a
Studies (See Rosicrucian)
Subjective Consciousness, 11c, 12d, 39d, 173b, 186c
Subjectivity, involuntary, 109d
Subordinate Bodies of Amorc, 135a
Success and Handicaps, 127a
Suffering of Animals, 187b
Suggestion
and habits, 115a
and psychology, 111c
power of, 143d, 153d
Suicide, 116d
Sunshine Circles, 144c
Supreme Temple, 94d, 133d, 164b

T
Talley, Dr Arvis, 23b
Telepathy, 19b, 126a, 138b
Thankfulness, value of, 16d
Theophany, 186a
Thoughts, power of constructive, 44a
Tho, use of, 134b
Time, illusion of, 17 2b
Tio Ticoli, 74d
Tithing, 81c
Tolerance and Peace, 34a
Training Children, 41d, 70d, 112d
Transmutation of Energy, 51a
Trbuhovich, passing of fr., 68d
Truth vs. Belief, 136b
Twight, Fr. E. H., 23b
Twins and Telepathy, 138b
Twins, souls of, 137b

u
Understanding and Knowledge, 149d
Understanding and Morale, 98a
Universal Laws, 148d, 167c, 170d, 171b

V
Vanity, 2c
Vernal Equinox, 148a
Vibrations, discordant, 5 Id, 101b
Vibrations of Temples, 163 d
Virgin Births, 106b
Visualization, 27d, 7 Id, 85a, 163c
Visual vs. Auditory Teaching, 130a
Vitamins, 60d
Vowel Sounds and Vibrations, 52c
Vowel Sounds, use of, 133d, 174d

w
War
And Karma, 118a
And the Rosicrucian, 98a, 119b
And Weather Conditions, 171b
As Mass Suicide, 117d
Causes of, 124d
Intervention of God in, 140a
Watermeyer, Fr. Erwin, 23b, 94d
Weather Conditions and War, 17 lb
Whaley, Fr. Atherton, 23b
Whipple, Soror Blanche, 23a
Whitcomb, Fr. James, 7a
Will
And Desire, 80b
And Habit, 114d
And Karma, 176c
And Suicide, 118b
Word, power of spoken, l74d