TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

December 1975

 

 

SOCIETY (Part Six) Money   .....................................................................................             2

FESTIVALS   ......................................................................................................................             5

A LETTER   ........................................................................................................................             6

WHERE IS THE GREAT CREATOR?   ........................................................................             8

(What Others Are Saying)   ..................................................................................             9

Youth page   ..................................................................................................................             10

Ufos international   ...............................................................................................             15

BOOK REVIEWS   ............................................................................................................             17

Bulletin board   ........................................................................................................             19

 

——— ♦ ———

 

THE STAFF

 

EDITOR ..................................................................................................  DANIEL W. FRY

ASST. EDITOR ............................................................................  kerttu campbell

Assoc. editor ...........................................................................  margaret little

circulation manager ..........................................................  margaret little

 

 

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UNDERSTANDING

VOLUME XX                               DECEMBER 1975                                    NUMBER 10

Dedicated to the propagation of a better understanding among all the peoples of the earth, and of those who are not of earth.

 

SOCIETY (Part Six) Money

As long as the medium of exchange which we call money remains a simple symbol of the goods, services and other values created by human effort and achievement, and as long as it has some form of intrinsic value, or limit of production to guarantee its purchasing power, the system will be stable and will not bring about any great problems or hazards to the development of the society that employs it. There are, however, several additional elements which have always become a part of any money system, and which do tend to create such problems and hazards. These elements are commonly known as "credit" and "interest."

The word credit refers to transactions in which goods or services are transferred at once, to be followed at a later date by the exchange of the equivalent currency or other symbol of value. In this simple sense, credit is a harmless and sometimes necessary part of the money system, although if too widely used, it carries the hazard of creating an additional form of money which is not representative of goods or services, but only of time. This concept, known as "interest" inevitably becomes a part of credit dealings.

Going back for a moment, to our discussion of the primitive society on the tropical island, the fisherman who is furnishing some of his fish to his neighbor, reasons thus-I am giving my neighbor three fish which have a value of two seashells each, but my neighbor does

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not have the shells to pay me now. He says that he will be able to give them to me next month, but in the meantime I will be deprived of the shells which are rightfully mine now. I should have something to compensate me for this period of waiting. Therefore, I will demand that my neighbor give me seven shells instead of the six which represent the value of the fish. While this reasoning appears to be quite logical, if widely employed, the concept of interest can bring with it a number of serious hazards to the society which makes wide use of it. One of these is that money ceases to be the simple symbol of goods and services, and becomes a separate entity which is capable of growing, reproducing and multiplying without reference to or in-crease in the goods or services which it was created to represent. Money becomes the symbol of power and authority instead of the evidence of the creation of value as it was intended to be.

If money becomes the symbol of power and authority, many per-sons will desire it, seek it above all else, and even worship it purely for its own sake. It may become the most significant element of society, often overruling the elements of morality, justice and some-times even law. Money, like matter, possesses the quality of gravity, and the greater the accumulation in one place, the more strongly it attracts other money to it. Since large accumulations of money rep-resent almost total power and authority, and since that power and authority is almost always used to add still more money to the pile, it follows that, as time goes by, more and more of the money in any system will come to be controlled, if not actually owned, by fewer and fewer of the people. Today, for example, at least 95% of the total wealth of this country is controlled by fewer than 5% of the people. (It is not the twenty thousand people who own one share each of General Motors stock who control, but the one man who owns twenty thousand shares. It is he, or she who directs the policies of the corporation and, to a large extent, the welfare and destiny of all who are connected with it or affected by it.  As the control of any nation's wealth becomes concentrated in fewer hands, political domination also increases, even in countries which have outwardly democratic forms of government. There is a point, however, where the concentration of wealth and power in the few becomes intolerable to the many, and at this point a sudden reversal will take place. Whether by military action or by political or economic revolution, the havenots will seize and redistribute the wealth. History indicates that if this reversal action is too long delayed, the process usually involves considerable violence, and much of the wealth is simply destroyed rather than redistributed. (One of

DECEMBER 1975                     3

the best known cases probably being that of the French Revolution.) In any event, as soon as the wealth, or what is left of it, is redistributed, the same cycle of accumulation will begin again in different hands.

It has been truly said that the love of money (or the habit of accumulating it), is at the root of much, if not all evil.

(To be continued.)

BENEVOLENT SPACEMAN?

If Jesus was a man from outer space, does it make him less a god? Does it have to make his motives evil? Must it shake our religion to its foundation? What would really be the great difference?

