CONTENTS
For December , 1970
NO
VACANCY ................................................................................................................. 2
TO EDUCATE THE HUMAN POTENTIAL ................................................................. 3
ON THE SUBJECT OF FLYING SAUCERS... .......................................................... 5
THE VIEW FROM OUTER SPACE ............................................................................. 6
MYSTICAL VISIONS ...................................................................................................... 8
WHO NEEDS CHRISTMAS? ....................................................................................... 10
world report ........................................................................................................... 10
Poet’s corner .......................................................................................................... 14
book reviews ............................................................................................................ 15
A RETURN TO EQUANIMITY ....................................................................................... 16
bulletin board ........................................................................................................ 17
CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT ....................................................................................... 18
——— ♦ ———
THE STAFF
EDITOR ........................................................................................... Dr.
DANIEL W. FRY
asst. editor ........................................................................... kerttu
campbell
circulation manager ........................................................... edna
basmajian
staff artist ................................................................................... gus
tanasale
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
SINGLE COPIES 25c - ONE YEAR
(12 ISSUES) $2.50
Published by
‘Understanding’, a non-profit corporation
Contributions are U.S. Income
Tax Deductible
ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE
TO
UNDERSTANDING, P.O. BOX 206, MERLIN, OREGON 97532
UNDERSTANDING
VOLUME XV DECEMBER, 1970 NUMBER
12
Dedicated to the propagation
of a better understanding among all the peoples of the earth, and of those who
are not of earth.
"And she brought forth her first born Son, and
wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger because there was no
room at the Inn."
How many times have those simple words been used at the
beginning of the Christmas story! (We used them ourselves in our Christmas
editorial for 1965, but try as w e may, we can find no better way to start this
one.)
The entire history of Jesus of Nazareth, his birth, his
life and his ministry, is one of extreme simplicity and of constant rejection.
Born to parents without lands, wealth or social position, there was no room for
Him in the caste system of society which prevailed during His lifetime. Because
He stressed giving rather than getting, there was no room for Him in the marts
of trade or in the halls of the money changers. Because He preached humility
and condemned arrogance, He was shunned by the ruling classes. Because He said
"thou shalt love thine enemy," He was despised and denounced by those
in military service. Wherever He went, the answer was the same, "there is
no room in our society for any one with ideals and philosophy which are
contrary to every rule of success we have ever learned." Public
indignation at the perversity of his teachings eventually reached the point
2 UNDERSTANDING
where He was seized, tried for treason against the
`State,' condemned and executed by the most ignominious method known to man,
and hastily buried in a borrowed tomb!
The centurion who supervised the execution undoubtedly
walked away muttering "That is the last we will ever hear of that silly Nazarine
and his ridiculous teachings."
Today, hundreds of millions of people, throughout the
world, spend many hours of their time and much of their money preparing to
celebrate the birth of this simple Man, and the God given philosophy which is
now preached everywhere, even though it has never really been put into
practice. Mankind has found room for Jesus of Nazareth in thousands of
churches, large and small; hundreds of huge and magnificent cathedrals;
countless monuments. If man could only learn to make room in his heart for the
simple but divine truths which Jesus taught, His task would, at last be
finished, and earthman could per-haps, become a successful species!
During the coming Christmas season, while we rush around
in our annual struggle to complete those tasks and duties which have come to be
traditional at this time, why don't we try, for a few days or even a few hours,
to actually put into effect the teachings of the One whose birth we celebrate?
After all, we have been hearing about them for two thousand years, and who
knows?, they might really work!
——— ♦ ———
The educators and psychologists of today, rooted in the
metaphysics of our Western Civilization, do not understand the true nature of
man, much less that of the child. Without this understanding they cannot set
educational goals that are in harmony with man's inner nature and which foster
the development of man's true potential.
This lack of understanding seems incredible to those who
work with children using the Montessori method. Dr. Maria Montessori, the first
woman physician in Italy, was the way shower in the education of the child.
She, herself, was astonished at both the cognitive growth and behavioral
changes in the children in her first preschool. This Casi de Bambini opened its
doors to children of the San Lorenzo slum district of Rome in January, 1907 in
the charge of an uneducated former factory worker.
DECEMBER, 1970 3
In two years her school was world famous not only for the
spontaneous `explosion' into writing of its pupils but also for the `normalization'
of their behavior. A `normalized' child, to use Montessori's term, manifests
his true nature which includes love of work, independence and initiative, joy,
profound spontaneous concentration, and a willing cooperative spirit.
