“A Sane Mind, A Soft Heart, A Sound Body” September/October 1996—$3.00

A PERFECT BALANCETHE OTHER DISCIPLE

THE APOCALYPSE: VERBAL AND VISUAL REVELATIONSTHE CALL OF A MOUNTAIN

A CHRISTIAN ESOTERIC MAGAZINE

PURPOSE

To build our citadel of love,A tower of spiritual might,To kneel at temple there in prayerWith Brotherhoods of light;

To raise the sick, the halt, the lame,To show the lost the way,To work for love and not for fameBut as a cosmic ray;

To spread the light in every landThat peace may come to birth,To make our thoughts like perfumed flowersTo brighten up the earth;

To spend the night on service bentOn spread ethereal wings,To carry strength in form of loveTo combat evil things;

To read the hearts of all mankindJust as the angels would,To meet the evil in the landAnd change it all to good;

To sail those seas of consciousnessWhere only ethers are,To read the history of man,To know our Father Star;

To find that all our brothers hereAre of the same intent,To reach the Goal of Spirit Fire,So be our purpose bent.

—Julian R. Hovey

Back Cover: The Winged Self, Courtesy New Age Bible and Philosophy Center, 1139 Lincoln Boulevard, Santa Monica, California 90403. Imprints are available.

This Issue...FeatureThe Rosicrucian...F. B. Leyns...................................................................................2

EditorialGrounding of the Christ Light...............................................................................4

Mystic LightA Perfect Balance...Felicia Boyd..........................................................................5

Unanswered Questions...C. W...............................................................................9

Reconstruction Letter...Will Levington Comfort................................................13

The Other Disciple...R. T. Oakley.......................................................................17

Max Heindel’ s MessageHow to Prove Psychic Experiences....................................................................21

Readers’ QuestionsJesus, Christian Rosenkreuz, and the Elder Brothers; Soul and Spirit...............25

Western W isdom Bible StudyThe Tabernacle in the Wilderness—Part 2...Max Heindel..................................27

AstrologyPlanetary Profiles: Venus, Mars, and Saturn...Max Heindel...............................31

The Educational Value of Astrology...A. S. T. ....................................................35

Neptune’s Sesquicentennial...AProbationer.......................................................38

Religion and ArtThe Apocalypse:Verbal and Visual Revelations—Part 1...C. W.........................41

News PerspectivesRevising the Historical Jesus..............................................................................47

Book ReviewsThe Call of a Mountain...C.W. ............................................................................50

Nutrition and HealthThe Benefits of Juicing...Partners ......................................................................54

HealingThinking Health...................................................................................................57

For ChildrenRex and Zendah in the Land of the Archer...Esme Swainson............................58

MiscellaneousPurpose (Poem)...Julian R. Hovey..............................................Inside front cover

The Meeting (Poem, excerpt)...John Greenleaf Whittier......................................8

The Goal of the Soul (Poem)...Max Heindel......................................................24

The Natal Chart (Poem)...Isabel Ambler Gilman................................................40

September/October 1996 Ephemeris.............................................................61-62

“A Sane Mind,A Soft Heart,

A Sound Body”©1996 The Rosicrucian Fellowship

AChristian Esoteric

Magazine

Established byMax Heindel

June 1913

Volume 88, No. 5

September/October—1996USPS 471080—ISSN 0744-432X

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2 RAYS 96

The Rosicrucian

FEATURE

Thus in a vision the picture—

a grave and stately man

From ancient precepts expounding

as only a Master can.

A sheltered, cryptic temple,

in a land where thought roots deep,

And I seemed to be hearing words like these:

“May your heart this lesson keep!”

Death and Birth are but portals,

then why fear the reaper’s blade?

The rose full blown in the sunshine

is the fruit of the work with the spade,

The way of the wind through the forest

in ripples of living green

Is a type, so the Master has told us,

of the Way of the Spirit unseen.

“Art thou a Master of Israel?

and knowest not these things?”

Re-birth, after Regeneration—

how a new embodiment brings,

A spotless page in a purer age

for the record of better deeds,

And a Form of finer adjustment

for compassing greater needs.

The image is of Martin Luther’s design. In the original: black cross, red heart, white rose, and blue field.

The author, F. B. Leyns, 33rd degree in the Oriental Consistory, dedicates this poem by permission to the

Rosicrucian Fellowship, Oceanside, California.

This version of the Luther seal ©

Daniel C

sörföly, Budapest, H

ungary)

RAYS 96 3

When Azrael’s summons calls thee,

dost all earth’s wisdom know?

Shall one brief span evolve “Superman?”

The mills of God grind slow,

And grind to exceeding fineness.

He will show thee in pictures bright,

Thy life—and ‘twere rare if here or there

some matters come not to sight,

And the Voice of the great Teacher whisper,

“This task must be done aright.”

When we’ve scanned to the end of that record,

a debtor with judgment confessed

We shall rest, then a holy ambition

will bring us again to the test.

Shall a Crown be acquired lightly?

Is the Rose without thorns on the Cross?

Shall we gain without effort Perfection

as the tombstone gathers moss?

Immortality? Aye! but conditioned

on good work, square work, and true,

Just such work as is needed

for building the Temple anew.

Our task on earth is to gather

the fuel for that sacred Flame

That shall bear the Soul through the ages

when the body is but a name.

There are legends of Christian Mystics,

who have seen the pathway clear,

And returned like the spies from Canaan

with prophetic light and cheer.

The Lamp on the cloistered altar

is a living light, and today

There are those who are able and willing

to show to the Seeker the Way. ❐

AS THE EARTH has its seasons, sodoes the human soul. Both areevolving together and from onesource have they come. Autumn inthe Northern Hemisphere has its

reciprocalcondition in the psyche of those wholive there. Inaugurated by the Michaelmas Festivalat the Fall Equinox, the soul is challenged toincrease in inner light and resolution as the outerlight fades and falls southward. The strength of thesolar Christ invested in the Archangel Michaelcomes as a spiritual sword to confront the threat toexistence posed by the powers of spiritual dark-ness. This is the sword of will, wielded by a heav-enly courage which flows into human hearts togive them strength in their encounters with temp-tation and danger. It is the courage to create, thewill to make a new start as the high tide of sum-mer’s light dissipates on autumn’s shores.

But this infusion of will brings with it the possi-bility of misuse, of arousing and invoking theforces of evil. So this is a dramatic season, one ofpotential confrontation and conflict. In ancientGreece autumn marked the onset of outdoor the-ater, the presentation of dramatic works, especiallytragedies, first performed on the harvest’s thresh-ing floor. For the precious gift of freedom, makingreal choice possible, is attended by the danger ofits loss through fear, selfishness, and ignorance.

Yet the Christ Who enters the earth at this timeis the Resurrected Christ, Who has done battlewith the forces of darkness and both marked out away and provided the energy to journey on it.

How the energy resources initiated at the greatseasonal festivals of the Christian solar year playout in our daily lives is our personal affair—ourcalling, our trial, our proving. The gift of will car-

ries with it a high and solemn responsibility. Howdo we use it? How does it translate into action?Toward what ends do we direct its powers? Weneed to be specific in our aims, resolute in ourexertions, and, to stay on course, ever mindful ofHim Who incarnated good will and was about HisFather’s business, not the world’s.

The annual sacrificial return of the Christ to theEarth fortifies our working in our own physicalpersons in the physical moment with the intent ofbeing maximally useful bearers and servers of theLight of the world.

Yes, there have been spring and fall equinoxesand solstices before Christ lived and died in thebody of Jesus. But the seasons have been sancti-fied by Him. The Mystery of Christ, coming andovercoming, is enacted through the ChristianFestivals. They follow the rhythm of the yearbecause the Spirit of Christ has accepted the courseof the seasons, the rhythm of the Earth’s soul-life,as the means of His revelation.

Once again Christ chooses to enter the sphere ofthe Earth to accept a planetary crucifixion, that thecycles of human dyings and birthings may be con-cluded and the Spirit enter into the Father’s templeand no more go out. But now out we dogo, with aspirit that is encouraged, faith-clad and love-directed, entering into constraining circumstanceseven as Christ seeks out the heart of matter, toenliven it, leaven it, and having willed light into it,to leave it vivified, bearing the mark of what is notof this world.

The Earth is for deeds, it is where human andheavenly deeds converge. Autumn recommences anew cycle of doing, of willing good works, ofworking and doing in accordance with the will ofGod Whose will through Christ is done. ❐

4 RAYS 96

Grounding of the Christ Light

EDITORIAL

WHEN WEs t u d y t h eDivine Planas it unfoldsitself before

us in the heavens each month,we cannot help but see, throughall complexities of detail, oneaim that stands paramount: theattainment of balance betweenthe positive and negative polesof being—Spirit and matter, Lifeand form, Creator and created.When man, the immortal Spirit,became so completely involvedin form as to identify himselfwith the body in which he dwelt,he tipped the balance in his ownbeing toward the negative, orform, side. As a consequence,the vehicles so laboriously builtthrough the ages to be his toolsin dealing with the problems ofphysical form have themselvesbecome his problem. The confu-sion now existing in his world isonly the reflection of the confu-sion he has wrought by givingthe lower nature and personalitythe place in his consciousnesswhich should be occupied by hiseternal Self, the divine Spirit.

The purpose of the WesternWisdom Teaching is to help usrecognize and correct this unnat-ural state so that the equilibriumlost for so long may be regained.It is only when we, as Spirits,

begin to strive consciously formastery over our vehicles thatwe discover how much powerwe have delegated to the self-seeking lower nature and what astrong and subtle influence itwields over the mind, the veryinstrument we must use toregainour balance.

St. Paul said: “I delight in the

law of God after the inwardman, but I find another law inmy members warring against thelaw of my mind, and bringingme into captivity to the law ofsin which is in my members”(Rom. 7:22-23). The law of sinin our members is nothing moreor less than the frightful desiresand habits we have formed inthis and previous lives andwhich determine the quality ofour vehicles. These can be betterchanged by following the pre-cepts given to us by Christ Jesus.

The phase of purification isaccomplished through the workof Venus, ruler of Libra, the signof balance, by separating goodfrom evil and conserving thegood. The physical correlationsto this sign in the body are thekidneys and adrenal glands. Thechemical balance of our body ismaintained in exactly the samemanner: harmful elements arefiltered out and expelled fromthe blood stream and neededelements are conserved. Theadrenal glands, when function-ing properly, create physical andpsychological balance througheach organ and its processes.This physical process of purifi-cation reveals to us how weshould go about the work ofpurifying our inner life and bal-ancing the various elements inour nature—by cleaving to the

RAYS 96 5

A Perfect Balance

MYSTIC LIGHT

The Greek goddess Themis personifiesdivine Law or Justice, administeredimpartially (blindfolded to outer, oftendeceptive, appearances) and executedwith clear authority and keen discern-ment, as symbolized by the sword.

good and filtering out the evil inour being. The action of theVenus ray tells us that love andpurity together are criteria thatcan be used to distinguishbetween the true and the false,and that therefore they are nec-essary elements of judgment.

JUSTICE

Justice is portrayed as afigure seated upon a throne,the back of which rises inthe form of two columns.Justice is crownedand car-ries a sword in her righthand and in her left a pairof scales. She teaches thatonly balanced forces canendure and that eternalJustice destroys that whichis unbalanced. Justice isblindfolded, so that the visi-ble shall in no way influenceher decision, indicating thatmore than the ordinary sensesare needed to administer justiceand attain balance.

In Masonry, Justice is a figureraised upon a dais of three steps,or the 33rd degree of the MasterMason. This represents the Christ,Who in three days raised thetemple of His body from itsearthly sepulcher. This teachesus that we must ra ise ourconsciousness from earthly toChrist consciousness.

When we attempt to put goodjudgment into effect as rules ofconduct, we become acquaintedwith the particular disciplinaryneeds of our desire body. Sincethe desire body is the body ofaction, no action can be put intoeffect without its aid. When weendeavor along spiritual lines,

we find this vehicle continuallybalking against the orders of thewill, either through rebellion—the undisciplined Mars force—or through inertia—the lack ofMars force.

As long as the desire body iscontrolled by Mars, we areunder the law and cannot escaperetribution. When love directsthe Mars energy in us and poisetakes the place of undisciplined

action, we liquidate our debtsand are freed from the evil thatcontinually besets our path.Inner and outer balance resultsin wholeness: the union of thethreefold being of man.

As God is impartial Power,giving to all creation His exquis-ite equilibrium which sustainsthe cosmos, so too doesman

work and at last realize hisdivine estate as a Son ofGod. Thus reformed,mangains the refinement whichcreates positive soul force.

CREATIVE EGO

The Ego uses the forcesof the Spirit to create, beit in the making of ahouse, ship, dress, song, or

poem. Balance impliesactivity, not apathy. To

achieve balance we mustcease to criticize the imperfec-

tions of our fellow man. Howimperfect we must appear to thegreat hierarchic Beings whosetask is to guide and encourageour evolution with unendinglove and compassion. The willmust be strengthened to gainspiritual power. Sp i r i tua lpower is retained in silence.To still the unruly member ofour being, the tongue, requiresan act of will power and buildsspiritual strength. We judge oneanother by virtue of our ownactions. We view our brotherthrough our own aura. If we arehonest, we will trust him. As thegamut of our emotions andcharacteristics is viewedthrough the window of the aura,it is reflected back to us, attract-ing either positive or negative

6 RAYS 96

Astrea, the goddess of Innocence andPurity, was stellified as the constella-tion Virgo. Classical intuition con-ceived Astrea as the daughter ofThemis, showing their understandingof the intimate relationship betweenJustice and Purity. Thus a Christianhymnenvisions the time when

“ All crimes shall cease, and ancientfraud shall fail,

Returning Justice lift aloft her scale,Peace o’er the world her olive wand

extend,And white-robed Innocence fromheaven

descend.”

conditions.If we set our sights toward good, we will see the

ultimate good in all men and conditions. When westrive for perfect balance, we will cease to see themote in our brother’s eye and see only the divinereflected in him. Thus we deprive the forces of dark-ness of power with which to work against the forcesof Light. Unbalanced forces will perish in the void.

Creative, balancing power manifests in coopera-tion in the cosmos, without which the planetswould never maintain their courses. The planetsturn on their axes, move in their orbits, and main-tain all other motions through the grace of God,thus creating the harmony of the spheres. Thehuman microcosm within the macrocosm mustseek that which will harmonize it, enabling it toprogress on the spiraling course of evolution.

The exercise of self-examination is essential toprogress. Good manners and refinement are alsoimportant attributes of progress which must be cul-tivated to help maintain poise in daily affairs.Rudeness and vulgarity are the opposing impulses.In time will be evolved that most valuable of allthe Ego’s possessions—equipoise, which lifts theman who has it above the surging sea of emotionsinto the realm of freedom and peace.

DEVOTION

Devotion to high ideals is a curb on the animalinstincts, and generates and develops the emotionalsoul. Cultivation of devotion is essential. However,in some people this is the line of least resistance,and they are apt to become mystic dreamers, or theenergies can express as religious fanaticism. Also,there are some people who overdevelop the facultyof discrimination, which congeals along cold, intel-lectual lines. The mystic dreamer, dominated byemotion, may become subject to all sorts of illu-sions. The intellectual occultist may end in blackmagic if he pursues the path of knowledge for thesake of knowledge alone.

Safe development encompasses both head andheart. When intellect alone rules apart from feel-ing, a dark path lies before that individual; but inthe blending of head and heart, true balance isattained. The scales represent thought and feeling,the head and the heart. The two pans should have

exactly equal weight and thus balance. The point ofsuspension of the scale beam, the fulcrum, symbol-izesthe point where the power of will is applied.

As our consciousness becomes spiritualized, webecome increasingly free. As we use will, we per-fect our actions and attain to greater deeds of love.A state of poised power effected by equilibriumfrees us from anxiety, fear, and worry.

An essential part of healthful living is properdiet. Regardless of how flawless the diet may be,however, if critical and negative thoughts and feel-ings fill the heart and mind, chronic health prob-lems will result.

ADAPTABILITYWe must learn adaptability, as it is indispensable

RAYS 96 7

Creations of Laurie Lipton based on pages from the illuminated manuscript Splendor Solis.

In this alchemical painting the warring elements have beenpurified and harmonized to achieve a perfect balance in rela-tionship, prefigureing the mystic marriage of the internal mas-culine (the roses—spiritualized blood, and fire—mentalnature) and the internal feminine (lilies—chaste desire nature,and water—devotional, heart/soul qualities).

to balance. Crystallization sets in when we refuseto consider other viewpoints or to adapt to pro-gressive ways and ideas. Inflexible thoughts andhabits cause imbalance, and the life becomes stag-nant. We must learn to differentiate between theimportant and the trivial and to work in quiet individ-ual ways. There is a power in example which buildsthe forces of balance more than words can ever do.

Is our life truly tempered with loving, self-forgetting service, or is it sometimes tainted withegotism and self-glorification? The spiritual achieve-ment attained from anonymous rendering ofservice may balance worldly fame.

Art gives a tremendous lesson in balance ofform. Great works of art are achieved by perfectlinear symmetry: the synthesis of curved andstraight lines—the masculine and feminineforces—and the harmonization of colors, which isa balance of warm and cool in opposing but com-plementary colors such as red and green, yellowand violet. Art, music, and architecture through thecenturies have sought to effect human regenerationby arousing a love of the beautiful.

BALANCED LIVES

We may balance our daily lives through the pur-suit of arts, crafts, or any creative vocation, therebybalancing the hours of service and labor in theworld. Many people balance mental activity withphysical culture and sports. Beauty is an attributeof God. To express beauty is to express divinity.Moral beauty is essential in the natural unfoldmentof spirit and soul development and is a delight tobehold in the individual who possesses it. It ismore radiant and attractive than physical beauty.Harmony is recognized as the immediate prerequi-site of beauty. An object is beautiful only when itsparts are in harmonious combination, and beautyisharmony manifesting its own inherent nature in theworld of form. Evil is discord working against God’slaws and manifests as ugliness and incongruity—aresult of inharmony wrought by ignorance. All evilmust eventually be transmuted into good.

Let us strive in the same measure to reflect theeternally sounding macrocosmic song of love,beauty, and harmony within our own lives. ❐

—Felicia Boyd

8 RAYS 96

The Meeting

He findeth not who seeks his own,The soul is lost that’s saved alone.Not on one favored forehead fellOf old the fire-tongued miracle,But flamed o’er all the thronging hostThe baptism of the Holy Ghost...

So sometimes comes to soul and senseThe feeling which is evidenceThat very near about us liesThe realm of spiritual mysteries.The sphere of the supernal powersImpinges on this world of ours. The low and dark horizon lifts, To light the scenic terror shifts ;The breath of a diviner air Blows down the answer of a prayer: That all our sorrow, pain, and doubtA great compassion clasps about, And law and goodness, love and force Are wedded fast beyond divorce. Then duty leaves to love its task, The beggar Self forgets to ask; With smile of trust and folded hands The passive soul in waiting stands To feel, as flowers the sun and dew, The One true Life its own renew.

So, to the calmly gathered thoughtThe innermost of truth is taught,The mystery dimly understood,That love of God is love of good,And, chiefly, its divinest traceIn Him of Nazareth’s holy face;That to be saved is only this—Salvation from our selfishness...That the dear Christ dwells not afar,The King of some remoter star,Listening, at times, with flattered earTo homage wrung from selfish fear,But here, amidst the poor and blind,The bound and suffering of our kind,In works we do, in prayers we pray,Life of our life, He lives today.

excerpted—John Greenleaf Whittier

ARE YOU AFRAID TO ASK thoseprimary questions you may havefirst posed as a child because of thefrustration you will experiencewhen a snide joke or dead silence

answers you? Those questions are so pressing, sobasic, yet we gradually learn to not to ask them, toforget them, and in so doing we begin to narrowthe natural outreach of our curiosity and feeling forthe largeness of life,thus placing artificialboundaries on our very consciousness.

A n d y e t , w e a r ereminded by Socratesthat the unexaminedlife is not worth living.And what are those pri-mary questions? Youknow them: Who am I?Where did I come from?Where am I going?What is the purpose oflife? Historically, it hasbeen the province ofphilosophy, and espe-cially religion, toaddress and resolve these questions. With whatsuccess? Well, the reigning schools of philosophydon’t even attempt to deal with what they considerunwieldy, nebulous issues. They have trouble get-ting beyond the very meaning of the termsinvolved and stall in tortuous semantic exercises.Orthodox religions, on the other hand, postulatecreeds by mandate and maintain that they must beaccepted on the authority of their source; that is,because the church, Bible, rabbi, guru, Pope,shaman or imam says so; not because their inher-ent truth makes its irresistible appeal to the God-given faculty of reason.

