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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FILE # FILE TITLE
000 START: Table of Contents by file number and file name
001 Introduction
002 In The Dark There Are No Rainbows
003 Sayings: 1 to 27
004 The Striving Heart
005 From Me To You (Poem)
006 Beautygram #1: Beauty Is The Gate
007 Star Searcher #1: What is The Most Valuable Knowledge That I Can Learn And
Apply?
008 Questions on Beauty #1: 1 to 100
009 Sayings: 27 to 54
010 Sincerity and Speech
011 Another Year Around The Sun (Poem)
012 Beautygram #2: Sincerity
013 Star Searcher #2: What Is The Key To Love?
014 Questions on Beauty : 101 to 200
015 Sayings: 55 to 81
016 What is Beauty?
017 Meditation For My Daughter (Poem)
018 Beautygram #3: The Causes Of Joy
019 Star Searcher #3: How Can I know What Is Foolishness And What Is Wisdom?
020 Questions on Beauty: 201 to 300
021 Sayings: 82 to 108
022 What is the Beauty of Commitment?
023 Crab Talk (Poem)
024 Beautygram #4: Why Is The Path Of Beauty The Easiest Of All Paths?
025 Star Searcher #4: What Is Truth?
026 Questions on Beauty: 301 to 400
027 Sayings: 109 to 135
028 Heart Lodge #1
029 Castle Talk (Poem)
030 Beautygram #5: Why Does Striving Lead To Boundless Beauty?
031 Star Searcher #5: How Does Sincerity Affect The Beauty Of Speech?
032 Questions on Beauty: 401 to 500
033 Sayings: 136 to 162
034 What Is The Secret Of The Conscious Application Of Beauty?
035 In My Dreams I Fly
036 Beautygram #6: Are You Ready For Joy?
037 Star Searcher #6: What Is The Beauty Of Gratitude?
038 Questions on Beauty: 501 to 600
039 Sayings: 163 to 189
040 Hierarchy & Beauty
041 Caterpillaring (Poem)
042 Beautygram #7: There Is Always Hope For Happiness
043 Star Searcher #7: What Is The Joy Of Beauty?
044 Questions on Beauty: 601 to 700
045 Sayings: 190 to 216
046 Why Is Beauty The Realm Of The Heart?
047 The Amusement Park (Poem)

048 Beautygram #8: What Is Joy For The Future?
049 Star Searcher #8: What Is The Relationship Between Beauty And Thought?
050 Questions On Beauty: 701 to 800
051 Experiences On the Path #1: Protection 101
052 Sayings: 217 to 243
053 Ask For It
054 Dark And Light Talk (Poem)
055 Beautygram #9: When Will The Quest For Joy Begin?
056 Star Searcher #9: What Is The Value Of Discernment On The Path Of Beauty? (Part
one)
057 Questions On Beauty: 801 to 900
058 Experiences On The Path #2: World Culture Through Attunement
059 Sayings: 244 to 272
060 Bloomer
061 A Gift For All Seasons (Poem)
062 Beautygram #10: In What Lies The Pledge Of Happiness For Humanity?
063 Star Searcher #10: What Is The Value Of Discernment On The Path Of
Beauty? (Part Two)
064 Questions On Beauty: 901 to 999
065 Experiences On The Path #3: ÒBut Did You Visualize?Ó
066 Sayings: 273 to 303
067 How Strong Is A Rainbow?
068 Young & Old Talk (Poem)
069 Beautygram #11: The Chemism Of Bliss
070 Star Searcher #11: What Constitutes The Beauty Of Reincarnation (part one)
071 Experiences On The Path #4: The Qualifier
072 Sayings: 304 to 335
073 The Temple Guardian Of The Heart
074 Weather Talk (Poem)
075 Beautygram #12: The Acuteness Of Observation
076 Star Searcher #12: What Constitutes The Beauty Of Reincarnation (part two)
077 Experiences On The Path #5: Your OK In My Book
078 Sayings 336 to 360
079 Like Rain On Fire
080 The Song Of Gratefulness (Poem)
081 Beautygram #13: The Nursery Of The Beautiful Garden Of Fiery Energy
082 Star Searcher #13: What Is The Beauty Of Joy As A Special Wisdom
083 Experiences On The Path #6: The Feeling Of Groups
084 Sayings 361 to 387
085 Joyful Labor
086 The Tales of Crawler (Poem)
087 Beautygram #14: The Debilitating Consequences Of Sorrow vs. Joy
088 Star Searcher #14: What Is The Beauty Of Unconditional Joy?
089 Experiences On The Path #8: A Lesson From Nature
090 Heart Sayings: 1 to 30
091 The Beauty Of Harmony
092 To Our Brothers & Sisters On The Other Side (Poem)
093 Beautygram #15: The Joy Watcher
094 Star Searcher #15: What Is The Beauty Of The Law Of Sacrifice?
095 Experiences On The Path #11: Feedback Dreaming
096 Heart Sayings: 31 to 69
097 Are We Listening?
098 Light Talk (Poem)
099 Beautygram #16: Wisdom, Strength & Beauty
100 Star Searcher #16: What Is The Beauty Of The Fire Of The Heart?
101 The Great Review Question

PETAL #001
INTRODUCTION

For years the principle that anything can be changed into anything else has been
a method of operation in my life — even in my dreams. If a non beneficial character
trait is being pointed out in a symbolic dream, I visualize that, if it is non beneficial
then it will be changed into something which is for the maximum benefit of my
development as well as for the maximum benefit of the development of all
Mankind, The Hierarchy of Light, and World Culture, without interfering with free
will or Karma or breaking any spiritual laws what so ever. Yes, I agree that it is a
rather large order, but like I said, it is an established habit over many years.
Well in a recent dream what seemed beyond a doubt to be a non beneficial
character trait showed up. In the dream I visualized that it be changed into
something beneficial. However, this time I received an answer to my request right
in the dream. It said that This particular trait could only be transmuted if I wrote a
book. So You see this book is my special striving to become a better person.
Thank you for being a part of the process.
It came to me that this book should be like a beautiful white daisy with a golden
center. (I love flowers.). The golden center is the concept of the quality of thought.
Each of the white petals is a type of writing such as a wise saying, an essay, an
allegory, a poem, questions, or dialogues. Each petal leads to that golden center.
Now click on the next file in numerical order number
002, or pick and choose the files as you like. Enjoy!

PETAL #002

In The Dark There Are No Rainbows

The way of beauty is the way of the heart. Beautiful thoughts lead to the joy of
love. Consistently beautiful thoughts constitute the master key to the treasury of
the heart.
Possibilities are seeds. Thoughts are seeds. We choose what we want to think
about. We are directly responsible for the quality of our thoughts. We suffer
because of the quality of our thoughts. It has been said, “Be strong like the Plum
tree in winter, but in your heart cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum blossoms.” To
this let us add that the quality of our thoughts regulate the quality of our lives.
When we choose to identify with an ideal, we also identify with the contents of that
ideal, which include thoughts, feelings and actions. We act on our ideals. It pays to
choose carefully. We cannot make the best choices without a positive spiritual life.
The heart is our instrument. Each of us chooses the quality of music to be played
on it. We fill our hearts (and thus the universe), with our choices. Will we fill all
space with joy or sadness? We have been given Free-Will. We also have been
given the opportunity to exercise that Free-Will. We may choose to think, feel and
act prudently or imprudently. Like seeds our choices grow, and, in due time,
(seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, and
yes millions of incarnations), we meet the consequences of our choices.

“We have resentments because

we think that we should not have to reap what we reap”.

It could be a fine harvest, a bitter harvest, or somewhere in between. But harvest
we do, and harvest we will. It has been said that, “Not without ignorance have we
made our cloud. Not without heart will we find our sun.” The quality of our
personal harvest depends upon the quality of the thought-seeds we plant. Good
quality thoughts produce a good quality harvest. Poor quality thoughts produce a
poor quality harvest. Beautiful thoughts are the seeds of happiness. Beautiful
feelings are the flowers of happiness. Beautiful acts are the fruits of happiness.
Can we increase the quality of our thoughts? Yes we can! We can maximize the
quality of our thoughts. At this point, some readers may naturally be thinking, “Well
this sounds all well and good, but just how in the universe can we maximize the
quality of our thoughts?”
First we must recognize that a positive spiritual life exists and that we may
participate in it. Then we become gradually more aware that we choose, when we
choose, and of what we choose. For someone who would like to recognize that a
positive spiritual life exists, (or who would like to increase the quality of his or her
participation in it), the easiest first step is to bring more beauty into daily life.
Beauty is very available and inexpensive. It could be a flower, a sunset, a smile, or
the pleasant memory of a flower, a sunset, or smile. We don’t have to travel far or
climb exotic mountains. If we fill our hearts with beauty, then the Author of All
Beauty will follow. It is simple and safe. The way of beauty is the way of the heart.

PETAL #003
Sayings 1 to 27

1. The way of beauty is the way of the heart.
2. Without love we are sunless.
3. There is always hope for happiness.
4. The finest flower is cultivated in the garden of the heart.
5. In my heart there is room for a rainbow.
6. To maintain a sun-yellow feeling, do not make clouds.
7. The reward for patience is compassion, the reward for compassion is love.
8. Love is an escalator of Light, the higher we go the more we glow.
9. To strive for Beauty is to live in joy.
10. Love is a rose in the garden of eternity.
11. To learn we must observe.
12. Our hearts thrive on Beauty.
13. Those who do not require thanks are able to give more.
14. Where is the value of a person who has not harnessed his animal nature?
15. Sincerity, (our inner sun), rises in the land of no deception.
16. Like petals on a pond tell of a blossom’s day in the sun, so too our thoughts and deeds fill
    the universe
17. The maverick is one who sees no value in unity.
18. Anger and hate, are they not the grave diggers of Humanity?
19. As the waking song birds serenade the dawn, so our hearts sing joyfully at the thought of
    beauty.
20. Discontent is an off ramp from the highway of joy.
21. If our thoughts are to be evergreen, then we must gather the pine cones of our experience.
22. Be strong like the plum tree in winter, (but in your heart cultivate the delicate beauty of
    plum blossoms).
23. Like the fresh breeze on a becalmed sailboat, creativity wakes us from boredom.
24. Beauty guards the portal leading to the inner chambers of Humanity.
25. Hold a good thought, feel a good feeling.
26. Our Conscience whispers, like a remembered flower picked in a dream.

PETAL #004
The Striving Heart

My brothers and sisters, this morning it is my turn to present a discourse on the
heart. Let us begin with a wonderfully beautiful proverb from the culture of ancient
China. It goes like this:

“If I keep a green bough in my heart,
then the singing bird will come.”

Now here is a statement of confidence. It is an if-then statement. It declares that: if
I perform one action, then anther will occur. Many of us will recognize this if-then
statement as a declaration of cause and effect. The cause is that of keeping a, “…
green bough in my heart, …”. The effect is that, “… the singing bird will come.”.
This is also a highly visual and poetic statement. The green bough, being a very
small branch of a tree, is not the usual item one would keep in one’s heart. This
unusual language has an element of pleasant surprise. The bough is green.
Green could be a color of aspiration, hope, or spring — the promise of things to
come. We are told that a bird will come. A bird has been used to symbolize the
coming of a message or spiritual event. But this bird is a singing bird, which adds
a delightful feeling and perhaps may have the meaning of happiness. Looking
closer, brothers and sisters, we see that the singing bird has not yet arrived to
perch on the green bough in the author’s heart. In fact, it may never have arrived

for the author because our author shares this magnificent formula with us in an if-
then statement. “If I keep a green bough in my heart, then the singing bird will

come.”
We see that this statement is an indication of a future event, and not a statement
of what the author was doing when he or she recorded this formula for happiness.
Did the event ever take place? Did the singing bird ever come to the author? It
could only have come to the author if, in fact, the author engaged in an act of will.
Now what in the universe does that mean?
In order to do what was meant by the keeping of, ” a green bough in my heart.”,
the author would have had to initiate some action. This underlying action, or
cause, is not stated because it is a poetic formula. But whatever that action was in
the author’s mind that would have been equivalent to keeping “a green bough” in
the author’s heart, the author would have had to make a decision to perform it and
then will it to be carried out. The Author had to perform it. So we see that we have
a beautiful formula for happiness and not something that was being carried out or
accomplished at the time it was recorded.
Brothers and sisters, let us now ask ourselves how this formula could be carried
out if we decided to apply it in our lives. In other words, how would we go about,
(symbolically speaking), keeping a green bough in our heart in order to attract the
singing bird of happiness? First of all, we would have to have enough self
awareness to understand three basic concepts with respect to using the formula.
The first is that we would have the understanding that, (relatively speaking), we
were unhappy. Second, we would have t understand that there is such a thing as
happiness, and third, that we would have to understand that there is at least one
way to attain this happiness. Thus we see that there is a starting point,

(unhappiness, a destination, (happiness), and a path between the two, (a way or
method to reach happiness).
Now let us focus on the application of this method that we would have to use in
order to reach happiness. Notice we did not say focus on the method. We would
have to, as we indicated earlier, make an act of will to apply the method. Is this act
of will a one time action, or is it to be a continuous action? Let us look closer. The
author states that, “If I keep a green bough in my heart,”. So we see that the word
“keep” is not a static, or one time action. It indicates a continuous action. Also, the
bough has to be kept green. So we understand that the green bough, or whatever
it represents, must be kept alive in our hearts. It cannot be left uncared for. It must
be nourished. It must be nourished by the person who put it there. It must be
nourished by the person who is applying this magnificent formula for happiness. It
must be nourished by us.

the power of
observation

How do we keep the bough in our heart green? It will have to be observed in order
to see if it is doing well, (staying green), just as a gardener would observe the
condition of his or her garden. Is it showing signs of not enough water, or perhaps
too much water? Is it showing signs of not enough sun light, or too much sun
light? Is it showing signs of being under attack by insects, fungus, or anything
which thrives on consuming green boughs? We are beginning to see that the
successful application of our formula will require accurate observation on our part,
for accurate observation leads to accurate information. In order to nourish the
green bough in our heart, we will have to know its condition. But how often will we
have to observe this green bough in our heart?
Obviously we will have to observe it as often as it is required and make the
necessary adjustments for our successful application of the method. Since
happiness is our goal, we will surely keep an eye on the health of our method in
order to achieve happiness. In other words, if we are sincere about attaining
happiness, we will be on vigil to assure that our method will succeed.
Since the green of our bough represents for us some kind of aspiration or hope,
we may consider that this aspiration is a delicate condition. How often does a
person consciously maintain a positive feeling of aspiration or hope for any
noticeable length of time? How long will the feeling have to be maintained — a
moment, an hour, a month, a year? Obviously it will have to be maintained until
the singing bird comes into our heart. So we now have a situation where we must
keep a constant vigil, or watch, on our green bough of aspiration over an
indefinite, or undetermined, period of time.
Let us now ask the question, Is it possible to keep a constant vigil over an
indefinite period of time? If we are convinced that the answer is no, then the
investigation stops here. If we desire happiness as we desire our next breath, then
we will not abandon our method, but will look closer to find ways of making our
method work. In other words, we will have to discover how to keep a constant
vigil.
Like the head waters of a river are the source of that river, so too our thoughts
give rise to our feelings. If we are thinking about remorse, or sadness from a past
incident, then we are producing the feeling of remorse. Naturally, since we have
free will, we have the right to produce any feeling we desire; however, our goal is
to produce happiness not remorse. Well then, what kind of thoughts produce
happy feelings? Will angry thoughts produce feelings of happiness? Will jealous
thoughts produce feelings of happiness?

quality

It is becoming obvious that in order to keep our bough green in our hearts, we
must keep a high quality of thought in our minds. How is this done? How do we
keep a high quality of thought? How do we keep out negative thoughts and only
allow positive thoughts? Specifically, how do we keep thoughts of happiness in
order to produce feelings of happiness? To attain any goal we must increase to a
maximum in ourselves a quality called striving. We must strive for constant
vigilance in order to keep our bough green so that it will be ready whenever the
singing bird comes. But what is this quality of striving? What does it mean to
strive?
Webster’s New World Dictionary, (2nd collegiate edition), informs us of three
definitions of the word strive. The first definition is, “To make great effort, to try
very hard.”. The second definition is, “To be in conflict, struggle, contend, fight
against oppression”. The third definition is, “To compete”. Used in sentences, they
would sound something like this. To strive for a goal we must make a great effort
to attain that goal. To strive for a goal we must struggle to attain that goal. To strive
for a goal we must compete to attain that goal. So we see that it is not enough to
know that a goal exists and to have a burning desire to attain that goal, as well as
a method to approach that goal. There is something else we must do. We must
strive for our goal.
So where are we now in our investigation to find a way to apply our method to
attain happiness? We have found that we must strive to maintain a constant
vigilance of our thoughts and feelings in order to attain our goal. Let us ask yet
another question. Must our striving be consistent in order to maintain a consistent
vigil of our thoughts and feelings? Could we maintain a consistent watch if we only
made a great effort every once in a while? of course not, we must have consistent
striving. Let us now ask the question, Can an impatient person constantly strive
towards a benevolent goal? A wise phrase from Agni Yoga will assist us here.
“Patience overcomes any irritation. Patience is a conscious tension and an
opposition to darkness. Yet patience is the source of bliss. Nothing so tests
the heart as conscious patience.”
Certainly this answers our question. Consistent striving cannot be maintained by
an impatient person. So we now add another quality for the successful application
of our method to find happiness– patience. Consistent striving requires patience
and patience is the source of bliss. Here we have yet anther formula for
happiness. The perfection of patience leads to bliss. Still the application of this
new formula would require consistent striving. Let us see what Agni Yoga has to
say about striving from the book HEART (#216).
“Right strivings annihilate the manifestations of contamination. A striving man
verily is full of immunity. So it is with those who cross on the rim of the precipice.
The best wings are woven by strivings. Even the best antidote will also be striving.
The fire born of impetuous tension is the best shield. The ancients have explained
how arrows never reach those who are striving. Contemporary physicians could
point out the development of a special substance during spiritual striving. Apply it
to life as a life counsel. I point out how the striving spirit, with the velocity of light,
changes its position and becomes elusive. Thus one can train oneself to strive.
Manifesting it physically as well as spiritually. The teaching that is devoid of
striving is like a sack with holes. One must assimilate the essence of what is said,
because a study of the words will remain only upon the tongue. But beware of the

striving tongue with a dead heart. Thus let us not forget about the antidote of pure
striving.”
Looking further in the book of HEART, (#205), we find the following confirmation
of vigilance and striving.
“Just as it is impossible for a man to dispense with food, so must he cling to
Hierarchy. Not like a timber leaning for support, but as a vigilant guard let him be
prepared to take the defense each moment and thereby multiply his strength.”
So we now have additional information that constant vigilance multiplies our
strength. We have investigated whether or not it was possible to maintain the
application of the formula:

“If I keep a green bough in my heart,
then the singing bird will come.”

We have found that it takes a patient person, consistent vigilance, and constant
striving to accomplish the application of our formula, (or any formula) for
happiness. Let us now finish with not a formula, but rather a direction from our
Hierarchy Of Light. It is taken from the book entitled HEART (#233). We will follow
it with a voluntary, I repeat voluntary, creative visualization.
“Through will power one can alter one’s pulse. One can virtually stop the heart.
One can perform many psychophysiological acts. But if you ask me how to act
now, I will say, let your heart ascend. Imagine your heart as if it were within a
chalice with an ascending flame. Thus above physiological functions, let us set the
upward striving of the heart to Hierarchy.”
My brothers and sisters thank you for your kind and loving attention. Thank you
for being my brothers and sisters on the Path of Beauty, which is the Path of the
Heart.

PETAL #005

F r o m M e To Yo u (Poem)

I’m searching for a metaphor
to bring the beautiful to you —
an image never used before.
A swan that’s made of gold would do,
if it could spread its wings and fly
into an orbit of your heart.
(a sun to warm your inner sky).
One golden song and it would start
its kind to wing from distant ponds
in flocks of golden wedge to bring
to nest the best in joyful bonds,
so you may turn each fall to spring.
Now share these golden thoughts with all,
and watch who migrates to your call.

PETAL #006

BEAUTY-GRAM #1
Beauty Is The Gate

Beauty is the gate to the garden of Agni Yoga. It is the easiest of all gates to
approach and pass through. We simply find ways to increase the level of beauty in
our lives. Beauty does not have to be expensive. A flower, real, artificial, or
imaginary is a wonderful, inexpensive way to bring beauty into your life. Beautiful
music is as available as our radio, CD collection, or the Public Library.
Why beauty? Why not exercises, deep meditation on a mountain top, or other
practices we hear about in the long history of the Yogas? Agni Yoga, the newest
yoga, is the Path of Beauty, because beauty is the realm of the heart, and the
Path of Beauty is the Path of the Heart, the Path closest to perfection. Thus
beauty is the gate of the heart center.
Beauty leads to joy. When we see something which we individually think is
beautiful, we automatically respond with some degree of joy. Like gravity, this
happens every time. It is a Law of our being. This response of joy could take the
form of a smile, a sigh, or an exclamation such as “Oh look. It’s beautiful!”
Beauty leads to joy. We call it the Law of Beauty. It requires nothing from us that
we do not do now in our daily routine, because everyone responds with joy to
what they individually think is beautiful. All we need to do is recognize this Law of
Beauty and work with it in our lives by filling our lives with beauty. Think about it.
Beauty leads to joy. Search out the beautiful and strive to fill your life with it.
Its that simple. Who does not want to be joyful? Who does not want to be around
a joyful person? Remember beauty!

PETAL #007

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #1

WHAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE
THAT I CAN LEARN AND APPLY?

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the most valuable knowledge that I can learn and
apply?
EXPERIENCE: The value of honesty.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, that’s really odd because I thought you would say
something really wise and sublime like love. I just never expected you to say that
honesty was the most valuable knowledge that I could learn and apply!
EXPERIENCE: Can you successfully maintain the brotherly love of a friendship,
(or the love of a relationship), without being honest?
STAR-SEARCHER: I never thought about it that way before. I guess you can’t.
But … .
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well do you have to be completely honest? Do you have to
be 100% honest to be capable of successfully maintaining brotherly love; or a
loving relationship of any kind?
EXPERIENCE: To maintain a 100% loving relationship, yes, you need 100%
honesty.
STAR-SEARCHER: But that’s incredible!
EXPERIENCE: Incredible?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, incredible! Look what happens if a person is just 99%
honest. Surely you will agree that such a person would be considered a living
saint by the average person.
EXPERIENCE: Relatively speaking yes. However, 99% honesty means 1%
dishonesty. The question then becomes, in what area of the relationship might this

1% dishonesty manifest?
STAR-SEARCHER: What do you mean?
EXPERIENCE: That 1% dishonesty could show up as: stealing, cheating, lying,
sophistry, infidelity, or any combination thereof.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why does it matter how the 1% dishonesty manifests?
EXPERIENCE: It is an individual consideration. The partner in a relationship may
react in varying degrees to different manifestations of dishonesty. For instance, a
small lie may be easily overlooked unless it has catastrophic ramifications. Actions
such as cheating your partner’s parents may not be easily overlooked.
STAR-SEARCHER: Can you say that in another way please?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. It can be said in many ways. The extent of the personal
reaction to the 1% dishonesty will determine the degree with which the quality of
the relationship is diminished.
STAR-SEARCHER: Er sorry. I guess I’m a bit slow here. Would you please
explain it again — perhaps in a different way?
EXPERIENCE: If a trusted person is let into a house, and that person intentionally
takes a valuable item, then if detected, it is reasonable to believe that the thief will
most probably not be invited back. Right?
STAR-SEARCHER: I agree.
EXPERIENCE: Now let’s imagine that instead of a house the person was trusted
to enter the treasury of the heart of their partner (or friend) and the person
misused some of that which the partner (or friend) treasures.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see. The dishonest act is interpreted as a betrayal of
confidence, and the betrayer may never be allowed, in any way, near the treasury
of the heart again.
EXPERIENCE: Yes. You are getting the picture. People react to deceit. Some
react mildly. Some react with very strong emotions. Some will kill (or want to kill)
when they feel that they have been betrayed.
STAR-SEARCHER: But, if most people are not 100% honest, then most people
are involved in these “betrayals” every day. They, in varying degrees, betray and
get betrayed.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. We figure that we won’t get caught so we proceed with
our 1% deceptions (our 1% dishonesties).
STAR-SEARCHER: Naturally! If we thought that we would get caught, then we
wouldn’t do that particular deceptive act. That is if we … .
EXPERIENCE: Were normal — is that what you were going to say?

STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s exactly what I was going to say. Isn’t that
incredible! I was actually thinking that a person is normal if he, or she, acts
prudently with his, or her, 1% deceptions. That’s incredible! I never thought that I
would think something so insane. I am shocked at my own irrational thinking!
EXPERIENCE: Don’t be too hard on yourself. Honestly has a way of turning
personal reflection into an exercise in humility. Besides, you have been thinking
that way for so long that your habit patterns of thought are probably, at this
moment, urging you to defend the irrationality of your 1% deception as “normal”.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s exactly right! My thoughts are that not all deceptions
are detected. Yet that means that some deceptions are detected.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: Some of us get caught being deceptive.
EXPERIENCE: What happens in a loving relationship when one person is
detected as intentionally attempting to deceive the other?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, its like you said. There will be a reaction. But … .
EXPERIENCE: Yes? I heard that “but”. Buts are usually mentally loaded for the
kill.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if its only a little deception surely it wouldn’t destroy the
relationship?
EXPERIENCE: Would you trust someone that you felt intentionally deceived you?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well it all depends. Maybe I’d trust him (or her) a little.
EXPERIENCE: How little?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well maybe I’d trust the person to go to the store for a loaf of
bread, but not if I really needed the loaf of bread. I wouldn’t send a person on an
important mission if that person had a history of deceit.
EXPERIENCE: What else?

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I guess it all depends on how they deceived me.
EXPERIENCE: Let me put it this way. Would you trust a person who has deceived
you, in any way, with respect to the treasures of your heart?
STAR-SEARCHER: No!
EXPERIENCE: Why?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because if they deceived me once they are capable of
attempting to deceive me again.
EXPERIENCE: But won’t you forgive the person who deceived you?

STAR-SEARCHER: I may be able to forgive the person who deceived me. (I hope
that I could). But I am not stupid enough to leave an open door for a thief.
EXPERIENCE: Even if only a small item was stolen?
STAR-SEARCHER: If that person would deceive me for a small item, then what
would that person do if a Kingdom was at stake?
EXPERIENCE: Would you say that yours is a strong reaction to being deceived, or
a mild one?
STAR-SEARCHER: I think it is a rational response to deception. Don’t you?
EXPERIENCE: Perhaps, but as you have stated, most everyone engages in a
small amount of deception. Are you going to now lock out the vast majority of
Humanity because we are practicing at least 1% deception?
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that I have to learn how to live with deception
and except it as a reality in my life?
EXPERIENCE: As you yourself have wisely pointed out, most of us are at least
1% dishonest, (1% deceptive). Therefore, since you recognize this as a fact, in
essence, you are declaring that at this time in Man’s development at least 1%
deception is a reality.
STAR-SEARCHER: But are you saying that it’s right to be deceptive?
EXPERIENCE: Absolutely not.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then will you please forgive my frustration and tell me just
what in the universe you are getting at?
EXPERIENCE: ((pregnant pause)) The value of honesty.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see. You were indirectly pointing out the value of
honesty by helping me to see the incredible problems associated with deceit — the
opposite of honesty. But … .
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, I heard that but.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why are you doing this?
EXPERIENCE: You asked me for the most valuable knowledge that you could
learn and apply.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. Yes, I did. [[slowly]] I’m sorry for my resistance to your
response to my call for knowledge. Thank you. Thank you very much for your
patience with me.
EXPERIENCE: You are welcome, Star-Searcher, and don’t worry, I am used to
your resistance. I should thank you for helping me to increase my level of
patience. All kidding aside, I sense that you may soon be ready to search your

inner sky. But, for now, are you satisfied with your knowledge of the value of
honesty?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I am and I am not. Do you know what I mean?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, its perfectly clear.
STAR-SEARCHER: It is? I mean, I am? Really?
EXPERIENCE: Star-searcher that 1% deception in you would team up with your
vanity to produce the grandest and most confusing rationalization in order to justify
deception as “not all that bad”. But I will not tire where the value of honesty is at
stake.
STAR-SEARCHER: You are absolutely correct. Inside I keep on saying, “But 1%
dishonest can’t be that bad if most people are doing it”.
EXPERIENCE: The ones who are successfully deceptive a high percentage of the
time do not advertise their acts of dishonesty. These deceptive ones do not want
their prey to discover their individual lack of discernment and thus begin to learn
how to close their doors to deception. On the other hand, those who are not
successfully deceptive, (the ones who get caught), also do not advertise their acts
of deception, for they know that people will react in various ways.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you trying to tell me that there is a lot more deception
going on in this universe than I am aware of?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. You are not that vain where you would assume that you
know all that is going on.
STAR-SEARCHER: No. Of course not. (I hope I’m not that vain.).
EXPERIENCE: Let’s look at this another way. If a house were constructed out of
100 stone blocks, then each block would represent 1% of the structure. Would it
not?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes it would. One block would be 1% of the house.
EXPERIENCE: Now which block would you remove so that you could have a
structure only 99% complete?
STAR-SEARCHER: What’s this? Remove one block?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. From what area of the house would you remove the one
block?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I don’t really know.
EXPERIENCE: Would you remove it from the foundation?
STAR-SEARCHER: No. Definitely not from the foundation.
EXPERIENCE: The roof then, would you remove the one block from the roof?

STAR-SEARCHER: The roof? No. I would never mess with the roof.
EXPERIENCE: Why not?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because it would leak water when it rains. It would also lose
heat in the winter.
EXPERIENCE: Well then, you would remove the block from one of the walls.
Which wall shall it be: North, East, South or West?
STAR-SEARCHER: Which wall? But I don’t want to mess with the walls of my
house either. If I took a block from one of the walls then I would still be letting heat
out in the winter, and it would be hotter in the summer. A hole in the wall would
destroy privacy, not to mention security.
EXPERIENCE: Well then, you say that you would be satisfied with a structure that
is 1% incomplete, yet you seem to be unwilling to let go of that 1%.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah I think your right. I wouldn’t want a house with 1% missing.
EXPERIENCE: Why?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it would make the house uncomfortable to live in, not to
mention its inefficiency.
EXPERIENCE: Inefficiency?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, a missing block, (1% of the house), would mean a
hotter house in the summer and a colder house in the winter. So I would have to
put more money into the heating and air conditioning of the house than I would if it
were 100% complete. So I have to work harder to make the extra money to pay
the bills on an inefficient house.
EXPERIENCE: How would 1% dishonesty, (1% deception), make the structure of
a loving relationship inefficient?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the mental energy
needed to maintain a lie. A person has to remember every lie told as well as its
ramifications in order to maintain the facade of honesty. Otherwise the person
would be detected as a liar and not be trusted by the people he or she intends to
deceive. You know, now that I think of it, I can see that 1% dishonesty as a real
destroyer of a relationship because it implies disrespect.
EXPERIENCE: Disrespect?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well yes. If a person tries to deceive me, then it means that
he, or she, cannot have much respect for me as a fellow Human Being. If the
person respected me, then that person would not think of deceiving me. Likewise,
the person would not even think of stealing from me or in any other way of being
dishonest toward me. Respect, I believe, stops dishonest thinking. Even if a
person liked me, that person would have to search for something he, or she,
disrespected in me before being able to attempt to deceive me. Its a matter of
conscience.

EXPERIENCE: Well then, if you feel uncomfortable with 1% dishonesty in a
relationship, then what percent dishonesty would you feel comfortable with — one
half of 1%, one quarter?
STAR-SEARCHER: Now I’m seeing a bit clearer. Thank you. Thank you for
showing me the error of my thinking about the value of honesty. I can see now that
the critical factor in my growth is to set my goal for the most complete honesty and
then strive to achieve it no matter what the rest of Humanity is doing with their one
percent. I will strive to shrink my deception to zero. But… .
EXPERIENCE: Another but? What is it now Star-Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: I suppose that I will have to give up the game of chess now.
EXPERIENCE: Chess?
STAR-SEARCHER: I can’t be 100% honest if I still like to play chess can I?
EXPERIENCE: Chess is a game. Deception is considered part of that game. Both
players sit down to the game with the full knowledge that it is part of the game for
both players to try to win, even if the process of winning entails deception. Both
players agree to the rules and to play by the rules, therefore, neither player will
consider it a betrayal if they are deceived by a subtle move. On the contrary, they
may even exclaim, “Good move!”. Now if their deception became unbridled and
leaped off the chess board to run wild in the streets and take advantage of people
then that would be a violation of Free Will. But on the chess board it is not a
violation of Free Will.
STAR-SEARCHER: Last question, I promise.

EXPERIENCE: Famous last words. Go ahead, what is your question Star-
Searcher?

STAR-SEARCHER: Does my knowledge of the value of honesty make my inner
light brighter and more beautiful?
EXPERIENCE: Knowledge is one thing Star-Searcher, but wisdom is quite
another.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that wisdom is greater than knowledge?
EXPERIENCE: Wisdom cannot exist without knowledge.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then what is wisdom?
EXPERIENCE: Wisdom, Star-Searcher, is the accurate application of accurate
knowledge for the greatest good.
STAR-SEARCHER: So we must first gain knowledge before we can gain wisdom.
Is that right?
EXPERIENCE: Star-Searcher, to have knowledge of the value of honesty, yet
never apply that knowledge is not the way of wisdom, nor is it the way to achieve
honesty.

STAR-SEARCHER: So the real secret is not just gaining accurate knowledge but
also learning how to apply that accurate knowledge. It’s all in the application.
EXPERIENCE: It is precisely through the lessons of experience that we gradually
increase the quality of our application of accurate knowledge. This quality is
reflected in the light of our aura, (the electromagnetic field around our bodies). You
can be sure, Star-Searcher, achievement on the way to the most complete
honesty will increase the brightness, as well as the beauty, of the traveler’s Light.
The traveler must achieve a certain degree of honesty before his, or her, Light will
attract the attention of The Teachers In The Hierarchy Of Light, for “Above all else,
The Hierarchy of Light values honesty”.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. I believe that you have truly helped me
understand the most valuable knowledge that I can learn and apply. Thank You
again for everything.
EXPERIENCE: Star searcher, you have caught a glimpse of a magnificent goal.
Always remember that the reward for honesty is trust. Go now. The gates to the
Land of No Deception await your knock. Strive-on!

PETAL #008

Questions On Beauty #1 to #100

(From The Never Ending Book Of Questions On Beauty)

(Note: This is a sample of the on going collection of questions on Beauty. As of
April 1990 there were 3,500 questions, which were contributed by many

people.)

1. What is beauty?
2. Is beauty only in the eye of the beholder?
3. What would beauty be like if we had no sense of sight,hearing,feeling, smell, or
   taste ?
4. Is beauty only beautiful?
5. Can we obtain understanding through beauty?
6. Does beauty Fade?
7. What is it that makes sound beautiful?
8. What qualities, or lack of qualities take away the beauty of a sound?
9. Is beauty a thing or essence of its own, or is it something that must be realized
   by a consciousness?
10. Can beauty stand alone without the realization or appreciation by me?
11. Does beauty exist?
12. How does beauty move?
13. How does beauty feel?
14. How does beauty sound?
15. How does beauty taste?
16. Is there beauty in the universe?
17. Is the universe beautiful?
18. Is there beauty in space?
19. Is space beautiful?
20. Can beauty lead to harmony?
21. Can beauty lead to expansiveness?
22. Is the universe grounded in beauty?
23. Is beauty the basis of construction in the world?
24. How can I bring a greater degree of beauty into my daily life?
25. Who can I thank for beauty?
26. How can we help others to find beauty in and outside of themselves?
27. How often should we walk in beauty?
28. Is the beauty within more important than the beauty without?
29. What is needed to appreciate beauty?
30. How does beauty express?
31. Are there obstacles to the appreciation of beauty?
32. Could beauty become intoxicating? In other words, is there a
    point beyond which more beauty would be non-beneficial?
33. Can beauty lead to enlightenment?
34. Is there a physical law of beauty?
35. Is there an emotional law of beauty?
36. Is there a mental law of beauty?
37. Is there a psychic law of beauty?
38. Is there a spiritual law of beauty?
39. Does beauty originate in man or in God?
40. Are material things beautiful?
41. What is it that makes a difference between beauty and ugliness?
42. What makes something beautiful become less than beautiful?
43. Is beauty only in form?
44. Can beauty be in action?
45. Can beauty be in movement?
46. Can beauty be in stillness?
47. Where does beauty come from?
48. Is beauty restricted to the senses?
49. Can something be beautiful even if it cannot be seen, touched, heard, felt, or
    tasted?
50. Are all colors beautiful?
51. What makes an object beautiful?
52. What makes a person beautiful?
53. What does it mean, beauty is within?
54. If beauty is within, can beauty be without?
55. Is bad beautiful?
56. Can beauty be improved?
57. Can beauty be legislated?
58. Can a beautification program be forced on a town or city or does it have to
    be voluntary cooperation on the part of individuals to be successful?
59. Can beauty expand our friendships?
60. Can beauty be co-measured in our daily living?
61. What is the relationship between an optical illusion and beauty?
62. Is there a point where beauty can become so sacred that we would be very
    cautious in sharing it due to a possible vulgar reaction?
63. Can something be so beautiful to us that we wouldn’t share it with anyone?
64. In what ways is fire beautiful?
65. Is there a word for beauty in every language?
66. What effects would occur if a family made beauty a high priority in their
    lives?
67. What is the first step a family would have to take to implement beauty as a
    high priority in their lives?
68. what is inner beauty?
69. Is a sense of beauty hereditary, or is it a gift given equally to all human
    beings?
70. What part does beauty play in joyful labor?
71. What is the relationship between beauty and a sigh?
72. At what point, if any, does our realization of beauty effect our tear ducts?
73. At what point, if any, does our realization of beauty effect our throats?
74. Can beauty lead to peace of mind?
75. How do my attitudes effect my realization of beauty?
76. Is there any one particular attitude which effects my realization of beauty in
    the most positive way?
77. Is there any one particular attitude which effects my realization of beauty in
    the most negative way?
78. Is there any one action which is non beneficial to my realization of beauty?
79. Is there any one action which is most beneficial to my realization of beauty?
80. Which of my feelings is the greatest destroyer of my realization of beauty?
81. Is doubt a destroyer of beauty?
82. Is beauty dependent upon psychic energy?
83. Is my realization of beauty dependent upon a higher power?
84. Can beauty be used as a tool in planning?
85. Does the Path of Beauty begin in the heart or end in the heart, (or both)?
86. Where does beauty end and joy begin?
87. How does beauty effect memory?
88. The story goes that Helen of Troy was the “face that launched a thousand
    ships”, thus beauty can start (or be blamed for) a war. Can beauty stop a war?
89. Can a person go to extremes with beauty?
90. What makes someone else’s criterion for beauty different from my own?
91. Does beauty effect giving?
92. Does giving effect beauty?
93. Does beauty effect communications?
94. Can communication affect beauty?
95. Can a place be without beauty?
96. Can a person live without beauty?
97. What do we base our discernment on with respect to beauty?
98. Does our discernment shape our criterion of beauty like a diamond cutter
    striving to create the most beautiful diamond?
99. Is beauty related to form?

PETAL #009
S a y i n g s 28 to 54

28. All life is a learning.
29. If I carry beauty in my heart my storm will become a small wind.
30. As the geranium blooms profusely when conditions are unfavorable, let us
    face adversity with our blossoms instead of our fears.
31. The sunrise cannot be rushed.
32. Like a smoke detector, accurate knowledge contains the potential of
    unworried sleep.
33. The feelings from a magnificent realization of truth are like the afterglow of
    color when our horizon blocks our sun, such beauty is not meant to last, for it is
    only a good night kiss.
    (Yet it may linger long in the day dreams of our tomorrows.)
34. The “star” we look at tonight may have exploded millenniums ago. (To
    progress, we must discern what exists and what does not).
35. Like Michael Angelo chipping his David from its block of marble, is it not our
    challenge to free that courage, (and beauty), within ourselves?
36. Life without beautiful thoughts is a song bird which has forgotten it can sing.
37. The universe is lit by love.
38. Never fly with a pessimist, (they have a hole in their balloon).
39. Impatience is a thief which traffics in beauty.
40. Love is warm.
41. Like the peppermint patch, a joyful feeling keeps away unwanted guests.
42. Ignorance is an unlit candle.
43. For the scientist of happiness,
    there will be wind chimes, and blossoms and sunrises; for the dweller in
    sadness, a dark bell tolls.
44. Our mind is like a limitless orchard. With balanced care and proper light, it
    can nourish the world.
45. Our joyful moments echo throughout the universe.
46. Poverty is the child of greed.
47. Experience arises from living,
    like the sun after a storm.
48. Not all mountain roads lead to the top.
49. A life without caution is a run-a-way Ferris wheel.
50. Is it really nonsense, or is it a caterpillar flying in its dreams?
51. Like wind on a kite, beauty stimulates our imagination.
52. Love unlocks the mysteries of the universe.
53. If I want a lovely tomorrow, then I must plant a beautiful today.
54. To learn the flowers is to know the weeds.

PETAL #010
Question #4308

From The Never Ending Book Of Questions On Beauty

How Does Sincerity Affect
The Beauty Of S p e e c h ?

[All of our research begins with an attunement with the Mother Of Agni Yoga for
guidance. Phase 1 is the result of the Agni Yoga researcher’s striving to find, in the
Agni Yoga Teachings, the answer to above question from the Agni Yoga point of
view. This question is taken from The Never Ending Book Of Questions On
Beauty. Phase 2 contains the personal response which the researcher had while
doing the research. Phase 3 contains a creative response to the contents of the
Phase one research. (Phase 2 & 3 are optional for the researcher). The accuracy
of the answer depends upon the quality of the research and the level of
development of the researcher. The goal of the research is to approach closer to
the Teacher through a sincere exploration of the Teachings. With this in mind, one
may disagree with some part of the research, which is Phase 1 only, yet
thoroughly appreciate the sincerity and striving which went into it. Now let us
explore and strive-on!]
“The entire world is divided along a boundary line between individual and general
welfare. If we act within the sphere of the general welfare with sincere intentions,
then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic accumulations. This
chalice of the best achievements begins to act along an invisible ray.”

Leaves of Morya’s Garden 2 page 208
Sincerity means honesty, and honesty means no-deception. [these are dictionary
definitions]. Therefore, through a simple process of logic known as Modus
Ponens, [When two things are equal to the same thing then they are equal to each
other.], we find that sincerity means no deception. If we substitute no deception for
sincerity in our opening Agni Yoga quote, we have:

“If we act within the sphere of the general welfare with intentions that contain no-
deception, then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic

accumulations.”
Obviously no-deception in our thinking and actions is a key to the higher Cosmic
Realms. Agni Yoga tells us that,
“Indeed, we value sincerity above everything. The word which does not contain
the affirmation of the heart is void.”

Infinity 2 #337
The wise yogi sees what exists and does what is necessary. Words have a way of
getting tangled up and turned around. That is the reason we now use the word

discernment which is a synonym for discrimination. Sometimes words take on
social connotations because of events. Sincerity is also such a word. It is better to
use the phrase no-deception, or non-deceptive, or just plain honest. This is
expanded on in Agni Yoga as follows.
“One must simply observe the different manifestations of psychic energy. It may
be a liberator or an enslaver, depending on how it is directed. For its direction
special formulas are not needed, only sincere striving is necessary. But this
sincerity is not easy, because under sincerity people understand something

completely different. They justify any crime with sincerity. But where is self-
sacrifice, which purifies action? Evil is connected with hypocrisy and personality.”

Agni Yoga #484
Since energy can be used or misused, it would seem that there is a correct
attitude with which to use this energy and an incorrect attitude with which to use
this energy. In our next quote Agni Yoga spells out that attitude.
“Applied to Agni Yoga, even the most abstract conceptions will become tangible
and real. Sincerity, or honesty, becomes irreplaceable. Try the quality of sincerity
in communications at far-off distances; and afterwards observe the difference
when bringing in personal feelings of impatience or irritability, not even speaking of
premeditation. These properties deprive the result of its value. With this there
often occurs irreparable harm. Yet sincerity, as a purifier, brings about a crystal
clarity, which enlightens consciousness as gas gives flame. Thus, one can
contribute to success by applying honesty.”

Agni Yoga #556
So we see that insincerity, or deception, or dishonesty in communications
deprives the result of its value, and often causes irreparable harm. We read in the
Agni Yoga Teachings that this idea of honest communication is not restricted to the
physical world as follows.
“… Someone may say, ‘I address myself with all strength to the Lord, but it does
not reach the Lord’. Ask, ‘Was it sincere?’ This quality of invocation is as
necessary as light. Each one may cast his eye into his heart and inspect the small
corners of a decrepit world. Without sincerity there will be no current. Therefore
strain all your forces and elect pure striving of the heart.”

Hierarchy #41
This paragraph connects sincerity with purity. Sincere, honest, non-deceptive
striving is pure striving. Sincere, honest, non-deceptive speech is pure speech.
Because the Hierarchy of Light values sincerity, honesty, no-deception, above all
else, it follows, in general, that it values those thoughts and actions which are
motivated by sincerity, honesty, no-deception, because the characteristic of purity
is thus associated with them.

Every time we open our mouths to speak we take the test of honesty or non-
deceptive speech. The quality of thoughts we choose to dwell on will determine

the purity, honesty, deceptionlessness of our speech. Perhaps we can gain a
greater sense of the significance and power of sincerity, no-deception, honesty, by
looking closer at the Agni Yoga Teachings.
“That which in the Cosmos is called the Source of Truth, in life is called sincerity.”
Fiery World 3 #207
The Agni Yoga Teachings also indicate the effect of a lack of sincerity as follows.
“Insincerity contains a destructive poison. It can be observed that a construction
built upon falsehood degenerates into hideousness.”

Brotherhood #111
In the same book, the Master Morya shares with us a most precious knowledge of
sincerity as follows.
“Striving toward the Light cannot be extinguished if a man is searching sincerely.”

Brotherhood #390
The Master also indicates the connection between sincerity and quickness as
follows.
“Sincerity is nothing but the shortest attainment.”

New Era Community #184
Let us now ask ourselves, what happens when the power and quickness of
honesty is applied to speech? Let the Mother of Agni Yoga lead us in the right
direction.
“I do not agree with you that eloquence is so essential. It is not a bad asset, but
that is all. Of most importance is the quality of one’s aura. Often an eloquent
speaker leaves just a fleeting impression, that is, if the spiritual tension of his aura
was insignificant. Whereas two or three words spoken from the heart by a bearer
of a luminous aura may transform the one who comes into touch with him. Thus
the main influence comes not from words, but rather from the quality and the
tension of our inner fire. The very presence of such a fiery aura in a large and
mixed gathering brings soothing accord. It can happen that a mediocre lecturer,
for some reason, singularly kindles his audience, and he gives himself the credit
for doing it, but in reality there may have been in the crowd one or two intense
harmonious auras, which, by their powerful vibrations, created the atmosphere
favorable for perception. Arhip Ivanovich Kuinji, the teacher of Nickolas Roerich,
was quite devoid of the gift of words. With difficulty, and between lengthy pauses,
he could combine only a few words, but by the power of his inner fire, he could
make such a tremendous impression with those few words. This abrupt speech
suited his powerful spirit – like the heavy blows of a sculptor’s hammer, it could
bring forth sparks from blocks of stone!”

Letters of Helena Roerich
Vol.2, p187
We are zeroing in on the beauty of speech. We have identified sincerity as
honesty, no-deception and purity. We have seen sincerity as power and

quickness. Now we see sincerity as fire – the fire of sincerity – The Light of no-
deception – the fire of honesty. The fire of purity. We have seen that the origin of

this fire of purity is that accurate discernment reflected in our choices. We can
choose purity of speech and as we read in Agni Yoga we should guard the purity
of speech.
“Verily, human speech should be guarded against various disfigurements that are
ugly and unexpressive.”

Brotherhood #286
We must also keep in mind that just as sincerity exists on different levels of
development, each level of development may have its corresponding quality, or
degree, of pure speech as follows.
“Many words are pronounced about the Teaching of Life, but few are put into
action. There is little value in those who repeat the Teaching without applying it.
We shall not speak about those who lack understanding, but those who have
approached are responsible for their thoughts and actions.”

Agni Yoga #646
We now echo back to discernment as we read about proportionality and speech
as follows.
“One of the most difficult conditions of the Teaching will be the ability to speak
proportionately: to speak so as to give the correct direction to thought, not
intruding upon the Karma. To tell all, means to put on chains. But to awaken
striving and to indicate a direction will be the task of the Teaching.”

Agni Yoga #642
Earlier we explored the difference between an eloquent speaker and a speaker
with a fiery aura. Let us now delve deeper and see how we penetrate the speech

of others.
“The capacity to penetrate the meaning of words lies in the receptivity of the inner
center, not in the structure of speech. … One should accustom oneself to the true
understanding of speech. Yoga will aid in approaching the true understanding of
thought. The understanding of different languages originates from the receptivity
of the same center – the larynx.”
Agni Yoga #248
We now go deeper into discernment which is a synonym for discrimination.
“Discrimination is one of the most pronounced fiery qualities. It is not straight
knowledge, but a glimmer, as it were, of the language of the Fiery World. Truly, the
man with open centers does not judge by words, he understands all the inner
meaning of speech.”

Fiery World 1 #660
Most people would agree that we appreciate beauty more when we have glimpsed
the ugliness in the world. The following two quotes give us that glimpse.
“The ability to draw a circle around the area covered by the dark and crawling
ones can help in affirming one’s dauntless outlook. One can stave off the
approach of the dark ones by repeating My Name as a Mantram. Thus, we can
understand why humanity is responsible for uttered words. If the utterance of a
benign concept results in a calm state, the opposite will irritate, worry, and demean
that which exists. People saturate the world with the most malicious words; will not
rivers of evil flow from them? One must have lost respect for human dignity not to
acknowledge that the consequences of evil speech are terrible. It is said
continuously that malevolence bears fruit after a century. The historian can verify
the harvest from such black seeds.”

Fiery World 1 #426

We continue this negative consequence of evil speech.
“Slander is especially harmful for the slanders themselves. This truth should be
remembered by people who have bad habits. A thought corresponding to reality
forms a vehicle for an elemental. Everything worthy, austere, vital, gravitates
toward creative thought, and will beneficently sustain its creator. But the devices of
slander will attract brooding elementals, who, failing to find a vital foundation, will
precipitate themselves upon the slanderer. Therefore, when I warn people not to
succumb to the vileness of slander, again I do not advance a moral precept but
point to very painful consequences. It is most disagreeable to find oneself in the
Subtle World in the midst of raging elementals. Terrible is such a maelstrom filled
with the fragments of one’s own malicious thoughts. All these creatures clutch at
one and hang on, acquiring an actual physical weight. Thoughts, like drops of the
spirit, attract small elementals. The character of these germs of the spirit is most
varied: depending upon their substance, almost imperceptible embryos can
achieve, under the nurture of thought, diverse manifestations. They can form the
basis of minerals and even of plants. But one can imagine quite clearly how those
thoughts that are void of any vital bases litter the lower strata of Earth. Meteoric
dust is imperceptible to the eye, but it results in very substantial sediments.
Hence, one can imagine how vast the dust of thought is and, being the effect of
energy, how very substantial! The consequences of this debris of thought cause
the illness of the planet. Sowers of evil and slander, can you realize what a

suffocating dungeon you prepare for yourselves? Evil thoughts will find their sire.
Such a dark sire cannot escape from his own engenderings.”

Fiery World 1 #428
From the two previous quotes we can easily see that evil speech is a product of
evil thought. Impure speech is a product of impure thought. Deceptive speech is a
product of deceptive thought. Insincere speech is a product of insincere thought.
Dishonest speech is a product of dishonest thought. The Master Morya teaches us
that there is a beneficial way to speak as follows.
“Thus when school-teachers learn how to deal with pupils according to their
consciousness, true evolution will begin. It is impossible to divide humanity merely
according to age or class. We continuously see how certain children are in need of
adult speech, and elderly people, sometimes in government positions, can
understand only childish expressions. Not for the latter children is the Kingdom of
Heaven! The new consciousness does not come from mechanical formulas. Thus,
one must learn to speak according to the consciousness of the listener. This is not
easy, but it constitutes an excellent exercise in sagacity. Furthermore, this also
applies to fiery occupations.”

Fiery World 1 #254
So we see that speech is a two way street. The honest person must first use
discernment to determine, the level of consciousness of the listener, and then
adjust the level of the honest speech to the level of the listener. Otherwise, you
have a beautiful, sincere, and utterly impractical conversation. Perhaps we should
say attempted conversation, for surely no meaningful understanding will be
communicated if the level of speech of the speaker does not match the level of
consciousness of the listener.
This concludes phase 1 of my research into the question #4308: How does
sincerity affect the beauty of speech?

Phase 2

Phase two of our research is reserved to express just what we have learned from
the process of our research of Phase 1.
During this research a single line of text from the Agni Yoga Teachings sums up
what I have learned from this research. It impressed me so much that I have
placed this thought upon my heart, and thus in my Chalice. I would like to share it
with you now. It will be followed by a three minute period of meditation with
beautiful music. The quote is as follows:
“One of the conditions of existence is sincerity.”

Heart #595
And now, for the next three minutes, for those who chose to do so, let us attune
with the Mother of Agni Yoga for greater understanding and application of the
quote, One of the conditions of existence is sincerity.”
[Start music now. After three minutes stop, remain seated, and speak as follows]
This concludes Phase 2 of this research paper.
ADDITIONAL QUOTES

There is another characteristic associated with sincerity, honesty, no-deception,
and that is trust. Do you trust anyone who practices the dark art of deception? Do
you trust anyone who is dishonest? Do you trust anyone who is insincere?.
Dishonesty can only be trusted to be dishonest. Deception can only be trusted to
be deceptive. Impurity can only be trusted to be impure. Can a Brotherhood of
Light trust a mission of Light to a person who is dishonest? How about 50%
dishonest? How about 25% dishonest? How about 10% deceptive? How about
5% deceptive? We don’t have to be a genius to figure out why the Hierarchy of
Light values sincerity, or for that matter, why any good person values sincerity.
In the long run it is all a matter of discernment. Can a person discern the level of
deception in someone that he or she is communicating with? The problem is not
entirely simple. It involves levels of discernment. Vanity would have us believe that
we are operating at 100% discernment. Of course if this were true, we would
never make any mistakes. We would never have any accidents, and we would
never be sick. The person with 100% discernment has zero negative karma. The
person who thinks they are operating on 100% discernment is deluding him or
herself. That person would not be incarnating on this planet in the on-going
reincarnation of Humanity if they had 100% discernment. Each and everyone of us
can improve our level of discernment thus presenting us with more accurate
choices. Thus by the quality of our choices will we determine the quality of our
honesty — the quality of our purity.
It looks to me like the way to go is to maximize the quality of our thoughts as
seeds for a beautiful and thus joyful future.
The Mother of Agni Yoga, Helena Roerich, wrote a book in which we are
introduced to the quality of speech as follows.
“‘The Blessed One is perfect in the conduct of his speech’ points out the disciple
Sariputra.”

Foundations of Buddhism
With this phrase, “the conduct of his speech” we are reminded that speech can be
misused as well as properly used. It can be impure as well as pure, deceptive as
well as honest. This area of speech is one of the aspects of the Buddha’s Eight
Fold Noble Path, which is described in other cultures as, the straight and narrow
path, the path between the pillars, the mean between the two extremes of excess
and deficiency, the Golden mean, and the middle way. Confucius states, in his
Doctrine of the mean that only the sincere can find and travel the mean. He
also states, [three hundred years before Aristotle was a student of Plato], that the
Mean is Virtue. Thus only the sincere can find and travel the path of virtue. Thus
only the one without deception can find and travel the path of virtue. Thus only the
honest can find and travel the path of virtue. Thus only the pure can travel the
path of virtue.
Not all are Masters, however, and although countless of us are less than, [a lot
less than], 100% honest, or sincere, we are nevertheless traveling the path of
virtue; however, only the one who has attained 100% sincerity can travel the exact
middle and thus the very straight and narrow path of virtue. The rest of us are
degrees to the left and right of the perfect middle. Our experiences from traveling
off center produce pain in proportion to the amount of degree we are off center.
Thus we learn to observe to a greater and greater degree of accuracy, and reflect
on those observations with a greater and greater degree of accuracy. Thus we
increase the quality, [accuracy], of our discernment, which is the basis of all Yoga,
[union] and knowledge.

Phase 3
Star Searcher & Experience #
How Does Sincerity Affect The Beauty Of Speech?
STAR SEARCHER: How does sincerity affect the beauty of speech?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, it’s all a matter of discernment.
STAR SEARCHER: Ya but, I don’t have your discernment, so I don’t know. That’s
why I ask you. Your my Teacher. You know everything right?
EXPERIENCE: You are correct, Star Searcher, in that you do not have my level of
discernment. If you did, I would be your companion and not your Teacher.
However, you have come a long way in your striving to raise the level of your
discernment, and you are no longer a beginner on the path of Beauty. So I am
going to ask you to sharpen your discernment.
STAR SEARCHER: That’s great! What form will it take?
EXPERIENCE: Form, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Ya, you know. Will you give me concentration exercises, or
will it be a special course?
EXPERIENCE: Hmmm. I see what you mean, Star Searcher. Perhaps we should
begin with your question, “How does sincerity affect the beauty of speech.”
STAR SEARCHER: Sure, let’s do it!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The entire world is divided along a boundary line
between individual and general welfare.” [Leaves of Morya’s Garden 2, page 208]
STAR SEARCHER: But what’s that got to do with how sincerity affects the beauty
of speech?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “If we act within the sphere of the general welfare
with sincere intentions, then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic
accumulations. This Chalice of the best achievements begins to act along an
invisible ray.” [Leaves 2, page 208]
STAR SEARCHER: You know that support seems to depend on sincere
intentions, is that right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.
STAR SEARCHER: So then all I have to do is focus on sincere intentions, right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Well then, let’s start with what sincere intentions are. OK?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, that would be an excellent start.
STAR SEARCHER: Ok then, so what are sincere intentions?
EXPERIENCE: Sincere intentions, Star Searcher, are those intentions which
exhibit the characteristics of sincerity.
STAR SEARCHER: Hmmm. Why did I know you were going to say that. Let’s
focus on sincerity, shall we?
EXPERIENCE: Good choice, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Ok, so what is sincerity?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Ah…… I can see that I’m going to have to work for this one.
Maybe I should start with the dictionary before I get into trouble here.
EXPERIENCE: Good start, Star Searcher. A little discerning thought in the
beginning will save much confusion later on.
STAR SEARCHER: Well, let’s see, sincerity. Ah here it is. The dictionary states
that sincerity means honesty. But ah….
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?

STAR SEARCHER: Ah…. Hmmmm. You know I think I’ll look up the definition of
honesty.
EXPERIENCE:
Very good, Star Searcher. Strive on!
STAR SEARCHER: Here it is, honesty means no deception. Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: That’s right, Star Searcher. An ancient thinker named Euclid, in his
geometry said that two things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each
other. Aristotle, another ancient, applied this thinking to statements to determine
their validity. This was syllogistic logic. Modern symbolic logic, based on the
Principia Mathematica, calls it Modus Ponens.
STAR SEARCHER: Huh? How did you know that I was thinking that since
sincerity means honesty, and that no deception means honesty, then sincerity
must mean no deception?
EXPERIENCE: Discernment, Star Searcher, discernment.
STAR SEARCHER: You mean you can use your discernment to know what I’m
thinking?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, especially, when it is written in the wrinkles of
your forehead.
STAR SEARCHER: Oh, I see. I telegraphed my concern by my facial expression.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, now that I know that sincerity means no deception,
where do I go from there? Should I be asking how no deception affects the beauty
of speech?
EXPERIENCE: What does your intuition tell you, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, my intuition tells me to go back to what you said earlier
about the world being divided along a boundary line between individual and
general welfare.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, it’s like you said, “If we act within the sphere of the
general welfare, with sincere intentions, then in support of us stands the entire
reservoir of cosmic accumulations.”
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, if I replace the word sincere, in the phrase sincere
intentions, with the phrase no deception, I might get a helpful understanding of
what you are trying to teach me.
EXPERIENCE: And what is that, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: If we act within the sphere of the general welfare with non
deceptive intentions, then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic
accumulations.
EXPERIENCE: Exactly what does that tell you, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, obviously no deception in our thinking and actions is a
key to the higher Cosmic realms. Right?
EXPERIENCE: “indeed, Star Searcher, we value sincerity above everything.”
[Infinity 2, #337]
STAR SEARCHER: Why is that?
EXPERIENCE: Because, Star Searcher, “The word which does not contain the
affirmation of the heart is void.” [Inf. 2, #337]
STAR SEARCHER: Well that doesn’t sound so hard!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the wise yogi sees what exists and does what is
necessary. Words have a way of getting tangled up and turned around.
STAR SEARCHER: Well, what is necessary to see through all this confusion?