The secret of the amazing changes in these children was
their freedom of action in a prepared environment. The classroom is prepared to
serve the needs of the child with specially designed materials and the child is
free to express himself to develop his unique potential. This freedom does not
mean license to do anything he wants. He is not free to disrupt the classroom
or be destructive of the materials. Montessori viewed the classroom as a
laboratory where the true nature of the child has been and will continue to be
revealed.
She prepared the environment not only by providing
furniture proportionate to the size of the children (quite an innovation in her
day!) in a cheerful atmosphere but also by providing specific materials for
exercises in motor control, refinement of sensory perception, language and
mathematics. So-called new math was introduced by Montessori over 60 years ago!
Some materials had been developed by her in her two years of work in the Orthopedic
Clinic with mentally defective children and were continually modified and
improved throughout her long and productive life ended in 1952.
The teacher demonstrates an exercise that interests the
child and the child is then free to repeat that activity any time his `inner
teacher' impels him. This `inner teacher' or `sensitive period' is a unique
time when a child is able to master some phase of growth with an ease and
completeness unmatched at any other time in his development. For example, the
sensitive period for order is from 21/2 to 4 years and if this need
is not satisfied by providing the opportunity for keeping things in place the
result is a disorganized individual in later years.
The child before the age of six to seven has what
Montessori called the absorbent mind, soaking up knowledge like a sponge,
learning a language by some miraculous process that never could be duplicated
in later life. Learning by contracting the environment thru the hands, the
child in the pre-school Montessori classroom learns the letters of the alphabet
by tracing out their shapes in sandpaper in the direction he will later write
then and by hearing their sounds. Thru this activity
4 UNDERSTANDING
he achieves spontaneously the ability to write accurately
and effortlessly.
Dr. Montessori had asked a five year old boy to draw a
picture of the chimney she was sitting by as she and the children were enjoying
some fine weather on the roof terrace. After the child had made a rough sketch
with chalk on the floor tiles he suddenly burst out, "I can write; I know
how to write!" He then wrote the words `hand, chimney, roof' (mano,
Camino, tetto). Other children were attracted by his cries of joy and when they
saw what he had done said, "Give me the chalk. I can write, too." And
they could and did!
The Montessori materials are sequential to lead the child
from the simpler to the more complex, from concrete to abstract, but at every
step of the way the child determines the pace of learning. He is free to move
about the classroom among children whose ages span three years. He can choose
any material that has been demonstrated to him by the teacher and not being
used by another child. The material is in a predetermined place on a shelf or
in a cabinet and the child must return it to that place.
The children practice motor control exercises such as
pouring rice from one pitcher to another. The competence developed by this and
other related exercises allows them to express their natural inclination to be
helpful by pouring and serving juice at snack time. They are responsible for
the care of the classroom and they clean tables and floor with great
enthusiasm.
Because of the mixed age group, much teaching takes place
without the teacher's participation as one child shows another what he has
mastered. And the children are quick to offer companionship and assistance to
the newcomer who is unhappy when his mother leaves him for the first time.
A striking characteristic of the Montessori classroom is
its serenity. Visitors have asked what the teacher has used to bribe the
children into such good behavior! Because the children have self determined
their activities based on their unfolding psychic needs, they work with an
intrinsic motivation that focuses their energy and attention on the tasks at
hand to the exclusion of all else. When they have completed their self-chosen
tasks they are refreshed, strengthened and at peace with the world.
Montessori's great achievement is the `discovery of the
child' which
DECEMBER, 1970 5
is comparable in importance to the discovery of how to
release the energy locked within the atom. The normalized child is the
precursor of the normalized adult. And only in the community of normalized
adults can we hope to offer everyone the opportunity to realize his true
potential for growth unfoldment and contributions to the social order.
- Neil F. Michelsen
——— ♦ ———
Understanding -- the Key Note to Contact
Many of us have been studying Ufology for some years. It
has be-come a question of why, arc: they here? rather than do they exist?
If this planet is being visited by people from other
worlds, then why don't they make open contact with us? Why don't they help us,
and why don't they take us away in times of war?
The truth could be that our understanding may be so
different from theirs that there is really nowhere we can live our way but here
on Earth. They may feel that because of our understanding they might cause more
harm than good, by interfering in our affairs.
This assessment leaves the individual's understanding very
much "out in the cold," but then, how do we know if the space people
are even aware of the nature of our understanding as individuals?
Some of the famous claimed contactees inform us that the
space people are here to help us find a greater understanding of one another.
It has been said that Jesus came from another planet, and that the star seen
over Bethlehem was, in fact, a flying saucer from outer space. Jesus explained
his origin when he said, "I am not of this world." Of one thing I am
certain-his understanding was very much not of this world.
