Filename: RC5001.TXT

                          THE PURSUIT OF PEACE:
 
    Christ Jesus said: "I come not to bring peace, but a sword." Many 
people have been unable to reconcile this statement with the Christ 
Teachings of Love and Peace. An explanation of the statement does exist, 
however, which enables us to know its true meaning as well as to know what 
will be necessary before peace can reign on Earth. In John 10:16, we read 
that Christ Jesus also said: "..there shall be one fold and one shepherd." 
This indicates that ALL people eventually must arrive at a state of unity 
under His leadership. 

    History has been a record largely of conflicts and wars among races and 
nations. Differences of ideals, religions, physical characteristics, 
languages and government fostered separativeness, and this fact, coupled 
with the innate selfishness of unperfected man, resulted in continual 
competition and turmoil down through the centuries. 

    The first race was established at the end of the Lemurian Epoch, when 
"there was a small part of nascent humanity who were sufficiently advanced 
so that a germinal mind could be given them and the Spirit could commence 
slowly to draw into its vehicles." The beginning of separate nations was 
fostered during the middle third of the Atlantean Epoch. Groups of people 
who had similar habits and tastes came together and founded new colonies. 
Races were placed under the care of Race Spirits (Archangels), who gave 
their charges strict laws and instant rewards and punishments. They guided 
their charges to different climates and different parts of the Earth. Race 
Spirits foster patriotism and instigate wars when such drastic measures are 
necessary, thus intensifying the separativeness that exists among diferent 
peoples. 

    Obviously, as long as humanity remains divided into races and nations, 
each aggressively fostering its own aims and purposes, "peace on Earth" and 
"good will among men" is not possible. Only when all nations and races have 
united in brotherhood will peace be possible. 

  Man, whose destiny is to grow, progress, and unfold his inner potentials 
by responding to the spiritual influences directed toward him, must become 
self-reliant, emancipated from all external influences, including those of 
the Race Spirits. 

    The coming of the Christ Ray as indwelling Planetary Spirit of our Earth 
began the emancipation of human beings, not only from the enveloping powers 
of the Race Spirits, but also from their own Lucifer-tainted desires. The 
vibrations of the Christ Love-Power radiating from within the Earth cleansed 
the desire stuff surrounding our planet and made it possible for man to 
secure purer desire stuff for his individual desire body. His Love-Power 
works particularly through the etheric or vital body of man, and "when we 
release ourselves from the toils of the desire body and live up to the 
vibrations of the vital body, we become imbued with the Christ Spirit. Then 
and only then do we rise out of the national principle and become capable of 
being brothers to men."
 
    Herein lies the key to establishing peace and harmony on our Earth. As 
the power of God's divine Love, manifested to us through the Christ, grows 
and expresses from within the individual, he is able to release himself from 
his bondage to a national consciousness. His patriotism is no longer the 
narrow "my country, right or wrong," but it now embraces the welfare of all 
other people in the world. He loses the competitive urge and comes to 
consider the interest of others as much as his own. 

   We know that the immutable Laws of divine Love and Justice operate in our 
universe, bringing to each person his own due. Every individual has created 
that which has come to him, only he can change it or redeem it. This applies 
to nations also. Unless we fully acknowledge these facts and act 
accordingly, we cannot bring peace into the world. 

    Ours is truly a divine heritage. We are essentially Spirit, differenti-
ated within God to unfold the latent godlike powers in us. We are Gods-in-
the-making, and we can claim our divine inheritance only by learning to live 
according to the Law of Love. This Law moves all manifested life to ever
greater perfection. Life IS; it cannot die. Only the form perishes, or 
changes. We come again and again to Earth life, to redeem our unrighteous-
ness of the past and to unfold the divine Spark into a more glorious Flame. 

  Always with us are the Forces of Light and Love. "Whosoever will" may 
open his heart to the divine inflow and send it out again to humanity. The 
wise will look on the life of Christ Jesus and take courage. His was the 
perfectly positive Life. He lived in the constructive way. He loved; He 
healed; He taught. He provided the power and pointed the way toward the 
unification of all men in peace and love. His way is the only way to 
permanent peace. 

                     THE BROTHERS OF THE ROSE CROSS: 
 
  All those aspiring ones who align themselves, "in spirit and in truth," 
with The Rosicrucian Fellowship and its Teachings, place themselves within 
the sphere of the Illumined ones of the human race whom we speak of as the 
Elder Brothers of the Rose Cross. It is greatly to our advantage as 
spiritual aspirants to realize the full significance of this fact and 
endeavor zealously to reap the full benefit of such a wonderful privilege. 
We can help make ourselves more attractive to their assistance by taking 
time to meditate upon them and their humanitarian endeavors, to send them 
our gratitude and love, to rededicate ourselves to serving them in their 
constant efforts of uplifting humanity. 

