Filename: RC1025.TXT
Source: "Max Heindel's Letters to Students"

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                                LETTER NO. 84:

                               November, 1917

                     EPIGENESIS AND THE LAW OF CAUSATION:

   Some  errors are so frequently expressed by students that they  call  for
correction  from time to time.   The most general of these is  the  mistaken
idea  that everything which happens to us is the outcome or effect  of  some
cause  or action of our own in times past,  generally in a  past  existence.
Theoretically,  students know that this attitude is wrong.   They are  aware
that  besides the destiny brought over with us from previous existences  for
liquidation in this life, we are every day exerting a causative influence by
our acts.   A considerable part of the deeds done in this body will work uot
into  effects before death terminates our stay in our  present  environment,
while  those deeds which are not thus liquidated will be held over and  will
form the foundation of the destiny of a future existence,  where we may reap
what we have sown.   This destiny carried over from life to life is shown by
our horoscope,  and gives us certain characteristics and tendencies or lines
of least resistence.   It cannot be overlooked though that this destiny from
the  past gives us a certain bias or trend towards a particular line of  ac-
tion.  But, nevertheless, there is comparative free will in a large percent-
age of our actions, leaving scope for the exercise of Epigenesis, the divine

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creative activity which is the basis of evolution.

   As said,  students all know this perfectly well,  theoretically.   But in
dealing with problems of practical every-day life they seem to  persistently
take the attitude that all that that is,  is an unfoldment of something that
has  already  been.   This is particularly true of students  who  have  been
studying  the Eastern religions before taking up the Western  Wisdom  Teach-
ings.   By  this mental attitude of ignoring Epigenesis they  are  retarding
their soul growth to a greater extent than they are aware of.  In fact some-
thing  is  happening to them similar to that which befalls  the  materialist
during his post-mortem existence at the time when he lives on the Borderland
between  Purgatory and the First Heaven in a monotony most dreadful to  con-
template.   The Borderland is,  so to speak,  an eddy outside the stream  of
life where progress is at a standstill.  The materialist is there because of
his denial of post-mortem existence, which has put him out of touch with the
spiritual currents that generate motion and action during that existence.

   Similarly,  when we constantly emphasize the Law of Causation and consis-
tently  and persistently ignore the Law of Epigenesis,  we are placing  our-
selves outside the latter's line of action,  and our opportunities for exer-
cising its initiative are missed more often than not,  with the result  that
we become more and more barren as the years go by.   Whereas if we  endeavor
intelligently when considering the problems of life,  exemplified in the ac-
tions  of those about us as well as our own actions,  to seek out the  prin-
ciple of Epigenesis  and  watch  its  operation, we shall find opportunities

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for initiative action opening up before us to an extent we have never before
believed possible.  By watching the way in which Epigenesis applies in other
lives we shall learn how to apply it in our own.

   I hope that you will keep this thought close to you and tha you may  reap
much benefit from a persistent practice of this principle.

                               LETTER NO. 85: 

                               DECEMBER, 1917 

                   THE PRESENT SORROW AND THE COMING PEACE:

   From the dim distant past there comes to us the voice of Isaiah in one of
the grandest and most soul-inspiring of prophesies:

   "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
   given:  and the government shall be upon
   his shoulder:  and his name shall be called
   Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the
   everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

   "Of the increase of his government and
   peace there shall be no end, upon the throne
   of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
   and to establish it with judgment and with
   justice from henceforth, even for ever."

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   Nor  is the song of the angel choir above the Galilean hills less  potent
to stir the soul with its sublime ideal:

   "On earth peace, and
   Good will toward men."

   But  looking facts in the face as seen in the world today,  such  sayings
seem little short of mockery; and from the customary viewpoint of the man in
the  street all the platitudes offered by the religionists cannot  make  the
situation in the so-called, "Christian world" less odious.

   But when we apply the cosmic scale of perspective and measurement,  it is
different.  Goethe says well:

   "Who never ate his bread in sorrow,
   Who never spent the midnight hours
   Weeping, waiting for the morrow,
   He knows ye not ye heavenly powers."

   As with individuals, so with nations.  Sorrow and suffering seem unfortu-
nately  to  be the only teachers they will hear.   Hence the  necessity  for
their  lessons.   Viewing  life  as unending we  are  not  dismayed  at  the
so-called "loss of life" incident to the present war.  Those killed will all
be  born again,  and by their experience they will be better than  they  are
now.   Peace and good will are bound to come in time when we have learned to
abhor war,  hence we may well rejoice at the prospect and earnestly pray for
its consummation.  I would particularly  urge  students  of  the Rosicrucian

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Fellowship to unite in this prayer on Holy Night at midnight when the  usual
service is held in the Pro-Ecclesia by the workers on Mt. Ecclesia.

