An early Greek philosopher and cynic named Diogenes, is credited with having spent a considerable portion of his life searching the world for a truly honest man. Failing to find one in his daytime search, he haunted the streets by night carrying the lantern of 'Truth' which he hoped would illuminate the face of honesty if he should encounter it.

When he first met Alexander, King of Macedonia, and the latter introduced himself by saying, "I am Alexander the Great!" Diogenes replied, "And I am Diogenes the Cynic!"

The apparent failure of Diogene's search for honesty was probably the result of his failure, philosopher though he was, to recognize that honesty like space, time, energy and motion, is a purely relative term, difficult to analyze and almost impossible to define with any precision. A number of stage plays and at least one motion picture have been written and produced to illustrate the fact that anyone who told the exact truth, as he saw it, upon all occasions, would very quickly alienate himself from all human society, and inevitably fail in any business or profession in which he might engage.

To deal with this problem of social relationship we have evolved two basically different types of lies. The 'Little white lie,' and the 'Big black lie.' We define the little white lie as an untruth intended only to assist in maintaining amicable relations with the deceived, without causing him, or her, any real harm or loss. The big black lie is one specifically

2 UNDERSTANDING

created and employed for the purpose of exploiting the credulity of the victim. There are times, however, when it is very difficult to determine where the one ends and the other starts.

To the politician, of course, the 'Truth' is whatever he believes the public expects, or would like him to say. Such truth serves the purpose of the moment, but seldom has any significant relationship to fact.

Unfortunately, the little white lies of the politician, the statesman and the economist may become cumulative and, if persisted in, can cause great damage to the confidence, the morale, and ultimately to the economy of the entire nation. During the past decade, and especially since the Watergate epidemic, the U.S. citizen has become very sensitive to the statements of those whom he employs to serve him. When a large percentage of those statements prove to be without foundation, the public cannot help but feel that their representatives are either totally dishonest or woefully incompetent, and either assumption can be very damaging to the national welfare and security.

The stubborn refusal of our top officials and economists to admit that the U.S. economy was in a serious recession, even after they, and every thinking citizen in the country knew it was; the present refusal to admit that the recession has become a depression, even though it obviously has, the ridiculous underestimates of the rate of inflation and unemployment; the downward manipulation of the Cost of Living Index, all have frightened thinking people more than the actual events themselves.

The people of the U.S. can face up to any reality with a considerable amount of courage and poise so long as they know the true situation and are confident that their leaders actually know what they are doing. It is to be hoped therefore that in the coming year, the reports of our national leaders, both in Government and in economics will reflect a little more in the way of fart and perhaps a little less of the currently popular brand of 'Truth.'

HOW LISTENING MAY CHANGE YOUR LIFE

One of the things researchers have been studying of late is the difference between seeing and hearing. Most often we don't notice much difference between these two things. But think, for instance, of the fact that we often say "I see" when we mean "I understand" but we'd feel odd if someone said "I hear" when we knew they meant that they understood what you were getting at. Interestingly enough, there are pro-found differences between what we do when we see and when we hear. For many of us in this culture, we rely upon sight more than we do upon hearing. We know how to look and see, and how to distinguish the

APRIL 1975 3

things we can see; but not that many people are able to rely upon hearing as a means of getting around-with the exception of people who are blind, perhaps.

Think of how our sight organs function. Some of the characteristics of seeing seem to be these: we see things "out there" on an objective plane; when we look at something, we can usually move around it and gain different perspectives on a thing; we can look at a thing without ever touching it or having contact with it; and when we look at a thing, we have to force ourselves to pay attention to it if we want to observe it. One of the interesting results of relying on seeing as a means for get-ting around in life is that we often like to look at people while we're talking with them.

Now think of sound and hearing. Close your eyes, and just listen. You become somewhat disoriented, because with hearing it is hard to always figure out exactly where the sound is, you can't always objectify the sound as you can when you look at an object. Then again, sounds seem to envelop you, surround you-they don't just stand off the way things you look at do. Furthermore, sounds seem to intrude on you and don't stay in place; it's as if sounds were global in some sense. And finally, sounds don't wait for you like things you look at do. You can choose to look at something or not, but a sound doesn't ask your per-mission: it just comes at you.

Try an experiment. Spend some time talking to someone looking at them all the time. Then turn around and put your back to them, and close your eyes and continue the conversation. You will feel very differently about yourself, the person, and the whole conversation. The difference seems to be that whereas when you're looking at someone and talking to them, you "objectify" them; while when you listen with-out looking, you "subjectify" them-you 'hear' more of what they say when you're not looking at them. You feel more relaxed. You are more able to feel into someone when you listen.

So shut your eyes, and open your ears, and listen. And you will feel many different things, and have many different thoughts and experiences than those you normally have when you look more than you listen.

