ROSICRUCIAN

1959
SEPTEMBER
35$ per copy
Psychic Radio
Without benefit of
mechanical devices.
V A V
Esoteric Geometry
The power behind
man and beauty.
V a ' V
The Desire
to Communicate
Human thinking
given form.
V A V
Mysticism
Science
The A rts
V A V
'Ttext
Comprehending
the
Incomprehensible
V A V
The Cosmic Age
DIGEST

BETWEEN TWO POINTS
T)o Qs f-jou Would $e T)one
T H E above is more than a moral maxim - it is a rule of efficiency that
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of unnecessary words so do others. A letter, or a booh, or a report that is
concise and that relates every word to the subject at hand is always welcome
arid thoroughly read. Can you imagine an attorney s brief prepared without
reference to legal requirements or a financial statement not conforming to
the rules of accountancy? Your study reports can also be made more effective
.they can present your thoughts and expressions in a more intimate style,
if you use the student correspondence tablet. This special tablet will save
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It has been carefully designed, with the Rosicrucian student s needs in mind.
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essential instructions, as: I O WHOM, W H ERE, and W H EN I O W RI TE.
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ROSI CRUCI AN LEADERS MEET
Busily at work in the Conference roomof the Administration Building at Rosicrucian Park are: Imperator of AMORC,
Ralph M. Lewis, the AMORC Grand Master for Italy, Giuseppe Cassara, J r., and the AMORC Grand Master for France,
Raymond Bernard. Both Grand Masters traveled to San Jose for the 1959 International Rosicrucian Convention in J uly, and
stayed after this event to become familiar with the administrative activities of the Rosicrucian Order in San Jose. Their
youth and enthusiasm wrere infectious, and are symbolic of the spirit of progress that marks AMORC s growth in their own
countries.
(Photo by AMORC)
WRITE THE NEXT
CHAPTER OF YOUR LIFE
Why let time and circumstances shape the
course of your life? Why be buffeted about by
the whims of fate? Within you and all about you
are natural principles and definite laws which can
be understood and mastered.
Life is not a matter of chance. Behind each
action there is a cause. Y ou alone determine the
outcome of your life. Whether or not you are
happy, healthy, and wanted depends largely on
your understanding and mastery of the natural
principles of life.
Learn to master the questions and problems
which face you now. Enjoy the freedom and hap
piness that thousands of others have found through
application of the simple laws of nature taught
by the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucians K NOW
HOW! For ages this world-wide fraternal organi
zation has demonstrated a superior knowledge over
all obstacles in life. Let them help you be master
of your destiny in the next chapter of your life.
Write for a free copy of The Mastery of Life
which explains the age-old wisdom and tells how
you can share the truths it preserves.
The ROSICRUCIANS
( A MORC)
(N ot a religious organization)
~ V . USE T H I S COU PON --------------
Scribe S. P. C., The Rosicrucians, A MORC,
San J ose, California.
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and happiness of life. Please send me, without obligation,
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ROSICRUCIAN DIGEST
COVERS THE WORLD
THE O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E OF THE WOR L D - WI D E R O S I C R U C I A N ORDER
Vol . XXXVII SEPTEMBER, 1959 No. 9
Rosi crucian Leaders Meet (Frontispiece) .................. ......... 321
Thought of the Mont h: Space Age Problems 324
Something about Sunglasses ......................................... 326
Esoteric Geomet ry 327
The Desire to Communi cate 330
Ini tiations, Primiti ve and Modern 333
Cat hedr al Cont act s: Problem Solving 334
Psychic Radi o ... 337
Early Rosicrucian Mani festoes 340
The 1959 Rosi crucian Internat i onal Conventi on 343
Mi nute Thoughts: On Fate . ... ................ ............. 346
Let t er Wr i t i ng, An Ar t .................................... ... 347
St one-Age Life in Aust ral i a 348
Be Yoursel f 351
Temple Echoes 353
A Gr and Mast er Instal led (Illustration)................ 357
Conventi on Visitors Hear Famed Pianist (Illustration) 358
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Published Monthly by the Supreme Council of
Rosicrucian Park THE ROSICRUCIAN ORDERA MORC San Jose, California
EDITOR: Frances Vejtasa
The Purpose of the Rosicrucian Order
The Rosicrucian Order, existing in all civilized lands, is a nonsectarian fraternal body of men
and women devoted to the investigation, study, and practical application of natural and spiritual
laws. The purpose of the organization is to enable all to live in harmony with the creative, con
structive Cosmic forces for the attainment of health, happiness, and peace. The Order is inter
nationally known as AMORC (an abbreviation), and the A.M.O.R.C. in America and all other
lands constitutes the only form of Rosicrucian activities united in one body. The A.M.O.R.C. does
not sell its teachings. I t gives them freely to affiliated members together with many other benefits.
For complete information about the benefits and advantages of Rosicrucian association, write a
letter to the address below, and ask for the free book, The Mastery of Life. Address Scribe
S. P. C., Rosierucian Order, AMORC, San Jose, California, U. S. A. (Cable Address: "AMORCO )
Copyright, 1959, by the Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, Inc. All rights reserved.
T h e
Rosicruciati
Digest
September
1959
^ ^ j L
THE
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
SPACE AGE PROBLEMS
h e problems of the space
age, as presented in the
daily news, would seem
to be principally techni
cal. They appear to con
cern the development of
new type fuels for launch
ing rockets; the combi
nations of metals which
will resist the extreme temperatures of
atmospheric resistance; and ways and
means of sustaining life in outer space
under the abnormal conditions that will
be confronted.
All of this is a challenge to the tech
nical ingenuity of man. It constitutes a
fascinating revolution in human orien
tation. Once again man is freeing him
self from his geocentric bondage, his
earth-bound relationship, both in
thought and in fact. Copernicus, over
four centuries ago, was the first to real
ly lift mans eyes and thoughts to other
worlds when he proclaimed that the
sun, not the earth, was the center of
our universe. But those who are not
astronomers, physicists or specialists in
the realm of astronautics, are wonder
ing what impact this revolution will
have upon their livesor upon those of
their children. To frame a question
commonly asked: What is in store for
man?
Billions of dollars and their equiva
lent in other monies throughout the
world are expended in this great experi
ment of sending satellites and man into
spaceperhaps into the vast interstel
lar regions. Certainly the expenditure
is not merely a scientific adventure, just
to satisfy intellectual curiosity, especial
ly since public and not private funds
are being used.
File first explanation, as it concerns
the average person, is defense. This, of
course, has been debated as to its prac
tical value but we believe, in the main,
that it is realized by most persons as
essential. Why go to the moon, query
many individuals, as they scan the ac
counts in their newspapers? It is the
orized that men stationed on the moon
or on earth satellites can, figuratively,
with instruments police the earth. They
can detect certain types of military
mobilization that would constitute ag
gression toward peaceful nations. Fur
ther, it is believed that a hostile power,
which might have occupancy of the
moon or a large satellite, could even
tually launch missiles and perhaps
death-dealing radiations to various areas
of the earth at will. It is further spec
ulated that weather control might be a
possibility by a power occupying outer
space. This could mean serious droughts
or floods to devastate sections of the
earth at the will of the hostile power.
There is much about cosmic rays,
gravity, light, and other radiations of
the electromagnetic spectrum which
man does not know. Further knowledge
of such could be a boon to humanity,
if had by an altruistic nation. Likewise,
it could be devastating if used exclu
sively and selfishly by other powers. It
is also quite probable that man may
discover life in its purest and simplest
form in the dust of other planets. Tie
may thus gain a knowledge of just how
life began and how he may duplicate
natures processes with her own phe
nomena.
All of these things in part answer
the question as to what the present
space experimentation has in store for
[ 324 ]
the human race. Though it may like
wise seem a fantasy, the possibility of
space colonization must not be rejected.
The prognosis for the world population
in the relatively near future at the con
tinued rate of increase is a matter of
considerable concern. To migrate to
other worlds, as men formerly did to
various areas of the earth, could be a
solution to increased longevity and
population.
Many scientists and intellectuals wel
come the space experimentation on the
ground of disinterested curiosity. Philo
sophically, this means the opportunity
for the expansion of knowledge to satis
fy mans desire to know, to answer
many questions without regard for any
personalthat is, selfishinterest. Most
men think only in terms of special in
terests, such as will further their re
ligion, their physical well-being and
security in society. Why something is
or how it is achieved interests them
little, at least not sufficiently for their
making any great sacrifice to know.
However, all the practical things which
such persons use for their necessities,
comforts, and pleasures are dependent
upon or related to the fundamental laws
of nature. These laws were discovered
by the patience of pure science and
with the aid of philosophical inspiration
through abstraction.
There were menand fortunately
there are many yetwho desired to
know why a certain phenomenon oc
curred. They had an intellectual desire
to investigate, to mentally adventure.
Their only reward was the personal
satisfaction they had in finding a solu
tion to a problem which they conceived.
Their findings, however, constituted a
basis upon which inventors and engi
neers developed the things of special
interest to the multitudes at large.
Michael Faradays experiments in mag
netism, for example, and his resultant
discoveries, made possible the myriad
devices we commonly use today em
ploying the laws he revealed. What,
then, to many men seems to be a use
less penetration of space by man may
materialize in the future in that kind
of tangible blessing most men desire.
Other questions frame themselves in
such terms as, Will man, generally, be
able to cope with the scientific revolu
tion which is accelerating at such a rap
id pace? In other words, psychological
ly, morally and socially, will man be
able to adjust to his new-found power?
Or will he, like a thoughtless youth in
a powerful sports car, run wild with the
thrill of the dynamics at his disposal?
There is the question as to whether
moral vision and mental discipline will
correspond, that is, keep pace with the
material forces which mans intellect
will make available.
The Fut ur e of Spl r i t uul l t g
The scientific revolution will not be
immured within its own field. It will
reach out and touch all human interests
and activities. It will revolutionize many
and shatter some. The space and atomic
age will have a strong impact upon
religion. By subordinating the earth and
mans position in the universe, it will
cast doubt upon the spiritual supremacy
of man. This new age will not neces
sarily detract from the doctrine of a
Supreme Being, Mind or Intellect in
the Cosmic, but it will eventually make
obvious the fact that man and the earth
were not alone chosen as a superior be
ing or realm. Many beliefs in theology
will need to be adapted to the new dis
coveries or stand in relation to them as
being as primitive as the ancient gods
of the Greeks and Romans.
The transition through which religion
will pass will impose a serious strain
upon morality. With most individuals,
morality is either an impelling of social
force or faith. With the present reli
gious faith undergoing, in the future, a
serious transition, an idealism must take
its place. To lower morality further,
would only mean self-destruction of
humanity by the hand of its own tech
nical ascendancy. Religious concepts
must either transcend those of today so
that they have no glaring inconsisten
cies in the light of scientific develop
ment or a philosophical morality must
take their place. Such a philosophical
morality and ethics will need to point
out and educate the individual on the
practical necessity of certain behavior
for his welfare.
It will be particularly necessary to
avoid in the future the infection of ex
treme materialism. The symptoms of
this are now becoming evident. This
malady takes the form of human om
niscience, that is, that man can and
[ 325 ]
will know everything. This is best ex-
?
ressed in a quotation from that old
ibetan work entitled Unto Thee l
Grant, namely: The wise man doubteth
often and changeth his mind; the fool
is obstinate and doubts nothing; he
knoweth all things but his own ig
norance.
The spiritually motivated individual
will encourage the pursuit of knowl
edge; he will thrill to mans pursuit of
the unknown and his revelations. But,
likewise, he will know the limitations
of the human mind. He will realize
that, in the Cosmic, there are phenom
ena which man will never know for all
his possible instrumentation. The finite
cannot absorb the infinite. The powers
of human perception cannot embrace
all phenomena because there are un
doubtedly those which can never be re
duced to the scale of mans faculties.
The magnitude of the Cosmic will thus
ever keep the real thinker humble in
spirit. It is from such humility that
there is bom what men call spiritual
motivation.
V A V
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
Ver y few people know what a top-
grade sunglass can and should do for
them.
Up to a point, the pupil of the eye
itself guards against glare by contract
ing to a small opening, like a camera
diaphragm set for bright light. But be
yond that point the pupil is powerless
and other means are required for eye
comfort.
Eskimos, who seldom see a piece of
glass, solve the glare problem by cut
ting narrow slits in a wooden or bone
shield, shaped to fit across the eyes.
There is something peculiar about this.
The polar sun, as everybody knows,
shows itself above the horizon
the winter and even in summer
manage to emit much glare.
What bothers the Eskimo is sunlight
reflected from snow and ice, which
builds up to a strong glare. It comes
from all directions and the Eskimos
goggles exclude all of it except that part
which happens to strike the narrow slit.
So these primitive glasses actually do
bring about a tremendous reduction in
the amount of glare striking the eye.
They are good enough to prevent snow
blindness but are poor for seeing.
The fine grades of sunglasses are con
structed to shut out (or, conversely to
transmit) precise amounts of light30,
50, 65 percent. The ordinary bargain-
counter glasses often do not exclude
sufficient light.
during
doesnt
But there is a far more subtle element
in sunlight than ordinary glare. This
other ingredient is invisible energy
raysX-rays, radio waves, ultraviolet
and infrared, and the like. These radi
ations dont help us to see, at all. But
under certain conditions they can dam
age the eyes, as the metal-welder
knows when he dons his helmet. Some
of the long rays on the red end of the
spectrum are associated with heat.
The glass of which some fine sun
glasses are made is absorptive, in addi
tion to being colored to keep out glare.
It absorbs or excludes nearly all of the
long-wave and short-wave radiations.
Ordinarily, there are not enough of
these radiations in the air to cause eye
damage. But in skiing or sledding on
high mountain sides, or other exposures
to snow, and in the reflected light from
sand and water, as well as in driving
a car over a sizzling hot highway, there
is quite possibly too much radiation for
comfort or safety. Every mountain
climber knows, for instance, that one
of the worst things that can happen
to him is to lose or break his sun gog
gles. He could be snow blinded by
ultraviolet.
