Max Heindel's
Letters To Students
(Part 3)
Letter No. 47
October, 1914
The Invisible Helpers and
Their Work on the
Battle Field
Another month has gone by and still the European war is raging in all its
intensity. Thousands and thousands have passed over the border into the
invisible realm, and the distress there as well as here is unprecedented in
the history of the world. As you have learned from our literature, the
desire world is the world of illusion and delusion; and those poor people who
have so suddenly been transferred to that realm with frightful wounds upon
their physical bodies also imagine (as very frequently in the case with
persons who have met accidents) that the lesions of the physical body are
still with them, and they suffer acutely there from these fancied injuries as
they would here. That is of course entirely needless. many of them are
going about there with dreadful wounds upon their bodies, particularly those
who have wounds caused by bursting shells and by bayonets. It is of course
an easy matter for the Invisible Helpers to show any one of these people
that his or her injuries are only fancied, yet when there are so many
thousands the task is gigantic, and our Invisible Helpers are having a time of
unprecedented activity against overwhelming odds.
It is not so much however the anguish that results from such fancied
bodily lesions which makes the work. The mental anguish—the concern for
those who have been left behind, the fear of fathers concerning their little
ones, and the sorrow of the mothers who have been left behind to bring up a
family of young children—is the most fearful handicap to a settlement of
this dreadful state of affairs that the Invisible Helpers have to meet, and
this is the point on which I would like to ask your earnest co-operation.
President Wilson of the United States has appointed October 4th as a day
of prayer for peace. It is well always to unite with such movements because
our trained thoughts will have a considerable effect and strengthen
wonderfully the general appeal. This day should be spent by every earnest
student in prayer for the deliverance of the world from this awful slaughter.
Their thoughts should be particularly directed towards soothing those who are
in this world, and in the invisible world also who are distressed at the
severance of family ties. Each one should hold the thought that although
the present war seems grievous, nevertheless this is only an incident in a
long stretch of time which has neither beginning nor end. As spirits we are
immortal, and these things which now seem to us of so great importance, when
viewed from the spiritual standpoint and when considering the fact that we
are really immortal, are of less moment than now seems the case to us.
Whatever befalls, it will be incorporated into the spiritual nature as a
lesson to give us a sense of the horror of this carnage which is now
devastating the world.
This war, let us fervently hope, will be the last war that will ever mar
the peace of the earth; that having learned this costly lesson, mankind will
once and for all destroy the implements of war, and beat their swords into
plowshares. Let this idea be in the mind of every student on the 4th of
October, but as this date is so near at hand that probably this letter will
not reach all in time, let every one in the Rosicrucian Fellowship devote
Sunday, the 18th, to a prayer for peace. By that time all our students will
have received this message, and we shall again be united from morning until
evening in this effort to help restore peace to the world. May the kingdom
of Christ soon superseded the kingdom of men, for they have certainly shown
themselves inefficient rulers.
Letter No. 48
November, 1914
The World War and
Universal Brotherhood
In almost every mail we receive letters commenting upon the war, but with
very few exceptions there has been no expression of partisanship, showing
that the writers take a loftier viewpoint than inculcated by the various
Race Spirits and commonly given the name of patriotism. This attitude is
the only one consistent with the principles of the Rosicrucian Fellowship.
We are all joined in an international association, we are all looking for
the Kingdom which is to supersede all nations, and the fact that we were
born on different parts of the globe and express ourselves in different
tongues does not abrogate the command of Christ: "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself," nor excuse us for playing the part of the "robber"
rather than that of the "Samaritan." It behooves us in the Rosicrucian
Fellowship to rise above the barriers of nationality and learn to say as
did that much maligned man, Thomas Paine: "The world is my country, and to
do good is my religion." We must cease to be merely national and strive to
become universal in our sympathies.
But there is a war that is well worth fighting, a war upon which we may
legitimately expend all our energy, a war that we shall do well to pursue
with unrelenting zeal, and one of the students puts it so well that we cannot
do better than give his letter.
"In reflecting upon the war this thought comes: When men grow weary of
the appalling internecine struggle and lay down their arms, and peace holds
sway, from this continent, burdened with the dust of friend and foe alike,
its rivers running crimson with the best blood of empires, a new Europe will
arise, and a higher civilization succeed the one destroyed.
"And the vast host of nameless dead, dying, will prove a mightier power
for world peace than had they lived. Thus it is that from the unrestrained
passions of men, Deity, just and loving, brings ultimate good.
"If men, and women too, were only one-tenth part as eager to wage war
against their real enemy within the human breast as they are to take up arms
against a supposed enemy just across a non-existing imaginary boundary line
on the face of God's good world, then the Prince of Peace could come into
His own. All deadly weapons would be consigned to limbo, and the glorious
promise would be fulfilled: 'On earth peace and good will towards men.'
"And so for myself, I resolve that i will not cease my efforts till the
last vestige of evil, error, and hate be eliminated, and the lofty trinity
of 'Goodness, Truth, and Love reign unchallenged within.'
"In this real struggle I find myself a poor soldier, and the tide of
battle often sets in the wrong direction, yet no matter if I fail ten
thousand times, the lesson must be learned and shall be learned. Some day,
with a stout heart, an indomitable will, and unflagging persistence, the
victory will be won and peace will reign—the peace that passeth all
understanding."
let us all join our brother in that noble fight, remembering the words of
Goethe:
"From every power that holds the world in chains
Man frees himself when self-control he gains."
This is the time when good wishes are in order. "A Merry Christmas and A
Happy New Year" are greetings soon to be heard everywhere, and in conformity
with this ancient usage the workers on Mt. Ecclesia also extend to members
all over the world the usual seasonal greetings.
But while we thus cordially wish one another Godspeed and good cheer in
the coming year, after all, though the wishes of others may be encouraging
and gratifying, they are really of minor consequence. But what we wish
ourselves individually is of prime importance. If the whole world
conspired against and antagonized us in this wish, we should nevertheless
succeed, provided always we were able to put sufficient intensity and
insistence into the wish. Do we desire riches? They may be ours by the
exercise of will. If we want power and popularity, they also are at our beck
and call, provided we clothe our wish with an all-compelling ardor. Are we
sick, feeble, or in other ways disabled? We may rid ourselves of these
bodily ailments also by an intense desire for health. Social restrictions or
hampering family conditions will disappear before the earnest desire of
the one who
But there is another side. Desire is a two-edged sword, and what
appeared the greatest good while in contemplation may prove to be a curse when
we have achieved actual possession. The greatest fortune may crumble in a
few hours by earthquake or a turn of the market, and the rich man always
fears he may lose his possessions. To be popular we must be at everybody's
beck and call; we have neither rest nor time to follow our own bent. Bodily
ailments which seem thorns in the flesh, which seem to rob life of all its
joys, and of which we would fain be rid, may be the greater blessing in
disguise. Paul had such an ailment and he besought the Lord, who said to
him: "My grace is sufficient for thee." So also with inharmonious family
conditions, etc. There are in all human relationships certain lessons to
be learned for our good, and therefore we should be very careful not to
wish them away without always adding the words which were used by Christ
during the passion of the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane. Though in the
body He shrank from the torture that awaited Him, He said: "Not my will but
Thine.' We should always remember that there is only one thing we may pray for
with unrestricted fervor and full intensity, and that is that we may be
pleasing to God.
An now, dear friends, the Rosicrucian Fellowship is an association
composed of many individual members. You are one, and will you join as a
member in wishing ourselves, the Fellowship, a grater baptism of God's
grace during the year 1915, so that we may more efficiently do our part of
the work of God upon the earth and hasten the day of Christ? And will you
wish it with such intensity that you will work for that end all through the
year with zeal and fervor?
May God bless the Rosicrucian Fellowship and make it a more efficient factor in His work in the world.
Letter No. 50
January, 1915
Spiritual Prosperity
for the New Year
The customary greeting at this time is: "May you have a happy and a
prosperous New Year." With this the writer is in hearty accord and extends
it to you, but his meaning may differ somewhat from that which is ordinarily
given, for usually it is material prosperity that is the main thought;
whereas the writer wishes you that gold which is wrought by the alchemy of
the soul, so that the base metal of the coming year's experience may thus be
transformed into the Philosopher's Stone, the greatest good this world can
ever give. Worldly riches are always a source of care to their possessor,
but this, the jewel of jewels, rings with it? the peace that passeth all
understanding.
Moreover, if we work solely for material things, our labor is always
found to be hard drudgery no matter how we may seek to break the monotony by
indulging in so-called pleasures. There comes ever and anon the thought:
"What is the use?" But when we labor in the vineyard of Christ, when we do
everything in our business and out of it as "unto the Lord," then the aspect
is entirely different. Christ said: "My yoke is easy, and my burden is
light," and that is an actual truth, though perhaps not in the ordinary
sense. The writer and others who have been with him during many years can
testify from personal experience that though there has been the most arduous
labor, both mental and physical, and though the body has been sometimes so
tired that it has been almost impossible to bring it together in the
morning, nevertheless there has been a satisfaction, joy, and pleasure that
the world knows not, neither can understand. The years that have gone by,
spent in this work, have been so satisfactory that nothing in the world could
compensate the writer and his companion for them should they be lost. Year
by year he estimates it a greater privilege to thus labor, and others who
are with him have exactly the same feeling.
