The Rosicrucian Digest - May 1934.pdf

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THIS MONTH’S SUGGESTION

The Cross and Its Mystic Influence!

C oncurrent with the rise of man has been the development of

strange influences upon his life. Ages past, some time in the early

beginnings, man discovered a fundamental law. That law is that

opposites, whatever their nature, eventually meet, and at the timeand place of the ir meeting they are transformed. To de pic t this

grea t truth man drew two lines of equal length— one vertica l and

the other ho rizontal— and where these lines crossed each other was

considered the point of transformation and the beginning of a third

thing or condition.

This was the earliest form of a cross, centuries be fore the dawn

of C hris tianity. Its significance sank deeply into the consciousness

of man, and he realized that beyond him there was that which was

the cause of all. A union with this infinite cause would mean the

transformation of his life. I t would mean ultimate happiness and

immortality.

W ith time the cross evolved into many odd designs and acquired

many meanings foreign to its original significance, but beneath all,the true meaning remains unperverted. The cross is more than the

symbol of religious sects. It is the sign of a C osmic truth revealed

to man. A t all times should it be displayed in its simplicity. The

Rosicrucian Cross with the Rose in the center beautifully symbolizes

this es oteric law, and for this reason all Rosicrucians should be pos-

sessed of one. The cross here illustrated is economical enough for

all to obtain it.

This handsome cross is f in-

ished in gold f i l l surmounted

w it h a red ro s e . W it h 1 8

inch cha in , o nly—

$1.25

W i t h P i n F a st en e r — £ 1 . 0 0

R O S I C R UC I A N S UP PL Y B U R E A US A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N I A , U . S . A .



H A R V E Y ’S F IR S T D E M O N S T R A T IO N O F T H E C IR C U L A T IO N O F T H E B L O O D

Above is a reproduction of a famous painting depicting William Harvey in the 17th century demonstrating to a body of skepticalphysicians that the blood is not stagnant but flows like any o ther stream. He was the personal physician of Sir Francis Ba con andwas associated with Bacon in his Rosicrucian activities of the period. His first explanations were met with derision.

(Courtesy of The Rosicrucian Digest.)



O l d W h e nE g y p t W a s Y o u n g -

S C R I B E S . P . C.

Ros icruc ian Brotherhood (AMORC)San Jose, Ca l i fornia .

Please send me the f ree SEALEDBOOK. I am sincere; not merelycurious.

N a m e.....................................................................

Address......................................... ........ ........... ..

C it y ........................................................................

SECRET METHODS

FOR THE MASTERY

OF LIFE

A M E N H O T E P

The f irst to

declare but oneGod.

LEONARDO

DA VINCI

Sculptor, artist,scientist and

mystic .

SIR ISAACN E W T O N

Scientist,philosopher.

master ofnatural law.

W HENCE came the knowledge that built the Pyramids and the mighty Tem ples of the Pharaohs ? Civilization began in the Nile Valley centuries ago. Where did its first

builders acquire their astounding wisdom that started man on his upward climb? Beginning with naught they overcame na-ture’s forces and gave the world its first sciences and arts. Did their knowledge come from a race now submerged be-neath the sea, or were they touched with Infinite inspira-tion ? From what concealed source came the wisdom that produced such characters as Amenhotep, Leonardo da Vinci, Isaac Newton, and a host of others?

TODAY IT IS KNOWN that they discovered SECRET METHODS for the development of their inner power of mind. They learned to command the inner forces w ithin their own beings, and to maste r life. This secre t art of living has been preserved throughout the ages. It is ex-tended to those today who dare to use its profound prin-ciples to challenge the problems of life.

S e a l e d B o o k L o a n e d T o Y o u

Has life brought you that personal satisfaction, the sense of achievement and happiness that you desire? If not, it is your duty to acquire this rational secret method for the master y of life. No t everyone is to be entrusted with an intimate knowledge of the mysteries of life, for they are not capable of properly using it.

But if you are one of those who wish to forge ahead and wish to make use of the subtle influences of life, the Rosicrucian Brotherhood (not a religious organi-zation) will send you A Sealed Book of explanation without obligation. This Sealed Book tells how you, in the privacy of your own home, without interference with your personal affairs or manner of living, may receive these secret teachings, this secret method for the mastery of life. No t weird or stran ge practices, but a rational application of the laws of life. Us e the coupon on the right, and obtain your confidential copy at once.

THE ROSICRUCIAN BROTHERHOOD ( A M O R C )S A N J O S E C A L I F O R N I A U . S . A .



1

ROSICRUCIAN

DIGEST IS 5~ ~COVERS THE WORLD

T H E O F F I C I A L , I N T E R N A T I O N A L R O S I C R U C I A N M A G A -

Z IN E O F T H E W O R L D W I D E R O SI CR U CI AN O R D ER

C O N T E N T S

Page

Harvey's First Demonstrat ion (Frontispiece)........... 121

The Thought o f the Month ............................................. 124

W h at is Man and W h at is His Destiny?..............

126

The Rosicrucian New Year ............................................. 129

Ca thed ra l Con tac ts .......................................................... 132

Why This Intolerance? .................................................... 134

A n c ien t Symbo li sm ............................................................ 137

Steer ing Your Course of L i fe ................................... 138

Pages from the Past.......................................................... 142

Illusion ................................. 145

Sanctum Musings .......................................... 149

Woman's Contr ibu t ion to the Wor ld 's Sp i r i tua l

Progress ........................................................................ 153

When Blood, Plunder, and Devotion Mingled

(Illustration) ...................................................................... 157

Subscription to The Rosicrucian Digest ,Three Dol lars peryear. Single copies twentyfive cents each.

Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at San Jo s e , C ali fo rn ia , un de r A ct o f A ugu st 24 th , 1912.

Changes of address must reach us by the tenth of the monthpreceding date of issue.

P u b l i s h e d M o n t h l y b y t h e S u p r e m e C o u n c il o f

THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDER—AMORCR O S I C R U C IA N P A R K S A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N I A

r o t f a r t *



Th e

THOUGHT OF THE MONTHIS LIFE A MYSTERY?

R E Q U E N T L Y i nconversation with

persons who arestrangers to ouro r g a n i z a t i o n w enotice a sort ofcynical expressioncome upon theircountenance whenwe say that theR o s i c r u c i a n o r -ganization is prin-cipally interestedin s tudying the

mysteries of life.

Occasionally these persons willfrankly state that such purposes seemrather unimportant and immaterial for,they say, they have not found that lifecontains any great mysteries exceptperhaps the mystery of birth and ofdeath.

It has often been argued by thosewho have no real interest in the seriouspurposes of life, that life is merely likea game of chance and that the onlymysteries found in life are those mys-teries which man makes out of nothingin his attempt to look with the eye ofthe wizard upon natural and normalconditions as though they were someunusual form of strange mystery.

It is true that the two greatest mys-teries in life are those which constitutethe beginning and the socalled end of

T h e our earthly existence. Th e mystery ofRosicrucian ce^ conception, growth, and developn . ment into a living form is not only autSes biological mystery but a cosmological M ay and universal mystery. Th e separation1934 of consciousness and soul from the

body at transition is an astoundingmystery when one comes face to face

with it. But between these two greatmysteries are thousands of others thatshould occupy the attention of men'sminds with the same degree of intensity,devotion, and universal comprehensionas do the two great mysteries. Th ou -sands of minds have spent sleeplessnights and long daylight hours inlaboratories working over microscopestrying to fathom or understand themystery of cell life and of cell repro-duction. Thousand s have tried to findthe cause of socalled death and

millions have devoted their time toways and means of preventing the un-timely or seemingly unnecessary sepa-ration of soul and body. But compara-tively few have given any thought ormuch thought to the other mysteries thatare so closely related to the active,living, vital hours of our lives thatrepresent the span between birth andtransition.

The mystery of thought is one whichas one analyzes it and attempts tofathom it, becomes startlingly evasiveand complex. I cannot prevent the

sense of admiration and wondermentthat comes to me while I am dictatingthese words and ponder over the ideathat a thought can be instantly formedin my mind and before I have a chanceto analyze it my lips have spoken itand produced sounds which enable astenographer to write on a page ofpaper certain strokes which representthe sounds she has heard. I do nothave to pause and deliberately form mywords and think of them separately and



independently nor does she have tostop and analyze the sounds she hearsand think long about their nature andthe form in which they should be ex-pressed with marks by her pencil. Th e

whole process seems to be instantane-ous. T h e moment a thought comes tomy mind the words have spoken it andI seem to listen to myself stating thethings that my mind contains before Ihave a chance to realize that they arein my mind. It is a marvelous processand truly beyond human compre-hension.

And then I want to reach for mypen. No sooner does the thought be-gin to form in my mind than my handreaches out and grasps the pen. W h at

marvelous mechanism and what marvel-ous power lies back of a humanthought! Th e thought directs the mindand the mind directs an energy andthat energy flows properly and intelli-gently into certain muscles and causesthem to act and my heavy arm is movedthrough space and my fingers formedand shaped into a certain position tograsp the pen and then move the pentoward me again. T o build a piece ofmachinery to do what my arm andhand do would require thousands of

pieces of delicate apparatus, wheels,springs, levers, rods, and many jointedpieces of mechanism of a very delicatenature. It would require also a superiorenergy that would be able to exert it-self instantly and with full force, ifnecessary, and all of these things mustbe done intelligently. Th ere fore, theenergy would have to be directed withsome mechanical intelligence beyondman’s ability to create. A mechanicalarm acting on impulse or thought urge,as does my arm, would be the most

marvelous invention in the world. Y etman possesses that and many otherforms of ability that he uses hourly anddaily without considering the mysteryback of them.

The mystery of seeing and throughthe sight impressions understandingand realizing is another great mysterythat is appreciated only by those wholive in eternal darkness. T h e mysteryof hearing and interpreting the sounds,the mystery of smelling and feeling, aretoo great for mere laboratory explana-

tions. Th e mystery of love and ofanger, hate, envy, jealousy, and otheremotions are ones which have puzzledpsychologists, psychoanalysts, a n dothers even when our organs them-

selves do not inspire consideration.The mystery of man’s mind and its

control of the body is astonishing. T hefact that I can merely create thethought of rising from my chair andinstantly have the mind create anddirect throughout my system an in-visible energy that will lift my heavybody upward is a mystery that themystic and the student of life's greatsecrets will always look upon as worthyof his utmost attention and con-sideration.

Restless, curious man is ever seekingfor mysteries and unsolved manifesta-tions of invisible intelligence. Hecreates and invents devices that willtake him to the bottom of the sea wherehe may discover something about theunknown depths of the great bodies ofwater. He devises and creates ma-chines that will take him to greatheights that he may explore mysteriesof the Cosmic. He invents otherdevices that will carry him into therarified air that he may attempt to dis-

cover the mystery of the sun’s radia-tions, the Cosmic vibrations, and theinvisible rays that produce so manystrange effects upon our earth. Hedelves into the bowels of the earth andspends hours, days, and months inwinding passages and darkened chan-nels attempting to find the key to themystery of the earth’s wealth and itsmineral composition.

Thousands of minds are greatly con-cerned with the mystery of the linesthat appear on Mars and the shadows

that appear upon the moon and otherstrange conditions surrounding theplanets. But such men and the majorityof us take lightly the great fields forexploration that lie within our beings.T o explore the human mind, to visitinwardly the human soul, and to makethe utmost of the opportunities whichmight be revealed by a study of man’sown nature, seem to be set aside asunimportant and unworthy of the greatattention that is given to other matters.More attention, more discussion, and



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more concern is felt in scientific circlesabout the rings that accompany theplanet Saturn in her movements throughthe space of the universe than is givento the here and now problems of our

own inner existence.It is only when man turns the search-light of inquiry inwardly and attemptsto know himself as the great mysteryof all mysteries that he comes tounderstand God and the rest of the

universe and at the same time becomesa true worker in the vineyard of God’sChildren of Light. T o know one’s selfis to know one’s heritage and one’spower. Th is is why we, as Rosicru -

cians, feel that the subjects of ourstudies are worthy of all the time anddevotion we give to them and will leadman to greater power and greater glorythan the secondary studies and investi-gations of astral mysteries.

V V V

What is M an and W hat is H i s Dest i ny?

By F r a t e r M. L o t t , U . S. N.

TA R TIN G with theexistence of manon this world, anda n t e d a tin g byt h o u s a n d s o fyears the adventof the first sageso f th i s pre s e ntcycle of civiliza-tion, he began ask-

ing himsel f theprofound question,what am I andw h i t h e r a m I

bound? Th is greatest of all questionshas always presented to the mind ofman an unsoluble puzzle which fartranscends any riddle ever propoundedby Pyramid or Sphinx. It has devolvedupon him as his most solemn duty todiscover the answer to this allabsorbingquestion, and to solve the enigma of hisown existence. Yes , down through thecorridors of time, throughout the ages,has resounded the challenge, and manhas courageously met the issue andbravely continued in pursuit of his fleet-ing quest. Yet, with all man's efforts,the shadow of mystery hangs as amighty pall over the untold ages of histenancy in the Universe. It is by far thegreatest inquiry upon which man hasever embarked — the study of manhimself.

Exoteric science bows her head in thepresence of this mighty problem and to

those who inquire as to her findings shereturns evasive answers. Science prac-tically admits her inadequacy to thesolution, but continues in her exotericway to struggle for the answer. O b-viously no such methods as thoseemployed will ever solve the question.

It is equally obvious that Theologywill never find out what man is nor whyhe exists, for Theology is busy merely

with the interpretation of doctrines.These dogmas have been imposed uponman from time to time by divers teacherswho founded them as rules and guidesfor his faith and practice. Need less tosay a goodly proportion of these ortho-dox rules was founded in ignorance andis the result of the superstitions of by-gone ages. Now, there are but fewfundamental laws and these are funda-mental laws of Nature, and he whoadheres to a dogma, unless it be one ofthese primal laws of nature, will notarrive at a solution of the mystery of hisown being.

