NOTE: Everything is in one file. Use the scroll bar to select the item. Use the scroll bar again to find that item. (To scroll to the file you want to find, please use Ctrl + F on your keyboard to find the file).

TABLE OF CONTENTS… (Continued from Stepping Stones Part 1)
000 START: Table of Contents by file number and file name
001 Introduction

102 The Way Of The Heart
103 This Is How I Really Feel (Poem)
104 Beautygram #17: Eternal Joyful Labor?
105 Star Searcher #17: How Can I Fill All Space With Joy?
106 The Way Of Beauty
107 Dune Walker (Poem)
108 Agni & Yogi
109 Beautygram #18: Joy & Attainment

110 Star Searcher #18: What Is The Beauty Of The Symbol Of Balance?
111 Brotherhood & Invincibility
112 Thursday Evening, 21 August 1975 (Poem)
113 Heart Access
114 The Turning Of The Wheel (Poem)
115 Begin In Delight
116 There Is Misunderstanding (Poem)
117 The Santa Cruz Free Show
118 Warriors Of Love
119 High Talk (Poem)
120 The Road To Peace Profound
121 Rainbow Talk (Poem)
122 The Art Of Radiating Love
123 Crescent Talk (Poem)
124 Make Mine Love
125 The Man (Poem)
126 What Is The Real Beauty Of The Rose?
127 Twirlers & Sandcastlers (Poem)
128 The Road To Happiness
129 A Portrait Of A Ballerina (Poem)
130 Searching With Socrates
131 2150 AD State Of The Universe Address
132 Discernment The Basis Of All Yoga
133 Always remember (Poem)
134 Sir Francis Bacon’s View Of Man
135 The Little Alien
136 Divine Love, Some Practical Problems
137 Hiding Moon (Poem)
138 The Great Magnet Of The Heart
139 Bow Talk (Poem)
140 Does Love Have To Hurt?
141 Before I Up And Go To Far (Poem)
142 The Equilibrium Of Beauty
143 Mountain talk
144 Science Of Love
145 A Question For The Cosmic Accountant (Poem)
146 The Stairway Of Beauty
147 The Law Of Beauty (Poem)
148 Why Is Doubt The Greatest Destroyer Of Beauty?
149 If Talk (Poem)
150 The Truest Learning
151 The Great Stepping Stone (Poem)
152 The Universal Second Language
153 God Is Fire, etc. (Poem)
154 Going Public
155 Key Talk (Poem)
156 The Sincere Heart
157 My Cornerstone (Poem)
158 Who Will Pay For Our Ideas?
159 After inner weather (Poem)
160 How Is Beauty Put Into A Poem?
161 To The Expansion Of Our Love (Poem)
162 What Is The Most Beautiful Attitude I can Hold?
163 To: Robert Frost -Poem Maker (Poem)
164 What Is The Role Of Beauty In Agni Yoga
165 Pleasure Island (Poem)
166 The Journey To Brotherhood
167 The Poet And The Poem (Poem)
168 The Game Called Feeling Good
169 Possibilities (Poem)
170 The Bridge of Joyous Patience
171 Did Ya Ever? (Poem)
172 What Are The Possibilities Of Beauty?
173 Star Talk (Poem)

174 How Does The Phrase Strive-on Relate To The Law Of Beauty?
175 Show Me The Way (Poem)
176 Love Talk
177 That’s What Beauty Does (Poem)
178 Possibilities Are Seeds
179 To The God Of My Heart (Poem)
180 Becoming Aware Of Our Possibilities
181 Wise Talk (Poem)
182 Our Ever Present Possibilities
183 Heart Talk #2
184 Heart & Possibilities
185 Heart Talk #3
186 Who Are The Possibility Hunters?
187 To The Source Of My River (Poem)
188 The Best possibility
189 The Compasses On The Square (Poem)
190 What Are possibilities?
191 Pow Wow (Poem)
192 The Fine Art Of Habit Hunting
193 On The Way To Civilization (Poem)
194 The Science Of Happiness
194A The Anchor in Beauty

195 How to create an internal rhyme
196 How to create a poem
196A One Fine Moment
196B The Secret of Joyful Labor
197 The Joy of Freemasonry (For Freemasons only)
198 Searching with Socrates
199 Part 1 What in the Universe Is Esoteric Tiling (For Freemasons only)
200 Part 2 What in the Universe Is Esoteric Tiling (For Freemasons only)
201 Esoteric (Caution: Not For Beginners)

PETAL #102

T h e W a y O f T h e H e a r t

My brothers and sisters this morning’s discourse focuses on a wise saying. It goes
like this.

“Be Strong, Like The Plum Tree In Winter, But In Your heart

Cultivate The Delicate beauty
Of Plum Blossoms.”

This wise saying advises us to behave in a certain way. In this respect, it falls into
the philosophical category of Ethics, for Ethics is the study of how people should
behave. It also involves us in the study of Aesthetics or beauty. Here we are first
advised to be strong. We are then further advised as to which way we are to be
strong. We are to be strong, “like the Plum Tree in winter.” However, to be strong
is not the only advice. We are also advised that we should, cultivate beauty in our
hearts — the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms. Furthermore, we are advised to
do both of these actions together, not one at a time or in succession.
Let us now look at the first advise, (to be strong), and ask the question why,
followed by the question how. Why would we be strong? More particularly, why
should we be strong like the Plum Tree in winter? What does the author mean by
strong? Should we all join a gymnasium and take up weight lifting to build
muscles? To search for the answer to this question, (Why be strong?), with justice,
we must further ask why is the Plum Tree considered strong by the author of our
wise saying. In other words, we must become familiar with the deeply inspiring
area of knowledge called Plum Tree symbology. A manual of Aesthetics and

technique, written by Leslie Tseng-tseng, entitled Chinese Brush Painting In Four
Seasons, will help us here.
“Flower of flowers for winter, the breath taking delicacy of the Plum Blossom is a
striking contrast to the starkness of this season. Having the distinction of being the
national flower of China, the Plum is a symbol of purity, strength, courage, and
perseverance. The fragility of the flowers and the firmness of the branches are
without equal. The beautiful blossoms emerge and burst into full bloom,
unhindered by frost and snow. The Plum Blossom is admired for its fortitude and
represents a person who has the ability to stand firmly against adversity. Its
resistance to the cold of winter epitomizes the independent and indomitable
Chinese Spirit. Each of the five petals represents a beneficence: longevity,
happiness, health, prosperity, and the natural passing of life. As the emblem of
winter, the Plum Blossom welcomes the beginning of each new year. Sending
forth its pure, fresh blossoms to renew Nature’s cycle and to foretell the return of
spring.”
My brothers and sisters, now that we have searched the Plum Tree symbology for
the answer to our question why be strong, and have gained the background for a

more intuitive impression of why the author of our wise saying chose the words,
“Be strong, like the Plum Tree in winter …”, let us now raise the question how can
we be strong like the Plum Tree in Winter? To justly search for this answer, we
must first search out the reasons why a person is weak, and then search out how

to overcome that weakness. Here the Agni Yoga book Heart (#6) can assist us in
our search.
“Doubt is the destruction of quality. Doubt is the tomb of the heart. Doubt is the
source of ugliness. Doubt must be mentioned in each talk, because where can we
go without quality? What shall we understand without heart? What shall we attain
without beauty?
“They will ask, why first Infinity, then Hierarchy, and only then heart? Why not the
reverse? But first comes direction, then the connection, and then the means. One
must not spoil this sacred recourse by doubt. Let us regard the quality of the pulse
of a man in doubt and also at the hour of devoted striving. If doubt can alter the
pulse and the emanations,how physically deteriorating will be its action upon the
nervous system. Psychic energy is simply devoured by doubt.
“After doubt, let us recall treason itself, for who is closer to doubt than the traitor?
But one can overcome that darkness only by adherence to Hierarchy, to the most
inevitable, but lacking it there is darkness.”
My brothers and sisters, we are striving to understand the cause of weakness so
that we can use that knowledge to overcome weakness and be strong like the
Plum Tree in winter, which has the perseverance, strength, purity, and courage to
expend some of its energy to blossom in the adversity of late winter as a signal to
all those to whom its beauty foretells that spring will soon come. We have just
explored some wisdom which indicates that our own doubts are the source of our
weakness. It indicates that we are strong when we are filled with psychic energy.
Since, “Doubt is a devourer of psychic energy”, then we know what to overcome in
order to raise ourselves from that degree of weakness which we may now be in,
due to our doubts, to a state of strength which can put forth beauty in the midst of
adversity.
My brothers and sisters, it has also been written, quite accurately, that doubt is a
stepping stone to further knowledge. How true this is since doubt devours our
psychic energy and renders us less effective in life. We learn through this painful
experience, the truth about doubt itself — that doubt is the source of weakness.
Some might say that doubt itself must teach most people this painful lesson. But
the wise also learn from the mistakes of others as well as from experience and
attunements with the higher knowledge through The Teacher Of Beauty in The
Hierarchy of Light, (to whom this discourse is dedicated). It is said that a word to
the wise is sufficient.
Now the question remains how to overcome doubt in order to be strong like the
Plum Tree in winter. Must we now go about believing everything which is
presented to us? Of course not, for believing everything would be an extreme lack
of discernment, which only leads to pain. We do not have to doubt something in
order to explore it. The truth is what exists, (dictionary definition). A true
exploration of the unknown is the first duty of a real scientist, and this is done by
accurate observation. This accurate observation leads to knowledge which is the
basis for accurate discernment. So we see that believing everything is not the way
to overcome the source of weakness which is doubt. Our advice from the Agni
Yoga Heart book also informs us that one can overcome the darkness of doubt
and its offspring treason only by adhering to The Hierarchy Of Light. Also we
learn in Heart (#582) that,

“… the highest protection and ascent are comprised in the indivisibility of

aspiration. Through the heart one can transport one’s consciousness along the
chain of Hierarchy, thus multiplying one’s strength and becoming invulnerable…”
We on the Path of Beauty, which is The Path of the Heart, do not have to ask how
to adhere to Hierarchy because we are familiar with the Law of Beauty, and aspire
to its fullest use in our lives for the common good. Beauty leads to Joy. The
relationship of Beauty to Hierarchy, we understand as the relationship between
beauty and strength, since The Hierarchy of Light is the only stability in the
universe, which brings us back to our wise saying.

“Be Strong, Like The Plum Tree In Winter,
But In Your Heart Cultivate The Delicate
Beauty Of Plum Blossoms.”

Here we are advised to cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms. This, my
brothers and sisters, may very well be our author’s way of sharing with us the law
of beauty expressed in the metaphor of the Plum Tree. If we are intentionally
cultivating beauty in our hearts, then we are not intentionally cultivating ugliness in
our hearts. Since we are advised that doubt is not only the source of ugliness, but
also the tomb of the heart, then we can be assured that thoughts of beauty will be
healthy and thus strengthening to the heart. My brothers and sisters, let us now
raise the question how do we cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms in
our heart? We do this first by understanding the value of beauty and the problem
of ugliness. We, on The Path of Beauty, through our understanding of the Law of
Beauty, know the value of beauty, and now we understand the problem of
ugliness. since, “Ugliness is the child of doubt, and doubt is the tomb of the heart”.
Therefore we have a basis for discernment of what kind of thoughts to best let our
minds dwell on. If we catch ourselves thinking ugly, disharmonious thoughts, or

aspiration. Through the heart one can transport one’s consciousness along the
chain of Hierarchy, thus multiplying one’s strength and becoming invulnerable…”
We on the Path of Beauty, which is The Path of the Heart, do not have to ask how
to adhere to Hierarchy because we are familiar with the Law of Beauty, and aspire
to its fullest use in our lives for the common good. Beauty leads to Joy. The
relationship of Beauty to Hierarchy, we understand as the relationship between
beauty and strength, since The Hierarchy of Light is the only stability in the
universe, which brings us back to our wise saying.

“Be Strong, Like The Plum Tree In Winter,
But In Your Heart Cultivate The Delicate
Beauty Of Plum Blossoms.”

Here we are advised to cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms. This, my
brothers and sisters, may very well be our author’s way of sharing with us the law
of beauty expressed in the metaphor of the Plum Tree. If we are intentionally
cultivating beauty in our hearts, then we are not intentionally cultivating ugliness in
our hearts. Since we are advised that doubt is not only the source of ugliness, but
also the tomb of the heart, then we can be assured that thoughts of beauty will be
healthy and thus strengthening to the heart. My brothers and sisters, let us now
raise the question how do we cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms in
our heart? We do this first by understanding the value of beauty and the problem
of ugliness. We, on The Path of Beauty, through our understanding of the Law of
Beauty, know the value of beauty, and now we understand the problem of
ugliness. since, “Ugliness is the child of doubt, and doubt is the tomb of the heart”.
Therefore we have a basis for discernment of what kind of thoughts to best let our
minds dwell on. If we catch ourselves thinking ugly, disharmonious thoughts, or

thoughts of doubt, then we will understand their diminishing value with respect to
our own psychic energy, and will immediately invoke the Law of Beauty in a joyful
transmutation to maintain our strength, for who knows how many, visible and
invisible, depend on us to have our strength to bloom at will in the midst of
adversity.
So we see that our author, without the benefit of being allowed a long discourse
explaining the Law of Beauty, imparts the Law of Beauty in the most efficient way
known, which is by the way of metaphor. In this metaphor we find the key to the
hearts of all good people, who, in their own way, are always open to the delight
which the combination of wisdom, strength, and beauty provide. Now my brothers
and sisters, let us raise the question what will be the reward or result for us for not
only following, but attaining the strength and beauty of this poetic wisdom? What
will be the effect upon us if indeed we are strong, like the Plum Tree in winter, and
if we do, in fact, cultivate the delicate beauty of Plum Blossoms in our hearts?
Another glimpse at the Agni Yoga Heart book (#596) will assist us here. This time
the Teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light is summarizing the essential
points of the heart book itself.
“The chief requisite for the application of the heart’s energy will be an
understanding that physical effort is unnecessary. Also by command of the brain
and will, the physical nerve centers act, but the sending by the heart is
accomplished without outer tension. The heart can act only when spiritually
liberated from physical tensions. Let us not forget that the Western school usually
follows the Path of the Brain, whereas the East, where the foundation is not yet
lost, knows, as formerly, that the power is contained in the heart. Although healing

through the heart predicates the touch of the hand, it is neither the hands nor the
eyes, but the emanations of the heart that give help. Distance is of no significance
through the heart, whereas a sending by the brain must endure barriers of various
currents. The exercise of the command of the heart demands the least effort and
adjustment. Pure thinking, constancy, benevolence, bring the heart energy into
action. Let the Karmic merits increase the refinement of the heart, but each
striving to Hierarchy opens the heart according to one’s strength. One must firmly
remember about the only path of salvation through the heart. The affirmation of
the law of the heart has traversed the entire history of Humanity. It can be
observed how within a few centuries people turn again toward the one path.”

PETAL #103

T h i s i s h o w I r e a l l y f e e l (Poem)

You are the green leaf.
You focus the sun
into the pink petals
of the morning rose.
You are the melody.
You create the softness
in the memory
of the ancient woodwind.
You are the incense.
You fill the universe
with the secret perfume
of undying hope.
You are the warm feeling.
You touch the timely moment
of our emptiness
with magnificent humility.
You are the nectar.
You wait in the human heart
for those who search
with infinite compassion.
You are the insight.
You cut the Gordian knot
of worldly confusion
with immaculate simplicity.
You are the door.
You open my inner room
onto the million sunrises
of your waking galaxies.
You are the conductor.
You guide me through
the starry vastness
of my being.
You are the Being of beings.
And in the in-between
of our forgetfulness,
You sing Your song — of love.

PETAL #104
BEAUTY-GRAM #17
ETERNAL JOYFUL LABOR?

What knowledge is the Agni Yogi striving to attain?
“The knowledge of how to find joy in eternal labor and in eternal vigilance.”
New Era Community, #224

Imagine, for a moment, the contrast between that of a person struggling, for the
first time, with whether or not it is too difficult to intentionally add joy to his/her life,
(one who has no experiential understanding of the debilitating consequences of
sorrow) and that of a person searching for the knowledge of how to find joy in
eternal labor and in eternal vigilance.
The difference is immense, is it not? Yet that same person who is just being
introduced to joy may later be that person searching for the knowledge of how to
find joy in eternal labor and in eternal vigilance. Such is the power of the Law of
beauty in our lives. Beauty leads to joy. “Joy is a shield, Joy is the health of the
spirit.”
Experientially knowing the “debilitating consequences of sorrow” stimulates the
“quest for joy”. Thus pain is our Teacher in life until we wake up and find a Teacher
who has great understanding and joyous patience.
When we find and accept this Teacher, then it will be the Teacher’s duty to guide
us within and introduce us to our Blessed Guide.
It would not be very surprising if our quest for joy began around the same time we
truly recognized, listened to, valued and put into practice the whisperings of our
Blessed Guide.
Who better to go to for advice on how to find joy in eternal labor and eternal
vigilance?
I asked my Blessed Guide how to find joy in eternal labor and in eternal vigilance.
The answer I received was, “Practice.”
May we ever fill our days with joy!

Strive-on!

PETAL #105
Star Searcher -(17)
How Can I Fill All Space With Joy?

STAR-SEARCHER: How can I fill all space with joy?
EXPERIENCE: There are at least two ways to strive to fill all space with joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: What are they?
EXPERIENCE: The first way is by thought, the second is by the heart.
STAR-SEARCHER: How can I use thought to fill all space with joy?
EXPERIENCE: We use thought to fill all space with joy by not filling it with that which is not joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Is that a trick answer, or should I be reading the subtleties
between the lines?
EXPERIENCE: What do you think Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR SEARCHER: Well, I’ve never known you to “play games” with philosophy, or my
questions, so I guess that it was not a trick answer.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, go on.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, in all the time that we’ve been communicating, you’ve always tried to
give me the simplest answer to my questions. So I’d have to say that I wouldn’t have to read the
subtlety between the lines.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: The first method to fill all space with joy is by not filling it with that which is
other than joy.
EXPERIENCE: How can we do that Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s what I was going to ask you!
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, since the first method is based on thought, then it sounds to me like
you are saying that we can only think joyful thoughts if we are going to fill all space with joy.
EXPERIENCE: Almost. Star Searcher, you have demonstrated many times that you can learn
when you want to.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well thanks. (I think). But…
EXPERIENCE: I was waiting for that but. What do you have in store for me today, Star
Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, really now, who in the universe can always be thinking thoughts of
joy?
EXPERIENCE: Always?
STAR-SEARCHER: Whom. Yes, I did say always, didn’t I.
EXPERIENCE: Can a person always be thinking the same thought?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well ….
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I don’t see how anyone could always be thinking the same thought all
the time year in and year out.
EXPERIENCE: Spoken like a true feet-on-the-ground philosopher, Star Searcher.
Congratulations on a very rational answer.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? You mean that you agree? But….
EXPERIENCE: You thought that I was advocating that everyone should go around thinking one
thought all the time.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s right. I did. But how did you know that?
EXPERIENCE: The Path of Beauty is not a path of fanaticism. Beauty leads to joy. If we fill our
lives with beauty, then we will be useful. The more beauty the greater our joy. See?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. I see that beauty leads to joy. But ….
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. I think you could write a book of buts. You seem to know
how to manufacture them at will. What is your question Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if you say that you don’t expect a person to think the thought of joy all
the time, then aren’t you saying that the person should think the thought of beauty all the time in
order to bring joy into his life all the time?
EXPERIENCE: Always?
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, that’s right. You taught me to avoid using all inclusive words like
“always” and “never”, because it is preferable to say “in general”, or “has a strong tendency to
be a certain way”.
EXPERIENCE: Why?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because, unless it is a natural law of the universe, the next time may prove
different from past experience.
EXPERIENCE: Would you like to restate your question now, star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, yes. If it is impractical to consider that a person, at our stage of
human evolution, can maintain a consistent focus on joy, then is it not just as impractical
to advocate that a person maintain a consistent focus on beauty?
EXPERIENCE: Yes.
STAR-SEARCHER: But ….
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. You sure have an interesting way of saying that you
would like to ask a question on a point under discussion. Now you were about to say that you

were under the impression that I was just substituting the word beauty for joy, and thus
advocating that a person should maintain a constant focus on beauty, which is just as
impractical as advocating a constant focus on joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s exactly right. How did you do that?
EXPERIENCE: Do what, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Read my thoughts. You seem to know what I want to say before I say it.
EXPERIENCE: You are not the only Initiate on The Path of Beauty, which has asked question
Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Do we really ask the same questions?
EXPERIENCE: What do you think, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, there are many Initiates on The Path of Beauty, but there is only one
Path of Beauty.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore, it is only reasonable that we should have questions on our
experiences as well as on what we will face in the future.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: If we ask you questions in order to help us along the path, then you
must hear many questions on common items of interest among the Initiates.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: So you must hear the same questions over and over from many different
points of view.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?

STAR-SEARCHER: You must have a good idea of what the Initiates are concerned about.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: If you have a good understanding of our concerns, then you are in a very
good position to give an accurate answer.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: Others before me have asked you how to fill all space with joy.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: You have had much practice at answering questions, and thus would
carefully measure your answer so that it would be as co-measured as possible and not
imprudent.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: You were not advocating a consistent focus on beauty, yet…..
EXPERIENCE: How can you stay joyful if you don’t focus on beauty consistently?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s exactly what I was thinking. How did you know …
EXPERIENCE: To set the record straight, Star Searcher, it is unwise to ask a horse to fly.

STAR-SEARCHER: What’s this? I was asking a horse to fly?
EXPERIENCE: If an Initiate is incapable of a constant focus on beauty, joy, or any beneficial
thought, then it is imprudent to ask that Initiate to do so. It will only manifest in a loss of hope.
The request could not be fulfilled, no matter how hard the Initiate strived to fulfill it.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, if we can’t maintain a constant focus on beauty in order to
produce joy in our lives, then we can’t consistently fill all space with joy by not filling it with that
which is not joy.
EXPERIENCE: That is correct.
STAR-SEARCHER: But you said that we could fill all space with joy by not filling it with that
which is not joy. This is the same as saying to focus on nothing that is not joy, which is to say to
focus on joy.
EXPERIENCE: That was quite a mouthful, Star Searcher. It shows a great deal of intelligence;
however, you have misquoted me.
STAR-SEARCHER: I did? Oh no, what did I do now?
EXPERIENCE: Put away your carpenter tools, Star Searcher. There is no need to nail yourself
to a cross because you made an error in discernment. Accurately observe your mistakes so that
you can accurately reflect on them in a quiet moment in order to perfect your discernment.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. I will strive to do exactly that. Now what is it that I mis quoted
you on.
EXPERIENCE: My answer to you was, (and still is), that there are at least two ways to
strive to fill all space with joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I see. I didn’t hear the striving part of your answer. I only heard that
there are at least two ways to fill all space with joy.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then I have wasted your time. All this has been for nothing.
EXPERIENCE: You give up so easily, Star Searcher. Have you learned nothing from our
conversations?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What do you mean? Have I missed something ?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: What have I missed?
EXPERIENCE: Since when do we throw away 99% if we can’t get 100%?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Oh, no. I did that, didn’t I.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: My thinking was that if I couldn’t do it 100% then I couldn’t do it in part.
Surely if I can focus on beauty just 7% of the time more than I do now, then my life will be 7%
more joyful, and I will be filling the universe with 7% more joy than I do now.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. You can always strive to increase toward a maximum your focus on
beauty and thus your focus on joy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I must say that I really feel much better now than I did a few
moments ago.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, you are very skilled at throwing yourself emotionally off
balance because of an erroneous conclusion.

STAR-SEARCHER: You mean to say that if I can be more discerning in my thinking, then I will
draw more accurate conclusions and thus keep emotionally balanced?
EXPERIENCE: There’s more to it than that, however, you have the general idea. It is also
involved with the emotional content and ramifications of your conclusion as well as the degree
of intensity with which you identify with it.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. I will meditate on this understanding. Thank you very much …
Oh. Wait!
EXPERIENCE: Ah. You have remembered that there are at least two ways to strive to fill all
space with joy, and therefore have decided not to dismiss me after all.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s exactly right. How do you do that? No never mind. Your used to
it. Right?
EXPERIENCE: You are learning at a very rapid rate, Star Searcher. It is a good thing that the
second way is the simplest to understand and to achieve. If, of course, you can maintain your
discernment and refrain from drawing erroneous conclusions as weapons to enhance your
mental sword fighting capabilities.
STAR-SEARCHER: Not in theory have you demonstrated that you know me better than I know
myself. I apologize for my uncivilized tongue and the undiscerning personality aspect connected
to it. I will do my best to listen and learn. Will you explain now how I can strive to fill all space
with Joy by the use of my heart as a tool on The Path of Beauty?
EXPERIENCE: Mentally command your heart to fill all space with joy under the guidance of The
Teacher of Beauty.
STAR-SEARCHER: Forgive me if I say that seems to easy. shouldn’t it be harder than that?
EXPERIENCE: Most people would think so and thus would reject the answer immediately. Only
the Initiate on The Path of Beauty will open the door to the wisdom of the heart. Learn it well,
Star Searcher. Learn it well.
STAR-SEARCHER: But ….
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, it does.
STAR-SEARCHER: It does! Wait a minute. This time you gave me the answer to my question
without me asking the question or you supplying the question before I could get it out of my
mouth.
EXPERIENCE: Any Initiate on The Path of Beauty would sooner or later have to be curious
about the mental component of the heart method.
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s exactly what I was thinking. If the first way to fill all space with joy is
by gradually filling our lives with beauty, thus filling our lives with joy, then this involves choices
to do so. Thus it involves the mental factor.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. We must choose between beauty and all that is not beauty, in order
to fill our lives with beauty.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if this mental activity of the first method is less efficient than the heart
method, and the heart method also requires mental activity, then doesn’t this make both
methods of equal inefficiency?
EXPERIENCE: There you go again, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But….
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.

STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I don’t know.
EXPERIENCE: Your next best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, you wouldn’t say that the use of the heart to fill all space with
joy is the simplest to understand and achieve if you didn’t mean it.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: And you would have told me if the heart method was equivalent to the
mental method.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: So even though the heart method has a mental component, it must be the
most efficient for the Initiate on The Path of Beauty.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But, what about …
EXPERIENCE: The problems with accurate mental consistency?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes. That’s exactly right. Are there problems with accurate mental
consistency during the use of the heart method?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, a silent mental command to the heart could be of a very short
duration.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: A short duration of less than one minute is a big difference from gradually
maximizing my consistency of thought about beauty throughout my life year after year.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: The heart method does not have the problems which the first method has.
EXPERIENCE: Therefore?
STAR-SEARCHER: Therefore I answered my own question. (With your help, of course, as
usual.) Thank you.
EXPERIENCE: But ….
STAR-SEARCHER: Hey! How did you know I was going to but?
EXPERIENCE: Your question Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hey. I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you ask the question that I was going to
ask and then answer it?
EXPERIENCE: All right, Star Searcher, as long as you don’t expect me to walk The Path of
Beauty for you.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya, you’re right. That would be like sending my little brother to take my
piano lessons for me. Wouldn’t it?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. You will never master the piano that way, now will you master the
Path of Beauty by not being fully involved in it. However, let’s ask the question shall we?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, let’s do it.

EXPERIENCE: What, if any, are the Initiates challenges with the use of the heart method?
STAR-SEARCHER: Exactly.
EXPERIENCE: First the Initiate on The Path of Beauty must discern when to use the heart
method. Second the Initiate must clearly understand that no physical exertion is necessary to
use the heart method.
STAR-SEARCHER: Right. Just a simple mental command to the Heart. What’s the next
challenge?
EXPERIENCE: Your comment is quite correct Star Searcher, however, do you know it like you
know you have a right hand? We must all strive to know it that well!
STAR-SEARCHER: No. I don’t know it like I know that I have a right hand, but if I practice it
enough I will. What’s next?
EXPERIENCE: I sense that you are anxious to move on, and so we will. The next thing to
thoroughly know is how to combine the qualifier with the heart method.
STAR-SEARCHER: The qualifier, what’s that?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Whom. I had a feeling you were going to say that. Well, my understanding
is that a qualifier states the conditions under which a statement or contract is made, or an action
taken.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Then the initiate must have the challenge of discerning the conditions at
hand and see if they meet the conditions of the qualifier.
EXPERIENCE: Yes and No, Star Searcher. It’s true that the initiate on The Path of Beauty must
strive to accurately discern the conditions at hand to use as a base for the intuitive use of the
heart method. However, at our level of development, we would not be able to determine if those
conditions met the criteria of the qualifier.
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, but ….
EXPERIENCE: Go ahead Star-But. I mean Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I think it would help if I knew what this qualifier was, but I am a little
leery of asking.
EXPERIENCE: Leery, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, because when I ask a question you generally respond by asking me
what my best guess is. In this case, I have no best guess, or for that matter a next best guess.
EXPERIENCE: Perhaps we can stimulate your memory. Do you remember, Star Searcher,
when we discussed The Greatest Cosmic No-No?
STAR-SEARCHER: The Greatest Cosmic NO-NO?

EXPERIENCE: Yes, The Greatest Cosmic No-No. Think back on our discussion about Free-
Will and Karma.

STAR-SEARCHER: Oh ya! Now I remember. The Greatest Cosmic No-No is the interference
with Free-Will and / or Karma.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. Now can you piece together the Initiates use of the heart method
with the qualifier?

q
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if you put it that way, it seems obvious that the Initiate must determine
if he is not interfering with Free-Will or Karma before using the heart method.
EXPERIENCE: I see Star Searcher, that you have forgotten already that at our level of
development we would not be able to determine the subtleties of interferences with Free-Will
and / or Karma. (Especially, the Karmic interferences.)
STAR-SEARCHER: Forgotten? Oh ya. Now I remember. But ….
EXPERIENCE: There’s that famous but again. Are you sure you don’t want to strive to figure
this out for yourself. Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well. All Right. Whom. Let me think now. It obviously is the duty of every
Initiate to personally solve the problem of how not to interfere with Free-Will and / or Karma. If it
is prudent to use the qualifier and yet I am not capable at this time of determining if my actions
would be an interference in the subtleties of Free-Will and / or Karma, then how do I use the
qualifier?
EXPERIENCE: One way, Star Searcher, is to use the same type of logic you just performed.
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? What logic?
EXPERIENCE: Your If-Then statement. No. Not the contents of your last If-Then statement, but
the If-Then format itself.
STAR-SEARCHER: If-Then format?
EXPERIENCE: Yes.
STAR-SEARCHER: But how would I do that?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Whom. I knew you were going to ask me that. Well, lets see now. How do I
issue a mental command to my heart using an If-Then statement?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely. Heart, if a condition exists then do this. Which implies that if the
condition does not exist then I do not want the action to occur.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if I was talking to a school child I would say something like this. If it
rains then wear your raincoat. Which would imply that if it doesn’t rain then do not wear your
raincoat.
EXPERIENCE: I think your getting the idea. Keep striving for it, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how about something like this? If you play by the rules, then you can
play in the game.
EXPERIENCE: Your getting closer, Star Searcher, keep striving for it.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, how about something like this? If you don’t break the rules, then you

can do some action.
EXPERIENCE: Closer. Keep striving for it, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Whom. Well, how about something like this? If it doesn’t interfere with the
rules, then let it be done.
EXPERIENCE: Much closer, Star Searcher, strive on! Strive-on!
STAR-SEARCHER: I think I’ve got the idea now. How about this? If it doesn’t interfere with
Free-Will and / or Karma, then let it be done.

EXPERIENCE: Excellent. Now who or what are you giving the mental command to?
STAR-SEARCHER: My heart.
EXPERIENCE: Well then, don’t you think you should address the heart when you give it a silent
mental command?
STAR-SEARCHER: Sure. I’ll rephrase it this way. Heart, if it doesn’t interfere with Free-Will and
/ or Karma, then let it be done.
EXPERIENCE: Good. Now Star Searcher, what does your last If-Then statement imply?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it implies that if the action does interfere with Free-Will and / or
Karma, then I do not want the action done.
EXPERIENCE: Good. Now, Star Searcher, how will you bring in The Highest of Hearts into your
heart method?
STAR-SEARCHER: Whom. Well, how about something like this? Heart, if it is the will of the
Highest in The Hierarchy of Light, without interfering with Free-Will and / or Karma, then let it be
done.
EXPERIENCE: You never fail to amaze me, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well thanks. (I think).
EXPERIENCE: Now, Star Searcher, what about The Teacher of Beauty. How will you include the

Teacher’s guidance in your use of the heart method?
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh yes, I must include the guidance of The Teacher Of Beauty. How about
something like this? Heart, if it is the will of The Highest in The Hierarchy of Light, and under the
guidance of The Teacher of Beauty, then, without interfering with Free-Will and / or Karma, do
this or that action.
EXPERIENCE: Congratulations, Star Searcher. You have just graduated into the use of the
qualifier with the heart method.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well thanks, but ….
EXPERIENCE: Yes, your right, Star Searcher. Your latest version of your qualifier is technically
a bit redundant, because it says the same thing, (indirectly, twice. Any thing that is the will of
The Highest of Hearts and under the guidance of the Teacher of Beauty would not interfere with
Free-Will and / or Karma, for they would not have ever evolved to their level of spiritual

development if they did not learn to operate in life without committing The Greatest Cosmic No-
No, (the interference with Free-Will and / or Karma).

STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see, then I can eliminate that part of my qualifier which states about
not interfering with Free-Will and / or Karma.
EXPERIENCE: Technically yes, but prudently no, Star Searcher. The part about not interfering
with Free-Will and / or Karma is not for them. It is a great reminder to you the user of the heart
method.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see. Thank you. Yes, I will keep it in there as a personal reminder not
to interfere with Free-Will or Karma. But …

EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what about this or that kind of action.
EXPERIENCE: Yes?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what type of action do I mentally command my heart to perform?

EXPERIENCE: Well let’s start with an easy one, Star Searcher. How would you mentally
command your heart to fill all space with joy?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I would phrase it something like this. Heart, if it is the will of The
Highest in The Hierarchy of Light and under the guidance of The Teacher of Beauty that I fill all
space with the purifying vibrations of joy, then without interfering with Free-Will and / or Karma,

and to the degree that it is prudent to do so, let it be done.
EXPERIENCE: Very good. Now listen very carefully Star Searcher. Would you use the heart
method without the qualifier to heal someone?
STAR-SEARCHER: Huh? Use the heart method without the qualifier to for healing? Whom.
That means that if we don’t use the qualifier with healing then we run the risk of interfering with
Free-Will and / or Karma — The Greatest Cosmic No-No of all.
EXPERIENCE: Quite right. The qualifier is necessary for healing and all sowing of good
by Initiates on The Path of Beauty. Let us close now Star Searcher and you can bring
more questions with the dawn. I am sure you will have many after your reflections on what you
have learned today.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you very much for everything.
EXPERIENCE: Your welcome, Star Searcher. Strive-on!
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh wait please. Just one more question. Just one more, I promise.
EXPERIENCE: There are those famous last words again. What is your last question Star
Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Can I use the heart method with the qualifier to benefit my own
development?
EXPERIENCE: Can you be more specific, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: I hope so. Well, for example, can I use the heart method with the qualifier
to maximize my discernment, my sincerity, or my joy?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, what mental command would you issue to your heart in order to
maximize your joy?
STAR-SEARCHER: I knew you were going to ask me that. Well, I would mentally command my
heart like this. Heart. If it is the will of The Highest in The Hierarchy of Light that I increase my
ability to fill all space with joy to a maximum on all levels of self that it is prudent to do so, then,
under the guidance of The Teacher of Beauty, let it be done in perfect co-measurement, without
interfering with Free-Will and/or Karma, or breaking any spiritual laws whatsoever, with perfect
protection on the sendings and maintained as long as it is prudent to do so, for the maximum
benefit of The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity, and World Culture.
EXPERIENCE: You seem to have covered all the bases with your new and improved qualifier.
Tell me now, Star Searcher, on what aspect of your development will you first use the heart
method with the qualifier?
STAR-SEARCHER: That’s easy. My discernment.
EXPERIENCE: Why discernment?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because discernment leads to happiness.
EXPERIENCE: Thank you Star Searcher. I wish you all the very best as you discern your way to
happiness.
The End.

PETAL #106
T h e W a y O f B e a u t y

The way of beauty is open to all. Let us fill our hearts with beauty. Let us fill our
lives with that which we feel is most beautiful. Let us proceed on the Way of
Beauty.
Not without joy is our natural response to beauty. Flowers, colorful birds, scenes
from Nature, fine music, inspiring poetry, and lofty thoughts, we find beauty in
these, and beauty is our direct link with joy. Joy is ours at any moment. How easy
it is to appreciate the beauty of a sunset, or the song of a bird. How easy it is also
to remember beauty. A remembered flower picked in a dream can bring as much
or more joy than a bouquet of flowers. We fill our lives with joy as we focus on
beauty.
Life without beautiful thoughts is a song bird which has forgotten it can sing. Who
does not want joy in their lives? Who will not give up the joyless life for the joyful
one, especially, when it is only a thought or a glance away? (In the dark there are
no rainbows). The future biochemistry of joy will affirm the practicality of beauty in
our lives. The crystals of joy lead to a higher quality of health. Beauty is the sun of
World Culture — how radiant is its flower of joy. Most of us like joyful feelings. Our
response to beauty contains joy. Therefore, the Way of Beauty may become a
very popular way of life. But let us turn back if we choose not to deal with the
unbeautiful conditions which are presented to our consciousness. Not blind to
unbeautiful conditions is the one who travels the Way of Beauty. Like a skilled and
prudent doctor applies a cure for a disease, the traveler on The Way of Beauty
applies beauty to cure the unbeautiful condition. How is beauty applied? This can
be as simple as planting a rose bush, or as subtle as silently using joy to uplift the
quality of the immediate emotional environment.
Beautiful thoughts are the parents of beautiful feelings. When beauty is
emphasized on a daily basis, we gradually learn to maintain a certain level of joy
in life. The more concentrated our focus on beauty, the higher will be our level of
joy, ( for the flowers of the universe perfume the dreams of those who build with
joy). The focus on beauty takes practice. Not because it is hard, but precisely
because most of us have emphasized the unbeautiful in our lives for such a long
time that it is now habitual for us to dwell on the unbeautiful instead of the
beautiful. It is simply a matter of remembering to recognize the beauty everyday–
every hour. Thus we will soon acquire the habit of dwelling on beauty.like our next
breath we need beauty, for beauty is the gateway to joy. Is there a value of joy
other than that of a nice feeling? Joy cleanses the mind. It is a powerful mental,
emotional, psychic and physical cleanser which, (because of this cleansing
action), allows us to focus more on beauty. The greater our joy, the greater will be
the cleansing effect, and therefore the greater the focus on beauty. This has a
spiral action.
It has the potential of reaching higher levels of consciousness in ourselves in a
very safe and efficient way. In other words, beauty is a spiral to The Source of all
that exists. Is there anything to be wary of as we walk in the Way of Beauty? Let
us ask this in yet another way. What is the cause of unbeautiful conditions? Simply
stated, doubt is a destroyer of beauty. An unbeautiful attitude, which plants

inharmonious actions, has its source in doubt. Does this mean that we should
believe everything we see and hear in order not to get into doubt? Those of us
who walk the Way of Beauty are not naive. We soon learn, (to some degree at
least), that’ “Doubt is a devourer of psychic energy”. Discernment is imperative.
Doubt, as the destroyer of beauty, can be observed in ourselves as well as others.
“Well now”, some would say, “If it is not beautiful to operate on doubt, how can
we be certain of anything?” There is no quick way to perfect discernment. The
perfectment of discernment requires vast experience and an equally vast desire to
attain to the perfectment of discernment. The way of Beauty provides two basic
tools — beauty and joy. As we practice focusing on beauty in our daily activities,
we observe in greater detail the joy which comes from this focus.
Observation and discernment will teach us what exists, which is the dictionary
definition of truth. Once we understand thoroughly, (through experience), what
exists, then we will have eliminated room for doubt. (We have learned by doing).
“But”, one will say, “This kind of learning will take forever to complete and besides,
during this learning a doubt may sneak in and destroy our focus on beauty.”. Here
we will do well to remember that The Way of Beauty demands of no one any kind
of faith or belief in beauty. We are simply given a formula that beauty is a direct
link to joy. We then spend the rest of our travels on the Way of Beauty in an
extensive exploration of and application of this formula.
We experience joy from beauty. We learn to prudently apply beauty to
unbeautiful conditions in our environment, (inner as well as outer). Thus accurate
observation will lead to accurate knowledge. (“True knowledge is an eternal flower
of great beauty.”). The accurate application of accurate knowledge for the greatest
good is wisdom.

PETAL #107
D u n e W a l k e r (Poem)

It’s greener there,
where the wind teaches the grass
to grow on the calm side of the dune.
On the weather side,
the tough grow tougher:
the tender never live
to reproduce.
We are like the grass.
Some work with Nature,
some work against her.
But we are not as lucky
as the grass.
To be rooted I mean.
We wander from calm to weather,
and wonder,
why the walking is so slow
and holds us back
from where it is
we want to go.
Yet some walk the balance of extremes.
Their footprints mark the tops of dunes,
and we could follow these
if there is still a trace
to gage a line of travel
far into the distance.
For the wind trains a quick eye
in those who must reach the goal.
I see them walking on ahead,
alert to the wind off every leaf,
watching every change of weather.
I see them watching every mood
that would have them fail
at their attempt to balance.
And I’m glad that I’m not rooted
like the grass,
that I too can journey
beyond my fear of weather.

PETAL #108
AGNI & YOGI #1
HOW AGNI YOGA BEGAN

AGNI: Get ready, its time!
YOGI: Already? Wow, it seems like it was only yesterday that we started the old
era, now that is over and we are beginning a new one. What kind of Yoga goes
with this new era?
AGNI: The Yoga of fire.
YOGI: Hmmm. That’s interesting. What spiritual center will this new Yoga focus
on?
AGNI: The heart center.
YOGI: So it is the Path of the Heart that I am to learn now?
AGNI: Correct, Yogi. You will learn and apply the Path of the Heart, which is the
Path of Beauty, the path closest to perfection.
YOGI: The Path of Beauty? Why does one path have two names?
AGNI: Because, Yogi, beauty is the realm of the heart.
YOGI: It sounds like we will be learning and applying beauty then.
AGNI: Correct again Yogi. Beauty is the gateway to the Path of Beauty which is
Agni Yoga.
YOGI: Well what does Agni mean?
AGNI: Agni means fire.
YOGI: Really, fire?
AGNI: Yes Yogi fire. Another word for fire is psychic energy.
YOGI: Ah OK, psychic energy — that’s easy enough to understand. Oh, how did
Agni Yoga begin in this new era?
AGNI: The Master Morya, (who is in the Hierarchy of Light for this planet), gave
the responsibility of bringing the Agni Yoga Teachings into the new era to his
closest student.

YOGI: Well, who is the Master Morya’s closest student?
AGNI: Her name, Yogi, was Helena Roerich. The Hierarchy of Light also named
her THE MOTHER OF AGNI YOGA.
YOGI: Did I hear you right? Did you say her name WAS Helena Roerich? Is she
no longer on this earth plane?
AGNI: That’s right Yogi. She successfully completed her job on earth.
YOGI: Well, if the Mother of Agni Yoga is no longer on earth, then how will I learn
Agni Yoga?
AGNI: While the Mother of Agni Yoga was incarnated, the Master Morya (from a
higher plane) transmitted the Agni Yoga Teachings to her. She recorded them for
all to learn and apply.
YOGI: That’s great! How many books are there on Agni Yoga?
AGNI: There are fifteen books in the Agni Yoga series and two volumes of the
Letters of Helena Roerich at present (April 1997). More books exist in the original
Russian language and are awaiting translation.
YOGI: Who publishes the Agni Yoga books?
AGNI: The Agni Yoga Society.
YOGI: Ah…
AGNI: Yes, what is your question Yogi?
YOGI: Well, I was thinking about what a great job the Mother of Agni Yoga did in
giving birth to the Agni Yoga Teachings, but was that the extent of her duties to the
Master Morya? Did she teach Agni Yoga as well?
AGNI: Yes, Yogi. She also taught Agni Yoga. The Mother of Agni Yoga passed the
highest of tests while in the earth plane. This was the rarest of achievements.
YOGI: What test was that?
AGNI: The test of the Fire of Space.
YOGI: What happened after she passed the Test of the Fire of Space?
AGNI: As a result of her great striving, she became an Arhat — better known in the
west as a Master.
YOGI: Oh I see, then she was the Teacher of Agni Yoga in addition to giving birth
to the Agni Yoga Teachings.
AGNI: Correct again Yogi. In fact, the Master Morya has told all Agni Yoga
students to reverence the Mother of Agni Yoga.

YOGI: Then she must have been the contact for the Agni Yoga Teachings.
AGNI: Right again. The Mother of Agni Yoga was and still is the contact for the
Agni Yoga Teachings.
YOGI: Oh I see, you mean I should ask the Mother of Agni Yoga for greater
understanding and application of the Agni Yoga Teachings.
AGNI: That, Yogi, would be very wise indeed.

---

STRIVE-ON-JOYFULLY!

PETAL #109
BEAUTY-GRAM #18
JOY AND ATTAINMENT

What accompanies the manifestation of joy?
“The intensification of the work of the centers. Many attainments are achieved by
the manifestation of joy.”
Agni Yoga, #459

Esoteric literature holds many techniques to assist the sincere seeker to bring the
spiritual centers into effect with respect to the seeker’s development on the path.
We know some of these techniques to include the use of sound and of
concentration. We especially learn in Agni Yoga that the virtues are very powerful.
Now we learn that joy intensifies the work of the centers, and that many
attainments are achieved by the manifestation of joy.
Here then, is another hidden aspect of the spiritual life. It is on the same note as
gratitude, which so easily kindles the fire of the heart. Who would have guessed
that? There is no obvious cause and effect relationship. Yet it exists.
Each time we activate joy, we gain great benefits. Health is one: (joy is the health
of the spirit). Protection is another: (Joy is a shield).
Now we understand that joy also triggers attainments.
What more incentive do we need to establish and maintain the practice of joy in
our lives?
May we ever fill our days with joy!

Strive-on!

P E TA L # 1 1 0

S t a r S e a r c h e r & E x p e r i e n c e # 1 8

W h a t I s
T h e B e a u t y O f
T h e S y m b o l O f B a l a n c e ?

STAR-SEARCHER: What is the beauty of the symbol of balance?
EXPERIENCE: Magnetism, Star Searcher, the beauty of the symbol of balance is
magnetism.
STAR-SEARCHER: Your joking, right?
EXPERIENCE: Joking, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, what does magnetism have to do with weight?
EXPERIENCE: Oh, I see, Star Searcher, you are thinking of a certain
manifestation of the symbol of balance such as a pharmacist may have used in
the old days, are you not?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that’s exactly right. How does magnetism get into this
picture?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the symbol of the Libra scales is relatively new
compared to the original symbol from which it evolved.
STAR-SEARCHER: Evolved? You mean like Darwin, gene pools, and Natural
Selection?
EXPERIENCE: No Star Searcher, not a biological evolution. After the scale was
invented, man saw that the original symbol looked like a scale and this became a
picture for balance in man’s mind.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I get it. Once our mental picture changed, we forgot what
the real symbol looked like, right?
EXPERIENCE: Yes Star Searcher, in general.
STAR-SEARCHER: But … .
EXPERIENCE: There’s that but again. What is it Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if we forgot what the original symbol looked like, then
does that mean we have changed the meaning of the original symbol as well as its
image?

EXPERIENCE: Very good, Star Searcher. You catch on quickly. Your discernment
is improving. The answer is yes. In general, the meaning has changed with the
picture of the scales.
STAR-SEARCHER: But … .
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: But what was the original meaning?
EXPERIENCE: Magnetism, Star Searcher, the symbol was a study in magnetism.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what did the original symbol look like?
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, do you know what an equilateral triangle looks
like?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, it is a triangle in which all three sides and all three
angles are equal.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher. Now picture the bottom two points as two
fiery balls.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ok, I’ve got it.
EXPERIENCE: Now, Star Searcher, see flames where the three sides of the
triangle should be.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ok, I’ve got that too.
EXPERIENCE: Now, Star Searcher, see a smaller ball at the top of the triangle.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ok, I’ve got that too!
EXPERIENCE: Good, Star Searcher, now you know the image of the original and
real symbol of balance.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ya, but … .
EXPERIENCE: I heard that “Ya, but”, what is it now Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what does it mean?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: How did I know you were going to ask me that. Well, the
bottom two points of the triangle seem like polarities of some kind. But …
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, they can’t be like opposite poles of a real magnet and
still have a third pole.
EXPERIENCE: Third pole, Star Searcher?

STAR-SEARCHER: You know, the point at the top of the triangle.
EXPERIENCE: Yes, you are correct, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, I’ve got to tell ya that I’, not super happy about being
correct.
EXPERIENCE: Why is that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Because I haven’t the foggiest idea what is going on with this
fiery triangle.
EXPERIENCE: Well, Star searcher, the two fiery balls of the original symbol of

balance evolved in man’s mind to the present day cups of the scale.STAR-
SEARCHER: Wait! Don’t tell me! The triangle must have evolved into the Libra

balance scale, right?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher, precisely.
STAR-SEARCHER: But what does it represent?
EXPERIENCE: On the first level of understanding, Star Searcher, the three points
of the triangle represent spirit, quality, and form.STAR-SEARCHER: The
first level. you mean the symbol has multiple meanings?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: But … .
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, what is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, what is the purpose of overlaying many levels of
meaning on the same symbol?
EXPERIENCE: Stepping stones, Star Searcher, Stepping stones.
STAR-SEARCHER: Stepping stones to what?
EXPERIENCE: Stepping stones to higher levels of consciousness, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh, I see. You mean the student attunes with the Mother of
Agni Yoga and asks for guidance on the first level of symbolism of balance, which
is spirit, quality and form.
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Then, because of the insight from attunement, the student
increases his level of vibrations. Right?
EXPERIENCE: Level of vibrations, Star Searcher?

STAR-SEARCHER: You know, the aura gets more powerful and bright due to the
accurate increase in understanding of the symbol.EXPERIENCE: You really are
catching on, Star Searcher. Soon you will be ready for initiation by the Master.
Meanwhile, you probably would settle for the second level of the symbol’s
meaning. Right?
STAR-SEARCHER: You got that right. Ah …. I mean yes I would.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the second level of meaning is spark, soul, and
personality.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you. You know, this second level makes sense to me
in a cause and effect way.
EXPERIENCE: How’s that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, since we are all sparks of God, we cloak ourselves in
the vibrations we call soul, and then through the experience of reincarnations we
create our personality.
EXPERIENCE: Very good Star Searcher. Now do you have any idea what the
third level of meaning is?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, ah, let me think here. Ah, perhaps its something we
learn after our personality has evolved to the point of being a student on the Path
of Beauty.
EXPERIENCE: Nice thinking, Star Searcher. You are correct. The third level of
meaning of the symbol of balance is: The Law of Synthesis, The Law of Attraction,
and The Law of Economy.
STAR-SEARCHER: Oh I see, we advance to a very specific study of the Laws of
Nature. Is that it?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, that is correct.
STAR-SEARCHER: Ah … .
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher? What is it?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, ah, the thought flashed in my mind that somehow there
is more to this three level symbolism of the balance than meets the eye. Ya know
what I mean?
EXPERIENCE: Precisely, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: You do! That’s great! Well then, what is the hidden meaning
in our symbol of balance?
EXPERIENCE: Your best guess, Star Searcher.
STAR-SEARCHER: Now how did I know you were going to say that? Well, I see
three sets of triangles. They could be arranged in ascending order of vibration, or
maybe … .

EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it might sound silly, but I thought of a triangle of
triangles.
EXPERIENCE: Triangle of triangles, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, a triangle at each point of a triangle.
EXPERIENCE: You have a good imagination, Star Searcher, and perhaps in your
way you might be right on the trail of the hidden mystery.
STAR-SEARCHER: Hey! Wait a minute!
EXPERIENCE: What is it, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, if this is the symbol of balance that we are analyzing,
then perhaps the answer concerns how these three triangles help the person who
attunes with the Mother of Agni Yoga for their meaning.
EXPERIENCE: Can you expand that, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, perhaps instead of a road map it is a blue print.
EXPERIENCE: Blue print, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: You know, a blue print shows you how something is
constructed so that you can either build one yourself or troubleshoot with it. Either
way it gives you an understanding of how the item, or process, works.
EXPERIENCE: Very good, Star Searcher. When these three triangles are
balanced then a manifestation occurs.
STAR-SEARCHER: A manifestation?
EXPERIENCE: Yes, Star Searcher, the balance produces the perfect
manifestation of the Son of God.
STAR-SEARCHER: Well then, balance has to be the most worthwhile striving that
I can think of.
EXPERIENCE: Well said, Star Searcher, well said.
STAR-SEARCHER: Thank you, but I don’t feel that the whole story has been
heard yet.
EXPERIENCE: What do you mean, Star Searcher?
STAR-SEARCHER: Well, it tells us what must be attuned with in order to achieve
balance, but it doesn’t tell us what technically happens in order to create the
condition of balance in order to manifest that perfect Son of God.

EXPERIENCE: You mean, Star Searcher, what are the spiritual mechanics of
balance?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes, that’s it. That is where I feel the beauty of balance lies.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, I must now attune with the Mother of Agni Yoga for
the next thirty seconds to ask if your understanding, sincerity, and karma are at the
level where you may be given such knowledge. You would do well to join me now
in attuning with the Mother of Agni Yoga. [NOTE: Begin thirty second attunement
now. After thirty seconds are up remain seated and speak as follows]
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher, The
Master Morya, have assured me that you are ready for your initiation. I will be your
Initiator on the physical plane. Later, in your meditations and dreams your initiation
will continue on higher levels of self. Are you ready?
STAR-SEARCHER: Yes.
EXPERIENCE: Star Searcher, are you ready and willing to maximize your service
to The Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher, The Master Morya, The Hierarchy of
Light, The Great White Brotherhood, as well as the upliftment of Humanity?
STAR-SEARCHER: I am.
EXPERIENCE: This sword, Star Searcher, which I am positioning over your head,
as you are kneeling on both knees before me, is called the sword of discernment.
Not without discernment could you have progressed to this point on the Path of
Beauty, and not without discernment can you progress to greater levels of Beauty,
Joy, Love and striving. Now, Star Searcher, if you desire to proceed, mentally
command your heart, in perfect co-measurement and in harmony with the Cosmic
Magnet, to maximize your discernment on all levels of self under the guidance of
The Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher The Master Morya. [Pause for ten
seconds. After ten seconds speak as follows]. Arise and be seated Star Searcher.
Now Star Searcher, listen well to the beauty of the symbol of balance. There are
two centers in the head. They are the Ajna center and the Head Center. Each
represents one of the fiery balls of our symbol. They are higher levels of soul
consciousness. These two centers manifest in the physical as the Pineal gland
and the pituitary body. As we progress on the Path of Beauty, these centers
gradually become active. These are two points of the triangle. The third point is
the top of the spinal column. These centers emit vibrations, or electromagnetic
waves. These vibrations increase as our progress on the Path of Beauty
increases. These vibrations radiate out until they encompass all the points of the
triangle. This also affects the stored up energy in the spine and its five centers.
The energy and light become so powerful that the three centers, the three points
of the triangle, become linked. these centers are also called the three laya
centers. This completion of the symbol indicates that the subjective life of the
initiate now is in charge. The Law of Magnetic Impulse now rules, and the higher
and lower aspects of his nature are united. It is the moment of polar union. Now
Star Searcher for the next thirty seconds attune with the Mother of Agni Yoga for
greater understanding of and application of The Law of Magnetic Impulse. [pause
for 30 seconds, then speak as follows.] Star Searcher think carefully about what
you have heard here and strive on.This concludes your initiation and our
conversation for today. Strive-on!

PETAL #111
Question #604 from The

Never Ending Book of Questions on Brotherhood

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
BROTHERHOOD AND INVINCIBILITY?

My brothers and sisters, perhaps the earliest recollection of my accumulation of
the concept of brotherhood and invincibility was the motto of the famous French
Three Musketeers, which was “One for all, and all for one.”. Looking at it now, it
certainly seems like a formula for the maintenance of brotherhood. With this
recollection is the fact that the Three Musketeers were armed with swords and
daggers.
My next recollection of the concept of brotherhood and invincibility was in a
church meeting for youths. A story was being told about a man and his son who
were driving a horse and wagon along a country road. The man would hold the
reins in one hand and a bullwhip in the other. As they drove along, the man would
arrogantly rise up in the wagon, cock his arm, and then crack the whip on a flower
or some other small item along the way which stood still long enough to be the
target of his particular skill. This went on for quite a while. Then the man
glimpsed something emerging into his view in the branches of an approaching
tree. It was obscured by leaves and branches, but he could make it out to be
approximately one foot long and one half foot wide.
The man rose again and cocked his arm with the whip fully extended behind
him. He started his arm in motion. The boy waited to hear the crack of the whip[,
but there was no crack. The man stopped mid swing and held his motion in
check. He coiled his bullwhip and quietly sat down. He put the bull whip on the
seat next to him and held the reins with both hands, looking straight ahead .
After much silence, his son became intrigued about this curious change in
behavior and tried unsuccessfully to figure out why his father went from his usual
state of roaring arrogance to the meekness of a lamb, especially in so short a
time. Finally the boy got up enough courage to ask his father what happened.
Why did he stop the whip in mid swing?
The father was not quick to answer, but finally spoke. Son, he said, with a
pause, the flowers and branches are easy targets, and once you crack them they
fall to the ground and die. But that last thing I almost cracked with the whip was a
bee hive, and it doesn’t just fall down dead – – – son, those bees are organized.
My brothers and sisters, what is obviously unsaid in this story is that the
organized bees would fight back when attacked.
An organization is a pooling of physical, emotional, mental, psychic and spiritual
resources. It is a union of varying abilities in different aspects of life. These
abilities are quickly put to use to achieve the common goal of the group.
Depending on how prudently these resources are put together, as well as the
spiritual quality of the common goal, the group will, to a degree, succeed or fail.
A purely negative group such as the hierarchy of darkness is discerned, from a
purely positive group such as our Hierarchy of Light, by the difference in the
quality of its goal. The negative group group’s goal is to rein supreme in total
unrestrained self servingness. Naturally this negative group would strike out at

anything which it thought would threaten the achievement of its goal – – – thus the
unceasing attacks on the positive group, whose common goal is the evolution of
humanity and not its enslavement. The negative group knows that it has a
minimum of power compared to the positive group. Yet it is so attached to its
common goal of unrestraint that it keeps on attacking in the hopes of preserving
its lawlessness. In this respect the man with the bullwhip demonstrated a much
higher degree of discernment and prudence than does the hierarchy of darkness.
Our Hierarchy of Light, like the bee hive, is Cosmically allowed to act in self
defense, for self defense is legal in the universe on all levels.
It is true that birds of a feather flock together. The hierarchy of darkness, or the
Jinns,(as Master Morya refers to them in his Agni Yoga teachings), rule by fear,

whereas our Hierarchy of Light encourages and teaches with a compassionate co-
measurement that includes the non-violation of free will and /or Karma.

Some may say that our Hierarchy of Light violates free will when they
counterattack the hierarchy of darkness and thus neutralize their efforts to hold
back the evolution of Humanity. But these persons do not understand that self
defense is entirely legal in the Universe. Let no one think that an attack must
always draw blood, for many good intentions have been subtly de-railed by the
Jinns, only to be redirected into a better possibility by our own Hierarchy of Light
for the evolution of Humanity.
In the higher worlds a lie is considered more grievous than murder. Murders
done in an unpremeditated way are a crime of passion. When this passion is over
the person is back to normal, but in the meantime has terminated someone’s
physical existence. This affects the victims’ loved ones as well as those who know
the murderer.
A lie has much more serious ramifications. It causes confusion and creates
doubt. Doubt is a destroyer of the doubter’s psychic energy. Thus a lie potentially
can derail a whole group or nation, or group of nations from psychic health, for
psychic energy is needed for health.
A lie may find its way into World Culture and thus create doubt in countless
future generations. Thus weakening the psychic energy of those undiscerning
ones who will return in our future.
So we see that the battle is waged on many various and subtle battlefields, not
only physical, but mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual. Thus we are reminded
of the way of our Circle Of Inner Beauty by our chair of sacrifice, as ever striving to
maximize sincerity in our lives. Only the insincere will intentionally spread lies.
When they spread intentional lies, they are in the pay of the negative forces,
whether they are aware of it or not.

This self defense, along with everything our Hierarchy of Light does is co-
measured. Thus our Hierarchy of Light uses the attacks of the hierarchy of

darkness as a possibility to be transmuted into something that is for the maximum
benefit of the evolution of Humanity, as well as for our Hierarchy of Light.
Thus we see that our Hierarchy of Light does not need to stay up nights creating
the tension of elaborate tests of experience by which its members may strive to
increase their light. The ignorant, unceasing attacks by the Hierarchy of Light, in
its compassionate co-measurement, re directs that tension into the best
possibilities for virtuous growth of character. This is all done in joyful labor. It is
alchemy on a grand scale, where the baser character traits through the fire of
tension, are transmuted into finer character traits.
So we see why our Hierarchy of Light intentionally never totally destroys the
hierarchy of darkness but spares some of it to provide future tensions in which the
co-measured counterattacks by our Hierarchy of Light will include the best
possibilities for the evolution of Humanity as well as for the members of our
Hierarchy of Light. Nothing succeeds like our Hierarchy of Light.

My brothers and sisters, the root of invincibility lies in the goal of the
organization. The goal, if it is negative, will block that organization from the true
Source of power, which our Circle of Inner Beauty refers to as The Source of all
Beauty and all Life.
Our Hierarchy of Light is connected directly to the Source of all Beauty and all
Life. Each member of the Hierarchy of Light is connected by the silver thread in a
series of student-teacher relationships. This silver thread voluntarily connects the
heart of the student with the heart of the teacher. This is not, I repeat, not to be
confused with the silver cord. The silver thread connection from heart to heart is
vital, for no ascent is possible without it.
No student or teacher of the hierarchy of darkness will ever truly embrace
beauty. Thus they are automatically excluded from the power of the heart.
Therefore, the hierarchy of darkness has very limited power compared to our
Hierarchy of Light.
Through our student-teacher relationship in our Hierarchy of Light, we have an
ever-present possibility of instantaneous communication with our Teacher of

Beauty, which ,in turn, has instantaneous communications with his Teacher ad-
infinitum right up to the Highest Hierarchic Principle.

