OUR rapidly developing space capability is adding significance and emphasis to the centuries-old question of intelligent life on other planets. Most astronomers and almost all bio-chemists agree that it is a virtual certainty that living organisms have developed upon at least a million or more planets in our galaxy.

Since earthly biological experience indicates that life forms, once they have been established, constantly tend to become more complex and more sentient, it is a simple and logical extrapolation that there are, within the galaxy, many thousands of planets with intelligent life!

A major problem arises, however, when we attempt to define the phrase "intelligent life." Webster's dictionary defines intelligence as "the ability to understand and to cope with new situations." If we accept this definition as a valid and determining factor, we are at once forced to the realization that, while there are undoubtedly thousands of planets which harbor intelligent life, there is as yet no evidence of intelligent life on this one.

The genus homo is becoming a rather highly technological species and one which is bringing about drastic changes in its own environment. Most of these changes are for the worse, if considered in any long range evaluation, and several of them seriously threaten the future of mankind on the entire planet.

2 UNDERSTANDING

While as individuals we are well aware of these rapidly developing situations, as a race we seem to be totally incapable of coping with them. While every man is looking hopefully to his neighbor to find solutions which will not cost too much, and will not inconvenience anyone, the rate at which we are now polluting our air and water, is such that no highly developed living organism will be able to survive for more than a few generations.

We are well aware, to some extent at least, of this rapidly approaching condition, yet we seem to be unable to take any significant steps to reverse the trend, or even to ameliorate its inevitable effects.

Only one hope remains for the future of mankind, the hope that by the time man's negligence has rendered this planet totally impossible as a place of habitation, his technology will have provided him the necessary ships to take him somewhere else.

——— ♦ ———

FAITH OR UNDERSTANDING?

In our continual preoccupation with immediate events I often wonder if we fail to see the overall direction in which we, as mankind, are advancing? It is possible to look back over a span of twenty or thirty years and spot some variations in attitude or style of living but are we capable of seeing the fuller picture of the subtle but consistent changes which have occurred? And do we ever take the time, individually, to scan a century or two and make our own guesses as to the direction in which we are tending?

It is interesting to try to figure where man stands in relationship to the immense body of knowledge which has developed about him and his environment in the past twenty years. My conclusion is that, with an ordinary education, provided his curiosity has not been snuffed out, the average man can have revealed to him more of the so-called secrets of the universe than has ever been possible before. The effect of this may be more far reaching than we think.

It seems that in previous eras man has had to proceed mainly on faith. He was keenly aware of his innate needs for food, shelter, companionship, security, sex, self-respect, those things which make him alive and keep him. alive. But he did not know why he had these needs. He asked his fellows, he asked his elders, he asked his gods.

JUNE, 1969 3

In answer, it seems, man has had to accept guesses, hunches and suppositions. Lacking proof these flimsy structures had to be backed by the full authority of church and state. They became absolutes, hardened into law, both civil and divine, which more or less directed into the manner in which man must live his life.

Though our need to know and understand ourselves and this thing called life has not lessened, it is no longer necessary to accept educated guesses as to the guidelines of our existence. The vast and relentless. probing of the massed minds of the scientific world has snipped away at the veils of conjecture and are revealing the awe-inspiring laws of nature which not only control man's existence, but the running of the well-ordered universe as well.

One might ask if we may not be merely exchanging the mumbo-jumbo of mysticism and religion, which for so many centuries has ruled man, for the mumbo-jumbo of science? Perhaps so, but we should note, however, one difference. The dogma which in the past controlled man's actions, for it was the only means of informing man about himself, came mainly through the established church which insisted upon faith and unquestioning obedience to its directives. In every period in every land this type of authority had the power to silence any independent mind which probed too far. In these recent centuries, which, has freed man from absolute obedience and granted him the perils of free will, he has had to distill out of the body of ancient instruction certain guidelines which, coupled with increased use of intuition and instinct, has made him a flourishing, if not particularly happy creature. What can we judge from the result except to note that faith in religion as the one source of guidance has deteriorated and is no longer effective with the young people.

