Filename: RC1074.TXT
Source: "The Rosicrucian Philosophy In Questions & Answers, Vol. I"
         by Max Heindel

[PAGE 2639]

                   QUESTIONS CONCERNING CLAIRVOYANCE:

                               DIAGRAM 14:

       THE VEHICLES OF THE HIGHEST INITIATES AND ORDINARY HUMANITY:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
          |  The    | SATURN   PERIOD |  SUN     PERIOD | MOON    PERIOD  |
          | worlds  |-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
          |in which | The    |  The   |  The   |  The   |  The   |  The   |
          |  these  | highest|ordinary| highest|ordinary|highest |ordinary|
          | orders  |Initiate|humanity|Initiate|humanity|Initiate|humanity|
          |  have   |   is   |are now |Christ  |are now |   is   |are now |
          | corre-  |  The   | Lords  |  The   | Arch-  |Jehovah | Angels |
 Zodiacal |sponding |Father  |   of   |  Son   | angels |  The   |        |
  Signs   |vehicles |        |  Mind  |        |        |  Holy  |        |
          |         |        |        |        |        | Spirit |        |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
13|Alto-  |         |   /\   |        |        |        |        |        |
  |gether |  World  |  /  \  |        |        |        |        |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|........|........|........|........|........|
12|Aries  |   of    |  |  |  |        |   /\   |        |        |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|........|../  \..|........|........|........|
11|Taurus |   God   |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |   /\   |        |
--|-------|---------|--|  |--|--------|--|  |--|--------|--/  \--|--------|
10|Gemini |World  of|  |  |  |   /\   |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|../  \..|..|  |..|........|..|  |..|........|
9 |Cancer | Virgin  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   /\   |  |  |  |        |
..|.......|.........|..|  |..|..|  |..|..|  |..|../  \..|..|  |..|........|
8 |Leo    | Spirits |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   /\   |
--|-------|---------|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--/  \--|
7 |Virgo  |World  of|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Divine  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Spirit  |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|
6 |Libra  |World  of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |  Life   |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |  Spirit |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |         |        |  |  |  |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--|  |--|--    --|--|  |--|--|  |--|--|  |--|
5 |Scorpio|World of |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Thought: |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Region of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       |Abstract |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
  |       | Thought |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |--|  |  |  |  |
..|.......|.........|........|..|  |..|..    ..|..|  |..|........|..|  |..|
4 |Sagit- |Region of|        |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  |tarius |Concrete |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Thought |        |  |--|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--    --|--|  |--|--------|--|  |--|
3 |Capri- | Desire  |        |        |  |  |  |  |  |  |        |  |  |  |
  | corn  | World   |        |        |        |  |--|  |        |  |  |  |
--|-------|---------|--------|--------|--|  |--|--------|--------|--|  |--|
2 | Aqua- |Physical |        |     >>>>>>|--|  |        |        |  |  |  |
  | rius  | World:  |        |     |  |  |  |  |        |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Etheric |        |   Jesus'  |  |  |        |        |  |  |  |
  |       | Region  |        |   Bodies  |  |  |        |        |  |--|  |
..|.......|.........|........|.....|..|..|--|..|........|........|........|
1 |Pisces |Chemical |        |     |  |  |  |  |        |        |        |
  |       | Region  |        |     >>>>>>|--|  |        |        |        |
--|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|

[PAGE 2640]

                              QUESTION NO. 131:

   WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CLAIRVOYANT, AN INITIATE AND AN ADEPT?

   ANSWER:  What a man sees depends upon the sensitiveness of his eye.  Some
people  can distinguish objects at a distance which makes them invisible  to
other people.  Artists perceive shades of color which ordinary people cannot
distinguish and some people are color blind; there are even those who cannot
see at all--they are blind.

   The  people  who can see the farthest or distinguish  the  most  delicate
shades of color are more CLAIRVOYANT, or clearsighted, than the rest.

   The majority among us are able TO SEE most things in our environment, but
we  know very little about the things we see just because we see  them.   WE
HAD TO BE INITIATED into the use of the telephone, the bicycle,  automobile,
piano, etc.

   But,  though we may know how to use these instruments under ordinary cir-
cumstances,  we are not so thoroughly familiar with their construction  that
we are able to build or repair them when they have become disabled.   Before
we become qualified for that work we must take a course of special training,
and if we apply ourselves with our whole heart,  we may become ADEPTS in our
special line.

   If we apply this illustration to the problem before us, we may understand
that A CLAIRVOYANT is a man whose sense of sight has become so extended that
he perceives another world, which is invisible to most of us, and that he IS

[PAGE 2641]

ABLE TO SEE everything there.

   But  he does not "know all about"  the things he sees there by  the  mere
fact of perception any more than we know all about the things we see in this
world.  He must apply himself to gain that knowledge.  Then, by degrees,  he
will become AN INITIATE, who UNDERSTANDS THE THINGS HE SEES, and may be able
to manipulate some of them under ordinary circumstances,  as we are able  to
play upon a piano or ride a bicycle when we have learned these arts.

   It will require further training to enable the Initiate TO EXERCISE POWER
over the things and the forces in the invisible world as AN ADEPT.

   Thus  the Clairvoyant is one who sees the invisible world;  the  Initiate
both sees the invisible world and understands what he sees,  while the Adept
sees, knows and has power over things and forces there.

                              QUESTION NO. 132:

   WHY  IS IT THAT TRAINED CLAIRVOYANTS DO NOT OFFER TO LEND  THEMSELVES  TO
SOME  SIMPLE  BUT CONCLUSIVE TESTS CONDUCTED BY MEN OF SCIENCE  WHICH  WOULD
CONVINCE  EVERYBODY  OF THE REALITY OF FACULTIES TRANSCENDING  THE  ORDINARY
SENSES?