When made of fine ophthalmic glass,
sun spectacles can be ground to a cor
rective prescription, just like ordinary
colorless reading glasses. Anybody who
normally wears prescription glasses may
have that prescription incorporated in
his sunglasses.
[ 326]
S i o t z z L c ' E O n i E t Z U
By H. W o o l l er , F. R. C.
Associate of the Royal College of Art, London
O
n e of lifes aims
is to build a per
fect body-temple with
in which the Divine
Spirit can dwell. A
well - organized brain-
mind depends upon
true education so mat
within its great library
there may be estab
lished simple refer
ences to which can
come promptings and
suggestions. Geometry'
in its all-inclusive
sense is important
here. Has it not been
anciently said that
God geometrizes?
To perfect the body-
temple, the senses
should be developed to their highest
efficiency: keenness of sight, touch,
smell, hearing, and tasteand their co
ordination. The sense life is a very dif
ferent thing from the sensual life, which
is a state of disharmony. Knowledge of
physiology and of the interaction of the
two great nervous systems of the body
together with the actual control and
use of the psychic centersis to be
achieved in maintaining the harmony
of the sense life. The brain-mind also
needs the basic keys to music and the
arts, and these are intimately associat
ed with esoteric geometry. A very wise
mystic once said that of all the sciences
geometry is the only one which pro
ceeds from universals to particulars.
The brain-mind having received and
understood universals in terms of its
own keys, proceeds to particulars in the
ordering of the physical body. In their
simplest and most exoteric form such
keys of reference are the seven prin
cipal colours of the spectrum, the notes
of the octave, and such forms as the
triangle, square, and circle.
When the eyes, for example, are pre
sented a coloured object, say a reddish
flower, the brain automatically refers
this to its key of the
spectrum and sends its
message back: This
is a red flower, not the
pure central red of the
spectrum but a little
to the blue or yellow
side of red. The eyes
then recognize it as
either a purplish red
or an orange-red flow
er. This example,
simple though it is, in
general holas good for
the artist, the scientist,
the statesman, and
others. It suggests the
importance of the
brains reference li
brary of true funda
mental forms or ideas,
for the brain-mind is a sort of half-way
house between the universal forms or
ideas (which have no form as we un
derstand the word) and the actions and
ideas of mankind.
The body-temple, built through the
control and coordination of the physical
structure with the senses and the brain-
mind, mav well suggest three notes of
music, which, when struck together
produce a chord, expressing that de
gree of a mans soul which is able to
shine through its material envelope.
It is a chord of perfect harmony only
when the material envelope is perfect,
that is, when the outer self offers no
resistance to the soul within. The soul
is mans individual presiding genius,
virginal and perfect in itself. As such,
it takes on the flesh structure but it is
not properly housed, nor fully articu
late until the body-temple is completely
and correctly built.
With each step toward control and
purification of the body-temple, the
soul takes greater hold. The music and
the light it gives forth approach true
clarity and beauty. Not only does the
body help the soul but the soul helps
the body.
[ 327]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
The thoughtful man can see many
stages of the soul-life here and here
after before its work is completed and
it returns finally to rest in that home
whence it came.
It is my belief that the soul takes
flesh again and again until within a
perfect body-temple it reaches a full
awareness of itself. Then come those
experiences of the Beatific Vision.
Souls work on earth is completed,
but the man, as an enlightened person
ality, who has identified himself with
it may incarnate again out of compas
sion for the benefit of humanity as a
whole. In his own way he then ex
presses something of that incompre-
nensive Love which is God.
J esus the Christ is the most wonder
ful example of the Divine Spirit shining
in full glory through a perfect body-
temple. His life, cross, and resurrection
may be looked upon as an instance of
the complete harmony between soul and
bodya dramatic externalized picture
of the story of the initiation in the
Greater Mysteries.
It may be well to carry a little fur
ther the subject of geometry and its
connection between universal and fun
damental forms in the Platonic sense.
Reference is made to it in the teachings
of Pythagoras, Plato, some of the early
fathers of the Christian Church, and in
the initiations of the various Mystical
orders. Plato wrote over the entrance
to his Academy words to the effect that
only students of geometry would be
eligible for admission. Leonardo da
Vinci wrote in his notebook, Let no
one read me who does not understand
mathematics.
It has been said that the infant Bac
chus was given certain toys to play
with and that these were:
A. The five regular solids
1) Tetrahedron 4 triangular
faces, 4 points
2) Cube6 square faces, 8 points
3) Octahedron 8 triangular
faces, 6 points
4) Icosahedron 20 triangular
faces, 12 points
5) Dodecahedron12 pentagonal
faces, 20 points
B. A ball (or sphere)
C. A spinning top
[ 328 3
The regular solids (A) were dis
cussed by Plato in the Timaeus where
he referred to them as the only regular
solids that could be made. Modem sci
ence has confirmed this. Leonardo da
Vinci made extensive studies and mod
els of these solids; and his sketches,
patterns, and diagrams show evidence
of his knowledge. The solids are com
paratively easy to construct with the
aid of any simple textbook on solid
geometry.
The writer, as an artist, gave his
spare time for many years to the con
struction of the solids and their various
interactions and intersections with illus
trations and pictures in colour. These
have elements of beauty as patterns in
the sense that they seem to be links be
tween the ideal beauty and the aspects
of it in the actual physical world.
These patterns are a very worth
while study for students of the Mys
teries, especially for those engaged in
the arts. Perhaps it is not too much to
say that these solids constitute the true
bases for what is so loosely termed ab
stract art.
The ball, sphere, and circle (B) are
idealistic forms composed of an infinite
number of radii. Plato in one of his
writings suggests that Astronomy is the
study of moving bodies or spheres.
The spinning top (C) is perhaps the
introduction to the study of the atom.
There is not space to discuss these toys
of Bacchus at length, but it may be in
teresting to say a few words about the
dodecahedron and its link as an ab
stract intellectual conception between
the heavenly world and the physical,
bearing in mind that these toys are re
lated to the Ideal forms of Plato and
also to the structures and forms of na
ture, science, and the arts, as well as
to right human behaviour in the physi
cal world. It is interesting to remember
in this connection that Plato maintained
that the dodecahedron was the geo
metrical figure employed by the Demi-
urgus in constructing the universe.
Demiurgus can be translated as the
Great Architect or Artificer.
The earnest student will in time be
impressed with the fact that these toys
represent a fairly comprehensive con
ception of form in time and space.
The dodecahedron has 12 regular pen
tagonal faces and 20 points, and its
form and number is essentially 12.
Here is a short list of Twelves:
12 signs of the Zodiac (Esoteric stu
dents will have some knowledge
of the 12 layers or sections of the
Cosmic.)
12 Apostles
12 Months of the year
12 Types of men (Have all the 12
types as yet incarnated in our
race?)
12 Black and white notes in the
musical scale
12 Pence to the shilling in English
coinage
Twelve multiplied by twelve equals
144, and this number occurs frequently
in the Christian Bible.
The Revelation of St. J ohn, Chapter
21, described that great city, the holy
J erusalem, descending out of Heaven
from God. Having the glory of God
. . . It had a wall great and high, and
had twelve gates and at the gates twelve
angels. . . . And the wall of the city
had twelve foundations, and in them
the names of the twelve Apostles. Fur
ther, St. J ohn says that this angel
measured the wall thereof, an hundred
and forty and four cubits, according to
the measure of a man, that is, of the
angel. The whole should be interest
ing to the student of esoteric geometry.
As a conclusion to this short note on
the importance of geometry in the
building of the earthly Temple, one
might venture the suggestion that the
ideal governing bodies in the world
should be composed of 144 members,
made up of 12 groups, each group re
lated to one of the signs of the Zodiac.
A cabinet of 9 could represent the at
tributes of the 9 orders of the Celestial
Hierarchy. Nine plus 144 equals 153,
the number of the miraculous draft of
fishes (St. J ohn 21:11).
This number of 153 occurring in any
of the affairs of this physical world
might well be noted as a sign that the
net had been cast on the right side of
the ship and that it would in Gods
good time be guided into the Port of
Peace where a banquet of spiritual food
would be ready in the Temple. David
son in his important work on the Great
Pyramid makes some interesting refer
ences to the number 153 and other as
pects of geometry.
To the mystical student the study of
solid geometry will suggest conceptions
of the true patterns of life in all its
aspectsphysical, mental, and spiritual.
These should help eliminate many of
lifes uncertainties, and aid in building
that beautiful Temple of the body in
which the soul can shine as the Light
of God.
V A V
VISITS AND APPOINTMENTS
( Please read carefully)
Rosicrucian Park is an attractive place. I t is visited by over 115,000 persons annually.
You will find there beautiful landscaped grounds and exotic buildings, interesting and
enjoyable. The Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum as well as the Science Museum
and Planetarium are available to the general public.
Rosicrucian members, upon their request will also be escorted through the Adminis
tration buildings and the Supreme Temple. Appointments for interviews with any
particular officer must be made in advance. If there is no previously made appointment,
the member will be granted an interview with whatever officer or staff official is avail
able at the time. Each Rosicrucian officer and official has a very definite schedule.
Therefore, appointments with them must be made in advance so that they can arrange
the time for them. Interviews cannot be granted on Saturdays or Sundays, nor on
evenings and holidays.
The administrative offices are open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m. (holidays excepted).
[ 329]
^JnE. ! Z to (lommunLeatz
By J osephine M. Opsahl
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
W
h e n e v e r men
are awed by
unknown forces, or
feel deeply, or are
stirred by unusual
circumstances, they
are moved by a God-
given instinct or de
sire to share their
experience with oth
ers.
Having similar bi
ological urges, primi
tive man understood
his neighbors need
for food and shelter.
He offered prayers
and sacrifices to the
gods whom he felt
controlled the sun
and the elements, for
he feared darkness,
lightning and thun
der, as well as all other forces he did
not understand. He scratched pictures
of an unusual hunt, or dangers en
countered, on the walls of his cave
home and on cliffs above an ageless
river so that others might learn of his
experiences. In thus sharing informa
tion, he bragged a bit about his own
accomplishments, for did it not take
daring and courage to do such great
things? Stories of these feats, sung and
told around council fires, have come
down to us as myths and legends.
Through the centuries, man learned
to write more complex messagesper
haps a call for aid in battle or an invi
tation to a feast. He placed his
messages on a variety of materials
strips of wood or bark, on stone, metal,
leaves of trees, and skins of animals.
Scholars in ancient Egypt chiseled
word-pictures, now called hieroglyphics,
on stone monuments as well as on the
walls of tombs. These symbols con
veyed meaning, just as our alphabet
and numerals do. Because todays stu
dents have learned to interpret these
symbols, we know a great deal about
the people of those
early days.
And about this
same time (4000
B.C.) in Sumer, now
a part of lower Iraq,
scribes molded the
picture writings of
their people into a
conventionalized cu
neiform script. Draw
ing the combinations
of wedgelike lines on
tablets or bricks of
soft clay with a sty
lus, they not only
recorded poetry, but
letters and business
transactions. When
dried in the sun,
these tablets served
as business records,
passing from one per
son to another, much as letters and
accounts written upon paper are used
today. In fact, the Sumerians not only
wrote their letters on clay tablets, they
enclosed them in clay envelopes, which
had to be cracked off to read the mes
sage.
Through painstaking translations of
these old clay tablets, we know that
scores of cities and towns dotted this
now barren desert country some 5000
years ago. The Sumerians not only
raised good crops and made many prod
ucts but sent them by sea and land to
neighboring countries. They also erect
ed beautiful temples of worship, and
their priests taught a spiritually satis
fying faith.
The Rosicrucian Egyptian, Orien
tal Museum at San Jose has on dis
play many of the original clay
tablets with writings by the Sumer
ians, which from a world of the far
past still seek to communicate with
thousands of visitors to the Museum,
including school children.
[ 330 ]
A number of copies of one of these
tablets were found about 60 years ago
at Nippur (near Baghdad, the capital of
modern Iraq). They had been made by
a Sumerian schoolboy who told of his
difficulties in learning to read and write
cuneiform script. He described how he
copied his written work and memorized
oral assignments from sunrise to sun
set; the only break in this school day
was a brief recess for eating his meager
lunch of two rolls.
Because he was whipped repeatedly
by his teacher as well as the school as
sistants, he contrived a bit of apple
polishing by having his father invite
the teacher to dinner. Here according
to the words of the composition, the
teacher was seated in the seat of hon
or, and was wined and dined. The
father also dressed him in a new gar
ment, gave him a gift, and put a ring
on his hand.
And as we might expect, the boy
wrote that the baksheesh, as this
type of seeking favor is known in the
Near East, brought him praise instead
of abuse.
Other equally important records,
known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, are
casting new light on Bible daysin fact,
on the Bible itself. Carbon tests show
these scrolls to have been prepared
more than 1900 years ago. The Essenes,
a Monastic order living in the bleak
hills outside the city of J erusalem near
the Dead Sea, hid them in large pot
tery jars in caves (where people had
been living) about 70 A.D. when the
Romans captured J erusalem. While
most of the scrolls are parchment
(leather), some are papyrus, and a few
are metal. They are written in Hebrew,
Greek, and Aramaic (a Semitic tongue
believed to have been a language that
J esus spoke).
These manuscripts are copies not
only of all the Old Testament books
except Esther but of many non-Biblical
ones and are about a 1000 years older
than any previously known Hebrew
texts. Their translation will take many
years to complete, as it is a tedious
process, requiring much ingenuity, to
piece the crumbled scraps together.
But of all materials used for record
ing thoughts in ancient times, papyrus
undoubtedly was the most popular. It
was a sort of natural paper made by
the Egyptians about 4000 years ago
from sedges (Bible says, bullrushes).