I often wonder if the direction-giving function of the church had been able to consolidate the whole spectrum of religions into one 24-karat gold central belief which could be accepted by all the people of the earth, might not the impact of science have been delayed for a long time? As it is, it seems to me, the resolution of the men and women of science to pursue truth at whatever cost has been like a cold wind sweeping across a fetid world. The language of science does not recognize international barriers and speaks clearly across centuries.. Thus it seems to follow that when a truth has been reached that same truth must be reachable by all who search it out regardless of the

4 UNDERSTANDING

language employed or the nation in which the experiment take place.

It may not seem that the highly technical reports from experimental laboratories could blossom into life-guidance for the average man in the average daily routine of existence. Could understanding the beautifully wrought structure of the atom ever replace love, compassion or justice? But there is something else to consider. Man has always had to struggle with the problem of reality, which is another way of saying he has had great difficulty in finding unshakable truth. Aside from the obvious mechanics of this earth man has had to run his life on the easily shaken intangibles of moral codes; tribal customs and the will of the gods. Even up into modern times most of the major influences on man's life seemed to rest in the mystery of unprovable assertions. It is therefore reasonable that in a world which heretofore has seemed to operate on laws so veiled in mystery as to be beyond question, and thus beyond proof, the testable discoveries of the scientific world can be hungrily grasped by disillusioned man.

We have probably not yet reached the point where the detailed understanding of nuclear energy, the laser beam or the chemistry of the cell can directly provide personal guidelines. Rather it is the overall awareness that each scientific advance has to be tested and mesh its precious bits of information into the larger mosaic of already discovered knowledge which provides the point of inspiration. Here we see the world of science accomplishing what the world of religion has not yet done-create a central body of knowledge which can welcome the questions and attacks of the best of minds and still remain intact.

We are not yet so far into this scientific era for the effect of this system to filter down into the consciousness of the average man. It seems to me that the children of this era fall into the arid region between two great influences, the mystical faith of yesterday and the crystal clear, provable world of tomorrow. They cannot accept the creation fables of the past, nor do they yet see the universe and its furniture as something working automatically, purposefully and totally without human instigation, yet responsible for the production and maintenance of all life including man.

It is a matter of time before we realize more fully that the things which are essential to our existence, and which we now take for granted, are the product of these ancient natural systems, working not just singly, but as a coordinated whole. To me there is something awe-inspiring

JUNE, 1969 5

in thinking of the tremendous span of time and the immense forces which have gone into forming the compounds of matter which have become a part of me and work unceasingly to keep me alive. To me going through the doorway of experimental science has led me into a realm of thought which makes the best of the creation stories pale in comparison. The great, natural laws are seen naked and beyond the manipulation of interested mortal power and therefore pure and uncontaminated.

What each individual will do with this revelation when he reaches this threshold is a very intriguing question. Will the opportunity to know truth help him to build a new morality? Will awareness of the necessity of harmony and coordination between the innumerable systems of nature give him examples for bringing more peace into his personal life? Will the irrefutable discovery that no one thing can exist of itself and by itself help shape his attitude towards other forms of life?

There may be a chance that we will eventually find peace through knowledge where we have failed to find it through faith alone. As long as there is such a hope we can keep on going.

-E. M. Werner

——— ♦ ———

ARE THEY HIPPIES OR AQUARIAN PEOPLE?

I feel moved to defend that which is good and beautiful. I wish to see a separation of the Wheat from the Chaff.

The original Hippie movement is good and beautiful, but some of the end results are distortion and ugliness. The stereo-type image that the general public now has of the Hippie is a pointlessly rebellious youth who is unclean of mind and body-a lazy beggar who has no moral precepts by which he lives. He hates what he conceives as evil more than he loves that which he believes to be good, consequently he is a joke when he speaks of love ... because his actions bespeak otherwise.. Selfish, irresponsible sex excesses have also been associated with the Hippie, and to observe the suffering caused by this is also a big joke to the onlooker, especially when foolishly said to be done in the name of love. If all of this is Love, who wants it?