   ANSWER:  In the first place, trained  clairvoyants have no axes to grind;
they are not concerned in the smallest degree whether people believe or not;

[PAGE 2642]

while it might make a great deal of difference to the people themselves were
they to believe, it makes no difference whatever to the trained clairvoyant.
He  never seeks for money,  or any other consideration that the world  could
offer him if convinced;  he has no wish for worldly power,  he never flaunts
his faculty or boasts of it,  but always speaks of it with exceeding modesty
when he does so at all.  If he does deeds that are meritorious, perhaps,  in
helping his fellow men, he does not care to have these facts known.  He usu-
ally does not let "his left hand know what his right hand does."

   A blind man does not see the colors and the light,  although they are ev-
erywhere  about  him,  and if he should come to us and ask us to  submit  to
tests  which  would prove to him beyond a doubt that we perceive  light  and
color,  we  should wonder what tests could possibly convince  him  of  those
facts.  So does the trained clairvoyant wonder what tests would convince EV-
ERYBODY.   There has been no test devised yet that would not be open to some
other explanation in the minds of some people, and the unfortunate clairvoy-
ant who should lend himself to such tests would have to keep on and on  for-
ever,  and  yet generations of skeptics would denounce him as a  fraud.   He
would  be required to submit to the tests of every single one of the  scien-
tists,  and scientists do not even believe their own eyes.   If their reason
says a thing is impossible they refuse to believe, though shown.  Scientists
are forced to be content to experiment under the laws of nature,  when  con-
ducting their researches in chemistry,  etc.,  of which they know something,
but  arrogate to themselves the right to prescribe conditions  when  testing
superphysical matters of which they are confessedly ignorant.   When mediums
demand  a  darkened  room for their experiments, the scientists usually say,

[PAGE 2643]

"Ah,  yes, that at once shows that they are frauds; they want the room dark-
ened so that they can play their tricks undetected."  The mediums usually do
not know WHY the room should be darkened and therefore cannot explain, but a
law underlies the demand of the medium.

   It is this:   Light rays set the ether into violent vibration and make it
difficult for the communicating entities to work with it in that  condition,
to mold it into a body, a vocal organ, a hand,  or other material manifesta-
tion.  The darker the room the less the ether vibrates, and the easier it is
for these entities to use it as required for the spiritualistic phenomena.

   There are numerous other laws affecting superphysical phenomena, of which
science has no conception,  and this ignorance at once disqualifies the sci-
entists for prescribing conditions.   The way is always open for them,  how-
ever,  to know at first hand.   They say to us,  procure a number of lenses,
ground  in a certain way,  place them in a tube in a certain  manner,  point
that  tube with your lenses in a certain direction in the sky and  you  will
see  eight  moons revolving around Saturn.  If we comply with  their  direc-
tions,  we  shall see that what they tell us is to be found  there.   If  we
refuse  to provide the necessary instrument we cannot see the moons of  Sat-
urn.   We say to them:  live the life and perform the exercises, so that you
may evolve in yourselves that faculty of which we speak.   Then you will see
that  we  have spoken the truth,  and you will be compelled  to  assert  the
things we assert.  If they are unwilling to comply with our directions, they
may remain as unconvinced  of  the existence of super-physical realms as the

[PAGE 2644]

man  who  will  not  procure a telescope may  doubt  the  existence  of  the
Saturnian moons, for all that the trained clairvoyants care.

                              QUESTION NO. 133:

   IF CLAIRVOYANCE IS SUCH AN ACCURATE MEANS OF INVESTIGATION,  SUCH A  HIGH
SPIRITUAL  FACULTY,  WHY  DO WE USUALLY SEE IT IN POSSESSION  OF  PEOPLE  OF
LITTLE  EDUCATION  AND  COARSE  BREEDING; WHO  HAVE  SEEMINGLY  VERY  LITTLE
SPIRITUALITY AND WHO OFTEN TELL LIES?

   ANSWER:   There was a time in the far, far past when the human body was a
very  much  less  complicated  organism  than  it  is  today,   before   the
cerebro-spinal nervous system had been evolved to give man voluntary control
over his body.   At that time the sympathetic or involuntary nervous  system
took care of the purely animal functions, much as it does today.   Then  man
was a much more spiritual being than he is now,  and his means of perception
of the Spiritual Worlds were organs which are now temporarily in disuse.  We
have a number of organs in our bodies in various stages of completion,  some
of  which are atrophying because they have served their uses.   The  muscles
which move the ears in animals,  for instance,  are also present in man, but

[PAGE 2645]

they are no longer needed and,  therefore,  most of us have lost the use  of
them.   Other organs are in a state of development,  such as,  for instance,
the  heart,  which  is an involuntary muscle,  but is  being  invested  with
cross-stripes like the voluntary muscles and will, at a future time,  be ca-
pable of regulation at any desired speed.

   Another  class  of organs are simply in a state or  dormancy,  and  among
these are THE PITUITARY BODY and THE PINEAL GLAND.   If they were not to  be
used in the future,  they would surely atrophy,  as do all other organs when
they have ceased to be useful.   In the far past these organs were connected
with the sympathetic system and invested man with involuntary  clairvoyance,
and because of their connection with the cerebro-spinal system they will  in
the  future enable mankind to effect a contact with the Spiritual Worlds  at
will.

   It  is easier to roll a stone down hill than to roll it up  hill;  retro-
gression is more readily accomplished than progression, and when people seek
for development in a negative condition they readily renew THE NEGATIVE  AC-
TIVITY  of  the  pituitary body and the pineal gland,  and  become  negative
clairvoyants.   But as any faculty which is exercised by means of the invol-
untary  nervous  system cannot be exercised by the power of the  will,  this
faculty is, of course, sporadic in mediums.  At times, when the power is on,
they  can contact the Spiritual Worlds in a limited way.   At  other  times,
when  the  power  is off,  they are unable to see.   Therefore,  they  often
simulate in order to earn a needed fee.