Once Christians thought their religion would be destroyed if they accepted the theory that the earth circles the sun instead of vice versa. Again, they cried out in anger and anguish when Darwin first advanced his theory of evolution.

If Jesus came from a civilization millions of years in advance of ours, would he not be a god to us? And could it not be supposed that he would be as advanced in benevolence and moral principle-in the understanding of the meaning of existence-as he would be in technology? Would it not be likely that his civilization would have achieved immortality?

Far from destroying our religion, such a concept might strengthen and establish it. Jesus would become more real and less obscured by the supernatural. The supernatural, itself, would be seen-not as something above the natural, but as something above our understanding of nature.

It is logical to believe that, as our understanding increases, we will see our religion fall in line with the laws of nature. But it is scarcely logical to believe that Jesus would plot to control or enslave us to our detriment. His every word and action implied a love for us beyond our power of comprehension.

Recall how he wept over Jerusalem, saying: "0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem.... how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Are these the words of a man who plotted against us?

Again, when James and John suggested that they call fire down from Heaven to destroy His enemies, Jesus rebuked them. "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of," he said. "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." At another time, he said (John 10:10), "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and

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that they might have it more abundantly."

Jesus spent a large portion of his time healing the sick, the crippled and the blind. Would a man who came to destroy do that? Is it not logical that his advanced science would enable him to perform his so-called miracles? When men marveled at his power, he replied, "Greater things than this shall ye do, because I go to my father."

Perhaps he went to his father to learn still greater things so that he could return and pass them on to us. Perhaps he was not, himself, born on a strange planet. He is said to have been born on this earth-the son of God and of Mary. Perhaps "God" is to be interpreted as a spaceman and "Mary" as an earth woman. Jesus may have learned from his father or from other spacemen before the beginning of his ministry. He may have gone to his father in preparation for his second coming to this earth.

It would seem that he planned to return, one day, to rule us. But it would also seem that he might have planned to take us (or some of us) elsewhere to enjoy the riches of an advanced civilization. "Let not your hearts be troubled," he said...... In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to pre-pare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you into myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

These words, along with other parts of John 14, 15, and 16, suggest both concern for us and a plan for our future that would constitute adventure beyond our wildest imagination. But, withal, there is a forecast of tragedy. In spite of his promise of abundant life that our "joy might be full"-throughout his ministry and enmeshed in the whole of our religion, there is, indeed, a threat of destruction. If we accept the premise that Jesus, himself, would not sanction such a tragedy, perhaps we should expect a holocaust of some kind-either a holocaust from natural causes or one that we bring upon ourselves.

Jesus likened the coming of the Kingdom to a harvest of wheat and tares. They were to grow together until the harvest. Then the wheat was to be saved and the tares cast into destruction.

Before the great holocaust, perhaps Jesus plans to transport the most worthy members of our civilization to another planet, leaving the rest to face destruction. This would require a system of selection and would involve great suffering. Yet nature, itself, seems based on a ruthless system of selection, and selection would be in keeping with the concept we have accepted all along the way as a part of our religion.

If Jesus is to rule us-either here or on another planet, it is virtually impossible to picture him as a dictator who would thwart our

DECEMBER 1975                     5

growth by repression. Our picture of Jesus is more compatible with that of a man who would clear our way to the kind of freedom that would promote spiritual growth and the realization of our highest selfhood.

Would we not welcome such a ruler? If all of us could only, in some way, escape the holocaust, would we not, as suggested in religious literature, rejoice in his coming with every fiber of our being? In what fundamental would such a concept do outrage to our Christian religion? Would we not love such a ruler with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind? Might He not even teach us-at long last-to love our neighbor as we love ourselves?

-MIRIAM BUNCE

FESTIVALS

(An extract from the Open Letter of the Findhorn Foundation, Scotland.)

We are constantly striving (at Findhorn) to act in greater harmony with the natural rhythms which surround us and of which we are a part. In our past as a race we have sensed this interaction more fully than we do now, and recognized the need to attune to it. One of the most powerful tools we have developed through the ages for this pur-pose is the institution of the four seasonal festivals which mark the Earth's yearly cycle about the sun. These festivals celebrate the four stages in the interplay of light and darkness. Each marks a stage in the universal spiral of growth and evolution.

MIDWINTER. The longest night of the year, the Earth's in breath. Outwardly nature is cold and lifeless, yet inwardly the light is brightest of all. The festival we celebrate is the birth of the Christ; the stir-ring of the Life Force deep within the planet, pouring creative energy into the dormant seeds. Recognizing the Christ identity which we share, we look forward to a new cycle of growth and experience.