D. ARTHUR KELLY

NOT YET READY

The soft humming became increasingly irritating, thus disturbing my peaceful and well-deserved sleep. As I descended the stairs into the back yard, from where the sound seemed to emanate, I was more than frustrated.

4 UNDERSTANDING

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I could barely discern the spectacle appearing before me. Emerging from a large metallic object was a small creature, unlike any being that I had ever encountered. To my surprise,

he was capable of speaking perfect English, and he immediately began to insure me of his amiable intentions.

Being assured that no hostility was forthcoming, I invited the visitor inside for a late-night cup of coffee. During this period I was able to ascertain the following facts. The strange creature's name was Zoltan, and he came from the planet Venus. His purpose in being here was to examine earth life, prior to possible visits by his superiors to create a cultural exchange between the two worlds. I eagerly answered the questions that he began to direct to me about Earth life styles and customs.

His first question concerned politics and our government. I explained about the Congress, Cabinet Members, the Presidency, and State and local government officials, their functions, and procedures of election. He seemed to be unusually concerned with my mention of political corruption and scandal.

His next question involved crime. Instead of bending his ear again, I allowed him to browse through last evening's newspaper. As he alternately frowned or faintly chuckled, I attempted to change the subject. "Why do you want to know about such things?" I asked.

"Because," he said, "we are trying to determine whether or not the time is right for us to give earth people the benefit of our advanced technology and cultural attainments. It must be determined if your world is capable of utilizing this knowledge for constructive purposes only. Abuse of such knowledge could be catastrophic."

Then the conversation began to revolve around war, bigotry and the hunger problems in some parts of our world. Zoltan began to shake his head in disbelief. He thumbed through several books briefly, and then rose to leave.

I queried, "But Zoltan is there anything else you need for your evaluation?" He stopped short of the door and turned. After a few moments he said, "No, but in fact, there is something more I feel compelled to state." Then, with just the faintest hint of a smile, he said ... "You earthlings are incredible. You seem to tolerate hunger, poverty, pain, pollution, political corruption, bigotry and crime without any action other than complaints. Such a society is not yet ready for, nor worthy of, our assistance. Maybe, when you are able to help yourselves, we will be back. Until then, try to correct these defects."

"Wait just a minute," I cried. "We humans aren't that bad!"

He replied, "Think about it this way. If I had to remain here, I would be discriminated against. I would be persecuted and forced into poverty. I would be shamed and disgraced. I would be degraded. My question is

APRIL 1975 5

this ... Why?"

"Because you are different, I guess. Because you look different and think differently than the rest of us. Because your cultural views are foreign to us."

"Exactly," he answered. "And, with such an attitude, you are not yet ready for the knowledge that we possess-since it is unlikely that it could be put to proper use. When your civilization matures, we will be back." With these words, and a subtle salutation, he returned to his craft and sped off into the night.

I stood there for a moment, glancing skyward, thinking about what he had said. Suddenly, I realized that he was right. We are not yet ready. We have a long way to go before we are able to obliterate injustice and prejudice. A long way to go before we achieve a true humanity, one with the other.

Slowly I made my way upstairs, still not fully comprehending the events that had just taken place, I fell into a restless sleep.

Upon awakening the next morning, my wife immediately inquired as to the commotion of the previous evening. I thought carefully for a minute and replied, "it was just a salesman. A salesman selling some-thing that we can't afford just yet; something for which we are not yet ready, But-one of these days ........!

PERRY A. JOHNSON

TREES-A RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCE

In these times of deep concern over man's wasteful use of his natural resources, across our desk has come a report that is both re-assuring as well as interesting.

Andrew H. Malcolm, writing for the New York Times (Jan. 20, 1975) tells of the "timber revolution" and of "test tube trees." He notes that "chemists in clean white coats are on the verge of creating test-tube trees, living growths with roots and needles created, not naturally from seeds but, chemically from the cells of another tree."

Elsewhere scientists are experimenting with the cross-breeding of trees for the "super tree," even as has been done with corn and other crops. Helicopters scatter tons of colored seeds (to fool the birds) for reforestation and men fertilize and thin the forests to yield a better crop in fewer years. Meanwhile saw mills use computers and television to effect the most efficient use of logs by cutting procedures.

All this activity, says one expert, is tremendously significant for the future of this country because we are the "Saudi Arabia of the timber world." Wood makes homes, paper, toys, exports, jobs and profits!

The Forest Services has estimated than when Columbus landed there

6 UNDERSTANDING

were about one billion acres of forests here. "After almost 500 years of building, paving, burning, exporting and wasting" by the nation, about 75% of that land is still tree-covered and about half still available for commercial use.

Renewal has not always been the concern of the timber interests, "but in recent years environmental threats and lawsuits have combined with rising lumber and land prices and improved long-range planning to focus greatly increased attention on renewal of the forests and the most efficient use of existing timber."