Doctrine is rule and is constant. Itdoes not allow for change. One of thegreat laws of the U N IV E R S E is theLaw of Change. In order to compre-hend one’s own position in the Universeit is necessary for one to understandthat all things are in a state of eternallybecoming. All things are constantlyevolving, becoming, changing from oneform to some other form. Nothing everremains the same for any appreciable



length of time, for all is in the inevitableprocess of E V O L U TIO N — the evolu-tion of Spirit and the evolution ofSOUL, matter constantly becomingsomething higher in the scale, andSO U L forever evolving towards ahigher Plane. W hen man understandsthis great fundamental law of C H A N G Ethe answer to his questions concerninghimself and his destiny will be easier tofind, and to understand.

It is hardly possible, however, toattain complete understanding via the exoteric route, as the exoteric line ofreasoning is from effect to cause andone soon becomes lost in the maze of themyriad effects and causes that lie be-tween the material at hand and theoriginal or First Cause. In order tocomprehend the laws of Being it, there-fore, becomes necessary to seek out andadopt some other and more effectivemanner of reasoning. T o this end wemust learn to reason esoterically, that is,from cause to effect. Knowing the natureof a cause its “being” and evolution ismore easily analyzed and understood. To solve the problem of our own Being,then, we must first have some definiteconception of the great First Cause—know something of its Nature and the

Law of its operation. For, all the mani-fold works of creation are but theramifications of the eternal law ofC H A N G E set into motion by this Grea tFirst Cause.

This brings us to the point where wemust consider the scope of man’s con-scious conception. This is, in most cases,limited to the impressions that arrive inthe objective mind through the agencyof the physical faculties; that is, our fivephysical senses. Th ese physical sensesare actuated, in their functioning, by

vibrations arriving from external sourcesand having definite frequencies of re-currence such as the senses are capableof recording. Now, these vibrations aremyriad and cover all the frequenciesfrom zero throughout the entire scale, toinfinity, and back to zero, while thefacilities of man, supplied by the fivephysical senses, for receiving and re-cording them, cover but an infinitesimalpart of this vast scale. By comparingthe part of the scale to which man'sobjective senses will respond to that

part to which they will not respond itwill be seen that man is capable of be-coming aware of but a minute fractionof all there is in the U N IV E R SE — un-less he has something on which to de-pend other than his physical senses. Itwill be seen, from the foregoing, thatman makes an incredible mistake whenhe depends upon his physical facultiesto reveal to him the truth of his being.It is equally true that the objectivefaculties will not grow in knowledgesuch as will result in that broader con-scious conception, so necessary to com-plete understanding, unless prompted byvibrations outside of their present range— vibrations conveyed by the SO U Lthrough process of subtle suggestion to

awaken the objective mind and to ex-pend its comprehension.

Fortunately for the solution of ourproblem man is a dual Bein g. Like allother forms of organic existence man isa material body which supports an im-material Life. Th is life, which is graftedinto the body of man, at his birth, withhis first Breath, is a segment o f the First Cause, the UNIVERSAL LIFE, or theO V E R SO U L of the Universe. And,being what it is, it is immortal in itsnature, and is Omnipotent, Omnipresent

and Omniscient, therefore capable ofreceiving and interpreting any and allthe vibrations that exist in the Universe.W h at a Te acher for the edification ofman and to broaden his scope of con-scious conception!

But, man must assist in his own con-scious expansion. It is first necessary tobring the objective, or physical mind,into harmony with the above statedprinciple, and then to meditate upon itspossibilities until the objective is attunedwith the soul so that soul may im-

part truth to the material mind. It isalso by accepting the idea and meditat-ing on its wonders that man becomesconsciously aware of his actual duality.This placing of the component parts ofman in their correct category relative toeach other brings the material, or lowermind, into harmony with the Immaterial,or higher Mind, thus rendering thelower capable of receiving impressionswhich it could not otherwise receive.These impressions coming from theuniversal mind, the Great Architect of



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the Universe, expand the objective con-sciousness so that it is able to perceiveits own cause and destiny. Th ere fore ,it is through the medium of communion— the communion of self with self, of

mind with mind, that we reach Con-sciousness and Soul and experiencerealization of our own being andexistence.

At this present time man representsthe highest type of material Manifesta-tion on this earth. His body is the ulti-mate in material evolution, and is thetenement of Soul the very Essence ofthe Creator. He is the portal throughwhich the Soul passes on IT S w ay fromthis plane to that higher sphere in theCelestial Planes of the Universe. Pe r-

fected man, then, is the last tenement ofSoul, that segment of Universal Being,the life of man, on its upward journeythroughout the spheres the end of whichis unity. It is, indeed, a wondrousprocess, this metamorphosis of the Souland its upward progressive flightthrough all the manifold orders, ranksand planes. It is wondrous, too, that allthe experiences are faithfully recordedand that none are ever lost from its per-fect memory. It is in accord ance withthe great law of change that soulessence wends its way throughout all

the material planes, plant, animal andhuman, and is finally united with per-fection at the end of the metamorphicprocess.

It is in like manner, also, that matter,having its first manifestation in theatom, resulting from the vibrations ofthe primal essence (electronic force)evolving throughout all the materialforms, finally arrives, through process ofpurification and metamorphic conver-sion, at the perfection necessary tosupport the soul of man in its parallel

progress. The original motion which setup the process of “becoming” created aset of harmonies that reaches everycorner of space. Th ey are infinite. W ecall these resultant harmonics vibrations,or sometimes we might refer to them asfrequencies. It matters not what we callthem so long as we understand what ismeant. Eac h harmonic falls within acertain scale and this in turn producesother harmonics in other and higherscales. Th is process continues until har-

mony is piled upon harmony throughoutthe universe, without perceptible begin-ning or conceivable end.

Each and every harmony manifestsits own particular form, according to

the scale into which it falls, and in thisway the universe is populated with“form” . A small part of all this worldof form manifests itself to the conscious-ness of man because of the ability of thematerial mind to receive and interpretthe vibrations that fell within its range.In the formation of, and the evolution ofmatter, the points of frequencies sepa-rate themselves, as it were, from theoriginal vibration and manifest as elec-tronic force. Th ese electrons unite withothers of like harmony in the same scale

and manifest in groups called atoms.These minute forms, the first forms ofmatter, unite with others of like weightand number to produce all the forms ofwhich man is cognizant, and untoldnumbers of others of which he is not theleast conscious.

It would appear from the abovedeclaration that were this process tocontinue, ungoverned, throughout theages, the entire universe would eventu-ally bcome solidified. Th is is effectivelytaken care of by the process of devolu-

tion, or material disintegration, some-times referred to as radio activity.W he n a vibratory force reaches itshighest strength it begins gradually tolose, and with this loss of power, thecohesive property necessary to hold thecomponent atoms of matter in definiteforms is lost. Th is is as true with theatom as with the formations of atomsand thus the atom also disintegrates,and returns its Essence to the originalprimal state from which it evolved.‘‘Dust thou art and to dust thou shaltreturn.”

During its existence in the formationof the atom each and every electron hascertain experiences and the impressionsof these experiences are carried backwith it into the Primal E SS E N C E . Allsuch impressions and experiences arerecorded in the "memory” or being ofevery electronic entity, and go toenhance its position when next it is sentforth to assist in the formation ofanother atom. W h en the “education” is

(Concluded on Page 156)



The Rosi cruci an New Yea r

THE GRAND MASTER’S MESSAGE AT THE SUPREME LODGE

By I l l u s t r i o u s F r a t e r C l e m e n t B . L e B r u n , F . R. C .

V V V

N T H E thresholdof a RosicrucianNew Year allowme to congratulateand wish you allthe happiness andlove of the Order.

The Rosicrucian teaching is t h es h i n i n g l i g h tp l a c e d o n t h eShores of life toguide you on thes t r a i g h t path,

pointing its finger of Truth to God.The lessons are simple, easy of com-

prehension, and graduated so as to leadyou slowly step by step into that innerknowledge which in opening your con-sciousness will bring happiness to yourlife. The y give you strength and powerto overcome all your difficulties, solveall yourproblems, and prepare you to

be aradiantpower for good amongyour fellow men in making you under-stand your place in the sun, and main-tain your proper place in the universe.

To attain this goal it is necessary todevelop in yourself Divine qualities in-herent in each of your component ele-ments. Th ere are three main stages:The material side of your nature is thefirst one to educate and enlighten.

You are taught how to take care ofyour body, so your organs will function

in perfect harmony with each other andcoordinate them with the laws of Na-ture, avoiding sickness, disease, suffer-ing, discord, and all negative conse-quences.

That is, truly, a great step.The second step is to make you realize

that you possess hidden, inner forces, which by study and practical demon-stration in experiments you can controland prove conclusively their wonder-ful power.

These psychic forces can be utilizedto bring harmonious perfection intoyour lives, and you will be of greaterhelp to your fellow men, and enjoy lifeto its fullest capacity.

Everything God has created is foryour benefit.

Nevertheless, worry, fear, envy, ego-tism, jealousy, hate, vanity, and allthoughts of a negative order will fadeaway from your entire being and you

will begin to heal yourself, your rela-tives, and all those you come in contactwith in your daily progress, in theenvironment in which destiny has placedyou, you will radiate love in all itswarmth and sympathy.

Th e third step: By being steadfast, patient, and serious in your study, hav-ing courage and confidence, you willattain the inner illumination whichbrings out your soul qualities, making itradiant in all its strength. On ly by



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your perseverance will you bring intoyour life the happiness which all hu-manity is struggling so hard to reach.

Do not try to “save your soul"— thesoul is immortal and needs no saving.Place all material substance under the

control of your will, and let the beauti-ful attributes of the Higher self shine inall their purity to the glory of the Godof our hearts and the Great Masters.

Briefly outlined these are the threeprincipal steps in your education as aRosicrucian on the Path.

In order to bring your studies to asuccessful issue there are certain re-quirements which all must follow inorder to travel the road of advancement.

It is very important not to neglect theleast of our duties in our own daily lives.

The problems, experiences or trialsof the moment must be solved to the bestof our understanding without restraint,but with a strong heart and resolutecourage to conquer and give our un-divided attention to all details, even ifthey appear trifling.

W e must make the effort, giving al-ways the best there is in us, with con-fidence and trust in our ability to con-quer with faith in ourselves as the sonsof the Creator; faith in our neighbor andbrother, as they are all a parcel of the

Divinity; faith in the Spirit of the Cos-mic Powers; and faith in the God of ourhearts; remembering always that thegreatest power we can ever possessis Love.

All of us can use it freely andabundantly.

Give Life, Light, and Love to all yourBrothers and Sisters.

In the midst of our strife and strugglesthere is a very consoling and encourag-ing satisfaction that our reward will bebeyond expectations.

You have heard the expression often

repeated, “W he n the pupil is ready theMaster will appear,’’ and also, “TheMa ster is within us.” Wh en the studentbegins to realize the possibility of en-countering a Master, he aims at thishigh attainment, and desires quickly tofind someone, as he conceives it, whowill condescend to come and tell himhow to solve his problems, how to avoidpitfalls, and give guidance in some ex-traordinary manner to an easy source of

wealth which will insure comfort andremove forever all worries from the path.

From the many letters we receive, wefind that this leads to some confusionand sometimes to disappointment.

The Rosicrucian teachings emphasize

that, “W he n the pupil is ready, theMaster will appear; and the Master iswithin you .” Th ese are esoteric facts.

If you will analyze them seriouslywith reason and judgment you willrealize that the Master is within younow, and has always been within you.

It is an Impersonal Master, which inour early stages of enlightenment, mani-fests itself as Intuition, InstinctiveKnowledge, or Conscience; and if youstop a moment to listen, it will reveal theright way and give you the right answer.

As you evolve this Master withinmay manifest to you as a friend, as ateacher, or as an instructor. Sometimeshe may appear to you in a vision, or asa man of fine countenance, and speakwords of wisdom. Nevertheless, he isthe manifestation of your conception ofyour Impersonal Master within.

You may receive miraculous help, andwonderful knowledge, provided you areready and filled with purity of desire,sincerity of purpose, and humilityand love.

You will accomplish miracles and re-

ceive more abundantly of the Divinelife. “As you give, so shall you receive.”And the more you give the more shallbe given unto you.

You may sail the frail craft of lifeupon the placid waters of self content-ment, bathed in the perfumed and radi-ant splendor of eternal sunlight, or onthe turbulent and stormy waters of thewinter of discontent, riding the winds ofthe tempest of disorder, cruelty, andhuman injustice. Nothing should dis-turb your equanimity.

Joy and Sorrow will be One and the

Same to you; you will remain calm,peaceful and serene in the confidentknowledge of your strong faith in God,for you will Know you are a part of theGrandest Plan of Universal Creation.

Then, perhaps, when you haveattained the highest quality of self con-trol of all your emotions, the Mastermay speak to your soul face to face andsay, “W el l done, good and faithfulservant."



Do not imagine for one instant that,finding yourself on the path and dis-covering the wonderful, sublime possi-bilities open to you, you must abandonyour ordinary way of living.

Sometimes it is in the simplicity of

your home, the humbleness of youroccupation, trade, or profession whereyour greatest lessons are learnt, andwhere your greatest progress is made.

Accept the trials, tribulations, cruelexperiences, and even suffering as partof your education, and do not becrushed by them, as the feeling of in-

justice entering our mind makes us rebelagainst our fate and we think that noone else is tried so dreadfully.

Yet, they are all problems sent us bythe Cosmic. It sees the need of such

experiences and difficulties to polish ourrough natures.He who has no calamity needs no

courage!Put all your energy, fortitude, and

staunchest faith in your daily duties,remembering only the present, forgettingthe past, and not looking forward withanxiety to the future.

Have faith that if you accomplishyour task satisfactorily today, tomorrowa better one will be offered to you.

Perhaps not an easier one, but betterfor your divine progress. It is only thegood scholar who gets the hardestproblems.

It would be well, even, to rejoice, atleast to thank, Divinity for our diffi-culties. Th ey are necessary steps for thestrengthening and forming of ourcharacters.

