inadequate, its

their reasoning being

activity is impeded.

Plato proclaims that those who fail to

emancipate themselves from the burden

of corporeal things cannot rise to the pure

elements above. They are dragged down

into an underworld where they live as

apparitions. Later, their souls are again

imprisoned in some form, the very sen-

sual being transmigrated into lower ani-

mals such as wolves, jackals, etc. Those

who lack philosophical virtue but live

respectable lives become bees or even

men in their next existence. Only those

who devote themselves to philosophy and

the exalted reason—which in man is con-

sidered divine—are entirely exempt from

further incarnations.

Orthodox Christians most often abhor

the belief in reincarnation, either be-

cause of their unfamiliarity with the sub-

ject or because of religious dogmatic

prejudice. They wilfully or otherwise

identify it with transmigration and meta-

morphosis. There are numerous refer-

ences in the Bible, however, that can

only be properly understood in terms of

the reincarnation of the soul. Such

quotations are too numerous to consider

here; however, in his excellent book,

Mansions of the Soul, a treatise on re-

incarnation, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis has

cited many of them.

To many intelligent persons, the doc-

trine of reincarnation seems to be more

in accord with what they consider divine

justice. To them, rebirth affords the op-

portunity for man to properly expiate his

mistakes—or sins, if you wish to call

them that. To such thinkers, reincarna-

tion is a compassionate principle which

allows man more than just one short span

of mortal life in which to learn how to

achieve a harmony with cosmic and

divine laws. It is contended that, if

spiritual truths are more profound and

more vital than mortal knowledge, souls

should be allowed a greater span for

learning than that provided the mortal

mind.

Certainly, a belief in reincarnation

cannot detract from the development of

the moral sense or an appreciation of

spiritual values; nor does it lessen man’s

mystical unity with whatever he con-

siders to be the initial and infinite cause.

The charge that it cannot be substantiated

—so often leveled at the doctrine of re-

incarnation—could likewise be laid by

perverted personalities against the belief

that the soul exists in a paradise or

heavenly state for eternity. There are

traditional and sacerdotal authorities for

and against all of the different human

conceptions of the immortality of the soul.

WE THANK YOU!

The Imperator, Supreme and Grand Lodge officers take this means of

thanking our Fratres and Sorores throughout the world for their most kind

Christmas Greetings. Because of the number of these Greetings, we must take

this means of thanking each of you.

Please send only one notice, and send it to:

The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC

Data Processing Center

Rosicrucian Park

San Jose, California 95191, U. S.

This one notice will change your master file and

departments. May we also remind you to be sure that

post office.

Be sure to let us

know as far in ad-

vance as possible

when your address

will change.

When You Change Your Address .

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