EXPERIENCE: “One must simply observe the different manifestations of psychic
energy. It may be a liberator or an enslaver, depending on how it is directed.” [Agni
Yoga, #484]
STAR SEARCHER: Well, is there a secret formula or something to direct this
psychic energy?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, for its direction, special formulas are not needed.
STAR SEARCHER: But!
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, Star Searcher, I heard that but!
STAR SEARCHER: Well, if no special formulas are needed to use psychic energy,
then how in the universe does a person use psychic energy?
EXPERIENCE: Listen well, Star Searcher. Listen well. “Only sincere striving is
necessary.” [Agni Yoga #484]
STAR SEARCHER: Well, that’s easy.
EXPERIENCE: Perhaps, at first glance, it may appear so, Star Searcher, “… but
sincerity is not easy, because under sincerity people understand something
completely different.” [Agni Yoga #484]
STAR SEARCHER: They do?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “They justify any crime with sincerity, but
where is self sacrifice, which purifies action? Evil is connected with hypocrisy and
personality.” [ Agni Yoga #484]
STAR SEARCHER: So then it’s like fire, the result depends upon the way the
people utilize it?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.
STAR SEARCHER: Well then, since psychic energy can be used or misused, it
would seem that there is a correct attitude with which to use psychic energy and
an incorrect attitude with which to use psychic energy.
EXPERIENCE: Right again, Star Searcher. “Applied to Agni Yoga, even the most
abstract conceptions will become tangible and real. Sincerity, or honesty, becomes
irreplaceable.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR SEARCHER: Irreplaceable?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, irreplaceable.
STAR SEARCHER: Excuse me, but can you demonstrate the irreplaceability of
sincerity, or no deception?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. You can prove it to yourself.
STAR SEARCHER: I can? How?
EXPERIENCE: “Try the quality of sincerity in communications at far off distances;
and afterwards observe the difference when bringing in personal feelings of
impatience, or irritability, not even speaking of premeditation.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR SEARCHER: What will be the result?
EXPERIENCE: “These properties deprive the result of its value. With this there
often occurs irreparable harm. Yet sincerity, as a purifier, brings about a crystal
clarity, which enlightens consciousness as gas gives flame. Thus one can
contribute to success by applying honesty.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is your question?
STAR SEARCHER: Is this irreplaceability only valid on this physical plane?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “… Some one may say, ‘I address myself with all
strength to the Lord, but it does not reach the Lord.’ ” [Hierarchy, #41]
STAR SEARCHER: How do you respond to that?
EXPERIENCE: “Ask, Star Searcher, ‘Was it sincere?’ This quality of invocation is
as necessary as light. Each one may cast his eye into his heart and inspect the
small corners of a decrepit world. Without sincerity there will be no current.
Therefore strain all your forces and elect pure striving of the heart.” [Hierarchy,

41]

STAR SEARCHER: Hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: It sounds like you are connecting sincerity with purity,
especially where you state, “Without sincerity there will be no current. Therefore
strain all your forces and elect pure striving of the heart.”
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Sincerity is associated with the pure striving of the heart.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Precisely.
STAR SEARCHER: So sincere, honest, non deceptive striving is pure striving.
Does that mean ….. hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Go for it, Star Searcher, go for it!
STAR SEARCHER: Well, does this purity of striving also apply to speech?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Well, since it applies to my thinking and actions, it just has to
apply to my speech.
EXPERIENCE: And why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Well, since the Hierarchy of Light values sincerity, honesty, no
deception above all else, it follows, in general, that the Hierarchy of Light values
those thoughts and actions which are motivated by sincerity, honesty, no
deception, because the characteristic of purity is thus associated with them
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Therefore, every time we open our mouths to speak we take
the test of non deceptive, honest, sincere speech.
EXPERIENCE: And why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR SEARCHER: Because the quality of thought we choose to dwell on will
determine the purity, honesty, deceptionlessness of our speech.
EXPERIENCE: Tell me now, Star Searcher, how does sincerity affect the beauty of
speech?
STAR SEARCHER: Because the purity of non deceptive speech puts us active for
the general welfare.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR SEARCHER: Therefore sincere speech opens the door to the entire
reservoir of cosmic accumulations and thus to the Chalice of the best
achievements.
EXPERIENCE: You never fail to surprise me, Star Searcher. I am happy with your
insightful conclusions.
STAR SEARCHER: Therefore?
EXPERIENCE: [laughs] Ha, ha, ha… Well, Star Searcher, they say that turn about
is fair play. So I will share with you how sincerity is viewed on the higher levels of
life.”
STAR SEARCHER: All right! Let’s go for it!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “That which in the Cosmos is called the Source of
Truth, in life is called sincerity. [Fiery World 3, #207]
STAR SEARCHER: That’s beautiful, what else?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Striving toward the Light cannot be extinguished if
a man is searching sincerely.” [Brotherhood, #390]
STAR SEARCHER: Very nice indeed, what else?
EXPERIENCE: Ok, Star Searcher, one more and then we should be getting ready
for our Agni Yoga meeting tonight. Remember well what I am about to say.
“Insincerity contains a destructive poison. It can be observed that a construction
built upon falsehood degenerates into hideousness.” [Brotherhood, #111]
STAR SEARCHER: Thank you I will remember what you have taught me and
strive to apply it in the world for the general welfare. Thank you again for all your
patience while being my Teacher.

EXPERIENCE: Your welcome, Star Searcher. Your entirely welcome.

PETAL #011

A n o t h e r Ye a r A r o u n d T h e S u n (Poem)

Another Year Around The Sun
I’ve shed some tears and had some fun.
I’ve felt so small and then just great.
I’ve tried to rush and learned to wait.
I’ve wanted not, yet been in need,
and now its time to choose new seed:
something that’s not afraid to grow;
something bright for color and show;
something with fragrance for the nose;
something with beauty like the rose;
something I’m sure no wind blows down;
something I feel no flood can drown;
something no frost can freeze and die;
something no drought can wither dry.
All thoughts are seeds the wise do say,
(and, “Thoughts cannot be burned away.”)
If thoughts bear fruit at my bequest,
then which produce the best harvest?
I’d choose prudence were I to guess,
(the lack of it creates a mess).
But I’d plant joy and beauty to,
then add a balanced point of view.
But most of all I’d plant to learn
how best to make my mind discern
that secret door within my heart
where God is King and Love his art.

PETAL #012
BEAUTY GRAM #2

SINCERITY

“Indeed, we value sincerity above everything. The word which does not contain
the affirmation of the heart is void.” This treasure shared from the experience of
the Hierarchy of Light is found in paragraph 337 of the Agni Yoga book entitled
Infinity 2. Let us raise a penetrating question. Why did the experience of the
Hierarchy of Light lead them to place their highest value on the virtue of sincerity,
especially since most people, ( including criminals), think they are sincere?
A trip to the dictionary dispels many illusions about the meaning of sincerity.
Sincerity means honesty. Pursuing the meaning further, we find that no-deception
means honesty. Since both mean the same thing, (honesty), then according to
ancient logic, and modern logic, they are both equal to each other. Thus sincerity
means no-deception. Now that we have defined our terms, let us ask why would
you value someone who had no-deception in them?
For the purpose of our search for clarity, let us say that you have the gift of, not
only seeing auras, (the electromagnetic field around the body that science takes
color pictures of), but also that you have the gift of discerning within the aura, (on
a scale of 1-10), the personal level of deception of any person you observe. Now a
person is needed for a very serious mission, would you pick someone who
operates on a high degree of deception? Would you pick someone you couldn’t
trust under any circumstances even though that person swore, (and believed), that
he or she was sincere? Would you pick the person with the least degree of
deception in them?
For the traveler on the Path of Beauty, which is the Path of the Heart — the path
closest to perfection, the answer will be crystal clear. You would strive to find the
person with the least amount of deception, (insincerity, dishonesty), in them in
order to ensure the success of the mission and avoid the non-beneficial
ramifications of a failed mission. Can there be any doubt about it?
Sincerity is a great focal point for contemplation and meditation. One goal of all
experienced travelers on this path is to become deceptionless — 100% honest (the
most complete sincerity). They may use different words and metaphors to
describe this condition, however their striving to attain this cherished virtue will
demonstrate their understanding of it. To have this magnificent goal it is necessary
to first take a very good look at self and see what exists. This discernment will be
gradual and we will see more of what exists as we go. (Not wise to take too big a
chunk all at once). Thus to have a goal of becoming completely sincere, we first of
all must recognize that we have a level of insincerity, a level of dishonesty, a level
of deception. On a scale of 1-10, we could perceive, or misperceive, this to be a 3,

5 or 9, but whatever we believe it to be we must start from there and strive to
increase it to the maximum — deceptionlessness.
Will this attainment of no-deception, (the most complete sincerity), occur in a
weekend seminar, a one year meditation course, a decade, or a single
incarnation? My brothers and sisters, in theory it can be accomplished in an
instant of realization, but in practice — well, we are good, but not that good. The
traveler is gradually presented with the concept of sincerity. It is in the striving for
this personal condition of deceptionlessness that the traveler encounters
countless moments of decision which give the understanding, (through
experience), of the value of no-deception. Eventually, (with the help of our
individual Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the Master
Morya), vast experience on this path gradually reduces the traveler’s level of
insincerity to zero. As we said, don’t look for it to happen in a weekend, or without
the help of the Higher.
One caution. No one on this path should ever focus on sincerity, (or any other
virtue), to the exclusion of their primary focus on beauty. Let us perfectly
remember the Law of Beauty on all levels of Self. Beauty leads to joy. Beauty is
the switch, joy is the energy. Through beauty we conquer. Joy is a shield. Joy is
the health of the spirit. We must fill our minds, hearts, actions, and personal
environment with beauty. Thus beauty is the primary focus, however we also strive
to penetrate the other virtues.
So we think about sincerity. We meditate on honesty. We enfold
deceptionlessness in the warmth of our hearts. We strive to attain and maintain
the purity of the condition of no-deception. We make it one of our cherished goals.
My brothers and sisters of the Path of Beauty, these are only the words. our
experience with our own insincerity, (dishonesty, deception), will teach us the
power of sincerity, and why the Gate of the Brotherhood opens wide to those who
bear the light of no-deception.

PETAL #013

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #2

WHAT IS THE KEY TO LOVE?

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the key to love?
EXPERIENCE: Patience.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why is patience the key to love?
EXPERIENCE: Because patience is a stepping stone to compassion.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that patience leads to compassion?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why does patience lead to compassion?
EXPERIENCE: Because compassion for an individual or group requires personal understanding of the
trials of that person or group.
STAR-SEARCHER: What does patience have to do with a personal understanding of others?
EXPERIENCE: Without patience we would not be able to be around others long enough to hear about
their situation in life.
STAR-SEARCHER: But isn’t the life situation of others their Karma?
EXPERIENCE: That is correct, we have all created our situation in life and are constantly creating our
future as well by the quality of our thoughts and actions.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if the life situation of others is just their karma, then why should I have
compassion for them?
EXPERIENCE: Star searcher listen well. A lack of compassion is a cold prison.
STAR-SEARCHER: A cold prison, why is that?
EXPERIENCE: A lack of compassion is lonely and cold because it leads to a “Me-first” personality.
STAR-SEARCHER: What, in the universe, is a “Me-first” personality?
EXPERIENCE: It is the false idea that an individual must put himself first, or above, everyone else in
order to be a success in his or her life.
STAR-SEARCHER: So a “Me-first” personality is “just an idea”.
EXPERIENCE: That is imprecise.

STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Imprecise. What do you mean imprecise?
EXPERIENCE: Imprecise as in you, Star searcher, are not listening accurately.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. OK. So the “Me-first” personality is not “just” an idea. It is an idea. Right?
EXPERIENCE: That, Star Searcher, is also imprecise.
STAR-SEARCHER: What? That’s imprecise too? OK. OK. Run that by me again.
EXPERIENCE: The “Me-first” personality is a false idea.
STAR-SEARCHER: False idea? Are you sure you said that before?
EXPERIENCE: Yes.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. OK. But…
EXPERIENCE: I heard that but, what is it Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what is so terrible about a “Me-first” personality, isn’t it good to be somewhat
tough and stern in life so people won’t walk all over you because they think you are weak?
EXPERIENCE: No one who truly understands what a “Me-first” personality is, (and its cause and effect
relationships), would want to be in close association with that kind of individual.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why don’t people want to be around the “Me-first” personality?
EXPERIENCE: Because the “Me-first” personality is what philosophers call an Ethical Egoist.
STAR-SEARCHER: An Ethical Egoist, what’s that?
EXPERIENCE: An Ethical Egoist is a person who is always for himself, or herself, and never for anyone
else. The Ethical Egoist is the antithesis of brotherhood. The Ethical Egoist is, with respect to the concept
and practice of brotherhood, a liability and not an asset. In short, Ethical Egoism leads to the dark side of
life.
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. Go ahead, what is it Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: But, surely there are only a few people who are 100% Ethical Egoists in the
universe?
EXPERIENCE: This may be true.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if there are only a few true 100% Ethical Egoists in the universe, then why do

you emphasize this condition that blocks compassion? Surely all the rest of us who are not 100% “Me-
first” personalities are not in need of this information.

EXPERIENCE: Unfortunately, Star Searcher, this is quite untrue.
STAR-SEARCHER: How do you mean quite untrue?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, it is not that a person is either a 100% Ethical Egoist or that he, or she, is
not an Ethical Egoist at all.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then what is the true understanding of Ethical Egoism?
EXPERIENCE: Like a seedling of a weed, which gradually grows into a full size weed and creates a very
real danger to the beauty and harmony of a garden, so does the seed of Ethical Egoism grow rampant and
choke the beauty and harmony in the garden of an individual’s personality.

STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that we all have a degree of this “Me-firstness” in us now?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Do you also mean that this degree of “Me-firstness”, or as the philosophers say —
Ethical Egoism, in all of us is holding us back from a higher degree of compassion?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that each of us has exactly the same degree of “Me-firstness” in us?
EXPERIENCE: No. It is according to our reactions to what is presented to our consciousness that we
evolve our personality. Therefore, we all have this self servingness in us to varying degrees.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that the degree with which an individual is self serving limits the
development of his or her compassion?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. You do catch on fast Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how long will it take to weed out this “Me-firstness” in us?
EXPERIENCE: This depends upon an individual’s knowledge.
STAR-SEARCHER: What do you mean? Isn’t the fact that we know that we have this “me – firstness” in
us enough to bridge the gap between patience and compassion?
EXPERIENCE: No.
STAR-SEARCHER: No?
EXPERIENCE: No.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why do we need more than the knowledge of the degree of selfishness in us in
order to bridge the gap between patience and compassion?
EXPERIENCE: Because, Star Searcher, that knowledge alone is not sufficient to activate a desire to cross
over into the state of compassion.
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what knowledge is needed to enter the state of compassion?
EXPERIENCE: The experiential knowledge, Star Searcher, that a “Me-first” personality not only leads to
pain, but also that any degree of self servingness is an off ramp from The Highway of Love.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why is self servingness an off ramp from The Highway of Love?
EXPERIENCE: Because selfishness, no matter to what degree, has the potential of leading a person into
the non beneficial art of deception.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why will a degree of deception in us prevent us from maintaining the state of love?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, we do not deceive those we truly love.
STAR-SEARCHER: Does this mean that the higher the degree of self servingness which we have in us
then the higher the degree of deception we are capable of?
EXPERIENCE: Well said, Star Searcher. That is precisely correct.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, what does this capability of deception lead to?
EXPERIENCE: Betrayal, Star Searcher. Betrayal.

STAR-SEARCHER: What then is the way to weed our garden of our capability of deception?
EXPERIENCE: By understanding, beyond a doubt, that deception, no matter to what degree, leads to
pain. By knowing, beyond a doubt, that deception destroys unity. By knowing, beyond a doubt, that
deception will not lead us to the light we are seeking. Now, Star Searcher, let us see what you have
learned from our discussion. What, Star searcher, will lead us to the Light which we are seeking?
STAR-SEARCHER: We are the gardeners of our personalities. When we learn to spot and weed the
shoots of deception and self servingness from ourselves, then we can cultivate a beautiful garden. It will
be then that we can increase our compassion to a maximum and prepare to cross The Bridge of Love.
EXPERIENCE: Well said, Star Searcher. Now, on the road to happiness how many bridges must the
traveler build and cross?
STAR-SEARCHER: On the road to happiness there are three bridges to build.
EXPERIENCE: What is the first of these bridges which the traveler must build and cross?
STAR-SEARCHER: The first is The Bridge of Knowledge, crossed only by a heart with no fear.
EXPERIENCE: What is the second bridge which the traveler must build and cross in order to enter into
the state of happiness?
STAR-SEARCHER: The second is The Bridge of Gratitude, crossed only by a heart filled with
compassion.
EXPERIENCE: What is the third bridge which the traveler must build and cross on the way to happiness?
STAR-SEARCHER: The third bridge which the traveler must build and cross is The Bridge of Love,
crossed only by a heart with no deception.
EXPERIENCE: What is the value of constructing these bridges?
STAR-SEARCHER: The spiritual art of no deception leads to the gates of the land of no deception, the
place of true brotherhood.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, your intellectual knowledge is satisfactory. Go now, and with ever
increasing gratitude, search for The Bridge of Love; with ever increasing joy, discover The Bridge of
Love; and with no deception, cross The Bridge of Love.
STAR-SEARCHER: But where will I find these bridges? In which direction shall I begin my search?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, you will do well to begin your search in the direction of beauty.
STAR-SEARCHER: But in which direction will I find beauty?
EXPERIENCE: The direction of beauty is not on your compass Star Searcher. There is only one direction
that will guarantee a search well begun. You must now go within and search there for the Light which you
are seeking — The Light of Beauty.

PETAL #014

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 1 0 1 t o 2 0 0

101. Is beauty an illusion?
102. Is it possible that one thing, place or person be beautiful to one person and not another?
103. What constitutes beauty?
104. What is the source of beauty?
105. Are there degrees of beauty?
106. Can one rose be more beautiful than another if they are from the same bush and species?
107. What is the value of beauty?
108. Why are some things beautiful and some things ugly?
109. Is there such a thing as a capacity for beauty in a person?
110. Can a person’s capacity for beauty be increased?
111. Can a person’s capacity for beauty be decreased?
112. Is a person’s capacity for beauty fixed?
113. Does everyone have the same capacity for beauty?
114. Do we use our full capacity for beauty, or do we use only a percentage of our full capacity?
115. Does everyone use the same percentage of their capacity for beauty or does the
     percentage vary from individual; to individual?
116. Why do some people consider a rose more beautiful than a lily?
117. Can beauty be used?
118. Can beauty be misused?
119. Is there one thing that is universally agreed upon as being the most beautiful thing?
120. Is there one feeling that is universally agreed upon as the most beautiful feeling?
121. Is there one thought that is universally agreed upon as the most beautiful thought?
122. Is a star beautiful?
123. Why is a star beautiful?
124. Can a person have a beautiful character?
125. How does discernment relate to beauty?
126. What is the relationship between beauty and possibilities?
127. What is the relationship between beauty and gratitude?
128. What is the relationship between beauty and sincerity?
129. What is the relationship between beauty and searching?
130. What is the relationship between beauty and knowledge?
131. What is the relationship between beauty and the future?
132. Is a child born with a sense of beauty?
133. Is a child born with a capacity for beauty?
134. Does a child experience beauty?
135. Does our capacity for beauty diminish with age?
136. Is there a relationship between beauty and constructiveness?
137. Is there a relationship between beauty and destructiveness?
138. Is there a relationship between beauty and creativity?
139. What is the relationship between beauty and creativity?
140. What is the relationship between beauty and striving?
141. What is the relationship between beauty and love?
142. What is the relationship between beauty and sacrifice?
143. What is the relationship between beauty and attunement?
144. What is the relationship between beauty and happiness?
145. What is the relationship between beauty and joy?
146. Can beauty be shared?
147. Can beauty be bestowed?
148. Can beauty be loaned?
149. Can beauty be stolen?
150. Is beauty a vibration, (does it have a vibratory rate)?
151. Does beauty have a threshold as hearing does?
152. Is beauty restricted to physical objects?
153. Can a feeling be beautiful?
154. In what way is a feeling beautiful?
155. Can a thought be beautiful?
156. In what way is a thought beautiful?
157. What is the definition of beauty?
158. Is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
159. What does it mean that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?
160. Why does a person think that something is beautiful?
161. How does a person form a judgment that something is beautiful?
162. What is the purpose of beauty?
163. What is the relationship between beauty and the heart?
164. What is the relationship between beauty and the brotherhood?
165. What is the relationship between beauty and co-measurement?
166. Does beauty exist for animals?
167. Does beauty exist on all levels of life?
168. Can I increase my level of beauty?
169. Is there a feeling which accompanies the experience of beauty?
170. What is the feeling which accompanies the experience of beauty?
171. Is the difference between beauty and ugliness an attitude? Is it all in the mind?
172. Does a group have a capacity for beauty?
173. Can a family increase its level of beauty?
174. What is the first step for a group to take in order to increase its level of beauty?
175. What is the first step for an individual to take to increase his or her level of beauty?
176. Can beauty be taught?
177. Is there a philosophy of beauty?
178. Is there a Path of Beauty?
179. How can beauty improve the quality of my life?
180. Can beauty improve productivity?
181. If I work in beauty will the quality of my work increase?
182. If I work in beauty will the quantity of my work increase?
183. Can a person let his or her mind dwell on beauty?
184. Is it possible to maintain consistent thoughts about beauty over a period of time?
185. Does beauty effect the quality of sleep?
186. How does beauty effect dreaming?
187. How does beauty effect the appetites?
188. Is beauty calming like rose oil?
189. Is a beautiful thought more permanent that a sculpture?
190. Can wealth be beautiful?
191. What type of character can teach beauty?
192. What type of character is willing to teach beauty?
193. What is the relationship between beauty and virtue?
194. Is a virtuous life beautiful?
195. Can beauty be found anywhere?
196. Can I choose to think beautiful thoughts at will?
197. Can I choose to feel beautiful feelings any time at will?
198. Can beauty be designed into family life for greater harmony?
199. What type of person would not appreciate beauty?

PETAL #015
Sayings 55 to 81

55.Gratitude is a milestone in Human evolution.
56.We do our best when our hearts are filled with joy.
57.The person who has attained the most complete sincerity has no deception. (It
is this one who can find perfect love).
58.Patience is the power of our telescope, the more we have the more we see.
59.A yield sign on the road is a test of our common-sense. A stop sign means
that someone thought we were ineligible to take the exam.
60.Not upon the tongue does pure art depend, (for beauty leaps the wall of
language).
61.If I build my cocoon with beauty, in beauty will I fly away.
62.Patience is a stepping stone to health.
63.The person with no sense of restraint is like a kite without a tail.
64.Vanity:
a wind palm,
the higher it grows
the farther from center
must we search for summer shade.
65.When we understand the sun, our love will warm the earth.
66.Love is the root of wisdom.
67.Thoughts are seeds, (be careful what you plant).
68.Caring begins with respect.
69.Compassion is a stepping stone to beauty.
70.Hate, like a baby rattlesnake, is deadly at birth.
71.Fear hides truth, courage uncovers it.

72.Beautiful thoughts are the parents of beautiful feelings.
73.Whether it be a stone or an electron, our moral nature determines its use.
74.We can’t have our hate and our health too.
75.Love knows the way.
76.A lie causes confusion and destroys trust.
77.Meditation For My Daughter.
If she is sincere,
then she can learn the shoots of flowers;
if she learns the shoots of flowers,
then she can learn the shoots of weeds;
if she learns the shoots of weeds,
then she can cultivate her garden;
if she cultivates her garden,
then she can learn about beauty;
if she learns about beauty,
then she can learn about love;
if she learns about love,
then she can instruct well;
if she instructs well,
then the world can learn the shoots of flowers.
78.Love is balance.
79.Love is our teacher.
80.The stars are the street lights of eternity.

PETAL #016
W h a t I s B e a u t y ?

My brothers and sisters it is my joyful opportunity this morning to report the
findings of my meditational research into the nature of Beauty as follows.
While in attunement I asked, “What is Beauty?”, and received the answer,
“Beauty is love”. Now I must confess that I was not, (I repeat not), overjoyed at my
answer, because the dictionary doesn’t mention love in its definition of beauty. It
does, however, mention the word loveliness.
Perhaps my problem with the answer was my personal response to what I
consider a lack of discernment in those who say beauty is this, beauty is that,
beauty is thus, etc.. My mind tells me that beauty cannot be all of those things– at
least not as the dictionary defines them. But now I was faced with an answer to
my question which seemed to do just that. I was adding another definition to
beauty, namely, Beauty is love. To make matters more perplexing, I truly felt that
the answer, “Beauty is love.”, was from The Teacher of Beauty. So now I had a
conflict between what I considered my “common sense” and my meditational
attunement.
Upon reflection on my dilemma, it seemed that it was my choice to accept the
answer face value, pursue it further, or forget it. To accept it on face value would
leave a doubt in my mind. We have learned that, “Doubt is a destroyer of psychic
energy (fire). To avoid doubt, I chose to pursue the answer further. I now asked
the question in meditational attunement, “Why is Beauty love?”. The answer I
received again seemed undoubtedly from The Teacher of Beauty. It said, “Beauty
is love because we tend to love that which we feel is beautiful.”.

reflection

At this point I stopped asking questions of The Teacher of Beauty and began to
personally contemplate this latest answer. Have I experienced this to be true that I
tend to love that which I feel is beautiful? My first test was on that concept which I
hold the most beautiful concept that I possibly can conceive of, namely, The
Hierarchy of Light and the symbol of its abode- Jacob’s Ladder. This symbol for
me includes the Origin of Origins, or The Source of all Beauty and all life, which
some call God. Do I tend to love this concept which I feel is the most beautiful
concept that I can conceive of? You bet I do. There is no doubt about it in my
mind. Yes. I do love it. It is my guiding star. It is the abode of The Teacher of
Beauty and our future destination. It is the source of all my striving as well as the
goal of all my striving. The answer, “Beauty is love.”, passed my first test.
I then asked myself what is the next most beautiful thing which I can conceive
of? That answer was easy. It is our freedom to pursue the virtuous life in an earth
plane where others, (many others), choose to pursue varying degrees of virtue
right down to the absence of virtue pursued by the dark side. Do I love that which I
feel is beautiful? You bet I do! I truly love the gift of free will inherent in all
mankind. It holds ultimately all possibilities other than the negation of free will

itself. We can, through experience, learn about and choose the beautiful possibility
of perfecting ourselves which is a choice to maximize our virtue. Yes, I love it. The
answer, “Beauty is love.”, passed my second test. How many tests must I make on
the answer for it to be valid for me as a stepping stone for the pursuit of wisdom
and its application, which we call prudence? I love the many and varied aspects of
the beauty which I personally find in my beloved wife. I love the wisdom, rhythm,
and metaphor which I sometimes find in poetry and art. I love the color and
harmony in sunrises and sunsets. I love the beautiful and harmonious sounds
which Mozart translated from the higher. I love the beauty of creativity. Yes. The
answer, “Beauty is love.”, for me is correct. We do tend to love that which we feel
is beautiful.
Beauty thus considered may constitute an equation. Beauty is love becomes
beauty equals love. If I increase one side of the equation, the other side must
increase in the exact amount, or else it would not be an equation. Thus if beauty
somehow equaled a value of three, then love on the other side of that equation
would also have to have a value of three. If love was increased to a value of
seven, then beauty would have to be increased to a value of seven. If beauty was
increased to a value of nine, then love would have to be increased to a value of
nine. Thus the answer, “Beauty is love.”, is a formula. The more beauty that I bring
into my life the more love I will experience. The less beauty that I have in my life
the less love I will experience.

free will

If I want more love in my life then I can choose those possibilities in my life which
tend to bring more beauty into my life. The more I find beautiful the more I love. If I
can expand my concepts of beauty then I can expand the quality and quantity of
that which I feel is beautiful. If I expand the quality and quantity of that which I feel
is beautiful in my life, then I will expand in equal proportion, the amount of love in
my life.
I am deeply grateful for this answer that, “We tend to love that which we feel is
beautiful.”, especially since it sheds further light on why The Hierarchy of Light
decided to focus on Beauty for the transition into the new age. The message of
love has been around for many centuries, yet love is not extant in the world and
those who do follow the Path of Love often require additional esoteric knowledge
in order to be able to stabilize and maintain their focus on love.
The message of beauty is the equivalent of the message of love as I see it from
my answer, “Beauty is Love”. Beauty is found both in nature, (sunsets, flowers,
birds etc.), and in man, (degrees of virtue). Beauty is easier for man to access
than love. Beauty is as near and as inexpensive as a memory, a sunset, or a
flower.
The question occurred to me, How can I increase the beauty side of my
equation, “Beauty is love”? Can my sense of beauty be cultivated? Of course it
can, and it will begin with the same source from which the equation of beauty
came– The Teacher of Beauty. As my capacity for beauty grows, so grows my
capacity for love. It is a grand equation and may well be a Cosmic Law, a stepping
stone to love.
Now what should I do with this knowledge? I could apply it, or use it as a
stepping stone to further knowledge. I chose to go for the whole enchilada, thus
on a different occasion I asked, in attunement with The Teacher of Beauty, “Why
do we tend to love that which we feel is beautiful?”. The answer I received was a
pointing out of that which I had already acquired from my studies of the esoteric
life. The heart is represented as a spiritual center of force in many esoteric
descriptions of the spiritual life of man. Sometimes different names are used for

the same center of force depending on which esoteric system you are studying at
the time. It is much like a rose is called differently depending on which language
you are speaking in. Thus these centers of force in man have various names such
as Lotuses, Chakras and psychic centers. In the Hebrew tradition, we find the
teaching of these spiritual centers of force under the esoteric study of the Kabala
where they are referred to as Sephiroth. The Sephiroth which represents the heart
is called Tiphareth— Beauty. Thus we find a connection of beauty with the heart.
Mankind has already connected the heart with love. Thus we could, through the
process of the syllogism do logic on our two premises and come up with a logical
conclusion.

1. Beauty is connected with the heart.
2. Love is connected with heart.
   Conclusion: Beauty is connected with love through the heart.
   In logic two things equal to the same are equal to each other. This is called
   Modus Ponens. Certainly the conclusion will come as no surprise to an Initiate of
   the Path of Beauty which is the Path of the Heart. However, the process of arriving
   at the answer through meditational contact with The Teacher of Beauty is for me a
   wonderful tool for seeking further knowledge. For this I am eternally grateful.
   To pursue the answer further, I asked what happens in the heart center to
   produce love for that which we feel is beautiful? I received the answer as follows.
   “The Initiate on the Path of Beauty, which is the Path of the Heart, would have
   easy access to the answer. It is an individual pursuit from this point on.” Of
   course, the whole force of the research paper is a written report of the findings of
   an individual pursuit of beauty; however, there is much to learn and perhaps not all
   of what an Initiate learns is destined for print depending upon Karmic conditions.
   It is for us to be grateful that we can pursue far beyond what we can at times
   record. The Hierarchy of Light has pronounced Beauty. The Teacher of Beauty has
   pronounced Beauty. Let us probe deeper into Beauty and thus increase our
   capacity for love in the most co-measured way.

PETAL #017

M e d i t a t i o n F o r M y D a u g h t e r (Poem)

If she is sincere,
then she can learn the shoots of flowers;
if she learns the shoots of flowers,
then she can learn the shoots of weeds;
if she can learn the shoots of weeds,
then she can cultivate her garden;
if she cultivates her garden,
then she can learn about beauty;
if she learns about beauty,
then she can learn about love;
if she learns about love,
then she can instruct well;
if she instructs well,
then the world can learn
the shoots of flowers.

PETAL #018

BEAUTY-GRAM #3

THE CAUSES OF JOY

“People have only two real joys —
thinking and the ecstasy over beauty.”
Brotherhood #85

On the Path of Beauty these causes of joy are highly valued and thus emphasized
in many interesting ways to the experienced as well as the inexperienced.
We are taught the value of increasing the quality of our thoughts, not only as a
stepping stone to good health, but also to enable us to increase our service to
Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light.
We are also taught the value of increasing the amount and quality of beauty in our
lives for much the same reason, and especially to fill our hearts with joy.
Generally speaking, people like to be around a joyful person. Teachers like joyful
students. Parents like joyful children. Children like joyful parents. Husbands like
joyful wives, and wives like joyful husbands.
Joy is a winner, and it is easy to obtain. Let us know well the causes of joy!. It is
not good enough to know the causes of joy vaguely, as in some course we took, or
some book we read many years ago. We need to know the causes of joy as a
person with a right hand knows he has a right hand. He doesn’t have to make an
effort to remember that he has a right hand. He doesn’t even have to think about
it. He knows beyond a doubt that he has a right hand. He knows it immediately. He
knows it completely. That is why he can use it so dynamically and effectively in
life.
That is how we need to know the causes of joy. We have learned the causes of
fire, and we can now use fire at will to warm ourselves. We no longer need to wait
for the next lightning strike so we can run and gather some flames to warm our
cave. We have mastered fire as we know it. Now we need to master the causes of
joy in order to warm the heart of Humanity.

Think about joy! Meditate upon joy! Apply joy!

PETAL #019

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #3

HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT IS FOOLISHNESS

AND WHAT IS WISDOM?

(Please note that this Star Searcher & Experience #3 is not recommended for
beginners)
STAR-SEARCHER: Is there some kind of formula or something?
EXPERIENCE: For what, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how can I know what is foolishness and what is
wisdom?
EXPERIENCE: OK. Let’s start with wisdom and see if we can arrive at its opposite
foolishness.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. What is wisdom?
EXPERIENCE: Ah. I see you have forgotten?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh?
EXPERIENCE: You have forgotten that we have previously discussed wisdom and
defined it.
STAR-SEARCHER: We did?
EXPERIENCE: Don’t you remember any of that conversation?
STAR-SEARCHER: No. I can’t say that I do right now.
EXPERIENCE: Try checking your notes.
STAR-SEARCHER: What notes?
EXPERIENCE: You mean to say that you don’t take notes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I take mental notes, You know what I mean?
EXPERIENCE: Well, perhaps We didn’t use the words and examples which would
stay with you. Let’s hope we can do better this time.

STAR-SEARCHER: Ya. Maybe I should meditate on it.
EXPERIENCE: That would be excellent.
STAR-SEARCHER: It would?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, that would be an act of wisdom.
STAR-SEARCHER: Its wise to meditate, really?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. To cultivate the habit of asking within is a very wise way to
live a life of service to Humanity.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya, but….
EXPERIENCE: I heard that but Star Searcher, what is bothering you now?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how do you know, ya know what I mean?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, I do.
STAR-SEARCHER: You do?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, its perfectly clear.
STAR-SEARCHER: It is?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, your unsaid question is as old as reflection
itself.
STAR-SEARCHER: It is? But … .
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. Go ahead Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I remember that you said that doubt was non-beneficial
because it destroys psychic energy. If I’m not sure which voice to follow, then I
must be doubting, and, as a result, loosing energy. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. You are correct. If you find yourself in doubt, the best thing to
do is get out of doubt as soon as possible. On the other hand, that getting out of
doubt will probably take the form of a search for an answer which will be like
stepping stones to knowledge.i.knowledge; which removes the doubt. Either way,
it will be a learning process. See?
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that doubt is good?
EXPERIENCE: I am saying that you should get out of doubt the fastest and most
accurate way possible.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see. Well then, ah … .
EXPERIENCE: How do I choose. Right?

STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s exactly right. How did you know I was going to
ask that question?
EXPERIENCE: It is most important to know which voice to listen to. We all get
plenty of opportunity to listen and follow the inner advice. Some call it conscience,
but whatever it is called, we learn to subtly watch for intensity, location, and
feelings.
STAR-SEARCHER: Intensity, location and feelings?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. Let’s examine one at a time shall we?
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, but lets start with feelings first.
EXPERIENCE: That’s fine, Star Searcher. Tell me now, have you had any
experience with inner feelings?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I know when I’m angry.
EXPERIENCE: That’s a start. Tell me now, when you felt the angry feelings, did
you feel it was a message from within, or was it a natural extension of your angry
thoughts?
STAR-SEARCHER: Angry thoughts?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, you were thinking angry thoughts right before you felt those
angry feelings were you not?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. As a matter of fact I was. How did you know that?
EXPERIENCE: Our thoughts give birth to our feelings. Angry thoughts produce
angry feelings. Beautiful thoughts produce beautiful feelings.
STAR-SEARCHER: So then the feelings could be from my outer personality and
not from within?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. That’s one possibility.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is another possibility?
EXPERIENCE: It could be a habitual response to something you just experienced,
or were recently thinking about.
STAR-SEARCHER: But …
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, isn’t a habitual response an inner experience related to
memory?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, and no.
STAR-SEARCHER: Now that sounds like a definitive answer. I’m sure it will not
leave me with the slightest doubt.

EXPERIENCE: Thank you for the opportunity to practice patience, Star-Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Oh. Sorry.
EXPERIENCE: That’s OK, I’m used to it.
STAR-SEARCHER: I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that. I’ve got to get my act
together.
EXPERIENCE: It is inner because memory is subjective; however, a habit pattern,
along with its associated feelings, is not an inner spiritual response from a higher
source within. Understand?
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. So we have a response coming from my personal
thoughts. We have a subjective response from a habit pattern. I guess that we will
next learn about the real inner response. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Not yet. There are at least two more of the outer sources we
should consider first.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. Let’s do it. What’s next.
EXPERIENCE: We can have a thought or feeling which didn’t originate within
ourselves, or from our outer personality.
STAR-SEARCHER: You mean like a hypnotic suggestion? EXPERIENCE: Yes
that would be an example, although most people give their permission to be
hypnotized.
STAR-SEARCHER: You mean I can have a thought or feeling that did not
originate with me and that I didn’t give permission to enter my consciousness? No
I don’t believe you.
EXPERIENCE: Do you know anyone who uses subliminal tapes to stop smoking
or become a more confident person etc.?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes I do. One of them did indeed stop smoking, and one has
become quite aggressive in life. But are you saying… . Well I guess subliminal
tapes are thoughts and feelings which didn’t originate with us. But … .
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. What is it this time Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well isn’t the subliminal like the hypnotic suggestion in that
we choose to listen to its subconscious message?
EXPERIENCE: Yes if there is choice involved.
STAR-SEARCHER: Do you mean to say that subliminal thoughts could enter my
consciousness without my permission? Are you trying to scare me or something?
EXPERIENCE: Do you remember that subliminal advertisement was made a
criminal offense?

STAR-SEARCHER: You mean that it is against the law to use subliminal
advertisement?
EXPERIENCE: Yes.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank goodness. but …
EXPERIENCE: If its against the law then why are we discussing it as an external
source of thoughts and feelings?
STAR-SEARCHER: Right again, as usual. Why do I bother to talk when you can
just read my thoughts?
EXPERIENCE: Well, it is not that I can read your thoughts, Star-Searcher. It is just
that your searching questions are very similar, if not exact duplicates, of many
other travelers on the Path of Beauty, who were beginning to extend their
knowledge about the Natural Laws of the universe, just as you are in the process
of doing.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it is an awkward feeling to realize that someone would
attempt an Invasion of privacy. Now I can see where its OK if I invite the person in,
like we invite the Master Morya, who revues the student’s thoughts each night. But
the thought that someone would deliberately try to influence me without my
consent is very offensive to me.
EXPERIENCE: People try to influence others on many levels of self. If they do it in
violation of free Will and or Karma, then it is a spiritual criminal offense. The
Master Morya has reminded us that there are immensely more mental crimes
committed than physical crimes, and that he has received many an arrow in his
shield which was meant for a student.
STAR-SEARCHER: It still sounds like it could be a little scary. EXPERIENCE:
Without knowledge and Higher guidance, it could be scary, with knowledge and

Higher guidance it can become as stepping stones to greater freedom. STAR-
SEARCHER: Greater freedom? What in the universe are you getting at?

EXPERIENCE: Let’s try an example. Use your imagination now. Suppose you
were at a funeral service and hundreds of people were making the mistake of
filling the universe with their sadness. Would you not have a tendency to identify
with the sad thoughts, if for no other reason than to be appropriate? You may not
be crying sad, but more than likely you will sense the profound sadness of the
situation. You certainly wouldn’t feel like cracking jokes or showing films of your
last trip to Paris.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that I can be forced to feel the feeling of the
situation at hand?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, and no. Let’s suppose that the funeral service was being held
in a room so large that the funeral director decided to pull a heavy sound proof
curtain across the middle of the room, thereby dividing it into two smaller rooms.
Then suppose that you didn’t know about the funeral and entered the empty room
to sit for a while. You would sense the intense vibrations of sadness from the other
room, because the physical curtain will not stop them.

STAR-SEARCHER: But they are not my feelings, because they didn’t originate
with me. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Very good. However, if no one was in the room with you, and you
didn’t know about, or hear the funeral service in the other room, would you then
still know, as you correctly do now, that those feelings of intense sadness were not
your own?
STAR-SEARCHER: You mean that I wouldn’t have twenty-twenty hindsight like I
would after it was all over and I knew everything about what went on?
EXPERIENCE: Right.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well honestly, I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: What is your best guess Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: I think that I probably would somehow sense the feelings of
sadness.
EXPERIENCE: Does that mean you would feel sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, probably.
EXPERIENCE: Why?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because I would probably be having sad feelings.
EXPERIENCE: Even though there was no one else in the room?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well how am I supposed to feel if I am having sad feelings?
EXPERIENCE: Even though there was no obvious reason that you should feel
sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. I think that you are trying to give me a hint here, but that it
seems to be going right over my head. Please, what is your point?
EXPERIENCE: That you could be affected by thoughts and feelings which did not
originate from your self and from a source of which you are not aware.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, somehow that doesn’t give me a confident feeling
to know that I can be affected like that.
EXPERIENCE: You give up too easily Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What do you mean give up?
EXPERIENCE: Don’t you think that you would be a little curious as to why all of a
sudden you felt intensely sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. I don’t get it. I have sad feelings. I feel sad. What more is
there?

EXPERIENCE: Did you have a reason to be intensely sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, I had intensely sad feelings.
EXPERIENCE: Did you have a reason to be so intensely sad? Did something just
happen which would change your mood so abruptly?
STAR-SEARCHER: No. I just went into the room, which was empty, sat down and
began feeling sad. Right?

EXPERIENCE: Yes, that is correct. But why did you have those feelings? STAR-
SEARCHER: I don’t know!

EXPERIENCE: Now we are getting somewhere. The feelings had no cause and
effect relationship which was obvious to you.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What’s this?
EXPERIENCE: Usually something sad happens before people feel sad. At least
someone is thinking of something quite sad and then gets into a sad mood.
STAR-SEARCHER: But nothing obvious like that happened, and I wasn’t thinking
sad thoughts, so what does all this mean? Hey wait a minute! That has to mean
that those sad feelings came from outside of me even though I didn’t know their
source at that time.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why did I feel Sad?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess star searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: Your next best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I must have thought that those feelings of intense
sadness originated with me. I must have thought that the sad feelings were mine. I
must have made a mistake in identity so to speak.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, a mistake in identity. You identified with the feelings of
intense sadness and then thought that those feelings were yours. Thus you acted
on what you thought were your feelings. Tell me now Star-Searcher, if the room
separator was not there and you entered into the funeral service room instead of
the empty room, would you still have felt sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. I might still feel the sadness of the others.
EXPERIENCE: Would you feel sad because you had sad feelings or because
other people were generating sad feelings which you thought were your own?
STAR-SEARCHER: Probably a little of both.
EXPERIENCE: Well spoken my honest friend.

STAR-SEARCHER: I think there’s some point or conclusion here that I’m
expected to make but I’m not because I just don’t see what your getting at.
EXPERIENCE: You give up so easily.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s the second time you said that. I’m usually not known
as one who easily gives up. Is this part of a hint or something?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. It is all to let you know that if we had ten million people go
into that empty room one at a time, we would get varying degrees of sadness from
them.
STAR-SEARCHER: Really? But Why?
EXPERIENCE: That’s what I was about to ask you, Star-Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well maybe people aren’t wired up to feel exactly the same.
EXPERIENCE: That’s a possibility. What else?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I felt sad because I mistakenly identified with the sad
feelings and thought they were mine, but maybe, just maybe, other people might
not identify as strongly with the sad feelings as I did.
EXPERIENCE: Could you explain that a bit more please.
STAR-SEARCHER: Some people may have sensed, to a degree, that the sad
feelings were not their own feelings.
EXPERIENCE: Would that mean that they wouldn’t feel sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, the way I see it their sadness would depend on how
much they were watching the store.
EXPERIENCE: Watching the store?
STAR-SEARCHER: You know.
EXPERIENCE: Explain it to me please.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well If they were really sharp, they might sense the change in
their feelings from not sad to sad and realize that something was happening. That
would prevent them from identifying 100% with the sad feelings. Thus they would
sense that, to a degree, the feelings came from outside themselves.
EXPERIENCE: What happens if a person only identified 90% with the sad
feelings?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, the way I see it, 10% of the person’s feelings would not
be identified with the sad feelings, and thus would not be affected by them.
EXPERIENCE: Would the person still feel sad?

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, 90% sad is pretty sad. I would say the person would
feel sad but not as sad as a person who identified 100% with the sad feelings.
EXPERIENCE: How about the person who only identified 10% with the sad
feelings?
STAR-SEARCHER: 90% of the person would be operating on thoughts and
feelings other than the sad feelings from the funeral service.
EXPERIENCE: Would the person be sad?
STAR-SEARCHER: Just 10% worth. He, or she, probably would be sad enough to
just be appropriate in the group as part of the group. But now I’ve got a question
for you.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is your question?
STAR-SEARCHER: Why is it that there can be different degrees of identification
with a feeling which originated outside of a person?
EXPERIENCE: An excellent Question, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well?
EXPERIENCE: The answer is discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: Discernment?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait a minute. We started out talking about wisdom and
foolishness, and now, after all kinds of talk about identification with feelings, we
are talking about discernment. Why?
EXPERIENCE: To explain why people vary in their identification with thoughts and
feelings which originate from an external source.
STAR-SEARCHER: I’m sorry, but who really cares about all this identification
business? Why are we doing this anyway?
EXPERIENCE: Because you asked to know how you could tell which inner voice
was the right inner voice, which, by the way, would make you a wise man if you
could discern and follow the right voice.
STAR-SEARCHER: I’m sorry, you are right. I wish that I knew why I ask a
question then don’t recognize the answer, or the stepping stone to the answer,
when it is being presented to me as a gift at my own bequest.
EXPERIENCE: Apology accepted, Star Searcher. All is forgiven. Shall we talk now
about intensity or location.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Intensity or location? Oh yes. Ah… Let’s talk about
intensity OK?

EXPERIENCE: OK Star Searcher. What is your experience with intensity and the
inner voice?
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait! Before we talk about intensity, you said that there were
at least two ways a thought or feeling could originate outside of us. We talked
about identification with feelings. What is the other way?
EXPERIENCE: The other way is also a mistake in identity, but this time the
thought or feeling was not because of a situation, but intentionally sent.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah, I thought that we were going to talk about intensity later.
EXPERIENCE: We are about to share knowledge concerning intention, not
intensity.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, sorry. Maybe I should clean out my Cosmic ears.
EXPERIENCE: In due time, Star Searcher, in due time.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh?
EXPERIENCE: Let’s continue, shall we?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. Let’s learn about intention.
EXPERIENCE: What do you know about telepathy?
Star-Searcher: Do you mean mental telepathy?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I know that there has been extensive study of it over the
years, as well as extensive experiments with it. Didn’t some of the early astronauts
experiment with it from the moon to the earth?
EXPERIENCE: Have you had any experience with it?
STAR-SEARCHER: I participated in an experiment once where I tried to send a
mental picture of a symbol from a card to several other people acting as receivers.
EXPERIENCE: Were you successful.
STAR-SEARCHER: Sometimes yes. Sometimes no. It was enough for me to be
convinced that mental telepathy exists and that to a degree I am capable of doing
it.
EXPERIENCE: Have you ever received a telepathic message?
STAR-SEARCHER: No, I never played the part of a receiver, just a sender. But I
do know that it is possible to receive a telepathic message because those other
people in the experiment received some from me.
EXPERIENCE: Excellent.

STAR-SEARCHER: It is? Why?
EXPERIENCE: Because if you know that you can send thoughts, then, with a
slight stretch of the imagination, you can understand that thoughts can be
received by you.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes! I get it! If I can send a thought then I can receive one.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But where does that leave us with respect to intention?
EXPERIENCE: In your experiment, did you intend to send the thought about the
symbol to the other people in the experiment?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that was my role in the experiment.
EXPERIENCE: Let’s go back for a second. In the empty room, when you, in your
imagination felt the sad feelings, were the thoughts and feelings of sadness
intentionally sent to you like you intentionally sent the thought of the symbol to the
others in the experiment?
STAR-SEARCHER: No.
EXPERIENCE: Why?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because the others at the funeral service in the next room
were not aware of my presence in the empty room.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: What’s your point? I don’t get it.
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, all that comes to mind is the obvious. The experiment
was intentional the funeral circumstantial or unintentional.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya but so what? What good does knowing that do me?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, it is the information you asked for.
STAR-SEARCHER: I did it again. I’m sorry. really I am. Why do I resist the
information that I myself ask for? I am very sorry, please forgive me.
EXPERIENCE: That’s OK, Star Searcher, I am used to it. Shall we proceed?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. Yes, please let us proceed.
EXPERIENCE: What is the moral intent of the sender?

STAR-SEARCHER: Huh?
EXPERIENCE: What is the moral intent of the sender?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, I heard you, but ah…
EXPERIENCE: You hesitate because you sense the implication of personal guilt.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s exactly right. How, in the universe did you know that?
EXPERIENCE: It is a familiar reaction with those who are about to take
responsibility for their mental activities.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? I am?
EXPERIENCE: Once again Star Searcher, what is the moral intent of the sender?
STAR-SEARCHER: What sender?
EXPERIENCE: Any sender.
STAR-SEARCHER: How am I to know that, surely we all exist on different levels
of mental morality as well as physical, mental, psychic and spiritual abilities.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then what are you getting at?
EXPERIENCE: Remember our talk about fire?
STAR-SEARCHER: What fire? Oh yes, I remember now. We discussed fire as a
tool that could be used constructively or destructively. Are you saying that
telepathy is like that — a tool, the moral use of which depends upon the moral level
of the person using the tool?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely:
STAR-SEARCHER: That still is a little scary knowing that a person of low intent
can attempt to send thoughts and feelings of low intent for his or her own selfish
gratification.
EXPERIENCE: You give up so easy, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why do you say that I give up so easily?
EXPERIENCE: Back to the experiment on telepathy, OK?
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. I gotta hear this!
EXPERIENCE: Those that received your message agreed to receive your
message.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s right. That was the agreement of the experiment.
EXPERIENCE: They knew what type of message they would be looking for?

STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. They knew that I would be sending them a telepathic
message of a symbol.
EXPERIENCE: Could they decide not to receive it? STAR-SEARCHER: Huh?
That wasn’t in the experiment. EXPERIENCE: If it was in the experiment, could
they decide not to tune in to your message, like you tune me out when you want
to?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Hey! Well ah, they could have tuned me out, Yes.
EXPERIENCE: How?
STAR-SEARCHER: By deciding not to participate.
EXPERIENCE: How’s that?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I guess they would be thinking of something else. You
know.
EXPERIENCE: Explain it to me, please.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, one might be thinking of what to have for lunch, the
other might be planning next year’s garden.
EXPERIENCE: How would the experiment turn out then?
STAR-SEARCHER: I would have been less successful with my sending of the
thought about the symbol. But..
EXPERIENCE: I heard that but. What is it Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what if the sender was very powerful and …
EXPERIENCE: over rode the natural mental resistance of the receiver?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that’s exactly correct. How do you know that?
EXPERIENCE: It happens every day.
STAR-SEARCHER: It does?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: How?
EXPERIENCE: An explanation of the psychic and spiritual mechanics would be
quite lengthy, so let’s just say a more powerful radio station can reach many radios
that are tuned, in part or whole, to that station.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I see. If I wasn’t already partially, to a degree, attuned to
that sending station I wouldn’t receive its signal.
EXPERIENCE: Correct.

STAR-SEARCHER: Then why do people stay attuned to stations of low intent?
EXPERIENCE: Because of Free-Will.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that Free-Will is bad? No. Of course your not.
Let me see, you must be saying that we are free to choose which sendings to
attune to, (or let in).
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: That means we are responsible for what we let in — what ever we
receive psychically and spiritually.
STAR-SEARCHER: But that’s exactly what I was thinking. How… Never mind. I
know what you are going to say. That’s the way of life, and I’m just beginning to
realize it. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: How come you tell me what I’m thinking sometimes, and
other times you tell me to go ahead and express it myself?

EXPERIENCE: The efficiency of learning, or the Co-Measurement of the student-
teacher relationship.

STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. Well, ah, I do have another question. EXPERIENCE: Go
ahead Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are there some stations that I can keep attuned to that will
always, or generally, keep out the senders of low intent?
EXPERIENCE: Finally, I thought you would never ask.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, let’s see. My mind tells me that it would be the concepts
or ideals which are of the opposite nature. In other words we must keep our
attunement out of the range of the senders of low intent.
EXPERIENCE: Such as?
STAR-SEARCHER: Let’s see. The sender of high intent would send joyful and
loving thoughts, so I would say that we should stay attune to concepts and ideals
which contain love and joy, or better yet the joy of love. But…

EXPERIENCE: Very good. Go ahead with your but now.
STAR-SEARCHER: But who can keep their thoughts on that level all of the time in
order not to attune with the senders of low intent?
EXPERIENCE: You forget so easily, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh no. You mean we discussed this before and I forgot?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. Remember how you said that most people would say
how hard it is to do consistently joyful labor?
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh ya. I remember now. Its coming back to me. You said that
it was much harder in life when we do not consistently radiate joy.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Now I know why life’s harder when we don’t radiate joy.
EXPERIENCE: Why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because when we are not attuned to the higher vibrations of
the higher virtues like joy and love, then we must be attuned to the vibrations of
low intent.
EXPERIENCE: And?
STAR-SEARCHER: Concepts of low intent lead to pain. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: Through The Law of Beauty.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s right, thoughts of beauty invoke a personal reaction of
joy. Hey! How did you know I was going to ask how to keep a consistent level of
joyful labor? No. Never mind. I understand. Most people who are learning about
mental responsibility have these type of questions. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK. Now let’s learn about intensity and location with respect
to which voice to listen to.
EXPERIENCE: Hold on Star Searcher. Prudence demands that we relax for
awhile and focus on the concept of joyful labor in order to gain experiential
understanding of the Law of Beauty and the value of joy as a protection, for as
The Master Morya says, “Joy is a special wisdom”. Oh by the way, since you have
forgotten the definition of wisdom, it goes like this. Wisdom is the accurate
application of accurate knowledge for the greatest good. There are degrees of
wisdom. Co-Measurement is the highest wisdom.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you very much.

EXPERIENCE: One thing about you Star Searcher, when you are of a mind to,
you really know how to attune with and manifest gratitude.

PETAL #020

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 2 0 1 t o 3 0 0

201. Where are the teachers of beauty?
202. What, if any are the relationships between beauty and magnanimity?
203. What is the relationship between beauty and generosity?
204. What is the relationship between beauty and ingenuity?
205. Can beauty motivate?
206. Can a person become saturated with beauty?
207. Why is beauty in the eye of the beholder?
208. What practical value does beauty have?
209. Can beauty enhance personal relationships?
210. Can beauty improve intelligence directly?
211. Can beauty improve intelligence indirectly?
212. In what ways can beauty help children?
213. In what ways can beauty help the elderly?
214. How lasting are the effects of beauty?
215. Is there anything that I can do to increase my appreciation of beauty?
216. If I increase my appreciation of beauty will there be more beauty in my life?
217. If I surround myself with beauty will my appreciation of beauty increase?
218. In what ways will beauty change my life?
219. Is there any way in which beauty will not change my life?
220. In what ways will a lack of beauty change my life?
221. Is loving beauty considered manly?
222. Can beauty lead to love?
223. Can beauty lead to wisdom?
224. Can beauty lead to strength?
225. Can beauty lead to charity?
226. Can charity lead to beauty?
227. Is it possible that beauty could have a positive effect in rehabilitating criminals in
     correctional facilities?
228. What effect does beauty have on boredom?
229. Can beauty effect moods as colors can effect moods?
230. Can beauty enhance intuitive understandings?
231. Is beauty harmony?
232. Can something that was beautiful to me become less so in the future?
233. Can something that was considered not beautiful to me become beautiful to me in the
     future?
234. Does physical exhaustion effect our appreciation of beauty?
235. Is beauty invigorating?
236. How does beauty relate to imagination?
237. Is natural beauty more beautiful than man made beauty?
238. Is there a difference between eastern beauty and western beauty?
239. Can beauty lead to peace?
240. Will beauty lead to peace?
241. Where does beauty lead to?
242. Can a person become skilled in beauty?
243. Why is it that some people seem to manifest a natural sense of beauty and others do not?
244. Is beauty profitable?
245. How does beauty relate to ideals?
246. How does beauty relate to temperance?
247. How does beauty relate to fortitude?
248. How does beauty relate to prudence?
249. How does beauty relate to justice?
250. How does beauty relate to compassion?
251. What happens when a person “drinks in” beauty?
252. Is goodness related to beauty?
253. Is there a specific proportion which constitutes beauty?
254. Is loveliness an offshoot of beauty like lavender is a tint of purple?
255. Can beauty broaden our understanding?
256. Does judging effect beauty?
257. How does discernment help our level of beauty?
258. Can extremes effect beauty?
259. What is the most effective way to fill my life with beauty?
260. If a person grows up in a slum, is it still possible to fill his or her life with beauty?
261. Is there a certain part of my brain where my mind evaluates beauty?
262. What is the relationship between beauty and irritability?
263. Why do most people like beauty?
264. What constitutes beauty in dance?
265. What constitutes beauty in fragrance?
266. What constitutes beauty in taste?
267. Can a city newspaper be beautiful?
268. How does inharmony effect beauty?
269. Is a flower beautiful or is my realization of it beautiful?
270. What constitutes a beautiful realization?
271. Why is something beautiful?
272. Can sunlight enhance beauty?
273. Can candle light enhance beauty?
274. Does all of white light enhance beauty, or is it just one certain spectrum in the white light
     such as pink?
275. Can firelight enhance beauty?
     276?What is the foundation of architectural beauty?
276. Is there a beauty in mathematics?
277. How do thoughts of beauty effect the human aura?
278. how do thoughts of beauty effect flowers?
279. How do thoughts of beauty effect birds?
280. How do thoughts of beauty effect domestic animals?
281. Can thoughts of beauty effect our environment?
282. Can a person dwell on beauty for an extended period of time?
283. What is the effect of dwelling on beauty?
284. Can we maintain a beautiful feeling?
285. Does beauty exist in the world or in our minds, (or both)?
286. What would happen in a person’s life if they adopted beauty as a person would adopt a
     hobby?
287. Do all artists make beauty the focal point of their lives?
288. Can beauty be healing?
289. Can beauty lead to health?
290. Can beauty lead to happiness?
291. Can beauty lead to success?
292. What is the relationship between beauty and caring?
293. Are the sincere beautiful?
294. Are the beautiful sincere?
295. How does beauty relate to rationality?
296. Is beauty truth?
297. Is truth beauty?
298. How does solemnity relate to beauty?

PETAL #021
S a y i n g s 8 2 t o 1 0 8

82.Our reaction to what is presented to us forms the quality of our future.
83.In the dark there are no rainbows.
84.Impatience dams the stream of our heart.
85.The cloud obscures, but the mountain waits.
86.Not without ignorance have we made our cloud, not without heart will we find
our sun.
87.A “me-first” philosophy is the doorway to pain.
88.Our conscience is like an air traffic controller for the runway of our heart, when
in charge, only the best thoughts are allowed to land.

89.Would you reach the Heart of Humanity? Go. Cross the Bridge Of No-
Deception.

90.If we give beauty, then our joy will color our future;
If we share beauty, then our gratitude will perfume our tomorrows;
If we create beauty, then songs will fill the throats of our children.
91.Fear lives in a small square.
92.Selfish love is a casual stroll through a minefield.
93.We have resentments because we think we should not have to reap what we
reap.
94.The world would have a smoother ride if it would only let some fear out of its
tires.
95.Beautiful poetry is a heart message from across the vast territories of
experience. It is one more tool of upliftment on the way to happiness.
96.Harmony, like a beautiful flower garden, can it be left unattended?

97. Joy needs beauty like flowers need sun.

98.Maintain a loving balance.
99.Sincerity, (no-deception), breeds trust.

100. Warm the world,(light the candle of your heart).
101. In the flower of beauty lies the seed of joy.
102. How long will the river deny its Source?
103. Anything other than unity is not unity.
104. With heart we can fill all space with joy.
105. The excitement of ignorance leads to pain.
106. Put beauty back on the throne of art.
107. The difference between the maverick and the one who pushes back the
     borders of ignorance is self discipline and knowledge.

PETAL #022

W h a t I s T h e B e a u t y O f C o m m i t m e n t ?