And, finally, when your life is so purethat you have reached such a power ofwill to keep all your desires and emo-tions under control, the High Mastermay look upon you with favor. Is it notpresumptuous on our part to expectsuch a reward at the beginning of thethreshold?

How many of us have reached sucha sublime state of purity and perfectionas to be worthy of being selected as adisciple?

It is for this reason that my answerto all inquiries on this subject of theMasters is for everyone to faithfullyaccomplish his daily duty in his humblestation in life and put all his energy andcourage in each task of the moment, andwith his heart and soul filled with faithand humility, devote all his life toservice.

Serve your brother. Extend the handof fellowship to all those appealing toyou, and in that way your reward willsurpass all your expectations.

Your life will be a beautiful one ofpraise and glory to God, your Maker.Life will prove to be, indeed, a mostwonderful adventure.

R E A D T H E R O S I C R U C I A N F O R U M

A FURTHER WARNING

Last month we announced that an advertisement was appearing in newspapers in

various cities throughout the United States , purporting to be placed by an AM O RC

member who desired to communicate with other members, and we stated that the ad-

vertisement was deceptive and members should not answer it, for their names would be

misused. T o ind icate what deceptive means some individuals will go to in an attempt

to injure AMORC, it is revealed that this advertisement was placed through a San

Francisco advertising agency by one individual, and appeared in many newspapers,and was NO T local ly placed in every c ity by a local member. Furthermore, to show

the ulterior motive, the advertisement appeared in cities where A M O R C Chap ters

existed, and where, if the desire had been sincere, the proper information could have

been obtained without the necessity of advertis ing in a newspaper. All members who

answered the advertisement should beware of letters or documents being sent to them

with the request that they sign them in the purported interest of the Order . Th e letter

accompanying any papers or document may not refer to the previous advertisement, but

if you receive any such communication pertaining to AMORC from any person that

you do not know personally, before answering it, immediately communicate with the

Grand Secretary in defense of your own best interests and those of the Order.



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g a g w a

©

©

The "Cathedral of the Soul” is a Cosmic meeting place for all minds ofthe most advanced and highly developed spiritual members and workers ofthe Rosicruc ian Frate rnit y. It is a focal point of Cosmic radiations andthought waves from which radiate vibrations of health, peace, happiness,and inner awakening. Var ious periods of the day are set aside when manythousands of minds are attuned with the Cathedral of the Soul, and othersattuning with the Cathedral at this time will receive the benefit of the vibra-tions. Tho se who are not members of the organiza tion may share in thisunusual benefit as well as those who are members. Th e book called "Li ber777" describes the periods for various contacts with the Cathedra l. Copieswill be sent to persons who are not members by addressing their request forthis book to Friar S. P. C , care of A M OR C Temple, San Jose, California,enclosing three cents in postage stamps. (Please s tate whether member ornot—this is important.)

©

©

HERE is one outs ta n din g powerthat is made mani-fest through theCathedral of theSoul which hasmade this spiritualinstitution one ofthe most beneficialof a l l spir i tualc e n t e r s in th eworld.

From every partof the globe we

receive letters from members and fromnonmembers who are equally enjoyingthe great benefits of this ethereal Ca-thedral. Th eir comments are all alikeand coupledwith the comments madeby ourmembers and friends and

acquaintances here in North Americawe realize what the Cathedral of theSoul is gradually evolving into and be-coming in the lives of so many thou-sands of persons.

Not only is this Cathedral of theSoul a truly nonsectarian and universalplace for spiritual meditation, but it isbecoming what man conceived of andtried to make into a Holy Mecca onearth, as for instance the Mecca of theMohammedans to which thousands

journey every year in order to contactthe most spiritualized center of divinepower. Our Cathedral of the Soul isbecoming a Mecca of souls and minds.Not only do our members and friends journey to this great Ca thedral in amental and spiritual sense and thereenjoy quiet and meditation, inspiration

One hundred thirtytwo



and Cosmic attunement, but they arebeing strengthened and encouraged inthe affairs of their daily lives throughthe purely mental power that is createdby the uniting of so many thousands

of minds at the same moment and di-rected toward the same point.W e know the value of united effort

in any direction. W e know the directbenefits of human associations whereinthose of like minds come together tomutually blend their thoughts and de-sires and create from this blending amagnetic, dynamic power that will en-courage and strengthen all of them.Think then what a power is created bythousands upon thousands of personscoming together at one moment of theday and there uniting into one powerall of the mental energies, lovingthoughts and inspiring ideas held bythose who are thus united.

At any one of the Cathedral hourslisted in the schedule contained in thefree book Liber 777 there are thousandsof persons in all parts of the worldsitting in silence and extending theirconsciousness and directing theirthoughts of peace, power, health, andstrength toward this one Cosmic point.It is said that the concensus of opinionon the part of the public is a powerthat sways kings and potentates andmoves the congresses of men and theparliaments of advocates and rulers.They say that no nation, no republic,no group of people can long resist theconcentrated power of the mass mind.It has been demonstrated that whenthousands of citizens decide upon andhold in their consciousness a definiteconclusion and conviction that thisunited thought power concentrating it-self upon an individual or group ofindividuals becomes an irresistible force

and an overpowering urge. W ith thou-sands and thousands of our membersand friends Cosmically, mentally, andspiritually attuned at the same momentand for the same purpose and with thesame high ideals, constructive thoughts,and beneficent power radiating fromtheir minds everyone in contact withthis centralized, focalized energy is sureto be benefited. Merely approachingthis central place of the Cathedralbrings one mentally and spirituallywithin the aura of a power that is not

measurable by any of our materialstandards and beyond human concep-tion except by those who have experi-enced it and have benefited by theexperience.

The same is true of Wednesday andThursday nights of each week whenmany thousands of our members areassembled in their individual sanctumsat home studying the lessons and mono-graphs and practising the exercisesassigned to them. From each one ofthese sanctums goes forth the radiatingthoughts of peace and harmony towardall members and individuals attunedand in sympathy with the hour and itspurposes. Here, then, is a Cosmic anddivine power, focalized and yet radiat-ing in all directions and bringingstrength, peace, health, and happinessto everyone who attunes himself withthis power.

From the earliest days of our organ-ization work in North America wehave emphasized the beneficial powerand practical benefits that come fromthis universal unity that exists onWednesday or Thursday evenings. Nomatter what the precise minute may bewhen you enter your sanctum on eitherone of these nights there will be hun-dreds sitting in meditation in their

sanctums welcoming you as a new hu-man representation of Cosmic powerinto the circle of universal brotherhood.

These are but two of the greatfeatures that result from the similarityof thinking and the similarity of living.Our members are unified in their under-standing of nature’s laws and in theapplication of these laws and are, there-fore, unified in their comprehension andsympathetic attunement with all others.You are, therefore, never alone in yourCosmic contacts in your sanctum either

on your study night or at your periodsof attunement with the Cathedral ofthe Soul. If you meet those who enjoysuch spiritual uplift through Cosmicattunement, tell them of the free book-let known as Liber 777 and give thema copy. Enco urage them to participatein these Cathedral contacts. W rite tous for more copies of this free bookLiber 777 and have a supply on handto help in building up the great workthat is being accomplished in thismanner.



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W hy Thi s I nt ol erance?

IS UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD REALLY DIVIDED

IN CLASSES?

By T h e S u p r e m e S e c r e t a r y

T S E E M S to methat for many agesthe vain attempton the part of hu-man be i ngs top r o m u l g a t e t h eidea of a humanb r o t h e r h o o d ,

based upon thedivine relationshipand kinship of allhuman beings, hasbeen for the pur-pose of breaking

down class distinctions and such bar-riers as kept apart and into artificialgroups all of God’s children whoshould be united in one grand masswhich the mystics have called theChildren of Light. Y et as time haspassed these various movements pro-

mulgating the idea of human brother-hood have attempted to distinguish andso separate themselves from othersimilar groups that the net result hasbecome a disorganized mass of humanbeings looking with intolerance uponall other groups except that one towhich they belong or with which theyare affiliated. Great emphasis has beenplaced upon the material bonds whichbind them or separate them from thosewho are not a part of their individualorganizations. T he universal tie that

binds them in a spiritual and divinesense more closely than any materialis-tic ties is certainly overlooked andeven torn asunder by our manmadecreeds and dogmas.

I am not speaking in any sense ofthe sectarian differences that exist inreligious denominations. I am speaking

wholly of organizations outside of thereligious classification of churches andreligious organizations.

Glancing through a dictionary ofhuman brotherhoods existing in theWestern World today we find that thelist of names and distinctive classes orgroups is almost endless. Y et each oneof these claims to be looking for andtoward a unification of human interestand the building up of one solid hu-man brotherhood. Gen erally speaking,by the very names that some of theseorganizations have adopted for them-selves, and most certainly in readingtheir list of purposes and intentions,one can plainly sense the spirit ofintolerance that is the fundamentalprinciple upon which these organiza-tions have been built. M any of them intheir very titles include words whichimply exclusiveness, aloofness, and de-termined separation from all othersimilar orga nizations . But it is in thespirit of their activities and in theirpetty jealousies and tricks of propa-



ganda that most of these organizationsreveal their intolerance and their trulyworldly envy and jealousy towardother organizations.

No matter how one may view thesubject or from what angle one maydiscuss it, the inevitable conclusion ofevery rightminded person is that thehuman beings of this earth are moreclosely related and more intimatelyunited in a divine or spiritual sensethan are any of the other creatures orproducts of the universe. Th ere aremanifold human ties and a multiplicityof human interests, aside from the di-vine origin and spiritual inheritance ineach individual, that unite men and

women into a closer unit of kinshipthan one realizes. The great salvationof the human race lies in its power inthe future to unify and to stand as aunit representing God’s kingdom onearth. Not until the false and fictitiousdistinctions and classifications thatseparate men and women into groupsof various denominations or variousartificial interests are eliminated willthe power of human thought and thepower of divine kinship reveal itself.

The real purposes and intentions of

the organizations pretending to fosterthe development of the human brother-hood should be to assist men andwomen in realizing the fatherhood ofGod and the spiritual bond that unitesus in our effort to attain perfection inall things. Fundam entally, the purposeof all such organizations is to lead theindividual toward a higher expressionof the divinity and Christ conscious-ness that is essentially a part of all ofus, whether we are of the Christianfaith and belief or not. But one of the

universal principles of the Christ con-sciousness is that of universal love anda kindly toleration of our human weak-nesses and differences. T he momentthese differences are amplified or ex-tended into barriers that separate hu-man beings into rival classifications andgroups the very foundation of a uni-versal human brotherhood is destroyed.

Whatever may be the idealizedtemple that is situated on the mountaintop of human achievement throughspiritual effort the various roads which

man has pioneered and built up the

side of this mountain must inevitablyand eventually reach that one temple.However diversified these roads may benot one of them can go beyond thepinnacle and not one of them can failto bring the traveller on the path tothe desirable goal. Throug h ingenuityand foresight some paths may havetaken advantage of the slope of themountain to be less steep and more freeof obstacles, while others may belonger and more indirect and besetwith discouraging barriers . But timehas not yet revealed whether theshorter path and more convenient oneleads to the greatest perfection, norhave we learned convincingly that themore obstacles one overcomes the

greater strength do we attain in ourunfoldment and development. W e havelearned that there is no royal road andthat the freedom from trials and tribu-lations along the path is no guaranteeof greater happiness in the ultimaterealization of our victory in climbing.No special crown of glory and noadditional palm of victory is given tothose who have made the ascent inthe shortest time and with the leasteffort and least suffering. It does notbehoove the leaders of any path, there-

fore, to boast of the straight andnarrowness, the breadth and length, orthe beauty and grandeur of any par-ticular path, nor is it fitting for anygroup of leaders to acclaim their par-ticular pathway as being most propiti-ous and most assuring of victory.

W ha t, then, are we to think of thoseorganizations loudly proclaiming them-selves as exemplifying the spirit oflove and the practise of human brother-liness and at the same time going outof their way deliberately to issue andmake public false statements and de-rogatory remarks and unkind insinua-tions against other organizations andleaders?

It is undoubtedly proper and fittingthat each and every organizationshould protect its good name andsee that the natural enemies of Lightdo not succeed in their nefarious workof destroying everything that takes manout of the valley of darkness and startshim upon the path that leads upward

into Light. Defending one’s organiza-



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tion against the maliciousness of thedark forces is a different matter, how-ever, from being envious of anotherorganization and its good work anddeliberately attempting to destroy thatorganization in order that its seekersmay be deflected from one path to theother.

Every seeker who has attempted tofind a safe and true path up themountain side has discovered that thereare bypaths temptingly arranged tolead the seeker downward rather thanupward and into valleys of gloom, de-spondency, and discouragement. Everyseeker knows that there are gatewayswith glittering lights and temptingclaims intended to commercialize thedesires of the seeker and to defeat his

real purposes while bleeding him of hismaterial possessions. It is righteousand proper that the seeker be warnedof these temptations for it is a part ofthe constructive work of the humanbrotherhood organizations to see thatthe seeker does not lose his way in thelabyrinths of the darker forces whilebelieving that he is being prepared toascend to greater heights. But for anyorganization, claiming to be a part ofthe Great W hite Brotherhood, toattack and belittle the efforts of an-

other organization whose members havefound through the years that peace andthat happiness, that joy and pleasureof attainment which they anticipated, isone of the sad commentaries on thesituation as it exists today in manyparts of the Western World.

