The Work Of
Invisible Helpers
by Amber M. Tuttle
(Part 1)
Table of Contents
The purpose of this book is to give out esoteric
information to truth seekers who are looking for something to help them in
their daily life here and now, and also to point out a way that will advance
them physically, mentally, and morally. I wish to suggest a religious study
that will afford lasting happiness to those who take it up.
For the past
ten years I have been gathering material for lectures on philosophy. I have
compiled much of this subject matter into an esoteric book which illustrates the
part the Invisible Helpers are taking in the world. The work of these Helpers
is not new for it has been going on since the creation of our Solar System
aeons ago. God created us, and the planet Earth upon which we live, and He and
other High Beings have been assisting us at all times on our evolutionary
journey. We are indebted to many Beings for the immense amount of care,
protection, and guidance that we have received on every step of the way. The
Bible gives a good idea of the help given humanity during a portion of time in
our past history.
Today there
appears to be a need for further information concerning Invisible Helpers and
their work with people everywhere. Many more Helpers are needed to combat the
evil forces operating in the world today. There are many seeking souls who are
anxious to understand the underlying reasons for conditions as we find them
today and who would like to add their services to aid their needy and troubled
fellow beings on earth.
I have tried
truthfully to explain many of the Esoteric and Mystic teachings and have related
a great many stories of actual work done by a group of Helpers who are students
of an entrance school of one of the Lesser Mystery Schools. All of the Mystery
Schools are under the direct leadership of Jesus. Jesus and a band of Invisible
Helpers composed of the disciples of Christ are working with the various
churches.
I am only a
very humble student who has been fortunate enough to receive a great deal of
inspiration and help from friends who have contributed most of the material
found in this book, which is a collection of stories of work done by Helpers in
recent times.
I wish to
express my thanks for the help received from these various friends who have
contributed stories and information for this book. I have been greatly helped
by the Rosicrucian Fellowship and by the writings of Mr. Max Heindel. I wish to
thank Mrs. Max Heindel for permission to use quotations from Mr. Heindel's
works. I wish also to thank everyone who has in any way contributed help in the
writing and printing of this book.
I trust that
my readers will find the material contained below interesting
and educational. I know the stories related are true and I trust that no errors
have crept into these chapters. I have taken great care to be as truthful as
possible in what I have said. I have used these stories to illustrate laws and
truths that have been more completely explained in the writings of Lay Brothers
and Lay Sisters in various great books. I have tried to use stories that will
interest and entertain as well as instruct. These stories may be termed true
modern fairy tales.
Do not
hastily brand these stories untrue, for any truth lover may investigate these
same teachings and by honest and sincere effort over a space of years find out
for himself that there are Invisible Helpers and that they do this kind of work
for humanity.
The way is
open to all and the opportunities for service are many. Are you willing to be
one of Christ Jesus' laborers in the world of today and tomorrow?
This reminds
us of the following verses in the New Testament:
"Then
saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers
are few;
"Pray
ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his
harvest."
— St. Matthew 9:37-38.
I have been
told many times that we cannot get something for nothing. If we desire wisdom
we must seek for it, work for it, and pray for it. We must patiently strive for
the wisdom that we desire and then we must pass it out to others who are also
seeking wisdom.
— Amber M. Tuttle
Near the end of His ministry, Christ Jesus told his
disciples that He would soon leave them, but that He would prepare a place for
them in His Father's house, and that He would come again and receive them.
"Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can
we know the way?
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me."
— St. John 14:5-6.
Christ Jesus
meant that we must accept Him and follow in His footsteps in order to reach the
World of God where God, the Architect of our Solar System, dwells. The first
thing we must do is to accept Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Then we must
prepare ourselves so that we can consciously get in touch with the High Beings in
the Higher Worlds. These High Beings are able to take us to God when we have
made the necessary preparation. The purpose of this book is to help you on your
evolutionary journey.
Let us first
consider the immediate future and take one step at a time. By living a good,
life, here and now, and avoiding the various pitfalls of our earth, we can
prepare ourselves for Heaven and avoid spending time in Purgatory.
Then when we
are reborn we will be in better circumstances and can continue on the upward path
and make more rapid progress, and fit ourselves to serve God better wherever we
are. We can not go forward alone. We have to have help from those farther along
the path and we must also help others along the way and aid them in their
advancement. Life is a journey from the cradle to the grave and beyond, and
back to the cradle; and on from life to life. Each life is like a day in
school. We learn a few of life's lessons each time we come back to earth, and
in time we must learn them all, and then we shall be prepared to meet God.
When we look
at our Bible, we find that is a history of groups of people, who have lived
upon the Earth since the beginning of the present Earth Period. The first nine
chapters of Genesis tell us of life on the Earth before and just after the
flood which took place at the time the continent of Atlantis sank. At a later
time Noah died and his descendants settled in various parts of the Earth.
All through
the Old Testament we are shown how the nations rose and fell according to how
they lived. When they obeyed God and were good they prospered and God helped
them in many ways. When they refused to obey God and became cruel and wicked
they were punished, and their lives were cut short, or they were taken away as
captives by their enemies. We are told how the wicked died who were not
prepared to meet God, and what happened to those people who were prepared to
meet God. In some cases we are told what their after-death conditions were.
Students of
the Occult and Mystic teachings are told that Purgatory is a very real place
and that all will be judged after death. When the time of death comes and our
spirits leave our bodies, each of us will be carried to the Borderland by some
Invisible Helper. The person in charge of the Borderland will either tell the
Helper to take us down to the lower Desire World to be purged of our evil
desires and punished for our wrong actions, or tell the Helper to take us to
Heaven where we can enjoy the reward for the good deeds that we have done on earth.
It will be
easy for anyone present to see whether we have lived good lives or evil ones,
for our desire bodies will reveal that. Each one of us should endeavor to build
a beautiful desire body without any spots or blemishes. A desire body composed
of delicate shades of gold, blue, pink, light green, lavender, and dazzling
white indicate an advanced ego who has lived a useful, good life as a helper of
humanity.
We should
make preparations to meet death while we are in good health. If we wait until
some illness overtakes us it may be too late for us to make the necessary
preparations. Death may come suddenly. In our day thousands of people meet
death every year from automobile and other accidents. In such cases there is
not time to prepare for death. We go as we are, whether we are ready or not.
Some years
ago many employees of an electric company planned an all-day outing. They went
aboard the "Eastland" with their lunches, expecting to have a picnic
trip across Lake Michigan. They never even got out of the harbor. The ship
listed and sank in the muddy river, carrying many people to their deaths. They
had no time to prepare for death. Death came suddenly and their lives were
snuffed out like so many candles. Of course, the egos of the people were not
dead, but they passed into the great beyond prepared or unprepared for that
great change.
Let us
consider what difference it will make if we are not prepared for death. St.
Luke tells us that Christ Jesus told his disciples about a rich man who was
ready to live but not ready to die.
"And
he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
"And
he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought
forth plentifully:
"And
he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room
where to bestow my fruits?
"And
he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and
there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
"And
I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take
thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
"But
God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee:
then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
"So
is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God?"
— St. Luke
12:15-21.
The painter
Tissot has illustrated this story very well. He painted a miser with a sack of
money and a shining Angel, or an Invisible Helper, near him. The Invisible
Helper had come to take the miser's spirit to the Desire World. Such a man may
be prepared to live on earth but he is not prepared to die, for his treasures
are on earth and not in Heaven. Such a man will suffer in the Desire World
because his thoughts have been centered on material things all his life. A
materially minded man is likely to have little treasure laid up in Heaven. So
when he finally gets to the First Heaven he has little to enjoy and his stay
there is very short.
Consider the
story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man was not prepared to meet God
but Lazarus was. This shows that it pays to live a good life and be prepared to
go to Heaven, instead of to Purgatory. The story is as follows:
"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen,
and fared sumptuously every day:
"And
there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of
sores,
"And
desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
"And
it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
"And
in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and se'eth Abraham, afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom."
This means
that the rich man was in Purgatory, suffering because of his evil deeds and
desires, while Lazarus was in Heaven enjoying all the good he had done during
his lifetime, and feeling the appreciation that others had felt for his many
kind deeds.
"And he
cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may
dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in
this flame.
"But
Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art
tormented.
"And
besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they
which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence.
"Then
he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my
father's house:
"For,
I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into
this place of torment,
"Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear
them.
"And
he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead they will
repent.
"And
he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they he
persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
— St. Luke 16:19-31.
Invisible
Helpers find that this is true, for they sometimes meet people in Purgatory who
ask them to go to their families and tell them to live good lives and do the
best they can, so they will not have to suffer after they pass on in death. I
have heard of two cases of this kind. In both cases, the Helper said that it
would do no good, because the relatives would not believe it anyway.
One night two
Helpers met a student of an Occult school whom they had known some years
previously. She had died a short time before they met her and she was in
Purgatory. She called them as they passed through on an errand.
"I am
sorry that I did not live a better life," she said. "I went to Center
meetings but I did not really believe that the teachings were true and I didn't
try to do any better. Please help me to get away from here."
"You
must pray to God," said the Helper, "and promise Him that you will do
better and live a good life if you are given another chance."
"I will
do that," the lady said. "Please go and tell my daughters that the
teachings are true and to be good. I don't want them to suffer as I am doing
now."
The Helpers
could not go to the daughters because they had known them also. If they could
have gone to them, the daughters would not have believed them.
Some people
are ready when death comes to them. One September night a lady Helper was sent
to do what she could for a more advanced lady Helper who had been killed in a
distant land. This Helper hurried to try and comfort this poor lady who was
terrified. She had been shot and killed by some soldiers, who had stacked her
body with several others which they were going to burn, as they did not have
time to bury them.
The lady
Helper took the ego of the Lay Sister home with her and coaxed her into her bed
with her. She told her how sorry she was that she had been killed. The Lay
Sister knew all about after-death conditions. She hugged the Helper to show her
appreciation for her kindness and sympathy. She told her new friend that her
body was to be burned with gasoline. When this happened she suffered much pain
because her body was still connected to her higher vehicles by her silver cord.
The suffering
Lay Sister wondered why she had to be killed and her body burned. Another Lay
Sister showed this Lay Sister and her new friend, by means of the Jupiterian
Consciousness, that it was her fate to die that way. They saw that she had
caused several people to be killed and burned at once, five lives before this
one, when she was in another body long ago. She suffered much after that.
Finally she
took the path of discipleship and in a later life she became a Lay Sister. In
this last life she had been doing well in the work assigned to her. She had
been born in one country, and had later gone to a neighboring country to live.
The Helper
kept the Lay Sister with her until her silver cord was broken by the fire, and
then she carried her to the Borderland. There the lady in charge told this Lay
Sister that she could be taken to the First Heaven at once, or she could
continue her work as a Helper for twenty-four hours a day, and she was allowed
to continue her work of helping others.