The most dramatic step in this direction currently is the research into "test tube trees." One such project is sponsored by the Weyerhauser Company in Beaverton, Oregon. The goal is to grow superior Douglas Fir trees from single cells without the time consuming and un-certain natural sequence of seeds and pollination.

"The procedure operates on the theory that every living cell has locked within itself the information to regenerate the larger organism of which it is a part." The research objective is to provide the best possible environment to trigger this regeneration.

Normally, when a superior tree variety is found, scientists would have to wait years for the plant to mature and produce seeds for new plantings. These superior seeds might then be pollinated by inferior seed and product quality would be uncertain. By culturing individual cells, how-ever, genetically identical offspring can be produced, even from an immature plant, thus shortening the growth time span considerably as well as assuring the desired quality. Such single cell research has been done with rice and is being tried on sugar cane cells now.

"If successful, this technology will permit eventual mass production of strong, fast-growing trees, highly resistant to certain diseases and in-sects. When grown under progressive forestry techniques, including thinning and fertilizing, it is estimated that these new trees will produce more and better wood in perhaps 20 per cent less time. That means an extra tree harvest every five forest generations."

Other tree experiments include "grafts of cone producing tops of 50 year old, well formed Douglas firs onto the vibrant bottoms of two year old trees." The cones, having been carefully pollinated by seeds from trees with the most desirable qualities as to girth, height, fast growth, adaptability to weather, altitude, etc., etc., produce seeds which are then carefully cultured for some years before being planted into a natural environment.

Already some of the super trees have produced offspring that can adapt to environments up to 1000 miles from their original home, and grow 20 inches per year, compared to the normal 5 inches per year.

There is, however, one latent danger-that in the future these hybrid

APRIL 1975 7

trees might evidence some genetic weakness to some disease or insect. (Hold the thought positive, here.)

From another article, in the same paper, we note the importance of wood in our lives, not only as lumber and paper but "already wood fibers go into facial makeup, bark becomes garden mulch, wood chemicals or derivatives go into photographic films, blood plasmas, dynamite, rayon and artificial vanilla. Wood fibers are also used to extend quantities of cement."

We shall follow with interest the future results of present scientific experimentations.

NEWS FROM INDIA

NEW DELHI, INDIA (Delayed) SPECIAL TO UNDERSTANDING MAGAZINE:

"HINDU SAINT GIVES HONORS FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING."

His Holiness, Swamiji, Hari Har Maharaj, today presented Gold Medal-lions to Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Whitworth engraved with honors almost identical to words used by Understanding International.

The medallions were presented to the Whitworths for many years of consistent effort to promote better understanding between all religions, and especially between Hindu religions and Christianity.

Dr. Whitworth has served on the Board of Directors of Understanding, Inc. He is President of Great Western University, San Francisco, California, of which Dr. Daniel W. Fry is Regional Vice-President. Mrs. Ruth E. Whitworth is Corporate Secretary of Great Western University and has worked closely with Understanding Units for many years. Her gold medallion is inscribed: "Ruth E. Whitworth; Sacred Mother of International Peace." According to the Secretary to His Holiness the term "Sacred Mother" is one of very great honor since it has been given to only four women in Hindu religious history. These women were consorts to Avatars (Great Spiritual Beings). Dr. Whit-worth's medallion is inscribed: "Eugene E. Whitworth, Crusader for International Understanding."

Dr. and Mrs. Whitworth set the Hindu sacred scripture Bhagavad Gita to modern American poetry, called The Song of God. For this the Hindus consider them to be Master Yogis. They are invited to speak on Gita and Yoga all over India, and are introduced as "Saints from America."

Understanding Press published the Whitworth's book on extrasensory perception, called Diary Into the Unknown, edited by Dr. D. W. Fry.

Their efforts help spread the ideals of Understanding to all people, as these inscriptions indicate.

8 UNDERSTANDING

TO PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING

At the Annual Business Meeting of Understanding, Inc. it was recommended that we publish in the magazine suggestions for increasing membership and spreading the concepts which are the basis of our organization: To promote a better understanding among all peoples of earth, and of those not of earth, to which end we examine all things.

The ideas which follow are applicable not only to our organized Units but can be used by interested individuals to create new units in their own localities (only 5 members needed to form a Unit) or simply by individuals for the expansion of their own understanding.

1. Book Reviews: From time to time throughout the year Units may wish to hold discussion groups regarding a book of particular interest. Unit #37 of Buffalo, NY sponsors a Book Library for use of all Understanding Members: Mr. Raymond Hutchings, Librarian, 83 Buffum Street, Buffalo, N. Y. 14210.

2. Tape Exchange: This type of program could be carried on with '' other Understanding Units, with individuals or organizations in other countries. Advertisements could be placed in the newspapers of your city, other cities, in foreign countries, seeking exchange of self-recorded tapes of selected lectures given by experts in areas such as UFOs, Meta-physics, Cultural Interests, etc,

3. Magazine Articles: Articles from the Understanding Magazine, and/or others could be brought to meetings to be discussed. New magazines might be reviewed as to their significance and possible impact upon social attitudes, etc.