A M O R C has constantly stated inits lessons and literature that the Rosi-crucian path is not the only path thatleads joyfully and happily up themountain side of attainment. It dis-tinguishes itself not merely by itsunique claims but by its methods, while

admitting that the methods of othersare unquestionably good for those whodesire them and can benefit by them.In all of its reading rooms and librariesit has carried for years the literatureand publications of the other organ-izations. It has from time to timeoffered the free service of its readingrooms and temples, its auditoriums andhalls to other organizations who didnot possess such accessories. It hasspoken kindly of the great work

attained by other leaders such asMadam Blavatsky, Madam Besant,Katherine Tingley, and those who havefounded similar organization s. It haspraised the marvelous work accom-plished through the inspired writingsof Mary Baker Eddy and the continuedefforts of her organization. It haspraised the work done by those whoare maintaining the Vedanta Societyand its present leaders such as SwamiBodhananda in New York. It has beenhappy to speak of the fine work ac-complished by Dr. Otoman Hanish, thevenerable leader of the Mazdaznan So-ciety. It has called attention to the won-derful good that has come into theW estern W orld through the wide prop-aganda and liberal activities of the New

T ho ug ht a l l i a n c e s and the U nitySociety.

A M O R C has always been pleasedthat at each and everyone of itsnational Conventions the registereddelegates and members have stood uponthe platform and identified themselvesas presentday active leaders in thesevarious organizations and findingA M O R C compatible with the workthey are doing in these other organiza-tions. Nev er in any instance has anymember been refused advancement and

the attainment of the highest degree ofassociation in A M O R C because of hisor her affiliation and active participa-tion in the work of any other organiza-tion that is good and constructive.

But it is a sad fact that a few ofthose very organizations have beenactive participants in campaigns in-tended to injure and restrict the workof AM O R C , even to the extent ofprinting in their official publicationsmalicious and erroneous statementswhich might have been easily corrected

upon the slightest investigation, forthey have refused to correct such state-ments when ample evidence has beengiven to them by their own followersregarding the unfairness of theirprinted words.

It is not only a fact that theA M O RC today is the largest of all ofthese organizations, so far as numberof members is concerned and theamount of activity in its multiple rami-fications, but it is a fact also that in its



large membership are many thousandswho have withdrawn from other organ-izations not through any solicitationupon the part of A M O R C but throughtheir resentment at the unfair attitude

that some of these organizations havetaken toward A M O RC . W e have evi-dence of this weekly in our corre-spondence. Every attempt on the parto f A M O R C to bring the leaders andexecutives of the various humanbrotherhood organizations into onenational council of coworkers for the

elimination of intolerance, envy, preju-dice, or jealousy has resulted in adenial on the part of a majority ofthese other leaders to give an y con-sideration to such a plan. T he slogan

appears to be, “Each organization foritself and for itself alone!" Therefore,again we ask, how can a universalbrotherhood of man be established inthe 'Western World while such condi-tions of intolerance and enmity con-tinue and— why is there any intoleranceat all?

V

REMEMBER THE ROSICRUCIAN CONVENTION — JULY 814

ANCIENT SYMBOLISM

Man, when conscious ot an eternal truth, has ever symbolized it so that human consciousn ess could forev er have realiza tion of It. Nations, languag es, and cus-toms have changed, but these ancient designs continue to i l luminate mankind with

their my stic light. Fo r those who are seeking l ight, each month we will reproducea symbol with its ancient meaning.

£

THE LAW, THE SWORD, THE PALM

A N D THE C L O U D

The above symbol is the combination of

the Law, Sword of the S pirit and Faith. The

clouds represent doubt and obscurity;

sometimes grief, obstacles, difficulties in

life; the palm, victory, conquest, success.

The clouds overlie or obscure the palm of victory and the table o f the Law which

rests upon the Sword of the Spirit, (which

is the W ord of God).O ver all is the sun (the source of light), emblematic

of inspiration,revelation, knowledge and power. It is truly a remarkable

symbol and this is merely the pure mystical interpretation. Each religious

^ sect naturally interprets these symbols in accord with

its own doctrines.



St eeri ng Yo u r Course of L i fe

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YOU MAY BE THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP, BUT DO YOU

KNOW HOW TO CHART YOUR COURSE?

By T h e Im p e r a t o r

E C E N T L Y I h a da very interestingtalk with the cap-tain of a larget r a n s o c e a n i csteamship and Iwant to tell yousome of the reallysignificant things

he said, but I amfearful that I maynot recall all ofthe technical lan-gua ge wh ic h h e

used and I hope that those more familiarwith navigation and nautical terminologythan I am will not judge the value ofthese remarks by the absence of cor-rect terms.

I asked the captain what was the mostimportant aid used by him in steeringhis course across the great PacificOcean, where for many weeks there is

nothing to be seen but the sky joiningthe horizon of the great expanse ofwater with perhaps an occasional shipto be sighted at a great distance. I toldhim that I knew, of course, that theposition of the sun and of certain starswas exceedingly helpful, if not themost helpful in a general way, and thatthe highly developed and efficient com-pass of modern times was also an im-portant aid.

In reply, he told me that I might welleliminate the sun and the stars fromconsideration and I might eliminate eventhe compass as a valuable aid unless Iincluded many other things of almostequal importance. Th is astonished me,as it will probably astonish you. In ex -planation he said, "If the sky is verydark and overcast at night and the stars

are invisible and there are no lights tobe seen on the horizon, then surely wecan expect little or no aid or assistancefrom the heavens in either determiningour position at sea or directing ourcourse. W e must then depend upon thecompass for directions but this is not theonly factor, the only instrument, theonly aid that must be given importantconsideration. W e may see by the com-pass that our ship is pointed in theright direction and we may feel fromevery calculation that we are moving inthe right direction, but nevertheless, that

is no guarantee of a safe journey and noguarantee that we will reach the portwhich we desire to reach and intend toreach.”

Then the captain went on to explainthat starting out across the ocean with apredetermined port in mind and startingthe ship toward that point or port andkeeping it ever moving in the directionof that port is not the big problem noris it the most important consideration.



He said that no matter how well we mayintend to reach port or point, or howcarefully we will start our ship in theright direction, the fact that our ship ismoving in a line that seems to be toward

the eventual port is no guarantee thatwe shall reach the port or reach anyplace in safety. He called my attentionto the very obvious fact that if a rail-road engine started out from its round-house or from its first great station inthe proper direction and if there were noswitches set to take it off the main lineto a siding and the train was kept mov-ing constantly on the track, it wouldseem that there would be no question inthe mind of the engineer but what thetrain would eventually reach its desti-

nation, wherever that might be. Surelythe purpose of the track is to keep thetrain moving in the right direction andto lead it very positively to the rightpoint. Therefore, it would seem that theengineer operating such a train wouldhave little or nothing to worry about.But such is not the case. Even if theroute of the train is not varied by theopening of any switches that would takethe train to the right or to the left, thereare other factors to be considered whichmight prevent the train from ever reach-

ing its destination or reaching anyplace with safety. Upon a little thoughtthis becomes so obvious that we are notsurprised at the many safeguards whichrailroads have instituted to prevent un-expected accidents.

Then the captain explained to me thatwhile the ocean steamship has no trackto travel, as does the railroad train, itnevertheless does have a more or lessdefinite path across the ocean for eachof its journeys and that each of thesteamships traveling across either the

Atlantic or Pacific Ocean or any otherand making regular journeys to and fro,has a very definite path to which it triesto adhere very closely. I mentioned theinteresting fact that at some periods ofthe year the Atlantic Ocean is travelledfrom New York to England by a largenumber of ships following very definiteroutes and yet one sees only a few ofthe others during a passage. Ea ch shipis remaining in its path and each shipknows in what paths the other ships are moving. But sticking to these paths,

even though they are well charted and

marked on huge maps which the captainhas before him on the bridge of his boat,is no guarantee that the ship will reachits destination or reach any port insafety.

The captain pointed out to me that itis variation in the daily events of life atsea that constitutes the great problem.He called my attention to the fact thatstorms can suddenly arise and cause theship to fight for its privilege of journey-ing in the right direction. He mentionedalso that sudden fogs or banks of fogmight not only delay the progress of theboat but cause it to lose its way if itwere not for other aids which wouldhelp it to determine its position and itsmovement. And he spoke of high winds

and other conditions which are con-stantly changing and are always more orless new and unexpected but must al-ways be anticipated and for which verydefinite preparations must always bemade.

He told me that within an hour abank of fog might envelope the ship andleave it in a position where it could de-pend only upon its compass for de-termining its course or direction, buteven this would not safeguard the ship.If it were not for information andknowledge which the captain and hisofficers obtain from other ships as to theextent of the fog, the nature of the fogand the condition of weather in otherareas of the ocean through which theship must eventually pass the captainwould not be able to tell what to dowhen in the fog or what to do at anyhour of the day in anticipation of un-expected conditions. He must expectand anticipate the changing conditionsand know how to take advantage ofthem, how to protect himself and shipagainst them, how to cooperate in asense with the manifestations of natureand thus preserve his course and pre-serve the safety of the ship. W itho utthis knowledge of how nature is mani-festing, without this deep understandingof nature’s laws, without being preparedto understand the predicaments thatmight suddenly arise, he would be at aloss to preserve the course and to savehis ship.

‘‘I must expect almost anything and

be ready to understand it, interpret it,



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and adjust myself to it,” said the cap-tain. ‘‘Th is is the art and science ofnavigation. M y compass and my abilitythrough instruments to perceive the sunand the stars and determine my exactlocation is only a small part of my

system of guiding my ship and protect-ing the lives of the people who are withme on the vast open spaces of theocean.”

As the captain went on and explainedto me how he must be prepared for anyunexpected event by always anticipatingit and being prepared to understand itand interpret it, I realized what thescience of navigation included and howimportant it was that a captain shouldbe wellversed in a knowledge ofnature's laws, nature's unexpected mani-

festations, and nature’s tests and trials.And then I thought of the humanbeings on this earth who are captains oftheir own individual ships and are try-ing to steer their course of life towardsome welldefined port or goal wherethey expect to realize the fullness oftheir journey.

Nearly every human being has somedefinite port in mind or some goaltoward which he is steering his personalship. Th ose who are going through lifeaimlessly and without any port in mindneed be given no consideration at thistime for they have many other lessonsto learn and they would not benefit byanything that the captain said to me orthat 1 might say to them. Sin ce theyhave no course for their ship and haveno goal toward which they are journey-ing they are not truly captains and,therefore, the wisdom and knowledgethat a captain possesses would meannothing to them. Before they becomecaptains of their ship and prepare tosteer that ship toward a proper goalthere must be a chart made for their

lives and a port or haven selected as theend of their journey.

But for the majority the sea of life islike unto open spaces of the ocean. Thegoal set by most of us is not more in-visible than the distant port on the At-lantic or Pacific coasts. No r are thestorms of the sea, the fogs of the winterand the other changing conditions ofocean travel any more tempestuous,disconcerting, discouraging, and filled

with serious problems than are thetrials and tribulations of our journeythrough life. But what preparationdoes the average human being have forsteering his course through life as posi-tively, as definitely and safely as does

the wellprepared captain have forbringing his ship safely into the dis-tant port?

It is true that we have the schools formental training and academic educationthat enable us to read and write and tosee and understand. But what do wesee, and of what we see, what do weunderstand? And how little do weknow of the space that lies betweenour present position and the distantport toward which our ship is di-rected? W e may have worked out a

map like the navigator’s chart thatshows a path across the sea of life andit may be that we have placed our shipin that path and look forward to keepingit there and eventually reaching the portand its end. It may be that throughsome academic training in college oruniversity we have been given upon ourgraduation that magic device of wisdom,the ability to think, reason, and analyze,that constitutes the magnificent magneticcompass that will tell us when we areon our course or off it. This compassmay tell us when we are reasonable,

when we are safe and sound in ourthinking and doing, and it may tell ushow to exercise our individual facultiesin observing and analyzing the ordinarythings of life, but what aid have we andwhat magical instrument of mentality orconsciousness do we have that enablesus to see in the fogs, to observe thingsin the immediate darkness of night andto anticipate and understand not onlythe unexpected, the unknown, but thesure storms and tempests that await usin our journey?

As I think about the letters andcomments that come to me from day today from thousands of our members inall parts of the We stern W orld , tellingof their increasing abilities to anticipateand meet the emergencies of life andhow this preparation enables them tokeep their ships steadily in the rightcourse and to weather the storms, Irealize more and more the importance ofthe studies that are included in the work



of the Rosicrucian system of humandevelopment.

The knowledge given to our membersthrough our lessons and magazinearticles constitutes that compass and that

book of Life's landmarks which are likeunto the compass and the nautical alma-nac which the captain uses as an aid inapplying his understanding and his wis-dom for the protection of his ship.

Every week I receive letters frompersons who have not had this trainingand who have not prepared themselvesand these letters tell me that their shipof life has become floundered or lost inthe fogs and storms of their earthlycourse. Th ey are able to determine theirpresent position without any doubt and

yet they are lost. Like a captain whomight be able to consult the sun andthe stars and his compass and determinethat he is at a certain latitude and longi-tude of the high seas, these persons areable to tell just where they are in theirprogress from the beginning toward theend. but unlike the captain they do notknow which way to move to avoid thestorm that has beset them or get out ofthe darkness that surrounds them or tomove out of the fog that has encom-passed them or to weather the strifes

and terrific battles that are threateningto wreck their ships and blind them ontheir course.

Such persons cry in the darkness fora light to guide them. They are the realseekers who demand our help and whomust be saved from that ignorancewhich has become a curse in the lives ofmen and women. Nothing that theyhave learned in the average college oruniversity helps them in their predica-ment. The greates t aid they have is thatwhich was created out of similar experi-ences in life through which they havecome to know the laws of nature and themysteries of the universe. Bu t whenthey have had the benefit of the trainingand education which our organization—and similar organizations— have givento them they are not only fearless intheir anticipation of the unexpectedevents of life and, therefore, calm and

rational in the face of the unexpected,but they are prepared to properly inter-pret and understand the occurrences oflife and to see each event in its trueform, in its correct relationship with

other events and to analyze the condi-tions in a constructive manner. Th ey ,too, come to learn how to determinewhether the fog that surrounds them isdeep and of great extent or merely apassing bank that will move on andagain permit the sun with all of itsenlightenment and life to bathe themand guide them. The y, too, will knowwhether the storm that tears aroundthem is increasing or decreasing andwhether it is filled with dire horrors orof short duration. Th ey , too, know

whether beyond the immediate horizonof their present observation there liescalm and open water which may betraversed safely and joyfully. Th eyknow whether the superstitious beliefsof the ignorant ones around them are tobe given credence or cast aside.

