As plane hijackings and prison revolts become "old hat" to the reading public, a relatively new "fad" is beginning to take over the headlines. The public hero of today is one who has, by one means or another, obtained possession of, and offered for general publication, classified documents whose contents are embarrassing, and sometimes incriminating to, high level officials, especially those in the Federal Administration. As in plane hijacking and prison revolts, a considerable amount of personal hazard is involved in the operation, and this acids spice and zest to what might otherwise be a dull and thank-less task.

Public officials, no matter how exalted their position, are of course, still human beings (although many persons have expressed doubts) and no human enjoys having his secret plotting and scheming made public, especially after the plots and schemes have failed and he has carefully buried the evidence of his folly in the sacrosanct archives of "National Security."

Although many sincere, intelligent and highly informed citizens have long pointed out that our country would be far more secure if we could eliminate at least 95% of our "National Security," yet this hallowed burial ground for the foibles, follies and sometimes the

2 UNDERSTANDING

incredible stupidity of our "hired hands" in Washington, is still in constant use and the sanctity of its burial processes are protected by laws whose harshness rivals that of any laws ever written.

Daniel Ellsberg, whose only crime was the release to the public of documents whose effect was to prove to the public things which the public already knew, i9 currently being prosecuted under a long list of charges which, if any court should sustain them., could result in a sentence of 115 years in prison. Since this is equal to more than 20 times the average term served by those convicted of manslaughter, and ten times the average term served for murder, it is clear that officialdom is determined to use any means in its power to discourage others from prying into the closets where the skeletons are hidden. Such attempts never succeed, of course, since the creation of a martyr always raises the status of, and the dedication to any given cause.

It will be interesting to see what eventually happens to columnist Jack Anderson and those from whom he is obtaining the "Minutes of the Washington Special Action Group." Perhaps these are other martyrs in the making.

In any event, the public is obviously becoming weary of being constantly in the dark, and it is unlikely that it will ever again tolerate the almost total secrecy which has habitually been maintained in international relationships by its paid employees, and alleged representatives in Washington.

——— ♦ ———

SHAKE HANDS TO KNOW THE PERSON

Ever shake hands with a "wet fish." or a "dish rag," when meeting someone? and judged the person accordingly. If you have ever sized a person up in this manner then you have unknowingly dabbled in the ancient art of palmistry.

While palmists do read from prints of the palms or by just looking at the palm itself, as I have done also, you can learn a great deal about that individual simply by the way his hand "feels." Most palmists will, at some point in their reading, touch the palm itself if possible.

The handshake began as a gesture saying, "See, I don't have any weapons in my hands and I want to be friends," but since its inception it has developed into a manifestation of greeting, farewell, agreement

FEBRUARY, 1972 3

or a bargain, so a good handshake is a very important gesture in dealing with people.

If you shake the hand of a person whose hand feels sweaty, don't sell that person short. If the hand is also warm you may have met an individual who really cares about other people, possibly to the point where they unknowingly worry too much about pleasing the other fellow. They always seem to be on guard against saying anything that might hurt someone else’s feelings, or not looking quite up to snuff, or not serving the type of food their guests would like. Yes-they are worry warts, possibly shy, and don't have as much self confidence as the next man, but it is YOUR feelings they are concerned with and not their own. Their major goal in life is to please everyone. Some of them find out this is impossible and their hands quit sweating.

The COLD sweaty hand is another story. Here the individual is also very insecure of himself, but to the point where he is completely wrapped up with his own feelings of insecurity. He doesn't have the time really, regardless of how kind and unassuming he may be, to worry about the other person. He may try to look and seem extremely cool and calm, even to the point of seeming snobbish in some cases, but his hands are a dead give away.

Just because someone gives you a real hearty welcome handshake, don't think he is necessarily a sincere pleasant person. If his hand feels extremely spongy it means he's self indulgent, and if it is cold and spongy, the individual probably wants something from you, especially if he greeted you like a long lost brother.

If someone just gives you the tip of their fingers in a handshake, they either have some trouble pressing on their mind, or they feel threaten around you.

Never get the mistaken idea that just because a parson's hand feels soft, even a woman's hand, that they are more vulnerable than someone with a firmer hand. Some of the strongest willed and most tyrannical people have soft spongy hands. This is not to say that all people with soft hands are tyrants, but one of their outstanding traits will be stubbornness. The rest depends upon the degree of sponginess.

