IN OUR CONTINUING SEARCH for ways and means by which we can benefit ourselves and each other, we are attempting to stimulate the thinking of our members by offering substantial rewards for their thoughts.

The national office of Understanding, Inc. has announced that an essay prize contest will be held during the months of February and March. The Title of the essay to be-"A Practical Means By Which The World Can Be Made A Better Place In Which To Live."

The contest, and the essays which it creates shall be dedicated as a memorial to Florence Fairfield, one of the nine founding members of Understanding.

The essay should contain a concept which can be adopted, or worked toward by the members of Understanding individually or collectively. It should contain not less than 100 or more than 500 words. The essays will be judged entirely upon the value of the ideas expressed and the clarity of their expression.

The prizes offered are as follows: First prize $50.00; Second prize $25.00, plus five additional prizes of $5.00 each.

The winning essays will be printed in the Understanding magazine and possibly in other publications. The contest is open to anyone except the judges and their immediate families. All entries become the property of Understanding and the decision of the judges will be final.

2 UNDERSTANDING

The contest will close at midnight on March 31, 1961. All entries must be postmarked before that date.

Let's all put on our `thinking caps' and who knows what may come forth? !

——— ♦ ———

"NEW IDEAS" URGED AS ATOM WAR ALTERNATIVE

(The following is an Associated Press news release concerning a New York meeting of scientists held recently.)

THERE IS A WAY to avoid H-bomb war horrors, a psychologist declared today.

He blamed the cold war mainly on human nature and the idea that mighty defenses assure security.

The way out lies through realizing this and then seeking new ideas, said Charles E. Osgood of the University of Illinois.

He spoke after a famous British scientist-novelist, Sir Charles P. Snow, had predicted that within, at most, six years Red China and some other countries would have nuclear bombs.

And "within, at most, 10 years, some of those bombs are going off" unless scientists and others act to prevent it, Sir Charles said.

Dr. Osgood said "nations today are lumbering down the one habitual path to 'security'-bigger and better weapons-gathering as they go tensions which make it less and less possible to conceive of any other alternatives."

Osgood said he agrees with others who question "whether being able to annihilate an enemy 10 to 100 times over deters him much more than being able to annihilate him once."

"All this frightens the daylights out of me, but frightening people isn't enough," he said.

"Threatening people with hell-fire without offering them any solution . . . simply drives them more quickly along traditional paths to `security' that are believed to be realistic simply because they are habitual."

Osgood said it's human nature to picture someone else as the bogeyman, and think one's own way is right.

"Witness the debate over the U-2 spy-plane incident," he said and added:

"It is legitimate for us to spy on them in order to defend the free world from treacherous surprise attack; but since they view themselves as

FEBRUARY • 1961 3

peace-loving, not treacherous, our justification is incredible in their eyes, and our behavior aggressive.

"What we need, and that most urgently," he said, "is an enlivened search for new alternatives to war as a means of resolving human conflicts."

——— ♦ ———

"TEMPLE OF UNDERSTANDING" TO BE BUILT

SIX FAITHS HAVE JOINED TOGETHER TO build a "TEMPLE OF UNDERSTANDING" in Washington, D. C. at a cost of 5 million dollars according to the HERALD-TRIBUNE, of December 2nd, 1960. Architect is Lathrop Douglass of New York. The project has more than 500 sponsors, including Mrs. Franklin Roosevelt, and James A. Pike, Protestant Episcopal Bishop of California. The religions represented are the Hindu, Confucian, Judaic, Christian, Islamic and Buddhist. The purpose of the Temple is to promote an exchange of information about the six major religions of the world. Funds will be raised by a global campaign for donations. The idea of the Temple grew out of shared concern for greater religious understanding and the need for a global symbol to emphasize the spiritual values in human life.

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FLASH! Understanding will put on an "Understanding Congress of New Age Progress" at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23. Several prominent speakers in the flying saucer and metaphysical fields are scheduled to be present. Nearly 3,000 seats will be available for the two-day event. Tickets may be ordered in advance. Further details will be divulged shortly.

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COUNTRY TO COUNTRY UNDERSTANDING

(Following are reports and letters from correspondents in various countries of the planet earth received by members of El Monte Unit No. 1 through their pen-pal correspondence network.)

Report From Nigeria, Africa

My country Nigeria is in the tropics 5 North of Equator. The name of Nigeria is derived from one of the biggest rivers in Africa (River Niger) which enters the country from the north.

4 UNDERSTANDING

The climate of the country is usually very cold at certain times of the year, from mid-Nov., to January and this period is known as the harmmatan (wind blowing from the Sahara Desert.) This time also is too dusty.

The people of Nigeria have black and light complexions. They are usually very tall and beautiful. They have special native dress of loin cloth and flowing gowns but the majority have adopted the English way of dressing. The government of the country is a "Democracy." Two main assemblies are responsible for government policies: "The Parliament and the Senate." The prime minister of this country is Alhaji Sir Abubaker Tafawa Balewa, while the governor-general is His Excellency Dr. the Hon. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first African to become a governor and the commander in chief of Nigeria. The government of Nigeria is a coalition government of NCNC and NPC (National Council of Nigeria and Cameroons) and (Northern Peoples Congress.) The AG (Action Group) is the opposition party.

The country is grouped into three regions, "North, East and West," each having a regional house of assembly and house of chiefs. Formerly Nigeria was under British rule, but since Oct. 1, 1960 it has gotten its independence, though it is still under the British Commonwealth of Nations. My country is the largest in Africa with a population of over 45 million people.