This Lay
Sister had no Purgatorial experience to go through and was willing to forego
her rest in Heaven. She had cleansed the seed-atom in her heart and so she was
really prepared for death. She has paid a Karmic debt that she had made five
lives before, and now she is free to work continually for humanity until it is
almost time for her to be reborn again.
Not long
after this, this same lady Helper and her partner met the pretty Lay Sister
somewhere, while out working as Helpers, and she asked the lady Helper to be
her earth-friend and do things for her earth-friends to whom she would not be
allowed to appear.
"I have
many friends in my native land," she said, "whom I should like to
help, but I shall not be allowed to materialize in their presence because it
would be against the spiritual law and would frighten them."
The Helper
said that she would be glad to help her all she could when it was possible.
We cannot
really meet God, the Architect of our Solar System, until are ready for our
thirteenth initiation. It takes at least three lives of real sacrifice and
effort to achieve this goal. Many are on the Path, and many have reached this
exalted place and have become pillars in the house of God, hut most of us are
stragglers.
It is
possible for everyone to make a start on the Path to spiritual progress. We are
all gods in the making although most of us do not look like it. Still we are
all children of God, and part of God, for at the beginning of our period of
manifestation God differentiated within Himself all the virgin spirits of our
life-wave as sparks from a flame. We are here on earth for experience, and we
are expected to profit by this experience, and improve with each earth life
until we can learn all of life's lessons, and become teachers of less evolved
beings who also must be helped along their way.
One of the
products of evolution is the development of the soul body, the mental body, and
the life-spirit body. An undeveloped man has only a line for a soul body and
his desire body is made up mostly of dark brown, dark green, muddy red, and
gray desire stuff. A developed man has a gorgeous soul body and a beautiful
desire body composed of gold, white, and delicate colors of great beauty. A
person with spiritual sight has only to look at a person to know approximately
the state of his spiritual development. When we come to die and are taken to
the Borderland, our desire and soul bodies are like tickets which admit us
either to Heaven or to Purgatory.
In order to
prepare for advancement we, should begin at once to purify our minds and
bodies. This is a long story, but here are some of the essentials: We must weed
out our thoughts of hate, jealousy, prejudice, and fear. We should gradually
cease eating meat and fish. We should abstain from such bad habits as smoking,
drinking alcoholic drinks, and other injurious practices. Before a person can
serve as an Invisible Helper at night, he must be a visible helper in the
daytime.
We must
choose whom we wish to serve just as the prophets of old did. Joshua was one of
the best Invisible Helpers described in the Old Testament. The story of, his life
is an inspiration to all those who wish to find the way that leads to spiritual
attainment. Just before the aged Joshua died he, called all the people of
Israel together and reviewed their history up to that period. He told them all
that God had done for them, and how He had led Abraham throughout all the land
of Canaan, and had helped Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. Joshua told the people how
God had sent Moses and Aaron to take them out of Egypt, and how God had given
them a fruitful land in which to dwell. Then Joshua said, "Now therefore,
fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods
which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and
serve ye the Lord.
"And
if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will
serve," and then Joshua said, "But as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord."
— Joshua 24:14-15.
The Bible
tells us that the people promised to serve and obey God, and that Joshua made a
covenant with the people that day, and that Joshua wrote these words on a stone
and placed it near the sanctuary of the Lord, to remind them of their promise
to serve God. Joshua was one of the best servants to humanity of which we have
any record. He was the successor of Moses and it was his great privilege to
take the Israelites over the Jordan River into the Promised Land. Joshua was
both a general and a priest to those ancient people.
It was Joshua
who was supposed to have ordered the Sun to stand still while the battle raged
between the children of Israel and the five kings and their great armies. What
really happened was that Joshua prayed for help and a Liberated One came to aid
him. This Great Being spread out his great golden aura and it outshone the Sun
and the people did not miss the physical Sun when it went down. When the battle
was over the Liberated One drew in his golden aura and went away and it was
dark.
It was Joshua
who divided the Promised Land between the twelve tribes. For many years Joshua
told the people to love and obey God. While he was with them they got along
very well, but Joshua knew that they would slip back and worship idols again.
Still, he did all he could to impress them with the idea that if they chose to
serve God they must be sincere and truthful in what they did.
When Joshua
spoke of the other side of the flood he meant the time of Atlantis. These same
people had lived in Atlantis in previous lives, and some of them, like Moses
and Joshua, bad served God faithfully at that time and had become Initiates who
led the people in the right way. Others had taken part in black magic and had
been very evil. Some of these people had created sin bodies which caused them
to do evil life after life. Others continued to worship idols from life to
life.
Joshua told
the people to choose right then and there whom they would serve. He wanted
those who chose to serve the Lord to band themselves together so that they
could form a strong nation and thus be able to defend themselves against the neighboring
tribes who worshiped idols. Joshua knew that in unity there is strength.
Joshua set a good example and the people had great confidence in him and were
ready to follow him in promising to serve God, but they were not always good in
keeping their promises.
In Moses'
time the people had seen the great aura of Jehovah God and they had seen other
High Beings in their higher vehicles. They had also seen the miracles that
Moses and Aaron did and so they believed, because they had had visible proof that
God is a living Being with messengers who are able to carry out His commands.
The people who were reborn later were not given so much proof and they were
very headstrong and self-willed.
Joshua and
Moses knew of the law of Karma. They knew that we must reap as we sow. Moses
had obtained the ten commandments from God and had fully explained their
meaning to the people. Many other great laws were given to help them, but the
Israelites did not live up to these laws then, and we do not live up to them today.
Jehovah God
saw and heard was going and at the time that Joshua and the people promised to
worship and obey Him and He was pleased that they had promised to be obedient.
We may be sure that God rejoiced over Joshua's well-lived life of service. The
work of lnvisible Helpers has been going on continuously for untold ages. They
are members of many life waves and are of different degrees of attainment.
In the Bible
we read that there were various groups of idol worshiping people who lived
near the Israelites. This made it more difficult for these people to be true to
God, for they intermarried with these unbelieving groups. There was much
warfare between the people of the Earth then, just as now. God raised up
Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Samson, and other judges to help the people to
progress. When the people were obedient to God they prospered but when they
were disobedient they came to grief.
It seems as
if each generation of people had to choose whom they would serve. When these
people had wise leaders like Samuel, David, and Solomon, they chose to serve
God; but when the leaders died and their influence faded away they chose to
serve idols, although they still had the ten commandments to guide them. The
Bible is full of stories about people who chose to serve God, and of others who
chose to serve mammon, or the forces of evil in the world.
Enoch was one
of the outstanding characters and he was also an Invisible Helper. Enoch lived
in Atlantean times and had an interesting life. He tried to help everyone he
could. In the Apocryphal book of Enoch, we are told in verse that Enoch even
interceded for Lucifer and the fallen Angels, but he was told that they must
receive the punishment to be meted out to them.
Lucifer was
once a mighty Angel in Heaven, but he caused trouble and was put out by Michael
and the Archangels. For a Iong period these Lucifer Angels have stirred up men
and caused much trouble and sorrow. The writer was told in 1931 that Lucifer
has abandoned his evil course and has turned about and is now trying to regain
his lost place by doing good in the world instead of evil. Lucifer has
generated much bad Karma, but if he persists in good endeavor he can finally
redeem himself. Diabolus, the next in line, is now the leader of the Rebel
Angels. Let us hope that he too will soon choose to serve the Lord and turn
from his evil ways.
Enoch was
reborn as Noah and he made his choice. He chose to serve the Lord and obey his
commandments. Noah built the ark and saved a nucleus of all the animals and his
family from destruction when the flood came. At this time a large part of the
ancient continent of Atlantis went down. Noah returned to rebirth as Abraham
and he made the same wise choice. He chose to serve the Lord and did as well as
he could throughout his long life. At a later time this same ego was reborn as
Solomon and he chose to worship God. He did backslide for awhile but he
returned to the straight and narrow path and was a very wise king who did much
to help his people. Then the ego known as Solomon was finally reborn as Jesus
and we know that he performed a very remarkable service for mankind.
Jesus gave up
his physical body to the great Sun Spirit Christ for three years, which ended
in the crucifixion. By this means Christ was able to come to Earth and
establish the Christian Religion among a few faithful egos who had been the
friends and companions of Jesus before the present continent took the shape
with which we are familiar today. In Atlantean times the most advanced human
beings became the vanguard of the human life wave. Through the sacrifice of
Jesus, Christ was able to become the Indwelling Spirit of the Earth. Christ
came to redeem the stragglers of the Earth who were falling behind in
evolution.
Moses was
reborn as Elijah and was taken to Mount Nebo to die. After he left his body it
soon disintegrated because of the high vibrations. That is why the people could
never find his dead body. Elijah returned as John the Baptist. I have been told
that John the Baptist was St. Jerome in a later life.
Daniel was a
great ego who chose to serve the Lord. He started to make rapid advancement in
Atlantean times and won his thirteenth and last initiation as Daniel, the
friend of three Babylonian kings. He did not have an easy road to travel. You
remember that Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he openly worshipped
God at a time when it was exceedingly dangerous to do so. God saved him from
danger by sending an Invisible Helper to help him. This Helper commanded the Group
Spirit of the lions to make them gentle and harmless toward Daniel. The lions
obeyed the Group Spirit and Daniel was not harmed. The men who plotted to have
Daniel killed did not deserve this help and the hungry lions soon dealt with
them.
Then there is
the story of Daniel's friends, Shadrack, Mishack, and Abednego, the three
Hebrew children who were faithful and chose to worship and obey God. Their
faith was really tested. They were thrown into a fiery furnace and were saved
by a High Being who told the Salamanders to be quiet. This High Being had such
a bright aura that the king took him for an Angel. This Helper came in his soul
body and then he materialized his dense body in the furnace where the king saw
him. A Liberated One's aura can extend for hundreds of miles, but in this case
it extended only the width of the furnace.
Another
Helper was Job, who had a very hard time. Poor Job was terribly tried by his
dweller, who gained permission from the Lords of Destiny to plague him. This
untransmuted dweller, or Satan, asked God, or the Lords of Destiny, let him
give Job his final test. God knew that Job would not sin any more and that in
time he would go to liberation.
"Yes,
but spare his life," said the Lords of Destiny.
His dweller
drew all the people in that region whom Job had known in past lives to him and
took his family away from him. Then he brought him low with a chronic disease.
He influenced Job's friends to chide him about his God, and influenced his
family to try to make him sin and curse God and lose the spiritual gifts that
he had earned. These gifts had been temporarily shut off so Job would have to
rely on his knowledge only.
After the
time was up, the Lords of Destiny went to Job and questioned him. After he had
passed that test Job was carried to adeptship and went to liberation in the
following life. Job was known as Joseph of Arimathea in his next life as a man,
and in a later life he was known as Sir Galahad and lived in England.