4. Group Contacts: Arrange to attend meetings of other groups, as Unity, Baha'i, Science of Mind, etc., and invite their members to your meetings.

5. Health Studies: This subject may be explored by checking on organic gardening, having health food store lecturers, studying various health restoring practices: medicine, chiropractic, naturopathy, psychic healing, etc.

6. Current Events: All or part of the meeting could be devoted to a discussion of current events as given in newspapers, magazine, TV and radio. How might the principles of Understanding be applied?

7. Laboratory Evenings: Plan experiments in telepathy, dowsing, psychometry, pendulums. Why not start a yoga class?

8. Friendship by Mail: Write to the postmaster of a selected city in another country, requesting a notice be placed on the Bulletin Board requesting an exchange of correspondence.

9. The Area of Mutual Agreement: Make a project out of exploring

APRIL 1975 9

the applications of the Area of Mutual Agreement as they relate to family, neighborhood, group situations, etc.

At Merlin we should very much like to have the feed-back on any and all applications of these suggestions. Please write us-often!

UFOs INTERNATIONAL

(CBA INTERNATIONAL, Special Report, Jan. 1975, Yokohama, Japan)

THE DAILY YOMIURI, Jan. 18.1975

The pilot of an All Nippon Airways (ANA) plane saw unidentified luminous objects flying in the sky over the Tohoku and Kanto districts in the Pacific coastal areas of Honshu Wednesday evening.

The pilot, Toshiki Higuchi, 26, said he thought at the time that what he saw was merely an optical illusion but that he learned that many other people also had seen the unidentified flying objects.

Higuchi submitted a written report on the matter to the head office of ANA Thursday.

Higuchi saw the flying objects for about 20 seconds beginning at 6:08 pm Wednesday while his Tokyo-bound YS-11 plane from Hiroshima was flying at an altitude of about 1,800 meters over Onjukumachi, Chiba-ken.

Higuchi was waiting for the control tower at Tokyo International Airport to give him permission to land the plane.

The pilot was about to turn the plane to the right, when he saw to the right front of the plane about 15 grayish blue luminous bodies flying at an altitude 300 meters above the plane.

"Each of the luminous objects was as bright as a 20-watt electric bulb and measured about 50 centimeters in diameter," Higuchi said. "There were 15 or 16 of them. They were in two groups-the first group consisting of 10 luminous bodies and the second group consisting of five or six luminous bodies.

"The luminous bodies were inside something which appeared to be a cloud. They emitted blue light. The 'cloud' was about 500 meters long. "I thought at first that the window glass of my plane was clouded. So I wiped off the window glass but the luminous bodies were still there. Then I thought that the light came from another plane which was flying beyond a thin cloud. I looked at the radar screen and found there was no plane flying beyond the cloud.

"Meanwhile, the luminous bodies came between my plane and a Japan Air Lines (JAL) jumbo jet plane which was circling about 1,200 meters above my plane. About half of the JAL plane looked dim be-cause of the luminous bodies flying between that plane and my plane." The luminous bodies, flying at a speed of about 370 kilometers per

10 UNDERSTANDING

hour, sped away in a south-southwesterly direction, following a course leading to halfway between Oshima and Hachijojima islands.

Higuchi said that the luminous objects were nine kilometers away from his plane when he spotted them and came to within about 1.8 kilometers at the closest.

Koichi Shimada, 19, a university student of Nakanoku, informed The Yomiuri Shimbun Thursday that he had seen about 20 luminous objects flying southeast in the direction of Tokyo shortly after 6 pm Wednesday, while he was out walking with several friends.

JAL flight #122 (DC-8-61) bound for Tokyo from Osaka, and TDA flight #203 (YS-11) bound for Sapporo from Tokyo also spotted these luminous objects.

UFO Over Luedenscheid, Germany

(From the German UFO-NACHRICHTEN, #216-17, Sept.-Oct. 1975, p. 10. Translated by A. Maske, Diamond Bar, California)

It was 5:30 pm on December 19th, 1973, when amateur astronomer T. Rasel had just finished his Venus-observations that he saw a relatively fast flying object coming from the south and passing over his observation post, in the town of Luedenscheid, Germany.

It couldn't be a scheduled airline flight, because the object flew on a route never before used by any airplane. A married couple nearby, ac-companied by a friend, who watched the object through binoculars, called T. Rasel's attention to the object. At 5:31 pm the object was over him and suddenly stopped. This enabled Rasel to aim his telescope on the object and observe the shape of it.

"I had the impression of a flattened Saturn-System and it had lights, alternating flashing white and red," said T. Rasel.

This reminds us immediately of a disc. Then, at 5:32 pm, the object continued its flight and disappeared with high speed in a northerly direction.