A human's palm should feel sort of elastic to the touch and be fairly warm. But since the world is made up of so many different types of people. as it should be, I have never come across what could b? called,

4 UNDERSTANDING

"the perfect hand," and I know I never will. That's really a matter of preference.

Another extreme is the very hard, dry hand. This type of person is probably more vulnerable than might be imagined. They are more idealistic and aesthetic. The harder and dryer their hand, the more they look down on you if you aren't like them. They would deny them-selves pleasures, even necessities for what they believe in, and they would expect you to deny yourselves too. The problem is, they are rarely ever fulfilled, and seldom find inner peace.

A very sad projection of this hard hand is when it is sweaty and cold. I'm sure many of our institutions are filled with people who have this bony cold and sweaty hand.

Now a bony hard hand, if it is warm to the touch, can be an ideal hand to have. I have found that these individuals like to give service to other people. They are hard working in their efforts to fulfill their need to help others. The only things they have to watch out for is looking down on someone who isn't quite as strong mentally as they are.

A person who has hair running down almost to the joints of the fingers has a mercurial temper. They will probably be the most gregarious of people to meet and be associated with. Look for a hearty handshake from them. But if something makes them mad-look out. Possibly, if you're meeting them for the first time you can take notice of the extra glint in their eyes.

Very smooth feeling hands belong to a calm even tempered person, providing they have a genuine warm handshake and the palm feels fairly firm. Don't confuse calluses on the hand as meaning the person doesn't have a smooth palm. Calluses just mean manual work of some sort, but the uncallused parts of the palm can be smooth and not coarse feeling.

If the hand feels spongy, but is yet smooth, the person will be rather indifferent towards you as if he could care less about the meeting.

A handshake says, "I'm interested in you, I'm glad to meet you, You bore me already, I hope you enjoy yourself, My mind is on other things," so even if you're just meeting a person for the first time, you may already know him better than he thinks you do, because all you have to do for starters is, "SHAKE HANDS TO KNOW THE PERSON." -Rita S. Busby

FEBRUARY, 1972 5

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Greatest Sin ............................................................................................. Fear

The Best Day ..................................................................................................... Today

The Biggest Fool .................................. One Who Will Not Go To School

The Most Agreeable Companion One Who Would Not Have You Any Different

The Best Town ................................................................ Where You Succeed

The Great Bore ............................ One Who Will Not Come To The Point

The Greater Bore One Who Keeps Talking After Making His Point

The Greatest Deceiver ............................... One Who Deceives Himself

The Greatest Invention Of The Devil ..................................................... War

The Greatest Secret of Production .............................. Saving Waste

The Best Work ............................................................................... What You Like

The Best Play ................................................................................................... Work

The Greatest Comfort Knowledge You Have Done Your Work Well

The Greatest Mistake ......................................................................... Giving Up

The Most Expensive Indulgence ............................................................ Hate

The Cheapest, Easiest and Most Foolish Thing To Do .... Find Fault

The Greatest Trouble Maker ...................... One Who Talks Too Much

The Greatest Stumbling Block ....................................................... Egotism

The Most Ridiculous Asset ...................................................................... Pride

The Worst Bankrupt ........... The Soul That Has Lost Its Enthusiasm

The Cleverest Man One Who Always Does What He Thinks Is Right

The Most Dangerous Person ................................................................. A Liar

The Most Disagreeable Person ..................................... The Complainer

The Best Teacher .......................... One Who Makes You Want To Learn

The Meanest Feeling .................................. Envy of Another's Success

The Greatest Need ................................................................. Understanding

The Greatest Puzzle ....................................................................................... Life

The Greatest Mystery .............................................................................. Death

The Greatest Thought .................................................................................. God

The Greatest Thing In All The World ................................................... Love

-Tahahlita Fry

♦ ♦ ♦

6 UNDERSTANDING

ON BEING AWARE

Part Five

The only person you can ever truly know is yourself. And there is no other person who can answer for your behavior. Get to know yourself. Get to trust yourself. Listen to your "hunches" and follow your in-tuitions. Know that deep inside of you, at your core, at your soul level, you know all the answers. You do not yet know that you know, but the more aware you become, the more you will feel right about yourself. No matter what someone else thinks or says, you will feel good about yourself because you made the best decision for that moment.