Here, then, is the dilemma confronting so manymodern persons: Their mind seeks answers andsolutions to perplexities and problems posed bylife, but they seem to be denied the means of satis-fying that fundamental need. They are told,rather, that inquiries are futile, that there are noanswers, that they are guilty of pride of intellect,that they lack faith and piety; or, they are con-victed (God forbid!) of independent thinking.

My friends, answers do exist. Logical explana-tions for world mysteries are available, explana-

tions that can giveorder, meaning, pur-pose and direction to alife that may have beenaimless, incomprehen-sible, or despairing. Abody of Teachings hasbeen provided, by Onesfar wiser than we, witha view toward satisfy-ing the demands of anaggressive intellect,which, understandably,will not permit substan-

tive attitudinal and life changes, changes of theheart, until its own rational needs have been met.What is known as the Western Wisdom Teachingsoffer a logical and sequential formulation of truthsthat explain the origin, evolution, and future devel-opment of man and the cosmos in which he lives.They are Christian in essence and reasonable andlucid in their presentation.

In the brief time allotted us, let us consider onecentral tenet of these Teachings—the Law ofRebirth. The Law states that, inasmuch as humanbeings were created in the image and likeness oftheir Creator; and inasmuch as Christ Jesus

RAYS 96 9

Unanswered Questions

MYSTIC LIGHT

Logical explanations forworld mysteries are

available, explanations thatcan give order, meaning,

purpose, and direction to a life that may have been

aimless, incomprehensible,or despairing.

enjoined us to be perfect, even as ourFather in heaven is perfect; and since wehavebeen placed on earth to acquire theexperiencewhich will enableus to con-sciouslygrow in wisdom and powerand love commensurate with our Ideal;in view of these facts, the time alsotoachieve this divine assignment, theattainment of God-like perfection, mustalsohave been given.

It should be apparent to the impartialreviewer that such a sublime prospectofhuman achievement cannot possibly beattained in the course of one life’s span,no matter how exemplary and produc-tive. The spir i t , a very spark ofDivinity dif ferentiated in God, requiresmany lifetimes of earthly embodimentbefore it can extract from the physicaldimension all the understanding andsoul power necessary for mastery ofthat realm and permanent residence inhigher realms.

As for biblical references to the Lawof Rebirth and the continuity of life,there are several:

(1) His disciples asked Jesus (John9) whether the man born blind sinnedor his parents, that he should be soafflicted. How could he have sinnedunless he had lived previously and wasnow reaping the bitter fruit of someprior planting? Surely he could not have sinned inhis mother’s womb.

(2) Christ Jesus asks His disciples who peoplesay He is (Matt. 16). Strange question, is it not?Jesus is Jesus. His disciples answer that some sayHe is John the Baptist (now beheaded), someJeremiah, some Elias, or some other prophet. Whatis necessarily implied in both question and respons-es? That Jesus pre-existed in a prior physicalembodiment. Nor does He correct them by saying,“You know better than to believe in rebirth,”as anyteacher concerned with imparting truth woulddo.

( 3 ) C o m i n g down from the Mount ofTransfiguration with Peter, James, and John(Matt. 17),Jesus alludes to his death and resurrec-

tion. His disciplesobject, saying that, according toScripture, Elias must first come (that is, comeagain). Jesus replies that Elias has already comeand the Jews knew him not but have done unto himwhatsoever they listed. Then the disciples knewthat he spake unto them of John the Baptist.Earlier(Matt. 11), in reference to John, Jesus says, “And ifye will receive it, this is Elias,which wasfor tocome.He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Do we have ears to hear? Perhaps you might findyourself repeating the words of the disciples fromanother context, equally unsettling: “This is anhard saying; who can hear it?” (John 6:60) Or, indisbelief, you may hear Jesus reproving you, “If Ihave told you earthly things and ye believe not,

10 RAYS 96

Fresco, 1496-1500, Pietro Perugino. Collegio del Cambio, Perugia, Italy

The Transfiguration of ChristMoses and Elias (the Greek form of Elijah) appear with Christ Jesus at theTransfiguration. Moses prefigures the Truth, Elias, later John theBaptist,points to the Way. Christ Jesus is the embodiment of the Way, the Life andtheTruth. His three most advanced disciples are awed by Christ’s glory. TheLatin text gives Peter’s words: “Lord, it is good for us to be here” (Matt 17:4).

how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenlythings?” (John 3:12)

The Law of Rebirth is really an extension of afoundational law of the physical sciences: Forevery cause there must be a proportionate effect.

Christian scripture is rife with renditions of thislaw, which is applicable on all levels of exis-tence—physical, moral, mental, and spiritual:“With what measure ye mete, it shall be measuredto you again” (Matt. 7:1); “as thou hast believed,so be it done unto thee” (Matt. 8:13); “They thattake the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matt.26:52); “God...will render to every man accordingto his deeds” (Rom. 2:6); “whatsoever a mansoweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

Who we are, our character, our station in life,our physical person, is the composite effect of allour past causes. Now, today, we are experiencingthe effect of actions and thoughts which we initiatedin prior times. Likewise, by our present thoughts,words, and deeds we are laying down the causeswhich will determine who we shall be. It is evidentthat the twin laws of Consequence and Rebirthimply our full responsibility for what we make andhave made of ourselves; for how could we grow inall things unto a perfect human were we butautomatons, the plaything of inscrutable forces, orthe victim of blind fate?

A familiar maxim states that character is destiny.The archetypal character toward which individualhumanity is evolving, contrary appearancesnotwithstanding, is the Christ. Daily living, sowingand reaping, teaches us how that divine Person isto be attained as our own Identity. Not only this,but greater works than He did shall we do. When?

Surely, for most of us, not in our present life’stime. Yet the promise remains, to be fulfilled.

So then,rebirth. It is the solution of and expla-nation for a myriad of apparent inequities andinjustices we see about us in the widely varyingaptitudes, degrees of material prosperity, moraldevelopment, physical health, and mental capabil-ity shown by individual humans. How account forsuch vast discrepancies were not some largerorder, some unseen factors, operating in accor-dance with inviolable and beneficent laws to theultimate fulfillment of our divine potential.

The Rosicrucian Christian Teachings do notthreaten or intimidate. They do not enunciate beliefsbut spiritual facts which are provable by any whodevelop the requisite ability to confirm them firsthand. It is for the seeker of truth to determine forhimself what warrants his assent. And surely thatassent wants the ratification of the intellect. If

world mysteries become intelligible once a partic-ular hypothesis is advanced, one proceeds withthat hypothesis, as in the physical sciences, accept-ing it as provisionally true, further investigating itsapplication and relevance through its capacity toorder and explain particular data.

Western Wisdom Teachings propose, at the out-set, not that you believe, but that you not disbe-lieve; that, with an open mind, you become famil-iar with the science of spirit and bring it to bearupon your experience, viewing your life in thelight of its disclosures. Does it clarify what wasformerly obscure? Does it rectify what formerly

RAYS 96 11

A familiar maxim states that character is destiny.The archetypal charactertoward which individual

humanity is evolving, con-trary appearances notwith-

standing, is the Christ.

Western Wisdom Teachingspropose, at the outset,

not that you believe, butthat you not disbelieve;that, with an open mind,

you become familiar with the science of spiritand bring it to bear upon

your experience.

you considered gross inequities in humanbenefits and aptitudes, which inclinedyou to think a dark god, or no gods,existed? Does it confirm in you yourown powers of reason, even as itprovides you the occasion toopen your heart and gladly giveyour whole being to the enter-prise of living in the world withzest, intelligence and commit-ment, knowing where you aregoing and how to get there?

These are surely acceptablecriteria by which one mayjudge the relevance and valueof what one is invited to inves-tigate. The Wisdom Teachingsof Rosicrucian Christianity are,in some respects, the antithesis ofChristian orthodoxies. They do notenforce belief. They do not use theploys and threats of institutional author-ity to exact complianceto codes

and consent to creeds. The only real author-ity is Truth, and Rosicrucian Christianity

teaches that Truth, ultimately, can onlybe recognized and identified from

within, though one must continu-ously evolve to participate in high-er revelations of Truth. Therefore,the Teachings emphasize thatthereis no more sacred provincethan individual free will.

It is with this understandingthat the Rosicrucian Fellow-ship invites you to investigatethe science of spirit for yourself,to determine whether there reallyis a body of spiritual facts that

can explain the world mysteryand, by its compelling reasonable-

ness, can enlist your whole-heartedinvolvement in our shared life,

knowing that by it you may realizeyour God-given destiny. ❐

—C.W.

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ANCIENT AND MODERN INITIATIONby Max Heindel

This volume on the Atlantean/Ancient Hebrew and Christian forms of Initiation containsthe results of spiritual investigations conducted by Max Heindel, himself an Initiate. Theformulae of Initiation for humanity under the New Covenant are herein described.

PART ONE

TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESSTHE ATLANTEAN MYSTERY TEMPLE

THE BRAZEN ALTAR AND LAVEREAST ROOM OF THE TEMPLETHE ARK OF THE COVENANT

THE SACRED SHEKINAH GLORYTHE NEW MOON AND INITIATION

PART TWO

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTIONMYSTIC RITE OF BAPTISM

THE TEMPTATIONTHE TRANSFIGURATIONTHE LAST SUPPER AND

THE FOOTWASHINGGETHSEMANE, THE GARDEN OF GRIEFTHE STIGMATA AND THE CRUCIFIXION

This book will give the sincere seeker of truth a deeper and more mystic insight into the history andalchemical process of Initiation as it takes place in the body of man and is revealed in the Bible. Publishedby the Rosicrucian Fellowship. Paper. 148 pages. Indexed. Please order on page 64.

The Christ of the Cathedral of Amiens

IAM WONDERING HERE in the moun-tains this morning, if I cannot set downsome kind of a resume of what I mean bythe love story in this world and beyond; whyit means the path to me; why it is the way to

the Way. Self-control is not self-conquest; it is buta step to conquest, more important to one in theordeal of it than afterward. Hatred of generation isnot self-conquest; it is often, however, an energyused in the preliminary steps of self-control inthese affairs. I have saidthat the life of themonastery cannot bringabout the full spiritual-ization of the body andmind, so long as fear andhatred of women is agoverning principle ofcontinence; and that youcannot finally change theorganic cry for the matein a masculine heart byteaching the brain andthe centers of the bodythat all things feminineare vile and abominable.

Certain power comeseven from denial. There are men who have mas-tered many functions of the body, who have livedtwice the years of men of this planet, who havemade thought-force work with potent drive, whohave developed indelible memories, and massedenormous knowledge in the cells of the brain. Butthese are trapeze performances; not the fertilepowers of the true mystic. The old occultist carriedin his blanket for fifty years dies at last; the brainwith its fearful and wonderful accumulation of

knowledge is thrown into a sewer presently, so tospeak, like the brain of Tallyrand which changedthe face of Europe. But the mind which drove thatbrain continues on, more arrogant and intolerantand farther than ever from allegiance to its ownSpirit. Only love is fertile; by his fruits you shallknow the man.

One cannot run away from a temptation; it willcatch him again like the hound of heaven. Onecannot kill out desire without stultifying his own

force—force that he willneed presently to getover a ridge. Desiremust be changed; temp-tation must be tran-scended. To change adesire from its plane ofoccurrence to a higherone is transmutation—amystical process like thechanging of water intowine. Step by step, dayby day, our entire mor-tality must be changedinto spirituality. Onedoes not know the beau-

ty of mortality nor thestrength of desire until this transmutation becomesthe dominating process of the life. Passion ispower; it is only evil because it rules the EssentialBeing. You will need its full power for work in thenext higher dimension. The time will come whenyou will rejoice in the possession of the powerwhich possesses you now.

I have said that your Spirit, the Real You, isLoveliness Itself. As you awaken to Yourself, youlove others. The greater the awakening, the more

RAYS 96 13

Reconstruction Letter

MYSTIC LIGHT

Step by step, day byday, our entire mortalitymust be changed into

spirituality. One does notknow the beauty of mor-tality nor the strength ofdesire until this transmu-tation becomes the domi-nating process of the life.

love. The more love, the more power for lifehere, the more beauty and fertility of production.The Real You is your Genius. It is a Lovely Thingand inimitable. Its utterance through the mindand body is the beauty of the world in art andaction and romance. If it could utter withoutbeing diminished at all by the lower vibrations ofthe mind which bring it through to matter, thatutterance would be utterly lovely and immortal.

Spiritual progress is a love story all the way.Recall how we learn to love: First, we love our-selves, our streets and houses, ourselves in oth-ers. Growing stronger, we love our countries andthen all countries; becoming civilized, loving theworld, loving others for themselves; loving thatwhich we are not and becoming attractive forwhat we are.

The love of man and woman is the strongestlove we have to work with here. The love of themate is potentially the love of children, and thelove of one’s children is potentially the love of allchildren, which is the love of humanity. Womanis that which man is not. In his cruder love, mantried to make woman after his own picture; andinsofar as he succeeded, he spoiled his life andput her real self into a sleep like death. In exact-ly so far as woman has yielded to man’s pictureand become the thing he wanted, she has alsobecome a pitiful nondescript, losing first of allthe love of the perverse creature whom shedestroyed herself to please.

In physical love, the desire is to possess—tocomplete oneself by drawing another in. In spirituallove, the desire is to bestow—to die in order tolive, to have by giving away, to liberate the self bypouring out to another. The changing of the mindand body of man from one love to the other; fromthe love of having and holding to the love that setsthe beloved free; from romance to Romance—thisis the Mystic Way.

When the man learns that the glory of his mateis that she is not like him, but so much that he isnot; that she has no real gift for him until he setsher free—the light begins to form about his head.Then he will learn that his every product—notalone his children, but his work, his meditation, hisquest of Himself—requires her equal part; that

without her (since she must bring that which he hasnot to the child and the task and the quest), noproduct of his life is fertile.

He will perceive as he grows in fatherhood, inworkmanship and mysticism that she is also unfold-ing miraculously before his eyes; that her Spiritbreathes at last in the Freedom he has given; thatthere is no fidelity without freedom; that her fideli-ty is alive in his heart—a known thing, not a thoughtthing. When lovers, separated in mortal conscious-ness, are compensated by vibrations of the EssentialLoveliness of each other, they have touched theUnion which transcends the world, the flesh, and thedevil. This, as I understand it, is finding that Dearestwithin. To attain the dignity of this Romance shouldnot be beyond the quest of lovers of today.

14 RAYS 96

Pen and watercolor on paper, 1808, William Blake, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Archangel Raphael with Adam and EveThe Archangel Raphael instructs Adam and Eve on the nature ofHeaven and the spirits inhabiting it. Illustration accompaniesthis text in Milton’s Paradise Lost(Book V):“To whom the winged Hierarch replied:/ O Adam, one Almightyis, from whom/ All things proceed.”

I have said that the yearning of the awakeningSpirit at first arouses the mind and body to tumul-tuous outer questioning, a passage of glamour andits disruption, of torment and parturition, accentu-ated in one life, as it is carried on more slowly inthe masses through the incarnations. The questercries at last in his agony that the thing he is dyingfor is not outside, but within! He takes himselfapart then—to find himself alone. It may be a longprocess, for the fruits of his past experience aremany and must be assimilated. But when thehatreds are transcended and the scars cease toache, he finds that he is still alone, and that theessential beauty of all the fruits of his births andpassions are crying outfor fulfillment again.

Man and woman wentout of Eden together.They must come backtogether. Each must findthe Self to find each other,for it is only throughawakening spirituallythat they can love spiri-tually. The East has takenthe spiritual path alone;the West had gone theways of matter. Each hasgifts for the other. In thenew cycle the West shalltake the celestial quest and the East shall comedown to earth; but the spiritual quest of the Westshall be as man and woman together; as the Eastwas that of man and woman alone.

Again, the awakening of the Heart Center withinand the manifestation of love outside are two partsof one process. The mate is but one who epitomizeshumanity. She appears without as she is conceivedwithin. The love of the Spirit is but the inbreathingof a process which finds its outbreathing in thelove of man; silence and action again; the growthof centers to receive powers; the inner establish-ment of sentiency before it can be recognized inouter manifestation.

Why should passion be put away? Because thelove of generation is a dimension of its own, andentering it, one cannot dwell in another dimension.

To ascend from the physical love to the spirituallove, another center must be awakened. The energymust be taken from the physical in order to awak-en the spiritual. But remember that the awakening ofa higher center sets free the lower in the Law.

The spiritual love center is in the heart. In itsawakening, there is knowledge. Its full awakeningrequires other ordeals than the transmutation of thepassional nature. These ordeals are brought each tothe other by lovers. All the habits of mind and life inrelation to the boundaries of the three-score and tenmust be transcended. There is no peace in the heartsof lovers who fear the separation of the thing calleddeath. The mind itself cannot transcend the fear of

death. The spiritualnature alone can lookover the border of themutable into the estab-lishment of the change-less. The love that castsout fear and fulfills theLaw can only take pos-session of the hearts oflovers through the hardtrainings of separation,by which the Self of eachis found within.

So it is that with many,the ordeals of Togetherare but half. The two on

their separate hills at length must take the lovewhich pours out in pain and yearning towards eachother, and with its fruitfulness bring to birth the con-sciousness within which transcends time and space

Often the two must learn to be happy apartbefore they can ultimately be happy together.Indeed, in the spiritual sense it is declared that thejoys of separation and being together are equal,though different. Those who have experiencedthem have even said that there is a dearness ofpresence when the physical bodies are not wornwhich cannot quite be known when the two wearflesh. The other way, without separation, is moredifficult; its ordeals are accomplished by theinstant and unfailing use of all the inward and out-ward powers of Restraint—which means muchmore than Control.

RAYS 96 15

The awakening of theHeart Center within andthe manifestation of loveoutside are two parts of

one process. The mate isbut one who epitomizeshumanity. She appears

without as she is conceived within.

In every step of the growth of true Romance, thetests come to keep the lovers from losing them-selves in each other. Pain is instantaneous whenothers who care for either of them are forgotten.The rights of others, whether of mind or spirit,whether of world standard or celestial standard,cannot be trampled on without instantly disruptingthe beautiful fertility of spiritual love. Interventionof others indicates weaknesses in themselveswhich are really keeping them apart. If the rightsof others are patiently and tenderly fulfilled, asthey can only be through the beneficence of thespiritual consciousness, those weaknesses whichkeep the lovers from perfect expression of eachother and to all others will be made whole. Reallovers dare to wait.

And finally, real lovers are not permitted to for-get that as they are the world to each other, theymust live as one for the world, that their childrenare all children; that the desolate orphan,Humanity, must find in them the ideal of parent-hood; that as two, they form one center for the

radiation of love to all; that only as they pour outin service to all does the Holy Spirit—the Workerof the recreative Purpose—bless them.

Ordeals—there are many and subtle. The loversmust not only know, but live the knowledge thatspiritual love cannot grow while they hurt anyoneby their ways of expressing it. So they learn, asone, that they must become selfless to find theSelf; and that magic joys transpire between them intheir utter giving to others. These happen duringthe still hushes between their great outpourings,during the brief breath-spaces of their ministry asone. This is touching the outer rim of spiritual Joy;the Joy itself could not be endured by anyone inthis place....Together and apart, the whole world isplaying it in hardly perceptible action and reaction;the few with vivid haste. Together...I do not say itis not hard, but it is Romance. This is the fruitfullove by which all men shall know them; and theendeavor required to nourish it will strengthen themtoattain the eternal safety of Liberation. ❐

—Will Levington Comfort

16 RAYS 96

THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTIONBy Max Heindel

Please Use Order Formon page 64

This book gives a complete outline of the Western Wisdom Teachings as far as itmay be made public at the present time. It contains a comprehensive outline ofthe evolutionary processes of man and the universe, correlating science withreligion. The author received this Teaching personally fromthe Rosicrucian Brotherhood. It is their latest communication.

CLOTH or PAPER. 610 pages with 60-page Topical Index. Published by The Rosicrucian Fellowship.

This is the textbook used in the RosicrucianPhilosophy Correspondence Courses.

PART ONE: A treatise on the Visible and Invisible Worlds. Man and theMethod of Evolution, Rebirth and the Law of Cause and Effect.

PART TWO: Covers the scheme of Evolution in general and the Evolution ofthe Solar System and Earth in particular.

PART THREE: Treats of Christ and His Mission, Future Development of Man andInitiation, Esoteric Training and a Safe Method of AcquiringFirsthand Knowledge.