There have
been many egos who chose to do wrong rather than right. Notorious among these
is Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ into the hands of his
enemies for thirty pieces of silver. Judas allowed himself to become obsessed
by an evil entity. When the terrible deed was done, the obsessing entity left
him, and Judas was full of remorse. He returned to the temple, cast down the
pieces of silver, departed and hung himself. The priests did not dare to put
the money into the treasury, so they bought a potter's field in which to bury
strangers. Judas chose to do wrong and his downfall was sudden and awful.
There were
others, like Paul, who started persecuting the followers of Christ Jesus but
turned away from their evil ways when they saw where they were going. Paul had
been stricken blind on his way to Damascus soon after he met Jesus. He was led
to the city and often prayed to God to restore his sight. Three days later
Ananias was sent to help him and his sight was restored. Paul then chose to
follow the Christ and from then on he was a really good servant. He devoted the
rest of his life to preaching the gospel and healing the sick.
Many egos
have chosen to serve God life after life. One of these egos was David, the son
of Jesse. David was a mighty warrior, a sweet singer, a good musician, a
writer, and a poet. David was later reborn as Jonah and saved the city of
Ninevah from destruction by his sincerity and eloquence. This same ego was
afterwards reborn as Simon Peter and became the fisherman of Galilee. Then he
became one of Christ's twelve disciples. Peter was a devout man who went about
preaching the gospel and healing the sick until he met death at the hands of
the enemies of Christianity.
Hundreds of
years later this same ego took the body of a young Italian who died in Assisi.
This great ego had been reborn before that time and when his body had become
too worn-out to be serviceable he was tied into another body by the Elder
Brothers. He then took the name of Francis. For many years Francis of Assisi worked
among the poor lepers of this region and he lived very simply and humbly. He
founded many monasteries and was greatly loved and reverenced by the people.
During that life Francis was given his thirteenth initiation. I have been told
that this ego is in the higher worlds and is still working to help humanity as
of old.
When this
ego was Jonah he had a most unusual experience, for he was saved from death by
a whale. Let us see how this happened. In the Book of Jonah we read these
words:
"Now
the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying:
"Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it; for their
wickedness is come up before me.
"But
Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went to Joppa;
and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid his fare thereof, and went
down into it, to go With them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
"But
the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in
the sea, so that, the ship was like to be broken."
— Jonah
1:1-4.
Jehovah God
only had to send word to someone to start the Undines in the water and the
Sylphs in the air into greater activity, and there was a terrible storm. A high
Lay Brother then told Jonah that he was to go to Ninevah; but Jonah was afraid
and ran away instead. The storm was so great that the sailors were terrified
and every man prayed to his God to save them. They threw the cargo into the sea
to lighten the ship. The shipmaster found Jonah asleep in the lower part of the
ship and ordered him to pray to God for their safety. The sailors cast lots to
see who was to blame for their great trouble and the lot fell on Jonah.
The sailors
asked Jonah what he had done to bring this evil upon them. Jonah said that he
was a Hebrew and that he feared God and had fled from His presence. The men
asked Jonah what they should do to him so that the sea would become calm for
them. Jonah told them to cast him into the sea as he was the troublemaker. Before
doing this the men rowed hard to bring the ship to land, but they could not
because of the tempest that was raging fiercely.
Then the
sailors prayed again to God and asked that they might not perish because of
Jonah. They asked God not to blame them for what they were going to do to
Jonah. They then took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea and the sea
became calm.
"Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto
the Lord, and made vows."
— Jonah 1:16.
The Bible as
we now have it translated says the following:
"Now
the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the,
belly of the whale three days and three nights." — Jonah 1:17.
This last
part is wrong and illustrates how the Bible has been translated incorrectly. A
high Lay Brother has said that much of the translation of the Bible is
incorrect and that those who seek diligently for the truth in it, will be given
its correct meaning. Here is the way Jonah was really saved from drowning by
the whale. Jonah was saved on the back of the whale and not in its stomach.
This story
has caused Bible students much worry and embarrassment and is used by
unbelievers as an argument against the whole Bible. Most people do not believe
that the whale swallowed Jonah up alive and then threw him up from his stomach
three days later. Jonah's life was saved by a whale in a very remarkable
manner, but in a way than can be readily accepted by Occult students.
After the
men on the ship found out that Jonah had disobeyed the command of the Lay
Brother who had been sent to tell him of his mission to Ninevah, to warn the
people of impending danger to them, they were influenced to throw Jonah
overboard in order that he might learn that he could not run away from the
Higher Beings who were guiding the destinies of the people on this planet. The
same Lay Brother who had allowed them to throw Jonah overboard at his request,
caused a whale to follow at the side of the ship to catch Jonah on its back.
The whale remained near the surface of the water and carried Jonah for three
days.
This was
done to give Jonah an opportunity to repent his deed and learn to obey, for he
was a very stubborn man at times, although he was a very good servant of humanity
when he was in a good humor. After Jonah had repented and had promised to obey,
he was carried to the shore and left. The waves carried him to dry land and he
went on and was safe.
While Jonah
was in the sea many large fish and other creatures came near him. But none
could touch him, for he was protected from death by Invisible Helpers who
guided him. It was Jonah's destiny to go to Ninevah and save the people and he
was cared for. He later fulfilled his mission so well that the people of that
wicked city listened to him, repented, and prayed to God for deliverance. These
people were so sincere and earnest in their prayers that all were saved from
disaster.
Now, some
people may say that they do not understand how the whale could be made to swim
to the ship and allow Jonah to stay on his back for three days; also how anyone
could keep the whale from diving down into the sea for three whole days. A
whale is an animal and must come up to breathe and so it could easily stay up
near the surface for many days. Occult students know that animals are
controlled by Group Spirits. These Group Spirits have bodies that look like
men, and heads that look like the animals that are in their charge. Many
Helpers see and converse with these Group Spirits in the course of their work
at night while out of their bodies in sleep.
A Lay
Brother who has had five or more initiations can communicate with these Group
Spirits and have their orders carried out by the animals. The Lay Brother who
had charge of Jonah had the power to command the Group Spirit of the whales to
rescue the prophet Jonah. After Jonah realized his condition he prayed to God
to save him from death and he promised to go to the people of Ninevah. Then he
was taken to land.
The world
today is much like the city of Ninevah, and we need someone like the prophet
Jonah to tell the people to turn to God for guidance. More people spend their
time in the movies, cabarets, and taverns than is generally supposed. Humanity
has become so materially minded that great numbers of people have turned away
from God and are only interested in acquiring wealth and in having a good time.
They have little interest or belief in spiritual things.
Joshua's
words "Choose you this day whom ye will serve," are just as important
to us as they were to the people of his day. We are egos of the past
reincarnated and we still have many lessons to learn. The old hates and loves
of the past are with us still and the law of Karma is at work and we are now
reaping what we have sown in the past. We are expected to live at peace with
one another and love our enemies. Most people can scarcely be true to their
friends and in many cases are false to themselves.
Many call
themselves Christians but they do not act like Christians. They still fight
their fellow-men of other nations who are their brothers, for God is the Great
Father of all of the Earth's inhabitants. They rob and steal and defraud their
neighbors that they may have wealth and influence, little thinking that the law
of Karma will even things up for them. They still devour their younger
brothers, the animals, and kill the birds and beasts just to show how good
their aim is. They clothe themselves in coats torn from the bodies of the poor
victims, the fur-bearing animals.
Christians
should put on the armor of God and go forth to help others, for that is the way
to spiritual attainment. The armor of God is the soul body which we build by
pure living and by service to human beings, animals, and plants, for they all
need help in their evolution. We know that in olden times there were many good
knights who dedicated their lives to the service of some king who tried to deal
justly with his people, who protected them from roving thieves who wandered
over all the continents, and from pirates who pursued the ships at sea.
These
knights had to serve a long apprenticeship before they were allowed to wear a
coat of armor and ride forth with the other knights. In the early days many of
these knights became Lay Brothers who rode forth during the day to help the
weak and defenseless, and at night they went out while their bodies were asleep
and worked as Invisible Helpers.
These
knights often left their homes when they were children and went to live in a
nearby castle where they had to live in almost bare rooms and had very simple
food. Some of them slept on beds of straw and had animal skins for covering.
These young men were trained as soldiers and were taught obedience courage, and
how to be helpful to others.
A good
student of the Western Wisdom Teachings, for instance, must gird on his armor
if he wishes to serve as an Invisible Helper in the service of the Elder
Brothers of the Rose Cross. Putting on the armor of God, or building the soul
body, will bring a priceless reward, for we will lay up treasures in Heaven. We
may even avoid spending any of our time after death in Purgatory.
Those who
serve as Invisible Helpers gradually remember where they go at night and what
they do, and this brings them great satisfaction and joy. The soul body is the
armor of God which all of the truly great men and women of the past have put on
and used in the service of God. This soul body cannot be purchased. It must be
built by pure living and by helpful deeds to others.
We are told
that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. This happened about
the time, that Peter was sent to preach the word of God to the gentiles at
Antioch. Just before this Peter met Cornelius and his company and talked with
them.
"Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respecter of persons:
"But
in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted
with him."
— Acts 10:34-35.
Peter
preached a wonderful sermon to these people. Later he explained all the
circumstances to the apostles and brethren in Judea who were surprised that he
had preached to and even eaten with the gentiles.
"And
some of them were men of Cypress and Cyrene, which, when they were come to
Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.
"And
the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number there believed, and
turned unto the Lord.
"Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was
in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as
Antioch.
"Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.
"For
he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith and much people was
added to the Lord.
"Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus for to seek Paul:
"And
when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a
whole year they, assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people.
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
— Acts
11:20-26.
These were
trying days for the followers of Christ, for Stephen had been stoned to death
and Herod had ordered James, the brother of John, to be killed with the sword.
Herod also had Peter put in prison but an Angel delivered him. Not long after
this Paul and Barnabas were expelled from Antioch by the Jews of the city. Many
of these Early Christians suffered martyrdom, at about this time. Our freedom
to worship God we owe to them and to those earnest believers who followed them
down through the years.
Mystic
Christianity teaches us that we are here on Earth for experience, and that we
have lived before and will live again. It teaches us why some people are
crippled, diseased, born in poor surroundings, and unhappy, while other people
have splendid physical bodies, good health, are born in good surroundings, and
are happy. It teaches us that if we strive hard in our present life we can
improve our conditions in the future.
The doctrine
of "vicarious Atonement," or that Christ died to save us, has
instilled hope into many good people who have succeeded in subduing their lower
desires and have become good servants of humanity and some have found the Path.
Let us
consider Christ's teachings on the mount and see how they will help us on the
way to attainment. First, there are the nine beatitudes. We will briefly go
over them one by one.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
Heaven."