In becoming more aware of emotions, know that they have a positive, negative, and neutral value, which will differ from creature to creature, event to event. You must know the emotion that suits you for that moment, and find the balance right for you in your repertoire.

The more aware you become of the variety of your emotions, the more choice you will have. What, for example, are the differences between crying for joy, anger, frustration, satisfaction and/or embarrassment. Does a man's crying differ from that of a woman-in meaning, in tonal quality, in quantity? What is the difference to you between anger, fear, despair, helplessness, anxiety? What experiences have you had for each of these emotions? Can you bring up the physical feelings that accompanied the experience, as well as the visual image in your head?

Emotions, then, have great potential for good and for evil. In the neurotic person, the emotional response tends to be extreme. If you are too moody, angry, happy, depressed or whatever, you may need to balance that emotion. To do so, you may have to go to the other extreme to test yourself. Don't be surprised when this happens, for after you experience both sides of the emotion, you will have a better under-standing of the total response. Then you can find the balance that suits you. Remember, though, that life is not static. The balance keeps changing as you continue to grow-. Be flexible.

As you become more flexible, you will be more able to understand and experience the feelings of others. Again, do not be too extreme. If you experience someone else's emotions too deeply, you may drain your own feelings. Balance yourself in this regard, too.

FEBRUARY, 1972 7

Become aware of your patterns, because much destructive behavior began in childhood. As adults, you cannot function well in the present if parts of you still are childish. The retarded parts of yourself will keep you from growing the empty parts will weigh you down. Re-member, life is change, and growth is life.

To live well with others, then, you first must learn to live well with self. And to do this, you must learn to live more openly, honestly, and fully in the present, experiencing each moment with as much depth as possible. Be yourself. Be.

SELF PORTRAIT

Do you really know yourself? Are you willing to admit your faults and hang-ups to yourself and others as you are willing to share your victories? Can you describe your positive aspects? Can you write an honest evaluation of yourself? Try it, but here are some points to think about-before, during, and after the writing.

How far back can you remember? How would you describe yourself as an infant, child, teenager? What are your dominant traits now, Do you basically like yourself? What do you dislike about yourself?

Which parent was closest to you as you were growing up? Which is closest now, if any? If only one parent was at home, how did this effect you? Was the break-up clue to divorce, some kind of separation, death? If they remained together, did they understand themselves? Each other? Were they more happy or unhappy with self and others?

How- many brothers and sisters, if any, do you (did you) have? What are the ways you enjoyed them, hated them, or wanted to hurt them! Do you still have negative feelings'' Do you feel guilty about this? Were you the oldest, middle, youngest, only child? How did this effect you? Were you spoiled, misused, beaten, ignored, over-protected. Did either of your parents want you to be of the opposite sex'.' Did you want to be the opposite sex? Why?

Which of your parents are you most alike in personality, in temperament? What of their traits that you have do you like 'dislike? Are any of their negative traits present in a mate, lover, child, teacher, employer? How does this effect you? Do you want to change people, be changed? If so, who do you want them-or yourself-to be?

How did your parents influence your views on religion, politics, society, economics, employment, etc.? Did this help or hinder you'.' What

8 UNDERSTANDING

other people were positively or negatively influential in your life? Did you grow up in a city or town? Many cities many towns? On which side of the tracks did you live? If you moved a lot, how did this effect your doing well in school, making friends? What if you didn't move much?

To be continued

——— ♦ ———

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Meditation and Drug Use

The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, November 5, 1971.

BOSTON (AP)-Two medical researchers are trying to determine whether transcendental meditation, a form of yoga may be a good way to break the drug habit by reducing or eliminating the anxieties that lead some people to narcotics.

Drs. Herbert Benson and Robert Keith Wallace of the Harvard Medical Unit at Boston City Hospital are studying the experience of 10,000 high school juniors in Boston, California, Iowa, Ohio and Minnesota.

The doctors became interested in the effects of transcendental meditation almost by accident. While testing subjects trained in yoga for their ability to control such things as heart rate and blood pressure, the researchers found that 19 of 20 subjects who used heroin, barbiturates, LSD, amphetamines and marijuana said they stopped after beginning transcendental meditation.