SPRING. The Sun's light is balanced against the dark, poised to leap towards the heights of summer. The festival is that of resurrection. New growth, thrusting through the soil, affirms the inner life we experience in the depths of winter.

MIDSUMMER. The Earth's out breath blossoms into form. At the time of the longest day, the greatest light, the promise affirmed in the movement of Spring is fulfilled in the abundance of nature around us. The vision we affirmed within ourselves in winter finds form in the actuality of summer.

AUTUMN. The Sun is receding. We gather the harvest of the year; separating the weeds from the fruit of our achievement. This is the festival of transformation as we assimilate our experiences, releasing

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its forms, drawing from it the seeds of new progress, looking forward to a new outpouring of light in winter ......

. . . Our basic rhythms on every level-physical, emotional, mental and spiritual-follow the same pattern we observe in the sun, the moon and the seasons. Involution and evolution. Breathe in. Breathe out. The seed bursts into life, blossoms, matures, fruits, and the fruit decaying releases and nurtures the new seed. In every aspect of our being the divine energy for which we are vehicles moves to completion in form, and through the dissolution of form that essential energy, released and experienced as an ever greater consciousness of our true nature, moves onward to new heights of perfection. Every day, every month, every season, every year, the interweaving cycles spiral upward to their perfect source."

May this dissertation add to our understanding not only of the festivals of celebration, honored by humanity throughout the ages, but to a better understanding of the nature of our own being. Think on these things!

A LETTER

(This often quoted letter is offered once more-perhaps you have misplaced your copy-and it is always good to read it again. The original of the letter is in the Library of Rome, and copies are to be found in the Congressional Library in Washington, D.C. As a report to Emperor Tiberius Caesar from Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, it is considered a document with official status.)

To Tiberius Caesar:

A young man appeared in Galilee preaching with humble unction, a new law in the Name of the God that had sent Him. At first I was apprehensive that his design was to stir up the people against the Romans, but my fears were soon dispelled. Jesus of Nazareth spoke rather as a friend of the Romans than of the Jews. One day I ob-served in the midst of a group of people a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told it was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to him. His golden colored hair and beard gave to his appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about 30 years of age. Never had I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His hearers with their black beards and tawny complexions! Unwilling to interrupt Him by my presence, I continued my walk but signified to my secretary to join the group and listen. Later my secretary reported that never had he read in the works of all the philosophers anything that compared to the teachings of Jesus. He told me that Jesus was neither seditious nor rebellious, so we extended to Him our protection. He was at liberty to act, to speak, to assemble and to address the people.

DECEMBER 1975                     7

This unlimited freedom provoked the Jews, not the poor but the rich and powerful.

Later, I wrote to Jesus requesting an interview with Him at the Praetorium. He came. When the Nazarene made his appearance I was having my morning walk and as I faced Him my feet seemed fastened with an iron band to the marble pavement and I trembled in every limb as a guilty culprit, though he was calm. For some time I stood admiring this extra-ordinary man. There was nothing in Him that was repelling, nor in His character, yet I felt awe in His presence. I told him that there was a magnetic simplicity about Him and His personality that elevated Him far above the philosophers and teachers of His day. All in all he made a deep impression upon me and everyone because of His kindness, simplicity, humility and love.

Now, Noble Sovereign, these are the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth and I have taken the time to write to you in detail concern-ing these matters. I say that such a man who could convert water into wine, change death into life, disease into health, calm the stormy seas, is not guilty of any criminal offense and as others have said, we must agree-truly this is the Son of God!

Your most obedient servant

PONTIUS PILATE

WHERE IS THE GREAT CREATOR?

Is the Great Creator far off in space, past the farthest star? I wonder if He might not be present within your friends and foes, looking at you through their eyes, listening to you through their ears and sometimes talking to you through their voices. He could also be pres-sent in you, seeing, listening and speaking to others. He may also be present in those being killed on the battlefields, in the people being sent to the gas chamber or electric chair, in the people being killed in accidents, as well as in the animals, poultry, fish, etc. being slaughtered for food.

Quotes from the book entitled OAHSPE: read-"By virtue of My presence all things are. By virtue of My presence are the living brought forth into life." - "Thou shall not kill what thy Creator created alive." - "Soul of My soul, substance of My substance, created I man out of My corporeal Self, clothed I him with flesh, bone, and blood. Man's spirit I gave from out Mine own spirit, ever-present; and I quickened him to move on the face of the earth."