This means
the people who realize that they have shortcomings and are humbly living the
best lives they can in an effort to overcome their faults. They do not harm
their neighbors in any way. They do not talk unkindly about anyone, but attend
to their own affairs and are honest, reliable, and trustworthy. When they die
they will eventually get to Heaven and in some life they will reach liberation.
"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."
This means
that those who have lost their loved relatives and friends will be comforted.
This may mean that when they go to sleep at night they can go to the Desire
World, meet their loved ones, and talk to them. They may remember it as a dream
which affords them comfort. Then when egos are separated by distance, or by
relatives who refuse to allow them to marry or visit each other, they are
sometimes allowed to meet out of their bodies when in sleep. They can go about
together, sometimes roaming aimlessly about, and in other cases they become
Invisible Helpers and work as partners and so are comforted.
When, at
death, egos are often reunited and then they can spend their time happily in
Heaven together. When they are reborn again they may come as twins, or as
brothers and sisters, or as friends in neighboring families.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."
This tells
us that those who have humility will be rewarded. People who work humbly among
their fellowmen and who do not lie, or steal, or covet, or bear false witness
are helped to succeed. When these people apply themselves to farming, or
business, they usually succeed in getting a living for themselves and their
families.
Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob became successful herdsmen by their patience and persistence.
Jacob worked hard and faithfully for twenty-one years for Laban, his
father-in-law. Then he was finally allowed to leave and return home, to see his
father. He worked fourteen years of this time for his two wives, Rachel and
Leah, and seven years for his cattle and goats. It is still possible for a man
to acquire a farm or a business by hard work so that he will have something to
pass on to his children. When such people are reborn they are placed in
comfortable circumstances. Thus they inherit the earth.
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they
shall be filled."
If a person
desires to be good and wants spiritual knowledge, and seeks, for it and prays
for it, he will one day find it. He may be led to someone who will teach him
privately, as was done during the dark ages when esoteric knowledge was not
given out openly. Many of the minstrels of the middle ages were Lay Brothers.
As they journeyed from place to place they are always looking for seeking souls
who were ready for the Mystic teachings. The Meistersingers of Germany were
students of esoteric Christianity. The world thought that they met only to
sing, and study music, but they also studied religion as well and fitted
themselves to be light bearers.
We need
light bearers today, and those hungering for spiritual truths may be satisfied
if they are persistent. The various churches satisfy many persons but there are
some who want more advanced knowledge of life and its mysteries. Mystic Christianity
will fully meet their needs and satisfy their longings.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
The meaning
of this is clear. Those of us who have a little knowledge of the workings of
the twin laws of Rebirth and Consequence know that we reap as we sow. If we are
merciful to other fellow human beings we shall receive mercy from God for our
shortcomings. Unless we are sure that someone has been guilty of a crime, we
must be very careful what we do. In such a case as that, individuals must not
take the law into their own hands, for they will be punished. Remember the
words from the Bible, "Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the
Lord." If a man appears to be guilty of circumstantial evidence and is
freed, be satisfied that if he needs punishment, he will get it in Purgatory.
We do not have to worry about that. We have all we can do to take care of
ourselves, keep out of trouble, and be helpful to others.
Now this
command has a further meaning. Blessed are the merciful also means that we
should be merciful to our younger brothers as well. This opens up a large field
of service to the people of the present day. This is a subject that is painful
to some people and they try to avoid hearing about it. It is expected that we will
be merciful to the animals. If we own pets we are to be kind and good to them
and help them to advance in evolution. In so doing we shall also benefit.
If we own
farm animals we must treat them kindly and not injure them, or starve them, or
cause them unnecessary, suffering. Wild animals should not be caught in cruel
steel traps that cause untold misery to the lovely fur-bearing animals. If you
wish to be merciful you will stop wearing fur coats and find substitutes. Wool
can be cut off from a sheep's back without causing any pain and the sheep can
go on living and gain experience.
Then you can
go a step further and cease to eat meat. Thus you will lessen the demand for
animal food which is no longer necessary for most of us at the present time.
The slaughter of the animals is one of the greatest crimes of our times and as
long as it continues we may expect wars and rumors of wars as long as people
continue to consume great quantities of meat.
They will be
warlike and seek to slay their brothers for some trifling cause. I believe that
this is the greatest stumbling block to spiritual progress. That is why the
centers of the occult groups are small. People do not want to deny themselves.
Some people
do become interested in esoteric Christianity for a time, but when they are
asked to give up meat they secretly rebel and off they go to pursue their own
interests. Then some students try to live a merciful life but lose interest and
return to meat eating, and thus they never get the first-hand knowledge they
need. to make them satisfied in well-doing. This is one of the most difficult
of Christ's requirements to be a Christian.
"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
This means
exactly what is said. When a person has purified himself he has built a large
and luminous soul body. In order to do that he has to be poor in spirit, meek,
and lonely. He has to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and he has to become
merciful to all. Such a person will advance rapidly along the Path toward God.
When he reaches the place where he is ready for his thirteenth and last
initiation he is taken in his soul body to God by an escort of Angels,
Archangels, and other High Beings and he meets the God of our Solar System face
to face. Such an ego becomes a Liberated One. Such advanced egos always wish to
return to Earth and work with humanity. Some are allowed to do so and others go
to Venus and Jupiter to work.
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of
God."
Being a good
peacemaker is a good sign of advancement. History tells us that George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln were often successful peacemakers. Two other
prominent peacemakers were William Penn and Benjamin Franklin.
"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall
say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
"Rejoice,
and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted
they the prophets which were before you."
— St. Matthew 5:3-12.
Christ Jesus
meant exactly what he said in these verses. All through history it has been
harder to be good than to be bad. The evil-doers resented the presence of those
egos who were superior to them. Consider Joseph, who had the coat of many
colors. He was an advanced ego who tried to be good. His brothers sold him into
slavery to get him out of the way. Joseph lived and became a man of influence
and he later helped these same brothers who had finally learned compassion
through sorrow. Other men have not fared so well. The gentle Jonathan, David's
friend, was slain and poor Job lost all his children and all his possessions
and suffered much physically, but he bore it all patiently. In the end God gave
him more than he had at the beginning.
Many of the
early Christians suffered because of their religious beliefs. Of the eleven
faithful disciples all but St. John met a violent death. While at Rome St. John
was taken into a cauldron of burning oil, but he was protected by a Helper and
came forth unhurt. St. Paul and ten of the disciples were killed in various
ways. Many of the early Christians were killed.
In this
connection I wish to tell you of something which students of Mystic
Christianity ought to know. I have been told that the apostles did not suffer
as ordinary individuals did when they were killed, because they had earned the
right to help from the Higher Ones. They were spared great suffering because
the Angel of Death was sent to cut the silver cords of the people just as they
were about to be tortured, and thus the egos were taken out of their bodies in
time to save them great suffering. Bands of Helpers and Angels carried their
egos and higher vehicles off to heaven, leaving their inanimate dense bodies to
the rage of their foes. It is a great comfort to know this.
The crusades
later on caused thousands of deaths and great misery and suffering. All this is
a sad story, but down through history the way of the true followers of Christ
has been generally hard. Those who did not give their lives, gave of their
means, and served as best they could. Often they were not appreciated on earth,
but we can be sure that they were rewarded in the end.
The
beatitudes must have been a comfort to thousands in trouble, some in foreign
lands, some imprisoned, and some enslaved. Christianity meets our modern needs
and the Bible points out the way for us. Christ Jesus said, "Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify our
father which is in heaven."
The prophet
Isaiah told of the coming of Christ Jesus many years before he was born.
"And
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow
out of his roots:
"And
the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of council and might the spirit of knowledge and of
the fear of the Lord;
"And
shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not
judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his
ears:
"But
with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek
of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
"The
wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
and the calf and the young, lion, and the fatling together; and a little child
shall lead them."
— lsaiah11:1-6.
St. Mark
tells us that Christ Jesus dearly loved children, as the following verses from
the Bible show.
"And
they, brought young children to him that he should touch them; and his
disciples rebuked those that brought them.
"But
when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
kingdom of God.
"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as
a little child, he shall not enter therein.
"And
he took them up in his arms, put his hand upon them, and blessed them."
— St. Mark 10:13- 16.
Christ Jesus
knew that some of these children were advanced egos who would some day give a
good account of themselves. He was able to plant the seed of spirituality in
them much easier than he could in grown people because they instinctively loved
and trusted Him and realized that He was a Great Being. They wanted to be with
Him. They crowded about Christ Jesus in such numbers that at times his
disciples became annoyed at the persistence of the parents who were eager to
have their children blessed and helped by the loving Christ who loved little
children and showed it so plainly. Christ knew that many advanced egos would be
reborn as children and lead their parents to God, and that others would excel
in many material lines, and lead their elders while still very young.
If a child
is taught, from infancy, to know that Christ Jesus is the pardoner of his sins,
that child will grow up, and become a student of some Occult philosophy, and
will become conscious in the inner worlds. Probably he will become, a Lay
Brother. When that ego dies he will be reborn into an advanced family with
these developed powers. He can then soon lead his parents aright. History tells
us of many remarkable children.
George Frederick
Handel, the famous composer, loved music when he was a little boy and could
play by ear. His father wanted his son to be a doctor and tried to prevent him
from playing any instrument, but the boy taught himself on, an old piano which
had been put away in the attic. When George was eight years old he played an
organ so well that his father was delighted and allowed the boy to study music.
It is said that Handel wrote over fifty operas and several oratorios. This
great musician was a Lay Brother reborn and as a child he was able to lead
others because he was an advanced child.
Ludwig
Beethoven was another gifted child. Before he was four years of age his father
had him practice several hours a day on the harpsichord. Beethoven loved the
piano the best of any instrument and was a very remarkable player. Some of his
symphonies are thought to be the best that have ever been written.
Another
gifted child was Felix Mendelssohn, the composer. An artist painted a picture
which shows Felix Mendelssohn seated at his piano composing his Moonlight
Sonata. In front of him the artist put in a Deva and a group of dainty little
Fairies who came and danced to his music. Mendelssohn could see the Fairies and
he could hear the music of the spheres. Thus he was able to compose many pieces
of harmonious music for the world to enjoy all through the centuries.
Johann
Sebastian Bach was one of the greatest musicians who ever lived, and he showed
his natural ability at an early age. He wrote many fine pieces of music and had
ten sons who were all fine musicians. Thus we see that Bach gave ten egos who
loved music, a chance to be reborn in a musical family where they could develop
their talents. We are told that many advanced egos are kept waiting in the
First Heaven a long time because they cannot find parents who can give them the
sensitive bodies that they need for their development.
When we turn
to the field of art we find that most of the great artists started life as
talented children who soon excelled their teachers in art. Buonarotti
Michelangelo was a famous Italian painter, sculptor, and architect who showed
his ability at an early age.