The subjects reported that they found drug-induced feelings "extremely distasteful" compared to those from meditating.

An ancient Indian mental exercise popularized in this country by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, transcendental meditation is described by its practitioners as easy, natural and spontaneous.

"Your attention is turned inward toward experiencing more and more refined levels of thinking," says Andree Leonard, area coordinator of the nonprofit Students International Meditation Society in Cam-bridge.

Transcendental meditation appears to be able to shut off physical reactions from excitement or anger, Benson said. Physiologically it slows the rate of oxygen use, yet is quite differently from sleep, hypnosis or autosuggestion, he added.

FEBRUARY, 1972 9

Witch Doctor's Importance

Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, November 25, 1971.

MADISON, Wis. (UPI)-Some surgical and medicinal methods employed by primitive witch doctors may be laughed off by modern medicine but their bedside manner could not be disputed, according to a University of Wisconsin medical historian.

Witch doctors who administer mainly to the mental needs of the sick concentrate on relieving anxiety and improving morale of their patients, Dr. Guenter B. Risse said.

"This is an area in which the modern physician, engrossed in sophisticated medical technology, has fallen short," he said.

Risse said that when a person becomes ill he loses his self-assurance and becomes do pressed and worried.

"In a primitive tribe the mere presence of the highly respected Shaman is an important morale builder," he said. "The Shaman represents all of the religious and social beliefs of the tribe and can call on the powerful sprit world. His rituals draw attention to the patient and build up the patient's hope."

Risse said white doctors in Navajo reservations have acknowledged the Shaman's power. He said they say recovery from operations is notably faster if the patient is visited by the medicine man before surgery.

Risse, who is both a physician and historian, said the success of faith healers points up a need for physicians to develop a greater understanding of the psychological and emotional aspects of illness.

——— ♦ ———

TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE CREW!

This operation: "Saving of mankind" has, as its main goal, the possibility- for mankind to save itself.

In fulfilling our tasks within the program of the operation we are

a) to spread the knowledge about reality

b) to spread the knowledge about the human being

c) to spread the knowledge about the factors involved in the inter-relation between human beings.

The first prerequisite for a member of the crew is to be clean in the inner life. This gives in turn cleanness in the outer life relations with other beings. Having established the cleanness the possibility is

10 UNDERSTANDING

given to search for the real truth which is to be the basis for the knowledge to be spread under the points a, b and c above. If this search for the truth is carried out with the actual human mind the results of the search will certainly not be the real truth but only some reflection of it or possibly- even false findings. In order to find the real truth one has to open oneself to the inherent forces in nature and to see and find.

If this is carried out thoroughly one receives or has the possibility for a complete understanding of all aspects of life. Understanding not only gives the possibility of living in peace with others but also creates the basis for the individual to love all the other individual beings in the world understandingly. The egocentric egoism will fall away and be replaced by a feeling and a wish to be of help to other people in a constructive way.

The spreading of knowledge (as to the points a, b and c above) could be done in a "besser-wisser" way. From psychology we know that this will give no good reactions. By using the technique of an opened mind mentioned before, there will be established situations and given new lines of thought which by means of questions can create a more receptive and internally more cooperative attitude in our fellow men when discussing a specific problem.

-Bertil Kuhlemann, Enebyberg, Sweden

——— ♦ ———

world report

Rain Gods Work

The Blade: Toledo, Ohio, December 15, 1971

COSTA MESA, Calif (T-P)-Sometimes, when the National Weather Service says it will be Sunny- in southern California, Bill Payne promises he'll produce a big rainstorm.

Mr. Payne is an Orange Coast College professor who has defied the official forecast by setting ceramic rain gods all over the campus here.

He has done it 11 times since 1952, always choosing a day when the weather service says it will be sunny.

Professor Payne says his gods have coaxed a downpour on each

FEBRUARY, 1972 11

occasion except one. The lone failure resulted when he tried to use gods from the previous year.

The gods will not be fooled, Mr. Payne, a professor of ceramic art of OCC since 1949, said. So every year he mixes up a fresh batch. "The thing works," Professor Payne said. "It will rain before nightfall, and we'll have between 2 and 2-1/2 inches."

