“A Sane Mind, A Soft Heart, A Sound Body” May/June 1996—$3.00

TRAVELING IN FOREIGN COUNTRIESGOD IS LIGHT

TEMPLE SYMBOLISMTHE WINGED FEET OF LOVE

A CHRISTIAN ESOTERIC MAGAZINE

Front Cover: Benediction of the Resurrected Christ, Christ Church Cathedral, 1832

Three Prayers

Christ, be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,Christ on my right, Christ on my left,Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,Christ in the heart of every one who thinks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. Salvation is of the Lord, Salvation is of the Christ, May your salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.

—St. Patrick

Christ, whose glory fills the skies,Christ, the true and only light, Sun of righteousness, arise,Triumph o’er the shades of night; Dayspring from on high, be near; Daystar, in my heart appear!

Visit, then, this soul of mine,Pierce the gloom of sin and grief; Fill me, Radiancy divineScatter all my unbelief; More and more Thyself display, Shining to the perfect day.

—Charles Wesley

O God, You are the light of the minds that know Youthe life of the souls that love You,and the strength of the wills that serve You;help us so to know You that we may truly love You, so to love You that we may fully serve You, Whom to serve is perfect freedom;through Jesus Christ our Lord.

—St. Augustine of Hippo

This Issue...FeatureSermons That We See...Edgar Guest........................................................................2

EditorialSpiritual Success....................................................................................................3

Mystic LightAssessing Our Progress...C.W...............................................................................5Traveling in Foreign Countries...James Noel........................................................9God is Light...Barbara Joiner..............................................................................14

Max Heindel’ s MessageAllowing Defective Children to Die...................................................................20

Studies in the Cosmo-ConceptionPreparations for Rebirth...Max Heindel..............................................................22

Western W isdom Bible StudyThe Solar Myth—Part 2...Max Heindel..............................................................23The First and Great Commandment....................................................................26

AstrologyProposal: Planetary Exaltations are Evolutionary Blueprints...Rinske Hayes....28Euphoria in Utah...AProbationer........................................................................33Basic Astrological Concepts—Part 2...Max Heindel..........................................35

Religion and ArtTemple Symbolism—Part 1...AProbationer.......................................................38

News PerspectivesCapital Punishment: A View from Within...Inmate on Death Row....................44

Book ReviewsThe Winged Feet of Love...C.W..........................................................................46Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide...AProbationer.............................51

Nutrition and HealthKeeping it Clean—Fiber and the Digestive Tract...Partners..............................52

HealingThe Divine Essence: Visualizing the Christ Within...A Probationer..................56Peace....................................................................................................................57

For ChildrenThe Adventures of Rex and Zendah in the Zodiac, Part 3...Esme Swainson.....58

MiscellaneousThree Prayers...St. Patrick, Charles Wesley, St. Augustine........Inside front coverMay/June 1996 Ephemeris.............................................................................61-62Jesus Christ-And We (Poem)...Annie Johnson Flint.............................................8Man Making (Poem)...Edwin Markham...............................................................8Walk in the Light (Poem)...Bernard Barton........................................................19

“A Sane Mind,A Soft Heart,

A Sound Body”©1996 The Rosicrucian Fellowship

AChristian Esoteric

Magazine

Established byMax Heindel

June 1913

Volume 88, No. 3

May/June—1996USPS 471080—ISSN 0744-432X

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2 RAYS 96

FEATURE

SERMONS THAT WE SEE

I’d rather see a sermon than hearone any day,I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.The eye’s a betterpupil and more willing than the ear,Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear;And the best of all the preachers are the men who live theircreeds,For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it if you’ll let me see it done,I can watch your hands in action, but yourtongue too fast may run.And the lectures you delivermay be very wise and true,But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do;For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

When I see a deed of kindness I am eagerto be kind,When a weakerbrother stumbles and a strong man stays behindJust to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in meTo become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be;And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today,Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.

One good man teaches many, men believe what they behold;One deed of kindness noticed is worth forty that are told.Who stands with men of honorlearns to hold his honordear,For right living speaks a language which to every one is clear;Though an able speakercharm me with his eloquence, I say,I’d rather see a sermon than to hearone any day.

—Edgar A. Guest

SUCCESS, DEFINED in material terms,signifies the achievement of one orseveral material goals. In the moreevolved spiritual framework, however,success has nothing to do with mone-

tary reward, fame, fortune, or the acquisition oftemporal power. Success, in the highest sense,really indicates the degree to which a person isable to express his “inner self” honestly, regardlessof conventions, pressures, distractions, tempta-tions, or any other phenomena that may mold himinto something that, deep within himself, he is not.True success means keeping step with the rhythmthat is audible to the inner person alone. It meansachieving the goal of creative realization.

The ability to give one’s own vital response tolife—whatever the provocation or challenge, joyor sorrow—is the hallmark of true success in spir-itual terms. This ability may represent nothing interms of financial fame or material power, becausehonest self-expression often has the effect of “turn-ing off” other people who are in a position to helpelevate or to enlist adherence.

Significant lessons can be learned from the mostcommonplace routines and experiences of dailylife. We succeed as we learn these lessons byactively engaging ourselves in our duties andimmediate circumstance as honestly as we can.

To live honestly, of course, means more than toavoid cheating or defrauding others. It means tolive up to our ideals, on whatever level they mani-fest. Anything less than this is, ultimately,hypocrisy. If we believe in something, that “some-thing” should become an active, vibrant part of ourlives. If we will not or cannot make that happen, tothat extent we live a sham existence. This obvi-ously is true of our spiritual values, but it is also

true of all other preferences and principles weespouse. If we believe in and are uplifted by theethics of a vegetarian diet yet indulge in meat andfish because “everyone else” does or because it isconvenient, we are being dishonest. If we expresscertain political beliefs which we do not hold inour heart because we want to avoid incurring thedisfavor of others, we are being dishonest.

To be successful in the highest sense, we mustbe able to exercise qualities which every earnestaspirant seeks to perfect: sincerity, discrimination,and straight-forwardness. To live honestly—thussuccessfully—we must cultivate all these charac-teristics. We must also become increasingly sensi-tive to human need and response, for we will notbe spiritually successful until we learn unfailinglyto express sympathy and kindness, which the“inner self’ is naturally impelled to do. The culti-vation of honest self-expression is off the markwhen it ignores or belittles the needs, feelings, andpersons of our fellows.

RAYS 96 3

Spiritual Success

EDITORIAL

Created by Ariel Agemian exclusively for the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, Brooklyn, N.Y.

“ For a small gain men labor and toil, but the loss of thesoul is little thought of.”—Thomas à Kempis

Few spiritually successful people amass materialwealth. Their satisfaction—their success—resultsfrom obeying the divine urge to give expression tothe subtle promptings of spirit. The representativegood men of the ages were successful despitepoverty and persecution. St. Francis and Galileoare not remembered as failures. Their work contin-ues to speak for them. Their influence could nomore have been stopped than can the tides ignorethe pull of the moon.

Success, in the generally accepted sense of theword, usually implies the acquisition of somethingconsidered valuable in material terms. Wealth,power, fame, and love are considered “the fourgreat motives of human action.” To gain any ofthese constitutes a degree of success in the physicaldimension. The spiritual aspirant,however, musttake particular care not to be beguiled by thesemotivating factors simply for their own sakes.

As we are told in the Cosmo: “The love for which(the aspirant) must long is that only which is of thesoul and embraces all beings, high and low, increas-ing in proportion to the needs of the recipient; thewealth, that which consists solely of abundance ofopportunities to serve his fellow men; the power, thatalone which makes for the upliftment of humanity;the fame, none save that which increases his abilityto spread the good news, that allwho suffer maythusquickly find solacefor theheart’s grief.”

This characterization is a far cry from the criteriaof success which most people identify. Yet thesequalities are the hallmarks of individuals who aremost successful in spiritual terms. They would findrepugnant the pursuit of success for its own sake.They are committed to expressing themselves inaccordance with their most authentic promptings,thereby sharing that gift of the spirit which isuniquely theirs. Emphasis is placed on giving fromthe self rather than on getting forthe self.

To be spiritually successful, then, we must givefrom and of ourselves. We must be willing to emptyourselves of all we have for the benefit others.Once we have been “emptied,” we shall be spirituallyrenewed. As we apply and express our energies,they increase in efficacy and power. Only by emp-tying ourselves can we experience real fulfillment.As the sun shines, so does our spirit, insuring the

growth and sanctification of our finest attributes. It is evident that spiritual success is a many-

faceted condition involving the whole person. Incontrast with material success, which often focuseson one area of accomplishment, spiritual successinvolves the total disposition and lifestyle of theindividual. The inner self expresses itself mostlucidly and completely in a context of spiritualawareness, honesty, well-reasoned priority ofeffort, and selflessness.

Although it may seem incongruous to relate self-expression with selflessness, the link is not far-fetched. Selflessness may seem to incur materiallimitations only because its sights are set on infi-nite spiritual horizons and repudiates collectingand consuming things. It provides the avenue for atype of self-expression that is potentially far moreelevated and productive than are accomplishmentsbased on self-interest. Service, then—the premierform of human selflessness—is the channelthrough which our spiritual success is assured. ❐

4 RAYS 96

Created by Ariel Agemian exclusively for the Confraternity of the Precious Blood, Brooklyn, N.Y.

“ Be not solicitous for the shadow of a great name.”—Thomas à Kempis

SEE AND BEHOLD. Behold whoyou are, for you see but what youknow, because knowledge precedesand directsseeing, locates the proofand instance of its understanding.

What is not understood can not be identified.Likewise, there is truth which cannot directlymanifest on the physical plane. It would not beentirely correct to say that Christ manifestedHimself to His contemporaries, for to manifestis to make outward and evident. The Regent ofthe Sun was eclipsed in the body of Jesus.Such an occlusion, such a possibility, defiesour present comprehension. Yet it was so.

Precisely for this reason did Christ have toask His disciples not only who others thoughtHe was, but who they, His closest associates,thought or knew Him to be. Such a question,of itself, highlights the distinction betweenwhat is manifest and what is hidden and mustbe construed or surmised. Peter’s correct responseto Christ Jesus’question shows that he possessed adegree of clear seeing (clairvoyance) sufficient toperceive the higher instruments informing theJesus body. Flesh and blood did not declare thisknowledge to him.

Christ was repeatedly called upon to prove Hewas the Messiah. Wouldn’t you expect the world’ssaviour to be extraordinary, to jolt you out of yournormality with the laser of His look, to escalateyour awareness with but the sound of His voice?Perhaps such notions are childish. After all, theomnipresent God is unobtrusive, to say the least.Lacking direct access to their Master only becauseof their spiritual ignorance, Christ Jesus’contem-poraries required signs. The signs performed by

the resurrected Christ enabled His disciples toknow it was He; that, as John the Beloved writes,Jesus is the Christ (20:31).

For most, seeing is believing and believingrequires seeing. Blessed are they who see not, yetbelieve, for their belief is an inner seeing. Spiritsees spirit. Flesh sees flesh. Ever Christ Jesus’words and deeds were directed toward removingspiritual cataract, and He deliberately eschewedsensational displays, He sought not to raiseHimself in the eyes of others but to raise them sothey could confirm the truth first-hand. God inChrist became a man so that man might become asGod. But those to whom He came preferred the let-ter of the word to the Word incarnate. They pre-ferred the rigid formal outlines of worldly objectsto the life that organizes and gives those objects

RAYS 96 5

Assessing Our Progress

MYSTIC LIGHT

Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

“There standeth one among you whom ye know not.”—John 1:26

their very form. The spirit giveth life, but the life-giving Christ Spirit is like the wind that blowethwhere it listeth, which none can tell whence itcometh or whither it goeth. One born of spirit islike this wind. So initiation proves.

The spirit of each person comes into the world ofmaterial forms and forgets its origin and identity,loses itself, becomes as swine feeding on the husksof merely physical things. As Wordsworthdescribes this sense of loss in Intimations ofImmortality:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: Our soul that rises with us, our life’s star,Hath elsewhere had its setting, And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness, And not in utter nakedness, But trailing clouds of glory do we comeFrom God who is our home.

As spirits, we help form the physical body whichshall be our earthly habitation. But upon assumingthat body, its creative spirit, its father, becomes astranger, an unknown. Even so, the Christ cameinto the world, the world that was made by Him;He came unto His own, who had received of Hiscreative essence, and the world knew Him not. TheLight of the world was no light to those whoseminds remained closed, and their material dark-ness comprehended It not.

Even John the Baptist was unable to identify theChrist except through the descent of the HolySpirit as a dove upon the Jesus body stripped of itshigher vehicles (Ego and desire body). The Jewishpriests, elders, and bailiffs required another kind ofsign to designate Christ Jesus—a kiss. That theycould perceive the Christ was out of the question.Their problem was in identifying the physicalbody of Jesus. How was this? The energy and vitalcommunal spirit that emanated from Christ andinvested his close disciples with power, authority,and wisdom, also conditioned their very physicalaspect, so that when they were assembled it wasdifficult for an observer to point with certainty tothe one who was Jesus. When under the influenceof the Holy Spirit, they assumed similar appearances.

Chr ist actual ly sought to suppress His

Archangelic splendor. His mission was not toimpress and astound, to mesmerize and subdue

with magnificence, but to strengthen in each Egothe consciousness of its own self-same divinity. Herepudiated attention drawn to His outward person,directing the minds of others to the significance ofHis words and deeds.

Belief was pivotal to the effectiveness of ChristJesus’role as both teacher and healer, for skepti-cism kills belief and precludes spiritual under-standing even as frost blights a flower. Negativityblocks the flow of healing energy in one who issick. As creative visualization and the placeboeffect demonstrate, the believing, assenting mindplays a powerful, indeed the principal, role in acti-vating the healing response. Were Christ to haveasserted His divinity, as a king does his authority,a counterproductive effect would have been createdin those he sought to awake to their own healingcapability. They would have been drubbed intoincreased passivity and impotence. As both theparable of the mustard seed and the parable of thetalents remind us, we have a divine endowmentwhich is to be used, nurtured, put out to usury. Asovereign gift has been given each by our heaven-ly Sovereign, and neither priest nor king, magiciannor medicine man can take it from us or preventour using it and identifying with it as our Christ-instilled Self.

Ever opposing Christ’s call to active faith andloving service is a recidivist, minimalist, or nega-tivist element in humans, which is fanned by hostsof spirits pursuing their own agendas inimical toour welfare. Thus, we would reduce our neighbors

6 RAYS 96

Christ’ s mission was notto impress and astound,

to mesmerize and subduewith magnificence, but tostrengthen in each Ego

the consciousness of itsown Self-same divinity .

to mere physical bodies. We would attribute tothem petty or perverse motives. We would denyany proposition material science could not con-firm. We would value gold above good will. Wewould persist in waiting for a moot God to proveHis existence, and until then, carry on with ourrestless, fearful, insecure and confused lives.

How strong is pride! How rare is God-blessedand God-revealing humility. Humility impliesawareness of that which is greater than mortalman. Humility engenders eyes to see divinity.Humility opens the door to the world of spirit. Butwhere there is proud reductionist disbelief, therethe spirit of goodness and mercy and revelation isbarred. Angels are strangers there, nor will thehealing spirit make their abode where they areunwelcome, nor will words of wisdom be heard.

As William Blake reminds us, Christ drewHimself unto humans that they might wake to theirtranscendent Selves and meet their Maker face toface. This prospect entails a major energy dis-placement and redirection so that we may livemore inwardly, graciously, generously, and freely.For to live exclusively within the confines of thematerial world is truly to frustrate, darken andsadden the spirit in us.

So we must ask ourselves, were Christ to beamong us in physical form today, how would wemeet Him? What would we make of Him? Has ourChrist spirit evolved to the extent that we wouldnot prefer Barabbas to this One, Who outrages ourcomplacencies; makes difficult, unrealistic demandsof us; shows little respect for vested interests; chal-lenges our rigid authoritarianism; decries our pre-occupation with getting and spending; calls idola-trous our puerile obeisance to the magic of chemi-cal pseudo-cures, and soulless our fascination witha high technology that promises utopian benefits?

How do we respond to this Individual? We’remore tolerant these days. The First Amendment tothe Constitution would grant certain immunities tothis potential troublemaker. He could hold forthand create a permissible degree of commotion, justas long as civil order were maintained. No doubtHis message would be diluted. After all, todaynearly everyone is a messenger—over Internet, bybulk mail, or through fax and phone solicitation.And most everyone is a self-appointed authority.Would He simply be dismissed as a gifted nuisance?

The real issue is, how far have we come sinceGolgotha? Do we live in this world trying to makeit the sufficient and only dimension? Who are our

RAYS 96 7

Eugene Girardet (1853-1907)

The Walk to EmmausWere Christ to be among us in physical form today, how would we meet Him? What would we make of Him?

mother and brothers and sisters? Can we givemother’s due to all mothers, including the child-less? Can we give Christ’s due to all whom He hasgiven the all of Himself? Can we meet and be toeach not as flesh and blood dictate but as the HolySpirit and impersonal love direct? Does the letterof the law take precedence over the spirit that givesrise to it and so cancel out its very originatingimpulse? Do religious doctrines block potentialbelievers and pit group against group in offense tothe one God they commonly seek?

Again we ask, how are we to know Him, that wemay act accordingly? We have already been told:“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leastof these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Wedon’t have to guess, or wait until royalty sweeps bybefore we rally our virtue and stand forth to exceedourselves in compliance and readiness to serve. Wedon’t have to wait until He comes before we pullout all the stops. In fact, He has not left. For “lo! Iam with you always, even unto the end of theworld.” As in so many matters pertaining to thelife of our soul and spirit, St. Paul has it right:“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; andwhether we die, we die unto the Lord; whetherwe live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom.l4:8).

The spirit is the leaven of matter and the life ofform. By it is forgiveness made possible and plau-sible. The ultimate incentive for action, spirit putsthe lie to death and brings light to the darkest hour.It ennobles the most unprepossessing exterior andby its very being ever issues the summons to get onwith the business of self-overcoming. To affirm thereality of Christ is to personalize or substantiatethat Reality, that Person, to locate Him in othersand to testify to His influence in events. Temporarysetbacks, the enormity of the prospect, the sublim-ity of the Ideal, the contrariness of our resistanceand reluctance—all are of no major consequenceas deterrents. Knowing what we know, we must dowhat we are called to do that we may be whomGod intends us to be, for having fathered us asspiritual beings, we are even now His sons anddaughters and, along with our Elder BrotherChrist, heirs to the heavenly Kingdom. ❐

— C.W.

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JESUS CHRIST—AND WE

Christ has no hands but our hands

To do His work today;

He has no feet but our feet

To lead men in His way;

He has no tongue but our tongues

To tell men how He died;

He has no help but our help

To bring them to His side.

We are the only Bible

The careless world will read;

We are the sinner’s Gospel,

We are the scoffer’s creed;

We are the Lord’s last message

Written in deed and word—

What if the line is crooked ?

What if the type is blurred?

What if our hands are busy

With other work than His?

What if our feet are walking

Where sin’s allurement is?

What if our tongues are speaking

Of things His lips would spurn?

How can we hope to help Him

Unless from Him we learn?

—Annie Johnson Flint

MAN MAKING

We are all blind until we see

That in the human plan

Nothing is worth the making if

It does not make the man.

Why build these cities glorious

If man unbuilded goes?

In vain we build the work, unless

The builder grows.

—Edwin Markham

MAX HEINDEL TELLS US that“the first step in Occultism is thestudy of the invisible Worlds’’(Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception,p. 34, hereafterRCC). The three

worlds in which we are currently functioning arethe physical world, the desire world, and the worldof thought. The physical world is divided into thechemical region (of solids, liquids and gases) andthe etheric region. It is the etheric region of thephysical world, along with the desire world andworld of thoughtwhich constitute theinvisible worlds. Theseinvisible worlds arethe foreign countriesto which we desire totravel. It should benoted that theseinvisible worlds arenot separated fromour physical world interms of time orspace. They are as close to us as our hands andfeet. In them we live and move and have our being.