Gustave Doré
was a very gifted child. As a young child he drew lifelike pictures of his
family and of the people he saw in the street. When he was five years old he
illustrated his letters to his friends with pen-and-ink sketches. Gustave Doré
learned to read when he was between the ages of three and four. He is best
known for his wonderful woodcuts which he drew for illustrations for the Bible
and other well-known books. He took up painting and did wonderful work. He was
also an engraver, an etcher, and a sculptor. Gustave Doré was an advanced ego
whose mission seems to have been to try to show the beauties of the visible and
invisible worlds by means of art, and thus draw humanity closer to God and the
Higher Ones.
Gustave
Doré's drawings and paintings must have inspired thousands of people to do
better and strive harder to do worthwhile things. This artist was able to lead
others from his childhood, because he was reborn as a wise man with a vision.
Two of the
greatest children that we know of were Jesus and Samuel. Jesus had Angels for
playmates and many of the greatest painters have shown them in their lovely paintings.
St. Luke described the child Jesus thus: "And the child grew and waxed
strong in spirit, and the grace of God was upon him."
Then we are
told how Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old.
Later they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, both
hearing them, and asking them questions. St. Luke said, "And all that
heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers."
At the age
of twelve Jesus was a leader along spiritual lines. Christ Jesus became the
leader of the Christian religion which is the most advanced religion that the
world has known. It is destined to be the religion of the world.
The prophet
Isaiah told of the coming of Christ Jesus long before he was born. Isaiah told
of the conditions that will appear in the Aquarian Age when he says, "And
a little child shall lead them." I shall tell you how this will come
about. A child shall lead because he will be an advanced child with special
gifts of wisdom and understanding. He will have spiritual sight and hearing and
he will be able to talk to the Angels and Invisible Helpers whom he sees, and
be will be able to control the wild beasts of the jungle and forest. He will be
a natural born leader whom people will want to follow.
Would you
like to prepare to be one of these advanced children of the future? Then begin
at once to purify your mind and your body. Cast forth any evil desires and
prejudices that you have been harboring and start studying the Mystic and
Occult teachings and live a helpful, good life. This will enable you to build a
soul body in which you can function when out of your body in sleep. Then, two
egos who are really trying to follow in the footsteps of Jesus may become the
parents of advanced children, and this must be a great joy.
Faith
without works is dead and so we must not only have faith, but we must do something
about it. We must be useful people and help to make the world a better place in
which to live. In the book of Genesis we are told how Noah built the ark at the
command of God. At that time the people on the earth were very wicked and were
thinking evil thoughts continually. God decided to destroy man, but He loved
Noah and his family, and wished to save their lives.
The Lord
went to Noah and told him to build the ark and gave him careful instructions
about its construction. He also told him to put certain animals upon it when
the large boat was ready for use. This happened during Atlantean times just
before the last part of the continent of Atlantis sank. The ark was built and
the flood came and after many days it grounded and Noah and his family were
saved. Noah had faith and he worked to build the ark and tame the necessary
animals. At the same time he was ridiculed by his neighbors who rejected the
idea that they would be punished for the evil they were doing.
Noah showed
his faith by his works and he was well rewarded for his faithfulness. If Noah
had believed that a great flood was coming, but had neglected to follow the
directions given him about building the ark, he would have been lost when the
catastrophe occurred; for then it would have been too late to have made the
necessary preparations.
It is the
same with us. We are told to prepare for death, and we can see that this is an
event that none of us can hope to escape. We look about us and we see how
uncertain life is. The Bible is a guidebook which gives us careful instructions
how to live and prepare ourselves for this change. We are told of two future
destinations where we may go.
If we
neglect our opportunities for self-improvement and service to others and commit
many sins, then when we pass on we will be taken to Hell, or Purgatory, as many
people caII the lower part of the Desire World. Here we will be purged of our
evil desires and punished for the evil we have done.
On the other
hand we are told how we may escape going to Purgatory and how we may go to
Heaven instead. We must have faith in the power of Christ to save us, but that
is not enough. We must engage in helping others to make their lives happier and
more useful, for faith without works is dead.
Consider the
story of the good Samaritan and those who also saw the man who had been robbed
and wounded. One of these people, a Samaritan, was a good man who took pity on
the man and bound up his injuries and took him where he could rest and be cared
for. He was the good neighbor that Jesus admired for his kindness.
All of us
can be good neighbors, for there are opportunities all around us. The world is
full of people today who are like the priest and the Levite who passed the
injured man without helping him.
Prejudice is
a common characteristic of the people today. In India there is a caste system
that should be changed. One class of people are called the untouchables. These
poor people have a hard time existing because the other classes are so cruel
and inhuman to them. The untouchables look like the rest, but they lack money
and suitable places to live. They have been born into that class and seemingly
cannot escape.
As in Bible
times there is dislike among people belonging to the various races. In some
countries certain people are nor allowed to have equal privileges either
because of race, color, or creed. Let us follow the golden rule and we
shall make fewer mistakes.
We must
consider our own faith. How much do we have? Do we have faith in God and in
Christ Jesus? Are we willing to follow Christ and do what he has asked us to
do? Let us remember that Christ Jesus told his disciples to preach the gospel
and heal the sick. It is all very well to have faith, but we must also do
something. We must put our talents to work. We must consider how we can help
others.
Doctors and
nurses have great opportunities for service. They can do all in their power to
heal the sick. Ministers and lecturers can explain the Bible and the Mystic and
Occult teachings. Some people can work in schools and other institutions. Some
can write books that will inspire others to have more faith. All of us can go
out of our way to help others. We can show that we believe in God, and that we
also believe in putting our faith into practice. We can labor to increase and
perfect our talents. We can do our best and ask God to help us to do better.
And what are
the rewards for right living? In the Old Testament we read about the commands
which Jehovah God gave to Moses to give to the ancient Israelites for their
guidance. These commandments still stand and we must Obey them if we wish to
progress in evolution and win rewards both on Earth and in Heaven. We should
have perfect faith and confidence in God, for He is a mighty Being, full of
love and compassion for man.
Solomon said
"To him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward." Christ
Jesus has told us to lay up treasures for ourselves in Heaven an that is what
Invisible Helpers hope to do by living lives of service to humanity. When a man
has lived a good life, and laid up treasures in Heaven, no one can take them
away from him. His reward is sure, for a very careful record is kept. All that
a man does during his lifetime is recorded in the true Memory of Nature which
is located in the World of Thought. All that we do is recorded in this region
and advanced Helpers are taught how to read these records. When things that man
does are also impressed upon the seed atom of his heart and when he comes to
die he sees this panorama unfold before him.
When a man
goes to Purgatory, this record unrolls a second time, and he reviews this
panorama slowly, and suffers for all the wrong he has done. When the ego of the
man reaches the First Heaven, the panorama again unrolls, and man enjoys all
the good that he has done.
One of the
rewards for right living is the opportunity to go to Heaven and stay for a
time. Heaven is a place where no evil can be found. When a person goes there,
he is far away from the influence of all earthly things and conditions. He
enjoys all the good that he did in his past life, and all the kindnesses that
others did for him. Here a man can rest and enjoy the home that he has built by
his good thoughts and deeds.
Heaven is a
wonderful place to be in, for the opportunities for progression are many.
Students have access to vast libraries for study. Musicians can hear and enjoy
the celestial music which is often spoken of as the music of the spheres.
Artists can delight in the ever- changing color combinations that are found in
the First Heaven and they can continue their work with much greater success
than they had on Earth.
The hope of
going to Heaven is one of the greatest incentives to right living. Many
Christian people have lived in poverty and suffering, and the thought or
winning a place in Heaven has sustained them through all trials. Other men have
become weary of life and have longed for rest. Some people who have lived nobly
and well have been able to see into Heaven, and thus they have actual proof of
the reality of Heaven. In the Book of Acts, we are told that Stephen saw the
Glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God when he steadfastly
Iooked up into Heaven at the time that he was falsely accused by certain evil
men.
Jesus told
his disciples that they would see Heaven, and that they would see the Angel of
God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. In the four gospels we find
the record of many things that the disciples saw which convinced them of the
reality of Heaven. Many artists with spiritual sight have painted pictures
showing conditions and persons in Heaven, and these pictures have been loved by
thousands of devoted Christians. St. John described the people and Angels that
he saw in Heaven in the Book of Revelation.
One of the
rewards of right living is that a Helper may go to Heaven during his sleeping
hours and talk with his friends and acquaintances. Lay Brothers and Lay Sisters
can investigate conditions in Heaven and they can do what John did. They can
see Heaven with their spiritual sight, while in full waking consciousness.
Other
Helpers can go to Heaven while out in sleep and talk to people, and then
remember it when they wake up. Many people go to Heaven and talk to their
friends and relatives and remember it as a dream. Many people do all the things
that they dream of doing at night and they derive a great deal of pleasure from
such remembrances. When a Helper remembers his work while he is out in sleep he
experiences much joy.
Another
reward for right living is protection from danger. I will tell you a story of a
good girl who was saved from death in a very strange way. She had lived a good
life, and had earned the protection of the Higher Ones who are trying to
promote the welfare of all living things on the earth.
One
afternoon in January a Helper took a nap and left his body and went out over
the northwestern states. At one place a robin flew over him and tried to alight
on him and went through him.
"Oh,
you want a ride, do you?" the Helper said to the bird.
He caught
the bird and then he noticed a tiny tag on its neck. This tag had a woman's
name and address on it. There was also a piece of paper on the bird's leg. The
Helper removed the paper and read the words, "Please follow this bird
home. I am sick."
"All
right, Buddy, let's go home," said the Helper. "I will bead you
there." The Helper and the robin flew very fast to a building that was in
flames. The girl lived on the third floor. A great deal of smoke was coming out
of her window. The Helper went in and found the girl in her bed which had
caught fire. She was screaming for help. The Helper picked up the girl, threw
aside the burning bedclothes, and took her out of the window.
The people
in the street screamed when they saw them because they thought the Helper had
jumped out with the girl and that they would be killed when they struck the
ground. Instead they floated down easily and the Helper laid the girl on the
ground. Someone covered her. Then the fire department came and the girl was
carried to the hospital because she was badly burned.
After
rescuing the girl the Helper went back to the burning building to see if anyone
else was in it, but he found no one. The Helper then went to the hospital and
found the girl all bandaged and in bed. "Can you hear me?" he asked
her. She paid no attention. The Helper then went out into the hall and
materialized what appeared like his physical body and reentered the room.
"Whom
do you wish to see?" asked a nurse.
"l want
to see the lady who has just been brought in suffering from burns," he
replied.
"She is
now under a drug to ease her pain," said the nurse.
The Helper
went up to the girl's bed and she saw him this time. "Where is my
bird?" she asked. "Please go and get my bird."
The Helper
returned to the scene of the fire and found the bird perching on a limb of a
tree. He called the bird and it came to him at once.