Understanding life and its problemsand being prepared to meet the emer-gencies which arise hourly and daily notonly fortifies the individual and enableshim to steer his ship aright, but it giveshim that calmness, that poise, that

assurance, that peace, that passeth allunderstanding and dominates everysituation and brings safety and successto the daily actions. Th is preparednessis not to be found in the great college oracademic courses, nor even in the funda-mental principles of any of our educa-tional systems. It comes only from abroader and yet a more intimate view-point of life in its fullness and of all theprinciples, laws, and the great logos itself that unites man with the universalmanifestations in every department ofworldly existence. It is for this reasonthat the members of such an organiza-tion as the Rosicrucians find greatersuccess and happiness in life and easilyovercome life’s problems and adjustthemselves to the situations that mightotherwise leave them floundering, dis-couraged, and unable to direct theircourse with safety and sureness.

NOTICE TO MEMBERS IN NEW ENGLAND STATESIf you live in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or Massachusetts, and are Interested in learn-

ing of a very economical way to come to the Convention this summer, write a letter to the Secre-tary of the New York Chapter of AMORC (Miss R uth Farra n, 53 W. 69th Stree t, New Y ork City,N. Y.), and state that you wish to join with the large party of members who will travel economically

to the Convention. Be su re to wr ite at once.



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PAGES from the

EPICURUS

Each month there will appear excerpts from the writings of famous thinkers andteachers of the past. Th is will give our readers the opportunity of knowing these livesthrough the presentation of the writings which typify their thoughts. Occasionally suchwritings will be presented through the translation or interpretation of other eminentauthors or thinke rs of the past. Th is month, we bring to you Epicurus. Epicuru s was thefounder of that greatly misunderstood school of philosophy known as Epicurean ism. He <was bo ra In Sam oa, 341 B. C., and died in 270 B. C. He founded his school in Athens in .307 B. C. Du ring the ancient tim es his school was looked upon as an ideal of companion iship and constructive conversation. His disciples were both men and women, coming from .the best families of the times, and also of the lower walks of life. Epicureanism incorpo .rated many of the tenets of the philosophy of Democritus, that is , that the universe is ipurely mechanical, that everything is because of the accidental combination of the atoms iin their passage through space. Epicuru s did not advocate sensual pleasure, lasciviousness: iit was some of his later followers and some who intentionally misinterpreted his philosophyso as to dignify the ir own incontinence. It is to correct th is misconception and at thesame time to bring to your attention some of the worthy tene ts of his philosophy that we <give you excerp ts from his w ritings below. Although we may not agree with them in <their entirety, we cannot fail but to appreciate the fact that a great injustice was done to ihis philosophy, by later schools designating themselves as Epicureans. i

i

order that, when he is old, he may beyoung in good things through thepleasing recollection of the past, andthe other in order that he may be atthe same time both young and old, inconsequence of his absence of fear forthe future.

“It is right then for a man to con-sider the things which produce happi-

ness, since, if happiness is present, wehave everything, and when it is absent,we do everything with a view topossess it. Now, what I have con-stantly recommended to you, thesethings I would have you do and prac-tice, considering them to be the ele-ments of living well. First of all, be-lieve that God is a being incorruptibleand happy; as the common opinion ofthe world about God dictates; and

AY no one delayto study philoso-phy while he isyoung, and whenhe is old, let himnot become wearyof the study; forno man can everfind the time un-

suitable or toolate to study thehealth of his soul.And he who as-serts either that it

is not yet time to philosophize, orthat the hour is passed, is like aman who should say that the time isnot yet come to be happy, or that itis too late. So that both young and oldshould study philosophy, the one in



attach to your idea of him nothingwhich is inconsistent with incorrupti-bility or with happiness; and think thathe is invested with everything which isable to preserve to him this happiness,

in conjunction with incorruptibility. Forthere are gods; for our knowledge ofthem is indistinct. But they are not ofthe character which people in generalattribute to them; for they do not paya respect to them which accords withthe ideas that they entertain of them.And that man is not impious who dis-cards the god believed in by many, buthe who applies to the gods the opinionsentertained of them by the many. Fo rthe assertions of the many about thegods are not anticipations, but falseopinions. And in consequen ce of these,the greatest evils which befall wickedmen, and the benefits which are con-ferred on the good, are all attributedto the gods; for they connect all theirideas of them with a comparison ofhuman virtues, and everything which isdifferent from human qualities, they re-gard as incompatible with the divinenature.

“Accustom yourself also to thinkdeath a matter with which we are notat all concerned, since all good and evil

is in sensation, and since death is onlythe privation of sensation. On whichaccount, the correct knowledge of thefact that death is no concern of ours,makes the mortality of life pleasant tous, insomuch as it sets forth no illimit-able time, but relieves us of the longingfor immortality. Fo r there is nothingterrible in living to a man who rightlycomprehends that there is nothingterrible in ceasing to live; so that hewas a silly man who said that he feareddeath, not because it would grieve him

when it was present, but because it didgrieve him while it was future. For itis very absurd that that which does notdistress a man when it is present,should afflict him when only expected.Therefore, the most formidable of allevils, death, is nothing to us, since,when we exist, death is not present tous; and when death is present, then wehave no existence. It is no concernthen either of the living or of the dead;since to the one it has no existence,and the other class has no existence

itself. But people in general, at times,flee from death as the greatest of evils,and at times wish for it as a rest fromthe evils in life. Nor is the not livinga thing feared, since living is not con-

nected with it; nor does the wise manthink not living an evil; but, just as hechooses food, not preferring that whichis most abundant, but that which isnicest; so too, he enjoys time, notmeasuring it as to whether it is of thegreatest length, but as to whether it ismost agreeable. And he who enjoins ayoung man to live well, and an old oneto die well, is a simpleton, not only be-cause of the constantly delightful na-ture of life, but also because the careto live well is identical with the careto die well. And he was still wrongwho said:

’Tis well to taste of life, and thenwhen born to pass with quickness tothe shades below.”

“For if this really was his opinion,why did he not quit life? for it waseasily in his power to do so, if it reallywas his belief. But if he was joking,then he was talking foolishly in a casewhere it ought not to be allowed; and,we must recollect, that the future isnot our own, nor, on the other hand,

is it wholly not our own, I mean sothat we can never altogether await itwith a feeling of certainty that it willbe, nor altogether despair of it as whatwill never be. And we must considerthat some of the passions are natural,and some empty; and of the naturalones, some are necessary, and somemerely natural. And of the necessaryones some are necessary to happiness,and others, with regard to the exemp-tion of the body, from trouble; andothers with respect to living itself; for

a correct theory, with regard to thesethings, can refer all choice andavoidance to the health of the bodyand the freedom from disquietude ofthe soul. Since this is the end of livinghappily; for it is for the sake of thisthat we do everything, wishing toavoid grief and fear; and when oncethis is the case, with respect to us, thenthe storm of the soul is, as I may say,put an end to; since the animal isunable to go as if to something de-ficient, and to seek something different



from that by which the good of thesoul and body will be perfected.

“For then we have need of pleasurewhen we grieve, because pleasure isnot present; but when we do notgrieve, then we have no need of

pleasure; and on this account, weaffirm, that pleasure is the beginningand end of living happily; for we haverecognized this as the first good, beingconnate with us; and with reference toit, it is that we begin every choice andavoidance; and to this we come as ifwe judged of all good by passion asthe standard: and, since this is the firstgood and connate with us, on thisaccount we do not choose everypleasure ensuing from them; and wethink many pains better than pleasures,when a greater pleasure follows them,if we endure the pain.

“Every pleasure is therefore, a goodon account of its own nature, but itdoes not follow that every pleasure isworthy of being chosen; just as everypain is an evil, and yet every painmust not be avoided. But it is right toestimate all these things by themeasurement and view of what is suit-able and unsuitable; for at times wemay feel the good as an evil, and attimes, on the contrary, we may feelthe evil as good. And, we think, con-

tentment a great good, not in order thatwe may never have but a little, but inorder that, if we have not much, wemay make use of a little, being genu-inely persuaded that those men enjoyluxury most completely who are the

best able to do without it; and thatevery thing which is natural is easilyprovided, and what is useless is noteasily procured. And simple flavoursgive as much pleasure as costly fare,when everything that can give pain,

and everything feeling of want, is re-moved; and corn and water give themost extreme pleasure when anyone inneed eats them. T o accustom one’sself, therefore, to simple and inexpen-sive habits is a great ingredient in theperfecting of health, and makes a manfree from hesitation with respect to thenecessary uses of life. And when we,on certain occasions, fall in with moresumptuous fare, it makes us in a betterdisposition towards it, and renders usfearless with respect to fortune. When,therefore, we say that pleasure is achief good, we are not speaking of thepleasures of the debauched man, orthose which lie in sensual enjoyment,as some think who are ignorant, andwho do not entertain our opinions, orelse interpret them perversely; but wemean the freedom of the body frompain, and of the soul from confusion.For it is not continued drinkings andrevels, or the enjoyment of femalesociety, or feasts of fish and other suchthings as a costly table supplies, thatmake life pleasant, but sober contem-

plation, which examines into thereasons for all choice and avoidance,and which puts to flight the vainopinions from which the greater partof the confusion arises which troublesthe soul.”

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PASSED TO HIGHER INIT IATIO N

On April 17, in the city of Minneapolis , Minnesota, the Reverend Dr. Francis F.Bru nne r passed to the higher initiation. Born in 1880, he was educated and trained in amonastic brotherhood and ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church, and offered aBishop ric at thirty y ears of age which he refused. Continuing his studies and mysticalresearches, the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy was conferred upon him, and hefinally attained the 97th degree in the Egyptian Rites of Oriental Templarism, and was anassociate of our Imperator in representing the Supreme Hierarchy for America of theOriental Orders under the direction of the Great White Brotherhood . During the last years

of his life he was very active in Oriental research in various lines, and a member of theResearch Department of AMORC, having attained the highest degrees of Rosicrucianism,and being an InspectorGeneral of the Grand Council of AMORC for North America and aFreem ason. He will undoubtedly take his rightful place among the great ma sters of theInvisible Hierarchy of our Order.

EVER Y WO MAN’S UNSEEN GUIDE

The above is the title of a new Rosicrucian folde r in colors prepared especially toappeal to women. If you have not received some of these folde rs and if you know ofpersons who have not had any o f our literature previously, write in for a supply of thesefolders and they will be sent free of charge. They are very dignified, very attractivein their nature, and as said above, are designed particu larly to appeal to women. Donot fail to obtain these and make the best use of them. Le t them become a messengerof Light, a herald of the teachings of the Order. Address your request to RosicrucianExtens ion Department , San Jose, Ca l i fornia .



I l lusion

THE WORLD WE PERCEIVE

By F r a t e r G e o rg e D. H a i n e s

HE Supreme Courto f t h e U n i t e dStates will acceptthe testimony of areliable individualas to what he hasseen with his owneyes, as one of the

b e s t f o r m s ofproof as to theoccurrence of anevent, or the exis-tence of an object.

T h i s w o u l dseem to be perfectly proper and un-doubtedly is, from the standpoint ofgeneral experience. Th e Supreme Courtis an august body of great wisdom, andarrives at its conclusions only after greatdeliberation. It thus becomes a sort ofsymbol of our general experience, andif a criticism is to be directed to suchrules of evidence, it could not be on thebasis of our general experience with theeye or the conclusions that we arrive atthrough its use. Ra the r we would haveto look for anything wrong in thefactors that make up the phenomenathat we call sight or vision.

Perhaps it will be interesting to makesuch an analysis, and to attempt to im-peach the testimony of a gentleman, letus say, who has just testified to havingseen a lady walking down the street, andwho at the time was wearing a red hat.

The subject is approached with sometrepidation, as it is understood that theconsequences of upsetting a belief in ourvision would be great . Among otherthings it would make a lot of peoplethink; and a lot of people do not like tobe made to think. However, thinking isgood for the mind and for the soul, and

is really not such a bad pastime whenone gets used to it.W ith this brief apology, a survey will

be made of what we know of the subject , on the basis of the scientific evi-dence now available.

The basis of vision is radiation, socalled. W e do not know what it is, ofcourse, any worse than we know whatthe most common forms of matter are.W e perceive its existence, give it aname, and go on about our business witha sense of a duty well done.

In some mysterious way radiationcomes to us from the Sun and from theother planets of the Universe, eitherthrough generation or reflection. Itsprings into existence when we light a match or turn on an electric light. Itcomes to us from objects that are warmor hot, and we feel the sensation of heataccordingly.

It is the Xray, the Ultra Violet light,the visible spectrum, the infra red andheat waves, and it is carrying on theworld’s communication and entertain-ment as radio waves.



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A versatile medium, surely, and oneworth getting acquainted with. It al-ways travels through space or theEarth’s atmosphere at the terrific speedof 1 86,000 miles per second. W ithinthe past year this statement is chal-lenged, as a small variation is noticed.

The Scientific name for this phe-nomenon is Electromagnetic radiation,for it is presumed to be electrical andmagnetic. It is presumed to be composedof electrical and magnetic fields. It isknown to produce electrical and mag-netic effects. Y et the United Sta tesPatent Office will not admit that it iscomposed of electrons, and we have nobasis of postulating an electrical fieldthat is not composed of electrons.

So far as we know, the only difference

that exists between the visible spectrumand the Xray is one of frequency ofvibration or of wave length. W e speakof waves of light and yet the photo-electric effect and the photoelectric cellprove that light is not a wave.

This controversy has raged in scien-tific circles for centuries and the end isnot yet. By common consent, light orradiation is a wave in optics, and aprojectile in photoelectricity. W e can -not understand how it can be both atonce, but for the present let it pass.

An octave of frequency is the vibra-tion of a note multiplied by itself toproduce a note one octave higher. Th eword ‘Note’ is used because of itsfamiliarity. In reality there is no suchentity, as we will consider later.