"The educational standard of the country is going high with two universities, Nigeria University at Nsukka (East) and University College Ibada (West), 200 secondary schools and 1,200 primary schools. Nigeria is a Christian country with few pagans. Its independence banner is green and white, and the motto "Faith and Unity."

In my own opinion and according to what others think, our government will continue well if our leaders and ministers will work in faith and unity, and do what the third stanza of our national anthem reads: "Oh! God of all creation, grant us this our one request, help us to build a nation where no man is oppressed and so with peace and plenty Nigeria may be blessed." If the leaders of our country will not see the truth and uphold it, the common man in the course of time is likely to take the law into his hands, prepared to die rather than suffer the unkind grind of African imperialism and perpetual want. Well many are prepared to take up the mantel of leadership but how many ever consider the implications of leadership! It is hoped that our leaders will so comfort themselves in the independent Nigeria that the masses they govern will no longer desire

FEBRUARY • 1961 5

a return of British imperialism as the children of Israel did. They complained to Moses who led them out of Egypt from the imperialism of Pharaoh. Because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to bring us forth out of Egypt? Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness.

If our leaders fail to put aside self-interest, partisanship and nepotism, the common man is likely to say why free us from the British people under whose rule we enjoyed liberty, equality and fraternity. Our standard of living is noticeably low. It can only be raised by intensive development of our dear native land. But this kind of economic development requires considerable capital investment, and politicians, civil servants and administrators, scientists, technicians and the machinery of industrial civilization also are needed. We have hopes that our two universities will help us to get more trained people as required. Although Nigeria is not a thickly populated country, we shall do well if we skillfully work for peace and progress.

(Ed. Note: The author invites questions, which may be addressed to him care of this magazine.)

-IFEANYI JOEL ANAKPUA

Nigeria, Africa

Letter From a Cuban Teenager

We in Cuba know that your lives are very similar to ours, and that you are very good, religious and workers as friends and neighbors.

... You can be sure that we as you hope (we) will come to live in a peaceful and Christian world full of understanding and happiness.

I live in `Santiago de Cuba' and study in `La Salle School' the last year of baccalaureate (or degree-I don't know fine how you say that) and I hope I will be a bachelor in 1961 and next year go to university to study `mechanic engineer.'

I am a convinced Catholic and practice this doctrine. I am 16 years old.

In other letters I will be more extensive, but for now I only want to know if I can write in Spanish, and if you can there to traduce my letters because then I would can be more expressive.

With your same wish: `with truth and understanding, and prayers for a world of peace'.

6 UNDERSTANDING

WHAT MADE THE WISE MEN WISE?

(Following are portions of a sermon preached recently by the minister of a large downtown American Methodist church. The sermon demonstrates that the extra-terrestrial concept of the story of the wise men and the star of Bethlehem is at least receiving some considerations by churches of major denominations, and also places an encouraging emphasis on open-mindedness. The sermon was delivered by the Rev. Harry W. Adams of the First Methodist Church of Alhambra, Calif., on Dec. 18, 1960.)

IF EVER A STORY SOUNDED LIKE science fiction it is the story of the three wise men. Listen to the plot. Three mysterious figures appear from out of the East, as from another planet. They have seen a new star in the heavens and believe it to be the star of a new king. They follow it to Jerusalem where they say in essence to King Herod, "Take us to your leader." Astounded that there could be someone to challenge his leadership, Herod calls in his brain-trust to advise him where this new king might be. The advisors say that Bethlehem is the predicted place, and the wise men set off to find the new king, with a promise to let Herod know the precise place. The wise men find the new-born king in a stable beneath the star, where they worship him, and present expensive gifts. And then, as suddenly and as mysteriously as them came, they depart by a different route without telling Herod.

How simple it would be to update this story into a tale of science fiction. About the only thing missing is a "flying saucer". Indeed, this story has long been an offense to thinking people. It seems fantastic, especially the part about the star. The scientifically minded are particularly offended. And this is because we miss the main point. This vignette was included in the gospel because it brought first-century science into the Christmas narrative. The wise men were the scientists of their day. The word we translate "wise men" also means astrologers, and astrologers were the first to make scientific observations of the heavens. True, astrology is a strange combination of fact and fiction, but in that day it was the best science available. Matthew in his gospel is saying that the smartest, indeed the wisest, people of the day were wise enough to acknowledge what God had done in the birth of Jesus Christ.

This story has a pertinent message for our age of science. And ours is supremely an age of science, when we realize that 90% of all the scientists

FEBRUARY • 1961 7

in the history of the world are alive today. We are scientific not only in the number of our scientists, but in the way we are all inclined to think in scientific terms. It is on the basis of our 20th century astronomy that we discredit the astrology of the three wise men, for we are certain that stars don't fly out of orbit to shine down on a dirty little village. If there is any message for us it is this: The wise of our world need at least to hear the message of Christ and of Christmas, because we can be so smart that we out-smart ourselves. Indeed the only really wise are those who have the qualities of wisdom we find in the three wise men.

The first quality of wisdom was that they saw the star when they were busy at their own task. "We have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him." And herein lies the wisdom of knowing truth. The composer Tchaikovsky learned this. His biographer writes that he found that he must go to his desk each day and do something, the best he could, just to get out some music. Then in time and quite unexpectedly rich musical ideas would come pouring into his head faster than he could write them down. This is the wisdom of daily fidelity to our task ...

The second quality of wisdom of the wise men is this: in coming to worship the Christ, they demonstrated that they were wise enough to entertain new truth. We must not forget these men were of a different religion.

When they told Herod, "We have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him," they were showing an amazing spiritual readiness for men who were not Jews ...

