Reuben Swinburne Clymer - The Way To Life and Immortality (1914)

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THE WAY TO LIFE AND IMMORTALITY
A TEXT-BOOK ON THE NEW LIFE THAT SHALL LEAD
MAN FROM WEAKNESS, DISEASE, AND DEATH, TO FREEDOM
FROM THESE THINGS.
"there shall BE A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH."
frniplc oi
Mlumwali
By R Swinburne Clymer
COPYRIGHTED 1914 BY R. SWTNBURXE ClYMER.
all rights reserved.
PuhUshcd by
The Philosophical Publishing Co.,
A-Uentown, Pa.
MAR
~9
1914
(0iCI.A371696
THE VISION
I lived in an age of strife. All around me were men
oi ill-temper and ill-will. They fought one against the
other, class against claGS. Even the children took part in
the strife and knew no other life than the life of strife,
'j
hey were ill-shapen and miserable. There was no light
shining from their eyes.
The women were in the background, natural prey to
the life of strife; for men had no love for each other.
Kven in the midst of clans there was no love the one for
the other, and they fought their supposed enemies not be-
cause they loved their fellows more, but because they hated
their enemies more bitterly.
And out of the midst of the confusion came a Voice to
me and bade me look. In the heavens as in a cloud of fire
there appeared unto me a vision of two divinely perfect
beings. Their bodies were glorious, and as of shining ivory
which had life. Out of the eyes looked the Soul of Love.
Male and female were they, perfect in soul and in body
;
for the body showed perfect, and out of the eyes shone the
perfect soul.
And as I looked, behold, at their feet appeared chil-
dren, as perfect as were the other two. It was a vision of
Light and Fire, glorious and divine.
But as I gazed, there appeared other full-grown men
and v,"omen round about them; and in a circle round about
them I saw other children and all of them were perfect.
There was no mark of disease, no misery, no hate. All
was perfection, there was happiness and love, strife had
given way. As I gazed upon the glorious vision, a Voice
spake unto me
:
"This is the ncv.- heaven and the new earth, the two
become one. and I, thy God, shall be with thee."
January Eight, 1914.
Digitized by tine Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
The Library of Congress
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INTRODUCTORY
The Philosophy, the Rchgion, the Science, outhned in
the present work is that of ManhoodManhood which is
true, strong, virile, but which, strange as it may seem, is in
entire harmony with the true conception of Godhood.
In centuries past, up to the present time, mankind has
been taught almost universally that, in order to gain the
kingdom of heaven, it v.as necessary for him to deny the
body, to crucify the flesh, in fact, practically to destroy
the physical. It has been thought that by so doing he would
be able to earn the heavenly reward, a place in the heaven
of the Great Hereafter. This doctrine was thought to be
the means of exalting the soul.
Thus, a premium was placed on souls ; but a premium
was also placed on weakness of body. Any doctrine, any
science, any religion or philosophy, that regards the body
as a hindrance, a burden, or even a snare to man, is sure
to cause men to neglect physical welfare.
But the new age has set in, a new cycle has begun.
Men are no longer taught that the body must be debased
and dishonored in order to exalt the soul and to glorify
God. To be weak, and delicate in health, to be racked
V. ith pain, to be a victim of disease, is no longer thought
of as an indication of superior godliness. The teaching of
the present age is that man glorifies God by freeing the
body of disease and suffering, by making the body strong,
by making it as nearly perfect as is possible to make it.
T<\ perfecting body and soul, man does, in very truth, glori-
fy God.
But the thinker realize? that teaching of this nature
through exaltation of the physical tends toward prolonging
g The Way to Life and Immortality
life on the earth, and that ultimately and eventually it will
lead to physical immortality. He sees that perfection of
body, freedom from weakness and disease, perfection in
every detail, means an immortal body. The question then
arises, Even if it is possible for man so to think and so to
live as to build a perfect body, an immortal body, is it really
desirable to do so ? Considering the conditions under which
m.an lives at the present time, would Immortality on the
earth be really advisable?
Were answer given without due consideration^ it
would naturally be in the negative. Under conditions as
they are at the present time, it would not be desirable; for
man would not want to live forever where sickness, suffer-
ing, sorrow, crime, and vice prevail. But we must remem-
ber that as the new age progresses undesirable conditions
will pass away.
This is not a modern dream, but was clearly foretold
ages ago. The ideal state that results from immortality of
body and soul v/as the theme of the writer of Revelatiojis.
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea.
"And I,
John, saw the holy city. New Jerusalem,
coming dov^n out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband.
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven crying.
Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dvv'ell v/ith them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be their
God." Rev. 21 :l-3.
How many of the vast multitudes who have read these
words have had an inkling of an idea of their real signifi-
cance? These words of the inspired writer mean exactly
what they say; yet how many have thought it possible for
heaven to pass away? The fact is, little thought has been
given to this statement, and men generally have taken it
for granted that heaventhat is, the place where souls
The Way to Life and Immortality 9
h.'ivc gone after death, up to the ])resent timeshoulcl con-
tinue to exist forever. lUit John, the greatest of Revela-
tors, clearly states that he saw "the first heaven passed
away."
That which is usually called heaven is the state where-
in are the souls of those who have passed to the Beyond.
It is a state of existence merely, or a plane of being. By
Soul Science, it is called the Soul World, or the Soul
Realm. It is simply a plane of being to which souls go,
and in v.hich they remain temporarily, until they are en-
abled to return to the earth in order to continue their pil-
grimage toward perfection.
To use a homely, but practical, comparison, the Soul
World, heaven so-called, is nothing more nor less than a
"clearing liouse." A clearing house is a center in which
judgment is passed on checks, drafts, and accounts to de-
termine whether they are valid and v/orthy of exchange.
Somewhat similar to this, all souls, on leaving the body,
pass to th.e soul world, there to await the time when they
shall be permitted again to take up the earth pilgrimage
in order to free themselves from imperfection. This round
of pilgrimages on the earth alternating with temporary so-
journs in the soul realm continues until the soul is finally
free from all imperfection. When the soul shall have at-
tained Conscious Sonship w'ith God and shall have laid
aside all carnality and shall have put on immortality of
body and soul, it has no further need of the soul realm.
All souls are given the same opportunity. They are
equally endowed by their Creator with the pov/ers and the
faculties of the Infinite. Although these powers and facul-
ties are in the beginning potential only, and must be de-
veloped in order to be of avail to man in attaining per-
fection, nevertheless, they are capable of dcvelopnient to
such degree that man may indeed attain Godhood and Con-
scious Immortality in the flesh. Having attained perfec-
tion through repeated incarnations, he shall no longer be
15 l^HE Way to Life and tMMORi'ALifY
in need of the soul realm as a "clearing ihouse" through
which to pass in order to be tested in regard to the use he
has been making of the Infinite possibilities with which he
is endowed.
Even though all souls are given the same opportunity
and are endowed with divine powers, nevertheless, no Law
in heaven or on earth can force men to use their powers 'in
the attainment of perfection. They are given free-will and
freedom of choice, and are at liberty to unfold, or to
neglect, the Divinity within themselves. He who has per-
sistently neglected the Divine Image in which he is created,
he vv-ho has persistently and deliberately and wilfully lived
in ignorance and error and sin through repeated oppor-
tunities on the earth plane, will eventually forfeit the right
to Individual Perfection and Individual Immortality. In
otlier words, through repeated failure to comply with the
necessary conditions of perfection, it is impossible for him
to attain perfection because the nucleus of divine powers
within, through neglect, will still remain in a state of dor-
mancy. In the event of ultimate failure to comply with
the terms of Individual Perfection, the Spark of Divinity
within, the soul atom, unawakened to activity, returns in
its original condition at the death of the body to the uni-
versal storehouse of the Infinite. Yet greatly in the minor-
ity are those v/ho neglect or wilfully disregard the Divine
Law of Life to such degree that Individual Perfection and
Individual Godhood are impossible.
Gradually, though to be sure slowly, individual souls
are reaching perfection. What then? In so far as the
individual soul is concerned, there is no further need of
the soul world.
Gradually, though to be sure slowly, all souls that are
on the way to perfection will ultimately reach perfection.
What then? In so far as these souls are concerned, there
is no further need of the soul world.
^
..
That for which there is no further use passes away,
Thus, ultimately, the present soul world, "the first heaven,"
will cease to exist.
It is this heaven which John
in his prophetic vision
declares "was passed away." He foresaw the time when
the present heaven to which souls go for a time would no
longer he necessary, and, consequently, would no longer
exist.
But what in regard to the earth which he saw "was
passed away"?
As with the first heaven, so with the first earth. As
men hecome perfect, so will the world and all its condi-
tions become perfect. "The first earth" will have become
"a new earth" and heaven and earth shall be one.
But says the critic, Can it be that this earth with its
loathsome creeping and crawling things, with its dens of
ferocious animals, with its poisonous plants and herbs,
with its vipers and insects of deadly bite and sting; this
earth with its violent climatic and atmospheric changes, its
dread states of turmoil and strife on land and on sea among
natural forces and elements, with its horrors and its de-
vastations through fire, water, and wind, with its quakes
and its shocks and its volcanic spasms ; this earth with its
suffering humanity, its injustice, its dens of vice and tor-
ture, childhood pinched with cold and starvation, mother-
hood and womanhood crushed and dishonored and bartered,
manhood broken and wrecked through dissipationcan it
be that this earth is to become a haven for blissful souls, a
heaven, an eternal abiding place for the redeemed and the
perfect and for those who have attained the Divine Con-
sciousness ?
No, earth as it is, can not be the home of pcrect souls.
Earth as it is would not be an ideal place for the redeemed
of God. Earth as it is would be the veriest hell, a place of
torture, for the purified and the cleansed soul.
But earth as it is, is to pass away. This is the vision
pf
John, the Revelator, "the first earth was passed away,"
12
tiiE Way to Life and Immortality
and "a new earth" has taken its place.
According as souls on the earth become perfect, in that
very degree does the earth as it is, change into the earth as
it is to be; in that very degree does "the first earth" pass
away and "a new earth'' take its place. This is the vision
of "a. new earth" as the result
of
perfection
of
soul. Nor
must it be thought of as merely "an interesting coinci-
dence" that perfection of soul and the passing avvây of the
first earth occur simultaneously. It is primarily and funda-
mentally a matter
of
cause and effect- Perfection
of
soul
is the cause, "a neiv earth'' is the
effect.
No, earth cahi
not be heaven, earth can not be a suitable home for perfect
souls, so long as present conditions continue to exist. But
equally true is it that present conditions can change for
the better only in proportion as souls become perfect.
Equally true is it that perfection of soul must become the
active cause and the conscious creator of environments
suited to the state of perfection.
It is not so difficult to understand that with the pro-
gress of soul development economic conditions must im-
prove, and human relationships in every department of
life must become more desirable. That perfecting of souls
on the earth manifests itself in improvement of humani-
tarian concerns and in betterment of conditions on the so-
cial, industrial, educational, and governmental planes, is a
truth already established in the race consciousness.
But that development and perfection of souls on earth
has any effect upon the creatures of the earth below man or
upon atmospheric and climatic and chemic and other con-
ditions to v/hich man is subjectthis thought has meagre
claim in the race consciousness. This is the truth that
awaits the recognition of man. This is a part of the pro-
phetic vision of "a new heaven and a new earth." That
mankind has been given "dominion" over creation below
him., and that it is his right and his privilege to "subdue
the earth/' or to exercise his superior creative power in im-
The ^^'A7 TO Life axd Immortality 13
proving the earththis truth must become clearly out-
lined in the race consciousness before there can be "a new
heaven and a new earth." That the passions and the
thoughts and the emotions and the ideals of mankind af-
fect the earth and determine its condition as a
dwelling;
place for men is a truth of which the Author of these pages
is fully convinced, a truth that is to characterize the teach-
ings of the new age. It is a truth that lies at the basis of
any rational conception of Imm.ortality.
What is the meaning of the Law expressed by Hermes,
the Thrice \\'ise : "As above, so belovv " ?
As above on the hum.an plane, so below on the phys-
ical plane, both vegetable and animal. "As a man thinketh
in his heart, so is he." Equally true is it, 'as a man think-
eth in his heart, so are the animal world and the vegetable
kingdom around him.' For every evil passion, for every
evil desire in the heart of man, there is also some evil or
unfortunate manifestation in the external world. What
njan breathes out, animal and vegetable life breathes in
and lives upon. Through the exhalations of his thoughts
and his passions, man furnishes food and nourishment for
the kingdoms below him, both vegetable and animal. The
breath of man is loaded with the vitality of his thought
creations. If his thoughts are noble, pure and worthy, the
emanations exhaled through his breath, being wholesome and
vitalizing, feed and support the life of beautiful, valuable
creations, as, flowers, herbs, birds, fowls, and animals, of
superior order and of beneficent character. If his thoughts
and passions are destructive and ignoble, charged with ill-
will toward others, the emanations exhaled through his
breath are loaded with poisons, and sustain on the planes
below him life_of an inferior order or even life of a de-t
structive and vicious nature. Thus is it a literalj fact "as
above, so below." As in the world of human thought and
feeling, so is it in the world of manifestation below the
human. As is the status of the soul, so is life on the
14
The Way to Life And Immortality"
plane below, which feeds upon the exhalations of the
bodies and the souls of men.
These statements explain how it is a literal fact that
man has dominion over the plan'ss below him, that he is
in very truth the creator and the nourisher of kingdoms
beneath. Neither a myth nor a fancy is it that develop-
ment of soul on the human plane is both the cause and
the creator of "a new heaven and a new earth." In pro-
portion as man's thoughts and passions are exalted and
pure, in that proportion are "the first heaven and the first
earth passed away,'' in that proportion is there "a new
heaven and a nev^^ earth." This fact throws new light on
the mission of mankind. Not only creator of his own des-
tiny is he, not only his "brother's keeper" is he, but also
in a very remarkable manner is he Lord of creation and
Master of both heaven and earth. In a very remarkable
manner is he, through thought and desire and emotion and
ideal, responsible for external conditions on the earth on
v/hich he lives. Through perfection of soul is he respon-
sible for realizing the Divine Purpose, by ushering in "the
new heaven and the new earth."
Undesirable conditions on the earth in its physical
features as well as in its economic, industrial, and social
features are due to the heavy, depressed, poisonous at-
mosphere emanating from man's thought world. Disasters
which result in loss of many lives ; devastations and rav-
ages by storm, flood, fire, and wind; violent wreckage of
life through pestilence, drought, and famine, and other dire
calamities, unaccountable from physical causes merely, are
recognized by the Seer as being due to an excessive accu-
mulation of poisonous vibrations from the realm of hu-
man thought and feeling. If a fit of anger in the mother is
powerful enough to poison the infant at her breast, and
cause its death, how much more pov/er for harm and for
disaster must there be in the accumulated poison of count-
less numbers of malicious and perverted lives?