How about you, dear friend? We are at the beginning of a new year, a new
start. The Rosicrucian Fellowship as an organization depends on the units,
and if we are to make spiritual progress, then the burden must be taken up
by every one among us. We must become more faithful, more earnest, more
devoted to the ideals that have been given by the Elder Brothers. We know
that there are faithful workers in the Fellowship, but are you? It is not
enough to simply study the teachings and meditate upon them; we must
actually carry them into our lives and because shining lights in our
community. We must live the life not only in the outside world but right in
the home, so that other members of the family may see the light and be
brought in. We know that many do this, but there are others who are
lukewarm, who still stand on the threshold and do not want to take the yoke.
Now the yoke must be borne, no matter if the neck becomes calloused in the
effort; in fact, every callous is an additional factor in building, the soul
body, the glorious wedding garment in which alone we can meet the Lord when he
appears.
It is the earnest, the very earnest hope of the writer that every student
of the Rosicrucian Fellowship will take up his yoke with more ardor than
ever before, so that both individually and collectively we may lay up
treasure in heaven that is sure to be ours at the end of the year-day, when
we have borne the burden and the heat.
This month we are starting a new series of lesson on "The Web of
Destiny—How Made and Unmade," and we trust that this series will prove very
profitable to you in your study and in your life. While the lesson are
analytical and technical in some respects, the subject should be approached
in a spirit of the deepest devotion by keeping the main purpose of life in
view.
As you are probably aware, the word "philosophy" is composed of two words
meaning love of wisdom. Most people have the idea that "love of wisdom" in
this connection is synonymous with desire for knowledge, but as we have seen
from a recent lesson, there is a vast difference between knowledge and
wisdom. Wisdom implies love, first, last, and all the time, while
knowledge may be used for the most evil purposes imaginable. In fact
the true esotericist who is inspired by a fervent devotion in his study and
his work in life is too modest to accept the title of philosopher, for to
him it means even more as he turns it around and calls it "The Wisdom of
Love" instead of love of wisdom. A little thought will very soon make the
point clear. The subject we have chosen for the coming series of lessons is
one of the most intimate and holy which one can take up, therefore you
will readily realize that it must be approached in this "wisdom of love"
spirit, in love that is embodied in the full realization of what true
philosophy is and means.
Robert Burns once said:
"O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us
To see ourselves as others see us!"
But I am afraid that power would indeed be a sad possession though it may
seem upon superficial thought to be desirable. Each of us is full of
shortcomings. At times we make but a sorry figure on the stage of the
world. Sometimes we seem to be thrown aimlessly hither and thither by the
shuttle-cock of destiny, while others who are unable to see the beam in
their own eye are criticizing us and making us appear ridiculous. If we saw
ourselves with their eyes, we should lose that most essential
attribute—our self-respect; we should shrink from facing our fellow men.
When we realize that this is so (and thought upon the matter surely can
not fail to convince us), then we might also with profit put the shoe on the
other foot and realize that we ourselves, by sharp criticism of the trivial
shortcomings of others, are taking a very unbrotherly, unphilosophical,
un-wisdom-of-love-like attitude. It is the purpose of the coming lessons to
give us an idea of what has caused in the past some of the things that we
most criticize in others, so that we may be able personally to avoid similar
mistakes; also that we may have that real, true, Christian charity which
vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, rejoiceth not in evil but in the truth, as paul describes it in that beautiful thirteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians.
I trust that you will approach the lessons in that spirit and that they
may be of lasting benefit to us all.
While meditating upon the good of the Rosicrucian Fellowship the question
came up before the writer's mind: "What is the greatest general hindrance
to our progress in the spiritual work?" And the answer was: "Lack of
concentration."
We all have our families who crave and must have a certain share of our
attention. Our work in the world must not be neglected on any account. We
are here to accomplish certain things, and to learn by them. After these
duties have been attended to there still remains for each of us a little
time which we may justly and properly use for our own development, and it is
as important that we properly use this extra time as it is that we attend to
our worldly duties, our family, and our social obligations.
Consider now that in ordinary life we do not try to become a doctor and
practice medicine today, work in a machine shop tomorrow, and every other
day go at some other business. We know that such a course would not take us
anywhere in life. neither do we live in one family as husband or wife today
and assume similar relations in another family tomorrow; nor do we change
our social circle as often as we change our coats or shoes. Such industrial
and social conditions would be absolutely impossible. On the contrary, we
pursue one line of work in the world; we look after one family; we
concentrate our efforts in these departments of our life to the exclusion of
all others.
Why not apply the same common sense to our spiritual endeavors? We study
our business; we plan ahead; we work with all our might in order to make it a
success. We also study the needs of our family and we plan for them. We
know that success, both social and industrial, depends upon the amount of
concentration and the amount of planning we do. If, then, we are so wise
concerning worldly things, which last only for the few years of our earth
life, can we not bring ourselves to use the same common sense to apply
ourselves equally with all our mind and with our heart to the spiritual
things that are everlasting?
In the Atlantean Epoch when the Original Semites were called out from among their brothers, many of them accounted it a great hardship. They, "the Sons of God," married "the daughters of men."
We are today at another great parting of the ways. An "Ecclesia," or
company of men, is being "called out" as pioneers of the next great race.
Many roads lead to Rome and to the Kingdom of Christ, but if we fritter our
time away walking on one today and tomorrow choosing another path, we are
certain to fail; and I therefore urge all the students who are in sympathy
with the ideas of the Rosicrucian Fellowship to give up all other religious
societies and devote their whole heart, mind, and spirit to living and
spreading our teachings.
Trained, skilled, and devoted workers are sought in our earthly
enterprises. In the heavenly Kingdom loyalty and devotion also are prime
factors.
Let us memorize and concentrate on the first three verses of the first
Psalm, for surely we want to reap the greatest harvest that we possible can
from our spiritual as well as from our material efforts.
As this lesson will reach you about Easter time, I thought it might be
well to devote the letter to that recurring event.
You know the analogy between man, who enters his vehicles in the daytime,
lives in them and works through them, and at night is a free spirit, free
from the fetters of the dense body—and the Christ Spirit dwelling in our
earth a part of the year. We all know what a fetter and what a prison this
body is, how we are hampered by disease and suffering, for there is not one
of us who is always in perfect health so that he or she never feels a pang
of pain, at least no one on the higher path.
It is similar with the Cosmic Christ, who turns His attention toward our
little earth, focusing His consciousness in this planet in order that we may
have life. He has to enliven this dead mass (which we have crystallized out
of the sun) annually; and it is a fetter, a clog, and a prison to Him.
Therefore it is right and proper that we should rejoice when He comes at
Christmas time each year and is born anew into our world to help us leaven
this dead lump wherewith we have encumbered ourselves. Our hearts at that
time should turn to Him in gratitude for the sacrifice He makes for our
sakes during the winter months, permeating this planet with His life to
awaken it from its wintry sleep, in which it must remain were He not thus
born into it to enliven it.
During the winter months He suffers agonies of torture, "groaning,
travailing, and waiting for the day of liberation," which comes at the time
that we speak of in the orthodox churches as the passion week. But we realize
according to the mystic teachings that this week is just the culmination or
crest wave of His suffering and that He is then rising out of His prison; that
when the sun crosses the equator, He hangs upon the cross, and cries,
"Consummatum Est!"—"It has been accomplished!" That is to say, His work
for that year has been accomplished. It is not a cry of agony but it is a
cry of triumph, a shout of joy that the our of liberation has come, and that
once more He can soar away a little while, free from the fettering clod of
our planet.
Now, dear friend, the point to which I would like to call your attention
is that we should rejoice with Him in that great, glorious, triumphal hour,
the hour of liberation when He exclaims, "It has been accomplished!" Let us
attune our hearts to this great cosmic event; let us rejoice with the
Christ, our Savior, that the term of His annual sacrifice has once more been
completed; and let us feel thankful from the very bottom of our hearts that
He is now about to be freed from the earth's fetters; that the life
wherewith He has now endued our planet is sufficient to carry us through the
time till next Christmas.
I hope that this may furnish you with a point of view for prayerful Easter
meditation which will result in abundant soul growth.
In the March letter I suggested, as you will remember, the concentration
of energy in one direction, advising, as I have done before, that students
devote all their spare time to work in and for one religious society, rather
than scattering and dissipating their energies by membership in a number of
such societies, for it is an impossibility to do effective work in that
manner.
Since that time a few resignations have come in, which were not
unexpected. Among a large membership like that of the Rosicrucian
Fellowship some of those who hold membership in other bodies would naturally
have their greatest sympathy somewhere else, and they would follow that bent
in accordance with my advice. Indeed the surprise is that there have been
only a few resignations, but this is no doubt due to the fact that
Headquarters periodically weeds out those who show little interest, and thus
keeps only the most live members on the list.
But the tone of these resignations does hurt. One writes: "I am a member
of the Episcopalian Church; my pew rent is paid there, etc., etc." It seems
strange that some will not understand that the Rosicrucian Fellowship is
antagonistic to no church or society, particularly not to the Christian
churches. It has been stated repeatedly that we favor membership in any
Christian church. What the letter said was not churches, but "religious
societies"; and, as said, it was not because we had anything against societies
which work along Christian lines. There is, for instance the Unity Society
of Kansas City, a clean, moral organization under a noble leadership, so far
as we can learn from all reports. But to do one's best work in that or any
other religious society one's entire energy in spare time should be given to
that society alone; and if any member of the Rosicrucian Fellowship who is
also a member of such an organization decides to cast his lot with them
alone he is doing far better by them, far better by the Rosicrucian
Fellowship also, than if he retains his membership in both. On the other
hand, if the weight of his sympathies lies with the Rosicrucian Fellowship,
then it is better for him, better for the Unity Society, better for the
Rosicrucian Fellowship, that he cast his lot entirely with our association.
