Rays from the Rose Cross Magazine
A Christian Esoteric Magazine
Established by Max Heindel - June 1913
Volume 91, No. 1
January/February, 1999
This Issue...
Feature:
-We Shape Ourselves, by John
Greenleaf Whittier
Editorial:
-Service as a Vocation
"Driven though it be by market values, the Luciferic lures of advertising,
and runaway consumerism, the explosion of the service industry in part reflects
the approach of the Aquarian era, one of whose keynotes is service."
Mystic Light:
-Eye hath Not Seen, Nor Ear Heard,
by C.W.
"The human physical senses of seeing and hearing are earthly shadows of two
extrasensory faculties. When referred to in the Gospels, which are first and
foremost esoteric documents, seeing and hearing designate this supersensory
perception, for knowledge of the spiritual worlds is conveyed by analogy (or
parable), in terms of what one sees and hears in the physical world."
-The Awakening (an
allegory), by Marguerite A. Wing
"When she was very young, the maiden dwelt in the Lowlands, in the Kingdom
of Unhappiness, under the dictates of the mad ruler, Desire. This troubled
country was bounded on the north by the icy caves of Selfishness, on the east by
every veering wind of Emotion, on the south by the unpredictable volcano of
Anger and Temper, and on the west by the swamp of Doubt where hung the chilling
fog of many Fears."
-The Diamond Body of
the Temple God, by Susann Lee White
"The phrase "without sound of hammer" has as familiar a ring to
Rosicrucians as it may have to Masons. It refers to building the vehicle of
light needed to travel in the foreign countries of the spiritual worlds, and to
work in the vineyard of the Christ. There is a spiritual connection between the
Rosicrucians and the Masons, and as Rosicrucian members we consider ourselves to
be "Masons at heart" because of the many similarities in the tenets,
rituals and first-hand knowledge regarding the building of the spiritual or soul
body."
-Magic, White and
Black--Part 2, by Sylvia Baker
"If, then, we may not use material instruments or physical sensation in
developing the "gifts of the spirit," what is the correct method of
developing them? The powers of White Magic are not sought nor developed for
themselves. It is said that happiness is the by-product of a life well lived.
Whether or not this is true of happiness, it is certainly true of these
spiritual gifts. The way to acquire them, then, is to live the highest life of
service of which we are capable."
-I Am the Way,
by George Weaver
"Before Christ lived in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, the content of major
religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Egyptian and Greek mystery cults,
indicates a gradual disclosure and deepening influence of the solar Logos,
Christ, in earthly affairs and in the consciousness of man. Judaism, whose
sacred scripture is the Old Testament, can be grouped among these religions, for
it is not Christian per se; but it is prophetic of the advent of the Son of God
in human form. The true Christian document is the New Testament, particularly
the Gospels."
-Though Your Sins be
as Scarlet, by George Weaver
"After I had given birth to my first child, the physician warned me that
should another child be born to me it would in all probability cost me my life.
Worse still, he told my husband. Would that I had paid no attention; would that
the seed of a foul crime had never lodged in my mind! Thereafter I was afraid of
the consequences which the birth of another child might entail. It was not death
that I feared but the suffering. I could not endure that and I would not. I
thought only of physical anguish."
From Max Heindel's Writings:
-The Successful Life
"In ancient Lemuria the most precocious were instructed in physical
science, the arts and crafts. This teaching has flowered in our Western
civilization. Prior to that time we were free Spirits unfettered by time and
space. But when the Ego entered into the dense body and became its indwelling
spirit, we were imprisoned. Through the entire Atlantean Epoch and much of the
present Aryan Epoch it took months to travel comparatively short distances on
the earth's surface."
Readers' Questions:
-The Case Against Vaccinations
"Question: In view of the seeming effectiveness of the anti-whooping cough,
tetanus, and diphtheria shots for children, what answer can be given to someone
who has no understanding of the Philosophy and cites the lowering of epidemics,
as a result of these shots?"
Western Wisdom Bible Study:
-The Sacrament of Baptism, by Max
Heindel
"As soon as the individual has entered upon the journey of life, the church
admits him into its fold by the rite of Baptism, which is conferred upon him at
a time when he himself is irresponsible. Later, when his mentality has been
somewhat developed, he ratifies that contract and is admitted to Communion,
where bread is broken and wine is sipped in memory of the Founder of our faith.
Still farther upon life's journey comes the sacrament of Marriage; and at last,
when the race has been run and the Spirit again withdraws to God who gave it,
the earth body is consigned to the dust, whence it was derived, accompanied by
the blessings of the church."