In spite of our individual efforts, and group efforts, to
make con-tact with space people, we have not been altogether successful. But,
then, perhaps we have been going about it the wrong way. Perhaps we have been
putting the cart before the horse every time. Perhaps we should be working on
ourselves to make ourselves more acceptable.
All we may need for contact is understanding, not so much
individual understanding but rather more group understanding and expression.
6 UNDERSTANDING
This type of understanding is one which is relative to all
and allows for free expression. It is an understanding relative to all forms
but does not lack respect nor discipline.
Perhaps we are too good at finding the differences in one
another when we should be trying to seek out first those things in which we are
alike.
A little child may have the answer to this. Adults are
inclined to be set in their ways, but a child is more open to new ideas and new
things. If we tried, a little more, in our daily lives to bring children
together in understanding and affection, we might find our efforts well
rewarded.
Our hopes for contact with people from other worlds may
well lie in the hands of children, and our efforts in helping children to love
and care for one another more may well be the beginnings of a new fraternity-a
new affectionate understanding between all forms here on Earth.
This understanding, relative to all forms, could be the
key to open contact. It could be the bridge between us and space beings that we
have tried to build for so long.
-Richard Carton
10 Byne Rd. London,
S.E. 26 England
——— ♦ ———
The moon ventures have been and will continue to be
adventurous and exciting. With the absence of new horizons and virgin soil here
on earth, man extends his curiosity and interest to the worlds around him. What
had heretofore been the especial province of the science fiction scribes now
opens its portals to real life visitors. And the phenomenon of electronics has
welcomed the whole earth to participate in the extraterrestrial steps.
In time the excitement of the dangers and successes wanes
perceptibly. The earth as "one" in observance of the accomplishments
returns to nations divided and people at odds. The every day cares and concerns
supplant the wonderment of earthmen in lunar dress.
DECEMBER, 1970 7
In effect, the world becomes smaller to accommodate the
daily ups and downs that were forgotten briefly in the arena of the great realm
of space.
This world's inhabitants also bear criticism of these
extra-terrestrial excursions. Many deplore the expenditures for the lunar
lunacy, pointing to the want of millions here on earth. How much could be done
for mankind's miserables with the untold billions earmarked for space! And such
criticism is not without merit, for mankind has suffered eternally the
capriciousness of fate-the random designation of "haves and have nots."
Would that man were more concerned with the well-being of his fellow creatures,
the inequities that fall to man might be altered.
It would seem reasonable to pursue both outer space and
mankind's problems, for the conquest of space could very well widen the vision
of man and clarify his interdependence on man. Heretofore man has been content
with being one among men on this, the center of the Universe. Heretofore he has
aligned himself with his friends in competition or conflict with his neighbors,
thereby uniting or dividing over the earth's surface according to national,
political, ethnic or social ties. A feeling of oneness was never man's; a sense
of division has been his heritage.
Now, in the twilight of the discovery- of new worlds, man
wins the privilege of a look at himself from afar. With the aid of television
and photographic equipment, man sees his world from thousands of miles away. In
turn, he sees the mysterious surface of the moon from his living room. In the
attendant awe of so prodigious an experience, he loses momentarily the cares
and concerns of this world, the cares and concerns that separate him from his
fellow men. And, in these instants he does indeed become one with his fellow
men.
From the window of a space vehicle he sees through
television's eye his cherished earth, beautiful in its heavenly flight but
impersonal in its existence. And of the warring nations, the imagined slights,
the vying for gain and position: nothing shows clear in this far away look at
the blue-green of oceans, the gray-white of lands, appearing now and then
through the soft shield of clouds. The earth is one from this vantage
point-uninhabited, undisturbed, undistinguished. From this vantage point,
mankind is one-invisible, without conflict Without hate.
8 UNDERSTANDING
With the ventures into space, man may change his
perspective, broaden it. The enormity, the endless reaches of the Universe may
give man a sense of his size and relative importance in the grand scheme of
things. And if man should b° humbled by the magnificence of the worlds around
him, then perhaps he will begin to acknowledge his neighbors from a new point
of view. From this new observation platform man could begin to see his
neighbors as parts of a whole rather than as separate, unrelated entities. That
whole, that entirety will be dependent on the sum of its parts, not on the
success or failure of its warring components. And it may well become incumbent
upon each part, upon men, to look after the others, to provide for the welfare
of others on behalf of all. Then will mankind approach the oneness, the unity
that has been hoped for and wished-for, but denied.