“Life without beauty is a song bird which has forgotten it can sing, for beauty
guards the door to the inner chambers of Humanity, where the high quality of
thought constitutes the design of the future.”
One way that the quality of our thoughts affect our future is through our
commitments. Let us therefore ask: What is the beauty of COMMITMENT? We
could just as well ask what is the beauty of a promise or a pledge, since the
dictionary indicates that they have the same meaning; however, it would seem
prudent for us to begin with the intent of the question. Not that we must know
exactly what the questioner was thinking at the time the question was formulated,
but to attempt to analyze the question much like we were prospectors of rare
gems. So then, what is the question asking? Is it asking about:

1. The honesty with which the commitment is made?
2. The act of making the COMMITMENT?
3. The content of the COMMITMENT?
   or
4. The consistent maintenance of the COMMITMENT?
   Let’s briefly explore the first possibility — the honesty with which the
   COMMITMENT is made. Here we meet all the varying degrees of honesty as well
   as its opposite deceit. Honesty, if other conditions are harmonious, has the strong
   potential of leading to beauty; whereas, neither deceit nor betrayal will ever lead to
   beauty. The traitor is spawned in the pool of insincerity. (Do not be surprised at
   how many confused thinkers, sophists, and yes criminal minds, will go to great
   efforts to make a logical case that deceit can lead to beauty). Although,
   “Deception is a mushroom of the poisonous variety.”, many have not learned this
   painful lesson, for countless commitments have been made by those who never
   intended to abide by their COMMITMENT.
   Yet many have learned that knowledge is only one side of the coin of success,
   the other side is no-deception. Their reward for their honesty is our trust. Honesty
   is a significant criterion for trust, which can never be gained for long with
   deception. For those who deal in deception, life is a small dark room full of
   spiders, scorpions, and snakes, but the honest person is an authorized service
   agent for The Source Of All Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty.
   Now that we have caught a glimpse of how those who live honestly can live in
   the calmness of forever, let us briefly look at our second possibility, (the act of
   making a COMMITMENT), for signs of beauty. What is beautiful about the act of
   making a COMMITMENT, (promise or pledge)? Most children, at one time or
   another, promise to be good. Citizens of the U.S.A. pledge allegiance to the flag of
   The United States Of America. When we take on a responsibility we commit

ourselves to accomplishing the content of that COMMITMENT. Is the act of
COMMITMENT, (promise or pledge), beautiful in and of itself? The act itself
seems to indicate that the person performing the act is communicating the intent
to perform some kind of action. There are at least four aspects of beauty in the act
of COMMITMENT as follows:
A. Communication
B. The concept of consistency
C. Future thinking
D. Striving
COMMITMENT implies a certain consistency of future behavior in thought,
feelings, and action. This implies a projected future striving in order to accomplish
this consistency. We can find much beauty in these four aspects of the act of
COMMITMENT.
The beauty of communication may be its potential for unity, thus laying the
foundation for harmony on group levels. The beauty of consistency is that the
consistent person can be relied upon, which is a cementing factor in the harmony
of groups. Future thinking is necessary for all planning. It is cause and effect with
respect to the future. Planning is necessary for co-measurement, thus allowing the
greatest efficiency of our energies. The beauty of striving is the spiritual armor it
provides the striving one. Volumes could be written on the beauty of striving. It is
the driving force of the evolution of Humanity, as well as of all personal growth.
Thus projected striving is vital to the act of COMMITMENT.
When we consider the beauty of the content of commitments, we look at the area
of COMMITMENT which is the stuff of novels — both positive and negative. The
negative contents of a COMMITMENT have very great potential to eclipse beauty
in the undiscerning eye of the beholder. The positive contents of a COMMITMENT
have the very great potential of stabilizing inharmonious conditions in society. For
example, the positive contents of The Constitution Of The United States Of
America.
The contents of a COMMITMENT could be beneficial, non-beneficial, or neutral
in the eyes of the one making the COMMITMENT, as well as in the eyes of those
who observe the COMMITMENT or are affected by the COMMITMENT directly or
indirectly. For instance, in the eyes of General George Washington and his officers
of The Continental Army, the sight of those Americans who made the
COMMITMENT to join the army and fight the enemy was surely beautiful to
behold. However, in the eyes of the British King, this COMMITMENT to defy
British tyranny was an act of treason. Thus the positiveness or negativeness of the
content of COMMITMENT is relative to those “beholding” that COMMITMENT.
If a group of people banded together and made a COMMITMENT to assassinate
a national hero, most would view that COMMITMENT as non-beneficial to say the
least. However, in the eyes of those who made the COMMITMENT, it may have
seemed quite beautiful indeed.
The contents of COMMITMENT could represent the preservation of ideals and
values which are quite close to us, and for which we are ready to die. The content
of various commitments by different people and groups may be in opposition to
each other. For example, the seemingly unresolvable, (and often bloody), union –
management conflicts. If there is any beauty in the contents of commitments it
may well be found in the evolution of personal discernment as a result of the
intense striving in the conflict of commitments.
Let us now briefly explore our fourth possibility of the beauty of COMMITMENT —
the successful maintenance of that COMMITMENT. Now we are talking about
striving again — striving for a goal which is the content of the COMMITMENT. A

“negative” promise could contain non-beneficial communication and be against
the law, such as a promise, (threat), to hurt a person. This is called assault. If
someone achieved the contents of that promise and hurt the intended person,
then it would be called assault with battery. The criminal mind would most likely
view assault with battery as beautiful. Most non-criminal thinkers would view it as
non-beneficial and ugly. In some cases such as social revolution, (American,
French, and Russian), the negative promise of Assault with battery may be
considered as justice and be viewed as beautiful in the eyes of the vast majority.
The successful maintenance of the COMMITMENT is viewed beautiful or ugly
based on the content of the COMMITMENT. Once again, the beauty in the
communication, realized consistency, future thinking, and striving is obvious and
magnified immensely when the contents of the COMMITMENT are considered
beneficial by most; however, that beauty is diminished when the contents of that
COMMITMENT are viewed by most as negative.
Another aspect of the successful maintenance of commitments is wavering. In
the Disney film, Mary Poppins, we hear about a certain type of promise called, “a
pie-crust-promise”. It is described as, “easily made and easily broken”. It would
seem that the pie-crust-promise has a clone — the pie crust COMMITMENT. Thus
the significance of the COMMITMENT to the one making that COMMITMENT is
an important factor in the successful maintenance of that COMMITMENT. There is
a strong general inclination that a person who is inconsistent cannot be relied
upon. Thus, in general the wavering ones are not trusted with significant tasks.

PETAL #023
C r a b Ta l k (Poem)

At the far end
of the Santa Cruz pier
a boy is “crabbing”.
He pulls up
the metal crab trap
and discovers
his “first” crab.
He is delighted.
The crab runs
across the pier.
The boy grabs it,
gets pinched,
drops the crab,
and watches it
run off the edge
into the water.
The boy is sad.
He lowers the net again.
I remember
when I was a boy.
We tied a net
to an old hoop,
baited it,
then lowered it
into the Atlantic.
It was always an adventure
playing with the crabs.
We learned to hold them
from the top
to avoid the pincer claws.
It was amusing to watch the boy
attempt to recapture
his runaway crab,
but his quiet sobered me
when he saw his prize
get away.
It is tough to watch a boy
learn the hard way.
I remember
the prizes

that got away from me
because I did not know
how to handle them,
and it was not only as a boy
the loss hurt,
but as a man as well.
I wonder why it is
those pleasures
lead to pain?
Some lesson, no doubt,
I had to learn
that wasn’t learned
when I was young
that followed me
throughout the night
until the dawn
of my understanding
with its imperturbable light.
There is an attitude inside
that doesn’t want me to learn
the lessons
that I must learn,
an attitude that wants me
caught up
in my little boy sorrows
at every loss,
an attitude that guarantees
for each joy
a grief.
But I am learning
it is in “the holding on”
that one gets bit:
and I am careful
where I lower my net;
and how I open it;
and how I grasp the prize.
And if it gets away
I smile —
for it is tough to watch a man
learn the hard way.

PETAL #024
BEAUTY GRAM #4

WHY IS THE PATH OF BEAUTY THE EASIEST OF ALL PATHS?

The Path of Beauty is the easiest of all paths to begin and maintain because the
gate to the Path of Beauty is the easiest of all gates to pass through. What is this
gate? How do we pass through it? Why is it easy?
Beauty is the gate. Our focus on beauty is our pass. We focus on beauty because
beauty gives pleasure to our senses. Beauty triggers our personal response of joy.
What good person doesn’t like beauty? What good person doesn’t want to
experience more beauty? What good person doesn’t like joy? What good person
doesn’t want to experience more joy?
Thus we see that the object to focus on is very pleasing, and the result of that
focus is joy. (Nice combination in my book!) A focus on beauty includes immediate
visual experience such as a beautiful sunrise or sunset. A focus on beauty
includes immediate audio experience such as listening to harmonious music. A
focus on beauty includes immediate taste experience such as the refreshing taste
of mint or your favorite food. A focus on beauty includes immediate olfactory
experience such as the fragrance of a rose. A focus on beauty includes the
immediate tactile experience such as the feel of silk or your favorite material.
A focus on beauty includes past experience as well as immediate experience.
Remember the most beautiful flower, sunset, painting or person you ever
experienced? A focus on beauty includes the feeling which is the most beautiful to
you. Remember which feeling that is? A focus on beauty includes our thoughts
about the beautiful. What is the most beautiful thought you can think of?
Thus we can use our five senses, memory, feelings, and thoughts to establish and
maintain a focus on beauty. As we can see, beauty can be easily found within or
without. When found it gives pleasure to us and we then respond, according to the
Law of Beauty, with joy.
Some may say, “Well this is all well and good, but there is more to the Path of
Beauty than just a focus on beauty.” They will be correct of course. There is much
much more to the Path of Beauty, which is the Path of the Heart. Each of us will
respond to this path in accordance to that which we bring to it. Some will have a
tendency to respect the intellectual content of the Path of Beauty to a much higher
degree than others. Some will have a tendency to respect the emotional content of
the Path of Beauty to a much higher degree than others do.
However, no matter where you are in consciousness on the Path of Beauty, be it
intellectual, emotional or the many various positions in between, you must satisfy

the main condition of the Path of Beauty. That main condition is a focus on beauty.
How else can a person practice joyful labor? How else can a person practice joyful
patience? We must never lose sight of the basics. Beauty leads to joy. “The two
causes of joy are thinking and the ecstasy over beauty” (Brotherhood 85).

We must ever strive to think about the beautiful.

“Through beauty we conquer!”

PETAL #025

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #4

WHAT IS TRUTH?

STAR-SEARCHER: What is truth?
EXPERIENCE: The truth is what exists.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, I never heard that answer before, where did you
learn that?
EXPERIENCE: In the dictionary.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then what is not truth?
EXPERIENCE: Anything which is a misrepresentation of what exists.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are there people who do not see perfectly what exists and
thus unintentionally give inaccurate reports of what exists?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, this is common.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are there people who deliberately try to obscure what exists
for self serving purposes?
EXPERIENCE: This is also common.
STAR-SEARCHER: What do we call a deliberate misrepresentation of what
exists?
EXPERIENCE: Any deliberate misrepresentation of what exists is called a
deception.
STAR-SEARCHER: What do we call a person who operates in life with
deception?
EXPERIENCE: We call such a person dishonest.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is another name for a dishonest person?
EXPERIENCE: A dishonest person is one who is insincere.
STAR-SEARCHER: I never heard that answer before, did you find that one in the
dictionary also?

EXPERIENCE: Precisely. Sincerity means honesty, and honesty means no
deception. Therefore, an insincere person is dishonest.
STAR-SEARCHER: Is a white lie a deception?
EXPERIENCE: Any deliberate misrepresentation of what exists is a deception. A
white lie is usually considered a small or tiny lie that in perspective to a big lie
seems insignificant. It is, however, a deception, and a non beneficial habit to get
into.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is the relationship between deception and false
judgment?
EXPERIENCE: A deception, a deliberate false account of what exists, causes
confusion in those who receive this false information. When we judge, we call
upon our memory of related information. If our memory contains false information
then we have the potential of making false judgments.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is the relationship between deception and
inconsistency?
EXPERIENCE: Many times due to lack of accurate knowledge, some of us will
mistakenly accept one or more of these misrepresentations of what exists as
being true. Later, we may take action on one or more of these false notions,
especially, in combination with true notions. This leads to inaccurateness in action
which leads to inconsistency in life.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is the value of recognizing what exists?
EXPERIENCE: Those who accurately understand what exists will have the
potential of dealing harmoniously with all that is presented to their consciousness.
STAR-SEARCHER: Is this harmonious living easily disrupted in those who do not
have 100% accuracy in their faculty of discernment?
EXPERIENCE: If one of us, (through lack of discernment), takes in a false report,
(deliberate or not), of what exists, and then believes this false report to be true,
then that person may combine this false report with truths and operate in life on
the reports of this erroneous combination. When this happens, we are making
false judgments and thus are not in harmony with the natural laws of the universe.
As a result, we violate to a degree, one or more of these laws.
STAR-SEARCHER: What happens when we violate a natural law of the universe?
EXPERIENCE: When we violate a natural law of the universe then we receive the
effect, (no matter how subtle), of our violation of that law. This results in
experiences physical and or mental which are Cosmically designed to teach us
the error of our ways. These lessons, according to our resistance to learning them,
may be painful.
STAR-SEARCHER: How can we avoid this pain?
EXPERIENCE: We avoid pain by not violating the natural laws of the universe.

STAR-SEARCHER: How can we avoid violating the natural laws of the universe?
EXPERIENCE: By not operating on inaccurate information which falsely
represents what exists.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how can we avoid operating on inaccurate information
which falsely represents what exists?
EXPERIENCE: Each of us can avoid operating on inaccurate information by not
filling our minds with inaccurate information.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how can we stop filling our minds with inaccurate
information?
EXPERIENCE: We can stop filling our minds with inaccurate information by
increasing our to a 100% accuracy of what exists and what does not exist; what is
deception and what is not deception.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how can we increase our discernment to a 100%
accuracy?
EXPERIENCE: We perfect our discernment by perfecting our interpretations of all
that is presented to our consciousness.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how do we perfect our interpretations of all that is
presented to our consciousness?
EXPERIENCE: By the process of pleasure and pain. The pleasure and pain of
everyday living, and the pleasure and pain of developing our spiritual centers.
STAR-SEARCHER: Does this mean that pleasure and pain are our teachers on
all levels of life?
EXPERIENCE: Pleasure and pain will be our vehicle of experiential learning as
long as we will ourselves to be unreceptive, in part or whole, to accurate
knowledge and its accurate application for the greatest good.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why would we want to be unreceptive, in part or whole, to
accurate knowledge and its accurate application for the greatest good?
EXPERIENCE: Because we have taken in one or more false representations of
what exists and hold them to be true. These operate in us as non beneficial
attitudes and ideals.
STAR-SEARCHER: Why would one or more false representations cause us to be
unwilling to receive accurate knowledge?
EXPERIENCE: Because each misrepresentation of what exists causes confusion
in our understanding. Because we draw conclusions on what we feel to be true,
these conclusions could be influenced by a false notion, thus making the
conclusion inaccurate. We sometimes build future conclusions by adding more
experience to old conclusions, sometimes producing chains of conclusions which
may be inaccurate due to one or more false conclusions in the chain of thinking
based on a false representation of what exists.

STAR-SEARCHER: How can a false conclusion from the past affect our
willingness to accept accurate information now?
EXPERIENCE: If the new accurate information is contrary to our convictions,
based on conclusions we have made in the past, then we will reject the new
accurate information.
STAR-SEARCHER: What is an example of rejecting accurate knowledge based
on previous conclusions?
EXPERIENCE: A materialist is a person who believes that all things in the
universe are material. He or she then concludes that at our physical death we do
not continue in any way to live. Six feet under is our final destination in the mind of
the materialist. Therefore, for the materialist, there is no God, no Hierarchy of
Light, no continuity of consciousness, no life at all after our physical death. If
someone tried to give accurate information about life after terrestrial death to a
materialist, the materialist would will not to receive it and therefore reject it our of
hand immediately.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then its true what they say about a spiritual person not being
able to talk to the materialist?
EXPERIENCE: Learn it well, Star Searcher. Learn it well.

PETAL #026

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y : 3 0 1 t o 4 0 0

301. Is beauty delicate like butterfly wings?
302. Is beauty strong like a pyramid?
303. Is beauty dual?
304. Can beauty be kept hidden?
305. What is the relationship between beauty and art?
306. Where does prettiness end and beauty begin?
307. Are things physical more beautiful than mental concepts?
308. What is meant by symbolic beauty?
309. What constitutes beauty in art?
310. What constitutes beauty in music?
311. Is simplicity an ingredient of beauty?
312. Are simple things beautiful?
313. Is simplicity a factor in the object of beauty or just in our realization of beauty?
314. When teaching beauty should simplicity be included as a necessary ingredient?
315. How great a part does simplicity play in beauty?
316. Can confusion exist within beauty?
317. Is complexity a necessary ingredient of beauty?
318. Is a situation, thing or idea beautiful solely because it matches, to a degree, my ideal of
     beauty, or is there an additional ingredient of beauty other than my realization of how close
     it matches with my realization of beauty?
319. Can beauty be separated into its various ingredients and still be recognized as beauty?
320. Do drugs and alcohol effect our capacity for beauty?
321. Can beauty be surprising?
322. Can beauty have an element of mystery in it?
323. How significant is beauty in our daily lives?
324. Can beauty help the sick?
325. Can beauty help the poor?
326. Can beauty help the rich?
327. Are there many stories written about beauty?
328. Is beauty a factor in the sale of a product?
329. Could the teaching of beauty be in all levels of public education?
330. Should the teaching of beauty be in all levels of public education?
331. Can beautification projects ultimately save a company money?
332. Should beauty be used as a tool for correctional facilities?
333. Will the teaching of beauty be included in all levels of public education?
334. Could beauty ever fade?
335. Can conversation be beautiful?
336. Is there beauty in conversation?
337. Can beauty create friendships?
338. Is beauty external?
339. Is beauty internal?
340. Is beauty within everyone?
341. Is there an easy way to beauty?
342. What is the most efficient way to beauty?
343. Is there any situation where beauty would be considered inappropriate?
344. What is the ultimate beauty?
345. Is there an ultimate beauty?
346. Is there a limit to the amount of beauty man can behold at any one time?
347. Is there a minimum of beauty beyond which a man could not live?
348. Is there a minimum of beauty beyond which a man could not live well?
349. Can ugliness be beautiful?
350. Is a rainbow beautiful?
351. Is Nature beautiful?
352. What makes Nature beautiful?
353. What is in a rainbow that makes it beautiful?
354. Can work be beautiful?
355. Can marriage be beautiful?
356. Can successful marriages be beautiful?
357. Can friendships be beautiful?
358. Does beauty contribute to the improvement of Mankind?
359. How does beauty contribute to the improvement of Mankind?
360. Does the upliftment of Humanity contribute to beauty?
361. Does beauty have a limit?
362. What is beautiful?
363. Can beauty exist in sports?
364. How can beauty exist in sports?
365. What makes life beautiful?
366. Can another person make my life beautiful?
367. Can beauty change sadness?
368. Can beauty change a person?
369. What is the greatest power of beauty?
370. Can beauty change a situation?
371. Can beauty have a harmful affect?
372. Can beauty synthesize?
373. can beauty create anger?
374. Is beauty connected with jealousy?
375. Is beauty associated with values?
376. Why do we entertain questions on beauty?
377. Who can benefit from a book of questions on beauty?
378. Can a question on beauty change the course of history?
379. How can we teach beauty?
380. Who can teach beauty?
381. Should we teach beauty?
382. When will we teach beauty?
383. Is beauty a virtue?
384. Are virtues beautiful?
385. Where can we teach beauty?
386. Can we teach beauty?
387. Why should we teach beauty?
388. Can beauty stand alone?
389. Is beauty an ideal?
390. Did Plato ever teach beauty?
391. Is there beauty in service?
392. Is beauty the Inner Self?
393. Is beauty a friendly hello?
394. Is beauty a sunset?
395. Is beauty a sunrise?
396. Can beauty create nice harmonious, uplifting feelings?
397. Can beauty modify situations in our personal lives or in the world?
398. Can life be lived without beauty?
399. Could one survive without beauty?

PETAL #025 A
Sayings 109 to 135

109. It’s when we don’t love that we hurt
110. Ambition is the enemy of unity, jealousy is its executioner.
111. Beauty is the sun of World Culture.
112. Nature seals her promise of spring in white, (we seal it with ingratitude).
113. With the courage of forgiveness each tear becomes a rose.
114. Of the millions of sun rises in our universe each day, do the birds serenade each dawn?
115. Like an old stone wall in New England, courage has its reminders.
116. The flowers of the universe perfume the dreams of those who build with joy.
117. We tend to love that which we feel is beautiful.
118. Beauty is love.
119. The joy of beauty is an individual discovery, yet it is an act of friendship to share thoughts of
     beauty.
120. Joy is the energy, beauty is the switch.
121. Fill your life with beauty, fill your future with joy.
122. Strive to be like the gardener of flowers, who plans to create beauty with color, fragrance,
     and the songs of birds, for thoughts of beauty are seeds of joy.
123. Bratitude becomes gratitude with every caring attitude.
124. The quality of my thoughts constitute the design of my future.
125. The future begins with the next instant.
126. What can we achieve without patience?
127. The search for happiness is the way of life.
128. The uncaring are destined to see their own footprints in front of them, for they, like
     crawfish, walk backwards on this ever – upward, ever – expanding spiral of Humanity.
     Those who care, however, are destined, (at heart speed), to travel the universe
     extensively.
129. On the way to happiness there are three bridges to cross:
     The first is The Bridge of Knowledge, crossed only by a heart without fear;
     the second is The Bridge of Gratitude crossed only by a heart filled with compassion;

the third is The Bridge of Love, crossed only by a heart with no deception. With ever-
increasing gratitude, search for The Bridge of Love;

with an ever increasing joy,
discover The Bridge of Love;
with no-deception,

cross The Bridge of Love.

130. We are constructing our highway of discernment, at the end of which we will find a rose of
     infinite beauty.
131. Like a tree growing up around a high tension wire, sometimes we feel the echo of a thing
     which does not originate with us.
132. When you see your sun as a star beware, for you have entered the neutral zone between
     illusion and belief. (Our heart then discerns the way…)
133. Meditation is like skipping stones on water, a calm surface will provide the best results.
134. The unknowing ones blame a Higher Power for their condition in life, not realizing that we
     are the creators of our own spiral.

PETAL #022 A
Heart Lodge #1

(An imaginary story with real meaning)

It started in the dark. Now seven hearts are standing at the base of an ever-
upward, ever-widening spiral. Their petition to the Highest of Hearts that they may

establish and maintain a group of hearts to function as one heart more powerful
than the individual hearts which compose it was granted in the form of a sphere
twelve feet in diameter, with instructions, which clearly stated that their only
mission is to roll the sphere, ( as far as they can ), up the spiral on the track
provided for it. Thus the Highest of Hearts, in its infinite wisdom and love,
conceived of a way that all hearts everywhere would benefit.

enthusiasm

They started their mission immediately. Their enthusiasm energized their striving.
They soon learned something wonderful. Their striving was the key to their
achievement, without it, the sphere would not move. Every time they moved the
sphere higher, it took more energy than the preceding time. This individual heart
energy mysteriously seemed to be transferred to the sphere, for the higher up they
pushed it on the turns of the spiral the more the sphere glowed.
Their striving served them well, and they moved the sphere up to the seventh
turn of the spiral. The light it emitted had gradually increased to that point where it
could illumine a lodge room for hearts. The seven hearts were beginning to
understand that the light of their striving was accumulating in the sphere. This
light, (they learned from experience), was saturated with the protective qualities of
wisdom, strength and beauty. In their enthusiasm the hearts at first concluded that
the sphere would accumulate their light of striving and that this light of striving
would only increase and never diminish in the sphere, (but there was more to
learn about Light). It was on the occasion of their first discussion. The hearts were
not in agreement as to why their mission was to roll the sphere up the spiral track.
Confusion manifested among them and they allowed their minds to become
focused on the details of their confusion. In retrospect, their first indication that
something was wrong should have been when the light of the sphere began to
slowly and consistently blink. But they were so identified with their own personal
points of view that they paid little attention to the warning signs of the sphere.
Each heart began to feel very strongly about their ideas and just couldn’t
understand why the other hearts didn’t feel the same way. The blinking of the light
in the sphere became increasingly faster as the emotional intensity of their
argument increased. Some noticed the blinking increase, but felt that the winning
of the argument was more important at the moment.
The emotional intensity became stronger between the hearts and they were now
speaking towards each other with obvious lack of mutual respect. So involved
were they that only one of them noticed that the sphere began to gradually roll
backwards down the spiral and was diminishing in the intensity of its light, but
even this discerning heart figured that there was plenty of time to win the
argument before any real problem developed with the sphere. After all, the heart
thought, what’s more important.

The sphere continued to roll backwards and diminish in light until finally one
heart noticed the dimness of the light and out shouted all the others to direct their
attention to the sphere. Six of the hearts stopped arguing and moved to prevent
the sphere from rolling any further back down the spiral. But when they tried to roll
the sphere back up the spiral to where it was, they did not have enough energy to
get the sphere moving. Their enthusiasm had all but disappeared, and they were
now using the energy of their concern for the loss of the fruit of their labor, which,
as they soon found out, was much less powerful than their enthusiasm. The six
hearts did, however, stop the sphere from rolling backwards any further. It was
now back on the fourth turn of the spiral. They hailed the seventh heart to come
and help them, but the seventh heart was so upset that the other six hearts would
not agree with the seventh’s point of view that the seventh heart just could not
bring itself to cooperate with the other hearts. After all, what’s more important. The
six hearts did not know what to do. They could not leave the sphere unattended
for it would roll back down the spiral and all would again be in darkness. They
could not move up the spiral because that, ( they were finding out from
experience), required all seven hearts to work together enthusiastically in mutual
respect. The hearts were very experienced in winning arguments for personal
satisfaction and self gain, but it was very apparent that they were not experienced
in working together in mutual respect for a common goal. This was a new
challenge, perhaps a gift of experience from the higher — a stepping stone to
what?

a moment of clarity

Ah! One heart started to remember why they were there in the first place. The
petition was remembered and shared out loud. It was to establish and maintain a
group of hearts to function as one heart — a heart more powerful than the
individual hearts which composed it. Now all of the hearts began to think about
their original petition to The Highest of Hearts, even the seventh heart. They
began to focus on the meaning of their petition and on the heart itself. The hearts
were starting to remember about the qualities of heart and how those qualities
manifest in personality and character. Each of them remembered their
commitment to purify their hearts in order to maximize their service to all Mankind.
They gradually began to smile and lessen their identification with their being right
and winning the argument and thus began to refocus on their mission: to roll the
sphere up the ever-widening, ever-upward spiral.
The seventh heart joined the other six at the sphere and all began to push. It
didn’t move. They tried again, it didn’t budge. Then the seventh heart said, “Let us
be grateful for each others companionship and being allowed and able to work
together in increasing the light of our lodge.” The hearts began to glow as they
heard these words and renewed their efforts to push the sphere. The sphere
increased its glow. The hearts knew it would soon move upward in the spiral and
began to push enthusiastically. The sphere glowed brighter and began to move
upward. The hearts were again experiencing happiness in their united efforts.
They were working in harmony and making good progress toward achieving their
mission. They were now, after months of intense striving, much higher in the turns
of the spiral. The light of the sphere was very beautiful. But the seventh heart
couldn’t hold it in any longer, and allowed vanity to speak its confusion out loud. “I
knew it. I knew I was right about the sphere. Our gratitude powers the sphere.”.
The second heart said, “No. It is enthusiasm which powers the sphere. “No. It’s
gratitude. I was right all along.” The third heart said, “I agree with the idea that
enthusiasm powers our sphere.”. “Your all wrong”, said the fourth heart, “Brotherly
love powers our sphere, and there can be no doubt about it.”.

Thus on the seventy seventh turn of the spiral another argument began among
the hearts and they gradually slowed their efforts and became once again more
interested and focused on being right and winning the argument and less focused
on their mission. The hearts stopped, let go of the sphere, and began shouting
their reasons with such increasing emotional intensity that their words were as
bullets. An hour passed without a pause. The sphere blinked its first warning. The
fifth heart saw the sphere begin its slow and consistent warning blinks, and tried to
tell the other hearts. But they just thought that the fifth heart was trying to get the
best of the argument by out-shouting the rest of the hearts. This, of course, the
other hearts could not allow and they got together and out-shouted the fifth heart
in such a way that they never heard the warning of the fifth heart that the sphere
would soon roll backwards and diminish in light.

PETAL #029
Castle Talk (Poem)
When I was a boy
the tide called me
to long walks
on the smooth wet sand.
Clams squirted
like fountains
at every step.
Some wet my ankles,
some reached as high
as my knees.
Gulls soared
and dived
for fish.
The ocean roared
through every shell
held at my ear,
and each day
there were
sand castles.
That is where I learned
that sand castles last
but the life span of a tide.
They are never overpowered
by the ocean,
the waves just wash away
the sand.
In time
all castles
are abandoned
to the tide.
I set out to beat
the tide,
carrying wet sand
beyond the work
of waves.
I built my castle
above the high tide line,
and guarded it
against children
who tear down the dreams
of others.
But there was more to learn
about sand castles.
The sun dried my dream,
and the wind blew it away.

Ten thousand tides have passed
since I forgave the Atlantic,
(sun and wind),
for taking my dream.
Nature has taught me
the difference
between beauty
and practicality.
I go to the ocean
for beauty,
but the shore,
with all its moods,
is no place
to build a dream.
Yet the call of the tide
is still alive in me,
and yes,
there are other calls.
But I am careful now
which calls I follow,
where they come from,
who is calling,
and why.

PETAL #030

Beautygram No. 5

WHY DOES STRIVING LEAD TO BOUNDLESS BEAUTY?

The prudent striver will co-measure the process of striving with the sources of joy
by choosing and setting that goal which exhibits, contains, and or creates great
beauty. Now what in the universe does that mean?
We read in Agni Yoga that we have only two sources of joy — thinking and the
ecstasy over beauty. (The latter is the Law of Beauty: Beauty leads to joy!). We
also read that joy is a special wisdom and that nothing can destroy the joy of
achievement.
Joy is a shield. The shield is set up by joyful vibrations which are created by our
personal response to beauty as well as our thinking. The shield of joy blocks out
the vibrations of low intent.
If we take advantage of our knowledge of joy and choose a goal that is of great
beauty, our striving to achieve that goal will include a strong focus on that goal. To
focus means to think about and image the goal – (5 senses, memory and
imagination.)
Thinking about the beautiful goal will produce joy ( as thinking is one of the
sources of joy). Imaging the beautiful goal will produce joy (as ecstasy over beauty
is the second source of joy). Thus with a goal that exhibits, contains and creates
great beauty, we will create joy as we strive for its attainment. Thus we set
ourselves up for joyful labor.
The wisdom of joy tells us that joy is a shield. The shield of joy protects us from
vibrations of low intent. Thus our joy assists us to keep our focus and not get
distracted as easily as we would have if we labored sorrowfully. A greater focus
helps us to think clearer and picture better thus we increase the quantity and
quality of the two sources of joy. This increases our capability for joyful labor,
which once again increases our joy and once again increases our capabilities of
clearer thought and imaging of the beautiful goal.
This goes on and on in an upward spiral. We even attune with the Teacher under
this condition. The Teacher will guide us to clearer thinking and greater beauty.
Thus striving leads to boundless beauty.

PETAL #031

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #5

HOW DOES SINCERITY AFFECT THE BEAUTY OF SPEECH?

STAR-SEARCHER: How does sincerity affect the beauty of speech?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, it’s all a matter of discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya but, I don’t have your discernment, so I don’t know. That’s
why I ask you. Your my Teacher. You know everything right?
EXPERIENCE: You are correct, Star Searcher, in that you do not have my level of
discernment. If you did, I would be your companion and not your Teacher.
However, you have come a long way in your striving to raise the level of your
discernment, and you are no longer a beginner on the path of Beauty. So I am
going to ask you to sharpen your discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s great! What form will it take?
EXPERIENCE: Form, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya, you know. Will you give me concentration exercises, or
will it be a special course?
EXPERIENCE: Hmmm. I see what you mean, Star Searcher. Perhaps we should
begin with your question, “How does sincerity affect the beauty of speech.”
STAR-SEARCHER: Sure, let’s do it!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The entire world is divided along a boundary line
between individual and general welfare.” [Leaves of Morya’s Garden 2, page 208]
STAR-SEARCHER: But what’s that got to do with how sincerity affects the beauty
of speech?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “If we act within the sphere of the general welfare
with sincere intentions, then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic
accumulations. This Chalice of the best achievements begins to act along an
invisible ray.” [Leaves 2, page 208]
STAR-SEARCHER: You know that support seems to depend on sincere
intentions, is that right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.

STAR-SEARCHER: So then all I have to do is focus on sincere intentions, right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, let’s start with what sincere intentions are. OK?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, that would be an excellent start.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK then, so what are sincere intentions?
EXPERIENCE: Sincere intentions, Star Searcher, are those intentions which
exhibit the characteristics of sincerity.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Why did I know you were going to say that. Let’s
focus on sincerity, shall we?
EXPERIENCE: Good choice, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, so what is sincerity?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah…… I can see that I’m going to have to work for this one.
Maybe I should start with the dictionary before I get into trouble here.
EXPERIENCE: Good start, Star Searcher. A little discerning thought in the
beginning will save much confusion later on.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, let’s see, sincerity. Ah here it is. The dictionary states
that sincerity means honesty. But ah….
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah…. Hmmmm. You know I think I’ll look up the definition of
honesty.
EXPERIENCE: Very good, Star Searcher. Strive on!
STAR-SEARCHER: Here it is, honesty means no deception. Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: That’s right, Star Searcher. An ancient thinker named Euclid, in his
geometry said that two things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each
other. Aristotle, another ancient, applied this thinking to statements to determine
their validity. This was syllogistic logic. Modern symbolic logic, based on the
Principia Mathematica, calls it Modus Ponens.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? How did you know that I was thinking that since
sincerity means honesty, and that no deception means honesty, then sincerity
must mean no deception?
EXPERIENCE: Discernment, Star Searcher, discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: You mean you can use your discernment to know what I’m
thinking?

EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, especially, when it is written in the wrinkles of
your forehead.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I see. I telegraphed my concern by my facial expression.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, what is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, now that I know that sincerity means no deception,
where do I go from there? Should I be asking how no deception affects the beauty
of speech?
EXPERIENCE: What does your intuition tell you, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, my intuition tells me to go back to what you said earlier
about the world being divided along a boundary line between individual and
general welfare.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it’s like you said, “If we act within the sphere of the
general welfare, with sincere intentions, then in support of us stands the entire
reservoir of cosmic accumulations.”
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if I replace the word sincere, in the phrase sincere
intentions, with the phrase no deception, I might get a helpful understanding of
what you are trying to teach me.
EXPERIENCE: And what is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: If we act within the sphere of the general welfare with non
deceptive intentions, then in support of us stands the entire reservoir of cosmic
accumulations.
EXPERIENCE: Exactly what does that tell you, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, obviously no deception in our thinking and actions is a
key to the higher Cosmic realms. Right?
EXPERIENCE: “Indeed, Star Searcher, we value sincerity above everything.”
[Infinity 2, #337]
STAR-SEARCHER: Why is that?
EXPERIENCE: Because, Star Searcher, “The word which does not contain the
affirmation of the heart is void.” [Inf. 2, #337]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well that doesn’t sound so hard!

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the wise yogi sees what exists and does what is
necessary. Words have a way of getting tangled up and turned around.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what is necessary to see through all this confusion?
EXPERIENCE: “One must simply observe the different manifestations of psychic
energy. It may be a liberator or an enslaver, depending on how it is directed.” [Agni
Yoga, #484]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, is there a secret formula or something to direct this
psychic energy?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, for its direction, special formulas are not needed.
STAR-SEARCHER: But!
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, Star Searcher, I heard that but!
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if no special formulas are needed to use psychic energy,
then how in the universe does a person use psychic energy?
EXPERIENCE: Listen well, Star Searcher. Listen well. “Only sincere striving is
necessary.” [Agni Yoga #484]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, that’s easy.
EXPERIENCE: Perhaps, at first glance, it may appear so, Star Searcher, “… but
sincerity is not easy, because under sincerity people understand something
completely different.” [Agni Yoga #484]
STAR-SEARCHER: They do?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “They justify any crime with sincerity, but
where is self sacrifice, which purifies action? Evil is connected with hypocrisy and
personality.” [ Agni Yoga #484]
STAR-SEARCHER: So then it’s like fire, the result depends upon the way the
people utilize it?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, since psychic energy can be used or misused, it
would seem that there is a correct attitude with which to use psychic energy and
an incorrect attitude with which to use psychic energy.
EXPERIENCE: Right again, Star Searcher. “Applied to Agni Yoga, even the most
abstract conceptions will become tangible and real. Sincerity, or honesty, becomes
irreplaceable.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR-SEARCHER: Irreplaceable?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, irreplaceable.

STAR-SEARCHER: Excuse me, but can you demonstrate the irreplaceability of
sincerity, or no deception?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. You can prove it to yourself.
STAR-SEARCHER: I can? How?
EXPERIENCE: “Try the quality of sincerity in communications at far off distances;
and afterwards observe the difference when bringing in personal feelings of
impatience, or irritability, not even speaking of premeditation.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR-SEARCHER: What will be the result?
EXPERIENCE: “These properties deprive the result of its value. With this there
often occurs irreparable harm. Yet sincerity, as a purifier, brings about a crystal
clarity, which enlightens consciousness as gas gives flame. Thus one can
contribute to success by applying honesty.” [Agni Yoga, #556]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is your question?
STAR-SEARCHER: Is this irreplaceability only valid on this physical plane?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “… Some one may say, ‘I address myself with all
strength to the Lord, but it does not reach the Lord.’ ” [Hierarchy, #41]
STAR-SEARCHER: How do you respond to that?
EXPERIENCE: “Ask, Star Searcher, ‘Was it sincere?’ This quality of invocation is
as necessary as light. Each one may cast his eye into his heart and inspect the
small corners of a decrepit world. Without sincerity there will be no current.
Therefore strain all your forces and elect pure striving of the heart.” [Hierarchy,

41]

STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: It sounds like you are connecting sincerity with purity,
especially where you state, “Without sincerity there will be no current. Therefore
strain all your forces and elect pure striving of the heart.”
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Sincerity is associated with the pure striving of the heart.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: So sincere, honest, non deceptive striving is pure striving.
Does that mean ….. hmmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Go for it, Star Searcher, go for it!

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, does this purity of striving also apply to speech?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, since it applies to my thinking and actions, it just has to
apply to my speech.
EXPERIENCE: And why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, since the Hierarchy of Light values sincerity, honesty, no
deception above all else, it follows, in general, that the Hierarchy of Light values
those thoughts and actions which are motivated by sincerity, honesty, no
deception, because the characteristic of purity is thus associated with them
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore, every time we open our mouths to speak we take
the test of non deceptive, honest, sincere speech.
EXPERIENCE: And why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because the quality of thought we choose to dwell on will
determine the purity, honesty, deceptionlessness of our speech.
EXPERIENCE: Tell me now, Star Searcher, how does sincerity affect the beauty of
speech?
STAR-SEARCHER: The purity of non deceptive speech puts us active for the
general welfare.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore sincere speech opens the door to the entire
reservoir of cosmic accumulations and thus to the Chalice of the best
achievements.
EXPERIENCE: You never fail to surprise me, Star Searcher. I am happy with your
insightful conclusions.
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore?
EXPERIENCE: [laughs] Ha, ha, ha… Well, Star Searcher, they say that turn about
is fair play. So I will share with you how sincerity is viewed on the higher levels of
life.”
STAR-SEARCHER: All right! Let’s do it!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “That which in the Cosmos is called the Source of
Truth, in life is called sincerity.” [Fiery World 3, #207]
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s beautiful, what else?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Striving toward the Light cannot be extinguished if
a man is searching sincerely.” [Brotherhood, #390]

STAR-SEARCHER: Very nice indeed, what else?
EXPERIENCE: OK, Star Searcher, one more and then we should be getting ready
for our Agni Yoga meeting tonight. Remember well what I am about to say.
“Insincerity contains a destructive poison. It can be observed that a construction
built upon falsehood degenerates into hideousness.” [Brotherhood, #111]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you I will remember what you have taught me and
strive to apply it in the world for the general welfare. Thank you again for all your
patience while being my Teacher.
EXPERIENCE: Your welcome, Star Searcher. Your entirely welcome.

PETAL #032

Questions On Beauty 401 to 500

401. Can there be beauty without hope?
402. Can there be beauty without love?
403. Can there be love without beauty?
404. Can there be hope without beauty?
405. Can there be beauty without sadness or tragedy?
406. Can there be beauty without ugliness?
407. Can there be ugliness without beauty?
408. Why do we enjoy beauty?
409. How do we enjoy beauty?
410. Why do people see beauty differently?
411. Is there a common beauty everyone can recognize?
412. Which of our senses respond to beauty?
413. Can beauty contribute to a relationship?
414. Can beauty contribute to happiness?
415. Can beauty contribute to understanding?
416. Can beauty make us smile?
417. Can smiles make us beautiful?
418. Can beauty be explored by questions?
419. How many questions can be thought of pertaining to beauty?
420. Can beauty be learned?
421. Can beauty be mastered?
422. How can beauty be mastered?
423. What is the value of mastering beauty?
424. Is there any beauty in humor?
425. Is there any humor in beauty?
426. Is there any relationship between beauty and earnestness?
427. Is there beauty in death?
428. Is there beauty in tragedy?
429. Does beauty have a “presence”?
430. How do you find beauty?
431. Can beauty be lost?
432. How many facets are there to beauty?
433. Can beauty be amusing?
434. Can beauty be emotionally refreshing?
435. Can beauty be physically refreshing?
436. Can beauty be mentally refreshing?
437. Can beauty be psychically refreshing?
438. Can beauty be spiritually refreshing?
439. Can beauty be physically stimulating?
440. Can beauty be emotionally stimulating?
441. Can beauty be mentally stimulating?
442. Can beauty be psychically stimulating?
443. Can beauty be spiritually stimulating?
444. Does something beautiful have meaning other than just being beautiful?
445. Does beauty have meaning?
446. What qualities give beauty to man made objects or creations?
447. What makes music beautiful?
448. Where do you find the most beauty in your life at the present time?
449. Where did you find the most beauty in your life in the past?
450. Where do you think you will find the most beauty in your future?
451. What type of thoughts are the most beautiful to you?
452. What type of feelings are the most beautiful to you?
453. What type of actions are the most beautiful to you?
454. Is there any one taste that is the most beautiful to you?
455. Is there any one sound that is the most beautiful to you?
456. Is there any one sight that is the most beautiful to you?
457. What is your response to beauty?
458. What, if any, is the relationship between beauty and the celestial fire?
459. What happens when I change my ideal of beauty?
460. In what way would a change in my ideal of beauty affect my striving?
461. In what way, if any, would a change in my ideal of beauty effect my joy?
462. How can a change in my ideal of beauty be beneficial?
463. Can a change in my ideal of beauty lead to enlightenment?
464. What is the relationship between beauty and enlightenment?
465. Is it possible that I could engage in a serious search for beauty in my life?
466. Would I have to give up anything in order to engage in a serious search for beauty in my
     life?
467. Would it injure me in any way to engage in a serious search for beauty in my life?
468. How would I benefit if I engaged in a serious search for beauty in my life?
469. Would others benefit if I engaged in a serious search for beauty in my life?
470. Would Humanity benefit if I engaged in a serious search for beauty in my life?
471. Would Humanity benefit if I successfully engaged in a serious search for beauty in my life?
472. Would Humanity benefit if I were only 50% successful in a serious search for beauty in my
     life?
473. If my ideal of beauty changes will Humanity in any way change?
474. How do you react when you meet beauty?
475. Does everyone react the same way when they meet beauty?
476. Does beauty have an equal?
477. What, if any, are the boundaries of beauty?
478. How is beauty co-measured with wisdom?
479. Is it an act of wisdom to advise a person to bring more beauty into his or her life?
480. Is it safe to bring more beauty into my life?
481. What role does beauty play in adventure?
482. Is beauty aggressive?
483. Is beauty soothing?
484. Does beauty aggravate?
485. Why is beauty soothing?
486. In what way is beauty soothing?
487. What role does beauty play in the practice of ahimsa (non-injury)?
488. What is the role of beauty in space exploration?
489. What is the role of beauty in modern aircraft?
490. What is the role of beauty in modern automobiles?
491. What was the role of beauty in Alexander The Great’s life?
492. What is the beauty of cultural diffusion?
493. Can the myths and fables about beauty assist us in a greater understanding of and
     application of beauty?
494. Can beauty make tough situations less difficult to bear?
495. Is there beauty in an alphabet like there is beauty in a sunset?
496. Are there wise alternatives to beauty?
497. Can beauty astonish?
498. Can beauty and ambition live in the same house?
499. Can a person be ambivalent towards beauty?

PETAL #033
S a y i n g s 1 3 6 t o 1 6 2

136. If we “must” live in human coldness, let it be where the snow falls softly
     among the pines.
137. In this garden Earth, there is room for a seed of beauty.
138. Like the frame of a beautiful painting, my ignorance four-walls my horizon.
139. It’s not what I can do for myself that counts, but what I can do for Humanity.
140. In the swamp of human sorrows, regret is an anchor.
141. If I have no deception in me, then I am trustworthy;
     if I am trustworthy, then I can be a friend.
142. If I beautify my thoughts,
     then I beautify my feelings;
     beautify my feelings,
     and I beautify my actions;
     beautify my actions,
     and I beautify “my world”;
     beautify my “world”,
     and the sun will warm my heart.
143. Whether it be apples, friendships, or ideals, learn to choose the very best.
144. The wise do not resist change, they ever guide it toward the good.
145. Virtues are like herbs, they contain an inner power.
146. Those who do not require thanks are able to give more.
147. Let us cultivate the garden of our heart, for in all of us there is a seed of
     beauty.
148. We all have a window which opens onto the universe, there, a greater Light
     illumines our private room.
149. Like the “old cowhand”, we must ride herd on those thoughts which go
     astray.
150. Like the plant in the seed, action stems from thought.
151. How then can we begin to fill “our world” with beauty? Root deep, like lilies in
     the field.
152. The first step to real learning is to become an observer.
153. Not by trampling the blossom of unity do we progress.
154. Not with deception do we enter the gates of true brotherhood.
155. In general, a belief is a denial, (directly or indirectly), of all that opposes that
     belief whether it be true or not.
156. As the king protects his treasure, so too must we put a sentry at the doorway
     of our mind.
157. If we lack precise observation,
     then we lack precise knowledge;
     if we lack precise knowledge,
     then we lack precise understanding;
     if we lack precise understanding,
     then we misjudge;
     if we misjudge,
     then we cause sorrow in the world.
     No good person desires to cause sorrow in the world.
     To desire not to cause sorrow in the world,
     we must learn to love unconditionally;
     to learn to love unconditionally,
     we must learn compassion;
     to learn compassion,
     we must learn patience.
     Patience is learned through vast experience.
158. To observe precisely, we must concentrate precisely.
     To concentrate precisely, we must not have a butterfly mind.
     To not have a butterfly mind, we must watch our thoughts.
159. With the courage of forgiveness, each tear becomes a rose.
160. When Art eases to educate it has lost its way.
161. The good people of this planet are the petals of a magnificent rose. The
     beauty of their refinement permeates the universe.

PETAL #034
A S e c r e t O f B e a u t y

What Is The Secret Of The
Conscious Application Of Beauty?

After painting over six thousand beautiful paintings for the treasury of World
Culture, as well as writing many beautiful books and creating organizations,
Nicholas Roerich qualifies as an excellent source to begin a search for the secret
of the conscious application of beauty. His beloved wife Helena Roerich, the
Mother of Agni Yoga, would also be an inexhaustible wealth of information through
her letters, books, and especially her Agni Yoga series through the Master Morya.
Our ancient Egypt housed a Pharaoh named Aknaton, whom historians have
nick named “The first individual in History”. In a world of polytheism Aknaton
declared monotheism, took the wealth, (and thus the power), out of the hands of
the priesthood, and built a beautiful city called Tel El Amana. This city became the
new capital of the Egypt. On invitation from Aknaton the inhabitants of the city
were poets, artists, musicians, philosophers, sculptors, etc. In short, Tel El Amana
was a tribute to World Culture. It was a city the like of which our ancient world had
not seen before in their memory. Certainly Aknaton would be an excellent person
to gain insight from on how to consciously apply beauty.
World Culture

All the contributors to World Culture, to a degree, knew how to apply beauty. Is it
a talent or a mystical gift? What is the secret of the Conscious application of
beauty? We apply something in the world in order to achieve a goal either
personal or otherwise. What then would the goal be of a person who consciously
applies beauty in the world? In short why do we apply beauty? In the best of this
writer’s understanding, we apply beauty in order to gain the expected results, (or
effect), of the application of beauty.
What is this affect of beauty? It is a stimulus for creativity and thus leads to
possible contributions to World Culture. The Law of Beauty indicates that personal
joy is the effect of beauty, as well as spiritual protection. Physically it lends itself to
a renewal of strength. Mentally it is a stimulus for higher thinking as well as further
creativity.
When we consciously apply beauty we are seeking to raise the level of vibrations
of that to which we apply the beauty. When we apply beauty we are seeking to

improve the quality of life. The least expensive and most efficient, as well as co-
measured way to consciously apply beauty is to think beauty. As we have

discussed and demonstrated many times before, our thoughts are very powerful.
Sometimes this power of thought is expressed in the saying “Thoughts are
things.”. In the Fiery World Karma, or the law of Cause and Effect, is
instantaneous. In other words, in the Fiery World a person sees the results of his
or her thinking immediately.
The further we get from the Fiery World the more distant in terms of time is our
experience of the effects of our thoughts. In the Subtle World the effect of our

thoughts manifest much sooner than they do in the Physical World where we see
through the cause and effect glass darkly and sometimes do not see at all the
relationship between our present situation and the quality of past thinking. But
thoughts do manifest their effects in the Physical World in their own due time. It is
precisely because we do not understand this relationship that we feel we should
not have to reap that which we reap, (and this leads many times to personal
resentment and bitterness). It is not difficult to understand that the empire state
building was first a thought in the architect’s mind, just as the Mona Lisa was a
thought in Leonardo’s mind before he painted it on canvas.
Let us raise the question: Is it possible to think beauty all of the time? My
brothers and sisters, we’re good, but not that good! It is, however, one of the vital
goals on the Path of Beauty to be able to maximize our thinking about beauty.
Thinking about beauty is not only the best way to consciously apply beauty, but
also it is the basis of all conscious application of beauty.
Leonardo had to think about the Mona Lisa. What to paint? What will the best
perspective be? What will the best colors be? Thus thought about beauty is basic
to the conscious application of beauty. Thus the best way to consciously apply
beauty is also the only way that conscious application of beauty is possible and
that is through thinking about beauty. Even such a potentially creative tool as
visualization is only an effect of what we have first thought out and then decided to
apply. Even mentally commanding the heart is an effect of the same cause.
Beautiful thinking is the cause. The effect is the related manifestation of beauty.
The process is the application of beauty.
Mozart

Even Mozart, who may well have received his music from a very high source, first
had to think about and then decide to be open to that source and receive the
music before the music was allowed to enter his aura, for the Higher would not
violate Free – Will. Mozart had to will his participation in the receiving of beautiful
music. If he was not a thinker of beauty, then he would have chosen something
other than beautiful music. How can we become a thinker of beauty? The answer
to this question is simple. Like Mozart we first have to think about beauty enough
to make a decision as to the value of beauty to ourselves, Mankind, World Culture,
and The Hierarchy of Light. Once we make the decision that we choose to be a
thinker of beauty, then we can bring into play all the tools we have learned.
The simplest and most co-measured way to become a thinker of beauty is to ask
the Teacher Of Beauty for guidance in maximizing our discernment in the area of
becoming a thinker of beauty and thus one who consciously applies beauty in the
world to increase the quality of life. Is it possible to beautify all that we come in
contact with in the world? A feet-on-the-ground thinker of beauty is a realist with a
good degree of discernment. At our stage in development to beautify everything
that we contact would be a lofty goal indeed. Yes, it can be done, (without
interfering with Free Will or Karma). Yes we can strive to beautify all that we come
in contact with and more. But only if we become consistently high quality thinkers
of beauty, and only through the heart and the Hierarchy of Light.
For the vast majority of Initiates on the Path of Beauty, (those becoming
educated in the knowledge of beauty), the task at hand is not how to maintain the
highest level of consistently beautiful thought for the maximum benefit of all
Mankind. The task at hand is “How to gain a foot hold on the first steep slope
leading up the mountain of beautiful thinking to that summit where the Initiate will
be focused on consistently beautiful thought. Most of us are at the base of that
Fiery Mountain looking up and wondering how on earth are we ever going to begin
the climb. My brothers and sisters, that climb begins with the Teacher of Beauty.

Only lack of discernment proceeds without a true and tested guide. The
experienced guide knows what to bring on the climb and what to leave behind.
Is there room at the summit for a houseful of furniture and the family car? Is there
room at the summit for all of our non-beneficial habit patterns? Will we bring along
our non-beneficial desires, attitudes, and favorite misconceptions, which are but
frayed ropes waiting to be relied upon by the undiscerning? At the summit of the
mountain of consistent thinking about beauty there is room only for that
discernment which creates a purified heart. In the fire of a purified heart will be
found not only the Source of beautiful thinking but also the co- measured
application of beauty. How do we consciously apply beauty? Discernment, heart,
Teacher of Beauty, Hierarchy of Light, co-measurement of the best possibilities —
that is how we consciously apply beauty.

PETAL #035

I n M y D r e a m s I F l y (Poem)

Awake,
I am a boy’s kite
in a toy box,
not quite knowing
when, the spring breeze
will touch his heart again.

PETAL #036
Beautygram No. 6
ARE YOU READY FOR JOY?

Why is it very significant to our happiness to know precisely what is most beautiful
to us?
Over half a lifetime ago I made the mistake of asking my geometry teacher why
we needed to know (memorize) the axioms in geometry. Weren’t they just
common sense? He answered my question with a question of his own. He said,
“You wouldn’t go into battle without a weapon would you?” He was a WW2
veteran. Now the closest this fourteen year old high school sophomore ever was
to a battlefield was the old TV set in our living room in the slums of Boston.
Evidently the axioms were the weapon and the geometry was some sort of
battlefield. Needless to say, I didn’t get the relationship between something that
kills or wounds and an axiom in geometry.
Well, about a month into the course I realized on my own that these axioms were
bits of knowledge that mankind had learned from experience and now considered
common sense. Thus the axioms were stepping stones or tools to discover and
explore greater knowledge. Now I was armed for the great battle (pardon the pun).
Beauty is such a stepping stone. Beauty is a tool to attain greater knowledge.
Beauty has been found by mankind to bring out joy in the person experiencing
beauty.
Now some will say, “OK, OK, so beauty leads to joy — so what? How does that
make beauty a stepping stone to greater knowledge? If everyone feels joy when
they experience beauty then it is only common sense that beauty leads to joy —
right? So what’s the big deal?”
Sound familiar? Yes, “beauty leads to joy” is an axiom. It is a physiological fact.
Now another axiom is that joy is a special wisdom, but this axiom is one of a
higher understanding. It is common sense all right, but not on this plane of
understanding. Man has to earn this knowledge by experience. However, once a
person learns why joy is a special wisdom, then that person will understand why it
is very significant to our happiness to know precisely what is beautiful to us on an
individual basis.
So beauty leads to joy and joy is a special wisdom. Thus in order to discover and
explore this special wisdom we first must focus on beauty. Once we are in a joyful
state, (and manifesting it), we can discern just what this special wisdom is.

So how do we focus on beauty? To focus on beauty we must take time now to
determine precisely what is the most beautiful to us. Once we know the answer
then we bring that beauty into our lives in as many ways as possible.
What is beautiful to you? Is it music? Then fill your life with your favorite music.
Use it as background music. Hum it. Play it in your head. Use a walkman while
gardening.
Is it flowers that is most beautiful to you? Then fill your life with flowers — Pictures
of flowers, paintings of flowers, imitation as well as real flowers, thoughts of
flowers, fragrances of flowers, colors of flowers.
Discern the joy manifesting as you focus on what is most beautiful to you. Master
this technique so that you can bring joy into your life at any second, any where, in
any situation and maintain joy! Beauty is the switch, joy is the energy!
By the way, the dictionary tells us that joy is a synonym for happiness.
Think about it — happiness.
One more thing. Experience has taught that right about now someone will but in
and say, “But its too difficult to focus on beauty.” My considered response to this is
that life is far more difficult when we do not focus on beauty.

PETAL #037

STAR SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #6

WHAT IS THE BEAUTY OF GRATITUDE?

Star-Searcher: What is the beauty of gratitude?
Experience: Star-Searcher, in the ways of the Human heart, inexperience plants
a garden of ingratitude, yet hopes for a harvest of love.
Star-Searcher: But surely a person can find love even if they plant seeds of
ingratitude. I mean, really, its not a cruel universe. After all, a God of Love would
not set up such a prison house!
Experience: ([pause)] Where can such seeds be found, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: In what world, Star-Searcher does the science of cause and effect
dissolve into wishful thinking?
Star-Searcher: Huh? What do you mean?
Experience: Star-Searcher, when a chicken egg is dropped on the ground and
breaks open, does it turn into a butterfly and fly away?
Star-Searcher: No, of course not. But…
Experience: Yes? I was waiting for that but. Go ahead Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: OK. OK. Dropped chicken eggs don’t turn into butterflies and
seeds of ingratitude don’t grow into flowers of love. I know that!
Experience: Yes?
Star-Searcher: Well, If I know that, then why did I try, just now, to argue for the
opposite of what I knew to be true?
Experience: Ahhhh, You do learn fast Star-Searcher. Please consider that, this
time, your knowledge of cause and effect was not the problem.
Star-Searcher: It wasn’t?
Experience: No. Not this time, Star-Searcher.

Star-Searcher: Well, what is my problem this time?
Experience: ([pause)] Vanity, Star-Searcher, Vanity.
Star-Searcher: What! I’m vain? What in the universe makes you say that?
Experience: Your tendency to debate the truth –what exists, which you already
know to be true.
Star-Searcher: But…
Experience: Because you get a degree of pleasure from the debate.
Star-Searcher: That’s exactly right. How did you know I was going to ask that
question? How did you know the answer?
Experience: It is only natural, Star-Searcher, that after the initial denial, the
Initiate would then wonder why the attachment exists.
Star-Searcher: I think that I’m getting in a little deep here.
Experience: Deep, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Yes deep. I started out asking what is the beauty of gratitude, and
now I am toe to toe with my attachment to debate. I would say that is a little deep.
Wouldn’t you?
Experience: Your right, Star-Searcher. This is not an exploration of ingratitude.
You are engaged in a serious search for the Beauty of Gratitude.
Star-Searcher: Right. So why are we talking vanity?
Experience: Because, Star-Searcher, they are rarely seen apart.
Star-Searcher: Huh? Who are rarely seen apart?

Experience: Star-Searcher, Ingratitude and Vanity are bosom buddies. Star-
Searcher: Bosom buddies? Ah, I don’t get it. Can you explain that another way?

Experience: Sure, Star-Searcher. Let’s try explaining it by an example from
nature, shall we?
Star-Searcher: Let’s go for it.
Experience: Ingratitude and vanity, Star-Searcher, are like Wind Palms. The

higher they grow, the farther from center must we search for summer shade. Star-
Searcher: But why are they bosom buddies?