   We  enclose  a little leaflet,  "The Bible at a  Glance,"  with  seasonal
greetings  from the workers on Mt.  Ecclesia,  hoping that you may find  the
former both interesting and instructive.

                               LETTER NO. 86:

                               JANUARY, 1918 

                   GOD--THE SOURCE AND GOAL OF EXISTENCE:

   We are again standing upon the threshold of a New Year, a time when it is
a  general custom to form one's aspirations into resolutions.   As the  stu-
dents  of the Rosicrucian teachings ought to be particularly  interested  in
the matter of spiritual growth,  I have thought that the following consider-
ations may perhaps be of benefit at this time.

   The  word "holiness"  has in the minds of many become associated  with  a
long face and a hypocritical attitude of mind,  so that people in the  world
are usually very shy of those who make professions of holiness.  But that of
course is not the true brand.  The really holy man is not a kill-joy;  he is
not slothful in business;  he does his duty fully,  at home or in the  shop,
puts  his heart into all his work; he is a worthy example  of  faithfulness,
and is generally respected by all who know him, for his actions speak louder
than words and command commendation.  He is careful in his dealings with his

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fellow men,  striving to owe no man anything but love, always ready and anx-
ious to help others; he is in fact, a model man in all relations of life.

   But  this  life of worldly rectitude is not itself a  test  of  holiness.
There are many splendid people in the world who live model lives for ethical
reasons,  and comport themselves in a manner that calls for the  respect  of
all who know them.  They are also charitable and are prominent, according to
their station,  in every good work.  However, as said, this is not the test.
The  test showing the difference between the merely model man or  woman  and
the  holy one comes in the hours of leisure when the call of duty  has  been
fulfilled for the time being.  At that point it will be found that they ways
of  the worldly and the holy part,  for at that time the worldly minded  man
turns to recreation,  amusement,  and pleasure for an outlet for his energy,
or perhaps he pursues some favorite hobby according to the bent of his  mind
and as his means allow.  It may be simple games or sports, or it may be song
and music,  theaters,  parties,  or any other means he can find to make time
pass pleasantly.

   But the holy man is as the steel touched with the lodestone and deflected
by force from pointing to the pole.  When once the heart has been touched by
the lodestone of the love of God,  duty may and does deflect it towards  the
affairs  of the world which demand legitimate attention.   The holy man  not
only does not shirk his worldly duty but he fulfills it better and more con-
scientiously  than  before  giving  himself  to  God.  At  he same time sub-

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consciously  he  feels  the yearning to return in mind to communion with the
Father,  which is analogous to the way the magnetized steel needle that  has
been  deflected  from the north exerts a pressure in the  direction  of  the
pole.   The moment the call of duty has been fully answered and the pressure
removed for the time being,  the holy man's thoughts automatically turn  to-
wards  the Divine.   A ride in the street car to or from business is an  op-
portunity for such meditation.   The time spent in waiting for some one else
is utilized in the same way.   In short,  never a moment of relaxation  from
worldly affairs comes to the holy man without his thoughts instantly turning
to his source and goal--God.

   We have heard of men who studied law while riding to and from business in
street  cars;  others have learned languages by utilizing the spare  moments
which most people waste in idle, aimless, wandering thoughts.   Let us learn
a lesson from them, and during the coming year practice the habit of turning
our thoughts to God during whatever scattered spare moments we have.   If we
practice this faithfully,  we shall find ourselves greatly advanced upon the
path of soul growth.

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                               LETTER NO. 87:

                               FEBRUARY, 1918 

                  THE NECESSITY OF PUTTING TALENTS TO USE:

   The Christ exhorted us to let our light shine,  and in the parable of the
talents  He emphasized the points that TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN,  OF  HIM  MUCH
WILL BE REQUIRED,  and that every one, no matter how little he has received,
is  expected to put it out to usury, to cast his bread upon the  waters,  so
that it may return to him after many days and yield an increase.  We are now
standing near the beginning of another year.  We have received the priceless
Rosicrucian teachings.  Hence it is required of us that we put his knowledge
to  some use in order to help those of our fellow men who have not  yet  re-
ceived a solution of the problem of life and are seeking for light.

   We are properly dislike conceited people who have an exaggerated idea  of
their own abilities and who bore other people to death with their  undesired
discourse.   But the students of the Rosicrucian Fellowship seem  to  suffer
from  the  opposite  disease  and  temperament,   which  is  just  as   bad.
Self-depreciation,  timidity,  and mistrust of self squelch our ability  and
our talents,  causing them to atrophy,  just as do the eyes of animals which
have  left  the sunlight and gone into caves to live,  or as does  the  hand
which  is  held  inactive by the side for years and which loses its power to

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move.   Our talents atrophy if not used.  We shall be responsible for hoard-
ing knowledge and withholding it from those who are seeking, just as much as
the servant in the parable who buried his talent instead of working with  it
so that it might become greater.