The alternative, of course, is more of the same that has
befallen man since his inception. Time has gauged man's rise from the
uncivilized past to the so-called civilized present. Man judges the past on the
strength of the sophistication of his present day inventions. But to be
considered truly civilized, he must discontinue warfare and inhumanity: he must
give his fellow men their due. Heroics must come to be how many are saved, not
how many are killed or maimed. Man must be interested in the survival of man,
and in assisting each to find his place. Warfare fails to distinguish man from
his earliest predecessors. Peace and cooperative resolve set him apart from the
uncivilized and in good stead for the future.
It seems, then, proper, practical and even beneficial to
pursue the outreaches of space along with the betterment of mankind. Man has
always sought to know his environment better. In so doing he has quite often
improved the lot of all men. Now, with his feet on the threshold of space, he
acquires the possibility of widening the perspective of man's view of his
fellow creatures. He has now but to reassess his priorities, hopefully
resulting in advancing to mankind the fruits of his increased humanity. If man
is first willing and then able to comprehend the need for a wider outlook, the
pursuit of both objectives will become complementary and essential. Space will
be-come a reality for man. And man, individually and collectively, will cease
to be but a fragment of his promise.
- Walter N. Scott,
Jr.
——— ♦ ———
DECEMBER, 1970 9
The news media have been reporting, recently, the work of
two re-searchers who have produced "Mystical Visions" without the use
of drugs. Edward B. Fiske, reporting in the New York Times of August 26, 1970, relates the findings of the husband and wife team of Robert E. L. Masters
and Jean Houston, directors of the Foundation for Mind Research in Manhattan.
The researchers, "using psychedelic sounds, lights,
pictures and other devices have concluded that ordinary people can have
profound religious experiences like those of the great Eastern and Western
mystics, without the use of drugs."
It is the belief of Masters and Houston that "The
capacity for religious experience-including a deep feeling of unity with the
universe is built into human nature. It's simply a question of opening oneself
up."
The tear began their researches by investigating the use
of psychedelic drugs on normal individuals and found that some persons reported
effects similar to traditional mystical experiences. In 1966 they published
"Varieties of Psychedelic Experience: The First Comprehensive Guide to the
Effects of LSD on Human Personality." The text was considered
authoritative as an analysis of the levels of consciousness achieved during the
drug experience.
However, as the book was published, LSD became unavailable
to most scientific researchers so the team began to experiment with
non-chemical means of inducing the effects they had previously encountered in
their drug experiments.
In a recent interview they explained that they employ a variety
of methods, among which are the following:
"Sensory overload" in which a subject is
immersed in sound and light from dissolving colored slides. The effects are
carefully chosen and coordinated by a small computer in such a way as to create
specific psychological and emotional experiences.
An "altered states of consciousness induction
device" whereby a blindfolded individual stands in a mental swing or
pendulum that suspends his normal contact with the physical world and
experiences vivid dream-like fantasies.
Guided meditation in which subjects are given ideas or
visual
10 UNDERSTANDING
images such as concentric circles or a picture of their
body becoming smaller and smaller-and led through experiences such as symbolic
death and rebirth.
Through the use of these techniques, and others, many
persons have had profoundly religious and mystical visions and experiences.
Another result of the findings is that individuals have unlocked their inherent
potential. "Subjects have been able to write, paint, and perform other
activities either faster or at a higher level of quality than before."
Relating their findings to the current trend in religion toward
an emphasis on immediate experience rather than doctrinal teachings - Mr.
Masters and Miss Houston contend that "altered states of consciousness in
healthy, well-functioning individuals could become a normal part of American
church life." Because of drugs and other events of the past decade
religious experience is becoming powerfully meaningful to many persons. But
much of this is taking place outside the religious institutions.
Miss Houston said that one area for practical application
of their findings would be worship services. "If we can get the effects we
did in a laboratory, imagine what would happen in a sacramental setting where
there were sacred symbols, high expectations of religious experience and strong
authoritative figures such as clergymen."
Another area of application would be in religious
education of children. "Instead of talking about someone like the prophet
they should be able to visualize and experience him internally." However,
she cautions, a visionary experience must be equated with rational insights and
intelligence and not accepted at face value.
To the two researchers a changing religious concept could
produce "a radically different image of man.... The new image would be man
the creator, the artist and the player. It's impossible now even to imagine the
levels of awareness of which men are capable. What we need are major efforts to
explore inner as well as outer space."