The Great Creator must surely build and maintain all the different

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kinds of bodies in Nature as well as ours. Who else would have the wisdom? It is His presence within things that gives them life, when He withdraws His presence there is death. Only He can give life. Only He has the right to take it away. He does not want man to kill the things He is trying to keep alive.

Do you or anyone you know, or the animals, fish, fowl, etc. know, how to turn food and drink into bones and muscle, into eyes that can see, ears that can hear, organs that can make digestive juices, can make hearts, lungs, brains, or where to put miles and miles of blood arteries and veins throughout the body, or how to make white or red blood cells, how to make blonde or brunette hair, how to set the time of death, how to make a spiritual body and have it rise into higher planes. No, I do not know how to do these things, nor do you, so we are not doing them. A greater intelligence must be doing the millions of things which go on within our bodies, of which we know nothing. Who could it be? OAHSPE says, "Jehovah is the soul of all things."

Chemicals, by themselves, are powerless to do these things. If you do not think so, try to get some to form a heart, kidneys, etc. to give to a hospital. Or if you think you can make things with chemicals, try making a simple living blade of grass.

The ever-present Great Creator is working within us and within all things in nature 60 seconds of every minute, 60 minutes of every hour of the day, using His great Love, Wisdom and Power to animate our bodies and all nature, and not just on this planet, but on all planets, suns, moons, stars, everywhere. Without his constant direction everywhere, everything would be in chaos as are most things that man directs.

Do let's give credit where credit is due, to Him, for doing the mil-lions of things that need to be done that we do not know how to do ourselves. Let's cultivate the habit of seeing His presence in all things and act as though we were dealing directly with Him when we are dealing with our fellow man and all living forms.

-K. EMMONS

(What Others Are Saying)

UFO REPORT TO FARMERS

Farm Profit is a publication sponsored by Massey-Ferguson and its dealers, in the interest of good farming and better living. Its July-August 1975 issue features a color cover of three UFO photographs with the caption: UFO Report to Farmers. The first three pages of

DECEMBER 1975                     9

the issue are devoted to the UFO enigma. Three pictures are included.

Quoted are such investigators as Dr. Allen Hynek, Gabriel Green of AFSCA, Jim Lorenzen of APRO, and Jack Acuff of NICAP.

We quote from the article: "Literally tens of thousands of sightings have been reported in the past 20 years or so. They occur all over the world. More often than not, they are reported by responsible people who have a single encounter with a UFO and no more."

The article then describes the major classifications of UFOs.

Most common is the observance of strange lights at night. They may be white, red, green or changing colors, blinking or showing a steady glow. A typical example was a red and green arrow-shaped object reportedly seen by dozens of people over Ottawa, Canada, on July 25, 1972.

Disc or saucer shaped UFOs are occasionally sighted in daylight, often at a distance. A Montana rancher and his wife reported seeing a metallic appearing, top-shaped craft about the size of a house, hovering near their home in 1964. This strange object joined four others like it and flew away, they said. None made any sound as they moved.

The third major type appears as a light or a disc seen visually and is also picked up on radar.

Other types of UFOs involve "close encounters"-less than 500 feet. One is simply a sighting of an unknown object nearby, without any interaction between observer and UFO.

Another type involves a UFO that is observed and leaves evidence of its presence after it has departed. Such was the case of a strange object that landed in a field of rape in British Columbia last August. The dish-shaped thing made a buzzing noise and displayed lights that changed from red to green to white. Some boys saw it land, but ran away in fright and didn't see it leave. Afterwards blackened soil and rocks were found in the area and the crop was lodged as if tramped down or blown down by the unknown force.

Yet another type of UFO that has been reported are those that appear to have live occupants or robots aboard. Last December, a Wisconsin farmer was on his way home from a co-op meeting, driving through thick fog. He stopped when he came upon an object that reflected his headlights. "It had a curved front of glass and inside I could see a figure with its arms raised above its head," the man said later. The object appeared to be eight or ten feet tall. In a panic, the farmer stepped on the gas and got out of there. Next day he returned but found no evidence of the apparent UFO.

The final type of UFO involves an apparent occupant with which the observer has some kind of interaction. This might involve waving

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at one another, it may involve the person's becoming paralyzed or injured. It may even involve some type of conversation.

It is suggested to possible UFO viewers that they get as many wit-nesses as possible, write up a simple account of the sighting, noting weather, wind, other objects for size, etc. To avoid ridicule and notoriety it is suggested that reports be made to such groups as NICAP, APRO, or the UFO Center of Dr. Hynek. Local police can advise you whom to contact.