This wonderful communication contains within it the instantaneous possibility of
guidance, knowledge, power, love, and any of the limitless benefits of such
communion with the most powerful force in the universe – – – The Highest of
Hearts.
Thus the student of the positive side has immediate access to invincibility. Of
course, we understand that the co-measurement of the teacher may, in order not
to interfere with free-will or Karma, be applied in a manner totally unexpected by
the student, but nonetheless effective and in perfect co-measurement.
Let this serve as a subtle reminder to all of us why our Chair of Sincerity was
selected to light our Well Of Striving. The degree to which we practice the spiritual
art of no deception is the degree to which we are allowed to communicate with our
Hierarchy of Light.
Our Chair of Love warns each of us about betrayal. This is for many reasons,
for not by deception do we pass through the gate of true brotherhood. Only
through the sacrifice of our self serving ways will we be allowed greater
attunement and thus experience the happiness of a co-worker in our Hierarchy of
Light.
Knowledge of invincibility through the brotherhood of our Hierarchy of Light leads
to confidence in the application of Light for the greater good. This concept
contains Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. It contains the fire of Love. Thinking
about the process of invincibility can bring the illumination of joy, which is, ” a
special wisdom”.
My brothers and sisters, invincibility is contained in any brotherhood which has
its roots in our Hierarchy of Light. An Initiate gradually increases his or her
awareness of invincibility as the Initiate’s realization of our Hierarchy of Light
gradually increases to a maximum. Somewhere along that line of increasing
awareness of the invincibility of Our Hierarchy of Light, the Initiate begins to apply
this invincibility in his daily duties. It is then that a confidence, accompanied by
the warmest gratitude for true brotherhood, is born within the Initiate. There is
nothing like experience to demonstrate to the Initiate that, “Nothing succeeds like
our Hierarchy of Light”.
It is as if the clouds on the Initiate’s mental and emotional landscape parted and
revealed the most magnificent mountains with their pure white peaks against the
pastel colors of dawn. The cloud no longer obscures the mountain.
It is then that the Initiate knows beyond a doubt that there in those beautiful
mountains lies hidden the stronghold of the brotherhood of our Hierarchy of Light.

It is then that the Initiate’s heart discerns the faint spiritual echo of the rhythm of
their joyful labor. Strive-on,strive-on it whispers. Strive-on.
My brothers and sisters, this concludes this discourse on the relationship
between brotherhood and invincibility. Thank you for your loving attention. Thank
you for being my brothers and sisters on the Path of Beauty.

PETAL #112

T h u r s d a y E v e n i n g , 2 1 A u g u s t 1 9 7 5 (Poem)
At meditation, the tare is yet among the wheat.
The thought is ever leading the deed,
like a poem that takes you where it will.
All that was never said rings in my ears.
The memories call themselves to images,
hot as blood beating ancient drums
of sense pleasure. Man, a response,
his environment fierce as sharks,
cold as Labrador —
man, the star fisher, seining the universe for clues.
Quiet now, reflective, like a man reborn,
determined, like Ahab chasing the whale
inside himself,
confident, like The Wellfleet Oysterman
telling the weather
by the sounds off the Cape,
teaching the Harvard grad.
the names of the seven ponds,
that, when high water, were one.

PETAL #113
H e a r t A c c e s s

My brothers and sisters, this morning it is my privilege to present a discourse on
the heart. The material presented here is the result of intellectual research as it
has been reflected in the mirror of daily experience.
The heart is a psychic center. The key to the psychic center of the heart is
beauty. When our minds focus on beauty, our hearts respond with joy. Our joy is a
shield which protects us from the vibrations of low intent. The psychic center of the
heart is very powerful. With elevated thoughts of beauty and its resultant feeling of
joy, we will make use of the power of the heart in the most benevolent manner. In
other words, brothers and sisters, as long as we have raised our vibratory rate
with beauty and joy, we have access to the good use of the most powerful tool
available to the Initiate of The Path Of Beauty — The psychic center of the heart.
So what is the problem then? Why is not every person in the world benevolently
using their hearts to improve the quality of life? To answer this question we must
ask ourselves first of all: How many people keep beauty in their lives to such an
extent that they can dwell in those heightened vibrations of joy and thereby have
access to their hearts on a higher level of life? Out of all of these people, how
many can maintain their concentration on beauty and thus maintain their access to
their most powerful hearts? The answer, brothers and sisters, is not many. Those
of us who have been initiated onto the path of the heart understand how to have
heart access, at will, through the Law of Beauty, yet it is rare indeed to find an
initiate maintaining heart access through an active participation in the law of
beauty. In other words, most of us cannot stay in connection with our hearts on a
higher level for very long. Why?

No Shortage Of Excuses

Surely, if we asked ten thousand Initiates on The Path of The Heart, we
would get ten thousand different answers on why it is, “just too difficult to maintain
Heart access”. Yet, out of these ten thousand Initiates, not all remain in heart
access for the same length of time. What does this mean? One Initiate may
activate and actually remain in heart access for three minutes, and then tell us
that, “It is just too difficult to maintain heart access for longer than three minutes”.
He might even add that it is dangerous to maintain heart access for longer than
three minutes, thereby using fear to buttress his argument.
Another Initiate may be able to maintain heart access for seven minutes at a time,
and then state that, “It is just to difficult too maintain heart longer than seven
minutes at a time”. He might even add that there is no real benefit to maintaining

heart access for longer than seven minutes, thereby adding the element of no-
incentive to buttress his argument. Yet another Initiate on the Path of the Heart

may be able to maintain heart access for twelve minutes and then state that, “It is
just too difficult to maintain heart access for longer than twelve minutes”. She
might even go so far as to add that, It would weaken the mind to maintain heart
access for over twelve minutes”.

Yes, brothers and sisters, the story could go on and on, because each Initiate
exists on a slightly different level of consciousness with its respective abilities.
Before we ask the question, “Why can one Initiate maintain heart access longer
than another?”, let us notice here that not one of the Initiates described here
indicated the loss of potential service to The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity, and
World Culture during the time spent when not in heart access. Now, why can one
Initiate maintain heart access longer than another Initiate? It may be just as
accurate to ask, “Why can one Initiate maintain concentration, on one point longer
than another?

Weak Concentration Is Due To Weak

discernment.

One fundamental characteristic of the human being is that of attachment to sense
objects. So, if we are attempting to activate and maintain heart access in order to
fill the universe with joy, this process can be immediately stopped by the delightful
aroma of our neighbor’s coking, thus bringing thoughts and images to fill our mind
to set our mouths to watering and to activate our desire for something to eat at our
favorite restaurant. We may then start mentally planning how to achieve our desire
as soon as possible. But wait! Didn’t we just start out to activate heart access so
that we could fill the universe with joy and thus be of service to The Hierarchy of
Light, Humanity and World Culture? Yes, we did. Did we accomplish our
objective? No, we did not. How did we go from such a high intent as spiritual
service though heart access to that of such a common place thought of eating
lunch? Some of have heard the phrase from the Bhagavad Gita: that, “If we think
about sense objects, then we grow attached to sense objects.”. My brothers and
sisters, spaghetti and meatballs is a sense object. We visually see the spaghetti
and meatballs, therefore it is an object of the sense of sight. We can delight in the
aroma of spaghetti and meatballs, therefore it is an object of the sense of smell.
We can relish the taste of spaghetti and meatballs, therefore it is an object of the
sense of taste. We can also, although it is considered impolite to eat with our
fingers, feel the spaghetti and meatballs, therefore it is an object of the sense of
touch.
For the record, a sense object is anything which we can detect with any one or
more of our five senses. It can also be a viable memory of what our senses
detected in the past. Thus the aroma of spaghetti and meatballs will bring a
picture of spaghetti and meatballs which we have perceived in the past. It may
also activate our taste buds to the point where the memory of the taste may seem
quite real. How do we get attached too sense objects? By thinking about sense
objects we get attached to sense objects. In other words, when we let our minds
dwell or concentrate on the sense object we get attached to that sense object.
Does this mean that attachments are bad? No, it does not. Does this mean that
attachments have a potential to be beneficial or non-beneficial? Yes it does. How?
Someone will say, “What is wrong with eating lunch?”, and they will, of course,
have missed the whole point. The eating of lunch is not the subject matter here,
the thoughts of eating lunch is the subject matter here. “Well”, one will say, “What
is wrong with thoughts of eating lunch?” This depends on when the thoughts
occur. For instance, if it is approaching lunch time and you are close to a stopping
point in your present activity, then it may be quite natural to admit and dwell on
thoughts of lunch.
However, if you are a bomb squad technician for the Los Angeles Police
Department, who is precisely involved with the crucial stage of disarming a bomb,
(a point at which maximum concentration is seriously required), then, yes,
thoughts of spaghetti and meatballs, along with the pictures, aromas, and tastes

which they evoke, may be considered not only non-beneficial, but at this time —
life threatening. (My brothers and sisters, I do believe that this is the only time in
my life that I ever dared to share with a group that thoughts of spaghetti and
meatballs could be life threatening.) We all have the capacity to understand the
symbology here. Our service through heart access is serious service. Our mental
command to our hearts to fill the whole universe with joy, (under the guidance of,
and if it pleases, The Teacher of Beauty in our Hierarchy of Light), may just be or
contribute to the diffusing vibrations which are needed to help Humanity on this or
other levels of self. How will it help? Will it aid and comfort earthquake victims?
Will it assist the widows and orphans? Will it shelter the homeless? Will it feed the
hungry? Will it assist people in their decisions and thus create prosperity instead
of poverty — peace instead of war?

Going Within

How will heart access help? That is the question. Each must go within for the
answer. The ones which cannot find a reasonable answer will rarely, if ever,
practice heart access. But those of us, who, to a high degree, comprehend and
appreciate the value of heart access as our part in the evolution of Humanity will
not only continue to apply heart access as the privilege of an Initiate on the Path
of Beauty, but will make every effort to maximize the quality of our heart access
time. Thus a full commitment to the maximization of our discernment.
Yes, the aroma of spaghetti and meatballs reaches each one of us. Some will
mistakenly identify with the thoughts which that aroma conjures up in our minds
and thereby abruptly stop the process of heart access. Others will recognize the
aroma of spaghetti and meatballs and the pictures, aromas, tastes may arouse us,
but they will remember that they have free will and thus choose to put aside those
thoughts, pictures, aromas and tastes and continue heart access. This is the
choice of the Initiate. Will we concentrate at the appropriate times on heart access
or will we allow ourselves to be distracted and thus pass up the opportunity to be
of service at that time? Our discernment will dictate our choice.
Can we increase the quality of our discernment? Yes, we can. How can we
increase the quality of our discernment? By contacting the Teacher of Beauty and
making our desire to maximize our discernment known. The Teacher will probably
already know, but make the contact anyway, it can’t hurt, (and it may possibly
reveal the cause and effect relationship between observation and discernment).
Now my brothers and sisters, let us raise the question, “What will happen when
we maximize our discernment?” A perfected discernment will put you in the
position to manifest mastership. We manifest mastership when we put our
discernment to a wise application for the maximum benefit of The Hierarchy of
Light, Humanity, and World Culture. Let us ever remember that discernment is
based on accurate observations. Thus discernment is the foundation of
knowledge. Accurate knowledge, when accurately applied for the benefit of
Humanity, (under the guidance of The Teacher of Beauty), is wisdom. Brothers
and sisters, heart access is the Initiate’s tool to aid the evolution of Humanity.
Heart access is a privilege of the Initiate on the Path of Beauty which is the Path
of the Heart. Heart access is the way of the wise. Life is the discernment game.
Whether we are discerning obvious signs of danger, areas of need, or the subtle
degrees of vanity, we are always discerning. The accuracy of our discernment is
another thing. The less accurate our discernment is, the more pain we invite into
our lives. (Remember the bomb technician thinking about spaghetti and
meatballs?). The more accurate our discernment is the more the Hierarchy of
Light can rely upon us to be a co-worker in the upliftment of Humanity. Without
discernment, purposeful heart access is impossible. With accurate discernment,

heart access becomes a stepping stone to The Source of All Beauty and of All
Life.
Thank you brothers and sisters for your loving attention. Thank you for being my
brothers and sisters on The Path of Beauty. Strive – on!

PETAL #114

T h e Tu r n i n g O f T h e W h e e l (Poem)

Delicate mudras
animate the final hardness.
In long rows they sit,
headless,
from souvenir hunters.
The wild grass and bushes
attend them.
An internal mantra pulses
mad,
stone mad,
through deepest meditation
it shouts like elephants
into the stillness.
WHERE DOES IT END
this battlefield of the minds?

PETAL #115
B e g i n I n D e l i g h t

The password to poetry is delight. For most of us the problem of beginning a
poem is like slaying a dragon that blocks the threshold to the Kingdom of Poetry.
The password transmutes the dragon into a welcome mat and a warm greeting
from the inner guardian. How do we begin a poem?
Start with the place that delights you. Is it the ocean, woods, or a mountain lake?
Whatever place is the most delightful to you will be the stage for your poem.
Concentrate on your poem-stage; go there personally or in your memory. Observe
the actions occurring there. What action attracts you the most? Is it that gull
gliding and skimming the water so gracefully, or is it that little boy delighted with
the clams he commands with each footstep on the wet sand at low tide? That
action which intrigues you the most, or which you best remember, is the vehicle in
which your poem-idea will ride while journeying through the beginning, middle,
and end of your poem.
A vehicle to carry your idea — what does this mean? This is a poem-vehicle, the
action you selected from your poem-stage, will now become something with which
you will compare your idea. Robert Frost has provided us with an excellent
example. In his essay on poetry, he discusses his idea that a poem should flow
smoothly — likening it to the action of an ice cube on a hot stove. The ice cube
rides on its own melting. Frost found an action in life that is delightful to the child in
all of us, and one that most people are either familiar with or can easily imagine.
When Robert Frost compares his poem-idea with his poem-vehicle, he often
says that the two should be alike. In other words, the poem should flow like an ice
cube on a hot stove. He communicates his poem-idea to the reader in two ways;
first, with words — the poem should flow, and secondly, with the image — the ice
cube riding on its own melting.
Sometimes our poem-vehicle can be both delightful from one point of view and
serious from another point of view. This is the case with the image of the ice cube
riding on its own melting. We see that Robert Frost takes the two opposite poles of
hot and cold and makes them meet on the surface of a stove. A smooth action
occurs. This concept in itself is enough for hours of contemplation and meditation
by anyone who strives to balance the oppositions in life.
We are now going to take a guided tour through this process as we create a
poem. We begin with a poem-stage. Perhaps in our search for a poem-stage, the
place which delights us the most is New England in the wintertime.
Now we need a poem-vehicle. Visiting our poem-stage, we jot down in our
poetry notebook those actions which attract us. From these notes we will select
the most delightful, yet common, action. Perhaps the action having this quality
most fully, enjoyed by both adults and children in snow country, is the making of a
snowman and watching what happens to the snowman after it is made.
Often cold weather will linger and the snowman will stand for weeks in the front
yard greeting people passing by. Then one day the mercury rises and the
snowman slowly melts, presenting many humorous positions before its transition
into a puddle. The life of a snowman will serve nicely as our poem-vehicle.

Every good poem has a poem-idea which is carried in a poem-vehicle as it rides
around upon the poem-stage. The difficulties that Robert Frost encountered in
having his poems published will serve as our poem-idea. These difficulties
occurred in spite of the fact that Frost new the characteristics of New England and
New Englanders, and nobly captured those characteristics in his poems. It is
interesting to note that Robert Frost’s first two books of poetry, A Boy’s Will (1913)
and North of Boston (1914), were published in London, England during his stay
there. We can now let our snowman represent the cool attitudes of those editors
and others who did not at first recognize Frost’s great talent.
From experience with this process it is interesting to note that the poem-idea
does not always make itself known to the consciousness of the writer before the
writer finds his poem-stage and poem-vehicle. This is why we began with the
poem-stage, followed it with the poem-vehicle, and introduced the poem-idea last.
Many writers find that the poem-idea magically manifests itself after they become
intimately familiar with their poem-stage and poem-vehicle.
Beginning the poem with our poem-stage, winter in New England, we introduce
winter first. This gives the reader something to focus on and also something with
which he is familiar.
It is important to remember always to be as helpful as possible to our reader.
After all, it is with the reader that we wish to share our poem-idea. Therefore,
every time we take a step in our poem we should ask ourselves: “Is this
arrangement of words and images the best arrangement to convey our poem-idea
to our reader?
Next we drive our poem-vehicle, (the snowman), which carries our poem-idea,
(the poet’s difficulties), onto our poem-stage, which is wintry New England. We
introduce a man making a snowman. Remember that our poem-vehicle deals with
the life of a snowman from its making to its melting.
The man making the snowman is Robert Frost, and the snowman characterizes
the coldness supposedly typical of New Englanders. (Being a New Englander
myself, I have to interject here that this well known stereotype of New Englanders
is unfair to the many warm people there. However, this stereotype did exist.)
This indicates that Robert Frost had the ability to capture the characteristics of
that part of the country and its people into a form — a snowman. Robert Frost was
a master of form. He took much delight in putting his subtle ideas of homespun
philosophy into the rhythm of New England imagery. Let us now use this idea. So
far, we have the beginning of our poem entitled:
The Poetry Of Robert Frost
In winter,
a playful man, who knew the woods
rolled New England into a
snowman!
Robert Frost’s poems did not get published until many years after he began
writing. He had to wait for the most auspicious time. Since our poem-stage is
winter in New England, the most auspicious time might be indicated as a warmer
season. We will use summer. Being familiar with Robert Frost’s image of the ice
cube on a hot stove, we will now play with that image. In our imagination we will
expand the hot stove image to the hot streets of New York City — the location of
many publishing houses that Robert Frost may have dealt with after returning from
England. With the hot stove resembling hot streets, how about the rest of the
image — the ice cube riding on its own melting? Yes, our snowman can serve us

well here. We will place him on the hot streets of New York City just as Robert
Frost put an ice cube on the hot stove. We now have the middle of our poem:
At the right season, he set it
riding on the hot streets of New York.
Why not let the poem tell us what to do next? Certainly most people would
expect the snowman to melt on those hot streets of New York. Well, that is a part
of our poem-vehicle — the life of the snowman ends in a puddle. But wait, the

snowman being our poem vehicle, we must therefore make sure that the poem-
vehicle has carried our poem-idea to its proper conclusion before we let our

snowman melt completely. A snowman, with its triune form, has a face, arms, and
usually a hat, pipe, scarf, and broom. But no one would expect a snowman to
have a heart! Yet our poem-vehicle does represent attitudes of people; therefore
our snowman must have a heart. Besides, it will be a pleasant surprise in the
poem. We know that the people of New England finally joined the editors and the
rest of the world in accepting Robert Frost as a great poet. (Poet Laureate of The
United States Of America during the Kennedy Administration). This is one of the
victories of the poet — acceptance. Robert Frost won this acceptance. Now our
snowman must surrender — giving us an ending. We will melt the cool attitudes
represented by the snow leaving just the heart of the New England people — the
essence of New England. This is poetic alchemy, giving us our poem:
The Poetry Of Robert Frost
In winter,
a playful man, who knew the woods,
rolled New England into a
snowman.
At the right season, he set it
riding on the hot streets of New York.
Soon, a melting hand reached inside
and gave its heart to the poet.
In the same essay where Robert Frost introduced the image of the ice cube on a
hot stove, he challenged all poets, past, present, and future in his own playful way.
He announced that a poem should begin in delight and end in wisdom. We have
learned that beginning in delight is easy and fun. But ending a poem with wisdom
is a deeply satisfying achievement for any writer.

The process of creating that wisdom comes from the same place that our poem-
stage and poem vehicle came from. We search through a knowledge based on

experience — our own or others. Here, instead of reaching into our memory for the
delightful experience, we contact that part of our storehouse of memory holding
the lessons we have learned in life. This is where the poem-idea comes from. This
is poetry by attunement. Great poems are made by the perfect matching of the
poem-idea to the poem-vehicle and poem stage. Many times that perfect match is

a play of opposites as Robert Frost has hinted at when he wrote about the happy-
sad blend of the drinking song. We superimpose a human problem onto a

delightful image usually taken from nature. For instance, the human feeling of
“separateness” and its companion “searching for the right path to travel in life”
may be compared to the action of a lost ant, inspecting every frantic inch of the
wrong way home. Wisdom is deeply involved in experience — even borrowed
experience as in the poem we have just constructed using the experience of a
poet in the process of getting his poems published. So we see that ending in

wisdom can be as easy and as mush fun as beginning in delight. When we reach
inside during the melting away of all that is not wisdom we are left with the heart,
the essence of life. Ending the poem is the easiest part of all. When the ice cube
is melted stop the poem. Do not try to melt imaginary ice cubes — the flow of the
poem will suffer. The poem is smooth as long as it is riding on its own melting.
An excellent example of how the process of poem-stage, poem-vehicle, and
poem-idea are used is in Robert Frost’s poem Birches. His poem-vehicle is a boy
who is a swinger of birches. If you are unfamiliar with this poem, please find it and
read it over a few times. Notice how he drives his poem vehicle out onto his poem
stage. See how he begins in delight and ends in wisdom.

PETAL #116
There Is Misunderstanding

1. There is misunderstanding.
2. This misunderstanding is extant on earth.
3. Misunderstanding is the son of ignorance.
4. Ignorance is lack of knowledge.
5. There are three types of knowledge:
   a. Intellectual knowledge
   b. Experiential knowledge
   c. Intuitive knowledge
6. Intellectual knowledge is born of the intellect and is therefore devoid of
   experience. It produces knowledge that could be unreliable such as: “The world is
   flat.”; “The blood does not circulate in the body.”; and “There is no continuity of
   consciousness.”. Each of these has been the source of much misunderstanding in
   the world. Misunderstanding leads to pain, (physical, emotional, mental, psychic,
   and spiritual).
7. Experiential knowledge introduces us to our teacher, (pain). It teaches through
   the Law of Karma, or in other words The Law of Compensation, which guarantees
   a reaping of what we sow, no matter if it is positive or negative. This learning
   through pleasure and pain is entirely effective in the long run of incarnations.

PETAL #117

T h e S a n t a C r u z F r e e S h o w

A biplane
flies
the high tide line.
Red and white stripes
barrel roll,
loop,
fly straight up,
then calmly right turn
into a power dive.
Candy cane colors
command our emotions
in unison.
Upside down it flies,
playing bright
in the afternoon sun.
Hundreds stand in salute,
hands cupped around eyes,
watching
the unexpected.
Slowly,
like a mood,
it leaves —
south
over Monterey Bay.
The beach is still,
only the gulls continue.
I too
have flown
in crowded places,
and it was for me
not them
I flew.
All fight for that stage,
and all know the pain
of being out-flown.
Man finds it hard to throttle self-love.
He longs to fly a different traffic pattern.
He’s proud to out-fly every stunt-pilot

that ever power-dived into his heart.
But I am tired of stunting now,
tired of loops and stalls,
and candy-cane attention
from a full beach.
I want to spin a cocoon
and come out a glider,
the color of sky,
without bright stripes —
to pass unheard,
unseen,
unknown.
In my sleep
an old pilot stands watch.
I know him by his silence;
the silence of deep canyons
he once flew in;
the silence of a hawk
over a wide grassy field.
I sense him there.
He waits for me
to wake.

PETAL #118
W a r r i o r s O f L o v e

Sir Francis Bacon, in his New Organon, reminded us that, “In order to command
nature, you must obey her.”. This simply means that we must obey the laws of
nature if we wish to live well. We cannot cross rabbits and apple trees and expect
to get eagles. This is one type of obedience.
Another type is the blind obedience, which is the military obedience, where a
person is obliged to obey an order regardless of any confidence, (or lack of it), that
the person may have in the one giving the order. We also find other types of
obedience such as an obedience out of love for the one issuing the request, (or
command). There is also a work obedience based upon an agreed upon contract,
where a person obeys a supervisor because it is in the best financial interest to do
so. In schools it is generally believed that children must obey their teacher or
suffer the consequences. The degree and type of punishment systems vary
throughout the decades. We are expected also to obey the laws of our country.
We obey traffic laws, (some of us more than others), and recognize their
necessity. Other laws are passed which we are expected to obey such as pollution
control laws. Some laws may vary from decade to decade such as the regulation
of alcoholic beverages.
In ancient Greece, Plato, student of Socrates, wrote about laws in society. He
wrote that in the ideal Republic there are no laws, because good people do not
need laws. Laws are made because some people in society do not behave up to
the standard of the majority, (or the Potentate’s) concept of how people should
behave. Such a concept would include the views on terminating the physical
existence of another person — murder. Such views vary from society to society.
The old Apache, with its raiding parties, as well as the Vikings and other
aggressive societies, certainly condoned the taking of another person’s life. Yet
some societies have laws against this very thing. It may have been that a peaceful
person in an aggressive society may have been punished, (directly or indirectly),
for his or her own peacefulness. The laws are made so that the guardians of that
particular society can isolate those who do not conform to the standard of
behavior of that society.
Now, what does all this have to do with the idea of warriors of love? People can
fall out of love just as fast, (or faster), than they can fall in love. For example, in
San Jose, California it was recently announced over a radio station that the
divorce rate in the Santa Clara Valley was one hundred percent. The announcer
went on to explain that for every person who got married there was one person
who got divorced. Can we really vow to love some one until death do us part? Can
we really vow to honor some one until death do us part? Can we really vow to
obey some one until death do us part? While we are in a state of being called “in
love”, we have a tendency, because of the nature of love, to think positive about
the one we love. This theoretically can last until death do us part, but more than
likely, this will not be the case. Is it a realistic approach to understand the nature of
love with respect to our own personality? Can an individual maintain a certain

emotion over a long period of time? Before you answer this intriguing question, for
the next few minutes try to radiate, (think and feel) only love. The average honest
person, if they are watching themselves carefully, will note that many different
thoughts and feelings will go through them during this two minute experiment. This
being the true result, we can imagine how it will be for twenty, thirty, or forty years.
In short, saying I love you and radiating love mentally and emotionally are two
different undertakings. Can a person be angry at their mate for hours at a time yet
still make the claim that even though they were angry that they still loved their
mate? Yes, this is common, however, the anger and love do not occur at the same
time. The love must stop for the anger to begin. When the person is seething with
anger, we do not hear him, or her, tenderly expressing how much that person
loves the one which he or she is angry at. And later, when the anger stops, and
the person is radiating love again, we do not hear expressions of anger. When the
person is back in a loving mood they may really mean that they have always loved
their mate; however, they are now in a different state of being than when angry.
When the person was angry they really meant that they were angry. In other
words, we are either radiating love or we are not radiating love.
Can a person learn to increase their capacity to radiate love both mentally and
emotionally? The answer is most emphatically yes. If he, or she, chooses to. After
a person decides that they are going to become a more loving person, experience
will soon teach them that to love is to battle. What does this mean? Battle with
whom? The person who steps onto the road of love will find himself, or herself,
battling those traits which are non-loving in the individual personality. At first this
might seem overwhelming and, it is true, most people give up when they find out
that it takes an effort to ever increase their capacity to love. However, many do not
give up after their first confrontation with the non-loving aspects of their own
personalities. They persevere. They divide and conquer by taking one aspect at a
time, (easy ones first). Each victory makes them stronger in their fight for love. In
time they become alert to non-loving thoughts and feelings, (both in themselves
and others), to a higher degree than when they started.
These love warriors learn how not to condemn themselves or others, but to deal
with their non-lovingness and choose to operate more so on their loving traits to
an ever increasing degree in their lives. Now what happens with respect to
obedience, in the life of our seasoned warrior of love? Will he or she be more
obedient due to this ever-increasing capacity to love? The answer is both yes and
no. Why? Because to become a veteran of radiating love a person increases their
ability to see and understand what leads to love and what does not lead to love. In
other words, their faculty of discernment is being developed to a higher degree.
This faculty of discernment is not restricted to love. It is a universal tool.
Therefore, the warrior of love becomes more alert. Being more alert, he or she
knows not only who to obey, but also when, for sometimes people are right on and
sometimes they are not. An ever increasing discernment will fortify us with the
most beneficial understanding of obedience which will take on a new meaning. It
will be the common sense thing to do, for harmony is the seed bed for the garden
of love.
So we see that obedience in the everyday meaning is understood to be a blind
obedience, something like a slave, but when people are veterans of love, the
meaning of obedience melts into a demonstrated trustworthiness that they can, to
a high degree, be consistent in harmonious thoughts and feelings which produce
love — both personally and for the environment and all who gravitate to that
environment. Therefore, for the true warrior of love, there are no decisions which
have to be enforced, because all will recognize the value of love and gear their
thinking and feeling and action toward that end. This, of course, is rare. There may
be only a handful of true warriors of love in the physical on this planet. The picture

is more like a series of heightened plateaus. Each plateau will be a haven for
warriors of love according to their degree of discernment. From lowest to highest
plateau, birds of a feather will flock together. This Cosmic series of plateaus
begins with the kindergarten of discernment and ever increases to the highest
level of discernment. As we gain in the experience of increasing our capacity to
love, we graduate to higher and higher plateaus.
On each plateau obedience will not be a forced situation, because the
individuals will have a similar degree of discernment. Therefore, obedience will be
equivalent to action based on common sense — the common sense of that group
on the same plateau of discernment. “But”, you say, “these plateaus do not exist in
the physical like cities or towns on earth which we can go to and stay to be birds
of a feather.”. This is true, to a high degree, although we do have fraternal groups,
hobby groups, poetry societies, professional societies, etc. The warrior of love
rejoices when he, or she, finds a fellow warrior of love, especially if they share a
similar degree of discernment — the same plateau. If these two veterans of love
are of the opposite sex, they may decide to marry. Under these conditions they
could, without any mental reservation what so ever, vow to love, honor and obey.
“But”, you say, “what happens if, in this ideal marriage, one partner progresses in
their discernment faster than the other to the point where they are almost a
plateau apart?” This will, due to their experience in discernment, be recognized
and they will be more able to make an adjustment to a loving relationship which
may also become a student teacher relationship. Obedience now will not be a
common sense action, but will depend upon whether or not a trust on the part of
the student, (male or female), has been established with respect to their partner’s
higher discernment. For example, it would be like a sophomore and junior in the
high school of discernment If his trust has been established the common sense
thoughts, feelings and actions will become an act of faith on the student’s part that
their partner, (male or female), is discerning on a higher level the most
harmonious decisions which will lead to the greatest degree of love which they are
capable of manufacturing.

PETAL #119
H i g h Ta l k (Poem)

The true sun rests
on the highest peaks
of an earth full
of personal mountains.
Can the snow be more silent,
more pure?
The joy
of an inner dawn
rises like incense
from rectified hearts,
passing tears of beauty.
O Lovely One,
who surpasses Your beauty?
Who equals Your warmth?
Who is wiser in their silence?
In Your always rising
through our eternity,
O Lovely One,
ready,
in all that is Good,
Thy children
of the Law of One.
Let Thy mountains shine
pure and silent,
like beacons —
as guides
along the way.
And in Your never setting,
O Lovely One,
we send You
our love.

PETAL #120

T h e R o a d To P e a c e P r o f o u n d

The profane world respects force. Many intelligent people who have learned this
fact of life use their emotions in such a manner as to get their way in life. Most of
these people achieve their goals by fear psychology. This amounts to being in a
poker game of emotions. The player who musters up the greatest force and
engenders fear in the hearts of his opponents will be the winner of the game.
If an onlooker of this poker game of emotions did not look deep enough or long
enough, he may get the impression that ruling by force is a very effective tool for
dealing with the world. He may even make it his ideal in life, an ideal that will
dictate with fear to all he thinks will succumb to fear. He may even think there are
only two types of people in the world — those who rule by fear and those who let
fear rule them. The person who adopts such an ideal, and operates on it, is well
on the way to unhappiness and pain. Of all emotions that man is privileged to
generate by the action of his thoughts, the one emotion that is most
misunderstood and most misused is the emotion of love. Many people take pride
in themselves for having adopted what they call a practical way of life, or a
realistic approach to life. Many who rule by fear will tell us that they are realists
who have adopted a practical way of dealing with the world.
The misleading aspect of this profane world philosophy is that we usually only
view it when it manifests and fail to see years later the condition of the practitioner
of the profane world philosophy. Because the man of the profane world, who
dwells in the darkness of his own ignorance, is unaware of cause and effect in the
subtle and often unseen realms of the interior bodily functions and the more
mystical aspects of life such as his own aura, he does not see the damage he is
doing to himself until it is manifested years later with pain. The man who uses fear
as a tool is too often thinking of how to control others by fear. These types of
thought create a vibratory condition in his aura and throughout his being that
subtly affects the cells of his body and produce ill health over a period of time too
long for him to remember the cause that he created with his own negative and self
serving thoughts. As a result of his ill health, he gets angry and blames others for
his problems. This anger is a vibratory condition which again affects his body and
his aura in such a way that this anger produces a greater degree of inharmony in
the body and the inevitable ill health and pain comes from all inharmonies whether
in the body or in society. Our man of the profane world may even go so far as to
say that God must be a bad God because only a bad God would allow this
sickness to befall him. He may even go so far as to deny the existence of God
altogether on the same faulty reasoning. All because he was unaware of the
power of his thoughts which created the emotions which affected his body and his
aura.
Further, the man of the profane world will also fail to see the gradual turnover in
his associates. Because he has affected his aura with negative thinking, the aura
will be in a less positive condition, thereby attracting others with auras in a similar
less positive condition. (Birds of a feather flock together). These new associates of

our man of the profane world will think alike and may even share in some ideals
such as rule by fear. The new associates will buttress and encourage their type of
thinking along with their ideals which produce such thinking. Because they think
alike, they will not attract others who think differently, (more positively), at least not
for long.
Now our man of the profane world is in deeper trouble because he becomes
locked in mentally and ideally due to the negative thinking and negative auras of
the people to whom he is attracted. This attraction, of course, he created by his
own negative aura which he created by his self serving thoughts, which he created
by his adoption of an attitude which mistakenly held that rule by fear is an effective
tool to get what he wants in this world. So we see that these associates not only
attract new associates with similar auras, but also that these new associates
exclude those of a positive aura because the vibratory conditions between positive
and negative auras are such that they repel each other.
Is our man of the profane world in such a hopeless situation that he can never
pull himself away from this negative manifestation which he has created
unknowingly and through ignorance? The answer is emphatically no. Of course he
can pull himself away from his negative thinking.
His problem began when he adopted a point of view, or ideal, that he, in his
ignorance, did not realize would lead him only and always to pain. Why does our
man of the profane world hold onto his ideal that leads to pain? The answer is that
he allowed himself to become attached to his chosen ideal before he realized that
his ideal would only lead to pain because of its self serving nature. This
attachment to an ideal may be explained in the following manner symbolically.
There is a cliff with one tree branch overhanging the cliff. Our man of the profane
world is out over the edge of the cliff with nothing to keep him from plunging to his
death but his desperate clinging to the overhanging branch. This is a symbolic
picture of attachment. Remember the feeling that this picture engenders and you
will appreciate more fully the problem of attachment which our man of the profane
world faces daily, hourly, every second of his life. The cliff represents the
unknown. The branch which he desperately clings to so that he will not plunge to
his death is his chosen ideal. This is the picture of any person’s attachment to their
dominant point of view, or ideal. The feeling this picture conveys is that if the man
of the profane world would let go of the branch he would plunge to his death.
Our man of the profane world clings desperately to the branch because it is, in
his understanding, or belief structure, the only thing that he can hold onto which
will keep him from plunging to his death. Yes this is the picture of attachment. The
picture, or more accurately, the feeling the picture portrays is a product of the

ignorance of the mind of the man of the profane world. He has set up a “Cliff-
hanging-single-branch” feeling in his mind with respect to his dominant point of

view, or ideal. This mental creation, although true in the realization of our man of
the profane world, does not match up with what actually exists in the world.
It is simply false to think, or feel, that there is only one branch, one attitude that
will save him from the chaos of the world, the chaos of the darkness of his own
ignorance. There are thousands of attitudes that he could adopt. Thousands of
branches he can reach out and cling to. But in the mind of our man of the profane
world, he has tricked himself into thinking that when he adopted his attitude, no
other attitude existed in the world. In short, he locked himself into an attitude.
Another way of seeing it is that he painted himself into a corner of his mind.
Any suggestion by another that our man of the profane world should or even
could change his attitude will immediately invoke the “cliff-hanging-single-branch”
feeling of panic and fear of the unknown, like suddenly snatching a child away
from its mother. Our man of the profane world will reject the suggestion, maybe
even violently object to its having been brought up in the first place.

But all is not lost. There is one sure and inevitable cure for our man of the
profane world and his “cliff-hanging-single-branch-itis”. This cure is pain, yes, pain.
The inevitable pain that always comes from self serving ideals, thoughts, feelings
and actions of the man of the profane world. Why is pain, the pain that he himself
created out of the darkness of his own ignorance, also his cure? There are two
ways of learning in this world. One is to listen to or read the experiences of others,
reflect on them, match then up with our own experiences, filter out the purely
imaginary embellishments of the story teller, and glean from meditation a new
knowledge. In other words, the first and wisest way is to learn from the
experiential knowledge of our brothers and sisters past and present plus our own
experiential knowledge.
The second way of learning which is mainly the way we all learn is through the
natural process of bouncing back and forth between the pillars of pleasure and
pain. This is purely an experiential learning without the benefit of the wisdom of
the experiential learning of others past and present. This was and is extremely
slow and very painful, whereas the first way, or learning from other’s experience in
addition to our own, is less painful. In short, the second way is like saying that the
man of the profane world is condemned to reinvent the wheel each time he wants
to go for a ride in his vehicle.
The first method of learning will bring us to the highest goal much quicker than
the second way, or the way of the profane world. When our man of the profane
world reaps the pain he created in the darkness of his own ignorance, which all
ignorance leads to, he will struggle in pain for a long while and then one day he
will get fed up with the pain and create in his mind another close by overhanging
branch on the cliff face, one that he believes will not lead to pain. He will reach out
for this new branch, this new ideal, letting go of the old branch, the old ideal, as he
slowly attaches himself to the new branch — the new ideal.
Thus our man of the profane world learned thoroughly that particular idea, (that
force is an effective tool to get what he wants in life), is a non-beneficial ideal that
leads to pain. He will most likely never reach out for that branch, that ideal, again.
Since all negative attitudes based in self servingness lead to pain, we can easily
see that our man of the profane world will run out of years before he runs out of
ideals and attitudes to adopt in his Cosmic search for happiness. He will slowly
and painfully go from one created branch overhanging the cliff of chaos to another.
This is exactly what happens throughout his life and many incarnations until he
reaches out for a branch that is a more positive ideal with more positive attitudes,
(such as love your neighbor).
When our man of the profane world adopts a loving, or positive attitude, he
begins a subtle transformation in himself. His loving thoughts create loving
feelings, a vibratory condition that affects his body and aura. He finds himself
gradually getting healthier, feeling better, because positive attitudes, in general,
never lead to pain and ill health. He finds that there is a turnover in his associates
because he has changed the vibratory rate of his aura. He now has positive
friends. His positive friends, in general, think alike. They encourage him in his
positive thinking. They exclude negative thinkers and only attract positive thinkers.
Eventually because of his dwelling on noble thoughts, our man of the profane
world is attracted to an Initiate of the mystery schools. The Initiate guides our man
of the profane world to the outer guardian of the temple. Here the man of the
profane world is challenged and tested before being allowed to enter the temple.
After years of study and practice of the mystic laws, he raises his moral and
ethical standards to harmonize with the moral and ethical standards of the
Initiates. It is then that he is brought before The Master for initiation into the
mystery of all mysteries. He is now welcomed by the Initiates as a brother Initiate.

PETAL #121
Rainbow Talk

I’ve ordered us a rainbow.
(a bridge of beauty between our hearts).
It’s up to us to make it glow.
I’ll meet you at the top. You start
from your heart and I’ll start from mine.
We’ll liberate the loveliness
from fire and water, as they combine,
where the mist receives the sun’s caress
as only beauty could inspire.
We’ll blend our thoughts in color-schemes
the way the pure in heart desire
to beautify our world with dreams.
We’ll share our Light where man makes room,
in a loving heart, for a rainbow to bloom.

PETAL #122
The Art Of Radiating Love

As we have created non beneficial habit patterns in the past, so too can we create
beneficial habit patterns for our tomorrows. The greatest of all habit patterns is the
habit of radiating love. This habit of radiating love can become an art. One of the
great spiritual ideals of the heart of Humanity has long been to be a vehicle for
Divine Love. Most of us have not reached this goal. But there is something we can
do while we wait and learn how to be a vehicle. We can radiate love consciously
and consistently.
The passions, (anger, jealousy, greed, hate, etc.), are noisier than the virtues,
(tolerance, compassion, and love etc.). When a person is radiating spiritual love
and that person has no discernment, (lacks differentiation between two different
vibrations such as love and sympathy), or detachment, then that person is easily
distracted from radiating love. At first, this may sound obvious, but on closer
inspection, it shows us that we must strive to have perfect discernment so we can
detect those vibrations other than the virtues when they enter the environment of
our consciousness. Simply stated, if a person is radiating anything other than love,
then that person is not radiating love. Most of us do not watch vibrations, (discern
feelings). We become aware of them when there is an obvious difference between
them such as love and hate, but most of us are asleep to the infinite subtleties of
vibrations. I have heard people say that, “Oh I radiate love all the time. Its
automatic with me because I am a very loving person.” A few hours later they are
in an argument over something and for all practical purposes cannot be said to be
radiating love. (If you point this out to them you will hear something like, “Well this
is different.”, or “This is business.”)
So we can see that the first stage which must be achieved, if we want to radiate
love with a high degree of consistency, is to increase our discernment to a high
degree of consistency. In other words, No discernment – no love. The second
stage that must be achieved, if we want to radiate love with a high degree of
consistency, is the development of detachment. Why is this so? After we detect a
vibration other than a virtue, we usually find that we pay attention to the “intruder”
vibration to such a degree that we pay less and less attention to the love vibration.
So we must be able to pull away from the attraction of the intruder vibrations and
consciously so, in order to make a choice as to which vibration we will act on, (the
love vibration or the intruder vibration). We are now in the area of the much talked
about and little understood subject of free choice.
When we can step back from the attraction of the intruder vibration, then we can
look at both the love vibration and the intruder vibration calmly and decide with our
reason, and / or our intuition, which one we will act on. This is being an
autonomous person. Most of us never consciously step back calmly and look over
our options. We usually immediately identify with the intruder vibrations and justify
our action with a reason later on, especially if we are asked about it. When we
develop our detachment to a high degree, then we have accomplished the second
stage of the art of consciously radiating love. Without the two stages of
discernment and detachment, our efforts will be an on-again off-again affair, even
though we may honestly believe that we are always radiating love.

PETAL #123
C r e s c e n t Ta l k (Poem)

Not much is done by such a light,
(The moon is one night old tonight).
One step away from earth’s shadow.
Can such a ray shed light to grow?
The sun can barely bounce its beam
off such a rarely angled dream.
But I believe, in all that space,
man’s dreams can weave a well lit place – –
a solar stage, where hearts can view
an inner page with subtle hue.
Where sun is there at every turn
no matter where earth lamps may burn.

PETAL #124
M a k e M i n e L o v e

If we could listen long enough to all the reasons that our minds could produce on
why we do not tune in to love, then we could grow a long white beard, count the
wrinkles resting on our brow and not be the wiser for the listening, for the mind is a
manufacturer of reasons, but there may not be any truth in them. (The dictionary
definition of truth is “What exists”.).
Love is an invisible song playing in the airways of our mind. It is an energy which
vibrates at a certain frequency. When we tune in to this frequency, we feel love.
Like a channel selector on the television, when we select channel seven, (unless
the set is in need of repair), we will not receive channel five or channel four. Like
the television waves that are in the air around us, we can set our channel selector
on love. It is up to us to tune in to love and tune out the destroyers of love. As
simple as this explanation is, most of us find good reason to stay tuned to
something other than love. Why? Some of us say, “Well, I just don’t know how to
tune in to love.” (yet we know how to tune in to hate, jealousy, greed, and lust for
power.). Others say, “I’m too tired, and don’t have the energy to tune in to love.”
(But we have the energy to tune into anger.). The simple fact remains, that if we
are not tuned in to love, then we are not radiating love. If we are not radiating love,
then we must be radiating something other than love, for how can we reap what
we have not sown?
If we kept track, second by second, of whether or not we were radiating love, the
grand tally for one day would be enough to shock us into radiating love.
Some of us say, “It is not easy to radiate love some of the time, never mind
continuously.”. Since when did the fact that something wasn’t easy ever distract us
from getting what we wanted? The idea that it is not easy to radiate love is a little
misleading. The actual process of radiating love is simple, remembering, (or
discerning), to use that process is what we talk about when we say that radiating
love is not easy. (We don’t have any trouble discerning when to get angry, and
then radiate anger.). In other words, we get distracted or side tracked in our
thinking. If we focus our mind, (or all our attention), on a dot for several minutes,
then we will soon see a myriad of thoughts crossing the theater screen of our
mind. As long as we maintain our discernment, we will be able to keep our focus
on the dot. The moment we loose our discernment and identify with something
other than our focus on the dot, (before we realize it), our mind is no longer
focused on the dot as we planned, but is dwelling on spaghetti and meatballs, a
new car, a beautiful dress, or a new home etc.
“Well, we say, we were just distracted, it was a mere distraction and nothing
more.”. Yes, of course it was a distraction, that is all it takes to make us lose our
concentration on an object gross or subtle. Most of us do not make it a point to
concentrate on love as we can do with a dot, for most of us think love is something
whimsical like a mood. Yet moods are not whimsical. We draw our moods to us by
our habits of thinking. For some of us it is easy to focus on sad thoughts, yet hard

for us to focus on happy thoughts. It is an effort to think positively because we are
in the habit of thinking negatively. For others, it is easy to focus on happy thoughts
and difficult to focus on sad thoughts. Why? The answer would be slightly
different for all who answered. Yet, if we go back to focusing our attention on the
dot and watch the countless thoughts go through our mind until one of those
thoughts attracts us, (which is the point at which we lose our discernment), then
we focus our attention on the thought rather than on the dot. We had an attraction,
or attachment, for one thought that was stronger than all the others that passed
through our mind. If this were not true, then we would have been able to watch
that thought also and not drift off on it and lose our focus on the dot. Concentration
takes an active willing of our discernment.
If we remove the dot from the theater screen of our mind and replace it with the
idea of dating a person of the opposite sex, and if we are at that time of life when
we are involved in dating, then we will have little trouble with keeping our mind on
dating, and be able to watch the rest of the thoughts go through our mind. But if
we are not interested in dating, if we were a ten year old boy, a nun, a crank, or a
boxer in training for a championship fight, then we would not be able to hold our
attention on the dot of dating unless we were trained in concentration. A person
who has a minimal concentration is known to have a butterfly mind. The mind flies
from thought to thought like a butterfly flies from flower to flower without a
conscious plan or order. The butterfly mind would be loving one moment, angry
the next and greedy the next moment after that, etc..
But we recognize this. Those of us who have a higher degree of concentration
can spot the butterfly mind very quickly, as a man of truth can spot a sophist
quickly. Yet to someone with a much higher degree of concentration than
ourselves, we relatively speaking, could be considered to have a butterfly mind.
So we see that it is all in our degree of concentration. The person with the greater
degree of concentration has somehow taught himself, (or herself), not to reach for
those low flying delicacies of the mind, but to keep their concentration on their
predetermined goal. This person places more value on concentrating on what he
is doing than to go off on a trip of the mind, because of some thought that is
dangling itself in front of him like a carrot in front of the donkey. When we see the
value of continuous love, our attunement with it will become more and more
consistent until we make it a habit and stay tuned all the time. Things can be
falling apart all around us, but if we have made love a habit, then we will stay calm
and radiate love while we are taking corrective actions to problems that present
themselves to us. In short, it is like working in the eye of the hurricane of Human
emotional polarities. We remain calm and get done what is needed, yet we do not
get caught up in the storm and stop radiating love.
If this sounds far out or impractical, we have only to look to daily experience to
show its soundness. We expect such concentration and discernment from doctors,
musicians, sportsmen, fireman, and yes our television repairman. What would we
think of a doctor who was examining a feverish child and all of a sudden started
talking about how much he enjoyed spaghetti and meatballs with Parmesan
cheese? What would we think of a sportsman who, at a critical moment in an
international televised event, suddenly had a desire to go lobster fishing in Maine
and left the event to see his ticket agent? So we see that we do demand a certain
amount of concentration and discernment from people including ourselves. Our
work demands concentration and discernment to a certain extent. If our
concentration dropped below the level required in work, we may just find
ourselves out of a job.
Does it take more concentration to be a competent machinist than it does to
radiate love? Does it take more concentration to be a competent mother and
housewife than it does to radiate love? The answer is that it takes the same

concentration. We have just substituted love as our object of concentration in
place of machinist work and housewife and mother duties. Does this mean that we
will become incompetent in our jobs because we have changed our focus to love?
Absolutely not! This would be no different from the boss giving us a slightly
different work duty. There will be a period of learning before we become as
competent in our new work as we were in our old work.
How will we know if we are making progress? We know if we are getting better at
our attunement with love by the time it takes us to get back off our mental trips and
re-attune with love. For the beginner, this could be weeks or months, or an hour,
depending on our concentration abilities when we started. By watching ourselves
and knowing how we feel at all times, our trips will be shorter and shorter until one
fine day people will be commenting on how balanced we are and how we usually
look like we’re enjoying life. Remember, tuning in to love is not hard, it is just a
matter of concentration and discernment. (In fact, life becomes immeasurably
harder when we don’t attune to love). For those of us who want to grow, we cannot
afford to fool ourselves. If we are radiating something other than love, then we are
not radiating love. Once we recognize this and know it like we have a right hand,
then we will be on the road to attunement with love, the road to becoming a more
loving person. Remember to watch how you feel. Monitor your thoughts and
feelings like you would watch a cooking pot on a hot stove. Too much heat could
ruin dinner. Too little heat will not get dinner cooked. We must find the right
amount of heat to cook properly and adjust it from time to time as needed.
It is not different with love. Don’t let love just happen to you, and just as quickly
let it fly away again. We are on the path to become the masters of our own lives.
This means that we must direct our lives according to the highest ideals. There is
no higher ideal in the earth plane than that of radiating spiritual love. It is Christ
like. To be a loving person we must stay tuned to love. This takes concentration,
discernment, and understanding of the value of continuous love, in health, in
interpersonal relationships, in all facets of life.
Compare what state of being that love leads us to with what state of being that
things other than love lead us to. Once we know where love leads us, then it is
much easier to make attunements with love a habit, for who wants to walk around
frustrated and exhausted from venting their way in life using anger, hate, greed,
frustration or envy. Who needs that pain? When we choose something other than
love to identify with, we might well wonder if we are punishing ourselves over the
long run, because of our attraction for one of those low-flying delicacies that
continually fly the airways of our minds and are the temptations of all mankind. For
those who want to grow, as we do, love will eventually be the focal point. (The
focal point of beauty is the next best thing to the focal point of love). Attune with
love and feel the difference.

PETAL #125
T h e M a n (Poem)

The Man
with his unshaven broken lip
stitched like an old sandlot baseball
spoke of God,
as he reached back
and covered the slim green bottle
in his hip pocket
with the flap of his muddied sport coat.
He reminded me
of a swimming pool
in winter —
Something you had to walk around
and noticed with regret
how little used it was
and how wonderful
it was going to be
when the sun played warm
on the water.

PETAL #126

W h a t I s T h e R e a l B e a u t y O f T h e R o s e ?

My brothers and sisters, before we begin I would like to ask each of you to
consider, for a moment, the magnitude of your personal appreciation of the beauty
of the rose as it exists in your consciousness at the present time.

— one minute of silence —

Thank You. This morning it is my pleasure to present my research on beauty. I
asked, in meditational attunement with The Teacher Of Beauty, to know what was
the most delightful topic on beauty which leads to wisdom. The following was my
answer. I know your hearts will be happy to share in it. It goes like this.
Sometimes we discover that an object, which we highly esteemed for its beauty,
has much more beauty than we were previously aware of. For example, a person
who enjoys the moon in all its loveliness will appreciate its beauty far more when
the source of its light is fully associated with the physical source of life — our sun.
The more we can understand this relationship the more we appreciate the beauty
involved. This is enhanced by our appreciation of the sun and its magnificent light,
which maintains life on our planet. Without the sun we cannot exist as we have.
The sun’s light is a manifestation of the sun’s fire. Our sun is a star. Stars that give
off light are on fire. The universe is lit by fire. Is it the same fire on all stars? Do
different stars have a different fire, or is fire ever the same but with varying
degrees of quality depending on how it is manifested? So we see that our
appreciation of the beauty of the moon with its reflected light expands with
additional accurate knowledge about it. It is no different with the rose, the flower
which contains the most fire.
We are aware of the rose through our sense of sight, smell, touch and taste,
(Remember rose hips herb tea, which contains all that vitamin C ?). So far I have
never heard a rose with physical hearing, or read reports of others hearing a rose.
so I exclude the sense of hearing here. Of the five senses with which we
physically probe what exists, we mainly use the sense of sight and smell for our
appreciation of the rose. Our eyes feast on the color and form of the many
varieties of roses from miniatures to grandiflora, from long stem single bud to the
prolific blooming climbers. The red rose is also used in some fraternal groups as
the symbol of the Soul. The red color of the blossom and the often deep green of
the leaves also remind us of Christmas colors and the spirituality of that time of
the year, as well as the Fiery and Physical Worlds. This visual delight along with
the beautiful fragrance compose our appreciation of the beauty of roses. But there
is more to learn about roses. Let us explore an understanding gleaned
from the Agni Yoga Teachings on how the fragrance of the rose, (and pure rose
oil), affects us on many levels of life.
The ancient wise ones would deliberately meet in areas fringed with roses,
because they knew about the fire of the rose and how the fragrance of the rose
had a calming affect on the Human Being. This being the case, the meeting had
the potential of being more productive because we reason and intuit better when

we are calm. This calmness also affects the quality of personal interactions in a
group and thus contributes to the possibility of manifesting brotherhood with all its
benevolent characteristics. So we see that the fragrance of the rose, (or pure rose
oil), affects the quality of our thoughts and feelings through its calming
characteristics. This affects our attunement with our ever present possibilities, as
well as possibilities associated with the time and conditions. Since one of our ever
present possibilities is to attune with the Teacher Of Beauty in The Hierarchy of
Light, then it becomes obvious that rose fragrance can affect the quality of our
spiritual life. This attunement with the Teacher Of Beauty will bring Humanity the
best possibility. Thus the fragrance of the rose can affect the upliftment of Human
evolution through its calming affect on the seeker of beauty.
Since the fragrance of the rose has a calming affect then those who smell it will
be calmer and, to a degree, less subject to irritability. In the subtle atmosphere
there exists a substance know as imperil, which is harmful to Human beings
whenever we open our spiritual door to it. The lack of quality thinking produces the
emotional vibration which is like an open door through which this imperil does not
hesitate to enter. This emotional vibration is irritableness. Irritation owes its
allegiance to imperil. Irritation is on the payroll of imperil. Irritation is a traitor
emotion which breaches our spiritual and physical security by opening our
protective net and allowing imperil to enter and flow along the outside of our nerve
sheaths throughout our bodies. This imperil destroys the outer covering of our
nerves, creating serious health conditions. This weakens our bodies and renders
them less serviceable to The Teacher of Beauty, The Hierarchy of Light, and The
evolution of Humanity.
The fragrance of roses, (or pure rose oil), is a tool of calmness. If we are calm,
then we are not irritable. If we are not irritable, then we are not allowing imperil to
affect us. If we are not irritable, then we are not filling our vibrational environment
with irritable thoughts and feelings. If we are not filling space with irritable thoughts
and feelings, then we are not infecting others with our irritability. If we are not
infecting others with our irritability, then they have a greater chance of remaining
calm. If they remain calm, then they have can have a higher quality attunement
with all that is beautiful. If they have a higher attunement with beauty, then they
will bring more joy into their lives, and as it is written in the beautiful Agni Yoga
Teachings, “Joy is a special wisdom.”.
Why “joy is a special wisdom” is revealed through our experience with The Law
of Beauty. All this spiritual protection and the loveliness of roses as well! No
wonder the Highest of Hearts and The Hierarchy of Light advocate beauty as the
most co-measured way to bring the heart of man into play as an uplifting force in
the evolution of Humanity.
My brothers and sisters, before we close this discourse, I would like each of you
to now consider again the magnitude of your appreciation of the beauty of the
rose. See if the rose has become more beautiful to you.
— one minute —
Thank You, and now my brothers and sisters, I would like each to think about your
new appreciation of beauty while one more piece of information is given to you
about the rose. Please begin to think about the beauty of the rose now.
— one minute —
Congress has declared the rose to be the official flower of The United States Of
America.

— one minute —
Thank you. Now my brothers and sisters, for the next minute ask yourself if your
appreciation of beauty was enhanced or diminished by this last piece of
information about the rose.
— one minute —
Thank you. Now my brothers and sisters, for the next few minutes please think
about your appreciation of the beauty of the rose while additional information is
given to you about the rose as gleaned from the Agni Yoga Teachings. Finally we
will end with a poem on the rose. Please see if this information increases or
diminishes your appreciation of the beauty of the rose.

214. In antiquity it was considered useful to place on the glands the roots of
     iigniridacae, but this is a very primitive way of healing, because the fiery property
     of these plants can be utilized far more advantageously. They can yield an extract
     useful for increasing the fiery activity. Apparently the ancients intended to apply
     the cure of like by like. Wormwood is good, and so is rose oil, which acts as a
     sedative, although not so quickly. Indeed the fiery property of plants has many
     uses, and can enter into the composition of tonic remedies.
     FIERY WORLD I (1933) paragraph 214
215. People must not keep anything rotten in their houses. The presence of
     fermentation, or of stagnant water attracts undesirable entities. When the
     photographing of entities of the Subtle World becomes more advanced, it will be
     possible to record on film the difference between the surroundings of a bit of
     cheese or meat and that of a fresh rose. Obviating logical arguments, one can
     actually see that the forms attracted by meat are repellent. These lovers of
     decomposition even accompany to the mouth itself the dish fancied by them.
     Also, before photographing auras one can gain experience by taking pictures of
     objects with their surroundings. As always, the experiment requires patience and
     perseverance. It should begin with indicative objects. Of the pure aromas, one
     must prefer the rose; it contains a very lasting oil. But it should not be forgotten
     that flowers should be gathered before decomposition has set in. I point out roses
     because they contain the greatest quantity of fiery energy. Thus, lovers of roses
     are near to fiery energy. The entities that feed on decomposition avoid the aromas
     of fiery energy. One must accept this indication in all simplicity, and just as
     information from a pharmacy.
     FIERY WORLD I (1933) paragraph 227
216. Mint can be useful even as an outdoor plant, for the emanations of its fiery
     leaves are most subtle and natural as are those of roses. Where one can have
     flowers, oils are not needed. Thus, the most alive and the most natural are the
     best of all. Let us not forget that mint and roses are excellent disinfectants.
     FIERY WORLD II 1934 Paragraph 197
217. Healing through the fragrance of flowers, resins, and seeds goes back to
     hoary antiquity. Thus, a rose not only possesses a similarity to musk but also
     prevents imperil. A garden of roses was considered by the ancients as a place of
     inspiration. Freesias are beneficial for the sympathetic nervous system, which
     vibrates so much in a Yogi. The seeds of barley are unsurpassed for the lungs.
     You know already about mint, about the resin of cedar and other resins. Perfumes
     are now bereft of meaning like all other desecrated values, yet the origin of

fragrance underlies a useful but forgotten knowledge. Certainly the poisons of
antiquity were very subtle. The newly invented narcotics are comparatively crude;
chiefly, they destroy the intellect–in other words, precisely that which sustains the
balance in all psychic experiments. A flaming heart without spiritual balance is an
impossibility. Thus one must remember all details that bring one close to
Hierarchy.
HIERARCHY 1931 Paragraph 316

424. Roses are beneficial for Bliss. All helpful means should be assembled. Not
     without reason was the rose the symbol of mystery in alchemy. But nowadays rose
     oil is very poorly prepared.
     HIERARCHY 1931 Paragraph 424
425. You know about the effect of human emanations upon plants. You also know
     about the effect of color. Now it is necessary to recall the influence of sound The
     similarity of these effects is significant. If, for the expansion of the potencies of a
     plant, an open, bright-sounding heart is necessary, then, in the effects of sound,
     consonance and all the dominant combinations are necessary. A dissonance
     cannot strengthen the current of energy. Dissonances, as an antithesis, may be
     useful in their effect upon people for strengthening the rhythm of consciousness;
     but with plants, where consciousness is at its minimum, dissonance seems to be
     only a retarding condition. With minerals, dissonance may even be a cause of
     disintegration. Verily, a rose is a symbol of consonance, and the dominant of the
     radiation of the rose is linked with the glow of the heart. Not a few experiments
     have been made with sound on plants, but the ancients believed that the finest
     flowers grew by the temples where there were numerous harmonies of voice and
     music.
     HEART 1932 Paragraph 66
426. It is authentically known that some aromas evoke a tension of psychic
     energy on the surface of the skin at the origins of the nerves. Certain species of
     roses and the ingredients known to you as the balm of the Mother of the World are
     useful for this. The benign action of the balm itself is greatly augmented by the
     invoked psychic energy. Therefore, various forms of skin disease and
     disintegration of matter are subject to this action. Of course, when clarity of
     consciousness is added, the result is increased still more. Therefore, proper
     suggestion is useful even with the best remedies. Let us not forget that these
     indications are useful for the investigation of psychic energy.
     HEART 1932 Paragraph 137
427. Deodar oil has been called the balsam of the heart. Truly, some substances
     belong to Nature’s heart, and their noble quality is conducive to the purification of
     the heart–so also in a rose, in musk, in amber. I cite the essences of various
     properties in order to define the scope of Nature’s heart.
     HEART 1932 Paragraph 387
     My brothers and sisters I hope this experiment in the expansion of knowledge with
     respect to the magnitude of our appreciation of beauty has assisted all of us to
     understand more about beauty, for the more we know about beauty the closer we
     get to joy through The Law of Beauty. Let us close with a poem.
     Let’s Do Ourselves A Favor

I’ve been thinking about the future

and how lovely things will be
when we all take the beauty cure
and everyone plants a rose- tree.
Each breath will thrive on fragrant air
as millions of roses color the earth.
Our children will know that we care
when their sense of beauty gives birth
to a warmth which smiles from the inside out.
The earth was a rose garden today.
When I saw it I gave a shout
of joy, which echoed throughout the day,
then expanded to light each star

PETAL #127

Twirlers and Sandcastlers (Poem)

On the beach,
a boy is twirling
a rock
in a circle
above his head.
The rock slips
from the string
and hits
a nearby sand castle.
A little girl is crying.
The rock toppled
her tower
into her moat.
“What are you crying for,
its ONLY a sand castle?
Can I have my rock back?”
She scoops up
a handful
of broken dream
and throws it
in his face.
The boy has sand
in his eyes.
It hurts,
and he can barely see.
He gropes around
then trips
on another sand castle.
The high north wall
crumbles.
He lands on his knees
in a large moat.
Two boys punch him.
He runs blindly,
tears are streaming
down his face.
His mother finds him.
She spanks him
for getting sand
in his eyes.
His father
spanks him
for running away
from a fight.