——— ♦ ———
Some Truth Students who regularly apply the results of
their studies to their daily living disregard the relevance of observing a
Christmas Season. They maintain that everyday is Christmas and to have a
DECEMBER, 1970 11
special day set apart makes little sense to them. Also,
many do not accept the personal reality of Jesus the Man and are reluctant to
foster attention on what they term a "myth."
This writer will not deny the validity of this position
for those who choose to entertain it. However, I do not look upon Christmas as
merely a period of recognition or special behavior, but an opportunity to
acknowledge Universal Truth and to rededicate oneself to the application of the
Christ Concept in life. Christmas should be a vital, dynamic time for Truth
Students. It can be a "Spiritual High" during which each of us
reaffirms his position regarding the Universal Under-standing and acceptance of
all mankind and pays homage to the reality of the Christ Concept.
Merry Christmas, and a Happy Christmas Spirit All Year
Long!
- Jay Fair
——— ♦ ———
Low Frequency Noise
Los Angeles Times, Sun., Sept. 20, 1970-By Marvin Miles
Employees
in the office were distracted for some reason. They couldn't keep their minds
on their work and they didn't know why until an acoustical expert came up with
the answer
Infrasound.
This is sound at such low frequencies that it can't be
heard by the human ear, yet there is evidence to suggest that the human body is
subject to possible damage from such inaudible exposure.
In the case of the distracted office staff,
"silent" infrasound developed by a malfunctioning air conditioning
system produced a definite physical response manifested in the worker's
inability to concentrate.
"It is known," said Dr. Richard W. Procunier at
Lockheed's Palo Alto Research Laboratories, "that subjects exposed to
infrasound have experienced feelings of nausea, disequilibrium, disorientation,
headache, lassitude and blurring of vision."
"Although these short-term effects have been
recorded, long-term effects of repeated exposure are not known. What is more,
it is often
12 UNDERSTANDING
difficult to obtain data about the nature and extent of
infrasonic sources since they are not apparent in the way ordinary audio sound
sources are.
Dr. Procunier explained that infrasound has a frequency
below that of the normal hearing range (20 cycles per second or less) and
could" come from a variety of sources, both natural and artificial.
As examples he gave explosions, aircraft, construction
machinery,, earthquakes, aurora, locomotives, certain types of agricultural and
construction machinery, etc.
Because of their long wave length, he said, infrasounds
are not effectively attenuated by ordinary acoustic absorbers and hence
propagate over long distances.
Dr. Procunier said recent experiments have indicated a
correlation between infrasonics and human behavior.
Even the aurora borealis creates infrasound which has been
detected by unique devices developed at the Palo Alto laboratories, the
scientist. noted.
"Much remains to be done in the study of infrasonics,"
he emphasized. "The generation, propagation, presence and interaction of
these sounds with the human environment are all yet to be understood.
Soviets Find Bone Houses
Dayton. (Ohio) Daily News, Sunday, September 27, 1970
MOSCOW-(UPI)-Soviet archaeologists have unearthed houses
constructed by prehistoric man of the bones of mammoths, according to the
Soviet News Agency Tass.
Tass said scientists found the houses near the Ukrainian
town of Cherkassy. They were built 7,000 years ago.
"The first dwelling found was built of 385 bones of
the prehistoric animal," Tass said.
Working on the theory- that the house was part of a
village, the archaeologists kept digging and found a second house near the
first one Tass said.
The dwellings made of mammoth bones will be displayed in a
muse-um in Kiev, the capital of the Soviet Ukraine.
Flying Saucers in Copenhagen
The Post, (Cincinnati, Ohio) August 18, 1970
COPENHAGEN: Policeman Ewald Hansen from Haderslev in
DECEMBER, 1970 13
southern Jutland has photographed a flying saucer during a
routine highway patrol.
Hensen, 38, said that the engine of his car stopped and
the police radio went dead when his car was hit by a strong light from above.
Before he left the car to inspect the light source, he pressed the button
controlling the automatic cameras mounted inside the automobile.
The temperature in the car rose, Hansen remembered.
Outside, he saw a dark object in the sky, and suddenly he
sensed that the light rays were being sucked into the object and it disappeared.
Immediately after, the car engine fired once more and the radio began to
function.
Hansen called headquarters and reported the phenomenon.
When developed, the film showed a small white dot and part
of the crash barrier at the roadside was illuminated by a sharp light from
-above.
The film was given to the Danish Air Force, which will
undertake .an investigation into the matter.
Saucers over Toledo?
The Blade, (Toledo, Ohio) August 8, 1970
Sightings of unidentified flying objects in the Toledo
area over the past few days again have many eyes glued on the night skies.