The Way to Life amd Immortality 15
Argument is not needed to -prove that mental states
of an individual affect his physical condition. The effect
of sudden fright, of sad news, of prolonged
uncertainty
and anxiety, of extreme violence of temper, of intense
fear, and of oth^r disturbed
mental states, is fully recog-
nized in ordinary experience.
The skilful reasoning of a
scientist or a
psychologist is not needed to convince m.an
of the plausibility of the statem.ent that mental conditions
affect the physical being. If mental states are visibly effec-
tive in one individual case, how much more effective must
be the collective mental states of a multitude of people?
It is claimed by scientific
investigation that all destructive
passions, as, fear, anger, ill-will, malice, hate, melancholy,
depression of spirit, form vibrations of heavy, stolid, slug-
gish character, charged with poisonous elements and ex-
plosive substances. As a thunder cloud meeting another
storm cloud results in an outburst of forces, liberating the
poisonous substances of each, so the collective cross-cur-
rents of thought and feeling emanating from many lives
result in disasters and calamities, which are too otfen
meekly accepted as "strange but unaccountable ministra-
tions of providence."
On the other hand, if there is such power for harm
in destructive and evil mental states, how much power for
good must there be in constructive and righteous mental
states? Through the collective power of goodness and
love and forgiveness and justice emanating from the lives
of the many v/ill conditions so change as to make it a
desirable habitation for godly souls. The change will be
gradual and slow, but eventually and ultimately it will
come. The change is now taking place. "The first earth"
is even now in process of "passing av/ay.'' "The new
earth" is even now in process of construction. To the
Seer of the present age as to the Inspired Revelator of a
former age, has been granted the prophetic vision of "the
first earth" with its carnality and its distresses and its
16
The Way to Life and Immortality
wreckages '"passed away." The Seer of the present day
is so fully convinced of the Infinite Power of Goodness
operating through Illumined Souls that he clearly sees
the earth and its conditions become a fit dwelling place
for "the redeemed of the Lord to walk thereon." So
fully convinced is he that he is willing to give his life to
the promulgation of the truth that leads to such regenera-
tion.
The Philosophy of Analogy reveals a correspondence
or a resemblance or a subtle kinship between life in the
vegetable and the animal kingdoms and human traits and
human characteristics. To illustrate: The serpent has
always been considered an emblem of temptation and de-
ception and traitorous tendencies; the dove, an emblem
of peace and good-will; the lamb, an emblem of innocence
and gentleness; the lily, an emblem of purity and sinless-
ness; the rose, an emblem of perfection.
Are these emblems merely "a happy coincidence?"
Are they nothing more than observations which please and
gratify the poetic and esthetic nature of man? Or is
there a fundamental reason, a necessary cause, v/hich
makes them not only apt but even vitally and universally
significant ?
The correctness and the fitness of an analogy is testi-
fied to in the fact that it is accepted naturally and spon-
taneously by mankind in general. To point out an analogy
or an lemblem is not the result of deep mental study or of
close mental reasoning. It is the result of soulful vision,
and clear insight info fundamental truth. If the associa-
tion of qualities indicated by an emblem is true and ac-
curate, the race consciousness accepts it spontaneously and
naturally, and forgets to ask why.
But the seeker after truth must know why. In time
he discovers that there is a fundamental reason for the
aptness of all analogy. To illustrate. The snake is an
emblem of treachery and deceit, When the heart of man
is filled with treacherous and deceitful and traitorous
thoughts and desires and motives, the exhalations of his
breath are loaded with the particular poison that deceptive
tlioughts and purposes produce. This outbreathed poison
becomes the life and the sustaining force of the animal
creation that corresponds to this type of thought. The
deadly snake and poisonous viper are sustained and
nourished by the destructive exhalations of perverted
minds and darkened souls of men. When men cease to
have in their hearts the particular passions that the ser-
pent represents and feeds upon, the serpent will cease to
exist ; or, at least, the serpent will cease to exist as a
creature that is loathed and abhorred almost universally
by mankind. When man has overcome in his own nature
the elements that the serpent represents, he ceases to have
a marked abhorrence of the serpent; for there is nothing
in his nature that corresponds to it. As an individual he
does not furnish it life and nourishment Though it exists, it
does not exist as a terror for him. In proportion as the
race evolves unto perfection of body, mind, and soul, in
that degree will the serpent and deadly vipers and all
loathsome creeping, crawling creatures cease to exist as
such. If they continue to exist it will be as transfigured
creatures, emblems fittingly representative of the graces
and the virtues that have supplanted the destructive and
the deadly passions that previously existed in the hearts
of men.
Thus with all creatures on the animal plane. When
the thoughts of men are universally transmuted, when
men universally entertain in their hearts only the divine
passions of love, forgiveness, good-will, and other holy
emotions, instead of the destructive and deadly passions
of hate, malice, jealousy, envy, ill-will, and other passions
in the category of carnality
-then will all undesirable crea-

tures on the animal plane cease to exist.
But, just as the evil thoughts of men are the elements
18
The Way to Life and Immortalitx
whereby undesirable creatures are kept alive, and where-
from they live, so do beautiful, creative, constructive
thoughts of men give life and nourishment to beautiful
creatures on the earth. By universal race consent, the
beautiful, delicate, refined flower typifies purity and beauty
of character. But the Illumined Soul knows that it typi-
fies purity and beauty of character because it feeds upon
and is supported by the emanations
of
beautiful, refined
sotds. The rose has ever been the symbol of the true life,
the perfect life; symbol of Illumination of Soul, cons'e-
quently, symbol of Godhood individualized in man. For
this reason has the rose been accepted as the emblem of
those who aim at perfection of soul, and for this reason
also is the rose a constant incentive to man to strive after
the true, the perfect, the beautiful life.
In proportion as the race is retieemed and regenerated
in life on all planes, in that proportion will the earth
abound in beautiful flowers, luscious fruits, and exquisite
flying creatures. As men free their hearts of
destructive passions, deadly creatures and poisonous
plants will disappear from the earth; and in their
stead will come flowers and creatures which are infinitely
more beautiful than man in his present state of unfold-
ment can in his imagination conceive. Thus, in time, the
earth will become one beautiful Garden, a very Garden of
Eden; and the men and the women thereon will be gods
and goddesses, redeemed and perfected souls
per-
fected so far as our present standards are capable of con-
ceiving, but still evolving new measurements and new
standards of perfection, and still striving after and approx-
imating ideals of perfection which surpass the highest
measurement of which man is capable at the present time.
Thus is it that man is Lord of all creation. Thus is
man to "subdue the earth." Not mêrely by taming the
fierce and the vicious is he to have dominion over the ani-
mal kingdom ; not merely by destroying the ferocious or by
domesticating the wild ; not merely by improving species,
nor by compelling animal strength to do his will and to
bear his burdens ; but by^ living such a holy and sinless life
that the emanations
of
his character act as a redeeming
and a regenerating potency in the creation over zvhich he
has been made Lord and Master. Not merely by harness-
ing Nature's forces and bidding them to obey his commands
is he to subdue the earth ; not merely by mastering the
laws to which wind, water, fire, electricity, magnetism,
and other natural forces and elements are subject so as to
turn their power into channels that serve his purpose; not
merely by perfecting flower, plant, and fruit, nor by learn-
ing new uses to which they may be put in the economy of
human interests
bvJ by living such a holy and sinless

life
that the vibrations
of
Jiis soul serve as a harmonizing
and redeeming and controlVmg influence over natural
forces
and elements, and as a means zvhereby he is enabled to.
employ them
for
constructive purposes, and the radiations
fo/
his character give life
and nourishment only to that>
which is beneficial and useful.
The building of "a new heaven and a rêw earth" is
the work of redemption. The work of full and complete
redemption does not stop with the salvation of humanity.
lo be sure, perfection of soul is the goal and the ideal
aimed at. Yet, if man sees no farther than, individual per-
fection of soul as an ideal, his aim is sadly deficient and
largely selfish. Perfection of soul is the ideal aimed at
and the standard placed before humanity
for
the sake
of
the inevitable results and effects of
perfection
of
soul
upon creation as a zvkole, and upon the earth as a habita-
tion
for
souls, over which by divine decree man has been
made Lord and Master and Redeemer. To aim at indi-
vidual perfection of soul for its own sake as an individual
attainment, though in itself infinitely desirable, falls far
short of the heritage granted to man by divine right in
that through perfection of soul he is to subdue the earth
20
and to hold dominion over the creatures thereof.
The work of universal redemption and universal re-
generation is a slow and a gradual work. But none the
less sure is it. Gradually men are beginning to under-
stand the Law that must be obeyed in order to bring about
universal redemption. Gradually is there an increase in
numbers of those who are striving to live in harmony with
the fundamental laws of life. In general, the world is
becoming better. And as mankind improves in its life and
character, so will the earth become more and more suit-
able and desirable as the home of Illumined Souls, un,til
finally all things will have become regenerated. Then will
there be a new heaven and a new earth. Then the first
heaven and the first earth will have passed away.
At the present time there are two planes of existence.
There is the earth whereon man rules, largely through evil
and destructive methods. There is the soul plane, "the
first heaven," wherein imperfect souls abide the oppor-
tunity of a return to earth conditions. But, in th coming
age, the two shall be one. And God will come out of the
first heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And, behold, the voice of the Great Over-Soul shall say
:
"God is with men. He dwells with them. They are
His people. God Himself is with them and is their God;
for He has left the first heaven and has come to earth
to be among men. He has become individualized in men.
And men have become individualizations of Godhood on
the earth."
"This is the new heaven and the new earth" which
the Illuminati are teaching men to bring about. They
are teaching that strength and perfection for both body
and soul is the goal toward which men should strive. They
are teaching that the nevv^ heaven and the new earth as
foretold by the messengers of God can not come until men
obey the Divine Law and live a life that is an honor to
.God, their Creator. They are teaching that to be sickly in
^1
body and weak, and to be carnally-minded, is not an honor
to God. They advocate that perfection of body and per-
fection of soul are supplements each of the other, and
necessary each to the other.
By no means desirable is it for man to be compelled
to live forever on the earth as it is at the present time
;
but heartily desirable will it be when the world has be-
come regenerated through the regeneration of mankind.
Let it be remembered, nevertheless, that Perfection
and Regeneration and Salvation and Redemption are ever
increasing variables, and that man's conception and stand-
ard and measurement of Perfection is an ever increasing
variable. The doctrine of full and complete Redemption
or Regeneration, the doctrine of Perfection, by no means
holds as its ideal a state of bliss that is weak and inert
through sheer self-satisfaction or through cessation of
growth and activity. Fields of endeavor, realms of achieve-
ment, worlds of opportunity for creative power and skill,
undreamed of by the most enlivened imagination, await
man in the Age of Realization that ushers in "a new heav-
en and a new earth."
May each one who reads and ponders these pages
strive to find the Way that leads to Life, Light, Love, and
Complete Immortality.
Fraternally,
The Author.
"Beverly."
December Twenty-seven, 1913,
22 The Way to Life and iMMORtALiTY
CHAPTER ONE
"heal the sick-''
Jesus,
whom Soul Scientists and the Illuminati recog-
nize as a Master and as one of the foremost teachers of
the Divine Law, gave many admonitions to those who
would follow the "Way, the Truth, and the Life" ; but no
admonition stands out more clearly than the command to
hea'l the sick. In the Gospel of St. Luke are many refer-
ences to the healing of the sick. The most direct and
p(jsitive statement given as a command is found in verse
nine of chapter ten.
"And heali the sick that are therein, and say unto
them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."
Why should the command, "Heal the sick," be accom-
panied by the statement that those who are healed shall
be told that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto them?
The reason for this is to be found in the fact that
there is a close connection between health and the king-
dom of God, a close connection between disease and the
kingdom of error and sin. All illness is due to vicVlation
of the laws of healththat is, to some form of sin and
error. It may be unconscious sin and error, but it is none
the less sin and error. The man or the woman that breaks
nature's laws in respect to any one of those things which
cause illness, is committing a sin, or violating a law of
health. It is to be readily admitted that disease of body
cind mind is more often due to ignorance than to deliberate
wrong doing, ignorance regarding conditions of health,
Kevertheless, the principle remains true that error in re-
^;ird to the laws of health results in illness and sufferings,
24
The Way to Life And Immortality
that obedience to the laws of health results in ease and
harmony.
The fact that there is a vital connection between
health and the kingdom of heaven has been overlooked by
churches and religious denominations. The church has
lost its hold upon humanity largely because it has ceased
to make healing of the body a prominent part of its mis-
sion. The Temple of lUuminati proposes to reestablish
this important feature of religious instruction. One pur-
pose of the Temple of Illuminati is to instruct and to
train its members in respect to natural law as it pertains
to physical and mental health, strength, and vigor. This
it considers to be a necessary feature of the Way to Life
and Immortality, Under this instruction and training, the
members should not only themselves regain health and
strength if lost, but should be qualified to help others in
restoring conditions of health, strength, and vitality.
This doctrine, that physical health and vigor are nat-
ural manifestations of the kingdom of heaven in human
experience, and that disease and suffering are manifesta-
tions of the kingdom of error and darkness, is founded
upon the Sacred Scriptures. Basis for this doctrine is
seen also in the ancient philosophies. It is by no means
necessary to use the Bible as authority. However, men
generally recognize the teachings of prophets and aposties
recorded in the Bible as the foundation upon which all
true doctrines rest. There are some, indeed, who con-
sider themselves superior to the instructions of the Scrip-
tures, and who claim no longer to need the Bible; but this
very self-deluded superiority shows that they have not yet
reached the first steps on the ladder of true Wisdom. All
men who have reached Illumination of Soul recognize that
the Bible contains the Alpha and Omega of all knowl-
edge, and that therein is clearly indicated the Way to Life
and Immortality. Therefore, the teachings of the Scrip-
tures are accepted by the Illuminati as the basis of their
25
histruction5
;
yet it is freely admitted that the sacred writ-
ings of other than the so-called Christian religion preserve
kindred doctrinists.
Followers of the Illuminati claim that all illness, no
matter what its nature, is caused directly through not liv-
ing in harmony with the Law of God. The Law has two
aspects, natural and divine. The Law of God, often desig-
nated as "the Law," or "the Divine LaAV," is both natural
and divine, but is often spoken of as one or the other,
owing to the prominence of the aspect considered. In
general, natural law refers to conditions on the physical and
the material plane, and pertains to the physical well-being
of man; while divine law, generally considered, refers to
conditions which affect the welfare of the soul, and per-
tains to the spiritual, mental, and divine nature of man.