  The Brothers of the Rose Cross are Adepts, being among those Compassionate 
Ones, who, through many lives, have unfolded their inner faculties to a very 
high degree by loving, self-forgetting service to the race. They have passed 
through all the Lesser and Greater Mystery Schools, thereby reaching a stage 
of evolution which frees them from all the ties to Earth. However, they have 
elected to stay here on Earth as helpers, each being given work according to 
his particular interest and bent. 

  These Hierophants of the Western Wisdom Teachings have forged a second 
spinal cord by drawing the lower love-ray of Venus upward and transmuting it 
to altruism, conquering for it the dominion over the sympathetic segment of 
the first spinal cord and the left cerebral hemisphere now ruled by the 
passionate Hierarchy of Mars, the Lucifer Spirits. Thus each Brother is a 
complete creative unit on both the spiritual and physical planes, able to use 
the bi-polar force (masculine and feminine) through the double spinal cord, 
illuminated and raise in potential energy by the spinal spirit fires of 
Neptune (Will) and Uranus (Love and Imagination). This creative energy 
conceives in the twin hemispheres of the cerebrum, ruled by Mars and Mercury, 
a vehicle fit for the expression of the Spirit, which is then sent out and 
objectified in the world by the spoken Creative Word. By means of this power 
he is able to perpetuate his physical existence and create a new body before 
he leaves the old one. 

  All of the Brothers have a material body, and they live in a house (in 
Germany) which appears to be the home of well-to-do but not ostentatious 
people. They hold offices of distinction in their community, but these 
positions are only for the purpose of giving a reason for their presence. Thus 
they avoid questions and suppositions as to what they are or what they are 
doing. Outside their house and through their house is what may be called the 
Temple. It is etheric and is different from our ordinary buildings, but may be 
likened to the auric atmosphere around the Pro-Ecclesia or Temple at Mt. 
Ecclesia, in Oceanside, California (2222 Mission Avenue), which is etheric and 
much larger than the buildings themselves. Such structures are around churches 
and other buildings where people are very spiritual and of course differ in 
color. The Rosicrucian Temple is superlative and not to be compared to 
anything else; it so permeates with spirituality the house in which the Elder 
Brothers live that most people wouldn't feel comfortable there. 

  Being able to control their actions and emotions, the Brothers save all 
unnecessary strain upon their bodies. They know the exact elements required 
to keep up their bodies. They know the exact elements required to keep up 
their bodies, and the proper proportions in which to take them. Thus they 
secure the maximum nutrition and a minimum of waste. For that reason they 
may keep their bodies in a state of youthful preservation and vigorous 
health for hundreds of years. 

  Lay brothers who have been connected with the Temple for twenty to forty 
years in this life have indicated that the Elder Brothers look just about 
the same today as they did thirty or forty years ago. Judging by the 
standards of ordinary men they seem now to be about forty years of age. 

  It has been said by some of the lay brothers that Christian Rosenkreuz is 
today using a body which has been preserved for several centuries. This may 
or may not be so, but our august leader is never seen by the lay brothers 
who gather at the Temple(etheric) for the midnight service. His presence is 
only felt and is the signal for beginning the work. 
  
  To trace the beginning of the Elder Brothers of the Rosicrucian Order is 
as difficult as it is to find proof of the beginning of the first 
Manifestation of God. Since theirs is a work which aims to encourage the 
evolution of humanity, they have labored far back into antiquity--under one 
guise or another. We have historical proof, however, of the appearance as 
early as the thirteenth century of advanced teachings which were to prove as 
a bright star to many. 

  During the past few centuries the Brothers have worked for humanity in se- 
cret. Each night at midnight there is a service at the Temple where the 
Elder Brothers, assisted by the lay brothers who are able to leave their 
work in the world (for many of them reside in places where it is yet day 
when it is midnight in the location of the Temple of the Rose Cross), gather 
up from everywhere in the Western World the thoughts of sensuality, greed, 
selfishness and materialism. They seek to transmute into pure love, 
benevolence, altruism, and spiritual aspirations, sending them back to the 
world to uplift and encourage all Good. Were it not for this potent source 
of spiritual vibration, materialism must long ago have totally squelched all 
spiritual effort, for there has never been a darker age from the spiritual 
standpoint than the last three hundred years of materialism. 

  Seven of the twelve Brothers go out into the world whenever occasion re- 
quires, appearing as men among men, or working in their invisible vehicles 
with or upon others as needed; yet it must be kept strictly in mind that they 
never influence people against their will or contrary to their desires, only 
strengthening good wherever found. The other five Brothers never leave the 
etheric Temple, and although they do possess physical bodies, all their work 
is done from the inner worlds. 