The Blade received calls from sighters in Toledo, Grand
Rapids, Swanton, Napoleon, and Maumee Friday reporting objects that range in
color from red to bluish-green to white being seen.
One caller said that a yellow meteor-like object, moving
eastward, lit up an entire street in South Toledo.
Another said she saw what appeared to be a bluish-green
meteor streaking across the southern sky. It was "very bright, lasted a
matter of seconds, and disappeared."
The sightings could be connected with the annual Perseid
meteor "shower," which usually reaches its greatest concentration
about Aug. 11.
Neither the police nor the weather bureau reported any
calls concerning UFOs and had no explanation for them.. The last rash of
sightings in the Toledo area was in 1967.
14 UNDERSTANDING
Soviet Calls for Space Probe
Southwest Times Record, (Ft. Smith, Ark.) August 20, 1970
BRIGHTON, England (AP)--A Soviet scientist called
Wednesday for international cooperation to solve one of man's persistent
riddles-whether other civilizations exist in the universe beyond the earth. Vitali
Ginzburg, physicist member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, said large and
sensitive radio and optical telescopes needed for the experiment would cost
billions of dollars to build-too costly for one nation to bear.
"But I believe that to look for some signals of
intelligent life is quite sensible," he said at an international
astronomers' conference. "You would have to do it internationally although
it would be a difficult political thing."
Ginzburg said there is little chance of life close to
earth and suggested a possible distance in space of 100 light years. A light
year is the distance that light travels in a year or 5.8 trillion miles.
Anthony Hewish of Cambridge University said: "It
would be statistically very strange if we were the only intelligent life in the
galaxy." But Hewish, who discovered space signals in 1967 that he first
believed might be from intelligent beings, said the effort outlined by Ginzburg
would be "stupid at the moment."
"It would involve a large expenditure of money with a
small chance of result," Hewish said. "It would not be science and I
don't foresee it happening."
Chimp Brain Linked to Computer
Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 17, 1970
NEW HAVEN, Ct. (AP)-A team of Yale University scientists
has linked the brain of a chimpanzee and a computer, enabling the brain to
receive signals from the computer. The experiment raises the possibility of
electronic communication from one brain to another. It also suggests new ways
of treating mental and physical disorders.
In the chimpanzee experiment, electrodes implanted in the
animal's head picked up electrical brain waves which were transmitted to a
computer by a small receiver-transmitter atop its head. The computer returned a
control signal to another part of the brain through the receiver. Once
stimulated, the latter part of the brain internally turned off the brain
activity originally sensed by the computer, causing the chimp to change moods
often during the 1-1/2 year experiment.
DECEMBER, 1970 15
His Next Birthday
For His birthday, Let's give
Him the thing He wants most
A thing He often speaks of.
Let's surprise Him with
something we all know He wants;
It's something called
"Brotherly Love."
We could build it ourselves,
if we'd only try
And follow this pattern -a
creed-
The directions call for forbearance
and will
To minister to all those in
need.
It would mean sacrifice, doing
without
Things we think the most of.
Like greed, and avarice and
selfishness
And we'd have to spend plenty
of love.
When it's completed, what a
beautiful sight
We've composed with our hearts
and our reason!
And nourished with love and
polished with care
'Til it shines like the
imminent season!
What a glorious unwrapping
when Christmas dawns
What a perfect, appropriate
day for it!
Let's get wildly extravagant
for His birthday this year
If we all chip in, we can pay
for it.
-Anne Mart
16 UNDERSTANDING
HOW TO DO ALL THINGS: Your use of Divine Power-published
by Mark-Age Meta-Center, Inc., 327 NE 90 Terrace, Miami, Florida 33137. $5.00
Each New Age group has its particular Teaching for the
guidance of sincere seekers, each group appealing to a segment of such seekers.
HOW TO DO ALL THINGS is similar to many other books that map out a Path for
those who wish to climb to higher spiritual levels and is written in such a way
that all may profit from the proffered knowledge. The keys to spiritual power
are presented as "100 Spiritual Truths," necessary for all spiritual
development and are clearly set forth. No one can study- this book seriously
without making definite progress.
One interesting paragraph speaks of man's development in
handling the "natural" resources-"There never has been and never
will be a time when man has no power supply. There has been no real occasion to
worry about dwindling supplies of fuel-wood, coal, oil, gas, uranium or any
others. As man evolves he discovers new sources, each more powerful. Also, each
is less physical in nature. Man has gone from solids to liquids to gases to
atoms. His final and all-powerful step will be to recognize Spirit as the only
power. Then he will be shown how to make use of this power without intricate machinery
for conversion to energy."