Each of the worlds, and their regions, is subjectto laws which are operative in that particular worldand inoperative in the others. The matter, or sub-stance, of these worlds also varies in density. Weare familiar with the various densities of matter inour physical world—solids, liquids and gases. Thefour ethers (chemical, life, light and reflecting)also belong to the physical world. We will need tounderstand and master the laws of each worldbefore we can successfully travel through them.Max Heindel explains that “To function in any

world, and express the qualities peculiar to it, wemust first possess a vehicle made of its material. Inorder to function in the dense Physical World it isnecessary to have a dense body adapted to ourenvironment” (RCC, p. 57).

He was once asked “How long will it be beforewe can do without these physical bodies, and func-tion altogether in the Spiritual Worlds again?” Heansweredas follows:

“This question reveals a state of mind which isall too common among people who have become

acquainted with thefact that we possessspiritual bodies inwhich we may movethrough space withlightening rapidity,bodies which do notneed the material rai-ment and, therefore,will require no careupon the part of theirowners. These people

long then for the time when they may grow suchfigurative wings and shed this ‘low and vile mortalcoil’ altogether.

“Such a state of mind is extremely unfortunate.We should be very thankful for the material instru-ment which we have, for that is the most valuableof all our vehicles. While it is perfectly true thatour physical body is the lowest of all our vehicles,it is also a fact that this vehicle is the most finishedof our instruments, and without that the other vehi-cles would be of little use to us at this time. Forwhile this splendidly organized instrument enablesus to meet the thousand and one conditions here,

RAYS 96 9

Traveling in Foreign Countries

MYSTIC LIGHT

The dense physical body isthe most valuable and the

most finished of our instru-ments, and without that the

other vehicles would be of lit-tle use to us at this time.

our higher vehicles are practically unorganized. “The vital body is formed organ for organ as our

dense physical body, but until it has been trainedby esoteric exercises it is not a fit instrument to

function in alone. The desire body has only a num-ber of sense centers which are not even active inthe great majority of people and as for the mind, itis an unformed cloud with the great majority. Weshould aim today to spiritualize the physicalinstrument, and we should realize that we musttrain our higher vehicles before they can be of use.For the great mass of people that will take a long,long time. Therefore, it is best to do the duty thatis close to our hands, then we hasten the day whenwe shall be able to use the higher vehicles, for theday depends upon ourselves” (Questions andAnswers, Vol. 1, pp. 18-19).

We live in the physical world. We are learning tomaster the elements as solids, liquids and gases,and we are learning to work with the ethers. Wefirst learned to harness the winds, then steam, andstill later petroleum and nuclear power. As wemastered each form of matter, we were able totravel further, faster, and safer. Journeys whichonce took years can now be completed in hours.We have learned to use the air waves. World-widecommunication is now instantaneous. Similarefforts will be required of us as we learn to func-tion in the Worlds of desire and thought.

THE FOUR VEHICLESMax Heindel tells us that we have “several

instruments—a dense body, a vital body, a desirebody, and a mind. These are the spirit’s tools andupon their quality and condition depends howmuch or how little it can accomplish in its work ofgathering experience in each life. If the instru-ments are poor and dull there will be but little spir-itual growth and the life will be a barren one, so faras the spirit is concerned” (RCC,p. 430).

In the physical world we function through ourdense and vital bodies, in the desire world wefunction through our desire body, and in the worldof thought we function through the mind. Just aswe are gaining experience by working with thematerials of the physical world so we will have tolearn to work with desire matter and thought mat-ter. Just as we learned to work with the elements ofthe physical world—fire, earth, air and water—sowill we also learn to master the elements and lawsof the desire world—attraction, repulsion, interestand indifference—and the elements and laws ofthe world of thought, the powers of concrete andabstract thought, by cultivating and strengtheningthe faculties of observation, discrimination, con-centration, meditation and adoration.

TRAVELING IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDS We can travel in any one of the various worlds

once we have built and learned to function in thevehicle corresponding to that world. Max Heindelposes the rhetorical question, “Why investigatethese Worlds? Why is it not best to take one Worldat a time: to be content for the present with thelessons to be learned in the Physical World, and, ifthere are invisible Worlds why not wait until wereach them before investigating? ‘Sufficient untothe day is the evil thereof! Why borrow more?’”His answer is that “If we knew without doubt thatat some time, sooner or later, each one of us mustbe transported to a far country where, under newand strange conditions, we must live for manyyears, is it not reasonable to believe that if we hadan opportunity to learn of that country in advanceof our removal to it we would gladly do so?Knowledge would render it much easier for us toaccommodate ourselves to new conditions”(RCC, p. 27).

Heindel also pointed out that we need to under-stand these other superphysical worlds to best

10 RAYS 96

Is it not reasonable tobelieve, if we had an

opportunity to learn of afar country in advance ofour removal to it, whereunder new and strangeconditions we must livefor many years, that we

would gladly do so?

understand our own physical world, governed bythe law of Cause and Effect. The need to prepareourselves to function in the spiritual Worlds (king-dom of heaven) is illustrated in chapter 22 ofMatthew where Christ Jesus teaches the parable ofthe wedding banquet. This parable clearly statesthat we will need to wear “wedding clothes” toattend the banquet.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who pre-pared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent hisservants to those who had been invited to the ban-quet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.Then He sent some more servants and said, ‘tellthose who have been invited that I have preparedmy dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have beenbutchered, and everything is ready. Come to thewedding banquet.’But they paid no attention....Then he said to his servants.... ‘invite anyone youcan find.’ But when the king came in to see theguests, he noticed a man there who was not wear-ing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’he asked, ‘how didyou get in here without wedding clothes?’The manwas speechless. Then the king told the attendants,‘Tie him hand and foot and throw him outside...’”

BUILDING OUR SPIRITUAL VEHICLESMost of us have learned that we must care for

our physical body through proper diet, exercise,and hygiene. We understand the dangers of drugs,alcohol and tobacco. Many of us, unfortunately,have learned these lesson the hard way. Weneglected our diets and/or we did not exercise, andwe are now paying the price! Today Americans arespending millions, if not billions, of dollars onexercise equipment and health foods. More andmore people are reducing the amount of meat intheir diets and others are realizing the benefits of avegetarian diet. As the result of better diets, exer-cise, hygiene and medical advancements, we areall living longer lives, which in turn provide uswith more opportunity to obtain life experiences,the food of “soul growth.” Those who want to“travel in foreign countries” must also work ondeveloping their vital, desire and mental bodies.

THE VITAL BODYThe Rosicrucian Teachings emphasize that

occult development starts in the vital body. We

read that “it is necessary to work upon and educatethe vital body in such a manner that it may be usedin soul-flights. This vehicle, as we know, is com-posed of four ethers. It is by means of this bodythat we manipulate the densest of all our vehicles,

the physical body....The chemical and life ethersform the matrix for our physical bodies. Each mol-ecule of the physical body is embedded in a mesh-work of ether which permeates and infuses it withlife....The part of the vital body formed of the twohigher ethers, the light ether and the reflectingether, is what we may term the soul body; that is tosay, it is more closely linked with the desire bodyand the mind and also more amenable to theSpirit’s touch than are the two lower ethers. It isthe vehicle of intellect, and responsible for all thatmakes man, man. Our observations, our aspira-tions, our character, etc., are due to the work of theSpirit in these two higher ethers, which becomecharacter and habits. Also, as the dense bodyassimilates particles of food and thus gains flesh,so the two higher ethers assimilate our good deedsduring life and thus grow in volume as well” (TheVital Body, pp. 145-146).

THE DESIRE BODYWe are reminded that “While clean thoughts

take us a long step on the path of attainment, theemotions and desires of the desire body are not soeasily subdued, for that vehicle is already consid-erably more set than the mind....It is the desirebody which is responsible for all our actions, good,bad and indifferent....Even the subjection of thedesire body, difficult as it is to accomplish, will notserve to make a man conscious in the invisible

RAYS 96 11

As the dense bodyassimilates particles of

food and thus gainsflesh, so the two higher

ethers assimilate ourgood deeds during life

and thus grow in volume.

worlds, for the desire body has not evolved to sucha point that it can act as a real instrument of con-sciousness. Therefore, it is necessary to work uponand educate the vital body in such a manner that itmaybe used in soul-flights” (The Desire Body, pp.133-135).

THE MINDThe mind is the newest of man’s vehicles and

Max Heindel was reluctant to even classify it as abody. At this time the mind serves as a linkbetween the spirit and the three-fold body (dense,vital and desire). The mind is a powerful tool of thespirit. Thoughts are as powerful as deeds. We seethis illustrated in Matthew 5:21-22: “You haveheard that it was said to the people long ago, Do

not murder, and anyone who murders will be sub-ject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who isangry with his brother will be subject to judg-ment.” In Matthew 5:27-28 Christ Jesus specifical-ly equates thinking with doing, thought with deed:“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commitadultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at awoman lustfully has already committed adulterywith her in his heart.”

The mind was designed to give purpose toaction. However, earlier in our development, themind coalesced with the desire body to create the“personality.” Most people daily experience con-flict between desire and thought. St. Paul’s classicdescription of this conflict is in Romans 7:21-24:“So I find this law at work: When I want to dogood, evil is right there with me. For in my innerbeing I delight in God’s law; but I see another lawat work in the members of my body, waging waragainst the law of my mind and making me a pris-oner of the law of sin at work within my members.Who will rescue me from this body of death?”

We are now working to free the mind from theinfluence of the desire body. Only when the mindis thus freed will it serve as a true instrument of theSpirit, allowing us to function safely in theSpiritual Worlds. If we are to prepare ourselves totravel in foreign countries we must start by livinga life of selfless service, exemplified by our rightactions, right thoughts, and right feelings.

SOUL POWERSoul power is “food for the Spirit”—the fuel whichallows us to function in the higher Worlds. Weacquire soul power through life experiences.Working through the dense body, the Ego learnsright action and promotes the growth of theConscious Soul. The memory of the activities donein the dense body—the desires, feelings, and emo-tions of the desire body, and the thoughts and ideasin the mind—promotes the growth of theIntellectual Soul. In like manner, the highestdesires and emotions of the desire body form theEmotional Soul. It is through selfless service thatwe learn the principles of right action, right feel-ings and right thought. Without this soul power,we are like a car with a dead battery and no fuel—we can travel nowhere!

12 RAYS 96

Pieter van Lint (1609l-1690), Museum, Brussels

St. PaulThough presenting a physically more powerful man thanPaul’s self-description of a weak bodily presence might war-rant, this painting yet does not exaggerate the sense of spir-itual power and humility of the Apostle, here armed with“the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God,” whowrote: “Unto me who am less that the least of all saints, isthis grace given, that I should preach among the Gentilesthe unsearchable riches of Christ”— Ephesians 3:8.

TRAVELING IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLDIt is the function of the vital body to build and

maintain the physical body. The activities of thedesire body, on the other hand, “tear down” thephysical body. So, no matter how hard the vitalbody works, its forces are eventually depleted. Theresult is “sleep,” a time that allows the bodies toseparate and restore themselves. Sleep also offersthe opportunity, to those who are prepared, to“travel in foreign countries.”

When we fall asleep our bodies separate. Ourdense body and vital body remain on the bed,while the desire body and mind float above them.The four bodies are connected by the silver cord.Once the dense and vital bodies are freed from thedesire and mind bodies, the spirit starts the work ofrestoring harmony to these vehicles. The vitalbody is no longer battling the desire body and isfree to start the process of stabilizing itself and thedense body. The spirit also works to bring thedesire body and mind back into harmony.

After this work is done, if time permits, the spiritis free to use the desire and mind bodies to travelin the Desire World and the World of Thought.Most members of the Rosicrucian Fellowship usethis opportunity to serve as Invisible Helpers,working under the direction of the Elder Brothersto assist in healing those in need. The spirit is alsooffered the opportunity to attend “school” andstudy subjects that are of special interest to it. Wemay remember some of our experiences in thespiritual worlds as dreams; however, they are notalways clear.

Max Heindel explains that at times the vehiclesdo not properly separate at the time of sleep. Thismay happen when “we have become so absorbedand interested in the affairs of our mundane exis-tence that even after the vital body has collapsedand rendered the dense body unconscious, we can-not make up our minds to leave it and commencethe work of restoration; the desire body will clinglike grim death, and is perhaps only half-draggedout by the Ego....It is evident that this is an abnor-mal condition. The proper connections between thedifferent vehicles is...disarranged by the unusualrelative positions of the higher vehicles...and theinevitable result is those confused dreams where

the sounds and sights of the Desire World aremixed with the happenings of daily life in the mostgrotesque and impossible way” (The Desire Body,pp. 64-65).

It is also explained that we can have prophetic

dreams which are fulfilled, “but such dreams resultonly after complete extraction of the desire body”from the physical. The spirit is then able to impressthe information on the brain at the time of awak-ening. Only through a life of selfless service, a lifeof right actions, right thoughts and right feelings,will we be able to learn to separate the ethers of thevital body and create the Golden WeddingGarment. Once we have learned to separate thelight and reflecting ethers from the chemical andlife ethers, we will be able to take the two higherethers, along with the desire and mind bodies, andfunction consciously in the spirit Worlds. We willthen be conscious Invisible Helpers and able torecall all of our out-of-body experiences. Ourdreams will cease and we will have full twenty-four-hour consciousness.

We would do well to take proper care of all ourvehicles so that through them we may travel in for-eign countries and receive the master’s wages. Toparaphrase Max Heindel, from that time, awake orasleep, through what we call life, and through whatwe call death, our consciousness will be unbroken.We will lead a consciously continuous existence,having the benefit of all the conditions which makefor more rapid advancement to ever higher positionsof trust, to be used in the uplifting of mankind.❐

—James Noel

RAYS 96 13

Only through a life of self-less service, a life of right

actions, right thoughts andright feelings, will we be

able to learn to separate theethers of the vital body andcreate the Golden Wedding

Garment.

“And the light shineth in darkness; and the dark-ness comprehended it not”—John 1:5.

THE BIBLE TELLS US that God islight, and we are urged to “walk in thelight.” These statements have beautifulconnotations for each of us, but it isonly when we understand all the rami-

fications associated with light, comprehend its all-pervasiveness, that we can arrive at anything evenapproaching some understanding of the nature ofGod and of our own potential. Nothing in the phys-ical world can reveal to us the nature of God in thesame degree as thesymbol of light, andeven then we reallyunderstand light onlyin its physical sense,as we see it, ratherthan in its spiritualsense, wherein lies itstrue essence and itstrue power. The mostpowerful telescopeshave not found theboundaries of light,and eventually even material science will have torecognize that the Light of lights is limitless, aswell as omnipotent.

Just as material science prides itself on beingopen-minded with respect to phenomena in thephysical world, so must we also learn to benonskeptical—to open our spiritual eyes so that wecan perceive the divine light which alone can illu-minate our spiritual darkness.

We do this when we serve others, when wedevelop selflessness, when we develop compas-sion, and when we pray. The Web of Destinysaysthat “prayer, true scientific prayer, is one of the

most powerful methods of finding favor before theface of our Father and receiving the immersion inspiritual light which alchemically transforms thesinner to the saint and places around him the gold-en wedding garment of light, the luminous soulbody” (pp. 122-123). In true scientific prayer, asMr. Heindel discusses it, we forget our personalinterests, desires, and problems and concentratesolely on thoughts of gratitude and adoration, mak-ing ourselves as receptive as possible to the out-pouring of His illumination and to the awarenessof His Presence. When we learn to do this, and doit consistently, we will begin truly to “see the

light” in a way that isbeyond our presentcomprehension. At thesame time, our atti-tudes and our verylives will have to bethe counterparts of ourprayers, for prayerwithout works is dead,and “blessed are thepure in heart, for theyshall see God.”

God is one andundivided. He enfolds within His being all that is,just as white light embraces all colors. At the sametime, God is three-fold in manifestation—Father,Son, and Holy Spirit. So also is white light refract-ed into three primary colors—blue, yellow, andred. The correlation is blue for the Father, yellowfor the Son, and red for the Holy Spirit. Thesethree Rays of divine light are diffused or radiatedthrough the sun and produce life, consciousness,and form upon each of the seven planets or “lightbearers,” which are known as the Seven Spiritsbefore the Throne. These planets are Mercury,Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.

14 RAYS 96

God is Light

MYSTIC LIGHT

The light rays that comedirectly from the sun are

conducive to spiritual illumi -nations. The reflected rays

from other planets make foradded consciousness and

moral development.

Neptune and Pluto are of more mysterious spiritu-al origin and will not be considered in this study.

Each of the seven planets receives the light ofthe sun in a different measure, according to itsproximity to the sun and the constitution of itsatmosphere. The beings on each planet, accordingto their stage of develop-ment, have affinity forsome of the solar rays.The planets absorb thecolor or colors with whichthey are harmonious, andthey reflect the rest uponother planets. Thus,divine light and life cometo each planet eitherdirectly from the sun or asreflected light from thesix sister planets. Underthe commingled impulsesof all the planetary spirits,in that varicolored light,we live and more andhave our being. The lightrays that come directlyfrom the sun are con-ducive to spiritual illumi-nations. The reflectedrays from other planetsmake for added con-sciousness and moraldevelopment. The raysreflected from the moon relate to physical growth.

We must never lose sight of the fact that no mat-ter how these rays are reflected, and no matterwhat planetary influences are brought to bear onthem, they were, are, and will continue to be man-ifestations of the divine Light which is God. Eachhuman being on earth can respond to and expressbut a portion of the full range of cosmic energiesprojected upon Earth. The remaining stellar andplanetary light does not affect or produce sensationin the particular human being. Analogously, thephysically blind cannot see physical light andcolor around them, and the color-blind see onlycertain colors and may respond incorrectly to oth-ers.

Upon examination, we find that the flame of a

candle exhibits the three primary colors. Close tothe wick is a glow that is cone shaped and nearlycolorless. At the base and outer circumference ofthis cone is a blue flame, springing from which isa cone of golden light, a yellow flame, out ofwhich emerges a cone of reddish flame.

Sometimes we see theblue cone inside, theyellow cone crowningthe blue, and the redcone enveloping thetops of both. When wesee it this way, the purecolor of the blue is part-ly obliterated. Thesecolors also can be seenin human beings bysomeone who has therequisite vision.

Humans, being three-fold, have three suchflames, each with itsred, yellow, and bluecolors. One is the fireof spirit, in which theblue flame predomi-nates. Secondly is thefire of intellect, inwhich the yellow flamepredominates. Thethird is the fire of thephysical body, in which

the red flame predominates. Max Heindel tells us:“as blood flows through the heart, the body ether isextracted and flows along the silver cord to thesolar plexus. The seed atom of the vital body hereseems to refract the ether, and it then shows thethree primary colors, red, yellow, and blue. Theyellow and blue flames are refracted into the hol-low spinal cord and are, in part, the source of lightthere. The red stream coalesces with the colorlesssolar ether stream which is constantly rushingthrough the spleen (direct from the sun) and is thuschanged to a pale rose color. This etheric fluidgives rise to the peach-blossom color characteris-tic of the vital body. At the base of the spine smol-ders the red flame of passion and selfishness. Asthis fire ascends, its colors become thinner and less

RAYS 96 15

Unitary God (synthetic white light) externalizes duringactive manifestation as a Trinity of Persons (aspects): theFather (blue), the Son (yellow), and the Holy Spirit (red).The three primary colors and their blendings (the four sec-ondary colors—orange, green, purple, and indigo) representthe Seven Spirits before the Throne (Solar Logos), whosedense bodies are the seven planets of our solar system.

THE1, 3, 7 & 10 ASPECTS OFGOD & MAN

murky.” In the brain are two ductless glands, the pituitary

body and the pineal gland. The pituitary is the neg-ative pole of the brain, analogous to the femalehalf of the creative force. The pineal is the positive

pole and analogous to the male half. In the pitu-itary body burns a flame of transcendent beauty,the tints of which are affected by the degree ofselfishness or selflessness of the individual. Itglows with beautiful soft light until its flames areawakened by the impact of the spinal spirit fire.Then it begins to vibrate, at first sending out littlewaves of color which fade a short distance fromtheir origin. But their range increases proportionalto the intensity of the ascending spinal spirit force.At the same time it emits subtle musical tones cor-responding to the vibratory rate of the color waves.