"I'm personally interested in having the farm audience know more about UFOs because our statistics show that these phenomena seem to show a strong preference for isolated rural regions. In fact, I'd we-come any reports," Dr. Hynek says.

Youth page

THE DAWN OF TOMORROW

The sun is rising slowly on a brand new land

Tranquility and love permeate the sharp air

The battle grounds are barren, the batteries gone

The destructive spirit, no one knows where.

 

As the people come out of their homes

They smile and greet one another

All are friendly and thoughtful

Neighborly deeds are no trouble.

 

As the Dawn spread lightly over the green and fertile earth

The people gather together in wonderment and happiness

United in brotherhood, they are as One

A United World in the Christ Consciousness is manifest.

-PETE BOHNERT, age 16

BE IT KNOWN

The organizer and President of our newest Understanding Unit, San Fernando (Calif.) Unit #85 is Jeff Perry, a recent high school graduate. We congratulate Jeff on his enthusiasm and for the excellence of the public meetings he is sponsoring.

His latest flyer indicates the following public programs: Ancient UFOs-Chariots of the Gods? by Jim Hatem, "Big Foot" Research Expedition by Pat Macey, and a Special Tape Recording-"UFO Contacts."

To be put on the Unit Mailing List write to Jeff Perry at P.O. Box 464, Calabasas, CA. 91302.

DECEMBER 1975                     11

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

 

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LAHISSA

Distilled Wisdoms of Louis Condd-Lahissa as they appear lettered in stone, on a six-foot cross memorial to his life and teachings, at Ajo, Arizona.

DR. LOUIS CONDE, 18--to 1931

Teacher and Helper of Humanity

For all races-for all peoples, for all beliefs, -he came,

and they knew him not.

 

Actuated by the same Spirit that has guided all the Teachers, he came to lead human beings into a new era, a new step in evolution and progress, the era of man's full consciousness of the power within him. "Man's power is unlimited," he said, 50 and 10 years ago. "Mind, Intelligence, is God; and man can reach out and get what he wants from that Universal Mind. He is in contact with it thru his brain. As it has taken him an eternity of the past-of reincarnative evolution to develop 1/6 of his brain, just think what he can do when he has unfolded 2/6 and more! He will overcome the so-called laws of Nature. He will go around the earth in the flash of a moment, and to the planets."

"Life is activity; it is eternal," he said, "a continuous cycle, never ending, never beginning. All things are vibrations. There is no wall separating the material and the spiritual; one blends into the other."

"All beliefs are right," Lahissa taught, "each one is a spoke in the wheel-leading to the same center." And "Your God, no matter what you call it, is just, but cold, without sentiment or feelings. It is not concerned about you, the individual, but works by certain definite laws, and you must obey those laws-or pay the price." And

"As you give to life and your fellowman, so shall you receive from life and your fellowman: that is the inevitable Law of Compensation. Give at all times NOW, the best there is in you. Thus will you find happiness, and when you are happy, then your God will smile upon you."

Indeed, Lahissa showed the way. He lived all phases of life and mastered its conditions, -was persecuted and prosecuted, until his earthly career was ended. And his spirit is still guiding into the 'new', when the teachings of all great teachers will be the accepted law of life: "Love, Tolerance, Forgiveness, and the seeking of Truth and Understanding."

The foundation has been laid.

It is left to others to bring into being:

THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN.

1934 The Lahissa Temple

-Submitted by ELLEN GIBBS

DECEMBER 1975                     13

 

Magnetic Brain Surgery

(Newsweek, 9/8/75)

One of the deadliest problems faced by neurosurgeons is the intracranial aneurysm. This occurs when the wall of one of the arteries in the brain gives way under the pressure of blood flow and forms a balloon like protuberance. Unless the blood vessel is quickly repaired, the aneurysm may rupture, producing a massive and fatal stroke. Because aneurysms usually strike blood vessels deep within the brain, surgery to correct them is highly traumatic to healthy brain tissue-and is often, in itself, life-threatening. But a Los Angeles neurosurgeon has devised a method of repairing aneurysms by using a high-powered magnet and silicone, a process that eliminates the need for major surgery.

In the method developed by Dr. Robert Rand, the aneurysm is located by X-rays and a powerful electromagnet is placed alongside the patient's head. Then the silicone, which has been mixed with iron particles, is gently injected into the aneurysm through a small hole drilled in the skull.