WE ARE FAMILIAR with thechoosing of the twelve disciplesby Christ, but the tale of one ofthose chosen who at first camenot but who finally answered

the call is not written on paper or parchment, is notfound in the histories of the world, nor portrayed inthe gospels, yet the record exists in the higherrealms, and is now set before you. If it brings com-fort to some of the weary, refreshes the tired, healsa wound, or strengthens the weak, then we areamply repaid for the time and labor it has taken tobring it from its obscurity.

This story came on the “Breath of the Morning,”while in that wonderful valley of San Fernando,the Valley of Gardens, in camp beneath the peppertrees, as the sky in the east assumed the color of abright red rose, shading away into the south to alight magenta, and finally shading into a lilac hue,while to the northeast arose the foothills bathed ina beautiful ethereal blue, their distinct outlinesshowing clear against a background of saffron,which as it changed to a lighter shade heralded thecoming of the magnificent Day Star in all its glory.

NoonIn the days of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius

Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod tetrarchof Galilee, the fame of John, the son of Zacharias,the rabbi, extended from the coast to the Jordan,from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, and fromthe courts of Herod to Jerusalem. To him had comethe multitudes saying, “Art thou the Christ?” andhis reply was, “I am not He, for I baptize you withwater, but He shall baptize you with fire.” Thissent a great many away, some in disappointment,others in ridicule.

The news of John’s teachings had spread to thelittle town of Nazareth away in the hills of Galilee,and from thence came Jesus, the son of Mary andof Joseph, the carpenter, in search of John, hiskinsman, and there at the little town of Bethany tothe west of the river Jordan, close to the brookKedron, he found him baptizing many.

Among those present was one Matthias whosought Jesus and inquired of him saying, “Whatmust one do to be saved?” and the answer was,“Leave all and follow me.” Matthias replied, “Mylands and wealth I would gladly leave for thee, butI have promised to take a bride, the sweetest maidin all Judea, and thou knowest the great law thatone’s first duty is to replenish the earth, for theseed of Abraham must be as the sands of theseashore. Therefore which command shall I fol-low? Surely thou wouldst not have me break myvow to Miriam and the law.”

The reply, “If thou wouldst be my disciple, thoumust choose between me and thy earthly love,”caused the young man to prostrate himself whilehe still pleaded his cause: “Forgive me, Rabbi, butsurely her love was given to me by God for somegreat purpose, and if so then how can I neglect itand follow thee, for it is the purest and sweetestthing on earth? And what are all teachings, knowl-edge, and wisdom compared to love? I cannot for-sake her.”

The tender tone, the sweet and compassionatevoice in answer to this last question filled the veryatmosphere around them with a mystic softness:“Go to thy earthly love, for thy flower is about toblossom, and later thou shalt know and understandthe GREATER LOVE, a love that is not measuredby earthly standards, for it is the gift of Him whowas before all.”

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The Other Disciple

MYSTIC LIGHT

This is the story of one who waschosen but who came not at first,for we see him taking the road toArimathea, leaving Christ Jesus atBethany, alone and sad.

The country approachingArimathea from the southeast hasextensive groves of olive and figtrees, also numerous vineyardswell watered by clear cool springs,and it is here that we find thehome of Matthias, the “other dis-ciple.” The marriage feast is at itsheight, with a large assembly ofguests and a bountiful spread. Joyand happiness are everywhere, forit is a true wedding and not merelya giving in marriage. Miriam, thebride, a pure Jewish maiden, hasthe grace of the lily in form, thecream of the rose in color, thebeauty of the blue hyacinth in hereyes, and the sweetness of the vio-let in her heart. The high forehead,prominent nose, clear grey eyes,and thin sensitive lips of the bridegroom proclaimhim at once to be a scholar and student of truth, aseeker of light. Truly both are well-favored of God,and as he glances at her he feels that his desire isaccomplished, his end gained, yet how little herealizes that this is the last event of the old life andthe forerunner of the new, the transition point, theemerging from one class into another.

Certainly Miriam is a queen of queens; his heartis full, he is satisfied with his choice, and yet whatis that strange feeling? He must be alone, and so heseeks the solitude of the gardens with their foun-tains of silvery spray as the moon sheds the reflectedrays of the sun upon them from above. Here hewrestles with this “something” that has come fromout the stillness of the night to mock him in hishour of joy. What is this sense of something miss-ing, something evasive that mars his perfect happi-ness, a yearning for the unknown, that which hehad once but has lost? As he tries to solve this newproblem that has come to him he sees Miriamwatching her new lord and master. The maid has

suddenly become a woman fighting for her own, asshe intuitively knows that something greater thanherself has come into his life, and so she goes tohim, beseeching him to tell her that which hasarisen in his heart that tends to mar the perfect hap-piness between them. Then he tells her of his meet-ing and words with the Christ.

Only those who have experienced these things,they that have suffered, can understand the rumbleof the storm approaching in the heart of the youngbride. The serpent of jealousy enters this Garden ofEden darting forth its tongue like lightning in itsvenom and fury. We can in a measure realize theconflict, but her guardian angel is with her, and wesee the serpent shrinking back, overcome, as itcontacts the radiant light of love in her husband’seyes. Then her countenance becomes lighted upwith the brilliancy of an answering love. The pure-ness of the blue shines forth from her eyes as shedesires also to see this great Prophet, and this is themanner in which Miriam wins her first victory inthe new life.

18 RAYS 96

Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld

Christ Jesus with His first-called disciples, addressing a wondering Nathanael:“Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending anddescending upon the Son of man”— John 1:51.

We see them present as man and wife in lovingharmony on the Mount, listening with rapture tothe beautiful truths taught by the Savior ofMankind, for He taught as one having authority.We witness with them the healing of the leper, andthat of the centurion’s servant, and the amazementof Miriam, when the blind see and the lame walk.Truly this must be the Messiah. But there comes atime when Miriam is tired, so they return home forrest, to the refreshing slopes where peace andplenty abound.

NightHardly had they arrived home when Miriam

became sick with a fever, and the physicians fail-ing to give relief, the “other disciple,” his anxietyincreasing, goes in search of the Divine Healer. Hefinds the disciples at Capernaum, but loses faith inthem as he witnesses their failure to heal, and theMaster is in the hills alone. What suffering, agony,and torture he undergoes at the thought of hisbeloved without aid. Why did the Master go? Whydoes He tarry? Where is God that He permits thesethings to be? And then what rapture and earnest-ness come into his face, what thankfulness, as hesees the Prophet of Nazareth approaching. Now allwill be well, Miriam will be saved, so great is hisfaith. Wildly he rushes forward throwing himselfat the Master’s feet pleading as one on the brink ofcollapse: “O Lord, forgive my sin, save Miriam,but spare not me. I will repay, for I cannot bear tosee her so.”

“Arise, friend, and be strong in the Lord, for ourFather which is in Heaven hath need of her, andshe is now journeying to a better land. Rejoice andweep not for His ways are always best.” As theSavior uttered these words what a wealth of com-passion and love went with them, how well Heunderstood this little child before Him! With thegentlest of actions He raised the stricken man tohis feet.

“Your Father and my Father has another workfor you to do, for that love that was formally cen-tered on one person is now to be given to the hun-gry world, it is to become universal for you are toscatter it abroad, to expand it to include all people,and through it raise the fallen, strengthen the weak,comfort the sorrowful, and heal the sick. It is the

only power or force that can do these things.Therefore, O son, thank the Father for giving youthis special privilege, and go thy way rejoicing.”

Again we see the “other disciple” journeyingfrom Arimathea to the southeast. He has buried hisbeloved, and from out of his sorrow and grief, hisloneliness and emptiness, is born a new love. Fromthe womb of trouble has been born the Child ofLight, for he has dedicated himself to the “serviceof others.”

Next we see him crossing the desert until hearrives at the fortress of Macharus, where theBaptist is a prisoner of Herod. After an interviewwith his old Teacher we see him in the rich gardensand secret orchards of the tetrarch of Galilee, onthe Mountain of the Little Paradise, the pleasurehome of Herod, where the nobles of Rome consortwith the High Priests and their sons in secret atnight. Now he stands before Herod, the King of theJews, who reclines on his ivory couch. The effectsof the latter’s sins are plainly stamped upon him,for his hair and beard are dyed, his flesh is loath-some, and in direct contrast to their surroundings isa wreath of roses upon his head, wilted and dying,for the pure cannot exist with the vile. But the eyesare still fiery and he still has the ways of the fox.Before this gruesome spectacle the “other disci-ple” pleads his cause.

“O great king and ruler of Galilee, all my landsand possessions will I give thee that lay close toArimathea, if thou in return will grant the freedomof him who is called the Baptist, who desires nokingship in thy country, hath done no wrong wor-thy of imprisonment, and only desires to teach thepeople to live better lives.” Herod was about toanswer when Herodias whispered to him, and thenwith a sickly smile he bade the “other disciple”come again on the morrow and he would hear himfurther on this matter, but now he had other business.

All that night Herodias lay awake planning thatthe Baptist should not escape, and so on the mor-row, when Herod granted her daughter Salome anyrequest she might make, the head of John wasdemanded, and Herod complied with the request.The disciple had failed to save his Teacher.

Next we see the “other disciple” seeking thehospitality of the desert dwellers, for it took him

RAYS 96 19

back to the home of her whom he had loved; butnow no sorrow or pain is there, only the recollec-tion of that pure earthly love.

At the sheepfold with the shepherds we see himpartaking of their humble fare and listening to theirtales of the atrocities practiced by the soldiers ofHerod.

We see him travelling along the valley ofthe Jordan, shut in by the hills of Judea andGalileeand the mountains of Moab and Gilead. Ashe views thestream, withth e J o r d a nreedsalong its bankss t a n di n gtwelve to fif-teen feet inheight wavingtheir immenseplumes, whichlie flat undergusts of windonly to arisein their beautyafter the windhas passed, wecan understandhow he lovesthis region, forit was the cho-sen home of hisfirst Teacher,he whom he had failed to save. Here it washe hadlearned the first great truths of life. What memoriesof joy mingled with sadness come to him!

Now he comes to the “amha-arets,” the peopleof the land, the farmers and peasants, and later wesee him among the olive plantations, for the oliveis the chief product of Palestine; it is the butter andmeat of the humble folk. The olive trees give thebeauty to the land with their green foliage, whichhas a silvery sheen on the under side and tiny sil-ver blossoms covering the entire tree.

Finally he reaches the Sea of Galilee. One mustgo there to really appreciate the beauty of this seaof Tiberias, surrounded with mountains and sub-ject to sudden fierce storms. As he arrives at itsnorth end where the Jordan with its cool freshwaters enters it, he finds the Son of Man, and

becomes an eye witness of His doings.

DawnHe is present at the feeding of the five thousand

and the healing of the lunatic. He it is who pro-vides the colt, the foal of an ass, for the transporta-tion of the Master. With what joy and understand-ing he listens to the parable of the “WeddingGarment.” We see him busy furnishing the upperchamber for the Passover, and later on he iswith those at theMount of Olives.

He is shoul-der to shoulderwith Nicode-mus in theirfight for Jesusof Nazarethbefore theS a n h e d r i n ,Chief Priests,and Elders,a n d l a t e re n l i s t s t h ehelp of Pilot’swife, in behalfof his Lord,but all to noavail, for theLaw must bef u l f i l l e d .

After the crucifixion he cares for the body ofJesus with Joseph of Arimathea, his kinsman, ashe did for the body of John, and is present withCleopas when Christ appears to them on the roadto Emmaus.

We find him numbered with the few thatremained faithful, and so, when the choosing ofthe apostle to take the place of Judas occurred,then for the first time do we hear of him. He itwas who was again chosen by the Lord, for thelots they cast fell on him, and this time thechosen accepted the call. The earthly love whichhad been his stumbling block had changedinto a universal love, and THE CALL WASANSWERED. The disciple had found the wayhome to his Father. ❐

—R. T. Oakley

20 RAYS 96

Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, 1895. J. James Tissot, 1836-1902. Brooklyn Museum

Jesus Discourses with His Disciples

IF YOU HAVE reallybeen outside of yourphysical body and suc-ceeded in carrying thememory through at the

time of waking, there are a num-ber of ways in which you mayprove it to yourself and also toothers if you wish; you mayprove that you have been on thatcertain occasion liberated fromyour body and able to functionas a free spirit outside in space.A number of people who willread this article are probablyunacquainted with our philoso-phy. We will therefore begin bystating that man is not only thephysical body that we see withour eyes, but he has vehiclesmade of finer textures in whichhe is able to function when thephysical body has been laid torest in sleep. It is in fact thewithdrawal of the spirit withits consciousness and the finervehicles that induces sleep.

In the majority of mankind the

spirit clothed in its finer vehicles hovers close by the physical bodywhen that is resting. It usually ruminates upon the affairs of the daybut does not seem to take much interest in anything going on aboutit until by certain exercises, by study of the higher philosophies, andby living a life of helpfulness, it is gradually awakened to the realityof life outside of the body. Then it begins to make small excursionsof investigation, or maybe it allies itself with a group of kindred spir-its. This all depends upon the temperament of the person in question,for our character is not altered by the fact of going to sleep; we arethere what we are here.

But there are times when a man or woman becomes so interestedin the work of this world that upon going to sleep the spirit cannottear itself away entirely from the physical body; it is half in and half

out; it is in touch with scenes of the invisible world and also stillruminating over the occurrences of the previous day. Then we havethat confused state of consciousness which we call a dream, anddreams constitute the nocturnal experiences of the majority of peo-ple. But when, as said, one commences to study higher philosophyand above all to live a life of helpfulness in the daytime, and whenone performs certain exercises in the evening with faithfulness andzeal, one of the first symptoms of true consciousness during thenighttime and experiences in the invisible world is this, that the illu-sive, chaotic dreams become logical and rational.

When this stage is reached we never see ourselves going aboutwith our head under our arm, or chasing a cow up a telegraph polebecause we feel it ought to roost at the top among the crosspieces, or

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How to Prove PsychicExperiences

MAX HEINDEL’S MESSAGE

One of the first symptoms of trueconsciousness during the nighttime

and experiences in the invisibleworld is this, that the illusive, chaoticdreams become logical and rational.

performing kindred idiotic tricks; butwe find ourselves going about in ourordinary, matter-of-fact way, doingthings there much in the same way aswe would do them here, save for cer-tain facts such as this—that if we wishto go from one place to another, we donot walk or take a car, but we simplyby the very thought rise in the air andglide through space until we come toour destination. Also we are not ham-pered by locked doors or closed win-dows but pass directly through thewall into the rooms where we wish tobe and start to do the work we havecome for.

Moreover, we may find that spaceand distance have almost ceased toexist, and that a journey to a sufferingfriend a few thousand miles awaytakes only a moment. These things do not indicatethat we are merely having an ordinary illusivedream, but, as said, they represent the laws of theinvisible world, among which is one that we maytravel with a speed greater than that of electricitywhenever we wish to do so. There is no weight toour invisible bodies; it is our will that determinesour place in relation to the earth. We may walk onthe street or glide over the housetops at will;besides, as it is well known that the atoms in allphysical substances do not actually touch oneanother but, so to speak, swim in a sea of ether, it isperfectly possiblefor the free spirit to pass itsinvisible body through the interstices between theatoms in a brick or cement wall as Christ did whenHe appeared to His disciples after the door hadbeen locked.

Bearing these facts in mind, suppose that somenight you became acquainted with a person outsidethe body, that in the course of conversation youfind that he lives in New York or London, and thatyou have occasion to visit him there while func-tioning in your invisible body; also, that subse-quently you work together on the invisible planesfor weeks or months. Let us further suppose that itbecomes necessary for you to take a business tripto the city where your friend is located. You tell

him of this contemplated move on one of yournight excursions, he invites you to be his guestduring your stay in that city, and you accept theinvitation. On the following day you start for yourdestination, and on arrival you take a car as directedby him; you get off at the corner you know so wellalready, walk up to the house, knock at the door,and your friend comes to meet you; he takes youby the hand physically as he has often done ethe-really in the invisible world. You commence rightaway to talk about things you have done outsidethe body, and you know each other as well as oldfriends in the physical world would know eachother; in other words, you continue the relationshipin the physical body exactly as it was formed out-side in the invisible world.

This is one of the ways of proving the actualityof your experiences during the time when the bodyslept. While we have put the case hypothetically, itis not altogether such; the writer, for instance, hadsuch experiences in a number of cases. One ofthem has been told in the pamphlet called “OurWork in the World,” and while we do not relatethese experiences just for the sake of talking, stillthere is sometimes an object to be gained by giv-ing personal testimony, so we will repeat it in part.

At a time when the writer had, unwittingly of

22 RAYS 96

Duccio di Buoninsegna, Tempera on wood, Maesta Altarpiece, 1308, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena

The Incredulity of St. Thomas“ Then saith he to Thomas, ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold myhands...and be not faithless but believing.’”—John 20:26

course, passed the test set by the Elder Brothers tosee if he would prove true as their messenger, oneof them who had previously come into our pres-ence when the door was locked, appeared againand notified us that we had been selected to pro-mulgate the Rosicrucian teachings, which we wereto receive at the Temple. To reach that place hedirected us to proceed the next morning to a certainrailway station in Berlin, buy a ticket for a place ofwhich we had never heard, and take a train thatwould go at a certain designated time. Accordinglywe started the next morning for the railway stationnamed, bought a ticket for the said station, andfound that the train went at the time our visitor hadtold us. Upon arrival at our destination we met the

Elder Brother himself, clothed in his physicalbody, and were by him conducted to the environsof the Temple, which is not physical but etherealand therefore invisible to the people in the neigh-borhood, who are not aware that the great WesternWisdom School is located in their midst.

The writer was not asleep at the time when theElder Brother entered his room and gave the direc-tions which led to the meeting, nor was he able atthat time to focus his spiritual sight at will or toleave his body when desired; these faculties wereawakened at the time of the first Initiation, whichtook place in the Temple shortly afterward. But theElder Brother in that case materialized sufficientlyto enable the writer to see him, and therefore thatexperience does not prove what may happen whenthe body is asleep; but it proves that at the timewhen the writer received the before-mentioneddirections he was not under a hallucination, and italso proves that it is possible for a free spirit toenter a room and there materialize for a certainpurpose as the Invisible Helpers not infrequently

have to do. When the writer says “proves,” hemeans of course that it proves this fact to himself.Each must obtain personal proof; such happeningscannot be proved by someone else. The testimonyis merely given for the purpose of showing howsuch things are done.

While relating personal experiences it may per-haps not be out of place to say that once the writerwas caught by a camera while out of the body, foryou know that the camera takes etheric vibrations.While many of the so-called spirit photographs areimpostures, there are also the real. The incident inquestion happened when the writer was in a hospi-tal just recovering from a serious breakdowncaused by several years of very close study and

overwork. Previous to that we had had no psychicexperiences. On a Sunday morning when a dearfriend was leaving for Europe we felt particularlylonesome and intently desirous of seeing ourfriend. Suddenly, as if by magic, we found ourselfstanding outside the bed looking at the poor wastedbody, which lay inert and asleep; but we felt nofear, everything seemed to be all right. Carried bythe desire that had originally liberated us from thebody we traveled in a fraction of a second thetwenty miles to the harbor of San Pedro, where wefound ourself on the steamer with our friend. Theboat was in the act of leaving, and at that momenta mutual friend snapped a camera on shore. Whenthe film was developed the face of the writer witha growth of beard of several weeks standingacquired in the hospital was distinctly visible. Thispicture has since been recognized by a number ofmutualacquaintances who were not told whose it was.

It is probable that this case could really be estab-lished in such a manner as to constitute almostlegal proof, for it could readily be shown that the

RAYS 96 23

There is considerable testimony to the fact that certainpeople who are still living in physical bodies during the

daytime are engaged in spiritual work during the night, andthat their experiences carried over to the waking

consciousness are not illusory dreams.

writer was in the hospital at the time when hisfriend, standing on board the ship (which is also inthe photograph of course), was leaving and thephotograph taken. But the old saying, “a man con-vinced against his will is of the same opinion still,”is so true that doubtless a great percentage ofpeople would repudiate the occurrence as animposture anyway, so what would be the use?Conviction must come from within.

There have also been proofs published in someof the magazines of the fact that some people areconscious outside the body. Among others, Dr.Stuart Leech tells of the experience he had whenone of his patients was in a critical state withappendicitis. He and two other doctors visited theboy in their invisible bodies during the night,adjusting his inner vehicles so that when theyarrived for the physical consultation the followingmorning they found him perfectly well. We havealso printed the story of Miss Kerin, who wasmiraculously cured by an Invisible Helper. Shewas seen on certain occasions helping the sick andwounded on the battlefields of Europe as so manyof the Invisible Helpers were doing at that time.Thus there is considerable testimony to the factthat certain people who are still living in physicalbodies during the daytime are engaged in spiritualwork during the night, and that their experiencescarried over to the waking consciousness are notillusory dreams.