There is, however, no sharp distinction to be made be-
tv.êen the two. The welfare of man's spiritual, mental,
and divine nature depends upon his physical well-being as
a necessary basis. The divine law rests upon the natural
law as a foundation. Each is necessary to the other. In
fact, it is the same law viewed from different angles.
Thus, let it be clearly understood in the beginning as
basic propositions of the Illuminati ; first, the state of con-
sciousness designated as "the kingdom of heaven" includes
right living (righteousness), or correct habits of life, on
the physical plane as well as on the spiritual, or divine,
plane of thought; second, any consideration of the Way
to Life and Immortality that ignores the physical well-
being of man is not only incomplete but even irrational and
illogical ; third, the command to heal the sick, in face of
the vital connection between health and the kingdom of
heaven, between illness and the kingdom of sin and error,
makes it imperative upon the Temple of Illuminati to give
instruction and training concerning the laws of health and
concerning a rational basis and method of healing.
It is the verdict of physicians that illness is most fre-
26
The Way
to Life and iMMdftTAtix?
quently caused by an erroneous system of living, or by
incorrect habits of life ; indeed, to give more explicit state-
ment, illness is most frequently caused by an erroneous
system of eating.
Time was, when it would have been considered ab-
surd for a teacher, a prophet, a Messiah, to speak of diet-
etics in connection with Life and Immortality; but that
time is past. Now, all wise men, ail truly illuminated
ones, know that those things which enter the body as
food and drink have much to do with the welfare of mind
and soul as well as body. The thoughtful person, ithe
person of keen ambition, no longer considers it absurd or
irrational to associate hygienic conditions and scientific
dietetics with the Way to Life and Immortality.
Food and drink are to the body what oil is to machin-
ery. A delicate piece of machinery may be thrown out of
order and rendered useless by being lubricated with a poor
grade of oil. And not until it has been cleaned and reoiled
and its equilibrium has been reestablished, can the machine
satisfactorily serve the purpose for which it was intended.
I ikewise, man's organism may be thrown into a state of
disorder and inharmony by taking into his system foods
or drinks not suited to his needs.
The stomach is the center of motive power for the
organism. And, if the part of the organism wherein mo-
tive power originates is thrown into a state of inharmony
and turmoil, the inharmony is transmitted to the brain
through the medium of the sympathetic nerve, and this
causes unnatural and morbid thinking. Unnatural and mor-
bid thought conditions, in turn, cause sluggish, ambitionless
movements of body. This state of affairs accounts for in-
efficient workmen and artisans ; and, in exaggerated form,
it may even account for criminal tendencies and for feeble-
mindedness. Furthermore, sluggish, burdened, and de-
pressed condition of physical functions largely explains
the prevalent indifference among mankind to the Laws o|
The Way to Uife and Immortalitv,
27
Life and Immortality.
It is equally important for man to understand natural
law as to understand divine law, or spiritual law. Man is
well called a prototype of the universe; and, as such, he
needs to understand the mechanism of his own structure
and the laws of its functions, that he may abide by the
dictates of universal law and order.
The church of the past has been teaching that souls
only are of value, and that the soul can be made immortal,
cr reach Salvation, regardless of physical conditions. Sal-
vation of soul independent of the body is a doctrine not
sanctioned by the Illuminati. Salvation by faith inde-
pendent of works is not sanctioned by the Illuminati. That
faith must be accompanied by works in harmony with the
faith professed, that full and perfect salvation of soul is
impossible without a corresponding purification of body, are
definite tenets of Soul Science and the Illuminati. There
is every evidence that the Master Jesus associated salva-
tion of soul with healing of body, and that he identified
full and perfect salvation with bodily immortality, and,
ultimately, with victory over death.
Possibly the strongest statement that Jesus ever made
concerning life and immortality is this
:
"Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?"
Not only did Jesus teach that man may be healthy and
happy, but that, if he is willing to live and to believe in
the Christ, he may live forever.
Science is daily proving the possibility of bodily im-
mortality. It is a scientific fact that the physical body of
man remakes itself entirely, cell by cell, within a period of
nine months. The only reason why the body should see
corruption is because man does not live in such a manner
that every cell in the body renews itself. Some of the old
cells remain. This, in time, causes old age; or, it may even
j:i>use illness of the physical being-, which naturally results
2S
The Way to Life aistd iMMORtALiTY
in illness or weakness of the mental and the soulual beinof.
Scientific research admits that there is no plausible reason
why the body of man should die.
,What then should be the remedy for the decrepitude
of old age and for other impaired physical conditions?
Let the motto of Soul Science and of the Illuminati
be the answer to this question: "Our God is the God of
life, and not of death."
Let the Law as stated by St. John be the answer to
the question : "Whosoever liveth and believeth in the Christ
shall not die."
To live in the Christ precedes and accompanies true
belief in the Christ. Belief in the Christ is the natural
outgrowth of living in Llim. Jesus nowhere taught that mere
belief in the Christ will suffice. He distinctly taught that,
in order to attain Christhood, man must live as Jesus lived
that is, in harmony with natural and divine law. Only

through right living can man rightly believe. Many claim
to have faith in God, who do not live in accordance with
the Law of God; but a faith that does not exemplify the
Law is, at best, nothing more than a superficial faith. It
is a self-deluded belief, v/hich is swept away at the first in-
dication of sorrow or trouble. To weep and to bewail
one's fate, to wonder why man should suffer when, as he
believes, he trusts in the Lordthis very attitude of mind
gives evidence of lack of faith. True faith in God, and
living in harmony with natural and divine law are neces-
sary supplements and companions, each of the other.
All science and philosophy support the assertion that
it is impossible for a disordered mind resulting from a dis-
ordered body to have natural, simple, perfect faith and
trust in the Father. It is indeed impossible for the mind
to think correctly and to have clear vision when it is de-
pressed and morbid because of physical disorder and slug-
gishness. On the other hand, when man lives in harmony
with natural and divine law, when he observes hygienic con-
29
dilions and honors the principles of right living on the ma-
terial plane as well as on the mental and the divine planes,
it is natural for him to have a wholesome sincere trust in
God, the Father of all. The mind receives none other than
cheerful, health-inspiring vibrations from the physical cen-
ter of life in man; and, it is then easy to believe that there
is a God. It is easy to see the beauty in the rose, the har-
mony in the song of the bird, and in the glorification of
God in nature. All is bright, the eye sees the good, and
man is become like unto the gods.
That physical health, strength, and vigor characterize
him in whom "the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand," that
disease and disorder characterize him in v^^hom the kingdom
of sin and error is nigh at hand, are truths which both
science and philosophy support. Belief and trust will take
tare of themselves v/hen man lives in harmony with both
natural and divine law.
The Law of God pertains to life, and has to do with
all those things which form a part of daily living. And it
is well for man to give careful attention to natural law as
well as divine. No one should consider himself too wise,
loo far advanced, too refined to acquaint himself with re-
quirements of right living on the physical plane. This in-
cludes sleep, work, exercise, breathing, recreation, cleanli-
ness, food, and correct thought habits. It is not uncommon
for the student who has reached a certain stage of unfold-
ment to consider conditions wdiich pertain to physical wel-
fare of inferior significance; and he is inclined to under-
estimate the importance of the so-called commonplaces of
daily life. It should be remembered that the Bible is as
much a text-book on hygiene, sanitation, and dietetics as
it is a treatise on ethics, salvation, and immortality, and
that hygiene, sanitation, and dietetics have a vital connec-
tion with salvation and immortality of body and soul. The
fact that these relations are a part of the life of man shows
that they are important enough to enlist his interest; and,
30 The Way to Life and Immortality
if man desires to attain health and peace, v/isdom and im-
mortahty, he must, sooner or later, give heed to natural
law on the ph3'sical plane.
The superficial student may smile at the emphasis
placed on the importance of natural law and hygienic con-
ditions; but, if sincere, he need not look far for ample
proof of their importance. The fact that obedience to nat-
ural law is necessary, and that strict observance of condi-
tions which pertain to sleep, work, exercise, food, breath-
ing, recreation, and cleanliness is a necessary factor of
satisfactory living, is not to be overlooked by the sincere
seeker after truth.
Furthermore, such items as these are emphasized in
this connection because they are necessary features of any
legitimate system of healing. Concerning the command,
"Heal the sick," it is to be remembered that, as illness is
due to violation of natural law in one or more of its as-
pects, so rational healing must aim at restoring the patient
to a normal observance of the conditions violated. That
is, if illness is due to a wrong system of eating, or to vio-
lation of the laws of sleep and relaxation, or to lack of
exercise, or to indifference to internal and external clean-
liness, or to an insufficient supply of pure air, or to a com-
bination of such indiscretions, restoration to complete
health and harmony of physical functions must include a
system of right living in respect to these habits of life.
To live in the Christ, and to believe in Him, insures that
man is on the Way to Life and Immortality. To live in
the Christ, and to believe, includes obedience to natural law
in its different requirements, as, obedience to the laws of
health in respect to sleep, nourishment, cleanliness, work,
and pure air.
As an illustration of the results of not living in har-
mony with natural law in its various demands, note that
serious, but mysterious trouble called Neurasthenia, or
,1'Nerve Starvation. In most cases, there is apparently not a
single indication of anything wrong in the physical being,
there is no organic trouble, every organ and function seems
to be working normally. The physical being, to all appear-
ances, is working naturally and harmoniously.
But how is it with the mind and with the soul of the
sufferer? Upon examination of the nervous system as
manifest through mind and soul, is found a condition un-
believable to those who have not so suffered. To those who
arc under the power of the peculiar difficulty called Neu-
rasthenia, there is no sleep; or, if any, it is one horrible
dream. There is no peace of mind ; for one morbid thought
crowds out another, one morbid thought is followed by an-
other. Though the sufferer tries to control the mind, it
seems uncontrollable. The eyes cannot be closed ; for
when they are closed, there appears picture after picture of
such things as were never thought of. He may look at the
rose, but he sees no beauty in it. He may look at the sun;
but, to him, it has no brightness. He may look at the ves-
ture of the fields and the woods. It is useless, for they
have for him no charm. He may contemplate life, only to
see nothing in it. The Neurasthenic cares for neither Iqve
nor beauty, neither life nor death. He knows not why he
exists. Speak to him of the soul, he cares not whether he
has one. Speak to him of heaven, and he cares not
whether there is a heaven or hades. In fact, for him life
is not Hfe, but a continued death.
It was such cases as these of which Jesus said that they
had a demon, or even many devils. The mind of such is
full of hallucinations. The sufferer knows that these vis-
ions, these delusions, are not real; but he is unable to put
them aside.
This is but a mild picture of that condition of which
millions suff'er. It is a condition toward which other mil-
lions are rapidly approaching; for it is asserted that the
white race is losing its "nerve," and is gradually falling
into the neurasthenic state.
32
What is the cause? Simple or even foolish as it may
seem to many, the cause is nothing but starvation of the
nerves, due to long-continued breaking of natural law in
many of its aspects. In fact, the cause is largely due to a
negative statenot doing things that are necessary to nor-
mal, natural life, not "living in the Christ." Chief among
the causes are violation of simple hygienic conditions, as
:
insufficient and improper nourishment; hurry and rush in
business; insufficiency of sleep, outdoor exercise, and fresh
air.
It stands to reason that the rational method of treat-
ing and of healing a person that has fallen into the clutches
of this dread disease must include restoration to normal
compliance with the laws of nature previously violated. Of
what value would it be to effect an instantaneous miraculous
cure, while still permitting the patient to continue in the
habits that brought on the difficulty in the first place?
This serves merely as an illustration of the principle
that true healing includes instruction in regard to natural
as well as divine law; that true healing must touch the life
and transform daily habits of living; that true healing
teaches one to live, and to believe in, the Christto live a
life of obedience to natural as well as divine law, and to
trust, with sincerity and simplicity of heart, in God, the
Father of all. We must live as the Christ lived before we
can have undaunted faith in God and in Immortality, be-
fore we can ourselves have true health and harmony or
help others to attain the same desirable state of being.
Moreover, Soul Science and the Illuminati hold it as
a fundamental doctrine, that, if man obeys natural and di-
vine law in their various aspects, and has faith in God,
the Father, death of body is not a necessity. Did not Jesus
clearly say that the last enemy to be overcome is death?
Think ye that Jesus
spoke of things that are impossible?
Nay, all of this is possible. It is a great and mighty pos-
sibility
;
but, in order to realize this possibility, we must live,
and believe in, the Christ. Through the Christ, all things
are possible. To obey natural law in its varied conditions;
to live in the Christ, and to believe in Himthis is Soul
Science, this is the Way to Life and Immortality.
CHAPTER TWO
"and he sent them to preach the kingdom of god^ and
to heal the sick."
Those who followed Jesus were given two things to
do : to preach the kingdom of God, or to teach the Way to
the kingdom of God; and to heal the sick.
It is impossible to separate the one department of
v/ork from the other. To attempt to do so, only ends in
failure. The established churches have tried to do this for
centuries ; and it is now admitted even by their own men
that results have not been satisfactory.
Why should these two departments of work go hand
in hand
"to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the

sick"? Rather, the question would seem more pertinent
and rational if it were stated thus: Why should these two
departments of work, preaching the kingdom and healing
the sick, not go hand in hand? Why should they ever have
been separated at all?
Their separation is due to an erroneous interpretation
of the kingdom of heaven, an erroneous idea of the rela-
tion existing between soul and body, an erroneous idea of
salvation and redemption. Naturally, their reunion will be
effected through a revival of the true interpretation of the
kingdom of God and its relation to man in all departments
of his life.
According to the Christie Interpretation, the kingdom
of God includes the kingdom of health and right living on
the physical plane; salvation of soul cannot be separated
from salvation of body ; redemption of soul presupposes
redemption of body; Life and Immortality, in its full and
34
complete realization, anticipates
ultimate victory over death
and the grave. When the truth concerning man and his
relation to God is fully comprehended, and when man lives
the true life, and realizes the ideal relation with God, ill-
ness is impossible.
Again and again is it necessary for the Illuminati to
be reminded of the saying of John : "Whosoever liveth, and
believeth in the Christ shall never die."
Here again are two principles which must not be sep-
arated, but which must go hand in hand, living and be-
lieving. He who has no faith will not live the life of faith;
while he who has faith and lives accordingly will reap the
fruits of such living, and the fruits are freedom from dis-
ease and death.