   We have always held that matters of belief should not be FORCED upon  the
attention  of other people,  but there are thousands of opportunities  every
year  when we may say a word calculated to bring out an inquiry relative  to
our  philosophy  on the part of a friend addressed.   It  is  perfectly  le-
gitimate  to lead people on as long as they are interested.   Paul  exhorted
his followers to be shod with a preparation of the Gospel,  and if we follow
that rule by preparing ourselves to answer questions intelligently, we shall
find that people will be interested in what we have to say.

   Just now people are intensely interested in life after death.  But to an-
swer their questions properly we must have enough of the Rosicrucian  teach-
ings by heart and we must have them at our fingers'  ends.   A little knowl-
edge is dangerous in matters of religion and philosophy as well as in  other
things.   You must have enough and of the right kind to make it worth  while
to enter the field of propaganda at all.  But it is not difficult.  While it
may  be  very  interesting and instructive to students  of  the  Rosicrucian
teachings  who  have  become deeply interested in and have  a  good  working
knowledge  of the philosophy to go into the mysteries of periods and  evolu-
tions,  epochs and races, cosmic days and nights, et cetera,  still all that
is needed to help  the man in the street is a thorough knowledge of the Laws

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of Consequence and Rebirth as they have been given in our literature.  These
are the vital principles which concern him most.   They are the meat in  the
nut of the Rosicrucian teachings.   If you can give them to a person who  is
in despair, either on account of having lost some one near and dear,  or be-
cause the whole world seems upside down and he can find no place into  which
to fit,  no way to get over the dead wall which confronts him, you may solve
his  problems for him in a logical and reasonable manner by showing how  the
law of Rebirth,  coupled with the Law of Consequence,  is constantly working
for  the  good of humanity,  and how he may gain whatever good he  wants  by
working in harmony with these two great laws.  You will thus have done him a
signal service, and made considerable soul growth for yourself.

   I would also suggest that classes be formed in the various study  centers
to study all that has been said in our literature concerning the workings of
these two great laws,  so that the students may fit themselves to render im-
portant service to the community by helping people to solve the problems  of
life which are so baffling to the great majority.

   I trust that this suggestion may prove of benefit to you during the  com-
ing year.

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                               LETTER NO. 88:

                                MARCH, 1918 

                          THE NOBILITY OF ALL LABOR:

   A   correspondent   enthusiastic   over   the   beauty,   grandeur,   and
soul-satisfying  nature of the Rosicrucian teachings bemoans the fate  which
has fettered her to a cook stove, a dishpan,  the care of children,  and the
drudgery of housework; were she only free to take this new-found gospel, she
would  go into the wide world with the glad tidings for which she knows  un-
told thousands are praying and seeking.

   That would be well for our friend and those thousands, but what about the
little children deprived of their mother's care?  Do not forget the very im-
portant point that all who were hired to work in the Master's vineyard  were
standing  idle in the market place.   They had no hampering ties  to  hinder
them  from  working there the whole day,  and no one who is  not  free  from
former obligations may take up a life work of teaching others.  If we aspire
to  that  work by being faithful in the performance of our  present  duties,
they way will open sometime and give us the legitimate call.

   But  about  "drudgery";  the use of that word is  all  too  common.   The
teacher talks of the drudgery of drumming the same lesson into the heads  of
children year after year;  the  mother  talks  of the drudgery of housework;

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the father complains of the drudgery of office or shop work;  and so on down
the line.  Each thinks that if he or she were in the shoes of some one else,
life would at once change to a grand, sweet song.

   This is a fallacy.  "Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of
trouble."  No matter where he is placed, there is only one method of relief,
one way to overcome, and that is by adoption of the right attitude of mind.

   A  great gas engine going at full speed might defy an army of strong  men
to stop it, but a tiny speck of carbon deposited on the ignition point, or a
small  cam working loose,  would quickly quell its energy.   Thus  a  little
soot,  which we despise as dirt,  can under certain circumstances accomplish
more than many men.   Therefore we should not extravagantly eulogize some as
heroes  and  despise others as drudges.  There are as  noble  souls  mending
stockings as ever graced presidential chairs.   It all depends upon  whether
they put love into their work or not.

   But what many really mean when they say "drudgery" is monotony.  All work
is routine more or less,  and the constant performance of the same tasks of-
ten becomes monotonous.   There is a very good reason why the present  phase
of our development includes this principle of routine.   We are now  getting
ready for the fast approaching Aquarian Age with its great intellectual  and
spiritual  development.   This requires an awakening of  the  dormant  vital
body, whose keyword is REPETITION.  The routine  of our daily work furnishes

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this.   If we rebel,  it breeds monotony and retards progress.   But  if  we
leaven our labor with love,  we shall advance ourselves greatly in evolution
and reap the reward of contentment.