Although these plants had many uses,
the Egyptians used only the waxy in
ner membranes in making their writ
ing material. They placed thin layers
at right angles to each other, and then
pressed the strips together. After dry
ing, they rubbed the surface with stones
until it was smooth and white.
Paper, too, made from pulped vege
table fibers, such as we know today,
has been in use for a long time. It was
the invention of Tsai Lun, a Chinese
scholar, in the year 105 A.D. The
legend, generally accepted as a his
torical fact, states that Emperor Yuan
Hsing foimd writing on bamboo strips
and silk cloth so difficult and irritating
he ordered one of his attendants to find
a better writing material. After numer
ous experiments Tsai Lun succeeded in
creating a satisfactory one from the
inner bark of mulberry trees. He beat
the fibers to a pulp, thinned the mix
ture with water, and then poured it
into hand-made molds. As the excess
water drained off while he shook the
mold from side to side, he found he
had a flat layer of matted fiber. Dried
in the sun, and rubbed smooth with a
stone, we know the result as paper.
Although the manufacture and use
of paper spread rapidly throughout
China itself, these people kept their
formula for making it a secret from the
rest of the world for over 600 years.
Having what they considered to he a
superior culture, they mistrusted their
neighborshad little to do with them.
In a border raid about the middle of
the eighth century, however, Arab
troops captured several Chinese paper-
makers. Although the Arabs had been
makers and users of parchment and
vellumspecially preparing the skins
of lambs, goats, and calves for writing
purposesthey soon learned from their
captives to make excellent grades of
paper. Unlike their Chinese neighbors,
though, they did not keep their newly
learned craft a secret. As they moved
on, conquering northern Africa, Sicily,
Italy, and Spain, the Arabs shared their
knowledge of papermaking with their
new subjects. This knowledge spread
across Europe, finally reaching Eng
land. And it was eventually carried
across the Atlantic to the Americas.
[331 ]
As paper continued to be made by
slow hand-processes through all these
centuries, its supply was very limited.
The demand also was not great, for the
scholarly European monks refused to
use it because of its association with
heathen Chinese and Arabs. The good
fathers, who did a major part of the
writing and bookmaking in those days,
preferred parchment. As they labori
ously copied the Bible and other books
by band, they carefully matched the
colors of the sheets of parchment they
placed against each other.
But paper, which could be made more
cheaply than papyrus and parchment,
and Gutenbergs invention of movable
type about the middle of the fifteenth
century gave the world a less expensive
way of dispersing knowledge. In the
Rhine Valley industrial ana economic
conditions created a middle class popu
lation eager for education. These or
dinary folk could afford to own books
of their own and were curious about
what was going on in the world about
them. They not only wanted a share
of the worlds knowledge but to feel a
closer relationship with others. And as
their knowledge grew, they lost much
of their fear of the unknown forces
about them.
Down through the centuries, imagi
native minds reached out for deeper
and greater truths. During moments
of inspiration, they in time produced
the worlds great songs, literature, art,
and inventions. They developed won
der medicines to cure mans ills. And
filled with wonder, they peered at dis
tant planets through instruments they
had perfected. As this knowledge and
wonder grew, instruments for penetrat
ing outer space were conceived and de
veloped. In our present times, who
knows where this reaching out and
striving to communicate with unex
plored regions in the far spaces may
lead usperhaps, to a greater universal
unity having one great storehouse of
knowledge for the good of all mankind.
V A V
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
EGYPTIAN TOUR.
DEADLINE NEAR!
Reservations and advanced charges for the Egyptian
tours scheduled for next J anuary, February, and March
should be made at the earliest possible moment. Visas,
passports, and health clearances must all be attended to. Get in touch now with
ROSICRUCIAN TOUR, c/o sit a wor l d t r avel , me., 323 Geary Street, San Francisco 2,
California.
A third section, leaving March 12, is now forming. However, limited or exchange
space is still available in the first section, leaving J anuary 5, or the second section leav
ing J anuary 16.
If you have not yet received literature regarding the tours, write at once to:
EGYPTIAN TOUR DEPARTMENT, Rosicrucian Order, AMORC,
San Jose, California, U. S. A.
The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, in announcing this tour, is cooperating in good faith
with the air line and the tour sponsor, and assumes no liability or responsibility in
connection with this tour. I t is presenting this information as a convenience for its mem
bers, and receives no remuneration other than a ten dollar fee per tour member to
cover the clerical and printing costs involved in presenting this information to members.
[ 332]
^Initiations, U-^ximitujz an J J W oclzm
By David St ei n, F. R. C.
hee purpose behind initia
tions, whether primitive,
ancient or modem, has
always been to enlighten
the individual or group
of candidates, after they
have first been tested as
to physical or moral fit
ness.
Ritual and ceremony are invariably
used to induce the requisite state of
mental alertness and receptivity. Initia
tion rites include representations of
death and resurrection. In tribal cere
monies there is usually some form of
unification; physical suffering caused
y extreme endurance tests, moral in
struction, transfer of power from elders
to the younger members of the tribe,
isolation followed by reception of a new
name and rebirth into the social group
and training in magical practices.
Similarly, in the modem lodge initia
tions of the well-known fraternal or
ganizations, such as the Masonic, the
Odd Fellows, and others, one or more
guardians are assigned to instruct the
initiate and explain the meaning of
everything that is done in the cere
monies. He is directed to obedient action
and helped through difficult situations.
Thus the candidate learns to endure
and persevere until he has received his
vision and guidance.
Among primitive tribes the ideal was
not only to propitiate the deities, but
also to develop strong and lusty war
riors who could battle both enemies and
the elements. Very often the initiation
was a bloody affair. The primitive tribes
worshiped strength, physical vigor, and
the power to endure pain. The initiatory
rites often included severe beatings, and
even the application of fire to various
parts of the body. All this the candidate
had to endure without a murmur, with
out flinching.
This training for hardihood had its
later counterpart in Sparta, where there
was less ceremonialism but equal em
phasis upon physical endurance. With
the knighthood of the Middle Ages there
was a return to elaborate ceremonies
and great emphasis upon both physical
valor and moral virtues. To this day
there are stories of knights in shining
armor who rescued damsels in distress,
and rode off to build a new life with
fhe maiden of their choice, or went on
to new conquests.
Beginning with religious brother
hoods of antiquity and the mysteries of
Isis and Eleusis, there were long and
complicated initiations; however, the
ordeal was moral rather than physical,
although a certain amount of asceticism
had often accompanied the spiritual
strivings of the candidates. The Eleu-
sinian mysteries were graded, and the
seekers after Truth were initiated only
after adequate preparation, each accord
ing to his needs and understanding.
Religious brotherhoods exist today as
they did in ancient times. They minister
to the religious needs of the laymen
who are busy with the affairs of the
world. Initiation is still the essential
means of transmitting Truth to the can
didate. Basically, the seeker must be
taught to enter the city of nine gates,
as the ancient Hindu scriptures describe
it, and close the gates behind him.
The city of nine gates lies within the
human body. The nine gates consist of:
two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, the
navel, the organ of generation, and the
organ of evacuation.
In a word, having turned away from
the objects of the physical senses, the
seeker may then with undisturbed mind
concentrate his attention upon the inner
world wherein he may find his Ideal,
Ills Lord and Master. Through medita
tion techniques which the candidate is
taught, he may effectively concentrate
upon his Ideal.
A V
[ 333 ]
The Cathedral of the Soul is a Cosmic meeting place for all minds of the
most highly developed and spiritually advanced members and workers of the
Rosicrucian fraternity. I t is the focal point of Cosmic radiations and thought
waves from which radiate vibrations of health, peace, happiness, and inner
awakening. Various periods of the day are set aside when many thousands
of minds are attuned with the Cathedral of the Soul, and others attuning with
the Cathedral at the time will receive the benefit of the vibrations. Those who
are not members of the organization may share in the unusual benefits as well
as those who are members. The book called Liber 777 describes the periods
for various contacts with the Cathedral. Copies will be sent to persons who
are not members if they address their requests for this book to Scribe S. P. C.,
care of AMORC Temple, San Jose, California, enclosing five cents in postage
stamps. (Please state whether member or notthis is important.)
PROBLEM SOLVING
By Cecil A. Pool e, Supreme Secretary
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
em
m
n e of the purposes of
education is to teach in
dividuals to solve prob
lems. The presentation
of mathematics in school,
even at its elementary
level, involves the appli
cation of mathematical
laws as a process in prob-
The pupil considers a
a textbook or as given
solving
proposition
by a teacher, together with the knowl
edge he has attained through memoriz
ing of certain principles concerning
addition, subtraction, multiplication,
and division, in his solution of a prob
lem. The difference between memoriz
ing that two and two makes four and
being able to apply that principle in
[ 334}
solving a problem is the difference
between rote learning and the using of
ones native intelligence to utilize ac
quired knowledge.
In the teaching of problem solving,
particularly as it applies to mathemati
cal processes, the proof of whether the
solution is correct or not is found in
the answer. Theoretically, mathemat
ics is considered an exact science; that
is, there is only one possible answer
that fulfills all the requirements of the
mathematical process and the solution
of the problem. Therefore, it is com
paratively simple to determine whether
a pupil has applied his knowledge and
has solved the problem by comparing
the answer to which he arrived with
that which is deemed to be correct. In
emphasizing the correctness of the an
swer, it is quite probable that much
education has instilled in the mind of
the learner the idea that the answer
is more important than the process.
This, of course, is actually often true,
but in exaggerating the importance of
the answer, we may also be giving too
little consideration to the lessons to be
learned through problem solving itself.
As we reach maturity, unless our
lifes work is in a field that is closely
related to the mathematical principles
studied earlier, the relationship of prob
lem solving and the finding of proper
answers is somewhat separated par
ticularly insofar as these conditions ap
ply to individual experience. As a
result, adult problems, and there are,
of course, as many as there are indi
vidual adults, become so personally
important that the individual frequent
ly forgets that life itself is a problem
and life is a process of solving these
problems. Only through this process
will adjustment be reached insofar as
the relationship between the individual
entity and his environment is con
cerned.
There is, of course, a vast difference
between the life problems facing the
adult individual compared with the
artificial problems in a book. Problems
with which we are faced as individuals
in our lives are partly of our own mak
ing and partly the result of existing
environmental pressures. Regardless of
their source, the important thing con
cerning the individual with a problem
is his reaching a solution or a com
promise that will permit him to adjust
to the circumstances about him in spite
of the pressures brought by the prob
lem. There is at this point a seeming
forgetfulness on the part of the indivi
dual that problem solving in itself is
an important factor. The individual
may forget, if he ever learned, any
technique in problem solving and
simply react as an animal might when
confined to a strange place, running
from one place to another bent on find
ing a means of escape.
Many people when faced with a
problem act very much like an animal;
that is, they run from one place to
another looking for a solution to their
problem without doing much about it
themselves. Actually, the effort of in
dividuals to find someone to solve their
problem probably represents an expen
diture of energy greater than would
have been required if they had directed
the same amount of effort to the solu
tion of their problem.
Where can today the intelligent in
dividual turn for aid in solving his
problems? And many are seeking the
actual solution of their problems. There
are, of course, professional sources. A
legal problem is taken to a lawyer. A
problem concerning health is probably
taken to a physician. A problem con
cerning more specific matters such as
a problem in accounting would be taken
to a specialist in that field. Today there
are many specialists in many fields,
and probably never in mans history
have we had the opportunity to submit
our problems that are concerned with
technical matters to so many people
qualified to give advice and assistance
in regard to their solution.
But apparently this is not enough.
In looking through a daily newspaper
some time ago, I was surprised to no
tice a number of columns devoted to
the answering of questions, which were
not merely for information but for the
solving of problems. These problems
concerned social, family, and legal mat
ters, health and other problems. The
fact that impressed me was why do
people expect so much help and advice?
Do they ever attempt to solve their
own problems?
Is anyone going to be happier as a
result of writing to a columnist in a
newspaper asking for advice on what
they should do when it is impossible
for the person who answers the question
to know the entire situation? Frankly,
my analysis of the questions and an
swers in the newspaper I happened to
be reading at the time seemed to indi
cate that the columnist had selected
questions having more or less sensation
al appeal to many individuals. Some
of them involved strictly personal mat
ters that would only have interest to
another individual from the standpoint
of curiosity.
We cannot solve all our problems
through newspaper columns, by sub
mitting them to individuals who claim
to be a means of problem solution, or
even to professionals. The professional
will only guide us. Neither can we
[ 335 ]
solve all our problems by seeking more
knowledge, because such in itself is not
a solution to a problem but only a key
for our own use. For example, the
basic principles of mathematics consti
tute knowledge, but some students,
even after mastering these basic prin
ciples, find difficulty in applying or
using them in problem solving.
The solution to problems is based
upon the exercise of human reason. It
is incumbent upon the individual to
develop the abilities within his own
mind, his own consciousness, to arrive
at the ability to deal with problems
facing him. The accent today upon
leaving problems to someone else, sub
mitting them to a professional, or writ
ing to a magazine or newspaper col
umnist, suggests a tendency to avoid
the responsibility of the individual deal
ing with his own problems.
It is true that there are many fine
organizations, religious, social and
philosophical, offering aid and guid
ance in the meeting of serious problems
which may be experienced by many
individuals, but the eventual solution
must be found within the individual.
For this reason, religion, philosophy,
psychology, and social guidance are im
portant as a standard and as a basis of
understanding with which the indi
vidual can be prepared to use his abili
ties for problem solving when and if
such arises.
The Cathedral of the Soul was estab
lished to provide a medium for directing
people to use personal inner powers, to
be conscious of personal abilities; and
through meditation and proper under
standing of their inner selves be able
to call upon a source of energy, in
spiration, and help. Such assistance ex
ceeds any professional or nonprofession
al advice which may be available in
external environment.