With the help of several students, Professor Payne scatters exactly 30 of his ceramic gods around campus about 8:30 in the morning of his chosen day.

The key to his ritual is making sure all Gods are placed outdoors and facing the sky. They are set on rooftops, hedges, walkways, benches and automobile hoods.

"The first time we did it, there wasn't a cloud in the sky," Professor Payne said. "But by 2:30 p. m. it was pouring. Can you imagine that'?' Guarding his gods closely, Professor Payne keeps them indoors until ready for use. The entire production will be spoiled, he said, if the gods see sunlight before the day they are used.

He originally staged the rain ritual as a teaching device for a class in Mexican culture.

Students urged him to keep it up, however. But there are always skeptics.

"They always come crawling around afterward," Professor Payne said, "saying, `You did it. You did it."'

Grow In Salt Water

The Alliance (Ohio) Review, November 1, 1971

LA JOLLA, Calif. (AP) -A research group has succeeded in growing barley- and red table beets in full strength seawater, a possible significant step toward using the ocean for irrigation and the development of salt-tolerant food crops. Celery, spinach, sugar beets, Swiss chard, asparagus, pomegranates and New Zealand flax also were grown in slightly diluted seawater in the experiments at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The plants were grown hydroponically in buckets of brine after being started in fresh water. This is believed to be the first success in growing salt-sensitive crop plants in saline concentrations higher than about .5 per cent. Seawater is 3.5 her cent salt.

To Test Acupuncture

Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Ore., November 14, 1971

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI)-American medicine should begin an "active

12 UNDERSTANDING

Research investigation" of the Chinese needle treatment used in, the Far East for centuries for a wide variety of ailments, the president of the San Francisco Medical Society believes.

Dr. Paul Scholten admits that Chinese physicians don't know how the treatment, called acupuncture, works, but suggests serious study of the method. Treatment consists of inserting slender needles at various points in the body.

"This is surely not a ridiculous suggestion," Scholten wrote in the current issue of the society's bulletin. "In the past many valuable drugs have been adopted from the herbals of folk-healers, including quinine, morphine, ephedrinen cocaine."

Moon Moves Moscow

Youngstown (Ohio) Vindicator, Nov. 17, 1971

MOSCOW (UPI)-Moscow moves 15 inches a day under the influence of the moon, a Soviet geophysicist reports.

Nikolai Pariisky told the Tass News Agency that "every day the surface of our planet rises and lowers. The earth is made to breathe by the moon and to a lesser extent, by the sun."

Pariisky said as the globe rotates around its axis, its elongated part is being constantly displaced.

"As a result, all the points on the earth situated on the continents and in the ocean rise and lower alternately," he said.

Pariisky said "under the pull of the moon, Moscow travels over a distance of 15 inches every day."

Russia Starts Behavior Study

The Blade, (Toledo, Ohio) December 21, 1971

MOSCOW (Reuter)-The Soviet Academy of Sciences has set up a new institute, of psychology to study human behavior, a branch of science which has received relatively little attention in the past.

According to Tass, it will pay special attention to behavior in unnatural environments, such as space, and in large work forces, and the relationship between man and machine.

The institute will be headed by 44-year-old Boris Lomov, a specialist in general and engineering psychology, the news agency added.

The existing institutes of psychology in Moscow, Kiev, and Tbilsi deal mainly with problems concerned with education, Mr. Lomov told Tass.

FEBRUARY, 1972 13

Human behavioral psychology was at one time a taboo subject in the Soviet Union.

Computer That Can Talk

Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune, December 29, 1971

MENLO PARK, Calif. (UPI) -Scientists at the Stanford Research Institute (SR) announced Tuesday they have started to build a computer that can converse with its programmers, answering questions verbally.

Dr. Bertram Raphael, manager of SRI's artificial intelligence pro-gram, said the computer will be able to speak its answers as long as its questioners limit themselves to a 1000-word vocabulary programmed into the device, and as long as they speak clearly in "pure American male English."

The computer might have trouble with slurred words, Raphael said, and women have a different way of talking.

"We're not sure the computer we have can achieve the speech understanding as quickly as people do," Raphael said. "We may have to wait several minutes for the replies."

There is a big advantage of a computer that can be spoken to, he said, because "as it is now, computers can only be used by people who type or can punch cards."