  The Thirteenth of the Order is the Head, Christian Rosenkreuz, the link 
with a higher Central Council composed of Hierophants of the Greater 
Mysteries, who do not deal with ordinary humanity at all, but only with 
graduates of the Lesser Mysteries. He is hidden from the outside world by 
the twelve Brothers, as the central ball is hidden by twelve balls of even 
size. Even the pupils of the School never see him, but at the nightly 
services in the Temple his presence is felt by all. 

  Every midnight at their service the Elder Brothers open their breasts to 
attract the darts of hate, envy, malice, and every evil that has been 
launched during the past twenty-four hours. First, in order that they may 
deprive the Black Grail forces of their food; and secondly, that they may 
transmute the evil into good. Then, as the plants gather the inert carbon 
dioxide exhaled by mankind and build their bodies therefrom, so the Brothers 
of the Holy Grail transmute the evil within the Temple: and as the plants 
send out the renovated oxygen so necessary to human life, so the Elder 
Brothers return to mankind the transmuted essence of evil as qualms of 
conscience along with the good in order that the world may grow better day 
by day. 

  During the Temple Service the twelve Brothers, together with the lay bro- 
thers, function in their soul bodies. Hence it is evident that the presence 
of the Head of the Order is altogether spiritual. Nevertheless, he is always 
active in the affairs of the world, working with the governments of the 
nations in the Western World to guide them along the apropriate path of 
their evolution. To this end he appears in a physical embodiment, at least 
part of the time. 

  After the first year of World War I the Elder Brothers, by dint of hard 
work and organization, succeeded in creating an army of Invisible Helpers 
who, having passed through the gate of death and having felt the sorrow and 
suffering incident to an untimely transition, were filled with compassion 
for the others who were constantly pouring in, and became qualified to 
soothe and help them until they also had found their balance. 

  The Elder Brothers all possess the external picture consciousness of the 
Jupiter Period, which they use in initiating their pupils into the 
Rosicrucian Order. The Initiator fixes his attention upon certain cosmic 
facts, and the candidate, who has become fitted for certain powers, is like 
a tuning fork of identical pitch with the vibration of the ideas sent out by 
the Initiator in pictures. Therefore, he not only sees the pictures but is 
able to respond to the vibration, and the latent power within him is 
converted into dynamic energy and his consciousness is lifted to the next 
step upon the ladder of initiation. 

  The mass of humanity is taken care of by the religion publicly taught in 
the country of their birth; but there are always pioneers whose precocity 
demand a higher teaching. To them a deeper doctrine is given through the 
agency of the Mystery School belonging to their country. When only a few are 
ready for such preparatory schooling they are taught privately, but as they 
increase in number the teaching is given more publicly. The latter is the 
case in the Western World at present. Therefore the Brothers of the Rose 
Cross gave to Max Heindel the Philosophy as published in The Rosicrucian 
Cosmo-Conception and sanctioned the launching of The Rosicrucian Fellowship 
to promulgate the Teaching. The purpose is to bring aspiring souls into 
contact with the Teacher when by service here in the Physical World they 
have shown their sincerity and given reasonable assurance that they will use 
their spiritual powers for service in the other world when they shall have 
been initiated therein. The scientific method of soul unfoldment advocated 
by the Elder Brothers is always bound to benefit anyone who practices it and 
can never under any circumstances cause harm to anyone. 
 
                          WHAT IS SPIRITUAL WORK?:

At the gate the poor were waiting, 
Looking through the iron grating, 
With that terror in the eye 
That is only seen in those 
Who amid their wants and woes 
Hear the sound of doors that close, 
And of feet that pass them by; 
Grown familiar with disfavor, 
Grown familiar with the savor 
Of the bread by which men die! 
But today, they knew not why, 
Like the gate of Paradise 
Seemed the convent gate to rise, 
Like a sacrament divine 
Seemed to them the bread and wine. 
In his heart the Monk was praying, 
Thinking of the homeless poor, 
What they suffer and endure; 
What we see not, what we see; 
And the inward voice was saying: 
'Whatsoever thing thou doest 
To the least of mine and lowest, 
That thou doest unto me!' 
 
'Unto me!' but had the Vision 
Come to him in beggar's clothing, 
Come to medicant imploring, 
Would he then have knelt adoring, 
Or have listened with derision, 
And have turned away with loathing? 
Thus his conscience put the question, 
Full of troublesome suggestion, 
As at length, with hurried pace, 
Towards his cell he turned his face, 
And beheld the convent bright 
With a supernatural light, 
Like a luminous cloud expanding 
Over floor and wall and ceiling. 
 