   The man who consciously evolves his spiritual faculty controls the vibra-
tion of the two little organs named by will power  and  has  no  "off" days.

[PAGE 2646]

The power to see is his at any and all times.  Thus, in his hands, clairvoy-
ance is an accurate means of investigation, but it should be understood that
as  it is necessary to investigate in this world before we know,  so  it  is
also  in  that world.   Many people are foolishly skeptical  concerning  the
existence of superphysical worlds and senses, but people who think that when
a man "sees"  in the invisible worlds he at once knows everything about them
are equally foolish.   A blind man who has acquired the faculty of sight  by
an  operation affords an illustration of the fact that we must learn to  see
here in the Physical World,  for at first he very often shuts his eyes,  de-
claring that it is easier to walk by feeling than by sight,  because he  has
not yet learned to gauge distances.   The infant which reaches for the  moon
or for something on the other side of the room also demonstrates this  fact.
As above,  so below;  before a man has been trained, the mere fact of clair-
voyance  is  not of much use to him, and the idea that BECAUSE HE  SEES,  HE
NECESSARILY KNOWS EVERYTHING,  is gratuitous.  We who have seen here all our
lives do not know all about everything in this world;  neither do the people
who  "see'  know all about the other world.   Besides,  the forms  here  are
stable and do not easily change,  while the matter of sight and knowledge is
complicated  in the Inner Worlds by the plasticity of the forms  there,  for
they often change in the twinkling of an eye in response to the thoughts  of
entities who function there.

   To  evolve voluntary clairvoyance is an arduous task,  and this  faculty,
therefore, is possessed by few, while negative clairvoyance,  unfortunately,
has been developed by many who had no high ideals to prevent prostitution of
their faculty for gold.

[PAGE 2647]

                              QUESTION NO. 134:

   WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY INITIATION, AND WHY ARE ONLY MEN INITIATES?

   ANSWER:  The ordinary idea of initiation is that of admittance into a se-
cret order,  usually IN CONSIDERATION OF AN INITIATION FEE,  but occult ini-
tiation is very different.

   When  a person has endeavored to live the higher life for some time,  has
purified his vehicles by mental,  moral and physical endeavors,  he emits  a
light  in  the invisible world and accumulates a power within.   In  time  a
point  of culmination is reached where this power must be given vent.   Then
there  appears in his life a teacher who shows him the power he  has  culti-
vated,  often unconsciously to himself, and its use.   This demonstration is
called initiation.   It may take place in a temple or not; it may or may not
be  accompanied  by  a ceremony,  as the circumstances demand.   Let  it  be
clearly  understood  that no ceremony can give to the candidate  the  powers
which initiation teaches him to use,  any ore than pulling the trigger of  a
pistol which is not loaded can cause an explosion.   The initiatory ceremony
would be worthless save as a culmination to the life of discipleship.

   Thus it is evident that Initiation is the inevitable result of merit.  It
is never sold for money,  though there is no lack of unscrupulous charlatans
who offer to initiate anyone into the occult arts of which they know nothing
themselves; nor are gullible fools wanting, or dishonest persons who hope to
gain a sinister power over their fellow-man by purchase.  If Simon, the sor-
cerer,  merited  the  scathing rebuke of Peter when he attempted  to  buy  a
spiritual power for gold,  we  wonder  what condemnation is adequate to meet

[PAGE 2648]

the case of those who advertise them as commercial wares, particularly when,
in  the nature of things,  they are unable to deliver the goods offered  for
sale.   The inquirer is under a misapprehension when he believes  that  only
men  are Initiates,  at least so far as the Lesser Mysteries are  concerned.
There  are women Initiates and sometimes even Initiates of the Greater  Mys-
teries  take upon themselves a feminine body for the sake of a special  work
which they desire to accomplish.  It is true,  however,  that those who have
advanced so far that they have a choice regarding sex usually prefer a  male
body,  and the reason is not far to seek.   Woman has a positive vital  body
but a negative dense body and is,  therefore,  somewhat at a disadvantage in
the  world  as at present constituted.  Striving for the higher  ideals  and
living the higher life, we spiritualize the vital body and transmute it into
soul  which is always positive--a power usable regardless of  sex--and  when
the Initiate wears a masculine body also,  he is thoroughly positive in  the
Physical  World  and has a better chance for advancement than when  using  a
feminine vehicle.

[PAGE 2649]

                              QUESTION NO. 135:

   IS IT NOT THE DUTY OF ONE WHO IS INFORMED ON SUBJECTS CONCERNED WITH  THE
HIGHER LIFE TO GIVE INFORMATION AND HELP TO THE LESS INFORMED?

   ANSWER:   Certainly, knowledge is the one thing which we may give to oth-
ers and still retain ourselves.  In fact, when we help others by disseminat-
ing  our  knowledge we are helping ourselves and increasing our  own  store.
For no one really knows a thing until he has told and explained it to  some-
one else,  and we should understand that whatever knowledge we may obtain is
not our exclusive property, but is to be used for the universal good.  If we
selfishly  hoard it and refuse to enlighten others,  it will act upon us  in
the same way as if we continued to eat physical food without getting rid  of
the ashes.   There would come a time when we could hold no more and we would
become sick.   So with people who obtain knowledge concerning things of  the
higher life.   When they hoard it up instead of using it for the benefit  of
others, they are very apt to become recluses, and may become insane.