                               LETTER NO. 89:

                                APRIL, 1918 

                    THE AQUARIAN AGE AND THE NEW COVENANT:

   After writing the students'  lesson and thinking over the various  phases
of  Easter and the events happening around that time according to the  Bible
story,  it occurred to me what a sealed book the Bible is to those who  have
not the Western Wisdom Teaching and a knowledge of esoteric astrology.  So I
decided to use this letter to elucidate one of the points that presented it-
self before my mind.

   You  probably remember that according to Luke (22nd chapter)  the  Christ
sent Peter and John with instructions to look for a man bearing a pitcher of
water and to enter into the house where he went,  for there the passover was
to be held.   Later at that place, we are informed, He gave the apostles the
bread  and the water which constituted the New Covenant,  declaring that  he
would no more drink the fruit of the vine.   This is entirely misunderstood.
To the great majority the man with the pitcher of water has no meaning, nei-
ther the fact that the passover was to be held at his house and not at  some
other  place.   Also people believe that Christ gave His disciples  wine  to
drink,  whereas  the  Bible  says  entirely  the opposite.  There is a great

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significance  in this story when we read it as it is written and examine  it
in the light of the esoteric teaching.

   First,  let us remember how the leaders of humanity have given  each  new
race  a  certain appropriate food,  as elucidated thoroughly in  the  COSMO.
Briefly,  grain was given to Cain,  the Second Race man,  who was plant-like
and had a vital body.   To Abel, the Third Race man,  who had a desire body,
milk was supplied.  To Nimrod, the Fourth Race man, who had a mind, meat was
given.  Wine was supplied by Noah to the Fifth Race man.  It made him a God-
less egotist,  so that man's inhumanity to man has become a byword;  but  it
also helped him to reach the nadir of his material evolution.  Now, however,
the spiritual evolution is about to begin, and altruistic ideas must be fos-
tered,  or at least started to germinating, so that they may be expressed by
the Sixth Race.  This again requires a change in diet.

   While these steps in evolution have taken place, the sun by precision has
circled the zodiac many times.   But each step was inaugurated under a  spe-
cific sign,  and each was preceded and succeeded by minor cycles which  were
replicas  of the great ages and evolutionary epochs.   Thus the last six  or
seven  thousand  years while the sun went through Taurus,  the sign  of  the
Bull,  Aries the sign of the Ram, and Pisces, the watery,  fluidic sign have
seen ages of material development,  fostered by meat and wine.   Even Christ
at the beginning of His ministry turned water to wine, ratifying its contin-
ued use during the Piscean Age.  But at the  end  of  His  earthly career He

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sent His disciples to prepare the passover in the house of the Water-bearer,
and  there abolished meat and wine by giving the bread and the water cup  as
the New Covenant for the Kingdom of God, where He is to reign as the  Prince
of Peace.

   Could anything be plainer?   Christ is the Sun Spirit,  and when the  sun
passes  over  the  equator  at  the  vernal  equinox  in  the  sign  of  the
Water-bearer,  the Aquarian Age will be ushered in,  in which the fleshless,
non-alcoholic diet of the New Covenant will be in vogue and an era of altru-
ism  will dawn.   We are beginning to feel this beneficient  influence  now,
though it is still centuries away,  and we are here to help prepare for that
time.   Therefore it behooves us to cleanse ourselves  physically,  morally,
mentally,  and  spiritually that we may be a shining example to  others  and
thereby lead them to the great Light which we have been fortunate enough  to
see.   Let us also remember that the greater our knowledge, the greater also
our responsibility for its right use, and unless we live up to these ideals,
we shall merit the greater condemnation.

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                               LETTER NO. 90:

                                 MAY, 1918 

                         MEAT EATING AND FUR WEARING:

   A student who confesses that he is still addicted to flesh eating in some
degree has occasionally an urge to speak to others on the Rosicrucian teach-
ings, but always feels as if he were a hypocrite when he advocates vegetari-
anism.  He asks us how he may overcome this habit and whether he should give
up teaching others until he has himself attained.

   This  query  has  general  interest,   for  though  the students  of  the
Rosicrucian teachings are sincere and earnest,  they have the same imperfec-
tions as all other human beings or they would not be here; hence a letter on
this subject may prove helpful to many.

   It  needs no argument to prove that you cannot effectively  discourse  on
spirituality over a cocktail,  nor advocate the harmless life while eating a
steak.   Furthermore,  those who know your habits in daily life  are  always
quick  to notice the difference between what you preach and what  you  live.
Therefore it is of course best to be able to live up to the teachings before
commencing to convert others.  At the same time it is too strong language to
call  any one a hypocrite because he advocates an ideal to which he has  not
yet attained.  So  long as one sincerely believes that the fleshless diet is

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right and tries to live accordingly,  he is justified in advocating it  even
though  occasionally he breaks the rule.  The north star guides the  mariner
safely  to his desired haven even though he never reaches the  star  itself.
Similarly, if we set our ideals as high as the stars, we may not attain them
in this life, but we shall always be the better for having them.