I remember
when I was seven,
and reaped
an unwanted harvest
from a rock
and a broken string.
Down deep inside
I think I liked
helping grown-ups
repair windows,
and hadn’t learned
until five times seven
that windows
were not all
I broke,
(and ignorance
is no excuse
for hurting others).
Now,
I am careful
what I put
in motion,
and examine closely
what attitude
I twirl
in the habit patterns
of my mind.
Why I twirl
at all,
I have yet
to discover,
for a broken dream
is no less
a broken dream
if it gets hit
by a “good” rock
or a “bad” rock.
We are so vulnerable.
The widest moats,
the strongest walls,
the highest towers,
are no protection
against rock twirlers.
One day,
when my favorite
tower
took a direct hit
and toppled,
I found,

in the rubble,
a seven year old’s
pride
and a little boy’s
fear,
that I had been
walling-in
all my life.
I thought
I was building
my dream castle,
but I was building
a fortress
for my fears
and pride.
Now, when I take
a direct hit,
I thank the twirler
and give him back
his rock
(without a face full
of sand).
Let others teach him
to be considerate.
I am too busy
clearing my debris
and waiting
for the next
direct hit
and the next —
so I can be free.
Someday,
when I learn more
about myself,
the remaining walls
may become visible
to me,
then I will tear them down
at will,
instead of
depending
on the next
direct hit
and the next —
so I can grow.
And when
the last moat
is crossed,
the last wall

crumbled,
the last tower
toppled;
pride will bend its knee
to Love.
Fear will learn
from fact,
and I will guide
my child-self
to the subtle
knowing
that a man
imprisons himself
when he is afraid
to die.
With humility,
I’ll look the world
in the eye,
so there will be no
fear and pride
to demand moats,
and walls,
and towers
in which to hide.

PETAL #128

T h e R o a d To H a p p i n e s s

Every Soul Personality seeks happiness. It is in this seeking that we experience
the actions of Mankind. This behavior encompasses every polarity of thought and
emotion that man is capable of exploring. As we gain in experience, there comes
a point in life where we begin to reflect on these experiences. We compare and
contrast the present behaviors of the world community, of our country, of our state
and city, of our neighborhood, of our neighbors, of our family, and most important
of all, of ourselves.
This comparison of behaviors as seen through the light of experience, leads us
to an understanding that some types of behavior are much more beneficial than
other types of behavior. So we begin to evaluate types of behavior. We may well
ask what is the purpose of this evaluation of behavior patterns as seen through
the light of experience, for it is precisely at this stage of development that we bring
upon ourselves confusion and pain. This contrast and comparison of behavior and
the resultant evaluation brings us into the all important phase of the road to

happiness called self awareness. At first this self awareness is a totally self-
serving and self-preserving consciousness. Our evaluations of behavior patterns

in the world based on our experiences of them will be based on how we gain or
lose from these various types of behavior. If we gain from them we label them
good. If we lose from them we label them bad. This type of evaluation is a carry
over from our early childhood when we would hear as we were playing in
dangerous areas, such as the street – “Don’t do that, that is bad.” We also heard
when we ate our dinner without spitting the peas and pears back at the person
feeding us with a spoon that, “That is good”.
The reason we were bombarded with goods and bads as children is that we
could not comprehend the real reason at that age as to why we should not play in
the street, and why we should not spit out our food. Now we find that as we
become young adults and adults, we mimic the strong emotional judgments of,
“That is good!, and That is bad!”.
It seems that the false judgment is made by our earthly guardians that our
primitive emotional judgments of good and bad would somehow be refined by us
into imperturbable evaluations of beneficial and non beneficial based of cause and
effect relationships. The words beneficial and non beneficial are wise and
wonderful tools for the traveler on The Path. The word non beneficial does not
carry with it the strong emotional judgment of the word bad. When we use the
word bad, we evoke from our storehouse of memory our three year old’s
emotional understanding of the word bad and as a result put ourselves in a strong
emotional judgment. The same is true for the word beneficial. It assists us to avoid
invoking the child’s emotional judgment of the word good. This idea of the
emotional connotations of words and the emotional judgments they invoke is
nicely echoed by Sir Francis Bacon. In his writings on The Idols Of The Mind,
Bacon states that, “Words wonderfully obstruct the Human understanding.”. What
does emotional judgment have to do with our discernment, or seeing differences,
between the types of behavior that man exhibits in the world? Let us remind

ourselves that the goal of our seeking is happiness. We are all searching for
happiness. When we judge some type of behavior as good or bad, we put
ourselves into the emotional states that these concepts evoke from our childhood.
These emotional states will vary depending on the strength of our judgment.
What affect do our emotional judgments have upon our goal of happiness?
Reflect for a moment on your experience with people who have achieved a degree
of happiness. We will first discover that there are very few people that he have met
which have found happiness. There are even fewer which have maintained a
constant happiness as a mode of life. In our considerations of these few and rare
personalities, we will notice that these happy people do not display the emotion of
hatred while they are in the state of happiness, nor do they exhibit the emotions of
anger, jealousy, lust, or greed.
In our remembrance of a happy person we will notice that the happy person
never displays vanity, envy, inconsistency, false judgment or insincerity. In fact we
will notice that the happy person exhibits none of the lower passions. Why is this
so? Why does the happy person avoid the behavior states of anger, hate,
jealousy, greed and lust? For this answer we must thoroughly understand that we
can only think, feel, and do one thing at a time. Can we love and hate at exactly
the same instant in time? The answer is that this is an impossibility. We cannot
exhibit opposites at the same exact time. At any one point in time we are
exhibiting only one emotion. We are always in some emotion no matter how strong
or how subtle. The next question may well be, what emotional state will bring us
happiness? All extremes of mind and emotion will lead to conditions that will not
produce happiness. The emotion of serenity, or tranquility, if cultivated, will bring
us to what we call peace of mind. Peace of mind is the forerunner to the balanced
condition of mind and emotions that leads to the three stepping stones which aid
us in crossing the river of chaos which runs in the blood of all judgmental
personalities. These stepping stones are the three virtues of tolerance,
compassion and love.
What has tolerance to do with happiness? In our reflections on the happy person
that we may have met in our experience, or that we can imagine in our ideal, we
never find the happy person in a state of intolerance. The tolerant person uses the
emotion of tranquility in such a way that he can overcome the compulsion toward
judgmental emotions and self-serving attitudes with their resultant judgmental
actions and self-serving actions. The happy person resists the temptation to label
things good or bad and uses instead the emotionally uncharged words of
beneficial and non beneficial. This allows the happy person to maintain emotional
balance with the result that he can be around people who exhibit all types of
behavior without getting upset and losing his mental and emotional balance.
How does this tranquility which produces emotional balance, which in turn
produces tolerance, lead to happiness? Tolerance, our first stepping stone across
the river of chaos which runs wild in the veins of the judgmental and self-serving
person, leads to compassion. We cannot be a compassionate person if we have
not gained tolerance. To have compassion for another person requires us to gain
an understanding of that other person in a non judgmental way. The American
Indians have a saying that depicts this understanding, “You can’t know a man until
you’ve walked a mile in his moccasins.”. This walking a mile in another person’s
moccasins, or putting yourself in the position of another person with their reality,
their point of view of the world, cannot be accomplished if we do not have the
tolerance to be around the other person and allow him to communicate his point of
view. His point of view, his dominant ideal, is the force that propels his type of
behavior into the world. We must first have tolerance to be around this person,
then we can gain an understanding of that person which a non judgmental, non
self-serving tolerant individual will transmute into the second stepping stone to

happiness called compassion. How does compassion, or empathy, lead to
happiness? The answer to this question is so simple it confounds the intellects of
the uninitiated. How can we love a person if we do not have compassion for them.
Compassion sets the stage of human interaction for the third stepping stone of
love. The happy person is a loving person. His calmness, or tranquility, builds a
sanctuary in his being where tolerance, the outer guardian warns away all
judgmental and self-serving attitudes and allows the inner guardian, compassion,
to maintain the balanced mental and emotional conditions that evoke the master,
or love, into the temple. This love helps us refine, to the most subtle degree, any
imperfection that will prevent us from reaching the goal of all ethics on all levels of
self– happiness.
When we use the three virtues of tolerance, compassion, and love as stepping
stones to cross the river of chaos which runs wild in our veins, we become truly an
initiate into the higher life. This initiate realizes the illumination and resultant
Cosmic power now permeating his being. He realizes how the river of chaos held
him back from the higher life. He realizes that his old judgmental and self serving
attitudes imprisoned him. He realizes the infinite wisdom and infinite compassion
of The Divine Architect of the Universe which allowed him to discover for himself
that if he gained the power before he had gained the three virtues of tolerance,
compassion, and love, then he would have used that power in a judgmental and
self-serving way, thereby hurting others and bringing much inharmony and pain
down on himself. The initiate visualizes only in a non self-serving way. He never
uses his psychic abilities in any way that would violate the Free Will or Karma of
another. He knows that he can suggest and encourage but never control. Even
though he has the power at his fingertips to control others, he will not succumb to
the temptation to violate the Free Will of another. He knows that any and every
violation of the Free Will or Karma of another will plunge him back into the river of
chaos with its self-serving attitudes that only and always lead to pain.

The initiate knows happiness because he has understood the ethics of his self-
serving and judgmental nature and how they disturb the balance which leads the

stepping stones of tolerance, compassion, and love that allowed him to cross the
river of chaos, the river of pain. What is the goal of psychic ethics? Happiness is
the goal of psychic ethics. A happiness that is produced only in the initiate who
has gained a perfect mental and emotional balance, who knows from the pain of
experience that all extremes lead away from happiness. Let’s look, for a moment,
at the basic psychic mechanics of a judgmental, or self-serving attitude. Our
thoughts produce our emotions in a cause and effect relationship. If a person
thinks a judgmental thought such as, “That is bad, he is wrong to do that.”, he will
immediately, to some degree, have the emotion of anger. This emotion of anger
has a vibratory rate of its own. This vibratory rate will produce an effect in the
angry person’s aura. The angry vibration will mix with the vibratory condition that
the person was in before he had the judgmental thought which produced the
degree of anger. This mixing will lower the vibratory rate of the aura if the previous
condition was one of love, for instance. The person now is in an unbalanced
condition which leads him away from the balanced condition of love. His aura will
have a change in color and the angry aura will now mix with the vibrations in the
room or area the person is in. The angry aura will attract other angry auras of a
similar vibratory condition and will repel auras of a dissimilar vibratory condition. In
simple words, “Birds of a feather flock together.” (Blue birds don’t fly with chicken
hawks).
These angry thoughts also go into the ether and clog up the transmission of
higher more noble thoughts, thereby having an affect on all Mankind. The anger in
the person releases chemicals into the body which are not easily dissipated and thus remain for physical damage to cells, tissues, and organs, producing eventual pain.

PETAL #129

A P o r t r a i t O f A B a l l e r i n a (Poem)

Meditation On A Portrait Of A Ballerina
If she has sincerity,
then she will practice well;
If she practices well,
then she will achieve balance;
If she achieves balance,
then she will learn grace;
if she learns grace,
then she will inspire others;
if she inspires others,
then she will be of service in the world;
if she is of service in the world,
then she will be happy.

PETAL #130

S e a r c h i n g W i t h S o c r a t e s

“But how will you look for something when you don’t in the least know what it is?
How on Earth are you going to set up something you don’t know as the object of
your search? To put it another way, even if you come right up against it, how will
you know that what you have found is the thing you didn’t know?”
1

Could this be a paragraph from Alice in Wonderland? Yes it could. No, it isn’t. It is
Meno talking to Socrates in Plato’s dialogue Meno. Socrates has just shared with
Meno an explanation of how he, (Socrates), infects his listeners with the perplexity
which he himself feels.

2 The questions are Meno’s way of neutralizing Socrates’
tool of perplexity, (at least in Meno’s mind), for he has been warned how Socrates
has a way of perplexing his opponents in conversation.

3 Meno even accuses

Socrates of using witchcraft on him.
4

As it turns out, Socrates recognizes the questions as the old trick argument that,
“A person cannot try to discover either what he knows or what he does not know.
He wouldn’t seek what he knows, for since he knows it there is no need of the
inquiry, nor what he does not know, for in that case he does not even know what
he is to look for.”
5

Up to this point the conversation is but a mental sword fight of ideas,
unproductive and, surely, to Socrates, boring. However, Socrates is about to
perplex Meno with a reply to Meno’s question, which opens the door to very broad
topics such as immortality, Soul, and reincarnation, which Socrates states are,
“Something true, I thought, and fine.”
6

In this essay we will concern ourselves with Socrates’ tool of perplexity and the
search for clarity which is born from it, which I here call the Socratic search. In
particular, we will concern ourselves with how each works and, in general, with
what the ramifications of them may be as seen in Plato’s metaphysics.
If I understand Plato correctly, a person becomes inflicted with Socrates’
perplexity when some information is gained, or an experiential learning is
completed, which discloses a new concept that conflicts with a concept which the
person holds and regards as significant, perhaps significant enough to have used
as a tool to deal with the world. The person may have formed a belief concerning
the old concept such as that it is true. Because of this new information and or
experiential learning, the person now entertains the possibility that the information
he once used as a tool, and or believes in, may no longer be appropriate or may
even be false. A conflict of ideas in the person’s mind follows. This conflict
generates confusion to some degree, if this confusion is not cleared up, then it will
lead to frustration to some degree. If this frustration is not cleared up, then it will
lead to anger to some degree. If this anger is not cleared up, then it will lead to a
mode of behavior which, because it stemmed from anger, may not be beneficial,
for anger clouds our reason as well as our intuition.
The clearing up of confusion before it leads to frustration and anger, etc. is
Socrates’ most important job in this process of perplexity. In other words, in a

directed process of perplexity you do not take something away from someone,
(such as a belief), unless you replace it with something equally satisfying to the
person, for if you do, then you will lead the person into pain, the pain of frustration
and its ramifications. This process of perplexity is successful as long as Socrates
gives the person the information and / or learning experience to begin the conflict
of ideas in the first place, and later clears up the perplexity. The state of confusion
is unpleasant and a person will make great efforts to remove themselves from
such a condition. Therefore, Socrates gains much favor when he, after initiating
the process of perplexity, clears up the confusion for the person he perplexed. It is
like a stacked deck of cards. Socrates becomes more in the category of a friend to
the person rather than being someone for that person to engage with in a mental
sword fight of ideas. Socrates calls this being a midwife, not a small part of which
is discerning the real from the unreal, (phantoms of the mind).
7

For example, in the dialogue Meno, Socrates begins the process of perplexity in
Meno by answering Meno’s questions, which have implied that it is a waste of time
to engage in a search for something you already know or for something you do not
know. Socrates responds with the concept that learning is remembering what we
already know.

8 According to Socrates, we have learned everything about this
world and the other world in our former lifetimes. The Soul already knows all that
is, we have only to remember it. This clearly eliminated, with respect to Plato’s
works, the possible speculation that, given reincarnation to be true, (as Socrates
says he thinks it is fine and true), we incarnate for the purpose of acquiring
knowledge. For if we already have knowledge of all that is, why then would we still
incarnate? This assumes that there is a plan to the universe of which reincarnation
is a part.
Socrates then demonstrates his point that learning is remembering to Meno’s
satisfaction by guiding a slave boy, who is ignorant of Geometry, to solve a
Geometric problem. From then on, Meno’s attitude changes from the vanity of
mentally crossing swords with the great and famous Socrates to the humble
exploration of philosophical concepts with an eye to gaining truth, (the truth is
what exists: dictionary definition), rather than self-serving victories in the realm
where vanity corrupts philosophy. In this case the first step of the process of
perplexity in Meno is not dramatized, as it is in the taking hold of the slave boy
with perplexity. The boy goes from a “not-knowingness”, to confidence, then to the
stage of admitting to Socrates that not only doesn’t he, (the slave boy), know the
answer, but also that he doesn’t even think he knows the answer. Socrates
rescues the boy by guiding him with questions to bring out the answer which,
according to Socrates, the slave boy already knew. Here we see that Socrates
has used his tool of perplexity on two different people during the course of one
dialogue. He brings them through the process unconfused and as confident in
their new knowledge as they were in their old knowledge before the process of
perplexity began. This seems to me to be no small accomplishment, and If I
understand Socrates’ method correctly, there was no charge for services
rendered.
The slave boy was convinced that he didn’t know the answer at one point, yet
Socrates brought out the answer in the boy as the midwife would deliver the child
from its mother. If, as the dialogue suggests, Meno was satisfied with the
demonstration, then it means that Meno had new information to operate on in the
world — that learning is remembering. He had now, at least in his thoughts, no
reasonable excuse not to philosophically explore beyond the boundaries of his
own conceptual prejudices.
Meno had learned from his encounter with Socrates that if Meno, or anyone else,
was not careful, then he could lock himself out of areas of knowledge that may be
beneficial to him. (like solving Geometry problems, or watching a person,

untrained in Geometry, solve a Geometry problem). Thus, although it may be true,
according to Socrates, that we have learned all that is before entering this life, it
appears that since we are not in a state of complete remembrance, we can, at
times, resemble the proverbial donkey, which can be coaxed to move only by a
carrot dangled in front of it. For some of us this carrot is new and intriguing
knowledge.
Another way to get the donkey to move is pain. Yes, pain. For many of us,
because of our strong yet subtle attachments to erroneous concepts, pain is the
teacher which prompts us to lesson our mental grip on one concept as we find
another which we feel is more accurate, or at least less painful to hold onto. If we
hold onto a concept which is inaccurate, then we will experience pain to the
degree that the concept is not accurate. This is due to thwarted expectations.
For example, if a person held fast to the concept that nothing dies in the physical
world– terminates its physical existence, then every time something dies of which
this person is aware, this person will suffer the pain of a thwarted expectation to
the degree that this person holds fast to the erroneous concept. Thus thwarting, or
its resultant pain, will challenge the concept held by the person to the point of
perplexity to some degree. The person then begins to clear up the confusion. The
search will lead to a new concept, or a modification of the old one.
Through this experiential learning the person’s concept is evolved to a concept
which is more in tune with the realities of life, such as in this world there is no
terrestrial death, or in other words a termination of individual physical existence
and at times group existence such as an extinct species. When this occurs, the
person will suffer less or not at all because the new concept will be thwarted less,
(depending to what degree the old concept, which invited pain, was changed in
terms of accuracy), or not thwarted at all if the change was to an accurate concept
such as in this world there is a termination of physical existence.
This rapidity of a successful modification depends on several factors. First, the
pain which results from the attachment to an erroneous concept must be sufficient
to challenge the person to a point of perplexity. The intensity of the search will be
proportional to the desire to get out of pain. This will depend on the degree of
attachment to the old concept. In other words, the time it takes to get out of the
pain of a thwarted expectation depends on how much the person tries to hold onto
the old concept. Even though the person is being prompted by pain, subtle
attachments or desire to hold onto the old concept at least to some degree is
common. It is frequently heard that man is a creature of habits, our thinking can
get habitual and it may take several times of experiential learning to form new
habits of thinking even though we may know a new concept is better to operate
on.
On the surface, one may say that it is irrational to hold onto a concept which will
bring pain. It is almost as if the person was holding onto the pain itself. But we
must remember that many of our concepts are deeply ingrained in our
subconscious mind and the one that gives the person the most trouble now may,
at another time, have been associated with a mode of behavior which was highly
significant in his mind, to his personal survival, such as the Greek concept that
might makes right, which Plato dealt with in the opening book of The Republic.
There are many examples of old concepts being associated with survival.
Immigrants have to adjust to new ways in a new country and give up, to some
degree, their old concepts of living. Another example is men returning from war. In
one area of their lives it was legitimate to kill, yet now they must readjust their
thinking and their instinctive habits.
We must remember that pain is only one way which moves the donkey. There is
at least one more way. New or intriguing information can challenge our old

concepts and initiate the process of perplexity which generates a search for clarity
— The Socratic Search.
Meno’s questions to Socrates in the Meno can be symbolic of the erroneous
thinking that a person can dwell on which can, if not properly adjusted, progress
and / or cause pain in an individual as well as on a group level. We have just seen
some examples on an individual level, perhaps an example on a group level will
be of service here. In Sir Francis Bacon’s time, the medical profession taught that
the blood did not circulate in the body. Harvey, a friend of Bacon’s, declared and
proved to satisfaction that the blood circulated in the body. This began the process
of perplexity on a grand scale. Harvey supplied information which moved a world
dwelling in the darkness of ignorance one step closer to the light of true
understanding.
For those who were strongly attached to the concept that the blood did not
circulate in the body, Harvey’s information was more of a hot foot than a carrot.
But either war, hot foot or carrot, the donkey moved and the search for more
accurate knowledge began on a group level. What was their goal? It was to clear
up the confusion caused by this new information with all its ramifications in
medicine. Here we see, on a grand scale, what Socrates referred to when he said,
in the Meno, “We shall be better, braver, and more active men if we believe it right
to look for what we don’t know than if we believe there is no point in looking
because what we don’t know we can never discover.”
9

It is my understanding that the process of perplexity, which Socrates appears to
have perfected to a very high degree, (if we can believe what we read in the
present translations of Plato’s dialogues), exists also on a crude level in this world,
at least, and manifests more or less continuously in Humanity, and includes, in the
process, The Socratic Search for clarity. A person not engaged in the directed
process of perplexity, nevertheless runs into new concepts, or old concepts
dressed up with a stronger emotional appeal, every day. But here he doesn’t have
the benefit of a quiet garden in Athens with Socrates to assist in clearing up the
confusion. Here, it seems to me, that we have a key to understanding Plato’s
works, but we will look into this more later.
The process of clearing up the personal confusion without the aid of Socrates
also constitutes what I call The Socratic Search. The search may be short or long
depending on many conditions, some of which we have already considered, but
one of the most significant factors is fear of change, or fear of the unknown. As
Socrates said, the search will make us braver men.

10 Is it guaranteed that a
Socratic Search, unattended by a Socrates) will be successful? Well, if the Soul
knows all that is, then it is just a matter of searching, or remembering. We are
stimulated to search due, (at least), to curiosity and / or pain. Will we have help in
our search, or are we just thrown to the wolves to fend for ourselves?
In the Meno, Socrates and Meno explore an area of life which is little recognized
but much used. This is the area of right opinion and knowledge.

11 Today we hear
people talk about the benefit of operating on their “gut feeling”. This is especially
common with people who work in management positions. They actually advocate,
and are open in themselves, to increase this “gut feeling” in terms of frequency
and quality. Quality is included here because the business man knows that not
every “gut feeling” works out although he realizes, through experience, (both his
and that of others), that the “gut feeling” may have been accurate; however, his
interpretation of that “gut feeling” may have been in error.
Some people have different names for this right opinion with respect to their
personal biases. For instance, a man on the street may be more comfortable in
calling this right opinion a “hunch” rather than the term right opinion. A religionist
may be more comfortable with calling right opinion knowledge that is a Divine
inspiration; whereas that same religionist would be strongly inclined to call it the

work of the devil when this right opinion operates in a person who does not share
the religionist’s view to the degree that the particular religionist is comfortable with
the difference in views.
Today because of the curiosity of the public, mass media, and religious
tolerance, (compared to the days of the Inquisitions), many people are
comfortable with the term “insight” or “intuition”. Another term used frequently is
“the voice of conscience” which always urges us to be good. This later concept, by
the way, has really permeated the media to the point where we find it in a cartoon
character of Walt Disney. He created a character, an animated cricket called
Jiminy, who would appear on Disney’s National Television show as an animated
master of ceremonies. His musical parting words as he strolled across our
television screens twirling his closed umbrella were, ” … and always let your
conscience be your guide.”
It may well be that in the translations from the Greek of Plato’s works, the term
“right opinion” may not be as close in connotative description as Plato would have
desired, due to the philosophical biases of our translators. But whatever label we
put on it, the person in The Socratic Search is not alone in his trials, but has
access to this special knowledge which is described as right opinion.
Where does this right opinion come from? Socrates says it is a Divine
dispensation.

12 Surely this is a subject for countless hours of philosophical
speculation. Is it right opinion which informs Socrates as to the right question to
ask a person that sits in conversation with Socrates? Is it right opinion that guides
Socrates’ train of thought in the dialogues? Is there a cause and effect relationship
concerning right opinion? If so does this mean that right opinion can be increased
in an individual with respect to frequency and quality at will? As we can see, one
question leads to another when dealing in the area of the unknown; however, that
is what Socrates does best, for he would not be able to perplex in an area that a
person knew was the truth through right opinion. For example, a person who knew
that there was a terrestrial death waiting for him at some point in his future, and
knew it not on belief but through his own experiential learning, (plus that of
others), as well as his own right opinion, would, in all probability, be imperturbable
with respect to the particular subject matter mentioned.
Later, when we overlay our thoughts concerning The Socratic Search onto
Plato’s metaphysics, perhaps we will get a right opinion on the question: Is it
guaranteed that a Socratic Search will be successful without the aid of a Socrates,
(a teacher, which is another name for Master in the Hebrew, or Guru which is the
name for teacher in Hindu).
Could Plato have shared with us, in the Meno, the philosophical-psychological
basis of the motivation of man that is involved with a learning process — our
remembering of all that is?13 But

if the Soul knows everything because of its
previous experience, (“Seeing all that is both in this world and the other world”
14)
then, as we declared earlier, the Soul cannot be incarnated for the purpose of
knowledge. Yet The Socratic Search is involved in remembering what we already
know — knowledge. Is this a contradiction?
Perhaps not, since one is more on a macroscopic level while the other is more
on a microscopic level. The former is more like the overall operation of a factory
while the latter is like a machine in that factory. But why must we search in the first
place? If the Soul already knows all that is, why doesn’t everyone born in this
world manifest 100% of that previously acquired knowledge?
Is this a flaw in Plato’s metaphysics? Why are there morons? Why are there
intelligent people? Why do people live in poverty? Why do people live in wealth?
Why is ignorance extant in this world? Sound familiar? How many of us have not,
at some time in our lives, expressed similar concerns mixed with feelings of
confusion, frustration, and anger? Some of us have even gone as far as thinking,

(or saying), that it must be a bad God, a good God wouldn’t allow these things to
exist! Some of us have reacted to a point that we declare to friends, family and
sometimes to the world through literature and / or the media, that there is no God.
These exasperations are mentioned solely because they are involved in the
process of perplexity and, if we have no competent guide, precipitate the extended
Socratic Search for truth to clear up the discomfort of confusion and / or the pain
of thwarted subtle attachment to inaccurate concepts. It may be of interest to note
here that Plato does respond, in his dialogues, to the question, Why, if the Soul
knows all that is, are we not born manifesting this knowledge? We will look at this
response later as our understanding of the process of perplexity is expanded into
Plato’s metaphysics.
However, now let’s ask the obvious question, for those of us who are neophytes
in Plato’s metaphysics, or have no desire to tune in to it. Who wants to go through
all that confusion and pain? Who wants to get involved or have anything to do with
the process of perplexity whether we have the help of a Socrates or whether we
go through it trying to discern right from wrong opinions in our mental culture? In
short, who needs it?
It is easy to forget, while we are in an exploration of the process of perplexity as
well as being in the process of perplexity that the process in itself is not something
which we consciously choose to go through. It is the intrigue of new knowledge
and / or the pain of holding onto inaccurate concepts, (the carrot and / or the hot
foot), that invokes the process of perplexity and this initiates The Socratic Search
for truth for clarity of confusion.
What we choose is whether or not to take in and operate on a concept or
concepts. This is where our basic choice lies, not in whether we want to be
involved in a process of perplexity or not. Perplexity follows the thwarted
expectation as well as the thwarting of its associated wants, desires and needs. To
some degree, we will always be in the “on deck circle” waiting to step into the
batters box so to speak, as long as we choose to operate on inaccurate concepts
which are bound to be thwarted in the course of everyday living. It is a matter of
discernment in our original choices. It must be said here that we also choose to
modify or give up our attachments to the concepts due to the influence of the pain
associated with the thwarting.
An intellectual understanding is not enough, however, to rise above the very
practical problem of choosing and operating on a concept that is inaccurate – why?
Some of us are fooled into thinking, (an inaccurate concept which leads to pain),
that because we have knowledge of something that we rise above the effects of it.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. An addict can have intellectual knowledge
that the thing which he is addicted to will bring physical, emotional, and mental
ruin; however, he continues to use it as long as he allows his habit to be his
master.
In short, although Sir Francis Bacon may be correct that knowledge is power,
knowledge is not enough. Something else is required. That something is a level of
discernment which produces emotional mastery. The person must be able to sort
our his emotional life in order to get through the process of perplexity, as we will
see later, on a grand scale. When prudence, (practical wisdom), directs the
emotional life, then the person can rise above the problems connected with the
process of perplexity with careful analysis with respect to his choosing of concepts
and a strong determination to modify the inaccurate ones he is presently
operating on to the degree he understands them to be accurate. If he is in doubt
as to whether a concept is inaccurate or not, then he has but to wait awhile and
observe how it fairs in every day living. If it brings him inharmony and pain it is
inaccurate, and the degree of inharmony and pain in his life as a result of

operating on the concept will indicate the degree to which he is attached to the
concepts, (as well as its mental, emotional, and physical directives).
We have seen earlier how the search makes us more active, but Socrates also
tells us that the search will make us better and braver men.

15 Why shall we be
better and braver men? Well, for one thing, a confused person is less efficient in
life, but the ideal fruit of the search, in general, is the remembrance of what we
already know, the knowledge of all that is. Why shall we be better men if we know
all or at least more of what is than we manifest at present? Certainly the creature
comforts would be greatly improved due to inventions related to this additional
knowledge, that is, if we apply it prudently.
It seems to me that these two questions: Why will the search make us better
men?, and why are we not manifesting our knowledge of all that is?, can lead us
deeper, (a search perhaps), into Plato’s metaphysics. It may be well for us to
remind ourselves here that the main topic under consideration in Plato’s dialogue
Meno, from which we drew our point of interest, namely the process of perplexity
and the resulting Socratic Search for truth,3 is virtue. Meno asks Socrates if virtue
can be taught, and although Socrates wants first to explore what virtue is, (which
he really does), he yields to Meno’s stubbornness and pursues whether virtue can
be taught or not.
Well the bottom line of the discussion is the consideration that virtue cannot be
taught because it is a Divine dispensation.

16 Why, we may well ask, does the
Divine dispense virtue to mortals. Is the Divine dispensation of virtue, which
Socrates and Meno have determined to be in part wisdom,

17 connected to the
search? Could this by why the search will, according to Socrates, make us better
men? What is the criteria of dispensation? What does Socrates mean by the
Divine?
Perhaps it is possible that since the subject of searching and the subject of virtue
appear so closely related in the same dialogue and that since both would lead us
to the discovery in ourselves of all that is, we may be able to use them as pitons to
climb the mountain of Plato’s lofty metaphysics, which, if I understand correctly,
may even lead to that age old question, which haunts many thinking individuals,
Why does man exist?
But first, let us regroup so that we can form our base camp, be sure of our
position, and make ready our equipment for the ascent. So far we have the
following concepts. If we have them well, ( and if they are accurate to a high
degree), then we will find little inharmony during the climb. They are as follows:

1. There is a process of perplexity.
2. The process of perplexity generates a search for truth to clear up confusion.
3. The process of perplexity exists both particularly, as a tool, and generally, not as
   a tool of any particular person.
4. It is better to search than not to search.
5. The search will make us better, braver, and more active.
6. The Truth is what exists, (dictionary definition).
7. Prudence, (practical wisdom), is the accurate application of accurate knowledge
   for the greatest good.

A person’s life can very well be a series of searches. The series being by no
means linear, since the search depends on individual choices of operating
concepts. The result of any one search may or may not be a higher level of
understanding because the person may settle for a concept on a level of
understanding below that which got challenged due to a quick way out of the pain
of a thwarted concept, but this would eventually lead to pain again and the search
for clarity of confusion would be once again initiated, or should we say resumed.
This puts the process of perplexity, not only on a dynamic level covering one
individual’s lifetime, but also on a general level of all persons in this world. This
constitutes a gradient of the process of perplexity for this world. The number of
individuals on the gradient is the number of individuals in this world at any given
instant in time.
We are now applying the process of perplexity to Plato’s metaphysics in the myth
of the cave18 where the population’s understanding of reality, (if my understanding
of this myth is correct), ranges from the mere shadows of reality, to that which
casts the shadows, to that of the higher realm of ideas and then to a oneness with
the whole of reality, (stepping out of the cave into the light of day).
The image of light and darkness is a play on degrees of understanding.
19 The
person with a keener insight, or the more discerning person, rises above the
darkness of ignorance. How is this done? Enter The Socratic Search. In order for
a person to advance on the gradient of the process of perplexity, we would have to
adjust his operating concepts to those which match up to a higher degree with
what actually occurs in this world and, as we will see later, in the other world. This
means that the person is exercising a greater degree of discernment which is
based on right opinion, knowledge and experience. The more insightful, or the
more discerning, the person is in his choices of concepts, the higher he advances
in the light of understanding. The entire cave is a symbol of this world and that the
outside of the cave is a symbol of the other world.
20

The process of perplexity, one would first think, relates only to this world, but, as
we shall see later, it relates to both in that this world and the other world become a
continuous gradient of the light of understanding of the whole of Humanity.
Through this process of the cave of life, because of an initial perplexity and its
resulting search, which set off a series of perplexities and searches, we end up
remembering all that is in this world and the other world. Nevertheless, the person
who achieves the light outside of the cave, after a while, returns to assist his
previous cave-mates out of the cave. This sounds like Socrates describing the
true guide, who has put right opinion to use in this world as a service to his fellow
man.
21
Are we suggesting that perplexity leads to prudence? Somewhere on the
gradient of perplexity, the Divine dispenses prudence. How do we qualify? It is my
opinion that somewhere in our travels on the gradient of perplexity we reach a
stage where we tune in to the higher aspects of morals and ethics and, because of
this attunement, qualify for a degree of the Divine dispensation. We reach this
stage of qualification when we listen, (to some degree), to moral conscience and
prefer the higher aspirations to the lower aspirations. Here we are not the best
judge of whether we have reached such a stage because, as Plato states in The
Timaeus, no one deliberately does bad things, (because in their mind they hold
onto a concept which tells them it is right to do the action).
It is when experience, right opinion, and virtue urge us to the understanding that
our concept is non-beneficial that we, to a degree, listen less and less to that
concept which others determine to be bad but that we followed because our
concept declared it was right to do. Gradually we abandon the old concept with its
dictates and grasp a new concept with new or modified dictates. But this is a very
subtle business and most of us are unaware that we are in a change and are only

conscious of the pleasure of the intrigue with the new concept, ( or the pain from
the old one).
Prudence is a manifestation of the faculty of discernment, or the ability to discern
what is from what is not, (the phantoms of the mind which Socrates declared to
Thaetetus). Prudence, when of the highest moral persuasion, is the accurate
application of accurate knowledge for the greatest Good. this is wisdom. In other
words, wisdom is the discernment to draw a distinction, identify the better part of
that distinction, and then, if it is of the highest aspirations, beneficially apply it in
this world and the other world for the purpose of upgrading individuals on the
gradient of perplexity, (if it is their will to do so, and without interfering with Karma).
Discernment is required to listen to a right opinion as it flashes in our mind, for
many of us have a right opinion but discard it as being a whim of the mental life, a
mere phantom of the mind. It takes a high degree of discernment to differentiate
what is a non-beneficial phantom from a right opinion, for the mind is a
manufacturer of many subtle illusions and reasons, which may not all be true.
Now let us continue by asking the question that thinking people at some time in
their lives inevitably ask themselves. Why is life in this world necessary? Why do
our conceptions, to a degree, hold the mere shadow of reality – of all that is?
Perhaps this question has been one of the most perplexing of all in the History of
Mankind. The question is still demanding an answer. Does The Socratic Search,
as we overlay it on Plato’s metaphysics, extend into the realm of the question,
Why is life in this world necessary?
In The Timaeus, Plato shares with us his understanding, not only of how
everything began, but also why we find ourselves on the gradient of perplexity in
the first place. To summarize Plato’s ideas, (according to Cornford’s translation),
with respect to our question, we see that according to Plato,

22 The Father made
some lesser gods 23 and they in turn made man according to the plan of the
Father. Each man was given a home, a star. In time, each man had to come to
Earth for one lifetime. When this occurred, the lesser gods built into man24 seven
attributes, according to the plan of the Father, which man would have to master.
25

These were as follows:

1. Dread and necessary affections;
2. Pleasure, the strongest lure of evil;
3. Pains that take flight from good;
4. Temerity)

) a pair of unwise counselors;

5. Fear )
6. Passion hard to entreat;
7. Hope, too easily lead astray.
   These they combined with irrational sense and desire that shrinks from no
   venture. If, in that incarnation the man mastered the seven built-ins, then he would
   return to his star and live happily.

26However, if he was corrupted by the built- ins
due to the exercise of his Free-Will, then he would have to be born again.
27 If he

still did not master them,

28 then he had to be born again, in lesser forms until he
gained some foothold on discernment and began his journey back through the
chain of life through his mastery of the seven built-ins.
29

Prior to this explanation in The Timaeus, we find Plato stating the effect of non-
mastery of our affections as follows: “It is, indeed, because of these affections that

today, as in the beginning, a soul comes to be without intelligence at first, when it’s
bound in a mortal body.”

30 So we see that our exploration of the process of
perplexity and its offspring, the Socratic Search, has brought us to Plato’s
response to our question: Why do we have to begin our search in the shadows of
reality? (The Myth of the Cave). The answer is that we somehow failed to master
the seven built-ins and that we did not always live in the shadows of reality but
devolved due to lack of discernment, (the first part of wisdom), in the areas of the
seven built-ins until now on our way back up the chain of life, we find ourselves in
each incarnation searching for more discernment in order to progress to mastery
of these seven built-ins.
If we train the telescope of our Socratic Search for truth onto Plato’s Myth of Er,
31 we may gain some insight into the expansion of our gradient of perplexity in this
world into the other world and thus extend the territory of our Socratic Search.
Briefly, specifically with respect to our question regarding why man is not born
manifesting the knowledge of all that is and also why there are individual
differences, the Myth of Er is as follows. Er dies and goes to the other world where
he is told that he is to observe all and return to Earth to report what he has
observed. After many different phases of what seemed to be a sorting process
and a penal and reward system based on behavior in this world, Er observes a
group of souls on a plain just before they drink from the river of forgetfulness,
“whose waters no vessel can contain.

32 With this, Plato explains symbolically why

we do not manifest the knowledge of all that is from birth.
The group is instructed that they are to choose their next life from a vast
selection of lives. Some choose quickly, their choice based on their dominant
desire. These, upon closer observance, were found later in inconsolable sorrow
and tears because their desires blinded them to all other things they had to do in
the same life they chose due to their strong desire for certain aspects of that life.
For example, a man chose the life of a tyrant due to his dominant desire for power,
only to find that later in that same life he had to eat his own children. Some of
those who chose lifetimes associated with the lower aspirations came from
Heaven before they arrived at the plain where they were now choosing. The
explanation was that in Heaven they gravitated to like souls and, although they
were basically good, some of their hidden desires were not allowed to come out
because of the lofty atmosphere and peer pressure. Thus, these lower aspirations
were suppressed and not mastered. The unmastered built-ins will get the most
attention. They seem to shout the loudest in our minds, and if we have not gained
some degree of wisdom with the discernment to see the difference between the
lower aspiration and the higher aspiration, then we will succumb to it and suffer
the pain of its effects.
Some souls on the plain examined very minutely each lifetime, looking for the
humble life of service accompanied by good health and contentment. These latter
had the discernment and will to choose the less self-serving lifetimes. So we see
that, according to Plato, there is a choosing on a soul level between incarnations,
(after a period in an area of punishment and reward), of the next incarnation
before we drink from the River of Forgetfulness. This process is continued until we
gain the wisdom necessary to choose the life of highest aspirations, thereby
mastering the seven built-ins and going to live on our star, our first estate.
So we see that the process of perplexity not only exists on a microscopic level
directed by true guides of the quality of mind of a Socrates, but also exists on a
grand scale covering the whole of this world and the other world and constitutes a
gradient of perplexity up which we travel by our individual Socratic Search for
clarity. Our goal is clarity of confusion while we are on the gradient, but we are

rewarded with much more. We regain the knowledge of all that is, but with one
tremendous difference — we regain it along with the wisdom to apply it for the
greatest good.
Wisdom signals the end of our Socratic Search, but here is where we have just
begun. Every question demands an answer, and every answer can raise more
questions. Plato has given some answers which ask some questions. Why was it
in the plan of the Father to include in man the built-in attributes for man to
conquer? Was it a basic training for the will? Was it man’s job to purify the impure
which the Father mixed with the pure to make man? When man finally masters the
built-ins and is put on a star, what happens next? What have the first men been
doing who were not corrupted? How many of the first men passed the test? How
many stars in our Universe are occupied by one man, a man who passed the test
or a man who failed it but later mastered the seven built-ins? Why did the Father
make man in the first place? Why did the Father make the lesser Gods? What is
the Father’s overall plan and why is it necessary? Where did the Father come from
and why?
Where does Plato get his information? Is it right opinion? Was it passed on from
Socrates through his teacher Diotima, (a woman from Manitea)? If so, where did
she get the information? Did she remember it, as Socrates tells us all learning is
remembering? Did she transcend the cave of darkened understanding and gain
wisdom, to a degree, then return as a true guide? Was Socrates a true guide?
Was Plato a true guide?
Let us give Plato the last word for our conclusion to our explanation of the
process of perplexity and The Socratic Search. “We must accordingly distinguish
two kinds of cause, the necessary and the Divine. The Divine we should search
out in all things for the sake of a life of such happiness as our nature admits; the
necessary for the sake of the Divine, reflecting that apart from the necessary
those other objects of our serious study cannot by themselves be perceived or
communicated, nor can we in any other way have part or lot in them.”
33

NOTES:
All references are out of The Collected Dialogues of Plato, edited by Edith
Hamilton and Huntington Cairns; Bollingen Series LXXI, Princeton University
Press copyright 1961: ninth edition April 1978, unless otherwise noted.

1. Meno, 81d
2. Meno, 80c
3. Meno, 79e
4. Meno, 80a
5. Meno, 80e
6. Meno, 81a
7. Thaetetus, 150b,c
8. Meno, 81c,d
9. Meno, 86b,c
10. Meno, 86b,c
11. Meno, 97b,c
12. Meno, 100a
13. Meno, 86a
14. Meno, 81b
15. Meno, 86c
16. Meno, 100b
17. Meno, 89a
18. Republic, Bk. VII, 518a
19. Same as 18
20. Republic, Bk. VII, 517b
21. Republic, BK. VII, 519c, 520c
22. Timaeus, 41c,d,e. Plato’s Cosmology, (The Timaeus): Running Commentary,
    Cornford, Francis M., Bobbs Merrill Co., Indianapolis, 1975.
23. Timaeus, 69c, also 41c,d Cornford – see note 22
24. Timaeus, 9c,d, Cornford- see note 22
25. Timaeus, 42b, Cornford- see note 22
26. Timaeus, 42b, Cornford- see note 22
27. Timaeus, 90e, 91a, Cornford- see note 22
28. Timaeus, 91d, 92b, Cornford- see note 22
29. Timaeus, 42d, Cornford- see note 22
30. Timaeus, 44a, Cornford- see note 22
31. Republic, BK. X 614b to the end.
32. Republic, BK. X, 621b
33. Timaeus, 68e, 69a, Cornford- see note 22
    BIBLIOGRAPHY
34. The Collected Dialogues of Plato, edited by Edith Hamilton and Huntington
    Cairns; Bollingen Series LXXI, Princeton University Press copyright 1961: ninth
    edition April 1978.

PETAL #131
2 1 5 0 A . D .

T h e S t a t e O f T h e U n i v e r s e A d d r e s s

(Two Possible Versions)

Version One:
Our minds we filled with greed,
(with greed, we made our bond).
All space we filled with sorrow,
(sorrow made a stagnant pond).
Version Two:
Our hearts we filled with beauty,
(with beauty, we made our bond).
All space we filled with joy,
(joy made a vibrant pond).

PETAL #132

D i s c e r n m e n t – T h e B a s i s O f A l l Yo g a

(Personal Growth)

In the Bhagavad-Gita we find a verse in the chapter of the Yoga of Knowledge
which instructs us as to the basis of discernment. It goes like this.
“Thinking about sense-objects
will attach you to sense-objects;
grow attached, and you become addicted,
Thwart your addiction, it turns to anger;
be angry, and you confuse your mind,
confuse your mind, you forget the lesson of experience;
forget the lesson of experience,
and you lose [discernment];
lose [discernment], and you miss life’s only purpose.
Here, in line seven, we find that discernment is lost when we forget the lesson of
experience. So discernment depends on our remembered experience. Why is this
so? When we burn our finger on something hot like a stove, the lesson of
experience is strong in our memory. In the future we are sure to be careful around
hot stoves. Why? Because our experience has taught us that it is non-beneficial,
(and painful), to put our finger on hot stoves. The memory of the incident plus our
evaluation of it becomes a lesson of experience. When we are reasonably calm,
we remember this lesson and use it as a reference point to refer back to when we
are considering a similar action.
We use our memory of experiences in the past as data input for our reason and /
or our intuition in making decisions. When we are reasonably calm these
memories are readily available to us; however, when we are upset, these
memories are interfered with, and, depending on how upset we are, (the degree of
emotion with which we are identifying with at the time), the memories are
proportionately blocked from the reasoning and / or intuitive mind. It is like a
person, who, playing the radio very loud, does not hear someone talking to him,
because the person listening to the loud music is distracted by that music. If we
are to hear that voice, we must keep the radio volume at a level which will allow us
to hear that voice. So too when we confuse our mind with anger as stated in the
verse. That anger has a will of its own, (so to speak), and reaches over and turns
up the volume of the radio of our emotions so that we cannot hear the memory
speak to us about our past experience.
When the memory of our past experience is blocked, we are back in the original
condition when we didn’t realize the stove was hot and may burn our finger again.
This is called learning the hard way. We do this enough times until the memory of
the pain is so strong that no volume of music can drown out that warning voice of
experience. (But we may run out of scar tissue in the time it takes to learn
everything the hard way). When we play the radio of our emotions with the
volume at a moderate level, this voice of experience is available for our use in

decision making. We can compare an action which we are considering to similar
actions in our memory banks. This puts us in a position to differentiate between
our past experience and a considered action. This is discernment.
Discernment is only possible when we can use the lessons of experience as a
reference point. In other words, when we discern, we differentiate between two
things. One of these things is an action we are considering, the other of these
things is the lesson from experience. We compare one with the other. This
comparison will give us valuable information in relation to the assets or liabilities of
the considered action. Of course, we can refer to as many lessons from our
experience as we can recall. This again would depend on the degree of calmness
that we can manifest. In other words, we remember more lessons from experience
when we turn the volume of the radio of our emotions to a soft and gentle level.
The lower the volume of the radio of our emotions, the greater our potential will be
to discern at the maximum capacity that we are capable of.
In other words, the calmer we are the sharper we are. The sharper we are the
more successful we will be in our decision making. The more successful we are in
our decision making the less pain we will be in. The less pain we are in the
happier we will be. The happier we are, (because of our discernment), the more
we can assist others to sharpen their swords of discernment. The more that others
sharpen their swords of discernment the more civilization will advance.

Why Is Discernment Necessary?

It would be ideal if we were born with perfect discernment. We would make perfect
decisions with respect to the lessons of experience, not only as an individual but
with respect to the history of Man. But, of course, we are not born with perfect
discernment, and because of this we repeat many mistakes that man has made
every generation in history. Our most vulnerable area with respect to discernment
is the inaccurate information that we have taken in during our past experiences
due to faulty observation. Observation has to do with the taking in of information
through the five senses. We are all familiar with the optical illusion of parallel
railroad tracks, and how they appear to converge. Another example of the
unreliability of the senses is a mirage in the desert. But these are well known and
do not give us trouble once we are aware of their nature.
There is another way that we make faulty observations with respect to the five
senses. This is when an emotion distorts the information that the senses report.
This is best illustrated by the story about the East Indian boy and the cobra. An
Indian boy was walking through the jungle one afternoon. He was very happy
because he was thinking about his girlfriend. All of a sudden out of the corner of
his eye he spotted a cobra. Panic gripped him. His voice froze in his throat. He
turned and ran at an amazing speed back to his village. He told the village elders
what happened. They formed a hunting party and went out after the cobra. The
boy went with them and directed them from the rear. When they came to the area
where the boy saw the snake, the men beat the brush for the cobra to kill it. Finally
one of the men saw the cobra. Fear filled his heart and he began to hack the
cobra with his machete. The man was so scared because the cobra was right
beside him, that he cut off his little toe with the machete as he swung it wildly
about his ankles. When everyone calmed down they ran cautiously to the man
who had killed the cobra. The man was holding his bleeding foot and was
laughing. The other men thought he went crazy from a cobra bite and didn’t go
near him for a while because they thought maybe he didn’t kill the cobra and it
was still in the area where they were. The men were afraid. The boy was afraid
and the hunter with nine toes was siting in the bushes laughing hysterically. Finally
the man with nine toes grabbed the cobra and chased the other men and the boy

in the hunting party all the way back to the village. The men warned all the people
in the village that one of the hunters went crazy and was carrying the live cobra
back with him scaring everyone that he saw. All the villagers hurried into their
homes and barricaded the doors and windows so the crazy man with the cobra
couldn’t get at them. The crazy hunter sat in the middle of the village and laughed
for several hours.
Finally the sun set and the crazy hunter fell asleep. Some men in the village
snuck out and hit him with a club, then they clubbed the cobra. When they lit a fire
and made torches, they saw that the cobra was a piece of coiled rope. So we see
that an emotion such as fear can distort the information that we get from the
senses. Accurate observation depends upon the degree of calmness of the
observer at the time of the observation. The calmer we are the more accurate will
be our observation. Accurate observation gives us accurate information with which
we can form analysis of experience to give us accurate lessons of experience. If
we have accurate lessons of experience in our memory, our discernment will be
accurate. The more accurate our lessons of experience are, the more accurate
our discernment will be when we are calm.

Can Discernment Be Used On An Object
Other Than The Lesson Of Experience?

Discernment is the differentiation between two things. The things can be dense or
subtle. The lessons of experience are used here as a model for explanation that
we are all familiar with. We can use the tool of discernment to gage our level or
degree of emotion at any given time. In other words, we can keep in mind as a
point of reference the calmest moment that we can remember. With this moment
of calmness firmly fixed in our mind as a point of reference we can compare it to
the present volume that the radio of our emotions is playing. In this way we can be
aware of the degree of emotion that we are presently in with respect to that
calmest moment we are using as a reference point.
What value will this exercise in emotional discernment be to the person
performing the exercise of emotional discernment? The accurate performance of
this exercise gives the performer of the exercise accurate information as to the
level of emotion he presently has playing in himself. The performer knowing this
information then is in the position to choose it that present level of emotion is for
the maximum benefit of his development or if a higher or lower level of emotion
would be for the maximum benefit of his development. If the level is too high the
discerner knows that the high level of emotion will block out the voice of reason,
the voice of intuition, and the voice of conscience.
When the discerner has decided that the level of emotion is too high, he can
meditate or do calming exercises such as deep breathing. If the emotional level is
too low the discerner can increase the volume to the level that will be for the
maximum benefit of his development. The idea here is that true discrimination
gives the discerner accurate information so that the discerner can make authentic
choices in his life. With authentic choices comes true freedom. With true freedom
comes true responsibility. Many of us find it easy to deny ourselves the opportunity
to learn discernment because it would “hinder” our life styles. But this is all too
often just an excuse so that we will not get into a position where we will be held or
feel responsible for our actions. After all its fun to let an emotion run away with us.
Right? But what about the effects of those actions, (causes), that we performed?
Are we going to disclaim all responsibility for the causes that we put into action?
There is a way to put into action only those causes that we choose to put into
action, and that is by being a discerner. If we are “Watchful, like men crossing a
winter stream.”, we will have an opportunity to put into effect less causes that will

cause us problems later on. This in itself is a promise of a happier life, for if there
is less problems then we have more time to be happy and peaceful. But if
problems are raging in our lives because we were not careful of the causes that
we put out at an earlier time, then it is quite difficult to be happy and peaceful.
Most of us are like the man who is unaware of the law of gravity. The man throws
a rock straight up over his head and just stands there. When the rock returns and
hits him on the head, the man complains that everything always happens to him.
The rock thrower complains that there must be no God because everyone says
that God is Good, but only a bad God would allow all these bad things, (falling
rocks), to happen to him. This rock thrower disclaims all responsibility for his
situation in life. He may even go as far as to disclaim that there is anything such
as cause and effect, because if he admitted that then he would have to assume
responsibility for his actions. The man with no esoteric in him scoffs at the
esoteric, thinking that it is something vague and mystical. Yet when he sees that
the Gita talks about such down to earth things as becoming the master of our
emotions, he is silent, or we find that he has somehow missed this part of the
teaching and concentrates only on the parts that are less tangible, so that his
complaints will be “justified”. Yet he discerns when it is in his favor to discern, such
as between girls so he can choose one for himself, or in a poker game when he
studies the faces and feelings of his opponents.
When Should We Discern?

A person who has become a high initiate in Yoga practices discernment
constantly. He is constantly aware of himself with respect to calmness, level of
emotion, and restlessness of mind. Lao Tzu, in the sixth century B.C., in the Tao
Te Ching describes this state metaphorically as follows: “Watchful, like men
crossing a winter stream.”. This condition of watchfulness becomes a habit pattern
and then is not a difficult practice. Of course, the beginner who watches his mind
and emotions is amazed at all that is going on in himself that he has never really
given any consideration to. This unawareness of ourselves is similar to the fact
that a great percentage of people today and in the past have gone through life and
are going through life making various observations that are significant to them
such as new hats for the ladies, the Monday night football game on television, and
the comics in the paper. But how many people know they have a gland called the
pituitary gland that is situated in the exact center of their head? We walk around
with this gland in the exact center of our head and never realize it until we are
given some information on it. The same is with our “adams-apple” in our throat,
we are looking around us but never see our “adams-apple” until we look into the
mirror or feel it with our hands, or someone tells us about it.
So we see that a person can walk around in life and be unaware of things in
himself that are so close to him that he doesn’t sense them with the five senses.
We do this with emotions, habit patterns, and attitudes. A person can carry one of
these subtle objects such as an attitude all his life and not be aware of it. If he
should become aware of it he may say that it is a jewel in his personality, not
realizing that often others see it as a flaw instead of a jewel.
A person who has decided to be “Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.”
will, with accurate discernment, in time, be able to see these habit patterns,
attitudes, and emotional levels quite easily and have the choice to modify them
into something that will be for the maximum benefit of all mankind and for the
maximum benefit of himself and family.

Where Would A Person Discern?

Discernment, since it is a subjective practice, can be practiced anywhere. It is, of
course, easier to practice discernment in a quiet place where you will not be
disturbed such as a private sanctum area where one meditates. But the beginner
will soon find that there is a more significant place to practice discernment. That
place is anywhere he is having interaction with people. Why is this so? In work, for
example, we find many people together engaged in a project. Each of these
people has acquired habit patterns, attitudes, and preferences for certain
emotional levels. These habit patterns, attitudes, and preferences for certain
emotional levels do not, for the most part, mix harmoniously with each other. One
person has a habit pattern with the corresponding attitudes of being late
constantly each day because he doesn’t like to wait in line at the time clock, (a
dislike he acquired while waiting in army chow lines). The boss; however, has a
habit pattern and the accompanying attitudes of punctuality. The person with the
late habit thwarts the boss’s expectations that everyone should be like the boss
and be punctual. This thwarted habit pattern, or as we saw in the Gita verse, this
addiction to punctuality on the boss’s part that gets thwarted, makes the boss
furious with anger.
On the other hand, when the person with the late addiction gets reprimanded by
the furious boss, the thwarted “late addiction” turns to anger and the two people,
or should I say, the two habit patterns argue. The late habit of the employee
pushes the boss’s punctuality button, and the thwarted punctuality button of the
boss pushes the late button of the employee. This happens every morning and
has become a routine. The boss won’t fire the employee because he is an
excellent worker and accomplishes twice as much work as the other employees
do. Besides all that, the employee is the nephew of the owner of the company that
the boss and the employee both work for.
How can these two people make their lives more harmonious? If they learn to be,
“Watchful, like men crossing a winter stream.”, they then have a chance at some
personal peace and happiness. But as long as they consider their addictions to be
“jewels” in their personality, instead of flaws in their personality, then they will
continue their morning routine and very possibly give each other an ulcer.

What is the goal of discernment?

The goal of discernment is affectionate detachment. What is affectionate
detachment? Affectionate detachment is that state of consciousness in a person
where the person can love all but not be attached to all. By love we mean, of
course, the high spiritual love.

What is the goal of Affectionate Detachment?

The goal of affectionate detachment is Yoga, or union with the absolute. It is called
by different names in different philosophies and religions in different countries and
cultures. Buddhist thought calls it Nirvana, or the blowing out of desire. In
patanjali’s Yoga aphorisms it is called Samadhi. In Zen it is called Satouri. In
China it is called Chan. They all experientially mean the same thing; a raising of
our level of consciousness until it is at the same level as that of the Absolute. The
mystics call this Cosmic Consciousness, or as is more appropriate, consciousness
of the Cosmic. However it may be called, it means nothing to the person who has
not set a foot on the path to this state of consciousness.

PETAL #133
ALWAYS REMEMBER
Wednesday, 28 July 1999
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

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 #134

S i r F r a n c i s B a c o n ‘ s V i e w O f M a n

In this essay we will explore Sir Francis Bacon’s view of Man as disclosed in his
works The Instauratio Magna, (The Great Instauration), and the Novum Organum,
(The new Organon), published in England in the year 1620 A.D.. In this striving we
will look at the works of other Philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Roger
Bacon to assist us in gaining a clearer insight into Sir Francis Bacon’s view of
Man. For the purpose of clarity this essay will refer to Francis Bacon as Bacon,
and to Roger Bacon as Roger Bacon.
Bacon’s Warning
We will begin with Bacon’s solemn warning as a guide. We find this warning in
Aphorism LVIII in the Novum Organum as follows, (All aphorisms are from the
Novum Organum, the Instaruatio Magna has no aphorisms).
“And generally let every student of nature take this as a rule, that whatever his
mind seizes and dwells upon with peculiar satisfaction is to be held in suspicion,
and that so much the more care is to be taken in dealing with such questions to
keep the understanding even and clear.”
Three Aspects of Bacon’s View of Man
With this warning in mind then, we find three outstanding aspects in the works.
These are as follows:

1. Man as the victim of the Idols of The Mind
2. Man as the servant and interpreter of nature
3. Man as the potential commander of nature.
   We will now indicate where these aspects can be found in the works.
   The First Aspect and Its Source
   The first of these three aspects of Bacon’s view of man, (man as the victim of the
   Idols of the Mind), can be seen in Aphorisms XLIX and LXVIII as follows:
   XLIX “The human understanding is no dry light, but receives an infusion from the
   will and the affections; whence proceed sciences which may be called “Sciences
   as one would”. For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes.
   Therefore he rejects difficult things from impatience of research; sober things
   because they narrow hope, the deeper things of nature from superstition; the light
   of experience for arrogance and pride, lest his mind should seem to be occupied
   with things mean and transitory; Things not commonly believed, out of deference
   to the opinion of the vulgar. Numberless, in short, are the ways, and sometimes
   imperceptible, in which the affections colour and infect the understanding.”

LXVIII “So much concerning the several classes of Idols, and their equipage: all of
which must be renounced and put away with a fixed and solemn determination,
and the understanding thoroughly freed and cleansed; the entrance into the
kingdom of Man, founded on the sciences, being not much other than the
entrance into the kingdom of Heaven, wherein to none other except as a little
child.”
The Second Aspect and Its Source
The second aspect of the three aspects of Bacon’s view of Man, (Man as the
servant and interpreter of nature), can be seen in the first aphorism as follows:
“Man, being the servant and interpreter of Nature, can do and understand so
much only as he has observed in nature; beyond this he neither knows anything
nor can do anything.”
The Third Aspect and Its Source
The third aspect of the three aspects of Bacon’s view of Man can be seen on the
fourth aphorism as follows:
“Human knowledge and Human power meet in one, for where the cause is not
known the effect cannot be produced. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.”
The Idols Of The Mind
There are two kinds of Idols, (phantoms), that occupy the mind. These are the
adventitious Idols and the innate Idols. External doctrines and erroneous
demonstrations of laws are typical of the adventitious Idols. The Idols of the
Market Place and the Idols of the Theatre are the adventitious Idols, and are, as
mentioned, external in origin with respect to the mind. The innate Idols, as Bacon
stated, “are inherent in the very nature of the intellect, which is far more prone to
error than the sense is.”
When and Why the Mind cannot be Trusted
Bacon expresses his understanding of the nature of the innate Idols with the help
of a metaphor. He compares the mind to an uneven mirror that distorts the light
rays with respect to its shape and imperfections of the surface. When the mind
receives sense data it must not be trusted because it confuses the sense data
with the contents and nature of the mind itself and we thereby get inaccurate
information. The adventitious Idols, the Idols of The Market Place and Theatre are
difficult to erase, but the innate Idols, the Idols of The Tribe and Cave, according
to Bacon “Cannot be eradicated”. The best we can do is to recognize them for
what they are.
The Innate Idols

1. The Idols of The Tribe
   The Human understanding is inhibited by many things inherent in the Human
   being. Aphorism XLIV tells us that the Human understanding is influenced by the
   will and the affections. Later in this essay we will hear from Plato who will tell us
   why this is so. Bacon indicates the subtlety with which these affections that are
   sometimes difficult to see, effect and “infect the Human understanding.”
   In Aphorism L Bacon emphasizes that the greatest flaw of the understanding
   stems from the “incompetency” of the senses. The senses, in other words,

deceive us. We pay more attention to them than we do to the subtle things such
as intuition and calm contemplation.
Because the Idols of The Tribe are innate, we cannot eliminate them from our
life. Yet we are better off by being aware of them and knowing, as Bacon says in
the Instauration, that, “the intellect is not qualified to judge except by means of
induction, and induction in its legitimate form.” Fair warned is fair armed would
seem to be an appropriate comment here.