The silicone-iron mixture is then held in place by the magnetic field for the fifteen to twenty minutes it takes the silicone to harden -and seal the defect against rupture. The whole procedure can be done under a local anesthetic. As soon as the silicone has jelled, the magnet is turned off and the patient wheeled back to his room. So far, the technique has been used on eight patients with aneurysms considered too complicated for conventional surgery, and all have survived.

The magnet method also holds promise for other types of surgery. In three patients with kidney cancer, the silicone-iron combination has been injected into the renal artery and held in place at the site of the tumor, blocking its blood supply. This kills the tumor, which can be removed in a subsequent operation without the risk of spreading malignant cells through the circulatory system. The procedure has also been used to destroy brain tumors by shutting off their blood supply, thus making their removal far easier. Currently, Rand is experimenting with the magnet and silicone in lung-cancer surgery.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

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Seeing Doctor Starts Healing

(Daily Courier, Grants Pass, Or., 6/24/75)

By Warren E. Leary, AP Science Writer

BOSTON (AP)- Sick people often say they feel better after visiting their doctors, even before any treatment begins. A physician says this phenomenon should be maximized to supplement regular treatment.

Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School attributes this effect to the personal relationship between doctor and patient.

For reasons yet unknown, research shows that trust and faith in the doctor trigger physical and psychological changes that relieve suffering in many patients, he says.

Doctors should make the most of this benefit and be wary of at-tempts to jeopardize and computerize medicine, Benson said in an interview.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

Bacteria and Nutrition

(Houston Post, TX., Sept. 5, 1975)

CHICAGO (AP) - Bacteria can be used to increase the nutritional content of some foods and might make food cheaper. So say David Sands and Lester Mankin of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven. A mutant strain of bacteria has been produced which produces more lysine than it needs for its own development.

At present lysine, an essential amino acid, is sometimes used as food additive to improve nutrition. With higher nutritive values, less food is needed to provide animals and humans with their needs.

Tests have shown this lysine to increase the nutritive value of such fermented foods as yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, cheese, pickles and sauerkraut. Sands said that the addition of the mutant fermenting bacteria to corn silage fed to cattle could reduce the cost of feed. This could make the cost of meat cheaper and free the land used for animal grain for growing other crops for human consumption.

However, before this discovery can be put to practical use, the bacteria must be tested to make certain they do not create any toxic substances while producing more lysine.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

The Light Wave of the Future

(Business Week, September 1, 1975-Research)

Some of the most promising research developments since the transistor are rapidly emerging from the normally placid field of optics and glass technology. At their heart is a simple product and concept: A hair thin glass fiber that is so clear that it will carry light signals for 10 miles or more before they dim to undetectable levels. Such glass fibers can replace tons of copper because a single fiber can carry several

DECEMBER 1975                     15

television channels, or enough data to swamp almost any computer.

Excitement is keen everywhere over fiber optics and optoelectronic devices. The simplicity of the transmission has a special appeal for communications researchers. The problem now is to transfer from the present system to that of optical transmission....

The Defense Department is testing the replacement of copper air-craft wiring (450#) with fiber optics cable (50#). Besides the high potential use in communications other applications for fiber optics would be in cables that link computers and their terminals. Others see a big promise for the fiber optics in industrial control systems in electrically "noisy" environments.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

House Calls to Save Plants

(Grit, 4/27/75)

Dr. Patti Brown of New Orleans, a Ph.D. scholar from UCLA, has become a doctor to plants-house plants that is.

With the number of indoor gardens-in one window New York apartments to bay-windowed Texas ranch homes-increasing, the need for such services is evident. The plant world, too, knows sickness and death.

Dr. Patti Brown is the resident plant doctor in the French Quarter of New Orleans, one of the few anywhere who makes house calls, sometimes at 3 A.M. When a plant is in trouble a house call is necessary to tell from the symptoms what is wrong.

Dr. Brown makes about five plant side visits a day (at $15 a call), traveling through the Quarter on her 3-wheeled bike. She always carries her little black bag with bottles of this and that. It takes 12-16 hours, six days a week to see them all (her regular customers).

"Plants have feelings," Dr. Brown said. "Plants have a right to die if they're not happy. Because I believe plants have feelings, I touch them, talk to them. They make me feel good just to have them around."

Her plant hospital consists of 10 bales of hay in her two-room apartment. Here sick plants are treated, while others are kept for absent owners. "This is a serious matter, for investment in plants may run into hundreds of dollars," said Dr. Patti.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.

-Henry Van Dyke

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

13                                                                                       UNDERSTANDING

Ufos international

RADIATION RINGS

(National Enquirer-by Bob Pratt)

A Canadian electronics expert is convinced that four mysterious hot spots of radiation he located in a field near Carman, Manitoba, were made by UFOs.