But it may be asked, “Is there any way to provethat one has been in a certain place doing certaindefinite work?” You may have been somewheredoing something during sleep and then upon wak-ing you are desirous of knowing whether it hasbeen a dream or an actual fact. In that case wewould advise that the next time you find yourselfoutside the body in a place in your home city thatyou can get to the following day, you note certainlittle details about the place which you may recog-nize afterward. Suppose that you find yourself inthe waiting room of a railway station in your city;then count the windows in the room, count thebenches and take particular notice of their arrange-ment; notice the location of the telephone booth ifthere is one in the place, and notice any otherthings that you have not seen in your previous visits

and which cannot be altered by a human handbefore you can get there the following morning.Write down the facts as soon after waking as pos-sible so that they do not slip your mind; then atyour convenience go to the depot in question, walkinto the waiting room, and there at your leisurecount the windows, note the arrangement of thebenches, the telephone booth, et cetera. That willgive you a fair reason to believe you were thereduring the night if you find that you have been cor-rect in what you have brought back.

If the place where you find yourself while out ofthe body is the house of a friend, which occasion-ally happens, follow the same method of notingthings that you have not paid particular attention toin your previous visits. Count the chairs in theroom, notice if there are any scratches or marks onthe furniture which could be readily recognized ona later occasion, and so on according to other sug-gestions developed by your ingenuity. In that wayyou will undoubtedly find the proof you desire oralternately, the evidence that you were mistaken inbelieving yourself to have been there. ❐

24 RAYS 96

The Goal of the Soul

We must drift with the gale,

Despite rudder or sail,

Unless we have learned to steer;

All knowledge is vain,

And will bring us no gain,

Till results in our actions appear.

By knowing the way and doing the deed,

With knowledge applied our efforts succeed.

Then our lives we shall mold,

And our stars we shall rule,

When we direct, not obey like the fool—

And talents unguessed will unfold.

So this is the goal that is set for the soul,

Which all must some time attain.

Though ofttimes we fail, yet our failures avail,

If we struggle and rise up again,

Greeting each with a smile, and knowing the while,

They are steps to cessation from pain.

—Max Heindel

QUESTION: In what manner are Jesus andChristian Rosenkreuz connected with the ElderBrothers and their works?

ANSWER: There are on earth seven schools of theLesser Mysteries, each one presided over by a con-clave of twelve Initiates who have passed throughthe nine Lesser Initiations. One of these seven con-claves or orders of Initiates is the Order of theRosicrucians. Each of the seven orders is consti-tuted of twelve Elder Brothers who are under theleadership of a thir-teenth or Eldest Brother.He remains invisible atthe night ly TempleServices but is theinspiring power uponwhich the order dependsfor guidance. The augusthead of the Rosicrucianorder, the eldest of ourE l d e r B r o t h e r s , i sChristian Rosenkreuz,of whom Max Heindelsays, “He is incarnatetoday, an Initiate of highdegree; an active and potent factor in all affairs ofthe West although unknown to the world....He is arepresentative of the Central Conclave of the ElderBrothers of humanity.

The Elder Brothers of the minor conclaves pre-siding over the Lesser Mystery Schools havereceived the nine Lesser Initiations; the thirteenth,however, is an Initiate of the Greater Mysteries andforms “the link with a higher Central Council com-posed of the Hierophants of the Greater Mysteries,who do not deal with ordinary humanity but onlywith graduates of the Lesser Mysteries.”

We are told that there are five schools of the

Greater Mysteries and consequently five orders ofGreater Initiates, each likewise composed oftwelve Elder Brothers and a thirteenth or EldestBrother. The thirteen Brothers are “the linksbetween the different schools,” and the sevenHeads of the Lesser Mysteries, together with thefive Heads of the Greater Mysteries “composewhat is ordinarily known as the White Lodge, asupreme conclave of the Eldest among ourBrothers, who are now in full charge of human

evolution and plan thesteps we are to followin order to advance.The whole is groupedunder one Central Headwho is called the Liber-ator.”

The Elder Brothersand Eldest Brotherspossess physical vehi-cles; although they canfunction at will in theirhigher bodies, and thelarger part of theirwork is done from the

inner worlds. But Jesus, whom we assume to bethe illustrious and most holy head of the CentralConclave, perfected and relinquished his physicalbody 2000 years ago. He was the first human beingto receive all thirteen initiations and thereby to lib-erate not only himself from the shackles of physi-cal matter and the bondage of death, but to set thesupreme example of how by a life of perfect puritythe resurrection body is built and liberation madepossible. The Bible calls him the “first fruit” ofperfected mankind. He was “obedient unto death”and, by perfect surrender to the will of God, wasworthy to receive the Christ Spirit. Therefore “God

RAYS 96 25

Jesus and Christian Rose Cross

READERS’ QUESTIONS

The seven Heads of theLesser Mysteries, together

with the five Heads of the Greater Mysteries

“compose what is ordinarilyknown as the White Lodge,a supreme conclave of theEldest among our Brothers.”

has highly exalted him”; he functions in a celestialbody of the most rarefied desire matter as theEldest Brother, the Liberator alluded to in theCosmo-Conception, who forms the link betweenthe Supreme Council on our planet and the CosmicHierarchies.

“ An Elder Brother will only grasp my extendedhand when I extend my other to the younger onescoming behind me, in order to lead them to theTemple door. This will open to them if they seekprayerfully, if they knock persistently,and if they labor manfully.”

SOUL AND SPIRIT

QUESTION: What are theRosicrucian Teach-ings regarding the dif-ference between Souland Spirit?

A N S W E R : T h e r eseems to be someconfusion on thissubject in the mindsof many students.

First the spirit, thenthe body emanating fromthe spirit, and lastly thesoul extracted bythe spiritfrom the body it has built.

The Rosicrucian teach-ings are that man is a com-posite being at this stage ofhis evolution. Before evo-lution began he was an all-consciouspart of God, hav-ing within himself all thepotentialities that were possessed by God, hisFather, in whom he was differentiated as a con-scious spark. When he later separated from hisCreator, his vibrations gradually lowered. Varioushierarchs, advanced spiritual beings in advance ofour stream of evolution, worked upon him fromwithout and succeededin awakening the Divine,the Life, and the Human Spirit within him, andalso gave to him the germ of the three bodies—dense, vital, and desire. These bodies graduallydeveloped, and after aeons of time the beginning

of the Earth Period was reached. Man had then athreefold spirit, each aspect of which emanatedfrom itself a body, and these vehicles of lowervibration were gradually connected with the three-fold spirit by the link of mind.

Bodies which are composed of crystallized spiritfall away, but the quintessence of all the experi-ences acquired in these bodies is extracted as aprinciple called soul. This is not a tangible, visiblesubstance, but a force which is accumulated life

after life, and is finally absorbed by thataspect of the spirit from which the

corresponding body emanated.As there are a trinity of spir-

it and a trinity of bodies,so there is also a trini-ty of souls, and thesetogetherwith the linkof mind form the ten-fold constitution ofman.

Soul only comesinto existence afterinvolution is ended

and will be absorbedinto the spirit before his

evolution is completed.The soul which is extract-

ed from the dense vehicle isbuilt by right action andcalled conscious soul.Memory of actions worksthrough the vital body andforms an intellectual soul;and the highest desires andemotions of the desire

body build the emotional soul. This emotionalsoul, when absorbed in the Vulcan Period, will addthe knowledge it contains to the Human Spirit. Theintellectual soul will be absorbed by the life Spiritduring the Venus Period; and the experience gath-ered through the dense body and stored in the con-scious soul will be built into the Divine Spirit dur-ing the Jupiter Period.

Teachings given later than those contained in theCosmo-Conception are brought out in the Web ofDestiny. ❐

26 RAYS 96

The Tenfold Constitution of Man

Man is a threefold Spirit, possessing a Mind by meansof which he governs a threefold Body, which heemanated from himself to gather experience and willtransmute into a threefold Soul, upon which he nour-ishes himself from impotence to omnipotence.

THE BRAZEN LAVERw a s a l a rg e b a s i nwhich was alwayskept full of water.It is said in the

Bible that it was carried onthe backs of twelve oxen,also made of brass, and weare told that their hind partswere toward the center ofthe vessel. It appears from thememory of nature, however,that these animals were notoxen but symbolical represen-tations of the twelve signs ofthe zodiac. Humanity was atthat time divided into twelvegroups, one group for each zodiacal sign. Eachsymbolic animal attracted a particularray, and as the holy water used inCatholic churches is magnetizedby the priest during the ceremo-ny of consecration, so also thewater in this Laver was mag-netized by the divineHierarchies who guidedhumanity.

There can be no doubtconcerning the power ofholy water prepared by anindividual of strong and mag-netic personality. It takes on orabsorbs the effluvia from his vitalbody, and the people who useit become amenable to his rulein a degree commensurate totheir sensitiveness. Conse-

quently, the Brazen Lavers in theancient Atlantean Mystery

Temples, where the water wasmagnetized by divine Hierar-chies of immeasurable power,were a potent factor in guid-ing the people in accordancewith the wishes of these rul-ing powers. Thus the priestswere in perfect subjection to

the mandates and dictates oftheir unseen spiritual leaders,

and through them the peoplewere made to follow blindly. Itwas required of the priests thatthey wash their hands and feetbefore going into the Taber-

nacle proper. If this command was not obeyed,death would follow immediately on the

priest’s entering into the Tabernac1e.We may therefore say that the key-

word of the Brazen laver was“consecration.”

The Brazen Laver is thesymbol of sanctification andconsecration of the life toservice. As Christ enteredupon His three year min-istry through the baptismal

waters, so the aspirant tos e r v i c e i n t h e a n c i e n t

Temple must sanctify himself inthe sacred stream which flowed

from the Molten Sea. And theMystic Mason endeavoring tobuild the temple “withoutsound of hammer” and to serve

RAYS 96 27

Tabernacle in the Wilderness—Part 2

WESTERN WISDOM BIBLE STUDY

The Seven-Branched Candlestick

Known as the menorah and emblematicof the Seven Spirits before the Throne.

The Brazen Laver

Containing magnetized water ener-gized by the twelve zodiacal rays.

therein must also consecrate and sanc-tify himself.

Having mounted the first stepsupon the path, the aspirant standsin front of the veil which hangsbefore the Mystic Temple. Drawingthis aside he enters into the EastRoom of the sanctuary, whichwas called the Holy Place. Nowindow or opening of any sortwasprovided in the Tabernacle to let inthe light of day, but this roomwas never dark. Night and day itwas brightly illuminated byburning lamps.

Its furniture was symbolical ofthe methods whereby the aspi-rant may make soul growth by service. It consistedof three principal articles: the Altar of Incense, theTable of Shewbread, and the Golden Candlestick.

The Golden Candlestick was placed on the southside of the Holy Place so as to be to the left of anyperson who stood in the middle of the room. It wasmade entirely of pure gold, and consisted of a shaftor principal stem, rising upright from a base,together with six branches. These branches startedat different points on the stemand curved upward in three par-tial circles of varying diameter,symbolizing the three periods ofdevelopment (Saturn, Sun, andMoon Periods)which man wentthrough before the Earth Period,which was not half-spent. Thislatter period was signified bythe seventh light. Each of theseseven branches terminated in alamp, and these lamps weresupplied with purest olive oil,which was made by a specialprocess. The pr iests wererequired to take care that theCandlestick was never without a light. Every daythe lamps were examined, dressed, and suppliedwith oil so that they might burnperpetually.

When the priest stood in the Center of the EastRoom of the Tabernacle, the Seven-branched

Candlestick was on his left, towardthe south. This was symbolical of

the fact that the seven light-givers or planets which treadthe mystic circle dance aroundthe central orb, the Sun, travelin the narrow belt comprisingeight degrees on either side ofthe Sun’s path, which is called

the zodiac. “God is Light,” and the“Seven Spirits before the Throne”

are God’s ministers; thereforethey are messengers of light tohumanity. They have guided uson the path of evolution.Further-more, as the heavensare ablaze with light when the

Moon in its phases arrives at the “full” in the east-ern part of the heavens, so also the East Room ofthe Tabernacle was filled with Light, indicatingvisibly the presence thereof God and His sevenMinisters, the Star Angels.

Among the chief articles in the East Room of theTemple is the Table of Shewbread. Upon this tablethere were two piles of shewbread, each containingsix loaves, and upon the top of each pile there was

a little heap of frankincense.The aspirant who came to theTemple door “poor, naked, andblind” has since been brought tothe light of the Seven-branchedCandlestick and obtained a cer-tain amount of cosmic knowl-edge which he is required to usein the service of his fellow man.The Table of Shewbread repre-sents this in symbol.

The God-given grains ofwheat in the twelve loaves rep-resent the opportunities of soulgrowth given by God, whichcome to all through the twelve

departments of life represented by the twelvehouses of the horoscope, under the dominion of thetwelve divine Hierarchies known through the signsof the zodiac. But it is the task of the MysticMason, the true temple builder, to embrace these

28 RAYS 96

Table of Shewbread

Literal ly , “ ” ” bread of the face . ”Assimilated experience is spiritualfood through which God is seen.

Altar of IncenseBurnt frankincense represented the

“aroma” of virtuous deeds.

opportunities, to cultivate and nourish them so thathe may reap therefrom the Living Bread whichnurtures the soul.

We do not, however, assimilate our physicalfood in toto; there is a residue, a large proportionof ash, left after we have amalgamated the quin-tessence into our system. Similarly, the shew-bread was not burned or consumed before theLord, but two small heaps of frankincense wereplaced on the two stacks of shewbread, one oneach pile. This was conceived to be the aromathereof, and was later burned on the Altar ofIncense. Likewise the soul sustenance of servicegathered daily by the ardent Mystic Mason isthrown into the mill of retrospection* at eventidewhen he retires to his couch and performs therethis scientific exercise.

Let the Mystic Mason take particular note, how-ever, that the loaves of shewbread

were not the musings of dream-ers; they were not the prod-

uct of speculation upon thenature of God or light.They were the product ofactual toil, of orderly sys-tematic work, and it

behooves us to follow thepath of actual service if we

would garner treasure in heaven.Unless we really work and serve humanity, weshall have nothing to bring, no bread to “shew” atthe Feast of the Full Moon; and at the mystic mar-riage of the higher to the lower self we shall findourselves minus the radiant golden soul body, themystic wedding garment, without which the unionwith Christ can never be consummated.

At the Altar of Incense, incense was offeredbefore the Lord continually, and the priest whostood before the altar ministering was at that time

looking toward the Mercy Seat over the Ark,though it was impossible for him to see it becauseof the second veil which was interposed betweenthe first and second apartments of the Tabernacle,the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Incensesymbolizes the extract, the aroma of the service wehave rendered according to our opportunities; andjust as the sacrificial animal upon the Brazen Altarrepresents the deeds of wrongdoing committedduring the day, so the incense burned upon theGolden Altars, which is a sweet savor to the Lord,represents the virtuous deeds of our lives.

In the westernmost end of the Tabernacle restedthe “Ark of the Covenant.” It was a hollow recep-tacle containing the Golden Pot of Manna,Aaron’s Rod that budded, and the Tables of theLaw which were given to Moses. While thisArk of the Covenant remained in the Tabernacle

RAYS 96 29

The East Room——-The Holy Placeand

The West Room—-The Holy of Holies

*Occult science teaches that everything that has ever hap-pened has left behind it a picture in the Reflecting Ether,World of Thought, and the World of Life Spirit (spiritualworlds which we do not contact through the five senses).Ability to read in these regions is a latent faculty possessedby all humanity and will eventually be acquired by everyone.The exercise of Retrospection consists of going over theevents that have occurred during the day, beginning in theevening and tracing them back to the morning, and givingpraise and blame to oneself where due.

Censer

in the Wilderness, two staves were always withinthe four rings of the Ark so that it could be pickedup instantly and moved; but when the Ark wasfinally taken to Solomon’s Temple, the staveswere taken out (II Chronicles 5:7-9). This is veryimportant in its symbolical significance. Abovethe Ark hovered the Cherubim, and between themdwelt the uncreated glory of God. “There,” saidHe to Moses, “I will meet with thee, and I will com-mune with thee fromabove the mercy seat, frombetween the two cherubim which are upon the Arkof the Testimony.”

The glory of the Lord seen above the Mercy Seatwas in the appearance of a cloud. The Lord said toMoses, “Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that hecome not at all times into the holy place within theveil before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark;that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud uponthe mercy seat” (Lev. 16:2). This manifestation ofthe divine Presence was called the Shekinah Glory.Out of this cloud the voice of God was heard withdeep solemnity when He was consulted on behalfof the people.

As the Cherubim and the Father Fire whichhover above the Ark represent the divineHierarchies which overshadow mankind duringhis pilgrimage through the wilderness of matter, sothe Ark which is found there represents man in hishighest development. When the aspirant stood atthe eastern gate as a child of sin, the law was with-out as a taskmaster to bring him to Christ. Butwhen through sacrifice and service he has finallyarrived at the stage of evolution represented by theArk in the western room of the Tabernacle, theTables of the Law are within. He has then becomeemancipated from all outside interference with hisactions; not that he would break any laws, butbecause he works with them. ❐

30 RAYS 96

Gouache on board, 1902, J.James Tissot, Jewish Museum, New York

Moses and Joshua in the Tabernacle

Cherubim appear above the Ark of the Covenantin the Holy of Holies. Moses is wearing thebreastplate of righteousness. On each stone isinscribed the name of one of the twelve tribes.

The RosicrucianMysteries

By Max Heindel

Written in almost narrative style, intendedespecially to give busy people a solution tolife’s basic problems by enabling the heart toaffirm what the rational mind has sanctioned.Includes:

The Order of Rosicrucians

and The Rosicrucian Fellowship

The Visible and the Invisible Worlds

The Constitution of Man

Life and Death

Please order on page 64

207 Pages. Indexed. Paper. Published byThe Rosicrucian Fellowship

The sublime truths of the

Western Wisdom

Teachings

IN OUR LAST ARTICLE [July/August’96] we started a dissertation on Venus,which was in a certain sense sidetracked erewell commenced. Here we continue.

The intrinsic nature of Venus may be summed upin the ideas of Harmony and Rhythm; therefore,she has the tendency to drawtogether all who are inaccord, to unite mankindin pleasant compan-ionships of varyingdegrees which wecall friendship andlove. The departmento f o u r l i v e s i nw h i c h s h e w i l lexercise her benefi-cent office is, ofcourse, indicated bythe house, and thequality or degree by herconfigurations with otherplanets. If well-placed in thethird house, which signifies brothers and sisters,we may conclude that we have earnedthe love ofour relatives by devotion in a former life and thattheir affection for us will brighten this earthly exis-tence. From the angle of the 7th house she maydraw to us a soul companion whose conjugal lovewould make this earth seem heaven-like, for truemarriage, marriage of souls, is a song of ecstaticjoy, a paean of praise by kindred spirits. It is taughtby the angels in heaven to the tuneful accompani-ment of the Song of the Spheres, and whoever

succeeds in bringing even the faintest chord of thatcelestial harmony to earth has a song of joy in hisheart, a source of gladness which no sorrow candiminish.

From the 11th house Venus will attract kindfriends whose affections we have won before, forthe horoscope shows what we have earned—joy or

sorrow. We have made our“luck”; the stars only

mark the time to reap,as the sun calls thefarmer to harvest.The kindness offriends today wasenlisted yester-lifeby our helpful acts.Nor can we keepfriends, life partners,relatives, in bonds of

love unless we keepfeeding the fires of love.

We must continue beingbrotherly and sisterly to

retain affection from suchrelatives. It requires a friend to hold friendship,and we must act as lovers to merit continuedconjugal affection, or the love light will wane nomatter how well Venus is placed. The planets showonly the trend of things; we have made the tenden-cies given by a well-placed Venus and we can alsomar them. If we do, an afflicted Venus in the horo-scope of our next life will make it difficult for usto attract love. Let us so build that the Venus raymay be the brightest of all.

Mars is the exact opposite of Venus, and if we

RAYS 96 31

Planetary Profiles: Venus, Mars, and Saturn

ASTROLOGY

Mars Venus

study him now while the characteristics of Venusare fresh in mind, we may learn more of his nature.The first great contrast I wish to point out is thatthe higher the status of a person in the scale of evo-lution, the better Venus is placed in the horoscope,and the younger the soul, the more it is dominatedby the discordant martial ray. The animals arewholly under the sway of Mars, for as Venus nour-ishes the love nature, so Mars fosters the passions.An illustration will make the difference clear.