H. W. PElNIGER

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Some Observations On Money

(The following observations were made by Richard Kieninger in the Monthly Newsletter of the Lemuria Builders-the Stelle Group, which promotes the concepts of The Ultimate Frontier. February 1971.)

People's concepts of money seem to be the result of various prejudices rather than the result of their careful analysis of what it really is. Money is symbolic to people: to some it is the symbol of power and superiority over others; to some it represents security; to yet others it is the root of evil. Until the Reformation, the accumulation of money

APR I L 1975 11

was popularly considered anti-Christian. Even today the subliminal fear that money brings woe and unhappiness is a widespread misapprehension. Idealists frequently express their contempt for money because the "wealthy class" allegedly manipulates the world with their money. The first thing to be made perfectly clear about money is that in itself it can do nothing! Only men can do things with it. Like electricity and fire, money is a useful and essential tool of civilization. It must be channeled by men into purposeful and constructive services. Used correctly money is a great, beneficial tool, but used unwisely it can destroy as electricity and fire can. Men's psychological, symbolic concepts about money are inherent in the weaknesses and shortcomings of man himself through his cultural conditionings. A man can destroy himself by way of abundance or poverty. How he manages money and how he regards it are fodder for the psychoanalysts.

Money is not wealth! Money is a token which represents the expenditure of human effort to produce something which can be used by man. Wealth is that which can be used or consumed by man. Capital is the means of production and the means of distributing it. Some examples of wealth are consumables like food, clothing, buildings, automobiles and fuels. Capital is machinery, trucks, railroads, factories and land.

The monetary token chosen to represent human effort is immaterial so long as everyone agrees to it-be it sea shells, tobacco, gold or printed paper. Money cannot create wealth; only men can create wealth. One cannot eat or wear money; but money was contrived to buy those things. Money represents energy expended by human beings in providing goods and services. The price in dollars (or other tokens) of any item or service should ideally represent the number of hours of human effort it took to accomplish the work.

A man working 40 hours a week in a factory may receive $2.00 an hour for his services there. The wage paid may vary according to his skill or other value to his employer and depend on the industry and its location; but if he offers his services at a mutually agreed upon wage without coercion of any sort by either employer or employee, that is the karmically correct wage for both parties concerned. The forty hours of service supplied by the worker to the employer is karmically balanced by the dollars paid to the worker at the end of the week. The eighty dollars in wages received now represents karmic credits for the 40 hours of energy expended by the worker. The money is not the energy-the money merely represents the energy. Neither is the money wealth; but it can purchase services and goods produced by the energy of other workers. Money, then is the means by which human effort is exchanged for consumables (wealth).

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Money has advantage over direct barter because fractional values can be established. It avoids the problem of the man who wishes to buy one apple but who might have only a calf to barter with. Money's greatest advantage lies in its storability. Our worker, in the example above, who earned eighty dollars a week might choose to budget a regular savings of ten dollars a week. After ten years he could have five thousand dollars set aside to buy a home, provide for his old age, or to invest in cap-ital so he can go into business for himself. These savings thus represent his accumulated karmic credits earned by his own personal expenditure of human effort but not yet consumed by him. In the days before money, a crop of grain laid away in a barn for future good was equivalent to money credits laid away in a bank. However, money can be stored away for fifty years and be accumulated in huge sums to provide future needs. A civilization which has the ambition to create more than it consumes, so that there is always an excess laid away, can eventually provide tremendous capital for greater efficiencies in production. Generation builds upon generation until finally the great, great, great grand-children enjoy an accumulated capital base per capita which allows them to enjoy plenty and security. But money is only a tool whereas man is the power. A man in control of large accumulations of money can direct the flow of this stored energy so as to amplify his will far in excess of the labor energies of his entire life....

Poet’s Corner

The Lesson

The years go by and life goes on ...

And man evolves, and learns, and grows ...

But what man doesn't know . . . doesn't know!!

The years go by, and wars are fought

And lost ... And won ...

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And lives are lost ... And lives are born ...

And man evolves, and learns, and grows ...

But what man doesn't know ... doesn't know!!

He doesn't know the purpose.

He doesn't know the light.

The struggle deep within his soul

Demands a constant fight.

And man evolves, and learns, and grows ...

Because he doesn't know ... doesn't know!!

He never knows the others

Who think the same as he

He never has the time to care

He's too concerned with "ME" Or "I". ..

He'll cheat and lie ...

And man evolves, and learns, and grows ...

But what he doesn't know ... doesn't know!!

He doesn't know the reason.

He doesn't seem to grasp.

And so he gasps ... And gasps ...

And once-again evolves, and learns, and grows ...

So someday he might know ... might know!!

-CAROLE RAFT

THE SPIRIT OF ASTRONAUTS

Americans, let us take pride

In astronauts exploring space;

They are the heroes that we need

To give strong tonic to our race.