The statement that, under any consideration, man
shall not see death is, to the sense-bound, sense-loving mind,
indeed appalling. Possibly to some, the statement may be
even uninviting and gruesome. But, let it be remembered
that the promise of never-ending life is only to those who
live in the Christ and believe in Him. To those who do
not live in the Christ, or live according to His Laws, no
such promise is given. Neither are such capable of en-
tertaining a correct conception of the principle of Immor-
tality. Only to the sense-bound, sense-loving nature is the
promise of Immortality gruesome and uninviting. To him
who has tasted of the sweets of the kingdom, to him who
has realized the power and the beauty of life in the Christ,
the promise of Immortality is an ideal possible of attain-
ment; but he fully comprehends that its realization comes
only through living according to the Laws of the Christ and
through faith in the ever-present Christ Principle.
I'Soul Science and its Christie Interpretation aims at
reestablishing the vital and necessary connection between
the kingdom of God and the principles of health and heal-
ing. It aims at a practical union between preaching the
kingdom and healing the sick.
It cannot be too strongly impressed upon those who
would represent Soul Science and the Illuminati as teach-
ers, that they are to be Healers as well as instructors in
the Divine Law. They must be teachers of the truth as
interpreted by Soul Science, but they must also become
Healers in the true sense of the word, which includes in-
struction in regard to the method of life that sets man free
from disease and sufifering.
Among people generally, there is a grievous miscon-
ception concerning the healing of the Master Jesus. Many
believe that he healed the sick in spite of their sinful life,
and that they remained healed in spite of continuing in the
old life of sin. This conception is far from the truth. In
each instance, Jesus tested the faith of those who came to
him for healing; and, when he found it satisfactory, he
healed them, but always with the warning that they should
sin no more. Well did he understand that health and har-
mony cannot remain in the body of him who continues in
deliberate, persistent sin, especially the sin, or the error,
that has been the cause of illness. To heal a man of dis-
ease while ignoring the cause, while permitting him to
continue in habits that foster disease, is both irrational
and unjust. Nor is there the slightest basis for such an
interpretation of the cases of healing performed by Jesus
and his disciples.
Doubtless, too, a part of the testing of faith was to
determine whether the patient understood the law of heal-
ing and was willing to free himself from the cause of the
difficulty. The faith that does not include a v/illingness
to give up habits of life which cause illness is an irra-
tional as well as an incomplete faith. The faith that ex-
pects the man Jesus to effect a cure regardless of cause,
the faith that hopes to remain healed regardless of un-
natural and abnormal habits of living, is not only crude
and deficient, but even savors of sacrilege ; for it puts to
shame every law of honor and justice. To believe that
36
Jesus
instantaneously healed the body of man without
pointing out to the sufferer the way by which he might
avoid such difficulty in the future, is to make of him a
mere wonder-worker and a charlatan.
The work of Soul Science and the lUuminati is to
teach mankind the laws of life, to teach men how to live
and how to believe, in order that they may become healthy,
strong, and efficient. Its mission is an exceedingly prac-
tical one. There is the misconception that mystical teach-
ing deals only with the unseen, and, consequently, with
theories and with the impractical and the fanciful. This
is a grievous mistake. The purpose of Soul Science, in
its various departments of instruction, is to make itsi
teachings regarding the Law that leads to Life and Im-
mortality applicable to every-day needs. And what is
more needed among mankind than health, strength, and
efficiency? Where is there a more exalted and a more
practical mission than that of teaching the laws of the
kingdom of God together with the laws of health and heal-
ing?
This is the New Age, the Age in which man must un-
derstand that religion is not merely a system of ideas to
be accepted and believed, but that it is the revelation of a
mode of life, a life that must be lived daily. Being the
revelation of the laws of life, it includes every department
of man's nature, and is, therefore, not so much a theory
regarding the hereafter as practical instructions which sat-
isfy the daily needs of life here and now.
The end and the aim of life for man is to become
like unto the gods. Being endowed with divine qualities
and deific attributes and powers, he fulfils his mission in
life in proportion as he develops and uses his powers in
harmony with universal law and order. When man lives
a life that is entirely within the law, entirely natural and
normal, he will be free from illness, free from corruption,
free from all undesirable things. When man becomes
The Way to Life and iMMORTALitV 37
like unto the gods and is fully conscious of his oneness
with the Infinite, sin and sickness, death and corruption,
no longer form a part of his nature. These statements,
to be sure, picture an ideal state; and men generally are
by no means capable at the present moment of realizing
this state. But to see the ideal and the possibility of its
attainment, is necessary as a stimulus to urge one on even
to a partial realization.
To live the life of the Christ, does not mean, as for-
merly held by the churches, merely the redemption of the
soul. That idea is forced to give way under the light of
understanding that characterizes the present age. Soul
Science in its Ilium inati teachings maintains that re-
demption concerns the body of man as well as the soul,
that salvationliterally, a making sound, safe, and whole
pertains not only to the soul but to the body also. The
more perfect the soul, the more perfect will be its reflec-
tion in the body; and, under normal conditions, according
to the perfection of the body, so is the perfection of the
soul. However, external appearance is not always a re-
liable index to perfection of body. The physique may be
apparently perfect, and yet there may be an internal can-
cer that is eating away the life of body and soul. To live
the life of the Christ refers to true perfection of body
and soul. The body that is normal and healthy; the soul
that has become enlightened through love, wisdom, and
understanding; the soul that is on the way to Illumina-
tion and Deific Consciousness ; the body that directs its
forces into channels of etherealization and immortality
this pictures the true meaning of living in the Christ.

A necessarv lesson for the seeking soul to learn is
that the body is of prime importance in the work of soul
development ; that physical perfection helps much, indeed
IS necessary, in the attainment of soul perfection; that the
two
physical culture, aiming at health, strength, and et-

ficiency, and soul culture, aiming at the development
of
38
The Way to Life
and ImmorTalitv
'
deific
powers and deific
consciousnessmust go hand in
hand.
If the aspirant is wise he will exercise scrupulous
care in regard to the
needs of the body in all respects, in
order that it may be a
stronger help and support to him
in his efforts toward
advancement of soul.
The student of the
kingdom will learn a lesson from
the foolish virgins. He will be
careful, not only to have
a
sufficiency of oil for his vessel, but to have oil of su-
perior quality. He will give attention to the amount and
to the quahty of food and drink taken for nourishment;
he will use that only which gives strength and vitality; he
will avoid both materials and combinations which inter-
fere with strength and vitality. He must understand that
strength, mastery, and supremacy of soul is proportionate
to vitality, vigor, and strength of body. He must under-
stand that perfection of body aims at continual, daily trans-
mutation and renewal of cells into cells of a finer and a
more spiritual quality, and that this continuous transfigura-
tion of the physical into a higher and a finer type tends
constantly toward immortalization of both body and soul.
The church of the past has been active and zealous in
its teachings against the use of strong drinks and intoxi-
cants of all kinds. This teaching is to be commended; but
Soul Science, in its various branches of instruction, goes
farther than this. It recognizes that other drinks than
so-called intoxicants are injurious and therefore to be
avoided; that inferior quality of foods and indiscreet com-
binations of food are productive of positive harm to the
system, and are therefore to be guarded against. Soul
Science makes the claim that poorly selected non-nutritious
foods and a wrong combination of foods definitely affect
the growth and the purity of man's spiritual being. Many
are zealous in their plea for the abolition of spirituous
liquors, who are indeed indifferent to the injurious ef-
fects of other drinks, and ignorant of the fact that an ex-
cess of tea, coffee, and other common beverages acts a
TiiE Way to LifE ANb Immortality 39
poison to the system as truly as does any form of intoxi-
cants.
It is well to understand that "wine is a mocker and
that strong drink is raging;" but it is also well to know
that other drinks common among men are nerve-wrecking
and
soul-destroying. It is also well to understand that an
excess of certain food elements and a deficiency of other
elements cause many ailments to which man is heir, and
that, merely by rectifying these excesses and deficiencies,
the sufferer may be restored to normal, healthful condi-
tion.
In large degree, health is the result of proper nour-
ishment. Certain elements are demanded by the system
in order to keep it in perfect condition. In selecting food,
not only must the item of nutrition receive attention, but
correctness of proportion of necessary elements, and har-
monious combination of elements, must be considered. In
large degree, disease and suffering are due to improper
nourishment, to excesses, to deficiencies, and to unnatural
combination of food values.
Thus, the Church of Illumination maintains that its
position is sane and logical in claiming that food and
drink are legitimate subjects of consideration for those
who are truly and deeply interested in the kingdom of
heaven and in the healing of the sick. Likewise, it stands
on the foundation of reason and practical experience in
claiming that full and perfect salvation of soul is im-
possible in a body that is illy-nourished, racked by starved
and sensitive nerves, or poisoned by secretions of useless
material.
In face of the command to preach the kingdom of
God, and to heal the sick, the advocates of Soul Science
consider it their mission to restore proper emphasis upon
the intimate and vital relation existing between soul and
body. The laws of life as they pertain to hygiene and
pfoper care of the physical being, are as much a feature
40 The Way to Life and iMMORtALit?
of the kingdom as are pure thoughts and worthy aspira-
tions. To Hve and to beheve in the Christ, in its full and
complete
interpretation, includes knowledge of, and obe-
dience to, natural law in its relation to man's physical wel-
fare.
Readers of these lines, and even those who come to
the Soul Science Healer for help and advice, may con-
sider that the life advocated by these principles is too ex-
acting for them. Possibly after a partial, half-hearted
trial, some will return to the old life. In doing so, they
take back upon themselves the old weaknesses and the old
diseases, perhaps even in exaggerated form. The diffi*
culties and the undesirable effects of the old life are
^
thousand times harder to endure than would be the giving
up of a few pet habits which cause the difficulties. In-
stances of this type must not be thought of as fair repre-
sentatives of Soul Science healing. They have not given
Soul Science principles a fair trial. Nothing but whole-
hearted loyalty and sympathetic devotion to the principles
of life on both the physical and the mental planes can be
accepted as a fair and an honest test of Soul Science Heal-
ing. In many cases, a satisfactory restoration to health
may be effected by competent Soul Science Healers in a
very short period of time; but the one who is healed must
remember to "go his way and sin no more," lest a worse
evil befall him.
However, it must not be thought that the new life,
the life advocated by Il'luminati principles, is painfully
exacting and difficult to follow. Rather, is the reverse
true. The results are so beneficial that it becomes a delight
to perfect oneself in the practice of its principles. Often
a few simple changes in the daily habits of life will be
all that is necessary to effect a satisfactory restoration to
normal health and strength. A few non-essential items,
which would never have been indulged in were it not for
erroneous teachings, may need to be rectified or dropped
out of the life. The cross that Soul Science principles im-
poses is not hard to bear; for it denies man none of the
things that give true pleasure, none of the things that prove
of benefit to him. It prohibits only those things which
give slight, temporary, short-lived pleasure followed by
greater pain.
The standard of the Soul Science Healer is: "Who-
soever liveth and believeth in the Christ shall not die."
He teaches a system of normal, natural living, as re-
gards habits which affect physical health and spiritual
vigor. He teaches a philosophy that promotes right thought
and right action in the individual life. His purpose is to
touch the mainspring of thought and motive, and to lift
the standard of thought to the plane of Life and Im-
mortality, away from the plane of disease and death. He
must instil into his patient the conviction that man must
live right if he would be free from disease and suffering
and death. When the seeker understands these things, the
Healer can effectively say unto him: "Thy sins be forgiv-
en thee, go thy way and sin no more." And thus shall it
be ; for marvelous power is entrusted to the true Soul
Science Healer.
The Soul Science Healer is permeated, charged, with
faith in God ; for he is convinced that our God is a God
of life and not of death. He is convinced that mortality
shall put on immortality. Is there a thought in any lan-
guage of deeper significance than this? The mission of
Soul Science is to help man put on immortality ; for it
teaches him to think correctly and to live correctly. AMien
man persists in correct habits of thought and in correct
habits of life, he will find that mortality is passing into
immortality, that the bodily cells are daily being trans-
muted into cells of a finer quality. He who liveth and
thinketh in the Christ will gradually become more and
nmre like Him. This is the promise that the Father, Giver
of Life, gave to mankind not only through
Jesus, who be-
42 The Way to Life ai^d tMMo&TAUTl?
came the Christ by following this doctrine, but through
evil the great Masters and Initiates of the past.
It is to be admitted that many men who have under-
stood the Law and have lived in harmony with it to the
best of their ability, have tasted of death and passed on
to their fathers. This fact is explained in the power of
the race belief in the necessity of death. The race, as a
whole, has taken it for granted that death is a necessity,
that immortality is an impossibility. But this belief is
rapidly giving way to the belief that physical death is
not a necessity. Consequently, men are seeking the way
by which man may avoid death. This is the mission of
Soul Science and Illuminati instructionsto break the
shackles of race belief in death, and to teach mankind the
Way, the Truth, and the Life that leads to Lnmortality.
The question is asked, What becomes of the millions
who have lived in the past and who have tasted of death
of the body.
Many of these are now on the earth. Others will
again return to earth. Ultimately, all, with the excep-
tion of those who destroy their own individuality through
deliberate wrong doing, will have repeated the earth pil-
grimage until they have attained perfection. When that
time shall have come, sons and daugJiters will be born to
parents in perfection; and the millenium will have dawn-
ed, not through faith alone, but through faith combined
with, and exemplified through, works.
Soul Science and its Illuminati teachings will cause
its watchword, "God is the God of life and not of death,''
to resound through the whole world; and those who suf-
fer in body and in soul will seek its temples for instruc-
tion and healing.
Were it not true that the body of man is of value, and
needs to be exalted and honored with immortality, God,
the Father, and His messengers would never have called
it, the Temple of the Soul, or the Temple of the living
The Way to tiFE and Immortality.
-',3
God. That the soul may be perfect, the temple must be
made pure and holy, and must be honored with perfec-
tion. This is attained by having confidence in the prom-
ises given by God to man and by living in harmony with
the laws of perfection. He who so believes and who so
lives, is daily attaining perfection. It cannot be other-
wise; for he is meeting the necessary conditions of per-
fection.
Our God,, who is "the God of life and not of death,"
says that man shall not see death if he lives and believes
in the Christ. But He also says with equal emphasis, "The
soul that sinneth it shall die." Equally true is it that the
body that sinneth, and lives not in harmony with natural
and divine law as exemplified by the Christ, shall also die.
This is not because God desires it so, or arbitrarily wills it
so, but because violation of law is its own penalty. He
who violates the law of harmony suffers the inconven-
ience of inharmony. He who violates the law of order
must suffer the natural consequences of disorder. He
who violates the laws of health must endure illness and
disease. He who lives in harmony with universal law and
order, reaps the benefits of peace and harmony. He who
pays the price of life and immortality reaps the blessings
of life and immortality. He vvdio lives and believes in the
Christ passes from mortality to immortality. He who
obeys natural and divine law, proves that there is no
eternal death.