The stereo-type Hippie is also a dope addict. He makes no distinction

6 UNDERSTANDING

between a pep pill (amphetamine), a tranquillizer, a sedative, a narcotic or a consciousness-expanding drug. It's all the same to him ... .anything for escape from problems and the humdrum. Anything that might increase his hedonistic worship of pleasure will do. To his sad awakening he finds he should have been more discerning. He should have remained true to Teachings he professes to believe; to seek the Inner Guidance, to take just a few minutes each day to be quiet and to ask for higher guidance, to ask for an answer to the problem at hand, then to consider what is the most good for the most. He should respect Creation, all that is living and beautiful ... and his own body is a part of that Creation. Since he professes not to believe in war and killing, then his life should be an example of lovingly caring for all of Creation, and the best place to start is with his own body.

Have any of you, who condemn and criticize the long-haired, bearded, or differently dressed individual, ever taken time out to talk with and observe these people? Have you done it just looking for one thing which will confirm your already existing opinion? Or have you conversed with them with an open mind and willingness to recognize some goodness? If you have done this with open mindedness, then you have found many individuals who are sincere in their search for a meaningful life. You have found many who can give accurate and well-founded causes for rebellion against specific injustices. You have found those who observe personal cleanliness even though their hair style and dress may not be conventional. You have found that they are not using dope. That, instead, they are exercising a great deal of harmonious direction to their creative energies. You will find that some abstain from things that you don't even consider half bad-such as tobacco and alcohol, and excessive use of meat. You will find them subsisting on very simple and natural foods. These are the Aquarian Hippies, the New Age People, who wish to harmonize their beings with nature and the way the Great Creative Spirit of the Universe created man to live. This is the way Buddha, also the Christed One, and other great religious leader admonished man to live. Many of these Aquarian People are incorporating these Teachings in their daily lives.

But then, on the other hand, you have found the stereo-type Hippie and recoiled at his behavior. Perhaps he too will find his way to living in harmony with universal laws. Perhaps even you and I will also find the way. For just who amongst us is living the ideal life? What is

JUNE, 1969 7

showing on the surface and what is in your secret heart? Let us not judge lest we be judged.

The Aquarian Hippie has observed the Stereo-Hippie (the surface imitation of himself), and he, too, has recoiled at such a reflection. And it takes a great deal of courage and intestinal fortitude to continue in his endeavors and appearance; but he feels he must remain loyal to the cause of truth, justice and beautiful harmonious living. So the Aquarian Hippie sometimes feels forced to move on to other parts of a city or area. Sometimes he moves out of the city entirely, and with the lack of much money tries to .make it in rather primitive environments.

With his Aquarian philosophy of live and let live, knowing that we are all children of the same Creation, he doesn't condemn his Stero brother, nor his Straight brother. He simply goes on living his beliefs as best he can. These Aquarian People are an inspiration to others; in fact, they are the Light of a dawning New Age. What will remain as Chaff and what will be Wheat remains to be seen.

-Vivian Hultgren

——— ♦ ———

TIME-PEOPLE-SURVIVAL

An editorial in the Grants Pass (Ore.) Courier, April 15, 1969, quotes Dr. John N. Rediske, former Atomic Energy Commission fellow, now head of a forest tree sciences group, as follows

"If one could compress all geologic time, the 4.5 billion years since the earth was born, into one year some startling facts regarding the recency of life on this ball of rock would become evident... Let us assume that the earth was born the 1st of January. It is lay, before single-celled having organisms appear in the warm sheltered coastal waters. In the first week of December the primeval forests rise from the lowlands. Twelve days later dinosaurs are roaming the earth and the first mammals appear the day after Christmas. At 10 P.M. on December 31st, primitive man makes his appearance.

"The pyramids are built a minute before midnight. Fifty-seven seconds later Christopher Columbus discovers America, and we enter the Industrial Revolution about one second before the New Year."

8 UNDERSTANDING

Despite his brief existence on planet earth the population multiplication rate, according to Dr. Rediske, is creating conditions that can terminate man's existence in a matter of seconds, geologically speaking.

Dr. Rediske offers another analogy to illustrate the population expansion. He compresses the 2,000 years from the birth of Christ into a single, 24 hour, day. Beginning Sunday midnight, there are some 190 million people on earth. At 7:48 P.M. Monday, the population has doubled. It doubles again in only two hours and 24 minutes, and again in less than an hour. At 11:36 P.M. the population has doubled for the 4th time, to the present 3 billion. Twenty-four minutes later, at midnight (the year 2000) it will double for the fifth time, up to six billion. By 2070, at this rate, it will reach 25 billion!