"Whose
bird is that?" asked the policeman who was looking on.
"It
belongs to the lady who was burned in the building," the Helper said.
"I will
take charge of the bird," the policeman replied.
"No.
She told me to bring it to her," said the Helper.
"I do
not know that and I shall have to place you under arrest," the policeman
said.
"All
right, but I will keep the bird," said the Helper, and he disappeared
while going up into the air with the bird. The people watched the bird until it
went out of sight.
The Helper
returned to the hospital with the robin and went to the side of the building.
When no one was looking he materialized, and put the robin under his coat to
get by the office with it. He walked into the ward where the girl lay and gave
the robin to her. When she spoke to it the robin chirped.
"Take
the bird out," said a nurse.
"No," said the girl. "I found that robin when it was a baby with
a broken leg, and I nursed it until it got well and I took it to bed with me,
and wherever I go the bird can go.
The robin
looked at her as if to say, "What in the world is the matter with
you?"
"Why
didn't you let me die?" the girl asked the Helper. "My face and body
are ruined and I will have to give up my Sunday School position. I am a
superintendent and we have five hundred children enrolled. I am trying to teach
and lead them right and make useful people of them."
"Maybe
you will be better looking and nicer after you get well," the Helper said
smilingly.
"Thank
you, but I don't believe it," answered, the girl. "I can feel my face
drawing now and the pain is very severe."
"Let me
hold your hand," the Helper said and he took her hand. "I like you
because you loved the bird when it was injured and because you have done so
much for it."
Just then
the father, mother, and sister of the girl came in and the mother fainted when
she saw her daughter's condition.
"Take
her out," said the Helper. "We don't need her here."
The sister
became angry and began to question the stranger about her sister. "Are you
her boy friend?" she asked.
"I
could be her pal, her brother, her friend, or anything except her
husband," the Helper answered.
"You
talk in riddles," said the girl's father.
The mother
regained consciousness and she became very angry.
"If you
had not been so severe with your daughter this would not have happened to
her," said the Helper. "Your treatment forced her to live
elsewhere." He turned to the bandaged girl.
"You
are not in pain now. Ask the nurse for some water and then ask for a glass of
milk."
The nurse
brought the water but refused to get the milk.
"Go
ahead, nurse," said the Helper, "and get the milk and be as nice in
disposition as you are in appearance. I know you are pretty."
The nurse
smiled and went and got the milk. "You will have to take the blame for
it," she said when she returned.
"I
will," replied the Helper.
The girl
drank the milk and felt much better.
"See if
you are sore," the helper said in a few minutes.
"Of
course I am and the bandages are dry," said the girl.
Then she
began to feel herself and her eyes grew big with astonishment and she began to
move about. "I have no more pain," she said in a surprised voice.
"What
has been done before my eyes!" exclaimed the girl's father.
"Take
the bandages off your face and body," said the Helper.
"The
bandages are dry and it will hurt to pull them off," the girl said.
The girl did
not understand that she had been healed by the healing force that comes from
God.
"Try
it," suggested the Helper quietly.
The girl
found out that the bandages came off easily and she worked rapidly. When she
had removed all the bandages she found that she did not have a blemish on her
body except that her hair and eyebrows were singed.
"Your
hair and eyebrows will grow back in time," said the Helper. "Listen
well to what I say. God will take care of His own when they deny themselves to
do for others as you have done."
The Helper
saw that this girl had developed a pretty soul body by her helpful, good life.
"Who
are you?" the girl asked in wonder.
"I am a
servant like you," the Helper replied.
"I want
to know where you live so I can go and see you," the girl said.
"No,
you cannot do that," the Helper said.
The girl
became restless and wanted to get up.
"Your
fingernails will come off and your fingers may be sore, but you can go home
tomorrow afternoon if you feel that you must," said the Helper. "I
must be going. Be sweet and good."
The girl
wanted to kiss the Helper but he said, "No, don't child, it might cause
harm by shock." (This was because the Helper was in a materialized body.)
"I feel
grateful to you for all you have done to help me," the girl said.
"May
God bless you, my sister,"' he said and disappeared.
"My
God!" exclaimed the father. "He must be an Angel."
This Helper
and his partner went back to the girl about five hours later, and they, found
her peacefully asleep in the bed at the hospital. The man Helper did not
materialize this time but the lady Helper did and they let her in. The nurse
showed her the girl's bed and the Helper woke her up.
"Where
is the Angel man?" asked the girl. "Are you he?"
"No," answered the Helper, "but he is here.
"Oh,
you are an Angel, too!" exclaimed the girl quickly.
"No," said the Helper. "I am only a servant of humanity,"
and she talked to the girl for awhile.
The girl
kept on asking for the man Helper, and finally he materialized and spoke to her
and she was satisfied. Then the girl begged the lady Helper to be her friend
and come and see her when she got established.
"Are
you going to return, home to live?" asked the lady Helper.
"No, I
am not," the girl answered.
"When
the Helper was ready to go the girl asked her to kiss her. "Yes;" the
Helper said, and she bent over and kissed her.
"I am
so thankful, for I have kissed an Angel," the girl said.
"Give
the girl some strength as she is much excited," the man Helper said by
means of thought.
The lady
Helper took the girl in her arms and let her aura out and the girl said,
"Oh!" Then the Helper disappeared.
The nurse
came in and ran up to the bed. The other patients woke up startled and looked
on in wonder.
"Are
you a saint that the Angels come, and minister to you?" asked the nurse. I
heard about you from the nurse that I relieved. How can you be so good?"
"l am
no saint," said the girl. "I just pray and teach children in a Sunday
School, but I am the happiest girl in the world."
The nurse
made the sign of the cross. "When Angels appear to one she is to die
soon," she said.
The man
Helper told the lady Helper to materialize quickly and tell them that this was
not true.
The lady
Helper materialized and spoke to the nurse.
"That
is not true," she said. "Do not say that again."
After that
the Helpers left and went on with their work. The apocryphal book called The
History of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the History of the Likeness of Christ,
edited and translated by E. A. Wallis Budge, gives many instances that tell how
the Virgin Mary was saved from death by the Higher Ones.
I have been
told that Christ Jesus had twelve senior disciples, sixty-six junior disciples,
and four hundred and fifty-six intermediate disciples. Although it is supposed
that all of the eleven senior disciples met a violent death except St. John,
most of the other disciples fared better and lived to serve as Helpers for many
years. Later they were reborn and became Helpers in the next life and were
protected from many dangers.
Here is a
story of an advanced child who was saved by a lioness. As some Helpers were
going over some jungle land in India, they saw a lioness carrying a little
dark-skinned girl about four years old, in her mouth. The Helpers came down and
materialized and went up to the lioness. She carefully put down the child and
fiercely started after the Helpers. The child began to cry and the lioness
stopped and looked at her and then looked at the Helpers, as if deciding what
to do.
Then the lioness started after the Helpers.
"Miss
Lioness, we are your friends," said the man Helper, "but we want to
know what you are doing with that child."
The lioness
came to the Helpers and whined. Then she went back to the child and pushed her
over, picked her up, and started away.
"Wait a
minute," the Helper called out.
The lioness
put down the child again and gave a fierce growl.
"Don't
get rough, Miss Lioness, but act like a lady," the Helper said. "You
are supposed to be the queen of the jungle. Why not be ladylike when you have
friends around?
The lioness
picked the child up and started off again.
"Wait," said the Helper. Then he got in touch with the Group Spirit
who has charge of the lions and asked him what the lioness was going to do with
the child.
"Follow
her and let no harm come to her," said the friendly Group Spirit.
The
Invisible Helpers disappeared and the lioness grunted and looked around with a
look of surprise and then she went on. She jumped over several small streams
and marshes and finally came to a native village. She entered the village and
the natives began to run and shout. A band of warriors came out, armed with
long spears with which they were going to attack the lioness. The man Helper
told his partner to appear to them and let her aura out. When she did this the
warriors fell back and the lioness went on until she reached a certain hut.
Then she put the child down and turned to go away.
"Wait,
Miss Lioness," called the man Helper, "you cannot get out of here
alive." He then turned to the native woman in the hut and said, "Is
that your child?"
The woman
was standing right next to the wall as rigid as a board and her eyes were wide
open with fear. Her face became paler when she saw the lioness at the door. The
hut had only one door, so she knew that she could not escape.
The Helper
went up to the woman and shook her and she shouted loudly and grasped her child
in her arms and said, "Mine, mine." They looked the child over and
there were no scratches or marks on her body anywhere to show that the lioness
had carried her. The Helpers wondered why the lioness had not killed the child.
The Group
Spirit said that this child had come to rebirth to help the natives and had
always been good to his charges in the past. The child wandered off and the
Group Spirit had influenced the lioness to take her home.
The Helpers
healed a few sick natives and played with the lioness and a few of the children
and then they left feeling very happy over what they had seen.
Another
reward for right living is wisdom. When a preacher by right living purifies his
body and builds up a soul body and gets the spiritual gifts of sight and
hearing, he can attract people to him as some of the early preachers did.
When an
artist earns these precious spiritual gifts by right living, he can look into
the Memory of Nature and reproduce past events in the lives of Christ and his
disciples and others, as many of the great painters were able to do. When a
musician is given these priceless gifts he can be taught how to reproduce the
music of the spheres.
The Bible
tells of many wise prophets and teachers who did much to help humanity. Their
wisdom was not the result of long, continued study of books. Much of it came as
a reward for right-living. Take Solomon, for instance. He asked for wisdom and
it was given to him, and he used it to rule his people wisely for many years.
Joshua, Aaron, Joseph, Jesus, Paul and many others had the spiritual gifts of
sight and healing, and some had the gift of healing others. There have been
many others since then.
When one
really lives a good life he has a satisfaction and inward joy that no one can
take from him. It gives contentment and joy which cannot be explained, when we
help a dear friend, or when a dear friend helps us. Other people's appreciation
of us makes us happy in much the same way. When one really lives a harmless,
useful life he may earn the right to be an Invisible Helper. This is a reward
well worth striving for.
Another
reward for right living is a longer life, which will give us more opportunities
for experience. Some people have had their lives extended in order that they
might continue their work. The Bible tells us that Hezekiah became ill and was
told that he would die. He prayed to God and asked for help and God added
fifteen years to his life and sent Isaiah to heal him. I do not mean that this
happens to all Helpers in each life, for it does not. Yet many persons who were
Helpers have had their lives lengthened.
The greatest
reward of all is to win liberation from God, the Great Father of us all. In
order to do this, a Helper must serve humanity for many lives and win thirteen
initiations. When this has been done the individual will be escorted into the
presence of the God of our Solar, System by Angels, Archangels, and other High
Beings.
Chapter II
How May I
Become a Helper?