Astrology:
-Amenability to Planetary Vibrations--Part 3,
by Max Heindel
"After what has been said, it will not be difficult to understand that the
Uranian characteristics, in which love becomes compassion, give a wisdom that is
not dependent upon reasoning and a love that is not fixed upon one object alone
but includes all that lives and moves and has being. These are similar to the
characteristics that are to be evolved by humanity during the Venus Period when
perfect love will have cast out all fear, when man will have conquered all the
lower phases of his nature, and when love will be as pure as it is universally
inclusive."
-Saturn in War and
Peace, by Ann Barkhurst
"Saturn, during the course of astrological centuries, has acquired a
somewhat dubious reputation as the satanic power of the planetary chain, and by
no means the least disliked is his role of taskmaster (as differentiated from
that of work-master), according to the old adage, which we make bold to use
somewhat freely, that Satan finds work for idle hands to do. Nowhere is this
better exemplified than in the Saturnian afflictions by transit. Transiting
Saturn moves slowly enough to enable any astrologer to check his influence as he
crosses the sensitive points in the radical horoscope; and in our more
evanescent Saturnian moods--rightly labeled saturnine--we not infrequently find
that the transiting Moon and Sun are afflicting the radical Saturn."
-Cosmic Rhythms and
Terrestrial Life, by Wolf Storl
"To assume that what comes to pass in the wide expanses that surround the
earth planet has little or no effect on the life of the earth is the legacy of
the world-view that described planets solely as dead physical matter held in
orbit by purely mechanical forces, and held that the stars, as infinitely
distant suns, could not possibly transmit anything across the vacuum of
space."
Religion and Art:
-The Light of the World, by J.T.
"In Oxford University's Keble College hangs a painting which the English
artist W. Holman Hunt regarded as his masterpiece. In it he sought to
incorporate all the meaning and inspiration which had come to him from his study
of the word portraits of Christ in the New Testament. In particular, two
scriptural themes are evident: "I am come a light unto the world, that
whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness" (John 12:46); and
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
(Rev. 3:20)"
Religion and the Public Realm:
-We Hold These Truths (Collective authorship)
"On this two hundred and twenty-first anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence,* we join in giving thanks to Almighty God for what the Founders
called this American experiment in ordered liberty. In the Year of Our Lord
1997, the experiment is deeply troubled but it has not failed and, please God,
will not fail. As America has been a blessing to our forbears and to us, so will
it be a blessing to future generations, if we keep faith with the founding
vision."
Book Reviews:
-Color, Music and Vibration, by
Dr. Paul Freiwirth
"The simple thesis of Bernard Jensen's brief (63 pages) book Color, Music
and Vibration (Bernard Jensen, Escondido, CA, 1988) is that everything in life
and nature derives from vibration: light, color, sound, music, heat, the ocean's
waves and the contours of mountains. Drawing on the fruitage of half a century
of research and observation, the distinguished and internationally acclaimed
author regales us not only with a plethora of proof, but also shows how this
wisdom can be employed to add enjoyment to life and avoid many of its
pitfalls."
Nutrition and Health:
-Wholesome Vegetarian Soups, by
Lillian R. Carque
"To those who have become accustomed to soups as a necessary adjunct to
dinner, and who believe that meats or their liquors are essential to produce a
savory soup, it will doubtless be a revelation to learn how palatable a dish can
be made from natural vegetation. While we do not recommend soups specifically,
we realize that in changing from a meat to a fleshless diet, beginners must be
granted a measure of latitude to obviate the possibility of backsliding to
former injudicious dietetic practices."
Healing:
-Newness of Life
"An entirely new set of surroundings—-new people, new scenes, new
activities, and consequent new thought processes-—often brings about a
remarkable improvement in one's health. This his been demonstrated many times,
and nowadays physicians may prescribe a trip as a remedy for an illness which
has stubbornly refused to yield to other curatives. Many people, however, are
unable to leave their homes, and consequently may join those fortunate ones who
learn to transcend the power of outer stimuli by effecting a change within
themselves."
For Children:
-The Princess and the Peacock, by
Gedge C. Harmon
"Oh, thank you," said the peacock. "When I saw that my tail
feather was caught in that great gate I thought I must surely break it getting
it out."
Miscellaneous:
-The Building and Pinnacle of the Temple
(Poem), by Ellen Mary Clerke
-To My Son (Poem), by Rona Morris
Workman
-Nobility (Poem), Anonymous
-A Tree in Winter (Poem), by
Barbara A. McClung
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