2. The Idols of The Cave
   In Aphorism LIV Bacon reminds us that we become attached to our interests such
   as a kind of science or a pet theory. He complains that we make a little discovery
   and proceed immediately to make the whole world revolve around it. Bacon points
   his finger at prominent examples in history. Gilbert, after his experiments with the
   lodestone tried to make the lodestone and his speculation about it central to a
   much larger scheme or system that he had conjured up. Aristotle according to
   Bacon made his “natural philosophy a mere bond servant to his logic, thereby
   rendering it contentious and well nigh useless.” This is simply a coloring of reality
   because of our pet preferences. Something so simple we are inclined to overlook
   it because it is imperceptible to those of us who are susceptible to it. Bacon is
   bringing up very subtle matters. It is, of course, seen by us in others but only the
   introspective have the opportunity to discover it in themselves. Out of the many
   who are introspective not all reach the depths of subtlety that is required to spot
   and observe these innate Idols of the Cave. Bacon tells us that one root of the
   Idols of the Cave is the “excessive tendency to compare or to distinguish.” He
   points out that the stronger minds have a tendency to distinguish between things,
   whereas the lesser mind has the tendency to compare things. Both, says Bacon
   are easily led to error by excess in their respective attachments.
   Bacon’s solemn warning, as we have looked at earlier, is based on the problems
   of The Idols of The Cave. The warning is well worth repeating here.
   “And generally let every student of nature take this as a rule, that whatever his
   mind seizes and dwells upon with peculiar satisfaction is to be held in suspicion,
   and that so much the more care is to be taken in dealing with such questions to
   keep the understanding even and clear.”
   This observation that, “What ever the mind seizes and dwells upon with peculiar
   satisfaction is to be held in suspicion”, is a message that is heard from the sages
   of the world. Gotamma Buddha’s Second Noble Truth tells us that the cause of
   Dukkha, (suffering), is excessive craving and desire. And we see that the object of
   desire is what the “mind seizes and dwells upon with peculiar satisfaction.” The
   “more care to be taken in dealing with such questions to keep the understanding
   even and clean”, is echoed in Buddha’s Fourth Noble Truth as the way to balance
   excessive craving and desire, which is, of course, the Eight Fold Noble Path.
   But it is not only in Buddhism that Bacon’s warning resonates. We see that
   Patanjali, India’s famous sage, wrote his aphorisms over two thousand years ago
   in Sanskrit. These aphorisms described the problem of attachment and the way to
   resolve that problem of attachment. Confucius worked on this problem in the sixth
   century B.C. and produced his famous Doctrine of the Mean two hundred and fifty
   years before Aristotle produced the same solution in his Nicomacean Ethics. This
   great Greek solution advocated the mean between the extremes of excess and
   deficiency as virtue. The Stoics, (Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius), also
   dealt with the problem of attachment which keeps us at the extremes, or in other
   words, from the balanced life.

In the twentieth century we see Martin Heideggar delineating this problem with
deep insight. His they-world which includes things such as idle-talk contrasts his
area of balance which he named authenticity. The they-world has a powerful
drawing force on the vast majority of Human beings. Few live, or strive to live, in
authenticity, or the mean between the two extremes of excess and deficiency. So
we see that Bacon’s warning is not alone in the history of sages.
The Adventitious Idols

1. The Idols of the Market Place
   Bacon tells us that the Idols of the Market Place give man the most trouble. The
   origin of The Idols that corrupt the understanding is, “the alliances of words and
   names”, as we see in Aphorism LIX. “For men believe that their reason governs
   words, but it is also true that words react on the understanding, and this it is that
   has rendered philosophy and the sciences sophisticated and inactive.” We see
   that words originated with the vulgar and therefore are entirely inadequate when
   men of learning get together and discern. The language does not hold up. This is
   a good reason philosophers had to make up their own language such as
   Heideggar did using combinations of words from the ordinary language such as
   the “they-world”, “fore-structure”, and “turning-away”. (even here you must learn
   Heideggarian before you can understand his philosophy). Some have gone as far
   as to give familiar terms and definitions different meanings, thus causing great
   confusion if one person uses the phrase with the newest coined meaning and is
   talking to some one who has not heard the new meaning. Such a phrase today is
   the Gestalt use of Euclid’s Geometric axiom, The whole is equal to the sum of its
   parts. Now we hear people talking about the whole being greater than the sum of
   its parts, meaning that the entity that is the assembled automobile is more than
   the unassembled one. Confusion? You bet there is. I have personally witnessed
   the confusion that this Gestalt use caused the person who heard the statement
   presented in the Gestalt manner and asked the speaker if he meant that the whole
   was equal to the sum of its parts. The speaker very knowingly said, “No, I mean
   the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” The listener having taken Geometry
   in school, thought that the speaker was making an error and didn’t trust the
   information in the rest of the lecture.
   So we see that even now, in our daily life, the Idols of The Market Place plague
   us in our striving towards clarity in communications. Bacon tells us that the Idols of
   The Market Place fall into two categories
2. Names of things which do not exist. (Fortune, Prime Mover, etc).
3. Names of things which exist, yet are confused and are ill defined hastily and
   irregularly derived from realities.
   To get rid of this class of Idols, as Bacon states in Aphorism LX, “It is only
   necessary that all theories should be steadily rejected and dismissed as obsolete.”
   Bacon here is indicating that we do not need theories of “What exists”. This, of
   course, can be done by his inductive method if properly carried out.
   This class of Idols makes man very susceptible to exploitation by Sophists, (men
   who use words and philosophy in a self serving manner. Profit is their motive,
   winning, and deception through words their method). Specious is the word that
   best describes the Sophist method. Specious means something that sounds right
   but isn’t. It has always been this way since man gained the degree of ability to use
   language. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle point this out to us from their experience
   over two thousand years ago.

The Idols Of The Theatre
Bacon categorizes the Idols of the Theatre into three areas: The Sophistical, The
Empirical, and The Superstitious. He tells us that Aristotle is the best example of
the sophistical kind. Aristotle, according to Bacon, corrupted the natural
philosophy with his logic. Out of a few experiments the empirical school makes
generalizations that are not true. They let their imagination run away with them
instead of finding out what really “exists”. Here he uses Gilbert again as an
example. It is basically the leaping to universals from inadequate and unsound
particulars that concerns Bacon. And, of course, these generalizations end up in
learned books and plays and the inaccurate information is passed from
generations to generations.
“But the corruption of philosophy by superstition and an admixture of theology is
far more widely spread, and does the greatest harm, whether to entire systems or
to parts. This kind misleads philosophy by flattery. For there is in man ambition of
the understanding, no less than of the will, especially in high and lofty spirits.” He
sites Pythagoras and Plato as examples of this kind, Pythagoras as the cruder
example and Plato as the more subtle example.
Man As The Victim Of The Idols Of The Mind
In Aphorism LXVIII Bacon tells us, “So much concerning the several classes of
Idols, and their equipage, all of which must be renounced and put away with a
fixed and solemn determination, and the undertaking thoroughly freed and
cleansed.” Here we can obviously understand Bacon to say that we must
overcome the Idols of the Mind. To free and cleanse the understanding is plainly to
say that as it is now, the Idols are master, we are a slave to them and unclean
because of it. In other words, our minds are contaminated with the Idols,
(civilization’s subtle disease), that exists not only in its people, but also in its
libraries and schools.
Roger Bacon’s Four 9Obstacles To Truth
Roger Bacon, (born in England in the 13th Century), in his work Opus Maius,
discloses to us what he calls the four chief obstacles in grasping truth. These
obstacles obstruct every man no matter his position in life. These four obstacles
are as follows:

1. Submission to faulty and unworthy authority
2. Influence of customs
3. Popular prejudice
4. Concealment of our own ignorance accompanied by an ostentatious display of
   our knowledge.
   Roger Bacon does not pull his punches when he describes man as, “blinded in a
   fog of these four errors.” He understood that man is not aware of his own
   ignorance. He also understood that we make every effort to defend our ignorance.
   He believes we cloak our ignorance so we won’t have to find a remedy for it. This
   is interesting because it points out a subtle play of the mind. If man sees a
   problem his basic nature is to attempt to solve the problem depending on his
   equipage and skill in doing so. But if we are presented with a problem like our own
   ignorance, most of us do not know how to solve a problem of this degree of
   subtlety, because, for one thing, we are seeing the problem from a state of

ignorance. Therefore we look for simplistic solutions that are bound to fail. So man
looks the other way and concentrates on the “pleasures of life” rather than
struggling to free himself from something he doesn’t recognize as imprisoning him.

Roger Bacon’s Four Obstacles
Compared To The Idols Of The Mind

Roger Bacon’s first obstacle, the submission to faulty and unworthy authority
seems to me to fall into the Idols of the Theatre, but not in a strict sense. It’s more
like the faulty and unworthy teaching, and this it is that falls into the Idols of the
Theatre.
The second obstacle, the influence of custom, is in a strict sense within the Idols
of The Theatre. That inaccurate information which is passed on through plays,
poetry, etc. But this information that gets into the plays could easily come from the
influence of custom. Like the ancients had a custom of thinking that the heavens
were divine so everything in them must be perfect , therefore a planetary orbit
must be a circle because the circle was thought a perfect figure.
This influence of custom also falls into the Idols of the Cave, where a person
takes in information from others around him as he develops. This information may
or may not be true thus causing confusion in the person’s life and holding him
back from seeing “What exists” as accurately as he can.
The Stoic View Of Man: Epictetus:
The Stoic view of man incorporated the concept of Apathea. This is an echo of the

Upanishads of India which labels the same process of detachment as non-
attachment. This view is seen in the following from The Enchiridion by Epictetus,

the famous Stoic.
Meditation number XLVIII: “He restrains desire: He transfers his aversion to those
things only which thwart the proper use of our own will; he employs his energies
moderately in all directions; if he appears stupid or ignorant. he does not care;
and, in a word, he keeps watch over himself as over an enemy and one in
ambush.”
The stoics emphasized the middle way or moderation as did the Buddha in the
sixth Century B.C.. In Stoicism we see many times over the call to restrain desire.
This too is the message of the Buddha, but also of the Upanishads in India, Plato
in The Timaeus, The Tao, Jainism and most religions which advocate not to go to
the extreme in our behavior. However, the Stoics are interesting because they
back this moderation up with much thought that has helped man in living the
practicalities of life, such as the following:
The Enchiridion: Epictetus: Meditation 2;
“Remember that desire demands the attainment of that of which you are
desirous, and aversion the avoidance of that to which you are averse; that he who
incurs the object of his aversion is wretched. If then, you shun only those things
undesirable which you can control, you will incur anything which you shun; but if
you shun sickness, or death, or poverty, you will run the risk of wretchedness.
Remove, (the habit of), aversion, then, from all things that are not within our
power, and apply it to things which are within our power. But for the present,
altogether restrain desire; for if you desire any of the things not within our own
power, you must necessarily be disappointed; and you are not yet secure of those
which are within our power, and so are legitimate objects of desire. Where it is
practically necessary for you to pursue or avoid anything, do even this with
discretion and gentleness and moderation.”

The Stoic View Of Man Compared With The Idols Of The Mind
The strongest point of comparison between the Stoics and The Idols is the area of

the Stoic moderation and The Idols of The Tribe. Indeed, the Apathea, (or non-
attachment), exists because of The Idols of The Tribe. If man were not hindered

by the affections then he wouldn’t need Apathea in the first place. The affections
throw the understanding out of accuracy thereby causing much misunderstanding.
The Stoics say restrain these affections by use of Apathea. When this restraint or
moderation is accomplished then the understanding will be capable of some
degree of accuracy simply because the calm man has an opportunity to engage
his reason more efficiently. The man whose mind is distracted by his countless
desires has no chance of being a thinker when outside circumstances force him
into a situation when he must think clearly, whereby he will be forced to quiet
some of those desires with discipline so he can obtain his objective.
When this is accomplished, of course, the man still must face the other three Idols
of the Mind. But now that he has gained a good amount of direction over his
emotional life he will be able to meet the Idols of the Cave, Market Place, and
Theatre, upon much firmer ground.
So we see that Stoics have a process called Apathea, (non-attachment), which
will allow them to, at least, have the opportunity to engage The Idols and be
victorious to the degree that they have mastered the art of Apathea.
Plato’s View Of Man
(as seen in The Timaeus and Republic)
In Cornford 69c,d, of The Timaeus, we find Plato telling us that Demigods made
man according to the plan of the Father. They included seven things in the Human
body that man would have to master in order to regain his first estate. These are
the following:

1. Dread and necessary affections.
2. Pleasure, the strongest lure of evil.
3. Pains that take flight from good
4. Temerity and Fear, (a pair of unwise counselors).
5. Passion hard to entreat.
6. Hope, too easily led astray.
7. Irrational sense and desire, (that shrinks from no venture).
   In 70A we see that a part of the soul described as “of a manly spirit” is located in
   the chest area. This Plato describes is so that it will be able to listen to reason and
   restrain the desires when they do not obey reason.
   70B describes a process that allows other parts of the body to make the heart
   the leader among them all.
   70D describes how the belly is depicted as the untamed beast tethered and as
   far away as possible from “the seat of council”.
   So we can see that Plato, in The Timaeus, has indicated that man was
   constructed according to a plan. To the best of my understanding, Plato’s view of
   man is one of a test or trial that if man keep from being distracted, (by the use of
   Apathea?), by the circuits that are built in to him he will be able to maintain a

balance and contact the Divine within him, (the heart). So I see Plato’s view of
man as a Cosmic game. This Cosmic game is best depicted by the allegory of The
Cave, where man does not win the game by freeing himself from the world of
images, form, and ideas, and entering the light only, but must return to serve
Mankind, knowing all too well that they will have a strong tendency to kill him
because of his enlightened views of life. Yet this enlightened service is his
passport to immortality
Plato’s View Of Man Compared With The Idols Of The Mind
Like the Stoics, Plato’s view of man falls into the category of the Idols of The
Tribe most readily of all the Idols. But, of course, Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
were all trying to clear up the last three Idols, which are based in ignorance, both
in themselves and in the people of Greece by strong efforts at education based on
reason.
But the Idols of The Tribe most readily accommodate the seven things which the
demi gods “built-in” to man according to the plan of the Father. The affections tells
the story. Yet Plato tells us that they are necessary and according to plan. In effect
Plato, the Stoics, and Sir Francis Bacon are telling us that our affections are
wolves in sheep’s clothing and do not have our best interest at heart. The great
majority of all men are, in all practicality, asleep to this fact. Yet philosophers and
theologians have ever shouted this message. The multitude, acting on the very
thing these men warned against, answered many of these warnings with actions
of death, (Christ, Socrates, Giardano Bruno), and discredit, (Sir Francis Bacon).
Man As The Servant And Interpreter Of Nature
We deal now with the second aspect of Bacon’s view of man, namely: Man as
the servant and interpreter of nature. Since this view involves Bacon’s
formalization of inductive logic, we shall first look at the existing logic, the logic of
Aristotle, and see what Bacon thought of it and why.
Aristotelian Logic
The logic of Aristotle is the deductive logic. It involves the use of the syllogism.
The syllogism contains two premises and a conclusion drawn from those
premises. Bacon complained that the deductive logic did not produce any new
knowledge. This is evident when we realize that the conclusion is drawn from
known premises. The syllogism is more a form to clarify arguments than to
produce new knowledge. We certainly cannot demand a form designed for one
purpose to suit another, although it may happen that way by chance.
The Logic Of Sir Francis Bacon
Inductive logic is a slow meticulous ascent from particulars to generalizations with
generous stops along the way for breathers so that the investigators can maintain
a clear perspective of their process. In Aphorism CIV Bacon explains his inductive
method of logic. “But then, and then only, may we hope well of the sciences, when
in a just scale of ascent and by successive steps not interpreted or broken, we rise
from particulars to lesser axioms, and then to middle axioms, one above the other,
and last of all to the most general. For the lowest axioms differ slightly from bare
experience, while the highest and most general, (which we now have), are
notional and abstract and without solidity. But the middle ar true and solid and
living axioms, on which depend the affairs and fortunes of men; and above them
again, last of all, those which are indeed the most general, such I mean as are not
abstract, but of which those intermediate axioms are really limitations.

The understanding must not therefore be supplied with wings, but rather hung
with weights to keep it from leaping and flying. Now this has never yet been done;
when it is done, we may entertain hopes of the sciences.”
Logic And The Interpretation Of Nature
It is most obvious that Bacon has embraced mankind. Throughout the work he
includes hints and phrases, many of which we have seen here, that aim at
elevating mankind. His inductive method has vast promise of inventions that will
assist in the civilization of mankind to higher degrees than man had thought
possible. We keep in mind here that Bacon warned that the Idols of the Mind must
be cleared up first, then civilization as we know it can be modified into a
community of enlightened people reaping the benefits of nature to the degree that
they can interpret her. Man cannot advance beyond his observations in nature. By
clearing up as many of the Idols of the Mind that he can, man will refine his
powers of observation as the person who, after emerging from an emotional state,
has clearer understanding than he did when immersed in the emotion. Emotion, of
course, has its place when properly directed, but for the most of us it is not
properly directed and is the cause of many, if not all, of the leaps that men make in
their thinking, of which they usually regret with the passing of time.
We are about to discuss how man is the servant of nature. This subject is so
intricately bound up with the third aspect of Bacon’s view of man that we will look
at this “servant aspect” in conjunction with the third aspect; Man as the potential
commander of nature.
Man As The Potential Commander Of Nature
Many of us seem to have difficulty in understanding Bacon’s mysterious third
aspect of his view of man. Let’ take a close look at this third aspect and try to
dispel the mystery forever from our minds. Here it would be quite helpful to keep in
mind Bacon’s warning about the Idols of the Market Place, that, “Words
wonderfully obstruct the human understanding.”
With this in mind then we will first look at the third aspect in its entirety, then
break it down into smaller morsels for the benefit of everyone’s understanding.
This third aspect appears in the fourth Aphorism as follows:
“Human knowledge and Human power meet in one, for where the cause is not
known the effect cannot be produced. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.”
Knowledge Is Power
The first phrase, Human knowledge and Human power meet in one”, is a phrase
that Bacon, in his letters to Thomas Hobbes, reduces to “Knowledge is power”.
Why do Human knowledge and Human power meet in one? If a man in ancient
Greece under the democracy had a knowledge of rhetoric, as taught by the
sophists, he had a strong possibility of getting elected and gaining political power.
This is not to say that the sophists were right in what they taught. It is merely to
illustrate that if a man has knowledge it is a strong possibility that power will be
associated with it. Now, of course, everyone cannot be elected so we see that the
man with the most knowledge of rhetoric would probably get elected, (karma
permitting).
If a man had the knowledge of the making, distribution, and maintenance of
electricity, he has the strong possibility of manifesting that knowledge. A more
subtle description of “Human knowledge and Human power meeting in one”,
would be that of a man who had a thorough knowledge of Human history. This
puts him in a position to be very much in touch with how things are going in
current trends. This would, as the old cliche says, prevent him from being

condemned to repeat history. A man who knows the laments of the stock market
crash in 1929 could preserve his fortune, (Karma permitting). A man who knows
the elements of pulling out of the depression of the 1930’s, could make or increase
his fortune, (again, karma permitting).
Cause And Effect
We now move to the second part of the third aspect of Bacon’s view of man,
namely: “For where the cause is not known the effect cannot be produced.” This is
a little easier for us moderns, living in the push button era, to understand. To
watch television it must be first turned on. In order to enjoy the television program
we must know what causes it to manifest. For our simple analogy the on off button
causes the television program to manifest. If we did not know about the on off
button we would not, (if no one else were around and the television were in the off
position), understand how to watch the television program.
Another example is one of orbital flight. If we did not know about the affects of
gravity on an object, we would not understand how to put an object into orbit. But
since we do know the cause of why the object is held to earth, we can produce the
desired effect of putting into orbit the object by making another cause, namely the
thrust we can develop in a rocket motor, to overcome the main inhibitory cause of
gravity. So we see that if we did not understand gravity, or the cause of the object
being held to earth, we would never know how to produce the effects of orbital
flight.
Another example that knowledge is power is one that began the scientific
revolution and is authored by Bacon himself. At that time men of science did not
record the steps, and actions taken in their experiments. So if someone tried to
reproduce an experiment it was an exercise in futility. Bacon persuaded men of
science to record their steps and activities in experiments so that experiments
could be reproduced. This is the perfect example of knowledge is power, because
knowledge of the experiment based on the record of it made it reproducible at will
by anyone who had access to the record or that experiment.
Man The Servant Of Nature
In the third and last part of Bacon’s view of man: “Nature to be commanded must
be obeyed” we see what might be considered a mysterious phrase. Yet the
previous explanations have already assisted our understanding of the third part. In
order to put that object into orbit, we had to know the laws of nature. We had to
know the laws of force. We could not obtain orbital flight if we did not follow the
natural law of force in order to overcome the natural law of gravity. We must obey,
or follow, the natural laws in order to achieve the effect we plan to achieve. When
we achieve the effect which we plan to achieve, we have commanded nature by
having a knowledge of the natural laws of nature and putting them into use
precisely according to the particular law we are utilizing. If we did not know the
natural law we would be helpless to achieve, at will, the effects governed by that
law. So we see that we must obey nature in order to command her. This is why
Bacon has the seeming paradox that man is the servant of nature yet can
command nature.
Conclusion
Bacon, from his writings and experience, seems to be an example of a man who
has cleaned up much of the problems presented by the Idols of the Mind. Because
of this cleaning up of the mind, Bacon was to mankind the guide that he described
himself as in the Novum Organum. Bacon saw man as shackled and imprisoned
by ignorance. Ignorance of the Idols of The Tribe; ignorance of the Idols of the

Cave; ignorance of the idols of The Market Place; ignorance of the Idols of the
Theatre. This ignorance prevented man from observing accurately the natural
laws of the universe. Because of this ignorance man was using a tool to detect
these natural laws that was entirely inadequate and not designed to detect the
natural laws of the universe, although Aristotle may have thought otherwise.
Man needed a new tool and Bacon obliged him by formalizing the inductive
method of logic. Did Bacon act egoistically and toss out Aristotle’s tool altogether?
No. Bacon used Aristotle’s tool of deductive logic where it should be applied, after
the inductive process has made its discoveries. This allowed the deductive
process to be applied where it could do the greatest good. Bacon wasn’t a man to
throw away a tool that can help mankind.
Bacon was truly a servant of nature. He understood and operated on cause and
effect, giving new birth to the scientific method. From that time on science
recorded the causes and effects of its experiments, producing the effects at will
because it knew the causes. This made man the commander of nature to the
degree that he knew the causes and effects of certain natural laws.
Man, in his overconfidence that he had cleared up the Idols of the Mind, forged
ahead with his new scientific method and discovered many causes and effects of
natural laws. Although it is a possibility that some investigators had cleaned up
much of the Idols of the Mind, the discoveries made by them fell intro the hands of
those who didn’t clean up.
Man, with the Idols in full force, used the discoveries to enhance the negative
effects of the Idols. The serious destruction on a large scale that followed is a
direct result of ignorance. The ignorance that Plato tells us is inherent with the
seven “built-ins” in the mortal part of the soul, such as, “pleasure, the greatest lure
of evil, and irrational sense and desire”. This is the ignorance that the ancient
Rishis in India developed “non-attachment” to combat. This is the ignorance that
the Stoics used “Apathea” to combat. This is the ignorance that Roger Bacon said
we used showy displays of our knowledge to cover up. This is the ignorance that
Bacon describes as the Idols of the Mind.
The wisdom of Bacon is not dead, its echoes in science and psychology will long
continue to guide man out of ignorance. But it must be emphasized here that
Bacon’s plan was to bring hope through the clearing out of ignorance. The degree
of success of this plan for hope may be witnessed in the Western man’s
teleological view of life as compared to the cyclical view of life of the Eastern Man.
(This does not include the Yogic view, which includes the reincarnation along with
the teleological purpose for this reincarnation). This is not to say that one is better
than another. It is to say that the teleological view has inherent in it hope for better
times to come and this is what the clearing up of ignorance does for man. It lets
him know there’s more to discover as he cleans up the Idols. This in itself may be
the carrot that induces man to wake from his sleep of ignorance. It’s what Bacon
thought man needed at his time due to the stupor the church hung over England.
So we see that Bacon’s view of man had three parts: Man as the victim of the
Mind; Man as the servant and interpreter of nature; and Man as the potential
commander of nature. There views are brought out in his works The Magna
Instauratio and The Novum Organum. We also see that Bacon gave us a tool to
devictimize ourselves from the ignorance of the Idols of the mind. This tool is
Bacon’s warning in Aphorism LVIII in which he admonishes us to be suspicious of
our attachments so they will not get in the way of our understanding. For the man
who seeks to improve his mind and be of service to all this tool has obvious good
points. But if we are to read with any amount of insight we can see that a man
could improve his mind for self-serving purposes as well. In the long run and the
short, whether it be a stone or an electron, our moral nature will determine its use.
Thank you.

PETAL # 135
THE LITTLE ALIEN (Poem)
1999, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
Where she comes from deep space is fun.
A star is someone elseÕs sun.
SolÕs wished upon by youthful hope
with sleepy yawn and telescope.
Her heart makes plea when time for bed
on bended knee in infrared.
ÒSend love to all who watch our light
and hear our call for peace tonight.Ó

PETAL #136
D i v i n e L o v e

( S o m e P r a c t i c a l P r o b l e m s )

For some of us that have been introduced to the religious and philosophical
systems of love, the feeling that somebody took the fun out of love many times
grips us and leaves us with the disconcerting thought that the baby was thrown
out with the bath water. Not all of us, however, feel that way.
The fact that not all of us feel that same way about how to approach love
indicates that there may be a high way of love with many different on-ramps
leading to it. To look at it another way, we might say that there is a gradient of love.
This gradient covers all love, from the one point of incipient love in a person to the
highest love possible in this universe. In this latter description we would each
appear on the gradient as a point relative to the kind of love manifest in our minds
and actions. To a person high on the gradient, love may be manifesting more in a
manner that we call universal love of all mankind, or Divine Love. The other end of
the gradient may be a manifestation of physical love only. Other points on the
gradient may be marital love, parental love, sibling love, and towards the higher
end of the gradient, a love for The Source of All Beauty and All Life.
Many times, (and this is common), people on one small area of the gradient get
confused about the relationship of their group with respect to the whole gradient of
love, that makes up the totality of love in the universe. When a group does get
confused, they fall into the trap of “territorialism” and declare that their group is the
only true love group and that no one that belongs to a different love group knows
the true way to love. Those people in other love groups will never make it to that
great love valley in the sky. This, of course, leads to arguments between groups
on the gradient. These arguments lead to hostility. This hostility, because it
emphasizes the qualities of anger, hate, greed, envy, etc., will lower the status, or
position of the love groups involved), on the gradient. In other words, the quality of
our love will be diminished by our confused thinking. Let me repeat that.

The quality of our love will be diminished
by our confused thinking.

In Plato’s Dialogue, The Symposium, we find that Socrates’ teacher, Diotima,
instructs Socrates on The Philosophy of Love, in which she describes the gradient
of love. This gradient is the story of the evolution of love in a person. In other
words, the story follows one person as that person evolves on the gradient of love.
After we learn the process of the gradient of love for an individual, we can easily
see that not all individuals are at the same point on the gradient of love at the
same time. When we put all individuals on the gradient at the same time we get a
gradient of love, from the lowest order of love to the highest order of love, which is
the Spiritual Divine Love of all mankind, (universal love). Here we note that the

highest point on the gradient is not the highest order of love in mankind, since
Diotima instructs Socrates that,
“We are only at the bottom of the true scale of perfection.”
The following is the evolutionary gradient of the philosophy of love as expounded
by Socrates in the Dialogue: The Symposium, written by Plato, student of
Socrates.
“Well then, Diotima began, the candidate for this initiation cannot, if his efforts are
to be rewarded, begin too early to devote himself too the beauties of the body.

1. First of all, if his preceptor instructs him as he should, he will fall in love with the
   beauty of one individual body, so that his passion may give life to noble discourse.
2. Next he must consider how nearly the beauty of any one body is to the beauty
   of any other, when he will see that if he is to devote himself to loveliness of form it
   will be absurd to deny that the beauty of each and every body is the same.
3. Having reached this pint, he must set himself to be the lover of every lovely
   body, and bring his passion for the one into due proportion by deeming it of little or
   of no importance.
4. Next he must grasp that the beauties of the body are as nothing compared to
   the beauties of the Soul so that where ever he meets with spiritual loveliness,
   even in the husk of an unlovely body, he will find it beautiful enough to fall in love
   with and to cherish – and beautiful enough to quicken in his heart a longing for
   such discourse as tends towards the building of a noble nature.
5. And from this he will be led to contemplate the beauty of laws and institutions.
   And when he discovers how nearly every kind of beauty is a kin to every other
   kind he will conclude that the beauty of the body is not after all, of so great a
   moment.
6. And next, his attention should be diverted from institutions to the sciences so
   that he may know the beauty of every kind of knowledge. And thus by scanning
   beauties wide horizon, he will be saved from a slavish and illiberal devotion to the
   individual loveliness of a single body, or a single institution.
7. And turning his eyes toward the open sea of beauty, he will find in such
   contemplation the seed of the most fruitful and loftiest thought, and reap a golden
   harvest of philosophy, until confirmed and strengthened, he will come upon one
   single form of knowledge, the knowledge of the beauty I am to speak of.
8. And here, she said, you must follow me as closely as you can. Whoever has
   been initiated so far in the mysteries of love and has viewed all these aspects of
   the beautiful in due succession, is at last drawing near the final revolution. And
   now, Socrates, there bursts upon him, that wondrous vision which is the very soul
   of beauty he has so long toiled for. It is an everlasting loveliness which neither
   comes nor goes, which neither flowers nor fades, for beauty is the same on every
   hand, the same then as now, here as there, this way as that way, the same to
   every worshipper as it is to every other.
   Nor will his vision of the beautiful take form of a face, or of hands, or of anything
   that is of the flesh. It will be neither words, nor knowledge, nor a something that
   exists in something else, such as a creature, or the Earth or the heavens, or
   anything that is – but subsisting of itself and by itself in an eternal oneness, while
   every thing partakes of it in such sort that, however much the parts may wane, it
   will be neither more nor less, but still the same inviolable whole.
   And so when his prescribed devotion to bodily beauties has carried our candidate
   so far that the universal beauty dawns upon his inward sight, he is almost within

reach of the final revelation and this is the way, the only way, he must approach, or
be led toward the sanctuary of love.”.
Before the aglompsis, or glimpse, before he reaches that sanctuary of love, before
he learns the value of intuition and true dreaming, man is limited to reasoning on
the information that the five senses present to him. What he has produced with
this means of dealing with the world has been, and is primarily a matter of record.
This record is basically a play by play description of man’s agreements and
disagreements on ideas. These ideas, as put into play on the earth stage, have
polarizing effects on the minds that create them and also on the minds that take
them in. Some examples of such polarizations are war and peace, and life and
death. The polarizations of the mind are backed up by the emotions associated
with the particular polarity that is being evoked at that time. The actions that
precipitate from these emotions are the record of man, and it is a bloody record
due to the imbalance of these polarities.
Here we are reminded of the famous Idols Of The Mind delineated by Sir Francis
Bacon. The Idols of The Market Place, (one section of the work), illustrate the
problems that words produce for man. Bacon states that, “Words wonderfully
obstruct the human understanding.”. The relationship of The Idols of The Market
Place to the polarizations of the mind is seen through ideas that are made up of
words. The Idols of The Tribe, (another section of the work), illustrate the
problems that man’s affections, (emotions), contribute to his life. The point is being
made here that The Idols of The Tribe, (emotions), are quite often invoked by The
Idols of The Market Place, or words which make up the ideas associated with the
polarities of the mind. It is a fact of rare experience that there is one thing that man
can think, emote, and do, that tends not to lead to polarizations of the mind to the
degree that ideas do. This fact of rare experience is Divine Love. Divine Love,
addresses itself to the Soul personality inhabiting the body and not the body itself.
The radiation of Divine Love, consciously or unconsciously, by those capable of it,
has the effect of removing inharmonies between people. There are some people
who will react strongly against Divine Love because there is no Divine Love in that
person’s present aspect of consciousness that he, or she, is presenting to the
world at that time. But with persistent effort that little seed of Divine Love will
flower in all persons in due season.
When radiating Divine Love, at first we see the effects of Divine Love in ready
friendliness of those who have inculcated love into their life. We also get the
reactions from those who are being initiated into love for the first time in their
present state of consciousness. These latter ones will give us plenty of chances to
practice affectionate detachment; that is, to love all, but not be attached to all. And
we must remember when we do get a strong reaction against Divine Love, that at
one time we were in that position also and the ones radiating Divine Love to us
were patient and practiced affectionate detachment with us.
We will gradually see walls and barriers go down in those who have been
receiving the Divine Love but have been slow in responding because of
polarizations in their present personalities. For instance, if a man is the one
radiating Divine Love, and the person receiving this Divine Love is a man and the
rugged individual, out – of – doors type, then our rugged individual may have some
reservations and confusion about the man sending Divine Love. This reservation
may occur at first even though the rugged individual may not believe in God, The
Cosmic, or Soul. It may occur even though he doesn’t believe it possible to radiate
Divine Love. He is, of course, picking it up on a higher level than his present
consciousness which tells him its unmanly to receive love from another man. But
once he intuitively understands that the spiritual love is not of the body, then he
will be at ease and the barriers to friendliness will go down. This also applies to

women sending love to women, men sending love to women, and women sending
love to men. As soon as the outer consciousness understands that there is no
threat to their personal moral and ethical code, then the barriers will drop and true
friendship can begin. This friendship, the true friendship, will hold up under
stresses of polarizations, which will become less and less intense as Divine Love
is exchanged.
In short, spiritual love, in most cases, tends to lead to unity, whereas ideas tend
to separate people.
Now by ideas tending to separate rather than unite, it is meant not that an idea
that leads to an invention such as lighting will separate people, although
inventions have lead to bloodshed as in gun powder and atomic energy. What is
meant by an idea is more like “The Mind – Body” problem we find in philosophy
that lives in each one of us. One side of the mind – body problem states that
everything that exists in the universe is material. There is no Heaven, no God, no
Soul, (and if there is, the materialist claims that they too are material). This tends
to be the type of person who would seriously believe that he goes six foot under
when he dies and no where else. In other words the materialist believes that there
is no life after death, although he cannot prove that there is no life after death.
This is generally true and not true in every case, because some people are not
totally a materialist, in other words, they have conflicting ideas in them concerning
materialism and other approaches in life. The other side of the mind – body
problem basically states that everything is mental. There is nothing that exists
which is physical. The person who thought this way would have a tendency to
believe in God, Soul and an afterlife. Such philosophers as these were Spinoza
and Berkeley, according to traditional philosophy as taught in universities.
Many philosophers tried to demonstrate by argument, (words and ideas again),
that there is an interconnection between the material and the immaterial, or the
mental and the physical. The mystic is known for advocating the middle path,
middle way, or moderation in all things. It is no different with the mystic’s approach
to the mind-body problem, although the real mystic will not be expounding solely
on some idea that popped into his head, but from experience blended with intuitive
understanding and tempered with meditation. The true mystic knows that a
connection exists between the mental and the physical. It is vibrations. Specifically
it is the silver cord. Now here we have an idea, or rather one idea and its
antithesis, namely that all things are physical and all things are mental. This idea
has caused much confused thought backed up by strong emotions between
people.
One modern mystic, Dr. H. Spenser Lewis, has gone as far as to say that, “You
can’t talk to the materialist.”. This means that a mystic or also a non-materialist
would find it extremely difficult to communicate with the materialist. This statement
came from years of experience of a mystic trying to talk with materialists. Now, the
mystic recognizes the physical and the mental as two ends of the same stick. In
other words, the mystic sees life as a continuity. One might hear the statement,
“You can’t talk to the materialist.”, and say well here is proof that Divine Love
doesn’t work. We must understand that the process of radiating and receiving
Divine Love is a subtle and silent one. Divine Love is not radiated in words,
although words may accompany Divine Love. The words themselves are not
Divine Love and may hinder the reception of the love. Words express ideas which
tend to separate, (although not in every case).

PETAL # 137
HIDING MOON (Poem)
1999, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

Into space we cast our darkness —
far enough at least
to reach the moon,
wide enough to cover it.
Yet we forget
it is always there.
Yes,
eclipses jog our memory,
(although not for long).
From our shadow, the hiding moon
will soon escape,
to light our way at night,
and sometimes, with the sun, conspire
to darken our day.
But at times like now,
(in the in-between of momentary concealment),
when thought reaches afar,
we sense a pause for insight,
and feel, in the first instant of re-visibility,
hearts beating in joyful sympathy,
with all part time reflectors of light,
cheering them on, in their desire,
to become a star.

PETAL #138

THE GREAT MAGNET OF THE HEART

“To behold with the eyes of the heart to listen with the ears of the heart too the
roar of the world; to peer into the future with the comprehension of the heart; to
remember the cumulations of the past through the heart; thus must one
impetuously advance upon the path of ascent. Creativeness encompasses the
fiery potential, and is impregnated with the sacred fire of the heart. Therefore,
upon the path to the Hierarchy, upon the path of great service, upon the path of
communion, synthesis is the one luminous path of the heart. How can the
manifested rays be radiated if the flame is not affirmed in the heart? It is precisely
the quality of the magnet that is inherent in the heart. The highest creativeness is
imbued with this great law. Hence, each consummation, each union, each great
Cosmic unification is achieved through the flame of the heart. By what means can
the foundation of the great steps be laid? Verily, only through the heart. Thus arcs
of consciousness are fused by the flame of the heart. Thus, we shall keep in
memory the beauteous attraction of the magnet of the heart. Which links all
manifestations. Verily, the silver thread that links the Teacher with the disciple is
the great magnet of the heart. The union between Teacher and disciple affirms the
essence of all evolutions.”
Thus, my brothers and sisters of The Path of Beauty, (which is The Path of The
Heart), speaks the very first numbered paragraph of the Agni Yoga Book called
Heart. My brothers and sisters, we are told here that, “The silver thread which
links the Teacher with the disciple is the great magnet of the heart” Is this silver
thread referred to here the same as the silver cord written about in spiritual
literature? Let us look further in the Agni Yoga Heart Book (#250).
“Enough is known about the thread that connects the physical body with the subtle
one during the projection of the latter. So also the silver thread with Hierarchy
must be felt. One should not imagine it as something abstract, it exists just like a
waterspout in which heaven and earth merge. The very formation of the silver
thread is similar to a waterspout because of its spiral form. When the energy of the
heart swells with love and devotion the radiant spiral will leap out into space and
naturally, by the law of attraction, will meet the Teacher’s ray. One must accustom
oneself to see and sense this light carrying link as a red-hot spiral amidst the whirl
of space. Many have never seen waterspouts; hence what has been said will
seem to them like empty sound. But let them begin to ponder, starting with the
coarsest apparent manifestations and then imagining Infinity, where everything is
possible, where no rational trend of thought exhausts all Beness.”
So we see, my brothers and sisters, that the silver thread between the Teacher
and the disciple is not the same as the silver cord we hear so much about, for this
silver thread, our link with our Teacher in The Hierarchy of Light, manifests when,

“The energy of the heart swells with love and devotion then the radiant spiral will
leap out into space and naturally, by the law of attraction, will meet the Teacher’s
ray.” We know about the law of cause and effect and how we must use our good
will to create good things, now we see a logical extension of that law into the
realm of the student-teacher relationship. In fact, my brothers and sisters, it begins
with us the student on The Path of Beauty. For our heart energy to swell with love
and devotion first we must make room among the countless contents of our
consciousness for the idea of the Teacher. We have much help here. For better or
for worse, our parents were our first, closest and for the early years, our constant
teachers. We were later allowed to learn from another teacher in Kindergarten.
Then we were introduced to other teachers as we progressed in years. Other than
formal education, we had many teachers in the community. Some of us were in
scouting programs and experienced den mothers and scoutmasters. Some of us
had music and art teachers to enhance our manifesting abilities. Some of us had
sport teachers which we called coaches. Some of us had favorite authors and
avidly read every word of every book that this author produced. Most of us have
friends, which we consider a step above our other relationships, and to whom we
often ask advice — be it direct or indirect. Just about everyone has had a person to
whom they were assigned in the work world for on the job training. In short, the
Cosmos has not neglected to provide us with teachers in life.

The Search Begins
As we grow in awareness and interests we pass from teacher to teacher in life.
Thus we arrive at a level of awareness where we desire to learn the mysteries of
life itself. Thus our personal search for a Teacher begins. We are guided to a
physical teacher or group which is, as we like to call it, “an on-ramp on to the very
high way”. With this physical teacher, or group, we establish ourselves in the
kindergarten of the Cosmic university. Our progress is related to the intensity of
our striving to achieve the essence of that which our physical teacher has to offer
us. This striving toward the Infinite does not go unnoticed by the visible, as well as
the invisible. Eventually, we grasp, with great love and devotion, the concept of
Infinity and the thread of Beauty through it called The Hierarchy of Light, which
leads directly to The Source of All Beauty and of All Life. We gradually understand
that this Hierarchy of Light consists of Teachers — students on The Path who have
evolved to the state of Being where they are ever striving to maximize their service
to The Highest in The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity, and Universal Culture.
Once we grasp this understanding, our gratitude, love and devotion begin to build
up in the energy of our hearts until one very blessed day, “The energy of our
hearts swell with love and devotion, and the radiant spiral leaps out into space and
naturally, by the law of attraction, will meet the Teacher’s ray.” Thus the silver
thread between the Teacher and the student is created. Since the Teacher in The
Hierarchy of Light is also linked to his, or her, Teacher in the Hierarchy of Light,
the student, by making the link with the Teacher, indirectly makes a link with all of
The Hierarchy of Light — right up to The Highest of Hearts. Only the solemnity of
love can accomplish all this. Can our silver thread be used by us more effectively
for the Common Good? The answer is absolutely yes, yes, yes. Looking closer,
we find in The Agni Yoga Heart Book (#260) that,

“The silver thread is tautened, [or tightened], by the power of striving.”

It cannot break. We cannot strive too much for a closer link with our Teacher of
Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light. We are advised, (Heart #254) to,
“let the heart become accustomed to conversing with the Teacher. Like the ancient
wise ones, let the heart know the communion with the Lord. In order that nothing
small may intrude during the heart’s talk with The Highest, one must guard as a
treasure this converse with the teacher.”

We are further advised, (Heart #252) that,
“… the heart will not forget about the silver thread which is like a ladder to Infinity.”

(Heart #9) advises us that,
“… the heart demands constant nourishment. Otherwise, deprived of the highest
link, it decays.”
In Heart (212) we read that,
“Only when the silver thread shall be drawn from the heart to the higher world will
the understanding of patience come. … the trial by patience is one of the highest
tests.”

In Heart (#270) we read that,
“One should not worry over the growth of good. Where there is a seed of Light,
there are flowers and fruit. But the thread of the heart must be held as the sole
anchor.”
And now my brothers and sisters let us close with this quote from the teachings of
the Agni Yoga Heart Book (#346),

“Thus hold firmly, beyond the heart’s thread there is nothing.”

PETAL #139
BOW TALK
1999, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
The board of directors paid this detective
to see if rainbows were still cost effective.
A bushel of storm mist was cheeper I found
than a barrel of spectrum sold by the pound.
The light from the sun was still free as a bird,
but angles now sold by degree was the word.
Ninety degrees was the measure they needed.
(This was crazy my common sense pleaded).
So I told the board that I was afraid
that rainbows for profit could not be made.
They yelled. Costs are down and labor is cheap,
surely that is a signal of billions to reap!
I just stood there in silence and thought with a smile,
Should I tell them the news I knew all the while?
A bow is special — light, angle and mist,
yet so easy to make with just one twist.
A garden hose spray, with sun at your back,
will open that door (to color) a crack.
But rainbows are more than just their ingredients.
Their hope and joy transcends all expedients.
Each sad heart responds to those special hues,
for this secret medicine cures all the blues.
Only after the storm does the arch appear,
when the violence is spent and earth sheds its tear.
There all is washed in rain to smell so clean,
in the calm pastel beauty of the feeling serene.

PETAL #140

D o e s L o v e H a v e To H u r t ?

Helen of Troy, it is said, was so beautiful that her’s was the face that launched a
thousand ships which besieged the ancient city of Troy for ten years. This led to
the death of its occupants and the destruction of Troy through a Greek gift to the
Trojans of a great wooden horse with a belly full of Greek soldiers.
Does love have to hurt? A psychologist once spoke about the cactus flower. It is
so beautiful, yet when you reach for it you get your fingers pricked by its spines.
Have you ever read a love story that didn’t have pain in it? Are they not shot
through with jealousy, infidelity, misunderstandings, (of every variety), self
servingness and the profound suffering that comes from the possibility or the
actual loss of the object of the lover’s affection through separation or death?
Sometimes these stories are pure figments of an irresponsible author’s
imagination, but much of the time they are echoes, strong echoes, of real life. We
find the least pain when the characters exhibit an unselfish love, a love that
doesn’t feel it must own and control or limit the object of its affection, a love we do
not read much about because it does not have “The Stuff” that best sellers are
made of.
The most pain comes from that me-first-ness which subtly lives in each one of
us, which we mistakenly associate with survival. It is that me-first-ness which we
hear in private conversations about limited supplies of goods. How many of us
have either heard others say, or heard ourselves thinking, that if there was only
one piece of food left on the planet and there were two people, then one person
would kill the other for that food because it was a matter of survival. This is
otherwise heard and known as, “Ya gotta take care of number one”. Of course, if it
really was the last piece of food on earth, then it wouldn’t do him any good to have
it because he wouldn’t last much longer than the other person, which he killed. Yet
some would attempt to justify by saying that there is always the possibility of
finding another piece of food after he killed the other person.
This shows us the extent of the games the undisciplined mind can play. He would
kill another human being because he thought there was only one piece of food left
on the planet and only two people alive. Now we hear that his justification for
killing to stay alive that much longer is because he might find another piece of
food. This specious reasoning, (something that sounds right but isn’t), went from
he had to kill because there was only one piece of food left, to he had to kill
because there may be the chance that there could be more food. It is obviously a
contradiction. It seems that it never dawned on him that if there was the possibility
of more food, then the chance of two people finding it was better than one person
finding it. The reasoning also does not consider the psychological and sociological
problem of loneliness if he did find a lifetime supply of food after he killed the other
person. Neither does it deal with the guilt the man would have to face in his
consciousness when he finds out that the person he killed for, (the only piece of
food left on the planet), was incorrect and that he killed his only fellow human
being out of an error of his thinking backed up by the overwhelming force of his
fear of death.

Another question arises here, would he have killed this other person if the other
person were his mother, father, wife, or child? Yes it is confused thinking, yet it is
common that this is the ultimate reality. It may be a reason why man is sociable to
a point, but draws the line, not to be crossed, at a good distance from him. It is the
ultimate me-first-ness that would kill just on the thought of a limited supply of
goods. The orientation of mind of a person doing this type of thinking is that of a
materialist. Why is this so? The person never considered Divine justice. He only
dealt on a worldly basis. All consideration of morality and ethics took a back seat
to his projected fear of death.
The materialist believes that everything in the universe is physical and that it has
no direction. For the materialist, there is no justice that we are all subject to. For
the materialist, there is no Hierarchy of Light. For the materialist, there is no God.
For the materialist, all that is waiting for him when he dies is a grave six foot
under. The materialist gives credence to The Law of Karma, (cause and effect),
only with respect to physical happenings. He does not apply it to ethics and
morals. Because of the materialist’s orientation of mind there is a strong tendency
to get into the following pit fall of thinking. If there is no God, no afterlife, no Divine
Laws that we are all subject to, then what is the value in leading a good life with
respect to morals and ethics? I might just as well get all the enjoyment out of life in
any way I can. There is no sense in me of obeying these moral codes, or civil
codes, if I can get away with getting around them. Why should I follow the way of
truth when I can get pleasure from lying and cheating? Why should I adhere to
fidelity when I can have the pleasures of the wives of other men? Why should I
adhere to constancy when I can get more by throwing others off balance with
inconstancy? Why should I be tolerant and compassionate when anger will get me
the pleasures I crave? Why should I love when hating is a thousand times easier
to do?
This is where the materialist can end up. Because his orientation of mind has not
conceived and found value in the higher ideals of life, he finds no satisfying
answers to his question — Why be moral? Thus we find him on the road down the
mountain to the valley, where sense gratification is the highest ideal. Pleasure will
become his god, undisciplined, unreasoned pleasure, with no discernment as to
the higher pleasures of life and the lower pleasures of life. This lack of moral
discernment will lead him to pain, oceans of pain. Men and women today kill for
these pleasures. Many a jealous lover, on the fear that he may lose his lady friend,
has killed his rival, or at least killed whom he suspected to be his rival. Men kill
when supplies are low. We go to war, or threaten war when our supply lines to our
standard of living are threatened. Let’s face it, these types of occurrences are not
uncommon headlines.
When someone threatens something we are attached to, sooner or later they
violate our threshold of tolerance and we take action. The stronger our attachment
to an object, (gross or subtle), the stronger and quicker our reaction will be when
we sense the potential loss of that object. Just thinking about the loss of a loved
one or object can put us in a state of sadness or misery momentarily until we
remember that it was just our imagination. It was not real. It was just a thought
flying through our mind that we mistakenly identified with for a while and sort of
created a sad scenario for ourselves, as our mind is prone to do, (if we let it). It
has been said by the wiser of men, (and it has been lived out and relived by those
who have not listened), that all attachments lead to pain. Why? Pain comes when
the attachment is broken or blocked by world events. Everything is in flux or
change, said our ancient Greek brother Heraclitus. We do not take this into
consideration when we form an attachment with permanency in mind.
This is the world of change. It is a painful error to assume, (other than in the case
of the natural laws of the universe), that something will stay the same forever. This

is easy to say and read; however, it is a very subtle happening in the mind. So
subtle that we do not consciously realize what has occurred, or worse yet, what its
consequence will be, (pain). Is all this unfair? Is it an unjust universe we live in?

Let’s look a bit closer to see if unfairness exists. It is the nature of this planet that
things are in flux or change. Empires rise and fall. Iron rusts and is blown away by
a gentle breeze. Fortunes are made and lost. Children are born and die. Greed
precipitates wars that destroy the dreams of thousands of families. Who is it that
forms our self serving, me – first attachments with the idea that they will last
forever in a world of change? Did God do it? Did Satan do it? Did our immediate
enemies do it? Well, we can go down our very long “blame list” until we get to the
last name on the list, our own. We did it. No one else formed our attachments for
us. We fell into the trap of the illusion of holding on to something or someone
permanently. We forgot that this is the world of change. There is a writing out of
mystical literature that can help us here. it is as follows:
The Person Receiving No Instruction Blames Others. The Person Receiving
Instruction Blames Himself. The Person That Is Perfectly Instructed Blames No
One.
Isn’t it time we relaxed our self serving, me – first ownership type of thinking and
enjoy the higher pleasures of life? Of course, if we all did this, then our novelist
would be hard pressed for ideas for his best sellers, since he would not be able to
draw from the self servingness of man for his subject matter. But fear not for the
livelihood of the novelist, for there will be many people whose orientation of mind
would not allow them to read or listen to this essay, and there will be many who do
read or listen to this essay that will declare it a lot of bunk and dismiss it from their
thoughts.
Once there was a wise old Chinese philosopher who encouraged all who listened
to him to live life as though they were a traveler at an Inn. The traveler knows his
stay at the inn is temporary and will enjoy it more because he expects to leave
soon. He is not thinking of permanent attachments to the inn, its contents, or its
people, that would cause him pain when he continued his travels.
It often comes up, when this topic of self serving attachments is discussed, that
this would make a person cold and unloving. It is, of course, just the opposite. We
free ourselves of fear of loss, and use that energy that was wrapped up in our
insecurities to become a more active and loving person as well as a person with a
keener reasoning ability to handle life’s vicissitudes, (ups and downs), with ease.
We appreciate the character of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones much more
when we are free from trying to control them to do what we think they should do.
We can love them more profoundly so when we no longer base our relationship
with our loved ones upon fear of losing them.
When we begin to love unselfishly, it is the downfall of our me-first-ness. It is the
beginning of our happiness. We are travelers in this universe. Let’s live our lives
accordingly and begin our real love story now.

PETAL #141
BEFORE I UP AND GO TOO FAR (Poem)
May 1999, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
When the world becomes myopic,
thatÕs when I go telescopic.
Its then I think beyond the Earth
to sky, where nebulas give birth.
There light years past the planet mars,
the universe creates its stars.
The truth, (if it wont spoil your fun) —
a star is secretly a sun.
What kind of womb could hold such might?
What motherhood could nurse such light?
If I had the skill to steer it,
IÕd build a thought-ship named spirit.
I wonder if IÕd ever find
that God gave even stars a mind.
But that would pale beside a chart
that showed the way to the Cosmic Heart.
Such map stirs still another goal,
does the universe have a Soul?
Before I up and go too far
(and run aground some space sand bar)
IÕll set my site for joy, and hope
the beautiful will fill my scope.
Mirror, lens and focus then bring
JupiterÕs moons and SaturnÕs ring.

PETAL #142

THE EQUILIBRIUM OF BEAUTY

My brothers and sisters, today (September 2, 1996), I would like to share some
thoughts about the equilibrium of beauty. I thank you now for your loving attention,
your broad mindedness and your discernment — especially your discernment. To
progress, we must discern what exists and what does not. (The “star” we look at
tonight may have exploded millenniums ago).
As we know, a whole school of thought can be contained in a single symbol or
expression. In the Agni Yoga Teachings we read in the book Heart #394 that,
“And at evening he laid the thought upon his heart, and at morning he pronounced
his decision”–has been said of the Sage of the Mountain in Persian annals. For
many people this is simply a quaint saying. Yet an entire Teaching is contained
precisely in the saying, “Laid the thought upon his heart.” Nowhere can the
thought be transmuted except upon the altar of the heart. Many readers of the
book Heart will wonder whether they have learned something new and applicable.
Such people demand a pharmacist’s prescription to exalt their hearts with patent
pills. For them the command of placing a thought upon one’s heart is nonsense. It
is difficult for them to dissect thought in their disturbed consciousness. And it is
impossible for them to discover the heart in the convolutions of their minds. But he
who has already sensed the altar of the heart will also comprehend the discipline
of spirit. We send calls of the heart to those friends who meet upon the crossroads
of the East. We send calls of unity to those whose hearts have already sensed the
music of the spheres. For him to whom the spheres are void the heart is only a
sack of blood.”
Depending on our experience on the Path, (beginner, advanced, first incarnation,
etc.), we comprehend the symbol or phrase in part or whole. In short, our
understanding of the symbol or expression could be, on a scale of 0%- 100%, any
where between zero and one hundred percent.
Vanity would darkly whisper that most of us are in the upper percentile. Of course,
if this were really the case, then our behavior, as well as the quality of our
thoughts and feelings would demonstrate that exalted state of consciousness. The
ones who are in that upper percentile know better and discern between the dark
whispers of vanity and the wise, intuitive whispers of the Blessed Guide.
They understand that there are many levels to a symbol from the Hierarchy of
Light, and that the student is allowed to penetrate the various levels of meaning
according to the degree of development, (refinement), which the student has
achieved. Why is it like this? Why is personal discernment used not only as a key
but as a locked door as well?
The word achievement is significant here. Achievement is based on experience. It
is a striving to attain. Knowledge is power as we have been told in many ways.

The Masters reveal higher meanings of symbols and phrases to their students
only after incarnations of observing the student’s use of the intelligence and power
they presently posses.
(Are they listening to the dark whispers and thus misusing the powers which they
already have? Would they use greater power in any different way without
experience to mold the higher quality thoughts? Would an Arhat, (Master), give
more power to a student who was misusing energies? Absolutely not!

The Master would guide the student into those situations which would co-
measuredly produce the experiences needed to cultivate the insights into a higher

use of the student’s energies. This could take seconds, minutes, hours, days,
weeks, months, years, decades, or one or more incarnations.
It all depends on the student’s level of discernment and the willingness to discard
the unnecessary luggage (thoughts, ideas, concepts, notions, ideals, desires,
expectations, etc.), which the student chose to bring along on the ascent to the
mountain top, (the vast majority of which must be discarded on the slopes as
worthless as the student approaches the peek.
Is it then a matter of knowing the symbol or phrase and speculating on it from all
conceivable points of view, or is it a matter of knowing the highest meaning of
which the symbol or phrase represents?
The answer is that it is all a matter of discernment.
In kindergarten, we were introduced to concepts which we would be using, in
varying degrees of skill and intensity, all through our higher level education and
life. It was also a period of checking out what we knew and did not know at that
point and then to fill in the gaps. For example, could we count to ten? The Teacher
would quickly discern, and compensate with instruction, our lack of understanding
and skills.
The esoteric life is no different, (no insult intended). The Master introduces the
student to some basic symbols or phrases of the particular aspect of the Path that
the student has gravitated to.
For example, The Rosicrucian Neophyte is introduced to the concept of “As above
so below” very early on, as well as to the symbolism of the Law of the Triangle.
The Christian initiate in The Traditional Martinist Order is introduced to the
Persona as well as the cordelier. The beginner in the Kabala is introduced to the
letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, on which has been superimposed a symbolical
system of knowing God. The Pythagorean initiate was introduced to a system of
numbers, on which Pythagoras superimposed a symbolical system leading to the
Highest. He had one number which he called the sacred number.
The Buddhist student may be introduced to the entry level understanding of the
cause and effect relationship between desire and suffering as contained in the
Four Noble Truths of Buddha. In the Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali, the beginner is
encouraged to visualize an image of God in his heart.
The Confucian initiate may be introduced to the entry level understanding of the
Doctrine of the Mean, which, in the 6th C. BC, Confucius said was passed down to

him from the ancients. Three hundred years later, in ancient Greece, Aristotle
wrote a strong echo of the Doctrine of the Mean entitled the Nichomacean Ethics,
(which Aristotle learned from his Teacher Plato — the famous student of Socrates).
Thus beginners on the Path have been introduced to this concept of the balance
between the two extremes of excess and deficiency for centuries as it was passed
down through the decades in the esoteric Mystery Schools. This balance point
was declared to be virtue, and any person who could regularly strike the mean,
(balance), in all things in life was declared to be a virtuous person with all the
powers and spiritual wisdom which goes with the virtues.
In Agni Yoga we read that the sacred number of Pythagoras is the equilibrium of
beauty. Agni Yoga uses the virtues for contemplation and application as stepping
stones to greater attunement with the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the
Master Morya, which, in turn, encourage us to go within and commune with the
Blessed Guide.
In my imagination I can conceive of a young person entering an esoteric school.
Let’s say it is Pythagoras’ school in Crotona Italy. (The school matters not the
subtle process behind the way of that school will be the same).
This young person probably would be welcomed by the Teacher, (Pythagoras or a
high initiate of that school), and assigned to an advanced student who will function
as a sort of spiritual coach, an elder brother if you will. This elder brother would
then attempt to answer the beginner’s many questions. In due time the elder
brother would introduce the beginner to the symbolical system used by that school
for the growth of students. In this case to Pythagoras’ system of numbers. The
numbers may have various levels of meaning, but the elder brother will impart the
level that beginners should learn.
As the elder brother watched the beginner in the trial period, the elder brother
would use some criteria given to him by the Master (Pythagoras) as to when the
beginner would be ready for the next step. This next step would be a slightly
deeper penetration into the symbolical system of Pythagoras.
Eventually, as the student progressed through the advanced stages of Pythagoras’
School, they would be introduced to the entry level understanding of Pythagoras’
Sacred Number.
Again the student would be given time to adjust and attune to that introductory
level of understanding. Pythagoras or an a high initiate would watch the student to
observe how the student adjusted to this new knowledge and its associated
energy level.
When satisfied that the new knowledge and energy level was being properly,
(virtuously), used, Pythagoras would allow the student to progress in degrees until
one fine day the student, now an experienced elder brother in the school, would
be invited into a small private meeting of Pythagoras’ most advanced students,
where the highest level meaning of the sacred number and its power would be
taught as well as their experiences with it discussed and analyzed.
At that point in the initiates life, the actual number which the meaning was
attached to no longer has the significance it did when it was first presented and
during the many periods of meditation upon the number. Now he had the
knowledge which the sacred number represented. The symbolical system of

numbers on which Pythagoras superimposed higher meanings succeeded in
bringing the person from absolute beginner to a person with higher knowledge in
service to humanity. A person who was thoroughly tested and who was observed
as one who would not misuse the higher knowledge and higher energy of that
knowledge.
As we mentioned earlier, Agni Yoga reveals the meaning of Pythagoras’ Sacred
Number to be the equilibrium of beauty. Does this mean that the Master Morya
has tested all Agni Yoga students and found each of us worthy of such knowledge
and power? (That is entirely possible). Perhaps those who approach Agni Yoga
have been previously prepared for it in past incarnations.
Of course, we are not left only to our own basic intelligence and past preparation.
We can, at any time, ask the Mother of Agni Yoga and her Teacher the Master
Morya, or our Blessed Guide, for illumination on the Agni Yoga Teachings. This is
a very prudent approach, especially when one is attracted to a certain book and
numbered paragraph in the Teachings. Then we should let this para_graph loom
large in our consciousness. As a sky writer, it will fill the horizon against the
background of a beautiful sunrise.
The illumination will come relative to the degree of discernment.
We will still continue with our readings in the Teachings, but we will put some extra
time and attunement into this paragraph which has been indicated to us as special
at this time and on our level of consciousness.
For the serious Agni Yoga student this focus will be a gift at his or her own
bequest for greater knowledge and application of the Agni Yoga Teachings in life
for the maximum benefit of Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light.
(Like Michael Angelo chipping his David from its block of marble, is it not our
challenge to free that courage, (and beauty), within ourselves?)
_ In the Agni Yoga Teachings, we read in Fiery World 2, #133 that,
“Heart and Communion with Hierarchy will tell where would be the combinable
parts. Man is in need of equilibrium of mind and heart. Cooperation is confirmation
of equilibrium. The sacred number of Pythagoras is the equilibrium of Beauty.
Much of this axiom has become inapplicable at the present time. It is a weighty
task to speak to people about equilibrium.”
__ All this being said, I now raise a question for all serious Agni Yoga
Students!
What is meant by the Agni Yoga explanation of Pythagoras’ Sacred Number. What
is meant by the equilibrium of beauty?
Let us put it under the most serious analysis. Why is it sacred? Why does the
above paragraph speak of the equilibrium of mind and heart? What happens when
beauty is in equilibrium?
Since I am also just a traveler on the Path of Beauty on a certain level of
discernment, it would be an act of non-co-measurement (foolishness) on my part
to proclaim my view of the equilibrium of Beauty as the most precise and highest
meaning and therefore all of you should accept it as the definitive, authoritative,
esoteric explanation on the planet today — (give me a break!).