Gradually these emanations of color and toneexpand until they form a medium of transmissionover which the ascending current of the creativeforce, or the spinal spirit fire, may travel and thusbridge the gap from the pituitary to the pineal. Thedark chamber of the third ventricle of the brainnow becomes illuminated with a spiritual blue hue,which is the Father color. When this has beenaccomplished, the person has gained positive clair-voyance, which is under the control of the will,correlated with the first principle of triune Deity.As we evolve spiritually, the spirit fires “overflow”and surround the head and eventually the entirebody.

The philosopher and reputed Rosicrucian,Francis Bacon, said, “light and color demandinvestigation before form, for color is life.”

Indeed, color is as necessary to the spirit as air isto the body; our bodies breathe in air and withoutit they die. Similarly, the spirit “breathes in” color,and without it the spirit is enfeebled. Color is asubstance of the spirit just as minerals, water, air,and warmth are substances of the physical body.

Color, which we see manifested everywhere inthe universe, is the visible expression of divinemind. It is the cosmic manifestation of the one lifeprinciple in the form of light waves. Pythagorassaid that there is “one universal soul permeating allthings, which in substance resembles light.”

Color expresses the very soul or heart of the uni-verse. According to Paracelsus, when a universallife-cycle begins, it first appears as a rapidlyvibrating mass of scintillating colors in an infinitespiral. Within the spiral resides the mighty cosmicpotential to transform spiritual energy into spiritu-al substance and then to be reassimilated. Light isradiated from the sun, the storehouse of all ener-gies and the source of all light, warmth, andmotion on this planet.

In studying color, we are studying a force of infi-nite power. The ancient Egyptians were consciousof the power and influence of color, and parts oftheir great temples were set aside as color hallswhere the effects of color vibrations were studied

and applied. The Egyptian priests left manuscriptsshowing their system of color science, which eventoday is considered sophisticated. They applied thelaw of correspondence between the sevenfoldnature of man and the sevenfold division of thesolar system, and taught that the primary colors—

16 RAYS 96

In the pituitary bodyburns a flame of

transcendent beauty , thetints of which are affectedby the degree of selfish -ness or selflessness of

the individual.

The Virgin Spirit of manis a spark of the divineFlame—a spark of con -

sciousness differentiatedwithin God and sent onits pilgrimage through

matter to acquire individ -ual consciousness

red, yellow, and blue—correspond to the body,mind, and spirit of man.

Rosicrucian philosophy postulates a God Whoenfolds all that is within His Being, as white lightcontains all colors. In manifestation God appearsthreefold, as the white light is refracted into threeprimary colors. We know that will, the power todo, is the highest energy or attribute of God. TheFather, being the embodiment of will, shines witha blue light. The second primary power of God iswisdom-love. Christ, the embodiment of wisdom-love, shines with a yellow light. The third primaryattribute of God is activity—the power to grow,expand, germinate, and increase—the province ofthe Holy Spirit. Jehovah, Who manifests anddirects the activity principle and germinatingpower of God, shines with a clear rose-red light.By light humanity is enabled to see literally and

intellectually. We have heard of the “war in heaven,” of the fall

of Lucifer, of the inroads made by the Lucifer spir-its, stragglers of the angelic lifewave, into theminds and psyche human beings, by “reasoning”with us on the merits of eating of the tree of knowl-edge. We therefore tend to blame the Lucifer spir-its for many of our troubles, and there is no doubtthat, had their influence not awakened in us thedesire for unabated sense gratification, we wouldbe happier today. But happiness is not synonymouswith wisdom. Lucifer, despite his unsavory reputa-tion, also is known as the Light Bearer. We are stillsuffering because of our abuse of the fruit of thetree of knowledge, but when we learn to use thatfruit rightly, we shall understand and know farmore than the automatons we had been prior to ourfall into mortal consciousness through Lucifer’sinfluence.

Great religious teachers are born to bring light toa dark world, to manifest a message that hasalways been an invitation to enter into the light.General humanity, however, was and continues tobe so deeply immersed in matter that they can notbear the brilliance of a totally unveiled light, butmust learn to walk in one ray at a time.

In his first dim gropings after spiritual con-sciousness, man could only sense the immanenceof this light, which he called by various names, allsignifying God. He was driven to right action inpart by fear that this God of light would discoverand punish him for wickedness. As new racescame into being and the light shone out throughteacher after teacher, men progressed and began torespond to more rays of the light. In ancient Chinathe light shone through the Confucian moral code,the heart of which is the “golden rule”—“do untoothers as you would have them do unto you.” InPersia the light revealed itself through Zoroaster asthe gospel of purity. In ancient Greece sublimelight was captured in and shone forth from music,sculpture and architecture. The Greeks saw in thebodily perfection of the ideal physical form therevelation of an aspect of divinity. Later, with theadvent of material science, the light manifested aslaws of nature, discovered and verified in labora-tories and observatories. But thelaws them-

RAYS 96 17

From the (black) void of Chaos, the Father wills through HisSon, the Word, mediated by the creative hierarchies, the pri-mal Light in which all form in all Worlds is revealed.

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selves became the f i rst cause and eclipsedthe earlier phase of our child-like faith in an origi-nating Light. Modern man is now enveloped in a“cloud of self,” informed by material knowledgethat has filtered out the light of spiritual truth.

In the Atlantean Epoch of the Earth Period, wefirst encounter the phenomenon of the rainbow.This occurred after the multiple floods that sub-merged the continent of Atlantis, causing a clear-ing of the fog-saturated atmosphere envelopingthat civilization. Rainbows result from the refrac-tion of white light by atmospheric moisture intothe spectral bands of primary and secondary col-ors. Esoterically, rainbows signify God’s assurancethat His Presence will abide.

Max Heindel has given us a moving descriptionof his reading in the memory of nature of that firstrainbow, which is of great interest in the light ofour own intensifying experiences and developmentas we approach the Aquarian Age. “When I lookedupon that scene in the memory of nature, it wasmost wonderful. There were refugees who weredriven from Atlantis, which is now partly knownas Europe and America. These refugees were dri-ven eastward till they came at last to a place where

the land was high, where the atmosphere had par-tially cleared, and there they saw the clear skyabove. Of a sudden there came up a cloud, andfrom that cloud came lightning. They heard the rollof thunder, and they who had escaped peril bywater and had fled under the guidance or a leaderwhich they revered as God, turned to him to ask:‘What have we come to now? Shall we bedestroyed at last?’He pointed to the rainbowwhich stood in the cloud and said: ‘No, for so longas that bow stands in the cloud, so long shall theseasons come one after another in unbroken suc-cession.’And the people looked with great admira-tion and relief at the bow of promise.”

The rainbow stands for us today, and its promisestill holds good for us today. But we must increas-ingly learn to turn to the light within ourselves andto “turn it up,” to illumine the world’s darknessaround us. The little spark of our own inner lightis an inseparable part of that God Light, and oneday it will attain to the brilliance and creativepotency that are characteristic of this Light.

The Virgin Spirit of man is a spark of the divineFlame—a spark of consciousness differentiatedwithin God and sent on its pilgrimage through mat-

18 RAYS 96

The Bow in the Clouds“I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bringa cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud...the covenant between God and every living creature” (Gen 9:13-16).

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ter to acquire individual consciousness. It haddivine consciousness which it must lose for a timein order to develop individual Self-consciousness.To accomplish this goal required the building ofvarious vehicles resulting in the differentiatedthree-fold spirit, three-fold body, three-fold soul,and the link of mind.

The yearning for true illumination can never becompletely extinguished. Two thousand years agothe “Light of the world” came to earth, that all whowill might know It and receive It. Even so, humanityhas been very slow on the uptake. The teachings ofChrist Jesus literally are light; they are the illumi-nation that, if we only would immerse ourselves andwalk in it, would transform us into spiritual beacons.

The salvific gospel of altruism—to love Godand man—is probably the simplest teaching evergiven to humanity. Here is a complete absence ofthe fear that characterizes those regional and eth-nic religions under which God is seen as an aveng-ing Deity. Christ’s message truly is light, direct andunclouded. At the same time, Christ’s messagealso seems to be the most difficult for man to putinto practice. Orthodox Christianity is so becloud-ed by dogma and creed, by complicated interpreta-tions of what essentially is clear and simple, bymisplaced martial zeal, self-righteousness, andintolerance, that “brotherly love” and “selfless-ness” are in little evidence among many who pur-port to be Christians.

It seems rarely appreciated or understood thatChrist came to show all people of the world how touse divine laws in their own lives, how to uncoverthe light within their own beings and to shine forththat light from out of their own persons. We cannotfully consider spiritual light—or physical light, forthat matter—unless we also consider the existenceof darkness. The existence of good and evil, orlight and darkness, has been recognized from ear-liest times. God and Satan, day and night, positiveand negative, all suggest the interaction of goodand evil. But Satan is one of the sons of God; hisfunction is to capitalize on the inadequacies orflaws in the finite that the highlighted disharmonymay be corrected and superceded by an enhanced,more capacious harmony.

It has been suggested that there is a balance inevolution whereby every advance of the “good,”every new manifestation of light, is accompaniedby a corresponding advance of “evil,” or blindnessto the light. Certainly the greater man’s intellectualpowers, the greater is the potential for their misuse.While the light does seem continually to be delin-eating darkness on the world’s stage, we do well toremember that the crises of difficulty and darknesssurge and intensify at the threshold to heaven’seternal radiance. We also do well to remind our-selves that intellectual power is to be balanced bythe power of the heart, the power of love, which isa manifestation of God inseparable from light.When these powers work in concert, when headand heart are united, the light cannot help but dis-pel the darkness, to show it, finally, as nothingness,merely light’s absence. When that darkness is dis-pelled, then, truly, will we walk in the light as Heis in the light. ❐

—Barbara Joiner

RAYS 96 19

WALK IN THE LIGHT

Walk in the light; so shalt thou know

That fellowship of love

His spirit only can bestow,

Who reigns in light above.

Walk in the light, and thou shalt find

Thy heart made truly His,

Who dwells in cloudless light enshrined,

In Whom no darkness is.

Walk in the light, and thou shalt own

Thy darkness passed away,

Because that light hath on thee shone

In which is perfect day.

Walk in the light, and thine shall be

A path, though thorny, bright;

For God, by grace, shall dwell in thee,

And God Himself is light.

—Bernard Barton

ARE DOCTORS JUSTIFIED inallowing a child to die that is boundto be an idiot and physically help-less, when an operation wouldenable it to live? Does an idiot gain

any experience during life? Is the Ego withinaware of the physical disability of the mind andbody during such a life, and does it learn thereby?Can insanity be classed among the hereditary diseases?

Suppose a child met with an accident whileplaying, a blow on the head, and hence becameabnormal, or perhaps was put into a state of coma;no one would hesitate for a moment to have theoperation of trepanning performed so that by tak-ing the pressure off the skull from the brain thechild might be restored to its normal state of con-sciousness. And why should a newborn child notreceive the same care and have everything done forit that is possible? It would be considered criminalto allow an older child to die for lack of care, andit is just as indefensible in the case of a newbornchild, for when the Ego has gone through thewomb in order to gain the experience of this phys-ical life, we are in duty bound to support its effortsin every possible manner.

Then it is asked, Does the Ego gain experienceby a life of insanity? Yes, it does, for the Ego itselfis never insane. The improper connection betweenits various vehicles, the mind, desire body, vitalbody, and dense body makes for insanity. Whenthe connection between the brain centers and thevital body is imperfect, then we have what is calledthe idiot, often melancholy but generally perfectlyharmless. When the faulty connection is between

the desire body and the vital body, the conditionsare somewhat similar, but include the class inwhich the muscular control is defective, as in thecase of epilepsy and St. Vitus dance. When theconnection is broken or faulty between the desirebody and the mind we have the raving maniac whois violent and dangerous. And when the connectionis defective between the Ego and the mind, wehave what we might call a soulless man, the mostdangerous of all, gifted with a cunning that isusually at some unexpected time put to a mostdiabolical use.

If we consider the body or the different bodies asmusical instruments upon which the Ego is play-ing, then when every connection is perfect, the Egocan bring out a more or less beautiful symphony oflife, according to its stage in evolution; but whenthe connections are faulty or broken, the Ego islike a musician forced to exercise his talent with aninstrument lacking a number of strings, and isunable to bring out anything but discords. To amusician it would be torture to be forced to playupon such a defective instrument, and it is thesame with the Ego which is immured in an insanepersonality. For reasons to be sought in past lives,it is forced to stay with a body that it cannot con-trol. It suffers more or less acutely according to itsstage in evolution, and thus it learns the lessons inthe School of Life which are required to make itperfect. It is a sad condition, but though a lifetimeappears to us very long, it is but as a fleetingmoment in the unending life of the Spirit, and wemay console ourselves with the knowledge thatwhen the Ego comes back to Earth again it will

20 RAYS 96

Allowing Defective Children to Die

The author’s knowledge of occult anatomy and spiritual causation shouldgive proponents of eugenics and euthanasia reason to reconsider their ideas.

MAX HEINDEL’S MESSAGE

have a normal body, provided of course the lessonhas been learned.

With respect to the last part of the question, Isinsanity hereditary?, we may answer either in theaffirmative or the negative according to whichphase of the problem we are considering. From thespiritual point of view, as we have already stated,insanity is not a defect in the Ego, but because of atwist in its character it cannot build a normal body;hence, by association, it is drawn to a family that issimilarly inclined. This is on the very same princi-ple that we see people of like character alwaysseeking one another’s company. As the old sayinggoes, “Birds of a feather flock together.”

Musicians congregate in music halls, at con-certs, and similar places. They also seek birth inthe families of musicians because there the instru-ment needed, long slender fingers and an ear inwhich the semi-circular canals are properly placed,give them the ability to express music. Sportingmen and gamblers flock together on race tracksand in gambling dens. Thieves have their resortsand so on. Similarly those with a certain defect in

their characters are attracted to people and familieswhich have the same defect. Hence if we view theproblem of insanity from the form side, it may besaid that it is hereditary.

Scientists who view the matter entirely from theform side are of the opinion that by limiting thereproduction of defectives they may stamp out dis-ease. But just as the soft juices which at one timeformed the snail’s body are gradually sent out andcrystallized into the hard and flinty shell it carriesupon its back, so the former acts of the soul havecrystallized themselves into a body wherein theSpirit must dwell until that body is worn out.Relief will never be obtained by working with andupon the physical body alone, any more than oper-ating upon the shell would cure a sick snail.Emerson said truly that “a sick man is a scoundrelwho has been found out in breaking the laws ofnature.” The insane are in that category, and if wewish to cure them we must apply the spiritualmeans of education, for all other methods are sim-ply palliative; they do not reach the source of thedisease. ❐

RAYS 96 21

ANCIENT AND MODERN INITIATIONby Max Heindel

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

PART ONE

TABERNACLE IN THE WILDERNESSTHE ATLANTEAN MYSTERY TEMPLE

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

THE SACRED SHEKINAH GLORYTHE NEW MOON AND INITIATION

PART TWO

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTIONMYSTIC RITE OF BAPTISM

THE TEMPTATIONTHE TRANSFIGURATIONTHE LAST SUPPER AND

THE FOOTWASHINGGETHSEMANE, THE GARDEN OF GRIEFTHE STIGMATA AND THE CRUCIFIXION

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

Question: What is the state of the Spirit prior torebirth?Answer: Previous to taking the dip into matter, thethreefold Spirit is naked, having only the forces ofthe four seed atoms (which are the nuclei of thethreefold body and the sheath of mind). Question: To what might its descent be compared?Answer: Its descent resembles the putting on ofseveral pairs of gloves of increasing thickness.Question: What first occurs? Answer: The forces of the mind of the last life areawakened from their latency in the seed atom. Thisbegins to attract to itself materials from the highestsubdivision of the Region of Concrete Thought.Question: How is this accomplished? Answer: In a manner similar to that in which amagnet draws to itself iron filings. If we hold amagnet over a miscellaneous heap of metal filingswe shall find that it selects only iron filings andthat even of them it will take no more than itsstrength enables it to lift. Question: How does this apply to the seed atom?Answer: The same is true of the seed atom. It cantake, in each Region, nothing except the materialfor which it has an affinity and nothing beyond acertain definite quantity even of that. Question: What type of body does this produce?Answer: Thus the vehicle built around this nucleusbecomes an exact counterpart of the correspondingvehicle of the last life minus the evil which hasbeen expurgated and plus the quintessence of goodwhich has been incorporated in the seed atom.

Question: What form does the attracted materialassume? Answer: The material selected by the three-foldSpirit forms itself into a great bell-shaped figure,open at the bottom and with the seed atom at the top.Question: To what might we compare thisdescent? Answer: If we conceive of this illustration spiritu-ally, we may compare it to a diving bell descend-ing into a sea composed of fluids of increasingdensity. Question: To what would these correspond?Answer: These correspond to the different sub-divisions of each World. The matter taken into thetexture of the bell-shaped body makes it heavier sothat it sinks into the next lower sub-division, and ittakes from that its proper quota of matter. Thus itbecomes still heavier and sinks yet deeper until ithas passed through the four subdivisions of theRegion of Concrete Thought, and the sheath of thenew mind of the man is complete. Question: What process is followed for the desirebody? Answer: Next, the forces in the seed atom of thedesire body are awakened. It places itself at the topof the bell, inside, and the materials of the seventhRegion of the Desire World draw around it until itsinks to the sixth Region, getting more materialthere, and this process continues until the firstRegion of the Desire World is reached. The bellhas now two layers—the sheath of mind outsideand the new desire body inside.

—Reference: Cosmo, 133-134

22 RAYS 96

Preparations for Rebirth

STUDIES IN THE COSMO-CONCEPTION

AS THE MATERIAL SUN is weakand has to flee from the powers ofdarkness, so all these divine light-bringers are searched for and forcedto flee from the powers of the world;

and like the Sun, they always escape. Jesus fledfrom King Herod; King Kansa,* and King Mayaare his counterparts in other religions. The baptismoccurs at the time when the Sun passes through thesign Aquarius, the Waterman; and whenhe goes through the sign of theFishes in March we have thefast of the Initiate, forPisces is the last of thesouthern signs, and allthe stores laid by fromthe bounteous gifts ofthe Sun of the previousyear are nearlyexhausted and man’sfood is scarce. The fish-food of Lent, whichoccurs at this time, is a fur-ther corroboration of thissolar origin of the fast.

At the vernal equinox, March21, the Sun “crosses the equator,” and atthat time the “crossification,” or crucifixion,occurs, for then the sun-god commences to givehis life as food for his worshippers, ripening thecorn and the grape, which is made into the “breadand wine.” To do that he must leave the equatorand soar heavenward. Similarly, it would not ben-efit humanity spiritually if their saviors stayedwith them; therefore, they soar heavenward as

“sons (or suns) of righteousness,” ministering tothe faithful from above, as the Sun does for manwhen high in the heavens.

The Sun attains its highest point of north decli-nation at the summer solstice, June 21. He then sitsupon “the throne of his father,” the Sun of the pre-vious year, but he cannot remain there more thanthree days. Then he is carried downward towardhis western node. Likewise, the saviors of

mankind ascend to the throne of theFather, to be rebornfrom time to

time for the good of mankind,which truth is embodied in

the sentence of the NiceanCreed: “thence he shallreturn.”

The movementknown as the “preces-sion of the equinoxes,”whereby the Sun cross-es the equator on March

21 at a different pointeach year, determines the

symbol of the Savior. At thetime of the birth of Jesus, the

Sun crossed in about five degreesof the sign Aries, the Ram. Consequently,

Christ was “the lamb of God” (John 1:36). Therewas a dispute, however; some thought that owingto what is called the orb of influence, power of theSun was really in the sign Pisces, the Fishes, andthat the symbol of Christ should have been a fish.As a relic of that dispute, we see that to this day theBishop’s miter is in the form of the head of a fish.