V A V
COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS
The subject of Cosmic consciousness has for a long period of time interested students
of philosophy, mysticism, and psychology. The topic is one which is inclusive of more
than philosophical speculation. Although primarily assigned to the field of psychology,
it can be approached from the objective standpoint. One of the most complete works on
the subject resulted from the research of an eminent physician and surgeon who headed
a large hospital in Canada for many years. Dr. Maurice Bucke made an objective and
scientific study of the subject not only as a hobby but also in connection with his work
in medical and psychological research. His book is now published by a large publishing
company in the United States and is available to all students interested in psychology,
metaphysics, mysticism, and philosophy. By special arrangement with the publishers,
you may order your copy through the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau for $5.50 (2/-/-
sterling), postpaid.
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
EGYPTS YESTERDAY AND TODAY
In ancient times the land of Egypt was the site of an advanced civilization; today
it is becoming the crossroads of the modem world. The Rosicrucian Supply Bureau has
available an authoritative book on Egypt, its people, and its story through the ages. It
may be ordered at the price indicated, postpaid.
The History of Egypt, by J ames Breasted..................................... $10.50 (3/6/6 sterling)
One of the most complete single volumes on Egypt today.
[ 336 ]
Psychic Radio
By Dr . H. Spenc er L ewis, F. R. C.
(From The Mystic Triangle, J une 1925)
Since thousands of readers of the Rosicrucian Digest have not read many of the
articles by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, first Imperator of the present Rosicrucian cycle, we adopted
the editorial policy of publishing each month one of his outstanding articles, so that his
thoughts would continue to reside within the pages of this publication.
h e Radio Chief in the De
partment of Commerce
in Washington reports
[1925] a new phase of
inquiry with which he is
contending to the best of
his ability but which
astounds him and per
plexes his scientific
' snowledge. Frankly, he looks upon
most of the strange letters which come
to him as being unworthy of his time
and attention, but quite a few have
warranted some investigation and have
led to a call for opinions and assistance
in solving the seeming mystery.
The letters report the development
in certain persons of a faculty or func
tioning of the mind or consciousness,
aptly termed psychic radio receptivity.
While all this correspondence may be
new to government officials, and al
though it may have no place in any of
the bureaus in Washington, the phe
nomenon is not new.
Such experiences as have been re
lated to the government and to the
editors of many radio magazines came
under my attention fifteen or more
years ago when I was experimenting
with many of the advanced principles
of wireless which have recently be
come popular. In my associations with
many wireless enthusiasts in those
days, and in attending the early ses
sions of the Radio League of America
long before the broadcasting of music
and speech was considered possible as
a popular attraction, the strange func
tionings of the psychic consciousness of
man were discussed in terms less psy
chological than they are discussed to
day.
It was not uncommon for those who
had been pounding the brass for
hours, sending long messages by the
still familiar Morse code, and listening
for several hours in the stillness of a
small room late into the hours of the
morning for weak and distant answers,
to finally throw themselves upon a
couch for rest or for the night only to
find the room, the atmosphere, filled
with code messages. This occurred
while the wireless equipment was in a
remote part of the home and completely
shut down in its operation.
Also, it was not uncommon for many
to report that they could hear such code
messages at different hours of the night
or day while walking, or talking, on the
street, in the parks, in theatres or other
places far from any sort of wireless or
electrical equipment of any kind.
Many special cases were reported,
investigated, and tabulated as being
impossible of solution at the time.
Messages were received very definitely,
and seemingly by the sense of hearing,
while persons were at rest or in a re
laxed condition or away from any radio
equipment. I may also refer to the
many experiences recorded by opera
tors of wireless equipment at sea who
made affidavits that they had been
called from their sleep by hearing the
famous SOS call independent of the
wireless devices.
Some very notable experiences are
still referred to whenever the old
timers get together and compare notes.
Not one of them would challenge the
statements made by Hal Smith of
Brooklyn, New York, who had one of
the finest wireless transmitting stations
in that part of the country. He had
worked long and well to improve the
quality of his old spark transmitter un
til with a revolving spark-gap and
efficient condensers he had raised the
pitch or tone of his spark to a beautiful
musical note high in the scale. We al-
[337 ]
ways knew when Hals station was on
the air by that note. It was like the
highest note of a flute. It could be
picked out of a hundred other high and
low pitch sounds constantly in the air.
It was common practice to speak of
Hal or rather refer to him by whist
ling a high notewhich by the way
comd never approach in pureness and
pitch the note of his spark. I am ex
plaining this note at length because,
from a scientific point of view, it would
be material indeed in considering his
case.
Man* I nner H ear i ng
Hal lived with his old mother, who
was his companion in many ways and
was considered by the wireless gang
of boys and young men as the sweetest
old lady that ever lived. Her home was
always open to them, and that means
really open, day and night!
But one day Hal was in New York
visiting Battery Park at the lower end
of Manhattan. It was Sunday after
noon and he liked to look over some of
the vessels, as they passed, with their
improved wireless equipment. While
sitting on a bench in the park, appar
ently watching hundreds go by and
hundreds sitting or standing around,
Hal suddenly heard the high note of
his wireless station at home. Like many
of the boys, he had locked that little
wireless room and was sure of it, and
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
no one but his mother could unlock it
when he was not there.
He listened again. It was surely his
note. He had gone to a fans home
and listened to that pitch during the
months he was perfecting it, and such
occasions he had asked his mother to
press the key at a certain minute of
the hour with four short dots and one
dash, followed by a pause and then the
four dots again and a dash, over and
over for two or three minutes. That
was all of the code he had ever taught
her. It was enough for him to judge
his pitch.
And then, on this Sunday afternoon,
he distinctly heard that same, unmis
takable pitch, and the same four dots
and a dash, pause, four dots and a dash.
He lookea at the old clock on the
tower. It was 4:46. His mother must
be showing the set to someone. A
strange thing for her to do in his ab
sence, thought Hal. And then came
the sudden realization that he was not
even near a wireless set and was not
listening to any radio waves in the
ordinary sense. His first impression
was one of awe, then that of doubt
He tried to smile off the incident, but
nevertheless listenedlistened with that
inner consciousness that we know so
well. Again and again came the same
four dots and a dash, but a little less
even and regular, and with longer
pauses. Suddenly there were three dots
and nothing more. At the same time a
terrifying fear or impression swept over
Hal, and he rushed from his seat madly
for a car and made his way over the
Brooklyn Bridge and up Fulton Street
to his home.
He claims that it took him just forty-
eight minutes to get home. At any
rate, when he rushed into that little
wireless room just off the kitchen in
the rear of the apartment he was
stunned with the sight of his mothers
limp form lying across his operating
table with one hand near the telegraph
key. She was lifeless and had sent out
the call for helpthe only call she
knew, and her boy had heard too late.
For verification of this story, there
is the testimony of four others who
while listening in at their sets that
afternoon also heard, in a truly physi
cal sense, that high pitched note of
[ 338]
Hals as though he were tuning his
spark again. One of them called Hals
call letters a number of times, but
received no answer. And all of them say
it was about a quarter to five when they
heard the pure notes of that station.
Recei pt of M ent al M essage*
How did Hal hear that call sent by
his mother? One school of occultists
will say that her mind was on her boy,
that she mentally transmitted her mes
sage to him, that he in his receptive
state received the impression of what
his mother was doing and thinking, and
that his consciousness transmuted the
impression into sounds. It is the famil
iar telepathic interpretation and expla
nation of similar phenomena.
Another school will explain it as
Divine impulses translated and trans
mitted by the Angels of Space. The
materialists will explain it, as I have
heard them explain it before, upon the
basis of coincidence.
I have another explanation to offer.
I base my contention upon many cases
apart from this one, and upon personal
experiences as well.
It is this: As we use and perfect any
function or sense of the body and con
sciousness, we make it more sensitive,
broader in its scope and less limited.
That is to say, man physically and
psychologically is evolving to such a
degree and in such a way that those
organs of the body, functionings and
senses which he no longer needs, are
becoming smaller, dormant, atrophied,
and are disappearing from his organi
zation. In the physical sense we have
much proof of this throughout the
whole body. In the psychic sense we
are just beginning to realize that evo
lution is doing for the psychic body of
man exactly what it is doing for the
physical man.
And, through the systematic or pro
longed practice of concentration on
hearing (as is necessary with the listen
ing-in to distant or faint radio signals),
one more and more loses all conscious
ness of the outer self and the outer en
vironment and becomes attuned to the
consciousness of mental messages. Such
experiences make the consciousness
keen and alive to every incoming im
pression.
Radio waves that pass through the
ether are not different from other
sound waves of any kind, except in
their rate of vibration. Radio waves
are like the waves of light, so far as
their rate is concerned. Our eyes are
constructed by nature to take or receive
those high vibrations and translate
them into lower vibrations that we may
sense. Some animals can sense rates of
vibrations of light that we cannot. Some
have no eyes at all because they live
where there is no light, as at the bottom
of the sea in very deep water. The
animals living where there is very lit
tle light have more sensitive eyes. The
same is true of the organ of hearing.
It varies in animals according to where
their state of evolution has placed
them. Modi f yi ng environment has
modified their sense of hearing.
In order that we may hear the
sounds being carried on the radio
waves, we require electrical devices in
a receiving set to translate the high rate
of vibrations into a lower rate to ac
commodate our organ of hearing. But
such a process is only a makeshift. In
all the past of civilization we find that
nature has gradually changed, im
proved, or modified the organs and
senses of man to meet the conditions of
his environments and needs; and,
therefore, I contend that if we continue
to concentrate and experiment with the
higher waves and rates of vibrations,
both in sight and sound, nature will
gradually adjust the receptive organs
to receive those rates of vibrations with
out the intervention of electrical or
mechanical devices.
Today, those who are hearing radio
dots and dashes, as they report to the
Government, without the use of any
electrical or radio equipment, are, in
my opinion, the early proteges of na
tures great change that is coming to
mankind. And the day is not far dis
tant, relatively near as far as many
cycles of evolution are concerned, when
mental messages, traveling at an even
higher rate than radio, will be received
also by the mind of man as easily as
the lower rates are received today.
V A V
[339 ]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
if\ oicriiicLcLn <zA/[anij'.5,toz
6. FULFILLMENT
By J oel Disher , F. R. C., Department of Literary Research
T
h e apocryphal com
ment of King J ames
that Francis Bacons phi
losophy was like the
peace of God, passing all
understanding, has been
repeated often enough to
be believedespecially
by those who find any
mental challenge too
much for them. Strangely enough,
Bacon himself may have invited the
comment both by his remark that he
was working secretly after the manner
of God, and by his constant return to
two favorite quotations.
The one, from Proverbs 25:2, runs:
It is the glory of God to conceal a
thing and the glory of the king to find
it out. The other was a comment by
Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, on
the expedition of the French to Naples
that they came with chalk in their
hands to mark up their lodgings but
not with weapons to break in.
I like better that entry of truth,
wrote Bacon, which comes peaceably
as with chalk to mark up those minds
which are capable of lodging and har
boring such a guest than that which
forces its way with pugnacity and con
tention. This suggests the thought that
Bacons philosophy is not to be taken
in the generally accepted meaning of
the term. It is possible that Bacon ar
rived at Thomas Huxleys position two
hundred years before he did that irra
tionally held truths may be more harm
ful than reasoned errors and designed
his method to circumvent them. If so,
our attempt to uncover the relationship
existing between Rosicrucian principles,
the plays of Shakespeare, and Francis
Bacons philosophy may have greater
success by a fresh approachby indi
rection finding direction out.
W.F.C. Wigston wrote in The Colum
bus of Literaturel: I take it one of
Bacons complete objects was to bring
1F. J . Schulte & Co.. Chicago, 1892
[ 340]
this lesson directly home
to our minds, that we are
most assured of what we
are most ignorant of, and
that nature is infinitely
more subtle than the
senses of man.
It is painfully evident
that even today scholars
and laymen are most
assured of the absence of any relation
ship between Bacon, Shakespeare, and
the Rosicrucians. If it can be shown
that in this they are most ignorant of
a relationship that does exist, then
truth has been brought to light and
something very valuable about the ef
fectiveness of Bacons philosophy has
been demonstrated.
Painstakingly, Bacon revised his
Novum Organum a dozen times, mak
ing plain the importance he attached
to a clear exposition of his New Meth
od. There are, he declared, four idols
principally which claim mans devo
tion and thus slow his ascent of the
Hill of Truth. These false notions (fic
tions accepted as fact) he calls Idols of
the Tribe, of the Den, of the Market
place, and of the Theatre. They govern
mans responses to the experiences of
life and determine his judgment of
them.
The first idol is that of imagining
that mans senses form the standard of
things. The truth is that mans senses
and his mind lead to judgments, but
those judgments have reference not to
the universe but to man himself. Mans
mind does not reflect objects exactly as
does a mirror; it colors and distorts
them by additions from itself.
Out of this first false notion which
is general, there grows a second which
is individual: each one arrives at other
false notions, due to his personal dis
position, his likes and dislikes, his edu
cation and intercourse with others.
Language is a means of intercourse;
but words rarely mean to one exactly
what they do to another. Thus words
become obstructions rather than aids to
understanding. And this is a third bias.
Lastly, the gravest of all seem to be
those notions or opinions by which each
individually chooses to live. As in a
theater a seat or position is chosen from
which to view a play, so in life a par
ticular position or philosophy is adopted
by which to interpret everything which
occurs. Systems of philosophy thus be
come artificially created worlds in one
of which man tries to live to the neglect
of the others.
In this, Rosicrucian students will rec
ognize certain fundamentals of their
Neophyte instruction. They will recog
nize as well the precepts from whicli
Bacon drew his initial inspirationin
particular, the one which attributed to
God a plan in the Beginning. With such
a divine example before him, Bacon
argued that man with a like plan might
change the world. This plan he thought
it his mission to accomplish. With it,
like Alexander the Great, he could take
the world captive. There was a universal
brotherhood through which he could
work.