But even more transfer their zest

To every person's mind and heart

For from within, not from the skies,

Must greater living get its start.

Oh, let the spirit of these men

Move us to orbit much more truth,

To stop disease, to heal deep hurts,

And wing goodwill around the earth.

LEONARD S. GRAY

14 UNDERSTANDING

Our Changing Times

News items reveal the changing attitudes of the public in many areas recently considered "far out." We read that Psychic Healing is now being taught to nurses at the New York University Division of Nurse Education. Dr. Martha Rogers, with the backing of the University Chancellor, instituted the course in "the laying on of hands" after having been cured by such a method. The technique has remarkable implications for nursing and though presently being studied by only 130 graduate students, it is expected to be part of the normal hospital routine in time.

And, a genuine Haitian voodoo priest is offering a college course for credit in "Voodoo," at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N. J. Dr. Aleandre Abraham is determined to show his students that Voodoo is a religion not merely a practice of casting evil spells.

Dr. Abraham teaches "that doctors cure people by using natural ways, whereas voodoo priest cure people by extra-natural ways, by put-ting them in certain states in which a medical doctor cannot do."

The purpose of the course is to show the students "that they can have more fun if they look at life more openly, and that they should withhold judgment on unknown religions until they learn more about them."

Here is still another news note. At Fort Myers, Florida, Hypnotist Robert C. Ward is conducting "tension relaxation" sessions with the Sheriff's Department there. Hypnosis is used to relax the deputies so that they may better cope with their jobs, and ward off migraine head-aches, ulcers and premature old age. In addition to feeling more energetic and pleasant, the men report that they can go home, leaving their jobs behind them, and thus be "a better father and husband rather than as a tense police officer."

♦ ♦ ♦

UFO In Area

(CENTRALIA, ILL. SENTINEL, Jan. 3,1975)

A Carlyle woman told the Sentinel today that a "big, yellow thing"

APRIL 1975 15

that "looked more like a planet than a UFO" followed her car from the Tamalco boat docks in Bond County to Rte. 127 about 9:30 p.m. last night.

Debbie Jannett said that she first spotted the object near the boat docks while returning to Carlyle from Tamalco.

"It lifted up into the sky and followed me," Mrs. Jannett said today. "It just lit up the whole sky. It was a big yellow thing with orange around it."

She said the object was bigger than the Fairview Park swimming pool but couldn't guess at an exact size.

"It followed me from the boat docks to a railroad crossing," Mrs. Jannett said. "When I stopped at the tracks it stopped, too, I locked my doors. I was scared of it."

The object had a definite round shape, Mrs. Jannett said.

"When I got to Rte. 127 I looked around and it was gone," she said. According to Mrs. Jannett, other cars traveling in the opposite direction on the county line road separating Bond and Clinton Counties slowed down and stopped, apparently to watch the object. Sheriff's Department spokesmen in counties said they had received no reports of the sighting.

However, the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department said today that a couple in that county reported seeing an object similar in color when it "landed" in a woods near their property. Mr. and Mrs. James Williams of rural Belleville told the sheriff's department that the object appeared to be approximately 360 yards long and 50 feet wide. They said it remained on the ground for five minutes and then rose into the atmosphere. The Williams sighting occurred approximately ten minutes before Mrs. Jannett said she first saw the object in Bond County.

♦ ♦ ♦

Hyacinth Pollution-Fighter

(DAILY COURIER, Grants Pass, Oregon Dec. 19, 1974)

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP)- The common water hyacinth, regarded as a beautiful nuisance in most Southern states, can suck pollutants from a city's drinking water and provide fuel to heat its homes, a biochemist reports.

"We can recycle our own wastes with water hyacinths," William Wolverton of the National Space Technology Laboratory said Monday. Wolverton began looking into the water hyacinth's useful properties as most states searched for ways to kill the vegetation, which spreads like wildfire, clogging waterways and irritating fishermen.

"Water hyacinths are biologically perfect," said Wolverton. "They're ideal for sucking pollutants out of the water because they grow so fast and have a nice, big root system."

16 UNDERSTANDING

He said research showed that 2.5 acres of hyacinths is capable of re-moving the following:

§ Every day, about 300 grams of cadmium or nickel, both of which cause cancer;

§ Every three days, more than 500 pounds of phenol, also called carbolic acid, a toxic chemical derived from coal tar;

§ And every year, the nitrogen and phosphate from the human waste of 800 to 1,000 people.

"Nitrogen and phosphates have been the big problem for city sewage treatment plants," Wolverton said. "But the hyacinths just eat them right up and grow faster."

There is a limit to the amount of metal each plant can absorb. After they've eaten their fill, they are harvested and new hyacinths quickly grow up to take their place.

♦ ♦ ♦

Earth Alone Has Intelligence

(SOUTH MIDDLESEX DAILY NEWS, Framingham, MA, Jan. 17, 1975)

STANFORD, Calif. (UPI)- After years of searching, Dr. Ronald N. Bracewell has decided man is probably the only intelligent being in the Milky Way galaxy. Now, he says, it's up to man to do the space populating.