   At  the same time it would seem that with a little will power brought  to
bear  it should not be very difficult for any one to abstain  from  tobacco,
liquor,  and flesh food.  Surely the thought of the suffering that is caused
the poor animals in the trains on their way to the slaughterhouse,  and  the
agony  which precedes the time when the blow is struck that ends their  life
or the time when the knife goes into their throat, ought to move any one who
aspires to live the higher life and fill him with compassion for these  poor
dumb  creatures  which cannot defend themselves.   For similar  reasons  the
wearing  of furs and feathers as ornaments should be dispensed with  by  the
gentler sex among our ranks.   It is equally inconsistent,  and would doubt-
less cause adverse comments if any one should preach the gospel of harmless-
ness while thus arrayed.

   Unfortunately the complexity of our civilization forces us to use leather
for many things because no other material is available on the market to take
its place;  for example, for shoes, straps, etc.   But nevertheless we ought
to  do all we possibly can to avoid making use of any material  which  comes
from the body of an animal that requires its death.  One of the blessings of
this present war is  that  man is find out that meat is not an indispensable

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article  of diet,  and that we are far better off without alcohol.   Let  us
hope that this is but the beginning of the end, and that man will soon cease
to breed or hunt animals for their flesh and fur.   Meanwhile let us all set
the example and apply our will power to this end.

                               LETTER NO. 91:

                                 JUNE, 1918 

                        TOLERANCE OF OTHERS' BELIEFS:

   We  are here to live in the conditions as we find them and to  learn  the
lesson  provided by our environment.   Those who are continually soaring  in
the clouds and seeking spiritual ideals to the neglect of their plain duties
are just as mistaken in their efforts as those who wallow in the mire of ma-
terial work, grubbing and grinding in their greed for the dollar.  Both need
help,  but in opposite directions.   One class needs to be pulled down  till
their  feet are firmly planted upon earth;  the other needs an  uplift  that
they  may see the light of heaven and begin to think of acquiring  treasures
there.

   "One man's meat is another man's poison,"  and this applies to  spiritual
food  at  least equally as much as to physical.   There is  only  one  great
truth--Diety--but it is many-sided.  The angle of presentation which appeals
to us may lack power to stir others;  and,  vice versa,  their outlook  upon
truth may fail to meet our needs.   Thus there is a reason for all the  dif-
ferent  religions  in  the  world  and  the different views presented by the

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various  cults and sects.   Each has its mission to perform for  the  people
among whom it is found,  so we should be tolerant of all cults or  religions
even when those who profess them attack us and our views.

   We  should be satisfied to be known by our fruits,  for that is the  only
true and valid test of individual religion.  Does it make us better men  and
women, better fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers,
employers and employees?  Does it make us better all-around citizens who may
be  looked up to in the community where we live?   That is the test of  true
religion.

   There is not so much danger of finding the materialist in our ranks,  but
unfortunately  there is a tendency among people who espouse advanced  teach-
ings to soar in the clouds, forgetful of concrete conditions and earthly du-
ties.   This causes the average man and women to look askance  at  occultism
and to regard those who study it as cranks, though their actions are no more
the fault of occultism than it is the fault of good food when a weak stomach
cannot digest it.

   For  this reason we should not only be tolerant of the beliefs of  others
and make it a rule never to belittle another faith, but we should watch our-
selves to see that we LIVE  the Rosicrucian teachings so as to do credit  to
them in our immediate environment.

[PAGE 879]

                               LETTER NO. 92:

                                 JULY, 1918 

                THE PURPOSE OF WAR AND OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD IT:

   From time to time students in various parts of the world have been asking
what should be their attitude toward the war and what purpose it serves from
the spiritual standpoint.  In answer we have pointed out in various articles
the Rosicrucian teaching concerning the object of the war,  namely,  to turn
the  world towards God for consolation in its sorrow,  and to rend the  veil
which exists between the visible and invisible worlds by helping a consider-
able  number to acquire spiritual sight and the ability to communicate  with
those who have passed beyond.  But though the explanations given have satis-
fied  most occult students in a measure, there were others who did not  feel
satisfied therewith; they wanted something more directly bearing on the con-
ditions.   To them we pointed out the teaching in Lecture No. 13--"Angels as
Factors  in Evolution"--showing how human affairs are guided by  the  angels
and archangels who act as family and Race Spirits, causing the rise and fall
of  nations as required for the evolution of the various groups  of  spirits
under their guardianship.

   As  a final attempt to satisfy our students concerning this vital  matter
we send you herewith a lesson entitled, "The Philosophy of War," showing its

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application to the present conditions.   We trust that this will give to all
the needed explanation and help all to understand what is involved,  so that
they  may  render their hearty co-operation to end the struggle as  soon  as
possible and secure the peace for which we all so ardently long.