"The circles were about 50 feet in diameter and 75 to 100 feet apart," said Ernst Spielman, a 57-year-old technician at the planetarium of the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature.

"The radiation was 3 to 4 times greater in the center of the circles than in the rest of the field and it dropped off to about 2 1/2 times nor-mal on the outer edges of the circles. Still, I found no burns or visible marks in the area." Discovery of the baffling radiation rings was the result of a bizarre adventure shared by 10 different people on the night of May 13, 1975.

Their curiosity piqued by reports of repeated UFO sightings in the area, Howard Bennett, publisher of the weekly Dufferin Leader, and 9 others decided to spend the night looking for UFOs.

About 11 p.m., the 10 stared in disbelief as a glowing object suddenly appeared on the horizon over a farmland area about 7 miles from Carman.

Cameraman Allen Kerr of station CKYTV, watched in amazement for a second, then filmed the UFO as it sped across the night sky, slowed, then seemed to hover near the earth.

The UFO remained in that position so long, the group split up and drove toward it over the lonely country roads without headlights, hoping to be able to sneak up on it and get a closer look.

"All of a sudden I could see this tremendous glow behind some trees," said Bennett, one of the first to arrive near the site where the UFO seemed to be hovering.

"It was a smokey, reddish, hazy glow and it seemed to be taller than the trees-maybe 50 feet tall. It was about 20 feet thick and seemed to be sitting on or just above the ground at an angle.

"I looked away for just a moment, then looked back-and it was gone."

Bob Diemert, a professional pilot in the group, was in a car nearby. "I saw the UFO appear suddenly above the trees," he said. "It seemed to hover, then shot off toward Winnipeg doing at least 1,500 miles-an-hour."

As the UFO sped away, cameraman Kerr got his second startling

DECEMBER 1975                     17

piece of film for the night. When it was developed and broadcast on TV later, it showed a glowing shape moving from left to right in the

sky and quickly going out of camera range.

When pilot Diemert viewed the film, he spotted what he believes was a "mother ship" and one or two robot UFOs.

"In part of the film you can see one of the little UFOs going straight up 3,000 feet in 1/16th of a second," he said. "That must have been a robot craft because no living creature could stand such incredible physical stress."

On May 21, eight days after the sightings, Spielman went to the area where the UFO reportedly hovered to check the ground with a radiation detector. Publisher Bennett and Ed Barker, a planetarium artist, accompanied Spielman.

"Spielman found four different circles of radioactivity," Bennett said.

"The radiation-detecting equipment was reading 38 to 40 milliroentgens in the circles, while the reading for the rest of the area was only 10."

At the request of The Enquirer, a geologist tested the same field on June 8-after it'd been pelted by rain and plowed. The radiation readings were still slightly above normal.

"It's remotely possible that the field was deliberately salted," said geologist Roger Haskins. "But I consider that very unlikely because radioactive materials are hard to get and no one knew Spielman was going out there to take readings.

"The only other answer is that the radiation indicated on Spiel-man's instruments came from something near or on the surface-the radiation is not in the soil."

BOOK REVIEWS

THE REASON FOR LIFE and NOW VISIT VENUS

(THE REASON FOR LIFE and Now VISIT VENUS, John Langdon Watts, Dixie Venus Books, Inc. For purchase see Advertisement.)

This volume is actually two books in one. The first part-The Reason for Life is a compilation of the philosophy of Outer Space Beings "as told to me," says Mr. Watts, "by Mara, Commander and Chief of the Federation of Planets Exploratory Forces," with head-quarters on Venus. The second part- Now Visit Venus - is a day-by-day personal account of experiences of John Watts of his stay on Venus, under the sponsorship of Mara. Of this he says: "The facts

18                                                  UNDERSTANDING

are true. The names of the places are as they are today and the people mentioned by name do exist. If you ever visit Venus you will find the Venusians as I have described them."

The author, John Langdon Watts, did not set out to do a book on extra-terrestrial life and philosophy. Rather he set out to find techniques akin to those of Edgar Cayce in medicine to apply in the fields of manufacturing and production. Mr. Watts is associated with an injection molding company in plastics.

In his researches, Mr. Watts who had prior experiences with the Venusians (2,500 years in advance of Earth in time), contacted not only space people but beings from the "astral or spirit world." The result is this presentation of "the purpose of life and our relationship to each other."