Next, Dr. Rediske, considers the natural resources of earth that are needed to support these billions. Although most people consider the seas, forests and plants as sources of food, Dr. Rediske notes that one of their main functions is to provide oxygen.

"It is alarming that, with his tremendous power to alter his environment, man does not even comprehend the questions involved in his survival, much less know the answers."

While individually we live but a mini-second of geologic time, we can, and should, wisely and responsibly project patterns of human relationships for the future. For, interlaced with the problem of mere physical survival is the greater challenge: What should be the human and spiritual values that will make the inter-relationships of so many added billions desirable, as well as personally significant and satisfying? Any suggestions?

——— ♦ ———

SCIENTISTS EXAMINE EARTHQUAKE DATA

Though it has been written that "no man shall know the hour," still here have been numerous prophecies recently relative to severe earthquakes along the California Coast.

It is not prophets alone who are concerned with the possible loss of life and property from major earth movements. Scientists, also, are seeking through various studies to possibly "know the hour." Through a determination of patterns of change, monitored by instruments,

JUNE, 1969 9

perhaps sufficient advance notice can be given to alleviate the loss of life, if not property.

The New York Times of February 16th reports on the results of studies of the March 27, 1964 Alaskan earthquake, which altered the surface of the earth to an extent never before observed.

The earthquake split a mountain apart and sent one side of it, from its summit, like a flying carpet, downward over a 450 foot high ridge like a ski jump, not even touching the vegetation on the far side of the ridge. This flying carpet of fragments was more than a mile wide and two miles long, apparently confining a cushion of air beneath it so that it traveled at more than 115 miles an hour without touching the glacier beneath it, finally landing to cover much of the Sherman Glacier.

Effects of the quake were noted in Texas, where water in swimming pools sloshed back and forth, partially emptying the pools. In Australia, in Africa and in Eurasia, water in wells was pumped up and down in. response to the intense Alaskan tremors.

The National Academy of Sciences has now made public the first of eight volumes concerned with an intensive study of this Good Friday Earthquake and its world wide effects. The study was made with the hope of providing useful information that might anticipate future. disasters of a similar nature.

This first volume of the study is concerned primarily with hydrology, the effects of the quake on aggregations of water and ice. Studies have shown that such a quake can permanently alter underground water levels thousands of miles away. The sloshing of water in lakes and streams of the Southeastern United States showed the striking-and previously unsuspected vulnerability of the region to earthquake damage.

Some experts believe the observation of water in wells and lakes may serve not only as index of vulnerability to quake damage, but also as an indication of an impending quake. According to Kuo Tsengshien, Chinese scientist, subtle change in ground water level may indicate alterations in rock strain prior to a quake.

Since water behavior seems to be an index of earthquake danger,. the report urges automatic global monitoring of water level in wells as well as in open bodies of water.

10 UNDERSTANDING

Fingerprints

(Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Ore., April 9, 1969)

By Ruth Youngblood

HONOLULU (UPI) -A University of Hawaii geneticist believes "society may someday be able to control disease and crime by analyzing the fingerprints of newborn infants."

Dr. Mohammed Nabil Rashad is head of a five-year study to determine the relationship between fingerprints and abnormal chromosomes.

"I believe my work will reveal that distinctive fingerprint patterns are associated with different diseases," Rashad said.

The Hawaii fingerprint project is the largest of its kind ever undertaken, Rashad said. The 33-year-old Doctor, who was born in Cairo, Egypt, said Hawaii, with its diversity of races, offers a first time opportunity to study fingerprints in relation to racial variation.

Rashad said he will attempt to correlate fingerprints with inherited diseases. The study will also attempt to determine the relationship between fingerprints and crime, spontaneous abortion and infertility, mental disorders such as schizophrenia and between fingerprints and age, sex, height, weight and blood groups.

If Rashad is successful, hospitals of the not too far away future "will screen all newly born for disease by their fingerprints and we will have an accurate means of early diagnosis in adults."

UFO Sighting

Kansas City (Mo.) Star, April 20, 1969.

Hill City, Kas. - It's unidentified flying object season again and Edwin H. Bohl, jr., Logan, Kas., claims one of the objects killed the motor of his car.