But he paused with awe-struck feeling 
At the threshold of his door, 
For the Vision still was standing 
As he left it there before, 
When the convent bell appalling 
From its belfry calling, calling, 
Summoned him to feed the poor. 
Through the long hour intervening 
It had waited his return, 
And he felt his bosom burn, 
Comprehending all the meaning, 
When the Blessed Vision said, 
'Hadst thou stayed, I must have 
fled!' 
 
    Ages and ages ago--so long in fact that it was almost as far away as 
yesterday--darkness enveloped the Earth and men were groping for the light. 
Some there were who had found it and who undertook to show men the 
reflection thereof, and they were eagerly sought. Among them there was one 
who had been to the city of light for a little while and had absorbed some 
of its brilliancy. Straightway men and women from all over the land of 
darkness sought him. They journeyed thousands of miles because they had 
heard of this light; and when he heard that a company was traveling toward 
his house he set to work and prepared to give them the very best he had. He 
planted poles all around his house and put lights upon them so that his 
visitors might not hurt themselves in the darkness. He and his household 
ministered to their wants and he taught them as best he knew. 

    But soon some of his visitors murmured. They had thought to find him 
seated upon a pedestal radiant with celestial light. In fancy they had seen 
themselves worshipping at his shrine; but instead of the spiritual light 
they had expected they had caught him in the very act of stringing electric 
lights to illuminate the place. He did not even wear a turban or a robe, 
because the order to which he belonged had as one of its fundamental rules 
that its members must wear the dress of the country in which they lived. 

    So the visitors came to the conclusion that they had been tricked and 
swindled and that he had no light. Then they took up stones and stoned him 
and his household; they would have killed him had it not been that they 
feared the law, which in that land required an eye for an eye and a tooth 
for a tooth. Then they went away again into the land of darkness and 
whenever they saw a soul headed towards the light they held up their hands 
in horror and said, "Do not go there; that is not true light, it is a jack-
o-lantern and it will lead you astray. We know there is absolutely no 
spirituality there." Many believed them and thus came to pass in that case, 
as so many times before, the saying that was written in one of their old 
books: "This is the condemnation, that light has come into the world, but 
men love darkness rather than light." 

    As it was in that far-away yesterday, so also it is today. Men are 
running hither and thither seeking for light. Often like Sir Launfal they 
travel to the ends of the Earth, wasting their whole lives seeking for the 
thing that they called "Spirtuality," but meeting disappointment after 
disappointment. But just as Sir Launfal, having spent his whole life in vain 
search away from his home, finally found the Holy Grail right at his own 
castle gate, so every honest seeker after spirituality will, shall, and must 
find it in his own heart. The only danger is that like the company of 
seekers mentioned, he may miss it because he does not recognize it. No one 
can recognize true spirituality in others until he has in a measure evolved 
it in his own self. 

  It therefore may be well to try to settle definitely "What is Spirituali- 
ty?" to give a guide whereby we may find this great Christ attribute. In 
order to do this we must leave our preconceived ideas behind, or we shall 
certainly fail. The idea most commonly held is that spirituality manifests 
through prayer and meditation; but if we look at our Saviour's life we shall 
find that it was not an idle one. He was not a recluse. He did not go away 
and hide Himself from the world. He went among people, He ministered to 
their daily wants; He fed them when that was necessary; He healed them 
whenever He had the opportunity, and He also taught them. Thus he was in the 
very truest sense of the word a servant of humanity. 

  The monk in "The Beautiful Legend" saw Him thus when he was engaged in 
prayer, rapt in spiritual ecstasy. But just then the convent bell struck the 
hour of twelve and it was his duty to go and imitate the Christ, feeding the 
poor who had gathered around the convent gate. Great indeed was the 
temptation to stay, to bathe in the heavenly vibrations; but there came the 
voice, "Do thy duty; that is best; leave unto thy Lord the rest." How could 
he have adored the Saviour whom he saw feeding the poor and healing the sick 
while at the same time leaving the hungry poor to stand outside the convent 
gate waiting for him to perform his duties? It would have been positively 
wicked for him to have stayed there; and so the Vision said to him upon his 
return: "Hast thou stayed, I must have fled." 
 
                      RETROSPECTION AND CONCENTRATION:
 
  Two specific exercises are given to the aspirant on the Western Wisdom 
Path of Preparation: Retrospection and Concentration. Both lead to a 
development of spiritual sight and insight; both are necessary to secure a 
thoroughly rounded development. 

  The philosophy of the attainment of spiritual sight and insight is to com- 
pel the desire body to perform the same work inside the dense body while we 
are fully awake, positive, and conscious, as it does outside in sleep and in 
the post-mortem state. 