Experience: Because, Star-Searcher, they both are nourished by the “Me-First”
philosophy, which, personal experience soon discovers, leads only to pain.
Star-Searcher: [[spoken with vanity]] I know that. We talked about that before. I
already learned that. Can’t you teach me something I don’t know? What kind of a

teacher are you anyway, always talking in silly metaphors. Why don’t you stop
wasting my time and have the guts to just say it like it is?
Experience: [[silence]]
Star-Searcher: [[after 10 seconds]] Well?
Experience: [[silence]]
Star-Searcher: [[after 10 seconds]] Well, speak up. Give me a metaphor to deal
with the subject at hand!
Experience: [[silence]]
Star-Searcher: [[after 10 seconds, and with a feeling of concern]] Why are you so
quiet?
Experience: [[silence]]
Star-Searcher: [[after 10 seconds, and with a beginning feeling that he has made
a serious mistake]] Ah, did I say something wrong here?
Experience: [[silence]]
Star-Searcher: [[slight pause, now talking slowly to himself]] Of course I did
something wrong. I can’t believe I did that. I can’t believe that I talked to my
Teacher that way. What foolishness. I was disrespectful. A fine mess my vanity
has got me into this time. The Teacher was only responding, with love, to my
request for knowledge. I had to let my vanity push aside my patience. Talk about
ingratitude. Man that was just dumb. Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! Now what am I going to
do. Without the Teacher, I am nothing. Without the Teacher’s guidance my future
will be like that of a kitten at sea. Why? Why did I let my vanity sever my
connection with my Teacher?
Experience: [[after 10 seconds]] I hope that I have more patience and love than
that, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: [[obviously elated to hear his Teacher’s voice again]] All right! Way
to go! Thank you! Oh thank you. You are the greatest. You are the most profound
Teacher. You are the most….
Experience: Star Searcher, groveling is not gratitude. However, if a person has no
gratitude, then I guess we all have to start some place.
Star-Searcher: Huh? Oh. Sorry. Hey! that’s right. You once told me that vanity
makes people behave like barbarians. As a result, they are either at your feet or at
your throat. I’m sorry I really am.
Experience: Sometimes, Star-Searcher, a view takes in more of the horizon in
winter than during summer. The lovely flowers and green leaves are beautiful, yet
they can obstruct an already narrow point of view.
Star-Searcher: Oh I see. Once I view the horizon unobstructed, then I can
appreciate it all the more when it is adorned with beautiful flowers and green

leaves.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: So you hit on my vanity in order for me to learn something right?
Experience: Not quite, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: Your degree of vanity surfaced all on its own as it usually does.
Star-Searcher: Usually? Am I really that bad?
Experience: For the most part I do not react when someone’s vanity surfaces. I
change the subject and/or wait until the right opportunity to bring the situation back
to a calm focus. And no, Star-Searcher, you are not that bad.
Star-Searcher: Whew! Man am I glad to hear that! Yet …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?
Star-Searcher: Even though you say that I’m not that bad, it must be very difficult
to be around someone when their vanity and ingratitude surface.
Experience: That’s all right, Star-Searcher, I am used to it. However, you are
correct. It is sort of like the old expression about the bull in the china shop. There
is a lot of noise, nothing positive is achieved, and the damage many times is
irreparable.
Star-Searcher: Well, I would like to apologize for all the precious concepts I have
broken and walked on, and I am grateful for your perseverance in patiently
responding to my requests for greater knowledge. Thank You. Thank you very
much for everything.
Experience: You’re welcome, Star Searcher, and your apology is certainly
accepted with love, although …
Star-Searcher: Oh no. What did I do now?
Experience: [[pause)]]Although it is beneficial to recognize your failings and offer
to make amends, your apology is not as valuable to you, as an Initiate on The
Path of Beauty, as is the quality of your gratitude.
Star-Searcher: Why is that?
Experience: Because, Star-Searcher, “Gratitude is a secret medicine”. It is also
“A milestone in human evolution”.
Star-Searcher: Hmmm. If I remember right, you once told me that, “Those who do
not require thanks are able to give more”. Is that why, “Gratitude is a milestone in
Human evolution”?

Experience: In part, Star-Searcher, however, first comes a stage when bratitude
becomes gratitude.
Star-Searcher: Bratitude? Oh, I get it. A person without gratitude behaves like a
little brat. Right? But…
Experience: Yes? I heard that but. Go ahead, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, how does a person go from bratitude to gratitude?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, bratitude becomes gratitude with every caring
attitude.
Star-Searcher: Caring? Did you say caring?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: But how does caring give birth to gratitude?
Experience: Your best guess Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: I knew that I couldn’t get away with all these questions for long.
Hmmm. Let me think. How does caring give birth to gratitude? Well, I can see how
caring could give birth to love, but love is obviously not gratitude. Is it?
Experience: Love, Star Searcher, is not gratitude, however, the two are very
close. A high degree of gratitude may be a response to someone’s projection of
love, such as a sacrifice for a dear one.
Star-Searcher: That’s right. I remember you told me once that we don’t sacrifice
for that which we don’t love, which means that we only sacrifice for that which we
do love.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Is all gratitude of the same degree of quality?
Experience: Your best guess, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, like you once said, it is easier to see things in perspective if
you think of it as on a gradient from zero to 100%. So the question might be
changed to what are the degrees of gratitude?
Experience: Yes, go on, Star-Searcher, you are doing fine.
Star-Searcher: Well, I remember reading in the Agni Yoga Teachings, in Leaves
of Morya’s Garden 1, paragraph #238, that, “Grateful even at a dog’s bark are the
lost ones”. So I guess that the degrees of gratitude might not just depend on the
quantity or expense of that which triggers the gratitude. A single dog’s bark is not
expensive, yet it could guide one home, or act as an alert in time of attack. The
situation the person is in at the time may seriously influence the quality and
amount of the gratitude expressed.
Experience: Therefore?

Star-Searcher: Therefore, the greater the situation the greater the potential for
triggering higher quality and quantity of gratitude. Hey! Wait a minute!
Experience: What is it, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: I just remembered something about caring.
Experience: Go ahead, Star-Searcher, share it.
Star-Searcher: It was something about a seed. I memorized it once because it
really meant a lot to me. Let me think. OK! I’ve got it now! It goes like this.
“He who has found the seed and realized the care of the Sender can project
gratitude into space.” [Agni Yoga paragraph #31]
Experience: You have a fine memory on this very insightful quote. Tell me now,
what does it mean to you?
Star-Searcher: Well, I’m not exactly sure what the seed represents, but the word
Sender has a capital “S”, and this, I think, means that the seed came from the
Source of all beauty and all life.
Experience: Star Searcher, What kind of seed do you think the Source of all
beauty and all life would send?
Star-Searcher: Well, at first I thought it meant the gift of life itself, but now I think it
has something to do with the Human heart.
Experience: The Human heart, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, would you think I was silly if I said that I think that the seed is
inside my heart?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, not if you are sincere. Tell me now, do you think
the seed has anything to do with the second half of the quote you recited?
Star-Searcher: You mean the part about projecting gratitude into space?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Well, I see at least three possibilities there. The first one goes like
this. A person who is capable of projecting gratitude into space may do so only
because he has found the seed. Something like a special key for a spiritual lock.
Experience: And what do you see as the second possibility, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, A person who does not have the capability of projecting
gratitude into space, through his spiritual striving, discovers the seed. The seed
then itself becomes a part of the person’s ability to project gratitude into space,
like a megaphone into the universe.
Experience: And the third possibility, Star Searcher?

Star-Searcher: Well, the third is kind of like a combination of the first two. The
striving one has been increasing the quality and quantity of personal gratitude
while progressing on The Path of Beauty. Upon discovery of the seed, the striving
one is then given access to the powers of the seed, and is granted the privilege to
project the accumulated gratitude into space through the spiritual megaphone at
will from then on.
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, what do you think, is the seed a spiritual key, a
spiritual megaphone, or a combination of the two?
Star-Searcher: I’m sorry, I just don’t know which, if any, it is.
Experience: [[pause]] Why is that, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Why?
Experience: Yes, why don’t you know the answer?
Star-Searcher: Well, honestly, it is because I have not yet found the seed.
Experience: Well spoken true and brave Star-Searcher. Tell me now, this search
for the beauty of gratitude, in which you are most solemnly and sincerely engaged,
what is it that you are really searching for?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Well, you know I want to answer that I am searching for that
seed which the Sender has placed in my heart. It brings me joy just to think about
it. Yes, joy. I feel joy!. It’s like, ah, ah…
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Wait! I’m starting to remember the rest of that quote I memorized.
It goes like this. “Great is the healing power of the emission of gratitude”, and also
in the same quote it said that, “The quality of thinking must be realized as
healing”. [Agni Yoga …#31]
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: I want to connect the two. I want to say that one day I will perfect
the quality of my thinking and that will enable me to find the seed and project
gratitude into space to the Sender, the Source of all beauty and all life.
Experience: A most beautiful realization, Star-Searcher. Yet I sense that there is
more.
Star-Searcher: Yes, I am beginning to remember that there is yet another part to
the same quote. I think it goes like this. “The quality of gratitude is likewise the
finest purification of the organism”.
Experience: Star Searcher, do you think that you can state the whole quote in the
order that it was written?
Star Searcher: Well, yes, I think I can. How about this:
“The quality of thinking must be realized as healing. The quality of gratitude is
likewise the finest purification of the organism. He who has found the seed and

realized the care of the Sender can project gratitude into space. Great is the
healing power of the emission of gratitude. One must transform everything
abstract into reality.”
[Agni Yoga …#31]
Experience: Very good, Star-Searcher. Tell me now, what does it mean to you?
Star-Searcher: Well, I can see it three ways, which are like higher rings of the
same spiral. First I see it like this. It is simply that the discovery of the seed and
the sensing of the care of the Sender activates such a very high quality and
quantity of gratitude that it purifies me. This purification makes me eligible to
project gratitude into space to the Sender, the Source of all beauty and all life.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Well, since the purification did not take place until the seed was
discovered, (or allowed to be discovered), then perhaps the discovered seed then
acts as a space megaphone to project my gratitude into space.
Experience: And your second way of thinking about the quote, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well. The more that I maximize my gratitude, the closer I am
allowed to the discovery of the seed, which I have to be purified in order to find. I
guess this sounds sort of like the story of the Quest for The Holy Grail, where only
the purest knights could find the Grail. So the gratitude I manifest purifies me so
that I can enter the Temple of the Heart and find the seed. This way I will have
perfected my gratitude before I find the seed.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: So this way of thinking makes the seed a green light to project
that gratitude into space because I would then be purified enough to be allowed to
do it and not misuse the power which comes with gratitude, not to mention the
power which comes with the seed.
Experience: And your third way of thinking about the quote, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, It would again be a combination of the first two, where the
striving one maximized personal gratitude, which purified the striving one, which
allowed the striving one to discover the seed, which is a spiritual megaphone into
the universe, which allows the striving one to project gratitude into space. This
spiritual megaphone is so powerful that if the striving one had not perfected the
quality of thinking then space would be littered very powerfully with low quality
thought, and thus adversely affect the evolution of Humanity.
Experience: You are doing very well, Star-Searcher. Tell me now. What is the
beauty of gratitude?
Star-Searcher: Well, in The Agni Yoga Teachings, I have memorized some really
nice things about gratitude, which I would include in the beauty of gratitude.
Experience: I will hear your memory work now, Star-Searcher. Are you ready?
Star-Searcher: Yes, I am.

Experience: Star Searcher, what is the very first feeling which the Brotherhood
inculcates?
Star-Searcher: “First of all, the Brotherhood inculcates the beautiful feeling of
gratitude”. [Brotherhood …#572]
Experience: Why is that, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: “Only gratitude to the Teacher can reveal the entrance to the
Gates”. [Hierarchy …#273]
Experience: What, Star Searcher, is the value of gratitude?
Star-Searcher: “… gratitude will be your nurture, because supreme above the
flames of other offerings is the fire of gratitude”. [Agni Yoga …#83]
Experience: What, Star Searcher, is the relationship between gratitude and the
Human heart?
Star-Searcher: “… How beautiful is gratitude! It so easily kindles the fire of the
heart, and, as if in the presence of the Image of The Lord, it fills the spirit with
nobility”. [Hierarchy …#182]
Experience: Where, Star Searcher, can this fire of gratitude be found?
Star-Searcher: “From the most minute through the entire line of Hierarchy shine
the sparks of gratitude. Precious are these fires”. [Fiery World 1 …#191]
Experience: Star Searcher, does every expression of gratitude have the same
effect?
Star-Searcher: “Truly great is the effect of every expression of gratitude! People
must accept this law as a living link with the Higher Worlds”. [Fiery World 2 …#37]
Experience: What, Star Searcher, is the value of gratitude for an Initiate on The
Path of Beauty?
Star-Searcher: “Gratitude is a great motive force. No one solicits gratitude, but
great is the quality of this power. Gratitude, acts as a purifier, and whatever has
been purified is already more easily moved. Thus gratitude is a means of
hastening the path”. [AUM …#454]
Experience: Tell me now, Star-Searcher. What is the relationship between
gratitude and justice?
Star-Searcher: “Gratitude is the setting for justice”. [New Era Community …#211]
“Gratitude is one of the main qualities of justice. Without justice one cannot reach
the Path of Great Service”. [Hierarchy …#182]
Experience: What, Star Searcher, is the relationship between gratitude, beauty
and joy?

Star-Searcher: “Know how to regard gratitude as the union of joy and beauty”.
[Agni Yoga …#98]
Experience: And finally, Star-Searcher, what is the relationship between gratitude
and bliss?
Star-Searcher: “When I indicate the beneficialness of gratitude, I do not mean
that someone is in need of it, but that in itself it contains the chemism of bliss”.
[Fiery World 1 …#386]
Experience: Very good, Star-Searcher. The quality of your achievement
demonstrates intense striving. Tell me now, Star-Searcher, what do you conceive
the beauty of gratitude to be now that you have reviewed your memory work?
Star-Searcher: Well my mind keeps coming back to that seed. My heart tells me
that my greatest happiness will result from my sincere and solemn maximization of
the quality and quantity of my thinking and gratitude through my striving to find the
seed in my heart. So I think that the beauty of gratitude is purification. Purification
means spiritual power. Spiritual power means Great service to Humanity. The
beauty of just thinking about it brings me joy!
Experience: Well spoken, Star Searcher. The spark of your question to know the
beauty of gratitude has become a fiery quest. Tell me now. Are you satisfied with
your knowledge now of the beauty of gratitude?
Star-Searcher: Yes, Thank you very much.
Experience: You learn well, Star-Searcher, Congratulations and strive to
remember your experience during the heart’s work on the Subtle and Fiery
Worlds. Your desire will manifest many situations where you will have the
opportunity to radiate gratitude. It will be a gift at your own bequest. Above all,
Star-Searcher, in all your actions, on all levels of life, remember to keep joyful your
eternal vigil against the destroyers of gratitude. When you understand the concept

of co-measurement you may use the all inclusive qualifier, “in perfect co-
measurement”.

Star-Searcher: Thank you for your patience with my learning. I will strive for joy in
my eternal vigil against the destroyers of gratitude. I’ve learned my lesson this
time. Thank you very much.

PETAL #038

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 5 0 1 t o 6 0 0

501. In what way is America beautiful. (What is the beauty of America)?
502. Why isn’t old age beautiful?
503. In what ways is old age beautiful?
504. Can the effects of something not beautiful be unintentionally beautiful?
505. Can the effects of something beautiful be unintentionally ugly?
506. Is beauty immortal?
507. Can beauty be analyzed and still be beautiful to the person who is analyzing it?
508. Can the life of an anchorite (hermit) be beautiful?
509. In what ways is the process of pearl diving similar to a serious search for beauty?
510. Can statistics reveal beauty?
511. What is the beauty in the possibility of a new beginning?
512. What is the beauty in being a citizen of the universe?
513. Is there beauty in sleep?
514. Is there beauty in verbal communication?
515. Is there beauty in written communication?
516. Is there beauty in sign language?
517. Is there beauty in singing?
518. Is there beauty in dance?
519. Is there beauty in body language?
520. What is the beauty in verbal communication?
521. What is the beauty in written communication?
522. What is the beauty in sign language?
523. What is the beauty in singing?
524. What is the beauty in dance?
525. What is the beauty in body language?
526. Is there beauty in positive thought?
527. What is the beauty in positive thought?
528. How can the beauty in positive thought assist me to a higher quality of living?
529. How does the beauty of positive thought improve attitudes?
530. How does the beauty of positive action improve the quality of my life?
531. Can beauty transform and renew your mind?
532. When will the beauty of positive action improve the quality of my life?
533. To what extent will the beauty of positive actions improve the quality of my life?
534. In what way will beauty transform and renew my mind?
535. When will beauty transform and renew my mind?
536. Is there a key to emotional beauty?
537. Is there a key to mental beauty?
538. Is there a key to spiritual beauty?
539. What is the beauty in new fallen snow?
540. Is there a key to natural beauty?
541. Are there different kinds of beauty?
542. How many different kinds of beauty are there?
543. How many categories of questions can be created on beauty?
544. Can beauty assist me out of a bad mood?
545. Can beauty assist me to maintain a good mood?
546. How is beauty received when it is preached?
547. How is beauty received when it is joyfully demonstrated?
548. Why does Nature generally start the day with beauty and end the day with beauty?
549. Is the sunset meant to be a daily reminder of beauty?
550. Would it be of value in my life, if I make the sunrise and / or the sunset my personal daily
     reminder of beauty? ( How should I view a rainy day?)
551. How is beauty connected with the concept of perfection?
552. How do we relate freshness with beauty?
553. Why do I love beauty?
554. Does joy always accompany an encounter with beauty?
555. Does beauty have to be a big event in my life before I contemplate beauty?
556. What is the beauty of achievement? (Is it different from discovered beauty such as a
     magnificent sunset)?
557. What is the beauty of victory?
558. Why does a bird in soaring flight appeal to most people’s sense of beauty?
559. What is the beauty in law and order?
560. Why is there beauty in law and order?
561. Is there beauty in a snow flake?
562. Why is beauty sometimes short lived and sometimes long lived such as a snow flake and a
     diamond?
563. Can beauty be penetrated?
564. Can you define beauty?
565. Can beauty save the world?
566. Is beauty like a pressure relief valve for Humanity?
567. Would my sense of beauty change in any way if I went on a long space voyage?
568. Could beauty contribute to the quality of a long journey?
569. How would beauty contribute to the quality of a long journey?
570. What is an example of temporary beauty?
571. What is an example of long lasting beauty?
572. What beauty lasts the longest?
573. Would my sense of beauty change if I lived on a space station for a few months?
574. Would my sense of beauty change if I visited the moon? (In what way)?
575. Is the beauty in me temporary or eternal?
576. What beauty cannot be burned away?
577. How is temporary beauty discerned from long lasting beauty?
578. What is the reaction of a person in whom I see beauty?
579. What is the quality of the interpersonal relationship, (before, during, and after), between
     myself and the person in whom I see beauty?
580. What is my response when someone sees the beauty in me?
581. What prevents me from seeing the beauty in others?
582. What value is there in developing an ability to see the beauty in others?
583. Is there a noticeable affect in the person at the moment in which I see the beauty in that
     person? (what is it)?
584. What will my relationships with others be like if I am just 1% successful in the perfection of
     my seeing the beauty in others?
585. What will my relationships with others be like if I am just 12% successful in perfecting my
     ability to see the beauty in others? (How about 33%)?
586. When will I catch a glimpse of the beauty in others?
587. How will my life change after my first glimpse of the beauty in others?
588. Is it unwise to attempt to see the beauty in everyone?
589. What is the wisdom in seeing the beauty in every one?
590. What is the first step in seeing the beauty in everyone?
591. What is the first step in seeing the beauty in others?
592. If I look hard enough can I find beauty in every one?
593. Is there any value in seeing the beauty in every one?
594. Is it “realistic” to attempt to see the beauty in every one?
595. Is it “unrealistic” to attempt to see the beauty in every one?
596. Can I adorn my mind with beauty?
597. Can I adorn my feelings with beauty?
598. Can I adorn my Soul with beauty?
599. To bring beauty into my life, will it cost a lot of money?

PETAL #039
S a y i n g s 1 6 3 t o 1 8 9

163. At the gate of World Culture stands a Warrior of Light.
164. Not without wisdom did the inventor of our universal second language name
     it Esperanto, (One who hopes), for hope is a stepping stone for Humanity.
165. As the chrysanthemum blooms in Fall when the days are short, so we
     descend into the lesser Light to discern the beauty within ourselves.
166. Like the cedar tree charred by lightning, in moments of reflection we
     sometimes discover a sign of conflicting desire.
167. Friendship, like the last shade tree in Arizona, must be cherished and
     cultivated.
168. Our fears would have us like leaves shaking in the wind, were we to forget
     that our roots are strong and deep throughout the universe.
169. As the sculptor feels a work of art in a lump of clay, can we sense,
     (gratefully), that mysterious potential in all we meet?
170. Each morning I fill the universe with love. Will you feel, in a quiet moment,
     that someone cares?
171. In our growth, we must not “hard-top” our hearts with asphalt, for there no
     rose will grow.
172. In the candle of vast experience, a bright flame dances.
173. Few cherish the Light of no-deception.
174. Love burns, in driftwood fire, those splintered hopes of past desire that we
     may feel our way along the night’s rocky shore.
175. I like to think that soon the sun will shine within this house. A fuller dawn no
     one could ask, for love is a fiery motion.
176. To participate in beautiful harvests, I must maximize my planning abilities,
     and use them for the Common Good.
177. Beautiful art is a tool of upliftment. With it a curved line becomes a petal of a
     flower or the heart of the universe.
178. When, with beautiful music, I walk in the eye of my hurricane, I do not miss
     the outer swirling storm of ignorance and confusion.
179. Beautiful thoughts are seeds of happiness.
     Beautiful feelings are the flowers of happiness.
     Beautiful actions are the fruits of happiness.
180. Imagine a tight-rope of love reaching out from the center of the universe to
     you. Anchor it in beauty. Now, with no-deception, proceed.
181. When a boy becomes a man he stops shooting at stars with a slingshot.
182. The gardener of the mind cultivates knowledge; the gardener of the heart
     cultivates beauty; these, (and one other), are needed to cross The Bridge of
     Time.
183. Like the road runner maneuvers the rattlesnake out of the shade to be killed
     by the heat of the sun, so must we learn to expose evil.
184. The traitor is spawned in the pool of insincerity.
185. Much of the time our conversations search, in detail, for things to disagree
     upon.
186. Like the head waters of a river, thought gives rise to feeling.
187. Love is an on-ramp to a very high way.
188. We cultivate a curious pleasure in disagreeing.

PETAL #040

T h e P r i n c i p l e O f H i e r a r c h y A n d B e a u t y

(In preparation for this discourse, The Teacher of Beauty was petitioned for
guidance. While searching through the book entitled Agni Yoga, my attention
became focused on the following quote which was understood to be the answer to
my petition.)
“Of all principles leading to the broadening of consciousness, the principle
of Hierarchy is the most powerful.” Agni Yoga #668
With this in mind then, let us explore just what The Principle of Hierarchy is and
how it relates to The Law of Beauty. In the book entitled Agni Yoga (#652), we
learn that,
“The single realization of our brotherhood and Hierarchy already directs the
traveler along the shortest path of Infinity.”
Here we are not only informed that Hierarchy is the shortest path of Infinity, but
also of the three basic elements of a journey: The destination, the starting point,
and the path between the two. Here the destination is true brotherhood; the
starting point is the single realization of brotherhood and Hierarchy; and the path
between is The Hierarchy of Light. We are told that this single realization is not
only the starting point, but also directs the traveler along that path — the shortest
path of Infinity.
How is the traveler directed along this shortest path of Infinity? The Hierarchy of
Light has Teachers who stand ever ready to assist Humanity to transmute its
character to that of the exalted condition of Brotherhood. These Teachers will not
force Humanity to progress its evolution. They contact individuals who are ready
and willing to advance spiritually in many ways. If the individual desires a Teacher
then The Hierarchy of Light may accommodate and the spiritual progress may
begin. Notice, my brothers and sisters, that it was stated that spiritual progress
may proceed and not will proceed. Why? Agni Yoga (#653) can help us here.
“The thought of obedience to a Teacher is foreign to Humanity. How can a
spirit be the loser when the Teacher is the leading beacon? How can the
disciple lose his fire when The Teacher kindles all fires? How can the shield
of The Teacher hold back the disciple when he is impelled fierily by The
Teacher? Thus in the consciousness of Humanity lives a scant desire to
strive for co-operation leading to unity. But Humanity must learn
independent action in carrying out all the affirmed thoughts of The Teacher.
Thus Cosmic reason achieves evolution. Thus Humanity must learn to
create by the higher way. Verily, the emulation of The Teacher becomes the
containment of the image of The Teacher.”

My brothers and sisters, here is pointed out a very serious predicament of
Humanity with respect to the concept of Hierarchy. The idea of independent action
is strong in all of us. We feel the right of free will of action. The idea of following
someone else’s orders puts pictures in our minds of a bunch of robots running
around doing exactly what someone at the central control station wants them to
do. In other words, people think that they will be enslaved forever to who ever it is
that is giving the orders. Therefore the idea of obeying a higher will is most often
rejected out of hand when the opportunity to actually be of service arises. (Of
course these same people forget that every day in work they obey orders either
from bosses or customers.)
On the other hand, there exists in Humanity the concept of a Higher Power, the
desire for unity, and friendship. Many people would like to follow the higher power
like the fishermen followed the Christ.
It is like the classic psychological conflict where a person is standing at a fork in
the road and can’t make up his mind which road to take. He finds himself getting
weaker and weaker and showing signs of ulcers. The solution is that he must
make some sort of decision in order to break out of the conflict, regain strength
and stop the cause of ulcers. If it is by chance the wrong decision, the person can
always change his mind and take the other road. Unfortunately many suffer the
pain of conflict. But our quote resolves this predicament. We learn that,
“Humanity must learn independent action in carrying out all the affirmed
thoughts of The Teacher.”
In other words, The Teacher explains the plan to the student. The student
understands the concept, and then the student figures out how to accomplish the
application of that concept. Thus the student tunes in to grasp The Higher Will and
then applies it with independent action. Thus we go into meditation, listen to the
whisper from our heart, then apply the information to life for the betterment of our
own development as well as that of all Humanity.
confusion

“But”. some will say, (with fear in their hearts), “That is all fine and good, but how
can I be sure if the source from which I get this Higher Will, (the concept), is a
good and true source? For all we know, we could be tricked into doing something
that, in the long run, would just be the plan of some ego – maniac whose warped
plan is to rule the world?” Brothers and sisters, when we truly understand man’s
predicament, with respect to following The Higher Will, we can really sympathize
with the problem. Man is at a fork in the road and is confused as to which road to
take. Will the problem be ever resolved? The answer is yes, but on an individual
basis.
But how can an individual resolve the predicament and know for sure which road
to take? The answer my brothers and sisters is discernment. Discernment is
acquired through the lessons of experience. Perfection of discernment will lead to
the abode of The Highest in The Hierarchy of Light. If a person has a perfected
discernment then he, or she, will know just what is The Hierarchy of Light and
what is not The Hierarchy of Light, as a child knows the difference between a rock
and a flower.
“But”, some will say, “That is all fine and good, but we do not have perfected
discernment.” Of course, they will be right. There are probably only a handful who
have perfected their discernment in this realm of life. Does this mean that our
answer is wrong? Does this mean that discernment for all practical purposes is not
the answer to the resolution of man’s predicament? Of course not.

Discernment is our tool.

It is up to us to sharpen our tool, thereby making it work the most effectively for
us. We are always having some kind of experience. We can always reflect on
experiences we have had and thus increase our faculty of discernment. Sure, we
may stub a toe or two through inaccurate application of a law of life, but this will
teach us the error of our way and we will be more discerning the next time we
apply that law due to our experience. In other words, brothers and sisters, in the
process of everyday living we, through the lessons of experience, evolve our
faculty of discernment. It has taken us millions of lifetimes to evolve our faculty of
discernment to the level it is now in our Soul Personality.
A Teacher once said that, “Each of us has lived more lifetimes than there are
stones in the Great Wall of China.” Surely the perfection of our discernment will
not all occur in the accomplishment of one weekend. Are we stuck, therefore, with
waiting millions of more lifetimes in order to perfect our discernment? Perhaps we
will know more of this answer if we understand the value of striving for the
perfection of our discernment and then actually strive – on towards that perfection.
So where are we now? Our man is at the fork in the road with only his
discernment to guide him. Is this true? Brothers and sisters, this is only true if he
has not developed his discernment enough to recognize a Higher Power in his life
as a guiding light.
Is this to say that only those people who have caught a glimpse of the concept of
The Higher Power have the option of working with Hierarchy? The answer, in part,
is yes. But it would be more accurate to say that they put themselves in a position
to be chosen by The Hierarchy of Light as a co – worker with Hierarchy. Does this
indicate that there is more to being in The Hierarchy of Light than just the act of
man recognizing a Higher Power and desiring its guidance in his life? That
answer, brothers and sisters, will be forthcoming, but first, let us look closer at
exactly what The Hierarchy of Light is and How it operates. A few quotes from the
book entitled Agni Yoga will assist us in our search.
(#654): “How to come close to The Source? How will the higher understanding be
affirmed? Only by The Law of Hierarchy. The guiding hand is the uplifting hand.
The indicating hand is the hand revealing the path to the highest law. Thus is
created the great step of The Law of Hierarchy. Verily.
(#655): “How do people understand The Law of Hierarchy? How do they fulfill all
in life? How do they intensify the best strivings in themselves? Verily The Law of
Hierarchy is understood as one’s own right. It is forgotten that a Hierarch is a link
of a chain and one who fulfills the will of a higher one. Only thus can one fulfill the
trust and accumulate the chalice of fires.”
(#657): “In fulfilling my will thou givest me the possibility to fulfill thy will. Where is
the boundary line between wills that strive toward the Light? One may remember
that we lead those who have entrusted themselves to us along the ways of tested
magnets. One can trust the helmsman who has crossed oceans.”
(#658): “The quality of action is affirmed in striving. When words are transmitted
into action, the higher energy is affirmed. Hence, only in life can one manifest the
higher energies. Not words but actions are considered to be the affirmation of the
highest energies. Only when the potentiality of the spirit is manifested in action is
the higher concordance affirmed. Thus a striving quest gives the key to infinity.

(#659): “Therefore is our covenant so powerful, because words enter into life as
wondrous affirmations. Therefore one word thus lives, for the impulse of
creativeness is saturated by the might of fire, (psychic energy). Only when our
ordainment is adopted in life can the higher step be taken.
Why is your mission so full of action? [The Teacher is talking to Helena Roerich].
Because it carries in itself the pledge of our co – operation. Thus we affirm
Hierarchy based on The Law of Succession. Therefore, when the cosmic law is
realized the understanding of the chain of Hierarchy is established. Thus the
better, [achiever], will be closer to Hierarchy. The Hierarchy of service is but the
manifestation of the fulfillment of The Higher Will. Only thus do we affirm The Law
of Hierarchy. Thus does the cosmic right enter into life.”
(#661): “Thus the manifestation of The Chain of Hierarchy is built by fulfillment of
The Higher Will.”
(#662): “Thus in the foundation of each great beginning is laid the energy imbued
by The Law of Hierarchy. Only upon the law of closest harmony can one build.”
My brothers and sisters, now that we have pinpointed the predicament of man with
respect to Hierarchy, and also have had a glimpse of what The Hierarchy of Light
is, let us now strive to understand what Hierarchy’s problem is with man. This
problem will be illustrated by a story, a story in which you will play the leading role.
(If you choose to.) And now my brothers and sisters, for those of us who would
like to engage in a voluntary, I repeat – a voluntary spiritual exercise of creative
visualization, for the purpose of understanding The Law of Hierarchy with respect
to The Law of Beauty, let us close our eyes and take a deep breath. Now slowly
exhale.
Once again, inhale. Now exhale slowly.
For the third time, inhale. Now slowly exhale.
Now relax your body.
You are going to play the leading role as an initiate in the story which is about to
evolve in our imagination in the far distant future. As an Initiate you stepped on the
Path of Light more than ten million lifetimes ago. You have progressed through
your own experience and the guidance of your Teacher in The Hierarchy of Light.
Your discernment has reached a degree of refinement such that it is time that you
progressed to another degree of the work. Your Teacher has invited you to join
him for your initiation.
At dawn you present yourself to The Teacher at his mountain home. You knock
three times and enter when told. There is a fire in the fire place and the Teacher is
sitting in a chair next to the warm fire. You are wearing a white shirt, and your
cordelier is tied about your waist. You approach The Teacher and stand in front of
him. In your right hand is a lavender vigil light, symbolizing that you have brought
your own light — perfected through the ages. In The Teacher’s hand is a white
scroll tied with a lavender cord. Your aura is a rainbow color, signifying that you
are on the last step of the higher astral awaiting acceptance into the higher world –

• or Fiery World. So named because it is composed of psychic energy to a high
  degree which appears as fire. The thought of fire does not scare you because you
  know that fire is psychic energy. For countless lifetimes you have used it for the
  maximum benefit of Humanity and World Culture as a co-worker of The Hierarch,
  (your Teacher).
  The Teacher now hands you the scroll and beckons you to unroll it and read its
  contents. You slowly untie the lavender cord and unroll the white scroll. It is a pure
  white scroll with nothing written on it. You continue to focus on the scroll. Now a
  letter is forming. You see an “H”. Now another letter forms. You see an “I”. Now

another forms and another, you see an “E” and an “R”. Now the rest of the letters
in the word form. You see an “A”, an “R”, a “C”, and finally an “H”. Hierarch. The
word is Hierarch. Your aura fills with energy of a vibration higher than you have
ever experienced before. You feel closer to your Teacher than ever before. You
are now a Hierarch.

higher levels

Your Teacher explains that his Teacher exists on a higher vibratory level than
himself, and that she, as well, has a Teacher which exists on a still higher vibratory
level than she does. And on it goes in an upward chain of Hierarchs, leading to
The Source of all Beauty and all Life. You are now in that magnificent succession
of Teachers glowing like a string of lights through out the Universe from The
Source of all Beauty to Humanity. You are now a Teacher in The Hierarchy of
Light. That entire chain of Hierarchs wills the will of The Highest in Hierarchy for
the maximum benefit of the evolution of Humanity without interfering with Free
Will or Karma.
One thought gets magnified through the chain of powerful wills and does not fail
to achieve manifestation on earth. The Teacher now speaks. “Your first duty will
be to assist your teacher in the evolution of Humanity by emphasizing the path
closest to perfection — (The path of the Heart), to all those which you attract as
students. Your focus will be an emphasis on Beauty in order to build a Temple of
Joy, for Beauty leads to Joy. Hierarchy, being anchored in The Source of all
Beauty, must lead to Joy.
In a few moments some Initiates will enter this mountain lodge and will present
themselves to you and ask you to be their Teacher. Since they are already on The
Path of Light, you will accept all of them and give each one a concept of beauty
which, at their level, they can strive to attain. While you are doing this, you are to
select twelve co-workers out of the many students who will come to you this
morning. While each one is in front of you asking for your guidance, you will focus
on their aura in front of their hearts and will see if they are ready to be co-workers
or are to remain as students until they evolve to a higher state of refinement. I will
leave now. You sit in my chair and await your students on the path.” The Teacher
now leaves the room and goes about his duties.
vibratory preparation

You sit patiently and wait. You send thoughts of gratitude to your Teacher and
The Hierarchy of Light for all their help and service to humanity. You set up the
vibratory conditions in the room so that all which is about to happen will be for the
maximum benefit of The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity, World Culture, and the
students, without interfering with Free Will or Karma. If it pleases all concerned
and The Teacher, then it is done according to the will of The Highest in Hierarchy
and under the guidance of Your Teacher in The Hierarchy of Light. You command
your heart to transmit and transmute now. You feel the vibrations change in the
room, which is now ready for the students.
Three knocks on the door and your first student enters. She is a tall woman with
a look of knowledge about her. She approaches you and asks you to be her
teacher. You ask her some questions. While she answers, you focus on her aura
in front of her heart. Within her beautiful green aura a symbol appears to you
which you immediately understand. This student is basically honest, but when
pressed she will lie to protect her self image. Thus she has more to learn about
sincerity, or no – deception. You give her the concept of Beauty which she can

most strive to understand. You accept her as a student on the path, but you know
that she cannot be a co-worker at this time.
Attachments

One by one three more come. They too were basically honest, but each had a
strong attachment which would easily distract them as a co-worker from
performing your will. One had a tendency to take unnecessary risk. One had a
tendency to depend on too much money as a security blanket rather than put his
security in his Teacher. The third was given to remorse, and as such he could
easily be sidetracked from carrying out your mission, which is to do the will of your
Teacher by establishing Beauty as a door to The Path of The Heart.

intense striving

Another three knocks on the door, this time a feeling of gratitude fills the room
before the student enters. Her gratefulness preceded her. Your focus on her aura
shows that she has much to learn, but also that her level of sincerity is high and
her striving is intense. This one is a candidate for co-worker of The Hierarchy of
Light. The selection goes on. One by one they come. Each time they ask you to
be their Teacher. Each time you accept them as a student. Twelve are finally
chosen to be observed as potential co-workers. You will test them in the laboratory
of every day experience as you yourself have been thoroughly tested. You will
discover if they are capable of insincerity. You will observe the quality of their
striving, their love, their sacrifice, and their attunement until, emerging from the fire
of experience they can be trusted to be a co-worker. Thus you weed out betrayal
before it turns to treason.
And now my brothers and sisters, you may relax your identification with the role
of The Hierarch and gently, ever so gently, return to objective consciousness with
the full understanding of The Law of Hierarchy.

PETAL #041
C a t e r p i l l a r i n g (Poem)

In the woods
a boy watches
a caterpillar
spin his cocoon.
Other caterpillars
are still eating leaves.
When I was young,
a caterpillar
hunted leaves
on the warm days,
before he built
his cave
that he would hide in
to protect him
from the winter wind.
Then, when the world
turned green again,
he opened his cave
to creep out and eat —
because he was hungry.
I didn’t know
that a creeping thing
that ate leaves
would one day fly
and drink nectar.
(This was because
I was too young
to understand
about Love.)
The world stayed green
for a long time
when I was young,
and I had not yet
built my cave
of Love
to protect me
from the winter wind.
But that season came,
and the angry wind
blew the green
out of leaves.

Frost, in its hate,
killed all it touched,
and deceit covered that work
in white.
So I learned
to build my cave
of Love.
In the darkness
of the cold season
a voice from within
whispered,
between winds, —
“Love”, It said,
grows wisdom
in the world,
as the caterpillar
molds the butterfly
in the cocoon.”
There are some
who do not understand
the darkness,
and they would
break-out
at any chance
to creep again
and eat leaves again.
I am not one
who would unravel
my cocoon
for the price of silk,
nor for the best
from the subtle-hawkers
of the world.
I choose to let Love
finish the job
it is designed to do,
so that one fine day
I too will fly
and drink nectar.

PETAL #042
BEAUTY-GRAM #7

THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE FOR HAPPINESS

Just about everyone secretly wishes they had more of it. People identify with it
instantly. It’s considered by many to be an integral part of self assertiveness. Why
even children use it extensively. If we could package it, then we could make a
fortune.
What is it? Is it youthfulness? Is it psychic energy? Is it health, love or beauty?
Heck no, its won’t-power!
What’s won’t-power? A team mate explains it this way. “If I say, ‘I will!, I will!, I will!’,
well, maybe I will. But if I say, ‘I won’t!, I won’t!, I won’t!, then I won’t!
Is this “sly”-chology instead of psychology? There is an emotional force in won’t
power. It is a defiant emotion. Is it guaranteed to work every time? Nope. (Stopped
guaranteeing things once I learned about karma). Is it the same force as will
power disguised in a different name and feeling? It could very well be.
Whether you are a successful will person or a successful won’t person, the goal
will be the same. You will be using that energy in your striving for an achievement.
Achievements contain an indestructible joy. (No one can destroy the joy of
achievement).
So whether it is the “sly”-chology of emotional won’t power, or the mental
concentration of pure will power, the object is achievement and the reward (or
effect of the cause of achieving) is indestructible joy.
Question, can we be joyful at the next approaching achievement? (One that hasn’t
happened yet.) The answer surprisingly is yes — try it and see!
Think of a goal you are seriously striving for as already achieved. The joy will be
there. Feel it!
If this is sounding familiar, you are correct. It is the process of visualization from
the illuminated point of joy! Thus we can add the wisdom of joy to our everyday
technique of visualization. (Two for one — I like it!)
So whether you are a mystic, a yogi, or a practicing “sly”-chologist, the idea is that
your going to strive for goals in life anyway so you might as well do it joyfully —
joyful labor!!!

PETAL #043

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #7

WHAT IS THE JOY OF BEAUTY?

Star-Searcher: What is the joy of beauty?
Experience: There is no worse act of non-co-measurement than to cease thinking
about beauty. [Leaves 2 paragraph 192-194]
Star-Searcher: Co-measurement, did you say co-measurement?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, co-measurement.
Star-Searcher: Sorry, I don’t think I remember what co-measurement means,
even though I remember hearing it used.
Experience: Co-measurement, Star Searcher, is the highest wisdom.
Star-Searcher: The highest wisdom! Hold on! We’re getting in real deep, real fast
here. Let me think this out a minute.
Experience: Take your time, Star-Searcher, but please think it out joyfully.
Star-Searcher: Joyfully? I’m in over my head, haven’t had my first swimming
lesson yet, and you are telling me to be joyful? OK. OK. I will strive to be joyful.
But…
Experience: I was waiting for that but, what is it Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, how do I think something out joyfully if I don’t feel the least
joyful in the first place?
Experience: Excellent question, Star Searcher; however, before we explore the
answer why don’t you finish thinking out what you were going to think out before
you forget what it was you had to think out.
Star-Searcher: Huh? Ah, OK. You say that to cease thinking about beauty is the
worst act of non-co-measurement, and at the same time, that co-measurement is
the highest wisdom. Is that right?
Experience: Precisely, Star-Searcher. What do you think about those two
statements?

Star-Searcher: Well the way I see it is that, if a person ceases to think about
beauty, then they are in deep yogurt, because they block themselves from the
highest wisdom. It would be like a flower without sun.
Experience: Precisely, go on, Star-Searcher
Star-Searcher: So the joy of beauty is that it keeps us in tune with the highest
wisdom. Right?
Experience: Right again, Star-Searcher. “Each realization is born in beauty”.
[Leaves 2 pages 197-199]
Star-Searcher: Ya, but…
Experience: There’s that but again. Go ahead, star-Searcher, what is it this time?
Star-Searcher: Well, why is it that beauty keeps us in tune with the highest
wisdom?
Experience: Because, Star-Searcher, a good person’s response to beauty is a
degree of joy.
Star-Searcher: Are you saying that joy is a personal indicator of beauty?
Experience: Yes! Yes! That’s it! You’ve got it Star-Searcher! You did it! Joy is your
personal indicator of beauty!
Star-Searcher: Huh? Got what?
Experience: Your personal criterion for beauty!
Star-Searcher: But don’t people know when they think something is beautiful
without putting a meter on their feelings?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, they do.
Star-Searcher: Then why is it so great for me to understand that joy is a good
person’s response to beauty?
Experience: Your best guess, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: I knew you were going to start turning my questions around
sooner or later. Well, so far I understand that the joy of beauty keeps us in tune
with the highest wisdom, and that a good person’s response to beauty is a degree
of joy. Right?
Experience: Precisely, Star-Searcher, go on.
Star-Searcher: Now, if, like you say, “Each realization is born in beauty:, and…
Oh. I see!
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?

Star-Searcher: I just flashed on something. It’s not beauty that keeps us in tune
with the highest wisdom, but the joy of beauty. I was saying the words, but didn’t
realize the meaning.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Well, I’m getting the feeling that joy plays a greater role here than
just a personal indicator for beauty.
Experience: Go on, Star Searcher, strive for it!
Star-Searcher: Well, if joy is my response to beauty, then beauty is the trigger of
my joy.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Well, if beauty is the trigger of joy, and the joy of beauty keeps us
in tune with the highest wisdom, then it sounds to me like there is a relationship
between beauty and the highest wisdom.
Experience: And what is that relationship, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well that sounds like the question I asked you a moment ago,
remember? I asked, “Why does beauty keep us in tune with the highest wisdom?”,
and you answered that, “It was because a good person’s response to beauty is a
degree of joy.”
Experience: Yes, I remember, Star Searcher. Where does it go from here?
Star-Searcher: Well my feeling is that beauty triggers joy and somehow joy
triggers the highest wisdom… Ah what did you call it?
Experience: Co-measurement, Star Searcher, co-measurement.
Star-Searcher: OK. So It goes beauty invokes joy. Joy invokes co-measurement.
How’s that?
Experience: You really are doing very well, Star-Searcher. You just answered
your own question.
Star-Searcher: I did? Which question was that?
Experience: The one where you asked, “Why is it so great for me to know that joy
is a good person’s response to beauty?”
Star-Searcher: Oh. OK. I see that now, but…
Experience: It’s your but, Star Searcher, you have the floor.

Star-Searcher: Huh? Ah well, I was going to ask why joy invokes co-
measurement?

Experience: Your best guess, Star-Searcher.

Star-Searcher: Hey wait! This is beginning to sound familiar. Doesn’t the memory
work, which you assigned me recently, touch on this? I know there is a lot about
joy in it.
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, shall we see if your memory work contains the
link between joy and co-measurement?
Star-Searcher: Yes, let’s do it!
Experience: OK. Let’s see how much you’ve retained since our last session. Are
you ready?
Star-Searcher: I am.
Experience: What is the first sign by which you will discern a spirit ready and
manifested for service?
Star-Searcher: The first sign will be renunciation of the past and full striving to the
future. [Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What is the second sign?
Star-Searcher: The second sign will be the realization of the Teacher within one’s
heart, not because it is necessary thus, but because it is impossible otherwise.
[Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What is the third sign?
Star-Searcher: The third sign will be the rejection of fear, for being armed by the
Lord one is invulnerable. [Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What is the fourth sign?
Star-Searcher: The fourth will be non-condemnation, because he who strives into
the future has no time to occupy himself with the refuse of yesterday. [Hierarchy

196]

Experience: What is the fifth sign?
Star-Searcher: The fifth will be the filling up of the entire time with labor for the
future. [Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What is the sixth sign?
Star-Searcher: The sixth will be the joy of service and completely offering oneself
for the good of the world. [Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What is the seventh sign by which you will discern a spirit ready and
manifested for service?
Star-Searcher: The seventh will be spiritual striving to the far off worlds as a
predestined path. [Hierarchy #196]
Experience: What does the shield of The Hierarchy of Light proclaim?

Star-Searcher: Cosmic cooperation exerts the best possibilities. [Infinity 2 #108]
Experience: What, most of all, hinders every good beginning?
Star-Searcher: Precisely absence of magnanimity. No creative attainment, no
cooperation, in fact no community is possible without magnanimity. [Fiery World 3

424]

Experience: What is the basis of evolution?
Star-Searcher: Creativeness. [New Era Community #163]
Experience: What is the path closest to perfection?
Star-Searcher: The Path of Beauty. [Fiery World 3 #23]
Experience: In what lies the pledge of happiness for humanity?
Star-Searcher: The pledge of happiness for Humanity lies in beauty. [Hierarchy

359]

Experience: What is the beauty of life?
Star-Searcher: The beauty of life lies in the affirmation of multiformity. [Infinity 1

75]

Experience: What helps to affirm beauty?
Star-Searcher: Only acuteness of observation helps to affirm beauty. [Fiery World
1 #243]
Experience: What leads to boundless beauty?
Star-Searcher: Striving leads to boundless beauty. [Infinity 1 #96]
Experience: What gives the formula of life?
Star-Searcher: Only the commensuration of action with beauty gives the formula
of life. [Infinity 2 #368]
Experience: What lies at the base of spirit-creativeness?
Star-Searcher: The beauty of achievement. [Infinity 1 #116]
Experience: Where is the nursery of the beautiful garden of Fiery energy?
Star-Searcher: In the joy of beauty. [Agni Yoga #546]
Experience: What gives joy to people?
Star-Searcher: People have only two real joys — thinking and the ecstasy over
beauty. [Brotherhood #85]

Experience: What must the yogi know?
Star-Searcher: The wisdom of joy. [Agni Yoga #212]
Experience: What knowledge are you striving to attain?
Star-Searcher: The knowledge of how to find joy in eternal labor and in eternal
vigilance. [New Era Community #224]
Experience: What is joy?
Star-Searcher: Joy is the harvest of the treasure, [Love]. [Agni Yoga #546]
Experience: How shall we accumulate energy?
Star-Searcher: Through joy. [Agni Yoga #546]
Experience: What accompanies the manifestation of joy?
Star-Searcher: The intensification of the work of the centers. Many attainments
are achieved by the manifestation of joy. [Agni Yoga #459]
Experience: What is the best flame of spirit?
Star-Searcher: The joy of labor. [Agni Yoga 459]
Experience: With what then is it possible to strengthen the acts of creative
power?
Star-Searcher: Only with cheerfulness. [New Era Community #163]
Experience: Why does cheerfulness strengthen the acts of creative power?
Star-Searcher: Joy is a special wisdom. Cheerfulness is a special technique. This
enhancement of vigor arises out of a conscious realization of creativeness of
elements. [New Era Community #163]
Experience: What are the two wings of the worker?
Star-Searcher: Creative patience and cheerfulness. [New Era Community #163]
Experience: What knows no fear?
Star-Searcher: Tempered joy. [New Era Community #163]
Experience: Does a negative person respond to beauty with a feeling of joy as
does a positive person?
Star-Searcher: The mole does not know the attraction of light; and only an evil
spirit does not understand what joy is. [Fiery World 1 #638]
Experience: How can one attain success?

Star-Searcher: Does your joy suffice to quicken the ascent? We always counsel
joy. It is necessary to realize that you have succeeded when you rejoiced. [Fiery
World #663]
Experience: Why is it so important to cultivate the heart in the striving for the
creation of a mighty future?
Star-Searcher: When joy for the future lives in the heart, then each impediment is
merely a step for ascent. [Fiery World #239]
Experience: How does the joy of achievement grow?
Star-Searcher: We do not see how the grass grows, but we perceive the
evidence of the growth. So too with the joy of achievement. [Fiery World 2 #96]
Experience: Who can oppose the joy of achievement?
Star-Searcher: No one can oppose the joy of achievement. Thus let us cultivate it
as one would most precious blossoms. [Fiery World 2 #258]
Experience: Why is joy at achievement a shield of beauty?
Star-Searcher: One must rejoice at the next approaching achievement. Not only
courage but precisely joy makes you invulnerable. [Fiery World 2 #110]
Experience: How does joy interact with space?
Star-Searcher: Joy can attract with a magnetic current the joy from space, but the
thought of darkness can give birth to layers of heavy clouds. [Infinity 1 #7]
Experience: What kindles hearts for the highest joy and is thus indestructible?
Star-Searcher: The love that inspires. [Heart #242]
Experience: What is the health of the spirit?
Star-Searcher: Joy. [Fiery World #298]
Experience: What knows all labors and all dangers?
Star-Searcher: The joy of achievement. [Agni Yoga #570]
Experience: When is there success?
Star-Searcher: When the joy of attainment fills the chalice. [Agni Yoga #570]
Experience: When will the quest for joy begin?
Star-Searcher: The increase of sorrows is one of the causes of fiery epidemics,
but when physiology shall teach men about the debilitating consequences of
sorrow, the quest for joy will begin. [Fiery World #298]
Experience: How should you spend your time?

Star-Searcher: One must not lose even an hour on earth in learning to rejoice at
each flower. [Fiery World #638]
Experience: Why does joy invoke the highest wisdom, — co-measurement?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Hey, that’s not one of the questions you gave me to
memorize! Oh, I see. I remember now. That was the question we were, or rather, I
am looking for an answer to through my memory work.
Experience: Have you found it, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, I liked the part where it says that joy makes you
invulnerable. That made me feel real secure, especially, since you guided me to
regular periods of filling all space with joy. Also it taught me to be very grateful to
you for teaching me to watch my thoughts so I can strive to maintain a consistent
level of joy. Joy is quickly becoming a tool, a very valuable tool, in this Agni Yogi’s
tool box. Joy is my tool of invulnerability!
Experience: Why, Star-Searcher, does joy make you invulnerable?
Star-Searcher: I’m not sure if my memory work touched on the specific answer to
this question, but somehow I associate invulnerability with the highest wisdom,
(co-measurement), especially, when it talks about Cosmic cooperation exerting the
best possibilities. Hey! Wait a minute!.
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: You know the more I think about joy the more I see it as a shield

which I have to put up in order to contact the highest wisdom and get co-
measurement. But … .

Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: The memory work mentions about joy and ascent, like I needed
joy to ascend. That has got to be a great clue don’t you think?
Experience: How do you ascend, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: By increasing my attunement with the Blessed Guide, the Mother
of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the Master Morya.
Experience: And how is that accomplished, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Oh I see. Beauty triggers my joy, and then my joy increases my
vibratory level. Right?
Experience: Star Searcher, what happens when your vibratory level increases
through joy?
Star-Searcher: I raise my level of vibrations, and this puts me in tune with the
Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher in The Hierarchy of
Light. Right?
Experience: Precisely, Star-Searcher.

Star-Searcher: And when I’m in tune with Them, I have access to the highest
wisdom, or co-measurement, because the Teacher has access to the big
computer in the sky. Right?
Experience: Well I don’t know about the big computer in the sky; however, you
are correct up to that point.
Star-Searcher: So beauty triggers joy. Joy raises my level of vibrations to attune

with The Teacher of Beauty, making me invincible and giving me access to co-
measurement, or the best possibilities.

Experience: I must say you do learn fast, Star-Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Ya, but…
Experience: That wasn’t one of your famous ya-buts was it, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well now that you have had plenty of opportunity to practice
joyous patience in assisting me to this knowledge of the cause and effect
relationship between beauty, joy, and co-measurement, I find it sad that I just can’t
put it to work at will.

Experience: Well, if you choose to fill all space with sadness instead of joy, Star-
Searcher, that is certainly your choice….

Star-Searcher: And certainly my Karma as well. Right?
Experience: You know it is, Star-Searcher. Star-Searcher: You are right. Thank
you. I just have to strive more towards establishing and maintaining a consistent
level of joy. Surely beauty has to be a great key in all this striving.
Experience: Yes, Star-Searcher, for as it has been said before … .
Star-Searcher: Wait! Don’t tell me! “Through beauty we conquer”. Right?
Experience: You have it! Now, Star-Searcher, carry it in your heart forever and
use it always and everywhere.

PETAL #044

Questions On Beauty 601 to 700

601. Who will learn the science of beauty?
602. Who will accurately apply the science of beauty for the greatest good for himself, his family,
     his friends, his city, his country, and Humanity?
603. Why can beauty help me?
604. How can I help beauty?
605. Do beautiful products sell better than not so beautiful products of equal value or capability?
606. Is there a science of beauty?
607. Who practices the science of beauty?
608. What, if any, are the discoveries of the science of beauty?
609. Having received two gifts, one beautiful and one not so beautiful, which one would have
     the most lasting impression?
610. Is beauty connected with the “latest fashion”, (Can it be)?
611. How will I know if I am improving while on The Path of Beauty?
612. Is beauty an illusion to be seen through?
613. What beauty am I willing to create in life?
614. Who can show me the way to adorn my life with beauty?
615. How deeply can beauty help me to transform my character — feeling deep? — thought
     deep? — Soul deep?
616. Can I intentionally adorn my personality with beauty like an architect can adorn a building
     with beauty, or like an interior decorator can adorn a room with beauty?
617. What would be the purpose of adorning my life with beauty?
618. How has my life been changed by beauty?
619. What beauty have I created in life?
620. What beauty can I create in life?
621. Why is beauty the fastest on-ramp to The High Way of life?
622. How can I find The Path Of Beauty?
623. Who has not experienced beauty?
624. Can beauty mask deception?
625. Can deception mask beauty?
626. How can I use beauty as a tool to overcome a lack of beauty in my work environment?
627. What would be the result if I did use beauty as a tool to overcome the lack of beauty in my
     work environment?
628. Can there be beauty without respect?
629. Is there a way of holding on to beauty?
630. When there is so much beauty in the world should a person attempt to hold on to a
     particular beauty which may only be temporary?
631. What is the beauty in a higher Power?
632. Can a work situation dictate a lack of beauty in my work day? (Why)?
633. Is there such a thing as a false beauty?
634. What is false beauty?
635. Is there beauty in planning to preserve beauty (such as a smoke detector in an art
     museum)?
636. Would one individual’s definition of beauty be the same as the next individual’s definition of
     beauty?
637. Can beauty be invisible?
638. How would you describe the beauty in a rose?
639. What is the difference in feeling between beauty and the potential of beauty?
640. Why is there beauty at all — how come everything is not just ugly?
641. What is the most pleasant reminder of beauty?
642. Is beauty only skin deep?
643. Is beauty necessary to establish a loving relationship?
644. Is beauty necessary to maintain a loving relationship?
645. Who sets the standard of beauty?
646. Why do many people use other people’s standards of beauty as their own?
647. Why do many people think that beauty is synonymous with youth?
648. Is there a stronghold of beauty?
649. Is there a guardian of beauty?
650. Is there a caretaker of beauty?
651. Can the duration of a beautiful feeling be extended naturally?
652. How can the duration of a beautiful feeling be extended naturally?
653. Can the duration of a beautiful feeling be extended with thought?
654. How can the duration of a beautiful feeling be extended with thought?
655. What is the beauty in labor?
656. How can labor be made beautiful?
657. Who can make labor beautiful?
658. What is the first step towards beautiful labor?
659. Is it reasonable to say that since most of us have to work that we might as well do it in
     beauty and enjoy it?
660. What is the effect of beautiful labor?
661. Since joy is so connected with beauty, does beautiful labor lead to joyful labor?
662. What is the function of beauty in hospitals?
663. What is the value to science of a book of questions on beauty?
664. What is the value to art of a book of questions on beauty?
665. What is the value to research of a book of questions on beauty?
666. What is the value to psychology of a book of questions on beauty?
667. What is the value to mystical study of a book of questions on beauty?
668. What is the value to philosophy of a book of questions on beauty?
669. What is the value to business of a book of questions on beauty?
670. What is the value to religious study of a book of questions on beauty?
671. What is the value to education of a book of questions on beauty?
672. What is the value to poetry of a book of questions on beauty?
673. What is the value to the design industry of a book of questions on beauty?
674. Can beauty help us to push back the borders of ignorance?
675. Is there a place in science for beauty?
676. What is beauty’s function at supper time?
677. Why does a beautifully prepared supper in a beautiful atmosphere aid digestion?
678. Can a beautifully designed office contribute to efficiency?
679. Is there beauty in the planting of a rose bush?
680. In a rose bud do we also sense the possibility of the beauty of a full blown rose?
681. What are the individual names of the rungs in the ladder leading to beauty?
682. If I made beauty my ship, what would I make my rudder?
683. Can a person feel lonely in a search for beauty, or is beauty the end of loneliness?
684. Is an unwavering, unconquerable desire for beauty needed for success in the search for
     beauty? (Why)?
685. Does the search for beauty begin with a search for a teacher of beauty, or does one attract
     a teacher during the search for beauty? (WHY)?
686. Is there a leavening for beauty?
687. Is there a mandalla for beauty?
688. Is there a specific prayer for beauty? (What is it)?
689. Is there a mantra for beauty?
690. Is there a specific meditation for beauty?
691. What is the most significant seed-thought for beauty?
692. Should a search for beauty start with a reverence for the source of all beauty?
693. Is good health necessary for the search for beauty like good health is necessary to climb a
     mountain?
694. What role does beauty play in the process of creativity?
695. Can beauty solve the problem of the artist?
696. What role does beauty play in the application of creativity?
697. In what way does beauty lead to joy?
698. How can beauty be of service in the armed services?
699. Do birds, at times, communicate through the beauty of their various plumages, especially in
     attracting mates?

PETAL #045
S a y i n g s 1 9 0 t o 2 1 6

190. True knowledge is an eternal flower of great beauty; use it well, and you live well; misuse it,
     and you command it to misuse you.
191. Anything other than unity is not unity.
192. Fine music is a bridge to beauty.
193. Whenever we shine our hearts on the mist of our moods, a rainbow fills our sky.
194. Precise knowledge requires precise observation.
195. The trustworthy, by their sincerity, (their lack of deception) demonstrate their
     trustworthiness.
196. When will we radiate enough joy to compensate for the countless mindless moments of our
     conscious existence?
197. A pen in the hand of a good person can be a tonic for civilization.
198. How beautiful is the flower of joy in the vase of World-Culture.
199. Knowing the rose thorn points down, never pull up on the stem. (Close observations limit
     painful encounters). – C.O.L.P.E. –
200. An appeal to the base nature of man is a thrust at the heart of Humanity.
201. The uncalm generate confusion.
202. Beauty manifests in the calm.
203. If we look closer then we may see more.
204. Joy is our greatest defense.
205. To virtue, as to a bright red berry, the wings of beauty fly.
206. On our winter scene, purple in the snow, the promise of crocus.
207. Sincerity breeds trust.
208. Reach out with love.
209. Patience is a stepping stone to health.
210. Sometimes the bridge of communications is washed out by the flash flood of unfulfilled
     desire.
211. In the next second we can reconsider things in the light of additional knowledge, failure to
     do so may lead to pain.
212. Create beauty today, and tomorrow’s sun will shine for you.
213. Compassion is a bridge to love.
214. Knowledge is only one side of the coin of success, the other side is no-deception.
215. Trust is not gained with deception.
216. Our reaction to what is presented to us forms the quality of our future.

PETAL #046

Why Is Beauty The Realm Of The Heart?