Bohl, who sighted the object on U. S. 24, five miles east of Hill City, gave a signed statement to Francis Born, Hill City policeman:

"We saw an object with different colored lights that came down over the highway five miles east of Hill City. It came about 75 feet

JUNE, 1969 11

from the ground and it killed the motor of the car. We then sat and watched it for about three minutes.

"It was stepped in the air at a 45-degree angle from the car. It didn't make any sound when it was stopped or flying, either one. "The object then started moving slowly and without any noise, going east and following the highway toward Stockton."

Salt Menace

Auckland Star, N.Z., Jan. 13, 1969.

LONDON-The possibility that nitrates-salts used for centuries in the manufacture of bacon and other preserved meats-may give birth to cancer-producing agents is being seriously considered by scientists, The Sunday Times reported.

The danger is that nitrates may combine with substances called amines, which occur naturally in food, to produce nitrosamines, a group of chemicals that include some of the most potent cancer agents known, said Dr. Francis Roe, a leading cancer researcher at the Chester Beatty Institute in London.-NZPA.

Man May Be Older

Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Ore., April 30, 1969

CHICAGO (UPI)-Man may be twice as old as he previously was thought to be.

That was the conclusion announced Tuesday by the University of Chicago anthropology department which said it has uncovered manlike teeth and jaws in Africa that indicate man may be as old as four million years.

"What we have found demonstrates a substantially longer evolutionary history for the australapith (man-ape) than was suspected before," said Prof. F. Clark Howell, department chairman and leader of the expedition making the discovery.

The outside limit of man's history previously was thought to be two million years, but Howell said tests on 40 man-like teeth and two lower jaws found in Southern Ethiopia show an age of between two million and four million years.

Memory Transfer

By Delos Smith-Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Ore., April 17, 1969.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (UPI)-Dr. George Ungar, one of the original "memory transfer" scientists, believes he has traced the physical basis of memory to an encoded and rather small brain molecule.

12 UNDERSTANDING

His hope is to isolate one of the molecules and then to make them in. the laboratory. If and when he succeeds it will "open a whole new field of research aimed at deciphering the memory code," he said today.

Ungar and Dr. Ejnar J. Fjerdingstad, another of the original "memory transfer" experimentalists and Ungar's collegue at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, spoke at different sessions of the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Both scientists said memory or knowledge transfer by brain injection had been experimentally proved beyond reasonable doubt-in rats and mice.

Ungar also drastically limited the possibilities. He said, "There is good indication that only information acquired recently and under conditions of intensive training is transferable." Furthermore, he said, "The degree of transfer is directly proportional to the amount of brain injected." However, he said massive injections are necessary for "significant results."

Our correspondent in New Zealand, Norm Wardell of Apollo Verein, has sent us a clipping with this foreword

News from New Zealand

"This is sent because it was thought it illustrated man's developing sensitivity and recognition of things now understandable which were mysteries not long ago. All this must surely be making man more tolerant of conditions he, at present, does not understand-which are still mysteries. Today's mysteries, solved, are tomorrow's scientific accomplishments not that the force, power or condition has not always existed."

The clipping is from "The Otago Daily Times," Dunedin, N. Z., March 7, 1969, and is entitled: Bird Hazard at Airports May Soon be Eliminated.

(Palmerston North, PA) Research workers are now getting very close to a practical method of eliminating the bird hazard from airports, the Palmerston North branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society was told last night.

Pulsed microwaves have been found to initiate flight in birds, and after a micro-wave field has been laid down two or three times, birds learn to keep away from the area, said Dr. J. A. Tanner, of the control Systems Laboratory, National Research Council of Canada.

JUNE, 1969 13

He was one of a team of five speakers at the meeting of "human engineering." Human engineering involves the study of man in his work, and instead of blaming human error for accidents, tries to redesign equipment and tasks to obviate overloading the human involved. Dr. Tanner said getting birds out of the way of aircraft was now .a most serious problem all over the world. "On the ground, laying a microwave field can discourage birds feeding, and they learn to keep away from the area after two or three exposures. But in the air we have not yet achieved success. Field intensities of the correct order one or two miles ahead of the aircraft require a very high-powered generator."