Already beyond the experimental
stages and in actual operation when the
Manifestoes in Germany made their
public announcement, the whole meth
od was given larger and larger applica
tion through instructions in many un
suspected ways. While not outwardly
identified, a person with a knowledge of
the blueprint could easily read the out
line. Those who responded to the Mani
festoes call and demonstrated their
qualifications must have been warned
of the idols and set to work on the phi
losophy itself. Certain it is that Bacons
purpose was better understood abroad
than it was at home.
The Great Restoration, according to
Bacons outline, embraced six sections,
three of which were open and three con
cealed; but all, Bacon insisted, designed
for use rather than ornament. This, he
constantly emphasized in his illustra
tions of the peculiarities of mental op
eration. Part IV began the concealed or
less open divisions of the new method.
It was to furnish examples of questions
capable of solution. In Bacons words,
it was to furnish the ladder by which
the intellect or understanding could
work its way to newer truths and
sounder conclusions.
In the second book of the Novum
Organum, twenty-seven so-called Pre
rogative Instances are set forth. These
intrigue one with the possibility of a
relationship to the ladder of the in
tellect.
The term Prerogative Instance seems
calculated to provoke the matter of
meaning, as do the instances them
selves: Solitary, Clandestine, Constitu
tive, Proportionate, Bordering, Subjunc
tive, Alliance, Divorce, Wrestling. How
could they fulfill the promise of Part
IV, and how could such matter of fact
things as Divorce and Wrestling be
made examples of philosophy? Could
they be pictured in art, allegory, poetry
or plays? Examples have been prom
isedbut where? Evidently, one is ex
pected to search for them.
If one foregoes the search, he is not
of those minds which are capable of
lodging and harboring such a guest.
This guest (this new philosophy) will
not force its way with pugnacity and
contention.
However, if one recalls Bacons other
favorite quotation, he will prove his
kingship by finding out that which
has been hidden. He will go back to the
Advancement and the Novum, to the
histories and oft-revised essays. Sup
pose, for example, he takes Divorce
as a clue. The essays contain much on
aspects of human relationshipsOf
Parents and Children, Of Friend
ship, Of Nature in Manbut noth
ing on divorce. Bacons History of Henry
VII is somewhat rewarding; there an
eye-catching sentence is found: The
divorce of King Henry the Eighth from
the Lady Katherine did so much busy
the world. Something unusual, per
haps dramatic, is suggested. Many ref
erences to the theater lie scattered
through Bacons writing, and many
similes based upon itbut what theater
and whose plays?
In 1623, the De Augmentis and the
plays of William Shakespeare came out
alike as twin brothersthe plays di
vided among Comedies, Tragedies, His
tories. In the last section there is Henry
VIII, and its theme is the divorce of
the King Henry from the Lady Kath
erine! The play is full of significance.
[ 341]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
This suggests the process, which if
followed step by step will cause one to
mount the ladder of the understanding
to new knowledgeand new questions.
Two arise naturally: Why Shake
speares plays? and, Can the First-Folio
plays be reduced to themes essentially
agreeable to the Prerogative Instances?
The circumstances surrounding the
publication of the Folio and the Latin
De Augmentis suggest the answer to
the first; and a careful application of
the method will satisfy the second.
The Folio and the De Augmentis
were intended to be complementary
volumes. Bacons Advancement was in
Latin rather than English to allow for
fuller treatment of the theme without
exciting a too-early comparison of the
volumes at home and also to make the
matter available to Continental thinkers
stirred by the thoughts of the Mani
festoes.
The plays of Shakespeare contain
matter drawn directly from Bacons
early commonplace book The Promus*
as well as innumerable comments par
alleling those in Bacons acknowledged
works, the viewpoint being the same in
both. Charactenstic of the parallels ex
isting is the one relating to goiters and
snow water. In Sylva Sylvarum, Bacon
wrote: The people that dwell at the
foot of snow mountains, or otherwise
upon the ascent, especially the women,
by drinking snow water have great bags
hanging under their throats. In Shake
speares Tempest, Gonzalo asks, Who
would believe that there were moun
taineers dew-lappd like bulls, whose
throats had hanging at em wallets of
flesh?
Frontispieces, headpieces and tail
pieces, emblems and cipher, all beseech
the inquirer to take the first step up
the ladder. They are one and all chalk
marks, but they are without effect un
less the mind will lodge and harbor
them.
Some clues are less subtle: for in
stance, the fact of the plays receiving
publication seven years after Shake
speares demise with copious emenda
tion and new plays unpublished before.
Ben J onson, the editor of the Folio as
well as of Bacons De Augmentis, was
living at Gorhambury as Bacons secre
* Pott, Henry (Mrs.), The Promos of Formularies
and Elegancies by Francis Bacon, London, 1883
[ 342]
tary while both volumes were going
through the press. Not only this, J onson
praised Bacon in the identical words he
used to praise Shakespeare. There is,
too, the evidence presented by the Latin
verses published to honor Bacon in
April of 1626. They spoke of him as 1)
a supreme poet; 2) the unacknowledged
author of literary creations; 3) asso
ciated with the theatre; and 4) the heart
of a mystery which future ages would
unfold.
Instances might be multiplied, by
number alone bearing down opinion to
the contrary. One especially, surpassing
all othersthe frontispiece of the 1645
De Augmentis printed abroad but not
used in the volume as it appeared in
England. It shows the philosopher
seated, his right index finger marking a
place in what surely is the Augmentis
itself. With his left hand he is sup
porting a goatskin-clad figure symbolic
of the actor, who holds up a small vol
ume cryptically signifying a mirror.
Above is the Temple of Fame toward
which the figure is being guided. To
those in the know, its story was simple
but elegant: The stage provides the ex
ample, the philosophy outlines the
method. The Order supplies the sub
stance of the matter taught. These three
are the yeast to leaven the world.
Certain unlooked for eventualities
defeatedat least delayedthe plans
perfect fulfillment; The Thirty Years
War in Germany, while precipitating
an exodus of some of those respond
ing to the Famas call to the New
Atlantis (Pennsylvania in the New
World) brought a halt to orderly
initiation of a stabilizing organization
at home. Bacons disgrace by Machia
vellian tactics thrust at the heart of the
movement and necessitated certain
changes. Strangest of all, the sudden
ness of the success of the literary aspects
of the renaissance in England obscured
the ways and means by which it had
been accomplished.
The Elizabethan Age thus remains
for most something of an anomaly. Its
elements, we are told, fortuitously and
unaccountably came together: language
shaped itself; nationalism was bom un
fathered simultaneously in a thousand
breasts. A sudden hunger for things of
the spirit struck all alike, and men em
braced their brothers in a universal
homecoming of happy, joyous, culture-
loving people.
This is in no sense true. What hap
pened did so because there was a plan.
Not a visionary scheme feverishly and
fanatically conceived; not a crusade led
by zealots; not a mirage seen by idle
dreamers. Rather it was a blueprint for
world reformation drawn up by the best
minds the times produced. A blueprint
based upon enduring principles, capable
of universal application, and approved
by like-minded men in earlier ages.
This blueprint is still the virile core of
Rosicrucian teaching and practice in the
world today.
V A V
The 1959 Rosicrucian International
Convention
By Rut h Far r er , Convention Secretary
o si c r u c i a n s who attended
the Convention, J uly 5-
10, at Rosicrucian Park,
in San Jose, found it to
be the second largest in
history. It will long pro
vide food for thought,
smiles to faces, and it
will be the theme of
many a letter to friends. The represen
tation from over twenty countries out
side the United States was particularly
large.
T h e Open i n g Pr ogr am featured an
address by the Imperator, Ralph M.
Lewis, on the subject: The Funda
mentals of Human Relations. He
brought out that the only factor in
which man is truly free is in his think
ing. He spoke of the deep resentment
developed within people whenever they
have been forced to accept ways of liv
ing which do not correspond to their
personal and intimate thinking. Hu
man relations, he defined as the study
of mankind with the purpose of reveal
ing and removing the basic causes of
conflict among men, and in this, he
added, the Rosicrucian philosophy
makes a most valuable contribution.
From the northern and southern
areas of the American J urisdiction
came the Convention Chairman and Co-
Chairman: Frater H. R. VandeBogart,
of Portland, Oregon, and Dr. Sergio
Sanfeliz Rea, of Caracas, Venezuela.
After the introduction of the officers of
the Supreme and Grand Lodges and
their personal words of welcome, two
very distinguished visitors were pre
sented.
First, there was Frater Raymond
Bernard, Grand Secretary of AMORC
France, who, together with his charm
ing wife, is visiting San Jose for the
first time. In addressing the members
he spoke of the work that AMORC is
doing today in perpetuating in the
world the old Rosicrucian teachings
that were in the past given to only a
few initiates in our European countries.
We cannot forget, he said, that the
illustrious late Imperator was initiated
in the south part of France, and we are
proud of this historical event. He spoke
of the amalgamation of AMORC France
[343 ]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
to this J urisdiction of AMORC and
mentioned the great progress made in
the past few years, there now being
more than fifty lodges, chapters, and
pronaoi in France and the French Un
ion. Frater Bernard brought greetings
from the French members with special
thanks to the Imperator for his support
and assistance in their work.
The second distinguished guest was
the Grand Master of Italy, the Baron
Giuseppe Cassara di Castellammare.
Radiantly, he expressed his joy on be
ing able to visit the see of the Order in
San J ose; he spoke of the serious dif
ficulties and delays the Order meets
with in Italy but expressed the deter
mination of the menibers there to sur
mount these and to continue the work
in spite of strong religious oppression.
Repr es en t i n g t h e M ember s At
L a r ge, two volunteer committees were
busy during the week: the Administra
tion and Welfare Committee, and the
Resolutions and Adjustments Commit
tee. As is customary and required at
each Convention, some twenty mem
bers volunteer to serve on these com
mittees, reporting their findings at the
final Convention business session. Their
thorough examination of the Orders
functions, its financial and personnel
affairs continued through the week.
Their final reports attested to the fact
that the Orders activities, its financial
affairs and personnel matters were be
ing administered very satisfactorily.
They did suggest that it would soon be
necessary to provide additional funds
to meet some of the rising costs of print
ing and mailing materials, and to meet
the rising cost of living which affects
the clerical and secretarial employees
in particular. The reports of born Com
mittees were unanimously passed by
vote of the Convention delegates.
Ha n d so me a nd Di g n i f i ed , the new
Administration Annex and Studio build
ing caught the eyes of the members
even as they began arriving on Simday
morning. At the comer of Randol Ave
nue and Chapman Street, this new two-
story structure houses the Supreme Sec
retary and his assistants; in addition, it
contains a modern, air-conditioned Stu
dio where, under the guidance of Frater
Peter Falcone, the Order produces its
tape recordings, audio-visual instruction
program, and motion pictures.
[ 344]
T h e New Co pper Enc a sed Door s of
the Supreme Temple also earned the
approval of the congregating members.
Replacing the weather-beaten wooden
doors, these doors with their beautiful
Egyptian carvings are the gift of the
members living in the area of San Jose.
Pr i d i n g I t sel f in the use of scientific
methods to support its theories, the Rosi
crucian Order presented a number of
events of a scientific nature. On Tues
day, for example, Dr. D. C. MacDonald,
a Rosicrucian and prominent psychia
trist of Vancouver, B.C., addressed the
members on Psychodynamics and dis
cussed the source of mental disturb
ances, illustrating his lecture with slides.
Throughout the week there were re
peated many times a very interesting
lecture and demonstrations by Frater
Erwin Watermeyer, of the Technical
Department; the theme this year was
Reincarnation. Members of the audi
ence took part in the demonstrations,
music and special fighting being used
to prepare them for the proper relax
ation and concentration. Inasmuch as
the number who could attend at one
time was limited, the same program
was given many times.
Because the seating capacity of the
Theatre of the Sky is also limited, the
program presentee! by Frater Harold
Wilson in the Rosicrucian Planetarium
and Science Museum was repeated some
fourteen times. It was given twice in
Spanish. After the tape-recorded lec
ture, the members observed at will the
many exhibits in the Planetarium in
cluding the model of the satellite.
Those interested in childrens activi
ties attended the Childrens Hour.
The sorores who conduct this work
throughout the year use Rosicrucian
principles coupled with certain modem
ideas. On this particular occasion the
children were present and attending
members witnessed a typical Childrens
Hour program.
T a k i n g t h e A u d i en c e, in mind, to
the dwellings of the ancient Essenes
overlooking the Dead Sea, the Mystical
Allegory was most impressively por
trayed on the stage of Francis Bacon
Auditorium. With a cast drawn from
the personnel of AMORC, and with spe
cial music, sound effects and unique
stage settings, the Allegory dramatical
ly showed moments from the fife of the
Essene Brotherhood, revealing their
code of ethics and some of their im
portant doctrines.
T h e I mper a t o r s My st i c a l lecture
and demonstration on Thursday was a
treat to which the members always
look forward. Discoursing upon Medi
tation, he prepared the audience for a
period of personal participation which
was both effective and stimulating.
From their long experience in cor
responding with and meeting the mem
bers, the Supreme Secretary and the
Grand Master gave inspiring addresses.
Frater Cecil A. Poole spoke on: The
Responsibility of Immortality. Frater
Rodman R. Clayson chose as his subject:
The God of Mystics.
T h e I n t r i n s i c Va l u e of a Rosicru-
cian home sanctum was well illustrated
through two different plays in the
course of the Convention. A Night in
Your Sanctum was presented by Frater
J ames Crawford of the Instruction De
partment. On the stage, the member
was seen preparing for an evening in
her sanctum. She illustrated the proper
choice and use of the Rosicrucian ac
couterments. The recorded voice of the
Imperator completed this program.
At another time, the drama A Fam
ily on the Path was given within the
portals of the Supreme Temple. Many
incidents and speeches in this drama
were reminiscent to those who witnessed
it.
Degr ee Rev i ew Cl asses were held
under the supervision of the Depart
ment of Instruction, and assisted by sev
eral very capable members, including
Soror Frances Holland, Grand Coun
cilor for Southern California; Frater
Gilbert N. Holloway, Sr.; Frater Albert
Moore, Grand Councilor for Northern
California; and by Soror Christine H.