Gradually, belief in the necessity of death and in the
impossibility of immortality shall give way to the con-
viction that our God is the God of life and not of death,
and that he who liveth and believeth in the Christ shall
not die. Believest thou this?
4'^- tiiE Way to Life and tMMORtALitY
CHAPTER THREE
BELIEF IN DEATH BRINGS DEATH. BELIEF IN LIFE BRINGS
MORE OF LIFE.
Up to the present time, mankind generally, including
the Church Fathers, has believed in a God of death. It
has been the prevalent belief that man must die. Further-
more, it has been considered that sickness and suffering
are the natural states of man ; thus, the entire race has
been inoculated with belief in disease and death. It
seems strange that this should be the case ; for the Master
Jesus clearly taught that whosoever believes and lives in
the Christ shall not die.
This doctrine of the Master Jesus positively declares
that the state of illness and death has no part in the na-
ture of man, and therefore should not have a place in his
belief. And yet man is just awakening to the fact that
somewhere he has been making a mistake all these years.
Fie is awakening to the fact, that, instead of having faith
in Life and Immortality, and in a God of life, he has
been holding to the race belief in disease and suffering, in
a God of death, and in mortality instead of Immortality.
This race belief, the continual belief in disease and
death as man's inheritance, has acted as a slow, death-
dealing poison, as a virus, which has inoculated his sys-
tem and has brought upon him these very conditions ; and,
thus, he has been burdened with disease, and the end
thereof has been death.
But the two thousand years of the old cycle are end-
ed and the new cycle is ushered in. With the ushering in
of the new cycle, from the very beginning, the Illuminati
46
have stood for a God of life as opposed to a God of death,
for the changing- of mortahty into immortahty, and for
the doctrine that man is not "a worm of the dust," but "a
child of the King," a child of God, the Father, and that
his rightful inheritance is Immortality and Godhood. The
Illuminati are doing all in their power to break away the
chains of bondage to the belief that disease and death are
man's inevitable heritage. They stand firmly and openly
for the conviction that man's destiny is to become like
God, the Father, his Creator; that his mission is to ex-
press the divine character and attributes, and to exemplify
his divine possibilities.
Thus, the Temple of Illuminati and its doctrines of
Soul Science says to its disciples
:
Put away from you the old idea that man must for-
ever suffer and be in sorrow. Put away from you the idea
of death. Establish in your hearts an active faith in the
possibility of continued good health and of immortality.
Break the fetters that bind you to the old race belief in
the necessity of disease and death. Live right, live simply
and normally, and in accordance with natural and divine
law; and you will free yourself from disease and, ulti-
mately, from the old enemy, death. This is the doctrine
of the Illuminati, the doctrine of the coming Bride of
the Christ.
Not only is it necessary to put aside forever the race
belief in the necessity of disease, sorrow, and death, but
it is also necessary to have an active, abiding faith in
the power and faithfulness of the All Father, and in His
promises that man may have health and happiness and
may become as one of the Gods. Furthermore, it is ab-
solutely necessary for him to live according to this faith
and to cultivate habits of life which exemplify this faith.
The habits of life that exemplify a true faith in the
All Father include conditions which affect man's physi-
cal welfare, such as, sleep, rest, food, exercise, and work.
^ôrry, haste, improper eating and drinking are items that
must be rectified. The one who seeks 'to personify Ilhim-
inati principles must honor physical exercise, rest and re-
creation, and the natural elementsair, light, and sun-
shine. He must so arrange his interests as to apportion
his time between active work, rest and relaxation, exer-
cise and innocent pleasures, including those things which,
under normal conditions, bring happiness to man.
Under the item of eating, he must guard against those
elements which are not conducive to his welfare in every
respect. Perhaps there is no habit more detrimental to
general health than the use of sv/cets and starches in
abundance and to the exclusion of the necessary nerve-
and-vitality-building foods. For, if we use an excess of
sweets and starchy elements, naturally we cannot take as
much of the vital foods as the system demands; and the
result is disease, old age, and death. In regard to drinks,
man must learn to avoid those which are stimulating, and
must indulge more freely in those which are eliminating
in character. When these suggestions in regard to food
and drink are observed, balance, or harmonious adjust-
ment of forces, results, which is conducive to health, ef-
ficiency, youth, and long life.
Under present economic conditions, with the excep-
tion of the hard working manual laborer, man should free
himself almost entirely from the use of starchy foods
and the use of white, denatured bread. White, denatured
flour in all its products should have no part in his dietary.
It is such foods as these, including refined sugars, which
rob the system of the natural 'lime necessary to its wel-
fare, and which produce the abnormal craving for tea,
coffee, and strong drink. Because of abnormal craving,
man thinks that he needs these products and therefore in-
dulges in them freely, only to find that they are superficial
arid temporary in their effects, and not of vital, perma-
nent value to the organism. Cut, when the proper foods
are taken into the system, this abnormal craving gradually
diminishes, and an actual building up of the system re-
sults; and the organism becomes free from those serums
which cause illness, old age, and death.
The Soul Scientist treats not only the soul but the
physical man as well; for he knows that the Immortal
Soul must have its foundation in a normal, healthy body.
Otherwise, the soul can not develop permanency of in-
dividual existence. The Illuminati principles, through Soul
Science, deals with the whole being. In this, they follow
the command of the Master Jesus and all other true Mas-
ters and Initiates in their emphasis on Life and Immor-
tality, and an active faith.
The faith advocated by Soul Science is not a fanati-
cal faith, but a faith that is founded on reason and on the
truth. It is practical results which prove the truth or
the falsity, the benefit or the disadvantage, of a system
of belief or a doctrine. It has been brought to a satis-
factory test time and again that, when man obeys the prin-
ciples of Soul Science and gives them a thorough, faithful
trial, in every instance health, peace, and efficiency have
been the fruits. In face of these results, followers of
Soul Science instructions are becoming ever more zealous
in the propagation of their principles. They are daily
more fully convinced that theirs is a normal, rational faith,
based on the Christie Interpretation of Truth.
The old doctrine has been that the chief aim and end
of life is ''to glorify God, and to enjoy oneself forever.''
When one seriously considers the meaning of the exp-es-
sion, "to glorify God," one is willing to admit that it is
all-inclusive in its scope, and that it may well be thought
of as "the chief end and aim of life." But, alas, how few
give these v/ords a single serious thought
!
How can man better glorify God than by becoming
like Him? How better, than by living such a normal,
happy life as to free himself from the conditions of ill-
health, suffering, and sorrow? How better, than to say:
Here am I, my body is perfect, and functions as
freely and as regularly as the universe, part of which I am.
Here I stand, not only with a perfect body, but with a soul
that is also perfect in its activities. My body is like the
universe in its obedience to law and order. My soul
is like the Father who rules the universe. Though but a
small being, a little universe, a Microcosm, my perfec-
tion is fashioned after the great universe, the Macrocosm;
and my Soul daily inhales the perfection of the Father
who rules the Universe. I am daily obeying the com-
mand, "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in
heaven is perfect."
However extravagant these words may seem to the
sense-bound, sense-loving mind, there is nothing of sacri-
lege or of blasphemy in them. They merely express obe-
dience to the standards of the Master Jesus after finding
the Perfect Soul, the Christ, within himself. When prop-
erly unedrstood, they express humility, the deepest man
can know ; self-renunciation, the most complete ; sincerity
and simplicity of trust in God, the Father, rather than in
the self, the most profound possible to man.
In reaching this stage of perfection, he still remains
man; and it is then that he can enjoy himself forever.
Again, in reaching this stage of perfection, man is not re-
quired to give up a single thing that brings true enjoy-
ment or true happiness. He gives up only those things
which bring a temporary enjoyment, but which, like a
thief in the night, rob him of tenfold more than they bring.
No seeker need think that he is called upon to give up
the pleasures that belong to the normal human being. Such
is not the case. Only those things which bring pain or
sorrow to the one indulging in them or to another are
forbidden man. It is well to accept the principle that the
chief end of life is to glorify God and to enjoy oneself
forever; but it must be remembered that enjoyment can
53
be true enjoyment only when it is at the expense neither
of the self nor of any other human being.
Under the old race belief that man must be sick, that
he must suffer, and that death is the end of all, there
could be no sure and lasting enjoyment; for in the midst
of pleasure comes the thought of illness and death. But,
under the new dispensation, all this passes away ; and
man knows that he need not "surely die," but that he may
''surely live," if he is only willing to live the life of the
Christlife, as Soul Science and the Illuminati teach it,
a natural, normal, and blessed life.
But this is not all. In obtaining freedom for the
physical being, the Temple, there is also obtained some-
thing even greaterthat is, nothing less than Illumina-
tion of Soul. It is herein that the Soul Scientist finds his
strongest basis for belief in the Fatherhood of God and
in the Immortality of the Soul; for, when he obeys the
natural and divine laws, when he obtains freedom for
the body, he also obtains liberty for the soul Through
continued living the life of the Christ, there takes place
gradually the new birth of the soul. Then the soul comes
to see and to know those things which the mere physical
man can never know. Consequently, man becomes, in
truth, like one of the Gods; for he has freedom for the
physical being, and liberty and clear vision for the Inner
Being, the Immortal Soul.
It is the soul in man that is striving for liberty, and
for enlightenment. The soul in man has been striving for
its higher freedom, lo, these many years; but man has
been held down by the race belief. And a few, perhaps
only one in a million, ever comes to think and to act in
advance of the age in which he lives. The general race
belief has been holding mankind almost universally in
bondage, and causes men individually to shrink in horror
from thinking and believing that which is not accepted
by the many. But the soul is gaining superiority over its
environments. The general belief in disease and death
is broken. The new cycle and the new dispensation have
brought in a new era, a time in which man shall no longer
fear to think, no longer fear to cast off the shackles that
have bound him. The new era is helping man to know the
truth and to overcome "the last enemy, death."
The Illuminati, through the medium of Soul Science,
have been laboring in the field these many years, teaching
that the soul of man is immortal, that the body of man may
be brought to a state of freedom from corruption, that all
men may draw upon the universal, spirit of God as freely
and as fully as they choose, and thus have life ever more
abundantly. While on earth, the Master Jesus taught
mankind "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." But that
few understood what he meant by "the Way, the Truth,
and the Life," is seen in the fact that on all sides are
misery and sorrow, disease and corruption; and vast multi-
tudes believe that only in death are peace and happiness
to be found. The multitudes have forgotten that Jesus
taught that the truth would bring life, and life more abun-
dantly
;
that his teachings would be as bread come down
from heaven ; that he who partakes freely of the teachings
should have life and not death. Mankind has been blind
these many centuries, and has not been able to believe that
life and not death, enjoyment and not sorrow, should be
the common lot of man.
This truth, that the end and the aim of life is to
glorify God and to exemplify the principle that our God
is a God of life and not of death, the Illuminati through
its Soul Science have been teachingtruth pure and clear
as it comes from the very fountain of life. This 'truth
is not given in symbolism and in obscure phraseology so
that only the few can understand, but in clear language
and in ringing tones, so that all may comprehend, so that
all who will may live the life and reap the fruits of such
Jiving.
52
The Illuminati and the disciples of Soul Science say
unto all:
Learn the truth, live according to the truth. Believe
actively that life in the Christ is good; that man is! not]
born to suffering and disease; that man need not always
be a creature of pain and misery if he is willing to live in
harmony with natural and divine law. Let each one live
in harmony with the truth that man is made in the image
of the Creator, God. Put away from you now and forever
the thought that you must suffer and "surely die." Put in
its place the conviction that you are a child of God, that
the Father has given you all power ; that sickness and death
are not for you, but that more and continually more and
more of life are yours, and that the more abundant life
ends in Immortality. Free yourself from the race belief
in the necessity of sin, disease, and death ; for this very
belief attracts the object of its faith and tends toward the
conditions that it represents. Know that God is good, that
in the Universal Storehouse of God there is lifelife free
and abundantand that you may draw therefrom accord-
ing to your need. Know that, for drawing upon the vibra-
tions of life from the Infinite Storehouse, the only requi-
site is faith in God and in yourself, faith that enables you
to live the normal, natural lifelife free from destructive
conditions, life that accepts nothing, neither thought nor
desire, neither food nor drink, which may in any way
prove detrimental to continued life.
The Soul Science He'aler teaches his people such
truths as these. He teaches them how to live; how to
draw upon the Infinite Supply of Life, Love, and Wisdom
;
how to bring their being into harmony with the Universal
Law, and to free themselves from disease, suffering, and
other undesirable conditions. He teaches faith, as the be-
ginning of the new life; but he teaches works as a neces-
sary part of an active faith. He teaches man to think
right, to believe right, and to entertain right desires ; and,
as a consequence of constructive thought, correct belief,
and worthy desires, his life will be in harmony with the
Universal Law, and, eventually, mortality will put on Im-
mortality.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE LIFE WITHOUT DEATH IS GOD'S PLAN.
In allowing the divine spark to leave the heavenly
spheres and to incarnate in a physical, or earthly, body on
this plane, it was God's plan that, first, through incarna-
tion, the divine spark should become a personality, separate
from God, the All Creator, and, that, second, the person-
ality, through development, should become an individuality,
or conscious self-existent being. Through the attainment
of personality and of individuality, the soul spark is des-
tined to pass through the knowledge of good and evil, pain
and sorrow ; but it is not the divine plan for it to stop with
this. According to the divine purpose, the soul is to
gQ
onward and upward until it reaches the Sublime Realiza-
tion, that which, the Illuminati in their Soul Science call
IlliUTiination of Soul.
Between the man who is simply a personality and the
man who has reached individuality, there is a mighty gulf.
The one is of the flesh and lives in the flesh. He may be-
lieve in God ; but he does not knozv God. He is a carnal
being with carnal desires, and, at best, is little more than
"a worm of the dust." He has little comprehension of
the divine possibilities latent in his own being. He has
but meagre aspirations for higher and better achievements.
Far different is the man who has attained individuality.
He has awakened to the real meaning of the principles of
Jesus and other great Masters. He is filled with a burn-
ing desire to live in harmony with these principles, and to
test the highest standards of life. His ambition runs in
channels of true development. He aspires after a full and
S4
complete consciousness of his own Oneness with the In-
finite. Through lofty and worthy aspirations, and through
a life of self-sacrifice and of usefulness to others, he
arouses the divine spark, the soul, within his own being,
into a state of consciousness and of dynamic activity. Thus,
the divine spark of a soul develops gradually into the Christ,
or the Christos, the Son of God.