  Max Heindel states that: "The evening exercise, retrospection, is of 
greater efficiency than any other method in advancement." It "is of prime 
necessity to the intellectual occultist, because it supplies a feeling for 
truth...and develops power of devotion." He goes on to describe how best to 
perform this exercise: 

  "After retiring for the night the body is relaxed. This very important, 
for when any part of the body is tense, the blood does not circulate 
unimpeded; part of it is temporarily imprisoned under pressure. As all 
spiritual development depends upon the blood, the maximum effort to attain 
soul growth cannot be made when any part of the body is in tension. 

  "When perfect relaxation has been accomplished, the aspirant to the high- 
er life begins to review the scenes of the day, but he does not start with 
occurrences of the morning and finish with the events of the evening. He 
views them in reverse order: first the scenes of the evening, then the events 
of the afternoon, and lastly the occurrences of the morning. The reason for 
this is that from the moment of birth when the child draws its first complete 
breath, the air which is inspired into the lungs carries with it a picture of 
the outside world, and as the blood courses through the left ventricle of 
the heart, each scene of life is pictured upon a minute atom located there. 
Every breath brings with it new pictures, and thus there is engraved upon 
that little seed atom a record of every scene and act in our whole life 
from the first breath to the last dying gasp. After death these pictures form 
the basis of our purgatorial existence. Under the conditions of the spirit 
world we suffer pangs of conscience so acute that they are unbelievable for 
every evil deed we have done, and we are thus discouraged from continuing on 
the path of wrongdoing. The intensity of the joy which we experience on 
account of our good deeds acts as a goad to spur us on the path of virtue in 
future lives. 

  "But in the post-mortem existence this panorama of life is re-enacted in 
reverse order for the purpose of showing first the effects and then the 
causes which generated them that the Spirit may learn how the Law of Cause 
and Effect operates in life. Therefore the aspirant who is under the scientif- 
ic guidance of the Elder Brothers of the Rosicrucians is taught to perform 
his or her evening exercise also in reverse order and to judge him- or her- 
self each day that he or she may escape the purgatorial suffering after death. 
But let it be understood that no mere perfunctory review of the scenes of the 
day will avail...It is the feeling of remorse, of deep and sincere sorrow for 
what we have done, which eradicates the pictures from the seed atom and leaves 
it stainless... 

  "He (the aspirant) endeavors to picture to himself each scene as faithful- 
ly as possible, seeks to reproduce before his mind's eye all that took place 
in each pictured scene, with the object of judging his actions, of 
ascertaining if his words conveyed the meaning he intended or gave a false 
impression, or if he overstated or understated in relating experiences to 
others. He reviews his moral attitude in relation to each scene. At meals, 
did he eat to live, or did he live to eat...? Let him judge himself and 
blame where blame is due, praise where merited. 

  "The value of retrospection is enormous, far-reaching beyond imagina- 
tion. In the first place, we perform the work of restoration of harmony 
consciously and in a shorter time than the desire body can do during sleep, 
leaving a larger portion of the night available for outside work than other- 
wise possible. In the second place, one lives his Purgatory and First Heaven 
each night, and builds into the Spirit as right feeling the essence of the 
day's experience. Thus he escapes Purgatory after death and also saves time 
spent in the First Heaven; and last, but not least, having extracted, day by 
day, the essence of experiences which make for soul growth, and having built 
them into the Spirit, he is actually living in an attitude of mind, and de- 
veloping along lines that would ordinarily have been reserved for future 
lives." 

  Now to summarize the benefits of retrospection when practiced at the end 
of the day as taught: (1) thorough relaxation of the body; (2) increase in 
power of devotion and feeling for truth; (3) knowledge of how the Law of 
Cause and Effect operates in life; (4) restoration of harmony in the bodies 
more quickly than would otherwise be done; (5) a shortening of the time 
spent in Purgatory and the First Heaven; (6) progress in attitude and deve- 
lopment; (7) thought control, which must result from a disciplined effort 
to retrace the events of the day. 

  Sometimes people ask if retrospection is necessary when one 
repents immediately for undesirable words or actions. However, it seems 
obvious that it would be impossible to reap all the benefits by simply 
repenting during the day for undesirable deeds, even if one had the time to 
do so. The fact that one repents immediately for having hurt another, etc., 
is all in his favor, of course, but how could any sincere aspirant help 
doing that? Were there no sincere repentance, there would likely be no 
incentive to real repentance in the evening. 

  It should also be realized that constant attention to the events of the 
day can be detrimental rather than helpful. In fact, Max Heindel warned us 
not to be over-anxious to accomplish, nor to be fearful and worrisome. "When 
we are too anxious, constantly ruminating over faults and feverishly anxious 
to eradicate them, when we are ever intent upon our ourselves to see if we 
are growing then we are in point of fact exactly as the little boy who has 
planted a seed and daily scratches the soil from the tiny rootlets to see if 
the seed is growing into a plant. We know that by his ill-advised anxiety 
the boy frustrates the very object he wishes to attain; and when we are con- 
stantly putting ourselves in the limelight and hypercritically reviewing our 
shortcomings, we are also defeating the end we seek to serve and deferring 
the consummation of our hopes. The evening exercise gives us all necessary 
scope for criticism. To keep chiding ourselves throughout the day has the 
same effect as if someone else were 'picking' at us all the time. 