The real question is this: Are we wise enough to be able to entertain new truth? Certainly not all of us. There have always been people like Herod, who when he learned about the birth of the new king, pushed the panic button. New truth, in the form of the Christ child, was a threat to him. We discover this same kind of rejection of new truth in every field of human endeavor. . .

Harry Overstreet tells about encountering it in one of the sciences, psychology. For most psychologists, he has discovered, are prejudiced against the validity of new truth being brought to light about extra-sensory perception-like telepathy and clairvoyance. They refuse to accept it. Indeed, they refuse even to consider it . . .

The third quality of wisdom in the wise men lay in this: That in going home a different way, the wise men showed they were wise enough to change their minds. Herod had asked the wise men to return to Jerusalem and tell him where the babe of Bethlehem was. But they learned

8 UNDERSTANDING

the scripture says in a dream-that Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus, so in the light of this new information, they changed their minds and their plans, and went home a different way . . .

The question I want to pose is this: Are we wise enough to be willing to change our minds? Certainly our folly is the high premium we place on consistency. Emerson expressed it in a couplet:

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,

Adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.

This is the motivation behind the woman who in the course of a political argument said, "I have already made up my mind-don't confuse me with facts." Or we find it in the speaker, who with a revealing slip of the tongue; concludes his speech by saying, "These are the conclusions upon which I base my facts . . . "

I'm asking that question now-Are you as wise as the wise men? Are you wise enough to change your mind and your life? Are you wise enough to go home a different way?

——— ♦ ———

THE NEW AWAKENING (Part V)

By ISAPHENE McGUIRE

The Call For Freedom

WHAT IS FREEDOM? Where is it found and how is it found? What meaning does it have for mankind today? These are some of the questions being asked by the multitude which sees no prospect for immediate peace. The idea of brotherhood has been stressed and talk of "one world" discussed as groups and nations strive to bring such peace about through outer observances or means. Opinions and ideals differ and mankind struggles bravely on. True brotherhood can be achieved neither through conformity nor non-conformity of ideas based upon limited concepts of Truth.

The union of groups or nations does not necessarily constitute a formula for peace. It can be brought about only through the unity of spirit. The consciousness of unity does not require sameness of thought or ideals, neither does it come through togetherness as opposed to apartness. It is born through the spirit of the integrated whole. It is through unity in diversity that all things are brought together as they belong together. It is the consciousness o f and as that unity, the spark of the Almighty, which can fuse the hearts and minds of men.

FEBRUARY • 1961 9

Never in modern times has there seemed to be such a conscious need within peoples or nations to understand the underlying Principle which makes all innately one. Complete reliance upon that first commandment, "Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart", is just as essential today as it was when first uttered. It has been basic in all religion yet has not been understood when it comes to everyday living.

The question oft arises as to how understanding is to be gained as a living experience, especially to the extent that it might embrace all people in its scope. Someone has so aptly said, "Let there be peace but let it begin with me". In this-the New Dawn, there are those who are called upon to assist in the work which is at hand, not only for the clarification of the "old" and preparation for the "new", but who are also required to live the new way of life in the midst of humanity. "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." St. John 17.

The new way of life requires understanding of that which lies beyond the atom, that which constantly connects the past and the future and sustains continuity and in perfect sequence. It is the key to all living, in all that is physical, mental and spiritual. It can be lived through every phase of being-yes, extending into all fields of endeavor.

In recent years, science has discovered there is "an essence" that exists beyond anything that can be analyzed or dissected. Enlightened ones have known this for ages through spiritual perception but mankind in general did not seem to be mature enough to translate it into terms of actual living. For eons of time there has been the acceptance of God as being Transcendent, but relatively few who have recognized Him as being immanent in His Creation.

Yes, there is a "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God" (through the Point of Equilibrium, the means by which the Word is made flesh. That secret lies in the heart of every thing that exists. The Master said, "Now is my kingdom, not from hence". This indicates that the Source of "being" is present every moment of existence; the Source wherein man lives, moves and has his being. There is evidence of this being fulfilled to the consciousness of man today as he turns his eyes from the earth and himself in particular. He beholds new horizons and sees the possibilities for communication with peoples of other planets.

10 UNDERSTANDING

However, the discovery itself of people on other planets or of new modes of travel does not constitute true understanding any more than any newly acquired knowledge can give, but it is an indicator. Through cycle after cycle there appear in form, hitherto unforeseen facets which have particular bearing upon the "condition of being" at a given time. In the unfoldment of man's consciousness to the Truth, he reaches, from time to time, mental plateaus from which he views corresponding areas in the so-called "outer" world.

The real benefit derived through information being received today from the people "out there" is the word that the people of earth must fulfill the nature of God and thus live that among all men. Did that word have to come from "on high" as in a cloud, because man is at the dawn of a new awakening? Is he about to experience a new heaven and a new earth, both from "within" and "without"?

Those who have found God and to whom the Truth is revealed, are way-showers for those who follow. Many symbols have been used, many interpretations given in the effort to awaken the Truth which lies deep within the heart of every creature. In various religions there has been the promise set forth wherein those who were "good" would reach the Promised Land, paved with golden streets. Where this interpretation originated is not known here. However distorted, it contained an element of truth and offered hope for those who would be "born" again. In early times there were few who dared to express themselves openly or in the same terms that we are privileged to use today. Ideas were couched in terms of fable and allegory, hence the vast field of symbolism. Those who make an intensive study of the scriptures discover within the ancient parables and stories the ever-accurate signposts and the Pearl of Great Price.

Today, man's consciousness has burst through the confines of dogma, ritual and sugar-coated platitudes. The mind of self-apartness is being shaken as by a mighty earthquake through the doubts, fears and insecurity of its own existence. Man sees the earth upon which he has felt secure, rocked by the blasts created by his own hand. His protestations are halfhearted, for he fears a greater calamity-that of being conquered by his fellow-man. Again, man's injustice to man. Yes, there is a connection between the condition of the mind and the condition of the earth.