As we have often said, many roads lead to Rome, but you can not walk two
roads at once. You must walk one in order to get there. Zigzagging from
one to another is a waste of effort. If we do our work in the world we have
but very little time left in which we may legitimately work for our own
advantage along spiritual lines. Therefore we should endeavor to concentrate
our efforts where they will do the greatest good instead of scattering our
energies and attaining very little soul growth in that manner.
Moreover it should be understood that if at any time the policies of the
Rosicrucian Fellowship do not meet with the approval of any one, he is not
serving the cause by simply deserting the flag and railing against us from
the outside. If he remains within we listen to him as one brother listens
to another, and we see his arguments from a very different point of view
than if he shows hostility, leaves, and becomes in that way an opponent.
Then the same arguments would lose a good deal of their weight. We are all
agreed about the great and cardinal points of our teachings. Every one of
us surely appreciates the benefit that we have reaped from this philosophy
which we are engaged in promulgating. Is it not meet then that we should be
tolerant in matters of policy, that we may devote all our attention to the
ideals?
While we are studying the "Web of Destiny—How Made and Unmade," it is
expedient, in fact absolutely necessary, that we should keep before the eye
of our mind the fact that life is not alone an unfoldment of causes set going
in previous existences. The spirit, when it comes back to rebirth, has a
varying amount of free will—according to the life previously led—to fill in
details. Also, instead of only unfolding past causes into effects, there are
also new causes generated at every turn by the spirit, which then act as seeds
of experience in future lives. This is a very important point. It is a self-
evident truth, for unless it were so, the causes that have already been set
going must at some time come to an end, and that would mean cessation of
existence.
Thus we are not absolutely forced to act in a certain way because we are
in a certain environment and because our whole past experience has given us a
trend toward a certain end. With the divine prerogative of free will, man has
the power of Epigenesis or initiative, so that he may enter upon a new line
at any time he wishes. He cannot at once steer himself out of the old life—
this may require a long time, perhaps several lives—but gradually he works
up to the ideal which he has once sown.
Therefore life advances not only by involution and evolution, but
especially by Epigenesis. This sublime teaching of the Western Wisdom
Religion of the Rosicrucians explains many mysteries not otherwise capable
of a logical solution, among them one which has occasioned many letters to
Headquarters. This subject is taken up with some reluctance as the writer
dislikes speaking about the war. The question concerns the connection
between a soldier, a woman of the enemy ravished by him, and the ego born
of a mother who hates it because of the undesired motherhood.
Investigation of a number of cases has shown that this is a new venture
on the part of the spirits coming to rebirth. All have been incorrigible in
their previous environments and it seemed that no good could come by keeping
them there to he sorrow of those with whom they were connected. The present
war conditions, though not made for the purpose, afford an opportunity to
transfer them to another field of action, where the new mother reaps,
through this agency, the fruits of wrongs sown by herself in the past.
Nor is this condition at all peculiar to war. Very often similar means
are used at other times so that we may reap what we have sown, through
another soul who enters into our lives to suffer and to bring suffering to us.
I have in mind a mother who told me a number of years ago how she rebelled
against motherhood; how, after she had gone through the period of pregnancy
with hate and anger in her heart, the little child was born and she refused
even to look at it; but finally she was melted by pity for its condition of
helplessness, and pity later turned to love. The child had all the
advantages that money could give him, but these advantages could not save
his mental balance, and today he sits in a murderer's cell in an asylum for
the criminal insane, while the mother is left to sorrow and to ponder upon
what she did or did not do during the time when that infant was coming to her.
Conversely, there are also occasions when a spirit, being through with an
old environment, comes into a new sphere of action as a ray of sunshine and
comfort to those who are fitted to receive that blessing by their previous
actions. Let us, therefore, remember that no matter how degraded a being
may be he has always the power to sow the seed of good, but must wait until
that seed can flower in a right environment. Each of us, though bound by
his yesterdays, is therefore thus far free respecting his tomorrows.
Upon re-reading the monthly lesson which accompanies this letter,
embodying the result of investigations made some time ago, I was struck anew
and with added force by the fact of the existence of such fearsome
conditions about us. At the present time when the horrors of the great war
are adding unprecedented numbers to those who pass from the present world to
the invisible realms under harrowing conditions, it seems that an extra
effort ought to be made to offset and to minimize the evil. The Rosicrucian
Fellowship is as yet but a drop in the ocean of humanity, but if we do
our share we shall earn a greater opportunity for service.
There is no remedy for the present conditions equal to a knowledge of the
continuity of life and of the fact that we are reborn from time to time under
the immutable Law of Consequence. If these great facts with all that they
imply could be brought home to a large number of people, this leaven must
ultimately work in such a manner as to change conditions all over the world.
One man, Galileo, changed the viewpoint of the world concerning the solar
system; and though we are only a few thousand, it is not possible for us to
exert an influence upon the opinion of the world when we know that this is
true?
It is often said that people are not interested in spiritual matters;
that you cannot get their ear; but, really, it is not so. Granting that of
the hundred of thousands who went to hear Billy Sunday, the noted
evangelist, a great many were actuated by curiosity or went to? jeer and
sneer, there were also many thousand in whom was a strong desire for
something which they themselves perhaps could not define, and which was the
actuating motive. Recently there was a debate between a New York evangelist
and a lawyer on the subject, "Where Are the Dead?" This debate was held
in a large auditorium accommodating many thousands, and it lasted for three
days. Every seat in the auditorium was taken and, if I remember right, there
were many who could not even find standing room within. No, the world is
seeking something; seeking it with a hungry heart, and it only depends
upon us whether we are going to do our share by putting before the world the
rational explanation of life which has come to us through the Elder Brothers.
It is a great privilege and we should certainly take advantage of it.
But the question is, How? Let me ask you, would not your newspaper take
an occasional article on this subject? There are certainly a number of
people within the Fellowship capable of writing such articles. A committee
could be formed to receive the articles and furnish them to the members who
ask for them and who would agree to take them to the editors of the
newspapers in their respective towns and endeavor to get a hearing for
the Rosicrucian Fellowship teachings through that medium. If an article is
well written it is seldom refused when there is space available, for editors
are only too glad to get something that they think may interest the reading
public, even though they may not be in sympathy with it themselves.
Will some of the students who can write please submit short articles on "The Continuity of Life," and will those who are willing to undertake to get
such articles into their home papers write and register their names to that
we may get action?
I hope that this appeal will meet with a hearty response.
Letter No. 57
August, 1915
Astrology as an Aid
In Healing the Sick
Did you ever realize the reason why Christ commanded that we should heal
the sick? One of the reasons certainly was that when you have demonstrated
that you can heal the body, those who have been helped will have more faith
in your ability also to help the soul. When we have advanced to the high
stature of Christ so that we can at once see the past and the present; when
we are able thus to determine at a glance the causes, crises, and present
stage of a disease, we shall need no other aid in diagnosis and advice. But
until that time we must use such crutches as we have, and foremost among
them is astrology.
Many people who have been unwilling to work for results have come to
Headquarters expecting to gain spiritual illumination, to sprout wings, and
to return to the world as wonder workers after a few days' stay. And
naturally, they have been disappointed. But whenever anyone has honestly
and earnestly applied himself to real work, not classes, for a reasonable
time, results have always been attained. We have here a letter from a
friend who stayed at Mt. Ecclesia and applied himself earnestly and honestly
to his studies. We give his experience as encouragement to others to do
likewise:
"Dear Friends: The proposition which I expected to take up after my stay
on Mt. Ecclesia turned out to be a graft on people and not consistent with
our ideals at all, and I therefore sent in my resignation. No sooner,
though, did I give up that scheme than I had an invitation from a prominent
physician in Kansas City to do work with him. He appealed to me as being
all right. We were literally stormed with patients. Mrs. Heindel, it is
wonderful how people hunger for something of this nature; they look for
someone to open their lives, and they try to get encouragement from sources
that are more potent and reliable than the hard and dry life-destroying
materialism.
"Astrology came as a wonderful help to me to gain their confidence; and
by the aid of God, who sent me here, I was able to send them away, their
ailments correctly diagnosed. And the strangest part of it is that none of
them gave me any symptoms. I located both disease and symptom, and nearly
everyone agree that I was right and resolved to live up to the high
principles of manhood and womanhood which I enunciated to them.
"I expect to be very busy here and wish to thank you for the help I have
received along this line during the last year at Mt. Ecclesia. I certainly
enjoyed my stay with you immensely and am looking forward to a great deal of
good from my work there; am only sorry I was unable to stay longer."
What man has done, man can do. Mrs. Heindel and myself did not get our
knowledge along this line without effort. We had to work hard for it; and
others who have worked as hard with the same spiritual ideals in view,
namely, the helping and uplifting of humanity, also find an illumination
that is not given to those who are looking for the material rewards of life
and their own aggrandizement. It seems to me that it is time the
Rosicrucian Fellowship should wake up and take this study earnestly in hand
so that healing centers may be established in every city in the world.