As Sir Francis Bacon said so ably in his Novum Organum, he is but a sign post
pointing the way. Perhaps in our on-going exploration of some of the possibilities
of what Pythagoras’ Sacred Number represents, we will be assisted in our
attunements with this concept and will be illumined, in part of whole, on the
equilibrium of beauty. We may then be able to share our considered reflections
upon those attunements with each other and thus, as Francis Bacon said, stand
on each others shoulders in order to see (penetrate) even farther into the
unknown. (Love unlocks the mysteries of the universe).
Following are some Agni Yoga ideas which touch this concept of the equilibrium of
beauty — Pythagoras’ Sacred Number.

1. “The World is striving for the crowning perfection. Manifold are the paths of the
   search. The closest to perfection will be the path of Beauty.
   (Here we see that beauty is associated with perfection).
   He who sought perfection could have found through Beauty the powerful laws of
   Being.
   (Here we see the powerful law of Being is found through beauty. What is the law of
   Being?).
   Yet if one should take all distorted manifestations of life and line them up with
   Beauty one would find the law of perfection.
   (Here we see alignment with beauty leads to the law of perfection. What is the law
   of perfection?).
   If we take the unbalanced conditions of all principles introduced into life and line
   them up with Beauty, we shall arrive at the law of Being.
   (Here again, we see the concept that alignment with beauty invokes the law of
   Being).
   When we observe the life of the planet with all its prejudices, we see that we must
   inevitably arrive at the victorious crowning through Beauty. One should become
   accustomed to the realization of the victorious crowning. Such thinking will bring
   one to the Fiery World.”
   FIERY WORLD III 1935 Paragraph 23
   (Here we see that beauty is linked to the Fiery World).
2. To behold with the eyes of the heart; to listen with the ears of the heart of the
   roar of the world; to peer into the future with the comprehension of the heart; to
   remember the cumulations of the past through the heart; thus must one
   impetuously advance upon the path of ascent.
   (here we are told how to advance on the path of ascent).
   Creativeness encompasses the fiery potentiality, and is impregnated with the
   sacred fire of the heart.
   (Here we see the word sacred used with the fire of the heart).
   Therefore, upon the path to the Hierarchy, upon the path of Great Service, upon
   the path of Communion, synthesis is the one luminous path of the heart.
   (Here we are told that synthesis is the one luminous path of the heart).

How can the manifested rays be radiated if the flame is not affirmed in the heart?
It is precisely the quality of the magnet that is inherent in the heart. The highest
creativeness is imbued with this great law. Hence, each consummation, each
union, each great cosmic unification is achieved through the flame 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.
(Here we are told that each great unification is achieved only through the flame of
the heart).
Thus, we shall keep in memory the beauteous attraction of the magnet of the
heart, which links all manifestations. Verily, the silver thread that links the Teacher
with the disciple is the great magnet of the heart.
(Here we are told that the Silver thread that connects the heart of the Teacher with
the heart of the disciple is the great magnet of the heart).
The union between Teacher and disciple affirms the essence of all evolutions.
HEART 1932 Paragraph 1

3. “Only the energy of the heart makes a man invulnerable and carries him over
   obstacles.
   (Here we are told of the powerful energies of the heart, which makes one
   invulnerable).
   Thus, one should remember the heart as a weapon. Precisely–the heart is the
   weapon of Light!” / HEART # 399
4. Beauty is the realm of the heart. (my concept)
5. The sun is the heart of the system; so, also, the heart of man is the sun of the
   organism. There are many sun-hearts, and the Universe represents a system of
   hearts; therefore, the cult of Light is the cult of the heart.
   (Here we are told that the Universe represents a system of hearts).
   To understand this abstractly is to leave the heart cold; but as soon as the Light of
   the sun-heart shall live, the need of the magnet’s warmth will begin to shine forth
   like a true sun. It is said, “Cross Santana with the aid of the heart.” Thus one can
   come closer to an understanding of the heart. The heart’s rhythm can be regarded
   as the rhythm of life. The Teaching about the heart is as bright as the sun, and the
   warmth of the heart speeds as swiftly as a sunbeam.
   (Here we are told that the energies of the heart travel swiftly).
   Everyone has wondered at the instantaneousness with which a ray of the rising
   sun warms all things. The heart can act likewise.
   I speak of the warmth of the heart when it is especially needed. The striving
   thought kindles space, but the warmth of the heart is a constant hearth. Courage
   dwells in the warmth of the heart. This must be remembered. The appearance of
   the dark forces is like a frost to the sowing. Only the heart’s warmth provides a
   glowing shield. But, as we delicately test light-waves, so solicitously must one
   approach the heart.
   HEART 1932 Paragraph 62
   6.

“Thus, let us understand why, after complicated calculations, there remains the
one salvation, only through the path of the heart.” / HEART #418
(Here we are told that the only salvation is through the path of the heart).
7.
“Let us relate another tale about the heart. “Some people gathered together to
boast of their prowess: some exhibited their muscular development; some boasted
of taming wild beasts; one estimated strength by the hardness of his skull, another
by his swiftness of foot–thus the various parts of the human body were extolled.
But someone remembered the heart, which had remained unpraised. Then
everyone began to think about how the strength of the heart could be estimated.
Finally a newcomer said, ‘You have discussed various types of competition, but
you have forgotten one near to the human heart–a competition in magnanimity.
Let your teeth, fists, and skull be at rest, and vie with each other in magnanimity. It
will speed the path of the heart to the Fiery World.’ It must be confessed that
everyone became greatly concerned, for they did not know how to manifest
magnanimity. And so the manifestation of love remained undiscussed, because
even the gateway to it was not admitted to any place in the contest of prowess.”
Verily, if magnanimity is found, then love will kindle the fires of the heart.”
FIERY WORLD I 1933 Paragraph 564
(Here we are taught that magnanimity is the gate to love, and that love kindles the
fires of the heart. This sounds like a formula. No magnanimity – no love. No love –
no fires of the heart. No fires of the heart – no use of the hearts energies.). I think
the universe is lit by love.
8.
“Surya-Vidya –thus was the Teaching of the Heart sometimes called. In this
definition was indicated the fieriness, the sunlike quality, the centrality of the heart.
Verily, anyone who wishes to cognize the heart cannot approach it as only a part
of the organism.
(Here we are told with what orientation to approach the heart in order to
understand it).
First of all, one should recognize the centrifugal aspect of the heart and study
outward from it, not inward toward it. The solar plexus is the antechamber of the
temple of the heart. The Kundalini is the laboratory of the heart. The brain and all
the centers are the estates of the heart, because nothing can exist without the
heart. Even the brain can be supplemented to a certain degree. Even the
Kundalini can be somewhat nourished by a manifestation of electricity, and the
solar plexus can be strengthened by blue light. But the heart stands as the temple
of humanity.
(Here we are told that the heart is a temple — the temple of humanity. A temple is
considered something sacred.).
One cannot conceive of the unity of humanity by way of the brain or the Kundalini,
but the radiance of the heart can bring together the most seemingly varied
organisms, even across remote distances. This experiment, of the unification of
hearts across distance, awaits its workers.
The wish to inaugurate experiments of lengthy duration is quite correct, because
through them one can create another link between the generations.” / HEART

339

9.
The heart is a spiritual center of consciousness. We advance from center to center
in our incarnations until we return to the highest center. We cannot do this without
balancing our thought with the concepts, (and thus energies), that these centers
house. (my concept)

10. “So often when we turn back to our past, we feel ashamed and sad that we
    allowed ourselves to be grieved or troubled by the daily cares of life. Our hearts
    should be so firmly set upon the chosen Path that no fluctuations in our
    surroundings can disturb our balance.
    (Here heart, path, and balance appear in the same sentence).
    This does not mean to get used to indifference, but rather to simply transfer the
    focus of our attention. All the feelings of the one who has accepted the great
    fellowship of service with his heart must be subordinated to the main aspiration.
    (Here we are told that all feelings must be subordinated to the main aspiration
    after we accept the great fellowship of service).
    Verily, the path of the heart is light, and through the silver thread the current of
    courage and joy passes incessantly. Only in the heart, in this “sun of suns” are all
    our achievements and all our happiness. Happiness experienced through kindling
    the fires of the heart surpasses the illumination that follows the rise of the
    Kundalini.
    (Here we are told that the happiness of the heart center surpasses that of the
    raised Kundalini).
    But, as all the authorities on Yoga agree, the most difficult achievement is the
    kindling of the fires of the heart, because for this the heart must first be cleansed
    of all burdening thoughts. Advise everyone to watch the life of their hearts. Let
    them not allow bad thoughts. One bad thought can sweep away the labors of
    many years.”
    LETTERS OF HELENA ROERICH VOL. II p 361
    (Here we are reminded to maximize the quality of our thoughts in order to kindle
    the fires of the heart. This goes along with magnanimity and love. If we had low
    quality thoughts then we wouldn’t be operating on magnanimity and love.).
    Thus as the student gains in knowledge and power to such a point where the
    student is ready to transition to a higher center, such as the heart center, the
    traveler will be introduced to that on-ramp to the high way of the heart, to which
    the student is closest in consciousness.
    We have gravitated to the on-ramp called Agni Yoga.
    Regardless of what level of discernment and consciousness we are on it will
    surely be slightly different from our brothers and sisters who are also transitioning
    to the path of the heart — the realm of beauty.
    In short, we are all within that general area of consciousness which makes us
    eligible to enter and thus identify with the heart center.

Each center has its Teachers and elder brothers to assist us to make the most co-
measured (wisest) transition into the heart center.

The Living Ethics, another name for our Agni Yoga Teachings, is given to assist us
to attain that equilibrium which will allow us to function well on the Path of the
Heart — with the knowledge and energy of one who has been attuned to the heart
center in service to Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light.
Some of us may have begun this transition in past incarnations, some may just be
starting that transition now, some of us may be close to operating on the energies
of the heart center and some of us may be, in fact, operating on the energies of
the heart center this moment (in part or whole). Thus we have delineated a whole
range of Agni Yoga students from just starting the transition to the heart center to
those who are operating in it.
Thus our stepping stones through this Path of Beauty, (the Path of the Heart, the
Path closest to perfection), are the virtues studied in Agni Yoga. What are these
virtues?

1. Sincerity:
   Sincerity, our inner sun, rises in the land of no-deception.
   Sincerity is the Light of character, charity is its warmth.
   “Above all else we value sincerity.” Inf. 2, #337
   “Indeed, We value sincerity above everything. The word which does not contain
   the affirmation of the heart is void. Only the potential of spirit can give power to
   creativeness. Thus, every thought bereft of this wondrous fire is deprived of life.
   Hence, each thought intensified by the heart is revered by Us.”
   INFINITY II 1930 Paragraph 337
2. Gratitude:
   Gratitude is a milestone in Human evolution.
   “Gratitude is the finest purification of the organism.”
   “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
3. Sacrifice:
   “Sacrifice is power, power is possibility.”
   “The Teaching about sacrifice was already given to you. Sacrifice is power. Power
   is possibility. Consequently every sacrifice is first of all a possibility.
   It is time to cast aside the hypocrisy that sacrifice is deprivation. We do not accept
   deprivations, but We give possibilities.
   Let us see what possibilities are born from the so-called sacrifice. Where is a true
   sacrifice which can demean? In Our Treasury there is a large collection of

sacrifices, and each one was useful to the one who made it. We dislike to speak
about sacrifices, because a sacrifice is the most profitable undertaking.
Small tradesmen love to cry about the expenditures and to feign a loss. But a real
provider in life considers each expenditure as only a business guarantee. You
have lost not through sacrifice but pillage.
Christ advised to distribute spiritual wealth. But, as the keys to it are far away,
people have applied this advice toward the distribution of pillaged money. First to
steal and then to give away with a tear and become enraptured by one’s own
goodness. As if in speaking of distribution the Teacher could have had in mind
chairs and old coats! The Teacher meant imponderable wealth. Only the spiritual
gift can move the cup of the scales.
Let us examine the row of coworkers. Was anyone deprived of anything? No, all
have been enriched. Is it not enrichment to become a ruler of a new kingdom? So
rich is that kingdom that without too much harm we can break a few dishes.
Positively the hands are growing, and the book of gratitude can be examined.
I advise the providers in life to have substitutes for all positions. In large
enterprises the business stands upon the business, and not upon personality.
Who can justly assert that he has been the giving one? We will open Our account
books and show how much every one received. For it is not at all easy to sacrifice
when a sacrifice is a possibility, and the possibility is a benefit, and the benefit is a
sound cooperation, and a cooperation is the Alatir-Stone, which either resurrects
or consumes. But self-abnegation can open the Gates of Understanding, and the
decrepit sacrifice of unneeded things will swing upon one branch with self-love.”
LEAVES OF MORYA’S GARDEN II 1925 Page 101-102
These are but three of the many virtues, (stepping stones), in the Agni Yoga
Teachings to which we are introduced and encouraged to attune with. They are, in
my limited understanding, the tools with which we must work. We must, with the
help of the Mother of Agni Yoga, her Teacher the Master Morya, and our individual
Blessed Guide, penetrate and attune with these qualities. We must identify with
the virtues and become the Virtuous person. We must strike the mean, (balance),
between the two extremes of excess and deficiency in all facets of life and thus
become the virtuous person and have all the knowledge and power of the heart
center which the virtuous person has attained. Love is an on-ramp to a very high
way.
We must become sincere, (deceptionless). We must be grateful, for gratitude is a
secret medicine. We must become sacrifice, in order to create the power of
possibilities for Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy of Light. We must
become the virtuous person to the highest degree possible in order to attain the
equilibrium of beauty, which is the “open Sesame” to the Fiery World with its
higher knowledge and energies.
Let us remember that life without beautiful thought is a song bird which has
forgotten it can sing.
My brothers and sisters, the above is simply my understanding of the process the
student of the Path of Beauty goes through and should be considered a sharing of
understanding and not authoritative on the equilibrium of beauty.

Let us consider it an invitation, for those so inclined, to attune for grater knowledge
and understanding of the equilibrium of beauty.
If I carry beauty in my heart, my storm will become a small wind.

PETAL #143
MOUNTAIN TALK (Poem)
21 June 1991, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

When I think of mountain,
I see only peak.

There are no fur lined faces
with frosted beards —
no gloved hands grasping
rock bound pitons.
There are no ropes,
no goggles, no frozen boots.
Yet, I know they are there,
risking it all,
for the top.

When I think of climbers,
I see only heart.

There are no icy slopes,
no white peaks,
no forbidding winds —
just courage and striving.

When I think of achievement,
I see only joy.

There is no sadness,

no profound heartaches,
no suffering
from broken dreams.
Yet I know they are there,
discarded,
along some line of ascent.

God made mountains
physical and non-physical,
and God made climbers
external and internal.

When I gaze
into the heart
of a climber,
I see mountains.

In the lavender pink
of the rising sun,
the heart-climber is there,
in joyful labor,
pushing the ascent,
piercing the vastness
of each personal mountain
with pitons of joy.

A veiled mountain there is,
with peak brighter
than the sun.
Dark clouds cling
to its tree line.

Climbers there are,
who ever strive
for its conquest,
[without which humanity
cannot progress].

It begins its slope
in deception.
In the darkness of betrayal
it rises to its tree line.
The climber must discern
the Spiritual Art
of No-deception
to prevail.

The Teacher of Beauty
will guide the conquest,
for our level of joy
must be equal
to the ascent.

When I think of joy,
I see only beauty.

There is no ugliness,
no crudity,
no lack of order.
Yet, I know they are there,
risking it all,
for the top.

PETAL #144

T h e S c i e n c e O f L o v e
(warning- this essay is not for beginners)

Love is a feeling maintained by a thought. Consistent love thoughts produce
consistent love feelings. Not of spaghetti and meatballs is the consistent love
thought made. A thought constituted from things other than love cannot produce
consistent love feelings. Only consistent love thoughts produce consistent love
feelings. A mixed bag of thoughts produces a mixed bag of feelings. Even if there
is some love thought in the mixed bag of thought, it cannot produce consistent
love feelings.
Not by inconsistency do we rectify our lives. Not by mating figs with frogs do we
give birth to an apple. To produce love feelings in ourselves on a daily, hourly,
basis, we must think love on a daily, hourly, basis. Loving thoughts are the parents
of loving feelings. Thought is the mountain snow which melts into the streams and
rivers of our feelings. Some of us will say, “Well, that is all fine and good, but who
can think consistent love thoughts every minute of every day?”. This is how some
of us meet new information which may be a threat to our personal reality with
respect to potential change of expansion of the way we view the world. We take a
useful piece of information and carry it to the extreme saying, “Only God can think
consistent love thoughts twenty four hours a day”.
First of all, we must notice that we have not put a time limit on our consistent love
thought. For most of us skills are not produced at will by a decision to do
something. The decision to attain a skill is usually the starting point to learning that
skill. A person who decides to become an artist then usually finds a teacher who
will train to proficiency in art. This training will vary in degree between the difficult
and the easy depending upon the resistance of the student.
In short, when we embark upon the road of concentration, we will individually
make the training period longer or shorter depending on our attitude toward
concentration. If we have a strong desire to become skilled in one area of life, then
we will overcome our resistance to the other intermediary skills which are required
stepping stones to attain the skill of our desire. If we choose to become not only a
loving person but also a loving person who continually evolves our capacity to
love, then we must learn the intermediary skills to produce that attainment. If we
expect to produce consistent love thoughts for over two minutes the very first time
we try, then we may be confronted with our lack of intermediary skills. If we have a
weak desire to become a more loving person, then we may conclude after our two
minute experiment that it is impossible and abandon the project. Whether we
desire to become an artist, engineer, race driver, or pilot, we must attain the
intermediary skills for that profession before we can truly achieve our goal. Many
of us already have, (to some degree), the intermediary skills to attain the goal of
becoming a sincerely loving person. (Sincerity means honesty: honesty means no
deception. [dictionary definition]).
For example, the prize fighter who loses his concentration on boxing skill in the
ring and gets upset at his opponent will be in for quite a beating. He knows that he

has to maintain his concentration or he will lose the fight. What would happen if a
surgeon, during an operation, lost his concentration? What would happen if an
iron worker on the thirteenth floor, walking on the steel beams, lost his
concentration? We could play “What-if” for a long time. Our examples all point to
one thing. The successful practice of a skill requires concentration as an
intermediary skill. Most of us already have this intermediary skill of concentration
developed to some degree in ourselves through our daily activity. It is when we are
confronted with a new skill, or concept, that we do not associate our proven
abilities with what is needed to perform the new skill. The weaker the desire to
attain the new skill, the less we realize that we already have the means to attain it.
In other words, if we hold a belief that a certain goal is impossible to attain, then
most surely we will not try to explore ways to attain something which we believe
cannot be done. Our preconceived notions get in our way of attainment.
When we make the realization that the way of non-loving thoughts and their
offspring non-loving feelings lead to pain, then, to the degree that we realize this,
will be the degree of enthusiasm with which we approach and attain the science of
love. The basis of our science of love is that love is a feeling maintained by a
thought. We now have an increased understanding that to be consistent in our
feelings of love we must be consistent in our thoughts of love. To do this means to
increase our ability to concentrate on love.
Who can teach us to concentrate on love? Our best teacher will tell us that the
way to learn concentration on anything will not only be to practice diligently, but
also to become the observer of our actions, our feelings, and our thoughts. Again,
those of us who approach the science of love without the realization than non
loving thoughts and feelings lead to pain will say, (almost immediately), that, “It is
too hard to watch every action, feeling, and thought.”. They will thus end their
approach to the Science of love. So we see that what is really hard is to not
approach and attain the science of love, because non loving thoughts, feelings
and actions lead to pain.
At this point most of us who, for some reason, believe that the science of love is
too hard, or that it is unattainable, will have stopped reading or listening to this
work. So from now on this essay will be addressed to those of us who remain
which are those of us who have experientially learned that it is when we don’t love
that we hurt. That we can self-produce any feeling at will is evident by those of us
who have become accomplished actors and actresses on the stage and screen.
We are given a role to portray in a prize winning play. We produce the feelings
which our role demands. The audience tells us how well we produce these
feelings by their applause and praise, (or lack of it). If some of us do not
consistently produce the feelings of our part in the play, we will soon learn about it,
not only from the director of the play, but also from the newspaper critics, (printed
and circulated widely). We then take criticism and, (if we are sincere in the
attainment of our goal of acting), we will make the necessary adjustments to
increase our ability to concentrate on the self-production of feelings. Again, the
play director and the critics will let us know if we are successful with our
adjustments in concentration. It is the same in real life. Our friends, family and
work associates will let us know in many ways how well we are radiating love.
Also, many times our “gut feeling”, (intuition, hunch etc.), will tell us how we are
doing long before the critics will.
Why all this talk about roles in a play? It is only to remind us that feelings can be
produced at will. If, as an actor, we had to wait for a mood to overcome us before
we could play our role successfully, then the curtain may never rise on opening
night. To attain the Science of Love we have only half the work of the actor. Why?
The practitioner of the Science of Love has only to produce the higher feelings.
The lower feelings such as anger, greed, hate, jealousy, and lust, are not

produced by the scientist of love because, simply put, we have already learned
from experience that they lead to pain. We avoid pain and gravitate towards
pleasure. Therefore as scientists of love we strive to produce only the higher
feelings and thoughts of compassion, gratitude, joy and love etc..
Now that we further understand the goal and what is required to attain that goal,
the real question is how, in all practicality, do we accomplish such a degree of
concentration on love that our consistent love thoughts will produce consistent
love feelings in an ever increasing degree in our lives.
First of all, those of us who understand through experiential learning from daily
transmission and reception of thought will readily understand that when we
receive a mental message from some one that specifically the thought which we
perceive in our minds is not our own thought. It came from an external source.
This telepathy occurs daily, whether or not we are aware of it or its sources. Thus
we recognize that not all our thoughts originate with us. In other words not all our
thoughts are our own. This may not be recognized as true by those of us who
have not experientially cognized thought transmission, or by those of us who hold
a belief that thought transmission is impossible. To become more aware of which
thoughts, (and therefore which feelings), originate with us, and which do not, we
must use our faculty of discernment. We can attain greater discernment by
becoming more aware of our role as a watcher or observer of thoughts, feelings
and actions.
Just as we can discern between a truck and a car, so to we discern closer
between different types of cars. We daily discern between tints of shades and of
color. We discern instruments of sound such as drum and violin. We increase our
discernment of different types of violins by becoming acquainted first with the fact
that there are different types of violins which do in fact produce different sounds.
By experience in hearing large and small violins we will learn to recognize which
sounds are produced by which violin. Thus we become more discerning in the
area of violins and their sounds. It is the same procedure with the Science of
Love. We become experientially aware of pain. We gradually, I repeat gradually,
learn which types of actions are associated, (or produce), pain. With our
increasing discernment between which actions produce which pain and which do
not, we gradually, (I repeat gradually), realize that right before our action we can
sense a feeling. The more we observe our actions the more we become aware of
the feelings which preceded them. Gradually we notice that each time we do a
specific action we have a specific feeling prior to that action. Thus we increase our
discernment between feelings and actions. Feelings produce actions. Feelings are
directly connected with behavior. Some of us may say now, “So what. I know that
feelings produce actions.” We must remember here that we are learning how to
attain the Science of Love. We know that concentration is needed. We are now
cognizing that concentration is based on discernment, for without discernment, we
would not be able to notice what it is that breaks our concentration. If we are
aware of what it is that distracts us, then we will know how to increase our
concentration. Becoming aware of precisely what distracts us at precisely the
second of distraction will sharpen our discernment to the point where gradually, I
repeat gradually), we will be able to observe the non loving thought which
attempts to interfere with our train of concentration. By noticing this we can then
have the choice to not allow it to break in. In other words when we are aware of
the intruding thought we will not identify with it and let it take us on a mental
journey far from our fortress of love thoughts.
So we see that discernment is increased by accurately observing actions,
feelings and thoughts. By increased discernment will our concentration be
strengthened. With strengthened concentration our ability to maintain love
thoughts will increase. Increased duration of love thoughts will mean a greater

amount of love feelings. The greater the amount of love feelings we have the
greater will be our love behavior, our love actions in the world.
Our ever widening spiral of love will change ourselves and the world for the
better, I repeat gradually). The practitioner of the Science of Love is a wise
gardener that ensures a worldly crop of benefits for all Mankind. This gardener
radiates an unconditional love. Unconditional love does not depend on whether it
rains or not that day to affect the mood of the scientist of love. No condition in the
physical, psychic or spiritual world will influence us to not radiate love when we
maximize our discernment.

PETAL #145
A Question for the Cosmic Accountant
March 29, 2000 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
If we harvested every thought
and every feeling,
behind every love song,
every love story,
and every love poem,
in every dialect,
of every language,
of every age,
from every culture,
on every planet,
of every solar system,
in every galaxy,
of every universe,
and every dimension —
Would it be
enough?
If we added every love unspoken,
and every love unwritten
throughout Creation —
Would it be
enough?
If every thinking being
focused on love
for one minute a day,
for the rest of our lives —
Would it be
enough?
If we radiated love
for one minute
of every waking hour —
Would it be
enough?
If we loved 99 percent
of the time forever —
Would it be
enough?

PETAL #146

T h e S t a i r w a y O f B e a u t y

What is beautiful to you? Is it a rose, a swan, a sunrise? For some of us, beauty
lies in those aspens glittering in the afternoon sun from the bank of an autumn
mountain stream, for others, beauty is a warm field of daises decorated with a
flock of large colorful butterflies. Nature contains a vast amount of beauty.
Yet not in nature alone do we search for beauty, for many of us sense our
personal concept of ideal beauty reflected in architecture, music, the fragrance of
perfume, the taste of delicious food, or the touch of fine silk, and the many
combinations which our five senses can produce. For the mathematician, beauty
may be highlighted in a geometric theorem such as the famous Pythagorean
Theorem which came out of Pythagorus’ ancient school in Crotona, Italy.
For the philosopher, beauty may lie in the rationality of a philosophical school of
thought such as the mystical school of Plato, (student of Socrates), where the
search for beauty was stimulated by their search for truth, (or what exists),
because for the mystical philosopher, (like the true scientist), truth is beauty. As we
can easily see, each of us may hold a slightly different concept of what is beautiful.
We have heard this stated in poetical fashion as — beauty is in the eye of the
beholder. Our various concepts of beauty range from rubies and diamonds in the
mineral world, a fragrant flower in the plant world, a colorful song bird in the
animal world, to feelings of love, joy, and enthusiasm in the emotional world, and
on to our mental concepts which include poetry, art, music, and philosophy.
From the point of view of the individual, each person’s concept of beauty is very
special and valid. We naturally feel as though our own personal concept of beauty
is the only valid one until, as time goes by, our experience in living stimulates us to
adjust our concept of beauty to include an addition to our concept which we did
not hold before such as the appreciation of the harmony of fine music, or that of
simplicity in art. Thus we evolve our concept of beauty. This could happen not
once or twice in a lifetime, but many times in the privacy of our quiet moments of
reflection. Let us, for a moment, imagine a stairway of beauty. Each step of this
stairway represents one concept of beauty which exists in the mind of man past
and present on all levels of self. The total number of steps is limited only to our
imagination as we create our personal conceptions of what we think is ideal in the
realm of beauty.
The lower end of the stairway represents the most unrefined concepts of beauty.
The higher end represents the most refined concepts of beauty which man can
conceive of and hold as an ideal to strive toward in life. The rest of the steps in
between the lower and the higher steps represent all our remaining concepts of
beauty in a hierarchical order based on the quality of life which the individual
concepts will bring to those who hold them and as well their effects on Humanity.
No one judges or assigns us a step with respect to the quality of our concept of
beauty. Let us remember that we, with our free-will, choose our own personal
conception of what we feel is the utmost in beauty. We choose it. We live it. We
experience it. We modify it with respect to our experience with it.

The individual and no one else determines his or her step in the hierarchical
stairway of beauty. The use of this stairway is not for judging someone else’s
concept of beauty as better or worse than our own, rather, it is to stimulate the
accurate understanding that all of us are continually evolving, (choosing), our
concept of beauty as a result of our daily experience. The evolution of our concept
of beauty to the highest step is an ever-increasing degree of communion with The
Source of Eternal Beauty. Our progress up the stairway of beauty does not have to
be a hit or miss situation where we can only hope to have the right set of life
experiences and draw the accurate conclusions from our reflections on those
experiences in order to advance our concept of beauty to the next higher step in
the Hierarchy of Beauty. We can help ourselves by focusing on beauty as a
vehicle for personal growth. In what way can beauty be used as a tool to increase
the quality of our lives? In other words, we are now raising the question: how do
we consciously progress up the stairway of beauty? To consciously progress up
the stairway of beauty is first to make a solemn commitment on the silent altar of
our heart to ever strive toward benevolent thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Anything contrary to the above is not the stairway of beauty.
With this in mind, let us begin at the only place we can begin, which is on that
particular stair of the stairway of beauty on which our own personal concept of
beauty firmly establishes us. Everyone’s concept of beauty is an individual stair in
the stairway of beauty. We are already on the stairway of beauty because we have
already drawn a conclusion as to what the ideal concept of beauty is, (although we
may not be able to verbally express it). The most efficient beginning is to

thoroughly understand that it is of no value to spend our energies in “cosmetic-
concern” over which particular step on the stairway that we are presently on. (Let

us not engage in a vain attempt to “out do” our neighbors). The most efficient way
to progress up the stairway of beauty is to focus to a greater degree on our
present concept of beauty.
First: Let us think more about what we conceive of as beautiful.
Second: If at all possible let us be closer to what we think is beautiful. If this is not
practical at this time, obtain a photograph or painting for your viewing pleasure. (If
you can not go to it, bring it to you.)
Third: Observe, in ever increasing detail, as many particulars concerning your
concept of beauty as you possibly can. Make a list of them.
For example, suppose some of us conceived of the rainbow as their concept of
ideal beauty. Since the rainbow is not an every day occurrence, they will have to
be very creative in observing rainbow information. Paintings and photographs can
be gathered and framed for frequent viewing. Dictionaries and science books may
be consulted. We will find that in order to have a rainbow we must have fire and
water, (sun and mist). Furthermore, they must be at a ninety degree angle to each
other, (a right angle). But for the stairway of beauty we must get personal first
hand details. Will we now go chasing rainbows? Not practical. Can we make our
own? Do you think it is possible to make your own rainbow? Before you answer,
try to imagine how many people thought throughout most of history that putting a
man on the moon was an impossibility. (This negative type of thinking blocks our
progress up the stairway of beauty).
The answer is yes we can make our own rainbow. Have you ever watered the
lawn with a garden hose? Well, someday in the afternoon, when the sun can be at
your back, turn the nozzle of your garden hose from stream to mist position. With
the sun at your back, (ninety degrees too the mist), direct the mist in front of you,
(it will be like a wall of mist you are facing.) Observe now your rainbow at first
hand. What are the order of the colors? How wide are the bands of color? How
brilliant? Are they the same quality as in the large rainbows in the sky? Take a
picture of your rainbow. Prop the nozzle up so you won’t have to hold it. Then take

your photography for future analysis. Can a rainbow be reproduced in a laboratory
at will for future study? Can we use a laser as our source of light rather than
natural light? Don’t answer now, wait until you have made and photographed a
garden hose rainbow!
Now most important of all, what is our response to encountering our concept of
ideal beauty? Was it fun? Why are we concerned with our response to beauty?
Our response to beauty will contain in it a degree of joy. In the hierarchy of
beneficial emotions, joy is very high. Joy is a natural emotion necessary for a
harmonious condition in life, (physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually).
Why are we concerned with our observation of our response and also with the
details of the contents of that which we think is beautiful? Simply because the
closer we observe the more we will notice. This will increase the power of our
faculty of discernment.

PETAL #147
The Law Of Beauty (Poem)

(Without interfering
with Free-Will or Karma)
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill my Soul with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill my mind with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill my home with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our schools with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our labor with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our community with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our planet with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our solar system with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
heart fill our galaxy with beauty.
Beauty leads to joy,
Heart fill our universe with joy.

PETAL #148

D o u b t T h e D e s t r o y e r O f B e a u t y ?

Why Is Doubt The Greatest
Destroyer Of Beauty?

Doubt is a destroyer of psychic energy. Our greatest doubt is our greatest
destroyer of psychic energy. Since we need our psychic energy for everyday
health and well being, it is vital to discover what we do that pulls the plug on our
psychic energy.
What is our greatest doubt? To varying degrees, Mankind is unsure that anything
exists beyond so called death. Please note that this states, “in varying degrees”.
The range goes from complete doubt to its opposite complete certainty, with all the
shades and tints in between. For some of us, (Mankind), there is no Heaven or
Hell, no Hierarchy of Light. It is simply six foot under ground with nothing beyond
the grave — awareness stops with our last goodnight.
On the opposite end of the range we find those of us, (Mankind), who do believe
in the continuity of consciousness. For these there definitely is life after death
which constitutes the basis of moral life. For these brothers and sisters there is a
Hierarchy of Light, there is a spiritual life in which we do and will participate. In
between the, “There ain’t nothing there.”, and “Life is just a change, like a
caterpillar changes into a butterfly.”, we meet the most of Humanity — the shades
and tints of doubt, the destroyer of psychic energy. Now someone may say that
the last sentence sounded like Humanity is the destroyer of psychic energy rather
than doubt is the destroyer of psychic energy. Where does doubt come from? Are
doubts forced upon us? We formulate our doubts of our own free will based on our
level of wisdom, (or ignorance).
Socrates expressed our problem with doubt when he refused to escape from
prison. (His friends had made all the arrangements). In essence he said not to
worry because he was going to find out first hand what death was all about by
drinking the Hemlock. If we knew beyond a doubt then of course we would have
no doubts about that which we know. But since we don’t have perfect knowledge
then we speculate in that which we do not know. Most of us, (again in varying
degrees), fear the unknown. Death may well be the ultimate fear of the unknown
for those of us who have some degree of doubt about life other than in the
physical. Usually we fear that something might happen to us or to those we love.
This is because we had no knowledge of the immediate future at the time. So, not
being fortune tellers, we speculate on what might happen. This speculation usually
results in the fear of the possibility of some non beneficial event. Thus many of us
program our minds with the possibilities of the worst case scenarios. (There are
also the incurable optimists, who would only dwell on the positive possibilities.).
How does doubt affect the rational mind? The rational mind would deal with what
was presented to it as efficiently as possible in order to obtain the best possible
solution. The pure rational mind,(if one exists), would not put energy into doubts
but would be secure in the method of operation. The rational brother or sister
would find out as much information about that which is presented to his or her

consciousness. Then it would simply be a matter of finding as many options as
possible and choose the best one.
If that doesn’t work then, in light of the experience of failure, the rational mind
would reevaluate the problem, gather again the best possibilities and implement
the most prudent one. This rational mind could, (again, in varying degrees), have
some shades or tints to it. If the rational mind leaned toward the point of view that
there is no life after death, then it would deal rationally with what was presented to
it through that point of view. One thing is for certain, he would not consider praying
for guidance as one of his, or her, ever-present-possibilities.
The rational mind which does recognize the spiritual life may, (again, in varying
degrees), activate the ever-present3-possibility of praying first for guidance. The
word “may” activate is used instead of “would” activate because the person might
forget that particular ever present possibility in the heat of the situation. The one
who recognizes the spiritual life has an advantage with respect to eliminating
doubt. He can always visualize, or pray to the highest, that he will know the
answer “beyond a doubt”. This method is one of the greatest tools for attaining the
calm that is so necessary for the gathering of the best possibilities, for possibilities
are seeds, and we are all Cosmic Gardeners.

PETAL #149
IF TALK (Poem)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
If I should win the lottery,
(and that’s the way it otta-be),
then I’d give up my never-be
and set myself forever free.
If I should find rare coinery,
(and that’s the way it otta-be),
then I’d give up my couldn’t-be,
and set myself forever free.
If I should gain fine jewelry,
(and that’s the way it otta-be),
then I’d give up my shouldn’t-be,
and set myself forever free.
Never-be, couldn’t-be, shouldn’t-be,
how did they gain their mastery
to cloud my self discovery?
(Is that the way it otta-be?)
If I should win my liberty,
(and that’s the way it otta-be),
then I’d give up my slavery,
and set myself forever free.
But what-if my “IF” should never-be?
Some rather “WHEN” than “IF” you see,
for “WHEN” is like a future tree,
but “IF” is just a doubt-in-me.
A real good “WHEN” is gold to me.
A bad “WHEN” is a grave to be.
Now good “WHAT-IFS” can set me free,
but bad “WHAT-IFS” can bury me.
So how then should it otta-be?
It seems God left it up to me
to search each possibility
within my heart’s own treasury.
(Now that’s the way it otta-be.)

PETAL #150

T h e T r u e s t L e a r n i n g

The truest learning is of the heart. How long have I thought that this was just an
empty platitude? (Was not the heart just a muscle pump circulating blood cells
throughout the body?)
Did I not confuse love and heart together because without a heart I could not live,
and without love life was empty? Did I not use the words heart and love
interchangeably and therefore they have become unofficial synonyms — words
which mean the same thing? Was this not why my gut feeling said yes, yes, yes
when I was reminded that the truest learning is of the heart? Perhaps, but that
was then, this is now. Maybe there is more to this learning about heart. Perhaps If
I, perhaps if we all observe closer then we will see more. But how do we observe
heart closer? Do we gather around an electron microscope and explore heart cells
and their nuclear construction? Will we observe our electrons go into a playful
dance in orbit around a throbbing nucleus when our sweetheart whispers, “I love
you” in our ear? Will the dawning of awareness of the quality of our pulse open a
door onto a universe we have yet to explore?
Is there an existing scientific criteria which will establish the heart as some thing
other than a biological pump? What would it mean if we used all our observation in
conjunction with the modern scientific equipment and could not establish a
connection with learning and the heart? Would we steadfastly denounce that the
heart is anything more than a circulatory pump, or would we have the courage and
insight to admit that: perhaps we didn’t observe close enough; perhaps we had a
materialistic bias in our interpretation of our findings; perhaps we used the wrong
equipment, (such as an electric meter instead of a light meter); or perhaps we had
the right attitude and equipment but used the wrong technique. Would this mean
that there is no connection between our heart and learning — in particular the
truest learning?
History screams in agony because science has repeatedly made precisely these
errors. Yet it is the nature of science to continually refine its findings and because
of this exposes its own errors in time, (particularly if it has the initiative to “see
more”. Dr. Harvey, an eminent associate of Sir Francis Bacon in sixteenth century
England pointed out one of these errors of science for the benefit of Humanity. Dr.
Harvey announced that the blood, (contrary to 16th C. medical opinion), circulated
in the body. This stepping stone to modern medicine led medical investigators to
our most recent physical learning of the heart.
Today a doctor considers our “frame of mind” or attitude and realizes that our
thinking effects our feelings and these feelings pump chemicals into our blood
stream which effects our health. The higher thoughts and feelings such as love
and joy produce beneficial effects upon the health, whereas the lower thoughts
and feelings such as anger and hate produce non beneficial effects upon the
health. These will directly or indirectly effect the heart. But does this tell us
anything about the heart other than what effects it? Is it still just a pump that
responds in a healthy way to beautiful, non judgmental thoughts? Is this the truest
learning, to know that non material things such as a refined thought or a subtle

feeling will effect that very thing which is the mainstay of, (at least), our physical
existence? Perhaps.
Can we use the now established Kirlian photography of auras? We can
investigate this advanced tool. It can show us that electromagnetic fields do exist
around living things and perhaps, in time, we will learn much more. Not without
reaping a barnful of ignorance will we limit our methods of investigation into that
area of knowledge which is awaiting our discovery of it. Let us imagine for a
moment that some observant and intuitive thinker discovers a device or method
which reveals the heart to be something in addition to being a biological circulatory
blood pump. Let us imagine that we experience this “new discovery” of what exists
and it convinces us that there is some function of the heart that was not known or
easily seen before. Because of this new discovery, we now understand that the
heart is like an invisible communications system which can put us in
communication with any living thing in the universe at will. We are intrigued and
proceed to learn the hows and whys of this infinite aspect of our “finite” heart.
Surely this would be knowledge which known science does not list among its
achievements. Is this now the truest learning? (We are still using our imagination).
Is the dual nature of the heart the truest learning? Is this the secret of the ages,
the philosopher’s stone? Perhaps. To learn “what exists” is very important. In fact
What exists is the dictionary definition of truth. But to learn how to use what exists
can be ever more important to the progress of Humanity as well as personal
mastery of life.
Now let’s take one more step in our imagination. We now have a working
knowledge of this invisible aspect of our biological pump. We can communicate
with any living thing in the universe. How will we now use this tool we have
mastered? Little Mary wants everyone to come too her birthday party. Joe wants
everyone to buy his sausage so that he can get rich in ten years and retire to a life
of travel. Mr. Smith wants everyone to vote for him as President of The Galaxy so
that he can have the power he has desired all his life.
Are there not millions upon millions of self serving uses of such a tool? Some at
least will conflict and result in inharmony — perhaps on a large scale. Perhaps an
experiential knowledge of this invisible communications system will make us more
powerful and could lead to the fulfillment of all our desires. Will we use it to get
“our way” in life? Would there then be millions of people each using this wonderful
communications system in a self serving way? What would a person of low intent
do with such a system? Would he, or she, make it an offensive weapon in their
personal campaign to rule the universe and mentally enslave its population by
superimposing his or her desires on everyone else?
History tells us that this is not a laughable question. We have had our share of
enslavers and mass murderers in power, (some of which were more obvious than
others). In other words, whether it is a stone or an electron, or something much
more invisible, (and powerful), our moral nature will determine its use. Do we have
any reason to believe that if we were given more powerful tools that we would not
use them in a self serving manner and blot out any benevolent use of them by
anyone else? If all this is possible, within the realm of reason, is the truest learning
still of the heart? If the learning was just how to use a more powerful tool then we
would have to say that this was the truest learning. However, if the learning was in
the use of that tool in conjunction with the most benevolent ideals for the
maximum benefit of all Humanity, then we would not be inclined to say that — yes,
this was now the truest learning and it includes love, for no one could consistently
put benevolent ideals into action in this universe without the quality of love. Not
with deception would we use the tool, for if we truly loved Humanity, then how
could we deceive it?

Now we could get a little stubborn here and say that all this is fine and good, but
it is just an exercise in imagination. True, we did just imagine that our universal
communications system was the invisible side of our heart. But do we really need
to have this example before us? Are there not plenty of tools in existence now that
we can use as an example here? From stones to nuclear power, tools have been
utilized both beneficially and non beneficially depending upon the moral intent of
those using them. If these motives are self serving, the end result, in most cases
leads to pain. If these motives are non self serving, they will produce, for the most
part, beneficial actions with respect to the highest ideals to serve Humanity
So we can easily see, that the truest learning may very well be of the heart,
especially with respect to developing a loving nature which will ever reach for the
highest ideals and ever put them into action in the most benevolent manner.

PETAL #151
THE GREAT STEPPING STONE (Poem)
1998, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
Can love persist without some fun?
Can life exist without the sun?
Can healing thought embrace our heart?
Can youth be taught the healing art?
Sorrow is yet, (in each season),
the real regret of man’s reason.
Life’s wisest way is joy each day.

PETAL #152

T h e U n i v e r s a l S e c o n d L a n g u a g e
(A Stepping Stone For Cultural Continuity)

Like wind on a kite, beauty stimulates our imagination. We remember that
beautiful thoughts are the parents of beautiful feelings, and that life without
beautiful feelings is a caged and frightened song bird which has forgotten it can
sing.
The world would have a smoother ride if it would only let some fear out of its
tires. Fear. Does it not lead us into territorialism; and territorialism, does it not lead
us to walls — both visible and invisible? (Fear lives in a small square). In his poem
Mending Wall(1), Robert Frost shared with us his experience with walls:
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall
That sends the frozen ground swell under it
And spills the upper boulders in the sun …”
Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful “wall- breaking” books in World Culture
is Unto Thee I Grant (2). A silent prayer of gratitude, (“a secret medicine”), fills my
heart upon each reading, as my realization grows concerning how close we came
to losing this treasure through the realities of undecipherable language dialects.
Hope surrounds the fascinating story of this ancient scroll. A European scholar,
traveling in China, heard of it, but — there was a wall! Stored in a monastery in
mountainous Tibet, and written in an ancient Chinese Dialect, (fast asleep in the
Chinese Mind), the scroll seemed like a sun that would not rise.
Finally, The Emperor of China found an aging Chinese Scholar who was familiar
with this dialect, and commissioned him to travel to Tibet and translate the scroll.
Much to the happiness of many of us in the modern world, and surely for those in
the future, his mission was a genuine success. The wonderful story behind this
profound scroll is a fine example of language difficulties with respect to cultural
continuity. A dialect, (or language), fades from the memory of a people and the
experience of an age is locked up behind the invisible wall of forgotten language.
This is happening now. In Whales (3), (the land of King Arthur), a silent tear is
forming in the eye of the elder Welsh as they feel the young of Wales uninclined to
perpetuate the wealth of their native tongue. Will they translate all their treasures
in time? We may not be so fortunate as to have an aging scholar with a good
memory and the will to beneficially revive the past as nourishment for the future.
The history of picture-writing affirms this. It was lost to the known knowledge of the
world for centuries until the Rosetta Stone (4) was found with the same
information chiseled into it in different languages — one of them being the ancient
hieroglyphics. Our ancient experience was thus further liberated from its invisible
walls.
Yet we have barely set foot in the garden of ancient science. With our interest in
pyramid energy, one of the most intriguing questions is no longer how did the
ancients build the Great Pyramid, but how did they know that those huge stone
blocks, when assembled in a pyramid with a particular base angle would produce
energy? Not by accident did the angles they used produce a manifestation of

energy one third up the center line from the base of The Great Pyramid, for a
special chamber (5) exists enclosing that location.
Nations rise and fall, and with them also rise and fall the dominance of language,
(such as Latin), and its affect upon World Culture. For a writer, the prime motive is
to communicate with as many minds as possible. Writers tend to write in the
dominant language. When social change occurs, what happens to cultural
continuity?, (Will the river remember its source?). Knowledge and written arts,
(especially Poetry), suffer in translation. True knowledge is an eternal flower of
great beauty. If we use it well, then we will live well. It is naturally easier to read in
our native tongue. However, if this is not the dominant language, then culture
suffers according to our language skills. Must we depend upon the literary heroism
of an unknown scholar or the discovery of future “stones”, (computer tapes
bearing comparative languages buried in time capsules), for cultural continuity?
This lost and, (sometimes), found method for the preservation of our heritage of
experience make our knowledge like a kite without a tail darting here and there
never being able to maintain itself in the wind.
The universal second language is a diamond which becomes more beautiful and
more valuable under the pressure of social upheavals. As we increase our
sensitivity to what is lost, we increase our gratitude towards that which preserves
what is left of our experiential heritage and present culture, (and cherish that
which will wisely arrange their safe passage into the future). Remember, with an
established universal second language, the entry experience of the many cultures
of the world will be recorded. In general, each newspaper, magazine, book, film,
etc. will be published in the universal second language next to the native language
of the area in which they are published. Every library in the world will hold the
recorded experience of all societies throughout the world, past present, the sum of
which will be World Culture.
Therefore, we would have a cultural insurance. If anything should happen in one
area of the world, the recorded experience of that culture will not be lost,
(permanently or temporarily), because it will be on microfilm, (or its future
equivalent), in every library in every part of the world. Consequently, an event of
the magnitude of the fall of Rome would not eclipse the sun of knowledge as it did
in Europe, (especially for those who did not know Latin), in what we call the Dark
Age because that knowledge would be readily available in the universal second
language to all who desired to apply it. In short, (and, of course, in accordance
with the Law of Compensation), the universal second language would not only
preserve our cultural experience, but would also be a strong factor during times of
social change. However, the promulgation of a universal second language,
psychologically runs into an impenetrable wall, (for who wants to give up their own
linguistic heritage with its cultural ties). But the gate is wide open to the
promulgation of a universal second language for the purpose of world
communications, because there is no irritating implication of having to give up
something which is psychologically sacred to us — our own language. The idea of
being bilingual is already psychologically accepted in the world today. The
common sense probability of a world second language is high. (The wise will not
storm a wall when the gate lies open to them).
Is all this a pleasant pipe dream, far from the “feet – on – the – ground” thinking
which is necessary to make a living today? Let’s consider the relationship between
the universal second language and our financial needs. How much money would
we make if we wrote, in Welsh, a best selling book and the film industry made it,
(again in Welsh), into a hit film as well? Surely, not as much as if we wrote it in
Spanish, and most certainly not as much as if we wrote it in English, for the profit
depends upon where the book and film will be marketable. This marketability is
directly limited to those areas of the world which speak the language of the book

and film. Now, if that best seller and hit film were produced in the universal second
language, designed for an existing universal market, (all people throughout the
world), then the very healthy royalty checks will convert the most devout skeptic to
the bread and butter practicality of the universal second LANGUAGE. The
skeptic’s impractical pipe – dream attitude is further shattered when we consider
the advantage to the home computer industry, especially educational software.
No longer would tapes in many different languages be necessary. One set
designed with the universal second language, aimed at an existing universal
market would do nicely. Ship, bus, train, and airlines would benefit as well, in fact,
any multilingual business would benefit. The mail order catalog business would
only have to produce their catalog in the universal second language. Would they
hesitate to move into a universal market? It is only logical to generally conclude
from our modern experience that a businessman, looking to advertise his product,
will seek the widest distribution of his advertisement. (Business will do what is
necessary to efficiently expand business.). No pipe dream here, just dollars and
cents — common sense.
This is the vehicle for the protector of World Culture to become fully established –

• business. The realization, by the world business community, that it is just good
  dollars and common sense to establish a universal second language will carry
  cultural – continuity to every inch of our planet and beyond, (earth satellites and
  space shuttles will be orbital – companions with the universal second language.).
  Then we can realize the benefits of clear world-wide communications. No longer
  would television and radio broadcasts be delayed by time consuming, (and costly),
  translations. Important science, news, fine art, public health, and emergency
  broadcasts would have the maximum efficiency of universal distribution in the
  universal second LANGUAGE.
  On a more personal note, for a moment, visualize our libraries increasing in
  quantity, quality and interest. Imagine being able to read, in the original second
  language, a South American Nobel Prize winning Poet’s work, and relating its
  insights and sentiments to those of a Chinese Poetess you have recently read,
  (again, in the universal second language), and then relating them to your own
  feelings. We are talking about something which will bring us all very close
  together. Such a wall-breaker exists now! It is the easiest of all languages to learn.
  It is uncomplicated, (no irregular verbs). Yet, it is thoroughly comprehensive as a
  literary and every day language. Its vowel sound endings make it musical. It is
  responsibly organized on world, continental, and local levels (6). It is a fine
  traveling companion, and makes available to the non-traveller an unlimited supply
  of international, eager pen pals in at least 94 nations world wide. Look for those
  who speak the universal second language. (They wear a friendly green star for
  visual recognition).
  The universal second language is now being learned through the free ten lesson
  correspondence course (7) with a certificate upon completion. What is the name of
  this protector of cultural continuity? A century ago its inventor named it Esperanto,
  which means in that language, “One who hopes”.
  We have here a rose of great beauty, which belongs in the vase of World Culture.

Let’s put it there. Let’s visualize, if it pleases the Hierarchy of Light, the most co-
measured success of the universal second language, for the maximum benefit of

World Culture. Let’s work to improve the quality of our lives. Let’s work with the
universal second language as a cultural insurance policy for the growth of
humanity. When all grades of all schools of all nations are employing the universal
second language as a feet-on-the-ground investment in our future, (which is up to
us to wisely fill with beauty), then we will have created a stepping stone for cultural
continuity.

Notes:

1. Mending Wall: The Poetry of Robert Frost; Holt, Rinehart and Winston
   1967
2. Unto Thee I Grant: Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC: The Rosicrucian Order.
   San Jose, CA.
3. Wales: National Geographic Magazine, 1983
4. Rosetta Stone: Story and replica can be found in The Rosicrucian Egyptian
   Museum, San Jose, CA.
5. The Great Pyramid: Cut away model found in Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum,
   San Jose, CA.
6. ELNA: (Esperanto League Of North America), P.O.B. 1129, El Cerito, CA.
   94530, USA
7. Same as note 6.

PETAL #153
God Is Fire, etc.
Some say that God lives in the sky.
He points his rod and men soon die.
Some say He lives inside our heart.
With love He gives mankind a start.
Some say He’s there in everything.
All men must care — paw, fin or wing.
Some say “She” cheers when we rejoice,
and train our ears to hear “Her” voice.
Now God I mean no disrespect,
but in between our introspect,
can You God-sail to this sender
a fax/email with your gender?
Help us prevent a great crisis.
Are you a “gent.” or an Isis?

PETAL #154
G o i n g P u b l i c ?

As the waking song birds serenade the dawn, so our hearts sing joyfully at the
thought of beauty. The more we think of beauty the more our senses link us with
beauty. Roses provide color, form and calming fragrance. Fine music supplies
uplifting sounds. Quality foods provide delicious flavors, and our sense of touch
delivers the feelings of many textures which we delight in.
Not without effort do we focus on beauty. Day to day living has a tendency to
belittle the philosopher of beauty as unrealistic. As soon as we advocate beauty,
someone, it seems, is always there to counter with a vivid description of some
brutality or natural disaster they spoiled their breakfast with over the morning
paper. Why do we dwell on the unbeautiful events in the world to the exclusion of
the many beautiful daily happenings in our lives throughout the world, (beginning
with the subtle colors of sunrise)? Someone, it seems, is always there to say, (with
a practiced sarcasm), “What beautiful events?” They will say it so emphatically
and then all knowingly back it up with the attitude that, “If this guy tries to argue for
beauty in the world, I’ll make him look like a real jerk in front of everyone.” His
negative attitude will have a full retinue of intimidations to go along with it.
What is the lover of beauty to do? Will we maintain a silent love affair with
beauty, or will we try to reason with a negative attitude, thus risking our own loss
of focus on beauty? Can the archer hit the target while engaged in serious
debate? Yes. It is possible, but are we that good at debate and even better at
loving beauty that we can do both well? Thus we must know ourselves realistically
to operate on a practical level with our most cherished ideals. A silent love affair
with beauty is preferable, because it is not intruded upon by the uncountable
interpretations which others identify with based on the level of consciousness with
which they conceived their viewpoint. A public love affair with beauty will be
subject to attack from each interpretation different from our own.
This is not to say that a public love affair with beauty is non beneficial. If we have
the intellectual equipment, (and training), plus the temperament to mentally sword
fight with ideas, then we will be continually considering other interpretations of
beauty in order to deal with them while pushing our own interpretation, (as our
opponents will surely be doing as well). We may then learn as we go , so to speak,
and in doing so evolve our concept of beauty, which, in all probability, we will fight
for just as strongly as we did our previous concept of beauty, since that is our
nature. The very real danger in going public with our love affair with beauty is that
we get so involved in the battle of interpretations that we may shift our focus, (to a
degree), on beauty and thus the archer misses the target of his original desire. In
other words, our love affair with beauty can become overshadowed by our love of
debate. This is a sure way to dull or lose altogether the joy we get in thinking
about and perceiving beauty.
Our attachment to debate, (formal or informal), is associated, (among other
things), with the desire to be a winner and all the recognition that goes along with
being a winner. The love of winning is involved with, to a high degree, vanity. To

get entangled with vanity, (our own and that of others), is, (in most cases), to put
water on the fire of joy. So we can understand when the wise say that joy is a
physician. We must preserve the joy we get from our thoughts about beauty. This
preservation of joy is a tonic for our health. If we are feeling joy, then we are not
identifying with the negative emotions. Simply put, anger and hate are the grave
diggers of health. (They are rarely unemployed). Those of us who are lovers of
beauty must choose the way we will manifest our love. Will we verbalize it, put it in
print, weave it into an award winning film, or will we silently identify with the joy of
beauty so finely that those around us will secretly desire to be like us and manifest
their own private love affair with beauty?

PETAL #155
Key Talk (Poem)
Thursday, 8 July x1999, Phoenix, AZ.
A doctor once told me the mind is wealth.
He said it was a key to future health.
A Buddhist once told me mind is clever.
He said it was a key to real weather.
A heartbeat once whispered joyful minds sing.
It said it was they key to everything.

PETAL #156
T h e S i n c e r e H e a r t

“Sincerity is the way of heaven. The attainment of sincerity is the way of men. He
who possesses sincerity, is he who, without an effort, hits what is right, and
apprehends, without the exercise of thought, — he is the sage who naturally and
easily embodies the right way. He who attains to sincerity is he who chooses what
is good, and firmly holds it fast.
To this attainment there are requisite the extensive study of what is good,
accurate inquiry about it, careful reflection on it, the clear discernment of it, and
the earnest practice of it.”
My brothers and sisters, those are the thoughts of our ancient brother Confucius,
who lived six hundred years before the birth of Jesus, and three hundred years
before the time of Aristotle. Confucius was a cause and effect thinker. He shares
with us that the way of heaven is sincerity. Then he shares with us that the way of
men is the attainment of sincerity. He then goes on to explain how we can attain
sincerity as follows:

1. The extensive study of what is good.
2. Accurate inquiry about it.
3. Careful reflection on it.
4. The clear discernment of it.
5. The earnest practice of it.
   (Note: The dictionary definition of sincerity is honesty. Dishonesty is deception;
   therefore, insincerity is deception.)
   My brothers and sisters, in the Agni Yoga Heart book (#595) we read that,
   “One of the conditions of existence is sincerity, or, to use another word,
   heartiness. If this foundation is not sufficiently developed, one can strengthen it
   by turning to the heart.”
   It is safe to say, brothers and sisters, that those who hear or read these words,
   including the writer, recognize that they personally are not operating on 100%
   sincerity 100% of the time during both their waking moments and while in The
   Subtle World. It is also safe to say that those who hear, read or write these words
   are ever willing to strive on to increase the percentage of sincerity with which they
   operate on in life. Thus we are all very willing to turn to the heart to bridge the gap
   between that level of sincerity at which we individually find ourselves at the
   present time and the ideal 100% level of sincerity.
   The Initiate on The Path of Beauty goes to the heart regularly and with beneficial
   results; however, the Initiate also continuously strives to a more perfect
   relationship with the heart, which is the abode of The Source of All Beauty and All
   Life. Perhaps this morning we can improve our relationship with our heart by first
   carefully listening to Confucius’ further descriptions of a person who has achieved

100% sincerity, and then by turning to our heart and planting a seed which
contains the essence of 100% sincerity. After we plant our seed, we will then end
this discourse with a brief allegory. Now let us learn sincerity from Confucius, the
Philosopher of Sincerity, still sharing his knowledge after twenty five centuries
have passed. These heart beats of wisdom were researched in the book The
Great Learning and The Doctrine of The Mean, translated by James Legge,
(Dover Pub. Inc, New York NY. 1971). We read in chapter twenty-two that,
“Next to the above is he who cultivates to the utmost the shoots of goodness in
him. From those he can attain to the possession of sincerity. This sincerity
becomes apparent. From being apparent it becomes manifest. From being
manifest, it becomes brilliant. Brilliant, it affects others. Affecting others, they are
changed by it. Changed by it, they are transformed. It is only he who is
possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under heaven, who can
transform.
Sincerity is the end and the beginning of things; without sincerity there would be
nothing. on this account the superior man regards the attainment of sincerity as
the most excellent thing.”
It is said in The Book of Poetry,
“Over her embroidered robe she puts a plain, single garment, intimating a dislike
to the display of the elegance of the former. Just so, it is the way of the superior
man, [the man who lives the mean between the two extremes of excess and
deficiency], to prefer the concealment of his virtue, while it daily becomes more
illustrious, and it is the way of the mean man, [the man who lives at the extremes
of excess and deficiency], to seek notoriety, while daily he goes more and more to
ruin. It is characteristic of the superior man, appearing insipid, yet never to
produce satiety; while showing a simple negligence, yet to have his
accomplishments recognized; while seemingly plain, yet to be discerning. He
knows how what is distant lies in what is near. He knows where the wind proceeds
from. He knows how what is minute becomes manifested. Such a one, we may
be sure, will enter into virtue.

The Book Of Poetry

It is said in The Book Of Poetry,
“Although the fish sink and lie at the bottom, it is still quite clearly seen! Therefore
the superior man examines his heart, that there may be nothing wrong there, and
that he may have no cause for dissatisfaction with himself. That wherein the
superior man cannot be equaled is simply thus, — his work which other men
cannot see.
Chapter twenty, #20.
“The superior man, while there is anything he has not studied, or while in what he
has studied there is anything he cannot understand, will not intermit his labor.
While there is anything he has not inquired about, or anything in what he has
inquired about which he does not know, he will not intermit his labor.
While there is anything which he has not reflected on, or anything in what he has
reflected on which he does not apprehend, he will not intermit his labor.
While there is anything which he has not discerned or his discernment is not
clear, he will not intermit his labor.