Moreover, in the full realization of the Christos, the
individual will comprehend the significance of the promise
that the last enemy, death, is to be overcome. He will
understand that this promise may actually be fulfilled;
furthermore, he will understand how the promise is to be
fulfilled. He will perceive that it is possible for the time
to come when man shall no more be sick, and shall no more
know death. In the full realization of the Christos, he be-
comes truly conscious of his Sonship with the Father; the
Dove of Peace descends upon him, and, in unmistakable
tones, says: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased."
This is the Sublime Realization, It is the end and the
aim of man's life on earth. Moreover, cycle upon cycle
shall pass, man shall return to the earth plane again and
again until he has received this Sublime Realization, this
Divine Illumination. It is the purpose and the plan of God,
the Heavenly Father, the Infinite Creator, for man to at-
tain this realization. However, in infinite wisdom, He has
endowed man with free-will and with right of choice; and
he is therefore free to accept or to reject "the Way, the
Truth, and the Life" that leads to this exalted Conscious-
ness.
Two possibilities are placed before man, subject to his
freedom of choice. The one opens to him the opportunity
of unfolding his divine nature and of developing his deific
attributes, thus exemplifying the fact of his being made in
the divine image. This path leads to the Sublime Realiza-
tion of Sonship with God, the Father. It is the path o|
SS
self-crucifixion and of Christ Exaltation. It is marked by
purity of thought and purpose, and by a continual sur-
render of the carnal nature to the Christ Ideal, a continual
transmutation of the baser metals of the lower personality
into the pure gold of spirituality. It is development of
soul, which culminates in an Immortal Individuality. Its
chief marks are goodness and service to others. But, if
man does not, of his own free choice, travel this path and
meet the full requirement of its conditions, he pays the
penalty of retrogression ; and the divine spark of a soul
smoulders under the ashes of selfishness and carnality. He
may repeat the earth life time and time again ; but, if he
persists in deliberate sin and wrong doing, he will event-
ually be thrown back to the elements whence he came.
1 he divine spark, not having attained individuality, returns
to the Father, losing its identity in the storehouse of uni-
versal essences. The body returns to mother earth whence
its elements came. Cycle upon cycle shall pass, man shall
return again and again, until he has either attained the
Sublime Realization or has been thrown back to the origi-
nal elements.
The end and the goal of life is attained in the Sublime
Realization of Oneness with God. This, both in the pro-
cess of attainment and in the realization, is a life of service
to humanity. It is a life of faith, a life attended by the
works of faith.
The ordinary man does not really believe the promises
of God. He thinks that he believes; but the conditions of
his life prove that his faith is not true faith. For, if he
actually believes in the promises, he will live according to
them, and will do the works of faith in a life of goodness
and helpful service to others. And, when he faithfully
lives in harmony with the promises of a true faith, he will
not be continually harassed by illness, suffering, and tor-
ment. The suffering of the multitudes round about us in-
dicates that men generally have not a true faith in God or
56
ill the promises of God.
The first step to be taken in the search for freedom
freedom from all undesirable conditionsis a step of

faith. It is for man to muster faith in God and in His
promises. It matters not whether he learns of these prom-
ises through the Sacred Scriptures or through the old
philosophiesit is for him to muster indomitable courage
and an invincible faith in the verity of the promises of
God to man. He must put his faith into practice and live
daily the deeds and the aspirations of faith. As he lives
the life of faith, he will reap the rewards of such a life.
The results include a greater knowledge; and, as knowl-
edge increases, faith increases and intensifies, enabling
him to live a still more nearly perfect life. Man must use
the one talent that he has ; and, as he does so, other talents
will be given him, until finally all the talents will be his.
Such is the promise.
In the hearts of all men there is a divine impulse.
The multitudes scarcely know what this impulse is; but
the fact remains that there is such an impulse within them,
there is an "inner urge" for something which they have
not. This urge is constant, day and night, year in and year
out. This is the divine impulse given to man, or placed
in the heart of man by his God, urging him to seek, and to
put forth effort to attain, the Sublime Realization of God.
If man begins to listen to this urge within and to heed
its intimations, it will lead him ever upward and onward.
As he follows one good impulse, another will take its
place. Thus, step by step, he is led to the Divine Realiza-
tion. In proportion as he realizes the Sublime Conscious-
ness, in that proportion will he experience health and peace
and happiness. And, as he substitutes in place of the race
belief in the necessity of death the conviction that our God
is a God of life and not of death, so v/ill he eventlially
overcome the last great enemy, death.
All philosophies have taught the deathless life, an(|.
The Way, to Life and ImmortalitV-
B7
broadly hinted at the time coming when man should not
die, when he should reach perfection of both body and soul
here on the earth plane. However, it remained for Jesus
to demonstrate to mankind the possibility of perfecting the
physical being, perfecting it to such degree that it might
even be taken up again after being laid down in the throes
of death.
And, just as Jesus lived the life that led him to the
Sublime Realization, to the deathless life, so did he give
man the promrse and the instructions that should lead him
also to the deathless life. But man has not believed deep-
ly enough to obtain the promised deathless life, the life
that should reach the ultimate. Of the teachings, which,
according to his claim, were given him from the Father for
mankind, this is a clear statement : "Whosoever shall eat
of the bread that I give, shall have eternal life." ,The
bread to which he refers is wisdom, and true understand-
ing of the laws of life. The man who lives according to
the Christie laws shall have life unto eternity- Moreover,
the life shall be one of peace, of happiness, and of! con-
tentment.
It is these sublime teachings^the Christie Interpreta-
tion of "the bread of life"teachings covered over by cen-
turies of creedism, which the Temple of lUuminati places
before all peoples. Whosoever is willing to live according
to these teachings shall find health and freedom from the
miseries that are the common lot of mankind at the pres-
ent time. This is the divine purpose, the divine plan, for
manto attain the Sublime Realization of life without
death. To support this divine purpose, and to reestablish
faith in this divine plan, is the mission of Soul Science and
Illuminati instructions.
The doctrine of life without death is based on the
Christie Interpretation of the Divine Law, on the Sacred
Scriptures, and on the ancient philosophies as understood
by all o^reat Masters and true Initiates. That the ultimate:.
B8
The Way to Life and Immortalitv
of man's destiny is life eternal and consciousness of im-
mortality, has ever been the standard of all true Initia-
tion. That such victory over death as our Master Jesus
demonstrated is for all who will meet the requirements of
the Divine Law as he met them in actual experience, is
the honest conviction of the advocates of Soul Science and
Illuminati principles.
But let no one think that, by any miraculous display,
man may jump into such power at one bound. Such power
is the culmination of soul development extending through
repeated earth pilgrimages; rather, it is the culmination
of a development of both body and soul through repeated
incarnations in harmony with both natural and divine law.
That there is a science of development for both body and
soul, a science that explains laws and methods, and points
out "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" underlying such
development, is the conviction of the Illuminati. To teach
mankind these laws of development on both the physical
and the spiritual plane, is the purpose of Soul Science. In
this sense, Soul Science is the Way to Immortality.
First of all, must be broken the fetters of a long-
standing belief in the necessity of sin, disease, and death
;
and there must be substituted in the hearts of men the
conviction that sin, disease, and death are not according
to the divine purpose for man, but that, being created in
the image of God, man is endowed with divine attributes
and divine powers, which, when developed anJ used, will
enable him, ultimately, to overcome even the grim monster
death.
Advancement in any line demands a beginning. With
many into whose hands these pages fall, a beginning has
already been made. The fact that one ponders these words
with carefulness and with interest is proof of some sort
of a beginning. Interest in this trend of thought, and a
desire to search after truth, indicate that a necessary step
has been taken. It is only required for the earnest seeker
B9
after truth to persist in overcoming carnality and the su-
premacy of the lower nature. He must persist in freeing
himself from carnal desires and from the tendency to in-
dulge in negative destructive thought habits; for carnal
desires and negative thought conditions tend toward death.
With many who read these words, a beginning in the new
life has been made in a previous incarnation and perhaps,
even many steps may have been taken on the path of at-
tainment
;
yet it will still seem that new beginnings are
often required before they reach the goal of tlieir aspira-
tions. To make a new start under new "conditions, each
time adds zest, and marks a step of progress in the path
of advancement.
Man may be thoroughly convinced that life according
to the Divine Plan is the only true and satisfactory life;
yet it seems easier to follow the dictates and the intima-
tions of the carnal self, while persistent effort is required
in living the Ideal established by the Divine Plan. Conse-
quently, the majority of mankind are following the desires
cf the personality, and are living in harmony with them.
This path leads ever toward disease and death.
Bui, gradually, soon, even in this age, things are to
change. Great changes have already taken place. Man
is beginning to think, he is searching for the cause of
conditions. He is investigating the relation between cause
and effect. He questions, IVIiy such misery and such suf-
fering. He beholds the character of life led by mankind
generally, he associates the cause with the Iffe, and knows
that something is lacking. Gradually, he comes to the con-
clusion, that, having tried the old way, lo, these many cen-
turies, he will now try the new ; for the new can not be
worse than the old. As he begins the new life and lives
the life of faith attended by works corresponding to the
faith, results are gratifying, even more gratifying than he
had anticipated or had even thought possible. Thus, not
the one, nor yet the few, but even the many, are ^being
60 The Way to Life and iMMbRfALif?
awakened to the spirit of the new age. The past race be-
hef in bondage and death is being transplanted by the new
race behef in freedom and Hfe.
It is not difficult to determine the reason for condi-
tions when one remembers the law of correspondence.
There is a law of correspondence between all things, be-
tween that which is above and that which is below, be-
tween the universe and God, between the unrverse and man,
and even between man and his God and Creator. Man
partakes of both heaven and earth. The body is of the
earth, earthy. The soul is of the heavens, heavenly. Con-
dition depends on which power is in the ascendancy. If
the body and its desires are in the ascendancy, the condi-
tions of man's life tend toward disease and death. If the
soul is in the ascendancy, and the body is a faithful servant
to the soul, then man's life and character exemplify satis-
factory correspondence with God and the universe, and
manifest the fact of his being created in the divine image.
With the exception of the Illuminated ones, to the man
of the present age, the soul is merely a weird something
to believe in, something of which he has no certain knowl-
edge, while the body is tangible and visible, something
tliat feels pleasure and pain. Consequently, the body is a
reality, and the soul is at best but a fanciful theory. Be-
ing to him a reality, the body has a right to claim su-
preme attention. And it is in every way to his interest to
cater to the desires and the appetites of the body, notwith-
standing it is these very desires and appetites which, when
indulged in to excess or contrary to the wîse guidance of
the soul, lead to disease and death. Until the desires of
the body have been made subservient to the wisdom of the
soul they lead downwârds. For centuries, mankind has
listened to the desires of the body regardless of the higher
interests of the soul. Thus, the body, being of the earth,
earthy, tending toward disease and suffering and death, has
been holding supremacy in the life of mankind.
61
The desires of the soul are different both in imme-
diate effects and in permanent results. The soul, being of
Cod, in its desires and its inclinations, reaches upward. But,
being unseen and merely felt, man has put aside the im-
pulses and the intuitions of the soul, he has covered them
up; and the result is that the soul of man has been sleep-
ing the sleep of dormancy and inactivity.
When the voice of the soul, the divine urge, is heard
and obeyed, then, step by step, the soul leads itself and
the body upward until eventually the Sublime Realization
of life without death is reached. Thus, man frees him-
self not only from disease and death, but also from all
other undesirable things. In addition, besides thus freeing
itself, the soul has come into harmony with the Father, it
has become Illuminated, a living Son of God, one in whom
the Father is well pleased.
This type of life, in which the soul holds the suprem-
acy over the body, is the life the Master Jesus lived. He
had faith in the teachings of the Masters of old. And, as
he lived in harmony with the laws of their teachings, he
gradually grew into the Divine Realization, until, at last,
he had so purified and refined the body that it was free
from sickness and from misery, and was qualified to mani-
fest ultimate victory over death and to come into the Glory
of God while in the flesh.
According to the divine promise, all men can, if they
will, live the life that Jesus lived; and, through faithful,
persistent obedience to the Law and through service to
humanity, it is possible for all men to reach the Divine
Realization and 'to come into the Glory of God while here
on the earth.
It must not be thought that such a life as Jesus lived
in order to attain victory over death and the grave is not
a real or a practical life. Directly the contrary is true.
The true man is neither a parasite nor an unprofitable
member of society. The true man lives a life of service
62 The Way to Life and Immortality"
to others. He engages in business, and fulfils the duties
that devolve on all men. He is faithful to the duties of
home life and neighborhood interests, and is responsive
to the demands of society at large. Nor must it be thought
that he who desires to realize the power of the Christ over
death and the grave is to deny himself all pleasures and all
recreation and all delights. Directly the contrary is true.
He is entitled to innocent and harmless pleasures and re-
creations and to all those things in which the healthy, nor-
mal human being delights. The only check on pleasure
of any description is the provision that it shall be free
from harm to himself and to others.
Man is by nature a social being. Of all things creat-
ed, he is the only one to which is given the smile and the
laugh. This in itself indicates that the social instinct and
the gift of smile and laughter were given him for a pur-
pose. The more he encourages the wholesome spirit of
merriment and amiability, the better it is for himself and
for those with whom he comes in contact. The life of the
Illuminated is not an aimless, insipid, unattractive life.
Nothing that is truly good is denied him, whether it be for
enjoyment or for profit. All things are his if he will use
them for a right and noble purpose in order that he may
benefit himself and others.
In order that man may reach the highest, he must
follow two lines of development. He must perfect both
body and soul. Could he perfect body alone, free it from
sickness and death, he would be no more than a perfect
machine. In order to be more, than a perfect instrument,
he must perfect the Inner Man, the Soul, and, through its
perfection, come into direct personal touch and commun-
ion with the Father. He must follow a useful life, he must
live according to the Divine Plan, according to the teach-
ings that come through the instrumentality of those who
have lived in harmony with both natural and divine law.
How is communion with the Godhead to be estab-
li3hed ?
The Way to Life and Immortality.
63
This comes through fellowship with God, through
daily communion with Him, through a companionship di-
rectly with the Father, a companionship not dreamed of
by the multitudes. This fellowship is established more
easily than man generally thinks. It results in a holy com-
munion with God, the Father, which raises man gradually
to the very highest. The best method for establishing such
communion is through heart prayer in the Silence, by
means of Sacred Mantrams. Sacred Mantrams, definitely
formed with a definite purpose in view, and held in the
heart to the exclusion of all else, will help man gradually
to come into communion with the Father.
This is not accomplished at once. The child that is
just beginning to talk is not understood by the parent, nor
does the child understand the parent though the parent
speaks plainly to the child. Nevertheless, our heart prayer,
though imperfect, is understood by the Father; while we,
not comprehending the divine language, do not under-
stand the Father at first though He speaks plainly to us.