Suppose Venus is Ruler and situated in the 7thHouse (representing the public), sextile to Jupiterin the 9th (Religion), trine to the Moon in the 11th(Friends). It is theneasy to see that herewe have a person welldisposed toward thepublic (Venus in 7th).Jupi ter is benevo-lence, and his beingp l a c e d i n t h e 9 t hHouse shows his workto be along religiouslines. The Moon sig-nifies the people, andis in the house offriends. In short, goodplanets ingoodaspectdescr ibe h i m a s abenefactor of mankind, much esteemed for hisbenevolence.

Now take an opposite case, where Mars is ruler,placed in 10th House, denoting social status, squareto Uranus (whose keynote may be called Ingenuity)in the 7th House, which is the public. These are so-called malefic planets and aspects, signifying thatthis person uses his ingenuity as a menace to thepublic; and if Mars is also square Saturn, the plan-et which binds and restricts, and Saturn is placed inthe 12th House (sorrow, trouble, and imprison-ment), we may conclude that his depredations willbring him into jail as a public enemy.

But let us now suppose that the potential publicenemy comes as a child under the influence of thedeveloped benefactor, that his horoscope is read,the latent tendencies to evil detected, and painstaken to eradicate them ere they get a chance to

flower. Saturn in the 12th House will always makehim a recluse; very few are ever strong enough tobreak the bonds of Saturn, but the power of Marsmay be turned to construction, and Uranus maybring ingenious inventions from his laboratory tothe public. No matter how evil a horoscope seems,it also has good points, and if we as parents canfind and bring them out, great will be our treasurein heaven.

Proceeding with our comparison of Mars andVenus, let us not make the mistake of thinking thatVenus is altogether lovely and Mars totally evil.Each has light and shadow, and ours is the

privilege of living inthe bes t o r theworst of their phases.The intrinsic nature ofMars is “dynamicenergy”; from himcomes ambition toaccomplish; he fur-nishes the power forthe world’s work.Necessarily the hustleand bustle incident tothe expression of thisconstructive energycause frictionbetween man and

man. Thus anger and hate are engendered by theMars energy in operation along various lines. Marsnever generates this discordant element directly; itis produced by our method of using his energy, andit is as much a mistake to blame Mars for our tem-per as it is to blame well-prepared food for causingindigestion when our stomach is out of order. Inthe latter case the stomach should be blamed fornot performing its duty properly and for spoilingthe good food instead of utilizing it in the econo-my of the system. Similarly, when the Mars rayworks through us as passion, we are to blame fornot better using this great constructive force.

Then again, how wonderfully everything is bal-anced in the Kingdom of God, the solar system,and how necessary these opposites! If we had onlythe Venus ray, we could never really learn to lovethe good and the beautiful, for we distinguish only

32 RAYS 96

Mars energy drives peopleto face disagreeable situa-

tions and overcome difficul-ties that would discouragepeople dominated by theVenus ray. Blended, theVenus ray softens the

harshness of Mars, and thusthe highest good is reached.

by contrast. If nothing around us were uglyor evil, the desirable qualities of the oppo-site condition would not appear so marked.People who aim to cultivate exclusive-ly the Venus faculty of love and beautyfind their esthetic sense revolted more andmore by the sordid phases of life, whichthey bewail, but in a helpless manner,because they have mistakenly repressedthe Mars ray and killed out their temper.Mars energy drives people to face dis-agreeable situations and overcome diffi -culties that would discourage peopledominated by the Venus ray. Blended,the Venus ray softens the harshness ofMars, and thus the highest good is reached.

The dynamic energy of Mars, which isthe power that moves the world from thecivil and industrial standpoints, under cer-tain afflictions becomes recklessness anddestructiveness, making the person soexpressing it a dangerous man, a publicenemy. When the Venus ray is afflicted, itcurtails the sense of beauty and order;hence the person becomes slothful, disor-derly, and lacking in proper self-respect.Incapable, because of the affliction, offeeling true love, such a person becomesperverted and licentious, and it is oftensaid of him: “He is his own worst enemy.”Such people do not harm others intention-ally; yet they spread an immense amountof unhappiness among those whom theyprofess to love. One of these classes is dan-gerous to society because it has not the love ray ofVenus to guide its exuberant energy; the other,because it lacks the dynamic energy necessary tocarry its good intentions into execution.

We see these classes in the world, and the mis-ery they cause themselves and others; but usuallytheir character has become “set,” and we can dobut little to change their conditions and must leavethem to the schoolmaster “Experience.” Childrenare growing up among us and our chances of help-ing them are great.

When the “Spirit” spoke to the churches inRevelation, it found fault in many directions; but

one received a stinging rebuke: “I wish thou werthot or cold, but because thou art neither I will spewthee out of my mouth.” The so-called “bad-boy” isnot nearly so difficult a problem as one who is sogoody-goody that he is likely to turn out to be agood-for-nothing, a pitiable human wreck. Youwill do well to look the latter over constantly andthoroughly, and remind him of the slightest neglector mistake. It takes strength to be a sinner, and theworst boy becomes the best man when Mars hasbeen downed by Venus; but the greatest firmness isrequired to correct an afflicted Venus and give thechild sufficient dynamic energy to be really,

RAYS 96 33

Traditional Orthodox image of the prophet

Elijah on Mount Horeb“A great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces therocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after thewind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And afterthe earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the firea still small voice”—I Kings 19:11-12.

instead of seemingly, good. Since the intrinsic nature of Mars is dynamic

energy, that is to say, force in action, people whohave Mars strong at birth are people who make a stirin the world so far as their environment reaches.They are so full of life and ambition that theysweep all other people’s rights aside and force theirown views, ideas, and methods to the front regard-less of whom it hurts or harms. They are impulsiveand always ready to initiate novelties on the spurof the moment. They strongly resent objections totheir plans, but usually lack sufficient persistenceto carry their designs into execution. If obstacles ofmagnitude present themselves, they abandon theirplans as suddenly as they conceived them andcommence to ride another hobbyhorse with thesame ardor that marked their previous ventures,and with the same disregard of reason.

In the Kingdom of God all things are balanced toproduce the highest ultimate good to all, and so theinfluence of Saturn, another so-called evil planet,is used to offset the exuberant life of Mars. Theintrinsic nature of Saturn is obstruction; he is asslow and persistent as Mars is impulsive and quickto change; he takes no chances, but looks before heleaps, and his cold, calculating reason misses noflaw in any scheme.

In the horoscope of a young soul, Mars is domi-nant and the man grows along physical lines muchas animals do under the law of the survival of thefittest; but gradually the thumbscrews of Saturnare applied, squares and oppositions bring sorrowand suffering, Saturn is placed above Mars in thehoroscope to frustrate and check him, till it seemsas if every effort is futile because of the Saturnianobstruction.

Elijah could not hear the voice of guidance in thefire, the storm, or the earthquake, but when thetumult was over, he heard “the still, small voice” tocheer him. Likewise with us, while we yield to theunchecked Mars impulses, our lives are too turbu-lent to admit of communion with the Higher Self,but when the sorrows of Saturn have chastened theunruly Mars spirit, when the night seems darkest,as in Elijah's cave, then we also may hear the voicethat shall speak peace after the storm. ❐

—Max Heindel

34 RAYS 96

The MessageOf The StarsBy Max and Augusta Foss Heindel

AN ESOTERIC EXPOSITION OF

NATAL AND MEDICAL ASTROLOGY

EXPLAINS THE SCIENCE AND ARTOF READING THE HOROSCOPE

AND DIAGNOSING DISEASE

PROVIDES A KEYWORD SYSTEM FOR

HOROSCOPICALANALYSIS.

CORRELATES ASTROLOGY TO THE

WESTERNWISDOM TEACHINGS.

NATAL—PART I

Describes the nature and effects of signs and planets. Progressions. Prediction. Evolution asshown in the Zodiac.

MEDICAL—P ART II

Explains the method for the astro-diagnosis ofdisease. Pathogenic effects of the signs and planets. The ductless glands. Thirty-six example charts and delineations.

Please order on page 64.

Eighteenth Edition. Fourth printing. 728 Pages. Indexed.Paper. Published by The Rosicrucian Fellowship.

THE EDUCATIONAL VALUE ofastrology centers in the fact that morethan any other science it reveals manto himself. No other science is so sub-lime, so profound, and so all-embracing.

It sets forth the relation between the Grand Man ofthe universe and the little god that is man. “In Hisown image created He man.” The Big Pattern isrepeated in smaller human forms. God, the

macrocosm, and man, the microcosm, are relatedand fundamentally one.

Material science has determined to some extentthe physical effects of the rays of the sun and themoon. Speculations have been offered as to effectsof rays emanating from other stellar bodies. Occultscience, taking into its field of investigation thesubtler forces that impinge upon emotion and mind,have charted their effects with no less definitenessthan has academic science the reactions of sea andsoil, plant and animal, to the solar and lunar rays.

With this knowledge we may determine theastrological pattern of each personality and knowthe relative strength and weakness of the severalforces operating in each life. To the degree that weare in possession of such knowledge we can begin

systematic, scientific character building. We electtimes and seasons cosmically advantageous tounfolding undeveloped qualities, correcting faultytraits, and eliminating destructive propensities.

The educational value of astrology lies in itscapacity to reveal the hidden causes at work in ourlives. It enters into the intangible, yet ever presentand potent factors in life. It transcends form. It dis-covers soul. It demonstrates reality. It touches

every walk of life. It counsels the adult in regard tovocation, the parents in the guidance of children,the teacher in management of pupils, the judges inexecuting sentence, the physician in diagnosingdisease, and in similar manner lending aid to eachand all in whatsoever station or enterprise theymay find themselves.

Astrology and astronomy were at one time a sin-gle subject. The soul of things has not always beenso largely occulted to the great mass of people as ithas been during the past century or two of skepti-cal, materialistic science. So far removed we havebeen from the true, and inner science of the starsthat its higher knowledge has been practiced eitherby the illumined few unbeknownst to the worldat large or by charlatans who have laid hold of

RAYS 96 35

The Educational Value of Astrology

ASTROLOGY

Today astronomy , child of astrology , after having left itsFather ’s house and wandered into a far and barren countrywhere it fed on the husks of forms and figures only , hasturned and set its face toward its true home where the

feast of spiritual abundance is awaiting its return.

fragments of the subject and exploited that littlesmattering of knowledge by trading upon the igno-rance and superstition of the uninformed.

Today, astronomy, child of astrology, after hav-ing left its Father’s house and wandered into a farand barren country where it fed on the husks offorms and figures only, has turned and set its facetoward its true home where the feast of spiritualabundance is awaiting its return. Today men of thefirst rank in the field of science are investigatingcosmic rays and their influence upon man andplanet. Rapidly the consciousness of the people isbeing prepared for an awakening on a vast scale tothe recognition of the fact that stellar bodies do notalone mark time and tide, but that the impulses ofour very souls are subject to their motions. Subjectto their motions, mark, but not a slave thereto. Thedestiny of every human soul is to rule his stars;knowledge and obedience are the means thereto—knowledge of the nature of the stellar forces andobedience to their perfect pattern.

Such is the law that works for righteousness,That none at last can turn aside or stay;The heart of it is love, the end is peace and

consummation sweet,Obey.

Astrology is the loftiest and oldest of all sci-ences. Its origin antedates written history. Itssources apparently reach back to the time whengods are said to have walked and talked with men. Itwould be difficult to assign to primitive humanitythe mere invention of an astrological symbology,universally used throughout the ages and to whichforemost seers of many lands and different reli-gions have looked for pictorial presentation of theevolution of man and planet. In these same glyphsthe understanding eye discerns the rise and fall ofcivilizations and the progressive unfoldment of theworld’s great philosophies and religions. Theyconstitute keys with which we may unlock untoldtreasures in the Bible and the sacred scriptures ofall the world.

Astrology is at once a science, a philosophy, anda religion. It is metaphysical, occult, and practical.The profoundest thinker and the most illumined

mystic confesses to have but faint apprehensionsof the illimitable wisdom contained in this subjectand awaiting our ever-growing grasp, yet the rudi-ments may be learned by anyone who can add andsubtract and its elements checked in one’s own lifeto a sufficient exactitude to demonstrate the truthof its claim beyond all possibility of disbelief. Anapplication of the principles it teaches, whether ornot those principles are fully understood, is suffi -cient to prove their validity by their fruitfulness inour daily life.

The errors of practicing astrologers can no morebe taken as a disproof of the truth of the subjectthan the frailties of professing Christians can beargued as demonstrating the worthlessness of reli-gion and the nonreality of the Christ.

Real astrologers like true saints are few and farbetween. They both represent the fruitage of many

36 RAYS 96

WILL

WISDOM ACTIVITY

lives of noble endeavor and selfless service.Goodness comes not from creed but by living a lifeof friendliness and usefulness. Wisdom comes notfrom memory knowledge but from an age-longextract of experience.

Only those who have sensitized their natures andcleansed their vehicles by pure living and highmotive can in the very nature of the case receiveand transmute the lofty spiritual influencesimpinging upon us from the heavenly bodies.Lilly , the great seventeenth century Englishastrologer, recognizing this, wisely declared to hisstudents that the purertheir lives the betterwould their judgmentbe. By the ear of thesoul we may hear themusic of the spheresand by the eye of thespirit we mayread andinterpret their mani-fold revelations.

Astrology swingsour life into widerorbits. It deals withour earthly span of lifeas but a segment of the whole. Our natal chart iswhat it is, not by an arbitrary decree of Fate but asthe result of our own past action or inaction. Itmarks the magnetic conditions prevailing at thetime of our birth and affirms these to be such aswill best favor the acquisition of those lessonsmost required during the incarnation then begin-ning. By the operation of this law of consequence,this doctrine of hope and responsibility, we recog-nize the present to be at once the fruitage of thepast and seed for the future. Character becomesdestiny.

Astrology, like religion, is divided into twobranches, exoteric and esoteric. The exoteric coverspurely mundane matters. It tells the mariner whenbest to set out to sea, the farmer when planting ismost propitious, the physician the underlying causesof disease to be treated, the teacher the basic natureof pupils, and parents the innate tendencies andcapacities of the child. It reveals the favorable andunfavorable seasons according to which election

may be made.The esoteric transcends all these outer concerns.

It has to do with our inmost nature, with the veryprinciple of life, the source of our being. It dealsnot with passing fortunes of the personality butwith qualities of the soul and egoic development.The incidents pertaining to the world of form areinconsequential to it. It is focused instead on thatdivine element within that is striving toward anever-increasing realization of its unity with thewhole through its contact with form and time andspace. As such, esoteric astrology becomes a spiritual

science, a universalreligion. Only such ascience and such a reli-gion promise to ade-quately sat isfy theunited demands of thehead and heart of grow-ing, aspiring humanity.

More than any otherfactor in the worldtoday, astrology givespromise of leading amater ia l l y -m indedgeneration into con-

ceptions concerning the things of the spirit.Physical science is handicapped by its own self-setlimitations. Religion is under suspicion because itsoutworn forms are too often antiquated and hollow.Astrology of necessity links the fundamental ele-ments of science and religion. It is based on astronom-ical data. It charts invisible forces. It combines theseen and the unseen, body and soul, form and spirit.

When the rapidly quickening spiritual percep-tions of the race will lead it into a serious inquiryof the celestial scroll, we may expect an era ofpower and illumination such as history knows notof. No other subject within the entire range ofhuman knowledge appears to hold for this day andage the possibilities open to astrologers for helpingmen to an elevated sense of their own dignity ascitizens of a cosmos, to a greater grasp of univer-sal law, and to a realization that we are eternallysecure within the caressing fold of Infinite Lifeand Boundless Being. ❐

—A. S. T.

RAYS 96 37

By the operation of this law of consequence,

this doctrine of hope andresponsibility , we recognize

the present to be at oncethe fruitage of the past and

seed for the future.Character becomes destiny .

OF COURSE NEPTUNE is immea-surablyolder than 150 years, but itwas not until September 23, 1846,that it was “officially” discoveredby the German astronomer Johann

Galle, after other European astronomers (JohnCouch Adams and Urban Leverrier), noting irreg-ularities in Uranus’motion, assumed the existenceof another “member” of our solar system and sentGalle pertinent data.1 They were correct to withinone degree of the new planet’s location, but wrongin another sense: this planet is not really a “mem-ber” of Earth’s solar system. “The Mystic...points toBode’s law as vindicating his assertion thatNeptune does not really belong to our solar system.”2

One writer quotes Max Heindel, without giving thereference, that Neptune is “the embodiment of aGreat Spirit from the creative hierarchies.”3

The dates of the discoveries of all three outerplanets are informative, for they have much to dowith their astrological message and meaning.Uranus was “discovered” in 1781, when the mostimportant occurrence on earth was the AmericanRevolution. And its ideals—brotherhood, freedom,New Age principles, etc.—are part of Uranus’message. It is believed that Pluto was firstglimpsed in 1930, which date coincides with therise of modern dictatorships. In 1929 Mussolinistrengthened his position in Italy by his Concordatwith the Vatican. In 1930 Hitler began to be animportant player in German politics after hisastounding success at the polls.4 The Japanese mil-itary embarked on its aggressive adventures in1931, culminating at Pearl Harbor a decade later.

So we ask, what was transpiring on earth at thetime of the discovery of Neptune? In 1846 etherwas first used in surgery; the same year saw “the

introduction of gas lighting.”5 It is recognizedtoday that ether and gas generally are “ruled” byNeptune, which has the lowest specific gravity ofall the planets circling the Sun, so it is understand-ably related to such “nonmaterial” phenomena.But it also “correlates with the advent of socialism,spiritualism, and theosophy,”6 movements thatprotested the excesses of materialism. Neptune isalso considered to be the planet of communism.7

Here’s something both fascinating and confir-mative of some of the above. At the time of theAmerican Revolution, Uranus was conjunct itsown node by transit; the Russian Revolution of1917, regarded as the date of communism’s actualtaking root, coincided with Neptune’s transit overits node; and when Hitler seized power, Pluto hov-ered over its node.8 These three orbs can also be“related” in another way: Neptune was discoveredin Aquarius, Uranus’sign, and this occurred 84years before Pluto “appeared”; it takes Uranus 84years to orbit the sun.

There are compelling reasons for focusing ourattention on Neptune at this time.

First it is one of the two most important planetsof our century. “Coming events cast their shadowbefore.”9 And on January 1, 1900, popularly con-sidered this century’s commencement, Neptuneand Pluto were in Gemini and all the other planetswere in Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius. Thismade a Seesaw pattern, in which both halves of thechart are of equal importance: Neptune and Plutoequaled the other eight planets. In addition, from1942 until almost the century’s end Neptune andPluto form a sextile. No two other planets this cen-tury sustain so long a relationship. It “is the key tounderstanding the twentieth century.” The last timeit occurred was from approximately 1460 to 1530,

38 RAYS 96

Neptune’s Sesquicentennial

ASTROLOGY

“the height of the Renaissance.”10 World con-ditions then were somewhat similar to thosenow, though on a smaller scale and less intense.

Second, this is the Age of Pisces, ruled byNeptune. It is certainly well for esotericists totake an interest in the coming New Age, butsurely the one in which we’re living alsodeserves attention. Since it began approximate-ly 495 A.D. and lasts 2160years, “it is general-ly agreed that the Aquarian Age begins notlater than the year 2655 A.D.” 11

This may raise a question: what do theprimitive early Dark Ages (from the 6th cen-tury on) have in common with our highlysophisticated time? There is an explanation.First, “since the middle of last century theAquarian influence...has made itself feltbecause the Sun’s orb...touches the cusp ofAquarius, and as a consequence we have hadan unprecedented awakening of thought.”12

To further understand changes within thisAge of Pisces, it is necessary to consider thefact that it, as well as all the other zodiacalages, is subdivided into three major periods,each characterized by one of the three signs ofits element. Since Pisces is a watery sign, itsthree decans are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio.Because each age has 2160 years, a decan is720 years. The Sun’s movement through theconstellations, determining the age and decan inwhich we live, is “a backward movement of thevernal equinox.”13 It exited the constellation Ariesand entered the constellation Pisces in the Scorpio(third) decan, which functioned as a “sub-ruler” ofthe sign from 495 to 1215 A.D. That span of timereflected qualities associated with Scorpio. Whatare they?