At the time of Mithras, the Persian Savior, theSun crossed in the sign of the Bull, hence we findMithras riding on a bull. This was also the founda-tion for the worship of the Bull, Apis, in Egypt. At

RAYS 96 23

The Solar Myth—Part 2

WESTERN WISDOM BIBLE STUDY

* Kansa: In Hindu mythology, a king of Mathura, son ofUgrasena and second cousin of Krishna.

Atthe vernal

equinox the Sun“crosses the equator ,”

and the “crossification,” or crucifixion, occurs, for then the sun-god

commences to give hislife as food for his

worshippers.

24 RAYS 96

present the vernal equinox is in about nine degreesof Pisces, the Fishes, so that if a savior were bornnow he would be a “Fish-man,” like Oannes ofNineveh, changed into Jonah and the whale by the Bible.

This great allegory, like so many others, is alsopictured upon the film of the firmament, for it wasfirst enacted in Heaven before it was staged onEarth and we still see in the starry sky “Jonah, theDove,” and “Cetus, the Whale.” The terrestrialapplication of this allegory will be given in a sub-sequent article.

The four letters said to have been on the cross ofChrist and the method of fixing Easter in com-memoration of the event, also go to show the cos-

mic character of the occurrence. These letters,I.N.R.I. are commonly supposed to have meantJesus Nazarenus Rex Judaeorum, but they are alsothe initial letters of the Hebrew names of the fourelements: Iam (water), Nour (fire), Ruach (air),Iabeshah(earth). It would be foolish to fix theanniversary of the death of an individual, as Easteris fixed by the Sun and Moon, but it is the properthing in respect of a solar festival and a cosmiccharacter, related to the Sun as spiritual light-bringer to physical luminary.

When the Sun leaves his throne at the summersolstice, about June 21, he passes through Cancerand into the sign Leo, the Lion of Judah (July 24 toAugust 24). Then we have the Catholic feast of theAssumption on August 15, in Leo. Thence, onwardto his western node, the Sun proceeds throughVirgo, the sign of the Virgin (August 24 toSeptember 23). Thus the Virgin is born from theSun, as it were.

This brings to mind the astronomical solution tothe passage in the twelfth chapter of Revelation: “Isaw a woman clothed with the Sun and the Moonunder her feet.” That phenomenon happens everySeptember just after the new moon; for viewedfrom our Earth, the Sun covers or clothes the signVirgo all through September, and as the Moon isleaving the conjunction of the Sun, it appears to bebeneath the Virgin’s feet.

When John the Baptist is represented as sayingconcerning Christ that “he must increase but I mustdecrease” (John 3:30), he is symbolizing the Sun atthe summer solstice when it must decrease in lightfor the coming half year, while Christ by his birth-day at Christmas is identified with the newbornSun which increases the length of the day until themiddle of summer. Ragon, the eminent FrenchMasonic authority, says that the legend of HiramAbiff, the “Widow’s Son,” the Grand Architect ofSolomon’s Temple, and hero of the MasonicLegend, is an astronomical allegory representingthe Sun from the summer solstice downward. TheTemple of Solomon is our solar universe whichforms the great school of life for our evolvinghumanity. The broad lines of its history, past, pre-sent, and future, are written in the stars, its mainout l ines being discernible to anyone of aver-

from Manly P. Hall’s THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF ALL AGES, © Philosophical Research Society

Celestial Virgin with Sun God in Her Arms

The Cosmic Mother, clothed in creative light, ruler of the lunarenergies of mutability, gives birth to the Savior who redeems theworld from the effects of selfishness and materialism. Sheis Revelation’s woman clothed with the sun (12:1-18),focus and apotheosis of the twelve zodiacal energies.

RAYS 96 25

age intelligence.In the microcosmic scheme,the Temple of Solomon is also the body of manwherein the individualized Spirit or Ego is evolv-ing, as God is in the great universe.

H i r a m A b i f f , t h e Grand Master, is the Sunwhich travels around the twelve signs of the zodi-ac, enacting there the mystic drama of the MasonicLegend. At the vernal equinox the Sun leaves thewatery sign Pisces, which is also feminine anddocile, for the belligerent, martial, energetic, fierysign Aries, the ram or lamb, where it is exalted inpower. It fills the universe with a creativefire which is immediately seizedupon by the innumerable bil-lions of Nature Spirits*whotherewith build the templeof the coming year in for-est and fen.

The forces of fecun-dation applied to thecountless seeds slum-bering in the groundcause them to germinateand fill the Earth with lux-uriant vegetation while theGroup Spirits** mate thebeasts and birds in their charge sothat they may bring forth and increasesufficiently to keep the fauna of our planet at nor-mal levels.

According to the Masonic Legend, Hiram Abif fused a hammer to call his workmen, and it is sig-nificant that the symbol of the sign Aries, wherethis wonderful creative activity commences, isshaped like a double ram’s horn, which also resem-bles a hammer. During the summer the Sun calls

forth songs of gratitude from all that breathes,hence Hiram, who represents it, can give the Word,that is to say life, to all. When the Sun enters thesouthern signs at the fall equinox, September 21,nature becomes mute, and Hiram, the Sun, can nolonger give the sacred Word. He meets the threemurderers—the zodiacal signs Libra, Scorpio, andSagittarius—which the Sun goes through inOctober, November, and December. The firststrikes him with a 24-inch rule, emblematic of the24 hours the Earth takes to revolve upon its axis.

The second strikes him with an ironsquare, symbolizing the four sea-

sons; and at last the mortal blowis given by the third murderer

with a mal let , which,be ing round, signifiesthat the Sun has complet-ed its circle and dies togive room for the Sun ofanother year.

The initiates of thetemples in Egypt were

called “phree messen,”which means “children of

light,” because they hadreceived the light of knowledge.

This term has been changed into“Freemason.” Thus we see that the contest of Lightand Darkness in the physical world is closely con-nected in the scriptures of the different religionswith the contest of the powers of spiritual light andlife against those of darkness and ignorance andthat this truth is universally spread among all peo-ples in all ages.

The myths of the dragon slayers embody thesame truth. Where the Greeks tell of the victory ofApollo over Python, and of Hercules over thedragon of the Hesperides; the Norseman tells ofthe contest of Beowulf slaying the fire-drake, ofSiegfried slaying the dragon, Fafner, and of St.George and the Dragon. In our materialistic agethese truths are temporarily relegated to oblivionor regarded as fairy stories without any basis intruth. But the time will come and is not far distantwhen these myths will again be restored to honoras embodiments of great spiritual truths. ❐

* Occult science teaches that Nature Spiritsare evolvingbeings who build the plants, form the crystals of the rock,and with numerous other hierarchies are working aroundand about us unseen, but nevertheless are busy in makingthat which we call nature.

** A Group Spiritis an entity functioning in the spiritualworlds and possessing a spiritual body composed of manyseparate animal Spirits, as a man has a body composed ofmany cells, each with an individual consciousness. TheGroup Spirit itself cannot function in the physical world, butit evolves by sending the different animal spirits into a formor body which it creates.

Theinitiates of the

temples in Egyptwere called “phree

messen,” which means“children of light,”because they had

received the light ofknowledge.

AND HE SAID UNTO HIM: Thoushalt love the Lord thy God with allthy heart and with all thy soul andwith all thy mind. This is the firstand great commandment. And the

second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighboras thyself. On these two commandments hang allthe law and the prophets”—Matthew 22:37-40.

These two commandments summarize the Oldand New Testaments—the entire Bible. The OldTestament command-ments remind us ofSaturn, the teacher, whilethose of the New call tomind Uranus, the com-forter. These two planetsrepresent order and exalt-edlove, respectively.

As though in recapitu-lation, Saturn is onceagain repeated in theastrological rulership ofthe Bible’s eleventhcommandment, i nAquarius, where both Saturn and Uranus findexpression. Thus, we live this commandmentthrough the natal positions and aspects of Saturnand Uranus, aspects to planets in Aquarius, and oureleventh house affairs. There is a gulf between theTen Commandments of the Old Testament and thetwo of the New. The ten were given us when wewereyet Israelites. Later, Christ stood in our tem-ples and said: “Show me what you have done withthe Ten Commandments. The time of the AryanAge is up.” Then the Aryan door closed, and behindthe closed door were virgins without oil for theirlamps!

Now another Age has almost passed—thePiscean — and once again a door is about to close.Again we are to be tested in the lessons of thePiscean Age, the two commandments of love.Once again we have waited until the eleventh hourand many of us still do not think it is time to awake.

The number eleven is the number of confusion.The confusion of tongues at Babel occurs in theeleventh chapter of Genesis. The first command-ment of the NewTestament is the eleventh in

the Bible. The pre-dawnof the Aquarian Age is atime of confusion. It is atesting time for our abilityto love. Our love hasmany phases: love forparents when we weresmall; love for brothersand sisters; love for asweetheart; love for ourchildren; love of friends;love of nature; love ofbeauty; love of home;

and much more. Now, suppose that all these different phases of

love were to become as gems in our hands, and wewere bidden to take them to be judged by theMaster Jeweler. Would He appreciate them? Whatwould be their value? Would they total therequired: Didst thou love the Lord thy God with allthy heart, soul, and mind, in every one of thyexpressions of love?

Perhaps we don’t know clearly what is expectedof us under the heading of love. We are taught thatChrist came to purify the desire body of our Earthby permeating it with His own. He thereby con-quered the downward pull of the lower desire

26 RAYS 96

The First and Great Commandment

WESTERN WISDOM BIBLE STUDY

Because the lesson ofthe Aquarian Age is oneof the awakening of theheart and not the mind,

the test is that of impersonal love and not of learning.

world which was fast destroying the human race.He gave the heart of our world a sudden wrench, awrench upward. What He did for us cosmically isexpected of us individually before the close of thisAge. The cleansing of our desires, the wrench ofour hearts, must be accomplished soon.

The Desire World is divided into two portions,the low and the high. The low is dense, like a fog.It permeates the Earth a short distance and extendsout into the atmosphere. It is especially denseat and near sea level and in big cities.The high is bright and glorious,interpenetrates the entire Earthto the very core, and extendsout into interplanetaryspace for some millionsof miles. All of us liveand move within bothof these desire bod-ies. The vast wonder-ful storehouse of thehigher Desire Worldto which we have toaspire with all ourhearts, souls, andminds requires atransformation of theheart from being theseat of feelings to thethrone of divinity.

The task of the Christiandispensation is to transmutecoarse desire into the virtue oflove. This cannot be donewithout a wrench to the heart,signified in Christian iconog-raphy by purifying flames emerging from a heartgirdled by thorns and surmounted by a cross. Asthe lower desire world awaits cleansing by man’sawakening, so also that portion of our own desirenature which is still of low and coarse texture mustbe cleansed, or become our destruction. We havemade our hearts the seat of feelings rather than theseat of divinity. If they were the seat of divinity,they would be the abode of immaculate love;instead, however, we call our feelings “love.”

Feelings, because they are rooted in the DesireWorld, are devoid of thought, intelligence, and

control, having no reason or judgment. Desire sub-stance lacks all discrimination; all it wishes toimpart is emotion, thrill, excitement. The mostpowerful function of the desire world is the powerof generation. The desire world is generativepower. Water is the symbol of emotions, desire,and generation. The Old Testament command-ments instructed us in the power to float and swimin the calm waters of feeling, in the strong currents of

desire, and in the turbulent sea of generation. Suddenly, then, we find ourselves

in the Piscean Age, and there isChrist, reaching out His hand

to us. Before the AquarianAge begins, it is expected

of us to take that prof-fered hand and risefrom generation toregeneration, fromimmorality to moral-ity, from impurity topurity. Purificationof love is the personalrequirement forentryinto the promisedland of Aquar ius.

In theAquarian vine-yard of Christ we gather

the vintage of achieve-ment in love which, being

of the nature of yeast,doubles, triples, and multi-plies one h u n d r e d f o l d ,becomesaltruistic and phil-anthropic.

Because the lesson of theAquarian Age is one of the awakening of the heartand not the mind, the test is that of impersonal loveand not of learning. It is a response to the Christimpulse that is sought individually. The call tomembership in the Aquarian race does not go outto groups, societies, churches, or other organiza-tions. It goes to individuals everywhere who haveresponded to the call of impersonal love in theirhearts. May the Lord bless you and keep you andmake His face to shine upon you and give you atouch of that joy and peacewhich comes when loveis exalted toward God. ❐

RAYS 96 27

“The task of the Christian dispensation is to trans-mute coarse desire into the virtue of love. Thiscannot be done without a wrench to the heart.”

GOD IS LIGHT, the Light that cre-ates, enlivens and illumines.According to biographers, thedying words of the inspired nine-teenth-century painter J.M.W.

Turner were, “The Sun is God,” a statement in nearagreement with esotericism. The writer of theCosmo-Conceptionstates that the physical sun isthe physical vehicle of the true, invisible Sun.However, before a mass igni tes intolight,there is first a periodof dark warmth. Lightfollows dark heat asits manifestation, asthe Son proceeds fromthe Father. Similarly,in our pattern of evo-lution, the light-mani-festing SunPeriod fol-lowed the dark warmthof the Saturn Period.

Considering thatthe divine Godhead iscomposed of theFather, Son and HolySpirit, Who are thethree highest Initiatesof the three antecedent cre-ative Periods, we may not be amiss in saying thatGod is living Darkness, Light, and Crystallization—Darkness corresponding to the Saturn Period,Light to the Sun Period, and Crystallization to theMoon Period.

Let us turn to the Cosmo-Conception, page 377,and study Diagram 14. We note that the vehicles ofthe highest Initiates, the leaders of the Periods, are

related to both the World-matter of which thesevehicles are composed and the zodiacal signs thatcorrelate with each Period. The diagram designatestwelve distinct layers or states of consciousnesswithin the seven Worlds that compose our cosmicplane. For ease of reference, we shall call theselayers, and also the cumulative thirteenth layer,“estates.’’ Note that the highest vehicle of theFather lies in the thirteenth estate, that of the Sonin the twelfth, and that of the Holy Spirit in the

eleventh.For the Sun and

Moon Periods, thehighest Initiate’s high-est vehicle is in theestate/sign in whichthe Sun and Moonareexalted—Aries andTaurus,respectively.All twelve estatesbe low the 13 /12boundary may be con-sidered manifest exis-tence, as distinguishedf rom the th i r-

teenth estate, orunmanifest existence. Manifestation is a functionof crystallization and constitutes identifiable exis-tence. The Christ, when called good, refused thetribute, and deferred to the Father: “There is onlyOne Who is good”; that is, perfect, transcendingmanifestation. As St. Bonaventure expressed thisidea of the Son in the Father, “God is light...andthis knowledge is gained by means of the uncreat-ed light.”

28 RAYS 96

Proposal: Planet Exaltations are Evolutionary Blueprints

ASTROLOGY

The “rock” that redeemedmankind stands on may be

the essences of materialexperience, the alchemist’ s

philosopher ’s stone, theMason’ s cornerstone, thewhite stone of Revelation2:17; in other words, theregenerated Earth itself.

The other major boundary, between estates 11and 10, separates the threefold Creator from therelatively crystallized Creation, our Cosmos as awhole, from rarest to densest matter. By extensionof the fact that the Son and Holy Spirit havehighest vehicles in the twelfth and eleventh estates,the highest vehicle of the highest Initiate of theEarth Period may follow pattern by occupyingGemini, which is the highest subdivision withinthe World of Virgin Spirits. The highest point with-in that estate is thus a fulcrum between theGodhead and Its precipitate, Creation. Thus theleader of the Earth Period would come into touchwith the Godhead.

According to the principle that the densest mir-rors the highest, it can be seen that the presentglobe of our direct experience in the Earth Periodis located within Pisces, the first estate, therebymirroring the highest, the thirteenth, the ultimateThrone of Grace. In this sense, Earth is in touch

with God in a unique, antithetical manner, conso-nant with the nature of Gemini bipolarity. That thereis a close affinity between the constellationGemini and planet Earth is clear from observingthat the seven highest estates correlate, in order, tothe seven Periods in our Great Creative Day.

The constellations related to the seven highestestates are, in order of descent, 13 (cumulative);12, Aries; 11, Taurus; 10, Gemini; 9, Cancer; 8,Leo; 7, Virgo. The planets usually identified asexalted in these signs are, in corresponding order,13 (none); 12, Sun; 11, Moon; 10 (none); 9,Jupiter; 8, (none); 7, Mercury. This sequence ofplanet exaltations seems to serve as a rough blue-print for the sequence of the seven Periods, asinterpreted below.

(1) The Saturn Period correlates with the thir-teenth estate because primordial essence precedesvisible ignition. In ancient mythology Saturn isrepresented as a Father figure, a reaper of the hours

RAYS 96 29

of time, such as Kronos, Chaos, or theDemogorgon of Shelley’s allegorical poem,

Prometheus Unbound. In such representations,Saturn is visualized as a mythic sower, a vast seed-ground, and a primordial container, as well as theusual reaper of life and form. Similarly, our seven-period Creative Day is “contained” within Chaos.The Father, then, is “behind the scenes” as well asthe scenes themselves. He is the ultimate Matrix ofour system, the Source of forces expressed andunexpressed.

The number thirteen, likewise, is often associatedwith invisible centrality and authorship. For exam-ple, Mr. Heindel indicated that it requires twelveouter, visible spheres to totally conceal a centralthirteenth, if all are of equal size. Since the thir-teenth estate is a composite or consummation ofthe twelve specific estates below it, we cannotspeak of a single planet exalted in it.

(2) The Sun Period correlates with the twelfthestate, Aries. The Sun is exalted in Aries. In theSun Period, the nebula became manifested, visiblelight. Twelve is the number of completion of outermanifestation. Together, twelve is one, as Aries isthe first sign and twelfth estate. Aries is referred toin the Bible as Gad, son of the Father Jacob, as fol-lows: “A troop shall overcome him, but he shallovercome at the last” (Gen. 49:19). That is to say,zodiacal progression is from Aries through thegamut of signs on the ecliptic, back to Aries onceagain in ever-progressing spirals. The Christ,Leader of the Sun Period, is the Way through all,and has access to all twelve estates because He hasused vehicles comprised of all layers of consciousness.

(3) The Moon Period correlates with the

eleventh estate, Taurus. The Moon is exalted inTaurus. The Moon is feminine, a reactor to andreflector of the solar masculine. Venus-ruledTaurus is a feminine sign. In the Moon Period, thenebula began to crystallize as a result of the inter-action between fire and moisture, the eternal, cos-mic masculine and feminine. According to CorinneHeline’s New Age Bible Interpretation, elevenis the number of mastery in occult symbolism.Eleven is written as two one digits, bringing tomind the two manifest proceedings from theFather: the Tree of Life (the Son) and the Tree ofKnowledge (the Holy Spirit).

(4) We now descend from the World of God,diagrammatically, to the tenth estate, Gemini.Likewise, in the Earth Period, the various planetswere sent out, separated from the physical Sun,and the “concreteness” of our existence increased.The polarities now become more palpable as wellas being expressions of cosmic principles. Theparts created are further crystallized and removedfrom the Source they revolve around: this marks aduality of Creator/Creation and a separationamong the sister planets. Gemini is the sign ofbrothers and sisters, and the sign opposite JovianSagittarius, a fire sign often signifying the Creator

in literature. On page 15 of Message of the Stars,it is stated that in an age corresponding to Geminiinfluences, “the division of soul from soul by theveil of the flesh, which we call the body, becamemore noticeable.”

The Earth Period correlates with the tenth estate,Gemini. Perhaps the Earth will come to be consid-ered exalted in Gemini, the sign of duality. We are

30 RAYS 96

Eleven is written as twoone digits, bringing to

mind the two manifest pro -ceedings from the Father:the Tree of Life (the Son)

and the T ree of Knowledge(the Holy Spirit).