Dr. Tanner stated that "we are now looking into the physiology of the mechanism, and are getting very close to the kind of microwave we want."

——— ♦ ———

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Disarmament

(A reader writes: This article appeared in the Hartford (Conn) Courant newspaper recently. It might be of interest to readers of Understanding.)

To the Editor of The Courant:

Peace is the absence of war and the absence of hostility toward mankind. During the intervals between wars we have had peace, but man has not yet achieved stable peace. The obstacles to achieving such a peace are economic, cultural, ideological and psychological.

Economically, wars have often started because of a lack of money. Individual desires for wealth and power gathered momentum until they involved a majority of the people. This caused much friction between nations and countries.

Culturally and ideologically, wars came about because the ideas, customs and traditions of some nations did not correspond to those of others.

Psychologically, war is almost a state of mind. Mankind has lived with war for so many years that it has become accepted as a way of life. The possibility of peace eludes the average individual to such an extent that he can not believe in it.

14 UNDERSTANDING

For thousands of years mankind has faced numerous conflicts. He has fought for liberty, justice and power, to mention only a few. Before, during, and after each victory or defeat, the search for international peace has never ended.

Truces, peace treaties and disarmament plans have been signed to insure peace. But how many of these declarations of peace have actually stopped the horror and bloodshed of war?

War still exists and will continue to exist unless all mankind can realize that we are brothers, working, hoping, and praying for the same goals-goals that will be attained only through love and understanding of our fellow man.

The attainment of peace that will end war forever will have to begin with disarmament. The complete abolition of all weapons and the acceptance that they are no longer of any use is the only way to everlasting peace.

Chris Puchel Rogers

——— ♦ ———

book reviews

To Walk Alone

(To Walk Alone, The Way of Truth, by Elmer A Hilker, Exposition Press, N.Y. $5.00)

To Walk Alone is the result of 40 years of study, contemplation and soul searching by its author, Elmer A. Hilker. It was written for those whose reading, lecture attendance and truth school lessons have brought mental comprehension but not the desired illumination.

It is Hilker's thesis that each man finds his own distinct revelation

JUNE, 1969 15

as he discards the concept of duality, puts an end to his searchings for something outside himself, and becomes that which he truly IS-the One and Only I. "There is but one I ; you are IT."

No one can give another Truth; he may serve as an inspiration, but each must claim his inheritance personally by discarding the belief that there is man and that there is God. All is One.

Multiple examples are given of the confusion that results from the acceptance of duality-of a human, ego-oriented "i" as contrasted to the One and Only I. Mr. Hilker draws upon the Bible, early philosophers, medieval alchemists, evolutionary proponents, as well as Shakespeare and Einstein to support the contention that duality is an illusion.

If you are disillusioned because your "searchings" have borne no results, perhaps the approach of Mr. Hilker's-To Walk Alone-will be fruitful.

♦ ♦ ♦

"I am the brightness of the day, the softness of the night, the freshness of the wind, the music of the flowing brook. I am the restlessness of the tide, the towering stability of the mountain, the inviting simplicity of the plain. I am the stars that blink in the firmament, the solar systems that come and go.

But more marvelous than all this, I am the I that peers through the senses of man, who as the Sole One is all that is.

-Elmer A Hilker

——— ♦ ———

UFOS INTERNATIONAL

In the recent newsletter of the Inter Galactical Federation of Stockholm Sweden, Sten Lindgren reports

Some very interesting events have just happened around our group. On one occasion some of us were at a bookshop-in northern Stockholm to buy UFO and occult literature. When leaving, a low flying UFO was observed and seen changing colour from. yellow to red. Later that evening some of the observers became more or less clairvoyant for a while.

A few weeks ago at a group meeting the power to that part of the town was cut off. Two ships (UFOs) were seen passing above the house. 58 minutes later the power came back. Officially there was an

16 UNDERSTANDING

automatic relay that had cut off the power, but they did not know why. Recently we decided to contact a UFO organization in southern Sweden. . . we went outside and saw an UFO passing slowly, stopping for a while and then speeding away ... at the same time, the rest of the group in southern Sweden also saw a UFO.