Is there a way out? "Are there means through which the seeming

FEBRUARY • 1961 11

crises might be averted?" is the question asked by those who see the import of the situation. He who feels "the tug of the universe" is no longer satisfied with anything less than living Truth.

Teachings based upon the wrath or fear of God no longer suffice. The same may be said about the modern Pollyanna versions. No longer content with the milk, man asks for the meat. He is at the point where he wants Truth without the trappings. A teacher or leader must have that to give or he cannot enter the straight gate of the new era with its full requirements for living. Woe unto that one who has been given the key-and dares to falsify. In fact if he actually lives that, he cannot falsify. He can only bear witness to that which is Truth itself.

When it finally dawns that all there is, whether seen or unseen, is one existence which has no finality, one tries to decipher the great enigma of life. It is seen to be based upon something more essential, more comprehensive than aimless living with its temporary desires and their unsatisfactory appeasements.

Regardless of the many paths taken or devices used in the search for God, there is a point of awakening reached. There are the accounts of many who have been suddenly aware of their innate divinity. Though the experiences vary, the awakening itself has brought all to one definite conclusion-the Perfection of God in all that exists. God does not give of Himself in vain, but that there might be His Allness expressed "in earth as it is in heaven".

Much has been said and written as to "how" life should be lived in order to arrive at the point of conscious living, but experience has proven that no man knows for sure-that is, beforehand. While some would like to think that illumination takes place only as a result of a good and pious life or through the efforts of self-attainment, actual experience has revealed that man's labors in the field of so-called goodness and self-righteousness have not always accomplished their cherished ends. The endeavor to attain unto all that which was thought to be "holy" or "mighty" was a part of his miss-seeing or misunderstanding; likewise his struggle in the mire of transgression. Whether bound in the shackles of doubt and fear or clothed in the gown of glorious illusion, in the center of one's being the great Law works perfectly. Awakened to that is to be "born again".

Many are familiar with the experience of Starr Daily, a present day

12 UNDERSTANDING

spiritual teacher. It was in the darkness of a prison dungeon with human life at its lowest ebb that he was transformed into a new being, aware of his divinity. Since that time his many years of devoted service is the living testimony of his spiritual rebirth.

Following a long bloody career of waging war against the followers of Jesus, Saul of Tarsus was suddenly awakened by the light which enveloped him. Upon receiving his new sight, he straightway preached the Christ of God.

The story of Moses is the story of all men when they become aware of living Truth. He perceived in the burning bush that flame (life) which cannot be extinguished; the eternal Truth that "I AM THAT I AM". Man, catching the glimpse, began to prophesy the time when the full consciousness would be manifested wherein "being" and "becoming" would be lived as one. We are on the threshold of that frontier. Where is man to go-but on? If he is to really live, he must experience a "new heaven and a new earth" but the power of rebirth lies within him and is therefore inevitable. It is not due to conditions in the "outer" but takes place through the fulfilling power of life itself.

At physical birth every child has within him the seed of all generations yet he does not know life as it is expressed in its physical aspects until he has actually experienced it. Every point within that development has been fulfilled through the "whole" of the Law.

At spiritual birth, one is awakened to the actual Truth-the I AM that "was before the world"; that I AM that is the spiritual essence. One consciously sees and knows the way of Life. This straight and narrow "way" leads through all centers of consciousness through which life is expressed. This is not confined to our earth or our civilization; it includes all "steps to the stars". It is conscious ISNESS which sets man free. Excepting one be free in life, he cannot escape from it. "Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free".

Shall we, either as individuals or nations continue to battle each other until we fall together into the pit of exhaustion, to rise upon some other shore of experience? Or, having eaten of the husks of separateness, shall we clasp heart and hands and return to the Source of Being. There can be an answer in this simple statement: There is a Spirit-that sets us free.

FEBRUARY • 1961 13

Second Anniversary Celebrated By Inglewood Unit 15

Several members of Inglewood, Calif., Unit No. 15 of Understanding gather around their guest speaker, Dr. Daniel W. Fry, founder and chairman of the board of Understanding, Inc., prior to his cutting a birthday cake on the occasion of the unit's second anniversary, on Nov. 26, 1960. From left to right are Lee A. Yates, president of the unit; C. R. Gahlback, Dr. Fry, Barbara A. Yates, Mabel S. Wallingford and John W. Root, Understanding's Coordinator. Dr. Fry lectured to the unit on "The Curve of Development."

——— ♦ ———

Dr. Daniel W. Fry's New Book Is Out!

"ATOMS, GALAXIES AND UNDERSTANDING"

Paper-bound volumes now available from:

UNDERSTANDING HEADQUARTERS

Box 22, Station C, Pasadena, California

Price: $2.00 per Copy

STILL AVAILABLE: The New Combined Editionof

"WHITE SANDS INCIDENT" and "TO MEN OF EARTH"

Available for $2.00 from Understanding Headquarters

Box 22, Station C, Pasadena, California

14 UNDERSTANDING

world report

U.S. Told to Prepare for Finding of Intelligent Beings

On Other Planets WASHINGTON (UPI) Dec. 15-The Federal Space Agency was told Wednesday America should begin figuring out how to meet the psychological impact of a discovery that intelligent beings live on other planets.

A research report said such a discovery could bring profound changes or even collapse of civilization on earth.

"Whether or not earth would be inspired to an all-out space effort by such a discovery is moot," the document said. "Societies sure of their own place in the universe have disintegrated when confronted by a superior society, and others have survived even though changed.