On the mundane level Scorpio, ruled by Pluto,has to do with wars.14 Pluto is lord of the “under-world.”15 The period of the Dark Ages correspondswith the Scorpio phase of the Age of Pisces.

As a boy, the famous writer Robert LouisStevenson, watched a man lighting street lampsone evening and said to his nanny, “Look, he’spoking holes in the darkness.” After the fall of theRoman Empire, approximately when the decan ofScorpio began, there was nothing with which to

“poke holes” in Europe’s abysmal darkness. Onlyin its extreme northwestern corner, Ireland, wasthere a semblance of cultural activity. In France,during the final years of the Scorpio decan, what isknown as the Twelfth Century Renaissanceoccurred, a faintly foreshadowing what was justahead.

That arrived in the 13th century, the onset of thereal Renaissance, which did far more than merely“poke holes” in the darkness. 1215 marked thestart of the Cancer decan. Cancer is ruled by theMoon, which influences fertility and birth; renais-sance means rebirth! Events on earth were thendefinitely synchronized with this regeneratingimpulse.

It is noteworthy that 1215 A.D. was the year ofthe Magna Carta, in which England’s King Johnwas forced by the barons to issue promises that

RAYS 96 39

NeptuneThis powerful representation of the god of ocean tides and tempestsmight better bear his original Greek name, Poseidon. He bears theconch, symbol of the voice of authority, and the trident, indicatingrulership of the fluid medium.

King N

eptune's Fountain, Italian P

avilion, Epcot, Italy.

marked the birth of a drive for the secur-ing of individual freedom in the BritishIsles.16 Also at this time in Italy Francis ofAssisi initiated a major rebirth of spirituality,which culminated three centuries later in theProtestant Reformation.

Adding 720 years to 1215 A.D. brings usto 1935 A.D., the time of the world-wideGreat Depression. Dictators like Hitler andMussolini “solved” poverty’s problems inquestionable ways that reflected their per-sonal characters. The “democracies” of theWest had to use more “moral” methods. So,led by the U.S, they instituted the “welfarestate.” It is definitely noteworthy that themost basic and far-reaching of all the lawsenacted then was the Social Security Act of1935. During that time the major emphasis inthe U.S. chart was on Neptune, the only oneof the heavy orbs transiting its natal position.

That was unfortunate. Why? “Neptunenever delivers what it promises,” especiallyon the mundane plane.17

We’ve been witnessing this fact during thepresent decade. Undoubtedly millions havebeen helped by various welfare legislation,but there has been a dire downside. SocialSecurity, Medicaid, and Medicare, among othersocial programs, have spawned a passive, exploita-tive dependency on the public dole, discouragedindividual initiative, and become enormous obsta-cles to balancing the U.S. budget, which, if notachieved, spells disaster.

A third reason for studying Neptune is to learnof its influence in one’s personal chart. “Neptune’stransits lead to muddle...It really takes a strong andsane man to control the Neptune in him.”18 Why?Perhaps the simplest reason is given by one of itskey words, “nebulousness.”19 When the weather isdescribedasnebulous,there’s a fog. In a fog, onecannot see. If one cannot see, one makes wrongdecisions. And is there anything worse than that?Aren’t we all where we are because of the decisionswe have made? In light of that understanding, canthere be a wiser decision than to get acquainted withNeptune, and more generally, to study astrology? ❐

—A Probationer

1. The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, page 590.2. Simplified Scientific Astrology, Max Heindel, page 6.3. Astrology, Louis MacNeice, page 68.4. German unemployment was 25%, that’s why.5. MacNeice, op. cit., page 66.6. Astrology, The Divine Science, Moore and Douglas, page 50.7. Moore and Douglas, op. cit., page 205.8. Astrology for the Millions, Grant Lewi, pages 102, 126, 140.

For information on the planetary nodes see Here and There inAstrology, Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson, page 51.

9. The Rosicrucian Philosophy in Questions and Answers, VolumeI, Max Heindel, page 427.

10. Sex and the Outer Planets, Barbara H. Watters, page 116.11. New Age Bible Interpretation, Old Testament, Volume III,

Corinne Heline, page 506.12. Simplified Scientific Astrology, Max Heindel, page 135. See

also The Rosicrucian Philosophy in Questions and Answers,Volume II, Max Heindel, pages 351-353.

13. Simplified Scientific Astrology, Max Heindel, page 159.14. As Above, So Below, Alan Oken, page 172.15. The Planet Pluto, Fritz Brunhubner, page 6.16. Britain considered this document so valuable that during World

War II it was in the U.S. for safe keeping.17. Barbara H. Watters, op. cit., page 96. See also Astrology, Else

Parker, page 121.18. Louis MacNeice, op. cit., page 66. See also Simplified Scientific

Astrology, Max Heindel, page 152; Ivy M. Goldstein-Jacobson,op. cit., page 45.

19. The Modern Text Book of Astrology, Margaret E. Hone, page 34.

40 RAYS 96

THE NATAL CHART

The Houses are workshops of mortals,The Cusp signs relate to the soul,But Planets are Spirit in actionAs onward the Life cycles roll.

Squares show us yesterday’s failures—Obstructions and losses we earnedBy over-indulgence in pleasure,Or lessons despised and unlearned.

Sextiles and Trines reveal creditsFor work we have faithfully done,For services lovingly rendered,For honors unselfishly won.

Equipment for all our endeavor,By Elements and Qualities shown,May help or retard our progress:The choice remains always our own.

—Isabel Ambler Gilman

WHILE AMONG GOSPELwritings pivotal points in the lifeof Jesus have inspired the imag-ination and devotion of artistsduring the last two millennia

(notably the Annunciation, Nativity, Baptism,Transfiguration, Last Supper, Gethsemane, Stationsof the Cross, Resurrection and Ascension), the bookof Revelationshas presented a singular challengeand fascination for painters with its wealth ofimages that are peculiarly visual. The problem itpresents is that its visual nature is visionary, somewould say phantasmagorical, consisting, as they do,of visions in the supersensible world.

As its author, John the Evangelist, says, “TheRevelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave untohim,” was sent and “signified” to his servant Johnthrough his angels; that is, set out in pictures. Johnalso “gave witness” to the Word of God in hisGospel. To witness is to see, but it is also to know.John’s seeing is a higher discerning, a supersensibleknowing, the fruit of initiation. The imminence ofthe parousia or reappearance of Christ is again amatter of suprasensible seeing: “Behold, he comethwith clouds” (1:7); that is, in the realm of the ether-ic.

The author of the Apocalypse(Greek for “uncov-ering”) is a divinely appointed link in the chain oftransmission of God’s Word through its revealerand testifier, Christ Jesus, as mediated by Hisangel, to general humanity. While John’s record is aseries of prophecies, almost wholly given over towhat is not yet but shall come to pass, more thanany other scriptural document it assumes and draws

on a deep understanding of Earth’s prior occult evo-lution.

In order to enter the world of the Apocalypse, weas readers cannot assume the onlooker conscious-ness with which we live in the diurnal world, view-ing from outside, detached. We must eat this book,and it will disturb our standard digestion, upset ournormal understanding of things, be bitter in the

RAYS 96 41

The Apocalypse—Verbal and Visual

Revelations—Part 1

RELIGION AND ART

Hans Memling (1430/40-1494), Oil on oak panel. Right wing of St. John Altarpiece, Memling

Museum, St. John’s Hospital,Bruges, Belgium

The Vision of St. JohnThe painting sets forth the entire sequence of apocalypticevents. Note the seer kneeling before the throne of God.

belly. Over and again John is enjoined to act, to“come up hither” and “see.” His active participationis required. We as readers are also rallied to beactors. Not just to see but to take part in, live intothe disclosures which so fundamentally affect us.Our will is addressed.

Since initiation makes possible the attainment ofa condition that humanity will experience at a latertime by natural evolutionary means, an initiate canperceive events in archetypal form in the spiritualworlds well in advance of their material manifesta-tion. Such are the visions of the Apocalyptist, notthe Apostle John, who was martyred in Jerusalem in56 A.D., but the Elder John, the presbyter John,who lived in Ephesus and was the raised Lazarus.The Apocalypse was written on the Greek island ofPatmos toward the end of the first century (around95 A.D.) during the persecution of Domitian. Thistradition is documented by the second century writ-ers Justin, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, andTertullian, and has been confirmed by clairvoyantinvestigation.

Whereas pre-Christian initiations were directedto the past, to age-old wisdom, esoteric Christianinitiation reveals the future. Man is initiated notonly for his wisdom and feelings, but for his will.To set goals based on knowledge of the ChristPrinciple and to work for their realization throughthe activation of will is to grasp Christianity esoter-ically. The Apocalypseprovides us with an instru-ment for the initiation of the will, an impulse givenfor the future, for action.

Whereas the Gospels are certainly eternal in thetruths they set forth, their profound impact is basedon their being grounded in the historical reality ofChrist Jesus, on the assumption of physical form ina specific time and place by the highest spiritualprinciples in our cosmos. Revelation, on the otherhand, is not primarily bringing all things to ourremembrance(John 14:26), but disclosing thatwhich will be. We, as readers and hearers of thisapocalyptic word, may thus alert and align our willsto the very end of Earth evolution (Earth Period) byliving in accordance with the principles and plans itsets forth.

Earliest (pre-Christian) initiation focused onthinking. The nearer Christian times were approached,

initiatory exercises trained the forces of feeling. Inmodern times, Rosicrucian exercises activate theelement of will. But all occult training commencesby organizing and subduing the desire body throughthe mental control, moral discipline, and physicalfocus. Mystic masonry and Jesuitism also strength-en the will through the Ego’s work on the physicalinstrument, which generates the conscious soul.Here, cross-carrying is paramount.

Simply stated, initiation awakens capacities andpowers slumbering in the soul. The Apocalypse setsforth spheres of initiation which designate bothactual and figurative future events (as well asimplied past events) and levels of higher conscious-ness. There are three modes of supersensible cogni-

42 RAYS 96

From Book of Hours (Très Riche Heures), Jean Duc de Berry

The Revelation of St. John on the Island of PatmosIn the presence of the iconic eagle, here symbolizing divineinspiration, St. John “hears” what he sees. The four beastsare depicted as four Cherubim. The Lamb is in the Throne.

tion—seeing (imagination), know-ing (inspiration), and being as(intuition). All such cognition mustbe preceded by purification of thedesire body, “preparing the way ofthe Lord,” which results in cathar-sis, technically denoting activationof clairvoyant faculties. The desirebody then imprints its wisdom inpictures on the etheric body asillu -minations—one “sees.” In a furtherstep, one ascends to SecondHeaven where one “hears” andknows what one sees. Finally, in theThird Heaven, one identifies withwhat one knows, becomes it.

So does John record his own see-ing, knowing, and being as he pre-sents pictures, hears wisdom, andthe “eats” this wisdom, making itpart of his spiritual body. Such arethe spheres of initiation set forth by theApocalyptist as he delivers letters to the sevenChurches, which signify the seven categories of thephysical (including the etheric) as a preparatorystage. The first stage, the seven levels of the desireworld (the world of images), is designated by theseven seals. The second stage, the seven levels ofthe world of thought (the world of tone), is signifiedby the seven trumpets. The third stage, the sevenvials of wrath, identifies what must be cast offbefore one can enter into the world of life spirit, thetrue world of the Christ.

As John is caught up in the spirit and summonedby his initiators to “come up here,” his visionexpands to encompass ever wider reaches of theevolution of form, life, and consciousness.Revelation’s opening vision pictures the New Man,future Archetypal Man as He has been created byvirtue of the forces won by Christ through living inthe body of Jesus. The Being is described as “onelike unto the Son of man.” In the Gospels onlyChrist uses this phrase to designate Himself. Here,we are to visualize Ideal man who has been recreat-ed or restored by the indwelling Christ, the “humanform divine” (Blake), the form described byColeridge in “Ode to the Departing Years”:

Now I recenter my immortal mindIn the deep Sabbath of meek self-content;Cleansed from the vaporous passions that bedimGod’s Image, sister of the Seraphim.

Archetypal man, as “sister of the Seraphim,” is,in his physical person, the creation of the livingsubstance of the highest creative hierarchies. Aclose analysis of this visionary Being shows that Itis comprised of nine-fold light and attributes deriv-ing from the nine ranks of spiritual beings, fromangels to Seraphim, who have contributed of theirspiritual substance to its creation. As God’s imagerestored, Adam regenerated, this Christ-fashionedForm is a “blending of the Glory of Eternity withthe Masterpiece of Time” (Balfour).

The seven candlesticks (a variation on the Jewishmenora) encircling the Son of Man are a represen-tation of the vibratory powers which have beenassimilated and mastered on the microcosmic levelas the seven planetary energies, signified by theseven stars, and on the ecclesial level as the sevenchurches or communities of each Ray type.

The sharp two-edged sword is the Ego, whosehighest manifestation is the creative word. The Egois capable, in its lower expression, of selfishness,possessiveness and inhumanity; while in its highest

RAYS 96 43

Tobias Verhaeght, 1561-1631, Oil on Panel, 1598, Antwerp, Hermitage

Landscape with John the Evangelist Writing the Book of Revelation on theIsland of Patmos

Apocalyptic scenes here depicted include the Woman Clothed with Sun (top) whoseeks refuge from the Red Dragon in the wilderness (left), and the casting downof “that old serpent” and his host out of heaven by the Archangel Michael.

expression it radiates love and creative good will.The Ego can exalt man by enabling him to chooseto give love as an entirely free gift, or it can temptman to serve purely selfish interests, thus plunginghim into the abyss.

Christ Jesus brought full Ego-consciousness toman and is represented as the One Who has thesharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth.In the Apocalypse the planetary form of this two-foldness is the civilization of Babylon (material-ism) and the civilization of New Jerusalem (spiritu-al community), which are both represented as citiesand personified as women.

On the most literal or mundane level, the sevenletters to the Churches are assessments of the statusof the seven most active centers in Asia Minor andprovide clear evidence that, historically, an organi-zationallyunified Church is not a Christian idea buta Roman idea which was applied to the Churchthrough Constantine in 313 A.D. The seven originalChurches of Revelationconstitute the vision of asocial pattern of Christianity. They are seven equalarchetypes having a unified spirit and a unified law,but differentiated in background and character.They constitute a seven-fold manifestation of theBeing Who speaks to John.

The letters are addressed to the angels of eachChurch, the spiritual group soul of a wide variety ofindividuals who together comprise an ecclesiawhose character or consciousness was held in thesoul of the angel of the Church. On another level,the seven letters to the Churches are characteriza-tions of the seven developmental phases of the Fifth(First Post-Atlantean) Epoch of the Earth Period.The angel of each Church is its guiding influence orpresiding genius.

Specifically, since the Bible, and Revelationinparticular, are a product of the FirstPost-Atlanteanepoch, their symbolism pertains to this time frame,according to which the seven stars symbolize theseven beings who are the spiritual (angelic) leadersof the seven cultural ages of this epoch. Duringthese ages humanity can obtain particular powersand aptitudes, occultly indicated by each letter’scontent.

What is said of our current fifth sub-epoch,Sardis? “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art

dead” (3:1). How dead? Dead to spirit. Yet we maystrengthen what remains (of knowledge) and repent,that is, change our minds, our material orientation,so that we may be “clothed in white raiment.”

During the sixth cultural sub-epoch, Philadelphia,the intellectuality of the West will marry the spiri-tuality of the East, most notably (as Max Heindelpredicted) in Russia, and will foster brotherly love.The seventh sub-epoch will be lukewarm. Then willfollow the War of All against All, wherein each non-evolved ego will pit itself against every other ego,after which begins the sixth Epoch, New Galilee.

The proper and full utilization of the energies(star) given each Church (candlestick) will result inthe overcoming of the physical through Him Whohas the keys of hell and of death. Egoic conscious-

44 RAYS 96

Woodcut, Albrecht Durer, 1496-98, State Hall of Art, Karlsruhe

John sees the Seven CandlesticksThe Son of Man, with sunburst countenance, flaming eyes,and the Sword of Justice coming out of his mouth, holds inhis left hand the Book of Life and in his right hand the sevenStar Angels, who inspire the seven churches in Asia, signi-fied by the Seven Candlesticks. The clouds represent thesuprasensible worlds. John falls at His feet, as if dead.

ness shall be fully invested in the ethericbody through the activation of its sevenoccult centers, as indicated by the letters’seven promises. Redeemed humanityshall:1) “eat of the tree of life”; 2) “not be hurt ofthe second death”; 3) “eat of the hiddenmanna” and be given “the white stone”; 4)receive “the morning star”; 5) be “clothed inwhite raiment”; 6) be made a permanent“pillar in the temple of God”; and, 7) “sitwith me [Christ] in my throne.”

As befits a manual on the initiation of thewill, John is kept in a state of continuousactivity and dynamic concentration. He istold: “What thou seest, write in a book andsend it”; “write the things which thou hastseen”; “come up hither, and I saw and Iwept...and I beheld”; “and I went unto theangel...and I took the little book...and ate itup”; “rise and measure the temple of God”;“And I stood upon the sand of the sea”; “hecarried me away in the spirit”; “and I felldown at his feet.”

For his second vision John is summonedby a trumpet-like voice, and immediately heis in the spirit and passes through a door inheaven and enters the desire world where he seesand records perhaps Revelation’s most resplendentvision—the throne of God with a Lamb in its midst,surrounded by four beasts, and ranged before itseven spirits, twenty-four elders, and a host ofangels.

The four living creatures surrounding the throneare the four zoa, the “raw material of humanity,” thefour Archangelic Group Souls, now the fourRecording Angels. Macrocosmic God-Man (AdamKadmon), who comes forth from Spiritland, firstappears to clairvoyant vision as proceeding fromfour creative human prototypes, the forces forminghim appearing as here represented—the septenaryrainbow. The present day lion, bull, eagle and proto-human forms bear a similitude to the etherealbodieswhich early mankind assumed. And they possesseda consciousness and group soul nature appertainingto each type.

Man owes every soul quality he now possesses tohis rejection, during his evolutionary development,

of a particular animal form, while retaining the spir-itual equivalent of that form. By analogy, sedimentis the precipitation of coarse matter from turbidwater, leaving a clear, light liquid. The mystic art ofalchemy extensively utilizes this separative andsublimating process, which is emblematic of trans-formation to the higher and sacrifice or throwing offof the lower. Specifically, astral (desirebody) man iscomposed of eagle (head—thinking), lion (heart—emotion), bull (gut and limb system—will), andman (in an early form of the coordination and syn-thesis of the three).

The ego-ensouled individual is a whole animalspecies unto himself, whereas animal group egosare in the desire world and have not descended tothe physical.

The mystical Lamb in the midst of the Throne,the sign of the Redeemer, is the group soul for thehigher manifestation of men, the Christed Ego.

The twenty-four Elders are embodiments of theexperience obtained from the twenty-four rounds of

RAYS 96 45

Woodcut, 1496, Albrecht Durer, State Art Hall, Karlsruhe

John before God and the EldersJohn, “in the spirit,” enters a door in heaven and sees God aureoled inglory, the Lamb with seven eyes and seven horns, the seven lamps, the six-winged, myriad-eyed, Cherubimic beasts, and the twenty-four Elderscasting down their crowns in praise and adoration before the Throne.

evolution or cycles of time that havepreceded our current phase ofplanetary manifestat ion.Dur ing that t ime o t h e rbeings passed throughtheir human stage:Lords of Mind during theSaturn Period (7 phases);Archangels during theSun Period (7 phases);Angels during the MoodPeriod (7 phases); andhumans during threestages of the Earth Period(the fourth is not yet com-pleted). These twenty-fourElders can thus guide and informman’s evolution from spiritualrealms as the directors of time(twenty-four planetary hours ofthe cosmic clock, each “hour” orrevolution ruled by a “time-king”).

Having lived and died in a human body and spir-itually rejuvenated the earth with His solar vitality,Christ is able to loose the seven seals ofthe Book of L i fe held by theFather. Prior to His Advent, theBook had become “sealed”and humanity lacked suffi -cient power to overcomematerial forces and pene-trate consciously intothe worlds of soul andspir i t . Through theLamb’s sacrifice, theessence of eons of for-mative experience can beinherited and imprintedonthe human soul

At the end of the Fifth(First Post-Atlantean) Epoch,following upon the War ofAll against All, the sevenseals will be unloosed and allthat is “written” therein willbe opened and the book ofthe individual spirit’s jour-

ney will be read and available forassimilation. This content wi l l

per ta in to the soul’sincarnations during the

seven cultural sub-epochswherein it obtainedpartic-ular powers and apti-tudes as indicated inpart by the seven lettersto the churches.