The visible spectrum within which liesthe phenomenon of sight, is composedof one octave of the many that areknown to exist. In some unknown waythe human eye is sensitive to this rangeof frequency, selecting it out of themultitudes that surround us and reject-ing the rest.

Apology is made for the quotation ofthe above facts. A consideration of themis necessary to properly explain thefaculty of sight. It is also necessary toconsider m atter as we know it chemicallyand physically, as a vibrating concourseof submicroscopic units of energy. Eachatom or molecule has its one particu-lar mode of action and operates underits own laws or a variation of theone law.

The phenomenon of sight beginswhen the photon or unit of radiationfalls upon the atom. W hen this happens,one of two things occur. Th e radiationis either absorbed or reflected. Th is isthe accepted scientific theory, based onresearch and evidence that is believed tobe trustworthy.

The absorption of radiation producesheat. Its reflection causes a portion ofthe reflected radiation to be gatheredinto the cone of our vision, where it isprojected onto the retina of the eye, andfrom there produces in some verystrange way, a mental perception orcomprehension.

Whenever we experience the sensa-tion of sight or the presence of light,radiation of every possible frequency is

falling on the matter around us, and isbeing selectively absorbed or reflected.Science tells us that practically everyform of matter responds or is in re-sonance with certain selective fre-quencies, some of which are absorbed,and others reflected.

Thus a material that reflects the colorred is merely not absorbing the fre-quency of that particular shade of redreflected. The eye gathers these reflectedvibrations, and the mind gets the sensa-tion of red, and the gentleman on the

witness stand will hold up his hand andswear that the lady wore a red hat.

This raises the question as to whetherthe ladies’ hat was really red, or whetherthe gentleman merely received an im-pulse through his eye which his braininterpreted in this manner.

The Supreme Court would have con-siderable difficulty in deciding thisquestion on the basis of the evidencethat would be submitted.

It is assumed that the attorneyarguing that there is no such thing as

color, per se, in nature would cite theanalogous case of sound.This we know also to be merely

vibrations, although of a different kind.Every note that the ear is capable ofhearing is merely a vibration of theatmosphere of from one to twenty thou-sand per second. Th ese vibrationsimpress themselves on the inner ear,causing a similar vibration to occurthere, and in some very strange way, thesame strange way that we have the com-



prehension of color or the sensation ofvision, these vibrations become to us, asound, a musical note or a mightyorchestra.

Consider, for a moment, that nothing

comes from the speaker of the radio setbut vibrations. Th ey are not soundsuntil there is an ear to gather them anda conscious brain to translate them intoa comprehension of sound. Th ere is nosound as such between the ear and theradio set. W h at would the SupremeCourt have to say about this?

It at least creates the same assumptionthat there is no such thing as light untilthere is an eye to select its particularrate of vibration, and a brain or percep-tive faculty to form an intelligent con-

ception of light and vision, from theimpulse of these vibrations.

At this point the case begins to besomewhat complicated for the commonconception of light and vision, and ofthe visible world. If we are going tolimit the physical world to those thingsthat we can see, and deny the existenceof the invisible, we have to reckon withthe late developments in the field ofphotography, for a photographic platecan be made to record impressions thatthe eye does not receive.

Infra red photography shows strangepictures of heat coming from the humanbody in clouds and of gas coming outof a bottle of charged water looking likesteam. Strangely, also, it does notrecord the impression of green in thefoliage of nature, and records it aswhite.

It is very doubtful that aside fromcommon experience, which is merelyanother way of stating the commonlimitation that is imposed upon us byour physical senses, there is any suchthing in nature as our conception ofcolor or sound. Th e vibrations of theatmosphere and of radiation exist asrealities. Th e comprehension of them ascolor or sound occurs inside the craniumand to this extent are illusory.

At this point the witness would un-doubtedly insist that while he mighthave been in error as to the color of thehat, he at least saw the lady and the hat.W e would have to concede that hethought he saw them in the same waythat he thought the hat was red.

His conception of shape and form arereceived from the reflected radiation ofthe object seen in the visible frequencies.Imagine what would happen if the eyedid not gather these frequencies.

Instead of the eye that gathered thefrequencies corresponding to the rangefrom 4000 to 8000 Angstrom units, letus assume that he had an eye that col-lected frequencies corresponding to therange from 50 to 100 Angstroms. Thisis an extreme difference and is used toillustrate the point.

The latter band of frequencies lies inthe Xray spectrum about in the center,and the witness receiving his impressionsfrom this band would solemnly swearthat he saw a skeleton ornamented witha few bits of metal, walking down thestreet, and apparently enjoying thewalk. The flesh or tissue of the humanbody would be invisible, or possiblyappear as a shadow at these frequencies.W ith an eye and a sense perception re-sponding to the range of 2 to 50 Ang-stroms, the skeleton itself would dis-appear, and the crystal structure of thebits of metal themselves would standrevealed. Th is leads to the logical con-clusion that we live in a world of ourown conception and because we are

arbitrarily tuned to receive or respondto certain vibration frequencies.

There is a tremendous significance toall this. It is not merely a collection ofunusual facts designed to hold the interest and demonstrate the wonders ofmodern science by weaving togethersome related details.

The real significance is that the socalled Universe is an illusion of thephysical senses. Th is is as plainly andas bluntly as the proposition can bestated. It is not an original thought withthe writer. The ancient wisdom religionsof the East have declared it for cen-turies. Th e science of the W es t hasproved it, and thereby hangs the tale.

It is merely that the entire human raceis endowed with a set of sense percep-tions that respond to certain vibratoryfrequencies. Being all tuned to the samefrequencies, as it were, we have thesame impressions of our surroundings,and in the agreement and verificationthat comes from a common experience,we have, by common consent, taken a



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set of conditions for granted that agrowing comprehension proves to be amental picture and nothing else.

The consequences of this statementare difficult to foresee. It has an immedi-ate effect upon the science of Physics. It

seems ridiculous, of course, in a worldfilled with the music of great orchestras,the throb of industry, and a babble ofvoices, to make a bald statement thatthere is no such thing as sound as weconceive it, in the universe, or that it isan illusion of the human mind.

It would seem equally foolish to statethat there is no such thing as color, to aman enjoying a brilliant sunset, or abeautiful flower. It will be hard to con-vince such a man that the conception ofbeau ty exists only in his mind. It is afair prediction, however, to venture thestatement that within the next few years,these seeming impossibilities will beadmitted by the leaders of the field ofscience and of the world’s thought.

W e have seen the related sciences ofChemistry, Electricity and Physicsmerge into one almost within our ownlifetime. It is now generally recognized,that they are but different aspects ormanifestations of one reality which wedo not yet understand.

Science, which up to now has prideditself that it took nothing for granted

and made its progress on the basis ofexperimental proof, has come to realizethat it has been deceived by the relativecrudeness of its own methods, and thatthe principle of uncertainty hangs like afog before the goal that lies alwaysahead.

W ith its findings properly interpretedphysical science has already proved thenonexistence of matter as we had al-ways conceived it to be. It has nothingto take its place, and with its investiga-tion pointed to the purely physical, willperhaps find nothing. It will perhaps

come to the conclusion that it has beentrying to hear the music of a greatsymphony with a tuning fork that onlyresponds to one note.

If this happens the men of science willturn to philosophy and mysticism, asmany of them are doing at the presenttime. They will be driven to it by the

sheer necessity of an impossible situa-tion, to try and find inspiration fromother sources than the purely physicalsenses.

It is not only the men of science thatwill be affected by a general realization

of the illusory nature of the purelyphysical. It is true that we will continueto look to them for a continuation of theleadership that has taken us so far alongthe road to comprehension.

The ultimate result of such an under-standing will be felt when it reaches thepeople of the earth and begins toinfluence them in their thoughts andactions. Here is the final goal of what-ever plan is responsible for our beinghere. A greater understanding willbring with it a different sense of values.

It is impossible to visualize mentallysuch a process as this without recogniz-ing at once that the immediate conse-quence of such thoughts will be to raisethe question uppermost in the minds ofeveryone, as to just who we are; howwe arrived at this stage of development,and what is our relationship with thereal Universe and the future.

When the peoples of the earth earn-estly seek the answers to these ques-tions, the little problems that vex us nowwill disappear merely because we willstop creating them.

Perhaps this phase of the discussionhas taken us afield, and we have for-gotten for the time being that we areconsidering a case in court.

It does not matter, however, for it willnot be settled before this session of thecourt. The testimony will be long andthe witnesses many.

Eventually it will be appealed to thehigher court of public opinion, whichultimately is the court of the last resort.

It will be settled there. Perhaps notin our time but ultimately, and it is veryprobable that the original question as to

whether the lady had a red hat, will belost sight of.

The case will be settled on the answerto the question as to who is the lady;and when that question is answered itwill automatically answer all the otherquestions, of whatever nature, that per-plex us now.

© R E A D T H E R O S I C R U C I A N F O R U M •



SANCTUM MUSINGS g

ARE THERE ATHEISTS?

O T W I T H S T A N D I N Gthe c o n t i n u a lc l a m o r of selfstyled atheists andthe alarmist prop-aganda o f some

religionists t h a tsociety is driftingtoward atheism, itcan be conscien-tiously asked, Arethere atheists? Ifwe confine our-

selves tothe exac t definition of theword, thenall who deny the existenceof a God are atheists. In reality, how-ever, is the denial of a God sufficientto give one the appellation of atheist?

Let us presume that we intentionally

engaged one designated an atheist incontroversy, the object being to analyzethe point of issue. An atheistic view, itis generally presumed, is negative. Itis thought its purpose is the refutationof theism. Hardly ever is it concededthat atheism may be the positive pre-sentation of a conception which negatestheism only because of its contra views.In other words, it is generally acceptedand held that the final end of atheismis not to contribute a different concep-tion, but to be a direct attack on theexisting religions and theism generally.

Therefore, the theist or religionist usu-ally approaches a polemic discussionwith an atheist by vehemently assert-ing the virtues of theism and franticallystrengthening every possible weaknessthat may exist in the structure of theistic theory. The entire presentation is

usually one of preparedness as if await-ing an attack from the atheist, ratherthan the presentation of a different con-ception free from malice.

The procedure is commonly, first, theassertion of an unqualified belief inGod; second, following with a personaldefinition of what God is. As a rule,the definition of God does not exactlycorrespond with the inner conviction thetheist has of God. This fact he may re-luctantly admit, and if so, is quick tostate that it is because of his inability

to ordinarily find adequate words forthe definition of God. T he interpreta-tion he gives is usually borrowed andhardly ever original. It is usually theorthodox definition of a creed or sect,or the more quaint terminology of anindividualist, which gives the user dis-tinction without the effort of originality.In fact, the defender of theism confiden-tially admits quite frequently to one ofhis own clan that his argument fallsshort in words of his inner convictions.There is a gap between the inherentappreciation of the existence of divinity



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and any forceful, rational presentationin words of this feeling. Th is inabilityof expression is comparable with re-lating a dream, the details of which wecannot recollect, and the emotional ef-fects of which still linger with us.

If the religionist’s definition of Godwere words, the meaning which eachconveyed being part of the very natureof his sense of God, then the refutationof them would be the quelling of theemotional surge inciting the belief. Thesheer logic and rhetoric of his opponentmay at its best but destroy the illusionof the visualization of God, for a worddescription is the religionist’s humbleand crude attempt to portray his emo-tional responsivity to an intangible in-fluence he senses— an afflatus.

A basic doctrine of theology is the

sameness of divinity in all men. If allmen could appreciate, be conscious ofthis essence alike, and alike rationallydefine its nature and function, therewould be a unification of all religion.Alas , this is not so! So we have re-ligions, and each religion its God. Eac hhas its prophets who profess to be di-vinely inspired and who bequeath totheir followers an ideal of God obtainedthrough direct communion. Th e idealsclash. Religionists oppose and denouncethe ideals of each other.

Is God an imperfect factor? Is He

moving forward toward an eventual at-tainment and final excellence? Such anhypothesis would not be approved bymodern theology, nor even the religiousconception of a barbarian people. Itwould detract from acknowledging Hissupremacy and His omnipotence. A re-view, however, of the history of religionand an examination of the doctrines ofeven today’s sects reveal a startlingsimilarity to such an hypothesis becauseof the discrepancy in the definitions ofthe nature of God. W e find that thesplendor attributed by theology today,

to God, surpasses in many respects thatattributed to Him in past ages. Fur therwe find that His accomplishments oftoday are manifold in comparison tothose ascribed to Him in other eras.W'here once He was multiplicity ofform, man now has Him as a singleentity and even beyond that as an im-personal intelligence pervading all. It is,however, declared fervently by thecreeds and sects of today, that never-

theless, the God of yesterday, today,and of tomorrow is the same. The y de-clare He is the only unchangeable fac-tor in a universe of change. If H e beunchangeable, perfect and excellencesupreme, how can the religionists recon-

cile that with the obvious difference ofnature ascribed to Him by all who rec-ognize Him? Obviously, all conceptionscannot be right. Some must be errone-ous.

If one group of human minds cannotinterpret the divine impulse in theirown nature correctly, then all men canpossibly likewise err. In defense of thereligionists it can be said that some morenearly perceive the divine in their na-ture than others and their realizationmore closely participates in the divinereality. But who are they? W h at cri-

terion is there to ascertain the accuracyof man’s perception of God? Sincerityof purpose is not a sufficient criterionto judge the accuracy of one’s concep-tion of God. M an in his sincere en-deavors to persuade his fellowman thathe or his sect alone has envisaged Godand is the medium for His word, resortsto the strangest fanatical practises—practises which in themselves detractfrom the sublimity of God, the sub-limity one [eels rather than knows.W hich is of the greater value to man,the ideal of God that he must endeavorto approach, or the expression of thatideal in a form composed of words?Man can never know God from with-out, no matter how alluring and mag-nificent the description given him if helacks within himself a responsivity toa spiritual urge. M an cannot acceptthe God defined by another if the de-scription does not invoke within him asympathetic appreciation. The eyes ofthe artist and a physicist may view thesame dawn, but the idea engendered inthe consciousness of each is different.