Perhaps the Earth willcome to be considered

exalted in Gemini, the signof duality , for one of thegreat tasks in the EarthPeriod is to redeem the

fallen pole within ourselves.

aware that it is one of the great tasks in the EarthPeriod to redeem the fallen pole within ourselves,within the humanity of the Earth Period. We workfor and look forward to a restoration of equilibri-um between Nature’s two-fold forces. Let’s con-sider briefly what forms our concrete dualitiestake. Some of the generally recognized comple-ments are: positive/negative electro-magneticforces; positive/negative chemical forces; cen-tripetal/centrifugal forces; repulsion/attraction;night/day; life/death; ebb/flood; masculine/femi-nine; will/imagination; heart/mind; involution/evolution; Fire and its handmaid Air/Water and itshandmaid Earth; spirit/matter; mystic/Church-man; Jachin pillar/Boaz pillar; Urim/Thummim (Ex. 28:39);Cain/Abel-Seth.

The forces we dealwith in this EarthPeriod tend to bebipolar, Geminian, onmany levels. It has beenreported that there mayb e b a s i s f o r s o m eastronomers’view thatthe Moon and Earth are twin bodies in a doublesystem rather than planet and satellite. Even if thisshould prove not to be the case, it is still anotherinteresting overtone of Gemini-Earth identification.

Should we accept for a moment that the Earth isexalted in Gemini, at least one Bible passage thathas long bewildered theologians, Exodus 33:21-23, becomes more intelligible: “And the Lord saidBehold, there is a place by me, and thou shaltstand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, whilemy glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleftof the rock, and will cover thee with my handwhile I pass by: and I will take away mine hand,and thou shalt see my back parts: but my faceshall not be seen.” Turning again to Diagram 14,we see that “a place by me,” but not in Him, mightreasonably be the first estate outside of the Worldof God—Gemini.

According to this reading, the “rock” thatredeemed (fulfilled) mankind stands on may be the

essences of material experience, the alchemist’sphilosopher’s stone, the Mason’s cornerstone, thewhite stoneof Revelation 2:17; in other words, theEarth itself, and the human bodies of those whowere human in the Earth Period, as matter subli-mated. Gemini at its highest (Diagram 14) bordersTaurus, an earth sign. The “back parts” referred toin this statement on cosmic destiny in the VulcanPeriod may mean the lowest substrata of the Worldof God, for it is at the fulcrumatic point of thehighest point in Gemini where the bulk of what isnow humanity will stand, and where our presenthighest Initiate ought to stand now, if pattern is fol-

lowed. I n t h i s o b s c u r e

passage, the Lord’sunseen “ face”would thenrefer tothe higher strata in theWorld of God, towhich our life wavewould evidently haveno direct access at thattime, according to thepassage and to pattern,although our highestInitiate would be in

the “face” by then. Biblically, ten refers to oppositepoles working separately but in harmony towardunity, as Corinne Heline informs us. Thus theachievement of “elevenness,” by means of perfect-ing “tenness,’’ is our destiny. The sign Geminiresembles a latent, restricted eleven: two verticallines, but at present barred at the top and bottom.

(5) Diagrammatically descending one furtherestate, we arrive at the future Jupiter Period,Cancer, correlating with the ninth estate. Jupiter isexalted in Cancer.

(6) The Venus Period then correlates with theeighth estate, Leo. However, in current consensualastrology, no planet is given exaltation in Leo. Ithas been supposed that Neptune may eventually beconsidered exalted there, instead of Cancer, theexaltation home it shares with Jupiter, in generalopinion. If so, the expected name for the evolu-tionary Period corresponding to the Leo estatewould be the Neptune Period, if we adhere to pattern.

RAYS 96 31

The matrix of all that ismanifest, V irgo is also the

storehouse of the trueMemory of Nature and designates the state of

consciousness in which all meet, a veritable Junction of Being.

On the other hand, without forcing the issue, thecase for Venus’exaltation in Leo rather than itspresent exaltation home of Pisces may be less ludi-crous than might appear, since Leo rules the heart,and Venus expresses forces of love. Forces of Leoas experienced on our level of being do have anelement of ferocity within the nobility and large-ness of mind, and this ferocity is tamed anduplifted by only one planet in a sig-nificant way—Venus, suggest-ing exaltation. Exaltation isthe expression of thehighest, brightest, mostpositive facets ofplanetary rays asthey affect us.

Message of theStars, page 179,states: “Contraryto the commonlyaccepted ideas,there is a cruelstreak in Leo, butwhen Venus isthere, there is nomore loving and ten-der sign in the zodiac.”The feminine sign Virgofollows Leo in the zodiac,which may be the significance ofthe symbol of the Virginclosing the mouth of theLion in early MysterySchools. But if Venus isexalted in Leo, perhapsthe lady is Venus whohas transmuted its forceand brought it to flower. The beauty of eternalsymbols is that they speak so much at once.

(7) With attainment to the Vulcan Period, wearrive at the seventh estate, Virgo. Note that in oursymbolic descent in time by periods, the lastestate to be reached is Virgo. Note also, from theconcrete bottom (Pisces) ascending, that our par-ticular life wave has its field of evolution from thefirst estate through the seventh (comprising thelowest five Worlds). Thus Virgo is the very high-

est estate in which our general humanity maycome to function in this particular seven-periodCreative Day.

Glancing horizontally across Diagram 14 at theVirgo estate, you will find that there is a portion ofeach life wave and entity represented within Virgo.As the great feminine absorber and relative matrix

(of that which is manifest), Virgo is alsothe storehouse of the true Memory

of Nature, which lasts until theend of the Creative Day.

Virgo, the sign of St.Mary, designates a state

of consciousness inwhich all meet, averitable Junctionof Being.The seventh estateis the middle ofthe thirteen, andthe femininecross-bar of the

Great Cross, ofwhich the vertical

“Way” is the mascu-line. Harmonious with

the all-inclusive natureof Virgo, the Vulcan Period

is described in the Cosmo-Conceptionas consisting of reca-

pitulations and assimila-tions of the previousPeriods—a final purifi-cation and harvesting.Thus the Great Day’s“wheat” crop is signifiedby the shaft of ripened

grain in Virgo’s astrological symbol. After theVulcan Period, the present unfoldment will havebeen consummated, and we will have returned toour Father Source. Mercury, the planet closest tothe physical Sun, is exalted in Virgo; it seems to bethe case that our unique, concretized developmentof the powers of mind, when perfected in theVulcan Period, will be the staff and hallmark of ourlife wave. ❐

—Rinske Hayes

32 RAYS 96

Painted by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz, based on 1907 sketch-es by Rudolf Steiner, the fifth Apocalyptic seal (Revelations12) depicts humanity, as a Virgo-like being, that shall havebecome sun beings, able through the power of the sun tobring forth suns. The destructive forces of the lower nature(dragon) will have been overcome as well as all the magi-cal forces that the moon still exerts on the earth.

Remember the elec-trifying news thatcame from Buda-pest, Hungary, latein the afternoon on

June 16, 1995? Probably not—unless you’re a sports enthusiastand/or live in the West, especiallyif in our 45th state, even more soif in its capital city.1 It was thenthat Salt Lake City, despitestrong competition from severalforeign cities, had been chosenby the International OlympicCommittee to host the WinterOlympics in 2002, the year afterthe city’s 150th birthday.

It was a good day, for the U.S.transiting moon was passingover its 2nd house of wealth—the expected tourist influxwould certainly help the nation’seconomy. It was also a good dayfor Utah—Mercury and Venustransiting over its Neptune andPluto in its 2nd house wouldsurely be a financial boost forthe state as well. And transitingUranus and Neptune, planets of“fate,” in its 10th house of fatehad brought deserved rewards:one more example that fate isnot always negative; whendeserved, it is helpful.

Uranus and Neptune were in the identical location by transit alsoin Salt Lake City’s chart. Therein, all the cusps and angles are withinone degree, which is remarkable, considering that the two charts are43 years apart, and Utah’s is set for Washington, D.C., where itsstatehood was proclaimed, while Salt Lake City’s chart naturallywas set for “the Crossroads of the West.”

Undoubtedly, Salt Lake City will be ever more closely examinedas the year 2002 draws near. It deserves stellar scrutiny as well,beginning with its past, what led up to its founding, what precededits inception into the federal republic.For this, we note the lunar orb’s previous transit. It was over

RAYS 96 33

Euphoria in Utah

ASTROLOGY

Neptune, in the 12th house. Neptune is also theplanet of divinity; the 12th sector that of restric-tions. How did this configuration “work out” onthe terrestrial plane? A group of people persecutedin the East were the founders. Persecution certainlyis a form of restriction, a severe one at that, and thecause of their persecution was the nature of theirreligious belief, their conception of divinity. It wasthat which made them journey about 2,000 milesand start the first settlement in the area by those ofEuropean origin.

They were true pioneers. That fact is stronglyemphasized with the Ascendant and four planetsstraddling it, all in the sign of the mundane pio-neer, Aries. That sign is also a progressive sign, forpioneers need to be progressive. And the progres-sive tradition has not died out in Salt Lake City,which is far more than just the political capital ofthe “Beehive State,” as Utah is nicknamed. It isalso the state’s center of religion, culture, educa-tion, commerce, industry, etc. It is the biggest“beehive” in the state and also for many miles inall directions beyond—the major “hub” betweenSpokane and Phoenix as well as between Denverand Sacramento.2

The chart’s pattern is a Bowl, all planets arewithin 180 degrees. Natives of this pattern havesomething to give; an inverted Bowl empties itselftotally; Salt Lake City gives of itself generously.Giving is the great law of life; Salt Lake City’sMercury of mental focus is in the sign of altruismand in a degree strong for unity with the cosmicrhythm: “The frequencies and rhythms of life andthe Universe are of importance.”3

A chart’s closest aspect is always worthy of acloser view. Here, it is Uranus and Pluto just belowthe Ascendant, conjunct a critical degree. Pluto isthe orb of regeneration, Uranus of transformation.Salt Lake City’s pioneers had to regenerate andtransform what they found in an area largely desertand whose agriculture today is greatly dependenton irrigation.4 This is confirmed by the Part ofSpirit’s degree: “Mastery of man over environ-ment.”5

That takes energy: with Ascendant and fiveplanets in Aries (by mutual reception, Mars joinsthe cluster) and also being the sign signature, Salt

Lake City is depicted as one of the nation’s mostvibrant cities.

Two planets strong by dint of their favorablesign location stand out: Mars exalted in Capricorn,Neptune in its dignity in Pisces. Mars is the orb ofenergetic activity; Neptune, as already noted, ofdivinity. The fact that it is these two planets thatthus stand out so sharply encapsulates the basictruth concerning this city; industrious activity onthe mundane planet and religious faith along withit can be said to be its two main pillars.

A city can hardly have a better foundation thanthis.6 Equally noteworthy is the fact that just oneof these two factors by itself can be potentiallydangerous: activity without spiritual direction caneasily stray; pursuit of the spiritual path withoutconstructive activity may well be less than genuine.

It was England’s late great Christian philosopherand “apologist” C.S. Lewis who called attention tothe fact that throughout history, those mostearnestly focused on the things of the spirit havealso been society’s most industrious members,seeking not only to good but also do good, follow-ing the example of the Master.7 To cite just onetremendous example: all the great Americanreform movements, from anti-slavery to anti-liquor to pro-brotherhood, have been largelyspawned and driven by men and women of faith.

In choosing Salt Lake City for the 2002 WinterOlympics, the International Olympic Committeehas indeed acted wisely. Certainly by terrain andclimate, the location is ideal. Also in another way:as the men and women who will attend return totheir various homes, they just might carry backwith them the transcendent truth that a strong faithin God combined with an equally strong bent tolabor is the key par excellence for all the very bestlife on earth has to offer. ❐

1. The word “Utah” is derived from the name of the Ute Indians.2. Salt Lake City is a lovely place to live—for those who can afford

it! See “Where Home Prices Rose Fastest,”The ChristianScience Monitor, May 1, 1995. p. 4.

3. Practical Astrology, Jerry L. Keane, p. 159.4. The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, p. 882.5. Astrology of Personality, Dane Rudhyar, p. 373.6. The solar orb is closely conjunct the Part of Faith (Ascendant

plus Mercury minus Moon), also in a degree of “Worship.” TheSabian Symbols, Marc Edmund Jones, p. 259.

7. Acts 10:38—A Probationer

34 RAYS 96

LET US CONSIDER how the heavensinfluence our lives through the twelvehouses. Suppose we are out driving,and our road follows the seacoast, buta mile inland. A breeze is blowing

from the ocean and as it passes over the countryseparating us from the sea, it brings upon invisiblewings messages from that land which evoke plea-sure or aversion according to their nature. In oneplace an aroma of new-mown hay fills us withdelight; perhaps we are nauseated by the oversweetsmell of jasmine on thenext stretch of our jour-ney; and later becomereally ill from the stenchof stagnant marsh water.But then we enter a for-est, and soon its gratefulpine balm restores ournormal health and spirits.

In our journey fromthe cradle to the gravewe carry the twelvehouses with us in theauric atmosphere surrounding each one of us as theair envelops the flying earth. Each house mirrorspart of the life; each holds some of our life lessons;each represents how we have worked or shirkedbefore in that department of life’s school. At theappropriate time of life we reap from each housewhat we have sown in past lives—that is, unlesswe forestall the harvest in time. Is our 11th houseafflicted? Do friends betray and forsake us? Dothey leave us heartsick, or nauseate us like thescent of jasmine and stagnant marsh water? Thenlet us examine the horoscope, for it reveals what ishidden in our auric atmosphere.

The friends saw us and we them through the11th angle, and something ill smelling must bethere. It may be that we long to be befriended morethan to befriend others. Let us cease to be like thedebilitating jasmine and seek to emulate the sturdystrength of the invigorating pine tree; then we shallfind friends flocking around, admiring ourstrength. Not all have such sturdy natures, but wecan attract equally by kindliness, as soothing tosorrowing hearts as perfume of new-mown hay tothe senses, and thus we may rid the house of

friends of affliction. If you go on your

housetop or any otherconvenient elevation ona clear night, you willsee a great many starsadorning the vaultedarch of heaven, and ifyou look more closelyyou will observe thatthey all twinkle—that isto say, with the excep-tion of perhaps one or

two which shine with a perfectlysteady light. Thetwinklers are suns of other solar systems so faraway that a traveler going with the speed of lightwould require hundreds of years to reach some ofthem. They move in such enormous circles and areat such a distance that they appear to maintain thesame positions relative to one another. Thereforethey are called fixed stars.

There is a radical difference between the twin-klers and the stars which emit a steady light. If youwatch one of the latter night after night, you willfind that it changes position relative to the fixedstars in a direction from west to east, the same as

RAYS 96 35

Basic Astrological Concepts—Part 2

ASTROLOGY

In our journey from thecradle to the grave we

carry the twelve houseswith us in the auric

atmosphere surroundingeach one of us as the airenvelops the flying earth.

36 RAYS 96

the sun. Continued observation of the variousheavenly bodies whose light is steady will showthat they all follow the same path among the mazeof fixed stars. Four such luminous planets arevisible to the naked eye at various times of theyear. Their names are Saturn, Mars, Jupiter, andVenus. A fifth, Mercury, is usually so close to thesun that it is invisible on account of the luminosityof the sun’s rays. But at times it may be seen in thewest shortly after sunset or in the east just beforesunrise. It twinkles like a fixed star, though it is aplanet. There is a spiritualreason forthe anomaly, but as that featurewould divert our attention, wewill pass it by at present.

A telescope is requiredto properly observe thetwo planets nearest theoutskirts of our solarsystem, Uranus, Neptune,and Pluto. These eightheavenly bodies movearound the sun. So doesthe Earth, and the Moonrevolves about the Earth;but when we look into spaceit appears as if the Earthstood still, and Sun, Moon,and planets all move around us.The ancient Ptolemaic system ofastronomy in vogue until moderntimes was based upon this conceptionof the universe, and subscribed tobyall until superseded by theCopernican theory.

Skeptics and scoffers who have never taken timenor trouble to investigate, arrogantly maintain thatsince the Copernican theory has proved that theplanets, including the Earth, move around the Sun,that fact in itself is prima facie evidence of thefallacy of astrology, which they term an “explodedsuperstition.”

We do not care to “convince a man against hiswill,” and deem a defense of astrology superflu-ous, but feel that it may benefit beginners to knowthe astrologers’views.

When the Sun’s rays slant, as they do morningand evening, they give less heat than at noon when

they are more nearly perpendicular. Although weare millions of miles nearer the sun in midwinterthan in summer, it is coldest in winter because theSun’s rays are more nearly horizontal then than atany other time of the year. In summer the scorch-ing heat of the perpendicular ray is not lessenedbecause we are then farthest from the Sun. Thus itis evident from observation that the angle of theray is practically sole determinator of its effectupon the Earth.

Astrology deals also with planetary angles andtheir observed effects upon humanity. It

teaches that varying angles of Sunand planets give different physi-

cal, moral, and mental ten-dencies. The discovery of

Copernicus does not ren-der the tabulated statis-tics of astrologers nulland void any more thanit eliminates heat fromthe solar ray. When acertain angle has beenestablished, a corre-

sponding heat is felt todayas before the days of

Copernicus, and the finerinfluences dealt with by astrol-

ogy are not missing, either.Neither is it an argument against the

truth and utility of astrology that pre-dictions sometimes fail. If all cametrue, it would prove life an unprof-

itable struggle against inexorable fate and thehuman will of no avail.

SIGNS AND HOUSESThe path pursued by Sun and planets among the

fixed stars, year after year, is called the ecliptic,and the fixed stars grouped near this great circleare called the natural zodiac.

In each of the twelve months the Sun appears totravel through a certain group of the zodiacal stars,and therefore they have been divided into twelvenatural signs of the zodiac. Astrologers also speakof twelve houses and it is often a sore puzzle to thebeginner to differentiate between these signs andhouses, and to understand their relation to one

BIRTHPLACE

MIND

DEATH

MARRIAGE

HEALTH

CHILDREN

SOCIAL

STAND-ING

FRIENDS

SORROW

EARLY

ENVIRON-MENT

FINANCE

TRAVELOLD

AGE

THE HOUSESDiagram No. 1

another in the horoscope. We shall therefore try toelucidate the matter as plainly as possible.

Procure an orange, apple, or any other soft ball-shaped article, and six long hatpins or knittingneedles. Pierce the ball with them in such a man-ner that they resemble twelve spokes in a wheel.The ball will then represent the earth, and the pro-jecting parts of the needles are dividing linesbetween house and house, each house being locatedbetween two needles. Now, mark this definition,and you will have no difficulty. Thetwelve signs are divisions of theheavens relative to thevernal equinox and theecl ipt ic . The twelvehouses are divisionsof the heavens rela-tive to the birth-p l a c e and t h ehorizon.

The purposeof the divisioninto signs andhouses is todetermine theangle of the stel-lar ray, for uponthat depends itsinfluence. In orderthat you may still betterunderstand the principle,drive one of the needles ofyour wheel into a block of woodso that it stands upright; place it infront of you, and compare it withDiagram No. l.

The small circles in the diagramcorrespond to your ball or orange, which repre-sents the Earth moving in space without visiblesupport, and receiving the rays from all the starsand planets scattered over the vault of heaven.

Let us suppose you are standing on top of theearth ball, or at the point indicated by the arrow inDiagram No. l. As you are living in the northernpart of the world, you look south when you gaze atThe noonday sun, which is then in its highest ele-vation, and its ray falls from the angle marked 10

in the diagram. It has been observed that planetswhich are in that tenth house at the birth of a childaffect its honor and social standing, and thereforethe tenth house is said to “rule” these matters.Planets just rising in the east at birth send their raysthrough the division marked 1, and have beenshown to affect the form of body and conditions of theparental home; hence the first house is held to deter-mine these affairs, and so on with all the other houses.

As you know, the Sun appears to travel aroundthe Earth in a year of 365 days.