We have started a department in the magazine where we delineate the
horoscope of children to help parents to know their latent
characteristics. There is also a correspondence course for beginners, besides
the course in Astro-Diagnosis and Astro-Therapy for probationers, and we
would advise all who have not yet started to take up the study.
When one investigates a certain subject in the invisible world, many
fascinating byways open up. he is constantly lured away from the main line
of research by this, that, or the other theme which attracts his attention,
and there is great danger of losing sight of the goal and of wandering off in
a maze of incoherency. Sometimes the temptation to follow a bypath is
stronger than my power of resistance; and recently, while working on the "Web
of Destiny," the figure of a hermit who had starved his body to the
semblance of a skeleton—who had whipped himself till the blood flowed from
sores that were never allowed to heal, and thought he was serving God
by these austerities—led me to search for the origin of this hideous
practice. I have written a lengthy article on the subject for our magazine;
but as the matter is important, and many of the students are not
subscribers to the magazine, I have deemed it best to give you the main
facts.
In the ancient Mystery Temples the main truths now taught by the
Rosicrucian Fellowship concerning the vital body were given to the aspirant
to Initiation. He learned that this vehicle was composed of the four
ethers: the Chemical Ether, which is necessary to assimilation; the Life
Ether, which furthers growth and propagation; the Light Ether, which is the
vehicle of sense perception; and the Reflecting Ether, which is the
receptacle of memory.
The aspirant was thoroughly instructed in the functions of the two lower
ethers as compared with the two higher. He knew that all the purely animal
functions of the body depended upon the density of the two lower ethers and
that the two upper ethers composed the soul body—the vehicle of service in
the invisible world. He aspired to cultivate this glorious garment by
self-abnegation, curbing the propensities of the lower nature by will power,
just as we do today.
But some, who were overzealous to attain, no matter how, forgot that it
is only by service and unselfishness that the golden wedding garment,
composed of the two higher ethers, is grown. They thought the esoteric
maxim, "Gold in the crucible, dross in the fire; light as the winds, higher
and higher," meant only that so long as the dross of the lower nature was
expelled, it did not matter how it was done. And they reasoned that as the
Chemical Ether is the agent of assimilation, it could be eliminated from the
vital body by starving the physical body. They also thought that as the
Life Ether is the avenue of propagation, they could by living celibate lives
starve it out. They would then only have the two higher ethers, or at least
these would be much larger in volume than the two lower.
To that end they practiced all the austerities they could think of, fasting
among others. By this unnatural process the body lost its health and became
emaciated. The passional nature, which sought gratification by exercise
of the propagative function, was stilled by castigation. It is true that
in this horrible manner the lower nature seemed to be subjected; and it is
also true that when the bodily functions were thus brought to a very low
ebb, visions, or rather hallucinations, were the reward of these people;
but true spirituality has never been attained by defiling or destroying
"the temple of God," the body, and fasting may be as immoral as gluttony.
Let us endeavor to use moderation in all things, that we may be worthy
examples to others and earn admission to the Temple by virtue of right
living.
As there are a great number of students who have not subscribed for the
magazine, and as there is a very important article running now, dealing with
the esoteric side of the war, i feel that it may be best to devote the monthly
letter to a resume of the facts, and trust that this will also benefit those
who take the magazine; for as I do not intend to copy, but will take up the
subject offhand, new points are sure to be brought out.
You remember how every one of the countries concerned in this sad affair
has endeavored to disclaim responsibility from the beginning. In a sense
they are right, for though all have been guilty of pride of heart and, like
David when he numbered Israel, have put their trust in the multitude of
their men, ships, and armament, no war can ever take place that is not
permitted by the Race Spirits. The Race Spirit guides its charges upon
the path of evolution, and, like Jehovah, fights for them, or allows other
nations to conquer them, as required to teach them the lesson needful for
their advancement.
When seen by the spiritual vision the Race Spirit appears like a cloud
brooding over a country, and it is breathed into the lungs of the people
with every breath they take. In it they live, move, and have their being,
as a matter of actual fact. Through this process they become imbued with
that national fellow-feeling which we call "patriotism," which is so
powerfully stirring in time of war that all feel wrought up about a certain
matter and are ready to sacrifice all for their country.
America has no Race Spirit as yet. It is the melting pot wherein the
various nations are being amalgamated to extract the seed for a new race;
therefore it is impossible to arouse a universal sentiment which will make
all move as one in any matter. This new race is beginning to appear,
however. You may know them by their long arms and limbs, their lithe
body, their long and somewhat narrow head, high crown, and almost
rectangular forehead. In a few generations I expect they will be taken in
charge by an Archangel, who will then begin to unite them. This itself will
take generations, for though the pictures originally stamped in the old race
bodies have faded from sight with the advent of the international marriages,
they are still effective, and the family connections of America with other lands
may be traced in the Memory of Nature found in the Reflecting Ether. Until
this record has been wiped clean, the tie with the ancestral country is not
entirely broken, and the colonies of foreign immigrants remaining in various part of this country retard the evolution of the new
race. Probably the Aquarian Age will be here before this condition has been
entirely overcome and the American race fully established.
If you look back at the developments during the past 60 or 70 years, it
must be evident that it has been an age of skepticism, doubt, and criticism
of religious subjects. The churches have become increasingly empty, and
people have turned to the pursuit of pleasure, from the worship of God.
This tendency was on the increase in Europe until the advent of this war, and
it is still a disgrace to certain cities and centers of scientific thought
in America. As a result of this worldwide attitude of mind, fostered by the
Brothers of the Shadow with the permission of the Race Spirits, as Job was
tempted by Satan in the legend, a spiritual cataract has covered the eyes of
the Western world and must be removed before evolution can proceed. How
that is being done will be the subject of the next letter.
Letter No. 60
November, 1915
The War an Operation
For Spiritual Cataract
You are aware from the teachings of the Cosmo that there was one race at
the end of the Lemurian Epoch, there were seven in the Atlantean Epoch,
seven in the current Fifth Epoch, and there will be one in the coming Galilean Epoch, making
in all sixteen races. You also remember that these sixteen races are called
by the Elder Brothers "the sixteen paths to destruction" because enmeshed in
the bodies of any race to such an extent that it will be unable to follow the
others along the path of evolution.
This was the tendency among the nations of Europe up to the present war.
Patriotism, and the racial ideal fostered thereby, were leading them away
from God. An age of doubt and skepticism had been ushered in by the many
scientific discoveries, and the population in the Western world were
steering very close to the brink of destruction. Therefore it became
necessary for the Elder Brothers to devise measures whereby mankind might
be brought from the path of pleasure to the path of devotion, and this
could only be done by removing the spiritual cataract from a sufficiently
large number of people so that they would then override the doubt and
skepticism of the rest.
When we dwelt under the water in the early Atlantean Epoch, we were, as
you know, unable to see the body or even to feel it, because our
consciousness was focused in the spiritual realm. We saw one another, soul
to soul. We were unaware of either birth or death, and we felt no
separation from those we loved. But when we gradually became aware of our
bodies, and our consciousness was focused in the physical world from birth to
death, and in the spiritual world from death to birth, there was a
separation, and consequent sorrow on account of the advent of death. In
bygone ages however, there were still many who were able to see both worlds;
they formed quite a considerable number of the populace. Their testimonies to
the continuity of life were a great comfort to those who had been bereaved,
for they believed thoroughly that those whom they had lost were still alive
and happy, though unable to make themselves known. But gradually the world
became more and more materialistic; faith in the reality of the hereafter
faded, and sorrow at the loss of the loved ones grew more and more intense,
until today many believe the separation is final. To them the word
"rebirth" is an empty sound, and therefore grief is overwhelming.
But this very grief is nature's remedy for the spiritual cataract. As
surely as the desire for growth built the complicated alimentary canal from
the simplest beginning so that the craving for growth might be satisfied; as
surely as the desire for motion evolved the wonderful joints, sinews, and
ligaments wherewith this is accomplished; just as surely will the intense
yearning to continue the relationships severed by death build the organ for
its gratification—the spirit eye. Therefore this wholesale slaughter of
millions of men ha helped and is helping more to bridge the gulf between the
invisible and the visible world than a thousand years of preaching could do.
All through the history of the world it has been recorded that warriors have
seen so-called supernatural manifestations, and there is plenty of testimony
that those visions have also been seen in the present war. The shock of the
wound, the suffering in the hospital, and tears of the widows and orphans,
all are opening the spiritual eyes of Europe, and the age of doubt and
skepticism will pass away. Instead of being ashamed of having faith in God,
the world will honor a man for his piety rather than for his prowess in a
not very distant future. And let us all pray for that day.
The news printed today in big type on the front pages of newspapers, news
which seems of such vital and absorbing interest to everybody, is usually
forgotten tomorrow, and the papers that contained the records are thrown
into the fire. Likewise the song that is upon the lips of everybody is
usually after awhile relegated to he archives of oblivion. Even the men
who are launched like meteors into the limelight of publicity are usually
soon forgotten, together with the deeds that caused their brief popularity—
for, it? quote Solomon, "All is vanity."
But among the kaleidoscopic changes that are constantly altering the
stage of the world, morally, mentally, and physically, there are certain
cyclic events which, though they are recurrent in their nature, have a
permanency and stability about them which differentiates the macrocosmic from
the microcosmic method of conducting affairs.