One appreciates the mechanics of whathe sees, the physical law accounting forthe phenomena, and the other, the artist,feels the harmony of the color, its bal-ance, its proportion, and the exhilara-tion of true beauty which actuates thesensitivity of his soul. Both could com-prehend the idea of what the other per-ceives, but neither would have the sameemotional feeling toward that idea asif it were his own.



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gence, he may deny the cause as beingintelligent, but today the fuller meaningof intelligence, which is becoming betterknown, may be acceptable to him. Then,perhaps, he would admit the cause asbeing intelligent, though not conscious.

Intelligence does not in its final sensemean conscious knowledge, but ratherconform ity to an internal order. As anexample: Let us take the order of thelife of a plant. The plant is intelligentin its perseverance and growth, but itlacks consciousness of the acts whichmake perseverance and growth possible.

Instead of merely reprimanding, con-demning, and ostracizing those who failto recognize God in the sense you de-fine Him, and thereby causing them tobelieve their conception the opposite ofGod, attempt to understand their views.

Admit that what they declare as “me-chanical causes” are truly Cosmic mani-festations, as recognizable and perceiv-able by you as they are to them; butyou define the characteristics of thosemanifestations as the works of God.Gradually you will see that thosethought to be confirmed atheists willadmit that if what they have found tobe fact in nature you do not deny butmerely give the appellation of God, thenGod it must be. If, howev er, you setup an interpretation of God which isinconsistent with human perception ofthe manifestations of God, then you willfind many atheists, for many personswill renounce the God you expound. It

is not so far in the past when all re-ligions asserted God to be a personalentity, a being in form like untoman. Such an impossible ideal was notacceptable to the more profound stu-dents of nature, and they rejected it

and immediately were acclaimed athe-ists. To da y, only the most impossiblereligionists are anthropomorphists. T o -day the average religionist realizes thatany conception of God that limits Himto form, limits His sphere of omnipot-ence. Religionists should realize thattheism has changed with time and thatthis change has not destroyed it, nor hasit detracted from its glory. Th erefo re,the different conceptions of today heldby others may not be harmful to theismbut may be progressive and should beanalyzed unbiasedly, not suppressed,

nor should those who expound themreadily be called atheists.

As to the one who states that thereare neither effects nor causes in the uni-verse, being or nonbeing, natural pro-cess or unity of all substance, nor natural law, is not only an atheist buta fool. The theist and the agnostic bothlook upon him contemptuously. Such aperson is an abnormal being and is tobe pitied, not censured.

Hesitate before hurling the cognomenatheist at another, lest it return to settle

upon you later when time has temperedyour reason and broadened your spirit-ual perception.

• R E A D T HE R O S I C R U C I A N F O R U M •

.

CANADIAN ROSICRUCIAN RADIO BROADCAST

Rosicrucian members in the vicinity of Toronto, Canada, will be pleased to learnthat we have arranged for a series of very unusual mystical programs over the stationbelow. These program s consist of inspirational music as well as a dramatic portrayal ofthe traditional principles and history of the Order.

You should not only listen to these yourself and enjoy them, but call them to theattention of as many persons and friends as you can. Th e la rger the audience we havefor these broadcasts, the more effective they will be. Again will thousands of personsbecome familiar with the word Rosicrucian and acquainted with some of its ideals.Do all within your power to speak of these programs and have others listen to them.The station listed below is the largest in its respective district and the fact that weare broadcasting over it will dignify the purposes and objects of the Order considerably.

TO RO N TO : Radio Station CF RB , 434.8 meters, or 690 kilocycles, starting Tuesday,Ma y 8th, and continuing for several Tues day s thereafter at the same hour. Time, 8:1 5P. M. Toronto time.

Do not fail to help make these programs a success.



W oman’s Cont ri but i on to the W or l d’ s

Spi ri t ual Progress By S o r o r B o on C l a r k

T IS interesting toconsider the posi-tion occupied bywomen in some ofthe religions of apast era, so for ashort time we willthink about threeof the bestknown

orders which ex-isted i n differentparts of the worldat the same periodof time.

The most famous, perhaps, of any isthat of

The Vestal Virgins.

They formed the most prominent fe-male religious community in the world,in the days of the Roman Empire, theirorder being composed entirely of womenand girls of patrician birth.

The novices entered the order at avery early age, ten years being the latestat which they could join; both parentswere to be living when they entered thecommunity.

The first ten years were spent inlearning their duties as priestesses which,amongst other things, consisted in keep-ing the sacred fire, which perpetuallyflamed upon the altar in honour of thegoddess Esta, from becoming extin-guished. Should the fire go out throughthe carelessness of the Vestals, they

were beaten with rods by the Pontifix

Maximus, the head of all religious ordersin Rome, and whose title was used bythe Emperor as head of Religion andState.

The Goddess Esta

was the domestic divinity of the hearth,and who was represented by the flamesarising from the home fires.

There is, therefore, no statue to beseen of the goddess; in after years shecame to be associated with the earthwho puts forth her life flame in goldencorn, and multicoloured flowers andfruits.

It is from Esta that we get our festi-val name of Easter.

The Romans became so used to kind-ling their domestic fires from those onthe altar of Esta, that as time wore onthey seem to have forgotten how tomake a fire for themselves. It was the

custom, also, for citizens, when going ona journey, to bring their plate and jewelsfor the priestesses to take into theircharge.

The ladies of this order were treatedwith the greatest respect. Even a Senator,if encountering them in the street, wouldmake way for them to pass, and at thepublic games in the Amphitheatre, orlater in the Coliseum built by the Em-peror Vespasian, a special place was re-served for them where, in their midst,and not beside her husband, sat the Em-

press of Rome.



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The second ten years of their officewas spent in practising the duties theyhad learned, which would bring them toabout 28 or 30 years of age; the thirdten years was devoted to teaching thenovices.

At about thirtyeight they retiredfrom active duty, and were at liberty toreturn to the world and, if they chose,to marry. Few availed themselves ofthe privilege, but remained among theSisterhood, and only one in the elevenhundred years in the period duringwhich the order lasted ever married.

The actual number of the Vestal Vir-gins was six, which of course did notinclude those who had retired, or whowere learning their office.

Their private characters were beyondreproach, only twentytwo in the wholeperiod ever breaking their vows of chas-tity, the punishment for which was tobe buried alive.

The first to suffer this dreadful fatewas the Ve stal M inucia. It has beensaid that the unfortunate girl who wasfound guilty was placed in an under-ground cell in the Campus Soeleratus,at Rome, with a jar of water and a loafof bread, which was never renewed. Theguilty man was punished by beingscourged to death.

To turn to a more cheerful subject:

The Festival of Esta

was celebrated on June 8th, when theVestal Virgins were engaged in offeringsolemn sacrifices in the temple, while inthe world outside the millstones weregarlanded with flowers, and the verymilldonkeys who were used possibly towork the millstones were adorned withnecklaces made of cakes, as well asfloral decorations, because without theaid of fire, over which the goddess Esta

was said to preside, the flour could notbe used for food.After the grand ceremonies in the

temple of Vesta, the ruins of which arestill to be seen in Rome, the floors wereswept, and the sweepings solemnly car-ried in procession and thrown into theRiver Tiber.

It was considered by the Romans un-lucky to marry in June until this cere-mony was over. Th e order ended in thereign of Theodoseus.

There were several temples to Vesta;there is another at Tivoli, near Rome,and the site of Hadrian's Villa. Alltemples to Vesta are circular, like theearth, the windows being smaller at thetop than the bottom for greater strength.The order was introduced into Romeabout 715 B.C. by Numa, the firstKing of the Romans, and a man re-markable for his piety and devotion toGod, according to the Light which hereceived.

The Druidesses

T he Druidesses were sometimes merelythe wives of the Druid priests, and didnot take an active part in the religiousduties of the community; but there were

others who did so, and also there was aseparate colony of Druidesses, nine innumber, who in the year 45 A. D. livedon the Isle de Sein, off the coast ofFrance near Cape Finistiere.

The word Sein is taken from Senoe,meaning “venerable women.”

These Druidesses had much in com-mon with the traditional qualities of the“witch” of fairy tales, for they pro-fessed to be able to turn themselves intoany kind of animal, and to have thepower to raise storms, and do many

wonderful works of healing.They were said to possess the gift of

prophecy, but the privilege of hearingtheir utterances was reserved for thosewho specially visited their island home,and also for mariners, who were glad tobenefit by their prognostic warningsabout the likelihood of storms.

The women of this particular com-munity were vowed to perpetual vir-ginity.

Their dress for festival occasions wasa white tunic, clasped by a brazen girdle

richly embossed, over which was worn acloak with clasps. They also, like theArch Druids, carried their magic staff.

There was also a community ofDruidesses at Anglesey, where the twoArch Druids lived in A. D. 61.

When Suetonius Paulinus, Governorof Britain under Nero, landed in Angle-sey, he and his soldiers were astonishedat the sight of a number of Druidesses,their long white hair streaming in the



night wind, carrying torches, whichilluminated their faces, distorted withrage, while, hurling curses at the Romansoldiers, they ran among the ranks ofthe native population of the island urg-ing them to up and slay the invaders,who had come to destroy the Druidicreligion, with all the authority of Im-perial Rome.

These women were implacable againsttheir enemies, and with their long kniveswere quite capable of dispatching anyunfortunate Roman soldier who fell intotheir hands.

One of their curious ceremonies wasto officiate in a condition of perfectnudity, their bodies being painted black.

Once a year they uncovered the roofof their temple, which unlike the templeof the Druids was not left open at thetop to the wind and rain, and replacedit between sunrise and sundown.

Should any Druidess be unfortunateenough to drop or lose the load she wascarrying she was set upon by the otherswho, tearing her to pieces carried herlimbs around the temple in a horridprocession.

The religious belief of the Druidsincluded the conviction that should a

man make choice of a life of virtue, athis death he would be translated to astate of felicity, but should he deliber-ately choose an evil life he would becompelled after death to inhabit thebody of an animal in this world to whichhe would return, as a penance for hispast sins.

The Druids always worshipped aSupreme Being under the form of anoak tree; this Divine Person was calledHaeson, or Mighty. Th ere was alsoGod the Father, DeuT att. Th eir name

for Heaven was FlathInnis, while thePlace of Darkness, Ifurin, was an icyisland where lions roared, the wolvesdevoured, and serpents stung thewretched inhabitants.

So we find women taking an im-portant position in at least three wellknown religions of the world: in somecases having their religious opinionriddled through by cruel customs andfalse ideas of God, but according totheir light showing the incontrovertibility of the fact that God speaks in

divers manners and through many dif-

ferent voices, and in these last days hasshown to us a more Excellent W ay .

The Sibyls

The Sibyls were a class of womenprophetesses which have never existedin the same peculiar conditions before orsince their own time.

They do not seem to have been thefollowers of any special religious cult,nor the inhabitants of any particularland.

However, they were alike in one par-ticular: they all professed to be divinelyinspired, and to make known to thepeople of the world the wishes, de-

mands, and requirements of the gods.The three principal Sibyls were

Cumana, the Sibyl of Asia, Libyssa, theSibyl of Africa and Tiburs, the Sibylof Europe, from whom we presume theRiver Tiber, on which Rome is built,was named.

The Cumean Sibyl was by birth aBabylonian, being the daughter ofBerosus, the celebrated Chaldean phi-losopher.

There is a legend that in her youth,when very lovely and possessing great

charm of mind as well as form, Apollobecame enamoured of her, and offeredto give her whatever she desired.

Scooping up a handful of sand Cu-mana asked the god to give her as manyyears of life as she held grains in herhand, which request he granted.

When, however, Apollo pressed hissuit she refused him, whereupon Apolloleft her with the gift of unnumberedyears of life, but unaccompanied byyouth and freshness, which she hadquite forgotten to add to her request.

The story of Tarquin the Proud andthe Sibyl, however, is not legendarybut fact.

One day Tarquin, the King of Rome,was interviewed by a wizened oldwoman, who proved to be the Sibyl

Anal th aea . She came offering for salenine manuscripts, which she had broughtwith her, the price being three hundredgold pieces.

The manuscripts were the propheciesof the Sibyl relative to the conduct and

future welfare of the Roman Empire.



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The Sibyllini Libri, as it was called,was not strictly prophetical, but madeknown the ways by which the peoplewho read them could perform the will ofheaven, and propitiate a deity whomthey had offended.

Tarquin refused to buy them, where-upon the old woman left him, burntthree copies of the nine, and returnedwith the six which she offered at theprice of the nine; the King again re-fused, whereupon the Sibyl went home,burnt three more, and returned withthe last three for the price of the origi-nal nine.

Tarquin felt that he had lost twoopportunities of possessing somethingvaluable, and that there would be nofurther chance for him, so he paid the

three hundred gold pieces and gave themanuscripts into the care of the priests,called the Quindecemvir, who carefullypreserved them in a stone chest in thetemple of Jupiter Capetolinus.

The Quindecemvir were probablypriests of Apollo, fifteen in number, andwere partly of patrician and partly

plebian rank, whose priesthood lastedfor the duration of their lives.

Only the priests were allowed to haveaccess to these manuscripts, and theywere consulted by the Senate when theEmpire was in danger, as able to ex-

pound the will of Heaven containedtherein, and how to avert the calamitieswhich were likely to fall on the country,or to hear what punishments would beinflicted on the wicked.

The manuscripts were destroyed byfire during the Civil W ars betweenSylla and Marius, B. C. 82.

After the terrible loss of the SibylliniLibri, the Emperor Augustus sent am-bassadors to all parts of the knownworld to collect all the available Sybilliniliterature they could find, which were

formed into two books and deposited ingilt cases in the temple of the PalatineApollo at Rome.

In 399 A. D. all the Libyrian litera-ture was destroyed by order of theEmperor Honorius, a man illadaptedfor the position of importance which hewas called upon to occupy.