It is my understanding that beauty is the realm of the heart because beauty is the
vibrational guardian of the heart. Some people are too busy thinking negative
thoughts and thus creating negative feelings and actions, to ever be involved with
the cultivation of beauty in their lives. The negative ones are not attuned with
beauty. Thus the negative ones do not dwell in the vibrational atmosphere of
beauty.
My brothers and sisters, where is there a better place to conceal a door from the
negative ones than in a vibrational environment of which they cannot approach?
Yes, brothers and sisters, I see the heart as a door — a door only those with the
most complete sincerity can approach — a door only those with the most intense
striving can touch — a door only those who practice the Law of Beauty can open —
a door only those who have made and maintain that joyful attunement with the
Teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light can pass through.
The heart is the door to true brotherhood, which constitutes The Hierarchy of
Light. The Hierarchy of Light leads, through a long series of inseverable vibrational
connections to The Source of all beauty and of all life. Every one carries this door
to true brotherhood within their heart. No one is allowed the true understanding of
that which they carry within their heart until they have attuned their thinking to
beauty. In fact, a negative person would not even be able to read this discourse
without becoming irritable and formulating countless reasons why the
understanding shared here is unadulterated rubbish. For the negative, The Law of
Beauty is non-existent. They can only live in the wild winds of their personal
hurricane created by their own chaotic thoughts, feelings and actions. The calm
beauty of the eye of the hurricane is unknown to them by design. (If it were
otherwise, they would only misuse the power which accompanies the passing
through of the door of the heart.) The vibrations of beauty block the deceptive
ones and encourage those striving to maximize their sincerity, especially those
who are intensely striving to attain the most complete sincerity.

the spiral stairway

To step on to the Path of Beauty is to place yourself on the first step in a vast
spiral stairway of beauty which ends at the door of the heart. Each step is
composed of a certain range of vibrations. The traveler on The Path of Beauty is
continually adjusting to higher rates of vibrations as the spiral stairway is
ascended. No one can run up the stairs, or skip stairs, without getting dizzy and
disorientated and falling back to the vibrational level which their personal level of
discernment has locked them into. Thus beauty blocks out the curiosity seekers. It
blocks out those hungry for power. It blocks out the negative ones who ever try to
attack as well as infiltrate the abode of light.
On this spiral stairway of beauty the sincere and striving Initiate is constantly
watched over by the Teacher of Beauty, who, through The Law of Beauty, protects
and guides each Initiate. The negative ones are, by all means available to them,
quick to challenge the value of beauty, the Initiate on The Path of Beauty

cherishes each beautiful thought, each beautiful feeling, and each beautiful action
as seeds for a magnificent garden of loveliness.
The following are selected definitions which seemed most appropriate to beauty
being a vibrational threshold leading to the heart. (Webster’s 7th New Collegiate
Dictionary).

1. Beauty: [L. Bonus, good]
   a. The quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives
   pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit: loveliness.
   b. A graceful, ornamental, or excellent quality that contributes to beauty.
2. Beautiful: Applies to whatever excites the keenness of pleasure to the senses
   and stirs emotion through the senses.
3. Lovely: is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional
   excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.
4. Fair: suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.
   5 Keen:
   1) Having a fine edge or point
   2) Showing a quick and ardent
   responsiveness
   3) of emotion or feeling intense
   4) slang: wonderful; excellent.
   5) extremely sensitive in perception (as in
   eyesight).
   Now substituting for keen in our definition of beautiful we have:
   Whatever excites the [most intense] pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion

through the senses is beautiful.

What is the vibratory range of the [most intense] pleasure to the senses and
interpreted by us as beautiful? The more refined the instance of beauty the greater
is the potential, (in degrees), response of joy. Such is The Law of Beauty. The
higher the step we occupy in the spiral stairway of beauty, the higher will be our
personal vibratory range, (within the general vibratory range of beauty), with which
we interpret pleasure to the senses. The higher we are the more refined and
intense is the degree of joy which we experience.

PETAL #047

T h e A m u s e m e n t P a r k (Poem)

January.
The white beams
of the Santa Cruz
roller coaster
hold a calm track.
The coaster rests
at the brake station.
There is no crowd
at the ticket booth
waiting to ride.
The sun is warm.
The boardwalk is empty,
and I am unhurried now.
My mind is a maze of white beams.
The track is an old habit pattern.
The coaster is a dominant attitude.
The passengers are emotions
that thrive on every
twist and plunge.
Mood is the brakeman
that stops and starts
the action.
Confusion is the ticket taker,
and I sit on a bench
on the boardwalk —
watching the show.
And it is not
a one night stand,
or season.
For a generation and a half
I’ve watched the coaster
climb and plunge.
My life is a maze of white beams.
Pleasure is the coaster
that carries me
on the track of my desires.
Choice is my brakeman
that stops and starts
the action.
Experience is the ticket taker,

and I sit on a bench
on the boardwalk of my life —
watching the show.
And it is not
a one man show,
or one generation.
History is a maze of white beams.
Fear is the coaster
that carries us
on the track of ignorance.
Hope is the brakeman
that stops and starts
the action.
Promise is the ticket taker,
and God
sits on a bench
on the boardwalk
of the universe —
watching the show.

PETAL #048
BEAUTY-GRAM #8

WHAT IS JOY FOR THE FUTURE?

“When joy for the future lives in the heart, then each impediment is merely a step
for ascent.”
Fiery World 3, #239
What is joy for the future? Since joy is a synonym for happiness the question can
also be what is happiness for the future?
Someone is usually happy or joyful because something particular which that
person considered a happy or joyful event occurred in her/his life.
Now joy for the future is not a particular like a new toy or house etc. Joy for the
future is all inclusive with respect to everything which occurs beyond the next
instant.
In the next instant the “now”, which we call the present, changes category to the
past.
To have a genuine, consistent joy for the future is not to be indifferent toward the
future.
It is not to dread the future.
It is not to have a hopelessness for the future.
Joy for the future is an attitude towards the future. It is an attitude of looking
forward and welcoming the future with a feeling of happiness.
Let us ask why someone would hold such an attitude of joyfully welcoming the
future?
No one, in their right mind, would welcome the future if they thought it would be
full of pain and sorrow.
No one would joyfully welcome the future if they thought that the future would
bring them to places, people and situations which are not desired or wanted.
Thus only that person can look joyfully toward the future who believes that she/he
has a meaningful part to play in a future which matches up with their desires for
the future.

At this point someone might say that under those conditions a criminal would look
joyfully toward the future based on her/his desires for the future and a meaningful
part to play in the future of the criminal world.
Yes, this is possible. Even a criminal can joyfully look forward to the future.
Not too many negative people, however, can hold a consistently joyful outlook for
the future.
If a person’s desires are aligned with the Masters desires for selfless service to
humanity, then no matter what the future held, the person’s joy for the future would
be undiminished. In fact it would be strengthened with a greater understanding of
the Master’s plan for that service.
Let us ask, in which centers will this joy for the future live? Will it live in our lower
centers, or in our higher centers? Consciousness is in all of our centers, yet the
individual is predominately working from one of them. Thus we all are not dwelling
on the exact same level of consciousness.
The heart center is powerful and a great place to find joy. Beauty is the realm of
the heart center. Since beauty leads to joy, we can expect to find more joy in more
aspects of the life of the individual who dwells in the heart center than in the life of
those who dwell in the other centers.
Thus a joyful attitude toward the future combined with the power of the heart
center helps us transmute obstacles into stepping stones for future achievement.
How then do we cultivate this joy for the future within our heart center? The same
way we achieve anything else in life — we strive for it. We ask within. We use the
tools that have been given to us.
Imagine for a moment what the quality of life would be like if we cultivated the
heart in the striving for the creation of a joyful future not only for ourselves, but for
humanity as well.

PETAL #052

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #8

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
BEAUTY AND THOUGHT?

Star-Searcher: How can I know the beauty of the true nature of a person?
Experience: “To the testing there may be added a question that even a child can
be asked.” [Leaves of Morya’s Garden 2, page 224]
Star-Searcher: That sounds like the tool I’ve been looking for. What is the
question?
Experience: “What do you consider of the utmost importance right now? [Leaves
2, p 224]
Star-Searcher: Why will this question be useful?
Experience: “Understanding the train of thought, one can recognize the true
nature according to the reply.” [Leaves 2, p 224]
Star-Searcher: Is that the wisest, most co-measured, test to determine the level
of consciousness in an individual?
Experience: No. There is another test that is considered the wisest test of all.
Star-Searcher: Is it hard to apply?
Experience: No. It is quite easy to apply, and, when done well, it can be very
entertaining.
Star-Searcher: Well, that sounds like fun. What is it?
Experience: “It is the favorite game of Buddha with disciples in moments of
relaxation, where in the Teacher threw into space a single word upon which the
disciples constructed an entire thought. There is no wiser test of the state of
consciousness.” [Leaves 2, p 244]
Star-Searcher: Thank you. That sure sounds simple and effective. Hmmm.
Experience: Yes?
Star-Searcher: That test. It really singles out a person’s thoughts as an indicator
of the level of personal growth on the Path.
Experience: Therefore?

Star-Searcher: Well it makes the quality of thought the focal point of our progress
on the Path of Beauty.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Perhaps I should be asking you about the importance of thought
on the Path of Beauty.
Experience: It appears you just learned that, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Hmmm. Your right. Maybe I should be asking about the
characteristics of thought.
Experience: Characteristics, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Yes. You know. What is thought, or what are the effects of
thought?
Experience: OK. Let’s take one at a time shall we?
Star-Searcher: Wait!
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: I’ve got it!
Experience: What’s that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: The question, I’ve got it clear in my mind now.
Experience: Let’s have it, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: What is the relationship between beauty and thought?
Experience: Excellent! Shall we begin?
Star-Searcher: Yes. Let’s do it!
Experience: Shall we begin with the sense of sight?
Star-Searcher: Huh? The sense of sight?
Experience: Beauty does give pleasure to the senses. Does it not Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well yes, but … .
Experience: There’s that but again. Go ahead Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Are you saying that thoughts have color?
Experience: Thoughts do manifest color, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: They do?

Experience: Yes Star Searcher, they do.
Star-Searcher: Come on, your kidding me!
Experience: “Open minded scholars know that by a single fleeting thought the
entire aura is physically colored. The thought may seem to be absolutely secret,
yet it has in effect a physical color, scientifically ascertained.” [Leaves 2, p 214,
215]
Star-Searcher: You know, I have seen pictures in books on parapsychology. They
were taken with a special type of camera invented by a man named Kirlian.
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher. Kirlian photography has been in use for several
to many decades now. Perhaps some day it will be used to demonstrate how the
ray is physically formed.
Star-Searcher: Ray? What ray? Wait a minute, what does a ray have to do with
the relationship between beauty and thought?
Experience: Thank you for asking, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: “There is thought which leads inwardly, leaving the surface of the
spirit unruffled, and there is also thought which flies into space as a projectile,
carrying an explosive charge. A ray accompanies the flying bullet. Every spirit
knows when thought flies like a boomerang. It is especially desirable that the
thought be tinted by one’s own color.” [Leaves 2, p 59]
Star-Searcher: It is? How can I tint my thoughts with my own color?
Experience: “It is only opened nerve centers that do not give color to the thought,
leaving it enwrapped in the color of the person; and then true individuality has
begun.” [Leaves 2, p 59]
Star-Searcher: Why is that? Why has true individuality begun only with opened
nerve centers?
Experience: “Instead of the thought’s being colored by its contents, the whole
sending is permeated by the color of the individuality. Thus is the ray physically
formed. [Leaves 2, p 59]
Star-Searcher: Do you mean that a thought in space can indicate its author by its
color?
Experience: “The presence of inner spirituality illumines the thought by the color
of the aura, but if the thought is a base one it burns under the ray. Thus there
results not only a testing of thought, but also a disinfection of space.” [Leaves 2, p
78, 79]
Star-Searcher: Do any nerve centers open by themselves like flowers in the sun,
or do I have to do something to open them?

Experience: “What cleanses the spirit more thoroughly than the thoughts about
the welfare of others? The hypocrisy of thoughts is an obstacle to the attainment
of communion in spirit. … Achievement is born of pure thoughts. One has to
remember this. One must avoid confused thoughts.” [Leaves 2, p 181,183]
Star-Searcher: But … .
Experience: “One may imagine, [Star Searcher], how a ray penetrates the space
and finds wonderful treasures as well as little red and orange fires, which are like
criminal poisoners. Why then not purify the layers above earth, even to the eye
they are of a smoky orange color?” [Leaves 2, p 79-80]
Star-Searcher: But how did you know I was going to ask that type of question?
Ah that’s right. You have known many travelers on this Path of Beauty, and our
questions must sound similar after a while.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: But, still, all this talk about infection and space has me a bit
uncomfortable. Is it really true? Can space be infected?
Experience: Someday you will demonstrate it to yourself, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: But in the mean time what is the best disinfectant?
Experience: “The best thing is to destroy the germs of base thoughts, which are
more infectious than all diseases. One should be careful not so much about
uttered words as about thoughts. During one word ten thoughts are born.” [Leaves
2, p 79-80]
Star-Searcher: Really now, does a person have to be that careful about
thoughts?
Experience: “Actually, thought creates beyond the earthly limits. Therefore, learn
to govern the thoughts.” [Leaves 2, p 134]
Star-Searcher: So thoughts really are things after all, even the subtle thoughts.
Experience: “The sower of thought gathers the harvest.” [Leaves 2, p 142]
Star-Searcher: Well, just how careful must I be about my thoughts?
Experience: “I urge you to sharpen thought like a sword.” [Leaves 2, p 161]
Star-Searcher: If all this is true about thoughts, then I can just imagine the kind of
thoughts I think when I am sad. You know what I mean?
Experience: “Gloom, [Star Searcher], can be dispersed by changing the direction
of thoughts. Not words but the runners of thought weave the aura.” [Leaves 2, p
98]
Star-Searcher: But surely a small thought isn’t going to be of any harm. Is it?
Experience: “Expel small thoughts, they are stifling to Us, [The Hierarchy Of
Light].” [Leaves 2, p 120]

Star-Searcher: Well, if small thoughts are non-beneficial, and I am not a super
genius, then what kind of thoughts are best for me to think?
Experience: “One must think about the world and manifest practical thoughts.
[Leaves 2, p 98]
Star-Searcher: Can you explain that a bit more please?
Experience: “Each useful thought finds approval. A stroke upon the string calls
forth a consonance. A clear and courageous formulation of thought is very useful.”
[Leaves 2, p 70]
Star-Searcher: Please tell me more about this. Is there any particular way that is
best to “think about the world”, in order to “manifest practical thoughts”?
Experience: “… Emphasize the beauty of the firmament and link it with thoughts
about the future.” [Leaves 2, p 181-183]
Star-Searcher: Thanks. That sounds pretty easy to do right?
Experience: Learn it well Star Searcher, learn it well.

PETAL #050

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 7 0 1 t o 8 0 0

701. It has been said that, Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, can the same idea apply to
     beauty?
702. Is the most beauty found in mind or in Nature?
703. Which is more rewarding, two dimensional or three dimensional beauty?
704. Is it easier for an artist to search for beauty than another type of person, (Why)?
705. Is there beauty in political power?
706. What role does beauty play in leadership?
707. What role can beauty play in leadership?
708. What is the ideal role of beauty in leadership?
709. What is the role of beauty in architecture?
710. What is the joy of beauty?
711. Can I apply the joy of beauty for the common good?
712. How can I fully understand the joy of beauty?
713. How will my life change for the better when I fully understand the joy of beauty?
714. How will other people change toward me when I fully understand the joy of beauty?
715. What is the beauty of joy?
716. What is the role of beauty in hope?
717. Is beauty one of the main ingredients of a hope?
718. What is the role of beauty in the moment of fulfillment of a hope?
719. Where can I start to look for the beauty within me?
720. What aspect of me is most affected by beauty?
721. What aspect of Humanity is most effected by Beauty?
722. What is most affected by beauty in the world?
723. What is the foundation of beauty?
724. How do I practice beauty?
725. What role does harmony play in beauty?
726. Does beauty depend on harmony?
727. Can harmony be defined in terms of beauty?
728. Can beauty be defined in terms of harmony?
729. Why is beauty not restricted to just one sense such as hearing?
730. Is there beauty beyond those vibrations which our five senses can detect and which at
     present we use machines to detect for us, (Are these machines programmed to detect the
     beauty which exists in these other levels of vibration)?
731. Are we responsible for our appreciation of beauty?
732. Does appreciation of beauty begin with respect and end with reverence, (Why)?
     733, What constitutes the foundation of our respect for beauty?
733. Why do most of us respect beauty?
734. Does everyone respect beauty, (Why)?
735. Where does our respect for beauty begin?
736. Can respect for beauty be cultivated to a maximum?
737. Is it an act of wisdom to encourage a child to cultivate a respect and love for beauty?
738. Is it given man to know the mechanics of beauty, or is it only given man to cultivate a
     respect and love for beauty?
739. How can I get closer to beauty?
740. In order to get closer to beauty must I weed my garden of personality of all those attitudes
     which hold me back from getting closer to beauty?
741. Can I use beauty and joy to help me weed all those attitudes which hold me back from
     getting closer to beauty?
742. Can my heart teach me how to get closer to beauty?
743. Is beauty an aspect of God?
744. Is beauty an attribute of The Source of all Life?
745. Do two hearts know more about beauty than one heart, (Why)?
746. Why do we turn to the heart in order to approach beauty?
747. Will I find The Teacher of Beauty waiting at the doorway of my heart?
748. How active is beauty in the world?
749. How active is beauty in my country?
750. How active is beauty in my state?
751. How active is beauty in my city?
752. How active is beauty in my town?
753. How active is beauty in my neighborhood?
754. How active is beauty in my family?
755. How active is beauty in me?
756. To what extent do I allow beauty in my life?
757. To what extent do I allow beauty in my family?
758. To what extent do I create beauty in my life?
759. To what extent do I create beauty in my family?
760. To what extent do I create beauty in my neighborhood?
761. To what extent do I create beauty in my town?
762. To what extent do I create beauty in my city?
763. To what extent do I create beauty in my state?
764. To what extent do I create beauty in my country?
765. To what extent do I create beauty in the world?
766. Do I honor beauty?
767. Do we honor beauty as individuals, groups, or nation states?
768. Do I respect beauty?
769. When will I honor beauty?
770. In what way can I honor beauty?
771. In what ways can beauty be honored?
772. Can beauty be honored?
773. Why should beauty be honored?
774. What is the first step to honoring beauty?
775. What is the first step to respecting beauty?
776. Is it necessary to first respect beauty before we can honor it?
777. Is a serious search for beauty respected in the world?
778. Is restlessness a destroyer of beauty? (Why)?
779. Is impudence a destroyer of beauty?
780. Is impatience a stepping stone to beauty?
781. Why is irritation, (a hole in our spiritual armor), an obstacle to beauty?
782. Can meanness lead to beauty? (Why)?
783. Which kind of beauty, if any, is perennial?
784. Is beauty profound?
785. Is beauty perfection?
786. Why is beauty profound?
787. Why is beauty perfection?
788. What place is there for profanity, (foul language), in our search for beauty?
789. Do spirals have a role to play in beauty?
790. Is beauty always in motion?
791. Is beauty static?
792. Does beauty have inertia?
793. How does “G” force, (gravitational pull), affect our appreciation of beauty at the moment of
     its pull?
794. How can a death in the family affect our appreciation of beauty at the moment of its notice?
795. How can personal suffering affect our appreciation of beauty at the moment of suffering?
796. How does camping affect our sense of beauty?
797. How does a vital transplant, (such as a heart transplant), affect our appreciation of beauty?
798. How does the loss of a limb affect our appreciation of beauty?
799. How does working a lot of overtime affect our appreciation of beauty?

PETAL #051

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #1

PROTECTION 101

It sounds silly and melodramatic when I reflect upon it, but the picture of an old
western shoot-out is really the best image I can come up with.
The first time I realized that someone had psychically attacked me was back in the
early 70s in Central California. I was walking home on a late Sunday afternoon
and passed a certain apartment house. Suddenly I felt a drain of energy. I was so
week that I had to stop and lean against a tree for about twenty minutes. Then I
observed a young man in his mid twenties glancing at me from one of the
apartment windows. I thought nothing of it — just some one wondering what was
going on.
This draining of energy happened several times more in various locations of my
neighborhood — street, stores, etc.. I noticed that this same person was present
each time it occurred.
In my studies at that time of my life, I was starting to learn about tuning in with the
Higher for knowledge and protection. Tuning in with the Higher for knowledge was
for me quite understandable and worth pursuing; however, I had no conception
why the studies taught about protection on the path. (Didn’t the Higher just
automatically protect us?)
But in the light of the recent experience, I decided that now was the time to give
this study of protection my warmest attention. I obviously was the one who had to
apply the teaching of protection, not the Higher.
The next time I saw this person, I mentally began attuning with the Higher for
protection — (Like I was tuning into a station on a radio). I calmly went about my
business of walking home. I could feel, what was now a very familiar feeling). It
was an attempt to drain my energies. But this time it was completely neutralized.
We never spoke a word. I just walked on and went quietly home. I did, however
give it a great deal of thought. Was this a fluke, or did the technique of attunement
for protection really work?
Well, I didn’t stay in doubt for very long. Dozens of times in the near future I had
the opportunity to use the attunement technique. After a while, I realized that by
being vigilant, observing that person first, and attuning with the Higher, the attack
was always neutralized.
Believe it or not, I am grateful today for that misguided brother’s ignorant abuse of
energies towards me, for no text book or class room could have taught me better
or more efficiently than this encounter with a brother of the shadow.

But what, (you may well ask), if it isn’t as simple an encounter as a gunfight in an
old western, where both people saw each other in the street and went for it? What
if the source of the attack is invisible and unknown to me?
On this, experience did not keep me waiting. But that is a story for another time.

PETAL #049

S a y i n g s 2 1 7 t o 2 4 3

217. Intolerance is an on-ramp to pain.
218. A warm heart is a stepping stone to inner beauty.
219. Like the cat in the tree, getting caught up in the chase can leave us

in an awkward place.

220. The calm generate beauty.
221. Sincerity, our inner sun, rises in the land of no-deception.
222. Wisdom, an ancient bridge, watches the river.
223. The treasury of quality thoughts pays a hourly dividend.
224. Quality thoughts are the mother of happiness.
225. The source of quality is a heart striving for perfection.
226. Every successful lie contains enough truth to make it believable.
227. To beautify is to Godify.
228. Love is the wisest thing to do.
229. The appreciation of beauty leads to joy.
230. Joy is our most important vital sign.
231. Access to beauty is as easy as the recollection of a beautiful sunset.
232. A truly beautiful thought is like a rainbow. We pause to observe it. We drink
     it in. We store it against a future gray sky.
233. Beauty is a shock absorber.
234. The warrior of Light sharpens the sword of discernment.
235. Beyond earth’s clear blue sky the stars are shinning.
236. Joy is the daughter of beauty.
237. Beauty is the plant, joy is the flower.
238. From the color of Fall to the flowers of spring, Nature sings her song of
     beauty.
239. There, in the garden of the heart, we prepare the ground for a seed of Light.
240. The teacher’s patience must be greater than the student’s frustration.
241. Whether it be starting a campfire by focusing the sun’s rays with a
     magnifying glass; storing its power in a solar cell; multiplying its power
     through a jewel, modulating it over a telephone line; or separating it into the
     colors of the rainbow; the content and application of Light will continue to
     mold the future of Mankind.
242. The heat of light can warm our homes, the heat of love can warm our hearts.
243. Our thoughts are the most frequent travelers of the universe.

PETAL #053
A s k F o r I t !

(Can We Request Greater Knowledge
And Understanding Of The Path Of Beauty?)

The Teacher of Beauty has agreed to impart such knowledge and is now leading
an initiate of The Path Of Beauty through a most interesting forest known as the
forest of pleasure and pain.
(Here it is that dwellers of the forest can attempt to satisfy every desire and learn
through experience only that indiscriminate desiring always leads to pain.) As they
pass through the forest everywhere our initiate sees manifestations of
intemperance. Here several men have fallen into a deep ditch and hopelessly
attempt to help each other out. Each of them are three sheets to the wind, or as
some would say drunker than a skunk.
Now they pass a group who have been incited to a bloody riot over the last Mr.
Goodbar at the local trading post. Excess of food and drink are only part of this
forest scene. Everywhere there are examples of excess, and everywhere there
are examples of deficiency. Drugs are rampant. Faces are etched with the
bitterness of injustice, and the remorse of imprudence. Everywhere lack of
observation fathers lack of discernment, and in turn, lack of discernment severely
limits possibilities.
Personal fears open doors to negativity, and irritation invites imperil to creep
along the nerve channels and slowly destroy the outer sheaths, and thus the
nervous system itself. Hours turn into days of observation, as the Teacher of
Beauty leads our fellow initiate through the forest of pleasure and pain. Finally
they come to a clearing. Before them flows the Impassable, a poisonous river
presently running red from a power struggle between two leaders of the forest.
Our initiate, now looking up and down the river asks the Teacher of Beauty why
they are stopping at the river bed, certainly they couldn’t touch, never mind drink
the waters of the impassable. Our initiate now looks up. An unbelievably huge yet
magnificently beautiful unsupported bridge is gleaming and sparkling overhead in
the sun from the gold and precious gems it is composed of. The bridge is
suspended in mid air. Master look! Look, its a bridge! Look it’s moving down
toward us. Look! Master look!

The Warrior of Light

The Teacher of beauty calmly waits until the bridge settles into place. He points to
the warrior at the entrance to the bridge. The warrior is wearing ruby red spiritual
armor, and glows as if she is generating her own light. The Teacher of Beauty now
points to the path leading to the bridge. The path begins at the forest edge where
it is very wide, then narrows severely as it approaches the warrior at the bridge
entrance. An inharmonious noise at the beginning of the path catches the
attention of our fellow initiate. Two men, ornately dressed, wearing crowns, and
brandishing swords stepped out of the forest and onto the path.

They have been drinking. Not far behind them in the forest are their courtesans.
Our initiate thinks that they are the two leaders who had started the recent war for
personal gain, which caused much unhappiness, and dyed the river red. The two
are allies now. They have teemed up against the less powerful south side of the
forest. They approach the bridge and demand that the warrior let them pass, for
they would cross to the other side. The warrior observes their auras and warns
them that if they attempt to pass, she could not guarantee their safety.
They ignore her warning and arrogantly approach. one of them confidently
speaks of how he personally will rule the entire forest. The other leader, hearing
this and taking offense, strikes his ally with his sword. They viciously attack each
other, and now their blood is adding to the color of the impassable river, which has
already devoured their crowns and their swords. Not a trace of them now remains.
This awesome spectacle does not; however, discourage the countless others who
have since lined up at the forest edge at the path. Most of them are rough looking
and ragged. Some are as sly as a fox. Some are naive. Yet all of them are capable
of deception.

Focus

They are irritable as their auras blend. Each starts to walk the path to the bridge,
but for one reason or another, each is distracted by a forest thought and quickly
finds himself back on a forest path desiring. The initiate looks at the Teacher of
Beauty, who calmly watches and waits. A man appears at the forest edge and
steps on the path leading to the bridge. His eyes glisten with kindness. His smile
gleams with joy. His aura is sprinkled with countless benevolent possibilities, and
he glows with a light which can only come from incarnations of intense striving to
the accurate application of the spiritual art of no-deception.
Our initiate can’t help himself. Words are flowing on his lips from his heart. With a
sigh we hear, “Master, look! He bares the Light of Sincerity.” The man silently
approaches the Warrior of Light, who solemnly reaches up and plucks a ruby from
its gold setting in the bridge and gives it to the man. The man holds the jewel next
to his heart. The jewel resonates with the fire in the man’s heart, and the vibrations
permeate his aura. The vibrations joined with his solemnity to form a ruby red
armor exactly like the armor which the Warrior of Light is wearing. The Warrior of
Light speaks calmly as follows:
There is heart.
There is Infinity.
There is a Hierarchy of Light.
The Hierarchy of Light connects the initiate, through his heart, with Infinity.
With beauty and joy in your heart, and your teacher as a guide, strive-on!”
The man crosses the bridge as solemnly as he approached it. The Teacher of
Beauty now examines the contents of our initiate’s heart to determine whether or
not he has learned what he requested to learn. The Teacher of Beauty finds a
treasure chest in the initiate’s heart and opens it. The chest contains a scroll and a
picture. The scroll reads like this.

1. Discernment opens our door to possibilities.
2. We become grateful for our possibilities, and, in turn, are healed by our own
   gratitude vibrations.
3. Only sincerity can bring fire to light the candle of striving.
4. With the light of sincerity we search for knowledge.
5. Knowledge helps us to create our future and strive for love.
6. Love knows how to sacrifice And uses that power to aid in attunement with the
   Teacher of Beauty, which, in turn, leads to happiness.
7. The Teacher of Beauty is our connection with The Hierarchy of Light.
8. The Hierarchy of Light is our connection with Infinity.
   The Teacher of Beauty finds a small phrase at the bottom of the scroll.It states
   Strive-on! The Teacher of Beauty is satisfied by his examination of the contents of
   our fellow initiates heart that our initiate’s request for greater understanding and
   knowledge of the workings of the Path of The Heart is fulfilled.
   The Teacher of Beauty now examines the only other item in the treasure chest —
   the picture. It is in a gold frame. The picture is of the man at the bridge holding the
   jewel next to his heart. On the picture are these words.
   “My heart is my bridge to the Fiery World. Strive-on!”

PETAL #054

D a r k A n d L i g h t Ta l k (Poem)

1. White
   Gull white.
   Between black wing tips,
   the gull skims the water,
   beak to beak.
   The sun
   will not let the gull
   forget.
   The shadow
   chases
   the reflection.
   I look at myself.
   The appearance
   always hid the shadow
   before.
   But I am not flying
   beak to beak,
   nor landing.
   I am taking off.
   My reflection is gone.
   The shadow is far below
   following.
   I tell myself
   I am without it
   when aloft.
   How high
   must I fly
   to free myself
   from this darkness?
   Must the Moon,
   to lose its dark side,
   become a sun?
   And the answer I get
   is that the Sun

does not make
my darkness. —
My thoughts
make my darkness.

2. Now I am a watcher
   of my thoughts.
   The more I watch
   the more I understand.
   I choose
   the thoughts
   I act on.
   I am responsible
   for my choices.
   I am responsible
   for my actions.
   I am responsible
   for my growth.
   I am responsible
   for my Light.
   I am
   responsible.

PETAL #055
BEAUTY-GRAM #9

WHEN WILL THE QUEST FOR JOY BEGIN?

“The increase of sorrows is one of the causes of fiery epidemics, but when
physiology shall teach men about the debilitating consequences of sorrow, the
quest for joy will begin.” Fiery World 1, #298
There are many people in the world who, for what ever reason lower their shields
of joy (happiness) in order to identify with sorrow.
They think it is perfectly all right to do this and walk around without the shield of
protection. Experience will teach them better.
This identification with sorrow is harmful in that it lowers the vibratory rate of the
aura and opens the door to negativity. During this condition we also send out
thoughts of sorrow which infect space and adversely affect those who are open to
sorrow.
The real life condition of sorrow indicates an unknowingness or unawareness of
the consequences of sorrow. Thus the sorrowful one has no working knowledge of
the cause and effect relationship of joy (happiness) and sorrow.
It is prudent to know the wisdom of joy. This wisdom contains a shield against
negativity.
The nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty can serve us here. Humpty’s lack of
discernment and ignorance of cause and effect put him/her is a dangerous
situation. When Humpty experienced the effect of this lack of discernment Humpty
was beyond repair. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put poor
Humpty Dumpty back together again.
We on the path have learned that these tales can many times conceal one or
more great truths. It is a form of education for children, who at that age couldn’t
understand an adult explanation of that truth.
In this tale, discernment is the great truth. Somewhere along the line a person
makes the error of listening to unwise counsel — bad advice. When the person
puts this bad advice into everyday use in the world, and thus suffers the karmic
effects of the bad advice, those who gave the bad advice do not have the wisdom
and experience to put the person back together so that he/she can be happy
(balance, harmonious) again.
We see this daily in our everyday living. The newspapers and magazines are full
of the effects on undiscerning ones who have lowered their auric shield based on

imprudent notions their friends or leaders were expounding. Lack of discernment
is a painful way to live.
In addition to being at painful effect, the undiscerning one usually passes on this
bad advice which contains imprudent attitudes and behavior. Thus the
undiscerning one sows more karmic effects for him/herself to reap in the future —
more sorrow until the lesson is learned.
We can help each other out of our self made miseries when we attain the working
knowledge (a degree of mastery) of joyfulness (synonym of happiness). We can
learn how to create happiness, how to maintain happiness and how to help others
with our happiness without lowering our auric shields.
Sorrow makes a very poor master. Who, in their right mind, will go to the sorrowful
one for advice? Who, in their right mind, would go to the sorrowful one for
healing?

PETAL #056

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #9

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF DISCERNMENT
ON THE PATH OF BEAUTY? (PART ONE)

Star-Searcher: Why is the Path of Beauty the Path of the Heart?
Experience: Because “Beauty is the realm of the heart.”
Star-Searcher: It is?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Look, I don’t want to sound like a wise guy, but how do you know
that. How do you know that beauty is the realm of the heart?
Experience: Star Searcher, It is all a matter of discernment.
Star-Searcher: You know, that word comes up a lot in our conversations.
Experience: Yes?
Star-Searcher: Well, What is the value of discernment on the Path of Beauty? I
know we’ve talked about it many times, but I don’t seem to be able to grasp it
firmly enough so that I have ah …
Experience: Something solid to sink your teeth into?
Star-Searcher: Yes. That’s exactly right! Hey! How did you know that? Oh ya,
now I remember. I’m not the first person who ever traveled the Path of Beauty, nor
will I be the last. You’ve observed us all. You know our highs and our lows, our
weaknesses and our strengths. But …
Experience: Yes? I heard that but. What is it Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, sometimes I think that our talk about discernment is too
simple and at other times it is just beyond my grasp. Can you tell me why?
Experience: Listen well, Star Searcher. When we describe discernment the
examples are quite obvious or else they would be non beneficial for the purpose of
learning.
Star-Searcher: That’s right. Some are real obvious, almost like kindergarten stuff.
Experience: Let’s look closer then, shall we?

Star-Searcher: OK. Let’s do it!
Experience: Let’s start right here where we are standing in this beautiful garden.
Is that all right with you?
Star-Searcher: Yes, I am sure it would be more realistic to talk about our
immediate environment than some space station on the other side of the universe.
Experience: OK, Star Searcher, let’s begin by looking at that bush over there.
Star-Searcher: Ah which one? I see three bushes.
Experience: Very good, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: You used your discernment to do what I requested and determined
that you couldn’t follow my instructions to the letter because more information was
needed. Right, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Ah right. I used my discernment?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, you used your sense of sight and discerned that
there was more than one bush in the area.
Star-Searcher: That’s exactly right, but …
Experience: If you hold on to your but and stay with me on this, Star Searcher,
You will learn more about discernment as a tool of the initiate on the Path of
Beauty.
Star-Searcher: OK. I’ll back off and strive to be more cooperative in my learning.
Experience: Thank you Star Searcher. Now the bush that I am referring to is a
rose bush.
Star-Searcher: Ah I see it there on the right. It is about seven feet away from us.
Experience: Now, Star Searcher, what did you do?
Star-Searcher: Huh? What did I do?
Experience: Precisely, Star Searcher, what did you do to determine which one
was the rose bush?
Star-Searcher: You’re kidding, right?
Experience: Star Searcher, strive to think what you did to be able to point out to
me that the rose bush is the one on the right.
Star-Searcher: Well, I looked around and I saw that there were three bushes.

Experience: Go on, Star Searcher, and please understand that you can look at
the rose bush while you are answering.
Star-Searcher: OK. Then I noticed that they were all green, but that the one on
the right has red spots on it. So I figured that it was the rose bush.
Experience: What else did you discern about the rose bush when you observed
it, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: What else did I observe? Hmmm, let me think. Oh ya, it was about
three feet tall and about two feet wide at the top.
Experience: Very good. What else did you discern Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, it was in front of a brick wall about five feet high.
Experience: What else, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: That’s it I guess. That’s all I noticed.
Experience: Star Searcher, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about the
rose bush you are now observing?
Star-Searcher: Sure, fire away!
Experience: How many roses are on the bush?
Star-Searcher: I see four roses.
Experience: Are they light red or dark red?
Star-Searcher: They are more like orange-red.
Experience: Good Star Searcher. Tell me now how wide are the roses open?
Star-Searcher: It looks to me like two are about three inches wide and the others
are not opened yet.
Experience: Star Searcher, are you sharing with me that you really see only two
roses and two rose buds?
Star-Searcher: Ah ya, that’s right, only ah two roses and two buds.
Experience: Star Searcher, what is the height of the largest rose bud?
Star-Searcher: Oh, I’d say about two and one half feet from the ground.
Experience: Not from the ground, Star Searcher. I am referring to the bud only.
What is the height of the bud?
Star-Searcher: Oh. Ah the bud’s height. Hmmm, its about one and a half inches
high.

Experience: Good, Star Searcher. Tell me now, do the two full blown roses look
like they have a high petal count?
Star-Searcher: Petal Count? Ah, yes they do. They look very full like they have
lots of petals in them.
Experience: Now, Star Searcher, how about their fragrance. Can you discern a
fragrance?
Star-Searcher: Oh yes, it is very beautiful.
Experience: Star Searcher, is it a light fragrance or a heavy fragrance?
Star-Searcher: Ah, it is a heavy fragrance.
Experience: Good, Star Searcher, Is it a spicy fragrance?
Star-Searcher: No. Its not spicy. It is more like a sweet fragrance.
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, how many buds do you see?
Star-Searcher: Well I think that I already told you that I see two red buds about
one and a half inches high.
Experience: How many green buds do you see, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Green buds? I don’t see any green buds. Wait! Now I see them.
There are lots of green buds.
Experience: Are all the green buds the same size?
Star-Searcher: No they are different sizes from tiny to about three quarters of an
inch.
Experience: Very good Star Searcher. Tell me now, are the leaves of the rose
bush light green or dark green?
Star-Searcher: They are dark green.
Experience: Are they single stem leaves, Star Searcher, or are they clustered on
one stem?
Star-Searcher: Clusters mostly.
Experience: Are the leaves round, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: No they are pointed at the ends.
Experience: Star Searcher, are the edges of the leaves smooth?
Star-Searcher: No, the edges are jagged. Say, do you mind if I ask a question
here?
Experience: Go ahead, Star Searcher, what is your question?

Star-Searcher: Why are we doing this? I’m feeling kind of silly. You know what I
mean?
Experience: Yes, I do.
Star-Searcher: You do?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Well? Why are we doing this then?
Experience: To understand the value of discernment as a tool of the Initiate on
The Path of Beauty.
Star-Searcher: I don’t get it.
Experience: What don’t you get Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: The value of discernment. All I’ve done is answer your questions
by observing the rose bush.
Experience: Can you tell me now, Star Searcher, how many details of the rose
bush you saw before I asked you questions about it?
Star-Searcher: Oh. Well I guess I don’t remember.
Experience: Strive to remember, Star Searcher. It is important.
Star-Searcher: OK. Well, I saw three bushes. The one on the right had some red
spots on it, so I figured it was the rose bush. It was about seven feet away from
us. It was about three feet tall and two feet wide, and was in front of a brick wall
about five feet high. How’s that?
Experience: How many details is that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Hmmm. Let me count them. The three bushes are one detail. The
red spots are two. The seven foot distance is three. The three foot height is four.
The two foot width is five. The brick wall is six, and the height of the brick wall is
seven. There are seven details in my first description. Pretty good huh?
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, how many details did you discern with
our question and answer session?
Star-Searcher: A lot!
Experience: Strive to count them, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, first there was the number of roses. Second there was the
orange-red color. Right?
Experience: Good, Star Searcher, strive on!

Star-Searcher: The three inch width of the rose is three. The two roses and two
red buds are four. The one and one half inch height of the largest red bud is five.
The number of petals is six. The Fragrance is seven. The heavy fragrance is eight.
The sweet fragrance is nine. The green buds are ten. The various sizes of the
green buds are eleven. The dark green leaves are twelve. The clustered leaves on
one stem is thirteen. The pointed leaves are fourteen. The jagged edges of the
leaves are fifteen. I think that I observed fifteen details by answering your
questions. How’s that?
Experience: Excellent, Star Searcher. Tell me now, how many more details did
you observe with the questions than on your first observation?
Star-Searcher: Well seven from fifteen is eight. I observed eight more details with
the questions than I did on my first observation. But …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: But I wont always have someone around to ask me the questions
right?
Experience: Are you sure, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Oh, I get it. You mean that I could ask myself the questions
and get more details. But …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: How will I know what questions to ask?
Experience: Your best guess Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well I guess I can start by looking closer at the obvious, then ..
Experience: Go on Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Then I can begin to discern what is close to the obvious.
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher. One question can lead to another and detail after
detail will be revealed.
Star-Searcher: Hey, wait a minute. Do you see that?
Experience: What’s that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Look at those other bushes!
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Look. Those bushes have the same color and shape leaves as
the rose bush. They are rose bushes too. Their green buds just haven’t reached
the red bud stage. That’s why there was no red on the other bushes.
Experience: Congratulations, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: But that was really stupid of me not to notice. Right?

Experience: It is all a matter of discernment.
Star-Searcher: But it was stupid!
Experience: Star Searcher, your persistence in labeling the situation as stupid is
similar to your persistence in labeling the other two bushes not rose bushes
because you saw no red on them.
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: It is just a matter of striving to see what exists, then we don’t get into
blaming. See?
Star-Searcher: Oh I see. I think. But …
Experience: There’s that but again. What is it this time Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: But what blocks me from seeing what exists?
Experience: An excellent question. What do you think Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: I don’t know.
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Honest, I have no idea.
Experience: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, now that I know that I can look closer and discern more, I
feel that lack of experience in observation can block me from seeing what exists.
Experience: Very good, Star Searcher. What else?
Star-Searcher: Well I did condemn myself as stupid, and I think that you were
pointing out to me that condemnation prevented me from seeing your answer that,
“It is all a matter of discernment”.
Experience: Very good, Star Searcher. But …
Star-Searcher: “But”! Did I hear you say but? That’s incredible! I never thought
that you would get my bad habits! OK. What is your but?
Experience: You did very well in observing, Star Searcher, but you missed a great
opportunity to prove the practical value of discernment.
Star-Searcher: I did? Oh no, what did I do now?
Experience: Well you see, Yesterday I tied a one hundred dollar bill to the red
rose bush, in hopes that you would discern it and grasp the “value” of discernment
in life.

Star-Searcher: Well, perhaps we should continue to discern the rose bushes.
They are truly delightful to observe. Don’t you think?
Experience: Perhaps another time, Star Searcher, for now it is enough that you
have learned at least one way to increase the quality of your discernment.
Star-Searcher: Ah, excuse me.
Experience: Yes Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Did I hear you say that I learned at least one way to increase the
quality of my discernment?
Experience: Yes, that is correct Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Then that means that there are other ways to learn how to
increase the quality of my discernment.
Experience: precisely Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well? What are we waiting for? Lets go for it?
Experience: Let’s save them for another day, when you have thoroughly
absorbed your rose bush experience.

PETAL #057

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 8 0 1 t o 9 0 0

801. Does a tough guy have an appreciation of beauty?
802. Does a coward have an appreciation of beauty?
803. Does an uncouth person have a sense of beauty?
804. What kind of an appreciation of beauty does an uncultured person have?
805. Can an uncultured person’s sense of beauty be equal to or greater than a cultured person’s
     sense of beauty?
     806 What kind of an appreciation of beauty does an atheist have?
806. What kind of an appreciation of beauty does an agnostic have?
807. What kind of an appreciation of beauty does a man of God have?
808. Can a person be anchored in beauty?
809. What benefit comes from being anchored in beauty?
810. How can I become anchored in beauty?
811. Is it an act of wisdom to become anchored in beauty?
812. What prevents me from becoming anchored in beauty?
813. Where is the beauty in the saying, the ox is slow but the earth is patient?
814. How does being anchored in beauty affect a person’s sense of beauty?
815. In what ways do stories of heroism affect our appreciation of beauty?
816. Why do stories of heroism affect our appreciation of beauty?
817. when will courses on appreciation of beauty ever be taught in schools as courses on
     appreciation of music and art are taught?
818. How does indecision affect our appreciation of beauty?
819. Can beauty be pontificated?
820. Why is it that beauty cannot be pontificated?
821. Can beauty be personified?
822. How could beauty be personified?
823. How does slander affect our appreciation of beauty?
824. How does slander affect our sense of beauty?
825. How does an offensive odor affect our sense of beauty?
826. How does an offensive odor affect our appreciation of beauty?
827. How does an offensive odor affect our sense of beauty through our sense of smell?
828. What do I consider beauty?
829. Why do I consider beauty?
830. When do I consider beauty?
831. Who considers beauty?
832. Where is the best place to consider beauty?
833. Can a serious and sincere search for beauty be conducted by a group, or must it be by
     individuals only?
834. Has anyone ever succeeded in a serious and sincere search for beauty?
835. Can you imagine the quality of the character and personality of a person who was
     successful in a serious and sincere search for beauty?
836. At the point of discovery of beauty what changes would take place in the electromagnetic
     field (aura) of the person?
837. Is a sense of beauty a factor in intelligence?
838. Who is beautiful?
839. What is beautiful?
840. Where can beauty be found?
841. When is the time for beauty?
842. Is the search for beauty for “intellectuals” only?
843. Is courage needed to begin a search for beauty? (How much)?
844. Is courage needed in order to maintain a search for beauty?
845. Is courage needed to succeed in a search for beauty?
846. Is sacrifice needed to begin a search for beauty?
847. Is sacrifice needed in order to maintain a search for beauty?
848. Is sacrifice needed in order to succeed in a search for beauty?
849. Is sincerity needed in order to maintain a search for beauty?
850. Is sincerity needed in order to succeed in a search for beauty?
851. How many searches for beauty are begun each day on the planet Earth?
852. How many on going searches for beauty are being maintained at this moment?
853. How many searches for beauty have succeeded?
854. Can a search for beauty fail?
855. What would constitute failure for a search for beauty?
856. Does everyone benefit who begins a search for beauty?
857. How does a failed search for beauty end?
858. How does a successful search for beauty end?
859. What causes a search for beauty to succeed?
860. What causes a search for beauty to fail?
861. Is there any unexpected reward for beginning a search for beauty?
862. Is there any unexpected reward for conducting a search for beauty successfully?
863. Is there an overseer or caretaker of searches for beauty?
864. Are all searches of beauty logged in somewhere in the Cosmos?
865. What baggage should be made ready for a search for beauty?
866. Should a person take the minimum of things on a search for beauty like the mountain
     climber who knows there is scarce room at the peak?
867. What will I do if I find the essence of beauty?
868. Would I be able to experience the essence of beauty if I find it?
869. Do some searchers of beauty search only outside of themselves for beauty?
870. Do some searchers of beauty search only within themselves for beauty?
871. Do some searchers for beauty search both within and without for beauty?
872. Where do you think the search for beauty should start?
873. Is there a one best way to search for beauty?
874. Is there a one worst way to search for beauty?
875. Can the “too-knowing” argue away the significance of a serious and sincere search for
     beauty and thus never start their own search for beauty?
876. Is there anyone who cannot engage in a serious and sincere search for beauty?
877. Is there anyone who must not engage in a serious and sincere search for beauty?
878. Is there a certain age bracket in the life of a person which is the ideal time to start a serious
     and sincere search for beauty?
879. How would you imagine a serious and sincere search for beauty should be conducted?
880. Would a serious and sincere search for beauty start with a book of questions on beauty?
881. Could a serious and sincere search for beauty start with a book of questions on beauty?
882. Can a city garbage collector begin a serious and sincere search for beauty?
883. Can an undertaker begin a serious and sincere search for beauty?
884. Is there any profession which cannot begin a serious and sincere search for beauty?
885. Can you imagine any benefits of a search for beauty?
886. Can a person get bored with beauty?
887. What expense should a person go to in order to bring beauty into daily living?
888. Is there a special time of day when it is most auspicious to think about beauty?
889. Are persons in professions such as photography, flower gardening, landscaping and
     architecture closer to beauty, or does the business end get in the way of beauty?
890. Who prays for beauty?
891. Who will pray for beauty?
892. Have you ever prayed for beauty?
893. Is there a possibility that people will pray for beauty in the future?
894. What, if any, is the difference between praying for beauty and meditating on beauty?
895. What is the difference between praying for beauty and concentrating on beauty?
896. Why is The Path of Beauty serious?
897. Can any search for beauty be successful if the searcher is not serious?
898. Why does it “sound” contradictory to talk about seriousness of purpose and joy during the
     same search for beauty?

PETAL #058

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #2
WORLD CULTURE THROUGH ATTUNEMENT

More than half a lifetime ago, while attending a New England College, it was
required to take five courses in literature. Upon completion of these, I found myself
quite interested in the subject. This was a few years before I stepped onto the
Path in this incarnation back in 1972.
After my neophyte year, it dawned on me that most, if not all, of the great works in
literature come from either conscious or unconscious attunement with a Cosmic
Master or the Higher Self, (Blessed Guide, Master Within, Solar Angel, etc.).
Depending on the individual’s level of development, this attunement could take
many forms — prayer, visualization, placing the thought upon the heart, etc.
The thought came to me that I should attune first, then begin writing. The
improvement was wonderful.
At first, I tried to share this simple concept with friends and acquaintances who
were struggling to achieve something in the field of writing. Then it dawned on me
that this attunement technique could be used for any cultural striving such as,
painting, architecture, sculpture, music etc..
However, this good and simple advice usually fell on deaf ears. The person
usually jumped right into whatever they were thinking of creating. Rarely did one
remember to visualize or attune first and then begin the project — even those on
the path. Maybe the formula was just too simple. Much later experience taught me
beyond a doubt that because a person knows about something intellectually that
this does not mean they will remember to use it when the time comes.
Did I follow this formula myself? Yes, when I remembered to do it. The longer I am
on the path in this incarnation the more the pain of experience teaches me to
attune first in whatever I do. Thus it is now a habit with me.
An example of this technique in my life is when I worked in a very quiet place with
no one around. Basically I just had to be there. Sort of scarecrow duty.
Well, It came to me that I should keep my mind focused on the Path of Beauty by
striving to do some creative writing. Yes, I attuned with the Master first. It came

that the form of the creative writing would be short wise sayings. This was co-
measured.

I would attune with the Master and request a wise saying that was also beautiful, –

• in perfect co-measurement, and in harmony with the Cosmic Magnet, it is done!
  One of the first sayings that came along was as follows:

Be strong, like the Plum tree in winter, but in your heart cultivate the delicate
beauty of Plum blossoms.
Many sayings came through. Some with wisdom and beauty as above, and some
with wisdom and humor as follows:
Never fly with a pessimist, they have a hole in their balloon!
Some were designed to Teach Agni Yoga such as:
The way of beauty is the way of the heart.
and
Beauty is the switch, joy is the energy.
Soon there were several hundred sayings.
Now when I write an essay I find that one or more sayings fit well in the essay and
I include them, because they add wisdom and beauty to the writing.
These sayings are included in this book for those who might like to have them as
an example of attuning with the Higher First.

PETAL #059
S a y i n g s 2 4 4 t o 2 7 2

244. For a future secured with love and achievement, invest now in Hearts and
     Rainbow Inc.
245. Who will follow their heart out of “The Forest Of Errors”?
246. Sometimes we forget about quality and become trash collectors.
247. I wanted to teach the world a better way, but I learned that I had to teach
     myself first.
248. Sometimes good hurts, but it hurts a whole lot less than bad.
249. Do not be sad to learn that the history of Humanity demonstrates that we kill
     for our ideas and beliefs. Make your knowledge a stepping stone to a greater
     and more joyous patience.
250. The positive ones inspire us to strive for the Common Good. The negative
     ones rule by fear.
251. If you expect a horse to fly, then you only have yourself to blame when it
     doesn’t.
252. Without honesty our deeds are but killing fields covered with new fallen
     snow.
253. The one who truly loves battles within all that is not love. The one who truly
     desires peace battles within all that is not peace. To the subtlest degrees we
     are warriors.
254. The heart is the battlefield of perfection.
255. Real roses with real beetles are less common than real roses with imaginary
     beetles.
256. The bridge between possible and probable is supported by accurate
     observations.
257. Personal sacrifice is a sign of social maturity.
258. Each of us has a season ticket to the on going play between sunrises.
259. On the battlefield of the heart, fallen vices fertilize the beautiful flower of
     Humanity.
260. When you “discover” Mozart, your drumbeat takes on an infinite variety of
     subtle rhythms and melodies.
261. My life has alternated between Blue Chips and blue chirps. When I was
     thinking about money I forgot to feed the birds, and when I was feeding the
     birds I forgot about money.
262. Sometimes a view takes in more of the horizon in winter than in summer.
263. Like a good year, it takes all seasons to make a good man.
264. Definition of job security: Complicate, complicate, complicate.
265. Positive possibilities are exciting.
266. Like shouting at the deaf, attempts to convince the Sophist of truth are naive.
267. When pillow talk flows into heart talk, the possibilities of love are born.
268. Like a rocket ship overcoming gravity requires pure fuel, growth of character
     is fueled by pure desires.
269. Teach beauty and the search for Love will be well begun.
270. The song of a bird, like a beautiful sunset, is a low risk, high quality, long
     term investment in personal well being.
271. If you want apples don’t look under the pear tree.
272. Pure art is a reflection of pure beauty. Art other than pure art is beauty
     mixed with confusion.

P E TA L #060
B l o o m e r

On Listening
(14 November 1991: 6:30 pm.)

Hello. This is the story of Bloomer. At the right season, Bloomer teaches, those
who are ready, how to bloom. At first one might think that a person who is ready to
bloom would instinctively know how to bloom. You know, kind of like a baby swan
knows how to swim then how to fly. However, we Humans, unlike baby swans,
need teachers to guide us.
Of course it can’t be just any teacher. To be most effective, it must be the right
teacher, at the right time, in the right place, for the right reason, as well as for the
greatest common good. That is why Bloomer is so dog gone perfect… Ah, I mean
so flexible.
It’s kind of like Bloomer finished, with high honors, in this on going training
program that we Humans, for the most part, have forgotten that we volunteered
for. Instead of continuing on to the next magnificent training program in his line of
succession, Bloomer volunteered to hang around and help the next class to
graduate.
Well, Bloomer got good at what he learned to do. In fact he just about became
the best a person could get, if they really wanted to learn how to bloom. He even
found a source of great joy in his blooming work. Years melted into decades, and
decades into incarnations. In fact, he doesn’t mention it to often but Bloomer has
lived many more lifetimes than there are stones in the Great Wall of China.
Yes, Bloomer is a master of joyous patience. He knows all too well how to
caution us about the all too many obstacles which we create by the all too poor
quality of our thoughts. You see, he’s been there. Bloomer has been just as big a
rascal as we have, [and , in some cases, still are]. So he knows all the tricks.
There isn’t one trick that hasn’t been played on him, or that he hasn’t played, in
one way or another, on someone else. It’s a good thing Bloomer turned out to be
a good guy, because he constantly draws on his experience to guide and warn us
so that we can transmute our obstacles into stepping stones toward our bloom
time – [graduation].
There’s just one problem, Bloomer is not a boomer. That’s right, he, as a
cosmically trained tour guide, has some professional restrictions, which means he
follows a very special code. Bloomer cannot break this code and remain a guide.
For one thing, he cannot interfere with our Free Will. Bloomer is not a tyrant
teacher, who owns us for the seeming infinity of time it takes to get through this

cosmic kindergarten. Bloomer can’t make us do his will. He can, however, whisper
guidance to us when he thinks we need it. That’s right – whisper.
Anything other than a whisper would be beyond the code and considered as the
cosmic no-no #1. So maybe we can ease up on blaming him for not speaking up
while we are in the heat of our personal experience with all our emotions blaring
like Ghetto Blasters.
The thing is that Bloomer’s information is the perfect advice for every situation.
Well, you say, “If that’s the case, then why don’t we listen and reap the benefits?”
Well, if you are anything like I have been, [and sometimes still am], you choose to
do that which you figure will give you the most dog gone … Ah, I mean the most
pleasure. Sometimes the voice of fear or panic also blocks out his whispered
advice on how to conquer the situation safely and sanely, for the maximum benefit
of all concerned.
Of course, over the many incarnations of painful experiences we begin to
vaguely remember Bloomer’s warnings, which occurred just before we stepped
into a pile of… Ah I mean just before we got into a world of hurt.
After hundreds more incarnations of this vague memory of warning, we begin to
remember the advice a bit more clearly. Mind you now, we are not listening and
taking or rejecting that advice before the incident occurs, but are just remembering
it a tad more clearly after we stepped…. ah got into the pain of personal problems.
After thousands more incarnations, we learn to hear Bloomer’s advice when he
whispers it. Mind you now, we just hear it before the incident occurs. We are not
taking the advice into consideration in any way.
After hundreds more incarnations of a little pleasure and a lot more pain, we
gradually, [snail’s pace gradually], begin to consider Bloomer’s advice during the
situation. Of course the advice is designed to be considered before the situation
so at this stage pain is still our teacher, rather than Bloomer.
Hundreds more incarnations come and painfully go before we hear and consider
Bloomer’s advice before the situation. Like we said, Bloomer is a mighty patient
guy, but he does get tested by us to the nth degree. You see, Bloomer can only
give advice, but God gave us the Free Will to reject that advice if we consider that
the alternative would give us more pleasure right?
After hundreds more incarnations of pain and regret, we finally begin to listen to
Bloomer’s advice with a bit of the detachment which we have learned while
discerning the cause of our seemingly infinite pain. In other words, Bloomer has
finally got our attention.
Now do we listen to his advice on living ethics and cosmic laws as applied in the
earth plane? No way. We hound him regularly to give us the winning lottery ticket
number ahead of the drawing so that we can get rich and have fun!
Hundreds more incarnations go painfully by and Bloomer definitely has our full
attention now. Are we full of gratitude? What do we ask him? Why didn’t you tell
me that before? If your such a great guide, then how come you didn’t heal me
when I was in the hospital after I got drunk and broke my arm? Why did you let me
stay in all that pain? Tour guide’s cosmic no-no #2: Do not interfere with Karma.
Many more incarnations of some pleasure and a lot more pain go by and we are
now genuinely grateful to get a friendly warning from that still small voice within,
which those of us on the Path have come to value so highly.

My friends, this message comes to you from Bloomer. Each one of us has a
Bloomer. Each one of us has that still small voice within. Some of us know that
voice as the voice of conscience. Some know it as the Inner Self, a hunch, the
Inner Fire, Guardian Angel, Intuition, Solar Angel, gut feeling, or the Master
Within. However, no matter what we may call it, you cannot get a better friend, or
a better deal. Together you can maximize your service to Humanity, World Culture,

The Hierarchy of Light, and the Source of all Beauty and all Light in perfect co-
measurement. Now what could be better than that?

PETAL #061

A Gift For All Seasons (Poem)

I’m sending you your favorite flower.
Are the colors yet so vivid in your mind?
Does the fragrance linger still this hour?
And when you touch each petal do you find
the dew has kept them moist and fresh for you?
Beauty serves us in and out of season.
(One thought and happy feelings live anew.).
Each harvest of beauty will sooth all reason
which personally grays a clear blue sky.
Together we’ll plant seeds of beauty then,
for future harvesters to ponder why
we planted an inner and outer garden.
Let them discover (between smile and groan),
why beauty is, to man, a stepping stone.

PETAL #062
BEAUTY-GRAM #10
IN WHAT LIES THE PLEDGE
OF HAPPINESS FOR HUMANITY?

We are cause and effect thinkers. Nothing happens without a cause. Many times
we, for whatever reason, cannot find the cause, but it is there hidden in a subtle
feeling, and old desire, a thought-seed planted incarnations ago, or group karma.
It is joyful to dwell on causes and effects which are uplifting. One such uplifting
cause and effect thought is found in the book Hierarchy #359, given by the Master
Morya to his closest student Helena Roerich. We will approach it here in the form
of a question and answer.
Q: In what lies the pledge of happiness for humanity?
A: In beauty.
Now here is a delightful area of investigation — is it not?
Even the greatest doubter, if an honest investigator, would have to focus the
experiment on beauty as a cause in order to find out if the effect of happiness for
humanity were true.
The prejudiced investigator may make the definitions and parameters of the
experiment so narrow that she/he could undoubtedly prove the statement false.
However, at least the investigation would be focusing on beauty for a while and
that is bound to uplift her/him in many subtle ways. Why?
Because a law is a law whether we believe in it or not. Did not gravity exist before
Newton discovered it? Did not gravity exist before we believed in it?
It’s the same for the cause and effect relationship of beauty and happiness. If it is
accurate then it is accurate whether we believe in it or not.
Each and everyone of us should test this law. Whether it is a formal test with
written observations and conclusions, or just a personal spot checking of its
effects in our lives. It is beneficial to investigate beauty.
This investigation can be quite easy, much fun, and very inexpensive. We can add
more beauty to our lives in many ways some of which are as follows:

1. A simple bird feeder will add the beauty of bird songs to our day. Beautiful
   background music can add the beauty of harmony to our day.
2. Flowers (real or artificial) will add color to our day.
3. Natural oils such as mint will add the beauty of fragrance to our day.
4. Many cloths and materials can add the beauty of touch to our day.
5. Delicious food and drink can add the beauty of taste to our day.
   Thus by paying attention to beauty and our five senses of sight, hearing, smelling,
   tasting and feeling we can bring more happiness into our lives.
   Many of these beauties are readily available to most of us, such as sunsets,
   flowers, and the songs of birds. Libraries are happy to loan us books with beautiful
   pictures of sunsets, rainbows, flowers, waterfalls, flowering trees, and birds in
   flight. Many times libraries have audio and video tapes of nature’s beauties such
   as birds nesting and bringing up their families, the fun of killer whales and
   porpoises, or sunrises over the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
   Thus the materials for our experiment on beauty are at hand and inexpensive or
   free of charge. Even if we are only 1% successful in our experiment, what good
   person wouldn’t want to be 1% happier in her/his life?
   Once we prove to ourselves, beyond a doubt that beauty leads to happiness, then
   we will search for more ways to bring beauty into our lives.
   Now some would say that all this talk about beauty leading to happiness is all well
   and good, but we all know that we shouldn’t go to extremes. Beauty, of course, is
   not an extreme.
   Beauty is the realm of the heart.
   Beauty is the gateway to the heart center.
   It is perhaps true that a person used to 10% beauty and 90% ugliness in her/his
   life would think (for a while at least) that a change in their life situation to 20%
   beauty and 80% ugliness would be going to an extreme on beauty.
   But that is just a mental construct, and experience will teach her/him better. As the
   percentage of beauty gets more and more dominant she/he will begin to sense the
   happiness.
   A point will be reached where beauty will become very important because she/he
   will catch a glimpse of the cause and effect relationship of beauty and happiness.
   The happy person is a creative person.
   The happy person is productive with a strong eye on quality.
   May we ever fill our days with joy!
   Strive-on!