[PAGE 2650]

                              QUESTION NO. 136:

   WHAT  QUALIFICATIONS ARE NECESSARY TO BECOME AN INVISIBLE  HELPER?   MUST
THE WHOLE LIFE BE GIVEN OVER TO SPIRITUAL ENDEAVOR?

   ANSWER:  No, not at all; in fact, no one is justified in giving his whole
life  to spiritual endeavor unless he has first fulfilled whatever  material
obligations  he may have to others.   The duties in the family are means  of
being VISIBLE helpers,  and the man or woman who shirks duty here can surely
not  be  depended upon to fulfill the duties of an Invisible Helper  on  the
other side.

   Therefore,  A PATIENT CONTINUANCE IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ALL  OUR  EARTHLY
DUTIES  to  the  very best of our ability is the first  and  most  essential
qualification of the aspirant.   As a further qualification,  we may mention
SELF CONTROL.  While we are living and working on our dense bodies,  the de-
sire  body is in a measure held in check by imprisonment in dense,  physical
matter.   If  we lose our temper here, the result may be dangerous  to  our-
selves and to those around us, but it is not a circumstance to the peril at-
tendant upon loss of temper in the other world,  for our desire body,  as we
know,  can wreck our physical body in a fit of temper so that it  may  some-
times be sick for weeks as a result of a few minutes'  loss of temper.   But
when outside the dense body, if its force were directed against anyone else,
it could instantly kill an army.

   KNOWLEDGE is also requisite to the aspirant.  Unless we have studied con-
ditions  after death and are familiar with the scheme of evolution,  have  a
comprehensive  idea  of  the  constitution of man and similar subjects it is

[PAGE 2651]

impossible for us to instruct those who are less informed, and to set us the
tasks of an Invisible Helper and instructor would be analogous to sending an
ignorant boor to teach school.

   Last,  but not least, the Invisible Helper must be imbued with AN ALL EM-
BRACING  LOVE OF HUMANITY.   We cannot be callous to the sufferings  of  our
fellow creatures HERE and at the same time be filled with love and a  desire
to help in the other world,  any more than a man who does not know a note in
earth  life can become a proficient musician by the mere fact of  dying,  or
acquire such a passion for music that he is anxious to spend eternity  toot-
ing in a horn or playing on a harp.  Therefore,  we reiterate that to become
an Invisible Helper THERE, we must first qualify by helping HERE.

                              QUESTION NO. 137:

   WHAT PURPOSE HAS THE PERSON IN GOING OUT OF HIS BODY?

   ANSWER:   At the present stage of our evolution,  the greater part of hu-
manity  are tied to their bodies during earth life.   They are placed  in  a
small and narrow environment  because  certain  lessons may be learned there

[PAGE 2652]

which can best be mastered by practically shutting out every other place and
condition from view.  But there comes a time when man has grown sufficiently
in knowledge to make it desirable that he should have a wider scope for  his
activities.  Then the body becomes a clog and a fetter which it is expedient
to leave at times, and accordingly he is taught by the Elder Brothers to ex-
tricate  himself at will.   They themselves have been helped in the past  by
more  advanced beings from other planets until they have now become  capable
of teaching the less evolved among humanity.

   The purpose in going out is to gain a wider knowledge.   But that  knowl-
edge in itself is only a means to an end,  namely,  to help others progress.
Therefore, those who are capable of leaving their bodies are known as Invis-
ible  Helpers.   Their work is to help both living and  dead,  according  to
ability.

[PAGE 2653]

                              QUESTION NO. 138:

   IS  IT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO LIVE A LIFE OF ASCETICISM IN ORDER TO  BE-
COME SPIRITUAL AND ENDOWED WITH PSYCHIC POWERS?

   ANSWER:   That depends upon what the inquirer means by asceticism.   Some
people  in the East creep into a barrel of spikes and roll themselves  about
in order to mortify the flesh,  or lash and maim themselves in various  ways
to attain a realization of spiritual powers.  That, assuredly, is not right.
They may and do at times become clairvoyant, but that course is as reprehen-
sible and its results as transitory as the effects obtained by crystal  gaz-
ing, the drug habit and similar methods.

   We  should realize that this physical body is our most  valuable  instru-
ment,  and that it is our duty to give it all reasonable care  under  condi-
tions which are conducive to its health and well-being.   Now power obtained
by  maltreating our body is of the highest kind,  and therefore  is  neither
lasting nor fully efficient.

   But some people mean by asceticism, "living a clean and pure life."  They
want spiritual power without sacrifice of animal propensities;  they  desire
to  soar in the clouds at will,  while at other times they claim liberty  to
wallow in the mire.  They want to continue feeding on coarse food,  to gorge
themselves  on  meat,  alcohol and tobacco,  to indulge their  passions  and
sensual desires in every direction,  and at the same time they want to  have
spiritual powers.

   That cannot be done.  Our bodies are our tools.   A good workman appreci-
ates   the   value  of  good  tools  and  keeps  them  in  the   very   best
condition--sharp and clean.  When our senses have been dulled by alcohol and

[PAGE 2654]

tobacco,  when  the system is forced to exert all its energy  to  digest  or
eliminate coarse food,  is it to be expected that the man should be a sensi-
tive?   We  cannot  serve God and mammon; ours is the choice.   If  we  want
spiritual powers we must pay the price of clean lives; we must give our bod-
ies pure food and conform to the rules of the simple life;  we must  abstain
from everything that dulls the senses--alcohol, tobacco, and similar abuses.
If that is called "a life of asceticism," then asceticism is absolutely nec-
essary.

                              QUESTION NO. 139:

   ARE ALL CHILDREN CLAIRVOYANT UP TO A CERTAIN AGE?