Bracewell said his research has been concerned with tuning in on any extraterrestrial life which may be trying to contact earth. And, he said, various unexplained radio signals are inconclusive.

"If there are other intelligent beings in the galaxy, some of them will be more advanced than we are," the electronics professor said. "The question is why haven't they made their existence obvious to us. They could easily do it."

Because no outer space residents have announced themselves, he said, those on earth were probably the only ones in existence.

"I think that what nature's plan may be is to do a good job of developing an intelligent being on earth and then let us colonize our solar system and galaxy," Bracewell said.

Bracewell said it probably would take earth human beings 200,000 to 300,000 years to explore, populate and develop the solar system. "That seems like a long time, but it is very much shorter than the three million years it has taken man on earth to develop from primitive life," he said.

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High-Protein Flour

(DAILY COURIER, G-ants Pass, Oregon, Jan. 16, 1975)

PEORIA, Ill. (AP)- Researchers here say they have created a new corn

APRIL 1975 17

flour with nearly as much protein as hamburger. They say the product will soon be on the market.

It will be the first use of corn, the nation's largest grain crop, as a protein fortifier, said Dr. George E. Inglett, a chemist with the U.S. Agricultural Research Service.

Lauhoff Grain Co., of Danville, III., the nation's largest dry corn miller, says it hopes to begin selling the flour within a year.

The flour is made from corn germ and could provide up to five-sixths the protein of cooked hamburger, said Charles W. Blessin, a research service chemist.

Blessin said he thinks the flour generally could sell for a fraction of the cost of hamburger.

Donald Smith, vice president of production for Lauhoff, said the flour will be sold to other food manufacturers for use in their products but probably not directly to consumers.

Book reviews

The Secret Life of Plants

(The Secret Life of Plants by Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, Hardbound, Harper &Row, $8.95; Paperback, Avon, $1.95)

"There is nothing lovelier on this planet than a flower nor more essential than a plant. Without green plants we would neither breathe nor eat. . . . plants are living, breathing, communicating creatures endowed with personality and the attributes of soul." So begins a most fascinating book by two exceptional men, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird. The Secret Life of Plants delves into and explores the physical, emotional and spiritual relations between plants and man.

In the chapter, "Plants and ESP," the experiments of Cleve Backster concerning the famous lie detector tests on plants are discussed. These experiments were an exciting breakthrough in the field of plant-man relationship and it is exciting to read the developments and outcome of

18 UNDERSTANDING

the work of Mr. Backster. Through his experiments, it was found that a plant experiences pain, exhibits ESP with man, reacts to danger or damage, has a form of memory and can exude a special communion or bond of affinity with its owner, regardless of distance.

The Secret Life of Plants is a technical, detailed treatise of various experiments conducted throughout the world. It is also a beautiful meta-physical work on the soul life and expression of plants, and reading it will awaken many people to the wonders of the universe with the eternal life evident in all things, both animate and inanimate. The chapter entitled "Plants Will Grow to Please You," tells how Luther Burbank would get down on his knees and talk to his plants.

He felt that plants have over 20 sensory perceptions. Burbank spoke of creating a vibration of love toward his plant-creations, and he often took them into his confidence, asking them for help.

"The Wizard of Tuskegee,"-George Washington Carver-is introduced and his achievements are well described. Carver said that the secrets are in the plants to elicit them you have to love them enough. Shortly before Carver's death, he said, "When I touch that flower, I am touching infinity. It existed long before there were human beings on this earth and will continue to exist for millions of years to come. Through the flower, I talk to the Infinite, which is only a silent force. It is in the invisible world. It is that still small voice that calls up the fairies."

We earnestly recommend this book to all students of life. It opens vast new areas of thought to those who want to take the time to invest in the knowledge of this book. Each chapter is exciting and unique, and actually, are entities unto them self. Some other chapter titles are, "The Harmonic Life of Plants," "Plants and Electromagnetism," "Force Fields, Humans and Plants," "Mystery of Plant and Human Auras" and "Dowsing Plants for Health."

A thrilling book, advancing much food for thought, with the result that we will think twice before stepping on a lawn, pulling a weed or plucking fruit off of a tree.

-FLO BOHNERT, UNIT #1

♦ ♦ ♦

To get joy you must give it, to keep joy you must scatter it. This statement sounds contradictory, but try following its truth and you will prove it.

- SARAH L. SAWYER

♦ ♦ ♦

You cannot see the future because it is on a different plane.

- UPANISHADS

APRIL 1975 19

Bulletin Board

Unit Programs

From Unit #15 of Inglewood of California we have reports of lectures on "Natural Healing" by Kay Beck; "The Riddle of Reincarnation" by Jessica Madigan; and "The Potential of Education in the New Age" by Peggy Shackleton.