PETAL #063

STAR SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #10

WHAT IS THE VALUE OF DISCERNMENT
ON THE PATH OF BEAUTY?

(PART TWO)

[Note: A Timer which can be set for 30 seconds is needed if giving this dialogue as
a discourse in a group.]
Star-Searcher: Is everyone out to get us or something?
Experience: “Out to get us”? What do you mean Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: You know. Are we getting a little paranoid here?
Experience: Not that I’m aware of Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well then why does Agni Yoga talk about becoming a spiritual
warrior, always on guard and ever alert. It sounds like we are in training to become
Samurai Warriors or something.
Experience: Thank you Star Searcher, for reopening our discussion on
discernment.
Star-Searcher: Huh? I did? I mean your welcome. But …
Experience: What has discernment got to do with everyone being afraid and
looking over their shoulder every ten seconds?
Star-Searcher: Ya. That’s it! I thought discernment was good, but this is a lot
different from our discussion on looking closer and seeing more details of rose
bushes.
Experience: Why is that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh? You mean to say that you don’t think that there is a
difference here?
Experience: The object being discerned is different; however, Star Searcher, the
process of discerning is the same.
Star-Searcher: It is?
Experience: Precisely.

Star-Searcher: But why is the process … Ah never mind, I’m starting to get
confused.
Experience: You give up so easily Star Searcher. Search for the answer. Strive
for it!
Star-Searcher: Your right. If its that important then it is worth striving for the
answer.
Experience: That’s the spirit, Star Searcher. Now tell me how you are going to
begin your search for the answer?
Star-Searcher: Well, you taught me to start every search, no matter how small,
with an attunement with the Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her
Teacher the Master Morya.
Experience: Ah, very good. You remembered, Star Searcher. Perhaps we should
all take thirty seconds to attune now for the most co-measured guidance on the
symbol of the spiritual warrior on watch as portrayed in the Agni Yoga Teachings.
Star-Searcher: That’s a good idea. Let’s do it. OK?
Experience: OK.
Star-Searcher: Oh, will you keep track of the time for us?
Experience: [Experience sets timer for 30 seconds]
Glad to do it, Star Searcher. Let’s start our thirty second attunement now.
[Experience starts timer. After alarm, experience speaks as follows]. Well, Star
Searcher, would you like to share any insights you may have gained from our
attunement with the Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the
Master Morya?
Star-Searcher: Yes. I saw an image of a very joyful man working joyfully in a rose
garden.
Experience: Tell me, Star Searcher, what kind of joyful labor was the man
performing in the rose garden?
Star-Searcher: I had the distinct feeling that he was preparing his garden for
winter. But …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?
Star-Searcher: Well, if he is preparing the garden for winter, then that means it
must be late Autumn. Hmmm.
Experience: Yes, go on Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, if it is late fall in cold country, then the bloom season must
be over.
Experience: Therefore?

Star-Searcher: Therefore the person should be sad.
Experience: Sad, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Yes, sad. His roses are gone and he won’t have any more until
after the spring thaw.
Experience: Hmmm.
Star-Searcher: Don’t you think a lover of roses would be sad to see bare stems
instead of a beautiful garden full of colorful, fragrant roses?
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, its all a matter of discernment.
Star-Searcher: Oh no, not that again. Do I have to start discerning the bare rose
bushes starting to go into dormancy so that they can winter over? That’s no fun.
Experience: This time, Star Searcher, it is not the rose bush that we need to
observe.
Star-Searcher: It isn’t?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, it isn’t.
Star-Searcher: I guess its the mulching and piling of dirt then. Right?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, it is not the mulching and piling of dirt that we
need to observe.
Star-Searcher: I don’t get it. If its not the bare stems of the rose bush then … wait!
I’ve got it! Its the cutting back of the rose stems. Its the pruning, right?
Experience: Nice try, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: No? Then it must be something very different from the rose bush
that we need to observe. Hmmm, how about the entire garden?
Experience: The entire garden, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: You know, seeing the forest instead of only the trees.
Experience: A good thought, however, that is not the object we must observe with
our discernment.
Star-Searcher: Well maybe it is how clean the garden stays during all that hard
work?
Experience: Another nice try, Star Searcher. Perhaps you need a clue here.
Star-Searcher: Better than that, why don’t you just come out and tell me what’s
going on instead of putting me through this torture?

Experience: OK, Star Searcher. Are you ready to receive the answer to why the
gardener is joyful and not sad while preparing his garden to winter over?
Star-Searcher: Ya. Tell it like it is brother!
Experience: Are you sure you don’t want to strive for the answer yourself?
Star-Searcher: I’m sure. What’s the answer?
Experience: OK, Star Searcher, here it is. It has to do with the identification with
the modifications of the mind.
Star-Searcher: [pause] The identification with … . I can’t even say it, never mind
understand it. Can’t you say it in English?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher. I can use one word to describe it if you like?
Star-Searcher: I like. Please do.
Experience: The word, Star Searcher is attachment.
Star-Searcher: Attachment?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: You mean attachment like the leaf is attached to the stem?
Experience: Not exactly, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Ah, I think I got over my head here. Could you back track and
explain it like you were going to before I got impatient and wanted to jump ahead?
Experience: Glad to do it, Star Searcher. Let’s see, I was about to give you a
clue. Wasn’t I?
Star-Searcher: Yes. That’s it, a clue. I need a clue so that I can know why the
gardener isn’t sad about all his roses being gone for the winter months.
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, you see.
Star-Searcher: Wait! Don’t tell me! I know what it is now.
Experience: Congratulations Star Searcher. Tell me now, What is the reason the
gardener is filling space with joy rather than with the crippling feeling of sorrow?
Star-Searcher: Because he doesn’t like roses. Right? He must be allergic to them
or something like that, and he is happy because he won’t be affected by them for
the winter months.
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, that is a possibility; however, it wasn’t quite what
I had in mind. You see the problem isn’t with the joyful laborer.
Star-Searcher: It isn’t?

Experience: No, Star Searcher, it isn’t.
Star-Searcher: Well then, who is the source of the problem? Oh, no! Are you
saying that I am the source of the problem?
Experience: Aren’t you the source of most of your problems, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Oh … ah, ya. I see what ya mean there. But …
Experience: There’s that but again. What is it, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, what is it that I am doing that is causing me a problem?
Experience: Nicely said. You see, Star Searcher, you projected how you would
feel onto the joyful laborer in the garden.
Star-Searcher: Oh I see. You mean that if I was that gardener then I would be
filling space with the debilitating thoughts of sadness rather than joy because I
think it is sad when the roses have to winter over. Right?
Experience: Precisely. You do learn fast, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: But then why did my attunement give me an image of a joyful
gardener rather than a sad gardener?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: I haven’t the foggiest idea.
Experience: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Hmmm. Well we attuned with the Blessed Guide, the Mother of
Agni Yoga and her Teacher the Master Morya for the most co-measured guidance
on the symbol of the spiritual warrior on watch as portrayed in the Agni Yoga
Teachings.
Experience: And why, Star Searcher, did we attune?
Star-Searcher: Oh ya. It was because we had a question on something about
discernment. Ah, what was it?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Wait! Its coming back to me now. It was a question on the process
of discernment being the same regardless of the object of discernment.
Experience: Star Searcher, you never fail to amaze me.
Star-Searcher: But now where are we?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, we figured out … ah, excuse me. I mean you guided me to
figure out that I was projecting my idea into a picture that I received during

attunement, and the two didn’t match up. I guess our next step will be to figure out
why I projected my thoughts like that. Right?
Experience: Right. Tell me now, Star Searcher, why did you superimpose your
feelings of sadness onto the picture of the joyful laborer?
Star-Searcher: Ah, I wasn’t discerning. Right?
Experience: Precisely, Star Searcher. Tell me now, how did you come to that
conclusion?
Star-Searcher: Well, I ah, ah … . I guessed. You knew that didn’t you?
Experience: Precisely. Your good, Star Searcher, but your not that good yet! Shall
we stop here and rest?
Star-Searcher: Oh no. I’m fine, really. Please continue. I really do want to know
how my discernment, or lack of it, was involved in my projection of sad feelings
onto the joyful laborer.
Experience: Well said. Star Searcher. do you remember, in our last discussion,
that you thought there was only one rose bush, because only one had red flowers
on it? Then you later discerned that the other two bushes were also rose bushes
that hadn’t, as yet, flowered?
Star-Searcher: Yes, I remember. That was fun.
Experience: Well, those red roses were sort of like a red flag. They distracted you
from discerning the situation in finer detail.
Star-Searcher: Yes, that’s right. It was like a red flag. I didn’t see all the rest once
I focused on the red flag.
Experience: Well, this present situation is similar but not exact.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. But …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: But what is the red flag in this situation?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Hmmm, well the thing that I got side tracked on was my sadness
at the thought of the loss of all that beauty due to the roses not being there in the
winter garden. In other words, I got sad because things were not the way I thought
they should be?
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Ah, well … ah, its not as clear from there on, but maybe I got stuck
because my sad idea of the winter garden was a stronger magnet than my image
of the joyful laborer preparing to winter over his garden.

Experience: That’s close, Star Searcher. Technically it is called being more
attached to your idea than the one presented to you.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see attached. But. …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Does that mean attached forever so that I can’t discern the image
from attunement?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, not technically.
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: Technically you can sharpen your discernment and lessen your
attachment to your idea, thus freeing yourself to discern the details of your image
of the joyful laborer for the greater knowledge which it may contain. Star-Searcher:
Oh, I see. real subtle stuff. Right?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, real subtle stuff.
Star-Searcher: But I should start to lessen my attachment now so I can learn to
discern in greater detail as soon as possible. Right?
Experience: Why is that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: So that I can become more efficient at my analysis from
attunement and life in general.
Experience: Like I said, Star Searcher, you never fail to amaze me.
Star-Searcher: But I still feel sad when I think of a winter rose garden.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Therefore I can’t analyze my picture.
Experience: You give up so easily, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh? Give up?
Experience: Star Searcher, can you think of at least one way to increase your
discernment?
Star-Searcher: Wait, that sounds familiar. The last time we talked you asked me a
lot of questions about the rose bush, and I ended up seeing a great deal more
detail than I did before you asked me those questions.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Will you please start asking me some questions about my joyful
laborer image so that I can increase my discernment and examine its details?

Experience: Well, Star Searcher, I prefer that you learn how to ask yourself the
right questions; however, I will be glad to start you off. OK?
Star-Searcher: Thanks. What’s the first question?
Experience: Why is it the image of a rose garden?
Star-Searcher: That’s easy, roses are beautiful.
Experience: What do you know about roses from the Agni Yoga Teachings?
Star-Searcher: Oh ya. The fragrance of the rose is very calming, and neutralizes
imperil, that nasty stuff which enters a person through the door of irritation, and
then flows along the outer sheath of the central nervous system and eats away at
it.
Experience: You have a good memory, Star Searcher. Tell me now, why is the
laborer joyful?
Star-Searcher: Well, it can’t be because he likes to be around beautiful roses
because in late fall there are no roses blooming in the cold country.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: There must be another reason that he is joyful.
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see!
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: He’s using the Law Of Beauty. That’s what he’s doing. of course.
Why didn’t I think of that sooner?
Experience: Good question, Star Searcher, why?
Star-Searcher: Because I was too attached to my sad thought about winter
gardens to discern details of my joyful laborer’s image.
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, why is the joyful laborer using the Law
Of Beauty?
Star-Searcher: Because, like it states in the Agni Yoga Teachings, our response
to beauty is a degree of joy. This happens every time, thus it is a law. Beauty leads
to joy.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Therefore the man has a shield of protection because joy is a very
high rate of vibration.
Experience: Therefore?

Star-Searcher: Through joy, the joyful laborer establishes and maintains
attunement with the Blessed Guide the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the
Master Morya.
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, why do you think you were given that
image in attunement rather than another image?
Star-Searcher: Well, I think it was all a co-measured learning process for me, so
that I could understand about attachments and how they can affect discernment.
But …
Experience: There’s that but again. What is it Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well if it was a late autumn garden in the cold country, and if there
were no roses to beautify the garden, then why was the gardener joyful? Where
was the beauty which triggered his joy?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star Searcher: I don’t know.
Experience: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Hmmm. Ah, I might need a clue here. Ah, no wait!
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Its got to be the projection idea.
Experience: Protection, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: No not protection, projection. Its got to be projection.
Experience: Why?
Star-Searcher: A reverse red flag!
Experience: A reverse red flag, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Yes. All my attention was on my thought of the sadness of the
winter garden, so I didn’t get involved with the other details of the image. I’ll bet
that laborer intentionally held an image, or thought, in his mind which he felt was
most beautiful and which he was very attached to. This mental beauty produced a
response of joy, which in turn provided the high vibratory rate needed for
protection and attunement with the Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and
her Teacher the Master Morya.
Experience: Therefore?
Star-Searcher: Therefore he was using the Law of Beauty at will rather than
waiting to experience some beauty during the day and then responding to it with
joy. What a genius that joyful laborer is.
Experience: Why is that, Star Searcher?

Star-Searcher: Because he figured out a way to stay in joyful attunement. It will
work as long as he maintains his focus on his mental image that is the most
beautiful to him. Its great! It is a key to freedom! Get It?
Experience: Yes, it is a wonderful tool. Tell me now, Star Searcher: Why does the
Agni Yoga Teachings use the image of the spiritual warrior – ever on watch, ever
alert?
Star-Searcher: Well, I think it is a message about getting our act together and
increasing our discernment. so we too can use the Law of Beauty at will.
Experience: Very good. Tell me now, Star Searcher, how much must we increase
our discernment in order to match up with the image of the spiritual warrior, ever
on watch, always alert?
Star-Searcher: I think we have to go all the way and be 100% watchful, or else
our attachments can block us from seeing what exists.
Experience: Star Searcher, don’t you think that 100% is a bit extreme?
Star-Searcher: Huh?
Experience: You know, Star-Searcher, isn’t it kind of like being paranoid and
thinking everyone is out to get us, or something?
Star-Searcher: Why no its only … Oh ya, I remember now. That’s how I started
this conversation. I was pretty crude about it too, wasn’t I? Please excuse my lack
of discernment. I’m sorry if I stomped my way through a field of delicately beautiful
flowers.
Experience: That’s OK, Star Searcher. I’m used to it.
Star-Searcher: Huh? Oh.
Experience: One thing, Star Searcher. Remember that attachments exist. Avoid
seeing them as “good” or “bad” because the labeling hinders clear discernment on
them. Even the “good” attachments can hinder discernment. Just see what exists
and discern your way to do what is necessary. You are progressing well. Strive to
be more observant with both the tangible as well as the intangible, like a thought
of sadness. Let’s break for now and we’ll talk again when it becomes necessary.
Star-Searcher: Thank you. Thank you very much. You have really taught me to
see more where I thought there was nothing more to see. Thank you.
Experience: Your welcome, Star Searcher. Strive-on!

PETAL #064

Q u e s t i o n s O n B e a u t y 9 0 0 t o 9 9 9

900. Is seriousness of purpose a prerequisite to begin a search for beauty?
901. Does seriousness of purpose guarantee a successful search for beauty?
902. Is joy a natural by product of the search for beauty?
903. Why is it that the door to The Path of Beauty is closed to the insincere?
904. Can the insincere experience the joy of beauty?
905. Will all be “rosy” in a search for beauty, or will there be thorns to beware of?
906. Is it possible for an emotionally immature individual to maintain a search for beauty?
907. What physical condition, if any, is necessary to begin, maintain, and succeed in a search
     for beauty?
908. What emotional condition, if any, is necessary to begin, maintain, and succeed in a search
     for beauty?
909. What mental condition, if any, is necessary to begin, maintain, and succeed in a search for
     beauty?
910. Is emotional and mental maturity vital to a search for beauty, or will the search for beauty
     itself emotionally and mentally mature the searcher?
911. What are the qualities of the electromagnetic field, (aura), of the heart of a searcher during
     a serious and sincere search for beauty?
912. Can the essence of beauty be sensed through the heart?
913. What is the condition of the pulse of a searcher during an on going search for beauty?
914. What is the chemical quality of the perspiration of a searcher during an on going search for
     beauty?
915. What qualities does a Teacher Of Beauty look for in a beginner on the approach to beauty?
916. What qualities does a Teacher Of Beauty look for in one who has just begun the search for
     beauty?
917. What qualities does a Teacher Of Beauty look for in the searcher of beauty?
918. What qualities will a Teacher Of Beauty find in the searcher of beauty at the final approach
     to beauty?
919. In what direction will a Teacher Of Beauty guide us upon our successful completion of the
     search for beauty?
920. Will the serious and sincere search for beauty strengthen me with those qualities which will
     allow me to maximize my service to Humanity?
921. Is there a one best exercise that I can do which will prepare me to begin my search for
     beauty?
922. How does an offensive odor affect our appreciation of beauty through the sense of touch?
923. How does an offensive odor affect our appreciation of beauty through the sense of sight?
924. How does an offensive odor affect our appreciation of beauty through our sense of taste?
925. If you were listening to beautiful music and you drank something which was offensive to
     your taste, would this lessen, for the moment), your appreciation for the beauty of the
     music through your sense of hearing? (Why)?
926. If you were watching a beautiful sunset and you heard a loud inharmonious noise which
     was offensive to your sense of hearing, how would this affect your appreciation of beauty
     through your sense of sight? (Why)?
927. Do all of my five senses have to be receiving only beautiful vibrations before my
     appreciation of beauty is stimulated?
928. If two of my senses, (touch and taste), were at the time neither receiving offensive nor
     beautiful vibrations, and the other three, (sight, hearing, and smell), were receiving
     beautiful vibrations, would my appreciation of beauty be stimulated?
929. If one of my five senses were offended yet the other four were receiving, (or perceiving),
     beautiful vibrations, would my appreciation of beauty be stimulated? (Why)? (Would the

same be true of a group of individuals as a group)?

931. If there were an offensive vibration present which we could not detect with our five senses,
     would this affect our appreciation of beauty? (Why)? (To what degree)?
932. On a scale of one to ten, how fragile is my appreciation of beauty?
933. To what degree does an over indulgence in anything affect my appreciation of beauty?
934. What constitutes my appreciation of beauty?
935. How can I explain my appreciation of beauty?
936. In Robert Frost’s poem After Apple Picking, we find the line, … and now I’m tired of the
     harvest I myself desired. Could this apply to a search for beauty, or is beauty something
     we never tire of?
937. Does it matter why a person begins a serious search for beauty, if they are sincere?
938. How important is the spiritual art of NO – DECEPTION in the serious search for beauty?
939. Is beauty a sure thing? (Can you bet on it to bring you out of a bad mood)?
940. Why is it necessary to respect beauty before we can honor beauty?
941. Where do we see beauty respected?
942. Where do we see beauty honored?
943. What is the one best way to honor beauty?
944. What is the surest sign of respect for beauty?
945. Is beauty worthy of honor?
946. Is beauty worthy of respect?
947. Why should beauty be respected?
948. Why should beauty be honored?
949. Is beauty esteemed?
950. Do I esteem beauty?
951. Can beauty be esteemed?
952. Why should beauty be esteemed?
953. Is there beauty in fighting for liberty such as in the American and French revolutions?
954. What is the beauty in Masonry?
955. How did the beauty in George Washington’s life manifest itself?
956. How did the beauty in Thomas Jefferson’s life manifest itself?
957. How did the beauty in Benjamin Franklin’s life manifest itself?
958. How did the beauty in Abraham Lincoln’s life manifest itself?
959. How is beauty put into a poem?
960. How is beauty put into a song?
961. How is beauty put into a dance?
962. How is beauty put into a piece of art?
963. Can one live on beauty alone to the exclusion of everything else?
964. Can jet lag feelings be compared to inconsistent striving towards beauty?
965. Is beauty singular or plural?
966. Can beauty be divided?
967. Is beauty a significant factor in the seven ancient wonders of the world?
968. Is beauty affected by time?
969. What is the role of beauty in the “sick room”?
970. Can beauty be studied?
971. How can beauty be studied?
972. What is the first step towards the study of beauty?
973. Can the desire for beauty be quenched like a thirst is quenched?
974. What is the role of beauty in Hans Christian Anderson’s story of The Ugly Duckling?
975. Is The Ugly Duckling a story of beauty?
976. Have you ever met an “Ugly Duckling” that turned out to be a beautiful swan?
977. What changes would occur in the electromagnetic field, (aura), of an “Ugly Duckling” at the
     point of realization that he or she was really a beautiful “swan”?
978. What, if any, is the role of spiritual beauty in the story of The Ugly Duckling?
979. Is it a more common experience that an “Ugly Duckling” turns into a beautiful “swan”, or
     that a beautiful “swan” reveals itself as an “Ugly Duckling”?
980. Is eternal vigilance necessary for eternal beauty?
981. Is beauty a balm for the vicissitudes of life?
982. Is there a clearing house for beauty?
983. Does beauty have stages like a butterfly does such as a cocoon?
984. Does beauty undergo metamorphosis?
985. Can beauty be coerced?
986. Is there a coefficient of beauty? (What is it)?
987. If you were to compare beauty to an ocean, then what would you call the rivers which flow
     into it? (How would you describe its estuaries)?
988. What is the beauty in a small church?
989. What is the beauty in a large church?
990. What is the beauty of organized religion?
991. What role does beauty play in Catholicism?
992. What role does beauty play in Islam?
993. What role does beauty play in Protestantism?
994. What role does beauty play in Judaism?
995. What role does beauty play in Zen Buddhism?
996. What role does beauty play in Taoism?
997. What role does beauty play in Confucianism?
998. What role does beauty play in Christian Science?
999. What is the role of beauty in Agni Yoga?

PETAL #065

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #3

“But did you visualize?”

It talked about the Path and promised the mastery of life. I signed up, paid my
dues, and began receiving, studying, and practicing. Thus in 1972, after reading a
wall plaque in a museum in San Jose California, I stepped onto the Path in this
incarnation. I was 29 years old. My attitude was, Oh well, I tried all my life and not
only haven’t achieved Self mastery, but also haven’t the slightest clue as to how to
begin that process.
After about a year probation (Neophyte), the concept and practice of visualization
came up. Frankly, it seemed too fantastic for me. Evidently, at that time, I wasn’t
totally convinced in theory or practice that thoughts actually are things.
One day I misplaced an important item and, after much searching, couldn’t find it.
My roommate suggested that I visualize the lost item in as much detail as I could.
Well, I figured that I had nothing to lose. The Fraternity, which promised the
mastery of life, was teaching visualization, and now my roommate, who was two
years ahead of me in the same study, was encouraging me to use this tool of
visualization.
So I visualized, and then searched again. Within a few minutes I found the item.
Now, did I find it because I visualized, or was it just a coincidence?
Well, I did visualize, and I did find the lost item, yet I did not have the gut feeling
that it was the visualization that led me to the item. Needless to say, my future
experiences would teach me better.
All I can say is that there were just too many so-called “coincidences”. In fact,
there were hundreds of them. (Perhaps others would not need as many
experiences to convince them of the reality of visualization. Then again, some
may have needed many more.)
Thus I proved to myself that visualization worked. To me, it was no longer a
fantastic theory. It was a tool. I had a tool — my first conscious tool on the Path of
Self mastery. (There would be many more in the years to come).
But would my tool of visualization work if I used it to help someone else?
Experience did not keep me waiting.
In work one day, my boss told me that a co-worker had lost the company key
ring, which contained the master keys. The man was searching frantically for them
for over an hour. I visualized that this person would remember where he left the
keys. However, I never told anyone what I did. About ten minutes later, my boss
came by and said, “No problem, he found the keys”.
Well, quite soon the same person who lost and now had found the company keys
came to me. He was busting out all over to tell me his story. He shared with me
how he searched everywhere, then, when he was about to open a door, while he
had his hand on the door knob, it dawned on him where he left the keys.
A very clear mental picture came to him of the key ring hanging from the door
lock in a remote supply room which he was in earlier. Yes, you can visualize for
someone else!

At this point, I have a small story about visualization and details that I think you
will appreciate. At a friend’s house one day a person who had been in the
fraternity forever shared an experience with us which he had with visualization. He
needed a vacuum cleaner for his new apartment. He visualized in great detail (He
was a Virgo). He saw colors, cord, handle, switch, bag, motor, light, plug –even a
bumper strip so not to scar up the baseboards or furniture.
It was as if he were a photographer developing film in the dark room of his mind.
The picture gradually came into manifestation and he could see it in great detail.
OK, so what happened — right?
A few days later some one gave the man a vacuum cleaner. It was precisely the
color and style the man visualized in the greatest of detail. The person who gave it
to him was following an intuitive impulse — gut feeling. One thing, however, was
wrong. It was a child’s toy.
Upon reflection of the exactness of the toy vacuum cleaner with respect to what
he had visualized, the man realized that he had forgotten two very important
details — size and function.
This, of course, brings up the question of how much detail is enough detail in the
tool of visualization. This question will have to be given much contemplation with
respect to the experiences on the Path.
How much is too much? How much is too little? It sounds like a problem the
Confucian student might encounter when presented with the all encompassing
Doctrine Of The Mean. (One must find the balance point (mean) between the two
extremes of excess, too much, and deficiency, too little. Where the mean is
virtue.).
Well, in the long run, it is all a matter of discernment. Discernment is based on
our accurate observations, our accurate reflections upon those accurate
observations, and our accurate memory of those accurate reflections as a
reference to solving life’s problems.
But, (one may well ask), what about people who don’t mentally picture very well,
yet are successful with their tool of visualization? Yes, there are people like that. In
fact, I am one of them — but that is a story for another time.
However, before we close, it would be an act of non-co-measurement if we
talked visualization and failed to mention the biggest NO-NO in the Cosmic.
To progress we must understand beyond a doubt, and know (like we know we
have a right hand without thinking about it) that we must never interfere with free
will and or karma.
It is the challenge of everyone on the Path to find out how to be a cause for the
Common Good without violating this Cosmic Law.
This law is so sacred that if an Arhat (master) violated it, he, or she, would lose
their Arhatship in the Hierarchy of Light.
So does this mean that we should get an ulcer over this Cosmic No-No? Does
this mean that we should never attempt to help anyone or take any action in the
world because we might interfere with free will or karma?
Well, it’s all a matter of discernment. If we never did anything, then we would not
progress in the Light and be of service to Humanity, World Culture, and the
Hierarchy of Light. This is our opportunity to learn. Incarnation after incarnation we
think and act. Thus we plant thought deeds in the most fertile field –our future.
Learning how to function in full service without breaking the #1 Cosmic NO-NO
should be the very first goal of every person on the Path who is introduced to this
Cosmic Law of not interfering with free will or karma.
In the next Experiences On The Path (#4) I will share at least one way to serve
without violating free will and karma.
Until that time my brothers and sisters, Strive-on-joyously!

PETAL #066
S a y i n g s #273 to 303

273. The Universe is a great flower of light, and we,
     (its flaming petals), sometimes sense our connection with the fiery center.
274. Advice For A Heart Filling Up With Beauty: See what exists, do what is
     necessary.
275. Don’t let your cloud block your sun.
276. Our response to the difference between what is and what we feel “should
     be” will dictate the degree of our personal harmony and therefore the quality of our
     lives.
277. When I am in the eye of my hurricane, my heart opens its treasury of
     beautiful possibilities.
278. From the fractional to the complete, beauty heals the heart of man.
279. You will find that poetry is of the heart and not the mind.
280. The sun at night and sun by day shine just as bright.
281. I strive to choose the beautiful in all I think and feel and do, and when I
     choose the beautiful, dear God, my heart fills up with You.
282. Those who live honestly have the calmness of forever.
283. If you feel like a Gooney Bird in winter, running on the lake ice, flapping for
     take off, knowing, beyond a doubt, that your landing will be even more comical,
     then it is time to think about the beauty, (and the joy), of flight.
284. Consistently beautiful thoughts constitute the master key to the treasury of
     the heart.
285. For those who deal in deception, life is a small dark room full of spiders,
     scorpions, and snakes.
286. Each person chooses the quality of music to be played on his heart. Thus
     we fill our lives, (and the universe), with our choices.
287. Like the leaf, we must be capable, (and willing), to turn toward the Light.
288. Battles vary in kind, but they always start, (in a dark place), between the
     heart and the mind.
289. Definition: An honest person
     An authorized service agent for The Source of all wisdom, strength and beauty.
290. As our personal bridge of Joyous – Patience nears completion, the heart
     prepares to fill all space with joy.
291. Labor without joy is like spring without flowers: there is no beauty in it.
292. Labor without joy is like a building without a foundation: there is no strength
     in it.
293. Labor without joy is like a life without The Source of All Beauty and All Life:
     there is no wisdom in it.

PETAL #067

H o w S t r o n g I s A R a i n b o w ?

In our study of strength there must be a consideration of how to maintain it. There
may be many ways to achieve this. It is up to us who desire to maintain strength
to discover these possibilities, discern the best one, and then prudently apply it in
life, for possibilities are seeds.
The number and quality of these possibilities vary with the conditions that prevail.
For example, a rainbow requires that the light source be perpendicular to the mist.
Do we have to get out our plumb and try this perpendicular relationship between
sun and mist? Nature does this for us, for when the conditions are correct, a
rainbow fills the sky and reminds us that beauty exists in the world. When the
conditions are out of perpendicular, we have a sky without a rainbow.

garden experiment

If we put a garden hose nozzle on fine spray and direct it in front of us with the
sun at our back, we will satisfy the conditions of rainbows and we will have
activated one of our possibilities — that of creating a rainbow. However, let the
required angle vary and our possibility of creating a rainbow no longer exists
under the new conditions at hand. Also other required conditions for the same
possibility may vary. (In the dark there are no rainbows.)
It is similar with our best possibility for spiritual strength. When the right
conditions are manifested, harmony prevails. Do we have to get out our
measuring devices in order to see if the right conditions for harmony prevail? Like
the rainbow, when the right conditions prevail we get indications that they are
present. What are the conditions when harmony prevails?
We find mutual respect at a very high level. We find brotherly love in operation to
a high degree. We find truth, faith, hope, and charity with only the restraint of
prudence. We find prosperity. We find a vast number of brothers and sisters
focusing on spiritual growth, not because some one figured out how to
successfully compete with the T.V. networks, but because our hearts tell us it is
the best, most excellent thing to do. We find committees charged with enthusiasm.
We find discussions glowing with the light of mutual respect, rather than finger
pointing and tight jaws under the shouts of brotherly love.

PETAL #068

Yo u n g A n d O l d Ta l k (Poem)

How many inch worms
travel these trees?
How many ants
ride the backs of bees?
How many pants
have I thread worn the knees?
How many hours
have I sat in this garden
watching the river
sailed-down by leaves?
Inch worms and bees,
yes, long ago —
the oak felt
the last
of me.
No more
does it hold me
in its sun-yellow canopy,
as I initial the bark
for all my friends
to see.
No,
I have not retired
from the search.
Before me now
a deeper river flows.
Ancient leaves sail
in the current.
A gentle stellar wind
stirs the plum blossoms.
Petals are bright
on the water.

PETAL #069
BEAUTY-GRAM #11
THE CHEMISM OF BLISS

The Master’s do not need our gratitude — we need our gratitude! Gratitude
contains the chemism of bliss* for the person radiating gratitude. One would think
that any good person who reads this (including myself) would surely put aside
several portions of his/her day for the radiation of gratitude. For what good person
would not want to charge his/her being with the chemism of bliss?
Yet we would lose if we bet that everyone who read this would radiate gratitude
several times daily. We would lose if we bet that 80% of readers would radiate
gratitude intentionally on a regular basis.
We are realists to the extent that we know that we would lose if we bet that at least
10% of readers would intentionally radiate gratitude on a regular basis. Why is
this?
Certainly any serious student would appreciate not only this wisdom on gratitude,
but also the other magnificent facts on gratitude such as: gratitude so easily
kindles the fires of the heart and gratitude is the sister of loyalty.
Yet most of us somehow lose our discernment and forget to include gratitude in
our lives on a regular basis. Many of us have participated in or witnessed people
sitting down to a meal and saying grace (giving thanks or gratitude). There was a
lot of wisdom in attaching gratitude to something we do every day such as eating.
It was truly masterful of who ever began that practice in society.
Past offenses of some leaders in the churches have turned off many people and
with it their daily routine of gratitude before meals.
If even the lure of Bliss is not enough to elicit our gratitude on a regular basis. then
what, in the universe would prompt us to embrace gratitude?
Could it be that we are so involved in ourselves that we do not look on other
people and things often enough to be grateful for them in our lives?
Could it be that, when an occasion (an opportunity) for gratitude comes along we
think that, “Well that’s the way it should be anyway?” Thus we do not use the
opportunity to radiate gratitude?
Could it be that a dramatic moment in a very serious situation must occur before
gratitude streams forth from us? Thus perhaps a friendship is no longer an
occasion for gratitude?

It seems that every once in a while we truly glimpse other people’s difficulties and
then begin for a temporary moment to count our blessings and be grateful for what
we have.
What controls how often we have these glimpses and respond with gratitude?
Is it our degree of vanity?
Is it our getting lost in our work?
Is it our involvement with anger that blinds us?
Is it our identification with our losses and thus our sorrow which bars these
beneficial glimpses?
Is it our focus on financial survival and greed which keeps our attention mostly on
ourselves and not enough on others to charge our beings with the chemism of
bliss?
My personal experience has indicated that the more we know about the overall
scheme of things and where we fit into it, the more we are grateful for life and the
opportunity to serve the higher in their efforts towards the upliftment of humanity.
Well, one things is for certain, it is all a matter of personal discernment.
We are also reminded that it will help us to find psychic energy if we use our
discernment and analyze the chemism of various emotions. Not being a
biochemist, physiologist, or reading auras at will, the tool which comes to my mind
for analysis is Kirlian Photography.
Some of the results of Kirlian photography, which I have seen, show vast
differences between the energy patters of the higher emotions and the energy
patterns of the lower emotions.
The drugs and alcohol photos, in particular, show ugly dispersion patterns of
energy. No wonder people don’t feel energetic “the morning after”.
Becoming more aware of our psychic energy makes us more aware of the need to
accumulate and preserve it in order to use it in maximizing our service to
humanity. This in itself is almost enough to make us grateful for the knowledge of
psychic energy — or is it?

• Fiery World 1, #386
  STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #070

STAR SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #11

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE BEAUTY
OF REINCARNATION
(PART ONE)

Star-Searcher: Do I have to come back as a pig?
Experience: What’s that, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well I really don’t understand about Reincarnation.
Experience: What is it that you don’t understand, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, the bottom line is that I am afraid to consider it seriously.
Experience: Why is that, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, ah I just don’t want to think that I’m going to come back as a
duck, or a goat, or an ant. Do you understand?
Experience: Is that all, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Is that all? No that’s not all. I’m also afraid I might come back as a
dog, or a horse, or a snake.
Experience: No, Star Searcher. I meant is that all you’re afraid of? I wasn’t asking
you for a list of your fearful options for possible reincarnation.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. Well, ah, I guess I don’t know. What do you think?
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, most people do have a fear of death to some
degree.
Star-Searcher: But what’s that got to do with coming back as a pig?
Experience: Since Reincarnation involves birth and death, Star Searcher, then
the fear of death may block many from thinking about Reincarnation.
Star-Searcher: Oh No!
Experience: What is it, Star Searcher?

Star-Searcher: Well, I’ve always considered that a person comes back as
something, but I never thought about going through the process of birth. Does that
mean I will be born into a litter if I am a dog the next time?
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, more knowledge is needed before we can make
any quick …
Star-Searcher: Oh No!
Experience: What is it this time Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: What if I am born into a school of fish, and a big fish comes along
and eats me up along with my little brothers and sisters?
Experience: Really Star Searcher, don’t you think you’re carrying this little joke a
bit too far? You don’t believe that you’re coming back as a minnow do you?
Star-Searcher: Well, maybe a Dolphin.
Experience: I can see, Star Searcher, that you have put any serious discussion
on hold, so I’ll talk with you again sometime when your fears have not clouded
your desire to search for knowledge.
Star-Searcher: What’s this, my fears are clouding my desire to search for
knowledge? No way! But …
Experience: But you never really studied or searched for knowledge about the
Laws concerning Reincarnation or Karma. Right?
Star-Searcher: That’s exactly right. I just hold on to what we thought of as kids
growing up. But …
Experience: There’s that but again. What is it, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, you mentioned the Laws of Reincarnation and Karma. Do
you really think they are legislated, or commanded, like a congress or a king?
Experience: No, Star Searcher. The Laws of Reincarnation and Karma are part of
the Natural Laws of the universe.
Star-Searcher: Then no earthly person set up these laws?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: But what is a Law of the universe?
Experience: Well, it is kind of like gravity. You see, Star Searcher, gravity existed
long before Newton discovered it.
Star-Searcher: It did?
Experience: Precisely.

Star-Searcher: You mean to say that even though I am not aware of a universal
law that law still exits and has its affect on me?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: But …
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, what if I don’t believe in this universal law, then it has no
affect on me, right?
Experience: Does that include gravity, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Gravity? What do you mean?
Experience: Well, if you don’t believe in gravity, or refuse to believe in gravity,
does that mean that gravity doesn’t exist and will not affect you?
Star-Searcher: But that’s silly, everyone knows gravity exists. I’m talking about
something that is doubtful in people’s minds.
Experience: Star Searcher, would you like to engage in a short exercise in
imagination?
Star-Searcher: Sure. That sounds like fun! Ah …
Experience: What is it Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Ah, well, its OK, I guess. As long as I don’t have to become a
donkey the next time around!
Experience: Star Searcher, I am doing my very best to prevent you from
becoming a donkey this time around. Are you ready?
Star-Searcher: OK, let’s do it!
Experience: Imagine, Star Searcher, that you are living in ancient China around
the 5th Century BC..
Star-Searcher: OK. Ah, wait a minute.
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, ah I don’t have to have my hair in a pigtail do I?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, just be comfortable. You can even imagine
yourself as the same gender if you like?
Star-Searcher: Huh? The same gender? Now why would I … . Hey! Wait a
minute. Are you saying that a man could have been a woman before? Now who’s
joking around?
Experience: That got your attention, didn’t it? Can we begin now?

Star-Searcher: OK. 5th Century BC. China, but as a man, right?
Experience: As you wish, Star Searcher. Are you ready now?
Star-Searcher: OK, I’m ready. What do I have to do?
Experience: Just answer a few questions, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Will they be in Chinese?
Experience: No, Star Searcher they will be in English and not in Chinese.
Star-Searcher: That sounds easy. Go ahead and ask your questions.
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, have you ever heard of gravity?
B Of course I have heard of gravity, everyone has heard of gravity.!
Experience: In the 5th Century BC. China, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Huh? What do you mean? Oh, wait! I see now. I must answer as a
5th Century BC. man in China, right?
Experience: precisely.
Star-Searcher: OK. I see now. But …
Experience: What is it, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Ah, Has Newton been born yet?
Experience: Not yet, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Oh, well in that case I guess that I never heard of gravity.
Experience: Very good Star Searcher. Tell me now, do you believe in gravity?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Do I believe in gravity? But how can I believe in something if
I have never heard of it?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Well then, I guess I would have to answer that I can’t believe in
gravity because I don’t know it exists so that I could or could not believe in it.
Experience: You never fail to amaze me Star Searcher. I am proud of you.
Star-Searcher: Well thanks. I think. But …
Experience: We are coming to that now Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh? I didn’t even ask the question yet!

Experience: Imagine yourself now in England, as an Englishman, a little after Sir
Isaac Newton proclaimed that gravity exists.
Star-Searcher: OK, what’s next?
Experience: Just a few more questions, Star Searcher. Are you ready?
Star-Searcher: OK. Fire away!
Experience: Have you ever heard of gravity?
Star-Searcher: Of course I have. Everyone has heard of … Oh. Ahhh. Yes. I have
just recently heard of gravity.
Experience: Very good Star Searcher. Tell me now, do you believe in gravity?
Star-Searcher: Of course I do. Newton said it exists didn’t he?
Experience: Very good Star Searcher. Tell me now, does everyone believe in
gravity?
Star-Searcher: Well no. It is a new concept and people in the other parts of the
world may not have heard that it existed yet.
Experience: Very good Star Searcher. Tell me now, will everyone who hears that
gravity exists believe it exists?
Star-Searcher: Hmmmm. I guess there will always be skeptics. I would have to
answer no. Not everyone will believe that gravity exists who have heard of gravity.
Experience: Tell me now, Star Searcher, is the world flat?
Star-Searcher: No. It hasn’t been flat for years.
Experience: In your imagination, if you go back to the 5th Century BC. China
again, would the world be flat?
Star-Searcher: Yes, I think it would.
Experience: Do you believe the world is flat?
Star-Searcher: No. I mean yes. As A 5th Century BC. man in China, yes, I think I
do believe the world is flat.
Experience: Does everyone believe the world is flat?
Star-Searcher: I don’t know about other countries, but here I think everyone
believes its flat except maybe some skeptics and mystics.
Experience: As a 20th Century AD. person again Star Searcher, was the world
flat just because most people believed it was flat?
Star-Searcher: No, of course not, that’s ridiculous.

Experience: Could gravity not exist just because people may not believe it exists?
Star-Searcher: No. Of course not, that’s ridiculous also. Wait a minute. Are you
going to ask next, “Does Reincarnation not exist just because some people
believe that it does not exist?
Experience: Well, Star Searcher, I did have that in mind. What do you think?
Star-Searcher: Well now that I think about it, it does sort of remind me of when
we were kids and closed our eyes to make something go away that we didn’t want
to see. But that doesn’t prove that Reincarnation exists.
Experience: Your exactly correct Star Searcher, that is no proof of Reincarnation.
Of course, we didn’t set out to prove the existence of Reincarnation did we?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Well I guess we didn’t.
Experience: We simply used an exercise in imagination to explore the idea of
something existing, or not existing, simply because we believed that it did or did
not.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. But …
Experience: There’s that but again. Go ahead Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: But I have a right to believe what I want to believe don’t I?
Experience: Precisely.
Star-Searcher: Then why are we going through this exercise?
Experience: Your best guess Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well, knowing you it was for the best for all concerned.
Experience: Go on Star Searcher. Strive for it!
Star-Searcher: Well I had a concern about something and that concern had fear
in it.
Experience: Precisely, what else?
Star-Searcher: My fear was based on inaccurate information.
Experience: Inaccurate information Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Ah, is there a problem with that?
Experience: Didn’t you tell me that you never really studied the Laws of
Reincarnation & Karma?
Star-Searcher: That’s correct.

Experience: Then how do you know your fear was based on inaccurate
information?
Star-Searcher: Hmmmm. I see what you mean. Maybe I have come to some kind
of conclusion in all our talks that when I have a prolonged fear of an idea then it
must be based on some kind of inaccurate information, or something like that.
Experience: OK, what else?
Star-Searcher: Well I really shouldn’t draw conclusions until I have all the facts.
Experience: Tell me Star Searcher, do you ever think you can accumulate all the
facts about Reincarnation & Karma?
Star-Searcher: Huh? Well now that you put it that way, I get the feeling that there
are a great many facts involved. So I guess I can’t really understand Reincarnation
& Karma accurately after all.
Experience: You do give up quite easily Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Huh? I give up easily? What do you mean?
Experience: Did Columbus know all the facts about America before he set out to
discover it?
Star-Searcher: Of course he did!
Experience: Are you sure Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: He must have. No one in their right mind would set out with out a
map and all that stuff.
Experience: Do you really think, Star Searcher, that “a map and all that stuff”
could hold all the accurate facts about America?
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. Now that you put it that way, Columbus couldn’t have
known about the Rocky Mountain Range, or the Mississippi River. Now that I think
of it, he did land on an island south of Florida. So I guess I was wrong. Columbus
didn’t have all the facts about America before he set out to discover it. But …
Experience: There’s that but again. What is it Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Are you saying that I don’t have to know all the facts about
Reincarnation and Karma before I set out to discover them for myself?
Experience: That is close to my meaning, Star Searcher, yet not exactly correct.
Star-Searcher: Well what are you trying to get at?
Experience: It is not just Reincarnation and Karma that I have in mind, Star
Searcher. Do you understand?
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. You mean that I have many concepts to explore but I
am not because I think I have to know all the facts about them before I can set out

to discover them for myself?
Experience: Yes that is precisely what I meant. Like I have said before, Star
Searcher, you never fail to amaze me.
Star-Searcher: You mean I might save myself from being a donkey the next time
around?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, and perhaps even this time around as well.

CONTINUED IN STAR-SEARCHER #12

PETAL #071

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #4

(The Qualifier)

The qualifier has meaning to those who have cognized the cause and effect
relationship of their own thought. Now what in the universe does that mean?
Well, it means that if we haven’t experienced it, then more than likely we can’t
relate to it. It means that it is not real to us. It means that we have not realized it.
If something is not real to us, then there is a strong tendency to dismiss it as
unrealistic. When we dismiss it as unrealistic then we pay no attention to it. It
becomes insignificant in our lives. When others talk about it then they lose
creditability with us — in short, we think they are weird.
If we have no concept of accidental loss and/or death and the resultant effects on
personal economy, then there is no doubt that we will not be taking out insurance
policies in case of accidental loss and/or death.
Now can we know from the above discussion what a qualifier is? Nope. Can we
know why someone doesn’t use a qualifier? Well, we’re starting to get the picture.
Once, while living in San Jose, California, I had need of a desk. I couldn’t afford a
new one so it was improvise or go to the Good Will As-Is store. About a week
later, a man I knew from the local chess club (also an old fishing buddy from those
days when I used to go deep sea fishing out of Santa Cruz) offered me a desk free
of charge. He was no longer in business and rather give it to a friend than sell it. I
accepted. It turned out to be a beautiful, large, expensive, executive, wood desk
with a high back, leather, padded, swivel chair. In short, I died and went to heaven.
Mind you now, I did not “visualize” in any intentional way for this desk or any other
desk. I had been thinking about solutions to a problem. One of the possibilities
was a desk. I didn’t even mention it to anyone.
I asked my Teacher about it. He shared with me that when a person had done a
lot of meditating his, or her, thoughts become magnetic. Many times a person
doesn’t have to visualize, they just think it. (At this point, I figured I was into some
very deep yogurt).
When we accumulate many years of contemplation and meditation on the Path,
our auras begin to get more powerful. Our thoughts directly affect the color and
quality of our auras.
There will come a time when we begin to discern that we are getting what we want
or desire (or that which our minds dwell on). After we notice this for several
months we become convinced that our thoughts have become magnetic and we
are attracting that which we think about.

At first there may be a feeling of OH BOY! I can have what I want! This is the
cosmic kid in the candy store with six months allowance.
Soon, (the length of time depending on the quality of our discernment), we notice
that all of our thoughts are magnetic.

Now we don’t have to be great mystics on the Path to realize that we would not
want all of our thoughts to manifest in the physical — or any other level for that
matter.
In Agni Yoga there is a story about a man whose thoughts had become very
magnetic – very powerful. He visualized a palace with all the royal furnishings. The
palace with all the royal furnishings manifested. He then thought about a man
eating tiger entering the palace and attacking him. A man eating tiger manifested,
entered the palace, and attacked the man.
(Do you think it might be possible that thought control is an ideal quality to attain
while traveling the Path?
Let’s face it, we do not have 100% thought control; in our lives. We do not have
100% purity of thought in our lives. If it were otherwise we most probably wouldn’t
be on this planet.
Thus with discernment we distinguish the obviously beneficial thoughts from the
obviously non-beneficial thoughts. This shouldn’t be too difficult for the average
traveler on the Path.
(Not dwelling on these non-beneficial thoughts may be another level of
discernment to attain).
It is the gray areas that we eventually put a lot of attention on. If I think this
thought, then what will happen? If it is not obvious, then we devise methods of
searching for the answer.
We can ask a Teacher or elder brother on the Path. (Hopefully it will eventually be
the Blessed Guide (Master Within, Higher, known by many names in different
groups). We weigh the answers and put the best one into effect. (We then will
soon find out if it really is the best answer).
Experience will soon teach the benevolent traveler on the Path that even though
the traveler searched for the best answer, the effects of that cause, (the harvest
for that seed), may have adverse consequences which were unseen at the time of
the determination to plant that thought seed. So now what do we do?
The experienced Teachers on the Path know that this is a critical point on the
Path. It is that time when we thoroughly know, beyond a doubt, that thoughts are
things. We know that our thoughts are highly magnetic (even the non-beneficial
ones). Now what do we do with those thoughts, the effects of which may not all be
obvious?
This dilemma is one which everyone on the Path must sooner or later deal with. It
becomes an even more critical point on the Path when we get introduced to the
number one Cosmic NO-NO — the violation of free will and or karma.

Each traveler must comprehend and find that personal solution to this problem so
that they can function in the world yet not interfere with free will and or karma
(intentionally or unintentionally).
Thus we need some type of control over our thoughts which will not allow them to
interfere with the free will and or karma of others. We need an if-then type of
control. If this occurs, then do that.
In short, we need something like a great computer with infinite capacity to search
through all the possible effects from one of our thought seeds in order to
determine if the activation of that thought seed will violate free will and or karma.
I would like to see such a physical machine. Wouldn’t you? It most probably
doesn’t exist in the physical. So the traveler on the Path searches for an
equivalent in the spiritual world — a consciousness in the Light, which is far
greater than his or her present consciousness. Such a consciousness can see

through the many effects of a single cause — all the ripples from the thought-
pebble dropped into the pond.

The traveler eventually turns to the Teacher on the Path as back up. Sooner or
later our discernment will be clear on one thing concerning the manifestation of
our thought. If it doesn’t please the Teacher (Master), then the traveler doesn’t
want anything to do with it.
Thus if one of the ripples from a thought-pebble dropped into the Cosmic Pond will
create a violation of free will and or karma, then the traveler chooses to have the
Teacher neutralize that aspect of the thought or the entire thought if necessary. (If
it can be created, it can be uncreated).
A modern mystic once shared that, “Anything is possible in the Cosmic except the
negation of the Cosmic itself.”
We want the Teacher (Master) to double check our thoughts with his greater
consciousness and transmute any aspect of our thought that are non-beneficial
into something he, or she, considers beneficial.
Thus want turns into necessity to the point where we develop a qualifier to
guarantee that we will not violate free will and/or karma. The Teacher (Master) is
that guarantee. The laws of the Cosmic are that guarantee, if we make them as
such with the qualifier.
Some qualifiers I was introduced to on the Path are as follows.

1. If it pleases the Cosmic
2. If it pleases the Masters
   In Agni Yoga we learn that co-measurement is the highest wisdom. Thus some of
   us use the qualifier “in perfect co-measurement” followed by the Teacher’s name.
   Like it was painstakingly stated in the beginning of this sharing, the necessity for a
   qualifier will only be grasped by the traveler who has experientially learned,
   beyond a doubt, the great esoteric fact that thoughts are things.

Therefore we must be very discerning and strive to maximize, and thus master,
the quality of our thought. Until that time my brothers and sisters, it is prudent to
use the qualifier — in perfect co-measurement.
I must share with you a true story about a man who had been on the Path for
many years. He heard about and purchased a physical machine through which it
was advertised that you could send your thoughts. It was supposed to make your
thoughts very powerful and send them out into the world. You could thus get what
you wanted, or heal those you wanted to heal.
Here was a situation where a traveler on the Path for many years, had not yet
realized, beyond a doubt, that thoughts are things. The several hints, over as
many months, fell on deaf ears. I strived to share the qualifier with him. He just
smiled, but he must have thought about it, because later he told me in a most
brotherly advise fashion to “forget that qualifier business, and just put out for what
you want.”
I often thought that it was a good thing that this brother was in the Path of Light
and not the Path of darkness. A negative person with that attitude would have hurt
others and caused serious karma for himself.
And yes, he did get things he wanted, and he did heal some people. You tell me
which did it, the mind, the machine, or a combination of both. (I hope I know what
your answer will be.)
This life is a school to learn how to use thought benevolently. Thus we learn how
to behave as we fill our hearts with charity.
For the reader who is not convinced, beyond a doubt, from his, or her, own
experience that thoughts are things, yet still would like to explore the idea of a
qualifier just in case, I suggest you request from your Blessed Guide (Higher Self),
during meditation or prayer that you will know, beyond a doubt, the truth about the
value of a qualifier for one who ravels the Path of Light. Make note of your
experiences after such a request, for “beyond a doubt” knowledge does not come
from reading or conversation, but from accurate reflections on accurate
observations of your own personal experience.

PETAL #072
SAYINGS: 304 TO 335

304. Be at home in your heart.
305. The flower of happiness has many petals.
306. Each of us has a treasure chest of possibilities.
307. Discernment is the master key to happiness.
308. For the sculptor, the future is a block of pure white marble.
309. The quality of my thoughts constitute the design of my future.
310. Bratitude becomes gratitude with every caring attitude.
311. Anything other than unity is not unity.
312. It’s when we don’t love that we hurt.
313. The difference between the maverick and the one who pushes back the
     borders of ignorance is self discipline and knowledge.
314. Beauty is the sun of World Culture.
315. Nature seals her promise of spring in white, (we seal it with ingratitude).
316. Of the millions of sun rises in our universe each day, — do the birds
     serenade each dawn?
317. Like a balloon tangled in a tree, an unloving attitude keeps us from rising to
     the heights of our fullest potential.
318. Like an old stone wall in New England, courage has its reminders.
319. The key to insincerity is disrespect, for how can we be sincere to someone if
     we do not respect them?
320. If our thoughts are insincere, then insincerity will permeate our every action,
     like a prolonged drought which dries out every leaf, every root, and every cell of

the forest. The song birds leave, and the greens and browns melt into the sand-
color of our own personal desert. Such is the power of insincerity.

321. The key to sincerity is respect, for how can we be insincere to someone we
     respect?
322. If our thoughts are sincere, then sincerity will permeate our every action, like
     rain which washes the leaves of the forest on its way to the roots. It enters every
     cell of the forest. It participates in growth. It stimulates bloom. It becomes the
     forest. Such is the power of sincerity.
323. Am I willing to learn more?
324. Winter sleeping is an act of spring. At this stage cycles are significant, for in
     her dreams she gathers colors, fragrances, and yes, the songs of birds.
325. As the Mesquite tree, in drought, can send its tap root down fifty yards after
     water, so can Joy refresh itself with beauty during times of adversity.
326. Create it with Joy! Live it with Joy! Remember it with Joy!
327. The mind is an artist’s palette. Each thought is a brush stroke coloring the
     future.
328. As the quality of a painting depends upon the quality of the artist, so too the
     quality of our lives depends upon the quality of our thoughts.
329. When we lower the quality of our thoughts, we change green leaves into
     desert sands.
330. Honesty lives in a heart with no deception.
331. An argument is a mental sword fight. One may be wrong, yet skillful enough
     to win. Both may get chopped up and live to never be friends again.
332. An argument is a temporary suspension of harmony which may easily attain
     a permanent status.
333. A beautiful thought is a life raft in the daily sea of confusion.
334. The Light of Joy dwells in the Treasury of Beautiful Thoughts.
335. Humanity will have matured when “My search” for happiness becomes “Our
     search” for happiness.

PETAL #073

T h e Te m p l e G u a r d i a n O f T h e H e a r t

My brothers and sisters, a Temple Guard’s duty is to secure the invisible doors as
well as the visible doors, but he, (or she), is not alone in this obligation, for every
one of us is apprenticed by The Source of All Beauty and All Life, through The
Hierarchy of Light as a

TEMPLE GUARDIAN OF OUR OWN HEART.

We all know that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and that the
strength of any group is measured in degrees of harmony. Thus we are only as
harmonious as our least experienced Temple Guardian of the Heart. Perhaps a
few questions and answers may bring this vital fact into clearer focus.
Question: Can we do better?
Answer: Yes, we can.
Q: When will we do better?
A: Who will post a Temple Guardian at the gateway to his Heart?
Q: What are the duties of a Temple Guardian of the Heart?
A: To Challenge all thoughts and inspect their contents for the presence of the
destroyer of brotherly love.
Q: What is the destroyer of brotherly love?
A: Will The Source Of All Beauty and All Life dwell in a heart which has forgotten
the spiritual art of no-deception?
Q: Why is deception the destroyer of brotherly love?
A: Deception leads to betrayal.

Q: What is the spiritual art of no-deception?
A: No-deception means honesty, and honesty means sincerity.
Q: Then deception is insincerity?
A: Precisely.
Q: Then insincerity is the destroyer of brotherly love?
A: As surely as the lack of compassion leads to impatience.
Q: Can a brother, or sister, guard the heart perfectly?
A: Aspiration, is it not a stepping stone to achievement?

Q: Suppose a Temple Guardian of the Heart inspects his thoughts and does find
insincerity, lack of compassion, or impatience, how does he deal with these subtle
vipers?
A: The flowers of the universe perfume the dreams of those who build with joy.
Q: Are you saying that Joy is the tool of the Temple Guardian of the Heart?
A: The Master Temple Guardian of the Heart is known by his Joyful Labor alone.
Q: Isn’t the task of the Master Temple Guardian of the Heart to difficult for the
average person?
A: The average person’s life becomes quite difficult when they do not guard the
heart. (It’s when we do not love that we hurt).
It is said that a situation viewed as a problem feels like a huge gray wall; however,
the same situation viewed as a challenge contains the feeling of the seed of a
green victory.

PETAL #074
W e a t h e r Ta l k (Poem)

When I was young the wind would blow
so long and fierce I had to know
what lungs could hold such wind in tow,
for I would search for the what and why.
I asked my friends for what they knew
about the beast who puffed and blew.
They laughed. It rained the whole night through.
But I still searched for the what and why.
“Through wind and rain please guide my way.
Let not the weather make my day”,
the world taught me this point of view.
(But love is the wisest thing to do).
The snow, at first, was fun and free,
but bare I stood, a birdless tree.
So I fought the North Wind in me,
for I still searched for the what and why.
An East Wind blew into my room.
I swapped my gray-cold-sky of gloom
for the sun-warm-red of a rose in bloom,
for I still searched for the what and why.
“Through head-down-cold I’ll feel my way.
Can’t let the weather make my day”.
The world taught me this point of view.
(But love is the wisest thing to do.)
So now I play the garden game.
The wildness that I learned to tame
is compost now, (It lost its claim.)
But still I search for the what and why.
My garden rose likes summer sun.
She “winters-over” when its done.
(But in my heart there’s always one.),
for I still search for the what and why.
“Through toughest storms I find my way.
No kind of weather makes my day”.
The rose taught me my point of view —
to love is the wisest thing to do.

PETAL #075
BEAUTY-GRAM #12

THE ACUTENESS OF OBSERVATION

What helps to affirm beauty?
“Only acuteness of observation helps to affirm beauty.”
Fiery World 1, #243
Our personal reality — what we realize, is based on the information we receive
through our five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and feeling. When our
intuition (those magnificent messages from the Blessed Guide) works, it uses the
information we have accumulated through our five senses as the alphabet of
communication.
The Blessed Guide will choose among the contents of our memory those items
which it thinks will best convey an important message to the objective (outer)
person. In short, our intuition is the language of symbolism.
Now what in the universe does all this talk about intuition have to do with our
subject which states that, “Only acuteness of observation helps to affirm beauty.”?
Well, if the content of our memory is the alphabet for our Blessed Guide to
communicate with us, then once we truly realize this fact it will help the Blessed
Guide and the outer person to get as much accurate detail in our observations as
possible.
Detailed observations produce detailed memories. This sharpness of detail in
observation will also greatly assist us to bring more beauty into our lives.
An example comes to mind. A National Geographic film from the library entitled
“The Invisible World” showed a scientist observing individual heart cells under a
powerful microscope. It showed each of the heart cells with their own individual
heart beat. The heart beats were not synchronous — not in unison.
The scientist observed, and showed on the film, that when a larger heart cell came
in contact with a smaller heart cell, then the smaller heart cell stopped beating for
a short but quite noticeable time. When the smaller heart cell resumed its beating
the rhythm of its heart beat (cell-beat) was now in perfect unison with the larger
cell.
After rewinding the film many times in order to observe this biological fact over
and over again, I became reflective. My intuition then used this just observed
content of my memory to overlay the idea of the contact with the Teacher.
No, it is not an exact comparison. This is not the method of contact. However, it
was used to assist me into a closer understanding of my relationship with my

Teacher and the Silver Thread which connects the heart of the student with the
heart of the Teacher.
If the scientific observer failed to observe the two cells in the process of unifying
their heart beats, then I would not have been able to view that portion of the film
because it would not have existed at that time.
If I had been thinking of a spaghetti dinner because of the aromas from the
kitchen, then I may have been looking but not “seeing” the unifying dance of the
two heart beats.
So that is an example which came to me after I meditated and began writing on,
“Only acuteness of observation helps to affirm beauty.”
I hope it is of service to you as it has been and is to me.
In the long run, it is all a matter of discernment.
Our accurate discernment comes from our accurate memories of our accurate
reflections upon our accurate observations.