The philosophical section covers such interesting aspects of life as "Man's Awareness," "Flying Saucers and Life Style," "Immortality," "Karma and the Wheel of Life," "Euthanasia and Suicide" and "Prayer."

The account of the author's trip to Venus is written in an entirely different style and mood. Interlaced with serious discussions of life in the capital city of Venus-Tauhoma-are facetious remarks prompted by the relationship of an ordinary earth being with a mind-reading beautiful Venusian woman!

Mr. Watts shares with us his space flight and entry, through the protective force field, into the capital city of Venus. Once a part of the life scene there we read of phones by telepathy, home decor and ownership, identity cards, meals, and such. He even offers a recipe for the Venusian women's beauty treatment-

Life on Venus is guided by our Christian concept of "love ye one another" though they have never had the experience of Jesus. How-ever, fear has not been completely eliminated, for the peoples of Orion are considered a threat. Mr. Watts was even taken on a tour of a missile base and shown the technology of their armaments.

The book mentions also the Celebration of the Federation of Planets, a wedding, educational programs, and much more. For one interested in the details of life on a sister planet (not all of which differs from our own ways) here is an account that covers a rnultitude of detail.

Of his book the author says: "Knowledge is the keynote of this book. It is my hope that in reading it you will see the picture your God has created, and thus enrich your own life. May it give purpose to your life, so that in the cycle of evolution there will be a solid foundation for others to build on to the glory of God."

- C. H.

DECEMBER 1975                     19

Bulletin board

GIFT OF MUSIC

From Burrhette Brothers Productions (P. 0. Box 1363, Spring Valley, CA. 92077) we have received another gift recording - Music of the Godhead-for Supernatural Meditation.

This is another musical transcendental experience akin to those previously reviewed in the Understanding Magazine, i.e., March 1973 and December 1974.

We thank Master Wilburn Burrhette for his special contribution to our Spiritual Library.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

THERE IS STILL TIME

The closing date for Christmas Gift Subscriptions at the Special Price of $3.50 for the year (ten issues), will be December 15th. So--there is still time for you to remember your family, friends, and public institutions such as colleges and libraries, with our interesting and educational Understanding Magazine. A gift notice will be enclosed with the first issue mailed.

Please send all orders to our Merlin address. Thank you!

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

BOOK RECEIVED

From the Living Love Center (1730 La Loma Ave., Berkeley, CA. 94709) we have received a copy of Handbook to Higher Conscious-ness by Ken Keyes, Jr. ($2.95) for our Library at Tonopah, AZ.

See the November 1974 Understanding Magazine for a review of this significant study text.

Our thanks and appreciation to the Living Love Center friends.

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

20                                                  UNDERSTANDING

NEEDED-A PEN PAL

Mr. Mariusz Cybulski of Poland, interested in Understanding but unable to join because of monetary restrictions, has asked us to find him some correspondents in the United States. Here is your opportunity to make a new friend, learn of another land and another culture!

If you hesitate to write a personal letter, why not mail him monthly your past issue of Understanding Magazine. If he should get several, his friends will be the recipients. All it takes (unsealed) is a 104 stamp (try commemoratives) and a manila envelope. Do you care?

The address: Ul St. Okrzei, 10 m 16

20-128 Lublin, Poland

 ♦  ♦  ♦ 

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

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

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A gift of cheer that lasts all year. LIFE IS AS YOU GIVE IT by Louis Conde - Lahissa, an uplifting self-betterment book of universal appeal. SUITABLE GIFT FOR ANYONE. 155 pages hardbound, bright aqua jacket, $3.50 postpaid. Ellen Gibbs, 2803 No. Victoria, Peoria, ILL. 61604.

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PSYCHICS, COUNSELORS, METAPHYSICIANS. Establish your professionalism by joining International Metaphysical Festivals, Inc. The first organization for PROFESSIONALS in the field. General memberships available also. IMF, Inc., P.O. Box 15668, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815.

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U.F.O. CONFRONTATION-SURVIVAL or UPLIFTING ADVENTURE. POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION "friendly," "hostile" CRAFT AND OCCUPANTS. SAFETY REACTIONS AND DEFENSE WEAPON FOR LAND, SEA, AIR, ANY-WHERE. HOW TO COMMUNICATE. PERMANENT POLLUTION SOLUTIONS ENVIRONMENT, GENETIC NUCLEAR WASTES. GUARANTEED.

U.F.O. MANUAL       $1.00 U.S., CANADA.          $1.25 Ovrss PPD.

Michael J. Campione,                      2202 New Albany, Cinnaminson, N.J. 08077