Stock, of San Jose. The Order is also
indebted to several members who con
tributed their help to Spanish Degree
Classes: Srta. Celia Chagin, of Mexico
City (who lectured on the Kabala, as
well); Sr. Ramon Garavito, of Barran-
quilla, Colombia; Dr. Sergio Sanfeliz
Rea, of Caracas, Venezuela; Frater Pe
dro J . Gonzalez, of San Francisco; and
Soror Ana Palmira Vivas, formerly of
San J uan, Puerto Rico, and now Direc
tor of the Spanish Editorial Department
and Editor of El Rosacruz. For the first
time, the Tenth and Eleventh Review
Class was bilingual, Frater Cecil A.
Poole addressing the group in English
and Spanish.
It was during the meeting of the
Twelfth Degree members, at which the
Imperator presided, that Frater Ray
mond Bernard was ceremonially and
officially elevated to the position of
Grand Master of France. Those present
in the Supreme Temple will never for
get the emotional impact of this solemn,
ritualistic event. Colombe Suzanne
Wastlund served for the first time as
the new Supreme Colombe during this
session.
T h e At t a i n men t and recognition of
Spiritual Enlightenment was the
theme of an address by Frater A. Talia
ferro, of Dallas, Texas, in Francis Bacon
Auditorium.
Dr. Albert T. Doss, of Cairo, Egypt,
gave the final address, choosing as his
subject the three components of man
spiritual, mental, and physical. He
snowed slides of Egypt and warmly in
vited the members to visit his country.
Music a nd A r t Co n t r i bu t ed much
to this happy Convention. No words
can adequately describe the rapt atten
tion given the piano concert by Frater
Albert Ferber, internationally known
English artist, who is now en route to
engagements in South America. Equal
ly generous with his concert numbers
was Dick Kesner, well-known first vio
linist on the Lawrence Welk television
show.
Those who visited the Rosicrucian Art
Gallery were high in their praise of the
portraits by J ohn Singer Sargent. The
works of this outstanding artist had
been loaned by the Boston Museum of
Fine Arts. Mr. Thomas Leighton, na
tionally known artist, lectured on Art
Through the Ages illustrating his re
marks by excellent colored slides of
famous masterpieces.
A Spi r i t ed Fo r u m Sessi o n elicited
some interesting topics. The panel in
cluded the Imperator, the Supreme
Secretary, the Grand Master, Grand
Secretary, and Grand Regional Admin
istrator, with the Grand Treasurer as
Moderator.
H i st o r y -Ma k i n g Do c u men t s of the
Order were displayed for the inspection
of the members; some of these were
charters, important correspondence, and
instruments of authority issued by af-
1345 }
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
filiated sources and from the Order in
Europe empowering the A.M.O.R.C.
and granting it special rights.
Ma n y A d v en t u r es make up the
Conventions. Guided tours of the Ad
ministration Building gave members the
opportunity to see the many depart
ments of AMORC in operation. There
were the many Convocations in the
beautiful Supreme Temple with its in-
spiring music and refreshing messages.
Two Convocations were given in Span
ish. Spanish-speaking members enjoyed
the film Decoro en el Templo, a trans
lation from the English Temple Deco
rum. The opportunity to see rare books
written by Rosicrucian writers of the
past, the interviews with officers of the
Order, the sessions about the J unior Or
der of Torch Bearers, about the Sun
shine Circlesall of these kept the
members busy throughout the week.
Temple Echoes in this issue of the
Digest mentions other Convention
events.
L odge, Ch a pt er and Pr onaos offi
cers and delegates met together in an
important session presided over by the
Grand Master, Frater Rodman Clayson,
and the Grand Secretary, Frater Harvey
Miles. Officers and representatives from
distant points, and not elsewhere men
tioned, included: Miss Rosa Hards, Mas
ter, Pythagoras Chapter, Liverpool,
England; Mrs. J ohn Bomick, Fort Ed
monton Chapter, Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada; Mr. Robert J ones, Hamilton
Chapter, Mount Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada; Mrs. Marie A. Moreau, Toron
to Lodge, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The gala Banquet and Colombes Ball,
held at the Santa Clara County Fair
grounds, brought the Convention activi
ties to a close, and added to the plenti
ful supply of joyous memories taken
home by the members.
Ev en No w you will want to begin
your plans for attending the 1960 Con
vention. A Rosicrucian Convention is
like a great feastspecially served in
beautiful surroundings, composed of
many courses, rich in delicacy of flavor,
hearty in nutriment. J oin with your
Rosicrucian friends from countries
throughout the world in our next great
Feast, the 1960 Convention, J uly
10-15!
By M a r t h a Pingel , Ph.D.
ON FATE
Fate is a fools excuse for failure
and a tyrants excuse for crime.
Ambrose G. Bierce
How many times in tbe course of our
lives have we thought of ourselves in rela
tionship to our fate? Our fate is written,
say the prophets, in the stars, the hand, the
cards! Yet we are also masters of it and
captains of our souls, in that we weave, for
better or worse, our fate out of the warp
and woof of our entire lives. Our experi
ences, thoughts, emotions, and even our
wishes and dreams, combine to produce what
we call fate. The choices are ours, and the
results follow the choices. To use fate as
an excuse, a crutch, for our lives, or to ex
plain away failure, unhappiness, or any oth
er negative tendency in life in terms of fate
is to court intellectual, moral, and spiritual
disaster.
The believer in fate as a distinct and sep
arate force from the self that creates it is
practicing a form of self-deception which
inevitably leads to frustration and the re
sultant inability (or lack of desire) to cope
with lifes problems. The fatalist is either
a fool or a tyrantperhaps bothfor he be
lieves that his position is given to him with
out work and thus without the sense of per
sonal responsibility for action that is neces
sary to his continued growth as a human
being.
The true man of destiny is the man who
strives for continued self-development, for
tolerance, for understanding, knowledge, and
expression. To consider an event purely in
fatalistic terms is to accept and sustain the
belief that man is not a free agent. Truly,
circumstances may alter us; life gives and
life takes away; but fate depends on our
utilization of what is gained or lost, and not
on mere living. In the last analysis, mans
fate is a by-product of his self, an outer ex
pression of his innermost being.
[ 346]
^ z t t z z
h e comments on Psychic
Effects on Watches, re
lated by A. F. Wolther
(April Temple Echoes),
brought to mind a very
charming old English
song, one verse of which
runs:
Grandfather's clock was too big for
the shelf
So it stood ninety years on the
floor;
It was bigger by half than the old
man himself
Though it weighed not a penny
weight more.
It was bought on the morn of the
day that he was born,
And was always his pleasure and
pride;
But it stopped, short, never to go
again
When the old man died.
There is a very rhythmical tick-tock
chorus which I cannot remember; but
the stopped (pause) short (pause)
never to go again greatly impressed
my child mind of three score years ago.
Is not the cause of the phenomenon
attributable to Induction? When a
fluctuating electric current flows
through an insulated coil a sympathetic
current is induced in an adjacent coil,
and the effect is known as magneto
electric induction, discovered by Fara
day. Perhaps the line drawing will
make the idea clear. The first coil (P)
is the primary, the other (S) the sec
ondary, and if current from the supply
circuit flows through P, induced cur
rent is available at the terminal points T.
We know that everything is vibra
tion, and we are fairly sure that the
sanctified atmosphere of certain places
of worship is largely due to the walls
and furnishings being impregnated
with intense thought vibrations of peo
ple who frequent these places. It seems
that the natural atomic vibration of the
various forms of matter comprising the
interior of a church, for example, is
modified through higher rates of
thought (etheric) vibrations frequently
impinging upon it to the extent that
it takes on the very nature of the high
er vibrations and vibrates in harmony
with them.
The elated feeling experienced dur
ing meditation in a quiet empty church
may be largely due to the effect of
these reflected vibrations merging with
ones own thoughts and making medi
tation easier. There is an affinity or
similarity of vibration which religious
people could easily mistake for direct
communion with Deity.
What I would suggest here is that
the grandfather of the song was a pri
mary coil and his clock a secondary coil;
and that when grandfather died his
clockwork thought-work naturally died
too, there being no longer any induced
current in the secondary coil owing
to the absence of current in the pri
mary. (Two minds with but a single
thought; two hearts that beat as one.)
The problem is perhaps one for medi
tation: influence of higher (etheric)
upon lower (atomic) vibrations; rela
tionship between the two, etc.
One is naturally inclined to think
that such vibrations are of a superior
order. Their high-frequency rate and
consequent great penetrating power
may correspond in some way to rela
tively high and rare degrees of devel
opment, hence perhaps the surprising
effects.Oswald J. Rankin, of France.
P. S. The effect is perhaps badly rep
resented in the line drawing. A watch
would naturally be directly within
ones personal electromagnetic field but
a clock might be influenced through
the conducting mediums of walls, etc.
[ 347 ]
^Stons-cz^faE j2ij~E iJn <z/fust%aLiu
By Wil f r id D. Hambl y, D. Sc .
Curator of African Ethnology (retired), Chicago Natural History Museum
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
n t h r o po l o g i st s have of
ten speculated about the
social and religious life of
early Stone-Age man in
Europe. A rough esti
mate of the period is 150
thousand years ago.
We know that men of
that remote period often
ived in caves. In some regions the walls
of the caves are decorated with draw
ings of animals showing great artistic
skill. These men fashioned crude imple
ments of stone, but made no pottery.
Bones of wild animals and the charred
remains of wild vegetable produce in
dicate that men of the old Stone-Age
were hunters and food gatherers. There
is no evidence of domestication of ani
mals, or of agriculture.
Thousands of years later, at a rea
sonable guess 5000 B.C., men of the
new Stone-Age in Europe made pottery.
They also flaked stone implements of
great delicacy; these included arrow
points and knives of flint with serrated
edges. People of that period in Europe
buried their dead, and also provided the
deceased one with some stone tools and
weapons, as well as food in pottery
vessels. Their concept indicated that
death was followed by a spiritual re
birth. It seemed that the dead would re
quire food and implements. This con
cept of a spirit existence, being a replica
of life on earth, is extremely common
in Africa even today.
But we have no certain knowledge
of the spiritual beliefs, magic, and social
organization of these people. Is there
any possibility of satisfying our curiosi
ty by studying the tribal life of living
men in the Stone-Age stage of culture?
In Australia today there are, at a
rough estimate, 50,000 so-called blacks,
or aborigines. They are not black, but
chocolate brown, and they are not Ne
groes. They have peculiar wavy hair
which is characteristic of the Australoid
race. There is a tendency for the abo
rigines to drift into the service of White
men either on ranches or in towns. But
scattered over Australia (3,000,000
square milesthe size of U.S.A.) are
small tribal groups of natives.
These aborigines are living in a cul
ture of the old Stone-Age, for they do
not polish their stone implements,
neither do they make pottery. There
is no agriculture, and the people de
pend in part on wild vegetable produce
gathered by the women. Every woman
carries a digging stick which is sharp
ened at the point.
Hunting and the gathering of animal
produce of a minor lcind, such as frogs
and grubs, is the work of the men. The
weapons are spears tipped with points
of flaked stone. If the worker can ob
tain a glass bottle he makes remarkably
fine spear points from fragments of
glass. These people have no bow and
arrows. Boomerangs of many types are
commonly used.
The natives have no domestic ani
mals except the dog (dingo). Clothing
and ornaments are almost entirely ab
sent. Dwellings are screens of bark and
rock shelters, I hey have no musical in
struments, but have many very elab
orate ceremonial dances, and some
singing.
P oor hut Ri ch
The astonishing fact is, that despite
the paucity of material things, the Aus
tralian primitives have a complex social
and psychological background.
In terms of geological time it is long
ago since Australia was separated from
other land masses. Therefore animals,
plants, and the native human popula
tion are quite distinctive, through long
isolation. Some remnants of the Austra
loid race are existent in Ceylon and
the Malay Peninsula, but anthropolo
gists have no knowledge of the distant
period of migration and settlement in
[348 ]
Australia. Languages of Australia are
of one group in structure, but they are
variable in vocabulary. I suppose that
all languages must have some kind of
relationship, but such connection has
not yet been established between abo
riginal languages of Australia and those
outside the continent.
Before turning to the social and spir
itual aspects of the culture, consider a
little further the general simplicity of
the life. These Australians have no
written language, but they do carve
symbols on small cylinders of wood,
called message sticks by the White man.
These message sticks, when carried
from tribe to tribe, give protection for
simple trade and the arrangement of
tribal ceremonies.
Sign language with the hands and
fingers is in general use. Symbols,
usually relating to sacred ancestors, are
painted on bark, and on a variety of
objects used in initiation ceremonies.
The symbolism of these religious
paintings and drawings on the ground
seem to be a parallel of the religious
sand paintings used by some Indian
tribes of the southwest U.S.A. During
ceremonies connected with totemism
and tribal initiation, the Australian abo
rigines use a sacred language (with lo
cal variations), but this language is
never used in the ordinary social inter
course of everyday life.
M or al i t y
Such then is the simple material cul
ture. Do the aborigines have a reli
gion? There would be some difficulty
in giving a brief answer; the reply de
pends on our definition of religion. I
would say that the main factors of most
religions are present.
There are local beliefs in a supreme
being who was a creator. Every tribe
has an idea of a spirit life after the hu
man body dies. A form of ancestor wor
ship enters into totemic ceremonies.
These are rites in which the ancestral
spirits play a magical part in order to
ensure a food supply.
I see little evidence to suggest that a
supreme being orders a standard of
conduct. Adultery is punishable by a
contest in which the accused stands up
armed with a shield. The accusers hurl
boomerangs at him, and he is acquitted
when wounded. Incest is a serious
crime, but the word incest does not have
the connotation that it has in our mod
em society.