Spiritual understanding allows proper requests to be made
in accordance with Divine Law. "Responsiveness of Spirit to your requests
for action depends upon the degree to which you live up to your inherent
spiritual nature." In this regime, as in all others based upon spiritual
truths, the Path is simple but rarely easy!
The third section of HOW TO DO ALL THINGS gives fifty very
DECEMBER, 1970 17
definite rules, the understanding and daily use of which
will enable you to "know thyself" and to reach a point where you can
help others.
We are warned to eliminate negative thoughts before
attempting to use spiritual power - when desiring physical healing do not start
out with the assumption that you are ill, but immediately affirm that you are
spiritually perfect and thus it is possible to manifest physical perfection.
Once you decree what is to be made manifest, "let" Spirit take over,
always remembering that of yourself you can do nothing.
Two thoughts impressed themselves upon the mind of this
reviewer -- always consider others, as selfishness is a breach of spiritual law,
plus the need to be always receptive to Divine Ideas received through
meditation.
The final section of HOW TO DO ALL THINGS has to do with
effective prayer and this is undoubtedly one of the ways in which we all must
be alert for guidance and further development. The ultimate of prayer is to be
"at one" with the inner Christ Consciousness, and a never-ending
attempt to reach this pinnacle can be helped along through the study of this
book.
A "tip of the hat" to this group is earned by
the inclusion of the thought that it is but one of many such New Age centers
for dissemination of helpful Truths-we all tire of the group which sets itself
before us as the "one way to salvation," for many channels bring us
messages of inspiration and illumination.
-Dorothy Low
——— ♦ ———
Suppose that you were going about your business just being
your joyous little self and out of the blue you receive a seeming, unprovoked
verbal attack. What do you do? The normal natural reaction is to defend
yourself and to shout back your defending remarks. This usually results in more
shouting and increased animosity by both par-ties. A small war ensues. Nothing
is gained, in fact a great deal is lost.
Next time try this procedure: Quietly- look at the
Provoker. Focus your eyes on an area between his two eyes and mentally say,
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, (Sanskrit word meaning Peace). Then, mentally say,
"May His Great Love encompass you." I think you will be amazed at the
results. I was!
18 UNDERSTANDING
For us to be with His Great Love and Power ... makes us
one with all the Power and Love in the Universe.
The real reason for the lack of understanding and discord
between individuals, groups of individuals and nations is the lack of Higher
Guidance and Attunement. When we tune in we function as One harmonious Whole.
Of course, it is easier said than done. Personally,
sometimes we feel overcome by anger, resentment, etc. To transmute these
feelings into feelings of Love for the apparently "unlovely" is
beyond our power to do. We definitely need Help. So, when we are mentally
saying Shanti we are asking for that help. When we ask that another be bathed
in His Great Love we are turning a Herculean task over to Hercules who can do
the job.
So, in reality, we need not ever again feel that we should
love the "unlovely." Even the Great Masters do not do this; nor does
the Greatest Intelligence in the Universe do this, for Love is Blind. When
seeing with eyes of Great Love, they see only the good and beautiful in all,
they see only the potential perfection. Most of us are unable to do this so we
ask for help, we offer ourselves as channels, as little funnels through which
this Great Love can filter.
-Vivian Hultgren
——— ♦ ———
Election of Officers
At the Annual Meeting of Understanding, Inc. on October 31st, 1970, the following new officers were elected, for the coming year.
DECEMBER.1970 19
President-Dr. Daniel W. Fry; Executive Vice-President (by appointment)-Mrs.
Wilma E. Thompson; Vice-Presidents-Dr. Olin Byerly, Mr. T. Yale Hurt, and Mr.
Francis Kipp.
Honorary International Directors- Mr. Per Axel Atterbom of
Sweden; Mr. Anthony Brooke of England; and Miss Edith Nicolaisen of Sweden.
National Directors-Dr. Daniel W. Fry, Mrs. Tahahlita Fry,
Mr. Harvey E. Campbell, Mrs. Marie A. Hale, Mrs. Angela Kilsbry, Mrs. Dema
Luttrell, Mr. Harry F. May, Mr. Edward T. O'Connor, and Dr. Eugene E.
Whitworth.
Other Officers-Recording Secretary, Mrs. Clara Bonner;
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Melva Campbell; Treasurer, Mrs. Kerttu Campbell;
Subscriptions, Mrs. Edna Basmajian; Membership and Organization, Mrs. Joanne Doorly;
Geographic Files, Mrs. Esther Ells-worth; and Friendship by Mail Chairman, Mrs.