But, if we are faithful to our prayer, gradually the heart
comes into harmonious communion with the Father, and
we will receive the heavenly music and will comprehend
what the Father says to the Son. Thus is man and lids
God brought into communion and fellowship.
Thus, in time, does man attain perfection of body and
free himself from sin, sickness, and death. Thus, in time,
does he attain perfection of soul and the Sublime Con-
sciousness, consummation of the divine plan. It is these
very things, the laws and the methods that underlie per-
fection of body and soul, which the Illuminati teach man-
kind through Soul Science, the Way to Immortality.
64
CHAPTER FIVE
ONLY THE LIFE OF DEATH LEADS TO DEATH.
The history of all inanimate things, as well as of the
vegetable, animal, and human kingdoms, is the history of
evolution.
In so far as the ordinary life of all things is con-
cerned, the theory of evolution is correct. But evolution-
ists, as a rule, fail to take into consideration one important
point, namely: the fact that man, having been given free-
v/ill (no matter by whom, whether by God or by him-
self), has the privilege of v/orking in harmony with the
laws of nature; and, when he awakens to this fact, he is
no longer bound by the law of evolution, nor is he held
l)ack by it, but, by cooperating with it, he may outstrip it
by far in the end. In order to wôrk in harmony with the
law of evolution, yet transcend its results, man must un-
derstand the greater law, that of Interior Development
;
and, by making use of this power, he is enabled to accom-
plish in one lifetime as much as the law of evolutionary
progress could accomplish in thousands of years.
Thus, when man awakens from the deadening in-
fluences of the carnal self, and begins to recognize his
great powers, he sets in motion new laws (or rather, laws
that Vvêre heretofore unknov/n to him)
;
and, instead of
being a pawn in the grasp of the law of evolution, he be-
comes a master and works in harmony with, yet superior
to, the law of evolution. By working thus, life becomes
an unfoldment, a growth, in which he himself has con-
scious share. Whereas, without his voluntary cooperation,
he is pushed forward merely because it must needs be
66
so; for the law of progress forces him to advance, though
slowly, whether he wills it so or not.
The Law of Interior Unfoldment is not new to man.
It is not an invention or a discovery of modern times, nor
is it the product of a fanatical imagination. It is a Law
that has been known to the Masters of all ages. The An-
cient Egyptians made use of it in the training of their
priests. Every Neophyte in the Ancient Priesthood was
developed and trained under this Law. By Egyptian
Priests, who perfectly understood the Law of Develop-
ment and Interior Unfoldment as well as the law of evo-
lution, was Jesus trained unto Mastership; and for this
reason he became the great Master and Teacher of man-
Is ind.
It is freely admitted that the law of evolution may
accomplish what the Law of Conscious Development ac-
complishes. But the fact remains that, by following the
Law of Conscious Development, man accomplishes in one
short lifetime what nature and her laws working alone
would require thousands of years, aye, possibly cycles.
This fact is illustrated in the animal kingdom, which,
unless man takes a hand, is under the law of evolution.
Any animal would serve as an illustration; but, to be spe-
cific, take the common hen. Allow her to run freely and
to mate as she pleases, and there will be practically no
improvement in her progeny within a period of thirty
years. But let the man who understands Ihe laws that
concern the improvement of species take charge of the
hen and mate her according to the laws of development,
and in less than ten years he will produce the finest and
most highly developed stock. This simply means that, in
the improvement of species, man does not blindly depend
on the laws of evolution, but that while working in har-
mony with them he makes use of a higher law, the Law
of Development.
It is the same with man, If left to nature and
Jhe Way to Life and Immortality
67
her laws of propress, it is possible that he may, through
the space of aeons and cycles, become a Soulified being.
Lut, if he awakens to the possibilities of his destiny, and
if, through working in harmony with the universal laws of
progress, he makes voluntary use of the Law of Conscious
Development or Interior Unfoldment, he may, in a com-
paratively short time, attain the Divine Consciousness.
The free choice belongs to man. This is the age of
Illumination. It is an age in which the truth is being
spread among mankind. The infinite possibilities of man's
nature are being clearly pointed out to him. He is taught
that instead of being a slave, "a worm of the dust," he
has within himself the germ of Godhood, and that all he
needs to do is to live in harmony with natural and divine
laws. If he does this faithfully and conscientiously, he
may be free from sickness and eventually be free from
death.
Even those who consider Jesus merely as a great
philosopher, and not as being in very truth the Son of God,
can well afford to heed his instructions regarding the Law
of Conscious Development and Interior Unfoldment. Even
those who think slightingly of the Sacred Scriptures will
do well to adopt for their own standard the doctrine that
culminates in victory over death and the grave.
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, \vhere is thy
victory
?"
This expression is not a mere literary device, nor is it
a fanciful theory. Rather, it expresses ultimate truth. Aft-
er the flesh has been overcome, after the soul has arisen
free and in glory from the ex'perience men call death, then
it is apprehended as indeed true that in death there is no
sting, in the grave there is no victory.
This exclamation would have no value in itself to
mankind had it not been demonstrated that death has no
terror for those who have obeyed the Law of Unfoldment,
that there is no death for the free, enlightened, illumined
68
The Way to Lifk And Immortalitx
Soul. Even then, its value would have been negative but
for the fact that the Master Jesus demonstrated the fruits
of living in harmony with the Law of Unfoldment, and
that he was able, through his own life, both to demonstrate
to mankind the truth of the Law and to prove that obe-
dience to the Law brings the legitimate fruits of obedience.
Aye, even then, the teaching would be negative but for an-
other fact"
Jesus taught that, as he had done, so is it

possible for all men to test the efficacy of living in obe-
dience to the Law of Spiritual Unfoldment, and to prove
the power of the Christ over sin, death, and the grave.
The true life of man is a life of Literior Unfoldment
unfoldment from one degree, of being to another, a con-
tinuous unfoldment, which leads from carnality and self-
ishness upward to the plane of Godhood and Christship.
Startling as this doctrine may seem, yet, nowhere in the
Scriptures, nowhere in the philosophies, is there to be
found a single statement contradictory to this principle;
but everywhere, on every hand, is found evidence of the
truth of these statements.
True, there is on record this saying : "Man that is born
of woman is of few days and full of trouble." In its
literalness, this statement contradicts the doctrine of life,
joy, and immortality. Advocates of Soul Science and the
Illuminati principles, however, claim that man when he
has awakened from the carnal nature and has accepted the
Divine Law as his standard and is following the Law of
Unfoldment is no longer to be spoken of as "man that is
born of woman," but is truly "man that is born of God."
In the process of unfoldment, his carnal nature and even
his body have been changed into the finer, the electric, be-
ing, and has therefore been born again, born of God, and
is free from the laws that previously bound him. "Man
that is born of woman" is full of trouble. But man that
is born of God is no longer full of trouble, because condi-
tions previously thought of as sorrows he has learned to
The Way to Life and Immortalitv 69
consider as valuable experiences of life, stepping stones to
a greater and a higher lazv. As man born of God, lie is
heir to Life, Light, and Immortality.
Through such principles do Soul Science and the II-
luminati lead their disciples away from the realm of death,
away from the belief that God is a God of death, uiito
the realm of Life and Immortality, and to the truth that
our God is a God of life.
The law of death, the carnal life, leads only to death;
and, in this realm, is man truly born of woman, of few
days, and full of sorrow. All this, however, the awakened
man changes, he throws off the shackles of disease and of
death, the shackles of ignorance and of fear; and he stands
boldly before God, the Life Giver, and demands the herit-
age that is his, the heritage of Life, Light, and Immor-
tality.
The life of death leads only to death; but there is a
higher, a greater lifea life that is free from the passions
that kill, a life that gradually frees itself from the destroy-
ers, anger and jealousy, and puts in their place, love and
forgiveness.
One of the most important things for man to do
on entering the higher life is to free himself from that
destructive power, that "Red Light of Death," anger. Sig-
nificant indeed is the saying of the ancient philosophers,
"Him whom the gods would destroy they first make mad."
Nor is it far from being a literal statement of truth. Anger
f^lls the entire systembody, mind, and soulwith poisons,
and brings death in its path. He who becomes angry
loses the sense of judgment; and, while in anger, he does
things vs^hich he would not otherwise do. So great is the
poison generated by this passion that it has been known
to kill outright through the disease called apoplexy. More-
over, a fit of anger in the mother has been known to poison
her milk so thoroughly that it has caused the death of the
child
suckling at her breast. The first step therefore
in
!?0 The Way to Life and iMMORtALltY
the overcoming of sickness and death is to free the self
of anger and a hasty temper; for this is the most destruc-
tive of all the passions, and is the foundation upon which
all other destructive passions rest.
If this passion is so destructive, it is but reasonable
to teach that it must be overcome in order to insure health
of body, mind, and soul. Left unrestrained, it tends to-
ward disease, unhappiness, and, ultimately, death itself.
Furthermore, if man overcomes this deadly passion, he will
be able, through the power thus acquired, to gain victory
over all other destructive passions. He will, as a result,
receive health of body, mind, and soul, and eventually reach
Illumination and overcome the last great enemy.
Remember that to live the life of death is to be over-
come by death. No child of man ever plays with fire for
any length of time v/ithout being burned. An.d no man can
play with the Vv'capons of death without being claimed
by death.
Of the vices, or the passions, that lead to death, anger
has been named as the most deadly. But there are other
kindred
instruments of death to which the carnal man is
heir. Among these are jealousy, envy, faultfinding, and
harsh criticisms of the failings, real or supposed, of our
fellow beings. All these passions, destructive in the ex-
treme, have been called "the green passions"; because they
produce a poison that is green in color, they give the aura
a green tinge, the color of destructiveness.
The tendency to anger and impatience is v/ell-nigh uni-
versal.
Almost all mankind is in its grip. Ofttimes it'
finds a home even in those who are nearing the goal of
Illumination.
One who is on the path to Life and Im-
mortality, although he may have overcome the passion
anger or an obstinate temper, mayi yet be in the grip of
that other insidious destroyer, the sin of faultfinding. He
who has not mastered this passionthe tendency to find
fault with the habits and the ways oFothershas ^till
a.
71
deadly enemy lurking within.
This is not to say that the teacher, or the guide, of a
Neophyte should not tell him of weaknesses, and point out
to him the best method of overcoming them. To do this
is his duty. But, if a person is not the teacher of others
nor in authority over them, then he has no right to criti-
cize their actions. He has a greater work right at home
the task of mastering the passions that cause discomfort,

disease, and death to himself.
To give place to any of the destructive passions, means
that we are, for the time being at least, living the life of
death. While we may be earnestly groping for the light,
AT are, nevertheless, in the clutches of the grim reaper.
And it is only the life of death, the life of destructive
passions, that leads to death.
Jesus came as a teacher of the truth ; but he went
further than this. Others before him, other great philoso-
phers, had taught the truth. But Jesus lived the truth, he
demonstrated the fact that his teachings zvere the truth.
Moreover, he explicitly emphasized that the life as he
taught it can be lived by all who truly desire to live it. He
al;-o demonstrated the power of the Christ over sin, death,
and the grave.
But, says the critic, if Jesus taue^ht that the enemy
death could be overcome, why did he allow death to come
to his body? Why did he not demonstrate power over the
grave by preventing death from coming to him?
It must be remembered that no man takes the third
step on the ladder of advancement before he has taken
the second. There are two ways by which man may
prove the power of the Christ over death. One is to puri-
fy and refine the body to such a degree that the soul may
lay it down in death, leave it temporarily, then return and
take it up again. The other is to prevent death from
coming to the bodythat is, to prove that death is unnec-
essary. The body may be so refined and purified that
72 TiHE Way to Life and
iMMORfALiTY
its essences blend with, and become
one with, the soul.
Thus, body and soul ascend, or are translated, to the
heavenly spheres without the necessity of the body's pass-
ing through the ordinary stages of disintegration.
Jesus could not demonstrate these two ways at the
same time. He could demonstrate only the one or the
other. And, as mankind was in ignorance concerning
Ihe practical features of immortality, he had to demon-
strate the lesser first. Thus, he proved that the Soul
lives even after the death of the body and that it may
claim the body as an instrument
of communication on the
human plane even after the experience called death.
The seeker must bear in mind that it had long been
prophesied that one was to come who would be able to
give the life of the body, and, that, after a certain length
of time, a time long enough to prove that the body was
dead, he could take it up again. Jesus fulfilled this proph-
ecy.
Again, the seeker must remember, Jesus propbecied
that a time was to come in which man could do even great-
er things than he himself had done, a time in which man
would demonstrate that death of body is unnecessary. Man
may so live in harmony with natural and divine law that
the body itself, together with the soul, may reach Immor-
tality, and death will be unnecessary.
The Illuminati and Soul Science teach this truth and
the way to its fulfilment. They boldly and clearly claim
that, if the teachings are faithfully followed, the saying
of Jesus will be fulfilled, and man will eventually over-
come the last great enemy death. But let it be emphasized
that such power as this is not developed in a short time or
by any crude, haphazard methods. No claim is made
that all mankind may attain unto this power during this
one incarnation, or even during any one incarnation. The
majestic oak is not grown in a day or a night, neither is
an Illumined Soul developed in a single life period. The
gate of death must be passed through many times before
man can assume power over its keeper.
Let it be remembered that the carnal life, the life
that indulges in deadly passions, alone leads to death.
The life of virtue and constructive habits leads to Peace,
Light, and Immortality.
CHAPTER Six
TRUTH^ AT FIRST, SEEMS HARD.
The study of history reveals that every age has had
its philosophers, Masters, Initiates, Saviors, who, having
denied the self and followed the truth until they had
reached Illumination of Soul, gave to the people the truths
they had learnedtruths gained not from books, but from
experience and from actual living.
Move than this, history reveals the mistake of many
men and women, who were attracted to these philosophers
or teachers under the false impression that they might
themselves attain Mastership without living the life that
leads to Mastership. They desired to come into possession
of such power and such knowledge as these philosophers
and Masters possessed ; but they were not willing to live
the life that is required in order to gain possession of
these powers. They had the mistaken notion that it is
possible to obtain wisdom and power while still following
a life of sin and death. In their foolish and carnal minds,
they thought it possible to come into possession of truth,
wisdom, understanding, power, and all other desirable
things, by simply believing, or by a mere formal faith.
They failed to recognize the fact that man cannot come
into possession of anything legitimately, no matter what
its nature, unless he is willing and ready either to work
for it or to deny himself in some way or to do that which
is required in order to receive.