   ANSWER:  Yes, all are clairvoyant at least during the first year of their
life.  It depends upon the spirituality of the child to a great extent, also
upon its environment,  how long it will keep the faculty,  for most children
communicate all they see to their elders and the faculty of clairvoyance  is
affected by their attitude.   Often children are ridiculed,  and nothing  so
hurts  their  sensitive little natures.   They soon learn to  shut  out  the
scenes  which engender the ridicule of their elders,  or at least they  will
learn to keep such experiences to themselves.  When  listened to, they often

[PAGE 2655]

reveal  wonderful things,  and at times it is possible to trace  a  previous
life  by  information from a little child.   This happens  particularly,  of
course if the child died as a child in its previous life,  for then it would
only have been in the Invisible World from one to twenty years,  so that  it
is  possible to verify its information.   Children who,  in  their  previous
life,  died as children,  are much more apt to remember the past and  to  be
clairvoyant than other children,  because the desire body and vital body are
not born at the same time as the physical birth of the child,  but at  seven
and  fourteen years of age,  respectively, and what has not  been  quickened
cannot die,  so that if a child passes out before birth of the vital body or
of  the desire body,  it will not go into the Second and Third Heavens,  but
will  stay in the Desire World and will be reborn with the same desire  body
and  mind that it possessed in its previous life,  and therefore it will  be
very much more apt to remember what happened then.   The writer came  across
such an instance a few years ago in Southern California.

   One day in Santa Barbara,  a man by the name of Roberts was walking along
the street when a little child ran up to him,  put her arms around his knees
and called him "papa."   Mr.  Roberts thought someone was trying to foist  a
child upon him and indignantly freed himself.   The mother of the child  was
also indignant at its action and took it away.   But the child kept  crying,
"It is my papa,  it is my papa."  On account of circumstances which will ap-
pear later,  the incident preyed upon Mr. Roberts'  mind,  and he went to  a
gentleman whom we will call "X".   Together they sought the house where  the
little  child lived with her parents, and after some parleying were  allowed
to question her.  As soon as the little girl saw Mr. Roberts  she ran to him

[PAGE 2656]

again and called him "Papa."   Then,  in answer to intermittent  questioning
during the afternoon,  the child told the story, which we give here connect-
edly.

   Once  upon a time she lived with mr.  Roberts as her father  and  another
mama  in a little house by a brook where flowers grew (here she ran out  and
fetched some pussy willows).   There was a gang plank across the brook which
she was forbidden to cross, lest she fall in the water.  One day Mr. Roberts
left  her mama and herself never to return.   After some time her mama  laid
down and moved no more.  "She became so still,  and she died."   Then,  said
the child, "I died too; but I didn't die, I came here!"

   Next,  Mr.  Roberts told his story.   "About eighteen years previously he
had lived with his father, a brewer, in England.  He fell in love with their
servant girl,  but the father refused permission to marry.  The young people
ran  off to London,  were married,  went to Australia,  where he  cleared  a
little  farm in the bush,  and built a house by a brook where pussy  willows
grew.   There was a gang plank over the brook.   A little child was born  to
them,  and when that child was about two years of age, Mr.  Roberts went one
day to a clearing about a mile from the cabin and while there an officer  of
the  law approached him with a gun and arrested him for a bank robbery  com-
mitted on the night he left London.

   "He protested his innocence, begged leave to visit wife and child to take
care  of them,  but the officer feared a trap to get him into the  hands  of
confederates,  and drove Mr.  Roberts to the coast at the point of the  gun.
He was taken to England, tried for the robbery and found not guilt.  Not un-
til then did the authorities listen to his constant ravings about a wife and
child  who  must  surely have starved in the wilds of Australia.  A telegram

[PAGE 2657]

was  sent,  a search party organized and in due time the answer came.   They
found  the  skeletons of the deserted ones,  and Mr.  Roberts  departed  for
America, a heart-broken man."

   The  child was then shown a number of pictures,  in a casual  way,  among
them being two photographs of Mr. Roberts and his wife.   Mr.  Roberts'  ap-
pearance  had altered very much since that photograph was taken.   Neverthe-
less, when the child came upon the picture, she joyously shouted, "Oh, there
is  Papa!"   She also recognized the picture of her mother in  the  previous
life.   The little child was only about three years of age at the time  when
Mr.  Roberts found her,  and could not possibly have made up such  a  story.
Later the case was investigated by one of the foremost newspapers in  South-
ern California, the Los Angeles Times, and the facts found to be as here re-
lated.

[PAGE 2658]

                              QUESTION NO. 140:

   WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK MAGIC AND WHAT IS THE  EF-
FECT OF THE PRACTICE OF BLACK MAGIC UPON THE SOUL?

   ANSWER:  Magic is a process whereby we may accomplish certain results not
achieved by means of laws ordinarily known.  Some men have investigated laws
of nature unknown to most people, and have become adepts in manipulating the
finer forces.  They use their power to help their fellow man, where that can
be done in harmony with the laws of his growth.  Others,  having studied the
laws  and become capable of manipulating the hidden forces of the  universe,
use  their knowledge for SELFISH ENDS to gain power over their fellow  crea-
tures.   The first named class are WHITE Magicians,  the latter  are  BLACK.
BOTH  OF THEM USE AND MANIPULATE THE SAME FORCES,  the difference being  the
motive  which prompts them.   The White Magician is prompted  altogether  by
love and benevolence.  Although he is not actuated by thoughts  of reward, a
soul growth wonderful to contemplate results from his use of magic.   He has
put  his  talents out to usury and is gaining interest a  hundredfold.   The
Black Magician,  on the other hand,  is in a sad state,  for it is said that
the "soul that sinneth, it shall die," and all we do contrary to the laws of
God inevitably results in a deterioration of the soul qualities.