"Clearly, the better we can come to understand the factors involved in responding to such crises the better prepared we may be."

The 190-page report was the result of a $96,000 one-year study conducted by the Brookings Institution for the committee on long-range studies of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). . .

The report said that if intelligent or semi-intelligent life was discovered elsewhere in the universe in the next 20 years, it probably would be found by radio communications with other solar systems.

"Evidences of its existence might also be found in artifacts left on the moon or other planets," the report said . . .

"Ghost" Flits in Graveyard But Fails to Scare Anyone

LONDON (UPI)-A scientist donned a white sheet and flitted among the tombstones of a graveyard in an experiment intended to answer the question:

What does an ordinary man do when he sees a ghost?

A. D. Cornell chose St. Peter's Church in Cambridge for his experiment because its cemetery is on a slight mound and is clearly visible from the main road, secondary road and footpaths which border it.

Two research assistants hid nearby prepared to calm any one who might become hysterical at the sight of the apparition.

FEBRUARY • 1961 15

But, Cornell reported today, they might just as well have left the smelling salts home. No one got hysterical. In fact, hardly anyone paid any attention to him.

He and his aides counted 90 automobiles, 40 cyclists and 12 pedestrians during the time he was cavorting only a few feet from the roads. Only four of the passerbys gave him more than a glance and only one of them, a young man, took the matter further.

He leaned over the cemetery fence and demanded to know what the deuce the alleged ghost though it was doing.

Cornell concluded in the journal of the Society for Psychical Research that people who do not believe in ghosts simply refuse to accept an apparition at its face value.

(Ed. Note: The foregoing item goes to show that many people will not accept something in which they do not believe even when they do see it with their physical eyes.)

Don't Look Now - A City's Flying

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Jan. 1 (United Press International)-Maybe it was just a mirage but four villagers in Western Sudan think they saw a city flying through the air the other day.

Khartoum newspapers printed reports from Abuzabad that the villagers saw the city, "complete with high buildings and trees," sailing slowly through the air at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Authorities here said they were investigating.

(Ed. Note: This dispatch is interesting in the light of references made by several authors in the New Age field regarding large numbers of people and whole cities suddenly disappearing from the face of the earth at various times in history.)

Italian Monk's "Miracles" Reported

(From Los Angeles, Calif. Mirror, Dec. 31)

SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO, Italy-The most controversial figure in Italy today, is neither political nor cinematic. He's a humble, gray bearded, non-smiling Capuchin monk whose photographs sell in the thousands each day ...

A source of embarrassment to the Vatican for over 30 years, Padre Pio has an army of fervent followers who hotly claim he is responsible for more miracles than any single saint ...

Padre Pio's biography is a perennial best-seller. Written by a former atheist who was converted by the 73-year-old clergyman, the book describes

16 UNDERSTANDING

some of the alleged supernatural gifts of the strange monk. He is asserted to have the power to be in two places at one time -"bilocation"- the ability to heal the sick and the "privilege of stigmata."

The stigmata takes the form of bleeding wounds at the very points where Christ bled on the cross. The Capuchin monk bleeds from both hands and feet, where the nails penetrated, and under the right breast, where a soldier's spear entered His body. Although ecclesiastical authorities have not accepted the stigmata, there's plenty of medically attested evidence that the wounds are not self-inflicted . . .

After Eight Years - Remember Bridey?

(From Pasadena, Calif., Star News)

(Whatever happened to Bridey Murphy? Four years ago the name was the label for a tempest raised when Morey Bernstein brought out a book claiming he had discovered in a woman's subconscious mind the memories of an Irish girl who died a century ago. Here's a report on both the writer and his subject today.-The Editor).

PUEBLO, COLO.-Eight years ago a man in his early 30s hypnotized a young Pueblo housewife. The girl slipped into a deep trance quickly. "Now," the girl was told by Morey Bernstein, the hypnotist, "we are going to turn back. We are going to turn back through time and space, just like turning back in the pages of a book. And when I next talk to you, you will be seven years old, and you will be able to answer my questions."

A microphone picked up Bernstein's questions and the answers of Ruth Mills Simmons, a pseudonym for Pueblo housewife Virginia Burns Tighe, and channeled them into a tape recorder. With tapes of this and five other recording sessions, Bernstein spent two years writing a book.

THE BOOK TOLD HOW, in her hypnotic trance, Mrs. Tighe related that she lived from 1798 to 1865 as Bridey Murphy MacCarthy of Cork and Belfast, Ireland, and gave detailed descriptions of this prior life and times.

Almost overnight, "Bridey" became a best-seller and stirred a furious controversy ...

Looking back on it all, Bernstein, now 41, insists the time will come when the world wilt utilize his book's theory of hypnosis and exploration of the human mind in the search for lasting peace among peoples and nations.

"Rockets to the moon will merely prove the superiority of the United

FEBRUARY • 1961 17

States or Russia and how far man has advanced in physicalistic science," says Bernstein, "but I doubt very much that they will bring nations and peoples together. Knowing more about the human mind offers a teal opportunity among men and nations to understand each other and to get along with one another.

"The most important business of mankind is man. Why are we here, who are we, where did we come from, and where are we going? This is more important than shooting rockets to the moon . . . "

Bernstein predicts that within the next 10 to 15 years science will establish that his theories are correct, but quickly adds, "I may be off on the exact time, but the proof is only a matter of time."

Bernstein says two major questions are asked him today: Do you believe what you wrote in the book? And did you make a fortune out of the book?

"As for the money from royalties," Bernstein replies, "there has been far less than most people think. I've rejected all offers to give lectures, make public appearances and other sources of remuneration.