SRI is one of several institutions and businesses taking part in the five-year project to develop the computer. It is underwritten by the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the Defense Department.

Volcano Power Possible

Daily Courier, (Grants Pass, Ore.) December 9, 1971

SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) -Scientists discussed "defusing" volcanoes and building solar generators Tuesday as ways of developing natural power sources before the next century.

Dr. Robert Rex told an American Geophysical Union meeting that Mt. Ranier in Washington State was the "most dangerous" dormant volcano in the United States.

"We should look at freezing it-at getting the heat out of it." Rex said eruptions of lava from deep inside the earth could not be prevented but that techniques now being worked on by scientists at Los Alamos, N. M. would keep volcanoes from exploding.

He explained that Mt. Ranier and Mt. Shasta in Northern California were potentially dangerous because they contain molten rock with water

14 UNDERSTANDING

in it. He contrasted them with the volcanoes in the Hawaiian Islands which contain no steam within the rock.

Rex said the heat could be taken from Mt. Ranier over 10 to 20 years and used as a source of geothermal energy. An expert in the field of underground sources of thermal power, Rex said the technology was available but experts must study the economic feasibility.

UFO Spotted Over County

Daily Courier, (Grants Pass, Ore.) Jan. 5, 1972

A UFO (unidentified flying object) was reported to the Josephine County sheriff's office Tuesday.

Phil Sepull, Pay Less Drugs, told sheriff's deputies the UFO appeared east over the freeway. He described the object as a large flaming ball that dropped below the mountains

Sheriff's deputies were unable to locate the object.

——— ♦ ———

book reviews

FUTURE SHOCK

by Akin Toffler

Bantam Books, $1.95

Alvin Toffler spent five years in research, studying institutions, organizations, governmental agencies and individuals-from Nobel prize winners to hippies. Of Future Shock he says, "It is about what happens to people when they are overwhelmed by change. It is about ways in which we adapt-or fail to adapt-to the future."

Future Shock presents the many facets of the super-technology which besets our lives today, and reveals the fallacy of seeking answers to present situations in the past. It is a totally new life pattern. Accelerated change and transcience in life styles has made man rootless

FEBRUARY, 1972 15

and insecure. Physiologically and psychologically man is suffering. Too often he is unaware of the sources of his stress and illness.

The author defines his term "future shock" as "the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time." The text explores change with its implications on our concepts of time, space, work, love, religion, sex and all else. The book poses the problem of probable, possible and preferable futures. It indicates man's need to halt "the run-away acceleration that is subjecting multitudes to the area of future shock." It is a book designed to expand man's awareness of the future, and to provoke him to answer, now, the question of what kind of world he wants in ten, twenty, thirty years from now.

To explain this "new society" in which we live, to which we must adapt, or which we should modify, Alvin Toffler considers such broad categories as: The Death of Permanence, Transcience, Novelty, Limits of Adaptability and Strategies for Survival. In detail he considers such subjects as: The Throw-Away Society, The New Nomads, The Modular Man, The Experience Makers, the Fractured Family, Over-choice, the Sub-cults and the Diversity of Life Styles. Also discussed are such topics as education for the future, taming technology, social futurism and much more.

Change is considered as the psychological force which disturbs our inner equilibrium as situations flow past us too swiftly for normal adaptation. Novelty decreases man's ability to cope with life to which no previous personal experience can be applied. To survive, says Toffler„ man must understand transcience and discover new means to be anchored to life since the former ties of religion, nation, community, profession or family, no longer apply.

Future Shock is a fascinating, absorbing and somewhat frightening look at the world of today, yet it is not without suggestion as to what can and may be done to shape the future, to promote a future along our considered alternatives.

To know the facts and to become aware of the invisible factors which modify our lives and well being can lead to an understanding of situations which, hitherto fore, we may have judged emotionally rather than rationally. However, to the reviewer, one factor of significance has been omitted by which man can maintain a stability and purpose in being-the remembrance of his Divine Source.

16 UNDERSTANDING

UFOS INTERNATIONAL

UFO Seen By Hundreds Over Ceylon

National Enquirer, December 26, 1971, By William Dick

A strange, glowing unidentified flying object (UFO) with wings has startled hundreds of observers in the mountainous regions of Ceylon on several occasions.