  The path of spiritual progress is the path of self-discipline: control of 
our thoughts, words, feelings, and deeds. Against this the lower self 
constantly rebels and offers all kinds of excuses to prevent its 
accomplishment, but the wise aspirant does not heed them. He realizes that 
the exercise of retrospection requires the use of will, the highest aspect 
of the Spirit, to control thought and feeling for a definite, sequential 
period of time. Hence, for this reason, along with all the others mentioned 
above, its successful performance is a spiritual victory for the Spirit--a 
victory which gives strength and power to the Higher Self. 

  "Concentration, the Morning Exercise, is performed in the morning at 
the very earliest moment after the aspirant awakes. He must not arise to o- 
pen blinds or perform any other unnecessary act. If the body is comfortable 
he should at once relax and commence to concentrate. This is very important, 
as the Spirit has just returned from the Desire World at the moment of 
waking, and at that time the conscious touch with that world is more easily 
regained than at any other time of the day. 

  "If the body is uncomfortable the aspirant may rise to relieve it ere he 
concentrates, but much of the efficacy of the concentration is lost by the 
delay. 
  
  "During sleep the currents of the desire body flow, and its vortices move 
and spin with enormous rapidity. But as soon as it enters the dense body its 
currents and vortices are almost stopped by the dense matter and the 
nerve currents of the vital body which carry messages to and from the brain. 
It is the object of this exercise to still the dense body to the same degree 
of inertia and insensibility as in sleep, although the Spirit within is 
perfectly awake, alert, and conscious. Thus we make a condition where the 
sense centers of the desire body can begin to revolve while inside the dense 
body. 

  "Concentration is a word that puzzles many and carries meaning to but few, 
so we will endeavor to make its significance clear. The dictionary gives 
several definitions, all applicable to our idea. One is to 'draw to a 
center,' another from chemistry, 'to reduce to extreme purity and strength 
by removing valueless constituents.' Applied to our problem, one of the a- 
bove defintions tells us that if we draw our thoughts to a center, a point, 
we increase their strength on the principle that the power of the Sun's rays 
are increased when focused to a point by means of a magnifying glass. By eli- 
minating from our mind for the time being all other subjects, our whole 
thought power is available for use in attaining the object or solving the 
problem on which we are concentrating. 

  "People may become so lost in a book that they are oblivious to all else, 
and the aspirant to spiritual sight must acquire the faculty of be coming 
equally absorbed in the idea he is concentrating upon, so that he may shut 
out the world of sense from his consciousness and give his whole attention 
to the spiritual world. When he learns to do that, he will see the spi- 
ritual side of an object idea illuminated by spiritual light, and thus he 
will obtain a knowledge of the inner nature of things undreamt of by a 
worldly man. 

  "When he has reached that point of  abstraction the sense centers of the 
desire body commence to revolve slowly within the dense body, and will thus 
make a place for themselves. This in time will become more and more defined, 
and it will require less and less effort to set them going. 

  "The subject of concentration may be any high and lofty ideal, but should 
preferably be of such a nature that it takes the aspirant out of the 
ordinary things of sense, beyond time and space; and there is no better 
formula than the first five verses of St. John's Gospel. Taking them as 
subject, sentence by sentence, morning after morning, will in time give the 
aspirant a wonderful insight into the beginning of our universe and the 
method of creation--an insight far beyond any book learning. After a time, 
when the aspirant has learned unwaveringly to hold before him for about five 
minutes the idea upon which he is concentrating, he may try suddenly to drop 
the idea and leave a blank. Think nothing else, simply wait to see if 
anything enters the vacuum. In time the sights and senses of the Desire 
World will fill the vacant space. After the aspirant has become used to 
that, he may demand this, that, or the other thing to come before him. It 
will come and then he may investigate it. 

  "An ancient legend says that digging for treasure must be done in the 
stillness of night and in perfect silence; to speak one word until the 
treasure is safely excavated will inevitably cause it to disappear. That is 
a mystic parable which has reference to the search for spiritual 
illumination. If we gossip or recount to others the experiences of our 
concentration hour we lose them; they can not bear vocal transmission and 
will fade into nothingness, until by meditation we have extracted from them 
a full knowledge of the underlying cosmic laws. Then the experience itself 
will not be recounted, for we shall see that it is but the husk which hid 
the kernel of worth. The law is of universal value, as will be at once 
apparent, for it will explain facts in life, teach us how to take advantage 
of certain conditions and to avoid others. The law may be freely stated at 
the discoverer's discretion for the benefit of humanity. The experience 
which revealed the law will then appear in its true light, as of only 
passing interest and unworthy of further notice. Therefore the aspirant 
should regard everything that happens during concentration as sacred and 
should keep it strictly to himself." 
 