   The  Black Magician by his knowledge and art may,  sometimes for  several
lives, maintain his position in evolution, but eventually there comes a time
when  the soul disintegrates and the Ego reverts into what we may call  sav-
agery.

[PAGE 2659]

   Black  magic in its minor forms, such as hypnotism,  for instance,  some-
times causes congenital idiocy in a future life.  The hypnotist deprives his
victims of the free use of their bodies.  Under the law of consequence he is
then tied to a body with a malformed brain,  which prevents his  expression.
We must not infer,  however,  that every case of congenital idiocy is due to
such malpractice on the part of the Ego in a past life; there are also other
causes which may bring congenital idiocy as a result.

                              QUESTION NO. 141:

   YOU  SPEAK OF THE WESTERN AND THE EASTERN SCHOOLS OF OCCULTISM.   IS  NOT
THE WESTERN SCHOOL THE BETTER, AND IF SO, WHY?

   ANSWER:   There  are a number of different races upon earth  at  present.
The  Hindus  are  the  FIRST  race  in the  present  Aryan  Epoch,  and  the
Anglo-Saxon  is the FIFTH.   Naturally the latest teaching is given  to  the
most advanced people.  Therefore the western religion, Christianity,  is far
superior to the Hinduism  and Buddhism of the East.   The mystery  teachings
of the East are not as advanced as in the West either.   In the East,  great
stress is laid upon  subjection  of  the  body  in  order  to  cultivate the

[PAGE 2660]

spiritual faculties.   They place the body in certain positions while under-
taking  arduous breathing exercises and other physical exercises not  neces-
sary by the western method.  In fact, the western body is not at all respon-
sive to those methods.  Besides, the pupil in the East is under the absolute
control of his teacher,  whom he calls "Master,"  and whose commands he must
obey to the most minute detail, without asking why.  In the West,  we follow
the teachings of the Christ, who said to his disciples, "Henceforth,  I call
you friends,  for the servant knoweth not what his master doeth,  but I have
taught  you  all things which I have learned of my Father."   (John  15:15.)
Therefore,  the teacher in the West is on terms of the most intimate friend-
ship with his pupil and always ready to answer his questions so far as  com-
patible with his stage of development.

   There are,  of course, some very advanced people in the East,  people who
are far advanced in the teachings of their school, but a corresponding stage
is usually reached by the western method in a shorter time and with less ef-
fort.

[PAGE 2661]

                              QUESTION NO. 142:

   WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ETHERIC SIGHT,  CLAIRVOYANCE AND THE SIGHT
PERTAINING TO THE WORLD OF THOUGHT?

   ANSWER:   When  we look at a man with etheric sight,  we  first  see  his
outside clothing, then the lining inside, his underclothing, his skin,  ribs
and  the various organs of his body along the line of our vision;  then  the
spinal column, the back of the ribs, the flesh, the skin and the clothing on
his back.   In other words,  we see THROUGH him.  By the etheric sight a man
can see through books,  papers, letters, walls, or anything else for a short
distance.   In fact, this faculty may be called X-ray sight.   Only one sub-
stance  is  proof against its penetrative faculty.   Glass is as  opaque  to
etheric  sight as a stone wall to ordinary physical sight for the same  rea-
son, perhaps, that glass is such a splendid insulator for electricity.

   When  we look at a person or a thing with ordinary clairvoyant sight,  we
see their desire bodies and the counterparts of their other vehicles  inside
and out--every particle at the same time.  It is rather difficult to read  a
book or even a letter with etheric sight, because we must look through other
pages which blur the one we wish to read.  When we use ordinary clairvoyance
it seems as if the book or letter is spread out so that we can ready any age
or part without having to look through any other part.   But when we look at
an  object with the sight pertaining to the four lower regions of the  World
of  Thought,  and the writer has personal knowledge of no higher realms,  we
find that instead of FORMS there are HOLLOW SPACES or molds,  which SPEAK TO
US  and  tell  us  about themselves.   The  necessity  of  investigation  is
eliminated from that world.  THERE WE KNOW AT ONCE EVERYTHING ABOUT WHATEVER

[PAGE 2662]

BECOMES AN OBJECT OF OUR ATTENTION.  There is,  however,  a curious drawback
to  the knowledge gained in that manner--it dawns upon us ALL AT ONCE.   The
sum of this knowledge is a WHOLE, and has neither beginning nor end.   It is
therefore usually a herculean task to unfold it into an orderly,  sequential
concept which may be comprehensively stated to ourselves and others.

                              QUESTION NO. 143:

   IS  IT  SAFE FOR A PERSON IN A GREATLY DEBILITATED NERVOUS  CONDITION  TO
TAKE OCCULT TRAINING GIVEN BY THE ROSICRUCIANS,  OR IS IT NECESSARY FOR SUCH
A PERSON TO FIRST RECOVER?  IS HEALTH REGAINED BY OCCULT TRAINING?

   ANSWER:   The only exercises given PUBLICLY by Rosicrucians are the morn-
ing and evening exercises.  The evening exercise consists of a retrospect of
events of the day IN REVERSE ORDER.  During this review the aspirant aims to
cultivate a feeling of the most sincere contrition for anything he may  have
done amiss,  and also TO FEEL intensely glad when he has been able to better
his previous conduct in any act during the past day.   The morning  exercise
consists in concentration upon a high ideal, the Christ, for instance.

   If a person of a nervous temperament will endeavor to calmly  and quietly

[PAGE 2663]

perform these exercises,  he will experience a very beneficial effect,  par-
ticularly if he will strive to RELAX EVERY MUSCLE of the body during the ex-
ercises.