   But let us realize that there can be no peace worth having until  milita-
rism  has received such a blow that it will not raise its head again  for  a
long time.  Many people hope that this will be the last war, and we ardently
wish  that we could believe it.   People thought the same when Napoleon  and
his hordes overran Europe a hundred years ago, but time has proved that such
hopes were vain.  Peace is a matter of education, and impossible of achieve-
ment until we have learned to deal charitably,  justly,  and openly with one
another, as nations as well as individuals.  As long as we manufacture arms,
peace will not become established.   It should become our aim and object  to
do  all we can toward the abolition of militarism in all countries  and  the
establishment of the principle of arbitration of difficulties.

[PAGE 881]

                               LETTER NO. 93:

                                AUGUST, 1918 

          THE INNER POWER AND THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT GOES WITH IT:

   Many  years ago I spent a few weeks on a farm in Maine at the  time  when
they were harvesting potatoes.   As the wagons passed me,  I noted that  the
potatoes  were  all large and of almost uniform size.   So one  day  I  con-
gratulated  the  farmer on having such a fine crop of  large  potatoes.   He
walked  over to a wagon and showed me that the bottom of the wagon was  full
of small potatoes.   He also said that they had not been sorted in the field
but that the jostling of the wagon over the rough road from the field to the
barn  brought the big potatoes to the top while the small ones sank  to  the
bottom.   "If you put the big ones at the bottom," he said,  "they will rise
to the top and the small ones will sink."

   And is this not just like life!  People of representative appearance,  of
large  qualities,  rise to the top as we jostle one another over  the  rough
places on the highway of life.  "Yon cannot keep a good man down," is an old
saying.  He will rise to the top in spite of everything by virtue of the up-
lifting power within him.  And similarly, no matter how often we put a small
man on top,  he will sink, because he lacks the inner power.  We may build a
house as  large as we want and rear it above all other structures if we have

[PAGE 882]

material and labor in sufficient quantities,  but the growth of man is  from
within,  and  no  one  can add a hairbreadth  to  the  stature  of  another,
physically, mentally, or morally.  Each must work out his own salvation;  he
alone  can  determine whether he will remain in a lowly lot or rise  to  the
top.

   The farmer found that when his potatoes were carried over a smooth boule-
vard they remained mixed;  but the rougher the road, the quicker the big po-
tatoes  rose  to the top and the smaller ones sank to the  bottom.   In  the
great  emergencies of life great opportunities await those who are ready  to
assume responsibilities and go to the front of the battle.

   We are living in such a time, and if we aspire to rise, NOW is our great-
est opportunity.   The whole world is now asking for an answer to the riddle
of life; inquiring whither the ship of humanity is sailing.  And we have the
answer.   Upon us,  therefore, rests the responsibility of living the teach-
ings  of  the Elder Brothers and making them appeal to others  by  exemplary
lives.   Many of our brothers are carrying the teachings of the Elder Broth-
ers  into  the  very trenches and enlightening those who  are  ready  to  be
taught.   Those of us who are still in our usual environment will  find  the
interrogation  point  in many hitherto closed quarters.   Let  us  therefore
diligently seek the opportunities and improve them,  for "unto whom much  is
given, of him shall much be required."

   I  would suggest to the students that now is the time to see to  it  that
the COSMO and our other literature, as far as possible,  is in the libraries
in their  own  cities; also that it is in a place where it is accessible and

[PAGE 883]

that it is being used.   If a number of people inquire about it from time to
time,  though  the Librarian may know nothing about it and perhaps  even  be
hostile, the constant call for a certain book will finally force him to take
notice.  There is no doubt that the Fellowship teachings have within them an
inner  power  that is bound to make a place for them in the  world,  but  we
shall acquire merit in proportion to the way in which we help to bring these
teachings of the Elder Brothers to the notice of humanity in general.  It is
now  vacation  time and hence an especially propitious season for  the  dis-
semination  of  our soul-satisfying philosophy.  Let us  therefore  all  put
forth  an extra effort at this time.   It will benefit others and  ourselves
also.

                               LETTER NO. 94:

                              SEPTEMBER, 1918 

                 EQUIPOISE OF GREAT HELP IN TIMES OF STRESS:

   In  these  days   when our customs, habits,  and business  are  being  so
radically interfered with by the great war no matter where on earth we live;
when  the flower of our manhood is being mowed down in millions  by  cannon;
when  even  woman must leave her accustomed vocation as home maker  to  take
part in the titanic struggle behind the fighting lines; when the weak, those
who  are either very old or very young,  succumb to privation;  how can  one
help being disturbed more or less according to one's individual suffering or

[PAGE 884]

one's proximity to the seething sea of hate and sorrow in what was once fair
France or in the other battle-scarred sections?