In the spring time, at Easter, when the sun crosses the eastern or vernal
equinox, the earth emerges from its wintry sleep and shakes off the snowy
blanket which has covered it with a vesture of immaculate purity. The voice
of nature is heard when the little babbling brooks begin to trickle down the
hillside on their way to the great ocean. It is heard when the wind
whispers in the newly sprouted forest leaves the song of love that calls
forth the bud and the flower which finally bears the pollen that is carried
upon invisible wings to the waiting mate. It is heard in the love song of
the mating birds and the call of beast unto beast. It continues in every
department of nature until the increase of new life has compensated for the
destruction by death.
Through the summer, Love and Life toil exceedingly with joyful heart, for
they are Masters in the struggle for existence while the sun is exalted in
the northern heavens, at the maximum of his power at the summer solstice.
Time goes by, and there comes another turning point at the fall equinox.
The song of the woodland choir is now hushed; the love call of beast and
bird ceases and nature becomes mute again. The light wanes, and the shadows
of night grow longer, until at winter solstice, where we are now, the earth
again prepares for the deepest sleep, for she need the night of rest after
the strenuous activities of the preceding day.
But as the spiritual activities of man are greatest while his body is
asleep, so also, by the law of analogy, we may understand that the spiritual
fires in the earth are brightest at this time of the year; that now is the
best opportunity for soul growth, for investigation and study of the deeper
mysteries of life. And therefore it behooves us to catch opportunity on the
wing so that we may use this present time to the very best advantage; yet
without hurry, without worry, but patiently and prayerfully, knowing that
among all other things in the world which change, this great wave of
spiritual light will be with us in the winter season for ages to come. It
will grow more and more brilliant as the earth and ourselves evolve to
higher degrees of spirituality. We are now doing the pioneer work of
spreading the Rosicrucian teachings which will help to illuminate the world
during the centuries immediately following our present time. There is a law
that "you can get only as you give." Now—this season of the year—is the
most propitious time to give and receive, so let us be sure to let our light
shine on the great cosmic Christmas tree, that it may be seen of men, and
that they may be attracted to the truths which we know to be of such vital
importance in the development of our fellow men.
In concluding this letter I desire to thank every one of the students for
their co-operation in the work during the past year. Any may we do better
work together in the coming year.
We are now at the close of another year of our lives and at the beginning
of a new, and certain thoughts have come to me in connection with these
divisions of our earthly lives.
When Christ was at the end of His ministry, eating the last supper with
His disciples, he washed their feet, despite protests from some who thought
that this was a humiliation for the teacher. But as a matter of fact it was
the symbol of an attitude of mind which is of great significance as a factor
in soul growth. Were it not for the mineral soil, the higher plant kingdom
would be an impossibility; and the animal kingdom could not exist if the
plants did not give it the needed substance. Thus we see that in nature the
higher feeds upon and is dependent on the lower for its growth and further
evolution. Although it is a fact that the disciples were instructed and
helped by Christ, it is also a fact that they were stepping-stones in His
development; and it was in recognition of this fact that He humbled Himself,
acknowledging His debt to them in the performance of the most menial service
imaginable.
It has been the great privilege of the writer to transmit the esoteric
instructions of the Elder Brothers to you and thousands of others during the
past year, and in this he has been aided by all the workers on Mt. Ecclesia,
directly or indirectly. Those who have helped in the print shop, office, or
whatever necessary department have all had their share in this privilege,
and we all thank you for these opportunities for soul growth which have come
to us in satisfying your need.
We trust that we have been of some service in that respect, and ask your
prayers that we may become more efficient servants in the coming year.
And how about you, dear friend? During the past year you also have had
opportunities to serve others in a similar manner. Have you used your
talents of knowledge transmitted to you to enlighten those with whom you
have come in contact? It is not necessary to stand in a pulpit, literally
or metaphorically, at any time in order to speak to the heart of others. It
is often most effectively accomplished in the little quiet ways, such
that people do not know we are trying to show them something. We trust you
have improved your opportunities to the best of your ability during the
past year, and pray that you may enter the new year with a still more
earnest spirit of service, and that is may prove to be much more fruitful of
soul growth than the past has been.
One of the most difficult problems which confront the leader of a
spiritual movement is the impatience of students who want to reap where they
have not sown. They are not patient enough to wait for the harvest but want
results immediately, and if they do not sprout wings within a specified time
set by themselves they are ready to cry "fraud" and seek and "individual
teacher," visible or invisible. So long as he will "guarantee" results,
they are prepared to throw common sense to the winds and follow him blindly,
though he may lead them to the insane asylum or to a consumptives's grave,
or in the cases of those who get off the easiest, simply separate them from
some of their cash.
This condition has been dealt with before in letters to students, but
there are always some who forget and new students are constantly being added
to the class; therefore it is necessary to reiterate important points from
time to time. Hearing recently of one who left a certain center for an
"individual teacher," and who seems on that account to be envied in a
measure by others of the group who have not been so fortunate (?), it seems
expedient to go into the matter again.
Have you ever seen any institution, from kindergarten to college, where
they keep a teacher for every pupil? We have not. No board of education
would sanction such a waste of energy, nor would they appoint an individual
teacher for any one simply because that pupil was impatient and wanted to
get through school "quick." And finally, even if a board could be found
willing to appoint a teacher in a special case who would "cram" knowledge
into the pupils brain, there would be a great danger of brain fever,
insanity, and maybe death in that method.
If this is true in schools of physical science, how can anyone believe
that it can be different with regard to spiritual science? Christ said to
His disciples: "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how
shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" No "individual
teacher," if such there were, can initiate anyone into the mysteries of the
soul until the pupil is prepared by his or her own work. Whoever professes
to do so brands himself as an impostor of a low order. And whoever allows
himself to be so duped shows very little common sense; otherwise he would
realize that no truly highly evolved teacher could afford to give his time
and energy to the instruction of a single pupil, when he might just as easily
teach a large number.
Imagine, if you can, the twelve great Brothers of the Rose Cross, each
tagging around after on puny pupil! The thought is a sacrilege. Such truly
great and highly evolved men have other and more important things to attend
to, and even the lay brothers who have been initiated by them are not
allowed to bother them for small and unimportant matters.
It may therefore be stated emphatically that the Elder Brothers do not
habitually visit any one in the Rosicrucian Fellowship, or out of it, as an
"individual teacher," and whoever thinks so is being deceived. They have
given certain teachings which form the basis of instruction in this school,
and by learning how to live this silence of the soul we may in time fit
ourselves to meet them face to face in the school of Invisible Helpers.
There is no other way.
I trust that this may fix the idea more firmly in your own mind than it
has been before, and give you a basis for setting others right who are in
danger of being side-tracked.
From time to time we are grieved to receive letters from students in the
warring countries chiding us for not taking up the cudgel in favor of their
side. There has not been a day since this sad conflict began that we have
not mourned the dreadful slaughter, though comforted by the knowledge that
it is helping as nothing else could to break down the barrier between the
living and the dead. Thus the war will go far towards abolishing the sorrow
now experienced by the masses when parting from loved ones; also the present
sorrow is turning the Western people from the pleasures of the world to the
worship of God. There has not been a night that we have not worked
diligently with the dead and wounded to allay their mental anguish or
physical pain.
Patriotism was very good at one time, but Christ said, "Before Abraham
was, I am." (Ego Sum). Races and nations, comprehended in the term
"Abraham," are evanescent, but "the Ego," which existed before Abraham, the
race father, will also persist when nations are a thing of the past.
Therefore the Fellowship disregards national and racial differences,
endeavoring to join all together in a bond of love to fight a Great War—the
only war in which a true Christian should fight, and one which a true
Christian ought to wage unflinchingly and without quarter—the war against
his lower nature. Paul says: "For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh) dwelleth no good thing. For the good that I would, I do not: but
the evil which I would not, that I do. I delight in the law of God after
the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is
in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death?"
Does not Paul describe here most accurately the state of every aspiring
soul? Are we not all suffering spiritually because of the conflict within
ourselves? I hope there is but one answer, namely, that this inner war is
being waged fiercely and unremittingly by every Fellowship student; for
where there is no struggle, there is a sure indication of spiritual coma.
The "body of sin" has then the upper hand. But the fiercer the fight, the
more hopeful our spiritual state.
In America we hear a great deal of talk of "neutrality" and
"preparedness" for "defensive" purposes. In the nobler war which we must
wage, there can be no "neutrality." Either there is peace, and "the flesh"
rules us and holds us in abject subjections, or there is war aggressively
waged by both flesh and spirit. And so long as we continue to live in
this "body of death" this warfare will continue, for even Christ was
tempted, and we cannot expect to fare better than He.
"Preparedness" is good. It is more necessary every day, for just as a
physical enemy seeks to trap and ambush a strong adversary rather than risk
open battle, so also the temptations which beset us on "the path" become
more subtle with each succeeding year.
Writer like Thomas a Kempis were wont to speak of themselves as "vile
worms," and to use kindred terms of "self-abasement," because they knew the
great and subtle danger of "self-approbation." But even that may be carried
too far, and we may feel that we are "very, very good" and "holier" than
others because we abuse ourselves; and we may do it for the pleasure we get
from hearing other people contradict us. Truly, the snares of the desire
body are past finding out.
There is a way to be prepared, and it is sure: "Look to Christ," and
keep your mind busy every waking moment when not engaged in your daily work,
studying how you may serve Him. Endeavor by every available means to carry
out in a practical manner the ideas thus conceived. The more closely we
imitate Christ, the more loyally we follow the dictates of the Higher Self,
the more certainly shall we vanquish the lower nature and win the only war
worth while winning.