Buenos Aires Herald, February 15, 1969

Sao Paulo has been under constant observation by unidentified flying objects since last August, according to Professor Flavio Pereira, president of the Brazilian institute of Astronautics and Space Sciences. Quoted yesterday by "Jornal do Brasil," Professor Pereira said that over this period there had been between two and four sightings a week. In December alone there were 32 sightings... Nineteen-sixty-nine is the year in which Americans will land on the moon, and the moon may become a control centre on an interplanetary scale which might solve the mystery of from where these flying objects come, he said.

The U.F.O.J.C. Newsletter, of Sydney, Australia, offers this report: Mr. Allen Webster, dentist of Concord West, N.S.W. was watching television at about 9:05 P.M. when he noticed a red light through the window, ran outside to the front of the house just in time to notice a round 15 foot sphere 450 yards away, traveling east in a straight line. It was about 500 yards up in the air and was visible for a few seconds when the light that was apparently coming from the object "went out." Mr. Webster now noticed a much smaller yellowish-white light continuing in its place. This was visible for only about 2 seconds and resembled a large incandescent lamp. Thinking back about the incident, Mr. Webster was puzzled that the red light did not appear to illuminate the countryside, but the second smaller yellow light did, in fact, light up a small area. The object was last seen in the vicinity of the Mortlake Gasworks near the Parramatta River.

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UNDERSTANDING INC.

Founded in 1955 "to promote a better understanding among all peoples of earth, and of those not of earth," Understanding members endeavor to "examine all things"-scientific, social, philosophic, religious and even extra-terrestrial.

We invite your membership in an Understanding Unit, and your

JUNE, 1969 17

participation in the Unit programs that you may broaden your understanding of self and the worlds in which you live. If there is no Unit in your area your National Membership entitles you to the use of the many books offered by our Buffalo Understanding Library. Write to, Mrs. Howard Gay, 53620 Eggert Road, Buffalo, N. Y. 14127, for a Book List.

This, our monthly publication, Understanding, seeks to touch upon the many areas in our lives that need consideration and understanding. We invite your subscription as well as those of your friends.

May our lives become richer and more significant as we grow in Understanding.

——— ♦ ———

Poet’s corner

Happiness

Happiness is like a crystal

Fair and exquisite and clear,

Broken in a million pieces,

Shattered, scattered far and near.

Now and then along life's pathway,

Lo! some shining fragments fall;

But there are so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

18 UNDERSTANDING

You may find a bit of beauty,

Or an honest share of wealth,

While another just beside you

Gathers honor, love or health.

Vain to choose or grasp unduly,

Broken is the perfect ball;

And there are so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

Yet the wise as on they journey

Treasure every fragment clear,

Fit them as they may together

Imagining the shattered sphere;

Learning ever to be thankful,

Though their share of it is small;

For it has so many pieces

No one ever finds them all.

-Allen Richburg

——— ♦ ———

A GOOD CONVERSATIONALIST

What makes one person a good conversationalist and another not? Some people are always a pleasure to talk with and have many friends, while others are not and have few friends. What is it that draws us to one person and not to the other?

There are three ways in which a person becomes a pleasure to talk with: listening, following the other's train of thought, and asking and answering questions. Listening means trying to understand what the other person is saying, not only what is obvious but also what is behind his words. We need to read "between the lines" in conversation. Listening is giving full attention to the person, not just his words.

Following the other's train of thought means to let him take the conversation where he wants. Many people are hungering to talk about what they are thinking-their problems, beliefs, etc. Most of it centers around themselves, which is natural.

Asking and answering questions makes for more of a two-way communication, though the listening in itself communicates in a way that words cannot. We ask questions to satisfy our curiosity, but we can

JUNE, 1969 19

also ask questions that help the other in his thinking by clarifying what he is saying and aiding him in keeping the continuity of his thought. In the answering of questions w e are being open and sharing our knowledge and feelings.

Conversation can lead to and be a part of an enduring friendship. A meeting of minds. Acceptance of others encourages them to accept you, and this mutual acceptance leads to openness and real communication rooted in an honest appreciation of the uniqueness in others.

- Michael Ryan

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bulletin board

Merlin Meeting

Miss Hope E. Hiner, Secretary-Treasurer of the Merlin Unit 1 of Understanding, Inc., will be the featured speaker on Wednesday, June 4th, at the Campbell's residence.