Aleta Johnston.
The Officers of Understanding will need the support of
every member as they seek to promote on a world-wide scale Dr. Fry's
"Proposal to Determine the Area of Mutual Agreement in the Social
Sciences." We count on you as well as our staff to "promote a better
under-standing among all peoples of earth, as well as of those not of
earth." The President's Message will appear in the January issue.
Remember Your Friends
Our annual Gift Subscription offer for Understanding
Magazine, at Two Dollars for the year, is effective until Christmas.
Remember your friends with a Gift Subscription which they
will appreciate all through the year. A gift card is sent with the December
issue.
Please send gift renewals and new orders to:
Understanding, Inc., P. O. Box 22, Sta. C, Pasadena, Calif., 91104.
"Proposal" Reprinted
A new printing of Dr. D. W. Fry's "Proposal"- the
Area of Mutual Agreement in the Social Sciences- has just been made. The new version
(5 pages) offers an example of how the Congress would proceed.
Copies are available from our Merlin address at five cents
per copy and a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Why not order several to share
with local news agencies and community organizations.
20 UNDERSTANDING
Much publicity is still needed to create the climate for
the convening of a congress to discuss the "areas of agreement." We
do need your help!
A Reminder
Your contributions to Understanding, Inc. during the year
1970 are U. S. Income Tax Deductible!
Friendship by Mail
With a change in the Chairman of our Friendship by Mail
service we ask that you write to
Mrs. Aleta
Johnston
c/o Understanding,
Inc.
P. O. Box 206,
Merlin, Ore. 97532
for names of people eager to correspond with you.
We grow in understanding through our sharing, in person or
by mail. There are many interesting people the world over seeking communication
with friends in other countries.
Start the New Year by making friends in other lands!
——— ♦ ———
6c per word per insertion; 3 or more insertions same
copy, 5c per word.
PATHWAY TO PERSONAL PERFECTION – Free Details – Box 10356,
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33305.
——— ♦ ———
Understanding, Inc. P. O. Box 22, Sta. C. Pasadena,
Calif. 91104
Please enter a one year subscription to Understanding
Magazine for:
Name __________________________________
Address ________________________________
City ________________ State ______________ Zip
__________________
Payment enclosed ___ $2.50
per year
|
BOOKS
AVAILABLE
A Spacewoman Speaks
Rolf Telano ............. $1.50
A Call At Dawn
Kelvin Rowe ............$3.00
Secret of Success (soft) $1.65
R. C. Allen (hard) $4.50
ESP and Your Superconsciousness
(soft) $1.45
Gilbert Holloway
(hard) $4.50
Stranger at the Pentagon
Dr. Frank E. Stranges .. .. $3.98
Please add 15c per book for postage and handling.
Merlin
Publishing Company
P. O. Box
105
Merlin,
Oregon 97532
|
EARLY IN 1971
a directory listing persons interested in the unusual
will be combined with
WHO’S WHO IN
THE PSYCHIC
WORLD
YOU CAN BE
INCLUDED
If you register
now
For details write
The PSYCHIC
REGISTER
INTERNATIONAL
P.O. Box 11288A
Phoenix, Arizona 85017
|
|
SEASON'S
GREETINGS
From
The Editor and
Staff
Of
Understanding
Magazine
May Your
Christmas
Be Merry
And
The New Year
Bring Joy
Through
Understanding
|
ADVERTISING
SPACE AVAILABLE
Advertise Your Books,
Activities, etc.,
in Understanding Magazine
Rates:
$8 per quarter
page per month
Three months:
$16.50
Six months: $28
One year: $48
These rates are for additional insertions of the same
copy. The charge for copy change is $3.00 per quarter page. For other rates,
please write. If proof is desired, copy must be submitted one month in
advance of publication.
Copy limit, 20 lines to quarter page
|
Memberships in Understanding
Understanding, Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated
to the propagation of a better understanding among all the peoples of the earth
so that they may live in harmony and be better prepared psychologically and
sociologically for the space age.
Several types of membership are available to those who
wish to support our endeavors either with dollars or with time and service, or
both.
The Associate Membership is Two Dollars per year; the
Contributing Membership, Ten Dollars per year, including the Understanding
magazine; Sustaining Membership, Twenty-Five Dollars per year, including
subscription; and Life Membership, Five Hundred Dollars, including subscription
to Understanding magazine.
Welcome to the Understanding family!
UNDERSTANDING, INC.
P.O. Box 206, Merlin, Oregon 97532.