This is the Easter lesson, though it does not say one word connected with
the cosmic event of the present season. But it emphasizes anew the great
vital fact that birth and death are only incidents in the life of the
spirit, which is without beginning or end.
Old age, sickness, war, or accident may destroy this earthly habitation,
but we have "a house from heaven" that no power can move. And so, no matter
how closely death may come to us or to our loved ones, we know that as Good
Friday is followed by the glorious Easter, so also the door of death is but
the gate to a longer life where the sickness and paid which lays our
physical body low have no more dominion.
Just think what that means to our poor brothers who are torn and mangled
by the awful inhumanity of man to man, and let us give thanks that they have
escaped from the suffering which they must have endured if there had been no
death to liberate them.
The great majority look upon death as "the king of terrors," but when we
are instructed, we realize that under our present conditions death is a
friend indeed. None of us has a perfect body, and as it deteriorates in an
alarming degree during the few years that we use it, think how it would feel a
million years hence—and a million years are less than a fleeting moment
compared to infinite duration. None but spirit can endure infinity, and
therefore Easter is the earnest of our hope of immortality, and Christ the
first fruits of immortality and many brethren with Him.
Let us then, dear friend, approach the coming Easter in an attitude of
spiritual aspiration to imitate our great Leader, the Christ, by crucifying
our lower nature. May every day of the coming year be a Good Friday, may
every night be spent in the purgatorial prison ministering to the spirits
there confined, as Christ also did, and may every morn be a glorious Easter
on which we rise in the newness of life to greater and better deeds.
"Take care of the pennies and the dollars will look after themselves"
says a worldly wise proverb. We may paraphrase and adapt it to the
spiritual life by saying, "Take heed that every day is well spent, and the
years will yield much treasure."
When Christ visited Martha and Mary the former was much more concerned
with preparation for his material comfort than in attending to the spiritual
matters which he taught; hence the rebuke that she was concerned with many
things of lesser moment than "the one thing needful." There is no doubt
that it is positively wicked to neglect fulfilling one's duties and meeting
every obligation honestly incurred in our ordinary everyday life. But
unfortunately most of us make the great mistake of looking upon our work and
duties in the material world as paramount, thinking that the spiritual side
of our development can wait until a convenient time when we have nothing
else to do. An increasing number of people admit that they ought to give
more attention to spiritual matters, but they always have an excuse for not
attending to them just now. "My business requires my entire attention," one
will say. "Times are so strenuous, and in order to keep my head above water I
must work from early morning till late at night. But as soon as times are a
little better I am going to look into these matters and give more time to
them." Another claims that certain relatives are dependent on him and that
when he has fulfilled his obligations to these dependents he will be able to
devote his time to soul growth.
There is no doubt that in many cases these excuses are legitimate, to a
certain extent, and that the one who makes them is really and truly
sacrificing himself or herself for some one else. I remember the case of a
probationer who once wrote in distress that her two little children were
always in need of attention at the times when she ought to perform her morning
and evening exercises. She ardently desired to progress along the path of
the higher life but the care of the children seemed a hindrance, and she
asked what she should do. Attend to her children, of course, as I wrote to
her. The sacrifice involved in giving up her own progress for the sake of
her children's comfort naturally won a rebound to a thousand times more
soul growth than if she had neglected her children for her own selfish
interests.
But on the other hand there are many who simply lack the mental stamina
to make th sustained effort. No matter how strenuous business conditions
are, it is possible to devote a little time each day, morning and evening,
to the attainment of spirituality. It is an exceedingly good practice to
concentrate the mind upon an ideal during the time spent in street cars going
from home to the place of business. The very fact that there is so much noise
and confusion, which makes the effort more difficult, is in itself a help;
for he who learns to direct his thought one-pointedly under such conditions
will have no difficulty in obtaining the same results, or even better, under
more favorable circumstances. The time thus spent will prove far more
profitable than if used for reading a newspaper or a magazine which will
call attention to conditions that are far from elevating.
The mind of most people is like a sieve. As water runs through the sieve
so also thoughts flit through their brain. These thoughts are good, bad,
and indifferent—mostly the latter. The mind does not hold on to any of
them sufficiently long to learn its nature, and yet we are apt to entertain
the idea that we cannot help our thoughts being what they are. On that
account the great majority have formed the habit of listless thinking which
makes them incapable of holding on to any subject until it is thoroughly
mastered. It may be difficult to do, but certainly when the power of
thought-control has been gained, the possessor holds within his hand the key
to success in whatever line he may be engaged.
Therefore I would urge you in connection with this series of lessons, The
Esoteric Effect of the Emotions," which you are receiving that you take the
above personally to heart and set aside a portion of each day for the
purpose of gaining thought-control. There are a number of helpful hints
given by various authors, but i will think the matter over and try to give
some general hints. This is very difficult because so much depends upon the
temperament of the student. The instruction should really be
individual, rather than collective, to bring the best results.
Though my letter is dated the first of the month it was written earlier
of course—in fact, the evening before "Decoration Day," the day when all
patriotic Americans are supposed to honor the dead heroes who fought for the
integrity of the Union.
As I thought over the matter it occurred to me that it seems always to
require a calamity or a catastrophe to make me forget self and rise to the
call of a cause or to the need of the occasion regardless of consequences.
They always respond in war, earthquake, fire, or shipwreck.
But why should it require such cataclysmic events to bring out the virtue
of self-sacrificing service when they are needed every day and hour in every
home, hamlet, and city? The world would be so much better off if we did our
noble deeds daily instead of only on occasion of exceptional stress. It may
be noble to die for a great cause, but it is surely nobler to live a life of
self-sacrifice, covering many years, cherishing others and helping them to
be better and nobler, than to die in the attempt to kill a fellow being.
There is many a father who struggles years and years to give his children
what he terms "a chance in life." There are thousands of mothers who toil a
lifetime at "hard labor" to aid in this work for the young. There are
millions of such heroes who are never heard of because they helped their
fellows to live instead of causing them to die.
Is this not an anomaly—that we honor an army of men for more than half a
century because they killed, killed, killed, while that greater army which
fostered all that is best on earth lie forgotten in their graves?
As followers of Christ, let us pay tribute to the heroes and heroines who
through years of suffering fought for others by rendering tender care in
childhood's helpless days, by unflagging service in times of sickness, by
patient participation in poverty and in any and every trouble that might
befall.
Nor let us wait till they have passed to the beyond, but let us honor
them here and now. Neither should we set one day in the year apart for the
payment of such tribute, but we should honor them every day of our lives,
and we should seek to lighten their burdens by emulating their noble deeds.
How shall we find them? they wear no uniform, neither do they wear their
hearts upon their sleeves. They are everywhere, and if we seek we shall
find them. The quicker we join their ranks, the sooner we shall honor
ourselves by lightening their burdens as it becomes all true servants of
the Master. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
In a few days we shall celebrate in America "The Glorious Fourth," our
Independence Day, and we shall waste a lot of perfectly good and useful powder
that might be put to better use, in order to show our "patriotism." A
considerable number of fires and accidents will occur if we may judge from
many precedents.
To what purpose all of this we may see by the heartrending spectacle of
the war which for almost two years has made tears a mockery, for no symbol
of sorrow is adequate to the occasion. let us realize that had there been
no "patriotism," there could have been no war; and realizing its baneful
influence, let us learn to say with Thomas Paine, "The world is my country,
and to do good is my religion." This, it seems to me, is the gospel we
ought to preach to our fellow men in whatever country we happen to be, for
this attitude of mind will be one of the factors in accomplishing our
emancipation from the Race Spirit feeds on war, for it causes the nation
which it rules to sink its internal differences for the time being and its
people to cluster close to one another for defense or aggression against the
common foe. Thus they vibrate in harmony to an extent greater than usual, and
this strengthens the Race Spirit and delays the advent of Christ to that
extent. So long as patriotism holds the nations in bondage to the Race
Spirits, the Universal Kingdom cannot be started.
I would therefore urge that the students of the Rosicrucian Fellowship refrain from participation in any patriotic exercises of a martial nature.
Practice Universal Brotherhood by never mentioning or recognizing
differences of nationality, for we are all one in Christ.
From time to time letters of discouragement are received at Headquarters
from people who are smitten by conscience because they are unable to live up
to their high ideals, and they feel that it would be more honest to abandon
the faith and live as others live who make no professions. They say that
while they read and study or listen in church to passages which exhort them
to love their enemies, to bless them that curse them, and to pray for those
who despitefully use them, they are heart and soul in accord with these
sentiments and would gladly follow these precepts; but when they meet
such conditions in the world, they cannot comply with the Biblical command,
and therefore feel that they are hypocrites.
If man were a homogeneous whole, if spirit, soul, and body were one and
undivided, that these people are hypocrites would be true. But spirit,
soul, and body are not one, as we realize to our sorrow from the very first
day that we feel the desire to tread the path of the higher life. And in
this fact lies the solution of the problem. There are two distance natures
in each of us. In the days of our unaspiring life the higher spiritual
nature is asleep, and the worldly personal self is undisputed lord of all our
actions. Then there is peace and serenity. But the moment the spiritual
nature wakens, the war begins. As we grow in spirituality, the struggle is
intensified until some time in the future the personality will succumb, and
we shall gain the peace that passeth all understanding.