If there is anything which he has not practiced or his practice fails in earnestness,
he will not intermit his labor.
If another man succeed by one effort, he will use a hundred efforts. If another
man succeed by ten efforts, he will use a thousand.

21. LET A MAN PROCEED IN THIS WAY, AND THOUGH DULL, HE WILL BECOME INTELLIGENT,

though weak, he will become strong.
When we have intelligence resulting from sincerity, this condition is to be ascribed
to Nature; when we have sincerity resulting from intelligence, this condition is to
be ascribed to instruction. But given the sincerity, and there shall be intelligence,
given intelligence, there shall be sincerity.”
My brothers and sisters, if our thoughts are insincere, then insincerity will
permeate our every action, like a prolonged drought which dries out every leaf,
every rot, and every cell of the forest. The flowers die. 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. However, if our thoughts are sincere, then sincerity will
permeate our every action, like the 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
becomes the forest. Such is the power of sincerity. My brothers and sisters, for

those of us who desire to plant a seed to maximize our sincerity, in the most co-
measured, harmonious, and joyful way possible, on all levels of existence, and

thereby maximize our service to The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity and World
Culture, as well as The Path of Beauty, which is the Path of The Heart, according
to the will of The Highest of Hearts and under the guidance of The Teacher of
Beauty, without interfering with free will or Karma, and with perfect protection on
our sendings, then let us now, for the next moment, mentally command our hearts
to contact The Teacher of Beauty to guide us to maximize our sincerity on all
levels of self.

(one minute of silence)

My brothers and sisters, let us end this discourse on the sincere heart with a brief
allegory. Picture a traveler climbing in the Himalayan Mountains, who, following a
path, comes upon a huge towering gate which blocks the traveler from continuing
on the path. The traveler glimpses a figure on the other side of the gate and
speaks as follows.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, who can pass here?
ANSWER: Those without deception.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, why do you hide from view?
ANSWER: To protect you.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, why is the gate locked?
ANSWER: The sincere pass without a key.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, what is on the other side of this gate?
ANSWER: The Land of No Deception.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, What is the value of this no deception?
ANSWER: Trustworthiness.
QUESTION: Gatekeeper, why is this trustworthiness so valued by you?
ANSWER: It leads to unity.
QUESTION: But gatekeeper, surely everyone knows that things like unity and
brotherhood are very high ideals which do not exist on a large scale on earth!
ANSWER: That is why there is a gate.
(the end)

Thank you brothers and sisters 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 #157
MY CORNERSTONE (Poem)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
In the northeast corner of my heart,
I found a large, unfinished stone.
I thought it was a work of art,
[a gift of the First Mason], —
something kept under lock and key
that glows with every good deed done,
and cheers all striving to be free.
But prayer and praise are not enough.
[Much work was left for me to do].
Up close it stands unsquare and rough,
while working tools remain like new.
There’s no mistake. I clearly see.
Its wake up time, and “up” to me.

PETAL #158

W h o W i l l P a y F o r O u r I d e a s ?

As we approach the twentieth Century with our design, production, and efficient
use of such tools as computers, space labs, and laser equipment, we may, at first,
think it unnecessary to emphasize that thoughts are things.
It may seem all too obvious that in order to have a new product such as
chemical-lighting equipment; someone of us had to first conceive of the idea, then
someone had to test and refine it, and then someone had to produce, advertise
and sell it. This way of thinking has become ingrained in our production minded
society. It has the cause and effect thinking which is the basis of all science. As
long as this process goes from an idea, to the drawing board, to the manufacturer,
to the consumer, we can readily see and understand it, because we begin with an
idea which is intangible and end with a product which is tangible.
However, when this process begins with an idea and ends in a product which we
cannot eat, drive, or send into orbit, then we must be more discerning in order to
recognize the process. For example, an idea may generate an attitude rather than
a physical product. If the idea is that people are mean and hurtful, then the person
who holds that idea will probably not be the outgoing friendly type. He may
develop an antisocial attitude. As a result, people sense this attitude with its
inevitable moods and behavior patterns, and stay away.
The intangible idea, (the cause), produced the intangible attitude,(the effect).
What does this mean in terms of our dealing with the everyday world? How will it
help us? We are thinking beings. Naturally, the more discerning we are, the more
we will see the subtle effects of our thoughts. We all have the ability to discern.
Depending on our interests, we may discern keenly at one moment, and very little
the next. (Strong emotions have a tendency to cloud our discerning ability).
Accidents, (if there are such things), are usually traced to moments of very little
discernment prior to the accident. Many times the person was thinking about
something which happened in the past and did not have all of their attention on
what they were doing. When we begin to realize that each thought has its effect,
we then become more careful about what we let our minds dwell on. Let’s
consider a homely analogy. Remember when we were young and watched
someone popping corn? After the kernels were poured into the hot oil, they
absorbed so much heat that they could no longer retain their original shape and
exploded. What does the popping of corn have to do, (in our analogy), with the
cause and effect relationship of our ideas?
Most of us are quick to toss our kernel of thought into the hot oil of our greed in
order to get the quickest expansion which will produce the Most money in the
shortest period of time. This is usually justified by that spiritually crippling platitude:
“You gotta take care of number one!” — (the me first philosophy). We “pop” our
kernel of thought instead of carefully planting it in prepared soil. The idea here is
to cultivate an idea which, over many seasons, will multiply and benefit many
people. Is this possible? Can we cultivate an idea?
Let’s look at a service in our society today which we consider beneficial and
necessary — the fire department. A truly wondrous Eighteenth Century American

conceived of and started the first fire department in the City of Brotherly Love —
Philadelphia Pennsylvania, U.S.A.. What a seed he planted! It is still growing.
People have jobs, not only as firemen, but also as workers who make fire fighting
equipment, build fire stations, install fire alarm systems, etc. It has, is, and will
continue to contribute, in a healthy, wholesome way, to the economy and peace of
mind of millions of people.
This social thinker, who focused his mind on ideas which would help humanity
instead of just himself, also started the first paid police dept. in Philadelphia, and
published, as well, a newspaper which featured thoughtful essays for the
education of his fellow man. He set up a trust fund for a vocational school which
thrives today, under his name, as a technical institute in Boston, Massachusetts,
U.S.A.. He intelligently experimented with electricity long before it became a
household word. He served in the American Congress and as The United States
Ambassador to France. He designed the seal of the United States of America.
He invented wax paper and the pot bellied stove. He served as a leader of The
Rosicrucians and Masons and is recognized as the Father of the American
Philosophical Society. Who was this humane cultivator of beneficial ideas? His
name appears on the Declaration of Independence, he was Benjamin Franklin.
We are in desperate need of cultivated, (non-selfserving), ideas; however,
“popped” ideas are so prevalent in our society that they have even infiltrated our
science. What does this mean? Let’s consider, for a moment, a “popped” idea —
an idea which may have been conceived altruistically, but which became “popped”
in the process of its development instead of cultivated to ensure its beneficial
effect. Medical science married big business and produced many offspring, some
of which have had outstandingly beneficial effects, (such as The Polio vaccine),
and some of which have had tragic effects, such as tranquilizers. One such
tranquilizer, which is widely prescribed and used today, (1980), has caused a
serious problem in our society. Its technical name is Diazepam. It is widely known
as Valium, and casually known as the “executive excedrine”. One of its side
effects is a pleasurable “high” feeling. This, as we will see, has complicated its
intended use.
Annabel Hecht, a staff writer with the Food and Drug Administration’s office of
public affairs, informs us in her article Tranquilizers: Use, Abuse, and
Dependency, printed in the F.D.A. Consumer by The Department of Health,
Education, and Welfare that,
“Doctors today write an estimated ninety million prescriptions annually for
tranquilizers that are intended to calm the nerves. Valium tops the list as the Most
frequently prescribed drug in The United States.
No deaths have been attributed to Valium alone, but Valium in combination with
other drugs – especially alcohol- can be deadly.
The safety and effectiveness of the minor tranquilizers for short term use are not
in question. They do relieve minor tensions and are of value in treating such
conditions as alcoholism and epilepsy, as well as painful muscle spasms. Overuse
can lead to dependency, however. When this point is reached the abuser is faced
with new problems. Stopping use of the drug can result in withdrawal symptoms
similar to those associated with barbiturate withdrawals: delirium, trembling,
psychosis, and exaggeration of reflexes.
Because of the potential for abuse, the Drug Enforcement Administration, on the
advice of F.D.A., has placed a number of the tranquilizers under schedule IV of the
Controlled Substances Act. This means that prescriptions for miltown and for
Valium, Librium and a number of related drugs of benzodia – zepine class are valid
for use only six months, and can be refilled only five times.

Despite these controls, people who have become dependent on tranquilizers
apparently have no great difficulty in getting them. Television “exposes” have
revealed the ease with which prescriptions have been obtained from more than
one physician, while one magazine reported that Valium is handed out in business
offices by employees as casually as cigarettes. There is growing concern in
industry that over use of tranquilizers not only calms employees nerves, but also
dulls their senses, interfering with their ability to make judgments.
In its recent report to The President, The President’s Commission on Mental
Health noted that the misuse of psychoactive drugs – another name for drugs like
tranquilizers – is an exceedingly complex phenomenon with serious social, health,
and mental health aspects. The commission recommended more research in this
area.”
We face a daily challenge. Will we “pop” our ideas in hope of selfish gain, or will
we unselfishly cultivate them. Will we become Cosmic Gardeners of the heart
cultivating order out of chaos, or will we remain “me-first” peddlers in the chaotic
streets of a world bazaar, hawking our hot-buttered-ideas to the highest bidder, not
caring about the effects which they may have on our children and their children for
generations to come?
How long must our children eat the poison of our unconcern? There is more at
stake here; however, than just the irresponsible poisoning of our physical bodies
with the products of our greedily “popped” ideas. The selfish life is a scorpion that
dies by its own sting. Will we pass on our self-servingness as a value to our
children so that they will perpetuate our self-serving chain of causes and effects in
their future?
Some will say, “Well, all that is fine and good, but what has it got to do with me?
I’m not an inventor!” We help “pop” someone else’s idea when we use it for selfish
gain. We help cultivate someone else’s idea when we resist “popping” it for a
quick buck. It is the individual who intuits the kernel of an idea not an organization.
Therefore, each of us faces a personal decision. Will we cultivate, or will we
destroy?

PETAL #159
AFTER INNER-WEATHER (Poem)

1998, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
So now I’m old and have some tales to tell.
Should I be bold and have some fun as well?
From what I’ve learned the fun would be on me.
Storms undiscerned bury young dreams at sea.
The wise captain uses thoughts as ballast.
(A sailor’s Zen to free him from the past.)
Over the side go greed, anger and pride.

Petal #160

How Is Beauty Put Into A Poem?

The poem-maker, who lives in the heart, joyfully labors as a gardener of beauty.
The idea of a heart-poem unfolds as naturally as the rose. Because we have
experienced the magnificent beauty of the mature rose, we appreciate the bud as
the nursery of anticipated perfection. In that tight bud we see a future of color,
fragrance, texture and form. We see what could be. We examine what exists and
blend it with personal experience. The bud becomes the kernel of courage. It
becomes the match which lights the lamp of knowledge. It becomes the
microcosm of the infinite beauty which exists throughout the universe.
Like a poem, the rose bud has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The beginning
of the bud is sealed in its protective interlocking green sepals. We recognize it as
a bud because of its shape. But no color or fragrance of rose emanates from it. It
is the same with a poem. We see a form. Usually it has a title followed by stanzas,
some of which could be compact like squares and rectangles, or rangy and
sometimes shapeless. But generally a poem can be recognized from a distance
because of its form, even though the words may not be readable from that
distance.
It would seem that countless essays could be written on how to put beauty into a
poem. Yet how many poems leave the reader with the thought, “My God, that’s
beautiful.”? This would suggest to me, (a long time reader of poetry), that the
many theories which may be generated on how to put beauty into a poem are
specious — that is, they sound correct but are not.
The gap is wide between theory and practice on how to put beauty into a poem.
Perhaps the best demonstration would be a very beautiful poem about how to put
beauty into a poem. This, at least, would let the reader know that the writer’s
theory can be put into practice.
People will cry out, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”, and, of course, they
will be correct. Yet there are not that many poems that the beholders can say are
truly beautiful. It is the same with the other arts. There are many paintings,
sculptures, plays, and symphonies which the beholder doesn’t sigh, “Yes, that is
truly beautiful!”
This would seem to suggest that beauty in art is rare. Perhaps it is more of an
ideal than what exists, and what has existed. What then constitutes beauty in a
poem, and how is it put there?
Some of us may point to the mechanics of poetry, such as meter and rhyme.
Others may point to imagery and the power of the metaphor. Still others may point

to content. Personally, I feel that beauty in a poem originates with the poem-
maker’s attunement, (consciously, or unconsciously), with The Source Of All

Beauty And All Life and It’s Hierarchy Of Light. Just as humanity’s salvation lies in
its student teacher relationship with The Hierarchy Of Light, so too the salvation of
poetry — beauty in a poem, lies in the poem-maker’s attunement with the Higher.
As it is said that Mozart’s music was from God, so a poem’s beauty comes from
attunement with beauty itself, and is thus a pleasant echo of The Divine.

“Well”, some would say, “All that sounds ok, but how about all the poem-makers
who were religious and went to church regularly, yet the beholder doesn’t say of
their poems, “How beautiful!” A fair question don’t you think? One answer could be
that the beauty was there but that the beholder didn’t see it as he, or she, “looked
through their glass darkly.” Of course, that wouldn’t be very complimentary to the
beholder, (even if it were true). Certainly it couldn’t be true if not even one
beholder could get even a faint glimpse of beauty from the poem in question.
Perhaps we should look at the degree of attunement of the poem-maker as well
as the degree of attunement with beauty of the beholder.
It is reasonable to think that there are degrees of attunement with The Source Of
All Beauty, just as there are degrees of skill in writing, art, or any of the crafts. A
person could go to church every day yet not be a saint. A person could be a
carpenter for years, yet not have the skill of a master craftsman. This goes as well
for the reader of the poem as for the poem-maker.
Yes, beauty could be in the poem and the reader does not sense it, or more than
likely beauty is not in the poem and the reader knows it is not there. Why include
such a high confidence in the reader – the beholder of the poem? Simply because
the beholder is usually much more experienced in beholding beauty than the
poem-maker is at attuning with The Source Of All Beauty. Now that doesn’t sound
very complimentary to poem makers, does it! But this is not a discourse on being
complimentary to poem-makers. It is an exploration of the question, How is beauty
put into a poem?
Before this sounds like some one has an axe to grind about poem-makers, let
me say that this author has and does spend many hours engaged in the art of
poem-making. There is no attack here on poem-makers, only a search for the way
beauty gets into a poem. I can only share the results of my research up to this
point.
Thus it is my understanding that a beautiful poem is a co-measured poem. One
aspect of a co-measured poem is simplicity in its imagery in order to share a
glimpse of life, or an idea that is not otherwise easily understood. Thus a beautiful
poem is very easy to understand because of the universal imagery in its
metaphors. Not everyone has personally seen a deer in the woods, but just about
all who are not blind have looked up, at least once, into the night sky and
experienced the stars.
The poem-maker who is attuned to a high degree with The Source Of All Beauty
and All Life will only use images that are universal in the subconscious of the
poem-reader. Thus the poem reader instinctively knows that the poem-maker had
the best interest of the poem-reader in mind when creating the poem. Thus a

bridge of familiarity of imagery becomes a bridge of friendship between the poem-
maker and the poem-reader.

The egotistical debater may but in here and say, “Well, that sounds all fine and
good, but what if the poem-maker is making things simple only to “talk down” to
the reader. Maybe the poem-maker thinks that he, or she, is better than everyone
else!”
This is more of a common complaint than we might at first suspect; however, a
little thought here will clear away the fog. Usually when a person is trying to talk
down to someone they try to speak in terms over the other person’s head, or go
into the infinite detail of a doctrinaire trip. It could also take the form of over
simplifying with a “Boy are you dumb attitude.” If it were true that a poem-maker
was foolish enough to spend all the many hours, days, and yes weeks, creating a
poem only to talk down to the reader, then the poems which this egoist created
would most probably not fall into the category of beautiful. Most poem-readers
intuitively understand the difference between rampart egoism and beauty. Take a
second to ask yourself if the contents of being “talked down” to was ever

beautiful? Most likely the response to being talked down to would overwhelm any
beauty contained in the message. Yes, the simplicity of universal imagery may just
be a vital component of beauty in a poem, for it is a universal signal that the
poem-maker is serious about taking to the poem-reader into consideration in order
to share a special glimpse of life.
The key word here which illumines the choice of the simplicity of universal
imagery is share. The poem-maker who comes from the heart is sharing. How
skilled the poem-maker is at sharing through the poem-making tools available, will
determine to what degree we sigh, “What beauty!”
In the Agni Yoga Teachings we read that “Beauty is rationality”. [ ] Webster’s
dictionary describes rationality as:
1a. Having reason or understanding.
1b. Relating to, based on, or agreeable to reason.

2. The quality or state of being agreeable to reason — reasonableness.
3. A rational opinion, belief, of practice.
   Thus beauty is put into a poem,(through the rational view of beauty), when the
   contents would exhibit reason or understanding — a reasonable understanding

woven into the contents of a poem by the poem-maker. Now if we have a poem-
maker who is attuned with the Source of All Beauty through The Hierarchy Of

Light, who operates from the heart center, who writes in the immaculate simplicity
of universal images, and who weaves into the poem’s metaphors a reasonably
sound understanding of life, will this then constitute how beauty is put into a
poem? Well, more than a great many of us would say this is a real good place to
start.
If we add to these qualities a keenness of observation or discernment, we will
have a fresh look at nature and man and their countless interactions. Higher
degrees of discernment will produce deeper insights into human nature. To the
traveler on The Path Of Beauty, which is the Path Of The Heart, this comment on
discernment will come as no surprise, for discernment is a heart center activity.
Thus if the poem-maker operates from the heart center then discernment is
already one of the tools used to put beauty into a poem. Yet our effort is not
wasted, because it is beneficial to remind ourselves about discernment and its
source – the heart.
The following are attempts at poem-making on How beauty is put into a poem.
How Is Beauty Put Into A Poem?
What is its source? Should we dissect
each line by force? Who could inspect
such seed for roots? Who can research
flowers by shoots — or bird by perch?
Beauty’s face has many forms.
Beauty’s pace calms inner storms.
From God through heart, it lights each part.

Heart Rise
Into the sunrise of my heart the Source Of All Beauty breathes the color of dawn.
My prayer of achievement fills the morning like bird songs. The fragrance of rose
flows through my poem. Thoughts unfold like bright petals sparkling with dew. Like
the waterfall fills the forest pool, beauty fills my spirit with joy.

PETAL #161

To The Expansion of Our Love
A toast to Maryellen & Tom
at the celebration of our first anniversary
22 September 1985, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
From me to you this poem flows
with hope not new and love that glows.
Two hearts can win where mind is taught —
spirals begin with intersecting thought.
Our spiral spawned in circles of Light,
where joined hearts dawned in soul delight.
Great love discerns that fire which burns.
Like the spiral ever widens;
like the rose perfumes the air;
like the sun ray ever brightens;
let the heart fill everywhere.
The rings we wear in ancient word,
(the seal we bare of Thutmose the 3 rd.)
this cartuche means “Son of the Sun.”
From Ra man gleans how good is done.
Through each rebirth love lights our day
to find on earth a joyful way.
Let neophyte earn wings of Light.
Like the spiral ever widens;
like the rose perfumes the air;
like the sun ray ever brightens;
let the heart fill everywhere.
What kind of heart can fill all space
with thoughts that start a loving pace,
which brings a song from deep within,
to nurse us strong with will to win
the prize so rare and little known.
For those that dare to search alone,
heart is renewed with gratitude.
Like the spiral ever widens;
like the rose perfumes the air;
like the sun ray ever brightens;
let the heart fill everywhere.
Let us outlive unhappiness;
let us forgive the crude excess;
let us unwind the stress and strain;

let us unbind those bound in pain;
let us give joy where joy is not;
let us embrace the love Christ taught;
let us impart a spacious heart.

PETAL #162

What Is The Most Beautiful Attitude I Can Hold?

“An attitude is a deliberately adapted or habitual mode of regarding the object of
thought.”

the Oxford English dictionary

the same dictionary, states that thought is:

1. “Action or process of thinking, exercise of the mental faculty, formation and
   arrangement of ideas in the mind
2. “The product of mental action or effort.”
   So according to the dictionary, thought is the formation and arrangement of ideas
   in the mind.To repeat an quote used earlier in this research relating to beauty of
   thought:
   “Ugly thought cannot generate a beautiful action. When I speak about beauty, I
   have in mind first of all beauty of thought. Thought has form, which means that
   beauty of thought must be understood in all respects. For the sake of the
   Cosmos, man must not think hideously.”

AUM #439

Some quotes on Thought which seem appropriate here are:
“Thought and striving toward a decision give the direction to the entire stream of
human activities.” Infinity I #204
“Chiefly, learn to think in solitude. And realize the responsibility for thought.
Verily, thought levels the strongest walls.”

Agni Yoga #340
“Who can change destiny? Where is resistance” Only in thought. People do not
trust thought sufficiently….”Agni Yoga # 463
“A paved road is laid out of small pebbles. One cannot lay a smooth road with
obstructive rocks. When you study the trend of thought you perceive a multitude
of small thoughts, which pave the surface of motion. He who can be watchful in
small thoughts can rule great decisions. The quality and successiveness of small
thoughts lay the foundation of great actions…”

Agni Yoga #629
“At times people are ready to admit the power of thought, but they do not apply
this admission to themselves. They dream of great thoughts but will not discipline
the small ones. They will ask how to transmute thought into action. One must
begin by disciplining the smallest thoughts and then, only, create a thought that
moves mountains. The advice about disciplining small thoughts is the inception of
bringing health to the heart. Do not rely upon a variety of outer pranayamas. The

path of Agni Yoga is through the heart, but the heart must be aided by disciplining
thoughts…”

Heart #495
“Good thought is the primary basis of good action. Thought dawns before action,
therefore let us calculate the nature of good according to the fires of thought.”
Fiery World 2, #336

“The reality of the force of thought is beyond dispute. Thought creates.”

Fiery World 2, #565

“Thought creates life.” AUM #96
“Know how to apply forces toward each manifestation. Know how to inject the
Teaching into each thought…”

Agni Yoga #98
“Pure thoughts carry one as wings; dark thoughts screen the horizon like flocks of
black ravens. The spirit must realize this. The spirit must pronounce
condemnation of its dark thoughts. Only a pure striving thought will affirm
success. Therefore, each one who has adhered to the Teaching must be
strengthened in the significance of thought. Verily, I declare that in the flight of the
spirit the entire striving of thought is affirmed.”

Infinity 2, #349

PETAL #163
TO: ROBERT FROST —
POEM MAKER

28 January 1990
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.

You, who are dead,
but have not died,
are you freer now to think
for the one more
cast off shell?
Earth is still the right place
for love.
The ice cube still rides
on its own melting.
On the sizzling surface
of world tension,
the poem still flows
into a momentary stay
against confusion.
Are you still tired
of the harvest
you yourself
desired,
or are you once again
a swinger of Birches,
beginning in delight
and ending in wisdom?
Here, our setting sun
fills our heart’s labor
with the joyful color
of beauty.
There are no snowy woods
for winter walking,
no white drifts
come to bury you
in solid snow.
Yet, we are not without waves.
(To weather the spirit I mean).
Our Sonoran sun
separates

the hombres from the muchachos.
But if, for long,
it burns beyond the mean,
we, like Those Who Have Gone,
(our ancient Hohokam),
know well enough
not to live at any extreme.
We can leave
a desert hut as well,
and be not afraid
to move on
from a once more cast off hell.

PETAL #164

W h a t I s T h e R o l e O f B e a u t y

I n A g n i Yo g a ?

The year 1924 appears on the cover of the first book in the Agni Yoga Series. Its
title was, and still is, LEAVES FROM MORYA’S GARDEN — THE CALL, And, as
we shall soon see, it was and still is a call to arms.
This series reveals that at that time our earth was suffering from a very serious
spiritual condition. The accumulated negative thoughts of mankind had engulfed
earth. In addition to this most serious stranglehold on our planet, the end of one
age, (The Kali Yuga), was phasing into the start of the new age, (The Satya Yuga),
bringing with it the most serious and inevitable conflict between the hierarchy of
darkness and our Hierarchy of Light.
The dark forces were rebelling against their inevitable loss of power which
regularly occurs at the end of every age. Although the forces of darkness can
never win over the power of the forces of Light, their attacks were not illusory. The
clash began in the Subtle World as attacks of unprecedented scale and intensity
by the dark forces. All regular duties in Our Hierarchy of Light were, for the time
being, suspended. Each member and co-worker was issued a spiritual sword. The
long foreseen counter attacks by our Hierarchy of Light were begun, for self
defense is legal in the Cosmic. These counter attacks were co-measured and
invincible. The dust in the Subtle word was thick. The battle was real — painfully
real.

As Above So Below

Armageddon had begun in the Subtle World and would soon filter down on to the
earth plane manifesting the long series of conditions leading up to and including
World War one and two. Our Hierarchy of Light, having observed the situation as it

developed throughout the age of Kali Yoga, analyzed all the possibilities in true co-
measurement, thereby producing the best possibility for the evolution of Humanity

in its coming years of trials. Under the total of the conditions which prevailed on all
levels of life, the best possibility for the salvation of the planet was the opening of
the Heart center. Our Hierarchy of Light knew that this power was needed to
wisely bring in the new age under the condition which Humanity provided — the
poisonous brown gas of our accumulated negative thoughts. Only the Heart center
had the power to guarantee victory at that time. And bring victory it did! Agni Yoga
reveals the subtle spiritual aspects of that victory. At this point, some of us may be
wondering what this spiritual history of Armageddon has to do with the title of this
discourse which is the Role of Beauty in Agni Yoga.
“Nothing succeeds like our Hierarchy of Light. Through the Law of Beauty we
maintain our attunement with our Hierarchy of Light, which sends us the best
possibilities as seeds of service for the future of Humanity.”

Our Hierarchy of Light manifests simplicity. The most co-measured way, and thus
the way of the highest wisdom, to bring the heart center into spiritual readiness is
through beauty. Therefore, our Hierarchy of Light decided to encourage Humanity
to embrace beauty through the Law of Hierarchy, and thus open the heart center
in service to our Hierarchy of Light as the salvation of the planet earth in its then
present trials.

Co – Measurement

In its co-measured wisdom, our Hierarchy of Light knew that no member of the
dark forces would ever truly embrace beauty and thus would never manifest the
power of the heart. Thus the knowledge; that our Hierarchy of Light will always
triumph over the forces of darkness. Agni Yoga was and is the message of this
power of the heart. It is the teaching which heralds in the age of Satya Yuga.we
see that the cornerstone of the structure of Agni Yoga is heart. The foundation of
the teachings is beauty. The architect of the work is the Master Morya in our
Hierarchy of Light.
My brothers and sisters, let us embrace beauty. As part of the co-measured way
to the heart, we see that beauty is quite readily available — a fact which will not
surprise a student of the Path of Beauty who has been introduced to the concept
of co-measurement. sunrises and sunsets occur regularly. They fill our mornings
and evenings with truly wondrous beauty. Flowers, found even in the desert,
provide color in our lives. Birds add sound to color thereby enriching our
experience of beauty. From solar systems to sea breezes, Nature provides beauty
in abundance. A person can import beauty into his or her domain as easily as an
inexpensive purchase of a young flowering tree, vine or shrub. The beautiful
lavender trailing lantana, the desert gardener’s delight, spreads easily into a
carpet of almost constant bloom, all the time loving desert heat and ruggedly
resisting drought. Let us embrace beauty, for it is thus we fill our future with our
Hierarchy of Light.
Beauty is portable as well as readily available. Tape players are now a common
item in our vehicles. We have the choice to listen to beautiful music. Beautiful
pictures can also elevate the vibrations of a room, Temple or event. Beautiful
fragrances such as natural rose oil are not only beautiful and spiritually powerful,
but also healthy as well. Beautiful crafts can extend our striving for beauty into
hospitals, schools, homes, and anywhere beauty is needed. Thus we understand
the element of availability was co-measured into our Hierarchy of Light’s choice of
beauty as the best possibility for Humanity to open its heart center. It is not
necessary to jump on a tramp steamer and travel half way around the world to find

an instance of beauty in order to assist us in opening our heart center to be a co-
worker in our Hierarchy of Light. Beauty is all around us. Even beautiful thoughts

will trigger joy in our hearts. Even the memory of a beautiful moment may serve
the heart’s purpose, if the striving into the future is strong.
Brothers and sisters, let us embrace beauty. Beauty is our focus. Beauty is the
focus of Agni Yoga. By focusing on beauty we invoke the Law of Beauty, thereby
raising our level of vibrations in joyful attunement with our Hierarchy of Light,
whereby we attain invincibility as well as guidance in maximizing our service in the
co-measured process of aiding the evolution of Humanity. All this from a focus on
beauty. No wonder it is said that, “In beauty we conquer.” Our Hierarchy of Light,
through the Law of Hierarchy, has indeed given us the best possibility. Beauty
contains harmony, it is never offensive to a good person. As a co-measured

option, which stems from this mighty focus, we find that each of us has the ever-
present-possibility of focusing our mind on beauty at any time, anywhere, and

(with practice), under any conditions. Even humming a tune which we feel is
beautiful will trigger the process.

Beauty Is Our Focus.

Let us embrace beauty. We have been given free will.It is our choice to dwell on
either negative thoughts, positive thoughts or any combination of both positive and
negative thoughts. The negativity which provided the causes of Armageddon will
only cease when the entire human race has learned about the power of their
thoughts through the focus of beauty, for “When Humanity realizes that space is
saturated with the effects of human deeds it will be possible to cure the planet. “
(Hierarchy #298).
Until that hour my brothers and sisters we strive-on. By mentally commanding
our hearts to fill all space with joy we help minimize the effect of the poisonous
brown gas of accumulated negative thoughts produced by Humanity. Surely
through beauty we conquer, for beauty brings us to heart, and heart leads to
compassion, spiritual love and our Hierarchy of Light. Let us embrace beauty.
When a person is truly enjoying a moment of beauty then that person, during that
time, is not identifying with the chaotic thinking around him or her and thereby is
not filling space with sadness or any of the other vibrational members of the family
of unhappiness, for “Thought spirally transforms itself into substance, permeating
all of Cosmos.” “The Higher Beings perceive the effect of their thoughts
immediately, whereas here we can only know their direction, and the ultimate
result is discharged only after a certain lapse of time.” (Fiery World 1).

Beauty Co – Measured

Thus we see that the role of beauty in Agni Yoga is a co-measured one,
designed by our Hierarchy of Light as a safe and efficient catalyst for us to
contact our Hierarchy of Light through our hearts in joyful attunement. Let us be
ever grateful for this ever-present-possibility which beauty brings us. Beauty leads
to joy which is “a special wisdom”. “Verily, the best fire is kindled through joy”.
(Fiery World 1). Through beauty we find the strength of invincibility which leads
directly to the co-measured wisdom of our Hierarchy of Light.
My brothers and sisters, let us embrace beauty. A good person finds it easy to
listen to and be around concepts of beauty. Beauty is a welcome mat. Thinking
about beauty opens the gate of joy which leads to the garden of the Teacher of
Beauty. There we can learn more about the value of beauty. There we can learn
more about the application of the Law of Beauty. There we can learn more about
maximizing our capacity for beauty. There we can learn more about maximizing
our joyful labor in service to our Hierarchy of Light. Beauty is truly a magnificent
traveling companion. Let us adorn our hearts and minds with that beauty which
brings us invincibility, co-measurement and eternal brotherhood.
My brothers and sisters, let us embrace that beauty which leads to the Highest
of Hearts, for “Without God there is no path. Call Him what one will, the Highest
Hierarchic Principle must be observed, otherwise there is nothing to adhere to.
Thus one must understand how the upward aspiration of people’s will surround the
planet like a protective net”. (Fiery World 1 #628). The role of beauty in Agni Yoga
is co-measured to include the Highest of Hearts. Beauty is the key to our heart’s
energy, which is the salvation of our planet. The Master Morya, in his Leaves of
Morya’s Garden says,

“Teach them beauty”.

My brothers and sisters let us learn beauty. Let us embrace beauty in our loftiest
thoughts. Let us embrace beauty in our finest emotions. Let us embrace beauty
wherever we find ourselves. Let us embrace beauty in every thought of our
thinking existence. Let us embrace beauty as we would use the fire of a candle to
light up the night as our sun lights up our solar system. Let us embrace beauty to
fill our lives with joy as the sun fills our lives with warmth. Let us embrace beauty
to maintain our connection with our Teacher of Beauty. Let us embrace beauty to
purify our hearts. Let us embrace beauty to participate as a co-worker in the Law
of Hierarchy. Let us embrace beauty as a prime role in our lives as beauty is the
prime role in the Teachings of Agni Yoga.
“The teaching of Hierarchy is the teaching of the heart.” (Hierarchy). The most
co-measured way to the heart is the Path of Beauty. My brothers and sisters let us
embrace beauty as an Arhat, or Teacher in our Hierarchy of Light, embraces
beauty. At this point, some of us may be wondering How an Arhat, or Cosmic
Master embraces beauty? Let us, in conclusion, let the Master Morya answer this
as we quote paragraph #177 from The Agni Yoga Series: volume number one. of
the three volumes entitled Fiery World.

Does An Arhat Rest?

177. Does an Arhat rest? You already know that a change of labor is rest, but
     the true repose of an Arhat is his thoughts about the Beautiful. Amidst various
     labors, thought about the Beautiful is the bridge and power and stream of
     benevolence. Let us weigh a thought of evil and a thought of good, and we shall
     prove to ourselves that the beautiful thought is more powerful. Let us organically
     analyze different thoughts, and we shall see that a beautiful thought is a treasury
     of health. In beautiful thinking an Arhat beholds the ladder of ascent. In this active
     thinking is the Arhat’s repose. In what else can we find another source of
     benevolence? Thus can we remember when we are especially oppressed. When
     the shutters of selfhood are being fastened everywhere, when fires are
     extinguished in the darkness, is it not the time to reflect about the Beautiful? We
     anticipate a miracle, we strive to break the lock, but the ladder of the Arhat is only
     in the Beautiful. Let us not sully, let us not belittle this path! Only thereby will we
     attract that which seems so miraculous. And the miracle, is it not the indissoluble
     bond with Hierarchy? In this bond lies all of physics, and mechanics, and
     chemistry, and the panacea for all things. It seems possible with a little striving to
     move all obstacles, but the fulfillment of this condition is immeasurably difficult for
     people! Why have they clipped the wings of beauty?”
     My brothers and sisters, let us embrace beauty.

PETAL #165

PLEASURE ISLAND

It’s a pleasant surprise
to see the island
sticking up out of the sand.
Many rush to picnic and explore,
especially those who have not heard
about the tide.
They walk to the island
at low tide,
but cannot walk back
when the tide is high.
I was once a prisoner of the tide,
and stood an anxious night waiting
for the ebb.
Later I wondered why newcomers
laughed at a boy’s warning.
Now I am older
and getting honest with myself.
I am a prisoner of another tide,
a tide that rushes and rages
at every thwarted desire.
So I am again a watcher
of the tide.
I wait for the ebb
when I can walk back
to the mainland.
But there is no ebb.
Instead I see waves —
waves that have raged
in my mind
from my first thwarted desire
through to my last.
So I am a watcher
of the waves.
With an inward telescope
I monitor the wind

that forms each swell
and ready myself
for the pounding of waves.
Between waves
I think of the pleasure
that attracted me here —
a poor pacifier
for the pounding
of waves.
So I am a watcher
of desire.
The wind that causes
the greatest swell
is driven by
the silent truth
that pleasure
is only temporary,
and weathered I am
from the ceaseless pounding
of that wave.
I am not unhappy
in a calm,
when I can think
about what must be done
to get off this island
and post a warning
for all that can see,
and for all that can
understand
what is written —
look beyond desire.

PETAL #166

The Journey To Brotherhood

My brothers and sisters, in preparation for this discourse, a petition for guidance
was made to The Teacher Of Beauty in our Hierarchy of Light. Later, while
searching through the book Brotherhood from the Agni Yoga Series, three
numbered paragraphs stood out to my consciousness. They are paragraphs #1,

379 AND #610. NUMBER ONE IS THE FIRST NUMBERED PARAGRAPH IN THE BOOK, AND

610 IS THE LAST NUMBERED PARAGRAPH. SO WE SEE THAT THE FIRST THOUGHT, A MIDDLE

thought, and the last thought of the book Brotherhood will be the ingredients of
this discourse. Let us listen now to these words of wisdom. The book Brotherhood
begins as follows:

1 “LET US CONSIDER A CONCEPT WHICH HAS BECOME EXTREMELY OVER BURDENED.

Amidst daily life people assimilate with difficulty an understanding of cooperation,
yet much more difficult and inaccessible to them is the concept of brotherhood.
Bodily heritage, that is, blood relationship, impedes the acceptance of the concept
of brotherhood. It is simpler for the people to disclaim altogether any
understanding of world brotherhood. They would rather call it a utopia than reflect
about the possibility of applying it in life.
If even in the narrow domain of domestic life people do not find within themselves
the affirmation of brotherhood, then in the wider sense it may seem to them to be
impractical. Besides, people read carelessly the ancient covenants, which speak
about great numbers of brothers and sisters. Likewise, people’s
recollections of the Subtle World have become clouded. Only there is it possible to
encounter the expanded realization of brotherhood. The body impedes the way to
many broad ideas. Only by going beyond the limits of the bodily understanding is it
possible to recognize brotherly cooperation. Let us gather the signs of such an
expanded state of consciousness.”
My brothers and sisters, the book of Brotherhood ends as follows:

610 “THE TRAVELERS MAY KNOCK FOR ADMITTANCE. THE TRAVELERS COULD TELL ABOUT

the great Souls who dwell in unfailing service beyond the far off deserts, beyond
the mountains, beyond the snows.Travelers will not tell whether they have been in
the abode. Travelers will not utter the word brotherhood, yet each listener will
comprehend what center of knowledge is spoken about. The sowers of good go
about the world when Humanity is atremble. People wish to hear about the
stronghold, the citadel. If they will not learn about the statutes, they will
nevertheless grow stronger at the mere message that the stronghold of knowledge
does exist. The lotus of the heart is aquiver at the approach of the dates. Rejoice
at the existence of brotherhood.”
Brothers and sisters, the middle paragraph chosen from the book Brotherhood
goes like this.

379 “IN ITS ESSENCE BROTHERHOOD IS A SCHOOL OF THINKING. EACH ACT OF THE

brotherhood is in itself the expression of a thought useful to Humanity. Each new

consciousness will be welcomed by the brotherhood and will find support in it.”
My brothers and sisters, upon studying these three numbered paragraphs, the
following points seemed to be calling out to me, as if to say, “Look here, we are
the stepping stones to your discourse on brotherhood.”

1. “People would rather call brotherhood a utopia than reflect about the
   possibility of applying it in life.”
2. “Only in the Subtle World is it possible to encounter the expanded
   realization of brotherhood.”
3. “The sowers of good go about the world when humanity is atremble.”
4. “People will grow stronger at the mere message that the stronghold of
   knowledge does exist.”
5. “Rejoice at the existence of brotherhood.”
6. “In its essence brotherhood is a school of thinking.”
7. “Each act of brotherhood is in itself the expression of a thought useful to
   Humanity.”
   My brothers and sisters, in addition to the above seven points, the following two
   points, (#389 page 191), also caught my eye while reading the book Brotherhood,
   but at first they did not seem to be a part of the answer to my petition. However,
   after a while an urging prompted me to include them. They are our eighth and
   ninth points as follows:
8. “Striving toward the Light cannot be extinguished if a man is searching
   sincerely.”
9. “The main thing is to distinguish the real from the superficial.”
   After contemplating these nine points, it became apparent that they could be
   reassembled into three groups of three. We will label them group “A”, group “B”,
   and group “C”. Let us now look closely at our three groups and see if an analysis
   of them can assist us in maximizing our awareness of brotherhood.
   Group “A”, ( Points #1, #5, and #9), has the feeling about it of a set of directions.
   Let us now take a closer look.
   1) Point #9: “Distinguish the real from the superficial.” (We call this discernment).
   2) Point #5: “Rejoice at the existence of brotherhood.”
   3) Point #1: “Reflect about the possibility of applying brotherhood in life.”
   These are action sentences. They start with verbs in the form of a command. We
   find these three command words: distinguish, (or discern), rejoice, and reflect. If
   we were diagraming a triangular manifestation, with the point up, of group “A”, we
   might place the command discern at the first point of our triangle, rejoice at the
   second point, and reflect at the third point. In other words, brothers and sisters,

these three points can symbolize a cause and effect relationship between our
three phrases in group “A”, as follows:

3. reflect
4. discern 2. rejoice
   If we discern the real from the superficial, then we can find brotherhood and
   rejoice in its existence. If we find brotherhood and rejoice in its existence, then we
   can reflect about the possibility of applying brotherhood in life. Discernment is the
   key here because without our discernment we would not be able to distinguish
   what is brotherhood and what is not brotherhood. Thus we would not be able to
   know brotherhood if we bumped into it. This being the case, there would be no
   rejoicing at the existence of something we could not discern in life, and obviously
   we could not reflect about the possibility of applying brotherhood in life if we
   couldn’t discern it in the first place. In other words, it would not be a reality to us.
   Moving on now to group “B”, (points #3, #6 and #7), we sense the feeling of the
   cause and effect relationship of thought with respect to the actions of the
   brotherhood, as follows.
   1) Point #6: “In its essence brotherhood is a school of thinking.”
   2) Point #7: “Each act of brotherhood is in itself the expression of a thought useful
   to Humanity.”
   3) Point #3: “The sowers of good go about the world when Humanity is atremble.”
   Applying the same type of analysis to group “B” as we did in group “A”, we may
   consider a triangular manifestation, with the point down as follows:
5. 2.
   school of
   thinking expression
   of thought

3.
timely aid to Humanity
A school of thinking is our first point of our triangle. The expression of thought is
our second, and our third point is the timely aid to Humanity in terms of sowing
good.
Thought gives rise to feelings, and feelings give rise to actions. Since our actions
are the children of our thoughts, it certainly is a case for rejoicing to know that
brotherhood exists which is a school of thinking. This group “B” seems to be in a
cause and effect relationship with group “A”. In other words, in group “A” we first
discerned brotherhood they rejoiced at brotherhood and then reflected on the
application of brotherhood in our lives. Now group “B” tells us that we can apply
brotherhood in our lives. By attuning with and thus becoming a part of the
brotherhood, we join a school of thinking which expresses its refined thought in
acts of goodness when and where needed.

Group “C”, (points #4, #2 and #8), has the feeling in it of the three phases of a
journey: the beginning, the destination, and the path between the two. Perhaps
point #4 is the beginning as follows:
1) Point #4: (the beginning); “People will grow stronger at the mere message that
the stronghold of knowledge does exist”.
2) Point #2: (the destination); “Only in the Subtle World is it possible to encounter
the expanded realization of brotherhood.”
3) Point #8: (the path between the two); “Striving toward the Light cannot be
extinguished if a man is searching sincerely.”
Brothers and sisters, if we continue our analysis by triangulation with the point up,
we see that group “C” is a triangle of a Cosmic Journey. The three key phrases
here may be strength, sincere striving, and encounter with brotherhood.
3.encounter
with brotherhood

1. strength 2.sincere
   striving

Thus by learning of the stronghold of knowledge we become strengthened and
sincerely strive toward the Light of this stronghold of knowledge, (brotherhood),.
We then, in our subtle journeys, encounter the expanded realization of
brotherhood in the Subtle World, (Astral World).
My brothers and sisters, perhaps we sense here another triangle which goes
much farther than the three we have considered. Perhaps this overall triangle is
composed of our three groups “A’, “B”, and “C” only not in that order.

3. Group “B”
   School of thinking
   brotherhood
4. Group “A” 2. Group “C”

discernment Strength, sincere striving

Group “A” has in it discernment. discernment is the key to everything, therefore
group “A” would be the first point of our triangle pointing up. Group “C” has in it
sincere striving and encounter with brotherhood in the Subtle World. This sounds
like action which would follow from our first point of the triangle, (discernment). So
we will make our group “C” our second point of our overall triangle. This leaves
group “B” for the third point which is our school of thinking, which, in turn,
produces the sowers of good. This overall triangle sounds to me like a process in
which a candidate, who steps on The Path Of Beauty for the very first time, would
follow. Lets look closer now at this process.
We see this candidate discerning his way through the confusions of life. The
candidate finally discerns brotherhood and rejoices in the existence of
brotherhood. The candidate then reflects on the possibility of applying brotherhood

in his life. The candidate grows stronger with the concept of this stronghold of
knowledge and this strength gives incentive to begin a sincere striving toward the
Light of Brotherhood. This sincere striving effects all levels of self. Our candidate
then makes contact with the brotherhood in the Subtle World. Our candidate, now
an Initiate in a school of thinking, participates in our brotherhood as a sower of
good.

PETAL #167
THE POET & THE POEM

I carved my boat, (man that was fun),
then watched it float into the sun.
I built my plane, then watched it fly,
above the rain, beyond the sky.
I wrote a phrase, then watched it flow.
Through heart felt days, it came to know —
the poem shares a heart that cares.

PETAL #168

T h e G a m e C a l l e d F e e l i n g G o o d

Your enjoying yourself. The children are playing quietly. Your “better-half” is
cultivating roses in the garden. You just watched a hole on one on the Sunday
Golf Classic, and you and a friend are about to watch a great pro football game in
color. You’re thinking, “Things are going good.” You ask yourself, “Why can’t it be
like this all the time?” You answer yourself, “Well it isn’t, so make the most out of it
while it lasts.”.
Sound familiar? A great mind once compared our world of pleasurable feelings to
a free, and easily accessible pin-ball game. Any one can play. We just push the
right buttons and pull the right knobs. As long as we go by the rules, we can play
as much as we choose.
However, as soon as we disregard the rules, we no longer get nice feelings from
the game. We get so involved in our desire to get more pleasure, (and get it
quickly), that we push too hard. Our game reaches a built in tolerance level and
automatically shuts itself off, (without consulting us). This is called a “TILT”. When
this happens we get confused, frustrated and angry. Nobody likes to “TILT”.
Everyone likes to keep their game of nice feelings going and enjoy life. Since
some of us were never shown how to play, we learned by experience only. For
most of us, our parents and friends tried to share their knowledge and experience
of the game with us, but we were so wrapped up in ourselves what we couldn’t, (or
wouldn’t), receive what they had and were willing to share.
So some of us have learned how to play the game, but that does not change the
fact that we will learn to play the game very well eventually. Why is this? The
answer is simple, (but not obvious). Our game has a built in teacher called pain.
We go after pleasure and avoid pain, (the best we can). A “TILT” means that our
game technique does not satisfy the rules of the game. Therefore, as long as we
persist in using this game technique, (our game technique), our game will not
produce nice feelings. In other words, if we “TILTED”, we pushed the wrong button
at the right time, (or the right button at the wrong time). Yet, regardless of how we
did it, or to what degree our mind furnishes elaborate justifications for continuing
to use our technique, ( because we were right”), the fact remains that this
technique does not make us feel good. It is not a winner in the game called feeling
good.

The more we “TILT” the more we search out how not to “TILT”.

How can we avoid a “TILT”, (How can we avoid not feeling good)? The answer is
again simple, (but again, not obvious). We avoid a “TILT” by avoiding those
thoughts and actions, (behavior patterns), which produce “TILTS”. How can this be
done? We must know what these thoughts and actions are that produce “TILTS”.
Hateful thoughts and actions produce pain, (although that pain may not be evident
to an observer). Henry David Thoreau can help us here. He said that,

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.”.

We simply cannot have our health and our hate too. Anger, jealousy, greed, and
lust produce pain. They fall into the one large category called self servingness,
(the me-first- selfish attitude). As long as we plant self serving thoughts and
behavior in the fields of life, we will harvest a painful crop of displeasure.
The question arises, “Well, that is all fine and good, but who wants to go around
all day worrying about not thinking those thoughts and not doing those actions
which lead to pain? That’s no fun!”. The answer is again simple, (but not obvious).
It is a matter of forming beneficial habit patterns or non-beneficial habit patterns. If
we are playing the game well, and we are reaping our harvest of nice feelings and
enjoying life, then we do not have to be urged by pain, (to a degree), too
reexamine our game technique. In short, a person who plays well the game called
feeling good has acquired the knowledge of the game and has made beneficial
habits accordingly. Simply said, that person plays it with ease, (has the act
together).
However, a person in pain does not want to think about anything that has to do
with pain. In this respect, the remark, “That’s no fun!”, is certainly understandable.
People in pain do not want to be reminded that they are suffering from a “TILT”,
and perhaps are continually “TILTING” in the game called feeling good. The
person in pain naturally wants to think of fun things. It takes a self disciplined mind
to be in pain and still hear their cause and effect story of pain and then take action
in moderation on curative knowledge. But we must remember that pain is the
teacher in the game called feeling good. Sooner or later, we will be tired of the
pain that results from our poor game technique, then we will overcome our hurt
pride, (vanity), and look around for a better technique that will bring us into nice
feelings again so that we can enjoy life.
Nice feelings come from our experience with whatever matches up, (to a
degree), with our ideals, (our sense of beauty or perfection for example). That hole
in one in the Golf Classic will give pleasure to the player, or to the on looker, who
values the hole in one as a degree of perfection in the game of golf. This however,
does not guarantee us pleasure. Our ideas of beauty or perfection, our wants,
imagined needs, desires, and expectations, may not match up, (again, to a
degree), with what actually exists in this world. Lets face it, a hole in one is not a
common occurrence. If we make the leap in our thinking from, “It is possible to hit
a hole in one each time”, to “We should hit a hole in one every time”, then our
expectation will not match up with the reality that a hole in one is not a common
occurrence.
Our desires will only be gratified to the degree that they match up with reality,
(what exists). The T.V. could malfunction during an exciting moment of that great
pro football game. It could rain on our flower garden activities. The children could
get into an argument. Our attention could get distracted during the hole in one
shot. We get disappointed because we forget to leave room in our world for the
realities of T.V. viewing, the realities of weather, the realities of children’s activities,
and the realities of distractions. These thwarted, (blocked), potential pleasures all
too easily become potential pains due to the confusion and frustration of not
getting what we want in life. This is how it works. Our attachment to a potential
pleasure gets blocked, (we don’t get what we want). When we don’t come up with
the answer as to why our wants and desires are not getting satisfied, (or more
than likely, when our attachments to pleasure so blinds us to what is blocking the
satisfaction of our desires, that we won’t accept the answer as valid), we become
confused.
If our confusion is not cleared up, then it leads too frustration. Frustration is
uncomfortable. It is far from the nice feelings we originally intended to get from the

possession of the object of our desires, (whether that be a material object, such as
a new home, or an immaterial object such as wanting other people to do
something the way you want it done). Frustration, if not cleared up, only leads to
anger. Here a quote from an ancient Tibetan manuscript called Unto Thee I Grant
may help us.
“If Thou Art Robbed Of A Benefit, Fly Not Into Rage; The Loss Of Reason, Is The

Want Of A Greater Benefit.”

This is observable. The degree with which we can watch ourselves and others will
depend upon how aware we become of our attachment to pleasure. For, as
Aristotle wisely said in his Ethics,

“We Are Not Impartial Judges Of Pleasure.”

The problem with anger is that we don’t know how to handle our anger. We usually
end up in an angry intolerance that leads to our all to familiar inharmonious mode
of behavior called the adult temper tantrum. Now what in the universe is an adult
temper tantrum? It could range from irrational yelling and screaming too violent
punching and kicking, (objects or people). It could be subtler and end up in a pout
that refuses too talk to the person who blocked the desire, (or the person believed
to have blocked the desire).
Sound familiar? Do we know any adults who behave like that? In many respects,
this portrait of the adult temper tantrum is a collage made up, to a degree, of bits
and pieces of ourselves. Is it not a self portrait to some degree? Something lurks
behind and beyond this adult temper tantrum ready to spring out at the earliest
opportunity. That something is pain. How could pain come from an adult temper
tantrum? Remember that dish thrown and broken against the wall? It was not only
because it was a valuable and beautiful antique, but also because Grandmother
left it in her will. Are the glued together pieces of china not looked upon with
regret?
But wait, there is more. What about physical pain? Did not the hand hurt after the
wall was punched? Our police blotters are full of pain resulting from adult temper
tantrums. There is another physical pain which comes from adult temper tantrums
that is very subtle. Remember when we got angry how much energy we had? We
activated, (or over activated), our endocrine system. In other words, we pumped
excessive amounts of hormones into our bodies. Much of these chemicals were
not used up, and we find them stored in cells, tissues, and organs. Sometimes we
overdose our nervous system and it goes into a mild shock. Physical inharmony
leads to physical imbalance, which leads to pain. Pain is a tough teacher. Yet it
urges us to rectify our desires to those that produce the least amount of pain, or
better yet, no pain at all.
Many ancients and moderns have stood out as great teachers of the way out of
pain. The Buddha would say to practice right desire as part of the eight fold noble
path. Confucius, the Chinese Master, would say to rectify our desires through
sincerity, (The dictionary definition of sincerity is honesty, and honesty means do
deception.). Patanjali, the Indian Sage, would say to find peace of mind through
the practice of non-attachment. Jesus, The Christ, would say to love God and love
your neighbor. The modern mystic, who has attained to knowledge of attachment,
would recommend affectionate detachment, (where we love all but are not
attached to all), as a tool to attain to the very high state of imperturbability. The
easiest of all methods to access is beauty. Beauty leads to joy. it is that simple.
But some will say it is too hard to think of beauty! The simple answer is that it is
much harder when we do not think of beauty. We find echoes of these wise

counsels in many areas of life, from literature, music and art to the animated
cartoon characters of Walt Disney. Do you remember Jiminy Cricket? Well, Jiminy
is a powerful teacher in our game called feeling good. Let’s let him have the final
say as he twirls his cricket umbrella while he strolls across the T.V. screen of our
memory singing his message in his very friendly and very knowing way.

PETAL #169
POSSIBILITIES

Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.
To every seed
I buy and sow
I add a deed
that I may grow.

It might not be
earth shaking great
that all who see
would mark the date.

But mark I do
the good each day
and how it grew
along the way.

PETAL #170

The Bridge Of Joyous Patience

“Hence, patience Alone Is Not Sufficient, Let Us Apply Joyous patience.”

( From The Agni Yoga Book: Heart 581)

Why is each Initiate of The Path of Beauty the architect and builder of a personal
Bridge Of Joyous-Patience? This question is vitally descriptive of the life of an
Initiate on The Path Of Beauty; however, it does raise questions beyond what it
asks, for instance:

1. What is an Initiate?
2. What is The Path of Beauty?
3. What is joyous-patience, and why is it a bridge?
   Perhaps these three questions can be stepping stones to the answer which our
   question asks. First of all , what, in the universe, is an Initiate? Is it something
   bad? Is it something good? Is it something that could be good or bad like fire? In
   Agni Yoga we find an explanation tailor made for us moderns. Another word for
   Initiation is education. The student is introduced to information concerning the
   road ahead. Like every traveler about to embark on a journey, it would be wise to
   know, (or be forewarned), of the three basic elements of all journeys — the
   destination, the starting point, and the path which connects these two. When the
   student, or candidate, has completed the process of being introduced to some
   basic, but needed, information, the student is then considered to have been
   initiated and is known as an Initiate of that school. George Washington, the first
   President of The United States of America, was initiated into The Masons as a
   young man. Benjamin Franklin, another Initiate of The Masons, initiated Voltaire in
   France. The Masons and the men named here are used as examples which may
   be familiar to us. There are many Fraternal Orders throughout the universe. Many,
   (but not all), have as their goal the upliftment of Humanity by good and charitable
   deeds as well as improvement of personal character. The Path of Beauty is The
   Path of the Heart. Beauty is connected with the heart. The student is introduced to
   the subtle possibilities of beauty and then gradually to the possibilities of the heart.
   In short beauty is the door to the treasury of the heart’s wisdom. Thus the way of
   beauty is the way of the heart. Now what is joyous patience and why is it a
   bridge?
   The Initiate on The Path Of Beauty gradually recognizes, learns, and applies for
   the good, The Law Of Beauty, which reveals how beauty leads to joy. While
   assimilating this magnificent Law Of Beauty, the Initiate is given a glimpse of
   another, higher Law, which states that, “Yet patience is the source of Bliss.
   Nothing so tests the heart as conscious patience.” (Heart #479). It then becomes
   one of the Initiate’s greatest goals to build a bridge and connect these two laws in
   consciousness. It is truly a very personal Bridge of Joyous-Patience.
   Beauty leads to joy. Patience is the source of Bliss. If we can discern where, if at
   all, joy and patience become two ends of the same bridge, then truly we could say
   that The Path of Beauty leads to bliss. We may even discover what the beauty of
   joyous-patience is. Let us now raise the question, can we have joy without
   patience? This should put us on the right track to see if there is a connection
   between joy and patience, for if there is none, then we have no bridge connecting
   beauty and bliss. To ask if we can have joy without patience is the same as asking

if we can have joy with impatience. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, (150th
anniversary edition), informs us that impatience means, “restless or short of
temper, especially, under irritation or delay, anxious.” Can we be joyful and
restless at the same time? Can we be joyful and short of temper, (short fuse), at
the same time? Can we be joyful and irritated at the same time? So we see that
Patience is necessary for consistent joy. Beauty leads to joy. Patience is the
source of Bliss. The personal bridge of Joyous-Patience connects beauty with
Bliss.
If we carry beauty in our hearts,
our storm will become a small wind.
If our storm becomes a small wind,
then we can practice joyful labor.
If we practice joyful labor,
we can build The Bridge Of Joyous-Patience.
If we build The Bridge of Joyous Patience,
then we can know Bliss.

PETAL #171
DID YA EVER?

It was a long ago seedling
with stem and root.
Did ya ever think
a thought could bear fruit?
It was a song ago feeling
planted in spring.
Did ya ever think
a feeling could sing?
Song ago, long ago,
harvest all deeds.
Did ya ever think
which seeds produce weeds?

PETAL #172

What Are The Possibilities Of Beauty?

In my heart, and in the heart of every sincere student of the Teacher of Beauty, is
a silver thread, which connects the heart of the Teacher to the heart of the Initiate.
This thread is not to be confused with the silver cord we hear so much about in
mystic circles. The silver thread is a direct link between the Teacher and the
student. It is the Cosmic pipeline of all possibilities that are of value in the
evolution of Humanity.
The contemplation of it fills the heart with gratitude. The accurate use of it fills all
space with achievement. It is born in love and grows into a manifestation of The
Law of Hierarchy. A more co-measured link with possibilities does not exist. The
heart is the realm of beauty, the silver thread is the connection with the greatest
possibility — The Hierarchy of Light, thus we serve Humanity through the
possibilities of beauty.
For the beginner, on The Path of Beauty, the possibilities of beauty will lead to
this level of service and more. Through beauty the student is lead step by joyful
step to ever increasing levels of The Living Ethics, (another name for Agni Yoga),
and thus to ever increasing levels of service to Humanity and the Hierarchy of
Light. Such are the possibilities of beauty. I know of, (and practice), a possibility of
beauty which has personally brought me much peace of mind and has increased
the quality of my life greatly. It is a very beautiful way to be in charge of my
responses to what life presents to my consciousness. Two things are necessary to
maintain my anchor in beauty. The first is that I figured out ahead of time, (well
ahead of time), just what is most beautiful to me in all this universe. This had to
become a most familiar thought to me so that I could bring it to mind at will.
The second thing is to remember, in the heat of the situation, to activate my
anchor in beauty. Sometimes I would get so involved in the situation that I would
forget to think about what I felt was most beautiful to me. That being the case, I
might as well of had no anchor at all, for without remembering to use this tool it
cannot help me. However, when I do remember to activate my anchor in beauty
and begin to dwell on what is most beautiful to me, I begin to respond with joy. It is
often repeated, in The Agni Yoga Series, that Joy is a special wisdom. This joy will
enhance the quality of my response to what is being presented to me at the time.
It always works, (when I remember to use it). My challenge is to use it as often as
I can.
Now some will say that, “All this is well and good, but I have to live in the real
world and can’t be going around like a kid in love!”. Sound familiar? The best
answer for this person is to let experience teach them better which leads to a
higher quality of life.
The anchor in beauty is not some “pie-in-the-sky-air-head” escape from reality. In
fact it brings me closer to reality because I can maintain joyful feelings and stay in
the situation rather than rely on the emotional hit or miss program without my
anchor in beauty. A joyful response, which is consistent, will allow me to deal with
the situation long after other people’s anger, frustration or disgust blows them
away. Joy has a staying power. It lends stability to a situation, and helps me to
overcome inharmonious personal reactions which would otherwise render the
situation non-beneficial.

PETAL #173
STAR TALK

I want to wish, but I wont,
that light is not the star.
I see it, yet I don’t.
Light travels from afar.
By some law of Light unknown,
Its source may now be dark.
[Where stellar winds have blown,
the fire leaves its mark.]
My wish was just a dream,
but fact and wish combined
to form a special beam
that brightened up my mind.
And now my wish feels right —
Lord, fill my heart with Light.

PETAL #174
Question #4059

(From The Never Ending Book Of Questions On Beauty)

How Does The Phrase “Strive-ON!”
Relate To The Law Of Beauty?

My brothers and sisters, this morning it is my privilege to present research into the
phrase “Strive-On!” and how it relates to The Law of Beauty, which states that
beauty leads to joy.
Let us begin with a poem taken from the little book Stepping Stones. Our poem is
entitled Think Joy In Your Heart, and it goes like this.
Think Joy In Your Heart
Strive-on! Strive-On!
In sunless days
when joy seems gone
and life’s a maze
Strive-on! Strive-On!
When chaos reigns
throughout the land
and your heart pains,
Strive-On! Strive-On!
Go deep within
and you will find
the will to win.
Strive-On! Strive-On!
The swans are white
upon the lake.
Push back the night,
Strive-On! Strive-On!
Brothers and sisters, this poems seems to me to be a mystical formula. It is the
application of the Law of Beauty in poetic language. In a moment we will observe
that there are four parts to our poem, but before we begin to look closer, let’s hear
the poem again. (re-read poem).
My brothers and sisters, the first nine lines of our poem are a description of how
a person could begin to think and feel at various times in his or her life, especially
if they are not aware of and practice the Law of Beauty. It’s not pretty. We are told
of sunless days when joy seems gone and life’s a maze. It talks about when chaos
reigns throughout the land, and how your heart pains. It describes a frame of
mind, or a realization, that is on the verge of becoming a frame of mind, that could
potentially blow a person off balance like a kite without a tail.