"As to believing what is in the book, I don't merely believe in reincarnation, I know it is a fact. I wouldn't want anyone to think that I wrote 'Bridey' on a lark or that I do not believe in reincarnation . . . "

"The Bridey Murphy type of thing should be and is being carried on by psychiatrists," says Bernstein. "Many more students in college are taking more interest in hypnosis and parapsychology-the field of mental telepathy and clairvoyance. Bridey has aroused others to investigate, to research and to prove. Science will establish the truth."

-(Associated Press)

Scientists Insist Other Planets Must Have Life

(By George Getze, Science Editor Los Angeles Mirror, Nov. 25, 1960)

The law of averages makes it impossible not to think life exists on other planets, most astronomers and mathematicians agree.

They believe life, more or less like the earth's, thrives on perhaps millions of other planets scattered throughout the universe.

Some of those planets must have civilizations more advanced than ours. Some must have civilizations more primitive than any on the earth. Others must have insect life in the ascendancy, others have life forms that have not yet left the oceans. There must be so many planets with life that almost any variety you can imagine can exist somewhere.

18 UNDERSTANDING

"The very idea that the earth is unique in supporting life is impossibly improbable," is the way Dr. John A. Russell, professor of astronomy at SC, puts it ...

"With all the billions of stars in our own galaxy, and all the billions of stars in all the billions of other galaxies like Andromeda and the Milky Way, the idea that the earth is the only planet in the universe with life on it is just not reasonable," Dr. Russell said.

"Figure it out.

"There are at least 100 billion stars in our galaxy. There are at least a billion galaxies like ours. Therefore, there are-at the very least-100 billion billion stars or suns. (That figure looks like this: 100,000,000,000; 000,000,000) .

"Suppose, of all these billions of suns, only one in a billion has a system of planets orbiting around it.

"That's almost an impossibly conservative guess, but even so, it means there are 100,000 billion stars with systems like Sol's.

SUPPOSE, of these 100,000 million planetary systems, only one in 100,000 has a planet capable of supporting life.

"You would still have, after all these extremely conservative reductions in probabilities, at least a million planets able to support life as we know it."

A View of the News: George Todt's Opinion

(From Los Angeles, Calif. Herald-Express)

Are unidentified flying objects, sometimes called "flying saucers," real or imaginary?

Do the people who profess to see them actually do so, or is it all a stunt designed to get their names in the paper?

Can it be possible that our planet might be visited at this time by advanced intellects from other worlds?

Has it been so visited in times past before man invented flying machines, or lighter-than-air vehicles ?

While nothing has been proven beyond possible doubt, there is a wealth of continuing evidence being accumulated which tends to indicate that we should leave our minds open in this area.

Regarding the elusive saucers, it was Dr. Albert Einstein who made this succinct statement in reference to them: "People are seeing something up there!" What did he have reference to?

FEBRUARY • 1961 19

The truth is that our records are full of instances of strange vehicles prowling about in our heavens since ancient times-but more particularly in the last two or three centuries.

One has only to read the magnificent "Works of Charles Fort" in the public library to gain many new insights into this intriguing matter. Fort's "Book of the Damned" is a real masterpiece. He unearthed many old reports which the science of times past had damned to convenient obscurity because it could not explain the distressing ramifications ...

In my own case, I have received much evidence from the scientific UFOlogist fraternity for examination which I have found interesting and seemingly reliable. Much of it has come from NICAP-National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena, 1536 Connecticut Ave., Washington 6, D.C. whose national director is a former flier named Major Donald E. Keyhoe, USMC-ret.

Keyhoe has written three exceptionally fine volumes which cover the UFO mystery in the United States over the last dozen years. They are: "The Flying Saucers from Outer Space," "The Flying Saucer Conspiracy" and "Flying Saucers-Top Secret."

It is Keyhoe's contention, as well as that of NICAP, that we are actually being visited by alien spacecraft now-for whatever their purpose! He claims that the government knows this to be true, but fears panic by the public if the facts might become known. Remember Orson Welles and his fabulous "War of the Worlds" on radio in the '30s?

For some years now, NICAP and other like-minded groups of scientific UFOlogists have been urging a congressional investigation of the mystery. Interest has been mounting, even among our senators and congressmen.

Recently, Congressman Edgar W. Hiestand (Cal. 21st Dist.) wrote Air Force Secretary Dudley Shary a letter requesting that AF policy on UFOs be re-examined, with a change to complete frankness.

"I am apprehensive," wrote the astute Los Angeles congressman, "that right now, in the middle of a campaign, some concrete and well documented incident may occur, and a sensational revelation could really hurt.

"After all, although the UFOs are unknown devices, there seems to be enough evidence available to convince that they are real rather than imaginary . . . Therefore, what harm could complete frankness do?"

Other important members of the Capitol Hill set who have indicated

20 UNDERSTANDING

that they take the UFO matter seriously are: Sen. London B. Johnson, Sen. Barry Goldwater, Sen. Stuart Symington) Sen. Leverett B. Saltonstall, Sen. George Smathers, Rep. William H. Ayres, Rep. Dante B. Fascell, Rep. Fred Marshall, Rep. Walter H. Moeller, Rep. Leonard G. Wolfe, and Rep. Ralph J. Scott. Interesting, what?

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CAPE CANAVERAL REPORT

Following are excerpts from a letter received by Hope Troxell, author of "Wisdom of the Universe," from her son R. Ronald Troxell, who is an electronics design engineer with Philco at Palo Alto, Calif. Troxell helped in the designing of many of the instruments in the recently-launched Courier satellite and did the designing of the interior of the space vehicle. The letter was written upon his return from Cape Canaveral, Fla., where the Courier was launched.