In the meantime we have the condition whereof our students complain (with
Paul, Faust, and every other aspiring soul), that to will is easy, but that
the good that they would, they do not, and the evil that they would not,
that they do. The writer has felt, and feels most keenly every day of his
life this discrepancy between this teachings and his actions. One part of
his being aspires with an ardor that is painful in its intensity to all the
higher and nobler things, while on the other hand, a strong personality,
exceedingly difficult to curb, is a source of continual grief. But he feels
that so long as he does not "pose" as a saint, so long as he honestly admits
his shortcomings and professes his sorrow for them, and so long as he uses
the inclusive "we" in all his exhortations, he deceives no one, and is not a
hypocrite. Whatever he says he takes to himself first and foremost, and,
however, unsuccessful, he strive to follow the Rosicrucian teachings. If
everyone else among our students feels troubled on the same score as the
correspondents who have inspired this letter, we hope that this may set them
right.
Besides, what else can we do but go on? Having once awakened the higher
nature, it cannot be permanently silenced, and there will be the misery of
regret and remorse if we abandon effort. We have several times called
attention to the way the mariner guides his vessel across the waste of waters
by a star. He will never reach it, but nevertheless it brings him safely
through the rock shoals to the desired haven. Similarly, if our ideals are
so high that we realize we shall never reach them in this life, let us also
keep in mind that we have endless time before us, and that what we cannot
accomplish in this life-day will be achieved tomorrow or later. Let us follow
the example of Paul and "by patient persistence in well-doing" continue to
seek for spiritual glory, honor, and immortality.
You know of course that the Fellowship teaches rebirth to be a fact in
nature, and you believe in this doctrine because it explains so many facts
in life which we are otherwise unable to account for. But I wonder how many
students have really taken the practical use of this truth to heart, and are
fixing their attention upon it by consciously and systematically molding
themselves and thus making their environment for future lives.
It is true that in the Second Heaven we devote all of our time to making
the environment for our future life, forming the earth and the sea, providing
the conditions for the flora and fauna, and generally shaping things to give
us a suitable arena for our coming life work. But we do that according to the
way we have been living here in this present life. If we have been lazy and
shiftless here, living in a happy-go-lucky manner, it is not likely that when
we come to the Second Heaven we will be careful to prepare a fertile soil,
which we may later till. Therefore our next embodiment will probably find
us with the barest means of existence at hand, so that under the whip of
necessity we may learn to exert ourselves.
It is similar with our moral qualities. When we are ready to descend
into the next embodiment,we can only build into our new vehicles what we
have garnered in this. Therefore it is wise for us to commence now, when
our next life is in the moldable clay stage, to make our ideals what we
would like them to be and to make the environment in which we would like to
be raised.
We are without a doubt all ready to agree in the first place than our
present bodies are not as we wish them. Diseases of all sorts come to most
people; some are subject to pain all their lives, and no one is ever able to
go through life from the cradle to the grave without having at least some
suffering. Thus each one of us may well picture himself in a future life
with a healthy body in which he will be free from diseases that are now his
worst plague.
With respect to the moral and mental faculties we are also far from
perfect, and each one may therefore take up with profit the subject of
improvement in that direction. Do we realize that we have a critical
spirit, a sharp tongue, a hasty temper, or other kindred faults which bring
us into trouble with others and make life unpleasant in our environment?
Very well; by holding in mind and visualizing our ideal self for the
future—having equipoise under all circumstances, being soft-spoken, kindly,
and affectionate, etc.—we shall build these ideals into the thought form we
have already shaped for ourselves in that distant day. And according to the
intensity of the concentration which we apply tot he matter will be the
result. In so far as we endeavor now to cultivate and aspire virtues, we
shall possess them then; and this applies to faculties as well. If we are
solely now, by the aspiration to maintain order we shall later bring back that
virtue. Are we lacking the sense of rhythm? Very well, it may be ours in
the future by asking now. Mechanical ability, or any thing else that is
necessary to give us the life experience we seek, may be had in the same way.
Therefore we ought systematically to set aside a certain time at
intervals, as frequent as is consistent with our other duties, to think
forward and plan for future life—what sort of a body, what faculties,
virtues, and environment we wish. When we are able to make our choice
intelligently, we are undoubtedly given a great deal more latitude than if we
had not thought about the matter at all.
You understand of course that the highest form of aspiration to virtue
is the constant endeavor to practice in it our daily lives. But while we
are endeavoring to cultivate virtues, as we should, by practice, it is
scientific to plan ahead the use we shall make of the future life just as
we now plan ahead the use of the day that is before us. I trust that this
idea may take root among the students and be consistently carried to its
legitimate consummation, for in that way it will be bound to have a wonderful
effect upon the future of ourselves and the future of the world about us.
Letter No. 71
October, 1916
Descent of the Christ
Life in the Fall
We are now at the fall equinox where the physical sun is leaving the
northern hemisphere after having provided us with the necessities of life
for the coming year; and the spiritual tide which carries on its crest the
life which will find physical expression in the coming year is now on its
way towards our earth. The half-year directly before us is the holy part of
the year. From the feast of the Immaculate Conception to the Mystic Birth
at Christmas (while this wave is descending into the earth) and from that
time to Easter (while it is traveling outward) a harmonious, rhythmic
vibratory song, not inaptly described in the legend of the Mystic Birth as a
"hosanna" sung by an angel choir, fills the planetary atmosphere and acts
upon all as an impulse to spiritual aspiration. Not upon all in even measure,
of course, but according to their general character.
Some do not feel this spiritual save at all because of their depravity,
but it works in, on, and with them just the same, and in time they will
respond. Others are so engrossed in their buying and selling, their marrying
and giving in marriage, their loves and their ambitions, that they are not
conscious of it save at the time when it is at its maximum strength, namely,
namely, Christmas, and then it expresses itself only as a spirit of
super-sociability and generosity; they like to feast and give presents. A
more advanced class feels the wave of holiness from the very beginning of
its descent, and realizes the important effect of its harmony and rhythm in
furthering efforts in the direction of soul growth. They profit accordingly
by making the most efforts during the months from the fall to the spring
equinox. It is like swimming with the tide.
For that reason I am devoting this letter to call your attention tot he
annually recurring phenomenon. Whether you are conscious of it or not, the
powerful spiritual vibrations of life-giving Christ wave are in the earth's
atmosphere during the winter months, and may be used by you to a much
greater advantage if you know it and double your efforts than if you are
unaware of the fact.
Let us therefore each take stock of the particular sins which most easily
beset us, for now is beginning the most favorable time of the year for their
eradication. Let us also take stock of the virtues we lack and feel most
need of cultivating, for this is the time to do the work most efficiently.
By careful, systematic work in the holy winter months we may make great
strides in our efforts to realize our spiritual aspirations.
Having made up our minds as to the personal work, let us look about us to
see who in our circle of acquaintances seem to be seeking for spiritual
enlightenment, and who would be likely to lend an ear to our teachings. This
requires discrimination, for we have no right to force our ideas upon
unwilling ears any more than we would be justified in beating a drum in
their rooms for an hour or two each day. If we find that they do not take
kindly to what we have to say, it is better to leave them; but there are
many who may be awakened in winter under the spiritual Christ vibration who
could not be reached in summer. I therefore trust that we may use all the
coming months in a way which shall profit us greatly from the spiritual
standpoint.
Letter No. 72
November, 1916
The Reason for the Trials
that Beset the
Esoteric Student
From time to time we receive letters from students complaining that since
they have taken up the higher teachings, and are trying to live in
conformity with them, everything seems to go wrong with their affairs. Some
feel a determined opposition in their homes, others suffer in business, and
some are even affected in health. Some, according to temperament, are ready
to give up, and others grit their teeth in persistence in well-doing"
despite the trials. But all are unanimous in asking why this marked change in
their affairs. Each receives the best help we can given to solve his
individual problems, but as we feel that there are many among the students
who have been similarly tried, it seems appropriate to state the reason
for this condition.
In the first place, the aspiring soul should realize that the adverse
conditions happen for good according to a firmly established law of nature
whereby God aims to aid him in the quest. Trials are a sign of progress and a
cause for great rejoicing. This is how the law acts: During all our past
lives we have made ties and have incurred debts under the Law of Causation.
These debts continue to increase so long as we live the usual selfish,
haphazard lives, and we may liken each debt to a drop of vinegar. When
the turning point comes and we cease to make vinegar, the law of justice
requires that we take our medicine. But we are allowed to determine whether
we will take it in large doses and have it over quickly or whether we prefer
to take it in very small sips and string it out over a number of lives.
This choice is not made by words but by acts. If we take up the work of
self-improvement with enthusiasm, if we cut our vices out by the roots and
live the life we profess, the Great Beings whom we know as the Recording
Angels give us a stronger dose of vinegar than they would if we merely talked
about the beauties of the higher life. They do that to help us toward the
day of liberation from our self-made bonds and not to harm or hinder us.
In view of these facts we can understand the Christ's exhortation to
rejoice when men revile us and accuse us falsely for His sake. Boys pass a
barren tree with indifference, but as soon as the tree bears fruit, they are
ready to throw stones and rob it. So it is with men also: while we walk
with the crowd and do as they do, we are unmolested, but the moment we do
what they know in their hearts to be right, we become a living reproach to
them even if we never utter a word of censure, and in order to justify
themselves in their own eyes they begin to find fault with us. In this
respect those who are most closely associated with us in the home or in
business are more prominent than strangers who have no connection with us.