Mathematicians have made thisthe basis of their calculations

by dividing all circles into360 parts, as it would have

been inconvenient todivide by an unevennumber like 365.

The Sun travelsapprox imate lyone degree eachday, a degree being1/360th partof acircle. Each ofthe twelve signs

of the zodiac hasexactly 30 degrees

and this numbernever varies, making a

complete circle of 360degrees. Houses are also a

division of the heaven intotwelve parts, but because housesare derived from different refer-ence points than signs, they donot always contain 30 zodiacaldegrees each. For example, in

Diagram No. 2, the 10th house contains 21 zodia-cal degrees (counting from 18 to 30 of Sagittariusis 12 degrees, from 0 to 9 of Capricorn is 9degrees—a total of 21 degrees). The 11th housecontains 23 zodiacal degrees (9 to 30 degrees ofCapricorn is 21 degrees plus 0 to 2 degrees ofAquarius gives a total of 23 degrees). The devia-tion of house length from an even 30 degreesbecomes more and more pronounced as one movesfurther north or south of the equator. (Continued)❐

RAYS 96 37

EXAMPLE HOROSCOPE

Diagram No. 2

August 2, 1909

8:15 P.M.

Long. 88 w.

Lat. 42 N.

THIS ARTICLE IS DEVOTED to astudy of the symbolism in MountEcclesia’s Healing Temple. TheAmerican Heritage Dictionary ofEnglish Languagedefines a symbol as

something that represents something else by asso-ciation, resemblance, or convention,especially a material object usedto represent something invisi-ble. Two examples wouldbe the roseand cross. Thecross has been a sacredsymbol from earliestantiquity. TheEgyptian hiero-glyphic for thecross stood for lifeemanating fromdeity, the eternallife for which we allhope. Among otherthings, the rose is asymbol for thedawn. Together, the rose and cross represent thedawn of eternal life. This is an example of syn-thetic symbolism.

Symbolism is the earliest instrument of educa-tion, for it was and is the most efficient instrumentof instruction. All religious expression is by sym-bolism. Religious language, as it applies to mentaland spiritual phenomenon in action, must be sym-bolic, for how else can one describe God?Symbolic imagery may often give a more accurateexpression to ideas than can words. Symbols maypresent an idea to the mental eye more vividly andtruthfully than any other method of communica-tion. Symbols, to be truly effective, must excite an

appropriate feeling, for it is through the heart thatsymbols speak and teach.

We must not be content to merely hear and readof the intriguing meanings of symbols, but wemust in all truth study, interpret, and develop thesesymbols for our own understanding. There are

some pitfalls, however, along this pathof symbolism. Taking the symbol

for what it symbolizes is idola-try. Mistaking the symbol

for the object signified issuperstition. When we

take our symbols asliteral, then we shutour eyes to the spiri-tual light therein.When we translateour symbols to thetrivial and the com-monplace, then wehave entered therealm of medioc-rity, of the ordinary,

in which there is little, if any, enlightenment.With these cautions in mind, let us turn our

attention to the Temple (Ecclesia) and symbolical-ly place it on Mt. Ecclesia. Mt. Ecclesia is a sym-bol. Ecclesiaitself has four meanings. It can be anassembly of people. History tells us that the oldAthenians called their assemblies for effectingpublic good their Ecclesiae. The word can meanthe congregation of a church. It may mean achurch. It may mean a building. The word mounthas many meanings. It means to ascend in thesense that we are considering it here—to rise orsoar. The words zenith, exalt,and sublime alsocarry meanings suggested by the the word mount.

38 RAYS 96

Temple Symbolism—Part One

RELIGION AND ART

Ecclesia just after it was completed in late 1920, set on a promontorythat commands a panoramic view of the ocean, valley, and mountains.

Symbolically then, Mt. Ecclesia can be either ahigh spiritual assembly, perhaps the sense in whichMr. Heindel used the term, or a sublime, spiritualor sacred area or place. Both terms are vibrant withspiritual power.

To visualize Mt. Ecclesia as Mr. Heindel firstsaw it, we must mentally remove all the buildings,roadways and paths, and all the trees, shrubbery,and flowers now growing on these upper grounds.For at that time only low semi-desert shrubs werescattered through this area. Only in the draws lead-ing from the valley floor to the higher flat area wasthere, as now, heavy growths of vegetation. On thewestern slope at that time was a large area culti-vated for market gardening. This came to be calledthe bean patch.

As Mr. Heindel viewed this high ground that hewas to call Mt. Ecclesia, he saw that it lay in theshape of a great crescent, like a New Moon facingeast. The higher or north point of the crescent hecalled Ecclesia point and designated this as the siteof the Ecclesia, the Healing Temple of theFellowship. On the lower or southern point of thecrescent he placed the Founder’s Cross. In thisarea were later added the illuminated Star and thePro-Ecclesia. Just past the midpoint of this greatcrescent curved line, between the Pro-Ecclesia andthe Temple grounds, the Healing Center was to bebuilt later. Symbolically, we know that at the timeof the New Moon, the Probationer grows closer tothe spiritual heritage of the Fellowship throughservice. So then does this great crescent symboli-cally allude to the reason and the purpose why weare here—to humbly and selflessly work in thevineyard of the Christ, putting into practice theFellowship’s principles and precepts.

Today, as we stand at the most easterly portionof Ecclesia point and face West, we look directly atthe eastern half of the Temple. We view its greatdome surmounted by a cupola and above that by agolden globe and finally a cluster of lights. Thebeautiful symbolism expressed by these objects weshall review after we have examined another sym-bol found in the baldachino, the canopy over theAltar in the Sanctuary of the Temple. As our eyesdescend from the Temple dome, they come to theportico—the east entrance of the Temple, which

consists of the entablature, the columns, and thefirst of three steps leading to the doorway of theTemple structure.

The entablature is that triangular-shaped struc-ture with its beautiful components that is supportedby two columns. Two mystical symbols are con-tained within the triangular surface (pediment) orface of the entablature. In its exact center is anequilateral triangle, denoting trinity. Within the tri-angle is the all-seeing eye, ever the symbol of theomnipresent Deity. The two columns, as in all suntemples, represent the sun’s maximum declinationto the north and the south of the equator at thesummer and winter solstices. These columns standfor much more.

In architecture there are five orders of columns.Most experts cite only three, known as the Grecianorders. The Doric has simple capitols and plainshafts. Its keyword is strength. Symbolically thiscolumn portrays the masculine principle. The Ioniccolumn has decorative capitols and slender shafts.Its keyword is beauty. Symbolically it portrays thefeminine principle. The Corinthian column has

RAYS 96 39

Portion of the eastern facade of temple showing compositecapitols, entablature, pediment framed by elaborate cornice,trinity symbol inscribed by “the eye of God,” and the finialdirectly above right pilaster (behind right column).

bell-shaped capitols garlandedwith acanthus leaves, which

denote immortality. This columnhas slender, fluted shafts. Itskeyword is balance. Symbolicallyit portrays the perfect blendingof the masculine and feminineprinciples in unity.

There are two Roman ordersof columns, the Tuscan, which isa direct copy of the Doric, andthe composite, which is similarto the Corinthian column, withthe exception that its capitol hasfour volutes, or spiral scrolls, ofthe Ionic order placed at its topand at right angles to one anoth-er. Thus the appearance of thiscolumn is the same whenviewed from any one of the fourcardinal positions. Symbolically,this column is said to representthe everlasting truth of eternityby the balanced union of themasculine and feminine principles.

The two columns of theEcclesia are a combination ofthe order of columns. Theirshafts are plain, giving a generalappearance of strength and per-manence. The capitols are

shaped like inverted bells encir-cled by replicas of acanthusleaves, which are separated byfour deep-centered flowers offive petals each. Four volutes atright angles are displayed at thetop of the capitols. Again we arereminded that in some templesymbolism, if we have an under-standing of the role of columns,we will have the key to under-standing the spiritual laws of theuniverse. Symbolically, the twocolumns, representing spiritual-ized mankind, balanced and per-fected, are joined by the entabla-ture, representing Deity. Here isan architectural representationof the union of God and man.Here is a Sun Temple dedicatedto a New Age which leads to theFatherhood of God and thebrotherhood of man.

In ancient temples and in allmodern Masonic temples, the two

standing columns are crownedwith globes called finials, oneglobe on each column. For some,these globes represent the greatlights, the Sun and the Moon;for others, they symbolize theterrestrial and the spiritual

dimensions of life. If we were toextend a line through the center

of each of our Temple columnsfrom base to capitol, extend thatline through the portico roofstructure, there, at that point,where the line pierces the roof,we would expect to find thefinial, the globes. And so theyare, one symbolizing the terres-trial earth we now inhabit, theother the spiritual earth that weshall in time have evolved to andhelped make.

There are three steps betweenthe columns leading to theTemple entrance. As there arethree steps within the TempleSanctuary, we shall defer to thelatter in discussing their signifi-cance in relation to the Templestructure. As we mount the threeouter steps and pass between thetwo columns, we stand beforethe entrance of the Temple andbetween two pilasters whichcarry the portico as it joins theTemple proper. These pilastersare integral parts of the Templestructure, however they stand

40 RAYS 96

Stylized capitol of south pilaster withdouble Saturn symbols, signifying thediscipline aspect of Aquarian service. Capitol of north pilaster bearing the

symbol for Uranus, signifying theimpersonal love of Aquarian service.

Capitol displaying four volutes, four flow-ers, and two ranks of acanthus leaves.

out from the Temple walls, each showing twofaces. They present the same outline of base, stem,and capitol as the columns, except they are squareand the columns are round. Their square capitolsshow one row of acanthus leaves, separated in sec-tions by a five-petaled flower with a deep center.On the inward-facing portion of each pilaster capi-tol are astrological signs. Uranus is depicted overAquarius on the right or north pilaster capitol andon the left or south pilaster capitol a double Saturnappears over Aquarius, both markings symbolicallyalluding to the new Aquarian Age and its dominantsigns. We may note that the double sign of Saturn issaid to represent both generation and regeneration.

As we pass between the two pilasters we cometo the two beautiful Temple doors consisting ofthree panels each. The upper and lower panels inboth are plain, but the center panels are carved inbas relief. The center panel of the north (right)door contains the astrological sign of the Sun onceand of Leo twice. It portrays the symbolic figure of

Leo facing inward, standing on the earth globe.The center panel of the south contains the symbolof Uranus once and of Aquarius three times, andportrays the Water Bearer facing inward with theliving waters pouring out over the earth globe. Atthe bottom of each of the center panels are sixastrological signs. From left to right, in theAquarius panel, the signs are Aquarius, Pisces,Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer. In the Leopanel from left to right, the signs are Leo, Virgo,Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn. Thisgrouping, as we shall see, indicates the seatingarrangements within the Sanctuary.

The doors symbolically represent the forcesflowing from the Lords of Flame, the Leo hierar-chy, blended through the Aquarian hierarchy, theangel lifewave, and dispersing the New Age influ-ence over the earth and its humanity. Over theTemple doors we find the first of many lunettes,half-round structures found over its doorways,windows, and all wall recesses. This lunette is of

RAYS 96 41

Detail of north (right) door to Healing Temple bearing theLeo panel with subscription of six astrological symbols.

Detail from south (left) door to Healing Temple showing theAquarius panel subscribed by six astrological symbols.

clear glass. We enter through the Temple door intoa small vestibule. It is plain and unadorned exceptfor one symbol over the twin doors leading into theSanctuary. There are doors to our right and left, oneleading to the organ loft and one to an antechamber.

This Temple room in its simplicity correspondsto studentship. The one symbol seen from thisroom is over the set of double doors opening intothe Temple Sanctuary. These doors in the west wallof the vestibule are small andplain, in keeping with thevestibule. The lunette overthem consists of two sections.The upper section is of clearglass set in wood framing, therectangular lower section con-tains a beautiful stained-glasssymbol consisting of a bluefield displaying a five-pointedgold star on which is superim-posed a white cross garlandedwith seven red roses. There isno white rose in this emblem.Symbolically, as the clear glassin the lunette over the Templedoors and the small unadornedvestibule portray the Studentjust entering into his studies, sothis emblem over the doorsleading to the Temple properportrays the Probationer justentering into his life of serviceas he enters into the TempleSanctuary to participate inTemple services. So as Probationers we now passthrough these doors to enter into that Sanctuary.

Now let us place ourselves midway along theaisle, leading from the east entrance of theSanctuary to the first of the three steps leading tothe Altar alcove and the treasures stored therein.From this vantage point we take note of our sur-roundings, remembering that symbolically we arenow midway on the path from the east entrance ofthe Sanctuary to the Altar in the western-most partof the Sanctuary. On either side of us are rows ofseats with their astrological signs. Of these we willspeak later. Immediately in front of us, as we face

west, are three steps leading from the floor of theSanctuary to the Altar alcove and its appointments.We note that the west wall has been removed.Replacing it there is an Altar alcove. Against therear wall of the alcove, the reredos, we find theAltar of marble on which rests an open Bible, andon either end of the Altar a vase, each holding awhite rose. Above the Altar are the draperies,behind which is veiled the emblem of the Fellowship,

thatemblem which we in this, orother lives to follow, shall endeav-or to evolve within ourselves.

Framing the Altar and thedraperies on either side is thebeautiful wainscoting extend-ing upwardto the baldachino,the canopy over the Altar. Thebaldachino is shaped some-what like a flattened lunette onwhose blue field is a gold sym-bol. This is the highest point inthe Altar alcove and its colorssignify the Kingdom of theFather and of the Son. Thelight blue field, emblematic ofthe Father, on which is frameda blue shield outlined by adark blue border, consists ofnine lined segments or arcs.Nine is the number of humani-ty, our evolving life wave.Within this blue shield is agold sunburst, emblematic ofthe Son, the Christ. Within this

gold sunburst is a blue circle containing the goldsymbol of Leo, signifying the Lords of Flame. Theblue shield is a symbolic heart representingmankind. The golden sunburst and thegolden signof Leo portray it as a Christed humanity, under theexaltation of the Lords of Flame.

From the lower point of this emblematic heart, avine spreads to the right and to the left over theblue background. Midway along its two lengths, thevine branches into two sections, one on either sidebending upward and back toward the emblematicheart, and each ending in a bright blue five-petaledflower with a gold center. We have seen this vine

42 RAYS 96

View of altar alcove, showing Bible, open atthe first chapter of St. John’s Gospel,Fellowship emblem, and semicircular bal-dachino. Roses in vases are not present.

and these flowers before. They are on the capitolsof both the columns and the pilasters. This is theVine of Immortality, now springing from the heartof humanity, a Christed humanity. Under the twin-ing vine, a dark blue ribbon or scroll extends toeither side of the blue field. This scroll representsthe essence of the intellect of the collective mindof humanity. We find on review that this scrolltouches or crosses the vine growingfrom the heart symbol five times oneither side of the heart shield. Fiveplus five equals ten. So does thesum of the two five-petaledf lowers o f the Vine ofImmortality equal ten. Ten—the perfect number containingall other numbers—the numberof Deity, the number of perfec-tion.

Thus, in this simple but beauti-ful symbol found in the baldachino,the canopy over the Altar, we have thesymbol, the promise of a perfectedhumanity, a Christed race combiningthe essence of a selfless intellect asrepresented by the scroll, with the all-encompassing, passionless love as represented bythe Vine of Immortality, springing from the heartof humanity, and all blessed with the Divine Lovefrom the Lords of Flame.

When we first stood on the eastern edge ofEcclesia point and looking west viewed the outlineof the Temple, we saw the curve of the Temple

dome and over it a golden sphere, and over thesphere a cluster of nine lights. Let us now view thiswondrous symbol with the understanding we havegained from contemplating the symbol found inthe baldachino. The curve of the Temple domesymbolically represents the path of this earth, asrepresented by that golden globe, around the cen-

ter point of the Sun. The cluster of nine lightsover the globe is emblematic of our

humanity. When enough of its mem-bers have so spiritually evolved

that they are adorned in theirgolden wedding garments, theywill float the earth in its orbit.We will then have achieved theday of liberation for ourRedeemer and will be ready toenter into the Kingdom of the

Father.These two symbols, one found

in the highest point of the Altaralcove, the other at the highest pointover the Temple, are emblematic ofthe destiny in store for all of us, for allthe multitude of our brothers and sis-ters when we have completed the New

Age we are about to enter. Even as the Tabernaclein the Wilderness portrayed the coming of our pre-sent dispensation, so these Temple symbols setforth not only the New Age of the Christ dispensa-tion but also His promise of even a higher age tocome—the Kingdom of the Father. (Continued) ❐

—A Probationer

RAYS 96 43

Baldachino or canopy over the Altar, containing “the symbol, the promise of a perfected humanity, a Christed race combin-ing the essence of a selfless intellect as represented by the scroll, with the all-encompassing, passionless love as representedby the Vine of Immortality, springing from the heart of humanity, all blessed with the Divine Love from the Lords of Flame.”

Golden finial above Templecupola surmounted by acluster of nine lights.

MY PRIMARY concern here isnot compassion for the murderer.My concern is for thesoci-ety which adopts vengeance asan acceptable motive for its col-

lective behavior. If we make that choice, we willsnuff out some of that boundless hope and confi-dence in ourselves and other people which hasmarked our maturing as a free people.”

These words, spoken by former Canadian PrimeMinister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, illustrate the feel-ing of most individuals opposed to capital punish-ment. It’s not sympathy towards the murderer thatwe feel; indeed, most of us feel a great deal ofanger and revulsion towards all murderers andtheir actions. Our objection is that the death penaltyis a complete renunciation of all that is embodiedin our concept of humanity. Or, more simply put,executions degrade us all.

In today’s society, the execution process is farremoved from most individual citizens. We may,or more likely may not, be aware of the criminalacts that put an individual on death row—and if weare, it is usually only through sensationalized pressaccounts. But very few of us know of the humanbeing whom society has condemned to death. Andeven fewer of us have witnessed, or will ever wit-ness, an actual execution. They are carried out inthe middle of the night, in the dark, away from us

all, to hide what they really are—a barbaric pun-ishment symbolic of our less civilized past. Thepublic is kept as far away as possible from thewhole process to keep them from seeing thathuman beings—real flesh and blood, real people—are being put to death.

This deliberate dehumanization of the entireprocess makes it easier for us to distance ourselvesfrom capital punishment and to accept it as “some-thing government does,” which in turn allows us toavoid individual responsibility for the conse-quences of such actions. That is the only way thatany state or government can continue with execu-tions without the public demanding their eradica-tion.

There are acceptable alternatives to capital pun-ishment that are more in line with the values of oursupposedly enlightened and humanistic society.The state is supposed to be the pillar of our ideals,and its institutions should emulate the society. Arenot the greatest of these values our compassion,our concern for human rights, and our capacity formercy? By continuing to conduct executions,aren’t we undermining the very foundations of ourgreatness?

As Zimbabwe poet Chenjerai Hove wrote: “Thedeath penalty is abominable, as abominable as thecrime itself. Our state must be based on love, nothatred and victimization. Our penal code must bebased on rehabilitation rather than annihilation.”

For so long as the spirit of vengeance has theslightest vestige of respectability, so long as it per-vades the public mind and infuses its evil upon thestatute books of law, we will make no headway

44 RAYS 96

Capital Punishment: A View from Within

NEWS PERSPECTIVES

This communication is reprinted without embellishment or com-ment. The author’s note, appended to his letter, explains, “I am acondemned man on Connecticut’s death row. I have been on deathrow since June of 1987. I am currently under a stay of executionpending the resolution of the appeals process.”

towards the control of violence in our society.There are suitable alternatives. Individuals whoare a danger to society must be removed fromsociety. Society has the right to protect itself—there is no disputing that. If rehabilitation is notpossible or is not a consideration, then thatremoval must be made permanent. But that per-manent removal need not take the form of thedeath penalty.

Those who favor the abolition of capital punish-ment do not advocate releasing convicted murder-ers into society. The choice is not between thedeath penalty and unconditional release, butbetween the death penalty and meaningful long-term sentences. Life without the possibility ofparole, or natural life sentences, meet the neces-sary requirements of society without being exces-sively brutal or barbaric.