Had not the ChristImpulse been given to

Earth and its humanity,mank ind would have

e n c o u n t e r e d t h e d i r epredicament of being unable to

adequately learn from and trans-mute its earth experience into theluminous substance of the soulbody. The Lamb redeems whatotherwise would have been lostand reveals what else would have

remained hidden, giving the freedom to understandand the strength to act on that understanding and

rise up out of the age in which humandevelopment had become sealed or

arrested.While experiences repre-sentedby the seals werelaid down in the FifthCultural Epoch (AncientIndian, Persian,Egypto-S u m a r i a n, G r e c o-R o m a n /S e m i t i c ,Teutonic/Saxon/Celt,Sixth, and Seventh sub-

epochs), they will beloosed as usable soul

powers and will character-ize the seven consecutivesub-cultures of the SixthEpoch of New Gal i lee,whose emphasis will be onconscious developmento f t h e e t h e r i c b o d y.(Continued) ❐

—C. W.

46 RAYS 96

Clara Rettich,1907, after sketches by Rudolf Steiner, fromOccult Pictures in Signs and Symbols, Dornach, 1975

Human archetypes, past and future:the four Zoa and the Lamb.

From Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians, Altona, 1785

“And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art wor-thy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof...[and] to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”

MEMBERS OF the Jesus Seminarand their satellites are creatingquite a stir for themselves, sell-ing books and videos at a briskclip through their publishing

house, Polebridge Press, and enabling their spon-sor, Westar Institute, to thrive. Westar, “an advo-cate for religious literacy,” conducts scholarlyseminars, publishes its own journal, The Forum,and invites membership from qualified applicants.

The Jesus Seminar has brought some perilouslypositioned believers to a crisis of faith, armedatheists with putative facts, and, of course,outraged Christian fundamentalists.

What’s it all about? The Jesus Seminar is agroup of individuals whose central aim is, in theirwords, a quest for the historical Jesus. As such theyhave been called historical revisionists. They havemade use of the recently discovered materials andcurrent critical methodologies to assess the veracityof the traditional picture of Jesus and his teachingsas contained in the Gospels.

Seminar investigators contend that much of thelife and words of the traditional Jesus is a constructof popular attribution, political manipulation, andwishful thinking. Their founder, Robert Funk, statedat the opening meeting of the group in March,1985, “we are going to inquire simply, rigorously,after the voice of Jesus, after what he reallysaid...We intend to examine every fragment of thetraditions attached to the name of Jesus...in questof his voice.” That was for starters.

The Seminar first assessed the degree of schol-arly consensus about the historical authenticity ofeach of the sayings attributed to Jesus and thensought to determine the historicity of events asso-

ciated with the life of Jesus in the Gospels—the“deeds tradition.”

In their biannual meetings Fellows voted theirresponse to an alleged Jesus saying by casting oneof four differently colored beads into a ballot box.A red bead meant authentic; a pink bead meant “acloseapproximation”;gray meant “not Jesus’words,though they may reflect his ideas”; and blackmeant “definitely not spoken by Jesus.” A weightedaverage ofthe votes and a color was assigned toeach saying.

It was acknowledged that this procedure wouldnot actually determine what Jesus said. Its functionwas to measure current scholarly opinion. At leastthat was the initial modest proposal—a glorifiedopinion poll.

The Seminar has concluded that the “FifthGospel” of Thomas, discovered in 1945 in Egypt,is more likely to contain Jesus’authentic wordsthan any of the synoptic Gospels. The greatest con-sensus on the authenticity of Jesus’sayings are forthe earliest forms of the parables and aphorisms,both “wisdom forms of speech.” The Fellows thussee Jesus as a “wisdom teacher.”

Among their many controversial conclusions,the Seminar has rejected the “eschatological con-sensus” and maintains that Jesus did not speak ofhis second coming, nor of the “end of the world,”nor of a last judgment as given in the sheep andgoats and the wheat and tares parables. While theSeminar also rejected the plausibility of Jesusreferring to a future Kingdom of Heaven, they con-cur on sayings which speak of the Kingdom as apresent, though difficult to discern,reality.

The Seminar concluded that Jesus did not teachthe Lord’s Prayer as a connected whole. They

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Revising the Historical Jesus

NEWS

doubted he taught his followers a roteprayer to be memorized, though a liturgi-cal form later evolved for communityworship. Also, the Lord’s Prayer has threeextant forms, Matthew’s being the one mostpeople so designate. Which is the Lord’s?

We understand that some of the cher-ished forms of the Scriptures may, in fact,contain translation errors, copyist emen-dations, and dogmatic additions. But wealso know that objectivity is based on thefacts at hand and that there are “facts”that modern scholarly research, likematerial science in general, does notcountenance because they are written onthe fleshy tablets of the heart, in the mem-ory of nature, and disclosed through thefaith that is the evidence of things notseen nor physically seeable. There is apoint beyond which material researchcannot go. For the scientists of the spirit,the object of final inquiry is not the phys-ical Jesus but the spirit of Christ, Whoappeared in and as the historical Jesus thatHe might accomplish His cosmic deeds of regen-erating the Earth and redeeming a lost humanity.

The musings and document siftings of the lin-guists and Biblical exegetes simply are not vital tothe living essence of Christianity, which is ChristHimself. Historical investigation is not the tool ofenlightenment conceived of by its advocates andpractitioners. The alleged spiritual crisis created byhistorical scholarship is not a crisis to them thatbelieve. The Seminar Fellows say “We can nolonger be sure of who Jesus was or what he said.”By inference, their inherited credulity has taken atumble, but now they are seeing matters in the fulllight of (a diminished?) day. One senses a subdueddelight behind the mask of these sober inquiries,as the icons of popular piety crackand topple.Faith, they say, does not vouch forauthenticity, andBiblical inerrancy is but a form of idolatry. Withthis last observation Max Heindel might well agree.

The Jesus Seminar is certainly a child of its time,infected by the contagion of relativism. Thus, theydeclare that “Jesus, the movement he started, andthe documents that movement produced, can only

be understood in terms of the anthropological andcultural forces of the time.” So much for God’sview and use of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Golgotha,and Mt. Olivet. Whatever human intentions andlimitations may be, God uses them for His infalli-ble and loving purposes.

Perhaps most disturbing to orthodox Christiansis the Seminar’s skepticism about the bodily resur-rection of Jesus, which Mormons, for one, literallybelieve. Yet esoteric Christianity does not teachbodily resurrection either. Nevertheless, there is aresurrection, without which, as Paul states, all ourfaith is in vain. Why? “Our life is hidden with Christ [Who is hidden to material sight] in God”(Col. 3:3). If Christ be not risen as the Victor ofdeath, nor are we. Resurrection is, firstly, a separa-tion of the etheric body from its dense physicalhost; but most essentially, it is a release of the eternalspirit from its material confines to its home world.

The Seminar’s pronouncements will temporarilyclose the door for some who have no knowledge ofhuman occult anatomy, and they may discouragethe popular (and correct) intuition that Christ did

48 RAYS 96

William Blake. Pen, Indian ink, grey wash and watercolor. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University, Eng.

The Three Marys at the Sepulcher“ Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen”

—Luke 24:4-6.

resurrect from the grave. Let us be clear: It is the living Spirit of Christ,

working since Golgotha through the Holy Spirit,the Spirit of Truth, that conveys the spirit of theGospel teachings, confirms their authenticity, andwill bring all things to our remembrance. The HolySpirit is the unerring archeologist and the ultimateBiblical redactor. As Professor Robert Wilken,author of The Land Called Holy, writes, “Spiritualinterpretation does not impose meanings on texts,but discerns what is unveiled by the Incarnation ofthe divine Word and the sending of the HolySpirit.” Obviously if both the Incarnation of God’sSon and the inspirationof the Holy Spirit aredenied, a thin harvestawaits the scripturalgleaners.

What appears in timeis not captive to it, butthe Fellows of the JesusSeminar are hostage toa scantily documentedhistorical person. Dantesaid “even when sup-ported by the senses,reason has short wings.”We might substitute theword “especially” for “even.” Faith, for those whocannot yet see with the eyes of the spirit, is yet theprecursor of those eyes. Augustine said, “No onebelieves anything unless he first thought it to bebelievable.” The so-called impartial investigatorwaits for the facts to tell him what to believe, notrealizing or admitting that he often seeks particularkinds of facts to witness to unacknowledged pre-existing beliefs. Nor does he squarely face thequestion of what constitutes a fact. “Not everyonewho thinks believes, since many think in order notto believe; but everyone who believes thinks”(Augustine). Finally, Jesus did not say, Believecertain things aboutme; he said, “believe also inme” (John 14:1, italics added).

Contemporary theorist Richard Lanham says,rhetorical (postmodern) man is trained not to dis-cover reality but to manipulate it. Emily Dickinsonwrote, “The abdication of belief makes the behav-

ior small.” The postmodern positivist, so apparentlyearnest and well-intentioned in his search for atruth whose criteria have been predetermined, createsa world that is, finally, profoundlytrivial becauseits spirit and very life have been stifled and starved.

Even with the incontestable proof of the exis-tence of the man Jesus, no amount of information(“evidence”) will enable us to see in him the holyChrist, just as no quantity of miracles will perma-nently convert an unbeliever. Belief requires aninner assent, inner work. The resurrection can bedoubted to doomsday, as can be the existence ofGod Himself. Their reality remains intact.

The Seminar findsthe Gospels suspectbecause they werewritten by fallible men.So they were. So toowere they instrumentsused by the Spirit of Godto reveal HisTruth tothe sons of God, Hischildren. It is the giftand issue of faith tomake this determina-tion until the eye of thespirit confirms it.

Within the Christiantradition historical means Christological. Thismeans that Christ is at the heart of the Earth’s his-tory. Christ Jesus’question to His disciples is thequestion asked then and ever again: “Who do peo-ple say that I am?” Peter knew: “Thou art the liv-ing Christ.” Flesh and blood did not declare this toPeter; nor would the discovery of an anachronisticvideo of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration;nor would a miraculously prepared compact disccontaining his one hundred most memorable say-ings. The truth we seek is not waiting to surface inan archeological dig. It is not poised to jump forthfrom a brilliant collation of never-before-seen, on-the-scene texts. The artifact, the strict letter of theword, by itself, is always dead on arrival. But it maybe blessed as the carrier of the spirit that gives itlife, the spirit that is truth, the spirit that shuns the“lo, here and the lo, there,” for this spirit is within.One must have the eye of the spirit to see spirit. ❐

RAYS 96 49

The Seminar finds theGospels suspect because

they were written by falliblemen. So they were. So too

were they instrumentsused by the Spirit of Godto reveal His Truth to the

sons of God, His children.

DONALD WEBB, a U.S. consul inan unspecified South American sea-side town, was a prisoner of hisextraordinary self-control. He usedit to extract the deference he felt due

him, but it severely restricted his savor of life. Hewas called on to investigate the death of anAmerican artist, Franz Crispian. He could havedischarged this duty in a perfunctory manner.Instead, he was drawn, against his “better” judg-ment, into a jungle and up a mountain.

The reader of The Thirteenth Apostle(EugeneVale, Jubilee Press, Los Angeles, 1983, Tel. 800326-2665) is quickly absorbed by the narrative andshares with Webb his powerful but inexplicablefascination with Crispian. The ambiance of theaction has resonance with Malcolm Cowley’sUnder the Volcano. One is also reminded of thegeneric theme of returning to a primitive conditionin man’s history and psyche to wrestle with pri-mordial forces and confront one’s darker nature, asexplored in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darknessand William Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

Webb is oriented in his search by Padre Paolo,who, with a touch of irony, informs him that he “isa man of the city who would have difficulty imag-ining the hardships and dangers of this wilder-ness.” Webb considered order the highest goal ofman. Accordingly, he arranged his life in patternsof strict regularity to which he adhered with exact-ing discipline. As a result, he had won for himselfa secure place in an orderly universe, but with theadvent of Crispian into his life, his achievementwas no longer a source of satisfaction.

Crispian unsettled him. He had a knack for get-ting at the heart of things. He “simply refused torespect the shield of polite familiarity behindwhich civilized people allowed themselves, bytacit agreement, an area of seclusion.” “Why didyou become an artist?” Webb asks the painter. “Ididn’t choose.” His shoulders sank, as if hedespaired of explaining. There is something of theVan Gogh in Crispian—not the extrovert mania,but the same central drivenness. He was chosen topaint. It was his calling, even his cross. But whatwas sufficient, given his peculiar quiet intensity,to this calling? He seemed impelled toward anultimate subject whose capture might free himfrom his captivity, and that subject was somehow

50 RAYS 96

The Call of a Mountain

BOOK REVIEWIan B

riton

connected with the mountain that rose with an OldTestament forbiddenness, from which the Word ofGod itself might be heard—if one could endurethe contact.

Crispian was first drawn away from the porttown’s picturesque blandness toward the area’sinterior, where life was simpler, more basic:“When you’ve lost your way, you retrace yoursteps to beginnings. You look for your roots.” Mostunsettling for Webb was a cartoon Crispian haddrawn of the consul’s face at their last meeting: “Itwas that of an impassioned dreamer, eyes dilatedwith unsettled longing, lips parted as if on theverge of forming the words of an impassionedprayer.”

Fight ing against amounting sense ofrecognition, of the truthof this instant snapshotof his soul, Webb saidthat he did not find thesketch amusing.Crispian nodded, “I sup-pose not. One’s personaltragedy never is.” Thereit is. Webb has beenunmasked. What was thetragedy? Webb had actu-ally been an idealist inhis youth, and through aseries of hardships, had capitulated to “reality” andgiven up his dreams and aspirations, settling onbuilding a public image and material security andsuppressing the bitterness over his dashed hopes.Now the wellspring of that original idealism wasreactivated by Crispian’s cartoon and it droveWebb on a journey into the interior in search of heknew not what.

Crispian had preceded him. The natives had“read” him and knew that the “white man hascome to find God.” This was news to the painter,but not the padre. He knew his unrest is commonto us all. Only in him it was stronger. “Since thegreat questions of life seem to have no answer, wepush them aside and proceed to live as if they didnot surround us on all sides like the very air webreathe...as if the basic mystery did not exist.”

Crispian had no defense against this mystery,therefore he could not know peace. “We all have tolive with our God, or, if you prefer, with the mys-tery of our life...Only one thing is impossible, thevery thing most people try to ignore.” King Davidcould not ignore this “one thing.” Psalm 139bespeaks his quandary: “Whither shall I go fromThy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy pres-ence?” And what had happened to Crispianincreasingly takes hold of Webb: He becomes preyof the “Hound of Heaven” (in Francis Thompson’sterms)—seeking, yet sought; driving, yet driven;penetrating further into his soul through the densethicket of doubt, denial, fear, and confusion.

The padre stays withWebb for the entire,immensely compellingsaga of his quest, a jour-ney of outward ascent,but inward descent to apsychological purgatory.One is reminded ofDante’s journey into theInferno with his guideVirgil. In this pilgrim’sprogress, the padremight well represent theassistance provided byorganized religion. Butthere comes a t ime

when one is on one’s own. One comes to anexistential dead center, be it Gethesmane, ametaphorical deserted island, a trackless desert, orthe winding, hazardous margins of a mountain. Arethe Church and its vicars, as purveyors of Divinity,closer to it? The padre, himself a mountain of car-ing and good works, in a moment of anguishedhonesty, confesses, “I know not God. I love Him,and know Him not.” So, perhaps, he too has a rea-son to test himself and break beyond his normalbounds in accompanying Webb on what becomes aperilous and utterly riveting narrative of ascent upthe mountain of belief and self-testing.

This review will not treat of the central “action”of The Thirteenth Apostle. But should the readingbe taken up, it, like Webb’s journey itself, can notbe put down, however steep and grim the prospect.

RAYS 96 51

There comes a timewhen one is on one’ sown. One comes to anexistential dead center ,

be it Gethesmane, ametaphorical deserted

island, a trackless desert,or the winding, hazardous

margins of a mountain.

While outwardly a story of literal breathlessadventure, it is essentially an account of spiritualconversion and illumination.

How does the book’s title bear upon all this?Crispian, near the mountain’s summit, in a weather-battered shed, oblivious of all else, set to work ona painting, Christ on Golgotha, of which he hadwritten, “I have not seen any independentexistence away from it.”

As the story unfolds, other fig-ures appear whose significanceswells out into archetypaldimensions. Here’s how alady, who tendedto andcompanioned Crispian inhis last days, is described:“There is no more won-derful woman in thewhole world. You mightsay, she’s the only [hername? Mona] womanwecan admire. The onlyone—and the same one forall of us” (in a mountainmining settlement).“Shewas holding that thin, emaciatedfigure [Crispian] in her arms, thebody of a child.” The Pietà immedi-ately comes to mind.

If Crispian is a Jesus figure, who isWebb? The bulk of the book is abouthim, his trials and challenges, including the sur-render of all his pride and hidden shame, itsinevitable counterpart. What obstacles (whosetotality, in one sense, are the mountain itself)stand in his way? For one, which the student ofRosicrucian Teachings can appreciate, his veryintelligence, which prompts him to subscribe to arespectable, even brilliant agnosticism. Webb istold along his way, “To achieve anything daring,one must be a fool or inspired by holy madness.”We remember that, for the rational Greeks, a cru-cified God was a palpable absurdity. Nor can mod-ern man seem to overcome the barriers posed bymaterialistic thinking. He is crucified by hisdespotic reasoning powers which forbid passingbeyond physical proof. He lives in a “Dark Age of

the soul,” an age where the machine flowers whilehumanity wilts.

Webb learns, along a way studded with hard-won insights, that “doubt is as essential to truefaith as ashes might be to the rise of the phoenix”;that apparently “untroubled proclamations of faithmay be but a howling in the inner desert of unbe-

lief”; also, that what he saw, depicted onCrispian’s recovered canvas in that

God-forsaken mining town, was“an event occurring not long

ago, but here and now.”In this painting Crispian

had summoned a crowd ofwitnesses to an undyingscene. In the forefrontwas one bearing Webb’sown features, one whosymbolized “the multi-tude of thirteenth apostles,comprising all those whoare called but not chosen,

the anonymous men ofgood will from whom the

future draws its strength ofsurvival.” Other figures in the

painting bore the features of knownlocal persons, who were, by thepower of the artist’s imagination andtalent, translated to that Drama withits prototypic roles, and they were

participating in a re-enactment of Golgotha.As the two seekers of living Truth struggle up

the mountain, Webb realized “he would have torely on himself alone.” And what is the mountain’sname? El Soledad. The Solitary. As Webb’s innervoice warns him, should you dare “to scale super-physical heights, as well as physical, do notbelieve you will get far with clever arguments orcunning excuses.”

The actual journey comprises a full half of thebook of 347 pages. The author binds us to the mindof the climber even as Webb reaches out with allthe concentration and intentionality in his power tofind and stay (on) the path, a path which becomeslife’s path and whose summit is life’s goal. Theparable of climbing is explained: “In man’s ability

52 RAYS 96

Michelangelo, St. Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome

Pietà

to conceive of a superlative, there operated anabstract propulsion which always seemed to bedriving toward concrete goals, but always survivedand exceeded their eventual attainment by the sim-ple mechanism of transforming what had appearedas an end into a stepping stone for furtherdemands.”

A milestone on his tortuous journey is reachedwhen Webb prays, not knowing he was praying. Adialogue begins in his mind, the personified moun-tain addressing him as Divinity Itself might speakto a wayward soul, or his Lord might speak to amodern Thomas à Kempis. A parallel with KingLear on the heath here suggests itself, yet withsalvific difference.

Webb is led to confront his anger and painedself-isolation and is reminded, “Thou canst notwithdraw from others without drawing from thy-self; and thou canst not lose faith in thy fellow menwithout losing faith in thine own worth...Thouwast born with a love in thy heart, which cannot bedivided...if it be not allowed to encompass all, itwill embrace nothing.”

Countering Webb’s desperate attempts to extri-cate himself from his web of paralyzing excuses,the mountain roars “If I have not lost faith inmen...why shoulds’t thou want to despair?” Webbreaches a point in his ascent from which there is noturning back. His inward travail and ordeal is won-derfully represented in vivid description of the rag-ing, raw elements and rugged terrain. The steeperthe grade and difficulty of his upward way, thedeeper he descends into the abyss of his being,“round and round as in a vortex, always lower,always faster,” toward the site of the vital break inhim, a pivotal point in his life where he had givenup, quit life’s high enterprise and begun to coastand forget and die. Webb reviews this decisivemoment, admits his error, and goes onward, andupward, and inward.