Miss Hiner will give a presentation on "Drugs-Amphetamines Marijuana, LSD, and Barbiturates." Hope has just completed a College Credit course on this subject.

Magazines Available

Back issues of the Understanding Magazine (1965 and 1966) are available for distribution by Units or individuals.

May we suggest a donation of 3 cents a copy to cover our mailing and handling costs.

Please send all requests to P.O. Box 206, Merlin, Ore. 97532.

20 UNDERSTANDING

Time to Write

Not everyone can travel in person to clasp the hands of others indifferent lands, but each one can offer friendship and understanding through personal letters.

Our Friendship by Mail Chairman, Mrs. Dorothy Knowles, 12020 68th Ave. S., Seattle, Wash. 99178, will be happy to send you names and addresses of those eager to correspond with you.

Yours will be the joy of sharing-recipes to philosophy-as you grow into the realization that all people are basically- one, despite differences of locale and cultures.

Write Mrs. Knowles today?

Space Age Convention

The 8th Annual Northwest UFO Space Age Convention will be held the weekend of July 19 and 20 in Eatonville, Washington. This is in the Mt. Rainier area, scene of the famous Kenneth Arnold sightings of 1947.

All Space and New Age groups are invited to co-sponsor this event: Speakers are invited to participate. The public is welcome.

Picnic and camping areas, as well as trailer parking, will be provided. Motels and hotels are in Tacoma, the nearest large city to Eatonville.

All inquiries by speakers and guests should be sent to: The New Age Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 867, Eatonville, Wash. 98328.

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CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

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

200 USED METAPHYSICAL and Health Books for sale cheap. Write for list. 2045 Wishom Ave., Fresno, Calif. 93704

WORLD PEACE requires ESPERANTO, Text, record, etc. loaned FREE, Esperanto Library, Dept USI. Middleton, Wis. 53562.

KNOW THYSELF-through Vibranalysis-Health, Personality and Vocational Keys, $2.50 complete. Send birthdate. Dorothy Low, Box 211, Oxford, Mass. 01540.

ESP-METAPHYSICS-OCCULT. Free Book List. Infinity Book Company, 3820 Lennox Ave., N. E., Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402.

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PSYCHIC ANALYSIS

Complete psychic and spiritual analysis of your talents, traits and trends as beautifully seen and described from seven different dimensions. Send photo of self and $7.50 for this unsurpassed description.

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CORRESPONDENCE COURSE

Here at last is the tried and proven course you've been waiting for, designed to open up all of your psychic abilities. Learn the secrets of complete conscious awareness. Send for free information.

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SPIRITUAL GUIDES

Do you wonder if you have one? Send photo of yourself and $5.00 for a complete description of the guide. If you do not have a guide, I will tell you with no charge if you could qualify for one and will send free information on how one may be assigned.

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HARRY F. MAY, D.D., D. MET

Box 155

Santa Susana, Calif. 93063

UNDERSTANDING YEARBOOKS

1958 through 1964 $1.00

1965 through 1967 $2.00

Please add 15 cents per volume for mailing charges

Understanding, Inc.

P. 0. Box 206

Merlin, Ore. 97532

NOW AVAILABLE

by Dr. Daniel W. Fry

Steps to the Stars (4th printing)

Curve of Development

Both softbound $1.50 each

also

White Sands Incident and

To Men of Earth

Hardbound-New Edition-$3.95

Softbound - $1.45

Atoms, Galaxies and Understanding

Softbound, $2.00

Hardbound, $3.00

Please add 15c for postage

Merlin Publishing Company

P. O. Box 105

Merlin, Oregon 97532

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THE TRUTH ABOUT FLYING SAUCERS!

A trip in a flying saucer scout ship. A guided tour through the levels of a gigantic mother ship. Described in vivid detail by the one who was there! Conversations with Galactic Beings aboard the mother ship. A meeting of the Galactic Council. All this is REAL, and is accurately reported in the book "Japhalein, Mother Ship of This Galaxy." For your copy of this beautiful and authentic book, send $5.95 to:

MARCAP COUNCIL

Dept. DF, Route 4

Arlington, Washington 98223

Yes, this is the real thing.