"The Canaveral trip was very edifying to me from a professional standpoint and a thrilling experience as well. I saw many rockets sent up and as clumsy and noisy and crude as they appear when compared with the quiet beauty of space craft, they are still an awesome sight . . .

"Then the tracking stations, which up to that time had been working beautifully with Courier, could no longer gain access to the satellite. So, three of us who knew most about the intricacies of the satellite were sent back to Fort Monmouth (where one of the tracking stations is located) to see if we could assist them in finding out what had gone wrong. The satellite is working now, but they are temporarily not able to gain access to it. That is the official word from the Army and it is true. We do have hopes of the satellite starting `to talk' again. Actually they are rather pleased --wrong word- thankful is better, that it did quit `talking.' The thing was spewing forth so much so fast that they were way behind on retranslating the information received into teletype so that it could be relayed to newspapers, etc. . . .

"It (the Courier satellite) is basically a communications satellite capable of two modes of operation.

"1. When the satellite is in view of two separate ground stations at the same time which are not in view of each other, the satellite can be used as a relay station for microwave signals from one ground station to the other.

“2. When two ground stations which are not viewing the satellite at

FEBRUARY • 1961 21

the same time wish to communicate, one of them can store the information in a tape recorder in the satellite, so that the other one can, at a later date, play back the tape recorder and receive the message.

"The satellite can accept (record) and play back information so fast that the entire King James version of the Bible (some 775,000 words) could be recorded in the satellite in 12 minutes!"

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ATOMS, ATOMS EVERYWHERE

A Materialist will seek the answers for everything on a material basis. To a Materialist the answer to what is thought, emotion, and intelligence lies in the atomic composition of the brain. If we examine the proton and electron we do not find intelligence as a composite of their electrical charges, but we observe an inexplicable peculiarity of the electron and proton: they can not be destroyed, only converted into energy. Matter and energy is like an ice cube and water, the same substance in a different state.

The measurement of Intelligence Quotient in Psychology is to determine a person's ability to integrate proper relationships, i.e. learning. Intelligence itself has remained undefined in Psychology. Intelligence is like matter, energy, space, and time, it can be measured, but what it is escapes description.

Learning is the most important factor in progression, and the more we learn about the universe, and understand, the more we realize that thought preceded matter, rather than matter preceding thought.

Ah, and finally what is the ego, the "I AM", the entity, the consciousness? Let us look inside the atom and outside the universe, but whisper to me what is it that is doing the looking?

-WILLIAM HAMILTON Alhambra, Calif.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sirs:

Being a reader of that quarterly journal, "The Voice", of Brighton, England, I have just read in its current issue, Sept./Oct./Nov., 1960, on page 2, the paragraph about your organization, and I would be obliged to learn more about it, as I am so interested in UFOs are Flying Saucers.

I was a member of such an organization in England some years ago, which published its journal, but it did not flourish for very long, and was absorbed by that excellent bi-monthly journal, "Flying Saucer Review" of London to which my subscription was transferred.

22 UNDERSTANDING

I have a good friend of mine in Johannesburg who is very experienced in this fascinating study, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Klarer, who claims to have been taken for a flight in a F. S. Scout Ship on Saturday morning 4th April, 1956, from a little hill-top on the farm of her brother-in-law at Rosetta in this Province of Natal, and was taken up to the Mother Ship where she met all the crew and then returned to earth again. If you read "Flying Saucer Review", you must have seen her narrative of it.

She told me that these space people are as real and natural as we are, and are hospitable, and peaceful, and of goodwill, and are distressed at the folly and evils of the atomic explosions on this planet of ours.

-Yours Faithfully

C. F. WICKES

Zululand, South Africa

Dear Friends:

Responding to an advertisement in the May issue of Understanding, we wrote to the School of Thought for information, having for some months been searching for spiritual teaching which could be undertaken in regular steps by a small study group such as ours. We have now been taking these lessons for about six months, one every two weeks, each consisting of a tape recorded talk by Hope Troxell, accompanied by copies of the text “Eternal instruction from systems supreme"-teaching from the masters on high, transmitted through the care and devotion of Hope Troxell, aided by those others of the Pasadena Unit who give so freely of their time and effort.

We found the material of such high origin and such beauty that once embarked on the venture in learning there was no thought of turning back. "And there is a gentleness about this teaching. It finally grips your heart, and you understand. And you come to know the way of truth and the life eternal. It is because we need to understand. This is the way." It surely is the "Wisdom of the Universe" given with great love. And it contains an urgency and a beckoning to the student to follow to higher planes, to greater knowledge of our rightful place in the unfolding pattern of the divine plan.

We have learned that man does not have to be a pawn in the hands of unknown forces, but can help to shape his own destiny, that the mind has great formative power by means of which man can rise from his low estate and begin to participate in the creative process, in this time of tremendous crisis and cosmic change, when there is such a need for working together

FEBRUARY • 1961 23

to increase understanding throughout the world. We are learning that there is a way of going forward in service to one's fellow man, and in harmony with God's laws, to prepare for these changes. And we are sure that many others are quietly finding the joy in this same way-and we hope there will be many more who will also discover that these teachings were meant for them.

-Sincerely,

ARTHUR SEELYE

Spencer, Mass.

bulletin board

Napa Valley Unit #47 was organized on December loth with Lee Francom, 2215 Wales Street, Napa, President; Dorothy Harder, 2333 Louisa Street, Napa, Vice President; Clara L. Pregger, 1300 Arroya Street, Secretary; Patricia James, 24 Glenwood Drive, Napa, Treasurer, and Blanche Davis, 26 Glenwood Drive, Napa, as Librarian. Several of the members are transferees from Santa Cruz #9. Welcome among us Napa Valley #47.