Perhaps you are wondering who the Invisible Helpers
are and how they are made. Invisible Helpers belong to many life waves. These
useful beings range all the way from God, the Supreme Being, and the High
Beings who dwell on the various cosmic planes, on down to the Nature Spirits
who work with fire, earth, air, and water. In this chapter we shall consider
Invisible Helpers who belong to the human life wave. We can divide them roughly
into two classes, the conscious Helpers and the unconscious Helpers.
The
conscious Helpers are generally Lay Brothers and Lay Sisters. They have reached
the point where they can leave their bodies at will and can go out in their
soul bodies, and work as helpers in full possession of all their faculties.
They can return to their bodies and remember just where they have been, and
what they did and said. They can retain what they have learned and can bring
their experiences to their mind whenever they wish. They have been taught how
to work with the living and the dead, how the spiritual laws operate, and how
to heal the sick.
The
unconscious Helpers are people who go out at night helping others during sleep.
They do what they can to help but they do not remember what they have done.
Such a Helper is not able to send messages down his slender, glistening silver
cord to the physical brain and have it record them. For this reason he can not
remember where he has been and what he did. It takes a long course of training
and much effort for such a Helper to become conscious on the inner planes; but
it can be done and many persons have advanced to this point.
Anyone may
be a Helper who wishes to be one, if he meets the requirements. Some people
have been Helpers in past lives and have been reborn and are Helpers still. Any
person who makes the "Sermon of the Mount," or the "Ten
Commandments" a part of himself may become a Helper. Any person who has
the laws of God written in his heart, may become a conscious Helper, regardless
of what his race, creed, color, or religion is. The way is open to all.
If you wish
to be a Helper you must have one- pointedness of mind. You must believe that
you can do the things that you have set out to do along religious lines and to
help humanity. You must be unselfish and willing to help all regardless of who
they are. This is very important, for the Higher Ones consider the heart and
desires and not the outward appearance. Many aspirants fail since they are not
willing to do this because of some feeling of superiority or prejudice.
The aspirant
must have unshakable faith in God. He must believe that nothing can hurt him
here or hereafter while he is out in sleep. It takes a long time for most
students to become brave Invisible Helpers. They forget that they are out of
their bodies and cannot be injured by people and animals. They run away at
critical times, rush back to their bodies and then get into them, and lie awake
a long time. Sometimes they return with such suddenness that they injure their
physical bodies and nerves by the shock. Such people are of little use when
they cannot be depended upon to complete the work which they have been sent to
do.
I will tell you a very interesting story of a Helper who deserted, and then lay awake thinking over what had just happened and regretting that she had left through fear.
Two Helpers
were sent to help a very valuable horse which was carrying a colt that was too
large for her to bring to birth by herself. The pain drove her crazy and she
did not know what she was doing. She ran around and was terribly excited. Her
animal instinct led her to seek help from her master, and she climbed the porch
steps and pawed at the door of the house. Then the frightened horse turned
'round and 'round in an effort to throw the colt out of her body. This made her
dizzy and she fell down the steps. After that the horse got up and started to
run wildly about the yard.
The people
came out of the house and saw the condition the horse was in and wanted to
shoot her and end her misery.
"Don't
do that because she can be helped," said the man Helper.
This horse
belonged to a boy who was about thirteen years old and who dearly loved her. He
had made a pet of her and when she was a colt he had even allowed her to go
into the house. The boy wept when he saw his horse in trouble. "You can't
do anything for her, can you?" the boy said to the stranger.
"Yes, I
think so," the Helper replied, smiling.
The lady
Helper took on the feelings of fear of the people and the horse and she forgot
that she could not be hurt while out of her body. She did not want her partner
to go near the frightened horse. She became excited because the horse was so
wild and unmanageable and she left and did not return to be of any service.
The man
Helper was braver and he went up to the horse and touched her. She became calm
at once, for her pain stopped at his touch. The Helper could see the Group
Spirit of the horse in the Desire World, and he asked him what he should do to
save her. The Group Spirit gave him directions and he got a rope and tied one
end of it around the colt's hind legs and the other end to a post,. Then he led
the horse away from the post so it would pull the colt out. The Helper talked
to the horse all the time to keep her quiet. The colt came out all right and the
Helper took the rope off the colt's feet and saw that it was strong and
perfect. Without this help both the colt and the mother would have died.
The Group
Spirit thanked the Helper and said that he hoped that the other Helper would do
better next time as she was a brave person. These Helpers had seen the Group
Spirit before, when they had helped another beautiful brown horse whose leg had
been broken in an accident.
Perhaps you
can imagine how the Group Spirit looks. Just try to conceive a spirit like an
Angel with the body of a handsome man, a head like a horse, and an etheric body
of a horse extending out behind him. Picture to yourself an understanding face,
with wonderfully sympathetic eyes, and a radiant light enveloping his body and
extending out from it in all directions. Then you will have a little conception
of this wonderful Group Spirit, who has charge of the horses, and who guides
and directs them. When they suffer and die, he feels the pain more intensely
than do his charges. The Group Spirit does all he can for his charges, and
those merciful human beings who are kind and thoughtful to their horses are
blessed by the Group Spirit.
These
Helpers went back twice to see the horse and the beautiful colt. The owner said
that he had been offered a thousand dollars for the colt as it was then; but he
would not sell it. The man questioned the stranger and wanted to know his name
and address, but of course this could not be given.
"If you
really need me again," said the Helper, "I will be here."
You can see
from this story that Helpers need to be brave and fearless. They must remember
that they are out of their bodies and cannot be hurt by any frightened
creature.
Invisible
Helpers must also have some knowledge of how to care for the sick and injured.
The more capable and experienced they are the better, for they must think and
act quickly.
An Occult student must be brave enough to stand up for his religion against opposition.
When a student definitely takes the Path he will find that his family and his
friends will oppose his desires and they may try to talk him out of it. They
may ridicule his beliefs. They may lay obstacles in his way and cause him much
mental and physical discomfort. The members of his family may desert him and go
their way and ignore him. He may lose his friends and have to seek out others
who will understand him. He must stand more or less alone. He will be called a
peculiar person. Someone may say that he has an imaginative religion and is
impractical. His friends may even say that he is foolish or crazy to believe in
the law of Rebirth.
Perhaps you
wonder why there are not more Occult students. It is because people are too
much interested in a good time, and prefer to study about the material things
of this world, rather than how to prepare themselves for promotion along
spiritual lines. Some people take up the Mystical teachings out of curiosity.
They hear about clairvoyance and they desire it for selfish reasons. Such
people may even become probationers and study more or less diligently for a
time. Some of them soon tire of depriving themselves of meat and fish, and
other things which a probationer promises his higher self to give up. So they
slip back into their old ways and never make any spiritual progress in that
life.
Any religion
is valuable to the extent that it makes people better here and now. Such a
religion should make people kind and considerate at home, conscientious in all
their business dealings, loyal to their friends, and ready to forgive their
enemies. The Occult teachings will do all this, if they are thoroughly
understood and practiced.
When a
person has decided to dedicate his lie to the service of humanity he should
meditate long before he takes that step, because when once the step has been
taken, the person loses his place in the slow progression of humanity. If he
forges ahead he will find happiness and satisfaction in the work that he will
do, in the knowledge that he will gain, and in the new friends that he will
make. If he weakly gives up and ceases to try to improve himself, he will find
that he does not fit in anywhere. He will not be satisfied to do as he has done
in the past, and he will always feel that he has lost something that was vital
to his peace of mind and happiness.
We must
remember that every man must work out his own destiny. When we consider destiny
we think at once of the law of Rebirth and the law of Consequence. These laws
work in harmony with the stars so that a child is born at the time when the planets
in our Solar System will give him the conditions that are necessary for him to
gain experience and advance in the school of life. We are what we are because
of what we have been in past lives, and our present actions determine future
conditions. If you wish to become a Helper, you need to study this subject from
all angles, and then you will be able to understand how best to make a better
start.
We not only
have work to do on Earth, but when we reach Heaven we shall be busy. When we
get to the World of Thought we shall work to alter the surface of the Earth
which will be the scene of our future struggles. In the subjugation of the
dense Earth where we shall live again. Besides that, we shall be busily engaged
in learning how to build better physical bodies in which to work when we are
reborn again.
During the
time we are in Heaven, we shall learn how to build all kinds of bodies, because
a dense body is not sufficient. We also need a vital body, a desire body, a
mental body, and a soul body before we can become Invisible Helpers.
The more
advanced of humanity have also been developing another body which is called the
life spirit body, or causal body. This body is correlated to the World of Life
Spirit. When the life spirit body is built, a Helper can leave his dense body
and travel from one planet to another. There is still another body that we must
build in the future. It is the divine spirit body, which is the highest vehicle
of man. When a man can function consciously in this vehicle, he can leave his
body and travel consciously from one Solar System to another.
We cannot
change our past but to a certain extent we can change our future lives. We
should make our lives harmonize more with the laws of God, and in that, way we
can rise above the laws of our physical world, and in time we can free
ourselves from them.
In order
that we may better understand how every man must work out his own destiny. I
shall tell you about a man who is working out his destiny under very trying
conditions.
A few years
ago two Helpers met a man who was sick in bed and alone. During his life this
man had caused much trouble to others. The failure of a bank caused him to lose
all his money and he went to the North to start life over.
"I have
had nothing but trouble and setbacks but I have kept on," said the man.
"One night a pack of wolves attacked me and a woman came and stopped them
and tied up my wounds. She told me that if I would help my fellow-man my life
would not be so bare and lonely. She told me that I must work out my own
destiny as I had made it and I would have to undo the wrongs that I had done.
"I
asked the woman how I could do it and, she told me to move to town and live a
life of service to all mankind and to the animals. I started to do this with
great joy. But my joy did not last long, for I barely made a living and I was
hungry all the time. Finally I got a job but I was robbed of my first pay on my
way home on payday. I was put out of my room by the landlady and set out in the
cold. I went to my boss and he helped me that week and I went and paid my rent.
Later I fell in love with a woman, but she left me the day before we planned to
be married. This took away all my desire to make good."
"You
were going to marry her from a selfish motive," said the Helper. "Did
you help, anyone during that time?"
"No, I
could hardly help myself," the man replied.
"When
did you start again to be helpful?" inquired the Helper.
"Well," said the man, "one night the same woman came to him in a
dream and told me to help mankind with what I had. The first person whom I
helped was an Indian girl. Since then I have helped thousands of people, dogs,
cats, and various animals.
"One
Sunday morning in the spring, I went out into the woods and paid no attention
to where I was going. Finally I walked into a den of wolves and one wolf
growled at me. That brought me to my senses and I realized that death was near
and I was terrified. I prayed to God and told him to spare me a little while
longer. I promised that I would try to undo some of the evil things I had done.
"Then a
wolf carried one of her babies and laid it at my feet. I saw that one of its
hind legs was badly mangled. I washed it carefully and tied it up with my
handkerchief and set it down. After that the baby wolf walked back to its
mother. I then went among the eight wolves and none of them bothered me.