The reviewer will not here travel with Webb tothe book’s end; but anyone who takes up TheThirteenth Apostle surely will—probably beforedoing much else. They may well also conclude thatfor sheer intense experience, this treatment of theessential quest theme has few peers. ❐

—C. W

RAYS 96 53

Letters To StudentsBy Max Heindel

This book contains the direct personalcommunications of Max Heindel with

students of the Rosicrucian Fellowship fromChristmas 1910 to January 1919. Theseninety-seven letters, written in the intimate, earnesttone of a teacher and friend, make inspiringand instructive reading.

Contents include:

Christ and His Second Coming

Heart Development and Initiation

Spiritual Teachers—True and False

The Christ Spirit and the Spiritual Panacea

Incr easing the Life of the Ar chetype

Unnatural Means of Attainment

“Lost Souls” and Stragglers

The Vital Body of Jesus

Please order on page 64

237 Pages. PaperPublished by The Rosicrucian Fellowship

ON ANY given eveningin Seattle, Washington,or in trendy SouthernCalifornia, you canfind men and women,

still dressed in their business attire, sit-ting at a bar, unwinding after a longday’s work. They place their orders, withchoices ranging from straight carrot juiceto combinations of all sorts of fruits and veg-etables: wheat grass, kale, dandelion, cucumber,cabbage, celery, beet, lettuce, parsley, mango,papaya, pineapple, watermelon, cranberry, grapefruit,and apple. Juicing, meet the babyboomers. Welcome to yuppiedom.Say hello to the mainstream. “Can I get you a papaya, mango cool-er?”

Once confined to the fringes, to earthy-smelling health food stores,wooden-floored co-ops, and the infrequent vegetarian restaurant,juicing and fresh juice have finally stepped out into the open. Ratherthan having to search for freshly-juiced fruit and vegetables in spe-cialty stores, today in San Diego, California, you can have fresh car-rot juice delivered to your door every morning. And in many grocerystores across the country one can now buy pints, quarts, and half gal-lons of fresh-squeezed orange juice or recently-pulped carrot juice.

Thousands of other people are juicing fruits and vegetables them-selves. With an investment of a few hundred dollars, anyone can setup their own in-home juice bar. Then, with a little patience, time, andperseverance, it’s possible to make fresh juice a regular part of yourdaily diet.

The trend couldn’t come at a better time. Recently, the NationalCancer Institute began a campaign to get people to do one simplething—eat more fruits and vegetables. Specifically, the recommen-dation was to eat five servings of fruit and three servings of vegeta-bles a day. The reason is simple: a diet high in fruits and vegetables

54 RAYS 96

willprevent

or cure awide range

of ailments.Breast cancer, cancer of the

colon, esophagus, stomach,lungs, ovaries, and rectum—pick an ailment these days, itseems, and researchers some-where are searching for chemi-cals in plants that will preventthem, or offer a cure. Theseplant chemicals, known as phy-tochemicals, are at the cuttingedge of nutritional researchbecause they hold the keys topreventing some of our mostdeadly diseases, such as cancerand heart disease, as well assome of our most common ail-ments, like asthma, arthritis,and allergies.

In some ways, this isn’t news.For years, epidemiological

The Benefits ofJuicing

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

studies that correlate disease states and diet inlarge populations of people have already beenbearing out the value of a diet high in fruits andvegetables. Such studies, which have been done inAfrica, China, the Mediterranean, Russia, andelsewhere, have shown that in cultures where thediet consists of fruits and vegetables, making ithigh in both carbohydrates and fiber, a number ofdiseases that afflict North Americans, simply don’texist. For example, during more than 30 years ofstudy, British researchers working in Africa didn’tfind a single case of diverticulitis, hernia, cancer ofthe colon, or cancer of the prostate. The only rea-son that they could adduce for the lack of these dis-eases was differences in diet.

But these studies (more than 150 have been donein the last decade) don’t really prove that it is dietthat makes the health difference. There are simplytoo many other factors that may influence health tomake the studies conclusive. Is, for example, thelack of disease due to the subject’s diet, or is itbecause they live in a relatively unpolluted envi-ronment? If it is diet, which part of their diet,specifically, is making the difference?

These are some of the questions that ledresearchers at the National Cancer Institute, theDepartment of Agriculture, and elsewhere, tobegin looking for specific substances in foods thatcould be providing protection against disease.Thus far they have found quite a few.

In addition to vitamin C, vitamin A, and severalminerals, a tomato also contains 10,000 otherchemicals, many of which researchers are trying toisolate, identify, and study.

The discovery of phytochemicals has changedthe way we think about food, especially fruits andvegetables. For example, broccoli contains a sub-stance that may prevent, even cure, breast cancer.Citrus fruits contain substances that make it easierfor the human body to remove carcinogens, thusdecreasing the chance of developing cancer.Grapes contain a phytochemical that appears toprotect each cell’s DNAfrom damage. Similarly, anumber of green vegetables contain phytochemi-cals that appear to offer protection against cancer-causing substances. The list may be as long as thenumber of edible plant species: bok choy, broccoli,

brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, col-lards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga,turnip greens, red beets, peppers, garlic, onions,leeks, and chives are but a few of the vegetables thatappear to have cancer-preventing phytochemicals.

The problem, though, is that most of us don’t eatenough fruits and vegetables to reap the benefitsthey offer. For example, although the NationalCancer Institute recommends five servings of veg-etables and three of fruits each day, the averageAmerican eats only 11/2 servings of vegetablesand, on average, no fruit on any given day.

Maybe the business men and women who fre-quent trendy juice bars, the company that deliverscarrot juice, and the grocery stores that are begin-ning to carry fresh fruit and vegetable juices are ontosomething. Possibly juicing could provide the answerto fixing our fruit-and-vegetable-deficient diets.

Fundamentally, however, we are not breakingnew ground. If you study the traditions of mostjuicing programs, you discover that the vegetablesbeing studied at various facilities around the coun-try are often the same vegetables that have beenjuiced for years. Collard greens, kale, kohlrabi,mustard greens, rutabaga, peppers, carrots, andcabbage are not only being studied for their phyto-chemical content, they are also the vegetables thatare most commonly juiced. Not only areresearchers looking into the cancer-preventioncapabilities of citrus fruits, grapes, and apples,these are also the fruits that we most often associ-ate with fruit juicing.

All of this raises the question, what else is therein the wisdom of juice therapy that, up until now,traditional nutritional research has overlooked orignored? For example, juice programs often toutthe value of adding chlorophyll to the daily diet.Chlorophyll, a substance found exclusively inplants, has a structure similar to hemoglobin, thesubstance in blood that is responsible foroxygen transport. During the 1940s, researchersfound that consuming chlorophyll enhances thebody’s ability to produce hemoglobin, thusimproving the efficiency of oxygen transport.Since the 1940s, however, there has been littleresearch into the value of chlorophyll.

As another benefit, consider fresh juice’s ability

RAYS 96 55

to deliver the important group of nutri-ents known as enzymes. Enzymes arethe body’s work force. Acting as cata-lysts in hundreds of thousands of chem-ical reactionsthat take place throughoutthe body, enzymes are essential fordigestion and absorption of food, forconversion of food stuffs into body tis-sue, and for the production of energy atthe cellular level. In fact, enzymes arecritical for most of the metabolic activ-ities taking place in our bodies at everyinstant.

Fresh juices are a tremendous sourceof enzymes. In fact, the “freshness” ofjuice is one of their key features,because enzymes are destroyed byheat. When we eat food that is cooked at tempera-tures above 114 degrees Fahrenheit, whether it ismeat, grains, fruits, or vegetables, the enzymeshave been destroyed by the heat. Since fruits andvegetables are juiced raw, the enzymes remainviable, although a certain deterioration occurs overtime, particularly at higher temperatures.

Coincidentally, many of the phytochemicals thatnutritional researchers are focusing their attentionon are either enzymes, or, more often, are sub-stances that help build or activate enzymes that playessential roles in protecting cells from damage.

In addition, fruit and vegetable juices are goodsources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits(grapefruit, oranges, etc.) provide healthy portionsof vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large quantitiesof vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. A num-ber of green juices are a good source of vitamin E.Fruit juices are a good source of essential mineralslike iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, andmagnesium, which are bound by the plant in a formthat is most easily assimilated during digestion.

Since juicing removes the indigestible fiber (cel-lulose), these nutrients are available to the body inmuch larger quantities than if the piece of fruit orvegetable were eaten whole. For example, becausemany nutrients are trapped in the fiber, by eating araw carrot one is able to assimilate only about 1%of its available beta carotene. When a carrot isjuiced, removing the fiber, nearly 100% of the beta

carotene can be assimilated.Finally, fruits and vegetables provide one more

substance that is absolutely essential for goodhealth—water. More than 65% of most of the cellsin the human body are made of water, and in sometissues, for example the brain, the cells can bemade up of as much as 80% water. Water isabsolutely essential for good health, yet most peo-ple don’t consume enough water each day. Plus,many of the fluids we do drink—coffee, tea, softdrinks, alcoholic beverages and artificially fla-vored drinks—contain substances that requireadditional water for the body to eliminate. Fruitand vegetable juices are free of these unneededsubstances and are full of pure, clean water.

The remaining question is how far will the trendgo? So far, the National Cancer Institute’s attemptsto promote the health benefits of fruits and vegeta-bles have only affected a relatively small segmentof society. But, as more and more is written aboutthe long-term health benefits of fruits and vegeta-bles, as increasing numbers of people learn aboutthe possibility of preventing and curing cancer,heart disease, arthritis, and a host of other diseasesby making dietary changes, the fruit and vegeta-bles trend and the popularity of juicing will con-tinue to grow. Who knows, maybe someday it willbe hard to find a seat during happy hour at yourlocal juice bar. ❐

Partners

56 RAYS 96

THE SLIGHTEST thought, feeling, oremotion is transmitted to the lungs,where it is injected into the blood. Theblood...is the carrier of nourishment toevery part of the body, and the direct

vehicle of the Ego”—Cosmo-Conception, p. 91.

Meditation upon the truths contained in the fore-going passage brings an illuminating realization ofthe vital importance of thinking constructively.Actually, we become what we think—physicallyand spiritually. Our thoughts and feelings arearchitectural and sculptural blueprints that eventu-ally become crystallized into facial expressionsand physical form. In time psyche will becomeembodied as physiology—psyche begets soma.Our environment and associates are also reflec-tions of our habitual trend of thought.

Obviously, if we wish to have healthy bodies,we must project health-promoting thoughts andemotions into our blood stream. Every thought wethink has a vibratory power whose potency isdirectly proportional to the initial force of will bywhich it was generated. It becomes a part of ourcomposite auric power and attracts to itself mater-ial of a like kind. In this manifestation of the Lawof Attraction we have the key to thinking health.The more we think of that which is good, true, andbeautiful, the more we strengthen the health-attracting element in our aura, and the more weinject health into our bloodstream and thence intoour bodily tissues.

Disease, we know, is a result of wrong thinkingand consequent wrong action—ignorance or disre-gard of God’s immutable laws. This “evil” may beovercome with “good.” Ignoring any seeming evil,

meeting it with firm dismissal (as in “get theebehind me”), aligning with life, ever seeking har-mony in relationships, and emphasizing kindly,uplifting thoughts, will reflect in our bodies andenvironment as surely as the law of gravity oper-ates with unceasing predictability and regularity.

Actually, we can create such a force for goodthrough unremitting constructive thinking that“evil” will weaken and wither from lack of nour-ishment. Let us think health into our bodies byrightly ordering our minds. The Apostle Paul saysit well: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things aretrue, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoeverthings are just, whatsoever things are pure, what-soever things are lovely, whatsoever things are ofgood report; if there be any virtue, and if there beany praise, think on these things” (Phil. 4:8). ❐

Visible Helpers are just as necessary asInvisible Helpers, and our friends and patients mayshare in a high privilege, as well as add much tothe power of liberated healing force, by joining usin prayer for the sick. Our Healing Service is heldevery evening in the Healing Temple at 6:30 (7:30when Daylight time is in effect) and in the Pro-Ecclesia at 4:15 P.M. when the Moon is in acardinal sign on the following dates:

September...............................6—14—21—27October...........................4—11—18—24—31

Relax, close your eyes, and make a mental pictureof the pure white rose in the center of the Rosicru-cian Emblem on the west wall of our Pro-Ecclesia,and concentrate on DivineLoveandHealing.

RAYS 96 57

Thinking Health

HEALING

THE CHILDREN were very gladwhen they stood before the next gate,for even outside it looked warm andwelcoming. It reminded them of moth-er’s fire when she had a great wood log

burning in the winter, for first blue and then greenflames seemed to dart across it.

There were moving figures on this gate as therewere on the first, but they could not see them well,because of the flickering lights that flitted acrossits surface.

The only thing they could see clearly, wasa scroll with some silvery letters near thetop of the gate. Looking at this carefully,after a time they saw these to be: Aim atthe Star and hit the Moon.

“What do you think that means?”asked Rex.

“It has something to do withshooting,” replied Zendah, “and wemust find something to shoot with.”So they looked round and soonfound a very, very small bow hangingon one side of the gate, and a smallquiver of arrows on the other.

“We cannot both use it at once,” explained Rex.“I think I am the better shot.” So he took the bowand aimed with an arrow at the gate. But it missedand hit the left pillar. Aiming again he hit the right-hand one.

“I thought you were the better shot, “ laughedZendah. “Try aiming higher.”

Rex aimed at a place over the top of the gate,and found he hit a small shield, just below the

scroll which he had not noticed. Immediately thewhole gate lighted up, and in the centre could beseen a great fiery arrow.

On each side was a figure, half man and halfhorse; the one dressed in beautiful armor, and theother in rough skins, like a savage.

A voice demanded the Password, and theyreplied,

“Fr eedom.”“Enter freely, Rex and Zendah,

into the Land of the Archer,” rangthe answer. As in the other landsthe gates opened immediately. Ayoung man dressed in a short blue

tunic, with bare legs and sandals,like the ancient Greeks, ran up to

them. He held with a leash, two ele-gant greyhounds. Raising his right

hand in salute, he welcomed them, andbade them follow him.It was a beautiful country with rolling

plains of grass surrounded with little ranges ofhills. Here and there were graceful temples with

gleaming pillars of different colored stone, likethose that are still to be seen in Greece and Rome.

Putting a silver whistle to his lips, their guideblew a clear note and immediately up rushed fourbeautiful horses.

“Can you ride?” he asked.“Oh yes,” cried the children, for they had often

ridden bareback round the fields at home.Rex mounted on a black horse, while Zendah

had a white one and their guide stood upright, withone foot on a brown horse and one on a gray, the

58 RAYS 96

Rex and Zendah in

FOR CHILDREN

reins in his hands guiding all four horses. Off theywent, with a merry shout, and the horses flew asthe wind along the roads and over the downs.

There were no saddles and they clung to thehorses’manes, for they went so quickly it took alltheir attention to save themselves from falling.

Everywhere they saw crowds of horses, of allcolour and sizes, chasing and racing over thedowns, some with riders, some with men’s headsand bodies down to their waists. There were manydogs also enjoying the fun.

They drew up suddenly in front of a courtyardpaved with squares of black and white stone.

Dismounting, the young man tied the reins of thehorses to a ring on one of the gate posts. They fol-lowed him up the centre of the courtyard to a curi-ous building made of a shining white metal, withnine sides, and nine windows in each of the sides.There did not seem to be a way in, unless onecould fly through a window!

Around each window was a stone border carvedwith queer leaves and signs, and on the top of each,something that looked like a bird rising out offlames.

Their guide made a curious low sound, and sud-denly the whole front opened, and they foundthemselves looking into a stable made entirely of apurple stone, polished like glass.

“Look, Rex, look!” cried Zendah, “it is Pegasus,the flying horse!”

Indeed it was, for coming toward them was themost beautiful white horse they had ever seen. Hiscoat shone like silk and just behind his shoulderswere two great silvery wings, which he kept foldedalong his back, except when he was flying. Zendahreached up and gently stroked his nose.

“Can he take us for a ride?” she asked.“I do not believe you could manage him yet,”

said their guide, shaking his head, “and if youcould not, as he can fly everywhere, even to all theother stars that you can hardly see, he might takeyou to some star from which you would find itvery difficult to get back.

“When you have learned all the passwords, thenperhaps you will be able to call him and ride alongthe Milky Way. You will be given a tin whistle byour King; you will not find it easy to blow the right

note to call Pegasus, but when you can, he willcome and you will be able to have your ride.”

After leaving the stable, they went down to aplain of most beautiful short grass and moss, a realvelvet lawn. All around were raised banks coveredwith turf, standing one above the other like steps.

Children, men, and women were sitting on theseslopes, watching others in the central space, takingpart in all sorts of races and games.

“How jolly and good-tempered they all seem,”said Rex after they had watched one of the races,“they don’t seem to mind a bit if they win or lose.”

Just then they caught sight of two boys who didseem to mind! They had just run a race and hadcome to the winning post about the same time andthey were standing disputing as to which of themhad won the wreath of fig leaves that was the prize.

The young man came up to them and said, “Ifyou cannot agree about it, we will go to the King.”Calling for two more horses for these boys, they allmounted and off they went again over the green

RAYS 96 59

The Land of the Archer

plains, until they came to a castle which had ninetowers with curious sharp pointed spires. Men withlong robes and white wigs met them and wentbefore them, from the entrance to the main hall.

Here they saw, sitting on his throne, the jolliestking they had ever met,with a rosy face andtwinkling blue eyes.

“He surely must besome relation to OldKing Cole,” thought thechildren, for he looked asif he were always juston the point of laughing,even when he was seri-ous!

It was impossible tofeel sad when you lookedat him; you had to feelhappy.

The pages in atten-dance showed Rex andZendah to some cushionson the steps near the throne, and after bowing tothe king, who gave them one of his jolly smiles,they sat down.

Two more pages brought forward the disputingboys, and King Jupiter, for that was his name,looked serious a few minutes while he listened totheir story.

“How foolish you are,” he said. “It doesnot matter the least who arrived atthe winning post first, so longas you both ran yourbest.You know the mottoover the entrance to thisland: ‘Every-one can aimat the Star, but not until youhave had muchpractice canyou expect tohit it.’”

So he divided the wreathbetweenthe two and they were quite satisfied. King Jupiterrose from his throne and clapped his hands.

“Bring in the banquet, and let my merry musi-cians play their best music, so that we may showRex and Zendah how the subjects of King Jupitercan be merry and happy.”

In a few minutes tables appeared, and great dishesof fruit and cakes and sweets were set before them.There was an abundance of everything; everyonetried to make the children feel at home and show-ered them with presents of figs and apricots

t o t a k e a w a y w i t hthem. They did notknow which to dofirst—thank everyone,eat their fruit, or listento the music, which wasvery beautiful. Just thenan old man, who wassitting at one end of thetable, rose and held uphis hand. Everyonestood up, and he said,“Let sing our usual songof thanks to the angels,for helping us to growal l these beaut i fu lfruits.” A glorious hymn

of praise was sung byall, after which the children were taken backbefore the throne of King Jupiter.

There Zendah received the promised whistle,and Rex received a nine-pointed star made of acarbuncle, and, much to their disappointment, theywere told it was time for them to go.

Never before had they been anywhere whereeveryone was so generous, nor any place

they were so sorry to leave.At last their guide broughttheir horses to the palacedoor, and they mounted.This time he let themguide their own horses

back to the gate. Hundredsof the people rode with them

to see them off. As they stood out-side and the gates gradually closed, they

heard voices crying, “Goodbye, goodbye, comeagain soon, we shall be so glad to see you.”

“I do love this Land of the Archer,” said Zendah.“Of course you do,” retorted Rex. “It’s your own

sign!” (Continued) ❐ —Esme Swainson

60 RAYS 96

It does not matter theleast who arrived at the

winning post first, so longas you both ran your best.You know the motto overthe entrance to this land:“Everyone can aim at the

Star, but not until youhave had much practicecan you expect to hit it.”

“Lord God of heaven and earth, Thou hast vouchsafed of Thy grace, to those of our order, to know Thy works of creation, and secretsof them...I do here acknowledge and testify before this people, that the thing which we now see before our eyes is Thy finger, and a truemiracle, The Winged Self! And for as much as we learn in our books that Thou workest miracles but to a divine and excellent end, wemost humbly beseech Thee to prosper this great sign, and to give us the interpretation and use of it in mercy; which Thou didst in somepart secretly promise, by sending it unto us.”—From The New Atlantis, by Francis Bacon. Bacon was a Rosicrucian whose works,through an intermediary, were inspired by Christian Rosenkreuz (Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception, pages 251, 518).