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #076

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #12

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE BEAUTY OF REINCARNATION

(PART TWO)

Star-Searcher: Do Stars incarnate?
Experience: Stars, Star Searcher? Do You mean stars like our sun is a star?
Star-Searcher: Yes, I had a dream that one dimly lit and restless star was talking
to another star and asked, “How did you get so bright and beautiful?” The other
star replied, with what seemed like infinite patience, that, “I graduated from the
University of Hard Knocks on the planet Earth.”
Experience: Then what happened, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: The conversation stopped. Oh ya. The light of the dimly lit star
blinked and I saw a streak of light headed toward Earth, but neither star moved.
Experience: Then what happened Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, there was a pause that seemed like an eternity, then I saw
the streak of light return from Earth to the dimly lit star, which blinked again and
said, “Thank you.” The dimly lit star then increased in brightness and beauty equal
to that of the other star.
Experience: Anything else, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: No, except somehow I felt the universe was better off for the
experience. That’s all I remember. Do you think it was something I ate?
Experience: That is one possibility, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Do you think that I should pay attention to my dreams?
Experience: What do you think, Star-Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Well, knowing you, I’d say that it is all a matter of discernment.
Experience: Yes, I think you are beginning to know me Star Searcher. What do
you think the dream meant?
Star-Searcher: I don’t know.

Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: I don’t have the foggiest idea.
Experience: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Well it reminds me a little of Socrates’ student. What was his
name?
Experience: Plato, Star Searcher, his name was Plato.
Star-Searcher: Well wasn’t it Plato that told us that if we get through this
reincarnation process on Earth then we go to live on a star, or become a star, or
something like that?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, that was in Plato’s Dialog entitled The Timaeus.
Star-Searcher: Well, if Plato wrote about reincarnation does that mean his
teacher believed in reincarnation also?
Experience: No, Star Searcher, it doesn’t follow that because a student believes
in something that his teacher also believed the same way. However, in this case, it
is true that Socrates believed in reincarnation. Why do you ask?
Star-Searcher: Well, once you explained how people over many centuries, who
believed the same way constituted a school of thought. Is that the right word,
constituted?
Experience: Yes, it means the contents, or what something is made up of.
Star-Searcher: Oh, I see. Well, I’ve got a question for ya.
Experience: Ask your question, Star Searcher, but don’t be surprised to learn that
the theory of reincarnation, unlike all other theories, answers every question put to
it.
Star-Searcher: OK. my question goes like this, What constitutes the beauty of
reincarnation?
Experience: A very fine question, Star Searcher. What is your best …
Star-Searcher: Oh no, I asked first. This time it is your turn to answer the
question.
Experience: [smiling] Ha! OK, Star-Searcher. We incarnate to learn through
experience how to behave.
Star-Searcher: Your kidding me! I learned through experience when I was a kid
how to behave. Every time I turned around I was getting a learning experience for
something I thought was great at the time.
Experience: Yes Star Searcher, that is part of the learning experience.

Star-Searcher: Only a part?
Experience: Yes Star Searcher, only a part. Life produces many learning
situations.
Star-Searcher: But can’t I just read the manual on human behavior and avoid all
this reincarnating?
Experience: Nice try, Star Searcher, however, our Free Will and our thoughts and
desires are far more powerful than we might think, thus we gravitate to those
situations in life which will produce our learning experience.
Star-Searcher: But how do we know which situation to gravitate to?
Experience: That is determined by our choices from the present, and recent past,
as well as past incarnations.
Star-Searcher: You mean I choose my learning experience?
Experience: That is close, Star Searcher. You see the choices you make and
have made determine the type of situation you will meet in the future.
Star-Searcher: But how does that happen?
Experience: Well, certain Masters are entrusted with the power to manage the
operations of The Law of Karma.
Star-Searcher: Karma? Oh ya. I remember now. You taught me that every
thought is a seed and I am the sower as well as the harvester.
Experience: You were listening after all, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Ya. Amazing isn’t it? But shouldn’t I be worried about what I have
to harvest?
Experience: Worried, Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: You know. I am not a perfect thinker yet, so I must have thought
many imperfect thoughts in the past which I must harvest in the future. Isn’t that
scary?
Experience: To some yes, Star Searcher, it is scary. Because they don’t see what
a beautiful key to a higher quality of life in the future is contained in The Law of
Karma.
Star-Searcher: I gotta hear this!
Experience: Well, if a person can put aside their fears of punishment for all the
“bad” things they have done in the past and then concentrate on planting “good”
seeds for the future there will occur a wiping out much of the “bad seeds” from the
past. In short Karma leads to love.
Star-Searcher: What’s this? Karma leads to love? You haven’t been meditating to
much have you?

Experience: Believe it or not, there is a very simple explanation of why Karma
leads to love.
Star-Searcher: I’m all for simplicity. Please share the answer.
Experience: It goes like this, Star Searcher. We all have Free Will. We all choose
the ideals, ideas, and attitudes with which we operate on in life. However since we
do not have perfect discernment we make errors and thus do not always choose
the most beneficial ideals, ideas, and attitudes. Yet each of our chosen thoughts
are seeds, and as you have remembered so well, we are both the sower and the
harvester. We sow what we choose, that is clearly understood; however, the
harvesting is the learning process. As we harvest our crop of experience we are
going to evaluate that experience.
Star-Searcher: Evaluate?
Experience: Yes, Star Searcher, evaluate. We may go through an experience and
definitely realize the unpleasantness of it and come to the conclusion that the
ideals, ideas and attitudes connected with it are non beneficial, or visa versa.
Star-Searcher: Therefore?
Experience: Therefore Star Searcher, depending on the strength of our
conclusions, we will not choose that particular ideal, ideas, or attitude to operate
on in the future.
Star-Searcher: But how does that lead to love?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Hey! That’s not fair, I asked first. remember?
Experience: OK Star Searcher. It goes like this. Over thousands of incarnations
we choose a little higher quality ideals, ideas, and attitudes due to all the
experience with the pleasure and pain of our on-going harvest.
Star-Searcher: Oh I see. You’re saying that we build up a memory of experience
as a platform to increase the quality of our choices in the future. But.
Experience: Yes Star Searcher?
Star-Searcher: Is that how we evolve our discernment?
Experience: precisely, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: You’re right. It is simple, but that doesn’t explain how Karma leads
to love. Does it?
Experience: Well, yes it does. You see, Star Searcher, the person who builds
discernment to a high degree, through the experience of incarnations, will
gradually choose ideals, ideas, and attitudes which lead to love, because that will
be the most pleasing. In short, it leads to the least pain.

Star-Searcher: But isn’t there all kinds of novels and plays about people getting
hurt because of love such as infidelity?
Experience: Yes Star Searcher. Yet that is also part of the process of refining our
discernment. When we fully realize, over the course of incarnations, that infidelity
is deception, and that all deceptive seeds lead only to pain, then we incorporate
that experience into our discernment and choose better the next time. Thus
eventually Karma, or The Law of Cause And Effect, will lead us to the most loving
choices for a beautiful future. Thus, this is the place to learn how to behave. See?
Star-Searcher: Yes. I think that I am starting to see it, but.
Experience: There’s that but again. Go ahead Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: But does it go on forever just because I made a poor choice ten
thousand incarnations ago?
Experience: An Excellent question, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Oh no! You’re not going to ask me for my best guess are you?
Experience: Relax, Star Searcher. It is not a cruel universe. Once we truly learn
that a seed is non beneficial, for an individual as well as humanity, then the Karma
of that particular seed is erased.
Star-Searcher: Boy am I glad you shared that part with me. Thank you. Now it all
makes sense. Karma is a gift, a gift of Free Will and experience. It is a teacher for
the evolution of humanity, right?
Experience: You know, Star Searcher, I think you are catching on.
Star-Searcher: Wait! Did you ever answer my question, What is the beauty of
reincarnation?
Experience: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
Star-Searcher: Yes, I think you did, for if Karma and Reincarnation exist
inseparably, then becoming a loving person is the beauty of reincarnation. Like it
says in the beautiful Agni Yoga Teachings, Love is the treasure, and joy is the
harvest of that treasure.
Experience: Very good Star-Searcher. That’s it for now..

PETAL #077

Experiences on the Path #5
“Your OK In My Book”

“your OK in my book, I don’t care what everyone else says about ya.” My
unthinking response to my friend surprised him as well as myself. It went like this –
-“Neither do I.”
This may seem like a strange topic to write about. What does it matter whether or
not I care about what others think about me? Well, its not that simple. In the early
part of this incarnation I was greatly influenced in my decisions and actions by
how others thought (or how I perceived they thought about me.) To the point
where that would control my life. This has been remedied.
One time a spiritual Teacher commented on the dedication in one of my books.
He said people might think that I was bragging about my association in the
spiritual life. Well, out of great respect for my Teacher, I changed the dedication,
but not because I was afraid of what others might think or say.
I wonder how much truth gets withheld due to the possibility that someone might
take offense, etc.. Another Teacher told a small group that you might as well stand
up and say what you have to and then sit down and be quiet, because others are
going to respond in a variety of ways anyway. This is not an exact quote, but just
the gist of what he said.
At this point, you might be thinking — where am I going with all this? Well,
recently I asked within to bring out my most beautiful experience in this incarnation
in order to share it. It did come forward in memory. But as soon as it did, my
objective mind said, “Oh you can’t share that one, people will think you are on a
trip or something.” But how can we get to know each other if we are afraid of what
people might think?
It can go the other way as well. In a group, I refrained from jumping in and
responding to every comment or question. I figured it was better if others
responded. I would wait. If no one else responded, then I would strive to respond,
even if it was to say I didn’t know. Well, one person actually accused me of not
knowing anything about Agni Yoga, and that all I could ever do is quote from the
Teachings. (I chose to respond with love rather than with crude remarks). I figured
people have been and still are patient with my growing, I can do no less with
others and their growing.
The eyes of those for which this is not intended are probably glazed over by now
and have gone on to something more exciting. Thus I have buried this my most
beautiful experience on purpose in the midst of many paragraphs. It goes like this.
One evening in my sanctum (my place of study, contemplation and meditation), I
was performing the overall exercise. This is where you consciously put your
awareness in every cell of your body sequentially. You begin with your toes, go to
your feet, your ankles, lower legs, upper legs, etc. right up through your head and
into the upper part of your aura.
Well, I got as far as my arms when, much to my surprise, an energy within
seemed to activate from within me. It went up both my arms into both my
shoulders and then down in a wedge point into my heart. At the instant it touched

my heart, it burst upwards in a broad V shape through the upper part of my body
and into the upper part of my aura. This was just the beginning.
In this process, I began to feel vibrations (sensations) which I never felt before in
this incarnation. My intuition told me it was bliss –pure bliss. It was truly wonderful.
It kept radiating out of my heart through me upwards. But that was not all.
At the initial point of energy going down into my heart and bursting upwards, an
image appeared on the screen of my consciousness. It was an image of the
Christ. He was lying down sleeping. This burst of bliss lasted awhile, but I couldn’t
tell you how long.
At a later point in time, (days, weeks, months I don’t remember exactly), I was at
my weekend part time job in a museum in San Jose California. I noticed that the
gallery I was responsible for was getting a bit noisy. Children were chattering
loudly and beginning to dart about. Parents were getting nervous, and those
without children were looking like when will these parents make their children
mind.
I sat down on a bench, closed my eyes, became very calm, and filled the gallery
with love. With the qualifier (in perfect co-measurement), I directed it from my
heart to fill every speck of every inch of the gallery simultaneously. I held it there
for several minutes. Then I opened my eyes.
“You got God in you boy!” A short man with piercing eyes was standing about 1
1/2 feet in front of me. I looked into those eyes and calmly said, “What makes you
say that?” He pointed to a place in his forehead just above a place between his
eyes.
At that time I knew that he had psychically/spiritually observed me restoring my
gallery to its usual level of calm vibrations. He was the only person, of which I was
aware, who ever consciously observed me in what was by then my usual
technique for maintaining a vibrational atmosphere of harmony. This all happened
twenty years ago when I was 33 years old. This is a private story between you and
I.

PETAL #078
SAYINGS: 336 TO 360

336. At dawn we exchange our perception of a star filled universe for a day time
     stage with one star.
337. The heart is an elevator, controlled by desire, yet directed by the mind.
338. As my capacity for beauty grows, so grows my capacity for joy.
339. My future is as close as my next thought.
340. As we learn that the icing is not the cake, life becomes less painful.
341. There is no better time than now for quality thoughts. Gardener gather your
     seeds.
342. With beauty we manifest the ever present possibility of joy.
343. Irritation is shattered against the fragrance of the rose.
344. Light is to the leaf what beauty is to the soul.
345. My song is my striving, my striving is my song.
346. Sometimes things seem to come from nowhere and nothing. Yet, everything
     begins with a thought.
347. As the oleander, [every part of it], is poisonous to Mankind, so deception is
     poisonous, [every part of it].
348. In an atmosphere of unity, do we find discontent?
349. Thought is the father of character.
350. From the beauty of the heart of today comes the joyful construction of the
     future.
351. Simplicity radiates beauty.
352. Like the shadow of the earth against the night sky, we do not always discern
     that which we produce.
353. Earthquakes follow eclipses.
354. When the moon travels in the shadow of the earth, we call it an eclipse of
     the moon. When will we call it – moon traveling in the shadow of the earth?
355. Knowledge leads to understanding. Understanding leads to wise application.
     Wise application leads to the joy of achievement.
356. The salvation of humanity is rooted in its student teacher relationship with
     the Hierarchy of Light, which is connected directly to God.
357. Joyful is the one who focuses on beauty.
358. Sometimes things seem to come from nowhere and from nothing; yet,
     everything begins with a thought.
359. The crowd shouts, “Be angry, you have a right to get upset.” The heart
     whispers, “Be calm, you have a right to be invincible.”
360. Beauty is the health of the future, without it we only learn, [again], the hard
     way.

PETAL #079
L i k e R a i n O n F i r e

When there is disharmony, (expressed or unexpressed), in a group, the group
becomes, to a degree, polarized or divided. This division in itself creates
weaknesses which history has shown to have been exploited countless times.
Many people, not happy with this lack of unity, will stay away and thus the
attendance diminishes usually leaving, for the most part, the divided camps to play
out their mental, emotional and sometimes physical upsets. From this we see that
disharmony cuts down the number of people in a group as well as the feelings of
brotherly love.
One of Webster’s definitions of strength is: Force, as measured in numbers:
effective numbers of any body or organization. With this decline of harmony,
brotherly love, to an alarming degree, is set aside in order to vent the feelings of
“being right”, (no matter how they may hurt or be designed to hurt others). Thus
charity enters into a free fall. Polarized feelings lead to frustration and anger.
Anger has a way of clouding the truth, or what exists, sometimes on purpose,
sometimes because of the powerful feelings which anger brings forth. So we see
that disharmony, like rain on fire drowns the fire of unity. When unity is put on the
back burner, more members leave the group, and the numbers are greatly
diminished.
When the number of members diminish, the dues and donations also diminish,
and the group eventually begins to operate on its financial reserves without
replenishing them. Seeing the financial situation deteriorate, as well as the
demonstrated disrespect for harmony, more members leave the group. The
attendance at meetings minimizes.

quality leadership

With attendance way down, there are less members to choose from to establish
the group’s officers. Thus the skill level of the officers, dedicated as they may be,
directly affect the group they lead. Seeing this, and reacting to it, more members
leave.
By now there are a very few people asking to become members because the
members that stay away don’t talk about the group and don’t recommend it. (If it
was too inharmonious for them then why would they recommend the group to a
friend?) So we have people steadily leaving, a minimum of new members,
minimized attendance at meetings, financial reserves noticeably diminishing, and
people in office not trained for the positions thus adding to the problems of the
group.

PETAL #080

T h e S o n g O f G r a t e f u l n e s s

I sing my song of gratefulness
to The Source of All Beauty and All Life.
You are the light of all stars.
You are the light behind all light.
You are the space between galaxies.
You are the space behind all space.
You are the sun of all solar systems.
You are the sun behind all suns.
I sing my song of gratefulness,
to the Source of All Beauty and All Life.
You are the color of all sunsets.
You are the color behind all color.
You are the fragrance of all flowers.
You are the fragrance behind all fragrances.
You are the song of all birds.
You are the song behind all songs.
I sing my song of gratefulness
to The Source of All Beauty and All Life.
You are the warmth of all Souls.
You are the warmth behind all warmth.
You are the pulse of all beings.
You are the pulse behind all pulses.
You are the heartbeat of all Humanity.
You are the heartbeat behind all heartbeats.
I sing my song of gratefulness
to The Source of All Beauty and All Life.

PETAL #081
BEAUTY-GRAM #13

THE NURSERY OF THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN OF FIERY ENERGY

Where is the nursery of the beautiful garden of fiery energy?
“In the joy of beauty.”
Agni Yoga, #546

Beauty leads to joy. Beauty is the switch, joy is the energy. When we are involved
in the joy of beauty we are energized by the fiery energy of joy.
The image is nursery/garden. A nursery is where the plants are grown from seed.
Gardeners can create their own nurseries or go to a nursery and purchase their
“starter” plants.
Thus the image of nursery is something we go to for the basic sprout of the
flowers we want to grow in the garden.
This garden is described as the beautiful garden of Fiery Energy. What would be
the nursery for such a garden?
What nursery has the seeds, seedlings and sprouts of Fiery energy? It is in the joy
which comes from our ecstasy over beauty.
Where is this nursery found? It is found where beauty is sensed. Where is that? It
is in our mind. We perceive beauty through our five senses and our intuition.
Physiologically we respond to this perceived beauty with joy. This joy is a shield. It
shields us from thoughts of low intent from others. Joy is an energy. It energizes
us. Joy is a healer. It’s energy establishes and maintains health.
Do we have to wait for the world to present us with a perception of beauty before
we can have the shield of joy, the healthy energy of joy?
We have free will. We can choose to think about beauty and therefore produce joy
at any time. It is up to us to choose beauty. How serious are we about bringing joy
into our lives?

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #082

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #13

WHAT IS THE BEAUTY OF JOY
AS A SPECIAL WISDOM?

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the beauty of Joy as a special wisdom?
EXPERIENCE: Power, Star Searcher, power.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Is there a problem with that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, do you mean that If I am consistent in my joy, then I will
have consistent power?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. That’s too bad.
EXPERIENCE: Excuse me, Star Searcher, did I hear you correctly that, “That’s
too bad.”?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, because when a person is having a difficult day then
they won’t be able to use the power of joy. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, even during difficult days power comes from joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: I don’t get it!
EXPERIENCE: Long ago We said that joy is a special wisdom.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that everyone can utilize the power of joy all
of the time?
EXPERIENCE: No, Star Searcher, not everyone can use the power of joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: But …
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again, what is bothering you this time, Star
Searcher?
STARS-SEARCHER: Well, I guess you kind of shocked me.

EXPERIENCE: Shocked you, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, shocked me. Are we talking about only a privileged few
that are able to utilize the power of joy at will?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the power of joy is only available to those who
have cognized joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Cognized?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. To cognize joy means that joy must be noted;
it should be recognized, it should be realized.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well what happens if a person does not note, recognize, and
realize joy? What then?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you implying that those who have not fully realized joy
will not be able to open the door to the power of joy?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, they will be able to open the door only to the
degree which they have cognized joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then those who have not cognized joy will be shut out from
the power of joy?
EXPERIENCE: Not exactly, Star Searcher. No one keeps them from joy but
themselves.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What do you mean? What type of people would keep
themselves from the power of joy?
EXPERIENCE: Gloomy people, Star Searcher, gloomy people.
STAR-SEARCHER: Gloomy people? Are you saying that gloom locks the door to
the power of joy?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why?
EXPERIENCE: Gloomy people, Star Searcher, are clouded over by troubles and
sorrows. Veiled by this dark cover, they cannot see joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, through their net of sadness people become blind
and lose their strength. They cannot help themselves. Nor are they able to receive
Our help, because depression and irritability block the way.

STAR-SEARCHER: But that sounds like no one ever warned them.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, it is as if no one ever told them about the harm
of depression.
STAR-SEARCHER: How unfortunate!
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, depressed people are known as unfortunate,
but think for a moment about this last word.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What last word?
EXPERIENCE: Unfortunate, Star Searcher, unfortunate.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Unfortunate. I think it refers to someone who is not
fortunate. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Who, Star Searcher, deprived these people of their fortune?
STAR-SEARCHER: I don’t know, maybe they were robbed or something.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, they themselves lost all their best possibilities,
having started their own destruction long ago.
STAR-SEARCHER: They did? But how?
EXPERIENCE: Discontent, malice, and irritability cut off their path to joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ouch! That must be very painful for them.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Their dark thoughts robbed them of the
source of their strength. Egoism prevented them from recognizing joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Egoism can do that?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, egoism whispered, “Joy lies only in personal
gain.” Thus the most fruitful joy was hidden under the ugly shroud of
despondency.
STAR-SEARCHER: That must really hurt. I sure pity them.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, those blinded by despondency are
indeed the most pitiful people.
STAR-SEARCHER: I think that I am beginning to understand now. We all have
the ability to access the power of joy, but we do not all maintain that ability so that
it can be used at will. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Man possesses the great gift of
cognizing joy. The high forehead, which was given to man, is a sign of lofty
aspiration.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.

EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Then joy is available to all but only to the degree we cognize
it. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. From the far-off worlds down to the smallest
flower, Joy offers herself to people. A new supply of strength comes to you every
time you allow yourself to be joyous, for there is a certain intenseness in joy that
opens the next gate.
STAR-SEARCHER: Those who have cut off their path to joy, is it permanent?
EXPERIENCE: What do you mean, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, is it a permanent amputation or can they
regenerate their ability to utilize the power of joy once again?
EXPERIENCE: Good Question, Star Searcher. Hmmm.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well?
EXPERIENCE: Who, Star Searcher, gave people the right to assume that they will
be forever unfortunate?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: Ignorance, Star Searcher, has produced this lie. But a wise hero
knows, even at the hour of persecution, that the path to joy is never closed.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then why do they stay gloomy, irritable and depressed?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, people forget the simple truth that everything is in
perpetual motion. Sadness will be forgotten, but the sparks of joy shine forever.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah, forgive me, but, how do you know this?
EXPERIENCE: Our life is long and we can confirm that joy is unforgettable and
serves as a source of power.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: The answer is yes, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But I didn’t ask the question yet!
EXPERIENCE: Blessed are those who are able to continue their joy in the Subtle
World.
STAR-SEARCHER: But then! No, never mind.
EXPERIENCE: When We say, “Joy hastens.”, it really is approaching. But often
people are unable to notice joy, for they have bound themselves by deliberate
suggestion. Thus joy loses its power.

STAR-SEARCHER: What should we do then to increase our ability to access the
power of joy?
EXPERIENCE: Look everywhere, and gather all the sparks of joy. Long ago a
Thinker taught, “Know how to summon joy. In addition to the known Muses, there
is also the Muse of Joy, but you can invite this Protectress only by words and
thoughts of Beauty. Do not attempt to threaten or demand. She comes only by the
Path of Beauty.”
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Does that sound familiar, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, it does. It sounds like the Law of Beauty to me. Beauty
leads to Joy. Joy is a very high rate of vibration, which puts us in tune with the
Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the Master Morya in the
Hierarchy of Light.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. You never fail to amaze me Star Searcher. You never
fail to amaze me.
Note: For the most part, the answers which Experience gives in this particular
discourse [Star Searcher & Experience #13, What Is The Beauty Of Joy As A
Special Wisdom, Question #8936 from The Never Ending Book Of Questions On
Beauty], are direct quotes from paragraph #231 of The Agni Yoga book
Supermundane. Thus the paragraph #231 has been used almost in its entirety as
the voice of experience. This was done after attuning with the Teacher for the
most co-measured discourse.

PETAL #083

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #6
(The Feelings Of Groups)

In my experiential understanding for a group which has its focal point in the Path
of Light, the feeling you get when you are with them or part of them will vary
according to the level of development of the person doing the feeling.
It is all a matter of discernment.
A person with a 7th level of discernment will feel 7th level feelings. A person with
14th level of discernment will feel 14th level feelings.
In short, our level of discernment will dictate the level which we discern.
The actual vibration from this group of souls will be determined by the degree of
focus each member of the group has on the group’s focal point.
We are talking about people here. It is nice to use the concept of soul, however
the soul personality is what we meet and deal with in the group.
I remember a convention of a spiritual group. They held initiations in the morning
and workshops in the afternoon, followed, on the last day, by a banquet preceded
by a one hour open bar.
Yes the vibrations were sublime at the initiations. The vibrations were good at the
workshops. and Yes the Vibrations were horrible after the open bar.
Since I don’t drink, I didn’t go to the open bar. However, I noticed the terrible
vibrations immediately when I walked into the room for the banquet.
They were terrible relative to what they were in the initiations and workshops. I
couldn’t stay in the room. I had to leave.
Yet these people were the same people who’s focus earlier had produced sublime
vibrations.
My Platonist professor at college had us study a section of Plato which suggested
drinking bouts for students.
This sounded terrible to me at the time. After reading the section, (I think it was in
“The Laws”, but can’t say now), it was revealed that the Teachers, (Teachers did
not drink), watched the students drink and after hours later when the alcohol had
removed the inhibitions of the students the Teachers took notes on the behavior
which came out. Thus the elders (Teachers) knew what to work on for each
student.

The open bar is an example of one or more members loosing the focus of the
group. I saw no one who was falling down drunk or acting foolish. For the very
short time that I was there, I could see that they were holding their liquor well.
However the vibes were still drastically changed.
Was the open bar a Cosmic echo of Plato’s suggested technique? I don’t know.
Groups are also a place that the Teacher can use as a vehicle to dissipate
individual and group karma. This is a duty of the Teacher to his, or her, students. It
is part of the student-Teacher relationship.
In short we are back again to the Teacher and the degree of our love and trust for
him, or her.
As above so below!

PETAL #084
SAYINGS: 361 TO 387

361. Fat cats and thin birds can share a yard, but thin cats and fat birds – no way!
362. Like the “old cowhand”, we must ride heard on those thoughts which go
     astray.
363. A heart which is filing with beauty strives to rid itself of all deception.
364. Deception cannot walk the Path of Beauty.
365. A heart filling up with beauty can fill all space with joy.
366. Hearts filling up with beauty can communicate with each other.
367. A heart without beauty harbors the terrorists of deceit.
368. The positive thinker cares about others.
369. The major crop of the gardener of beauty is joy.
370. The harvesters of joy planted seeds of beauty.
371. As the cataerpillar is busy being a cataerpillar, so to the beauty and the
     freedom of our future lies within us.
372. There are two sources of Joy ever on duty, one is thinking, the other is
     beauty.
373. Intelligence without love has much to learn.
374. Not without earthly pressures and human discernment does the diamond
     attain its sparkling beauty.
375. No darkness of mood ever conquered the Light of striving.
376. The sun never sets in the heart of a good person.
377. The heart of little experience shouts, “Me-first!” at the world.
     The heart of vast experience radiates friendliness and love.
     How hard we travel from little to vast.
378. Beauty is the personal cornerstone of the foundation of joyful labor.
     Invincible is that which is built upon it.
379. The bigger the donkey the larger the carrot required for action.
     The bigger the donkey the larger the carrot required for action.
380. Patience remembers that our sun still shines at night.
381. By our turning are we allowed to see the stars.
382. There is a point in our awakening where our sun becomes our star.
383. That flower in the mind of a joyful artist can beautify the thoughts of

humanity.

384. A heartist is one who shares the song of the heart.
385. Without beauty, the heart is only a muscle.
     386 Perhaps we should compose a letter to those fouling the nest. Dear
     friends — Thinking is good, prudence is better, a loving will is best.

PETAL #085
J o y f u l L a b o r

The argument against the practice of joyful labor is mentally convincing,
emotionally satisfying, and leads to pain. Why would anyone follow a course of
action which leads to pain? Precisely because the argument for it was mentally
convincing and emotionally satisfying. Experience, of course, will eventually reveal
the truth, and until that time, our pain will continue to be our teacher.
Labor without joy is like spring without flowers. There is no beauty in it. Labor
without joy is like a building without a foundation. There is no strength in it. Labor
without joy is like a life without The Source of All Beauty and All Life. There is no
wisdom in it. Joyful labor is a special quality which permeates all that it touches.
Joyful labor is quality labor. Joyful labor is positive action. Joyful labor is prudent
labor.

PETAL #086

The Tales Of Crawler (Poem)

1. Once upon a tree, many leaves ago,
   there lived a young leaf chomper named “Crawler”.
   He was a “stubborn-pillar”, who refused to know
   about cocoons, because he was “tougher”
   than all the other pillars on the tree.
   (Really it was because he was afraid
   of what might happen to him inside). You see,
   “No pillar ever returned to tell, that stayed
   the night inside the thing he learned to build.”
   So Crawler did his best to hide from Chrys,
   the ancient one, the wisest of “the guild”,
   a special school that leads pillars to bliss.
   (It’s often said, they do not fear the dark,
   nor cry, “How high the tree — How rough the bark”).
2. Once, after a fall, Crawler fell asleep.
   He dreamed he was clinging to a leaf in a storm.
   “Awake my friend. There’s a watch to keep”.
   “Who are you?”, Crawler yawned, “What a strange form”.
   “I am Meta, you have seen me in your dreams”.
   “I am at the end of your progression.
   Learn, Crawler, that not all is what it seems.
   A pillar’s life is a classroom in session”.
   “If this is a classroom, what have I learned?”
   “It’s what you haven’t learned that’s important.”
   “What is that Meta? Now I am concerned.”
   This storm, Crawler, it is your discontent.
   This wind is your rage, this rain your tears,
   those hungry birds and fallen leaves are your fears.”
3. “Of course, Crawler, you know it is your choice
   to will the feelings of your discontent
   but why not listen to my whispering voice,
   and let a happy breeze flow through your tent.”
   “All right Meta, but no cocoon talk, understand?”
   “As you will Crawler, so must it be.”
   “Meta, I feel like I am crawling in sand.
   It’s like I’m not doing anything for me,”
   “All acts are self serving to a degree.”
   “What! You mean my being angry is selfish?”
   “Anger rises when our desires are blocked. See?”
   “Does that mean I must not desire or wish?”
   “We must learn, Crawler, to want the Good
   all else is destructive, like fire to wood.”
4. Crawler awoke. Meta was gone — a dream?

How beautiful were his wings. How he flew.
Crawler felt close to Meta, like a team.
He practiced the laws Meta taught, and drew
to him a peace profound. He searched for Chrys.
He was told where the guild was to be found.
They initiated him into the bliss.
He learned the laws of the cocoon, and bound
himself to them in silk — unafraid now
because he knew. (The pillar-class was done).
He entered the silken-silence with a vow
to be of service with the new life he won.
Visions of Meta gave light to his seeing,
the power of flight gave wing to his being.
Welcome Crawler, welcome to the guild”.
“But who are you? Look I have grown wings.
I can fly. Look.Look. My wings are filled
with color like Meta. I can fly rings
around Meta. Just watch this butter-fly.”
“Who are you, old one? You are all white. Why?”
“Never mind that for now. You must discern.”
“Huh? I must what? What’s this discern old one?”
“Discernment is life’s only purpose.”
“Your wrong old one. The purpose of life is fun.”
“Crawler, you will learn how it is with us.
with discernment you always take the right road.
It’s no fun to be lost with a heavy load.”

PETAL #087
BEAUTY-GRAM #14

THE DEBILITATING CONSEQUENCES

OF SORROW VS. JOY

Here are two powerful statements on sorrow & joy for you to analyze.
“Agni is eternal! The fiery energy is imperishable! Folk sayings often speak of
eternal joys and sorrows. The indestructibility of joy and sorrow sent into space
has been observed very scientifically. Many bear the sorrow of another, and many
grasp at joy that does not belong to them. Thus, one must always remember
about eternal sowings. Thought, if not powerful, can be engulfed by the currents of
space; but the substance of sorrow or joy is almost as indestructible as the fiery
seed. It is useful to impregnate space with joy, and very dangerous to strew the
heavens with sorrow. But where can one find the store of joy? Certainly not in the
bazaar, but near the ray of Light, in the joy of Hierarchy. The increase of sorrow is
one of the causes of fiery epidemics, but when physiology shall teach men about
the debilitating consequences of sorrow, the quest for joy will begin. Gradually the
rock of joy will be affirmed and an exalted solemnity will begin, recognized as the
most healthful factor. Not without reason have We pointed out the benefits of the
presence of healthy people. Joy is the health of the spirit.”
FIERY WORLD I (1933) paragraph 298

YOUR LIFE CAN BE FULL OF JOY
“In exact proportion as you give joy you will receive joy. It is a law of exact
reciprocity. Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for
yourself. Actually, unless you give it you will ultimately lose it. In giving it you will
accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.”
The practice of joy will release your personality and set free your powers. It can
even give you better health and stimulate your enthusiasm.
Dr. John A. Schindler, a physician, and Dr. Robert J. Havighurst, a Professor of
Education at the University of Chicago, joint authors of a booklet having the
intriguing title, How to Live One Hundred Years Happily, make the point that
between thirty-five and fifty percent of ill people are sick, principally, because they
are unhappy.
Dr. Schindler, in his excellent book, How to Live 365 Days a Year, tells of the
importance of happy thinking to sound well-being. He stresses the curative value
of getting patients to lift their minds daily, if only for a few minutes, into the area of
pure joy.

There is an even profounder relationship of joy to health in the opinion of a noted
scientist, Dr. Clarence Cook Little, Director of the Roscoe B. Jackson Memorial
Laboratory of Bar Harbor, Maine. Dr. Little is reported to have said. “Internal
balance is health and internal unbalance is sickness. These bodily functions are
controlled by glands that are influenced by mental health.”
In the light of these statements it is not surprising that the Great Physician advises
us to be joyful. “Rejoice in the Lord always,” He says, “And again I say, Rejoice.”
(Phil. 4:4).
Of course we must not interpret His message to mean that joy is the ultimate end
and aim of life. Such would certainly not be a worthy motive for living. Joy is urged
upon us only for the purpose of teaching us how to be alive, how to make the most
of all of the faculties with which we have been endowed, how to be released, how
to be free from conflicts, how to enter into a state of harmony so necessary to
being a well-ordered human being.
Joy and harmony are synonymous concepts. When you are happy you are in
harmony, all elements of your life function cooperatively; you are in a rhythmic
relationship with God, the world, and with other human beings. When you are in
harmony your whole being, mind, body, and soul, operates as one unity. Then you
are at a high level of efficiency as a person. Joy and harmony are fundamental
factors in effectiveness.”
Norman Vincent Peale

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #088

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #14

WHAT IS THE BEAUTY OF UNCONDITIONAL JOY?

STAR-SEARCHER: Why have we come here to this rose garden?
EXPERIENCE: We may need some extra help today, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Extra help?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, the roses, Star Searcher, you remember. Don’t you?
STAR-SEARCHER: I do? Ah. Maybe you better refresh my memory.
EXPERIENCE: Do you remember, Star Searcher, that we talked about how the
ancient wise ones would meet in areas surrounded by roses?
STAR-SEARCHER: Hey Ya! Its starting to come back now. Wasn’t it something
about imps, or something like that?
EXPERIENCE: Imps, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya, you know — imps.
EXPERIENCE: Maybe, Star Searcher, you wouldn’t mind being a bit more
specific.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. Ah well, perhaps you better continue with what you were
reminding me about before I tripped out. OK?
EXPERIENCE: OK. You see, Star Searcher, roses give off a fragrance which has
a calming affect on those who sense it through the olfactory cells located in the
nose.
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait! Don’t tell me! That’s what keeps away the imps. Right?
EXPERIENCE: This calming affect, Star Searcher, neutralizes irritation.
STAR-SEARCHER: So the calmer they could be, the less irritated they would get.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: Very good, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But!

EXPERIENCE: I was waiting for that but. Go ahead Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how does it do it? How does the rose fragrance neutralize
irritation?
EXPERIENCE: The rose oil in the rose gives off a fragrance which is very
calming. This gives those at the meeting a chance to penetrate deeper into their
focus of discussion without getting upset.
STAR-SEARCHER: But!
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, its your but. Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But I have heard that its good to let anger and upset out!
EXPERIENCE: That is a specious argument based on ignorance, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Specious? What in the universe is specious?
EXPERIENCE: Specious, Star Searcher, means something which sounds correct,
but, in fact, is not correct.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. Then are you saying that it is bad to get upset?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, when a person gets irritated it causes an opening
in their aura which allows a nasty substance called imperil to enter the body and
flow along the outside of the nerves.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s bad, huh?
EXPERIENCE: The non-beneficial effect is that the imperil eats away at the outer
sheath of the nerves.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then it is bad to get irritated. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, it is quite non-beneficial to get irritated. It is
better to use all your knowledge to remain calm than to get upset and let it out,
only to let imperil in.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, I see. It’s kind of like if I don’t let it in in the first place,
then I don’t have to let it out.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, and that’s why the ancient wise ones met
in rose gardens.
STAR-SEARCHER: So you think our discussion might be so polarized that we are
going to need all the help we can get?

EXPERIENCE: Protecting our meeting, Star Searcher, is always an act of co-
measurement, which is the highest wisdom. I have every confidence that you can

get through this without getting upset.
STAR-SEARCHER: Get through what? Ah, is there something going on here I
don’t know about?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, I have been saving one of your earlier questions
until you had emotionally matured enough on The Path of Beauty to gain the most
co-measured benefit from the discussion.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. I see. Well, maybe we better call out the marines while
we’re at it.
EXPERIENCE: If they are required, Star Searcher, they will be here.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Hey, I was only kidding. By the way, what’s this highly
explosive question I asked before I grew up?
EXPERIENCE: Your question, Star Searcher, was, “What is the beauty of
unconditional joy?”
STAR-SEARCHER: Man that really sounds dangerous. It’s a good thing we took
all those precautions. Hey wait a minute!
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: How do I do unconditional joy?
EXPERIENCE: Your …
STAR-SEARCHER: No Wait! Don’t tell me! My best guess, right?
EXPERIENCE: Right you are, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I have a very strong feeling that unconditional is the key
to analyze here.
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead Star Searcher strive for it.
STAR-SEARCHER: Surely unconditional does not mean indis…… Ah indiscrim……
EXPERIENCE: Indiscriminate, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that’s it. Surely it doesn’t mean that.
EXPERIENCE: Why do you say that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, an undiscerning person would fill all space with joy
without including our qualifier, which is, “In perfect co-measurement”.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore, since it is not an act of co-measurement to omit
the qualifier then unconditional cannot mean undiscerning.
EXPERIENCE: Well, then Star Searcher, what does unconditional mean to you.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, I would rather check the dictionary denotation of
unconditional than use my own personal connotation of unconditional which I have

accumulated over the years. Do you know what I mean?
EXPERIENCE: Yes I do, Star Searcher. I just happen to have a dictionary in my
brief case.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh you just happen to have a dictionary in your brief case
huh? That sure is a coincidence, isn’t it?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. Isn’t that amazing, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, I’ll look it up. Let’s see. Here it is. It says: “Not subject to
conditions or limitations”. But!
EXPERIENCE: Yes. You are right, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? I am?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But I didn’t even ask the question yet! OK. But why does the
whole difference between filling all space with joy and unconditional joy lie in the
application?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, since our Brotherhood doesn’t interfere with
Free Will and or Karma, then we would certainly not advocate an unconditional
application of anything. We use the qualifier, “In perfect co-measurement” in all
our thoughts and actions. Oh, by the way, Star Searcher, in case I haven’t
mentioned it, we consider that our thoughts and actions as one and the same
thing.
STAR-SEARCHER: You do?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why?
EXPERIENCE: Because, Star Searcher, as a disciple develops on The Path of
Beauty the disciple’s thoughts become more powerful. The “time element”
between the dwelling on the thought and the manifestation decreases in
proportion to the progress. There comes a time of self mastery where there is no
time lag between the thought dwelled upon and its manifestation.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. You know I have noticed that happens sometimes to
me. I’ll be thinking about something and a week or so later I will notice it in my
daily observations. But coming back to our focus of discussion, If we do not use
unconditional joy as a tool for the general upliftment of humanity, then how do we
use it?
EXPERIENCE: What are the other options, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Let me see. Well, if not used purposefully as a
general tool, then maybe it means in a personal or natural way.
EXPERIENCE: Go for it, Star Searcher.

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, maybe it means that we get too involved with having to
have a good reason to be joyful or happy.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, most of the time people think that a person is joyful
because something, or someone, or some event or situation made them joyful.
EXPERIENCE: And vice versa Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Vice versa? Oh, ya. I get it. You mean that most people
think that a person is unjoyful or unhappy because something, or someone, or
some event or situation made them that way?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well isn’t that right?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that’s not right?
EXPERIENCE: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: This is getting serious. I never thought about a person’s joy or
happiness not being caused by something, or someone, or some situation. I
thought everything works on cause and effect.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, cause and effect is always in operation, although,
depending on the level of discernment, some may not discern it to be.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that if a person was standing next to a
butcher like Hitler, that he would have no reason to be unhappy and therefore
would radiate joy?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: You know I can really see why we’re meeting in this rose
garden, I almost feel a little upset.
EXPERIENCE: Take some deep breaths my friend and exhale slowly. Think about
these beautiful roses for a few minutes.
STAR-SEARCHER: [spoken slowly]: Yes, they are beautiful. I do love their
fragrance as well as their form. The Mr.. Lincoln roses have a deep red velvet look
to them and a strong fragrance. The Queen Elizabeth roses have a beauty all their
own, don’t they. And they are prolific bloomers as well. Yes I think it is true what
you say about rose gardens. I feel better already. I wonder why I got upset, do you
know?
EXPERIENCE: You are dealing with a new concept, Star Searcher, as well as an
old concept that is as close to you as your heart beat.

STAR-SEARCHER: Why is the old concept so close to me?
EXPERIENCE: Somewhere along the way, Star Searcher, humanity identified with
the idea that we had to have a reason to be joyful and happy. If we could not find a
reason to be joyful or happy, it became inappropriate to be joyful or happy.
STAR-SEARCHER: And the newspapers don’t provide many reasons to be joyful
or happy, do they.
EXPERIENCE: The world, Star Searcher, continually provides us with information
and we react to that information.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I see. Because I have been taught that I need a reason
to be joyful or happy, and I do not discern reasons to be joyful or happy in what
the world presents to my consciousness, then I would not experience much joy or
happiness. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, that is true, Star Searcher. Tell me now, can you think of a
way that you can increase your joy?
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Perhaps if I found the right reaction to what the world
presented to me, then I could be more joyful. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, that is correct, Star Searcher, yet it would depend on your
level of discernment as to how joyfully you could deal with each situation
presented to you. However….
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait, don’t tell me. But that’s not unconditional joy because it
still has to fit my point of view before I would consider it a reason to be joyful or
happy. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: So you are saying that I don’t need a reason to be joyful or
happy. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then why am I not joyful right now?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, can you see the logic that needing to find a reason
for your unhappiness, or unjoyfulness is similar, if not the same as, needing to find
a thing or reason to make you joyful or happy?
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Both seem to need a thing or condition or my
reaction to a thing or condition which has been presented to me.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yet, because of its direct relation to cause and effect, it would
be a good approach to trouble shooting people’s problems. Would it not?
EXPERIENCE: Yes and no, Star Searcher.

STAR-SEARCHER: Is that like a definite maybe?
EXPERIENCE: It is correct, Star Searcher, because humanity operates on the
idea of conditional joy and happiness. It is incorrect because there are an infinity
of reasons people judge something to be bad or good. You may spend years and
decades to identify the reason why just one person judges a situation, person or
thing, to be not worthy of a joyful reaction.
STAR-SEARCHER: But isn’t it worth the effort?
EXPERIENCE: Consider this, Star Searcher, if the person years ago did not have
the tools to deal with that particular thing, person, or situation which was
presented to his, or her, consciousness, and thus reacted with sadness rather
than joy, what makes you think that person now has the tools to deal with it which
will now produce joy and happiness?
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that even if years were spent in the search to
identify the cause of a person’s unhappiness that they may still be unhappy
because they still haven’t gained a point of view to react joyfully to that person,
thing or situation?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But why?
EXPERIENCE: As you have pointed out, Star Searcher, cause and effect is our
way of life. We all have Karma. We have all planted beneficial and non-beneficial
seeds which we will harvest at the appropriate time in our future incarnations. With
respect to the non-beneficial seeds, that harvest will always be waiting for us

unless we have learned our lesson and no longer plant that particular non-
beneficial seed. It is, after all, a just universe, and our free will gives us the golden

opportunity to learn which kind of thoughts, feelings and actions lead us to the
joyful life, and which do not.
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that we should teach the tools to attain the
joyful life rather than inspecting the details of a persons past reactions to
determine what caused their unhappiness?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Consider that we all are constructing an
individual Highway. Countless stones went into its construction, yet we do not
think of the individual stones, we travel on its surface. Each stone could represent,
for our purposes, a reaction, by one person, to what has been presented to his
consciousness during his countless life times. Then the highway as a whole
becomes the whole of a person’s consciousness to date. We use all this
experience by traveling on top of the highway, not by picking out the millions of
stones one by one and examining them for the cause of a present unhappiness.
The Law of Karma guarantees that we will have many opportunities of experience
in order to gain the correct understandings which lead to the joyful life. Do you
understand, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Are you saying that we should be focusing on discerning the
tools which lead to joy rather than focusing on what makes us unhappy?
EXPERIENCE: Almost, Star Searcher.

STAR-SEARCHER: Almost?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, you see Star Searcher, it is not enough to discern the tool.

We must become master craftsmen with it in order to create the most co-
measured highway to joy.

STAR-SEARCHER: I love it when you talk that way. But…
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it seems that attaining unconditional joy, or happiness,
although a great achievement, would be nothing to write home about, because the
rest of the world would only think I was nuts, because they still are operating on
conditional joy. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, the vast majority of them do to a painfully
large degree.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then what is the first step towards this magnificent yet
widely unrecognized achievement of unrecognized joy?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well perhaps I have already made it with this new
understanding, after all, knowledge must precede co-measured action.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, what’s the second step toward unconditional joy
and happiness?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, you will find that …
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait! Don’t tell me! Discernment right!
EXPERIENCE: You learn your lessons well, Star Searcher. You learn your lessons
well.
STAR-SEARCHER: So my question should be, What do I need to discern in order
not to operate on conditional joy or happiness? What do I need to discern to set
myself free for a joyful and happy life?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, you could …
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait! Don’t tell me! I can use the red marble technique. I can
set my point of focus on joy just like I set my thermostat in my home on the
temperature I select.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore when I catch myself not being joyful or happy, then
I will deposit a red marble into a container.

EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore I will get used to a focus on joy and will become
more aware when I am not joyful.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore after I become proficient at radiating joy I can
extend my watchfulness to notice the what or who I let distract me from my joy.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore I’m right back into conditional thinking about joy,
that I let something or someone I reacted to with not joy disturb my focus on joy.
But…
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, you are correct. It is still a valid technique
since you have indeed long ago identified with the conditional joy and happiness
concept.
STAR-SEARCHER: So what do I do with the information I get concerning what
made me temporarily lose my joy?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I can transmute the situation into something for the
maximum benefit of Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well that would theoretically work but soon my technique
would provide me with hundreds and thousands of things I react to unjoyfully
which produce my unhappiness. That’s a lot of transmutation.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yet something tells me that there is a more co-measured way.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then I should go from depositing physical red marbles to
mental red marbles when I catch myself not radiating joy, Right?
EXPERIENCE: That would be a lighter load, I assure you, Star Searcher. Your red
marble technique is very helpful to maintain joy. In addition to it, you might try
working on your reaction to what the world presents to your consciousness.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. I see! You mean create the most co-measured reaction
to what the world presents to me in order to maintain my focus of joy, yet still deal
with the situation in the most co-measured manner possible. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.

STAR-SEARCHER: Then my red marble technique will let me know my progress
in implementing my new co-measured reaction to what the world presents to me.
Right?
EXPERIENCE: Why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, the way I figure it, after I create and implement the most
co-measured reaction to what is presented to my consciousness, then my red
marble technique will reveal the subtleties of changes over time.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I will be able to gage my progress over time by
observing the frequency of my loss of focus on joy.
EXPERIENCE: Why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because if I maintain my focus on joy to a greater degree
then I will know that my reactions to that which is presented to my consciousness
is more co-measured. Where as if my focus is disturbed, the same, or more than
in the past, then I have to adjust my technique. Right?
EXPERIENCE: very good, Star Searcher. Tell me now, what is the beauty of
unconditional joy?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, many things are the beauty of unconditional joy.
EXPERIENCE: Such as, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, you have taught me that joy is the health of the spirit.
EXPERIENCE: Very good, Star Searcher. What else?
STAR-SEARCHER: You have also taught me that joy is power.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, really good, Star Searcher. What else?
STAR-SEARCHER: You have also taught me that joy is a shield of protection and
leads to communion with the Blessed Guide, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her
Teacher the Master Morya in the Hierarchy of Light. But from the light of this
conversation, I would have to say that the beauty of unconditional joy and
happiness is freedom.
EXPERIENCE: Freedom, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, freedom. Freedom from the countless sorrows of the
servitude of conditional joy and happiness.
EXPERIENCE: Congratulations, Star Searcher, on your new understanding. Tell
me now, on what is this new freedom based?
STAR-SEARCHER: There can be only one answer to that question, and that is
discernment.

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, if you keep up this rate of progress, then you will
be ready for your next initiation on The Path of Beauty much sooner than
expected. Now there is work to be done. Let us go to the garden.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, I will get the gloves and tools and practice my joyful
labor.
EXPERIENCE: I think your catching on, Star Searcher. Strive-on, my friend,
strive-on.

PETAL #089

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #8
A Lesson From Nature

It was a landfill — a finger jutting out into a Harbor. Its three and seven story brick
buildings made it a city unto itself. At night the lights would gleam on the water.
There were enough kids to field thirty football teams. I was tag-rush-street-football
age — almost fourteen.
One very windy summer morning we chose up sides and started a game. We had
to account for the wind in order to catch or throw a pass.
The seven story buildings blocked the winds from the sides, yet between the
buildings I could see trees swaying and their underside silvery leaves quaking in
the wind.
The winds coming down the street made a wind tunnel of the street in front of my
apartment. These high winds made the game a great challenge and we became
very involved in meeting that challenge.
After about twenty minutes the wind suddenly slowed down and we were playing
football in a dead calm.
We continued playing, for I don’t know how long, when the wind picked up again
and the challenge returned to tag-rush-street-football.
About a half hour later Mom called me in for lunch. The weatherman was on the
TV. He was talking about a hurricane, and said the eye of the hurricane just
passed over Boston.
I had to ask several people what the eye of a hurricane was before I understood it.
I will never forget that calmness.
Thirty years have past now and I no longer play tag-rush-street-football. I do,
however, strive to remain in the calm eye of my personal hurricane.
One step outside this eye of vital personal calmness and my thoughts are caught
up in the polarized whirl winds of earthly confusion.
Thus I have become a watcher of thoughts and feelings.
Calmness is the dwelling place of rational thought.
We read in the Agni Yoga Teachings that, in the higher realms of life the rational is
also the beautiful.
Thus beauty also dwells in this personal vital calmness.

The application of the Law of Beauty, which states that beauty leads to joy,
teaches us that this personal vital calmness is the birthplace of joy. Brotherhood

85 teaches us that man has only two sources of joy — thinking and the ecstasy

over beauty.
The concept that the rational is also the beautiful reflects both sources of joy —
thinking and the joy at the manifestation of the beauty of rational thought.
In the eye of my hurricane I can hear my heart beating.
I think that, if I search discerningly, someday I will find the eye within the eye of my
hurricane. There It is my hope that I will hear all heartbeats and perhaps even an
echo of the heartbeat of the universe.

PETAL #090
HEART SAYINGS: 1 TO 30

I Asked My Heart

1. I asked my heart, “Can you show me the way?.” My heart replied, “Make
   beauty the focal point of every day.”
2. I asked my heart, “Can you make me happy?.” My heart replied, “If you start
   your day with Beauty, then Joy will color your dreams.”
3. I asked my heart, “Why is life so hard?” My heart replied, “Without Beauty
   life is painful.”
4. I asked my heart, “Why do people suffer?” My heart replied, “Beautiful
   thoughts produce a beautiful harvest.”
5. I asked my heart, “In what area of life should I focus my striving?” My heart
   replied, “Where you find the greatest beauty.”
6. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of life?” My heart replied,
   “Discernment, discernment, discernment.”
7. I asked my heart, “Who should I look to for guidance?” My heart replied,
   “The most discerning one.”
8. I asked my heart, “What should I read?” My heart replied, “That which gives
   joy to the Soul.”
9. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of friendship? My heart replied, “The
   universe has a heart, and each one of us is a heart beat of that one great heart.”
10. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of love?” My heart replied, “Honesty is
    the cornerstone of every personal sunrise.”
11. I asked my heart, “Why does hate exist? My heart replied, “The sun has no
    shadow. Thus the discerning ones strive to love.”
12. I asked my heart, “Why do people hurt each other?” My heart replied, “The
    discerning nourish life.”
13. I asked my heart, “Is a new born innocent?” My heart replied, “Our choices
    journey with us coloring our future.”
14. I asked my heart, “Will I be rich or poor?” My heart replied, “The seed
    determines the garden.”
15. I asked my heart, “How can I learn to love?” My heart replied, “The sun does
    not charge for the warmth of its rays.”
16. I asked my heart, “Is there an end to the universe?” My heart replied, “The
    universe is an on-going construction project by its thoughtful inhabitants.”
17. I asked my heart, “How can beauty set me free?” My heart replied, “Beauty
    leads to the Joy of Love.”
18. I asked my heart, “How should I learn?” My heart replied, “Learn to discern.”
19. I asked my heart, “What must I learn?” My heart replied, “Accurate
    observations lead to accurate reflections: Accurate reflections lead to accurate
    discernment.”
20. I asked my heart, “Why is there sorrow?” My heart replied, “Sorrow is
    caused by lack of discernment.”
21. I asked my heart, “Will I have good health?” My heart replied, “What is the
    quality of your thoughts?”
22. I asked my heart, Where is the Treasury of Good Deeds?” My heart replied,
    “In the city of self sacrifice.”
23. I asked my heart, “How can I create a garden of great beauty?” My heart
    replied, “The thought is the seed.”
24. I asked my heart, “What is the beauty of love?” My heart replied, “A flock is
    made up of many birds which fly as one.”
25. I asked my heart, “Why are some people cruel?” My heart replied, “All
    members of the negative side of the Force exhibit cruelty to some degree.”
26. I asked my heart, “Why is there prejudice in the world?” My heart replied,
    “Prejudice exists due to confused thinking based on a lack of discernment.”
27. I asked my heart, “Why does Humanity need Saviors?” My heart replied,
    “The great ones teach us to purify our hearts.”
28. I asked my heart, “Who is responsible for war?” My heart replied, “Each
    unloving thought is a coin in the war chest of Humanity.”
29. I asked my heart, “What is the cause of dishonesty?” My heart replied, “Fear
    and greed cloud the luster of the pearl.”
30. I asked my heart, “Should we cry for those who have gone, those who are
    here, or those who are yet to be born? My heart replied, “It is unwise to fill the
    universe with sorrow.”

PETAL #091

T h e B e a u t y O f H a r m o n y

Will group harmony magically appear like a rabbit out of a hat? Perhaps it could
happen that way, and yes maybe we’re due, but more than likely it will not be a
rabbit that comes out of a top hat but mutual respect that allows us to regain
harmony.
Brothers and sisters, deep in our hearts we all know beyond a doubt that if we
want harmony, then we must think harmoniously. If we want harmony, then we
must generate harmonious feelings. If we want harmony, then our actions must be
harmonious. “But”, some will say, “Is it possible to think harmoniously?” Let me
save you all years of debate, the answer is yes we can think harmoniously. “But”,
some will persist, “It is too difficult to think harmoniously.” Brothers and sisters,
there is a realistic, feet-on-the-ground answer to the outrageous statement that it
is just too difficult to think harmoniously and that is that simple, honest, personal
reflection will more than demonstrate that life invariably becomes very much more
difficult when we do not think harmoniously.
Are we talking about every second, 100% harmonious thinking here? (Brothers
and sisters, we’re good, but not that good). Perhaps a more realistic goal is a ten
percent increase in our present level of harmonious thinking and when we can
maintain that level we can strive for another ten percent, etc. Thus we get closer
and closer to our goal, ( our strength). Can we think harmonious thoughts? You
bet we can! Can we generate harmonious feelings? You bet we can! Can we
perform harmonious actions? You bet we can! Can it happen overnight? (Now
we’re back to the rabbit out of the top hat again). Yes it could happen overnight.
Will it happen overnight? That depends on how much we desire harmony, as well
as how much we desire to increase our knowledge and ability to create harmony
in our lives. “But”, some are sure to ask, “how can we increase our knowledge and
ability to create harmony in our lives? We do not want to go back to school in
order to learn how to think harmoniously. We have other, “more important”, things
to do in life than chase rainbows”.

The Truth Is What Exists

Sound familiar? Brothers and sisters, we know that when push comes to shove,
this “rebellion” against going back to school to learn harmonious thinking is simply
not in touch with reality. Stop and reflect on it. Which university teaches a course
in harmonious thinking? Save yourself a life long search, it would be extremely
rare to find a public university with a course entitled Harmonious Thinking. Even if
such a course, the contents of which were the elements of harmonious thinking,
existed under a different title such as Personal values in the work place, who
would be qualified to teach such a course? Very few indeed. Moreover, knowing
its contents ahead of time, who would take such a course, especially, if they held a
personal belief that it was just too difficult to develop harmonious thinking, or
worse yet, that harmonious thinking was an impossibility. Again, very few indeed.

Where then can we learn the fine art of harmonious thinking? For a serious
person on the Path of beauty, harmonious thinking begins with reflection on who
we are, extends to gratitude for all that we have , and reaches out to create beauty
in the future — near and distant. In the eye of each individual beholder there is a
concept of harmony, which, when observed in life, is interpreted by the beholder
as beautiful. Harmony is the foundation of beauty, and we tend to love that which
we feel is beautiful. Thus harmony leads to love.
However, the most important consideration has yet to be asked. Do we really
want to learn the fine art of harmonious thinking, thereby gaining the ability to
generate harmonious feelings and perform harmonious actions? The happy
answer is that all good men and women secretly desire to learn this magnificent
art. The curious answer is that not very many of those good men and women will
take the time to learn this most useful and prudent art which leads to personal
harmony as well as group harmony. Of those of us who are willing to take the time
the intensity of our desire varies and thus some of us strive harder than others to
acquire and master the fine art of harmonious thinking. But this is the way of life.
Free Will directs that we choose, and we all do not choose alike. Thus we have
individual differences and do not share the same degree of intensity in our desire
for personal, as well as group harmony. Essentially, our level of striving for
mastery over the fine art of harmonious thinking depends on our personal vision of
how personally beneficial harmonious thinking will be to us. In short, the real
question boils down to this, have we glimpsed the value of harmonious thinking
whether it be personal or in a group, spiritual or worldly?

Intensity

PETAL #092

O n T h e O t h e r S i d e (Poem)

To Our Brothers And Sisters
On The Other Side
Through the pastel portal
of our evening sky,
we pass to you
the glory of your rising sun.
The same sun,
which melted into our leaves,
will play green in your fields.
The same sun,
which put sight in our eyes,
will light the candle
of your experience.
And in your evening reflection
on the deep colors
of your feelings,
add your light to ours.
(Pass it back through the rising
with an oriental hue).
Some of us will be awake,
enough at least, to catch a glimpse
of your ideal,
and let it blend
with our notion
of human interaction.
And with the closing color
of our day,
catch our subtle whisper
in the first ray
of your waking.
And let the children hear
in fairy tale
about the door
on the horizon, and how
in the in-between
of our turning with the light,
it opens to those who realize
that one person’s sunset

is another’s sunrise,
and to those who desire to know
the secret
of how man can grow.

PETAL #093
BEAUTY-GRAM #15
THE JOY WATCHER

What gives joy to people?
“People have only two real joys — thinking and the ecstasy over beauty.”
Brotherhood, #85

If some one asked why people are restricted only two real joys, then they probably
will have to talk to the Grand Architect of the Universe about it. But, if some one
asked how to use this knowledge to bring more joy into life, or to maximize that joy
so that greater service to humanity can be achieved, then the Blessed Guide can
respond.
Let’s look at thinking first as one of the two real joys. It doesn’t say only the good
and positive thinker. It says “thinking”. Perhaps the author knows beyond a doubt
that thinking activates the great gift of the Law of Compensation” (karma), which
will eventually teach the thinker to maximize the quality of thought.
Why is joy physiologically connected to thinking is an area for speculation. It is
something else to take up with the Grand Architect of the Universe. When we want
some one to do some thing we think important, the practical psychologist in us,
(the “slychologist”), will attach an incentive for the person to strive-on in the
desired area.
Can the joy of thinking be increased? Can we turn up the volume on joy? Can we
raise the reward level of joy if we think certain thoughts? This might be food for
experiment. Since we think about many things daily, all we have to do is
personally note the joy level of the different kinds of thoughts.
Since most people usually do not intentionally watch thoughts to further their joy,
then being a joy-thought-watcher is not for beginners.
Most of us become joy-watchers from our experience with our “ecstasy over
beauty.”
Now here is an area where we can obviously increase the amount of joy in our
lives. We can gradually discern and eliminate ugliness from our lives — weed our
gardens. We can discern what gives us joy and include them in our plans for our
next planting.
Thus, more thinking more joy, more beauty more joy. Perhaps one day we will
catch on and begin a regular practice of thinking about beauty. This is a masterful
approach to joy.