Feelings of retribution, vengeance, blood atone-ment, and the like are feelings difficult to suppress.Perhaps there are some individuals who, in somesense, “deserve” to be executed. But the real ques-tion that should be asked is do we really need thedeath penalty? In light of such suitable alternativesas natural life sentences, is society in general pay-ing too high a price when it executes its own citi-zens?

The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice ThurgoodMarshall once wrote: ‘I can not agree that theAmerican people have been so hardened, so embit-tered that they want to take the life of one who per-forms even the basest criminal act, knowing thatthe execution is nothing more than bloodlust.”

It is time for us to acknowledge the death penaltyfor what it really is—barbaric savagery, pure andsimple—and abolish it nationwide. By rejectingthe seemingly “simple” solutions that compromiseour values and undermine the fundamental princi-ples of our society, we maintain the greatness ofour country. For it is certainly true that by givingin to our basest emotions we lower ourselves to thelevel of the very persons whom we wish to exe-cute, and in the process weaken the moral fibersthat bind and protect our society.

And while it is admittedly difficult at times torestrain our regressive vindictiveness, when werecognize the humanity of the person who com-

mits the vilest act, when we acknowledge that per-son as fellow human being rather than as an objectto be discarded, we honor the dignity and sanctityof life and we celebrate our own humanity.

What can you do? You can get involved, for nojustice is done if everyone leaves the work of jus-tice to everyone else. There are several organiza-tions working hard to rid our country of capitalpunishment. They need your help and support. Youmay contact one or more of the following groups:

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty,918 “F” St. NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC20004. Phone (202) 347-2411

Amnesty International—Program to Abolish theDeath Penalty, 322 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY10001. Phone (212) 807-8400

American Civil Liberties Union—CapitalPunishment Project, 122 Maryland Ave, NE,Washington, DC 20002. Phone (202) 675-2321

Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation,P.O. Box #208, Atlantic, VA 23303. Phone (804)824-0948 ❐

RAYS 96 45

Created by Ariel Agemian exclusively for the Confraternity of the Precious Blood

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of thesemy brethren, ye have done it unto me”—Matthew 20:25.

46 RAYS 96

HANNAH HURNARD has written alove story, the account of a love thatpasses understanding. She calls herbook an allegory. It is that too. It ismany things. One thing is certain: It is

inspired. She tells us as much. In diary entries writ-ten just prior to the books’s creation, the author hasreturned to Switzerland from England where she hadattended her father’s funeral and put his affairs inorder. But she knewthat over and againstthis death somethingwas wanting to be bornand she asked her Godto manifest His will toher. He did so in theSwiss Alps, whereHannah was born andraised. The reader ofHinds’ Feet on HighPlaces (Tyndale HousePublishers, Wheaton, Il.,1975) might surmise as much from the book’ss p l e n d i d a l p i n eimagery.

So great is Hurnard’s love, so strong the yearn-ing for her Lord, that Nature is both transfiguredby the apprehension of His Presence and, exquis-itely beautiful as it is, yet remains a veil obscuringand separating her from her heart’s joy and onlypeace. “The veil of sense,” she writes, “hangs darkbetween Thy radiant face and mine.”

Nature allegorizes for Hannah Hurnard. It chantsand descants and decants the wine of inspirationwhereby all sensible creation bears the stamp ofher God’s prodigal handiwork. Each vista is a visualparable, as if the Lord were pressing close upon

her outer consciousness, directing it to lookbeyond or through to His here-and-now Reality.

So that when the ubiquitous mist of the highalpine places temporarily lifts and a breathtakingpanorama appears, or a tide of light breaks in uponher, Hannah sees this as a pattern for any time andany place, for the Wordsworthian “spot of time”when one can “look through to that radiant placeon the other side of the curtain.” Offsetting the rev-

elatory state is the nor-mal state, the faithstate in which onemust “hold on to whatGod has shown you,though it appears tohave no substance atall.”

Not only are angelsmessengers but so is thekingdom in their care—the world of growingplants, which are very

messages from heaven, beautifully translated andrecorded byCorinne Heline as a result of herclairvoyant excursions into the realm of angelsand nature spirits.

Even apparently inanimate or mineral natureholds treasures of illumination. As a waterfallreminds Hannah of God’s “love pouring though usto others, and the [mountain] peaks speak of thehigh places of faith to which He wants to lead us inorder that we may pour ourselves down with life-bringing joy to others, so our daily walk is to belike flower-filled fields offering beauty, comfort,cheer and encouragement to everyone aroundabout us.”

The Winged Feet of Love

BOOK REVIEW

Hinds’ Feet follows in thevenerable allegorical traditionby personifying human attrib -utes as characters and emo -tional states as places in a

narrative of the soul’ s journey through life.

Love is not a feeling. “It is an overmasteringpassion to help and bless and deliver and comfortand strengthen and give joy to others just as theLord Jesus always did...It is an attitude of the will.I will cast myself down in giving. The lower I gothe more love I am able to transmit from God to

others.” It is instructive to note that the Lord oflove came to earth at the lowest point on earthwhen He was baptized in the Jordan near the DeadSea. His entire ministry was a footwashing, a ris-ing up on the cross of self-renunciation: So didLove come down to earth for the spiritually thirstyas the “water of life,” the cataract of divine Self-giving.

How did Hannah herself arrive at this high con-sciousness? By God. So wretched was her youth,especially her teenage years, that she longed forthe courage to commit suicide. She was a stam-merer and sought solitude as much as possible toavoid humiliation. In a moment of anguished des-peration she seized a Bible and cried to a God shecould not believe in, “If you are real, speak to methrough this book.” She opened to 1 Kings 18where Elijah challenges the Israelites to believe inthe one true God: “If the Lord be God, followhim.” Then flashed the dread thought, “What thisunknown God is going to demand before he makeshimself real is yield to him my stammering tongue,and agree to be his witness and messenger.”

And so it was. How so, she did not know. Butshe yielded her stammering mouth to God andcame forth from her agony transformed. Her stam-mer remained. Her manifold fears and reclusive-ness were yet with her, but they became increas-

ingly less controlling and paralyzing. Eventuallyshe came to realize that the two handicaps whichhad so tormented her were in reality “two speciallove gifts from the Lord. They were two sharpnails which nailed me to him, so that I could neverwant or dare to go on my own again.”

Hinds’Feet follows in the venerable allegoricaltradition of the medieval morality play Everymanand John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress by personi-fying human attributes as characters and emotionalstates as places in a narrative of the soul’s journeythrough life. The book is divided into two sections:Part 1, bearing the epigraph “Weeping may endurefor a night”; and Part 2, whose caption is “Joycometh in the morning.” In the book’s lead para-graph the reader is told that “This is the story ofhow Much-Afraid escaped from her Fearing rela-tives and went with the Shepherd to the HighPlaces where ‘perfect love casteth out fear.’”

Much-Afraid lives with her friends and fellowworkers Peace and Mercy in the Village of MuchTrembling in the Valley of Humiliation. Anorphan, she was brought up by an aunt, Mrs.Dismal Forebodings and lived with her two

cousins Gloomy and Spiteful and their brotherCraven Fear. A cripple, whose handicap caused hersecret distress and shame, she desires above all toplease the Chief Shepherd, whose flocks grazed inthe valley. Most troublesome to her is being amember of the Family of Fearings whose relativesare scattered all over the valley.

All the Fearings hate the Chief Shepherd,greatly resent Much-Afraid’s employment withhim, and try to boycott his servants. Her greatest

RAYS 96 47

In a moment ofanguished desperationshe seized a Bible and

cried to a God she couldnot believe in, “If you are

real, speak to me through this book.”

She must learn to spellout “the alphabet of

Love.” No one is allowedto dwell in this Kingdom

unless they have theflower of Love already

blooming in their hearts.

desire is to escape from the Valley of Humiliationaltogether and go to the High Places. When shefinally gives explicit and intense expression to thisdesire, the Shepherd immediately appears andresponds, “I have waited a long time to hear youmake that suggestion.”

Much-Afraid’s lament, however, is that evenwereher wish granted, she is too lame to make theascent. The way is difficult, the Shepherd agrees,but not impossible. “The only way to develophind’s feet is to go by the paths which the hindsuse.” But Much-Afraid will have to be changedbefore she can live on the High Places. She mustlearn to spell out “the alphabet of Love.” No one isallowed to dwell in this Kingdom unless they havethe flower of Love already blooming in theirhearts. When asked if she has such a love, Much-Afraid, after a long pause, says “I see the longingto be loved and admired growing in my heart,Shepherd, but I don’t think I see the kind of Lovethat you are talking about.”

At her request the Shepherd plants the seed oftrue Love in her heart, advising her that to love isto become very vulnerable to pain. He drew fromhis bosom a seed shaped exactly like a long,sharply-pointed thorn, exactly matching the scar in

the palm of his hand, and, after saying “Now youwill be able to go with me to the High Places andbe a citizen in the Kingdom of my Father,” hepressed the thorn into her heart with a piercingpain. It was bittersweet, but the sweetness was thestronger.

I’ll turn my hands upon thy heart,And purge away the dross.I will refine thee in my fire,Remake thee at my cross.

So fortified, so heartened, Much-Afraid beginsher journey in the company of two guides who areto assist her in developing hind’s feet, Sorrow andSuffering. Of her companions the pilgrim says,

Let Sorrow do its work, send grief or pain; Sweet are thy messengers, sweet their refrain If they but work in me, more love, O Christ, to thee,More love to Thee, more love to Thee.

She is given a new name, Acceptance-with-Joy,which shall, in time, be changed to “Bearing-the-Cost.” She travels through an endless Desert,

48 RAYS 96

Song of the Falls of Love

Come, oh come! let us away—Lower, lower every day, Oh, what joy it is to race Down to find the lowest place.This is the dearest law we know—“It is happy to go low.”Sweetest urge and sweetest will,Let us go down lower still.

Hear the summons night and dayCalling us to come away.From the heights we leap and flowTo the valleys down below.Always answering to the call,To the lowest place of all.Sweetest urge and sweetest pain,To go low and rise again.

Glencar W

aterfall, Ireland

walks along the Shores of Loneliness, ascends theseemingly unscalable Precipice of Injury, entersthe Forests of Danger and Tribulation, is envelopedin the Great Mist and descends to the Valley ofLoss. For times when she becomes giddy or faintshe has been given a small vial of cordial labeled“Spirit of Grace and Comfort.”

For a while it seems impossible to ignore theFearings, still less to resist them, as they dog hersteps, taunting and enticing her. But as the journeyprogresses, only in her weakest moments doResentment, Bitterness, and especially Self-Pitydraw near, seeking toreverse her direction.Much-Afraid sacrificesmore and more of herformer self. And at eachplace of surrender (sta-tions of the Cross) wherean offering is made, shebuilds a simple altar ofstones. Altars, writes theauthor, “make possibili-ties of apparent impossi-bilities.” As sites of sac-rifice, which is really thesurrender of whatimpedes our spiritualprogress, altars are like tombs: both sanctify a giv-ing, a dying, and a rite of upgoing.

Finally, having passed the Place of Anointing,survived the Floods, and jumped from a precipiceinto the Grave on the Mountains, Much-Afraid iscalled upon to surrender all her hopes and to actsolely on the basis of the will of the Shepherd. Henow dwells supreme in her heart. “One flameburned there steadily, the flame of concentrateddesire to do his will. Everything else had dieddown and fallen into ashes.” Thus is completecontrol of the desire nature attained, and allthoughts marshaled by desire become obedient tothe inner Shepherd’s will.

After having all merely worldly love extractedlike a many-rooted plant from her breast by a veiledpriest, she slips into an intermittent but sublimelypeaceful sleep lasting three days, whereupon sheawakes to an ecstasy of vision and comprehension,

for she is, in fact, a new person, and accordinglygiven a new name to designate the being she hasbecome—Grace and Glory. She discovers that shehas developed hind’s feet enabling her to moveamong the lower slopes of the High Places.

Asked by the Shepherd what she has learned,she answers:

First, “I must accept with joy all that you allowedto happen to me” on the path to the High Places.

Second, “I must bear all that others are allowedto do against me and to forgive with no trace of bit-terness...that I may receive power to bring good

out of this evil.”Third, “the Lord never

regards us as how we arenow but how we mayand will become.”

Fourth, “Every cir-cumstance in life, nomatter how crooked anddistorted and ugly itappears to be, if it isreacted to in love andforgiveness and obedi-ence to your [the Lord’s]wi l l can be t rans-formed.”

She also began tounderstand that truth cannot primarily be gainedby books or any written words, but by personalgrowth and development in understanding. “Noone who finds herself upon the slopes of theKingdom of Love can possibly dogmatize aboutwhat is seen there, because it is only then that shecomprehends how small a part of the gloriouswhole she sees. All she can do is gasp with won-der, awe, and thanksgiving, and to long with all herheart to go higher and see and understand more.”

Hinds’ Feet concludes on an especially tri-umphant note. From the heights of her attainment,Grace and Glory looks down upon the Valley ofHumiliation where she once lived. Her heart ispierced by a pang of compassion and pain for thosewho still live there. She realizes they are “just mis-erable beings such as she had been herself. Theyare indwelt and tormented by their different beset-ting sins and ugly nature, just as she had been by

RAYS 96 49

No one who finds herselfupon the slopes of the

Kingdom of Love can pos -sibly dogmatize about

what is seen there,because it is only thenthat she comprehendshow small a part of the

glorious whole she sees .

her fears.” She is moved by a deep desire to helpthem.

Then Grace and Glory understood the secret of amountain waterfall she had seen. It consisted of agreat multitude of souls like herself who hadgained the Kingdom of Light and now were pour-ing out their love in gladdest abandonment, leap-ing down into sorrowful desolate places to sharewith others the life they had received. “She couldhave almost supposed that she was looking at ahost of angels floating down on rainbow wings,singing with rapture as they went.”

Then the greatest of epiphanies occurs: TheShepherd has “brought me to the heights just forthis.” Grace and Glory, together with her twotransformed guides, formerly Sorrow andSuffering, now become Peace and Joy, leapeddown, just as the waters leaped and sang besidethem, intent on succoring the suffering souls in thevalleys below:

“As close behind the hart, there leaps the roe.So where Thou goest, I will surely go.”

It is impossible to read Hinds’ Feet on HighPlaces without being lifted in spirit. It is aninspired tapestry of Old and New Testament pas-sages, especially verses aptly culled from the Songof Solomon, seamlessly interwoven into vividlyrealized nature scenes, with allusions to theHebrew’s journey in the Wilderness, dramatiza-tions of the soul’s conflicts, and memorable con-versations with a loving, patient Shepherd.

Hurnard’s book has the power to make the read-er’s soul sing. She has an eye for the exquisitedetail, a felicitous command of language, and anoverbrimming love for her God. She knows that“all the fairest beauties in the human soul, itsgreatest victories, and its most splendid achieve-ments are always those which no one else knowsanything about, or can only dimly guess at. Everyinner response of the human heart to Love andevery conquest over self-love is a new flower onthe tree of Love.” Hinds’ Feet is a Springburst offlowers blooming on the tree of Love. ❐

—C.W.

50 RAYS 96

THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTIONBy Max Heindel

Please Use Order Formon page 64

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

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

This is the textbook used in the RosicrucianPhilosophy Correspondence Courses.

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

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

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

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE: THE DEFINITEGUIDE, compiled by the Burton Goldberg Group, James

Strohecker, Executive Editor. Future Medicine Publishing,

Inc., Puyallup, Washington, 1994. 1068 Pages.

IF EVER THERE WAS A BOOK which deserves tobe called a landmark publishing event, this7-pound volume is it. Recognizing that oursociety is facing a health crisis, a prestigiouspublisher, Burton Goldberg, persuaded hun-

dreds of physicians and practitioners of “alterna-tive medicine” to labor four years to produce this work.

The cover states that “380 leading-edge physiciansexplain their treatments.” All were carefully chosen,being either directors, presidents, founders, chairmen,authors, etc. Though dealing with “alternative medi-cine,” they are not of the kind who reject all “orthodox”methods. Many are M.D.s and Ph.D.s; the rest havedegrees in “alternative medicine,” like N.D.s andD.C.s. Their articles are not just hastily penned mono-logues; the authors employed numerous consultants,also distinguished professionals. There was carefulresearch, resulting in, among other things, thirty-eightpages of footnotes in tiny print.

We find concise, very readable discussions of thevarious kinds of “alternative medicine.” In a radiointerview monitored by this reviewer, the publisheremphasized his unhappiness with the expression “alter-native medicine,” explaining that this seems to give it asort of secondary or even inferior status, whereas it isWestern “orthodox medicine” that is younger andhence an alternative to methods of healing that counttheir ages in millennia, like acupuncture and herbology.

Altogether forty-three of these non-orthodox healingarts are discussed, including their histories, basicbeliefs, present state, and conditions that might be

helped by them. There follows, in alphabetical order, alist of the conditions themselves, from “addictions” to“retinopathy.” Each is described in detail, considered interms of existing kinds, symptoms, causes, how thevarious “alternative medicines” would treat them andwhy. The reader is apprised of drugs, often numerous,the ingestion of which might have produced thecondition.

This work not only deals with conditions generallyrecognized as illness, sickness, or disease, but also withjust about as many not considered such but in need oftreatment, from abscesses to wounds, as well as thingslike cuts, nosebleeds, and poison ivy. Here too, carefulinstruction is offered for various forms of treatment. Allentries are listed alphabetically, and there is a 23-pageindex to enable one to find everything quickly, for somethings are discussed not only under the obvious titleheadings but also where one might not expect them.

The discussion of each malady is also followed bytwo valuable subheadings: “Where to Find Help” offersaddresses, phone numbers, and comments on organiza-tions connected with the study or treatment thereof; andanother entitled “Recommended Reading” lists books,publishers, and other reference information. There isalso valuable material on the place of “alternative med-icine” and the general conditions of health care in con-temporary America.

It is difficult to believe that there ever lived a personwho at some time did not suffer from some of the healthproblems so concisely discussed in this book, likefatigue, tension, stress, and insomnia. There’s the pos-sibility that everybody now living will do so again,even more than once. Hence there may not be a personliving who would not at some time be helped by the prac-tical wisdom contained in this masterpiece of synthesis. ❐

—A Probationer

RAYS 96 51

Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide

BOOK REVIEWS

“The pathogen is nothing, theterrain is everything.” Whatdid Dr. Louis Pasteur, theFrench scientist, mean whenhe said this? Simply put, he

meant that our terrain—our body—is the mostimportant factor in fighting disease. If our bodysystems are working efficiently, we won’t havemuch trouble with pathogens—harmful viruses,bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and parasites—or othermedical problems. However, if our body systemsare not working well, we open the door to

pathogens and a host of other problems. One of themost important systems to keep healthy, and onewe often ignore, is the digestive system.

Our digestive system is responsible for unlock-ing the nutrients that foods provide. The nutrients,in turn, provide us with the energy needed to per-form all of the functions of living: from producingbody tissue, to healing wounds, to breathing. If thisimportant system is not working well, it becomes afertile field for disease.

There are a number of reasons why the digestive

system can be welcome ground for disease. One,and perhaps the one we have less control over, isour intake of toxins. Every day pollutants assaultus, and additives and pesticides sneak in via ourfoods. We also create toxins “naturally.” Wasteproducts are produced through the natural meta-bolic process, and when the balance between goodand bad bacteria is lost, toxicity may build up.Toxins make it difficult for our digestive systemsto effectively rid our bodies of wastes. And if the

digestive tract is not functioning as well as itshould, the residue of partially digested foods canirritate mucosal walls and clog our bodies’trans-portation systems. This, of course, is a greenhouse

52 RAYS 96

Keeping It Clean—Fiber and the Digestive Tract

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Keeping the digestive track healthy helps prevent illness.One way to do this is by eating fiber.