   To remain undisturbed perhaps seems impossible.   One cannot remain  cal-
loused in the face of such suffering.  One student after describing the dev-
astation of a shelled city, asks:  "Can one help feeling very strongly about
it?"  No, Christ felt very strongly when He wept over the sins of Jerusalem,
and  He showed His righteous wrath when He drove the money changers  out  of
the temple.   But equipoise is undoubtedly one of the great lessons which we
may learn from this war.

   It  is easy to be peaceful if one goes into the mountains and  lives  the
life of a hermit.   But what credit is it to keep our equipoise with no  one
to thwart,  oppose,  or vex us?   It is more difficult,  however,  to keep a
peaceful  attitude in the industrial life of a city where relentless war  is
waged with the sword of competition and where existence is circumscribed  by
laws and custom.   But it can be done, and it is being done by many who make
no pretense to spirituality,  but who have found that loss of balance inter-
feres with their ambition.   So they setout to train themselves in the prac-
tice  of equipoise.   It has been the invariable experience of  such  people
that they have benefited greatly.   Their health has improved,  their happi-
ness also, and their business efficiency has increased.

   If  such self-control can be attained by people in the world,  and if  so
much benefit can accrue to them on that account under ordinary condition  of
life,  those among us who aim at higher and nobler things and who have  been

[PAGE 885]

endeavoring  to follow the path for years ought to be examples of faith  and
hopefulness at this time, ought they not?  We ought to be towers of strength
to  those  who have not had the great enlightenment which it  has  been  our
privilege to obtain.  And above all things, we ought to exert a constructive
and upbuilding influence in this world crisis.

   Therefore I have outlined in this month's lesson the secret causes  which
in  the past have generated and fertilized the seeds that have now  flowered
into our present cataclysmic condition,  and have indicated in a slight mea-
sure  how we are now sowing the seeds of our future well or ill being;  this
in the hope that you will concentrate your thoughts constructively along the
line  indicated,  and advocate in your sphere of life the  views  presented.
Much  sorrow may thus be averted in the future for thoughts are things,  and
if  they are in harmony with the cosmic purpose to make all things work  to-
gether for good, they will surely prosper.

                               LETTER NO. 95:

                               OCTOBER, 1918 

             THE OPTIMISTIC ATTITUDE AND FAITH IN ULTIMATE GOOD:

   Suppose some one very close to you were undergoing a surgical  operation.
Naturally you would feel very much concerned,  and your feelings would prob-
ably  swing between fear and hope.  Sometimes one emotion and sometimes  the
other would  predominate.  But  consider  what  would be the effect upon the

[PAGE 886]

effect  upon the patient if you were to voice your doubt and  misgivings  on
every occasion.  Fear always has a devitalizing and detrimental effect which
makes it very difficult for the patient to recover,  particularly as  during
the  time of an illness he is less self-assertive and more negative than  at
times when he is in good, robust health.  Thus while you were really anxious
to  help him and would do anything in your power to serve him,  by that  at-
titude of mind and the expression of such thoughts you would be really  hin-
dering him very much.

   Something  similar is taking place in the world at large at  the  present
time.   The  human race is undergoing a necessary  operation  for  spiritual
cataract.   The sorrow and suffering occasioned by the present war are doing
much  to tear the scale of materialism away from our eyes and rend the  veil
which divides us from those in the land of the living dead.   The  operation
is painful in the extreme.  Surely there is not a human being capable of hu-
mane  feeling in the world who is not feeling in some measure for  and  with
those who are actually engaged in the struggle.   But if we are firmly  con-
vinced  that "thoughts are things,"  it is our sacred duty to hold the  most
optimistic  attitude  of  mind which it is possible for us to  have  at  the
present time.

   I have no doubt that every student of the Rosicrucian Fellowship is doing
all  he can and giving all he can to alleviate the suffering and sorrow  ex-
isting  in the countries immediately affected,  but it is the  all-important
mental attitude of optimism that is so difficult  for  many to cultivate and

[PAGE 887]

keep.   Nevertheless it is our duty to do this, particularly in the light of
our  superior knowledge of the end in view,  which will surely be  attained.
We cannot be glad that this thing is upon us, but we can be thankful that it
is as certain to bring a great good to the world at large as it is that  the
sun rises every morning and sets at night.

   We  have  an absolute faith in the wisdom and omnipotence of  Deity.   We
know  that it is a false accusation to say that "nature is red in tooth  and
claw,"  as some one has put it.   Regardless of what it may seem to us  with
our limited vision,  benevolence is the ruling factor in the world's  evolu-
tion.  Therefore each and every one of us should live up to the sacred obli-
gation to always strive to hold an optimistic attitude and always  emphasize
our firm faith in the ultimate good which is to result from the present con-
ditions.   let us remember that when we are working with the trend of evolu-
tion  it is like rowing a boat with the stream;  our efforts will then  have
greater  effect than if we take an attitude that is contrary to the  world's
good.