                       THE PROS AND CONS OF ABORTION:
 
  So much has been said, and is still being said, written, aired on radio 
and television, and argued in the courtrooms about abortion these days that 
one is inclined to believe further mention of the subject is obnoxious to 
most people. However, the decision in regard to this matter by the Supreme 
Court of the United States, which in effect nullifies restrictive abortion 
laws in the various states, makes the student of the deeper truths of life 
and being more uncomfortably aware than ever of the imperative need for 
added understanding of the factors and deplorable consequences involved in 
this un-Christian practice which has become so alarmingly casual and 
frequent. 

  Formerly, in most places abortion was legally permissable only if the 
welfare of the mother required it. That it was often illegally and 
unscientifically performed by unqualified people is well known, this no 
doubt being one of the factors in bringing about the movement to legalize 
abortion in the United States. Of course, making it "legal" in no wise 
lessens the moral implications, even though it may reduce the proportion of 
cases where physical harm to the mother occurs. 

  In its historic decision the Court held that the State's prohibition of 
early abortion would be an unconstitutional invasion of a woman's privacy, 
since the sole legitimate interest of the State in this matter is to make 
sure that abortion, as a "medical process," takes place under circumstances 
which provide adequately for the safety of the patient. This would naturally 
require the services of a licensed medical practitioner. furthermore, in the 
opinion of the Court, the State can constitutionally take steps to protect 
the unborn child only after the developing fetus has reached the stage of 
"independent life." Avoiding the crucial question as to just when "inde- 
pendent life" begins in the forming body, the Court went on to add the fol- 
lowing: "When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, phi- 
losophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, 
at this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to 
speculate as to the answer." 

  Since this matter is of such vital import to all of the human race, both 
now and in the future, and its consequences so far-reachingly deplorable and 
contrary to spiritual unfoldment, it would most certainly benefit every 
adult individual to consider it open-mindedly in all its physical and spiri- 
tual aspects. The Court's reference to "this point in the development of 
man's knowledge" must surely refer only to the knowledge which is "accept- 
ed" by the general public. Fortunately, there are human beings who have 
progressed far enough spiritually to have acquired knowledge not yet accept- 
ed by the majority of mankind. Among those advanced ones are the Brothers of 
the Rose Cross, Adepts who work constantly for the welfare of humanity, and 
who have given out the Western Wisdom Teachings in their efforts to coun- 
teract the insidious effects of materialism and to further spiritual evolu- 
tion in general. 

  Prominent among the truths in this Teaching are the twin laws of Rebirth 
and Consequence. The doctrine of rebirth teaches that each Ego is an inte- 
gral part of God, enfolding all divine possibilities; that by means of 
repeated existences in gradually improving bodies the latent possibilities 
are developed into dynamic powers; that none are lost by this process, but 
that all mankind will ultimately attain the goal of perfection and reunion 
with God. What we are, what we have, all our good qualities are the result 
of our actions in the past. What we lack in physical, mental, or moral 
excellence may yet be ours in the future. As we sow, so shall we reap. Each 
life provides us with experiences essential for our progress. If we are not 
allowed to incarnate in a physical body, we do not have the experiences. 

  The generally accepted idea about  "killing" (except by the very mater- 
ialistic mind, which accepts only form) is that "life" is terminated, simply 
because the body is no longer able to function. This is a mistake. Life is 
eternal, as both the Bible and occult science teach, and the individual Spi- 
rit inhabiting a body, or beginning to inhabit it, cannot be destroyed. 
However, of course, the form in which it has to live on Earth in order to 
gain the experience necessary for its progress can be, and too often is, de- 
stroyed. To do this is just as reprehensible as it is to break any other of 
the spiritual laws governing our universe. "Thou shalt not kill" is a ba- 
sic law for humanity, even though it refers only to the form, and those who 
defy it, by abortion or otherwise, must at some future time pay a heavy 
penalty. 

  Another most vital point to be considered in connection with the practice 
of abortion is the sacredness of the creative power in the human being. This 
is the Holy Spirit aspect of God and man, referred to in numerous places in 
the Bible (Matt. 1:18, Mark 1:8, Luke 1:15, John 14:26, Acts 2:4, etc.), the 
power that is used to create not only physical bodies that is used to create 
not only physical bodies but also, on a higher level, mental and emotional 
accomplishments in literature, poetry, art, music, science, etc. To misuse 
this holy power for gratification of the senses is the "great transgres- 
sion" spoken of in Psalm 19:13. This is the "sin" (action contrary to spi- 
ritual law) that is not forgiven, but must be expiated through suffering in 
diseased and incpacitated bodies and minds. As Christ Jesus said explicitly: 
"All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the 
blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." (Matt. 
12:31). 