The marriage laws of all tribes are
based on the division of the tribe into
two, four, or eight sections (phratries)
in some localities. Each of these divi
sions has several totemic groups, each
with an animal as emblem. Thus there
are the kangaroos, hawks, frogs, and
many others. A man or woman is strict
ly bound to marry into a certain phra-
try, and into a particular totemic group
of that phratry. To do otherwise is the
crime of incest, punishable by death.
Murder done openly, or by secret
magic, is punishable by death. The
tribesmen of the victim are responsible
for starting a blood feud. If a man of
the tribe to which the murderer be
longed is killed, justice is thought to
have been done. The person slain by
way of retribution need not be the ac
tual culprit. The aborigines of Australia
have a standard of punishment quite
common in primitive society. There is
communal responsibility of a family,
clan, village, community, or a tribe.
Undoubtedly, there are crimes that
are severely punished. But I do not get
the impression that these crimes are
also sins against a deity. The crimes
against society are not at the same
time violations of divine commands.
Ideas of a supreme being are present
in the southeast of the continent. Euro
pean settlement was first made there
in the year 1788, and there have been
missionary influences from that time
onward. The teaching of Christianity
might account for local supreme beings
under such names as Bunzil, Daramu-
lun, Baiame, and the Mura-Muras who
are rain-gods. But assumption of a pow
erful, creative being, seems natural, and
there seems no necessity to assume the
effects of Christianity whenever primi
tive people have a concept of a creator.
Folklore and Mythology are active
forces which are used to explain the
origin of fire, and the beginnings of
plant and animal life. The alcheringa
were remote dream times in which an
cestors of the present aborigines are
thought to have roamed the earth. To
day these ancestors govern the supplies
of rain and food. Consequently, rev-
[ 349]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
erence for these ancestors is basic in
ceremonies for stimulating plant and
animal fecundity.
Fertility is thought in some mysteri
ous way to be connected with the rain
bow serpent. Ideas connecting serpents,
rain, and fecundity are common in
Africa and in many other parts of the
world.
Beyond doubt, Australian aborigines
have a complex and coordinated series
of beliefs in supernatural powers and
persons. These beliefs, combined with
tribal laws administered by the oldest
men, have laid the foundation of a
well-organized society. All this com
plexity is an astonishing contrast to the
simplicity of the material culture.
M agi cal Concepts
The medicine man is best described
as an intermediary between the world
of men and the world of unseen spirits
and mystic powers.
A tribe of central Australia divides
medicine men into three classes. These
divisions enjoy magical power and so
cial status according to their method
of initiation.
A youth chosen for initiation is silent
and reserved, given to melancholy and
is of neurotic temperament. He makes
contact with the spirits by living alone
in a cave which they are said to inhabit.
A medicine man treats the sick usually
by massage, and the pretense of remov
ing a foreign body such as a stone or a
small pointed-bone. Sickness and death
are invariably attributed to evil magic,
and not to natural causes. A man who
wishes to harm an enemy secretly
points a sharp bone in his direction and
mutters a curse. Evil magic is thought
to be most effective if worked through
a portion of hair, a tooth, or the nail
parings of an enemy. He can by use
of these trifles be doomed to die by a
curse.
Magical beliefs and ceremonies are
associated with death and burial. Ghosts
are jealously observant of the rites due
to their human bodies. Widows whiten
themselves with clay and mourn loud
ly. A common form of mourning is
gashing the body with stone imple
ments. A corpse is bound hand and foot
to prevent the wandering of its ghost.
The shelter where death occurred is
burned, and the camp is removed to a
new site. The name of the dead must
never be mentioned, for that might call
up the ghost. The Binbinga, living near
the west shore of the Gulf of Carpen
taria, eat parts of the dead. This is
ceremonial cannibalism.
A ghost is thought to hover near the
site of burial for a time, but local opin
ions vary considerable with regard to
the ultimate fate of the soul. A general
belief exists in reincarnation. A rein
carnated spirit changes its sex and
totem at second birth. A man of the
kangaroo totem may be reborn as a fe
male of the frog totem. Certain lonely
places are said to be inhabited by little
spirit children who may enter females
if they visit that spot.
Sacr ed Obj ects
Every religion, even the most sophis
ticated, has relied to some extent on
sacred objects. It is difficult to worship
an idea unless the idea is symbolized.
For the Australian natives the word
churinga signifies a sacred object, and
of these there are several examples in
the Chicago Natural History Museum.
One common churinga is a bull-roarer.
It is a flat slab of wood, oval or ellip
soidal in shape, with a string attached.
A weird humming is produced by
whirling the object rapidly, and the
noise warns women and uninitiated
boys to keep far away from the spot
where boys are receiving their tribal
initiation. Some southwestern tribes
state that the buzzing noise is the voice
of a supreme being, Daramulun.
Symbolism plays a part in rain mak
ing. White feathers are tossed into the
air to represent clouds, while men make
incisions in their flesh and allow blood
to drop as a symbol of rain.
i ni t i at i ons and Aft er l i fe
The initiation of boys into tribal life
emphasizes the importance attached to
tribal law, the authority of old men,
and the religious aspects of social or
ganization.
Boys are secluded with old men of
the tribe, who bring out the sacred
churinga. These objects are usually
bull-roarers and boomerangsalso
stones, decorated with feathers stuck on
with human blood. There are circum-
[ 350 ]
cision rites, and other tests of physical
endurance to he borne without sign of
pain.
Marriage laws are explained, so that
each youth knows into which totem he
may marry without committing incest.
Finally each boy receives a new name
as a symbol of his rebirth as a man.
This survey impresses the fact that
ethnologists are not justified in assum
ing that a meager material culture im
plies a dearth of social organization
and spiritual concepts. On the contrary,
these natives of Australia, who are in
the backwash of a modernized world,
have developed a complex tribal life
based on ideas of survival after death
of the body. Ancestral spirits are ex
tremely important in their controls of
the living. These spirits are reincar
nated, and they can enter into animals
in such a way as to increase fecundity
and food supply.
It would be rash to argue that Stone-
Age men of Europe had a social organ
ization and a spiritual outlook. But the
culture of the present-day aborigines
of Australia, who are definitely in the
Stone-Age, suggests that such a degree
of mental development is not impossible.
V A V
Be Yourself
By T hea Br it on, F. R. C., Sussex, England
h a t is the finest lesson
that life can teach us. It
includes and over-rides
every other lesson.
Yourself is the sum to
tal of countless lives, not
only human ones, but all
phases of life up to hu
man. The Creator gave
you personality and free will in the be
ginning. (Yes, you were there at the
beginning, possibly before this begin
ning.)
Personality is another name for con
sciousness at the highest level, self-
consciousness, and free will is the
power to direct that consciousness. What
more could any Creator give anyone?
Everything you are or can be is in
cluded in these two. And, so that the
gift should be quite complete, you, as
mind, made your start at the beginning,
as part of the simplest form of lifein
the mineral kingdom.
Gradually yourself evolved until you
reached the cell stage, a great advance
from the crystal stage. Once at the cell
stage you had reached the high road, a
very long, very interesting road, cul
minating in the human form. But the
human form is not the end; it is merely
another stage in the growth towards
your ultimate goal. It is the last stage
of the physical world as the mineral
was the first.
You wonder why all these stages?
J ust to make the gift complete. You
were given Life itself, not one life in
one human body, but Life itself, com
plete in all its physical manifestations,
so that you are one with life at any
level, having lived it at each level.
That is why you can have fellow
feeling with the trees in the wood, the
clouds in the sky, the waving wheat in
the field, the raging billows in the
ocean or the streamlined fish gliding
through it, with the lark trilling at the
gate of heaven. All these are yours be
cause you have lived them and as your
real self knows themwe can only know
what we have lived through.
As a human being you have all the
powers you acquired through all these
levels of life, plus all that are instinct
in that life which, having attained self-
consciousness, was stamped with the
Image of God. What does that mean?
J ust this, that some day yourself shall
be able to stand, undaunted, in the
presence of God, the eternal light that
throws no shadow.
Therefore find yourself and be it
there is nothing finer.
[351 ]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
GRAND COUNCILORS OF A. M. O. R. C.
Members elected to serve as councilors of the Grand Lodge may be contacted, in
their respective territories, concerning the welfare of the Order. Matters pertaining to
the teachings, however, should be directed to the Grand Lodge in San Jose, California.
At the 1959 Convention, the following persons were elected to the Grand Council of
the Order, for the term ending with the annual Convention of 1960:
NORTH ATLANTIC STATES
SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES
SOUTHWESTERN STATES
NEW ENGLAND STATES
GREAT LAKES AREA
WESTERN CANADA and
NORTHWESTERN STATES
LATTN-AMERICAN COUNTRIES
(Except Argentina)
EASTERN CANADA and
WESTERN NEW YORK
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
WEST CENTRAL STATES
CARIBBEAN AREA
ARGENTINA
AFRICA (below the equator)
J oseph Weed
579 Fifth Avenue
New York 17, New York
William V. Whittington
4700 Connecticut Avenue, N. W.
Washington 8, D. C.
Camp Ezell
P. O. Box 366
Beeville, Texas
Robert Wentworth
132-A Russell Street
West Peabody, Massachusetts
Harry L. Gubbins
Woodmont Drive
South Bend 14, Indiana
J . Leslie Williams
3282 W. 27th Avenue
Vancouver, B. C., Canada
Carlos Nunez A.
Apto. 26009, Admin, de Correos 44
Mexico 12, D. F.
Harold P. Stevens
P.O. Box 133
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
Albert Moore
2910 Calderwood Lane, Apt 99
Sacramento 21, California
Mrs. Frances Holland
P. O. Box 269
Escondido, California
George Fenzke
P.O. Box 518
Wauconda, Illinois
C. C. Abrahams
c/o Commercial Service, Inc.
P. O. Box 1236
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
E. G. Starke
Casilla Correo 2829
Correo Central
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Roland Ehrmann
Box 5044, Snell Parade
Durban, Natal, South Africa
[ 352 ]
e r i o u s but friendly was
the way the recent Rosi-
crucian I nternational
Convention impressed
most. What will live long
est in the memory of it
will be an individual mat
ter; yet who, among those
privileged to witness it,
can ever forget the installation ceremony
in which Frater Raymond Bernard be
came the Grand Master of France? Or
who can hope to see a sight more thrill
ing than thirty Colombes serving at the
induction of two new members to their
ranks? And lets not overlook the nam
ing rite for Cynthia Louise Rettberg
and Aida Conyers Doss. Can we look
into the future and see them installed
Colombes of the Order? Quite possibly.
The music of Dick Kesner and his
graciousness will always linger pleas
antly, as will the thrill of Frater Albert
Ferbers interpretation of Villalobof
and certainly what occurred in the
Childrens Hour. And how about the
opening session and the Imperators
address on Human Relations? The
Convention Secretarys complete report
will doubtless recall these and many
more. Read it.
V A V
Said Horace in his Ars Poetica, ac
cording to one translator, In one scene
no more than three should speak, so
these three and no more must speak
for the session of Rose-Croix University
just passed:
Time Magazine a few weeks ago
spotlighted Svlvia, Kansas, where Alice
Smart upped her IQ by marrying a
Learned manArthur by name. What
Time didnt say was that the couple
honeymooned in Rosicrucian Park
where Learned, Arthur learned more
as a student at RCU and Smart, Alice
Learned learned, too, in the Research
Library.
A little child provided more thrills
to this years student body than a new
ly-discovered asteroid. Aida Conyers
Doss was the subject of hourly bulletins
and constant comment from the mo
ment of her arrival at 1:42 Thursday
morning, J une 18. Frater Alberts en
thusiasm resolved the whole university
into a committee of the whole to con
sider the event.
Franz Kafkas book The Trial (see
Digest for May 1951) was given a
dramatic reading at the final Assembly
by Soror Louise Vernons Drama Class.
The story of J oseph Kays inexplicable
arrest and trial ably handled by these
Rose-Croix thespians was well calcu
lated to be a highlight of the session.
V A V
The Bulletins of both Thomas J effer
son and George Washington Carver
Chapters of Washington make mention
of gifts presented to their chapters by
Frater and Soror Albert T. Doss of
Cairo. The Carver Chapter gift a
hand-colored photograph of The God
dess Nephthys Protecting the Temple
of Thutmose I I I was presented to
Master Albert E. J anifer by Grand
Councilor and Inspector General Wil
liam V. Whittington. The J efferson
Chapter Gift was The Winged God
dess Mast protecting the entrance to the
tomb of Queen Nefertari wife of Ram-
eses II.
* * *
Two other items from the Carver
Bulletin are newsworthy. In May,
Colombe Emeritus Leona Perry was
elected to Howard University Chapter
of Phi Beta Kappa. She is entering a
course in medicine, having received her
bachelors degree from Howard Uni
versity in J une.
[ 353 ]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
Past Master Hubert E. Potter ap
peared before the class of Dr. Leon
Wright of Howard Universitys Depart
ment of Theology recently in a dramat
ic presentation of hypnotism. Frater
Potters acquaintance with the subject
dates back twenty-five years to his
study of psychology at the University
of Pittsburgh. Dr. Wrights unique
course offered by the School of Religion
was titled, Mysticism and the New
Testament.
V A V
In commemoration of the 44th anni
versary of the institution of the Order
in this present cycle by Dr. H. Spencer
Lewis, its first Imperator, New York
City Lodge held a special conclave on
May 13. Ritualistic stations were filled
by Past Masters. Following the open
ing ceremony, the significance of the
occasion was set forth by Master Duffie
J ohnson. The address After Forty-
Four Years was given by Inspector
General Soror Ruth Farran.
* * *
The annual rally of New York City
has been set for Saturday and Sunday,
October 3 and 4. In addition to the
usual program of study and experi
ment, Frater J . Duane Freeman, a
former Master of the New York Lodge
and now a member of the Supreme
Council of the Order in San Jose, will
be the honored guest.