"Is Space Education Necessary for Our Future?" Those, who attended the December 17th meeting of the El Monte Unit #1 and heard Dana Howard, have a broader horizon of space education. On Wednesday, January 4th, response to the interchange of tape from Riverside #22 and Douglas, Arizona #33 was played.

LeRoy Roberts, of the Universarium Foundation of Portland, Oregon, was presented by San Mateo Unit #2, in a cosmorama Projecto of music from other planets on December 16th. Volahra Atona, of Vibronics Institute of Hollywood preceded the music with a short talk on vibronics. The

24 UNDERSTANDING

subject of "Workshops" was discussed at the January 6th meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Barnes.

Riley Crabb, editor of "Round Robin" and Director of Borderline Science and Research Associates, lectured at Vista Unit #4 on the "Reality of the Underground" on December 10th.

Long Beach Unit #8 heard an explanation of the corporation and the proposed By-Laws by John Root, Coordinator, on December 13th, at the home of Elvira Rider, President. Some new ideas on cooperation were revealed.

Pasadena Unit 412 recently elected Charles Hardman, 9434 Emperor Ave., Temple City, Calif., President of the unit. Harry McDonald is Vice President, Peter Troxell, secretary, and Arthur Pollack, treasurer.

Brooklyn Unit #14 held its third in a series of Round Table discussions on November 17th. Dan Martin was the featured speaker. The next forum was held December 28th. At these forums, which are in line with the purpose of UNDERSTANDING to create a friendship `between peoples' as a road to workable peace, speakers from Nigeria (Africa, Ceylon (Asia) and Soviet Russia will be heard.

On Sunday, December 4th, Ernest Burmester, a worker in the World Goodwill Program, founded by Alice Bailey, spoke to Unit #30 Turlock, on "Human Destiny and Religion." Mr. Burmester is related to Manly P. Hall, by marriage.

Three wonderful lectures were enjoyed by Marin County Unit #31 during the fall and early winter, in the persons of Wayne Aho, Dr. Frank Stranges and "Ric" Williamson. All meetings were very successful.

Orfeo Angelucci was scheduled to speak in January at Unit #33, Douglas, Arizona. Intensive group study within the Unit was also to begin in January.

George Hunt Williamson was heard in November, and Aleta Johnson in December by Tacoma Unit #35.

Unit #36, Willows, has added to its staff of officers by including Rita Converse as Vice President. President of the unit is Muriel Fernandez, 149 Fern St., Willows. Secretary is Dorothy L. Vierra; Treasurer, Mrs. Fernandez.

-JOHN W. ROOT

Understanding, Inc.

Dept. of Internal Relations

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COSMIC KNOWLEDGE

The Space Age Religion

Streamlined like a Rocket, Its Propellant is Truth

Based upon "The New Revelation" for Those Who Think Clearly!

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"The New Revelation" $2.50 postpaid. Address all Inquiries to:

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SPIRITUALIZED PORTRAIT

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Send me photo (or clear snapshot) with description of coloring effects, and sample of subject's handwriting.

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PRESCOTT, ARIZONA

CONVENTION

June 24, 25, 26, 1961

Plan your vacation NOW,

So You Can Attend the

4th Annual Space Craft Convention

at Buck's Mountain View Ranch

Mountain View, Missouri, Rt. 1

BIGGER AND BETTER THIS YEAR

Have Your Club Represented at This Convention.

ALL COME

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BOOKS RECOMMENDED

AS AN APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING

ABOARD A FLYING SAUCER, by Truman Bethurum ................................. 3.00

a call at dawn, by kelvin rowe (paper, $2.50)...................................... 3.50

the coming golden age, by dr. f. w. summer ...................................... 3.50

cosmic attainment, by hope troxell....................................................... 1.00

council of seven lights, by george van tassel............................... 3.50

flying saucer pilgrimage, by h. and b. reeve .................................... 3.50

How to think to live forever, by Martha baker .............................. 1.00

many shall be called, by marke Norman............................................... 3.25

my contact with flying saucers, fino kraspedon ......................... 3.75

My trip to mars moon and venus, by buck nelson .......................... 1.00

night has 1000 saucers, by calvin c. girvin (paper, $2.00).............. 3.00

road in the sky, by g.h. williamson ........................................................... 4.00

Race to the moon, Scientist from Venus ............................................. 2.00

SECRET OF THE SAUCERS, by Orfeo Angelucci .................................... 3.00

Secret forces that changed the world, by frank bowman 3.50

Temple of god, annalee skarin ................................................................. 3.50

To men of earth,

WHITE SANDS INCIDENT, one volume, by Daniel Fry ............................ 2.00

To god the glory, by annlalee skarin ................................................... 2.95

Transvaal episode, by anchor .................................................................. 1.00

Unity in the spirit, by comptesse de pierrefeu ................................. 2.50

Up rainbow hill, by dana howard............................................................... 4.50

Voice of venus, vol. 1 by dr. ernest l. Norman ................................ 3.25

Voice of eros, vol. 2 by dr. ernest l. Norman ................................... 3.95

Voice of hermes, vol.3 by dr. ernest l. Norman .............................. 3.95

Wake up the god in you and live, by Martha baker ........................ 2.00

we of the new dimension, by Will and evelyn miller ..................... 2.00

wisdom of the universe, by hope troxell............................................ 3.25

Ye are gods, by annalee skarin ................................................................ 3.50

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These books may be purchased from Understanding. We pay all postage.

Residents of California please add 4% Sales Tax.

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