"I went
home feeling like a new man and I rose rapidly in my work. Now I am the superintendent
of the plant. I went out into the woods again about a year ago. I set a large
snake free from a trap and it did not try to bite me. I do not want to die. I
am not through yet. I have undone much of what I have done, but I want to
finish."
"You
will live to finish your work," the Helper assured him.
"Please
tell me why the woman left me at the time of our intended marriage," the
man said.
The Helper
told this man that he had made love to a woman before that to satisfy his
desires and then left her and that he had to reap what he had sown.
"You
will meet this woman whom you have hurt," the Helper said. And you will
have an opportunity to right the wrong you have done and give her child a name.
You are certainly working out your destiny."
The Helpers
saw that the man's soul body was beginning to shine. They did what they could
to help him and went on with their work. Let us hope that this man has paid off
his debts, and that his future life will be useful and happy, and that he will
not have to go to Purgatory when he comes to die.
In the Bible
we read the following words of wisdom:
"For
we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it
be good or bad."
— 2 Cor. 5:10.
Helpers need knowledge, for they have to deal with
many kinds of people, and they are supposed to be able to cope with every kind
of situation when they are sent on assignments. They are given the means of
carrying on the work that is to be done. By means of the Jupiterian
Consciousness, which is somewhat I like moving pictures, the Helpers are shown
the people who they are to help and what they must do for them.
There are
some people who are as lazy and careless as naughty children and grow up to be
shiftless idlers. You have seen many of these members of the human family. No
doubt you have wondered why they did not strive to work out better living
conditions for themselves. They seem to resist all efforts to make them better
and they follow the line of least resistance and beg or steal what they want.
Here is a
story that shows how some people were helped one night, and how some tramps
decided to take a hand in shaping their destiny. The tramps approached a house
and planned to rob the people living there. They sent one man to the door to
ask for food. He went to the door while the rest stayed out in the yard. The
man hoped to get into the house so he could see how things were. Then the
others would break in and rob the family.
It so
happened that two Helpers were inside helping a sick person. When they heard a
loud knock on the door, the Helpers looked out and saw the tramp and the other
vagrants.
"I will
go to the door," said the lady Helper, for she knew that the people were
nervous and afraid.
"What
do you want?" the Helper asked the tramp after she had opened the door.
The tramp
asked for something to eat. The Helper carefully closed the door and went and
got him some bread and butter. She took the food to the tramp, who looked very
cross because he was displeased. The Helper then saw four more tramps standing
near with cross looks on their bad faces. The Helper knew that the tramps
intended to rob the people and she decided to prevent this from happening, if
possible. She went to where the men were and spoke to them.
"What
can I do for you?" she asked.
The men
muttered something, about their bad luck and the Helper started at once to
reproach them for being careless and lazy. She told them that it was each man's
fault that he was hard up and that no one else was to blame. The lady Helper
talked to each man in turn, and told each one when he was born and where. She
told the main events in each of their lives.
The tramps
were so amazed that they did not know what to do. One man confessed that what
she said to him was true.
"Yes,
it's true," said another man.
The Helper
told them of her life and of her efforts to make good and succeed in her work
and how she tried to make her money go as far as possible. The men looked at
the Helper in surprise and wonder. The man Helper told her to let out her aura.
She did this and the men were startled.
"Angel
Lady, do they work in Heaven?" asked one of the men.
"Yes,
they work in Heaven," the Helper replied. "Human beings, Angels, and
Archangels work everywhere in the Universe. Everybody, both good and bad, must
work or die out of this life wave." She talked until she had made it very
plain to the tramps that every man must work out his destiny and that we reap
as we sow.
The five
tramps turned and went quietly away, much wiser than when they came. They had
changed their minds about what they were going to do and decided to do better
in the future.
If you want
to be a Helper you must like to work. If you take pride in your work and try to
put yourself in it and do the very best you can, you will succeed in the long
run. An Invisible Helper loves his work. After he once knows that he is being
allowed to take part in this work, he is anxious to do his best and earn
promotion so that he will he able to do more and more difficult work while he
is out of his body in sleep. Helpers of all kinds are needed. People in the
humbler walks of life are just as much needed as are the highly skilled
engineers, doctors, teachers, and those of all other professions. There is a
place for everyone who wishes to serve.
We must not
neglect the ordinary duties of our lives. We must not expect to take on new
duties and put aside obligations that have already been assumed. It is possible
for us to be really good Occult students without neglecting any of our regular
duties. We are not ready for higher work unless we are willing to fulfill our duties
to our families. We will find that working as a Helper will become the most
interesting and worthwhile thing that we do. We will not want to do anything
that might cause us to lose our places in a band of Helpers. We must not only
aim high, but we must work toward the goal that we have set for ourselves.
Let us
consider what place religion should have in our modern life and then see what
part we should play in the drama of life, to make the world a better place for
all of us to live in. St. James wrote to the Christians of his day and told
them many things that encouraged them to strive harder to live good, useful
lives. The following advice tells us how we can be good Helpers.
"If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning.
"Be
ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
"If
any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but
deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted
from the world."
— James
1:5, 17, 22, 26, 27.
St. James
was an advanced ego who was not afraid to choose to follow Christ, and after he
had chosen to follow him he never wavered, but continued to be faithful as long
as he lived. At that time it was no easy thing to follow the dictates of his
heart.
After Christ
Jesus was crucified the disciples were always in danger, for they had many
enemies. The ideals of Christ were too high for the evil men of his day to
follow and they feared men whom they instinctively recognized as noble and
true. These men knew that they were doing wrong when they killed and imprisoned
the early Christians, for they had the Old Testament teachings. They knew about
the teachings of the prophets and they had the Ten Commandments.
Let us see
how the men of modern times can put the Christian teachings into actual
practice. A few are doing it now and they will be rewarded for their faith and
works. But how about the majority? Are they doers of the word or are they
hearers only, deceiving themselves? The truth is they are not doers and many
are not even hearers. Let us ask ourselves why this is so.
Many
influences, which are detrimental to all of us, are at work in this great world
of ours. In foreign lands conditions are bad. The diplomats of the world
profess to be working to promote peace. But are they using wisdom and are they
asking God for guidance? The answer is no in most cases. They depend on their
poor ability to foresee how things will work out. They are depending on the
idea that might makes right, which is a false basis on which to build lasting
peace.
We are our
brothers' keepers and we are confronted with the necessity of choosing the part
that we are to take in the life of today. The leader of the nations of the
present time have a tremendous responsibility. How are they carrying out their
work? Are they using justice and mercy? Are they leading their followers in the
ways of peace? If you want to be an Invisible Helper you must use justice and
mercy in your daily life, for an evil man cannot do deeds of mercy at night.
Such a man cannot be used as a Helper to heal the sick and preach the gospel of
right living. A Helper must be honest with himself and others.
Occult
students are supposed to obey the laws of the land where they live. They are to
obey the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Christ to the best of their
ability. A great mystic has said that the pride of intellect, intolerance, and
impatience of restraint would be the besetting sins of our day. If you would
like to be an Invisible Helper be careful to avoid these traits or the Higher
Ones cannot use you in their benevolent work for humanity.
Those who
wish to prepare themselves for service as Helpers should take some part in the
life of the community, in which they live. In order to have a better government
they must do their share in promoting the best interests of the people to be
governed. Many people are following the dictates of those in places of power,
not because they love them or trust them, but because they want prestige,
money, or power which they expect to receive from them. There are people today
who are ready to sell their souls for thirty pieces of silver just as Judas did
when he betrayed his friend and Savior.
In order to
be a Helper a person must have a firm belief in God. Religion has its place in
every nation, in every home, and in the heart of every person in that home. It
is not necessary that Helpers all believe in exactly the same form of religion.
From time to time different types of religion have been given to people and
each one has met the spiritual needs of the people among whom it was
introduced. All of these religions have come from God and the Higher Ones who
have labored since earliest times to advance the people living on the Earth.
All religions have similar fundamentals and aims. The earlier religions have
led up to the Christian religion which was founded by Christ Jesus almost two
thousand years ago.
There are
many religions in the modern world and, if each person lived up to his highest
conception of his religion, the world would be a much better place than it is.
What is the matter? Why doesn't each man live up to his religion? It is because
he either doesn't wish to or because he has not tried hard enough. Naturally,
it is easier to follow the line of least resistance. It takes courage to follow
the Ten Commandments. In order to do so, a man must believe in God and he must
spend some time in meditating and reading about God. He must not take the name
of the Lord in vain. This means that he must not swear, for if he does he will
surely be punished for it. Every person is judged silently by his family, his
neighbors, and others. If he uses God's name irreverently he is not a
religious, man, and he really does not deceive himself, or anyone else, when he
pretends to be a Christian.
Religious
people should be more careful how they bring up their children. Children learn
a great deal from observation, and they are great imitators. If a child hears
his parents swearing, he is very apt to do so himself in short time, and such a
habit is very difficult to break. Those who, desire to serve the Elder Brothers
must avoid this bad practice.
Then there
is the commandment, "Thou shalt not steal." We should respect the
property rights of others, and keep all law because we want to. Then we will
not need someone to watch us for we shall render obedience because we are
servants of the law, and work with it, and because we want to do what is right
and just. All public servants elected or chosen to serve in a public capacity
should remember their religious teachings and be fair and just to all. They
should choose assistants and workers for their ability to do the work honestly.
Public servants should beware of intolerance to those of other races and
creeds. Those who are really trying to live good lives are having difficulties.
Nevertheless they should do their duty as they see it and not be influenced by
the evil forces in the air.
All through
the Bible we read of the conflict between the good and the bad. So often the
evil people have been in power, or in the majority, and the good have seemed to
be overcome in the struggle. It is time for the good people of all religions to
stand up firmly and strongly for what is right. Individuals and nations must
not steal. They must not kill, and they must not bear false witness against
their neighbors. People who commit these sins will be punished either in this
life or some other. A person who has been a false witness against another
person will be placed in a position where he will have someone bear false
witness against him. Then he will suffer as he made someone else suffer, for we
reap as we sow. We must not covet what belongs to others. Each one of us is
expected to do what is right, no matter where we happen to be.
The lawyer,
or the judge, should take his religion into the courtroom. He should listen
carefully to the evidence given and try honestly to be just and fair. Capital
punishment should be done away with. Imprisonment is more humane in all cases.
The prisons should be sanitary and the food should be nourishing and sufficient.
If a man is supposed to have committed a crime and is sentenced to prison for a
term of years, and later it is discovered that he was innocent, then the man
can be released and his name publicly cleared. If the unfortunate man has been
hung or electrocuted, the crime rests on the state and no restitution can be
made to the wronged man.
Reference: The Work of Invisible Helpers, by Amber M. Tuttle
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