Described as globe-shaped, the UFO came within 100 yards of some ground observers, according to Weekend, a leading English-language newspaper on the Indian Ocean island.

"Not less than 200 people in the tea country of Hawaheta, about 120 miles from Colombo (capital of Ceylon), have seen this unidentified flying object," reported Weekend.

Susanta Dealwis, the First Secretary of the Ceylon Embassy in Washington, D. C., explained to The ENQUIRER: "I can confirm there have been numerous reports of UFO sightings over Ceylon. What these objects are, I do not know."

The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Ceylon Air Force, P.H. Mendis, told an ENQUIRER reporter in Colombo, the island's capital: "The UFOs seen over central Ceylon were definitely not airplanes or helicopters."

And A. M. Seneviratne, Assistant Superintendent of the Ceylon Police, said: "Most of the people who reported witnessing the UFO were responsible citizens who would not make false claims."

——— ♦ ———

DRUGS AND POSSESSION

The story is told of a boy smoking marijuana, dabbling with a Ouija Board, who becomes obsessed with a demon. Elsewhere, psychologists scratch their heads in frustration at symptoms displayed by youthful drug users. Often, it is said, they do not appear to be the classic schizophrenic symptoms generally induced by hallucinogens, but something far stranger.

Some, following the path of Sigmund Freud, who once declared that if he had had his life to live over again, would use it in the study of psychic phenomenon rather than psychology, whisper a word long unspoken in the medical professions: possession.

FEBRUARY, 1912 17

The weakened, trance-like state of the drug user would seem perfect for possession, if one accepts such beliefs. Another interesting point, made on Detroit’s Lou Gordon Show during a panel discussion of the problem, was that such afflicted individuals are generally not only drug users, but "dabblers" in the occult.

As if there weren't enough reasons not to take drugs already, the parapsychologists have added one more!

-T. Casey Brennan

bulletin board

Thank You! Thank You

Our thanks to our many thoughtful, generous friends may seem late indeed, but publication dates and events do not always work out for earlier release of news items. (Copy for this issue is sent to our printer January 6th.)

The staff of Understanding, Inc. is grateful for the many thoughtful Christmas greetings and donations received, and we thank you all. Unit 76 of Klamath Falls sent $75.00; Dorothy Abeel, St. Louis, Mo. sent $50.00; and Mrs. Celia H. Barnes, Nevada City, Calif. sent $5.00, all of which funds will be applied toward expenses of the Understanding Magazine.

Unit 37, Buffalo, N. Y. contributed $100.00 towards clearing our indebtedness for the furnishings of the International Cultural Center of Understanding.

Many thanks to all who contribute so generously that our efforts

18 UNDERSTANDING

"to promote a better understanding among all peoples of earth, and of those not of earth" may continue.

A New Year-A New Unit

We start the year 1972 with the good news that in North Muskegon, Michigan, a new Unit has been chartered-Unit 81.

Mrs. Carolyn L. Civis, the organizer, reports that the first meeting was devoted to a discussion of articles from the Understanding Magazine.

We congratulate the founding members of Unit 81 and wish them an interesting year as the membership and activities expand.

Books Received

From Vantage Press, Inc., New York has come a metaphysical drama by Antita in Tala and Enrica, entitled Sunrise. Sunrise is a play based upon karma and reincarnation.

From APOLLO VEREIN of New Zealand, has come a copy of Captain Bruce Cathie's well publicized book-Harmonic 33. The text is concerned with a world-wide grid system being established by UFOs, according to Captain Cathie.

We thank all who contribute to our Understanding Libraries that we may expand our understanding and appreciation of the many facets of life.

Seminars in Merlin

Aletheia, Psycho-Physical Foundation, will present Olivia Skinner in two weekends of Seminars, entitled "Knowing the Unlimited Self." The five sessions (15 hours of study) will be held on the weekends of February 18, 19, 20 and February 25-27, at the International Cultural Center of Understanding, 2200 Merlin Road.

Counseling services by Olivia Skinner will also be available. Details from Aletheia, P. 0. Box 33-1, Selma, Oregon 97538 or Selma-4765 (phone).