Without a kite tail for a stabilizer, the kite quickly gets out of control darting and
diving about until it finally gets tangled in the trees or crashes to the ground.
Everyone needs a stabilizer. I personally know a fisherman who always has a
fishing pole, with its light line, in a refreshing mountain stream surrounded by tall
pines and glittering aspen. It is his place to which he goes to relax and get back in
touch with the beauty of nature. This stream actually physically exists in nature. It
also exists in the heart and mind of my fisherman friend. Yes, brothers and sisters,
he goes fishing mentally. Whenever his day starts to become sunless, he sits back
and begins to think of the sun sparkling on that mountain stream. He smells the
pine. He feels the grass and rocks. He feels the tug on his line, and there he is in
a test of skill with a rainbow trout.
Brothers and sisters, everyone needs a stabilizer to beat those sunless thoughts
and feelings which are so ready and willing to sneak up on us and convince us
that life is hopelessly bound up in a joyless maze. Perhaps some of us here
already have a fishing pole with its line in a refreshing mountain stream
somewhere. Perhaps, for some, it is a cabin in the woods with a cozy fire in the
fireplace. Perhaps, for others it is a beautiful rose garden.
Having a stabilizer, (an anchor in beauty), brings us to the second part of our four
part poem. This part is the title itself. It states, “Think Joy In Your Heart”. Here is
where The Law of Beauty manifests itself. A person begins to think about his, or
her, stabilizer, (that mountain stream, warm fireplace, or delightful rose garden),
and this mental contact with their ideal of beauty invokes a response of joy.
Let us now raise the question, how often will our fisherman have to put his line in
the sparkling mountain stream in order to keep himself stabilized during the day?
How often will a person have to visit that fireplace, or that rose garden in order to
bring joy into life to combat the every day inharmonies with which he, or she, is
continuously bombarded? The answer is, of course, as many times as it is
necessary to bring back the sun – to bring back joy into the heart and mind.
Brothers and sisters, there are many people who will say, “This is escapism, and
therefore it is no good”. They would rather the person became more and more
inharmonious and began to feel and do poorly in his, or her, everyday activities.
Perhaps, the person may even get upset and quit a job, or worse, get fired
because of a bad attitude. Brothers and sisters, to use the tools we are given to
maintain a mental, emotional, psychic and spiritual balance in life is not escapism.
It is wisdom in action, which is called prudence.
Let us look closer at this idea of “going fishing” as many times as is necessary to
remove the clouds from our day. Again, everyone must have a stabilizer. Now
since there are many people in the world who use some sort of stabilizer, it is
obvious that everyone does not have the same stabilizer. Now since some people
are consistently happier than others, it is obvious that some stabilizers must be
more effective than others, or if they are all equally effective, then many people
must not be applying them accurately, or have forgotten about them to some
degree, and use their stabilizer infrequently or not at all. Most probably it is some
of both. Some stabilizers are more effective at producing a degree of joy than
others. Many people are applying their stabilizers inaccurately, when their days get
clouded over. Some people choose the wrong stabilizer.
The phrase Strive-On! supplies a remedy for both problems. We can strive-On to
find the most effective stabilizer, which will allow us to be conscious of beauty and
feel the resulting joy, and yet, be competent in our daily labor. This would produce
joyful labor – a true way to achievement.
Let us now raise the question, how do we know if our present stabilizer is the
most efficient one that we could have? That, brothers and sisters, is very easy to
answer. Are we presently involved with consistent joyful labor? If not, then we do
not have the most efficient stabilizer, of we are using it inaccurately.

The next question, brothers and sisters, probably goes something like this. “Well,
then, what is the most efficient stabilizer?” The most efficient stabilizer is that
stabilizer which, when used accurately, will keep you in a constant state of joyful
labor. “Well, which stabilizer will do that?”
The answer here, brothers and sisters, is an individualized one. We must first
strive to become conscious of what our present stabilizer is. Do we have a
mountain cabin with a warm fireplace where we go when troubled? How often do
we use it? Does it work? Maybe we need a rose garden instead.
Brothers and sisters, if we strive to recognize what our stabilizer is, and then
determine if, in fact, it is working well, then we will be in a position to search for the
best possible stabilizer for ourselves. This brings us to the third part of our poem,
which states:
“Go deep within
and you will find
the will to win.
Strive-On! Strive-On!”
If someone sincerely asked me what is the best stabilizer for them, I would
encourage them to go within and ask The Teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy of
Light for the answer as follows:
“Heart, if it pleases The Teacher of Beauty, without interfering with Free-Will or
Karma, or breaking any spiritual laws what so ever, and with perfect protection of
the sendings, that I thoroughly know and accurately apply for the greatest good,
the most co-measured, (efficient), stabilizer which would be for the maximum
benefit of my development, as well as for the maximum benefit of all mankind,
World Culture, and The Hierarchy of Light, then let it be done, according to the will
of The Highest of Hearts and under the guidance of The Teacher of Beauty. Heart
transmit and transmute now.”
Brothers and sisters, after such a command to our heart, we will gradually become
more aware that our stabilizer has been transformed into an anchor in the Divine.
Perhaps, instead of a fishing pole with its light line in a sun sparkled stream, that
pole and line will transmute into The Teacher of Beauty sitting on the bank of that
sun sparkled stream next to us, teaching us how to sow seeds into the fabric of
the future for the evolution of humanity and World Culture, as well as our own
development.
My brothers and sisters, at this time I would like to share with each of you what
my own personal stabilizer is In other words, my anchor in beauty, or further, the
highest concept of beauty which I can conceive of. I personally can think of
nothing more beautiful than The Hierarchy of Light and how it is directly connected
to The Source of All Beauty and All Life.
Thought of such a vast Brotherhood brings joy to my heart. I am truly grateful for
this anchor in the Divine. The Hierarchy of Light is the only stable force in the
universe. All else is unstable. So my brothers and sisters, I choose as my
stabilizer the only stability in the universe. My sincere gratitude goes to all those,
visible and invisible, who aided me to reach this understanding.
It is up to us to strive to keep our thoughts elevated as consistently as possible
and thereby fill our lives with joy, for once we search out and find the best
stabilizer for ourselves, then we must strive to use it in the most efficient way we
possibly can. We must strive to remember to use the beautiful tool we have strived
so hard to acquire.

My brothers and sisters, the fourth part of our poem reminds us that beauty is
always around us. It is we that, at times, forget to see this beauty due to our
identification with the inharmonies of life. We mistakenly allow our day to become
sunless. Our poem reminds us that:
“The swans are white
upon the lake.
Push back the night.
Strive-On! Strive-On!”
The swans are white upon the lake, all we have to do is push back the night, (our
sunless days), and Strive-On! Strive-On! To strive on is to battle against the night
of chaos and confusion that, through lack of discernment, we bring upon
ourselves. We strive to increase our discernment so that we can see clearly
enough to recognize the value of perfecting our character. For us to strive-on
means to have the goal of the perfection of our character clearly in our
understanding, and then to battle to attain that perfection.
To “Think joy in our heart.” is in itself a magnificent striving because the Law of
Beauty tells us that joy is a shield which keeps out the vibrations of low intent so
that we may attune with The Teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light for the
greatest good. Thus we maximize our service to The Hierarchy of Light, Humanity,
and World Culture.
The swans are always on the lake, The Hierarchy of Light is ever on duty in
maximum service to Humanity and World Culture. Their pure striving is indeed a
thing of beauty.
Thank you brothers and sisters for your kind attention. Thank you for being my
brothers and sisters on The Path of Beauty, which is the Path of The Heart.

PETAL #175
SHOW ME THE WAY

Teach me today to fear no grave.
Show me the way the brave stay brave.
Teach me today to fear no lies.
Show me the way the wise stay wise.
Teach me today to fear no mind.
Show me the way the kind stay kind.
Teach me to know why hearts can glow.

PETAL #176
L o v e Ta l k

Like a seed, it germinates when watered and nurtured. Like a flower, it blossoms
between people who care. It flows naturally between mother and child. What is it?
Your heart already knows. Its love.
But talk of love turns many people off whose experiences with love do not match
up with the almost fairy tale ideas that exist about love. For the next few moments,
we are going to explore love. We are going to adopt a common sense approach to
love. Where do we start? In a way, we already have. Our first kind of love, the
“seed to flower” kind of love, is dependent upon whether conditions both external,
(society), and internal, (strong personal feelings). Our seedling’s very survival is
challenged from the top of its light green shoot right down to its brown hairlike
roots. Many times one person likes another person because that other person is
kind and gentle, or manly and handsome, or because they have property and
wealth. This often becomes a seed that flowers into love.
However, many times these conditions are subject to change. Let the kind and
gentle person become unkind and rough to a large degree, and the person whose
love was based on kindness and gentleness is now faced with a dilemma. Does
love still exist after the “seed characteristics”, which were admired so much and
blossomed into love, wither away in the autumn of a man’s character leaving him
as a brown field laden with burrs and thorns? For example, a woman loved her
husband before be became an alcoholic and caused her very considerable grief.
Although she stays with him out of a sense of duty, she no longer loves him. We
see that love for a person may depend on conditions that existed at a certain time
and place, and with a change in these conditions, love may change into something
else, such as disappointment or resentment. In other words, this first kind of love,
the “seed to flower” kind of love, is a conditional love, which lasts as long as the
seed conditions remain.
The second kind of love, the “mother-child” kind of love is an unconditional love.
In other words, most mothers are going to love their children no matter what
happens, because their love was not based on a physical or personality
characteristic. Can this second kind of love, an unconditional love, exist in other
types of relationships than that of mother and child? Can unconditional love exist
between brother and sister, brother and brother, father and daughter, or father and
son? Can unconditional love exist between husband and wife? Can unconditional
love exist between friends?
And the most perplexing question of all, can unconditional love exist between
people who are not friends, and do not even know that each
other exists? For example. Can unconditional love exist between a mayor of a city
in Japan and a farmer in France, who have never met and do not even know that
each other exist?
In these times, when earth groans with every underground nuclear blast, when
our children are quite conscious of the pollutants in each breath they inhale, when

governments extend their self serving policies on an international scale, we may
well ask if unconditional love is lying mortally wounded in some far off monastery,
gone into hiding for an extended period of time, is dead, or ever existed at all.
Where is unconditional love? There are at least two ways of searching for
something. The first is to look for the thing itself. The second is to find where it is
not and then by a process of elimination, find where it is. Since unconditional love
is not something we see, hear, smell, touch, or taste, we may call it an immaterial
thing. So we can begin our search with the second approach, the process of
elimination. If unconditional love is not a physical thing, then it must be something
non-physical, something intangible, like a feeling, a point of view — a perspective.
But there are probably an infinite number of perspectives that we can adopt.
Some may give up the search right here and say that it is impossible to find one
perspective in an infinite number of perspectives. We may find that 99% of the
conscious population on this planet would agree and say, “What’s the use of
trying?”, and with half a sigh give up the search. Is this what happens to most
searchers for unconditional love? All the avenues have not been exhausted, yet
they listen to the reason of those who have previously given up the search. We
hear specious logic, (something that sounds right but isn’t), that points out the
meaninglessness of life. We hear the emotional plea that, “The search for
unconditional love is too hard, too difficult for the ordinary man or woman — after
all, we are only Human.”. These pleas are all too familiar to the seeker of
unconditional love, both the seeker who gave up the search and the seeker who is
actively searching. But let us continue our process of elimination with the following
analogy. If unconditional love is our goal, then anything that does not lead to
unconditional love can be recognized as an off-ramp that leads away from the
highway of unconditional love. The seeker is looking for an on-ramp to the
highway of unconditional love, an on-ramp to health, an on-ramp to happiness.
Just what are these off-ramps which lead away from the highway of unconditional
love? Are they varied and many? Do they range from gross to subtle? The widest,
quickest, and most frequently used off-ramp which leads away from unconditional
love is hate. When we plant the seed of hate, no matter what our justification for
the planting, we will reap a harvest of hate that takes us away from unconditional
love.
In other words, the off-ramp of hate, which leads away from the highway of
unconditional love, leads to boulevards of vindictiveness, cities and towns of
anger, streets of discontent, houses of unhappiness, and to people who have
taken the same off-ramp. The seeker will find an atmosphere of self-servingness,
that says all for me and the heck with everyone else. Those of us who live in this
area of hate are in pain — physical and mental pain. We find plenty to complain
about to create our own mental anguish and ulcers. (We even complain about
those characters who write about unconditional love). Hate leads us away from
unconditional love. Hate leads to mental anguish, hate leads to physical pain.
Hate is a weed choking our garden of personality. Some of us like hate and cannot
find good cause to forego our hatefulness. As long as we choose hate, no matter
to what degree, we will not find unconditional love. No matter how we justify
holding on to our degree of hate, it will block us from finding the on-ramp to the
very highway of unconditional love, the highway to health, the highway to
happiness. In short, we can’t have our hate and our health too.

“Well”, the seeker may ask, “That is only one off-ramp, what are the other off-
ramps that I must be careful to avoid?”. The answer that follows may be surprising

to many. That there are many off-ramps leading away from unconditional love is a
fact, a somber fact of the personal experience of many seekers, but the
enumeration of the off-ramps means little more than a pleasing intellectual
exercise. What does this mean? If we list the off-ramps, then it is like giving a man

a fish when he is hungry. We have fed him for a brief period of time in his life, and
he will soon be hungry again. This will not make him a self sufficient individual with
a mastery over his own life. It will merely make him dependent upon us for his
next meal. But, as the saying goes, if we teach him how to fish, then he will feed
himself for the rest of his life. But there is more, and here is where we go beyond
this old and fine parable of the fish. If we guide him how to teach himself, then he
will have learned a higher mastery over his life, and he will become a guide to
others in such a way that they will learn how to teach themselves also.
A close look at those parts of our personality which we consider to be off-ramps,
(one part at a time), will lead us to the intimate knowledge of a process that will
disclose all off-ramps to us at a glance. How do we go about this looking closer?
How do we start? Start by sitting down in a quiet time and place with a pen and
paper. Ask the Teacher for guidance. The following questions will help in focusing
our minds on unconditional love.

1. What part of my personality is my quickest off-ramp from the highway of
   unconditional love?
2. Why do I hold on to this part of my personality?
3. How will this part of my personality benefit me?
4. How will this part of my personality benefit my family and friends?
5. How will this part of my personality contribute to the well being of my
   neighborhood, town, or country?
6. How will this part of my personality contribute to the upliftment of all mankind?
7. How will this part of my personality contribute to my search for unconditional
   love, my search for perfect health and happiness?
   When we finish this process with our quickest off-ramp from unconditional love,
   then we find which is our next greatest deterrent to unconditional love, and repeat
   the process until we have plumbed the most subtle depths of ourselves.
   This learning process will put us in a position such that we can, (with the help of
   The Teacher Of Beauty), become our own teacher. We must be patient with
   ourselves, however, for self realization is not like driving into an instant food shop
   and ordering a hamburger, French fries and a soda pop to go. The process of self
   mastery may take many “quiet times”. Let us find that quiet time each week,
   where we can be alone with our innermost thoughts and feelings and continue our
   search for unconditional love. Let us make our search a habit. We find it easy to
   make “bad” habits, then let’s do ourselves a favor and form a “good” habit.
   The bottom line of self teaching of unconditional love is that we begin to feel
   better. Why? When our love is based on certain conditions with the expectation
   that these conditions will remain constant, or unchanged, then we are
   automatically setting ourselves up for the pain of disappointment, for this is the
   world of change, and as our ancient Greek brother Heraclitus has wisely said,
   “Everything is becoming”. Gradually we will love “on condition” less and less until
   one of these fine days, we will wake up and find ourselves on the on-ramp to the
   high way of unconditional love — the on-ramp to health, the on-ramp to happiness.
   Yet, the question arises, “That all sounds fine, but what good is it if I am the only
   one practicing unconditional love? It takes two to tango. If everyone else is
   practicing a self serving me-firstness, then what’s in it for me? How do I benefit? I

just can’t let everyone else walk over me. You’ve got to be strong in this life, the
strong survive.”. This is without a doubt the most excellent and pertinent question
of concern that challenges the common sense foundation of unconditional love.
How would you answer this serious question? Think about it. How does your
response match up with the information we have been considering? Everyone
who steps on the on-ramp to unconditional love will sooner or later be confronted
with these or similar questions and strong emotionally packed statements.
The problem of conditional love verses unconditional love, or self-servingness
verses non-self-servingness, is not a new or modern concern. It is a basic choice
in life that directly effects the quality of all life. Every man, woman, and child has
had to and will have to make and live with their choice between conditional love
and unconditional love. Yet there is no law that says we cannot change our mind.
Because we made a choice many years ago is no reason that we must continue
dogmatically in that choice, especially when the light of experience has shown it to
be non-beneficial to ourselves, our family, and our friends. When we choose
unconditional love, we choose to weed the garden of our personality until we have
a beautiful, creative, and productive garden. When we choose conditional love, we
choose that path of self-serving me-firstness that always leads to pain, although
this pain may not at all times be visible to others. Henry David Thoreau can help
us here. He said that, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.”.
All self serving ideals and attitudes such as unconditional love lead to pain. All
non-self-serving ideals and attitudes, such as unconditional love, lead to health
and happiness. The history of man has, does, and will consist of deeds that
manifest from our choice between conditional love and unconditional love. We are
confronted with many choices each hour of our life. We can choose to respond
from old habits or new considered ideals.
Will our next choice be a self-serving one or will it be a non-self-serving one?
Choose we must, but how we choose is entirely up to the ideals and attitudes that
we select to live by right now.

PETAL #177
THAT’S WHAT BEAUTY DOES!

It brings us joy from deep inside,
like kite and boy with wind applied.
It brings us fun. Hearts feel so light
when inner sun breaks through the night.
It brings us hope. There is a cure,
where all can cope and love endure.
Beauty will start the healing heart.

PETAL #178

P o s s i b i l i t i e s A r e S e e d s

The moral evolution of Humanity is dictated by the quality of our choices among
the many possibilities of which we become aware, for whether it be a stone or an
electron, its use is determined by our level of morality. This puts the responsibility
for the moral evolution of Humanity on the individual, for Humanity is composed of
individuals, and as individuals grow in character, so grows Humanity. Since such
great importance is placed on our choice of possibilities, it is vital that we examine,
(or reexamine), our relationship to choice and possibilities. A few questions here
may serve to focus our thoughts.

1. What is a possibility?
2. How do we become aware of possibilities?
3. Do all possibilities contain hope, (the hope of acquiring or achieving the
   contents of that possibility)?
4. What is the best possibility at any one point in time?
5. Is there a possibility that we can increase the number and quality of our
   possibilities?
6. Are we the authors of our possibilities, or is ours the job of the gardener who
   selects which seeds will be planted?
7. What are ever present possibilities?
   We have free will. Our free will manifests in our choices. We choose between
   that which we are aware of. (We also realize that one of our choices is to not
   choose.) Whichever possibility we choose, one thing is certain, each choice will
   have its effects, for possibilities are seeds. When we have chosen a possibility, we
   commit what we feel is the necessary amount of thought, feeling and action to
   align with the contents of that possibility, in order to make that possibility manifest
   for us. We choose among ideals, ideas, attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions.
   We choose our friends. We choose among tastes, fragrances, colors, sounds, and
   textures. Our choices are highly significant to us. Our choices are a major function
   in our lives. Choice is a vital tool in our search for happiness.
   It is very satisfying to learn more about our ability to choose. It is prudent to strive
   to maximize the quality of the application of our abilities. When we choose well we
   bring beauty into our lives. When we choose wisely, we bring joy into our lives. But
   let us now raise the question, how do we choose well, and more so, how do we
   choose wisely?

ever present

possibilities

In general, our choices are among those possibilities of which we become aware.
Each and everyone of us has ever-present-possibilities; however, at any given

moment, each one of us may not be aware of the total number of our ever-
present-possibilities. Why is this? We have a faculty called discernment. The

quality of our discernment is a function of the quality of our reflections upon our
observations. Thus we do not all operate on the same level of discernment. The
contents of personal experience varies from individual to individual. The quantity
and quality of our observations during this experience, varies from individual to
individual, as does our reflections upon those observations. Many times, for many
reasons, we are not consistent in maintaining the level of discernment which we
have attained. Why?
Does a person discern as clearly when ill as when feeling well? Does a person
discern as clearly when drinking alcoholic beverages as when not? (“Don’t drink
and drive!). Does a person discern as clearly when angry as when calm? Does a
person discern as clearly when tired as when refreshed? Discernment can be
affected by our response to irritation, temperature, pain, etc.. The list can be long
and varied or relatively short depending on the level of discernment on which the
individual operates. In general, we find countless levels of discernment ranging
from crude to very refined. If we could draw a gradient on a piece of graph paper
and all people in the world who are capable of discernment would be represented
as points on that gradient, then we would have a gradient of discernment which
would range from very low to very high. Each of us falls somewhere on that
gradient of discernment.
It is prudent to now raise the question — Are we, as individuals, stuck in our level
of personal discernment permanently? The answer is no. I repeat, the answer is
no. We are absolutely not stuck in our personal level of discernment, for one of
our ever-present-possibilities is to increase our level of discernment.
Let us ever remember that our level of discernment is based upon our
reflections on our observations. We can always increase the quantity and quality
of our observations as well as the quantity and quality of our reflections upon our
observations. Since we have been given free will, then once a person has caught
a glimpse of the idea that discernment exists, and that a higher quality
discernment can be achieved, that person can then will to increase his or her
discernment, for finer discernment leads to happiness and cruder discernment
leads to pain.
A person operating at one level of discernment is aware of a certain quantity and
quality of possibilities. A person operating on a lower level of discernment, (less
accurate), is aware of a lesser quantity and quality of possibilities. A person at a
higher level of discernment, (more accurate), is aware of a larger quantity and
quality of possibilities. A person who has maximized discernment, (if such a
person exists in the physical), has maximized the quantity and quality of
possibilities that they can be aware of the great goal.

PETAL #179

To T h e G o d O f M y H e a r t (Love Song)

The shore welcomes
the summer tide,
like a lover
waiting to hold
again – her love.
This Light has chased away
the darkness and the gray.
The clouds reflect the beauty
that is yet to rise
and touch the countless eyes
sealed in sleep.
We sit and wait.
Our blanket, draped around us,
holds our warmth
until the sun and earth adjust
and we again receive that fullness.
The colors that ran before
have past us now
to glow for inland lovers.
The bright source leaves the water
far below its ascending
from cloud to cloud,
while we wait.
Rays will soon warm our minds.
Our thoughts attune
with a love
that far exceeds the limit
of our bodies.
A refreshing coolness fills our auras.
We wait,
as all lovers must,
for the higher the travel
the brighter the Light
we dwell in.
Why are we here,
we may well ask
the timeless question.
All lovers wait for the dawn.
Our minds wander in an ancient land
thirteen centuries before the Christ.
The sun,

glowing behind the cap stone
of the Great Pyramid of Egypt
is greeted with outstretched arms
by the pharaoh of The One God.
In the splendor of RA
Aknaton calls to his ageless sun,
symbol of the brightness,
the life giving,
the warmth —
the love of his Creator.
We walk now the morning shore.
The tide is almost full.
The earth has raised its sun
half-the-way to mid heaven,
and we forget
that while on earth we are advancing.
Few remember —
the nature
of our daily progress
makes our sun rise,
and their’s must always be
a more beautiful dawn.
The sun, at noon,
overwhelms, with its brilliance
those of earth
who have not gained
the wisdom to be gradual
in their approach
to the Source.
The rays that burn
can warm as well,
if we can but glean
the right exposure
from our experience
with the Light.
Within us we search
for that wisdom,
the knowledge from experience
that keeps the sane balance —
the balance that endures,
the balance that makes
old lovers
out of young lovers.
Why are we here,
we may well ask
the timeless question.
All lovers wait for the dawn,
and those who know
and keep the balance
can walk in the fullness

of the Source.
In our unbalance,
we are children
who blocked the sun
with a coin,
and in the excitement
of discovery
forgot to remove
that coin
from our mind —
our heart.
With pain we age
as we limit the Source.
In the wisdom
of the balance
we gradually retrieve
the coin of our ignorance,
the coin of our making,
and our mind receives
the fullness
of The Source.
We lie in the sun and wait,
our minds wander in an ancient land
six centuries before the Christ.
In The Temple of the Chinese Mind,
amidst the incense of the culture
of The Great Learning,
Confucius,
The Philosopher of Sincerity,
travels the path
of the ancestors of balance.
The sweetness of that wisdom,
The Doctrine Of The Mean, —
ancient,
before it was received,
is yet a pole star
to the seekers
of The Source,
Why are we here,
we may well ask
the timeless question.
All lovers wait for the dawn,
and those who know
and keep the balance
walk in the fullness
of The Source.
Our minds are warm with the sun.
Our bodies glow with an inner warmth.
On our Backs we lie,

hand in hand,
eyes closed,
our inner spirits as one.
We rise
as though the sun
were drawing us
to its bosom.
Our minds wander in an ancient land.
From Mt. Carmel we watch the Essene Master;
The Christ,
in his white robe,
healing the unbalanced;
The Christ,
with fish and loaf,
feeding the thousands
hungry for happiness;
The Christ,
in the upper room,
teaching the twelve to sow,
in the desert of the human heart,
Love eternal.
We look at each other
and know that now
we must remove
“that other coin”,
the one that blocks the sun
from our heart,
so we can reap
our crop of Love
like those in the sweetness
of the wisdom
of the balance,
who gradually open
their hearts
and flow The Source
of Love
to all Mankind.
Why are we here,
we may well ask
the timeless question.
All lovers wait for the dawn,
and those who know
and keep the balance
walk in the fullness
of The Source.

PETAL #180

B e c o m i n g A w a r e o f O u r P o s s i b i l i t i e s

Some of us are hunters of possibilities, who intentionally enter that foggy forest of
circumstance, search for signs of a promising possibility, track it down, capture it in
the far reaching net of our understanding, and then let it be prudently born in our
daily actions. Some of us are told of our possibilities through friends, school,
newspapers, radio, T.V., books, and films. Some of us bump into, (or trip over), our
possibilities before we understand them as such. Some of us will experience a
flash of insight, (intuition, gut feeling, hunch, illumination), like the light of
understanding suddenly being switched on. Who or what switches that light on? Is
it God and his helpers, (Guardian Angels, Spiritual guides),? Is it a communication
from the Soul? Is it someone sending us a helpful thought? Is it triggered by a past
life influence? Is it an offspring of our discernment?
Whoever, or whatever, causes that sudden illumination of understanding, which
assists us to discern our possibilities, many of us recognize that benefit and are
very grateful for it. Some will say that this latter way of understanding our
possibilities, through a sudden flash of insight, is also the tool of the hunter of
possibilities in the foggy forest of circumstance. Something tells us that, yes, this
is the set of signs which we should track in order to capture our prey. Some will
argue that logic is what discerns the emerging development of a good possibility in
the fog of circumstance. Some others may promote the understanding that it is
neither insight nor logic alone which discerns the on going development of
possibility, but a combination of the two. The flash of insight says that this is the
area we should be looking at and logic takes it from there and performs the
tracking.
Is discernment logic? Is discernment intuition? Is discernment a combination of
these? Is logic only a product of discernment? Can we have logic without
discernment? Is intuition a higher discernment on a Soul level?

PETAL #181
WISE TALK

No Wise could say wiser,
each thought is a seed:
No Wise could do wiser,
than plant a heart deed:
No Wise could feel wiser,
when joy fills all space:
No Wise could be wiser,
when love sets the pace.

PETAL #182

O u r E v e r P r e s e n t P o s s i b i l i t i e s

In the next second we could become aware of a possibility that would enrich the
quality of our lives. Yet that possibility may very well be not a possibility just born
from a change in circumstance, but a possibility which was there for a long while.
Why then did we not become aware of it sooner? We may have heard ourselves,
or others, say many times before, “If I had only known.” Why is it that we are not
aware of all of our possibilities?
Is there a way that we can increase our awareness of these possibilities which

are available to us? Can we increase our awareness of our ever-present-
possibilities? The answer is yes, we can. Will we increase our awareness of our

ever-present-possibilities? This is entirely up to the individual concerned, for
increases in awareness require increases in discernment.
As has been previously explained, increases in discernment are based on the
quality and quantity of observation and reflection upon those observations. Does
this take time? It theoretically could be done in an instant. (We’re good, but not
that good!) In daily living we build our discernment. Could we speed up the
process without cutting down on the quality of our learning? The answer is yes, we
can! How can this be done? We strive for it. We strive to increase our discernment
to a maximum. The person who has matured in the spiritual life would pray for the
maximization of discernment on all levels of self, for the maximum benefit of all
Mankind, and World Culture, as well as personal development, in the most
harmonious manner possible.

A discernment that has been maximized will maximize awareness of our ever-
present-possibilities. What does all this mean in simple terms? If we want to

increase the quality of our lives by increasing our possibilities, then we start by
increasing the quantity and quality of our observations.
improvement

Not many of us in this world are perfect. Not many are operating error free in life.
Most of us are far from perfect. Most of us are far from error free. Therefore we all
have many areas in which to improve ourselves. One of the greatest of these
areas of improvement is the quantity and quality of our observations.
Is it hard to do this? One very serious answer to this question is that life is very
hard when we utilize only a fraction of our powers of observation. In fact, not
increasing powers of observations could be the difference in seeing or not seeing
a very important warning sign which could, if missed, have serious ramifications.
In other words poor observation leads to pain. A friend once explained it this way
to me. “Knowing the rose thorn points down, never pull up on the stem. (Close
observations limit painful encounters: C.O.L.P.E.)”. Not by lack of observation do
we advance, for our observations are food for reflection, and our reflections have
the power to increase our level of discernment, which, in turn, increases our
awareness of our ever-present-possibilities.

PETAL #183
H e a r t Ta l k

Heart Talk 2
O Lord I sing inside my heart
to all who bring their special art
and work their role, in Your great play
of waking Soul from sleeping clay.
They labor long to clean the night
of frequent wrong against the Light.
They teach the good of Brotherhood.

PETAL #184

T h e H e a r t A n d P o s s i b i l i t i e s

My brothers and sisters, this morning it is my joyful duty to present personally
researched material on the heart.
How does the heart of an Initiate on The Path Of Beauty relate to the possibilities
of an Initiate on The Path Of Beauty?
We have a wonderful piece of wisdom from the book Leaves of Morya’s Garden 1
(# 264), which can serve us here. It goes like this.
“In every circumstance there are possibilities, but the mind must be directed

toward the Light.”
We have in this wise saying three points as follows:

1. Circumstance
2. Possibilities
3. Direction of the mind toward the Light.
   First we will consider circumstance. Circumstance could be obvious like colored
   leaves indicate the Fall of the year, or Spring streams indicating the melting of
   mountain snow. Circumstance could be more subtle such as deception and
   betrayal. Obvious or subtle, in order for us as Initiates on The Path Of Beauty to
   effectively deal with the circumstances which life presents to our consciousness
   we must first discern that a circumstance exists. In this respect, the first step to
   real learning is to become an observer.
   Circumstances can remain unobserved for many reasons. Not paying attention
   to the business at hand is an important reason, but there are others as well. Like a
   balloon tangled in a tree, an unloving attitude keeps us from rising to the height of
   our fullest potential. Our fears would have us like leaves shaking in the wind, were
   we to forget that our roots are strong and deep through out the universe.
   Sometimes we look at a garden in Winter, and fail to sense the pink-promise of
   Plum Blossoms in its bare branches. As the Geranium blooms profusely when the
   conditions are unfavorable, let us face adversity with our blossoms instead of our
   fears. A situation viewed as a problem feels like a dull gray wall: viewed as a
   challenge, however, it becomes an invitation to a very green victory. My brothers
   and sisters, we are invited to a very green victory. Let us sharpen our observations
   and thus increase our level of discernment. But, in our doing so, let us be patient
   in our searching, for the sun rise cannot be rushed, and the excitement of
   ignorance leads to pain.
   Brothers and sisters, the second point in our wise saying is possibilities. Is it
   possible that we could know all the possibilities of a circumstance, especially
   when that circumstance effects other circumstances, where by it could be added
   to or diminished depending on the nature of the other circumstances? What would
   have happened if Leewenhok went fishing instead of staying in his laboratory the
   day he invented the microscope? What would have happened if Benjamin Franklin

decided to stay home and take care of his personal businesses rather than
accepting the position as ambassador to France and thus turn the tide of the
American Revolution? Brothers and sisters we could play “what-if” forever, the
possibilities are only limited to our imagination. How then is the Initiate to know
which possibility to choose in order for his or her efforts to be beneficial with
respect to Humanity and World Culture? For this answer, let us now take a
serious look at the third point of our wise saying.

“The mind must be directed toward the Light.”

Brothers and sisters, our heart is an instrument for the highest communion. It is
also the tool of the Initiate on The Path Of Beauty. It awaits our mental command
to accomplish a benevolent task. The heart immediately begins work in the Subtle
and Fiery Worlds toward the achievement of our sincere and loving goals.
Here we have a way of satisfying the third point of our wise saying. We can
command our heart toward the Light. Not without reason do the wise search with
the heart, for this Light illumines a path leading to the center of the universe. The
wise do not resist change but direct it toward the Good.
We understand and apply the Law Of Beauty, which explains that Beauty leads
to Joy. We practice joyful labor. Many of us have learned from this experience that
the flowers of the universe perfume the dreams of those who build with Joy. For us
the finest flower is cultivated in the heart. We know the law, now do we apply it
every day for the most Good? This consideration leads us again to our original
question.
How Does The Heart Of An Initiate On The Path Of beauty Relate To The

Possibilities Of An Initiate On The Path Of beauty?
And this question led us to an examination of our wise saying that,
“In Every Circumstance There Are Possibilities, But The Mind Must Be Directed

Toward The light’.

My brothers and sisters, in my own personal limited view, I see that the heart of
an Initiate of The Path of beauty relates to the possibilities of an Initiate of the
Path of Beauty in the following way. First we discern a circumstance in life. We
then request the Teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light to send us the best
possibility with respect to that circumstance. The Teacher of Beauty then reviews
all conceivable beneficial possibilities and selects the one best possibility. Like an
airplane landing on the runway of our consciousness, the Teacher of Beauty
sends us the one best possibility. Now let us say that again in an even simpler
way.

1. We perceive that a situation exists which we feel should be transmuted into
   something for the maximum benefit of all mankind in the most harmonious manner
   possible, without interfering with Free-Will or Karma and under the guidance of our
   Teacher of Beauty.
2. Second, we command our heart to secure our personal temple on all levels of
   self.
3. Third, we command our heart to contact the teacher of Beauty in The Hierarchy
   of Light to obtain the best possibility.
4. Fourth, we command our heart to transmute the situation into that one best
   possibility. That’s it! It’s that simple.
   Please note that in our simple four-step technique we didn’t know exactly what
   the one best possibility was, we just commanded our hearts to obtain that one
   best possibility, whatever it was, from the Teacher of Beauty and implement it. This
   certainly signifies a confidence in the Teacher of Beauty, as well as the heart. If we
   wanted to go a step further, we could include that we would be conscious of what
   that one best
   possibility is. But this one best possibility may possibly involve a long maturation
   time of manifestations in distant places before a series of cause and effect
   relationships brings it to your consciousness, therefore it may be better not to fill
   the mind with this information. Especially since the Initiate will be doing much
   transmuting in his lifetimes. But if we still want to know, then let us add on the
   qualifier that we will know harmoniously, with wisdom love and understanding, in
   perfect co-measurement,
   My brothers and sisters, for those of us who would like to engage in a spiritual
   exercise, let us now take a few seconds to pick out one personal circumstance in
   our lives which we feel to be non-beneficial. Do not, I repeat, do not dwell on what
   you think or feel about the situation, just pick it out, for we are about to experience
   how the heart of an Initiate on The Path of Beauty relates to the possibilities of an
   Initiate on The Path of Beauty, ever remembering that,
   “in every circumstance there are possibilities, but the mind must be directed

toward the Light.”

Now that we have isolated the circumstance we wish to be transmuted, let us
proceed. Let us imagine that we are about to enter The Temple of The Heart — A
Temple f Joy. We hear the beautiful entrance music. It sounds like a musical call
echoing through the mountains searching out the Stronghold of Brotherhood to let
them know that we are about to join with them in attunement under the guidance
of the Teacher of Beauty in the Hierarchy of Light, for the process of mystical
transmutation.
You line up at the entrance and one by one your brothers and sisters whisper the
password to the guardian at the door. Now it is your turn. You respectfully whisper
the password to the guardian of The Temple of The Heart. You enter and, with a
deep reverence for all creation you mentally sound the AUM, and you go to your
chair.
You gaze at the flame of the vigil light in the center of the temple. With your
discernment you bring forth the circumstance without dwelling on it in any way.
The Light of Striving of the Cosmic Vigil Light glows brighter and your gaze reveals
a sensation of being drawn nearer to it. You see in the flame The Teacher of
Beauty siting at a table with a box on it. Your aura fills with love. You find yourself
seated next to The Teacher of Beauty.
You hand the Teacher a scroll. On it is written the entire circumstance which you
desire to be transmuted into something for the maximum benefit of all mankind.
The Teacher of Beauty reads the scroll and understands it thoroughly. The
Teacher opens the treasure box of possibilities and with flawless co-measurement
examines the scrolls in the box. Each scroll is a possibility which could manifest
from the circumstance which you presented to the Teacher of Beauty for
transmutation.

the best possibility

After examining every possibility the Teacher finally selects one scroll out of the
several best possibilities and returns all the other possibilities to the treasure box
of possibilities. The Teacher smiles with joy as he hands you the scroll. You smile
with joy as you receive the scroll. You hold the scroll over your heart. You
command your heart to activate this the one best possibility for all concerned as a
solution to the circumstance you wish transmuted. You command your heart to do
this for the maximum benefit of the Hierarchy of Light, Humanity, and World
Culture, without interfering with Free-Will or Karma or breaking any Spiritual laws,
with perfect protection on the sendings and under the guidance of the Teacher of
Beauty in The Hierarchy of Light in perfect co-measurement. You release it to your
heart. You feel your heart harmoniously planting the seeds of the one best
possibility in the Subtle and Fiery Worlds. You know without a doubt that the best
possibility will manifest at the most auspicious hour and in the most harmonious
way possible.
You become more conscious of the Flame of the Cosmic Vigil Light. You once
again are seated in the Temple of The Heart gazing at the Light of Striving from
the Cosmic Vigil Light. You sense it is time to leave now. You radiate gratitude to
The Teacher of Beauty. You can feel the healing vibrations which emanate from
the aura when genuine gratitude is radiated into space. You gently, ever so gently,
with renewed vitality and deeper wisdom, love and understanding, return to
consciousness. A faint glimpse of the Teacher of Beauty still echoes in your mind.
You hear the words: strive-on, strive-on, strive-on…..
My brothers and sisters this concludes this discourse on how the heart of an
Initiate of the Path of Beauty relates to the possibilities of and Initiate on the Path
of Beauty as that Initiate directs the mind toward the Light.

PETAL #185
Heart Talk 3
Come warm this heart with cordial rays
O Lord, and part the complex ways
which lead to pain from holding on
to all that’s vain and all that’s gone
the way of greed. I start anew,
and feel the need to think of You.
For love of Light, my heart takes flight.

PETAL #186

W h o A r e T h e P o s s i b i l i t y H u n t e r s ?

Who, in the world, actively searches out, studies and applies possibilities? Who
are the possibility hunters?
When asked about possibilities we may first think that, “Yes, they are important
and may even be fun, but…. .”. What is in that but? That but contains happiness,
sadness, and all the in – betweens. Believe it or not, many of us do pay a great
deal of attention to our possibilities. Many vocations require and encourage the
search for possibilities.
Many games are directly related, not only to possibilities, but also to the search
for the best possibility in order to win the game. The Chess player is a good
example of this, but we find echoes of the same in Poker, Checkers, and Bridge.
The players are deeply involved in searching out the possibilities available to
them. Many botanists are employed in the field of breeding new types of flowers.
They search and research the known genetic possibilities, for that particular
flower, which will be popular and bring them satisfaction in their career. Some of
them, like Luther Burbank, are always seeking that perfect rose. The poet forever
searches for that perfect metaphor in which to communicate. The nuclear physicist
searches the possibilities for the answer to that age old question, “Why is there
something rather than nothing?”.

searching

People engaged in oil and precious metals exploration are continuously exploring
for possibilities which may point the way to success. Politicians are fine tuned to
the media in intense examination of that one possibility in which they will ride to
the top of the political ladder of their dreams. Mutual fund managers are constantly
searching for possibilities to enhance their net asset values. Weathermen,
financiers, Realtors, inventors, talent scouts, teachers, business men, scientists,
lawyers, novelists, all search for possibilities to enhance their careers and thereby
better themselves and their families.
In general, we are, in varying degrees, all engaged in a subtle search for
possibilities. Some of us, (perhaps due to our vocation, avocation, or necessity),
are more intensely engaged in the hunting of possibilities than others. Most of us,
in the daily process of living, manage to acquire problems, (challenges). We then
engage, in varying degree, in a search through the known possibilities for the best
solution to our most pressing challenge.
Sometimes we see possibilities as solutions. They are, when found, like the
period at the end of a sentence, or the closing of a door. They finish our concern
on a pressing matter which we quickly put behind us with a great deal of
satisfaction, (and sometimes relief). Yet sometimes we see possibilities as keys to
open doors. Possibilities then become opportunities for us which are seen to lead
to even greater opportunities in the future. We greet these with equal satisfaction,

(and sometimes relief), but with the additional feeling of hope. Hope for a
successful future.

PETAL #187
TO THE SOURCE OF MY RIVER

It’s when I think beyond what I should think,
and when I feel beyond what I should feel,
it’s then my world is tense, and hard, and cold.
That’s when I think of You.
It’s when I speak beyond what I should speak,
and when I do beyond what I should do,
it’s then my world is tense, and hard, and cold.
That’s when I think of You.
It’s when I feel how warm You make me feel,
and when I love how much You make me Love,
it’s then my world is calm, and soft, and warm.
That’s why I think of You.

PETAL #188

T h e B e s t P o s s i b i l i t y

Prudence will ever strive to accurately understand as well as accurately apply, for
the good), the best possibility.
If we are to be prudent then three things are necessary. First, that we identify the
best possibility for the conditions which exist at a point in time in the near future;
second, that we accurately understand this best possibility; and third, that we
accurately apply this best possibility for the greatest common good. We must first
ask, can the best possibility at any point in time, in the hear future be identified? If
the answer is no, then our search may stop here. If the answer is yes, then the
next question is how do I identify the best possibility at any point in time in the
hear future? Here, impatience, ignorance, and vanity would agree that if they did
not know how to identify the best possibility instantly, then a best possibility
therefore did not exist, and the search is immediately abandoned for a topic closer
to their comfort zones.
Discernment, observation, and reflection will strive on and begin a search for a
way to know the best possibility at any one point in time in the near future. Reason
will point out that the best possibility constitutes a calculation of some sort. One
possibility is compared to others and found to be vastly superior with respect to
content and timeliness.
Impatience will point out the vast number of these possibilities which will exist at
a point in time in the near future, and will be quick to emphasize that a large
computer would be needed, after some one, or perhaps many, identified all the
possibilities as data for computer entry. When and if this was achieved, the
computer would have to be programmed as to an evaluation system which would
categorize the possibilities and then produce the best possibility.

accuracy

The accuracy here would depend not only on the accuracy of the identification of
all possibilities at that one point in the near future, but also on the accuracy of the
program with respect to being able to produce the best evaluation of possibilities.
One would eventually ask if it was possible for Human beings to identify all the
possibilities at a given point in time in the near future. How about minor events,
such as that proverbial “nail”. (For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, etc.). How
about spiritual events, Could man predict another young David, which would be
victorious over some future Goliath? How about future discoveries of science,
medicine, and physics, not known at the time of calculation, would the calculation
of total possibilities then be incomplete due to the possibility of future
developments? If the time in question was in the 1980’s, but was being calculated
in 1940, would the new computer microprocessors be included in the calculation?
Not unless they were fortune tellers of unequaled ability.
The programming of the evaluation to determine which possibility is best would
be by human minds, with human values which may not realize that a lie, which
could destroy trust and confidence world wide and lead to the bloodiest of wars, is

more dangerous, (although less appalling), in the overall scheme of things, than a
murderous crime of passion, which in a short time, is over and done with. The lie
continues to cause confusion and create doubt. Short sightedness may conclude
here that it would be impossible to humanly determine the best possibility in the
time allotted for a particular point in time in the near future.

strive-on

Perseverance, faith, and hope, may here encourage short sightedness to search
further, to strive – on and to dare to penetrate beyond that which our reason
cannot seemingly penetrate. Does not most of the world hold the concept of a
Higher Power? Do most of us not pray for that which we desire? Whether it be
selfish or altruistic, the process is essentially the same.
We determine that for which we will pray to the Higher Power. (We choose what
to pray for). We then pray to the Higher Power to grant us our desire. We then wait
and watch for signs of that for which we prayed to manifest. If, as many of us
believe, the Higher Power will grant us the object of our prayer, be it physical such
as adequate shelter for earthquake victims, or non – physical, such as peace of
mind for their distraught loved ones, then why not ask in prayer for the best
possibility? This could be in general such as the best possibility for all mankind, or
specific such as the best possibility for our family or Fraternal Lodge.
But, one may say, “How can we ask for the best possibility when we don’t know
what that best possibility is? (Whoever made up that crippling rule that we
couldn’t ask a question unless we knew the answer?).
discernment

It is all a matter of discernment. Do we really want the Higher Power to send us
the best possibility? Then let the Higher Power figure out just what that possibility
is and when to introduce it into our lives. If we have the faith and confidence in the
Higher Power to do this, then there is not much more to be said. The question,
(rephrased), is now, “Do we have access to the best possibility if we trust in a
Higher Power? For those of us who believe in a Higher Power the answer is an
emphatic yes.
The next question is, Given our trust and confidence in a Higher Power to
introduce the best possibility in our lives, do we desire to receive the best
possibility? Before you laugh and say “Of course”, check with your everyday
experience. Vanity and self – servingness would shout with indignation that “they”
already know what the best possibility is. And, if you have the patience to explore
their answer with them, they will disclose to the discerning listener that the best
possibility is what “they want”. Since we all, in varying degrees, are attached,
(love), our ideas, and since we all have the free – will to ask the Higher Power for
what ever “we” want, it becomes apparent that most of us will be too busy asking
for what “we” want rather than for the best possibility to be manifested in the most
joyful and harmonious manner possible.

PETAL #189
THE COMPASSES ON THE SQUARE
(for my Masonic coach)

You meet them every day,
they are not hard to find.
They search for every way
to make the rough refined.
Their sacrifice in red
is known to Liberty
as those who dare to tread
that road which makes man free.
From broom to crown I sing
of those who strive to bear,
(in heart as well as ring),
the compasses on the square.
Their wise have always taught
that kindness is a seed
which roots itself in thought
and blossoms in the deed.
This garden Earth will green,
(the deserts made by mind),
when man fills every scene
with care for every kind.
From broom to crown I sing
of those who strive to bear,
(in heart as well as ring),
the compasses on the square.
My moon reflects their sun,
but not enough to grow,
or harvest by the ton,
the seed I need to sow.
That shoots of love may start,
I seek the Greater Light,
and call upon my heart
to rise and glow sun bright.
O let my heart strive-on
and gather in the ways,

to serve my crop of dawn,
with joy from Beauty’s rays.
From broom to crown I sing
of those who strive to bear,
(in heart as well as ring),
the compasses on the square.

PETAL #190

W h a t A r e P o s s i b i l i t i e s ?

Some will comment that logically this chapter should be at the front of this work on
possibilities; however, experience has taught that we usually first get into
conversation about ideas because we love to express our opinions. Many will
speak their feelings on the matter and leave. Others will stay longer, and many of
them will sense that the topic is pregnant with debate. If anyone is left after the
debate, someone will inevitably ask the question, “Well, what are possibilities
anyway?”. This often starts another round of debate as we attempt personal
definitions. Later, if anyone is left, someone will get a dictionary. The debaters will,
of course, try to prolong the debate phase so that it never gets to the dictionary.
The worldly wise will generally by pass the debate phase and begin with the
dictionary, encyclopedia, and other pertinent reference material, for they know that
although debate is bound to be mentally and emotionally entertaining, it doesn’t
lead to a serious and solemn search for useful knowledge. Although serious
dialectic, (the Socratic method of asking questions to bring out the answer), is of
great value, (if you have a Socrates asking the questions), experience teaches
that vanity loves debate to the point where winning becomes more important than
striving for a glimpse of the truth, which the dictionary informs us means – “what
exists”. So the truth being what exists, let us search in the dictionary for the
answer to our question, What are possibilities?
Possibility:

1. The quality or condition of being possible.
2. Something that is possible.
   Possible:
3. That can be; capable of existing.
4. That can be in the near future; that may or may not happen.
5. That can be done, known acquired, selected, used, etc., depending on
   circumstances.
6. That may be done; permissible.
7. That may be a fact or the truth.
8. [colloquial] That can be put up with; tolerable.
   Synonym Of Possible:
9. practical: applies to that which can readily be effected under the prevailing
   conditions or by the means available [a practicable plan];
10. feasible: is used of that which is likely to be carried through to a successful
    conclusion and, hence, connotes the desirability of doing so. [a feasible
    enterprise] see also probable
    Probable:
11. Likely to occur or be; that can reasonably but not certainly be expected [the
    probable winner].
12. Reasonably so, as on the basis of evidence, but not proved [the probable
    cause of a disease]
    Synonym Of Probable:
    likely: suggests greater probability than possible but less credibility than probable.
    Circumstance:
13. A fact or event accompanying another, either incidentally or as an essential
    condition or determining factor [circumstances alter cases]
14. Any happening or event.
15. Conditions surrounding and affecting a person, especially, financial conditions

[in comfortable circumstances]

Chance; luck [circumstances would have it so]

a.) accompanying or surrounding detail b.) fullness of detail.
Synonym Of Circumstance:
occurrence

The act or fact of occurring

Something that occurs; event; incident.
Out of the above from Webster’s New World Dictionary, second college edition,
we find that the second definition of possible brings out the concept of near future,
and the 3rd definition brings out the concept of depending on circumstances. If
something depends on circumstanced then, if the circumstances change, that
something may vary, to a degree, or even not exist at all. An increase in the
number of circumstances relating to the near future, which we accurately discern,
will increase the number of accurate possibilities which we may know. Now if we
substitute the first definition of circumstance we will have the following: The
greater number of facts or events accompanying another, either incidentally or as
an essential condition or determining factor, which relate to the near future that
can be accurately discerned, the greater will be the number of possibilities we may
become aware of.
Like gravity these facts, or events, accompanying one another exist whether we
are aware of them or not. The possibilities which are based on these
circumstances, as a house is supported by its foundation, exist whether we are
aware of them or not. They are ever present to us even if we are not aware of
them. These ever – present – possibilities may be beneficial, non – beneficial, or a
combination of both. They are modified in accordance with modifications of
circumstances. The concept of something occurring in the near future involves the
concept of time. Circumstances may vary with the passage of time.
Circumstances which vary the least with time have the most stability. The most
stable circumstances produce the most stable possibilities. The most stable
possibilities are referred to as probable..
Some Questions

Why are the best possibilities to be found among the most stable possibilities?

Does the best possibility have the greatest stability?

PETAL #191
POW-WOW

(for Mesag Gweena
Papago Indian 18th C. Arizona)

Mark the sacred circle.
Shaman, make holy the drum-center.
Dancers prepare.
Let the chanters start the drum.
Indian, can you hear
the call to dance?
Come.
Follow the lead dancer.
Enter the timeless circle.
The drummers chant for you.
Indian, can you hear
the call to dance?
That feeling in your heart
will dance you into the center.
The heart beat of the universe
will flow in your blood.
Indian, can you hear
the call to dance?

PETAL #192

T h e F i n e A r t O f H a b i t H u n t i n g

We often hear of “weeding our garden”. It is, of course, an admirable activity and
has richly rewarded many “gardeners” with greater beauty and productivity. But
most of us do not like to hear that we have weeds in our garden. We prefer to look
the other way when our flaws are disclosed to us, and beam with pride and
pleasure when a fine facet of our personality is recognized and praised by others.
Most of us feel uncomfortable when the subject of “weeding our garden” comes
up. Perhaps, because we, in our honesty, feel somewhat, if not very, guilty
because we have not cultivated a beautiful garden.
Recently a question has been raised that may loosen the grip of guilt from our
conscience concerning the “weeding of our gardens”. When, if ever, have we been
taught on a mass basis how to spot a weed in our garden? And when, if ever,
have we been taught on a mass basis how to competently pull a weed from our
garden? Many of us are keen observers of the weeds in our neighbor’s garden;
however, very few of us have learned to spot weeds in our own garden, and there
are fewer still who have developed the skill to pull those weeds from that garden
of their personality. Needless to say, we do not have the teachers qualified to
teach this skill on a mass basis throughout the classrooms of the world.
Well, this is a compassionate perspective on weed-pullers and non weed-pullers,
isn’t it? If we take this point of view, that of not having been taught to recognize
and pull our weeds, we certainly would have more empathy for the fellow who only
sees beautiful flowers in his garden, even though his garden is choked by the very
weeds that he thinks are beautiful flowers. With this point of view we may already
be feeling less guilty about our uncultivated garden. But we are not in one of those
situations where there is no answer; and therefore, we just do the best we can
with the information or limited information that we have to work with. We can
become habit hunters.
Where do we start? A small pocket notebook and a pencil is all we need to track
a habit pattern once we have spotted it. But since a habit pattern is something we
do unconsciously, how do we spot a habit pattern in ourselves? And when we do
spot one, are we going to track just any habit pattern, or are we just going to hunt
the big game? The answers to these questions are both fascinating and

rewarding. Some habit patterns are beneficial and some habit patterns are non-
beneficial. The habits are acquired to successfully drive a car or read a book are

beneficial. The habits we acquired which bring us repeated failure, sorrow, and
discord may be considered non-beneficial in most cases for practical purposes of
beginning to spot habits. So we see that we do have a place to start. Repeated
failure, sorrow, and discord may be evidence of non-beneficial habit patterns.
When we thwart an addiction, (habit pattern), in ourselves, it turns to anger. This
anger can be a signal to us to write in our notebooks why we got angry, (what
thwarted our habit pattern). If we can understand what it was that got thwarted,
i.e., the habit pattern itself, then we can write down a description of that habit
pattern. Later, in a calm moment, we review our notes and put a name tag on our

“spotted” habit pattern so that we can have a convenient way to refer to it when
we spot it occurring in us the next time. It may not be easy to stop while we are
angry and note these things down. But we must try our best, because the nature
of our anger tends to make us forget the lesson of experience. If we have any
success at all, no matter to what degree, we are on our way to developing the
skills to spot and handle our habit patterns. So we see that our anger can be used
as a signal to assist us in spotting a habit pattern.
This is not to say that all habit patterns are “bad” because we get angry when
they are thwarted. Nor is it to say that to be angry is “bad”. What is being shared
here is how to spot a habit pattern. What the habit hunter decides to do with the
pattern of behavior after he spots it depends on the habit hunter and his views
about habit hunting. We will do well to suspend judgment of the habit and first get
the habit out of hiding. Later we can contemplate, in a quiet time, whether or not
the habit pattern is beneficial or non beneficial. Another very rewarding habit
hunting ground in ourselves is the area of our excesses and deficiencies. In other
words, when we go to an extreme in anything in our lives it can be a powerful
signal to us that we may be acting on a habit pattern.
Now that we have looked at a few habit hunting grounds we are left with the
problem of what to do with a habit pattern after we have spotted and tracked it,
and later calmly determined it to be non beneficial in our lives. The wisest way to
start is to ask for Higher guidance in all our endeavors, for the maximum benefit of
all concerned and at the same time for the maximum benefit of Humanity, The
Hierarchy Of Light, and World Culture, in the most co-measured and harmonious
way possible. After this is done we may then begin our work. One way to
approach the skill of weed pulling that the habit hunter acquires, as he applies the
fine art of habit hunting), is to consider the basis of habit patterns. If we know how
they start, then we know how to stop them.
Many of our habit patterns are based on a point of view that we may have
learned years ago which sounded right at the time. When we adopt a point of view
we automatically limit ourselves from seeing other points of view. This may be
beneficial, or it may be non beneficial. For example, if we picture a circle with a
point at its center and a person standing at every one of the three hundred and
sixty degrees on the circumference of the circle, we then would have a large circle
of three hundred and sixty people evenly spaced on the circumference. Each
person is looking at the center of the circle from a slightly different angle or point of
view. If we ask one person, Mr.. X, his point of view of what is at the center, we will
find out that it is vastly different from the person’s point of view who is standing on
the circumference opposite him, 180 degrees away. Mr. X’s point of view will vary
from all the other person’s points of view to the degree of their different positions
on the circle.
So we can readily see that when we adopt a particular point of view we exclude
ourselves from every other point of view to some degree. All of us do and have
done this to some degree in our lives. It is a normal process in living. However,
this process, like all things in life, has its beneficial and non beneficial aspects.
When we adopt and maintain a point of view, a particular perspective, with which
we view and determine our relationship to it, we acquire over a period of time
some attitudes that pertain to that particular point of view. These attitudes have a
certain degree of emotional charge associated with them. Some attitudes have
stronger emotional charge on them than others. Over a period of years, this point
of view and its associated attitudes with their emotions affect our behavior to the
extent that we form habit patterns due to repetition. We then automatically react in
certain ways when we encounter certain conditions in the world that trigger our
habit patterns. Some of these habit patterns are beneficial and some of them are
non beneficial to us.

We often hear people say, “If only he, (or she), could take a different point of view
on the subject … .” This is equivalent to saying that, “If only he, (or she), could see
something from a different perspective.”.

What Happens When We Take A
Different Perspective?

When we change our point of view, or change our position on the circumference of
the circle, we find ourselves in a unique learning process. First, we sense that we
do see the center of the circle from a different point of view. Then gradually we
begin to realize that our relationship, our interaction, with the world is wonderfully
different. The old attitudes based on the old point of view are not manifesting now.
The automatic emotional reactions based on our old attitudes are not manifesting
now. The old habit patterns were left, along with their causative attitudes, back at
the old point of view. The new point of view has no established attitudes,
emotional responses, and habit patterns because we haven’t lived the new point
of view for all the years that we lived the old point of view. Here is our golden
opportunity to form harmonious attitudes and emotions, (tolerance, compassion,
and love), as the base for more harmonious habit patterns so that our interactions,
our relationship with the world, will be more harmonious. The process of changing
our point of view is a fascinating adventure that will be the end of boredom in our
lives. Its immediate reward is a new interest in life which stimulates the
imagination and promises new horizons.
All this is made possible by the habit hunter who gradually takes command of life
with the awareness that he, (or she), has choice. He can observe himself during
his interactions with the world and notice which of the habit patterns that he
manifests are no longer beneficial to him. Then he has authentic choice to leave
them alone or do something about them with his experientially developed fine art
of habit hunting.
In making authentic choices, i.e., not choosing out of an attitude or habit pattern,
it may help at first to establish a criterion of choice. It would reward us greatly if we
use a criterion of choice that does not normally lead to pain. One such criterion is
harmony. When our choice is simply between two things, one of which is beneficial
and the other non beneficial, in most cases we will choose the one that we have
determined to be the most beneficial to ourselves and our associates. But if our
choice is between two things that seem equally beneficial, then our criteria of
choice enters the picture in a major way. If we have a criterion of choice that has
within it the virtues of tolerance, compassion and love, such as harmony includes
in itself, then we can be assured that we have chosen unselfishly. If for some
reason we find later on that our choice turned out to be non beneficial, we will not
feel guilty, or try to cover up our choices, because we did use a noble criterion of
choice. We will then look carefully and calmly at the most recent developments in
the situation, gather as much information as possible concerning the situation, and
dispassionately choose again. This time we will benefit from the lesson of
experience.
As time goes by we may determine from our reasoned experience that we must
evolve our criterion into a more noble yet practical criterion of choice. Gradually
we will form a criterion of choice that will assure us of efficient and safe decisions
based in wisdom and love. This criterion of choice will always be considered by us
to be capable of being evolved into a criterion of choice that will be for the
maximum benefit of our development and at the same time for the maximum
benefit of the development of all Mankind. We have seen that there are five stages
in the fine art of habit hunting. These are as follows:

1. Spotting the habit
2. Tracking the habit
3. Non judgmental determination whether the habit is beneficial or non beneficial
4. Transmuting the habit, i.e., pulling the weed from the garden of our personality
5. Evolving a criterion of choice which will assist us in choosing future habits that
   will be for the maximum benefit of our development and, at the same time, for the
   maximum benefit of the development of all Mankind.
   Once we get our first habit out of hiding and transmute it into something that will
   be for the maximum benefit of all, we are then in a better position to see from
   experience the rewards of habit hunting. But for those of us who have not got our
   first habit out of hiding, these are some of the rewards we can look forward to:
6. Increased awareness
7. More harmonious relationships with others
8. Financial stability
   The veteran habit hunter becomes a more loving person and exhibits an inner
   peace. We do not have to wait for a particular time of the year to go habit hunting.
   For us, it is always “open season” on habits and best of all, there is no limit on the
   number of habits we can get out of hiding.

PETAL #193
ON THE WAY TO CIVILIZATION

Fill our hearts O Lord of Light
as the sun fills the morning of our day.
Light up the alley-ways of our darkest moods.
Teach us firmness in feeling joy
as a shield against our grimmest thoughts.
Guide us with your ray of loveliness.
Illumine our minds with your alphabet of beauty,
and let us build a concept to embrace You.
As the sun colors the evening of our day
enter O Lord of Light the doorway to our dreams,
and show us how to love You all the more.

NOTE:

1. EXOteric means outer not hidden such as exoteric knowledge found in the
   public library.
2. ESOteric means hidden such as esoteric knowledge found in non public
   initiations.