More than 100 million Americanshave digestive problems. This translatesinto $50 billion a year in lost work, lost

wages, and medical expenses.Americans pay $3 billion a year for

over-the-counter and prescription drugsfor digestive problems.

To get the best of fiber,one should get at least 25 grams

of fiber per day

RAYS 96 53

l l llThe Digestive Process ll l l

For greatest efficiency, the digestive process must proceed in 35 or fewerhours, with fewer than 24 hours being the most desirable. If food remains

in the digestive tract for long periods of time, there is a risk of the food fermenting or putrefying. This may result in carcinogenic toxins.

The teeth break downfood into small pieces.

Ptyalin, an enzyme insaliva, mixes with the food and begins the digestion of carbohydrates. When oneswallows, the fooddescends the esophagusand goes to the stomach.

In the stomach, foodis further digested by

hydrochloric acid andthe enzyme pepsin (which digests the proteincomponents of the food).This turns the food into a substance known aschyme, which is passedinto the duodenum (thefirst 10 inches of thesmall intestine).

The colon absorbs theremaining fluids in the

food. This prevents dehy-dration from excessive lossof water during the digestiveprocess. Any unabsorbednutrients are absorbed(especially minerals). Theremaining waste is thenpushed out of the colon and out of the body.

Salivary glands

In the small intestine,the macronutrients

(carbohydrates, fats, andprotein) are broken downinto their smallest parts.Bile from the liver andenzymes secreted bythe pancreas break thecarbohydrates in tosimple sugars, the protein into amino acids, and the fatsin to fa t ty ac ids.Millions of villi—t iny “ f ingers”—absorb the micro-nutrients (vitaminsand minerals). Whatis left is pushed intothe large intestine,or colon.

2

4

1

3

where disease can thrive.Even if we are eating “healthy foods,” we may

not be eating healthily; that is, we may be eatingtoo much and overloading our digestive systems.Our digestive processes also can be adverselyaffected by stress, other illnesses, lack of exercise,and inadequate liquid intake.

What is the result of toxins, inefficient digestion,and pathogens? First of all, inconvenience, if noth-ing major. Burping, gas, heartburn, and indigestionare all symptoms of a disturbed digestive system.But it gets more serious. Constipation, diverticulardisease, hiatal hernia, irritable bowel system, andcolon cancer can all be the result of malfunction-ing digestion.

One way to try to prevent all of this—bacterialimbalance, minor problems such as indigestionand heartburn, and more serious problems—isthrough diet. Surprisingly enough, diet appears to

be one of the major causes of all that can go wrongwith our digestive processes. And you can help alot by making a simple addition to your diet: fiber.

FIBERIn simpler times fiber was called roughage. It

was “rough” in that it was not easily digested andseemed to clear up and prevent constipation. Thisstill holds true, but interest in fiber has greatlyexpanded, as has our knowledge of how it helps us.Evidence from clinical and epidemiological (dis-ease and population) studies could be used to putfiber’s effects into four categories: laxation, regu-larity, effects on blood sugar, and effects on bloodcholesterol. Others have extrapolated these effectsand linked increased fiber consumption with feweroccurrences of heart disease, cancer, obesity, anddiabetes. Indeed, a Surgeon General’s Report onNutrition and Health says “...dietary patterns

54 RAYS 96

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crude fiber and dietary fiber are different. Crude fiber is what is left after treating any food with a strong solvent. It destroys everything except some cellulose andlignin. Dietary fiber resists digestion by enzymes. Most food labels list crude fiber,and crude fiber contents are always lower than dietary fiber volume. The amount of dietary fiber may be 200 percent greater.

Any discrepancies are due to rounding Sources: Fiber—Dietary Fiber, Keats Publishing, Inc.;

Sodium and Fat—Prevention Magazine’s Nutrition Adviser

● ●● ● Fiber: Where to get it ●● ● ●

Food Serving size Total fiber (g) Soluble fiber (g) Insoluble fiber (g) Sodium (mg) Fat (g)

emphasizing foods high in complex carbohydratesand fibers are associated with lower rates of diver-ticulosis and some types of cancer...some evidencefrom clinical studies also suggests that water-solublefibers...are associated with glucose and lipid levels.”

There are two types of fiber: insoluble andwater-soluble

INSOLUBLE FIBERInsoluble fiber cannot be dissolved in water,

meaning that our bodies cannot digest it. This typeof fiber includes the insoluble parts of plant wallsand is found in greatest amounts in cereals, brans,and vegetables. Its primary function is to collectwater that increases stool bulk in the large intes-tine. As this bulk works through the intestine, itscours the intestinal walls of waste matter, reduc-ing the risk of colon-related problems.

Many claims are made for what this scouringdoes. It is a laxative, and does help regularity.Some studies have shown that it can help reduceinstances of diverticulosis (pouches that form inthe wall of the colon). According to W. GrantThompson, a gastroenterologist at the Universityof Ottawa, the bulkier stool “gives you a largercolon. The wider the colon, the less pressure, soit’s less likely to pop pouches out” (as quoted inNutrition Health Newsletter, September 1994).However, evidence is inconclusive that this type offiber can actually reverse diverticulosis.

It is this “scouring” action that also may protectagainst colon cancer. This may be because insolublefiber dilutes cancer-causing bile acids, or becauseit speeds up elimination, so that carcinogens maynot have time to develop or are excreted beforethey cause trouble. However, studies at this timeare inconclusive. We also must remember that weare not sure if it is the fiber, other parts of fiber-richfoods, or both that aid our bodies.

WATER-SOLUBLE FIBERWater-soluble fiber dissolves in water. This type

of fiber includes oat bran, legumes, and psyllium.It forms a bulky gel in the intestine that regulatesthe flow of waste materials through the digestivetract, and is believed to help cholesterol levels andthe circulatory system.

Water-soluble fiber may lower cholesterolbecause it prevents the reabsorption of bile acids.Bile acids are made out of cholesterol, and afterthey aid fat digestion, fiber binds with them andescorts them out of the body. The liver then has topull more cholesterol from the blood. However, itshould be mentioned that not all water-solublefiber does this; fiber that does includes oat bran,legumes, and psyllium.

Water-soluble fiber may also stabilize bloodsugar by slowing down the absorption of carbohy-drates into the blood. This in turn might be one ofthe reasons why a high-fiber diet benefits diabetes.Dr. Brian L. G. Morgan, the author of NutritionalPrescription, says “Good scientific data show usthat a diet high in complex carbohydrates and fiberwill improve the glucose tolerance of diabetes.This new type of diet has been credited with low-ering insulin needs in diabetics by an average of 35to 50 percent” (as quoted in Let’s Live, February 1990).

Finally, both types of fiber may help you withweight problems. Insoluble fiber absorbs water asit goes through your system. This might create a“full” feeling, curbing hunger. Fiber’s blood sugarstabilizing property might also prevent huge fluc-tuations in blood sugar and the desire for snackingthat goes with it.

Be aware that, except for constipation andregularity, most of the claims for fiber needfurther research and testing. Little, as yet, isconclusive, and, as mentioned, the health bene-fits may be due to the synergistic work ofeverything found in high-fiber foods. Be that asit may, everything points to making fiber anindispensable part of your diet. ❐

—Partners

RAYS 96 55

Studies on disease and populationshow that appendicitis is practically

nonexistent in countries with high-fiberdiets; in the U.S. there are 300,000 casesper year. In the West, one-third of the

population over 40 developsdiverticulosis; in Africa one researcherdid not see a single case in 20 years.

AKEY CHARACTERISTIC of thespiritual aspirant is fellowship.Fellowship is defined as “a closeassociation of equals with the sameor very similar interests.” But what

is the basis of fellowship? The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception teaches

that our current physical body is the result of manyperiods of evolution. The glands, nerves, andorgans of the body only gradually came into play.And yet, they are all inter-related, just as our vari-ous vehicles all interpenetrate each other to somedegree. It is as Paul stated: “For as we have manymembers in one body, and all members have notthe same office: so we, being many, are one bodyin Christ, and every one members one of another”(Romans 12:4-5). For as our individual cells arepart of our physical vehicle, so we who are “sepa-rate” are one in the body (and spirit) of Christ.

Our physical body is actually a composite. Ourconsciousness and the need for experience havedrawn these cells together. The physical manifes-tation of our vehicles is assisted by proper diet,exercise, harboring right emotions, and correctthinking. Our bodies are per se the result of a crys-tallization of spiritual forces. We are each a cell inthe body of Christ.

Let us consider this passage about fellowship inthe Temple Service : “To reach that realization letus endeavor each day to forget the often unprepos-sessing exteriors of our brothers (and sisters) andseek to serve the divine essence hidden within,which is the basis of fellowship.” The operativephrase here is “divine essence.” What is this whichis hidden in every one? Simply put, it is the Christwithin. It is an inner personal force of love and

cohesion. “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me”(Galatians 2:20). This same force holds the earth inorbit and permeates the entire solar system. Thus allhumanity is quite literally united on the cosmic level.

But how can one use this knowledge in theworld of everyday affairs? Without the ability todo this, mysticism sounds like an idealistic dreamand can never foster fellowship.The Christ-centeredperson does exactly what the Temple servicesays—looks for the Christ within. We can certainlygarner strength by looking to an external deity, asmany of our more orthodox Christian brothers do.But we have the added advantage of having devel-oped a personal relationship with the god within,for there is no difference between the two.

If we are faced with a difficult person or a tryingsituation, we first need to go to our inner templeand seek help beyond the external. We shouldpause to consider that within us is a spark of thewhole fellowship of the solar system. We can com-municate and commune with it as we would with adear friend.

I put it to you to try this method with “real”problems: Relax and visualize the Christ withineach cell of your body. See and feel the presence ofHis pure white light radiating harmony among allthe various functions of your being. Then, when youconfront the individual or situation, try to senseChrist in that person or difficulty. Go past theunprepossessing exterior and seek to identify thedivine essence hidden within. Silently and fre-quently during the day, try to deal with difficultiesin this enlightened perspective and see if it doesnot alter the situation. You will find that either itchanges or you have the strength to bear it out. ❐

—A Probationer

56 RAYS 96

The Divine Essence: Visualizing the Christ Within

HEALING

IN THE WORLD you shall have tribula-tion, but be of good cheer, for I have over-come the world.” What might be the salientcharacteristic of one who has overcome theworld? Peace. Peace of body, soul, and

mind. Peace is a fruit of the spirit, the source ofinfinite patience, the sister of faith, the result ofconsigning the outcome of all matters to the Princeof Peace.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give untoyou, not as the world giveth, give I unto you.”What does the world know of peace? Worldlypeace is but the cessation of war, the interimbetween moments of conflict or unrest.

True peace is not of this world, and yet it can beexperienced in this world. In meditation we canpractice peace by relinquishing all efforts to makethings happen, to bend life to conform to our will.The peace we really seek, the only peace that isentirely sufficient to our needs, surpasses ourunderstanding, so our proud minds can cease fromtrying to envelop it and rather be enveloped by it.To our minds we say, “Peace. Be still.” We invitethe Calm One into our agitated hearts to allay theturbulent waters of our souls.

St. Paul reminds us that to be spiritually mindedis love and peace, while to be materially minded isdeath because consciousness fixes on what areultimately phantasms of ephemeral form andwants to possess what is, finally, vapid and withoutsubstance. Only Truth gives lasting peace andTruth came with and is personified in Christ Jesus.

Peace is not merely the absence of tension or thetemporary result of getting what we desire. It is apositive state of being, a power in itself. We do notgo out and get peace, we go within and receive it.While we can’t make peace, we can make ourselves

open and disposed to receive it by stilling our febrileminds, quieting our hearts, and relaxing our bodies.

Peace softens the heart, makes the physical bodysound, hale, and resilient, and endows the mindwith wonderful clarity and sanity.

The peace that is in Christ is a balm that can laveour souls with healing power and flood our bodieswith regenerative force and vibrancy. We do wellto seek places of quiet, but far more importantly,we seek to cultivate that inner quiet and Christ-centered devotion that welcomes the livingPresence of the Lord of Peace into our wholebeing, for He is the Comforter Who untroubles ourhearts and reminds us that we are even now prepar-ing to live in that holy City of Peace, the NewJerusalem, where God shall wipe all tears from oureyes and there will be no more sorrow nor death.“These things I have spoken unto you that in me yemight have peace.” ❐

Visible Helpers are just as necessary as InvisibleHelpers, and our friends and patients may share ina high privilege, as well as add much to the powerof liberated healing force, by joining us in prayerfor the sick. Our Healing Service is held everyevening in the Healing Temple at 6:30 (7:30 whenDaylight time is in effect), and in the Pro-Ecclesiaat 4:15 P.M. when the Moon is in a cardinal sign onthe following dates:

May........................................7—13—20—28June........................................3—10—17—24

Relax, close your eyes, and make a mentalpicture of the pure white rose in the center of theRosicrucian Emblem on the west wall of ourPro-Ecclesia, and concentrate on Divine Loveand Healing.

RAYS 96 57

Peace

HEALING

THE CHILDREN NOW STOOD out-side the second gate. This was quitedifferent from the first; it seemed to bemade of quickly-moving clouds, butabove them could be seen a great

green globe with a star in the middle. Rex found a rod that seemed all alive, lying by

the gate, and the instructions in the scroll told himto use it to gain admittance. “I can’t see anywhereto knock,” he said to Zendah, but as he raised it inhis hand, a flash like lightning flew from the top ofthe rod toward the green globe above the gate.Suddenly the shifting clouds cleared away andthey saw that the globe rested on a tall green pillar.Across the middle of the gate were two snakes, asilver one at the top and another of bronze under-neath—like this:

Carved above the snakes was the symbol of twohands clasped together.

“Who comes to challenge the Keeper of the

Long Distances?” cried a voice.“Rex and Zendah from the Earth,” they

answered.“Give the Password.” “Brotherhood,” replied Rex.“Advance, Rex and Zendah, through the Spirit of

Brotherhood, into the Land of the Water Carrier.” Back clanged the gates.The two children found

themselves at the beginning of a wide road, whichstretched as far as the eyes could see straight infront of them. On either side were five other roads,dividing the country into eleven sections, on eachof which stood beautiful buildings.

Soon they saw, coming in the distance, a mandressed in a close-fitting garment of some materialthat they had never seen before. It looked likechain armour, and though it was not metal, yet itshone like purple, green, and orange scales of asnake. Over this he wore a cloak that was made ofmany-coloured squares. Round his ankles he hadjeweled bands that shone as the rod at the gate. Hewelcomed the children to his country and invitedthem to go with him to see the King.

He clapped his hands above his head, andinstantly a silvery flying machine glided down,and they all stepped in. Off they flew, high abovethe great central road, arriving at the castle with aspeed almost as quick as thought itself. Tall men,dressed like their guide, stood at each side of thelong flight of steps, and each one clasped his handstogether in salutation as they passed.

The castle was filled with beautiful statues andornaments of all kinds, so many that there was nottime to notice their variety.

“Rex,” whispered Zendah, “it is like the British

58 RAYS 96

Rex and Zendah in the Zodiac—Part 3

FOR CHILDREN

Museum only much nicer.”On they went into the largest hall and at last they

stood before the throne, which was formed ofmany strange metals. The carpet on which it stood,and the curtains behind it, were made of alternatesquares of green and orange.

An old man with a serious face and a long whitebeard was seated on the throne. He wore a darkgreen robe, along the edge of which were chryso-lites, and sprays of holly with many red berries,while under this was a fine white linen vest. Heheld an hourglass in his hand, and at his side stooda dark, handsome man with piercing eyes and acrown that seemed to flash with brilliant rays offire. His robe, too, changed color every time onelooked at it.

“Welcome, children,” said the old King. “Youknow me by name, for I am Father Time, some-times called Saturn. Here in the Land of the WaterCarrier I leave much of my work to be done byKing Uranus, who is older than I though he looksyounger! He will show you the wonders of this land.”

“Let us go to the mines first,” said Uranus, com-ing down from his place near the throne. Leavingthe palace they again entered a flying machine andskimming across country to some mountains, theyalighted in a very short time.

He took them inside a mountain where therewere some deep caves in which men were workingwith curious machinery, unlike any they had ever seen.

“These are radium mines,” he said. “See?” andhe touched a knob on a machine near one of thewalls of the cave. At once a sword-like arm camedown and cut an opening in the rock. Out rushed astream of sparkling metal that shone as the Sun. Itseemed all alive and the children could not look atit for more than a moment.

“Do we have any of that metal on Earth?” askedRex.

“Yes, but not very much. We put an abundanceinto your Earth when it was very young, but nownearly all the sparkle has come back here, andthere is only a dull heavy metal left that you calllead, but that really belongs to another land.”

“What a pity, I like this better,” said Zendah. “Some day men will find out how to turn lead

back again into radium; but it will not be just yet,”

said Uranus smiling.Leaving the caves they climbed to the top of the

mountain where stood a glass-domed building, theentrance door of which was reached by hundredsof steps. There they saw all sorts of flyingmachines being made. In one corner, they noticeda number of people standing on high pillars,stretching out their arms, jumping off, and floatingto the ground, just as if they had wings.

“What are they doing?” asked Zendah. “They are practicing flying without machines;

everyone could fly even now if he would learn touse his star body properly, but without that it is noteasy.”

Outside once more, in a beautiful valley, theyfound marble quarries, with men and women carv-ing statues; some were only just begun, otherswere nearly finished. Zendah wished so much tobe able to do this herself that Uranus gave her atiny tool and told her when she got home to try, butto practice with clay first.

“I would much rather send messages across theair,” asserted Rex.

The children were taken into yet another building,

RAYS 96 59

where there were numerous wires running fromwall to wall. Here Rex noticed a large plate ofebony, with silver knobs all round the edge andwas told to press one and wish hard.“Think of the message you wish to sendand it will reach the other end,” saidUranus.

“Only think?” asked Rex. “Is thatall?” “Yes, that is all, but you must thinkhard and at the same time look into thismirror at the side.” Rex thought of hismother and wished her to know what a glorioustime they were having.

He saw his mother sitting by the fire at home,and then he saw a little ball of light, filled with pic-tures of their adventures, fly like lightning until itcame close to her, when it seemed to burst and dis-appear. She smiled and said to herself, “What agood dream the children are having.”

“Some day,” said Uranus, “people will not needwires to send messages to each other, but will justsit down, think hard and the messages will arrive atthe other end. Children will be able to send themmuch better than grown-up people.”

“Are there any other interesting things that thepeople of this land can do?” asked Zendah.

“Yes, those people over there are designingwonderful cathedrals and other beautiful buildings,and there,” pointing to another hall, “they arelearning to chain the lightning and make it workmachines instead of using coal or gas.”

Great flames were flying from place to place,sometimes the whole building shook—it was oftenlike a great firework display! They saw the sparksflash as thousands of shining balls went from oneplace to another. These balls appeared in differentcolors, varying in accordance with the height fromwhich they were seen. Those on the bottom werered and yellow changing to green, while those atthe top were blue and purple. A man stood on oneside of the hall and stretched out his hand towardsome machine on the opposite side. As he did thisa stream of coloured fire seemed to jump from hisfingers, and then the machine started without anyother help.

It was very wonderful, but Uranus only shookhis head when Rex asked him how it was done.

“You will find out some day, my child,” he said,“if you think hard enough.” Then taking them to

the entrance gate he gave Rex a tiny magicbridge which, he said, would enable him to

send his thoughts like lightning whereverhe wished, if he but held it and used thepassword. To Zendah, he gave a pendantmade of two snakes, like those on the

gate, each holding a sapphire in itsmouth.

They never knew how they got outside thatland. Suddenly they saw a flash of light, theground shook, and they were in front of the nextgate, that of the Sea-Goat. (Continued) ❐

60 RAYS 96

The RosicrucianMysteries

By Max Heindel

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

The Order of Rosicrucians

and The Rosicrucian Fellowship

The Visible and the Invisible Worlds

The Constitution of Man

Life and Death

Please order on page 64

207 Pages. Indexed. Paper. Published byThe Rosicrucian Fellowship

The sublime truths of the

Western Wisdom

Teachings