It contains protection — joy is a shield.
It contains health — joy does not create the debilitating consequences of sorrow.
Can we by pass thinking and the ecstasy over beauty and go directly to the
personal intentional radiation of joy?
Yes we can.
Yes, we can intentionally fill space with joy!
Yes, we can send joy to loved ones, family, friends, and all humanity and all life.
However, the prudent person will not attempt to bypass the built-in gifts of the
Grand Architect of the Universe. The prudent person will use these gifts for the
maximum benefit of humanity. The prudent person will also practice intentionally
radiating joy at will.

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #094

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE#15

WHAT IS THE BEAUTY
OF THE LAW OF SACRIFICE?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, let’s do something different today shall we?
STAR-SEARCHER: Sure, what will it be?
EXPERIENCE: Today you may ask as many questions as you like, but only on
one subject.
STAR-SEARCHER: You mean that if I ask a question you are not going to say,
“Your best guess, Star Searcher.”?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely Star Searcher.
EXPERIENCE: Only one subject? Hmmm. Let me think. OK, I choose the subject
of sacrifice.
EXPERIENCE: That is a fine subject Star Searcher, its knowledge will carry you
far on the Path of Beauty. What is your first question?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well it seems to me that I ought to seek the beauty in every
subject , therefore my first question is, What is the beauty of the Law of Sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Achievement, Star Searcher, the beauty of the Law of Sacrifice is
achievement.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. I don’t get it.
EXPERIENCE: What is it that you don’t get, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I don’t see how sacrifice connects with achievement.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Those in Our Service who have realized the power
of sacrifice know the beauty of achievement. Therefore, they will achieve who
have realized the Service in their hearts.” [Inf. 2, #502]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, what is it, Star Searcher?

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, ah, that was quite a mouthful. Could you please say it in
a simpler way?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. “Our power is sacrifice.” [LMG1, #353]
STAR-SEARCHER: Power?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, power.
STAR-SEARCHER: But what has sacrifice got to do with power?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The Teaching about sacrifice was already given to
you.” [LMG2, P101-2]
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. I’m sorry. I must have forgotten. Would you please
refresh my memory?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher: “Sacrifice is power.” [LMG2, P101-2]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if Sacrifice is power then maybe I have to learn what
power is.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, what is power?
EXPERIENCE: “Power, Star Searcher, is possibility.” [LMG2, P101-2]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hey wait a minute! Isn’t that like one of those sylly… er sillo…
ah….
EXPERIENCE: Syllogism, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that’s it, a syllogism is where two things are equal to the
same thing then they are equal to each other. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: So Sacrifice is power, and power is possibility. Therefore
Sacrifice is possibility.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. “Consequently every sacrifice is first of all a
possibility.” [LMG2, P101-2]
STAR-SEARCHER: But…
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. What is it, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how does giving up something lead to a possibility?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “It is time to cast aside the hypocrisy that sacrifice
is deprivation. We do not accept deprivations, but we give possibilities.” [LMG2,
P101-2]

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I’m still a little confused about sacrifice and
achievement.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Learning about sacrifice you receive power.
Success follows sacrifice.” [LMG2, P116-7]
STAR-SEARCHER: Success?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “Success is nothing else but the counterstroke
of sacrifice.” [LMG2, P116-7]
STAR-SEARCHER: So power is related to success through sacrifice. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. “Each striving thought creates in the
space. Each striving thought creates forms. How, then, is it possible to understand
the spiritual process if self-renunciation is not adopted? In the spiritual process the
same principle acts, and the spirit which screens itself by the process of self hood
does not see the true light. Therefore, the defined path to the beauty of service
proceeds by the striving of self-sacrifice.” [Infinity 2, #276]
STAR-SEARCHER: That sounds like self sacrifice is a stairway.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. “Sacrifices are the steps of ascent.”
[LMG1, #13]
STAR-SEARCHER: Would there ever be a point where sacrifices would be
unnecessary?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, there would.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, when would sacrifices not be needed?
EXPERIENCE: “If human hearts were filled with beauty, Star Searcher, no
sacrifices would be needed.” [LMG1, #202]
STAR-SEARCHER: Then beauty is involved in the ascent as well as sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Glorified by beauty, strongly embracing power in
sacrifice, thou wilt attain the Temple.” [LMG1, #36]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Then sacrifice really is necessary.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “The goal is not divested of sacrifice.”
[Hierarchy, #1]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher? What is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I understood that a sacrifice is voluntary, yet I now
understand that the goal cannot be attained without it.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “The Law of Sacrifice demands of Humanity
the offering of its best elements. When the spirit of man will grasp the fact that

striving for the Higher achievement is the most essential action, he will cling to the
Cosmic Magnet; and the concept of sacrifice will then take on the meaning of
service to the Highest Reason.” [Infinity 2, #501]
STAR-SEARCHER: Why is that?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Cosmic creativeness applies the most powerful
levers for evolution, and the spirit senses the application of the best energies.”
[Infinity 2, #501]
STAR-SEARCHER: When does this happen?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “When the affirmation of life consciousness
awakens all subtle faculties the Law of Sacrifice is then understood as the highest
achievement.” [Infinity 2, #501]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I gotta ask this. Why are sacrifices necessary?
EXPERIENCE: “There exists, Star Searcher, an ancient legend that out of Human
sufferings are created precious stones. Thus it is, and when I say “Burden Me”, it
does not mean that I bring a sacrifice. I am only multiplying the power of the spirit.”
[Hierarchy, #38]
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, I have heard that “The finest steel is made in the
hottest fires.” Its not as beautiful as the way you described it, but I find it amazing
how the same thing may be expressed in different ways.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, and it is up to the Teacher to know the
student well enough to pick out that expression of the ideal which will have the
most co-measured effect on the student and all concerned.
STAR-SEARCHER: Man am I glad to hear that. But…
EXPERIENCE: That “but” could contain a thousand doubts. What is bothering
you, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, talking about the most co-measured phrase for the
moment, why was our Yoga named Agni Yoga instead of the Yoga of Beauty, or
something like that.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “You may suggest to me a name for the Yoga of
life. But the most precious name will be Agni Yoga, it is precisely the element of
Fire which gives to this yoga of self sacrifice its name.” [Agni Yoga, #158]
STAR-SEARCHER: Why does Agni Yoga need this type of fire?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Only the Lights of Agni Yoga can in justice illumine
the work of our chaotic thought. But for this one must consecrate oneself in
sacrifice to Agni Yoga: and few like the dangers of self sacrifice.” [Agni Yoga,

168]

STAR-SEARCHER: How many are the ways which Agni Yoga expands the
consciousness of one who consecrates himself, or herself, to Agni Yoga?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “It is impossible to enumerate the means of
expansion of consciousness, but in them all lies the realization of truth and self
sacrifice.” [N.E.C., #79]
STAR-SEARCHER: How will I know who I should introduce to Agni Yoga?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Among rejected people are real pearls. Accept
everyone who comes to you and says a word about the spirit. Even in the
hardened eyes of a brigand at times a thought of achievement gleams. And even
a convict understands self sacrifice when on watch. Judge according to the eyes.”
[LMG2, P150-151]
STAR-SEARCHER: Should a person new to Agni Yoga be encouraged to make
self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Self sacrifice cannot be prompted, self sacrifice
cannot be commanded. When a spirit, unmindful of itself is acting for others, it
acts with a free will. Even a hint is indecent where self sacrifice is exalted.” [Agni
Yoga, #166]
STAR-SEARCHER: Who are the ones which will be involved in self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Not ascetics, not fanatics, not the superstitious,
but those who know the Yoga of Fire are the ones who will not abandon the
rudders of life. Truly their sacrifice will be great.” [Agni Yoga, #282]
STAR-SEARCHER: How should one view self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One may understand the manifestation of sacrifice
as the acquisition of the right to the quickest entrance.” [Agni Yoga, #350]
STAR-SEARCHER: How should I proceed in self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: “Purify your thoughts, Star Searcher, and after determining your
worst defects, sacrifice them to be burned in a fiery striving.” [Agni Yoga, #185]
STAR-SEARCHER: Does self sacrifice color the aura?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. “Attainment, synthesis, and sharp sightedness
are expressed by the tri colored flame. Attainment is silvery; synthesis is green;
vigilance is yellow. This triad is attained by the exercise of the consciousness in
various conditions of life. One can point out this triad as the means of mastering
the conditions of self sacrifice.” [Agni Yoga, #461]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is there specifically a color in the aura which denotes self
sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Amidst the compound parts of developed auras it
is especially difficult to see the saturated green color and the noble ruby color. Two
contrasts are emerald and ruby. The first denotes synthesis and the second self
sacrifice of attainment. In clouded manifestations both may meet, but to see them
pure is as rare as are the synthesis and attainment. Emerald is closer to the
Chalice and Ruby to the Eye of Brahma.” [Agni Yoga, #535]

STAR-SEARCHER: How is self sacrifice related to psychic energy?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The question of how psychic energy accumulates
is justified. It is primarily through consciousness or through self sacrifice and
achievement.” [Agni Yoga, #509]
STAR-SEARCHER: What should be told to one who, through Agni Yoga, seeks
attainment?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One may tell those who seek attainment, ‘Sacrifice
yourself chiefly.’ The predestined hour will approach only through attainment.
When the joy of attainment fills the Chalice, there is success. Of course, this joy
has nothing in common with the joy of a calf whose gambols crush the flowers.
The joy of attainment knows all labors and dangers; it crosses the bridge only
once and dazzles the enemy by its radiance.” [Agni Yoga, #570]
STAR-SEARCHER: Should those who sacrifice seek a reward for their sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Those who consider the service of evolution as a
sacrifice deserving reward may be rewarded by metal, but not by expansion of
consciousness.” [Agni Yoga, #591]
STAR-SEARCHER: Just how far does self sacrifice push the expansion of
consciousness?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The self sacrifice in the achievement links the
spirit with the highest manifestations of Be-ness. Fullness of life may be
expressed by the spirit who carries the Chalice of self sacrifice on his way toward
infinity. [Infinity 1, #17]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does self sacrifice relate to creativity?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The fiery spirit of an Agni Yogi creates through his
own Light. Each act asserts the self sacrifice of spirit creativeness.” [Infinity 1,

176]

STAR-SEARCHER: Should everyone learn self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Man must learn the principle of self sacrifice.”
[Infinity 1, #146]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does self sacrifice relate to the Cosmos?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The power of space is calling for self sacrifice, and
self sacrifice is inscribed in the construction of Cosmos. It is precisely self sacrifice
that guides the Light of the spirit into infinity.” [Infinity 2, #13]
STAR-SEARCHER: How will those involved in self sacrifice be known?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, ” … He who in self sacrifice dedicates himself to
service is confirmed as the co-worker of Light. He who serves Cosmic Fire
sacrifices himself. He who serves evolution is affirmed as a bearer of the Law. He
who is devoted to the General Good, is confirmed as a co-worker of Cosmos. The

creativeness of the centers reacts to all manifestations of self sacrifice. [Infinity 2,

14]

STAR-SEARCHER: Where do we find the self sacrifice of an Agni Yogi?
EXPERIENCE: “It lies, Star Searcher, in the creative impulse and in the offering of
his strivings toward the manifestation of the Higher energies.” [Infinity 2, #258]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the self sacrifice of an Agni Yogi relate to fire?
EXPERIENCE: “The tension, Star Searcher, of a striving spirit attracts
corresponding vibrations. Only the attraction of the heart creates; and the Agni
Yogi creates through the heart. Thus, when self sacrifice of the spirit strains the
spheres, the tension of impelled forces puts into strain the forces of the
surrounding spheres. Therefore, when the rays of Fire contact the centers of an
Agni Yogi, each center sends forth a fiery torrent.” [Infinity 2, #246]
STAR-SEARCHER: Which path is the most affirmative one on the way to
Brotherhood?
EXPERIENCE: “The most unfailing way, Star Searcher, is the Path of Self
Sacrificing Achievement. The most wondrous Fire is the flame of the heart
saturated with love for Hierarchy. The achievement of such a subtle heart is
affirmed by service to the Highest Hierarchy. Hence, so wondrous, is the self
sacrifice of the subtle heart. The spirit creativeness and independent action of a
sensitive server fierily imbue space. Thus the subtle heart responds to all Cosmic
occurrences. Thus, verily, the visible reverberates with the invisible, the present
with the future, and the predestined takes place. Thus the self sacrifice of the
subtle heart imbues the world with flame. [Hierarchy, #352]
STAR-SEARCHER: Then is self sacrifice the most important acquisition on the
Path of Beauty?
EXPERIENCE: No, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: It isn’t? But …
EXPERIENCE: “Purity of the heart, Star Searcher, is the most essential
possession. Wisdom, courage, self sacrifice cannot be contained in an obscure
heart.” [Heart, #69]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you for that. It makes me feel so good to know purity
of heart is the foundation on which the structure is built.
EXPERIENCE: Yet, Star Searcher, even with a purity of heart we must always
sharpen our discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: There’s that discernment again. It seems that nothing can
stand for long without it.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, “Numerous possibilities already close,
fail because of human complaints induced by self pity. When people begin to
weigh how much they have sacrificed and how little they have received from the
Teacher, the meaning of the Teaching is lost.” [Heart, #72]

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the flame of self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: “Among the fires of the heart, Star Searcher, the most vivid is the
flame of self sacrifice. Precisely this armor diverts the hostile arrows and creates
the renowned invulnerability. The fire of courage is only a part of the flame of self
sacrifice. Of course, self sacrifice does not mean necessarily to offer oneself as a
victim, but it corresponds to the readiness to conquer for the work of the Highest
World.” [Heart, #536]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the man in the street, in general, see self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: “People’s minds, Star Searcher, see cupidity where there is self
sacrifice — precisely as in convex mirrors.” [Heart, #370]
STAR-SEARCHER: How can we honor the work of The Christ?
EXPERIENCE: “It is praiseworthy, Star Searcher, that you revere the days of the
Great Sacrifice. Let every human heart draw strength for achievement from the
Chalice of the Savior.” [Fiery World 1, #584]
STAR-SEARCHER: Who decides how the spirit should sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: “The spirit, Star Searcher, decides its own fate. Without any
stipulations the spirit itself determines its sacrifice. The dimension of the sacrifice
is decided in the heart. No one can force an enlargement of the offering, but much
joy is felt from a sacrifice which is not diminished.” [Fiery World 2, #247]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to goodwill?
EXPERIENCE: “The Teacher, Star Searcher, advises to recognize one’s
potentialities according to the sacrifice voluntarily accepted by the heart. How
great is the law of such good will! It determines the future from small to big, and up
to great events!” [Fiery World 2, #247]
STAR-SEARCHER: How is sacrifice related to humility?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Only self denial and self sacrifice can give
understanding of humility. … Truly manifold is humility manifested through self
sacrifice and self renunciation.” [Fiery World 3, #24]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to the Fiery Spirit?
EXPERIENCE: “The Fiery Spirit, Star Searcher, is like a furnace, like a flaming
torch, and self denial and self sacrifice are its lot upon the last step.” [Fiery World
3, #26]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to heroic deeds?
EXPERIENCE: “The heart of the hero, Star Searcher, knows self sacrifice in the
name of Common Good.” [Fiery World 3, #43]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the symbol of the chalice relate to sacrifice?

EXPERIENCE: “The symbol of the chalice, Star Searcher, has always stood for
self sacrifice.” [Fiery World 3, #49]
STAR-SEARCHER: How do incarnations relate to sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “A great crown is ordained for the brow which has
been shaped by millenniums of achievements of self sacrifice.” [Fiery World 3,

91]

STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to salvation?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Each aspiration toward the Fiery World tends to
hold the spirit in the Subtle World, but the spirits who are bearers of Light, filled
with self sacrifice, rush to the Earth for purpose of salvation.” [Fiery World 3, #92]
STAR-SEARCHER: What is the relationship between sacrifice and courage?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The sun like quality of the heart is manifested in
courage, when the heart knows no terror; when the self sacrifice of the Agni Yogi
carries the spirit away into different spheres above the Earth and below the Earth;
when the spirit untiringly creates with all the fires of the heart; when sensory
perceptions manifest resonance to all Cosmic manifestations.” [Fiery World 3,

287]

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the relationship between sacrifice and secrecy?
EXPERIENCE: “Sacrifice and assistance, Star Searcher, are created in secret,
such is the nature of these actions. Only the Higher World knows who really helps
whom. The sacrifices have been inscribed upon imperishable scrolls. Beautiful is
the law of the Secret Heart Sacrifice.” [AUM, #197]
STAR-SEARCHER: What is the relationship between motherhood and sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Much is said about self sacrifice and striving
toward heaven, but there are examples of lofty self sacrifice here on Earth. Every
mother, under various conditions, in her own way expresses self sacrifice.”
[Brotherhood, #212]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is it bad to avoid self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Very injurious, Star Searcher, is each evasion of self sacrifice.”
[Brotherhood, #339]
STAR-SEARCHER: What does sacrifice lead to?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The outpourings through sacrifice will lead Thee to
joyous realization.” [LMG 1, #6]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to Karma?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Karma will overtake one, but its quality may be
altered by a voluntary sacrifice to unknown people.” [LMG 2, page 14]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to The Mother Of The World?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The Mother is Beauty: the world is self sacrifice.
Precisely by these two fundamentals are the gates opened. The bridges between
planets rests upon these two fundamentals.” [LMG 2, page 133]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is there such a thing as sacrifice being assigned without
forcing?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, “To each one is assigned his sacrifice.” [LMG
2, page 161]
STAR-SEARCHER: In what lies sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Precisely in the offering of one’s own spirit for the
sake of Humanity is contained the sacrifice and the acquisition.” [Agni Yoga, #501]
STAR-SEARCHER: How is the sacrifice of an Agni Yogi recognized?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The self sacrifice of the Agni Yogi is recognized by
the record of Fiery Achievements.” [Infinity 1, #371]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does sacrifice relate to our goal of the Spiritual evolution
of Humanity?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “When the one appointed for an achievement
carries in self sacrifice the Chalice, it may be said that a great step is being
accomplished. When the Cosmic Magnet intensifies a new step, true cooperation
is displayed and the Guide, in self sacrifice, stands at the gates.” [Infinity 1, #371]
STAR-SEARCHER: Surely there are small and large sacrifices, what about a very
large sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, the question is a bit vague, however, “The
spirit who sacrifices himself to affirm the great principles of the Cosmic Fires
brings to Humanity a lofty step of illumination. … The spirit who sacrifices himself
for the benefit of evolution bestows his radiant lotus on Humanity.” [Infinity 2,

137]

STAR-SEARCHER: Is laying down your life for a friend the greatest sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Wisely is ordained the bliss of him who sacrifices
his Soul for his neighbor. Often this commandment is applied to the sacrifice of
one’s life, yet it is not said of life or body, but of the spirit.” [Hierarchy, #340]
STAR-SEARCHER: What constitutes a truly holy sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Only the most purified spiritual striving. … Such
sacrifice is a vital necessity of bringing the best blossom of the heart to the altar of
the Supreme.” [Fiery World 2, #366]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is self limitation similar to self sacrifice?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The disease of self limitation bears no
resemblance to self sacrifice.” [Brotherhood, #41]

STAR-SEARCHER: Can sacrifice be forced?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “To give is a Divine attribute. The inexhaustibility of
giving is found in varying degrees in all of nature. But Fire is the element in which
giving is most apparent. The very principle of Fire is transmutation and constant
giving. Fire cannot exist without the sacrifice of giving: likewise the Fiery seed of
the spirit exists through giving. But the sacrifice is a true one only when it has
become the very nature of man. A mental and compulsive sacrifice is neither
natural nor Divine. Only when sacrifice becomes an inalienable attribute of life
does it become inseparable from the consciousness. Thus by its qualities Fire
teaches us during ascent. Let each one who wishes to attain cognizance say to
himself ‘I will be like Agni.’ One must grow to love Fiery sacrifice as the closest
means of communion with the Fiery World. Without this self sacrificial striving it is
not easy to rise above the claws of evil. Like Fire, which is elusive, the
consciousness becomes mobile when united with Agni. One must approach
sacrifice not by the path of despondency but by that of Fiery splendor. One cannot
define Fire by any other term than splendor. Likewise, the Fiery World cannot be
thought of as other than a manifestation of grandeur.” [Fiery World 1, #546]
STAR-SEARCHER: Last question, I promise.
EXPERIENCE: Famous last words, Star Searcher, what is your last question?
STAR-SEARCHER: ” What does sacrifice and Fire have in common?
EXPERIENCE: “It may seem, Star Searcher, that there is nothing in common
between sacrifice and Fire: however, flaming sacrifice is mentioned in all
covenants.” [Fiery World 1, #45]
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, I realize this conversation is kind of a Cosmic Time
out from our training sessions and want you to know that I really appreciate your
answers. Thank you very much.
EXPERIENCE: You are welcome, Star Searcher. Strive on, my friend, strive on!
NOTE: The referenced answers given by EXPERIENCE are all from The Agni
Yoga: Words of the Master Series; compilation on the word SACRIFICE.

PETAL #095

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #11
FEEDBACK DREAMING

Biofeedback without having to buy the machine? Is that what feedback dreaming
(my word) is all about? (Does the Mississippi flow through China?)
During my traveling on the path I spent seven years studying and applying
feedback dreaming. I learned it from a very mystical school of the heart within a
school of practical wisdom.
Without revealing what I promised not to reveal, I would like to share with you an
experience in transmutation.
It was after a period of thought about the concept of transmutation. From my
reading I had learned that anything could be changed (or transmuted) into
anything else. That is, I’m sure you will agree, quite a statement.
I had decided to try it out. First I decided it would be an experiment on myself so
that it wouldn’t affect others.
Then I had to figure out what in myself I wanted to transmute. (As if there were not
thousands of obvious choices).
Well, after some reflection I decided to think back to my youth, (thirty years or
more ago), when I belonged a Judo Club.
The leader of our Judo club was a Mediterranean black belt champion in his
weight division. As a young man of about 20 years, I would go play Judo about
twice a week. It was a small club and the leader knew his students very well.
After a year of so, he sat me down on the dojo mat next to him and asked me why
I didn’t bring home any trophies from the Judo tournaments like the others in the
club.
I realized later that he wasn’t interested in trophies at all. It was his way of getting
me to talk about my lack of confidence.
We talked for quite a while. There was no answer forth coming. I think, in my
ignorance (my not knowingness) that it was my first conscious introduction to my
own lack of confidence, much the same as a person discovers one day that he, or
she, is color blind.
Well my mind dwelled on this lack of confidence. It seemed to me that this was a
very good candidate for transmutation.

Now that I had zeroed in on what to transmute I now had to decide what in the
universe to transmute it into. Would it be a personal need, a charitable donation or
what?
Now I had learned early on the path how to visualize. I also learned that
visualization works every time. (That’s one for your notebook).
After much thought and meditation on the subject I decided to transmute my lack
of confidence into something that would be for the maximum benefit of Humanity,
World Culture and the Hierarchy of Light as well as my own development.
Well, many would say, “That’s all well and good, but what exactly is it that will be
for the maximum benefit of Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light as
well as my own development?”

You see, I had developed this concept of the unspecific-specific, or general-
specific.

Now all too many would here say that this elevator doesn’t go all the way to the
top.
It was the equivalent of solving an algebra problem. (Don’t worry I wont spring all
kinds of formulas on you).
By solving an algebra problem I mean that we never know what the answer is
before we solve the problem. (No peeking at the answers in the back of the book
now!)
Our instructor guided us to let “X” equal the unknown — the answer. I imported this
learning –this unspecific (unknown)-specific (the exact answer) into my
transmutation process.
Thus “X”, the answer, was what ever my Teacher in the Hierarchy of Light chose it
to be. This was my will at the time — my dominant desire. This is what I chose to
will through the process of visualization. This I did and then released it into the
Cosmic.
Later ( days, weeks, months — I didn’t keep track) I had one of those dreams that
was so vivid that I wake up, remember, and write down every detail. I then think
about it, and check it out for clues.
Well, in this particular dream I saw myself in my old Judo fighting uniform. It was a
coat of material we wore while practicing or in competition. I was standing at the
edge of the Judo mat. It was deep blue. All of a sudden my Judo teacher
appeared on the other side of the mat in his Judo fighting uniform.
He smiled and then slowly bowed to me. This was the signal we would now play
Judo. I thought to myself, this is wonderful. I bowed reverently to my Judo teacher.
We walked up to each other and grabbed each other by the Judo uniform then
proceeded to fight.
But something was different. He had a look and determination in his eye that
disturbed me. He attempted many throws. Finally he used a technique I never saw
before and had not learned a defense for. I was quickly lying flat on my back on

the mat with him intensely staring down at me with his hand held high as if he was
going to karate chop me in the throat — which he did. I died in the dream. There
was no doubt about it. There was no thought of a last minute magical Hollywood
escape. I was dead.
Then I clearly and distinctly heard a voice (mine) say, “Good! What did it turn
into?”
Another voice said, “A writing ability.”
The dream was a feedback scenario to me from the inner man (Master Within,
Blessed Guide, Solar Angel, Conscience – many names for the same thing).
About a month later I wrote a lengthy meditation. It was quite pictorial and colorful.
It was very good. I don’t remember ever writing a meditation before.
Since the meditation specifically had to do with a group of which I was the leader
that year, I tried it out in the group (in perfect co-measurement of course).
The comments were spontaneous, prolific, and very good. I decided to send it to
the leader of the organization with the suggestion that it may make an interesting
audio tape experience for the organization to make available to its members. I
also added that, if at all possible, I preferred to remain anonymous.
The leader of the organization was a woman. She read and liked the meditation.
She tried it out with members close to her and got very positive feedback. She
decided to have the tape professionally made in the organizations’ sound studio.
She and one other officer conducted the meditation. She made the tape available
to the general membership.
It still appears, years later, on the list of items the membership may purchase. Her
name is on it. (She has passed away now). Having the leader of the organization’s
name on the tape gave the tape a special credibility. It sold well and I have since
heard members talking about it in very positive ways.
The name of the organization and the tape are not necessary here. It is the
concept of feedback through dreams that is our focal point.
And yes, many other writings came through after that meditation. Many of which
are available to you. One in particular is the Star-Searcher and Experience series
of dialogues, which are symbolic conversations between a traveler on the Path of
Beauty and his Teacher.

PETAL #096
HEART SAYINGS: 31 TO 69

31. I asked my heart, “Who shall I be in my next incarnation? My heart replied,
    “The wise search for the herbs they need to heal themselves, so to we gather
    experiences to purify our hearts.”
32. I asked my heart, “What is the secret to philosophy?” My heart replied, “A
    lover of wisdom is a philosopher. Those who do not love wisdom are not
    philosophers, no matter how long they have studied and written about philosophy.”
33. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of teaching? My heart replied, “The
    true Teacher is a patient and loving torch which illumines the unknown.”
34. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of caring?” My heart replied, “Caring is
    the child of respect.”
35. I asked my heart, “What is truth? My heart replied, “The truth is what exists.”
36. I asked my heart, Why is there a Path of Beauty?” My heart replied, “The
    portal of beauty is the easiest to pass through.”
37. I asked my heart, What is the value of a spiritual mantram?” My heart
    replied, “Like the sun’s rays through a lens, the spiritual mantram ignites the torch
    of spirit.”
38. I asked my heart, “What makes the mind create?” My heart replied,
    “Thinking without the heart is like a candle without a flame.”
39. I asked my heart, “Who can create Beauty?” My heart replied, “When the
    heart is open to beauty, then it will create beauty.”
40. I asked my heart, “When will the heart open to beauty?” My heart replied,
    “The Plum blossom signals that spring is on its way.”
41. I asked my heart, “When will I learn what I need to know?” My heart replied,
    “What is your level of gratitude?”
42. I asked my heart, “What is the surest way to solid spiritual growth?” My heart
    replied, “Beauty is a heart-rise.”
43. I asked my heart, “How do I know what is fair? My heart replied, “We often
    see the weeds in our garden, but few remember the thought seeds they planted
    along the way.”
44. I asked my heart, “How can I establish and maintain meaningful
    relationships?” My heart replied, “By ceaselessly striving to beautify your life.”
45. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of patience?” My heart replied,
    “Remember, only three sides of a cube can be seen from any one point of view.”
46. I asked my heart, “What is the source of a true leader?” My heart replied,
    “The heart which does not imprison its Inner Fire.”
47. I asked my heart, “What does it mean to be a winner in life?” My heart
    replied, “The heart strengthened with beauty is destined to joyfully cross the finish
    line.”
48. I asked my heart, “What is the source of all religion?” My heart replied, “The
    source of all religion is the recognition of a Higher Power.”
49. I asked my heart, “What is the secret of being a good neighbor?” My heart
    replied, “The secret of being a good neighbor is being a good person.”
50. I asked my heart, “Where does evil come from?” My heart replied, “Evil is
    born when a person chooses ME instead of We.”
51. I asked my heart, “What is future?” My heart replied, “The future is the
    harvest of our chosen possibilities.”
52. I asked my heart, What is wisdom?” My heart replied, “Wisdom is the
    accurate application of accurate knowledge for the greatest good.?
53. I asked my heart, “What is straight knowledge?” My heart replied, “Straight
    knowledge is accurate information.”
54. I asked my heart, “What is searching?” My heart replied, “Searching is a
    striving to find.”
55. I asked my heart, “What is discernment?” My heart replied, “Discernment is
    the key to all consciousness.”
56. I asked my heart, “What is possibility?” My heart replied, “Possibility is
    power.”
57. I asked my heart, “What is gratitude?” My heart replied, “Gratitude is a
    response to caring.”
58. I asked my heart, “Why is love so effective?” My heart replied, “A song can
    stir the feelings, but love stirs the Soul.”
59. I asked my heart, “Who sows the seeds of poverty?” My heart replied, “Few
    strive to quality thought.”
60. I asked my heart, “What is love?” My heart replied, “Love is the most
    powerful force in the universe.”
61. I asked my heart, “What is the Joy of Beauty?” My heart replied, “The Joy of
    Beauty is a shield of the spirit.”
62. I asked my heart, “What is wealth? My heart replied, “No jewels or rare coins
    can buy consciousness.”
63. I asked my heart, “What is good news?” My heart replied, “The Joy of
    Beauty is energizing.”
64. I asked my heart, “What is sincerity?” My heart replied, “Dictionaries state
    that sincerity means honesty and that honesty means no deception. Therefore,
    sincerity means no deception.”
65. I asked my heart, “What is insincerity?” My heart replied, “Deception,
    deception, deception!”
66. I asked my heart, “Who can be insincere?” My heart replied, “Just about
    anyone is capable of deception; however, those who strive for Beauty are on their
    way to maximizing their honesty.”
67. I asked my heart, “What is the value of honesty?” My heart replied, Eagles
    don’t fly with chicken hawks.”
68. I asked my heart, “Why is joy a special wisdom?” My heart replied, “Joy is a
    shield.”
69. I asked my heart, “Why is there loneliness?” My heart replied, “The seed of
    beauty contains true companionship.”

PETAL #097
Are We Listening?

Goliath’s fate depended solely on young David’s willingness to listen to The
Source of All Beauty and All Life. Our fate depends solely on our willingness to
listen to The Source of All Beauty and All Life. Are we willing to listen? (Do we
listen)?
In the circle of the wise it is lovingly whispered, “When man reaches out to the
Divine then the Divine reaches out to man”. In this metaphor man is required to
make the first move, then a response to that first move is given in some way.
Could this response be a miracle? Yes it could. Will it be? Certainly that depends
on many things known and unknown to us. Is a miracle needed, or will a subtle
feeling at the right moment in the right situation be sufficient? For the purpose of
self improvement, (and we can all do better), it may be more practical to ask
ourselves: to what degree will I be able to accurately recognize, understand, and
apply the answer, (the response), when it comes? This depends upon many
things. For example, If I have poor eye sight and I am not wearing my glasses or
contact lenses at the time of a Divine response, I may visually miss all or part of
that response. Furthermore, if I have good eyesight but I am day dreaming at the
time of the response, then I may also miss all or part of that response. This goes
for all our five senses or any combination of them.
Our intuition, (hunches, gut feelings, etc.), is subject to the same circumstances
and abuse. If we have very good intuition but are occupied at the time with
thoughts of making our millions, climbing the corporate, (or Social), ladder, or any
one of the countless other distractions, then we will miss all or part of the
response.
Alertness
Does this mean we have to be alert all the time? The answer to this question
depends on how accurately we desire to recognize, understand, and apply for the
good, the response we get from the Divine. If our desire is very strong then we,
like the ideal Temple Guardian of the Heart, will strive to be on a constant vigil, for
as it has been most prudently said many times in the history of Humanity, “The
price of freedom is eternal vigilance”. If our desire is less than 100% then we will
participate in the recognition, understanding, and application of the response to
the same degree. Can we increase our personal level of vigilance? The answer is
definitely and absolutely yes. The how much and when depend on the intensity of
our striving toward the maximization of our personal discernment. Discernment
means seeing differences. Discernment is insight. Discernment is the process of
accurately seeing what exists. The more we increase our discernment the more
we recognize, understand and apply the Divine’s response.

Can we accurately determine, (discern), what degree of discernment a person is
operating at? It may be far beyond our ability to accurately know whether a person
is operating on a 3%, 46%, or *7.658% discernment; however, water still seeks its
own level, and birds of a feather still flock together. (Blue birds don’t fly with
chicken hawks). A person on a 3% level of personal discernment will find little of
common interest in a person operating on a 46% level of discernment, (no matter
how good a person those individuals may be).
Are we stuck in our personal level of discernment? The answer is absolutely not.
The incentive to increase our personal level of discernment is that the quality of
personal living increases with an increase in our personal level of discernment.
We see clearer and make better choices. Everyone can strive to maximize their
operating level of discernment. How? The best way is to ask first for Higher help,
then we look for those possibilities which will lead to an increase in our
discernment.
For everyone there is a next step in their personal level of discernment. Very few
know what that next step is or how to accomplish it, but as long as we are striving
to maximize our discernment, then part of the response from our asking for higher
help will be to lead us to those possibilities, (opportunities), as stepping stones of
experience to higher discernment. The more we increase our personal level of
discernment the more we accurately recognize, understand, and apply for the
good, the response from the Divine. The more we increase our discernment the
more we will understand that we must initiate the action. We must reach out to the
Divine. We also must improve the quality and quantity of our listening. For every
person who says, “Speak lord for thy servant listens.”, there are thousands who let
their personal vanity and desires get in their way and thus are saying, “Listen
Lord, for thy servant speaks”. When we listen, let it be with honesty in our hearts
and genuine gratitude for the spiritual process we are allowed to participate in. Let
us be loving and grateful listeners, ever on the alert for gems of wisdom, strength
and beauty.

PETAL #098
L i g h t Ta l k (Poem)

Sunrise raised the question,
“Does night give birth to day?”
Sunset liked this notion,
“surely that is the way.”
Sky watcher shook her head,
“Earth motion”, she exclaimed,
“wakes up and tucks in bed
the sun your minds have framed.
We rotate like a top.
Night is but a shadow.
Our sunlight does not stop.
The two put on a show.”
“Sky watcher, don’t forget —
Earth moves more ways than one.”
“Thank you moonlight. Yes sunset,
we move around our sun.”
“Sunset, your all aflame!”
“I am angry, sunrise.
Will people change my name?
Are my colors just lies?
Can you tell where we are.
west of the sun maybe?
Where is our sun’s north star?
What’s in all this for me?
Starlight, what do you think?”
“You are never alone.
Your sun is but a link.
Come, explore the unknown.
Your names may change in time,
but your colors are real —
your Source, no less sublime,
your beauty, all will feel.
Your solar system waits
for you to free your heart
and knock upon its gates
to study wisdom’s art.
Observe and then discern,
(The man grows from the boy).
Find your teacher and learn

to fill all space with joy.”
“Eloquent space litter!”
“Rainbow!. You don’t mean that!”
“Sunset, there’s no danger
that soon we’ll be old hat.
Man sees a sun not star.
His mind joins not the two.
Sun is near, star is far,
and that’s man’s point of view.”

PETAL #099
BEAUTY-GRAM #16
WISDOM, STRENGTH & BEAUTY

What must the Agni Yogi know?
“The wisdom of joy.”
Agni Yoga, #212
The Law of beauty states that beauty leads to joy. Yet for the practitioner of the
Law of Beauty there is more.
The secret of the Law of Beauty is the shield of joy. Why is joy a shield?
Joy is a high rate of vibrations and blocks out the vibration of low intent.
When the shield of joy is activated, we are in a condition to contact the higher
because joy satisfies the very first, the most basic procedure of meditation —
establish and maintain protection. This is known in mystic circles as “Tiling the
Temple”.
We read in the Bible, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord …” Joy raises our rate of
vibrations to the point where we can safely commune with our spiritual Teacher in
the Hierarchy of Light. Here is where we gain greater knowledge and application
of our studies.
Thus we see that the wisdom of joy is a safe and natural method of spiritual
contact.
The three pillars which support the Temple are Wisdom, Strength, and Beauty. If
we consider these pillars with respect to the Law of Beauty, we discover the
wisdom of joy.
Consider the order Beauty, Strength and Wisdom as a formula for attunement.
The Law of Beauty produces the shield of joy. This strength allows us to make
spiritual contact with Wisdom for greater knowledge and application of our
Teachings.
This is the wisdom of joy found within the Law of Beauty.

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #100

STAR-SEARCHER & EXPERIENCE #16

WHAT IS THE BEAUTY
OF THE FIRE OF THE HEART?

EXPERIENCE: Star searcher, we have an hour before we can watch the sunset in
silence. You may ask your questions now.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya know, I’ve been having trouble understanding the Agni
Yoga concept of Fire, especially with respect to the heart. Do I understand
correctly that I can substitute the word psychic energy for the word fire, and thus,
for all practical purposes, the fire of the heart is the psychic energy of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Could you help me to increase my understanding of
the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Glad to do it, Star Searcher, glad to do it.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, where do we start?
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star Searcher, it is prudent to start with a sincere question.
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, which question should we begin with?
EXPERIENCE: Your best question, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: (Pauses a few seconds to think). Well, since beauty is the
realm of the heart, I’d like to stick with beauty.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore, what is the beauty of the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Just think! Each of us carries within himself the
One Fire, immutable throughout the entire Universe.” [F.W. 1, #7]
STAR-SEARCHER: Really? That’s wonderful. But ah …
EXPERIENCE: I heard that “but”, Star Searcher, what is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, ah … I guess I should ask what immutable means.

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, immutable means “Never changing or varying;
unchangeable.” [Webster’s New World Dictionary, 2nd ed.]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. That really helps.
EXPERIENCE: Thank you for your honesty, Star Searcher. Accurate
understanding is necessary for spiritual growth.
STAR-SEARCHER: So this One Fire never changes or varies, is that right?
EXPERIENCE: That is correct, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: And it exists throughout the Universe?
EXPERIENCE: Correct again, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Did I hear you accurately when you said that each of us
carries within himself the One Fire?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “no one cares to imagine that the universal
treasure is within him.” [F.W. 1, #7]
STAR-SEARCHER: Please share more knowledge about this One Fire.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The elements are not identical in the Cosmos, the
change in their qualities does not permit us to ascribe to them identicalness. But
the fire of the heart alone unites through its magnet all world structure. One must
think about this pre-eminence.” [F.W.1 #7]
STAR-SEARCHER: Are there times on the Path of Beauty when we should use
this One Fire?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “It is necessary to utilize this treasure in the entire
structure of life.” [F.W. 1, #7]
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait a minute …
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, If there’s only One Fire does that mean that there is
only one light?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “There is but one Light of Fire in all the world. We
can understand that fire manifests at the most remote distances. There is nothing

supernatural or mysterious about it. Even a lesser disciple has heard about the all-
pervading Fire, but he has failed to realize its application.” [F.W. 1, #7]

STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Say, can this One Fire cause a person trouble?
EXPERIENCE: Trouble, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, what if I make a mistake in the application?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The fire of the centers is harmony; the fire of the
spirit is harmony; the fire of the heart is harmony.” [Infinity 1, #269]
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. Where should I use this fire?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The spark of the spirit kindles the heart, hence
Our Teaching is in need of spreading through the fire of the heart. How can one
kindle the torches of the spirit without the fire of the heart? Only fire uplifts
creativeness and imbues each action. [Hierarchy, #100]
STAR-SEARCHER: Can you be more specific about what kindles the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. “Gratitude is one of the …
STAR-SEARCHER: No wait!
EXPERIENCE: What is it, Star Searcher? Is there something wrong?
STAR-SEARCHER: You must have misunderstood my question. I didn’t ask about
gratitude I asked about …
EXPERIENCE: What kindles the heart, right, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Right, but …
EXPERIENCE: Patience, Star Searcher. Patience. Please allow me to finish
answering your question then you may comment or ask other questions.
STAR-SEARCHER: Er sorry. Please continue.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Gratitude is one of the main qualities of justice.
Without justice one cannot reach the path of Great Service. Therefore, in pointing
out the necessity for the realization of gratitude, we only assist the Great Service.
How beautiful is gratitude! It so easily kindles the fire of the heart, and, as if in the
presence of the Image of the Lord, it fills the spirit with nobility.”
[Hierarchy #182]
STAR-SEARCHER: Nobility?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher. “We term nobility the benevolent
accumulations from former lives.” [Hierarchy #182]
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. Excuse me, but are you saying that we should focus on
gratitude while on the Path of Beauty?
EXPERIENCE: Yes and no, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, now I understand perfectly!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, you should not focus on gratitude to the exclusion
of other qualities on the Path of Beauty such as sincerity, striving, love and
sacrifice.

STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. I see. We have to maintain a harmonious balance, right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. However, that being said, Star Searcher, “One should
especially develop gratitude, because gratitude is the sister of loyalty.” [Hierarchy

182]

STAR-SEARCHER: Should a person force the kindling of his or her heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The natural blending with the Highest is achieved
only through a naturally kindled fire of the heart.” [Hierarchy #362]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is the fire of the heart a shield against in coming inharmony?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Resistance to evil is one of the fundamental
qualities of those who are in search of Hierarchy. Physical qualities will not give
tenacity against evil, but the spirit and the fire of the heart will create an armor
against the cunning of evil”. [Hierarchy #378]
STAR-SEARCHER: That is really comforting to know. Perhaps that kind of fiery
protection will give us more time for creative service. What do you think?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Creativeness encompasses the fiery potentiality,
and is impregnated with the sacred fire of the heart. By what means can the
foundation of the great steps be laid? Verily, only through the heart. Thus the arcs
of consciousness are fused by the flame of the heart.” [Heart #1]
STAR-SEARCHER: Should we mention the fire of the heart to others?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One should remind people primarily about the
significance of the heart as the unifier of the worlds. Is not the fire of the heart the
very fire of space? [Heart #73]
STAR-SEARCHER: How long does it take to manifest the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “It would seem that the fires of the heart are very
natural and simple in manifestation; but long periods are needed in order that this
understanding which links the lowest with the Subtle World may become evident in
the physical world. Of course, a great number of the fires demand adjustment to
them in order to bring a seeming casualness into the cadence of the rhythm.
There are very few who strive to become citizens of the Universe. This title
demands numerous cares, observation, vigilance, and primarily an indomitable
striving.” [Heart #97]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does our heart affect the objects which we create?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Fire is closest to sound and color. And it is not
without reason that the trumpet call attracts the Fire of Space.” [Heart #172]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Does that mean a painting can be affected by this
fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. “It is not incidental that some paintings
seem to radiate; the same fire of the heart glows in them.” [Heart #172]

STAR-SEARCHER: Does this make the fire of the heart a reality?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The manifestations of fire must be envisioned not
only as a reality, but as something indivisible from us.” [Heart #172]
STAR-SEARCHER: Does this fire of the heart affect the imagination?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher:. “Imagination is the result of the accumulation of
experiences. This is sufficiently known. But there may be vast accumulation, and
instead of imagination there will nevertheless be evidenced only lustful desires
and irritation.” [Heart #196]
STAR-SEARCHER: But why?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Affirm that imagination cannot form itself without
the participation of the heart. Hence, inner or outer creators will be those who
have wisely correlated the accumulations with the manifestations of the fires of the
heart.” [Heart #196]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher? What is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, This knowledge of the heart is illuminating. I was
wondering if all this creative positive power can be used in healing oneself?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “You know that the living fire is the most
disinfectant remedy, but the nature of fire is the same in all manifestations. The fire
of the heart will be a high manifestation of fire. [Heart #255]
STAR-SEARCHER: Excuse me for interrupting, but what does that mean?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher. “This means that this fire will be the best purifier
and protector.” [Heart #255]
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore?
EXPERIENCE: “Therefore, Star Searcher, instead of various dubious and often
poisonous antiseptic prescriptions, it is much better not only to have the fires of
the hearth, but also to kindle the fires of the heart. It can be proved to what extent
the fires of the heart fight serious illness. I affirm that the fire of the heart purifies
the densest darkness.” [Heart #255]
STAR-SEARCHER: Does the heart’s fire have other qualities?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher. “Along with purification the fire of the heart is
impregnated with the qualities of a magnet, and thus it becomes the natural link
with the macrocosm.” [Heart #255]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. What if a person is ignorant of the fire of the heart.
What happens then?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “He who does not think about the inception of the
fire of the heart does not know the upward path. He does not want to see it in a

radiant light.” [Heart #256]
STAR-SEARCHER: When should a person apply this fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Thank you for asking that question Star Searcher. The accurate
application of accurate knowledge for the greatest good is wisdom.
STAR-SEARCHER: I like your word accurate.
EXPERIENCE: Why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because it reminds me of my own humility.
EXPERIENCE: Humility, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, humility. You see, when I focus on accurateness my
memory serves me up the almost infinite number of times that I was inaccurate —
totally or to a degree.
EXPERIENCE: I see, Star Searcher. You were reminded of your imperfections.
STAR-SEARCHER: Indeed. I am human after all.
EXPERIENCE: Tell me now, Star Searcher, will you rest on that?
STAR-SEARCHER: On what? I don’t understand.
EXPERIENCE: On the humanness of your imperfections, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh. I get it. No way! When I stepped on this Path of Beauty I
committed myself to maximizing my striving for perfection.
EXPERIENCE: Well I’m glad to hear that, Star Searcher. Now I can continue with
my story about when to use the fire of the heart. I am convinced that you will never
forget it!
STAR-SEARCHER: All right. Let’s go for it!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “A yogi known to you, took the strongest poisons
without injury, died because of a slight delay in applying the heart energy.” [Heart

375]

STAR-SEARCHER: He tried to use the fire of the heart to neutralize the poison?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. “Immunity is contained in the heart.”
[Heart #375]
STAR-SEARCHER: Wait a minute please. When you say “he died because of a
slight delay in applying the heart energy”, that seems to imply that if he was on
time in applying the heart energy then he would have been successful in
neutralizing the poison!
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.

STAR-SEARCHER: Precisely?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. Do you have a problem with that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Who me, a problem? No way.
EXPERIENCE: Well then, Star Searcher, if there is no problem perhaps I will
share with you how it is done?
STAR-SEARCHER: How what is done?
EXPERIENCE: The timely application of the heart energy, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Please do.
EXPERIENCE: You see, Star Searcher, “The yogi mentally transfers the poisons
to the heart, which dissolves the effects of them while uniting him with the Spatial
Fire. But for this it is necessary to awaken the fires of the heart, and you know
how much time this demands. Of course, the taking of poison must be gradual. In
the case known to you, seven years were necessary for the organism to become
accustomed to coordination with the fires of space. Only one minute of delay gave
advantage to the power of the poison. One must not delay even for a moment to
transfer the consciousness to the heart.” [Heart #375]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is there a more powerful way to handle things than having to
remember to transfer the consciousness to the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “There is no stronger fire than the fire of the heart.”
[Heart #404]
STAR-SEARCHER: Excuse me?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “There is no stronger fire than the fire of the heart.”
[Heart #404]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. You know, you have said that there are many
types of fire in the fire of the heart, can you be more specific?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Among the fires of the heart, the most vivid is the
flame of self-sacrifice. Precisely this armor diverts the hostile arrows and creates
the renowned invulnerability.” [Heart #536]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is courage a type of fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The fire of courage is only a part of the flame of
self-sacrifice.” [Heart #536]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm.
EXPERIENCE: Yes Star Searcher, What is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, about the fire of self sacrifice, what is it exactly?

EXPERIENCE: Good question, Star Searcher! “Of course, self-sacrifice does not
mean necessarily to offer ourselves as a victim, but it corresponds to the
readiness to conquer for the Highest World.” [Heart #536]
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, something is bothering me about the fires of the
heart.
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if the fires of the heart are kindled, then do they stay on
forever, even if a person strays from the Path of Beauty?
EXPERIENCE: Another good question, Star Searcher. “One can also notice a
decline of the fires upon the slightest deviation from Hierarchy. As a whirlwind
extinguishes the torches, the deviation into the abyss of chaos destroys the fire of
the heart.” [Heart #536]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you for that. I was very concerned there for a few
seconds.
EXPERIENCE: Your concern encourages me, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: It does?
EXPERIENCE: Yes. It takes much experience on the Path coupled with a fine
discernment to come up with a concern on that level of interaction with the Path of
Beauty. So keep up the good work. Any more questions or concerns, Star
Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmm. Yes, is healing enhanced when using the fire of the
heart?
EXPERIENCE: “Actually, Star Searcher, any living fire is a healing one, but no
resin can compare with the fire of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #15]
STAR-SEARCHER: But can the fire of the heart cure serious illness?
EXPERIENCE: What did you have in mind, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, like cancer.
EXPERIENCE: “Indeed, Star Searcher, the bacilli of cancer exist. They can be
detected and killed by the fire of the heart. [F.W. 1, #18]
STAR-SEARCHER: Really? How?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “If the absence of psychic energy contributes to
their growth, then the fire of the heart, being the highest expression of
consciousness, destroys them. In fact, everything that is readily consumed by the
higher energy can be mitigated also, to a certain extent, by physical fire.” [F.W. 1,

18]

STAR-SEARCHER: Can some one really use physical fire to heal?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The roots of many plants contain in themselves
potent fires of the vegetable Kingdom and can be useful where the fires of the
heart are as yet inactive.” [F.W. 1, #18]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the fire of the heart relate to the Fire of Space that
I read about in the Agni Yoga Teachings?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “On finding himself beyond the boundaries of the
three dimensions even the most cold blooded person will be terrified if his heart is
unprepared for the next realization. [F.W. 1, #30]
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I guess the next question is how does one prepare for
that next realization?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One cannot leap from one state to another without
a fiery tempering. Thus it is impossible to assimilate the beauty and solemnity of
the Subtle World without a timely refinement of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #30]
STAR-SEARCHER: Could you expand that idea please?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One can stand insensate in the dark before the
most wondrous works of art, but the darkness is within ourselves! And one can
kindle the Spatial Fire only by the fire of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #30]
STAR-SEARCHER: But who is to blame for our darkness?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “It has been said many times that the great Fire is
manifested through our hearts. Therefore, let him who remains in darkness blame
only himself. But it is terrifying in the darkness of the fourth dimension, and all the
succeeding dimensions become hideous nightmares when not illumined by the fire
of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #30]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. What happens when the fire of the heart kindles the
Fire of Space?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “One must realize how the unification of the fire of
the heart with the Fire of Space tenses all centers.” [F.W. 1, #44]
STAR-SEARCHER: Now you definitely have my attention. Can you tell me if there
is another way to kindle the fires of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: The Teacher rejoices, Star Searcher, when the collective labor is
possible. [F.W. 1, #288]
STAR-SEARCHER: Collective labor kindles the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “rejection of collective labor is ignorance.” [F.W. 1,

288]

STAR-SEARCHER: But!
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Only a lofty individual finds within itself the
measure of collective concepts. So long as the personality fears collective work, it

is not yet individualized; it still remains in the stifling atmosphere of selfhood. [F.W.
1, #288]
STAR-SEARCHER: OK, but how can we truly accept collective labor in our lives?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “only true discernment of the indestructibility of
freedom permits adherence to collective labor.” [F.W. 1, #288]
STAR-SEARCHER: Freedom? I don’t understand.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Only through such true mutual respect can we
attain the realization of harmonious labor. In other words attain active good.” [F.W.
1, #288]
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see! This has to do with not interfering with the free-will
and or karma of others. That’s why freedom is involved. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. “In this good is kindled the fire of the
heart; hence each manifestation of harmonious labor is so joyous. Such labor
augments the psychic energy unusually.” [F.W. 1, #288]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the fire of the heart relate to the maxim that one
should practice moderation in all things.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Moderation without fire becomes mediocrity, but
the Golden Path intensified by Fire is the best exemplification of moderation.
Similarly, courage without fire becomes recklessness, but courage resplendent
with the fires of the heart becomes an impregnable wall. Indeed, patience,
compassion, and friendship will take on different colors in the fiery Light. But only
according to action, and through testing, can the Teacher ascertain the degree of
fieriness.” [F.W. 1, #364]
STAR-SEARCHER: But why does the Teacher have to test?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Words are the least suitable for such assurances.
How many words cleanse the thresholds of prisons, but few are the jailers who
can boast of being just. Also, how many words are there about patience! Yet the
first failure produces the most intolerant cannibals. Of course one need not explain
how verbal courage turns into great cowardice. But he who wishes to approach
the Fire must watch all his motives.” [F. W. 1, #364]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is it wise to consistently use the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The blessed striving must be called to mind in a
human way. How beautiful is it to be constantly aflame! There is no dungeon such
that the fire of the heart cannot illumine it. Thus be aflame with beauty!” [F.W.1,

410]

STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. Thank you for that. Tell me now, how does faith
relate to the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: “Faith, Star Searcher, is the realization of Truth, tempered in the
fire of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #433]

STAR-SEARCHER: To realize a truth sounds like an act of discernment to me.
EXPERIENCE: You are correct, Star Searcher. “The ability to discriminate
between the great and the small is forged in the same fire of the heart.” [F.W. 1,

509]

STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. You know we have mentioned gratitude and
collective labor as kindlers of the heart. Are there more ways to kindle this fire?
EXPERIENCE: “Verily, Star Searcher, if magnanimity is found, then love will kindle
the fires of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #564]
STAR-SEARCHER: How about goodness. Surely the fire of the heart must relate
to goodness. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “In affirming the sacred Teaching of active good
one must ponder how to use one’s entire time in the glorification of good. And
such glorification will be not only a symbol, it will be the fire of the heart. If we want
to advance we must apply active goodness.” [F.W. 1, “592]
STAR-SEARCHER: Speaking of advancement, how does the Teacher utilize this
knowledge of the fires of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: “How does the Lord discern those who approach him? The
answer is, Star Searcher, by the fires of their hearts. If we are astonished by the
power of fire that even here envelops us and saturates our garments, then we can
understand how supernal is the glow of the fires of the heart along the chain of
Hierarchy!” [F.W. 1, #618]
STAR-SEARCHER: Hmmm. That makes me want to know just what is the
greatest kindler of the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: “Nothing on Earth, Star Searcher, can so kindle the fire of the
heart as does love.[F.W. 1, #629]
STAR-SEARCHER: Is it permissible to tell what the fire of the heart has to do with
knowing God?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The human heart cannot flourish without striving
toward the Origin of Origins — inexpressible in words, but cognized through the fire
of the heart. Thus amidst violated world foundations, let us kindle the fires of the
heart and of love for the Supreme.” [F.W. 1, #629]
STAR-SEARCHER: Can the fire of the heart help us to think clearer?
EXPERIENCE: “Even in thinking, Star Searcher, one should form the habit of
straining thought, so to speak, through the fire of the heart.” [F.W. 1, #633]
STAR-SEARCHER: How does the fire of the heart relate to the Master’s motto
“Burden me more.”?
EXPERIENCE: “When I say, “Burden me more.”, Star Searcher, I do not deviate
from the aforementioned economy of forces. Do not fear burdening, it will only
reveal the fires of the heart. Thus should one think upon each action. And thus
should one end each advice.” [F.W. 1, #647]

STAR-SEARCHER: You know that many times you have spoken to me about
invincibility, but how does it really work?
EXPERIENCE: “In all the Teachings, Star Searcher, the dark forces are
represented as shooting their arrows at the illumined One. This battle is depicted
in beautiful symbols. No less beautifully is it indicated that the malevolent arrows
do not reach their target but form a protective net. Let us not regard this
heedlessly; this symbol is entirely realistic, even from the viewpoint of modern
science. The malevolent flame encounters the great fire of the heart and becomes
subservient., only augmenting the Agni of the Great Spirit. Thus, the heart which
manifests all its power is invincible.” [F.W. 1, #650]
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah. Sorry to interrupt here, but something is bothering me
about this invincibility.
EXPERIENCE: What is it, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, with all due respect, are you talking about life on this
planet?
EXPERIENCE: I take your meaning, Star Searcher. Your wondering if this
invincibility happens every time or in degrees, even with an illumined One. Right?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, yes. Discernment teaches that everything is in degrees
according to development.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “In case of retreat, search nearby.” [F.W. 1, #650]
STAR-SEARCHER: What do you mean?
EXPERIENCE: Simply this, Star Searcher. “Has the heart maintained all its force?
Has not some transitory earthly circumstance interfered? Has not self pity arisen?
Did not a quiver of fear overcast the heart? And did not doubt allow clouds to set
in? Verily, where the Agni of the heart is not overcast, there can be no defeat.
Often it seems to a man that he has reached his limit, but he is deceived by faulty
vision, and a large expanse still lies before him, precisely where victory may
come. Prematurity leads to misfortune.” [F.W. 1, #650]
STAR-SEARCHER: I like the way you phrased the idea of someone allowing the
fire of the heart to be overcast. Thank you for that. May I ask some more
questions?
EXPERIENCE: We do have time for a few more questions, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Good! How does friendliness affect the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “I am so concerned that you should not lose a
single opportunity for manifesting friendliness. The best fuel should be preserved
for the fire of the heart. The store of friendliness generates true compassion,
which is directly opposed to the cruelty of fanaticism.” [F.W. 1, #661]
STAR-SEARCHER: What happens to the fire of the heart during an encounter
with chaos?

EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “The fire of the heart penetrates through chaos and
transmutes it into a useful substance. The laboratory of the heart is powerful, and
thought itself must be purified by fire.” [F.W. 2, #46]
STAR-SEARCHER: You have mentioned the magnetism of the fire of the heart.
Will you please give an example of it?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “Among fiery signs there is a particular aptitude for
finding needed objects. One has but to think about them, and they draw near, as it
were, and are discovered. Already in antiquity it was said — kindle the torch of the
heart and find that which is needed.” [F.W. 2, #189]
STAR-SEARCHER: But how does that work?
EXPERIENCE: “The symbol is true enough, Star Searcher, for the fire of the heart
kindles surrounding fires and creates a magnetic attraction. Also in books, what is
sought can be found by illuminating the book with the same fire. The more such a
quality is observed, the more it is developed. The fiery element loves to be
noticed.” [F.W. 2, #189]
STAR-SEARCHER: What are obstacles to the fire of the heart?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, “If people only understand the whole power of the
heart! Of all the fiery energies this constitutes the greatest potential power. For the
magnet of the heart no obstacle exists, because the sun like heart knows how to
affirm great action. The sun like heart creates the Cosmic Ordinances and guards
the Covenants over an extent of thousands of years. If people would understand
that all impediments yield before the powerful fire of the heart! Thus the magnet of
the heart creates, and there is no power like this Sun of Suns. Thus let us
remember on the path to the Fiery World.” [F.W. 3, #338]
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you very much for all your help and all your love.
EXPERIENCE: Your welcome, Star Searcher. Now let’s watch the sunset in
silence.

PETAL #101

T h e R e v i e w Q u e s t i o n

How does the quality of our thoughts
affect the quality of our lives?
a. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our feelings.
b. The quality of our feelings affect the quality of our actions.
c. The quality of our actions affect those around us.
d. The quality of our thoughts affect our health.
e. The quality of our thoughts affect our personal environment.
f. The quality of our thoughts affect our choices.
g. The quality of our thoughts affect our planning for the future, (near and far).
h. The quality of our thoughts affect the community in which we live.
i. The quality of our thoughts affect the accuracy of our observations and thus the
accuracy of what we learn.
j. The quality of our thoughts affect our earning capacity.
k. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our happiness.
l. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of beauty in our lives.
m. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of joy in our lives.
n. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of harmony in our lives.
o. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our interpersonal relationships.
p. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our family life.
q. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of our personal honesty.
r. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of our awareness of our possibilities.
s. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of our discernment.
t. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of our striving.
u. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our gratitude.

v. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our love.
w. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our searching.
x. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our creativity.
y. The quality of our thoughts affect the level of our enthusiasm.
Z. The quality of our thoughts affect the quality of our prudence.