V V V

WHAT IS MAN AND WHAT IS HIS DESTINY?

(Continued from Page 128)

completed in each scale the Essence ispassed by metamorphosis into the nexthigher harmony, and scale. Th us theevolution of the Essence of all materialform is effected. Bein g, then, is theproduct of the alchemy of the Universe— the eternal process of conversion— thegreat L A W O F C H A N G E. TheEssence of matter is purified, by thisprocess of being passed through all thecrystallographic forms, and through all

the planes of organic life; and, finallyreaches the state of fitness necessary toits entry into the elements which com-pose the body of man.

The “mills of the Gods grind slowly,”but they have produced man as thehighest manifested form on the earth.He has evolved into the tenement of thesoul which is his own counterpart in theEthereal world of the Gods, and is theessence of the Gods themselves. “God

made man in his own likeness, in hisown likeness created He him.” Godbreathed His own essence, the breath oflife, into his nostrils, and man became a“living soul”. Man occupies a high placein the Cosmic. He is the only beingwhich is endowed with the power ofreasoning to any appreciable extent andon whom devolves the duty of selectinghis course. He may, by deliberateprocess, retard his advancement and

prolong the time necessary for his ulti-mate purification and absorption intounity; or, on the other hand, he may,by sincere personal application, greatlyenhance his progress. M an ’s duty is tolift himself out of the Karmic conditionsthat retard his advancement and find histrue place in the Universe. The rewardfor performing this duty faithfully andsincerely will be the conscious realiza-tion of his purpose and his destiny.



W H E N B L O O D . P L U N D E R A N D D E V O T I O N M I N G L E D

No campaign in history had a more noble purpose than the original crusade to the "Ho ly C ity." Th is purpose became the cloak for the mosthorrible murders and the reduction to shambles of great towns and cities in the eastern countries. Subsequent crusaders committed atrocitiesunder the guise of righteous punishment of the "heathens." in reality conducting pilgrimages of pilfering.

(Courtesy of The Rosicrucian Digest .)



IF YOU WERE TO BE

Marooned On A Desert IslandWhat Books Would

You Select As Your

Constant Companions ?

If you were to be placed on a desert island tomorrow andcould take with you only four books, what would you select?Would you select a book that after an hour’s reading youwould gain all that it had to offer? Would you take with youbooks that after their plots were known, they would be value-less, like a fruit from which the juice has been removed? Ifthese books were to be your constant companions in solitude,you would want them to be ones in which you would alwaysfind renewed courage and inspiration. In other words, if you

were to be marooned, you would exercise prudence and good judgment in the selection of your reading. Today, in the midstof a modem society, it is also necessary to choose worth whilebooks. No man or woman is so wealthy of mind that he or shecan afford to have his or her mental self occupied with the useless thoughts of another. W e come to you, therefore, with thisunusual special spring'summer offer of good reading— availyourself of it.

SELECT ANY ADDITIONAL BOOK

FOR ONLY $1.00

Think of buying any of the Rosicrucian books, whatever youselect, for only one dollar! This is a saving of one hundred percent on several of the works of the Rosicrucian Library. Hereis the plan:

Purchase any Rosicrucian book of the Rosicrucian Library(except “A Thousand Years of Yesterdays” and “Mystics atPrayer”) at the regular price and then select any other Rosi'crucian book you wish, regardless of price, and just add onedollar and it will be sent to you. If you have been wishing fora certain book and could not afford it, here is the offer youhave been waiting for. You can order ONE additional book atthis astounding low price with each full price order. This offerexpires absolutely June 5. Your order must be received by then.Do not fail to take advantage of this— (foreign countries otherthan Canada, thirty days’ extra time). W e pay postage on all

books.

ROSICRUCIAN SUPPLY BUREAUSAN JOSE, CA L IFO RN IA, U .S .A .



THE PURPOSES OF

T H E R O S I C R U C I A N O R D E RThe Rosicrucian Order, existing in all civilized lands, is a nonsectarian, fraternal body of

men and women devoted to the investigation, study, and practical application of natural and

spiritual laws. Th e purpose of the organiz ation is to enable all to live in harxnony with thecreative, constructive, Cosmic forces for the attainment of health, happiness, and Peace.The Order is internationally known as AM OR C (an abb reviation), and the A M OR C in

America, and all other lands, constitutes the only form of Rosicrucian activities united in onebody having representation in the international Rosicrucian congresses. Th e A M O R C does notsell its teachings, but gives them freely to all affiliated members, together with many otherbenefits.

Inquirers seeking to know the history, purposes, and practical benefits that they may re-ceive from Rosicrucian association, are invited to send for the free book. "The Wisdom of theSages ." Address, Friar S. P. C., care of

A M O R C T E M P L ER O S I C R U C I A N P A R K S A N J O S E , C A L I F O R N I A . U .S .A .

(C A B L E A D D R E S S : " A M O R C O " R A D IO S T A T IO N W 6 H T B )

Officials of the North American Jurisdiction(Including the United States, Dominion of Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nic-aragua, Cos ta Rica, Republic of Panam a, the W es t Indies, Lower California, and all landunder the protection of the United States of America.

H. SPEN CER LE W IS, F.R.C., Ph. D ...................................................... Imperator

RALPH M. LE W IS , F .R.C ..................................................... ................................................... Supreme Secretary

C L E M E NT B . L E B RU N, F .R .C .................... .....Grand Master

A. LEON BATCHELOR, F.R.C ............................................................................ Director of Correspondence

E T H E L B. W A R D ......................................................................................................... Secretary to Grand Master

HARRY L. SHIBLEY, F .R.C ........................................................................ Director of Editorial Department

Junior Order of Tor ch Bearers (sponsored by A M O R C ). For complete information as to itsaims and benefits address General Secretary, Grand Chapter. Rosicrucian Park, San Jose, Calif

The following principal branches are District Headquarters of AMORC

Los Angeles, California: Har tford , Conn.:

Hermes Lodge, A M OR C Temple, Reading Isis Lodge, AM OR C. Chas. W . Hollister.Room and Inquiry office open daily, 9 A.M . Master . 27 Kenyon P lace, E as t Hartford,to 9 P.M ., except Sundays. Granada Court, Conn.672 South Lafayette Park Place. Ramer 0 , . , .Oscar Kendall, Master. Baltimore, Maryland:

_ „ . .. . Baltimore Chapter, Master, Mark I. Han an,San Jose, California: 1908 N. Charles St.

Grand Lodge Session for all members, Tues-day evenings, 7:30 to 8:30 P.M ., Naglee Boston, Mass.:Ave.. Rosicrucian Park. T h e Marie Clemens Lodge. Temple and

San Francisco. California: Reading Rooms, 739 Boylston St., TelephoneFrancis Bacon Lodge, W alte r Reinhard, Kenmore 9398. Eldora Magee, Master.Master, 1655 Polk St.,San Francisco. Cali Chicago, III.:

fornia. Chicago Chapter No. 9, Victo r J. Wo od.

New Yo rk City, New Yor k Master. Elsie E. Mooy, Secretary . Tele New York Chapter, 53 W . 69th. Hans phone Harrison 6835. Reading Room openWies ner, Master; Ruth Farran, Secretary. afternoons and evenings. Sundays 2 to 5Inquiry and reading rooms open week days . only. Room 705, Lyo n & Healy Bldg., 64 E.1 to 8 p.m. Jackson Blvd. Lecture sessions for ALL

Philadelphia, Penna.: members every Tuesday right, 8:00 P. M.

Delta Lodge No. 1. A M OR C, S.E . Corner Chicago Chapter No. 10 (colored) Robert40th & Brown Sts., 2nd floor, Dorsey E. Clarke, Master, 31 E. 47 St. MeetingThompson, Master. every W ed. Night at 8 o'clock, Roy al Circle

. . „ of Friends Hall, 104 E . 51 St., Room 10.Atlanta, C T e l e o h o n o Drexel 0782

Atlanta Chap ter No. 650. Vinc ent Cunning . P UrCXeI U/aZ'ham, Jr., Master; 496 Ashby St.. S. W . Pittsburgh, Pa.:Meetings 7:30 every Thu rsday night, 809 Penn. First Lodge, Ma y R. Dillner, Master,Cherokee Av., S. E . 223 Dan Drive, Mt. Lebanon Station.

(Directory Continued on Next Page)



Portland, Oregon:

Portland Chapter, Clara Grace Anderson,F. R. C., 1530 N. E. 10th Ave. Meetingevery Tue sday night, 8 p. m. Phone M ur-dock 1447.

Seattle, Washington:

AMORC Chapter, Harry L. Ledlin, Master.Lowman Bldg., Rooms 3121314. Between1st and 2nd Aves. on Cherry St. Openweek days 11:30 a. m. to 4:30 p. m.

Other Chartered Chapters and Lodges of the Rosicrucian O rder (A M O R C) will be found inmost large cities and towns of North Amer ica. Address of local representatives given on request.

P R I N C I P A L C A N A D I A N B R A N C H E S

Victoria, B. C.:

Victoria Lodge, G. A. Phillips, Master, P.O.Box 14. Inquiry Office and Reading Room,101 Union Bank Bldg. Open week days 10A.M.—6 P.M.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada:

Societe d’etude d’AMORC (French Section),Paul D’Allmen, 235 First Ave., Verdun. P.Q., Canada,

Montreal Chapter, Arthur M. Noseworthy.

Master, Room 303 Building Temple, 627Dorchester St., W .

Winnipeg, Man., Canada:Catherine McKerchar, 517 Devon Court.Winnipeg, Man., Canada.

Vancouver, B. C.:Canadian Grand Lodge, Mr. S. A. Wilson,Grand Master. AMORC Temple, 878Hornby St.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada:E. H azard. Master. Sessions 1st and 3rdSundays of the month, 7:00 p.m.. No. 10Lansdowne Ave.

Edmonton, Alta.:T O. Goss, Master. 9533 Jasper Avenue. E.

S P A N I S H A M E R I C A N S E C T I O N

Th is jurisdiction includes all the Spanishspeaking Countries of the New Worl d. Its SupremeCouncil and Head Office are located at San Juan. Puerto Rico, having local Representatives in allthe principal cities of these stated Countries.

Hon. Manuel Rodriguez Serra, F.R .C., Supreme Grand Master, P. O . Box 702.San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Armando Font de la Jara. F.R.C., Secretary General, P. O. Box 36, San Juan.Puerto Rico.

The name and address of other Officers and Grand Secretaries cannot be given general pub-licity, but may be obtained for any information or special purposes, through the Head Office aiSan Juan, Puerto Rico.

A LL C O R R E S P O N D E N C E S H O U LD B E A D D R E S S E D T O T H E S E C R E T A R Y G E N ER A L

A F E W O F T H E F O R E I G N J U R I S D IC T I O N S

India:The Supreme Council, AMORC. Calcutta,India.

Scandinavian Countries:The AMORC Grand Lodge of Denmark.Carli Anderson, S.R.C., Grand Secretary.Manogade 13th Strand. Copenhagen, Den-mark.

Prance:Dr. H. Gruter, F.R.C., Grand Master, NiceMile. Jeanne Guesdon, S.R.C. CorrespondingSecretary for the Grand Lodge (AMORC)of France, 56 Rue Gambetta, VilleneuveSaint Georges, (Seine 6 O ise).

Austria:Mr. Many Cihlar, K.R.C., Grossekreter derAMORC, Laxenburgerstr, 75/9, Vienna, X.

China and Russia:The United Grand Lodge of China and Rus-sia, 8/18 Kvakazasaya St., Harbin, Man-churia.

Australia:The Grand Council of Australia, M. S.Kowron, F.R.C., Grand Master, "Sandhurst,”52 Fletcher St.. Bondi, Sydney, N .S .W .

England:

The AMORC Grand Lodge of Great Britain.Mr. Raymund Andrea, K.R.C., Grand Master.41 Berkeley Road, Bishopston, Bristol, Eng.

Dutch and East Indies:

W . J. Visser, Grand Master, Bodjong 135Semarang. Java.

Egypt:

The Grand Orient of AMORC, House of theTemple, M. A. Ramayvelim, F.R.C., GrandSecretary, 17 Rue Chebine. Heliopolis.

Africa:The Grand Lodge of the Gold CoastAM OR C. Mr. Amos S. Dadzie, GrandMaster, P. O. Box 424 Accra, Gold Coast,West Africa.

Costa Rica:

Grand Lodge; Grand Secretary, Edw. B.Kelly, F. R. C„ Limon P. O. Box 180,Costa Rica, C. A.

The addresses of other foreign Grand Lodges and secretaries will be furnished on application.



WHAT

OCCURS

AFTER

D EA TH ? G a n m a n ever know what liesbeyond the border of this world?

Must the human always lookupon eternity as the great uivknown, a vast precipice, towardwhich he is being drawn by the

incessant swing of the pendulumof time? Is there a way to be as^

sured that the prophecies of the sublimity of the after life are true, and not

the honeyed words of a soothsayer? Has there ever, in the course of humanexperience, been any who have truly experienced a glimpse behind the veil?

You. like thousands of other men and women, have pondered over this stu*pendous question. You. too, have wondered— is there an answer?

The Rosicrucians have accumulated the strange experiences of intelligent personspertaining to this mystery. In the discourse, “What Occurs After Death," these ques'tions are answered in a startling manner. It is NOT a thesis on spiritism, but the intimateexperiences of souls. This is but one of the twenty selected and bound discourses givenaway free. Some of the others are, "'The Magic Power of Secrecy,” “The Fakirs ofIndia,” “The Lost Tribe of Mystics,” etc.

The total of twenty discourses is given free to every new subscriber to “The Rosicrucian Digest” for merely a five months' subscription. Just think—you receive one copyof this magazine each month for five months, for only $1.50, and you receive in addi'tion, the twenty free discourses. You need only send in your subscription for fivemonths, and say, “Send me absolutely free, the twenty discourses.” They will be sent toyou at once. Candidly, this is the most remarkable offer for a limited time we have evermade. Send order and remittance to

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P R 1 N T K O I N U . S . A .



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