  When one considers the intricate and awe-inspiring process which takes 
place in the invisible worlds, involving the activities of the Angels and 
their helpers, to bring an Ego back into a physical body, and all of the 
past causes and effects that enter into this event, he or she surely must 
hesitate to destroy the infant vehicle, even if it had been in formation for 
only a short time. Let us recount briefly how occult science describes this 
process. 

  After having been strengthened in the ineffable harmony of the higher 
world called the Third Heaven (mentioned by St. Paul in II Corinthians 
12:2), the Ego has a desire for new experiences in the Physical world and 
begins to contemplate a new birth. This conjures up a series of pictures 
before the vision of the Spirit--a panorama of the new life in store for it, 
containing the principal events which begin at the cradle and end at the 
grave. In some cases several panoramas may be shown, so that the advanced 
Ego has a choice. 

  Having chosen the life it will live, the Spirit, possessing only the 
forces of the four seed-atoms (the nuclei of the dense, vital, and desire 
bodies, and the sheath of mind), the Ego begins its descent into the 
Physical World. The forces of the mind of the last life are awakened from 
their latency in the seed-atom, and begin to attract materials from the 
Region of concrete Thought for which it has an affinity. The same then 
occurs for the desire, the etheric, and the dense bodies. This material 
forms itself into a great bell-shaped figure, open at the top, where the 
seed-atoms are. When the proper time comes, the building of the new body and 
its placement in the proper environment is done by the four great Beings 
known as the Recording Angels, or Lords of Destiny. The vital body is built 
by the inhabitants of the heaven world and the Nature Spirits in such a 
manned as to form a particular type of brain. However, the returning Ego 
itself incorporates therein the quintessence of its former vital bodies, and 
in addition to this also does a little original work. 

  The vital body, having been molded by the Lords of Destiny, will give form 
to the dense body, organ for organ. This matrix or mold is then placed in 
the womb of the future mother. The seed-atom for the dense body is in the 
triangular head of one of the spermatozoa in the semen of the father. 

  When the impregnation of the ovum has taken place, the desire body of the 
mother works upon it for a period of time from eighteen to twenty-one days, 
the Ego remaining outside in its desire body and mind sheath, yet always in 
close touch with the mother. Upon the expiration of that time, the Ego 
enters the mother's body. The bell-shaped vehicles draw themselves down over 
the head of the vital body and the bell closes at the bottom. The Ego broods 
over its coming instrument, asserting its individuality and resisting 
formation by the mother of the nucleated blood cells. The old cells 
gradually disappear, so that when the silver cord is tied at the quickening, 
all nuclei have disappeared, and the Ego is absolute autocrat of its 
vehicle, a precious heritage. 

  Thus we see that abortion, while it does not kill the Spirit, which is e- 
ternal, does destroy the form essential for its use on Earth to gain 
necessary experience, and is therefore a most sinful and degrading act. It 
matters not at what stage of its growth the fetus is destroyed, the dire 
consequences are the same. 

  What is the sensible solution to this immoral practice? Simply put, it is 
self-control. Human beings will at some time have to learn to master the 
Luciferian urge and not allow the power of lust to direct their lives. A 
high ideal, yes, but upon its achievement depends the welfare of the race. 

  However, it should be thoroughly understood that the mere suppression of 
sexual attraction is not a virtue in itself. The creative force must be 
used--directed into higher channels. 

  Instead of seeking physical gratification when conscious of the surging 
impulses of the lower nature, if the individual will focus his thoughts and 
imagination upon something he or she desires to create--a poem, an inven- 
tion, a picture, a musical composition, or some material demonstration such 
as a poem or a new business venture--he or she will find that a double 
purpose is served. The objective demonstration will be accelerated and the 
process of transmutation or regeneration within his or her body will, at the 
same time, be noticeably stimulated. Physical exercise alone is also of 
help, but when accompanied by creative thoughts is more effective. 

  Meditation upon high and inspiring subjects has power literally to trans- 
form forces impregnating the sexual fluids, for these fluids are really 
carriers of etheric force, the true creative agent. An inspiring poem or 
passage from the scriptures can be the channel for immediate direction of 
the thoughts and creative power into uplifting currents. By consciously di- 
recting pure love currents from the heart into the creative centers of the 
brain, sexual activity may be transmuted into activities of mind and spirit, 
with a corresponding birth upon the mental and spiritual plane. 

Continued with file "RC5002.TXT"

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