PETAL #194
The Science of Happiness

By Papyrous
My brothers, 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.
My brothers, the science of Happiness is born in an individual from the union of
the realization that our lives are a series of chosen possibilities and the realization
that not all possibilities are stepping stones to happiness. (Not all mountain roads
lead to the top.).
To progress, we must discern what exists and what does not. That star we look at
tonight may have exploded millenniums ago. In other words, we intentionally
discern, as best we can, which possibilities contain the seeds of happiness and
which do not.
We then discard those possibilities which we feel do not contain the seeds of
happiness. From the remaining possibilities we re-examine, reflect, discern and
choose those which we feel will lead to the most happiness, because we sense
that happy hurts less than sad.
Our future is conditioned by the choices we make now, as well as those we have
made in the past. As we grow in understanding we increase the number of
possibilities which are available to us, and as we grow in discernment we choose
the better of those possibilities. It is the way of life.
Thus we are all on the Path of Happiness, and we do better, or worse, on that
Path according to how accurately we discern, as well as how prudently we choose
our possibilities.
Now someone may say, “All this about possibilities is well and good, but what are
those seeds of happiness which we are supposed to discern in a possibility?” Fair
enough! Let us explore this question with as much simplicity as we are capable of
bringing to it at this time.
Each of us learns what leads to happiness by the consequences of our choices.
Yes, the answer is experience, experience, experience! Perhaps the cactus flower
will assist us here. Those of us who do not have experience with cactus flowers
may respond to their beauty by reaching out to pick one. Those of us who do have
experience with cactus flowers have learned to enjoy their beauty from a
respectable distance, for they are not without their natural protection. Experience
arises from living, like the sun after a storm. Let us now ask an exoterically as well
as an esoterically prudent question.

Can A study Of Pleasure And Pain Illuminate The Science Of Happiness?
My brothers, in general, we choose that which we feel will bring us pleasure,
whether it be an object, a feeling, or a thought. In general, we avoid that which we
feel will bring us pain. When we, through lack of knowledge; mistakenly choose
something, (like a cactus flower), which we feel will bring us pleasure, but in fact,
leads to pain, (instant or gradual), we learn a lesson of experience. As long as we
accurately learn and remember the lesson of experience, we increase our
discernment; however, when we forget the lesson of experience, we then loose
discernment, (and will probably reach for that cactus flower again). Sometimes it
takes more than one painful experience to learn a lesson well. Close Observations
Limit Painful Encounters. (C.O.L.P.E.).
Some things lead to pain quite slowly, so slowly that we may not connect the result
with our initial action, (or thought). This may be the case for many repetitions of
painful experiences. Some consequences are so distant that they must be taught
or passed on from generation to generation in the contents of fairy tales, proverbs,
legends, sacred literature, art, opera, dance, poetry, philosophy, symbols and
more recently film, and all that has and will go into the treasury of World Culture.
Since the amount and content of experience varies with each individual, as well
as varying with times during the individuals life, no one can say what those seeds
of happiness are for another person. We can only point out, or share, what we
understand those seeds of happiness have been for us. We cannot transmit the
experience itself. That is the way of life. We learn through experience.
Does this mean we are totally on our own in our exploration of the Science of
Happiness? Yes and no. Yes we must travel the Path on our own. No because
everyone is on the Path, and some have learned writing or speaking skills and
strive to share, in varying degrees, their experience and or strive to pass on the
experience of others that have somehow been shared with them through their
interactions with World Culture.
It has been said, that if you do not know what or where an object is, you search for
it by the process of elimination. Although logical, this process of elimination could
take more time than we could possibly devote to the search. However by a most
serious and discerning investigation of what has been shared from the giants of
thought in World Culture
1
, we may accurately focus our search to become more
prudent, in other words, to accurately apply accurate knowledge for the greatest
good. Let us now strive to stand on the shoulders of some of these giants, in
hopes of seeing beyond the roughness of our character.
My brothers, Plato reminds us that, “The man who makes everything that leads to
happiness depend upon himself, and not upon others, has adopted the very best
plan for living happily.”
Epictetus, the philosopher, echoes this with his understanding that, “The essence
of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little
as possible on external things.”
Shakespeare says that, “My crown is called content, a crown that seldom kings
enjoy.”

Benamin Franklin adds to our understanding by sharing that, “Content makes poor
men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.”
Albert Schweitzer tells us that, “Happiness is the only thing that multiplies when
you share it.”
Martha Washington, (yes Martha) put it all together when she shared that, “The
greater part of our happiness depends on our dispositions and not our
circumstances.”
Well now that we have had a glimpse into what some of these giants of thought in
World Culture dwelled upon, let us ask a beautiful question.
How Is Happiness Related To Joy?

We are told that the wise define their terms, in order to facilitate the clarity of
understanding. With this in mind then, what does the dictionary

1.1 say that happy

means?
It states, “having, showing, or causing a feeling of great pleasure, joy, contentment
etc.: joyous, glad, pleased, satisfied”
The same source shares that Joy is, “a very glad feeling; happiness; great
pleasure; delight.”
So the dictionary denotations declare that happiness is joy, and that Joy is
happiness.
In our search through World Culture, we find Aristotle

2 shared that, “…the self-
sufficient we now define as that which when isolated makes life desirable and

lacking in nothing; and such we think happiness to be; and further we think it most
desirable of all things.”
Of course the accuracy of translations often fall prey to the biases of the
translators, however, it is generally understood that Aristotle said that everyone is
searching for happiness. Our dictionary definition of joy as a meaning for
happiness now tells us that another take on Aristotle’s sharing is that everyone is
searching for joy, (delight, great pleasure, contentment), which echoes our earlier
general understanding that we gratitate towards pleasure and avoid pain. And now
another beautiful question.

How Is Happiness Connected

3 To Virtue?

“… the notion of happiness in Greek Philosophy applies at most to living things,
that of arete—“virtue” or “excellence”—applies much more widely. Anything that
has a characteristic use, function, or activity has a virtue or excellence, which is
whatever disposition enables things of that kind to perform well. The excellence of
a knife is whatever enables it to cut well; and the excellence of an eye is whatever
enables it to see well. Human virtue, accordingly, is whatever enables human
beings to live good lives. Thus the notions of happiness and virtue are linked.”

“Already by Plato’s time a conventional set of virtues had come to be recognized
by the larger culture; they included courage, justce, piety, modesty or temperance,
and wisdom. Socrates and Plato undertook to discover what these virtues really
amount to. A truly satisfactory account of any virtue would identify what it is, show
how possessing it enables one to live well, and indicate how it is best acquired.”
So we see my brothers, that, according to many ancient Greek Philosophers the
search for happiness (Joy, delight, great pleasure) becomes a search for virtue,
something Freemasons are well acquainted with, and trained in, through the
extended metaphor of stone masonry. Let us now see what metaphor Aristotle
used to illustrate the pragmatic search for happiness.
“Aristotle seeks flourishing happiness in life. He believes that this can be achieved
for each individual through the embracement of virtues
4
. Aristotle believed that
virtues are the mean of two vices. This is the basis of the Aristotelian ‘Doctrine of
the Mean’. “
My brothers, in plainer English, the mean is the balance point between the two
extremes: one of excess (too much), and the other of deficiency (too little).
Aristotle, the famous student of Plato, who in turn was the famous student of
Socrates, declared this mean, or balance point, to be virtue.This is more of an
intellectual metaphor, not as mentally-tangible as smoothing a stone with working
tools. As a result Aristotle gave many down-to-Earth examples in order to facilitate
clarity of understanding.
Aristotle was born
5
in Stagira, a city in Macedonia, 384 years before the birth of
Christ and died in 322B.C.E. at sixty two years of age. Time is mentioned here to
give a feeling of historic continuity, for we are now going back in time to ancient
China to see how Confucius shared his guidance to achieve virtue, which we now
understand to be happiness, Joy, and great pleasure.
Confucius

6 was born in the year 551 B.C.E in the state of Lu (now Shandong
Province, China). That is one hundred and sixty seven years before the birth of
Aristotle, and five hundred and fifty one years before the birth of Christ.
Now here is the intensely interesting part. Confucius, via his student Mencius
7
shared his understanding of how to achieve happiness in a writing called the
Doctrine of the Mean
8
. If this is starting to sound familiar it is because Aristotle’s
Nichomachean Ethics (Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean) is essentially an
expansion of Confucius’ Doctrine of the mean, which is very compact.
Now here is a most fascinating point. Confucius said that he received this
knowledge (mouth to ear) from the ancients. Now most of us consider Confucius
(in the 6th C BCE) as an ancient, yet he shared that he received his knowledge
from the ancients. Like it is said, all things are relative.
Confucius calls the person who can achieve this mean between the two extremes
of excess and deficiency the superior man. Since he also refers to this mean as
virtue, we see that Confucius sees the virtuous man as the superior man. So
virtue, the way to happiness (joy, delight, great pleasure in life) is the mean

between the two extremes of too much and too little. But wait, there is more.
Confucius also describes the superior man as the sincere man as we shall soon
see, but first back to the dictionary.

What is sincerity?

The dictionary describes sincerity as honesty. It describes honesty as no
deception. Therefore using Aristotle’s syllogistic logic of the middle term, and
Euclid’s axiom of two things equal to the same are equal to each other,
Sincerity means no deception.
My brothers, the history of the world demonstrates that a lie causes confusion and
destroys trust. Thus the reward for sincerity (honesty) is trust. Sincerity is the Light
of character. The person who has attained to the most complete sincerity has no
deception in him. It is no wonder then that Confucius’ superior man, the man of
virtue, is one who practices no-deception as follows:
“Sincerity is the way of Heaven. The attainment of sincerity is the way of men. He
who possesses sincerity is he who, without an effort, hits what is right, and
apprehends, without the exercise of thought; he is the sage who naturally and
easily embodies the right way. He who attains to sincerity is he who chooses what
is good, and firmly holds it fast.
So How Does Confucius Recommend That We Attain To Sincerity?

“To this attainment there are requisite the extensive study of what is good,
accurate inquiry about it, careful reflection on it, the clear [discernment] of it, and
the earnest practice of it.
“Let a man proceed in this way, and, though dull, he will surely become intelligent;
though weak, he will surely become strong. And now another beautiful question.

What Is The Cause And Effect Of Sincerity?

“It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can exist under
heaven, who can give its full development to his nature.” “Next to the above is he
who cultivates to the utmost the shoots of goodness in him. From those he can
attain to the possession of sincerity. This sincerity becomes apparent. From being
apparent, it becomes manifest. From being manifest, it becomes brilliant. Brilliant,
it affects others. Affecting others, they are changed by it. Changed by it, they are
transformed. It is only he who is possessed of the most complete sincerity that can
exist under heaven, who can transform.”
My brothers, this sounds to me like a very serious Freemason smoothing the
stone. It sounds like it is taking a good man and making him a better man through
instruction and the use of working tools to achieve that cherrished smoothness.
Let us now ask another beautiful question.

What Is The Great Learning?

Confucius, the philosopher of sincerity, found his way into the modern as well as
ancient classroom. I once talked with a chinese man who recalled having to
memorize The Great Learning as part of his education in China.
My guess is that serious Masons will appreciate the way the Great Learning starts
as follows:
“What the great learning teaches, is:

1. to illustrate illustrious virtue;
2. to renovate the people;
3. and to rest in the highest excellence. “

Confucius states the goal must be understood as follows:
“1. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined;

2. and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to.
3. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose.
4. In that repose there may be careful deliberation,
5. and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end. “

Confucius then connects sincerity with heart & knowledge as follows:
“1. The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom,
first ordered well their own states.

2. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families.
3. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons.
4. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts.
5. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts.
6. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their
   knowledge.
7. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things.”
   My brothers, it must be obvious by now that Confucius had a very scientific (
   cause and effect ) attitude on life. We also may be getting a glimpse into the fact
   that striving for greater discernment means the end of boredom for the striving
   one. Well, that’s the process of the Great Learning, now let’s hear Confucius’
   comment on that process.
   “From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the
   cultivation of the person the root of everything. It cannot be, when the root is
   neglected, that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been
   the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the
   same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.”

Our Philosopher of Sincerity may not be using the metaphor of the stone mason,
but perhaps here we have had enough of a glimpse, into his heart and mind, to
see that Confucius cherished the ideals that the serious Freemason strives to
attain and live by. Now let’s leave Confucius and continue our exploration of the
Science of Happiness with a question about a historical figure more familiar to
Freemasons.

Did Benjamin Franklin Advocate Sincerity?

Young Benjamin Franklin
9
in his return voyage from England (his pre-masonic
days) included sincerity in his second, of four, earnest resolutions to transform
himself as follows:

“To endeavour to speak truth in every instance; to give nobody expectations that
are not likely to be answered, but aim at sincerity in every word and action — the
most amiable excellence in a rational being.”
My brothers, this amiable resolution is not only advocating deceptionlessness
(sincerity), but deceptionlessness in every instance.
The word excellence here may remind us also of the Greek ideal of virtue.
Sincerity (honesty) is the foundation of his resolution for smoothing the roughness
of life and giving birth to a more refined character, thus becoming a more prudent
and loving person. Not bad for a twenty year old, Capricorn, born poor on
Monday, January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts, who Transitioned on
Monday, April 17, 1790, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the age of 84 — the
richest man in colonial America and having had sixty four years to practice his
resolutions– most of them as a Freemason, and many of those years as a past
Grand Master of Masons, as well as an intimate member of the Rosicrucian
10

community.
My brothers, the Treasury of World Culture contains many valuable jewels.
Consider this gem from Agni Yoga, which indicates the preference, as well as the
insightful knowledge of the Hierarchy of Light, which includes God, as follows.
“Indeed, we value sincerity above everything
11
.”

Now someone may attempt to toss in a spoiler here, with the idea that love should
be valued above everything, but the discerning know that without Sincerity (
honesty or no-deception) love is reduced to only a word. The discerning also know
that the temple of real love is built on the foundation of honesty, as are all good
things.
Besides metaphorically being the foundation of love, Sincerity also pertains to the
velocity of a person’s spiritual evolution as follows: “Sincerity is nothing but the

shortest attainment
12
.” Surely this statement will catch the eye of all striving for the
Light, for the sooner we achieve a higher level of consciousness, the sooner we
can increase our level of service to Humanity.
The individual’s choice of sincerity naturally depends upon his level of
discernment. In an ingenious writing from ancient India entitled the Bhagavad
Gita
13
, we find illumination on discernment as follows.
“Thinking about sense objects
attaches you to sense objects.
Grow attached and you become addicted.
Thwart your addiction and it turns to anger.
Be angry and you confuse your mind.
Confuse your mind and you forget the lesson of experience.
Forget the lesson of experience and you lose discernment.
Lose discernment and you miss life’s only purpose.”
My brothers we may now be appreciating this illumination on a successful life
through discernment in relation to the intensity of Confucius’ Superior Man striving
to attain the most complete sincerity (virtue). It is also reminicent of Young
Franklin’s, “… aim at sincerity in every word and action — the most amiable
excellence in a rational being.” None of which can be achieved without accurate
discernment.
So we see that to be proficient in the science of Happiness is, in effect, to be
seriously involved in an intense striving for achievement in:

1. Discernment
2. Prudence (Quality Choices)
3. Joy (delight, great pleasure), virtue, and sincerity (no-deception)
   Now, the un-discerning most likely feel that the Science of Happiness is a beautiful
   landing at the airport of earthly sorrows, and back up that feeling by reference to
   the seemingly endless headlines (hawking stories of sadness) in the news media.
   The un-discerning may feel that virtue is something burried in very old books, in
   very hard to understand languages and dialects. Perhaps someday the general
   level of consciousness will be raised to the understanding that the greatest cultural
   works, including some modern films contain one or more of the motifs concerning
   the striving to achieve a balance between the two extremes of excess and
   deficiency — too much and too little. Perhaps someday they will see the ingenuity
   which goes into the making of a great children’s film such as Pinocchio
   14
   , which is
   said to be “The ultimate expression of what is possible in the craft of the animated
   film.”
   In Pinocchio, as in most, if not all, Disney films, a close examination, by the
   discerning mind, will easily find many virtues advocated and taught by
   Freemasonry. Perhaps the most famous of which is Sincerity or honesty, where
   Pinocchio’s nose grows in alarming length when engaging in deception. We find

the stringed-puppet Pinocchio being told by the Blue Fairy, who annimated him as
a result of the wood carver Gipetto’s wish, that in order for Pinocchio to become a
real boy, Pinocchio must be “Brave, Truthful, and unselfish, for a boy that won’t be
good may just as well be made of wood.” In such pithy text and images, are
exhibited:

1. Courage: one of the four cardinal virtues
2. Truth: one of the three tennents of Freemasonry
3. and Altruism, that selflessness which uderlies courage and truthfulness, and is
   a stepping stone to clothing our hearts with charity, the greatest spiritual virtue.
   Volumes have and will be written about just these three characteristics, yet they
   were, in a most wise and entertaining way superimposed on a puppet, in order to
   preserve virtue in world culture. These and many other aspects of the Science of
   Happiness were ingeniously woven into this pinacle of Disney animation. Now let’s
   see if Poetry can progress our exploration of the Science of Happiness.
   Does Robert Frost’s Formula For Creating A Poem Contain Happiness?
   You bet it does. In his essay, The Figure A Poem Makes
   15
   , the American Poet
   Laureate Robert Frost states that a poem should, “Begin in delight, and end in
   wisdom.” Here we remember that delight is a synonym for joy, and that joy is a
   synonym for happiness. Now let us ask the most important question of all
   important questions for Humanity.

Do we need a reason to be joyful
16?

My brothers, the Holy Bible

17 advises, “Be joyful always.” Notice it doesn’t say be
joyful only when you hit the lottery, or on vacation at your favorite getaway spot
with plenty of spending money in your pocket. It simply, perhaps challengingly
says, “Be joyful always.”
Now the beautiful question arises, how many follow this amazing advice? The
worldly would say there were, are and will be an overwhelming number of joy-less
Earthlings, who will not be joyful until their mind tells them that there is a good
enough reason to be joyful (which may not be soon or frequent if my take on
Human interactions, and news headlines, is even slightly accurate). Notice the
wording is good enough reason. When it comes to joy most have become their
own hard task masters, who have raised their personal bar (their criterion of what
is joyful) to an im-prudent height.
Some, when presented with news of a joyful event, would say, “Well that’s the
way life should be anyway.”, and continue in their un-joyfulness. Somewhere along
Man’s line of ascent, we bought the erroneous idea that we had to have a reason
to be joyful. It’s so engrained that we have to take special training, like joining
Freemasonry, to gradually learn (notice the emphasis on gradual) that to be joyful
is part of life’s goal to become wise: wisdom being one of the three pillars of
Freemasonry (wisdom, strength and beauty). Scripture also advises, “Wisdom is
the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get
understanding
18
.”

We gradually learn (understand) that there are many reasons (if we really need
them) to be joyful – they just escaped us at the time. Perhaps because we were
distracted; by the sadness of world events; by chasing that almighty dollar; or by
catching a joyless mood like a common cold in the workplace, and forgot to be
joyful (as well as grateful) for our next breath and our next heartbeat.
President William Howard Taft reminded us that, “The true Mason takes full
responsibility for the condition of his character and ever strives for its perfection.”
The higher emotions are healthier: it has become common to hear that laughter is
the best medicine. One of the dictionary

1 definitions of laugh indicates that laugh
means “to feel or suggest joyousness, cheerfulness.” So Laughter is a
manifestation of Happiness (joy, delight, great pleasure). Now let us ask a most
intensely valuable question.

When Will The Quest For Joy (Happiness) Begin?
We learn in Agni Yoga that “Joy is the health of the spirit
19
.” We also glimpse
there the magnificent understanding, that “when physiology shall teach men
about the debilitating consequences of sorrow, the quest for joy will begin
19
.”

Now What Are The Causes Of Joy?

Agni Yoga does us all a favor by revealing the parents, or causes, of joy as
follows.
“The bliss of the thinker or the torment of the thinker? It is customary to represent
a thinker as in torment, but if you ask him whether he wishes to be freed from
such pangs, any thinker will reply in the negative. In the depth of his
consciousness he experiences great bliss, for the process of thinking is a higher
enjoyment. People have only two real joys– thinking and the ecstasy over beauty.
(We now see how joy is related to beauty)
“The path to the Fiery [in other words vibrationally higher] World has been affirmed
by these two manifestations. Only through them can man advance to the lofty
spheres. Every higher communion will contain these two fundamentals. Therefore,
it is absurd to talk about the torments of the thinker or the creator. They are not
suffering but rejoicing.
20
“

Here we see that Agni Yoga has positioned joy (happiness) as the criterion of
advancement to the” lofty spheres”, and that “Every higher communion will contain
these two fundamentals”. Happiness (joy) is thus elevated to be esoterically as
well as exoterically our most valuable working tool to smooth our way to oneness
with the whole of Reality (God).
My brothers how many times is joy mentioned in our Masonic work? How many
times did our Freemasonic fraternal forefathers feel they needed to remind the
coming generations of Freemasons about the basics of life? Did they understand
that Man’s raising the bar of joy too high seriously limited joyful participation in
life? A joy-less life is the fate of one who cannot find a reason to be joyful. But
catch this, even if a reason was found, most are so out of practice in radiating joy

that it may be close to a non-event. Long has it been that “no reason” to be joyful
meant it is inappropriate to be joyful. No reason, no joy. Yet, we do not need a
reason to be joyful.

Who Can Be Happy In Their Work?

The argument against joyful labor is mentally convincing, emotionally satisfying,
and leads to pain. In the dark there are no rainbows. 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 Great Architect, there is no wisdom in it. Now let us ask a question,
the answer to which could resound in the depths of the mysteriously esoteric
Kundalini as well as in the heights of the highest (Fiery) world.
Who Can Oppose The Joy Of Achievement?

“No one can oppose the joy of achievement. Thus, let us cultivate it as one would
most precious blossoms, but let us not belittle it with the suspicion that it is an
illusion. “
“… we know how joy resounds through the channel of Kundalini. We cannot often
explain in words whence arises this joy, as a forerunner, but it comes to visit us on
a light-winged ray of Hierarchy. Who knows from what Infinite Source sounds the
call to joy? How many know that already the time of manifestation of joy has
approached? But the law is immutable, and therefore joy is a special wisdom. How
long ago this was said! But in spiral evolvement it gradually becomes real and
comprehensible. Likewise grows the heart, and the consciousness, and fiery
wisdom. We do not see how the grass grows, but we perceive the evidence of the
growth. So too with the joy of achievement.
21
“

My brothers, to achieve personal happiness it is necessary to conquer personal
un-happiness. Hidden in our un-happiness is often found various aspects of fear.
So let us now ask the beautiful question what knows no fear? My brothers, the
beautiful answer is “… tempered joy. Joy is a special wisdom, and cheerfulness is
a special technique. Creativeness is the basis of evolution. With what then is it
possible to strengthen the acts of creative power? Only with cheerfulness.
cheerfulness serves as a wine of joy
22
“.

My brothers, we see that we can be joyful at any time because we choose to be
joyful. It is a personal, individual, declaration of independence to be joyful, not
when the world thinks it is appropriate to be joyful, but any time, any place we
choose to be joyful.
And just in case anyone may be thinking that the Science of Happiness is a nice
sentiment, but forever doomed to exist in remote sections of very large libraries,
let us honor and cherrish the Science of Happiness with a larger, historically
dynamic, group application of happiness as follows.
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to
assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which
the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the
opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel
them to the separation.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are
Life, Liberty and the pursuit

23 of Happiness.
“

And now let us give the last word to a quote from the Holy Bible which puts our
subject on a planetary scale.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye nations! Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before his presence with joyful singing.
24
“

Thank you all for your joyous patience, and here’s wishing you the very best in
your adventures with the Science of Happiness. This concludes our discourse for
today. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. 1001 Ways To Happiness, Arcturus Pub. Ltd. 2014
   1.1. Webster’s New Universal Dictionary of the English Language; Webster’s international Press, New York 1976.
2. Nichomachean Ethics; book 1, sect 7.
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Article by Constance C. Meinwald 9-8-2014.
4. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, in A. I. Melden, ed., Ethical Theories 2nd Edition. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1957)
5. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Article
6. Encyclopaedia Britannica
7. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
8. Doctrine of the Mean: Confucius, translation by James Legee, Dover Publications Inc. 31 E. 2nd St. Minecola, NY 1150
9. Benjamin Franklin: the autobiography and other writings; The Way To Wealth; Plan for Future Conduct 1726, page 182
10. The Mastery of Life: The Rosicrucian Order A.M.O.R.C. 1342 Naglee Ave, San Jose, CA 95191
    also Rosicrucian Questions and Answers With Complete History pages 92 and 165
11. Agni Yoga Series of books: Infinity II, numbered paragraph 337. See also note 14
12. Agni Yoga Series of books: Community, numbered paragraph 134. See also note 14
13. The Song of God: Bhagavad Gita, Vedanta Press, July 1, 1987, translated by C. Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda.
14. J.B. Kaufman, film historian, found in Disney’s film commentary on Pinocchio, No Strings Attached.
15. The Figure A Poem Makes: Essay; Frost, Robert (1874-1963)
16. Paradise Valley Silver Trowel Lodge No. 29 Trestle Board; Trowel Talk No. 17 (September 2012), by Tom Lyle.
17. the Holy Bible (I Thessalonians 5:16).
18. Proverbs 4:7 King James Version (KJV) 7
19. Agni Yoga Series of books: Fiery World 1, numbered paragraph 298, Agniyoga.org, Agni Yoga Society, Inc. 319 West 107th
    Street, New York, N.Y. 10025
20. Agni Yoga Series of books: Brotherhood; numbered paragraph 85. see note 14.
21. Agni Yoga Series of books: Fiery World II, numbered paragraph 258. See note 14.
22. Agni Yoga Series of books: New Era Community, numbered paragraph 163.
23. IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.
24. Holy Bible: Psalm 100.

PETAL #195

The ABC’s Of The Path Of Beauty
[On The Path Of Beauty We Ever Strive To]

A. Attune with the Mother of Agni Yoga.
B. Fill our lives with beauty.
C. Co-measurement
D. Maximize our discernment.
E. Extend the hand of friendship.
F. Forgive as a practical step to
greater awareness.
G. Maximize our level of gratitude.
H. Adhere to the law of Hierarchy.
I. Ingenuity in creating beauty.
J. The illumination of joy.
K. Accurately apply accurate knowledge
for the greatest good.
L. Apply the law of beauty.
M. Maximize our service towards the
upliftment of Humanity.
N. Co-measuredly learn and apply
Natural Law.
O. Make our observations as accurate
as possible.
P. Purify our consciousness.
Q. Maximize the quality of our thoughts.
R. Radiate love
S. Apply the spiritual art of no-deception.
T. Approach closer, in heart, to the Teacher.
U. Maximize our understanding of
psychic energy.
V. Be victorious by planting thought-seeds
of beauty.
W. Not interfere with the free will
and / or karma of others.
X. X-ray our character for structural flaws.
Y. Remember that the Yogi must learn
the wisdom of joy.
Z. Zero in on our ever present possibilities.

PETAL #196B

EXPERIENCES ON THE PATH #9
The secret of joyful labor
The gap between theory and practice can seem like light-years at one time and
within leaping distance at other times. If we were perfect Cosmic Masters then
there would be no gap at all.
Part of the magnificent goal of serving Humanity, World Culture, and the Hierarchy
of Light, for all of us on the Path is to maximize the quality of our thoughts. Since
thoughts are the parents of feelings, maximizing the quality of our thoughts will
also maximize the quality of our feelings.

Of course, talk like this brings the possibility that some on the Path will be four-
walling their cries that, “Maximizing the quality of our thoughts is just too hard to

do.” My now standard answer for these confused brothers and sisters is that life
becomes harder when we do not strive to maximize the quality of our thoughts.
What really is a challenge to patience is the response from the “knowing” ones on
the path — and we all have been in that category at some time while traveling or
the path. They will quickly attempt to counter the statement of maximizing the
quality of our thoughts with the cleverest of arguments intended to neutralize the
affect of the statement. We might hear, “Ya but that is the ideal, and we have to
live on earth where, for all practical purposes, that ideal is not found.”
If sophistic statements like this take the spiritual-striving-wind out of our sails, then
we haven’t been regularly attuning with the Cosmic Concept of Beauty, the Mother
of Agni Yoga, and her Teacher the Master Morya.
This is said as a medicinal reminder that the Hierarchy of Light is the only stability
in the universe. We all need reminders and at times warnings.
We are all familiar with the ancient wisdom which roughly gives the following
advice. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened. Ask and it shall be
given. The Teacher will provide a co-measured technique to maximize the quality
of our thoughts when asked.
As caretaker of our Phoenix group, (The Arizona Agni Yoga Rainbow Group), I
asked in meditation for guidance. The technique provided to our group was the
green and red marbles. A dish of green marbles, a dish of red marbles, and two
empty dishes. This incredibly simple, yet entirely profound technique has become
the cornerstone of the group — especially the red marble.
In Agni Yoga we read about the symbology of the green and red. The green
represents the earthly, and the red represents the spiritual world.
As an example, to assist our understanding of one way we have applied this
technique, I am including the instructions from our “Mother of Agni Yoga
Workshop” as well as a dialogue from our “Discerning Heart Workshop”.
Let us keep in mind while reading them that all that is not said is learned in the
practice of the technique. Application of the technique of the green and red

marbles has given profound experiential understanding, as well as personal
development.
Joy is a shield. Joy is the health of the spirit. Thus we work with that which the
Yogi must know — the wisdom of joy.

My brothers and sisters, may I have your attention please!
(Pause until you have every one’s attention. ring bell as necessary, but not too
much).
Please be seated around the table. (Pause until members are seated. and speak
as follows).
Today’s date is . It is now [am./p.m..]. We will read letter

, VOLUME # __, PART # _ OF THE LETTERS OF HELENA ROERICH.

My brothers and sisters of The Path of Beauty, which is The Path of The Heart,
our Agni Yoga Group has three very special tools to assist us in maximizing the
quality of our harmony and joy, on a group discussion level as well as on an
individual level. They are:

1. The Heart Pendant
2. The Green Marble
3. The Red Marble.
   THE HEART PENDANT is intentionally left a mystery. Its penetration is left
   entirely up to the member’s attunements with The Mother Of Agni Yoga and her
   Teacher, The Master Morya.
   THE GREEN MARBLE, in general, assists us to discern and weed out those
   cruder aspects of conversational behavior which are subtle destroyers of mutual
   respect, brotherly love, unity, and the higher aspects of sharing within a group.
   Green marble offenses are generally observed by all present, and are monitored
   by the leader who announces them with a bell and a flag. However, in case the
   leader misses a green marble violation, we are all provided with a flag to signal
   the leader that a green marble violation has taken place.

***GREEN MARBLE VIOLATIONS

1. SPEAKING OUT OF TURN.
2. REFERRING BY NAME, OR IN ANY OTHER WAY TO AN INDIVIDUAL
   IN THE GROUP.
3. SPEAKING AFTER YOUR TURN IS OVER.
4. DISTRACTING THE FOCUS OF THE MEETING.

If a member violates a green marble rule then that member will immediately
deposit a green marble into one of our marble containers. (Point to containers).
The loss of three green marbles by a player, or leader, will require that member to

exchange the heart pendant around his or her neck for the “I lost all my marbles”
pendant”. (Point to pendant). For the leader this will mean a relinquishment of the
lead position to the first member on the right who has the most green marbles. For
leader or member, this will mean a relinquishment of the right to share for the
remainder of this part of the meeting. However, that person will continue to
participate on the level of the red marble.
THE RED MARBLE, In general, is a very spiritual tool which assists us to
maximize our discernment in the area of individually monitoring our own personal
thoughts and feelings.

*** THE RED MARBLE RULE

TO CONSISTENTLY MAINTAIN A JOYFUL FOCUS.

Thus we ever strive toward the illumination of joy, for as The Master Morya says in
his beautiful Agni Yoga Teachings, JOY IS A SPECIAL WISDOM. If , at any time,
a member, (including the leader), notices that he, or she, is not, I repeat, not
consistently radiating joy, and is thus in violation of the red marble rule, then that
member will immediately, and as quietly as possible, deposit a red marble in our
red marble container.

And now, my brothers and sisters, for the next three minutes let us mentally
command our hearts, in perfect co-measurement, to attune with The Mother of
Agni Yoga, I repeat, The Mother of Agni Yoga, for greater understanding and
universal application of our red and green marbles.

(Start timer. After alarm, reset timer for one and a half minutes, go to the Reading
and discussion section on the following page, and start the reading.)

Will our Br/Sr Discernment please rise and remain standing.
[pause until standing, remain seated, & speak as follows]
Br/Sr Discernment, we recognize and honor the fact that it is your nature to ever
strive to accurately reflect upon accurate observations so that we may have a
solid foundation for the great service as a co-worker of The Hierarchy of Light.
Now will our Br/Sr Attunement please rise, and remain standing.
[pause until standing, remain seated, & speak as follows]
Br/Sr discernment, your reflections have naturally raised some questions
concerning our work. I invite you now to ask our Br/Sr Attunement for the answers
Q1: Why is our red marble red?
A1: Because red is the color of fire. The psychic energy of thought is fiery in its
nature. Thus the process of monitoring our thoughts and feelings is a fiery
process.
Q2: What is the proper use of our red marble?

A2: We set the thermostat in our homes to monitor and regulate the level of
temperature. By setting our focus on joy, those of us who strive to increase the
quality of our lives learn to monitor and regulate our level of joy.
Q3: Is it possible that a person never has to put in a red marble because that
person is always radiating joy?
A3: A line drawn on a piece of paper may appear to be continuous. When we look
at that same line under the various powers of a magnifying glass we will observe
gaps where we originally saw continuity. It is no different with the radiation of joy.
The use of our red marble teaches us to increase the magnifying power of our
discernment.
Q4: When should our red marble be deposited?
A4: A single red marble should be deposited without delay after each realization of
a continuity gap in the personal radiation of joy. This action, not only reminds
those present of the red marble process, but also indicates that the Initiate can be
trusted to follow instructions. Thus does one stepping stone lead to another on
The Path of Beauty, which is The Path of The Heart.
Q5: What is the value of our red marble?
A5: The concept of observing personal thoughts and feelings in ourselves is
foreign to our nature, yet it is entirely necessary if we desire to increase the quality
of our lives, for like the sun burns off the morning fog, this fiery tool penetrates
confusion and illumines the best possibilities.
Q6: Should we focus our attention on accurate listening or on radiating joy?
A6: Accurate listening without joy does not lead to the fiery goal of The Discerning
Heart Workshop.
Q7: What is the fiery goal of The Discerning Heart Workshop?
A7: The Fiery goal of The Discerning Heart Workshop is the illumination of joy.
Q8: Why do we choose joy as our focus?
A8: Our red marble teaches us to observe our personal thoughts and feelings, and
thus puts us in a position of choice. We can then tune in to the frequency which
we choose to operate on. We choose joy, not because joy is a fun thing to do, but
precisely because, “Joy is a special wisdom.”
Q9: Why is Joy a special wisdom?
A9: Joy is a spiritual armor. Joy purifies space. Joy is the health of the spirit. Joy is
the harvest of the treasure.
Q10: How will our red marble increase the quality of my life?
A10: By experience do we learn that “Joy is a special wisdom”.
Q11: How will I know when I have succeeded?
A11: Does your joy suffice to quicken the ascent? We always counsel joy. It is
necessary to realize and remember that you have succeeded when you rejoiced.”
[F. W. 1 #663]
Q12: What affect does the radiation of joy have on the universe?
A12: “… Folk sayings often speak of eternal joys and sorrows. The indestructibility
of joy and sorrow sent into space has been observed very scientifically… 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…”
[F. W. 1 #298]
Thank you please be seated.

[pause until seated, remain seated & speak as follows]

Initiates who strive to master the challenge of our Jewel and thus increase our

level of discernment, let us, for the next 30 seconds, let us attune in perfect co-
measurement, to contact OUR INDIVIDUAL BLESSED GUIDE, for on-going

guidance on:

How to consciously & consistently radiate joy.

[Start timer (30 sec), after alarm reset for 30 sec, remain seated pass out print
outs of today’s heart paragraph, & speak as follows]

---

Thus with practice one sets foot on the path to mental and emotional mastery. Let
us ever remember that emotions make excellent servants but very poor masters.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of anger.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of disgust.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of depression.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of greed.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of jealousy.
By maintaining a level of joy, we are not maintaining a level of sadness.
We can control (master) the feelings we radiate by mentally selecting a focus on
joy and then maintaining it as the thermostat in our homes.
However, we must practice. Self Mastery cannot be accomplished without
practice. Why?
Because we must will it to be in our lives. To satisfy the willing of mental and
emotional mastery we must achieve mental and emotional mastery.
Naturally, many will ask how long it will take to achieve mental and emotional
mastery. Will it take a weekend seminar? Will it take a month? Will it take a year, a
decade, an incarnation, a dozen incarnations? Well, as you have heard from this
pot bellied ole philosopher before, it is all a matter of discernment.
Another application for our green and red marble technique was developed in our
Jewel-in-the-Heart Workshop. Here we make craft hearts out of ribbon. We use
the craft of quilling. Some of you have one of our hearts already.

We sit around a large table with our heart making equipment. While making the
hearts our red marble rule is in effect. In other words, we make our hearts in a
vibrational atmosphere of joy.
Thus our craft hearts are saturated with the purifying vibrations of joy. In short, the
heart becomes a talisman of joy.
These hearts are freely given away to someone who needs some beauty in their
lives. We do not keep them. We do not mention about the talisman of joy aspect.
Yet we have many letters and thank you cards expressing the joy they feel from
the “Healing Heart” as some have called it. Thus we get feedback that joy works
as a vibration to create a talisman.
But the making of the beautiful craft heart is not the goal of the Jewel-in-the-heart
workshop — it the illumination of joy!
One can easily practice this green and red marble technique on any labor or
activity in this world or the spiritual world. An artist can use this technique to create
a joyful painting. This is called joyful labor!
Let us not fail to learn and adopt the green and red marble technique, for joyful
labor is a required attainment on the way to Brotherhood.

PETAL #194A

Caution: This essay contains references to Freemasonry, and is for Master Masons only.

The Anchor In Beauty

by Fratre Gerard T. Lyle Jr. IV “Tom” SRICF Arizona College

What Is Our Anchor In Beauty?

My brothers, I know of, (and practice), a possibility of beauty which has personally brought me
much peace of mind, and increased the quality of my life greatly, as well as helped me to re-establish the
Pillar of Beauty, as charged with in the 3rd degree. I call it my anchor in beauty. It is a very beautiful way
to increase the quality of my responses to what life presents to my consciousness.
Two things are necessary to maintain my anchor in beauty. The first is that I figured out ahead of
time, (well ahead of time), just what is most beautiful to me in all this universe. This had to become a
most familiar thought to me so that I could bring it to mind at will. It should be something that will be
permanent like a picture of a rose and not an individual rose on a stem. This is important because I do not
want to be remembering that what is most beautiful to me had died. I want the universal feeling of joyful
upliftment that the universal concept of the rose represents to me.
The second thing is to remember, in the heat of the situation, to activate my anchor in beauty.
Sometimes I would get so involved in the situation that I would forget to think about what I felt was most
beautiful to me. That being the case, I might as well of had no anchor at all, for without remembering to
use this tool it cannot help me. However, when I do remember to activate my anchor in beauty and begin
to dwell on what is most beautiful to me, I begin to respond with joy. It has been said that, “Joy is a
special wisdom”. Sorrow is a nasty dream. Joy enhances the quality of my response to what this world is
presenting to me at any time, through my five senses. It always works, (when I remember to use it). My
challenge is to use it as often as I can.
Now some will say, especially the non-Mason, that, “All this is well and good, but I have to live in
the real world and can’t be going around like a kid in love!”. Sound familiar? The best answer for this
person is to let experience teach them better which leads to a higher quality of life. The anchor in beauty
is not some “pie-in-the-sky-air-head-escape” from reality. In fact it brings one closer to reality because it
can maintain joyful feelings (beauty leads to joy) and stays in the situation rather than rely on our
emotional hit or miss programing without an anchor in beauty. A joyful response, which is consistent, will
allow one to deal with the situation long after other people’s anger, frustration or disgust blows them
away. Joy has a staying power. It lends stability to a situation, and helps to overcome inharmonious
personal reactions which would otherwise render the situation non-beneficial. Not without earthly
pressures and human discernment does the diamond attain its sparkling beauty. From the beauty of the
heart of today comes the joyful construction of tomorrow.
My brothers, the world may take joy for granted, but we remember the wages of a Fellocraft, and
nod our head in silent appreciation, for with beauty we manifest the ever present possibility of joy.
Let us now joyfully continue on to the most beautiful aspect to our esoteric journey into Brotherly Love.
Let us now penetrate that Great Formula for Personal Happiness — Less attitude more gratitude. Let us
explore why gratitude is a milestone in Human evolution.
My brothers, Nature seals her promise of spring in white, (most of mankind seals it with ingratitude). So
let us ask the beautiful questions in prayer and meditation with the Great Architect Of The Universe:
Why is gratitude so important?
Why does it open doors to greater possibilities?

PETAL #196

How To Write A Poem

Hello everyone. Today’s presentation, in two parts, shares one, out of many
approaches to create a poem. The first part, entitled Begin In Delight, is a short
essay on the process. In part two we will explore four examples of this poem
process in action. Here is the essay.
Begin In Delight
The password to poetry is delight. For most of us the problem of beginning a
poem is like slaying a dragon that blocks the threshold to the Kingdom of Poetry.
The password transmutes the dragon into a welcome mat, and a warm greeting
from the inner guardian.
How do we begin a poem? Start with the place that delights you. Is it the ocean,
woods, or a mountain lake? Whatever place is the most delightful to you will be
the stage for your poem. Concentrate on your poem-stage; go there personally or
in your memory. Observe the actions occurring there. What action attracts you the
most? Is it that gull gliding and skimming the water so gracefully, or is it that little
boy delighted with the clams he commands with each footstep on the wet sand at
low tide? That action which intrigues you the most, or which you best remember, is
the vehicle in which your poem-idea will ride while journeying through the
beginning, middle, and end of your poem.
A vehicle to carry your idea — what does this mean? This is a poem-vehicle, the
action you selected from your poem-stage, will now become something with which
you will compare your idea. Robert Frost has provided us with an excellent
example. In his essay on poetry, he discusses his idea that a poem should flow
smoothly — likening it to the action of an ice cube on an old hot stove. The ice
cube rides on its own melting. Frost found an action in life that is delightful to the
child in all of us, and one that most people are either familiar with or can easily
imagine.
When Robert Frost compares his poem-idea with his poem-vehicle, he often
says that the two should be alike. In other words, the poem should flow like an ice
cube on a hot stove. He communicates his poem-idea to the reader in two ways;
first, with words — the poem should flow, and secondly, with the image — the ice
cube riding on its own melting.
Sometimes our poem-vehicle can be both delightful from one point of view and
serious from another point of view. This is the case with the image of the ice cube
riding on its own melting. We see that Robert Frost takes the two opposite poles of
hot and cold and makes them meet on the surface of a stove. A smooth action
occurs. This concept in itself is enough for hours of contemplation and meditation
by anyone who strives to balance the oppositions in life.
We are now going to take a guided tour through this process as we create a
poem. We begin with a poem-stage. Perhaps in our search for a poem-stage, the
place which delights us the most is New England in the wintertime.

Now we need a poem-vehicle. Visiting our poem-stage, we jot down in our
poetry notebook those actions which attract us. From these notes we will select
the most delightful, yet common, action. Perhaps the action having this quality
most fully, enjoyed by both adults and children in snow country, is the making of a
snowman and watching what happens to the snowman after it is made.
Often cold weather will linger and the snowman will stand for weeks in the front
yard greeting people passing by. Then one day the mercury rises and the
snowman slowly melts, presenting many humorous positions before its transition
into a puddle. The life of a snowman will serve nicely as our poem-vehicle.
Every good poem has a poem-idea which is carried in a poem-vehicle as it rides
around upon the poem-stage. The difficulties that Robert Frost encountered in
having his poems published will serve as our poem-idea. These difficulties
occurred in spite of the fact that Frost new the characteristics of New England and
New Englanders, and nobly captured those characteristics in his poems. It is
interesting to note that Robert Frost’s first two books of poetry, A Boy’s Will (1913)
and North of Boston (1914), were published in London, England during his stay
there. We can now let our snowman represent the cool attitudes of those editors
and others who did not at first recognize Frost’s great talent.
From experience with this process it is interesting to note that the poem-idea
does not always make itself known to the consciousness of the writer before the
writer finds his poem-stage and poem-vehicle. This is why we began with the
poem-stage, followed it with the poem-vehicle, and introduced the poem-idea last.
Many writers find that the poem-idea magically manifests itself after they become
intimately familiar with their poem-stage and poem-vehicle.
Beginning the poem with our poem-stage, winter in New England, we introduce
winter first. This gives the reader something to focus on and also something with
which he is familiar.
It is important to remember always to be as helpful as possible to our reader.
After all, it is with the reader that we wish to share our poem-idea. Therefore,
every time we take a step in our poem we should ask ourselves: “Is this
arrangement of words and images the best arrangement to convey our poem-idea
to our reader?
Next we drive our poem-vehicle, (the snowman), which carries our poem-idea,
(the poet’s difficulties), onto our poem-stage, which is wintry New England. We
introduce a man making a snowman. Remember that our poem-vehicle deals with
the life of a snowman from its making to its melting.
The man making the snowman is Robert Frost, and the snowman characterizes
the coldness supposedly typical of New Englanders. (Being a New Englander
myself, I have to interject here that this well known stereotype of New Englanders
is unfair to the many warm people there. However, this stereotype did exist.)
This indicates that Robert Frost had the ability to capture the characteristics of
that part of the country and its people into a form — a snowman. Robert Frost was
a master of form. He took much delight in putting his subtle ideas of homespun
philosophy into the rhythm of New England imagery. Let us now use this idea. So
far, we have the beginning of our poem entitled:

The Poetry Of Robert Frost
In winter,
a playful man, who knew the woods
rolled New England into a
snowman!
Robert Frost’s poems did not get published until many years after he began
writing. He had to wait for the most auspicious time. Since our poem-stage is
winter in New England, the most auspicious time might be indicated as a warmer
season. We will use summer. Being familiar with Robert Frost’s image of the ice
cube on a hot stove, we will now play with that image. In our imagination we will
expand the hot stove image to the hot streets of New York City — the location of
many publishing houses that Robert Frost may have dealt with after returning from
England. With the hot stove resembling hot streets, how about the rest of the
image — the ice cube riding on its own melting? Yes, our snowman can serve us
well here. We will place him on the hot streets of New York City just as Robert
Frost put an ice cube on the hot stove. We now have the middle of our poem:
At the right season, he set it
riding on the hot streets of New York.
Why not let the poem tell us what to do next? Certainly most people would
expect the snowman to melt on those hot streets of New York. Well, that is a part
of our poem-vehicle — the life of the snowman ends in a puddle. But wait, the

snowman being our poem vehicle, we must therefore make sure that the poem-
vehicle has carried our poem-idea to its proper conclusion, before we let our

snowman melt completely.
A snowman, with its triune form, has a face, arms, and usually a hat, pipe, scarf,

and broom. But no one would expect a snowman to have a heart! Yet our poem-
vehicle does represent attitudes of people; therefore our snowman must have a

heart. Besides, it will be a pleasant surprise in the poem. We know that the people
of New England finally joined the editors and the rest of the world in accepting
Robert Frost as a great poet. (Poet Laureate of The United States Of America
during the Kennedy Administration). This is one of the victories of the poet —
acceptance. Robert Frost won this acceptance. Now our snowman must surrender
— giving us an ending. We will melt the cool attitudes represented by the snow
leaving just the heart of the New England people — the essence of New England.
This is poetic alchemy, giving us our poem:
The Poetry Of Robert Frost
In winter,
a playful man, who knew the woods,
rolled New England into a
snowman.
At the right season, he set it
riding on the hot streets of New York.
Soon, a melting hand reached inside
and gave its heart to the poet.
In the same essay where Robert Frost introduced the image of the ice cube on a
hot stove, he challenged all poets, past, present, and future in his own playful way.

He announced that a poem should begin in delight and end in wisdom. We have
learned that beginning in delight is easy and fun. But ending a poem with wisdom
is a deeply satisfying achievement for any writer.

The process of creating that wisdom comes from the same place that our poem-
stage and poem vehicle came from. We search through a knowledge based on

experience — our own or others. Here, instead of reaching into our memory for the
delightful experience, we contact that part of our storehouse of memory holding
the lessons we have learned in life. This is where the poem-idea comes from. This
is poetry by attunement. Great poems are made by the perfect matching of the
poem-idea to the poem-vehicle and poem stage.
Many times that perfect match is a play of opposites as Robert Frost has hinted at
when he wrote about the happy-sad blend of the drinking song. We superimpose
a human problem onto a delightful image usually taken from nature. For instance,
the human feeling of “separateness” and its companion “searching for the right
path to travel in life” may be compared to the action of a lost ant, inspecting every
frantic inch of the wrong way home. Wisdom is deeply involved in experience —
even borrowed experience as in the poem we have just constructed using the
experience of a poet in the process of getting his poems published. So we see
that ending in wisdom can be as easy and as much fun as beginning in delight.
When we reach inside during the melting away of all that is not wisdom we are left
with the heart, the essence of life. Ending the poem is the easiest part of all. When
the ice cube is melted stop the poem. Do not try to melt imaginary ice cubes — the
flow of the poem will suffer. The poem is smooth as long as it is riding on its own
melting.
This concludes the first part of our presentation. The second part has four
examples of our poem-stage, poem vehicle, and poem idea. See if they begin in
delight and end in wisdom.
The first poem-example is entitled
Castle-Talk.
(See if you can find the poem-stage.)
The poem goes like this…
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.

Our second example is entitled
The Santa Cruz Metal Detector.
(See if you can find the Poem-vehicle.)
It goes like this…
He didn’t notice the nude wader,
the little boy following him
with no pants on,
the fat whiskered seals
lying and barking
on the crossbeams of the pier,
or the white gull
with its black wing feathers
and one leg.
But he did not come to see
what I had to see.
He came to detect
the unseen
and the lost.
And in between
his tuning in
on old wedding rings
and keys,
he harvested
the sand’s spare change.
Ten thousand tides have past
since I stepped out
of “my world”,

and realized others.
I walk the shore
of the universe,
my headphones
tuned to love.
Head up,
eyes open,
knowing I must see everything
from a place of love –
the nude waders,
the little boy,
the fat seals,
the gull with one leg,
and yes, the unseen,

AND THE LOST.

Our third example is entitled
Crab-Talk.
(See if you can ind the poem idea.)
It goes like this…
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.
I am careful now
where I lower my net,
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.

Our last example is entitled
Father At Feeding Time,
may it lend a smile to both rhymers and free-verse poets.
It goes like this…
Why don’t you open your mouth and eat?
I struggle with feeding you pears and peas,
and you squirt it back with grace and ease.
All covered with cereal from nose to my knees,
little girl do you know what I’m going through,
dodging your arms with half a spoonful?
Why there’s more on me than there is on you.
But I’m catching on, and with greater insistence,
I’m infiltrating your arms and leg resistance.
Oh I love you girl, but I just can’t wait
until you can tell me that you just ate,
and wear pretty dresses, and smile so fair.
I just won’t think of pulling long hair,
or falling from tree limbs, or broken balloons.
Gladly would I buy two tickets to the moon,
than feed you peaches with a baby’s spoon.
This ends our presentation.
Thank you for your kind attention.

PETAL #195

How To Create Internal Rhyme

(A Poetic Mystery Revealed)

---

1. Part One
   Here, in twelve easy parts, we are about to learn a poetic technique, which will give us
   the knowledge to recognize it and perhaps apply it to enhance the quality of our future
   poetic creativity. Meter in poetry is composed of feet. We will make use of the foot with
   two syllable beats*, one stressed or hard (/), and one unstressed or soft (-). (Yes,
   poems have feet as well as voice and mind).
   They say that knowledge is power, but it can also be fun. Let’s start.
2. Part Two
   2a. Poets often add metric feet together together. For example, one well known string
   of five feet is this famous line from one of Shakespaere’s sonnets.
   “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day”
   The poetic scan is: / / / / /. It is called Iambic pentameter. 2b. A string of four feet is called Tetrameter. Robert Frost, in his poem “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening” can help us here. “But I have promises to keep, / / / / and miles to go before I sleep. / / / / 2c. An example of Tri-meter, or three feet per line is another Frost poem entitled “Sand Dunes”. It goes like this. “Sea waves are green and wet, ///
   But up from where they die,
   /// Rise others vaster yet, ///
   And those are brown and dry.
   //_/
   Pentameter, Tetrameter and Tri-meter are powerful poetic tools, but we are going to
   simplify and make use of Di-meter (two metric feet) as a stepping stone to easily
   create internal rhyme.

---

*There are four kinds of feet with two beats in them. First is the Iamb or one soft and
one hard /, (example my love). The second is the Trochee or one hard and one soft /, (example party) The third is the Spondee or two hard sounds //, (example watch
out!) And the fourth is the pyrrhic or two softs _ _. For our purpose here, we just need
to remember that the foot we will be using has two beats, no matter what order they
appear in.

3. Part Three

Here is an example of the poetic scan of a four line stanza of Iambic Di-meter.

1. / /
2. / /
3. / /
4. / /
5. Part Four
   To our Iambic Di-Meter we will now add a very simple yet standard end rhyme. For those free verse
   poets unfamiliar with rhyme, an end rhyme is simply a pattern of words at the end of poetic lines that
   rhyme. The title of our example poem is For My Next Breath. It uses the end rhyme pattern A, B, A, B
   as follows:
6. Let me now give, (a) 1. / / (a)
7. with great delight, (b) 2. / / (b)
8. thanks that I live (a) 3. / / (a)
9. conscious of Light (b) 4. / / (b)
   This gives us Iambic Di-meter with an end rhyme scheme of A, B, A, B. The first and third lines labelled
   (a).
   have a different end rhyme than the second and fourth lines labelled (b).
10. Part Five
    Here is an example of Iambic Di-meter in four stanzas.
11. Let me now give, (a) 1. / / (a)
12. with great delight, (b) 2. / / (b)
13. thanks that I live (a) 3. / / (a)
14. conscious of Light (b) 4. / / (b)
15. Let me this day, (c) 5. / / (c)
16. with grateful glow, (d) 6. / / (d)
17. humble my way, (c) 7. / / (c)
18. that love may flow (d) 8. / / (d)
19. Let me depart, (e) 9. / / (e)
20. with no deceit, (f) 10. / / (f)
21. thankful for heart (e) 11. / / (e)
22. and its first beat. (f) 12. / / (f)
23. Simple is best, (g) 13. / / (g)
24. the wise conclude. (h) 14. / / (h)
25. Life is a test (g) 15. / / (g)
26. of gratitude. (h) 16. / / (h)
27. Part Six
    Now for the secret of the rarely seen internal rhyme. I call it the Di-meter Double-up. It gives internal rhyme as well
    as end rhyme. It consists of making the first pair of lines (1 & 2) of Di-meter into one line of Tetrameter as follows.
    So
28. Let me now give, (a) / / (a)
29. with great delight, (b) / / (b)
    now become Iambic Tetrameter as follows.
30. Let me now give, (a) with great delight, (b) / / (a) / / (b)
    This doubling up is the key to this secret.
31. Part Seven
    This continues with the next pair of lines in our Di-Meter poem to strengthen our understanding.
32. Let me now give, (a) / / (a)
33. with great delight, (b) / / (b)
34. thanks that I live (a) / / (a)
35. conscious of Light. (b) / / (b)
    Our double-up now gives us
36. Let me now give, (a) with great delight, (b) / / (a) / / (b)
37. thanks that I live (a) conscious of Light. (b) / / (a) / / (b)
    We see that lines 1&2 now have internal rhyme (a), as well as end rhyme (b)
38. Part Eight
    We now continue with our secret doubling, until all our sentence pairs (1&2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8, 9&10, 11&12, 13&14,
    and 15&16) in our Iambic Di-meter poem create internal as well as end rhyme in our new Iambic Tetrameter poem.
39. Let me now give, (a) with great delight, (b) / / (a) / / (b)
40. thanks that I live (a) conscious of Light. (b) / / (a) / / (b)
41. Let me this day, (c) with grateful glow, (d) / / (c) / / (d)
42. humble my way, (c) that love may flow. (d) / / (c) / / (d)
43. Let me depart,(e) with no deceit, (f) / / (e) / / (f)
44. thankful for heart, (e) and its first beat. (f) / / (e) / / (f)
45. Simple is best, (g) the wise conclude. (h) / / (g) _ _/ (h)
46. Life is a test (g) of gratitude. (h) / / (g) / / (h)
47. Part Nine
    Internal rhyme and end rhyme in the same Iambic Tetrameter poem is unique, easy and fun, but is that
    all there is?
    Can it be adapted, for all those of us who like to write Iambic Pentameter poems? The answer is a very
    emphatic yes, with a very slight, and very easy modification.
    The technique is to create your Iambic poem with all the odd lines as Iambic Di-meter, and all the even
    lines as Iambic Trimeter. We then use our Double-up technique to create the Iambic Pentameter poem.
    Lets take a look at our example entitled “Parting Shot?”
48. My ephitaph, (a) / / (a)
49. though I will never die, (b) / / _/ (b)
50. should give a laugh (a) / / (a)
51. to all who wonder why. (b) / / _/ (b)
52. For those who weep, (c) / / (c)
53. carve a large smiley face. (d) /_ /_ /_ (d)
54. Was I asleep? (c) / / (c)
55. (Add cell phones just in case). (d) / / _/ (d)
56. Please tell my friends, (e) / / (e)
57. I’d like to get emails, (f) / / /_ (f)
58. to make amends, (e) / / (e)
59. and then to tell my tales. (f)) / / _/ (f)
60. Carve this on back, (g) / / (g)
61. (for all our thoughts are seeds). (h) / / _/ (h)
62. “Cut God some slack, (g) / / (g)
63. create good deeds not weeds.” (h) / / _/ (h)
    Parting Shot?
64. My ephitaph, though I will never die,
65. should give a laugh to all who wonder why.
66. For those who weep, carve a large smiley face.
67. Was I asleep? (Add cell phones just in case).
68. Please tell my friends, I’d like to get emails,
69. to make amends, and then to tell my tales.
70. Carve this on back, (for all our thoughts are seeds).
71. “Cut God some slack, create good deeds not weeds.”
    Parting Shot has been the first variation on our technique of Di-meter Double-up.
    The next, easiest, and hopefully not the last variation is that of Triple rhyme added to our Di-meter. Yes,
    you heard that right — Triple rhyme. Is it a bit extreme (over the top)? The answer to that it is like
    everything else in life, it depends on how skillfully it is used with insight and sensitivity.
72. Part Ten
    We have just had a glimpse into how our Di-meter Double-up technique easily adapts to Iambic
    Pentameter. For our next adaptation, we will leave our pentameter considerations and return to our
    Iambic Tetrameter, our Di-meter Double-up, and learn how to easily create triple rhyme. We will see that
    instead of creating a last stanza in Iambic Di-meter, we now add a simple couplet. Again, for those brave
    free-verse Souls who may be unfamiliar with rhyme, a couplet is simply a pair of two lines of poetry that
    rhyme. Naturally our couplet will be Iambic Di-meter. Here is a sample from the poem Find The Glow.
73. Find well the glow. (g)
74. Feel well the flow. (g)
75. Part Eleven
    Some of you may well be smiling now, because you recognize that this couplet, along with the standard
    end rhyme scheme we have been using is the very famous Shakespaerian Rhyme scheme used in his
    sonnets. This is ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. Here is our sample Poem with our couplet in it.
    Find The Glow
76. It’s a healing (a) / / (a)
77. the wise have taught. (b) / / (b)
78. Art’s a feeling (a) /_ _/ (a)
79. well born from thought. (b) / / (b)
80. Pastel or paint, (c) / / (c)
81. chisel of rhyme, (d) /_ _/ (d)
82. with due restraint, (c) / / (c)
83. make art sublime. (d) / / (d)
84. Beauty’s the goal. (e) /_ _/ (e)
85. Heart warms the mind. (f) / / (f)
86. Joy is our toll (e) / / (e)
87. to Humankind. (f) / / (f)
88. Find well the glow. (g) / / (g)
89. Feel well the flow. (g) / / )g)
90. Part Twelve

Now we double up and enjoy internal rhyme, end rhyme and the elusive Shakespearean rhyme scheme
meandering throughout our poem as you read it. It goes like this.
Find The Glow

1. It’s a healing (a) the wise have taught. (b)
2. Art’s a feeling (a) well born from thought. (b)
3. Pastel or paint, (c) chisel of rhyme, (d)
4. with due restraint, (c) make art sublime. (d)
5. Beauty’s the goal. (e) Heart warms the mind. (f)
6. Joy is our toll (e) to Humankind. (f)
7. Find well the glow. (g) Feel well the flow. (g)

• Notice there are an odd number of lines in our triple rhyme technique, where as in our Di-meter Double
  up there are an even number of lines. Are there any questions before we close?
  Thank you my fellow poem makers,
  for your kind attention,
  and keep on making poems!
  _ /

PETAL #196A
One Fine Moment

I volunteer in the pantry of the Salvation Army giving food to people who need it. One afternoon we
received a request for a family of eight. We packed a large box with bread, meat, veggies, peanut butter,
crackers, cereal, potato salad, hygene products, diapers, and yes cookies.
We included a large cake, which we carried out by hand as we delivered the food box on a cart to a
mother, who had brought one of her children with her. My guess was she was about five or six years old.
When the mother saw the cake her eyes filled with tears. She shared that her daughter’s birthday was
the day before, and she had no money to get her a present or a cake.
We handed the little girl the cake, and we all sang happy birthday to her, in the parking lot of he Salvation
Army. To this day, I think it was the pantry’s finest moment.
Perhaps the little girl will not remember the event, but my guess is that her mother will never forget it.
(And surely never will I).

PETAL #197

The Joy Of Freemasonry SRICF(For Freemasons Only) Download

PETAL #198

Searching With Socrates SRICFDownload

PETAL #199

Part 1 What In The Universe Is Esoteric Tiling(For Freemasons Only) Download

PETAL #200

Part 2 What In The Universe Is Esoteric Tiling(For Freemasons Only) Download

PETAL #201

Esoteric(Caution: Not For Beginners) Download