But whatever the form or the source of such trouble it is a cause for
congratulation, for it shows that we are doing something effectively
progressive,; so let us keep on undismayed and with unflagging zeal.
Letter No. 73
December, 1916
Spiritual Stock-Taking
During the Holy Season
Christ likened the aspiring souls of His time to stewards who had
received a certain number of talents from their lord and were supposed to go
into trade with them that they might increase the capital entrusted to their
care. We understand from this parable that all who aspire to serve Him are
required likewise to use their God-given talents in such a manner that they
show a gain in soul growth when in due season they are called upon to give
an account of their stewardship.
This accounting, so far as the majority of mankind is concerned, is put
off till the Reaper has closed the ledger of life and they find themselves
in Purgatory to receive the result of the things done in the body, whether
they be good or ill.
But what would we think of a business man who pursued such a reckless
method of conducting his affairs? Would we not feel that he was steering
straight for the rock of bankruptcy if he did not balance accounts and take
stock of his assets and liabilities every year? Surely we would feel that
he deserved to fail because of his neglect to follow ordinary business
methods.
If we realize the value of system and the benefit of constantly knowing
clearly how we stand with respect to our material affairs, we ought also to
pursue the same safe methods regarding our spiritual affairs. Nay, we
should be much more circumspect in the conduct of the heavenly matters than
in worldly matters, for our material prosperity is but a watch in the night
compared to the eternal welfare of the spirit.
We are nearing the winter solstice, which is the beginning of a new year
from the spiritual point of view, and we are looking forward to the new
outpouring of love from our Father in Heaven through the Christ Child.
This, therefore, is a good time to take stock and ask ourselves how we have
spent the love offerings of last year, how we have exerted ourselves to
gather treasure in heaven. And we shall experience great profit if we
approach this stock-taking in the proper spirit and at the most auspicious
time, for there is a time to sow and a time to reap, and for everything
under the sun there is a time when it may be done with greater chance of
success than at any other season.
The stars are the heavenly time markers. From them come the forces which
influence us through life. On Holy Night, between the 24th and 25th of
December, at midnight, in the place where you live, you will find that
retrospection and the resolutions engendered by it for the new year will be
most effective.
At Mt. Ecclesia and the various Study Centers a Midnight Service is held
on Holy Night, and students attending such services are thereby debarred
from the midnight self-communion. Others may be unable to hold it at that
time for other reasons. For these any of the late evening or early morning
hours will serve nearly as well. But let us all unite on that night in a
concerted spiritual effort of aspiration; and let each student not only pray
for his individual soul growth in the coming year, but let all unite in a
prayer for the collective growth of our movement. The workers at
Headquarters also request your helpful thoughts.
If we all put our shoulders to the wheel at this time, we may be sure of
an unusually individual and collective blessing and a spiritually prosperous
year.
Letter No. 74
January, 1917
All Esoteric Development
Begins With the Vital Body
Recently a friend who has been taking the correspondence course a number
of months wrote to get a matter cleared up which is bothering him; and as it
may be that others are feeling somewhat similar to him but have not reached
the point of expression, we thought best to use this letter as an answer.
It has sufficient general interest to be of value even to those who have not
looked at the matter in the light seen by our friend. He does not want to
complain, but he asked for the correspondence course in the hope of getting
something to further esoteric development. Instead he receives each month a
nice little sermon, which he admits is good for both beginners and advanced
students, but where is the schooling? Other authors give certain exercises
which help their followers; will we please give him one that will develop
the faculty of writing?
No, we cannot do that. The Rosicrucian teachings are designed to further
spiritual progress rather than material prosperity, and we know of no esoteric
exercise which will bring wealth, either directly or by abnormally fostering a
latent talent. If we did, we would not teach it, for such use of esoteric
power is black magic. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you," said Christ,
and we shall make no mistake by following His advice. If our friend or
any one else wants to develop a latent faculty for the good alone he may do
with it, that spiritual aspiration will, if persistently adhered to and
backed by physical effort (works), eventually bring the desired end without
the need of a special esoteric exercise.
And about the lessons being "nice little sermons." Yes, so they are when
read superficially. But if they are studied deeply, there is a great deal
of esoteric knowledge found of much more benefit to the student than an
exercise such as the one our friend wants. There is, however, "method in
our madness" in giving it out just that way. Perhaps this may not have been
apparent to students, and we will therefore try to make it clear. Kindly bear
in mind, however, that the following is a comparison made for a legitimate
purpose; it is not a criticism.
Apart from the fact that the Eastern School of Esotericism bases its
teachings on Hinduism, while the Western Wisdom School espouses Christianity,
the religion of the West, there is one great fundamental, irreconcilable discrepancy between the teachings of the modern representatives of the East
and those of Rosicrucians. According to this version of Eastern Esotericism
the vital body—which is called "linya sharira"—is comparatively
unimportant, for it is incapable of development as a vehicle of consciousness.
It serves only as an avenue for the solar force "prana," and as "a link"
between the physical body and the desire body, which is called "kama rupa,"
also the "astral body." this, they say, is the vehicle of the Invisible
Helper.
The Western Wisdom School teaches us as its fundamental maxim that "all esoteric development begins with the Vital Body," and the writer, as its public
representative, has therefore been busy since the inception of our movement
trying to gather and disseminate knowledge concerning the four ethers and the
vital body. Much information was given in the "Cosmo" and succeeding book,
but the monthly lessons and letters give the result of our researches up to
date. We are constantly parading this vital body (vital in a double sense)
before the minds of the students so that by knowing and thinking about it as
well as by reading and heeding the "nice little sermons" which we use to
wrap this information in, they may consciously, and unconsciously, weave
the "Golden Wedding Garment." We would advise all to study these lessons
carefully year after year; there may be much dross, but there is gold among
them.
You have our sincere wishes for abundant spiritual growth during the New
Year.
A question was asked recently as follows: "You speak so much about
service; just what does that mean? There are in our Fellowship a number
of people who say that they love to serve, but they do not do anything but
what they like to do. Is that service?"
It seems that this question offers food for profitable thought and that
an analysis of the subject may benefit us all, so we decided to devote the
monthly letter to this purpose.
It is evident that they majority of people in the world will not serve
unless there is "something in it" for them. They are looking for a material
reward, and that is the wise way of the unseen powers to spur them to
action, for thus they are unconsciously evolving toward the stage in soul
growth where they will serve for the love of serving. But they cannot be
expected to change over night; there are no sudden transformations in
nature. When the eggshell bursts and a chicken walks out, of when the cocoon
breaks and a butterfly wings it was among the flowers, we know that the
magic was not wrought in a moment. There was an inner process of
preparation prior to the outward change. A similar process of inner
growth is required to change the servants of Mammon to servants of Love.
If we want to make a building larger, all we have to do is to bring our
brick and other building material to the place, start a force of workmen,
and presto! the building begins to grow apace to any dimensions we desire
and at any speed we wish, depending only upon our ability to furnish labor
and material. But if we want to increase the size of a tree or an animal,
we cannot accomplish our object by nailing wood to the tree trunk or lading
flesh and skin upon the back of the animal. The building grows by external
accretions, but in all living things physical growth is from within and cannot
be hurried to any appreciable extent without danger of complication. It is
the same with spiritual growth; it proceeds from within and must have time.
We cannot expect that people who have just begun to feel the inner urge
impelling them into an altruistic association, to renounce in the twinkling
of an eye all selfishness and other vices and blossom out into the stature
of Christ. At best we are only just a little better than we were save for
the fact that we are striving and endeavoring to follow "in His steps." But
that makes all the difference, for we are trying to serve as He served.
If that is the motive, it in nowise detracts from the service of a
musician who inspires us with devotion at our services that he loves his
music. Nor does it render the service any less because the speaker who
fires us with zeal in the Master's work loves to clothe his ideas in
beautiful words. Nor does it make the hall less attractive because the
member who swept, dusted, and decorated it loves to make his exterior
surroundings beautiful. Each can, in fact, serve to much better advantage
if the line of service lies along the path of his natural inclinations and
abilities, and we ought to encourage one another to look for opportunities in
the line where each is best fitted to serve.
There is no special merit in seeking out service in a capacity that is
disagreeable to us. It would be a mistake if the musician said to the
caretaker: "I dislike to scrub floors and decorate rooms, and I know
you tremble at the thought of playing, also that you are out of practice,
but let us change places for the sake of service." On the other hand, if no
one were there to play, it would be the decorator's duty to put diffidence
aside and serve as well as possible. If the floor needed scrubbing and the
chairs dusting, the speaker and musician should be willing to do that work
also regardless of personal dislike. Nothing is menial. The same principle
will apply in the home, shop, or office. Service may be defined as the best use of our talents—the putting of our talents to the best use in each case of immediate need regardless of like or dislike.
If we strive to do this, our progress and soul growth will increase
correspondingly.
We have been asked to give a lesson on "lost souls" and stragglers. Our
correspondent wants to know the Rosicrucian teachings concerning them. As
this very question was dealt with earlier in this book, in the letter for
April, 1912 (No. 17), we cannot do better than refer our correspondent to
it. We trust that it will explain the matter to him. We should be glad if
other students who have questions of general interest would submit them for
elucidation in these letters, for although there is a question of department
in the "Rays," not all our students are subscribers. Also the problems
presented can perhaps be given a little more intimate treatment here than
is possible in a magazine that must go before a public which is not as
well versed in the philosophy as our students.
Reference: Max Heindel's Letters To Students
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