   The  attitude of a cat watching a mouse hole affords an excellent  illus-
tration  of relaxation.   It sits in a perfectly easy position;  CALMLY  AND
QUIETLY IT WAITS for the appearance of the mouse.   No energy is  dissipated
by fretfulness or anxiety.   It quietly persists in the faith that sooner or
later opportunity will come.   All its strength is reserved for the  supreme
moment when it springs to secure its prey.  If the pupil will completely re-
lax  his  muscles,  calmly and quietly review the day's  happenings  in  the
evening exercise and concentrate upon a high ideal in the morning  exercise,
the nervousness will gradually disappear,  and one day the opportunity  will
come; the spiritual sight will unfold.

                              QUESTION NO. 144:

   A  SOUND  BODY BEING NECESSARY FOR SPIRITUAL UNFOLDMENT,  WHAT  DOES  THE
ROSICRUCIAN  TEACHING  HOLD OUT TO ONE NOT AT PRESENT IN THE  BEST  PHYSICAL
CONDITION?   WILL  PERFECT HEALTH BE ONE RESULT OF THE STUDY  OF  THIS  PHI-
LOSOPHY,  AND IF THE TEACHING IS PRACTICED, WILL IT TEND TO KEEP A PERSON IN
GOOD HEALTH?

   ANSWER:   The inquirer starts with a misconception, namely,  that a sound
body is necessary to true spiritual unfoldment, and, probably,  also forgets
the  distinction  between  "SOUND"  and  "SENSITIVE."   Many  people  of low

[PAGE 2664]

development have a most sound and healthy physical body,  but are not at all
sensitive with respect to spiritual vibrations.  An illustration will eluci-
date:   The writer has had an alarm clock,  a low-priced time-piece,  for  a
number  of  years.   It  has been packed at times  in  a  trunk  handled  by
baggagemen,  porters,  etc., in an exceedingly careless manner, and yet when
taken  out  of the trunk,  after all the shaking up and ill-usage,  it  will
still go and keep time after a fashion, that is to say, if one does not mind
a few moments'  variation one way or the other.  Such a time-piece is strong
and SOUND but not ACCURATE.

   On  the other hand,  a chronometer used on board ships is an  exceedingly
delicate  time-piece.   it  rests upon balances which always keep  it  in  a
horizontal position and compensate for the slightest motion of the ship,  so
that  the chronometer may keep perfect time,  for thousands of lives are  at
times  dependent  upon the extreme accuracy of that instrument.   A  captain
launched  upon  the trackless ocean knows how far east or west  he  is  from
Greenwich,  England,  by means of this accurate time-piece--the chronometer.
When  he calculates the difference between noon of the place where he  finds
himself and the time shown by the chronometer he has a correct gauge of  his
location, a gauge to which he trusts the lives of all his passengers and the
millions  of dollars'  worth of property in his care.   A comparison of  the
sensitive  chronometer and the rough and ready alarm clock  illustrates  the
difference between "sensitive" and "sound."

   When we understand the higher philosophies, when we live the life that is
taught by them,  our body becomes extremely SENSITIVE and must be given more

[PAGE 2665]

care.  Those who are interested along the lines of spiritual development are
particularly high-strung,  therefore, as we progress it becomes necessary to
take more and more care of this instrument.   But we also learn the laws  of
its nature and how to conform to them.  If we apply our knowledge it is pos-
sible  for  us  to have a sensitive instrument and keep  it  in  comparative
health.

   There  are cases,  however,  when a sickness is necessary to bring  about
certain  changes  in  the  body which are precursors of  a  higher  step  in
spiritual unfoldment,  and under such conditions,  of course,  sickness is a
blessing  and not a curse.   In general, however,  it may be said  that  the
study of the highest philosophy will always tend to better one's health, be-
cause  "knowledge is power"  and the more we know the better we are able  to
cope with all conditions,  provided, of course,  we bring our knowledge into
practice and LIVE THE LIFE--that we are not merely hearers of the word,  but
doers  also,  for no teaching is of any benefit to us unless it  is  carried
into our lives and lived from day to day.

[PAGE 2666]

                              QUESTION NO. 145:

   IN WHAT WAY WILL IT HELP US IN THE LIFE AFTER DEATH IF WE HAVE CULTIVATED
CLAIRVOYANCE IN THE PRESENT LIFE?

   ANSWER:   In a number of ways.   In the first place,  many people have  A
GREAT FEAR OF DEATH; the very mention of the word death sends the cold shiv-
ers down their backs, and they always avoid the subject.  Fear of death gen-
erates  thought forms of a hideous nature and when a person leaves the  body
at  death to enter the Invisible World,  he sees those dread forms  surround
him as so many fiends, and they sometimes drive him almost insane.  They are
his progeny, however, and he cannot rid himself of them until he learns that
they have no power over him and fearlessly bids them begone.  Then they van-
ish as dew before the sun.

   The  man who has cultivated clairvoyance during earth life  is  sometimes
also tormented on his first entrance into the Invisible World by various el-
emental entities which take upon themselves most hideous forms.  They recog-
nize in the neophyte a possible future master and seek to sway him from  his
purpose  by intimidation,  but as he is usually helped by a teacher  and  is
taught that these beings have no power over him,  he very quickly  overcomes
fear.   When  later  he leaves his body at death and  enters  the  Invisible
World,  he  is already familiar with many of the sights  and  scenes  there;
above all he has no fear to hamper him.

[PAGE 2667]

                              QUESTION NO. 146:

   WOULD  THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE GOD WITHIN,  IF PERSISTENTLY CARRIED  ON,
AID ONE IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BRING ONE TO ADEPTSHIP?