V A V
This may be a long way round to
reach a point, but it brings in very
fascinating matter on the way, whether
youre an oceanographer bom or so
rank a landlubber that you dont know
the difference between a Nansen bottle
and a teacup. Time Magazine devoted
its science article in the J uly 6 issue to
the ocean frontieran inner space as
important as outer space, but different,
in the words of one oceanographer. And
a provocative and informative article
it is too; but one point (reached by this
round-about route) is the cover protrait
of Columbus ODonnell Iselin II of the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
in Cape Cod. He is a direct descendant
of J ohn ODonnell, who in 1785 sailed
his East Indiaman Pallas into Baltimore
with a cargo of tea and Chinese silks
for sale. Merchant Prince, a spirited
citizen and philanthropist, J ohn ODon
nell was also a mystic and a Rosicru-
[ 354]
cian. Our lodge in Baltimore is named
for him.
V A V .
I ts a little late to mention, for it all
happened in April: Adelaide Chapter
invited its members and friends to a
social evening. Come, the invitation
said, dressed to represent a well-
known book, either in full or part.
Late as it wastoo late to gowe
couldnt help working on the idea. And
then things took an impossible turn;
all the books we could think of were
too much for our ingenuity. Here they
areand how could one dress to repre
sent themeither in full or part?
Fashion is Spinach; Generally Speak
ing; Biological Politics; Whistlers Van;
The Unfinished Universe; Stepping
Westward; In the Wet; Magnificent
Obsession; Cry Havoc; Unclaimed
Money; Environs of London; Tudor
Sunset; Chips from a German Work
shop. I ts a great idea though and one
that must have proved a hilarious chal
lenge to fratres and sorores Down
Under.
* * *
The summer issue of the quarterly
news of Charles Dana Dean Chapter of
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, carried a
tribute to Frater Thomas Nightingale
Gorst who passed through transition in
April at the age of eighty. Known and
loved locally as Uncle Tom, Frater
Gorst endeared himself more widely in
1955 when he attended the Internation
al Convention in San Jose. At that
time, he delighted a Convention audi
ence with a variety of birdcalls which
he whistled from his on-the-spot no
tations.
* * *
Frater Ken Slack, Master of J ohn
Dalton Chapter in Manchester, Eng
land, wrote a paragraph on meditation
recently that is thought-provoking. He
wrote:
Meditation should not merely be
an escape from the harshness of
lifealthough, for a time, this is
what we are inclined to do. Even
tually, however, the peace and
awareness that we reach through
the practice of meditation can be
carried over, as it were, into our
lives. From this quiet place in our
selves we can watch the events of
life, as we might watch a proces-
sion. Later on we find that, in
some way, we can direct this pro
cession of events as we wish. What
I mean is, that from this quiet
place, which is the Kingdom of
Heaven within each of us, and
where the Self is, we can see what
must be doneand what is more,
we shall have the means of doing
what must be done.
* * *
Master M. P. Poison of Bombay
Pronaos is an enthusiastic philatelist.
This year the special committee of the
American Topical Association named
him Distinguished Topical Philatelist
of 1959. He is the second non-Ameri-
can thus honored. He was presented
an engraved plaque and his signature
added to the Associations illuminated
scroll.
* * *
Reporting on his studies, Frater Rob
ert Buell mentioned the influx of poetic
thought that has recently been his. He
appended a triolet as evidence. We
fracture a settled policy by printing it:
Am I alone when God is mine
And Being is my own?
Am I alone with all things known
And Love an inner shrine?
A m i alone when God is mine!
V A V
)J~*a%znt
(From The Mafia BodhiJ uly 1958, a J ournal of International Buddhist Brotherhood)
M o n k s, those families where mother
and father are honoured in the home
are reckoned like unto Brahma. They
are ranked with the teachers of old;
worthy of offerings are such families.
Brahma (monks) is a term for mother
and father. Teachers of old is a term
for mother and father. Worthy of
offerings is a term for mother and
father. Why so? Because mother and
father do much for children; they bring
them up, nourish them, and introduce
the world to them.
Parents are called Brahma
(,teachers of old). Worthy of gifts are
they, compassionate unto their tribe
of children. Thus the wise should
worship them and pay them hon
ours due, serve them with food and
drink, clothing and beds, anoint
their bodies, bathe and wash their
feet. For service such as this to
parents given in this life sages
praise a man, and he hereafter has
reward of joy in heaven.
A n g u t t a r a
SUPREME TEMPLE CONVOCATIONS
Supreme Temple Convocations for members of all Degrees will resume on Tuesday,
September 22, and continue until spring. Members residing in this area or visiting Rosi-
crucion Park are cordially invited to attend these weekly Convocations and enjoy the
ritual and discourses. Convocations begin promptly each Tuesday evening at 8:00 p. m.
ROSICRUCIAN DIRECTORY
A complete directory of all chartered Rosicrucian Lodges, Chapters, and Pronaoi
throughout the world appears in this publication quarterly. See the August issue for a
complete listingthe next listing will be in November.

(International J urisdiction of North, Central, and South America, British
Commonwealth and Empire, France, Switzerland, Sweden, and Africa.)
[ 355 ]
The
Rosicrucian
Digest
September
1959
ROSICRUCIAN RALLIES
Rosicrucian Rallies planned for the fall season are listed below. Their sponsors
extend an invitation to all Rosicrucians to attend. Special programs, including discourses,
experiments, motion pictures, and ritualistic actmties, will be featured. For further
information regarding any Rally listed below, write to the Rally Secretary whose name
and address is listed.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND: Labor Weekend at Auckland Chapter, October 24 to
26, Y.W.C.A. Hall, 385 Queen Street. Frater Ralph M. Lewis, Imperator, will be
the speaker featured. Rally Secretary, Mrs. F. E. Martin, 15 Taiere Terrace,
Onehunga, Auckland S. E. 5.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: The J ohn ODonnell Lodge. Rally held Sunday, October
4 at the Lodge Temple, 225 W. Saratoga Street. Rally Secretary: Mrs. Robert W.
Flurie of same address.
DAYTON, OHIO: Tri-State Rally sponsored by the Elbert Hubbard Chapter, 15 S. J ef
ferson Street, October 3 and 4. Rally Secretary: Mr. George E. Meeker of same
address.
DENVER, COLORADO: Annual Rally sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Chapter,
October 17 and 18 at the Chapter Temple, 1725 East Evans Avenue, Denver. Rally
Secretary: Mr. Desmond H. Beech, 1412 E. 10th Avenue, Denver 18.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN: The Fifteenth Annual Great Lakes Rally sponsored by the
Thebes Lodge, October 9 and 11. Womens Federation Building. 616 Hancock West,
Detroit. The principal speakers will include Frater J . Duane Freeman, member of
Board of Directors, Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, and Grand Councilors Harry
L. Gubbins of South Bend, Indiana, J oseph J . Weed of New York City, and Harold
P. Stevens of Hamilton, Ontario. Rally Secretary: Mrs. Loretta L. Larsen, 14287
Robson Avenue, Detroit 27.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Southern California Rally, October 17 and 18, Holly
wood Masonic Temple, 6840 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood. Special speakers will
include Frater Rodman R. Clayson, Grand Master, Frater Arthur C. Piepenbrink,
Grand Regional Administrator, J ames H. Whitcomb, Director, Department of
Instruction, and Soror Adelina Graham, Director, La tin-American Division. Rally
Secretary: Mr. Michael V. Garcia, Hermes Lodge, 148 North Gramercy Place,
Los Angeles 4.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: Annual Rally sponsored by the Essene Chapter,
October 3 and 4 at the Dyckman Hotel in Minneapolis. Rally Secretary: Mr. Ralph
K. Malmberg, 13800 Highway 5, Hopkins, Minnesota.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Annual Rally sponsored by the New York City
Lodge, October 3 and 4. Morning sessions at the New York Lodge Temple, Fisk
Building, 250 W. 57th Street; afternoon sessions at the Park Sheraton Hotel. Frater
J . Duane Freeman, member of Board of Directors, Supreme Grand Lodge of
AMORC, will be the principal speaker. Rally Secretary: Mr. Walter G. Klingner,
Fisk Building, 250 W. 57th Street, New York.
SAN J UAN, PUERTO RICO: Twelfth Annual Rally sponsored by the Luz de AMORC
Lodge, together with the dedication of the new Lodge Temple October 11 and 12.
Calle Aponte #305, Santurce, Puerto Rico. Rally Secretary: Mr. Antonio Carras-
quillo, Apartado 8716, Santurce, Puerto Rico.
SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: A Rally sponsored by the May Banks-Stacey Chapter
September 27, Oliver Hotel, South Bend. Principal speakers will be Grand Coun
cilors Harry Gubbins and George Fenzke. Rally Secretary: Mrs. Donald Weaver,
54529 North 29th Street, South Bend 15.
ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI: Third Annual Rally sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter,
October 10 and 11, Roosevelt Hotel, St Louis. Rally Secretary: Mr. J ohn G.
Huffstutler, 4517 Fair Avenue, St. Louis 15.
SYDNEY, N. S. W.: The Sydney Chapter, October 30, 31, and November 1. October 30
sessions will be held at Palings Concert Hall, 2-18 Ash Street, Off George, Sydney;
October 31 and November 1sessions will be held at the I.O.O.F. Hall, 100 Clarence
Street, Sydney. Frater Ralph M. Lewis, Imperator, will be the principal speaker.
Rally Secretary: Mr. Barrie Brettoner, c/o 8 Williams Street, Rockdale, Sydney,
N. S. W.
TORONTO, ONTARIO: Eighth Eastern Canada Rally September 26 and 27, Crystal
Ballroom, King Edward Hotel, 37 King Street, East. Frater J . Duane Freeman,
member of Board of Directors, Supreme Grand Lodge, will be the principal speaker.
Rally Secretary: Mr. R. J ames Allen, 133 Cornell Avenue, Toronto 13.
VANCOUVER, B. C.: October 16 to 18, Vancouver Lodge Temple, 805 West 23rd
Avenue, Vancouver. Frater Ralph M. Lewis, Imperator, will be the principal
speaker. Rally Secretary: Mr. Gordon D. Lissner, 805 West 23rd Avenue, Vancouver.
[ 356 ]
A GRAND MASTER I NSTALLED
On the occasion of a special convocation during the recently held Rosicrucian Convention, Frater Raymond Bernard was
ritualistically installed as Grand Master of AMORC for the Republic of France. Here the Imperator, Ralph M. Lewis, is
shown bestowing the insignia of this high office on Frater Bernard, while Frater Giuseppe Cassara, J r., AMORC Grand
Master for Italy, looks on. Prior to this, Frater Bernard had served AMORC in France with great devotion and leadership
as its Grand Secretary.
(Photo by AMORC)
CONVENTI ON VI SI TORS HEAR FAMED PI ANI ST
By a happy chain of events, Rosicrucian members who attended the 1959 International Con
vention had the rare opportunity to hear a gifted artist perform. Frater Albert Ferber of
London, England, was scheduled for a concert, tour in Latin-America, and stopped by San
Jose enroute from London to Mexico City. During his short stay in San Jose, he presented a
piano concert for the Rosicrucian Convention in the Francis Bacon Auditorium, and never has
an artist been so well received nor so greatly loved in so short a time.
(Photo by AMORC)
Lemuria, the Lost Continent!
In the depths of the Pacific shrouded in darkness, lies a vast continent. Where once
great edifices reached skyward and multitudes went their way is now naught but the
ceaseless motion of the sea. Centuries before the early men of Europe or Africa found
the glorious spark of fire or shaped stones into crude implements, the Lemurians had at
tained an exalted culture. They had wrested from nature her proudest secrets. Then nature
reclaimed her power. With a tremendous convulsion she plunged the civilizations of demi
gods beneath the leveling waters. Again she reigned supreme, the victor over mans great
est efforts. Has the learning of this early civilization been completely lost? Was their
strange knowledge submerged with the land upon which they dwelt? Whence came these
people? And were they all destroyed? Science today is proving the physical existence of
the continent, and down through the ages there has come the tale of a strange people
who live today and have preserved the mystical knowledge of Lemuria.
Alive Today?
Majestic Mount Shasta, crowned with eternal snow and surveying the
great Pacific, harbors strange clues of an unknown people. Tradition
and fact unite to tell a weird saga of a tribe reputed to be the descend
ants of lost Lemuria. who fled to safety, and who dwelt in the moun
tain fastness of Mount Shasta. What were their mystical practices?
Did they account for the eerie lights seen far upward toward the sum
mit? Did they practice rituals which had their inception centuries ago?
Why were they cloistered from the world ? Were they masters of natures
laws not yet known to men of today ? No other book so thoroughly ex
plains the scientific, mystical, and spiritual achievements of the ancient
Lemurians and the remnant of their descendants existing today as does
this one. This book is a gift supreme, either to another or to yourself. I t
is complete with all necessary maps, tables, charts, and strange symbols.
^ ^ a ^ A, A
A Price
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Learn The G L A N D Way To L ive!
L
OOK at yourself in the mirror. As
you search your lace you will real
ize your weaknesses and know your
strong points as well, but DO YOU
REALI ZE that minute organic sub
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They a I feet your growth, hei ght,
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The control of the glands can mean
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Do Y ou Know Y our Gl andul ar Type?
LET THI S SENSAT I O NAL BOOK EXPL AI N
Each glandular excess or deficiency produces a glandular type a distinct
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OAN WE REC0 LLECT /OUR/PAS/ LI VE Sy?
H\ C ^ '/MV'*
I
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about people you have met for
the first time? Do scenes and
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haunt your memory? Are these
proof that the personalityan
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Prejudices, fears, and supersti
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For the inquiring mindfor those who wish to explore the mystery
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ROSICRUCIAN PRINCIPLES FOR HOME and BUSINESS
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UNTO THEE I GRANT . . By Sri Ramatherio
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A THOUSAND YEARS OF YESTERDAYS
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MANSIONS OF THE SOUL, The Cosmic Conception
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SON OF THE SUN By Savitri Devi
The magnificent life and times of Amenhotep
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