Units Schedule Lectures

Merlin Unit 1 has scheduled for February 15th a lecture on Macro-philosophy to be presented by Dr. and Mrs. D. L. Plym, counseling psychologists.

San Bernardino Unit 71 plans to present Gina Cerminara in Feb. Write Mrs. Esther Ellsworth, P. 0. Box 626, Morongo Valley, Calif. 92256, for time and place.

FEBRUARY, 1972 19

indebtedness for the furnishings of the International Cultural Center of Understanding.

Many thanks to all who contribute so generously that our efforts Buffalo Unit 37 has plans to present Yeatta (Miss Henrietta Schmandt) a well known Astrologer in February, and Harry and Mary Fogel, spiritualists and mediums in April. Details of time and place may be had from Mrs. Marie A. Hale, 58 Berwyn, Buffalo N. Y. 14215

Correction

The Understanding National Convention will be held on the weekend of June 23, 24 and 25 at the International Cultural Center of Under-standing at Merlin, Ore.

Understanding Prayer Chain

One of the prime projects of Understanding Unit 80 in San Jose, Calif., is the building of a large "Prayer Chain." This project, which was originated by Unit 80 as a public service, operates as follows several telephone numbers are supplied, which can be called by anyone who is in immediate need of spiritual or moral assistance. Those who receive the calls will relay them to a large number of volunteers who, in turn will relay them to others. Thus a large number of able and sympathetic persons can be alerted quickly to the needs of the original caller.

The power and effectiveness of unified and simultaneous prayer is well known, and can, through this plan, be readily achieved in even the most unexpected of emergency situations. At the same time, the knowledge that many sincere and sympathetic persons are aware of his need, and are praying for him, will certainly give a lift to the morale of the one in need.

If you are interested in becoming a part of this prayer chain, send a card with your name and telephone number to Ray and Becky Chenowith, P. 0. Box 3051 San Jose, Calif. 95116, or call direct to 408-258-0297.

It is hoped that the chain may eventually grow into a national or even an international group.

If you should need the services of the prayer chain, call 408-258-0297 or 503-476-4011.

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20 UNDERSTANDING

CONSIDER THE CONCEPT

When once questioned by an Indian member of Parliament about the nuclear research he was engaged upon, Professor Einstein re-marked: "I am engaged upon spiritual work - seeing where matter ends and spirit begins." In this sense it is not too great a stretch of logic to see the nuclear breakthrough as heralding a spiritual break-through, and we unquestionably have intimations today of scientific developments which are certain to shift our view of things far more radically and dramatically than the Copernican revolution, which in a flash confronted us with the need to adjust ourselves to the fact that we had, for all past human history, been living in a complete illusion about the real state of things and of our relationship with the universe around us.

We may be due for an equal or even a greater shock today, when science at last succeeds in convincing us that we are not and never have been solid entities, and that a breakdown of what we consist of may result in the discovery that we are all components and expressions of light. however direly we may be glowing at the moment.

--Anthony Brooke in "Towards Human Unity"

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

6c per word per insertion; 3 or more insertions same copy, 5c per word.

THE ATLANTEAN CHRONICLES By HENRY M. EICHNER

AT LAST! Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Atlantis! The Atlantean scholar will use this book to check on the possible locations of this lost continent. He will also use it to locate English language stories about Atlantis, as over 100 books are reviewed. $9.50 from Fantasy Publishing Co., Inc., 1855 W. Main St., Alhambra, Calif. 91501. Understanding, Inc., P. O. Box 206, Merlin, Oregon 97532

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Understanding, Inc. P. O. Box 22, Sta. C. Pasadena, Calif. 91104

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KNOWLEDGE FROM OUTER SPACE

While researching, with an Edgar Cayce technique, for answers to technical questions, John Langdon Watts and his associates were contacted by people from outer space-from Venus.

Discourses took place for over one year. The author, John Langdon Watts, was requested to write two books. One concerns the life of the Venusians, the other their religion. Religious Philosophies of the Planets, now finished, is available for $1.50, plus 25 cents for postage and handling. If not available from your favorite bookstore, can be ordered direct from

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Writings

JANICE AURAH KRAMER

God and Me and Everything

On Being Aware

On How to Become a Universal Citizen

On Living Life As An Adventure and a Trip

On How to Have An Honest Relationship With Self, Others and the Universe

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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.

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