Unit #37 of Buffalo, New York has sponsored Rev. Rowland A. Henry in a lecture on "The Art and Science of Personal Magnetism," and Robert J. Shatzel (Unit President) in "You and the Infinite."

Merlin Unit #1 has had an evening of the "Psychic Meditation Music" of Wilburn Burchette; a lecture on "Vivaxis" by Catherine Greer, and on "Understanding the Silent Mind" by Ed Racey; and an UFO session based upon the Galaxy tapes.

♦ ♦ ♦

Psychical Research Conference

The Florida Society for Psychical Research will host a PSI INTER-NATIONAL, three-day conference, April 10, 11 and 12, at the Fort Harrison Hotel, Clearwater, Florida.

Subjects to be covered by the panel of speakers include PSI as it relates to Medicine, Anthropology, Geology, Religion, Business, etc. Among the speakers will be Dr. William Tiller of Stanford University, CA; Jule Eisenbud, M.D., Denver, CO; Christopher Bird (Secret Life of Plants) and many more.

Write to PSI International, 2837 1st Ave. North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33713 for details.

♦ ♦ ♦

Books Received

We wish to express our thanks and appreciation to those who have contributed books to our Understanding Library:

To Nani Gopa Sen Gupta of Calcutta, India for ABC of Dharma and Its Philosophy by Surenda Nath Sen Gupta. "The book is a logic of spiritualism, in which the author discloses the real nature and mystery

20 UNDERSTANDING

of religion."

To Oomoto of Kyoto-Fu, Japan for The Holy Scriptures of Oomoto by Ofudesaki, Excerpts translated by Iwao P. Hino.

To the Exposition Press for The Tree of Knowledge, A Study of the Evolution of Reason, by Fred S. Spier.

To Dorrance & Company for Discover the Real You by Fred Feldman. To Louise Kidder Sparrow for her Basket of Pansies, a volume of her verses.

♦ ♦ ♦

New Phoenix UFO Club

United Fellowship of Outer Space is the name chosen for a new UFO study club, formed January 5, 1975, in Phoenix, Arizona. The club plans to bring speakers to the public each month, as well as provide other activities, such as sky watching, a library for its members, tapes, etc.

The Club is seeking information on speakers in the field, both the newcomers as well as the old timers, on all facets of the phenomenon. Address correspondence to the club president, Dwight L. Bockman, 8227 North 39th Drive, Phoenix, AZ. 85021. The club will appreciate your correspondence.

♦ ♦ ♦

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

6c per word per insertion; 3 or more insertions same copy, 5c per word. U. F. 0. UNcoverup. Only book world-wide with UNcensored facts. PRACTICAL details identification "friendly"-"hostile" craft, occupants. Proper Survival, Adventure, Communication reactions. Environmental, Energy Crisis SOLUTIONS. 50c U.S., 75c Canada, ppd. Michael H. Campione, 2202 New Albany, Cinnaminson, N. J. 08077.

UFO BOOKS FOR SALE: Flying Saucers Closeup, John W. Dean $9.95; Flying Saucers Serious Business, Frank Edwards $7.95; Document 96, Frank Martin Chase $5.95; Flying Saucers-Analysis of Project Bluebook Report, Dr. Leon Davidson $14.00; Hollow Earth', Dr. Raymond Bernard $5.95; The Silver Bridge. Gray Barker $7.95; The Interrupted Journey, John Fuller $6.95; 105 Places to Obtain UFO In-formation $1.95. Bill Bemis, P. 0. Box #35 Versailles, III. 62378.

♦ ♦ ♦

METAPHYSICAL CHRISTIAN Communal survival farm in remote primitive setting seeking members. Phoenix Farm, Rte #2, Box 50A, Leslie, Arkansas 72645.

♦ ♦ ♦

NOW AVAILABLE

by Dr. Daniel W. Fry

To Men of Earth &

White Sands Incident

(softbound) $2.00

Atoms, Galaxies and Understanding

(hardbound) $3.00

(softbound) $2.00

Steps to the Stars

(softbound) $1.50

Atlantean Fire Crystals &

Physical Basis of ESP

(Cassette Tape-90 min.) $3.50

Merlin Publishing Company

Star Rte #588F, Tonopah, AZ 85354

Please include postage-20c a volume

YEAR BOOKS AVAILABLE

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Understanding Magazines for

1968-1969-1970-1971

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Price: $2.00 per volume, plus 25c for handling.

Issues 1958 through 1967 at $1.00 per volume, plus 25c handling.

Understanding, Inc

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I.M.F. INC. Invites You

To the RAINBOW FESTIVAL '75 Honolulu, Hawaii

June 3 through 10, 1975

Our Theme is:

THE GOLD OF COMMUNICATION

And it will blend the occult, meta-physical, esoteric and spiritual.

Further information:

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