[PAGE 888]

                               LETTER NO. 96:

                               DECEMBER, 1918 

                    INCREASING THE LIFE OF THE ARCHETYPE:

   This is the last student's letter of the present year, and the thought at
the  ending of each cycle naturally turns to the fleetness of time  and  the
evanescence of existence in the phenomenal world.  It also reminds us of the
preciousness of time and of our responsibility to use it to the best  advan-
tage for soul growth,  "for what shall it profit a man if he shall gain  the
whole world,  and lose his own soul?"  Now is the seed time, and we are told
that "unto whom much is given, of him shall much be required."  Therefore we
are  accountable for what we have done or left undone to a  greater  measure
than  others who have not had the intimate knowledge of God's purpose  which
has been vouchsafed us through the Elder Brothers.

   In this connection we should realize that every act of every human  being
has a direct effect on the archetype of his body.   If the act is in harmony
with the law of life and evolution,  it strengthens the archetype and  makes
for a longer life in which the individual will get the maximum of experience
and  make soul growth commensurate with his status in life and capacity  for
learning.   Thus  fewer  embodiments  will be  necessary  to  bring  him  to
perfection  than  one  who shirks the strain of life and endeavors to escape

[PAGE 889]

its  burdens,  or one who applies his forces destructively.   In the  latter
type of life the archetype is strained and breaks early.  Thus,  those whose
acts  are contrary to the law shorten their lives and have to seek  new  em-
bodiments a greater number of times than those who live in harmony with  the
law.  This is another instance in which the Bible is correct when it exhorts
us to do good that we may live long in the land.

   This  law  applies  to all without exception,  but it  has  greater  sig-
nificance in the lives of those who are consciously working with the law  of
evolution than in those of others.   The knowledge of these facts should add
tenfold  or a hundredfold to our zest and zeal for good.   Even if  we  have
started, as we say, "late in life," we may easily lay up more "treasure"  in
the last few years than in several previous lives.   And above all,  we  are
getting in line for an early start in lives to come.

   Let  us hope therefore that we have used to the best advantage  the  year
which is now passing,  and prepare to increase our efforts during the coming
year.

[PAGE 890]

                               LETTER NO. 97:

                               JANUARY, 1919 

                   THE LAW OF SUCCESS IN SPIRITUAL MATTERS:

   It  seems appropriate to commence our correspondence for 1919 by  wishing
you a happy and successful New Year.  But the proverb says:  "If wishes were
horses,  beggars would ride."   Something more is required to secure success
and happiness than mere wishes,  and perhaps mine may bear better fruit if I
explain to you the law of success.

   The  students of the Rosicrucian Fellowship are coversant with  the  fact
that  there is no "luck,"  and are quite well agreed with Mephisto in  FAUST
when he says:

   "Hoe closely luck is linked to merit,
   Does never to the fool occur.
   Had he the wise man's stone, I swear it,
   The stone had no philosopher.

   But  here a query will at once present itself to the minds of many:   "Is
it possible to reduce success to a law?"

   Yes, there is a law of success, as sure and immutable as any of the other
great cosmic laws.  And while I shall apply it only to spiritual matters,  I
cannot hide from you that it will also bring certain success in material af-
fairs.   But before you apply it in that direction,  consider very carefully
that to do so means spiritual suicide, for "ye cannot serve God and Mammon."

[PAGE 891]

Rather,  "seek ye first the kingdom of God,  and His righteousness;  and all
these things shall be added unto you."   I can testify to the truth of  this
promise, having lived by it for many years.

   The law of success may then be stated as follows:

   First, determine definitely and clearly what you want--development of the
healing power, extended vision, invisible helpership, the ability to lecture
and carry the Rosicrucian message to others, etc.

   Second,  when you have set your goal, never harbor a thought of  fear  or
failure for a moment,  but cultivate an attitude of invincible determination
to  accomplish  your  object despite all  obstacles.   Constantly  hold  the
thought, "I can and I will."

   Do not begin to make plans as to how to attain until you have reached the
attitude  of absolute confidence in yourself and in your ability to do  what
you desire,  for a mind swayed by the slightest fear of failure cannot  make
plans that will fully succeed.   Therefore be patient,  and be sure first to
cultivate absolute faith in yourself and your ability to succeed despite all
odds.

   When  you have reached the point where you are fully persuaded  that  you
can succeed and positively determined that you will succeed in some pursuit,
there is no power on earth or in heaven that can withstand you in that  par-
ticular  pursuit;  and  you may then plan how to  go  about  attaining  your
heart's desire with certainty of success.

   I hope that you will apply this law earnestly in the pursuit of soul
growth, not only during the coming year but in all future years.

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