   ANSWER:  We are living at the present time in the WORKADAY Western World,
where it is our duty to fill whatever niche is ours.   Each of us has a work
to do,  and if we shirk it for the sake of a morbid introspection,  we shall
not only not grow, but we shall degenerate spiritually.

   Some people,  unfortunately,  think themselves justified in leaving their
earthly duties when they imagine spiritual progress calls them, but until we
have fulfilled every duty here,  there can be no true spiritual advancement;
whatever may seem so will in the end turn out to be dust and ashes.

   The far Eastern countries illustrate,  by horrible example,  the evil re-
sults  of neglect of material duties for the indiscriminate pursuit of  what
they  imagine to be spiritual power.  There people emaciate and  deform  the
body  by such practices as holding an arm above the head until  it  withers.
That  is not true spirituality which does not promote the good of the  whole
world.   It is sometimes said, that "every herring must hang by its own gill
and  every tub must stand upon its own bottom."   But it is also  true  that
what  does not tend to life all will never lift anyone.   A  deepseated  and
heartfelt desire to further the common good is the only valid  justification
for  expending the effort incident to cultivation of spiritual power.   Sto-
ries  have been told of mothers attending mothers'  meetings to discuss  how
best to care  for  home  and children, meanwhile leaving their children in a

[PAGE 2668]

most untidy house without care.   These stories are not merely exaggerations
and jokes; they contain more truth than poetry.  And the people who prate of
spirituality,  who desire to contemplate the angel within, to the neglect of
their  families and other obvious duties,  are on a par with  such  mothers.
The sooner we awake to a realization of the fact that no present duty,  how-
ever humble, may be neglected with impunity for spiritual work,  however ex-
alted,  the better for ourselves and all concerned.  We would advise the in-
quirer to read Longfellow's poem,  the "Legend Beautiful."   It is very much
in point:   A monk is kneeling upon his floor of stone, when a beautiful vi-
sion  of the Christ appears to him just as the noonday bell summons  him  to
the gate where the poor are waiting for alms which it is his duty to give to
them each day.  There arises in the monk's mind the question,  shall he stay
and commune with the Blessed Visitor,  or shall he leave Him for the sake of
a parcel of hungry beggars?  But a voice within him says,

         "Do thy duty, that is best,
         Leave unto thy Lord the rest."

He follows the behest of that voice, leaving the Vision in his cell  wonder-
ing if it will be there when he returns.  Yet he feels it is right to do his
duty to others regardless of loss to himself,  and when,  after having dealt
alms  to the poor,  he returns to his cell,  the Vision greets him with  the
words:  "Hadst thou stayed, I must have fled."

[PAGE 2669]

                              QUESTION NO. 147:

   HAS  IT  NOT  BEEN  RECORDED  THAT  CERTAIN  INDIVIDUALS  HAVE  DEVELOPED
SPIRITUAL POWER,  CLAIRVOYANCE, SIXTH SENSE, OR WHATEVER WE WISH TO CALL IT,
BY LIVING A CLEAN LIFE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE'S LAWS,  AND DO NOT THE TEACH-
INGS OF MODERN OCCULTISTS WITH SO MANY TERMS OF TECHNICALITY HAVE A TENDENCY
TO CREATE CONFUSION RATHER THAN BRING THE DESIRED RESULTS?

   ANSWER:   The  path  of development in all cases depends  upon  the  tem-
perament of the aspirant.   There are two paths,  THE MYSTIC and THE  INTEL-
LECTUAL.  The Mystic is usually devoid of intellectual knowledge; he follows
the dictates of his heart and strives to do the will of God as he FEELS  it,
lifting himself upward without being conscious of any definite goal,  and in
the end attains to knowledge.   In the middle ages people were not as intel-
lectual  as we are nowadays,  and those who felt the call of a higher  life,
usually followed the mystic path.   But, during the last few hundred  years,
since the advent of modern science, a more INTELLECTUAL humanity has peopled
the  earth;  the head has completely overruled the  heart,  materialism  has
dominated  all spiritual impulse and the majority of thinking people do  not
believe anything they cannot touch, taste or handle.  Therefore,  it is nec-
essary that appeal should be made to their intellect in order that the heart
may be allowed to believe what the intellect has sanctioned.   As a response
to this demand modern systems of occultism aim to correlate scientific facts
to spiritual verities.   The materialistic attitude of mind is,  of  course,
particularly adopted in  the  West, and the Rosicrucian Order was founded in

[PAGE 2670]

the  13th  century to prepare an antidote for poison  of  materialism  which
could  be  administered  in  doses  to suit  the  exigencies  of  the  case.
Paracelsus,  Comenius, Hellmond, Bacon and others gave in a more veiled man-
ner the teachings now being definitely promulgated to demonstrate that  sci-
ence,  art  and religion are a trinity in unity which  cannot  be  separated
without distorting our view.

   TRUE RELIGION embodies both science and art,  for it teaches a  beautiful
life in harmony with the laws of nature.

   TRUE  SCIENCE  is  artistic and religious in the highest  sense,  for  it
teaches us to reverence and conform to the laws governing our well-being and
explains why the religious life is conducive to health and beauty.

   TRUE  ART is as educational as science and as uplifting in its  influence
as religion.   In architecture we have a most sublime presentation of cosmic
lines of force in the universe.  It fills the spiritual beholder with a pow-
erful  devotion  and adoration born of an awe-inspiring  conception  of  the
overwhelming grandeur and majesty of Deity.   Sculpture and painting,  music
and  literature  inspire us with a sense of the transcendent  loveliness  of
God, the immutable source and goal of all this beautiful world.

   Nothing short of such an all-embracing teaching will answer the needs  of
a large and growing class, therefore the technico-devotional religion is ab-
solutely necessary at the present time.

Continued with file: "RC1075.TXT"

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