Truth, in the beginning, seems hard. Truth says,
Thus shalt thou do in order to receive. And, unless we
are willing to accept the dictates of Truth and Wisdom,
74 The Way to Life and iMMORTALitY'
v/e shall not receive, rather, zve cannot receive. For Truth
and Wisdom and Power set their own price ; and only he
receives who pays the price in full in advance.
Indeed, it is possible to gain possession of some pow-
ers through might, but they turn to bitter fruit in the
end. No man can retain that which he did not receive
legitimately. If he attempts to get and to hold in any il-
legitimate way, although he may enjoy possession for a
time, the final results are always undesirable.
Thus, it has been the record of all times that there
are those who think to gain possession of Truth, Wisdom,
and Povvêr, by some easy method, "by climbing up some
other way." They go to a great Master and demand of
him Truth, Wisdom, and Power. They listen attentively
to his instructions, and then try to use the truth without
living it. They gain a superficial comprehension of the
Master's words, and undertake to apply it to life's needs,
only to find that it evades their grasp, it is not theirs.
Truth belongs to him alone who earns it by the price
of becoming. Truth is not an acquisition gained through
mere intellectual effort. Knowledge of truth is the result
of becoming, the result of being, the result of living in
harmony zvith the lazvs
of
truth. Knowledge of truth
is the result of Interior Unfoldment. It is the natural
result of spiritual growth.
The true teacher or Master understands these things.
lie knows that truth cannot be obtained in any super-
ficial way. And when he places before the people the
choice of two thingseither to live and to have or not to
havepeople turn away from him and seek elsewhere.
They believe that there is some easy path to possession
;
but, alas, they find when life is spent that they were in
quest of that which does not exist, and that the Law is
absolute, which says, "Thus must thou do, if thou de-
sirest to possess."
In the time of Jesus,
it was not different from the prev-*
THE Way to Life and Immortality
75'
ious centuries, centuries when Egypt was great, when its
Priests ruled the world, and ruled it well, when men
thought more of God and His blessings than they did even
in the time of Jesus. And when the Master
Jesus taught
that physical death is unnecessary, the people would not
believe it. Many of the disciples, those who had witnessed
the wonderful works of the Master, turned and said,
"This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?"
And w-h)'? Simply because they were not ready or
willing to accept the great truth. The race belief could
not even accept Immortality of Soul, or life after death
of the body, how much less was it able to accept the doc-
trine that advocates immortality of body? Thus, the peo-
ple turned away from Jesus and from his teachings. And,
on account of this unbelief, this turning away, this re-
fusal to accept the truth because it seemed hard and de-
manded something of them, they missed not only immor-
tality of body but immortality of Soul as well.
Nor is it different in the present day. Many come
to the lUuminati for instructions who already believe in
the Immortality of the Soul; but they are unwilling to
apply the teachings to their own needs. They are unwilling
to live in obedience to the Law of Interior Illumination,
and in their own experience to prove the Soul's reality.
They demand some outward manifestation of power, aye,
even demand a vision of the Heavenly Fire before they
are willing to obey the heavenly vision.
In this, they forget the fact that the laborer is not
paid before he has labored. They forget that God forces
no man either to accept or to believe, that Lie forces no
man to do, but that He gives all men free-vvMll to do as
they please, although He attaches the penalty of not doing,
as well as the rev.'ard of doing. It is a fact that God
forces no man to accept the Divine Truth, He forces no
man to seek Immortality or freedom from disease. Yet
it
is equally a fact that He gives no man that which he
76
The Wa to Uife and iMMORfALif?
has not earned. Neither does He show man signs and
wonders in order to make him believe and Hve. On the
contrary, He plainly teaches through the Masters and the
Initiates that man should not seek for signs and wonders,
but that he must live and
hf.
Again and again did Jesus try to teach the multitude
that physical death is unnecessary. But, in the end, he
found that none would accept the hard saying. They
simply left him and followed those who showed them an
easier way of living. Even those who were continually
with the Master found it difficult to accept the doctrine
of immortality of the body. They found it impossible to
comprehend the teaching that the Master was to lay down
his body and take it up again, demonstrating without a
doubt that there is no death to those that live the life.
At the end, when the multitudes had forsaken him,
he attempted to teach the truth to his own disciples by
saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my
words, he shall not see death."
This is indeed a hard saying. This is the saying
which the multitudes, aye, even the few, were not ready
to accept in the time of Jesus. Nor will they accept it
at the present time.
An easy saying indeed, that man may obtain and
possess through mere belief even though continuing in a
life of carnality and selfishness. No such saying did the
Master Jesus ever utter. A belief that permits one to live
the life of sin, ignorance, and error is not a true belief.
That only deserves the name of faith which stimulates ac-
tivity and endeavor to realize the fruits of faith. Faith
is indeed necessary, but living according to the require-
ments of faith is also necessary. "Keeping the word" is
necessary in order to obtain the results of the promise,
which are, freedom from disease, ultimately freedom from
death, an Immortality that includes both body and soul.
Much^ however, remains to be accomplished and realized
77
in man's experience before immortality of body and soul
can be attained. Even to overcome the race belief in the
necessity of death is a wonderful achievement.
In its highest phase, life is an unfoldment. First of
all, man is of the earth, earthy, and, from the earth, re-
ceives his strength. The rose, also, is of the earth, and
from the earlh receives its strength. But the rose has no
power of choice, no power to resist the law that demands
it to become something more than a bush of thorns. The
rose is under natural law, which is under, and in obedience
to Divine Law. And the rose must fulfil its destiny.
Though man is a prototype of the rose, he has free-
will to accept the Law of Destiny or to reject it. I"or
this reason, the vast multitudes go no further than the
bush-of-thorn state. They are of the earth, earthly, and
W'ill not accept the truth. Nor will they live the life that
enables them to pass through the stages that lead to a rose
in full bloom. Gradually must they each one pass through
the stages of growth that correspond to the parts of the
rose bush. The stalk v/ithin must come forth. The bud
must appear on the stalk. The bud must open into a full
blown rose. In the case of man, the rose must remain
open without the falling of petals and leaves. Man be-
comes an Illuminated, Immortal, God Conscious being.
This is the Law. It is a hard saying. Few are will-
ing to accept it. It is a truth nevertheless, a truth that all
may accept and reap the rewards of living in harmony
with it. It will bind Immortality of Soul to those who ac-
cept it now ; and, eventually, it will result in immortality
of body and soul to those who overcome the race belief
that death is a necessity, and who substitute in its place
the conviction that our God is a God of life and the Giver
of Life, Light, and Immortality.
What is the argument of the multitudes against the
doctrine of immortality of the whole man?
The same today as in the time of
Jesus, "Abraham
78
The Way to Life and Immortality'
is dead, and the prophets. Is man greater than these?"
Because man has died and continues to die, is no
iproof that it is necessary to die. Because, once upon a
time, it was necessary to carry freight by means of horse
and cart, is no reason that it cannot now be carried either
by boat or by a system of rails. But, before freight was
actually transported by modern methods, only the very
few would accept the possibility of its being done in any
other way than that to which they were accustomed. And,
when the better way was finally proved and demonstrat-
ed, even then, by the many, it was regarded tlie work of
the evil one. So hard is it for man to accept the new,
though better way ! No wonder it is hard for man to be-
lieve that anything but death is in store for him, so sTfong
are the fetters of a long-standing race belief
!
The multitudes demand signs and wonders. They
will not accept the truth unless demonstrated in some
miraculous manner. And, even then, when a man, freed
from the race belief in death, begins to live according to
the truth, the vast numbers will say, 'Others have lived
to good old age and then died, and so will he die.' Thus,
it will be centuries before the doctrine fully and freely
taught by Jesus and the other philosophers will be accept-
ed. In the meantime, the few will accept the life that
leads to immortality of Soul. In time, they return to the
earth to demonstrate the life that leads to im.mortality of
body. Eventually, the final victory is won.
In the beginning, truth is hard to accept ; and to follow
the truth is also hard in the beginning. But, when man
does accept the truth and begins to live it, and when the
results of such living begin to show, then does he know
that, although Truth is an exacting mistress, she is, nev-
ertheless, one that gives ample returns for her exactitude.
"Keep my word, and ye shall never see death." This
is not merely the teaching of Jesus but it is the divine com-
iTpxand. Live the life. Live in harmony with the Pivin?
The Way to Life and Immortality,
79
Law, and then you will reap the benefits, the rewards,
ci such living.
But this we must understand and always bear in mind,
that just as belief of itself is not sufficient, so is right
living of itself insufficient. For, were living alone~ suf-
ficient, then the animal of the field, living in harmony with
nature, would have continuous life. But such is not the
case. Faith and living are both necessary. Neither can
be complete by itself. Living makes the possibility pos-
sible. Belief, or faith, so charges, magnetizes, or AEth-
izes, the Soul that it, having become God Conscious,
raises the vibrations of the body, become pure through
right living, to the Immortal plane.
For this reason, even many who have followed the
]\ith, and lived the life, though receiving Immortality of
Soul, yet had to pass to the Beyond in order to realize im-
mortality of the entire being, and this, simply because the
mind and consequently the soul accepted the race belief
that death is necessary in order to reach final immortality.
And this belief, in spite of right living, made death of body
necessary for them.
Thus, the Illuminati in their Soul Science, the Way
to Immortality, teach that neither faith nor right living
alone is sufficient in order to reach the highest goal of
achievement, but that understanding of truth and faith. in
the truth as well as living in harmony with the truth are
necessary in order to know as the Gods knew and in
order to reach final immortality.
Unlike other doctrines regarding immortality, the Il-
luminati do not teach that man, in attaining the final goal,
loses his individuality and once again becomes part of the
Godhead. They teach definitely and emphatically that
man becomes an absolute, conscious individuality, free
from all that is carnal and gross, like God, though not
God.
Nor is this doctrine of the immortality of the whole
man without examples. There have been those who walk-
ed with God^that is, had faith in God and in His prom-
ises and lived accordinglywho were taken body and soul,
into the high heavens, and did not taste of death. Of these
are Enoch, Elijah, and Moses, the great Law Giver. These
believed as the ancient Priests taught. They believed in
the word of God, in His promises. Through this belief
and through the life they lived, they were able to fulfil the
promises made by God.
So can all men do. But it is necessary for the hard
truth to be believed, for the hard saying to be accepted.
It is imperative that man shall not run after signs and
wonders, after manifestations of others. It is imperative
that he shall be the actor instead of being acted upon as
a machine is acted upon by a master intellect, and that he
sliall become the Son of God through faith and through
works, through belief and through living according to his
belief.
God's Law is eternal. It is the Divine Law, absolute
and never failing. Though we may think of this Law as
a hard truth, nevertheless, when we become willing instru-
ments, we find that it is not a hard life to live, that it is
only seemingly so. It may be hard in the beginning, but
wê will soon learn that no good thing is forbidden to man.
To repeat: the perfect life is first of all faith
accompanied by works. But we mûst be on our guard lest
our faith becomes centered in personalities, which at best
have weaknesses ; and, if we are not ever watchful, we will
judge them by their weaknesses and forget their strength.
The perfect life is a hfe of service. It is not mere belief,
a negative condition of existence, but, first and last, a
courageous struggle to be. Finally, life is a growth, a be-
coming, an unfoldmenta growth that begins on the ma-
terial plane, gradually reaching the state of consciousness
in which we realize that the carnal life is not the true
Jife,
finally leading to the state of consciousness in which
81
the individuality merges into, and identifies itself with, the
Divine yet retains its individual consciousness and iden-
tity. Thus, man becomes an immortal, deathless being,
Son of the living God.
Such is the destiny of man. Such a standard do the
Illuminati teach. Soul Science points out the Way to
Life, Light, and Immortality of the entire man.
82
CHAPTER SEVEN
man's duty is to glorify god.
A question of importance is whether God, in creat-
ing man or anything else, did so with the intention of
destroying the product of his creation. Or, put the ques-
tion thus
: do we, though at present but finite beings, create
a thing with the intention of destroying it.
Search ourselves as we will, we come to the one con-
clusion that in making anything we do it because it seems
good to do so, either for our own benefit or for the bene-
fit of another. Moreover, having given it existence, we
do not think of destroying it; though, at times, as our
knowledge increases, we may desire to change or to im-
prove our handiwork. If finite man in his efforts is
prompted by altruistic motives, must it not be the more true
that God, being infinite and having created all things per-
fect, does not desire to destroy his workmanship nor to
make changes in it except such changes as come through
normal, natural growth ? This general statement being ad-
mitted as true, we must conclude that it is not the' idivine
plan and purpose for either the soul or the body of man
to be destroyed.
Why, then, is the body of man subject to death and
decay?
To this there is but one rational answer. Because
man, through disobedience to the divine command to be-
come like God, makes it impossible for the body to con-
tinue existence ; and, in this way, he himself and not his
Creator is responsible for death of body or for mortaliiy
of soul. If this reasoning is correct (and who can ques-
8i The Way to Life and Immortality'
tion it?) we can come to but one conclusion
that is, the
body of man was not created by God in order to be de-
stroyed, nor was the soul destined by divine plan to eternal
torment, neither did the divine purpose predetermine that
either soul or body should be blotted out of existence.
To give a positive statement: man is created in the
likeness of the Creator, endowed with the Creator's attri-
butes and faculties. It is the divine purpose that he shall
develop his inherent qualities in obedience to the Divine
Law and that he shair so live as to become like God, his
Creator, in every way. Furthermore, it is the divine pur-
pose that he shall so live that the body may become pure
and holy, truly a temple of the living God.
This it is to glorify Godso to live that the soul may
reflect the Divine Image through a life of humble service,
so to live that the body may become a temple wherein God
may take up His permanent abode. This is the duty of
man. This is the end and the aim of life. Further ailso,
to glorify God results in happiness, peace, and content-
ment. When man comes to understand this principle and
to live in harmony with the divine standard set for him,
then will life here on earth become what it should be, what
God intended it to be. This is the culmination, the ulti-
mate goal, of glorifying Godto attain immortality of
body and soul.
Nor is this doctrine contradictory in any way to II-
luminati principles elsewhere advocated. It has long been
taught that man may so live as to attain Illumination and
Immortality of Soul, and Consciousness of God while in
the flesh. This attainment is the result of a long-continued
process that extends, it may be, through lives on earth oft-
repeated. At the experience called death, the soul, having
attained self-consciousness in partial degree, passes to the
soul realm to remain for a time, with the privilege of re-
turning to earth and completing the work that must be ac-
complished while in the flesh. This, the Lc^w of Reincjir-
85
nntion, has been clearly explained as the method by which
man advances on the Path to Christhood and Conscious-
ness of Immortality. These principles are by no means
contradictory to the doctrine of immortality of body and
soul. They are, rather, stepping stones along the way,
wliich lead to the higher, fuller doctrine of immortality of
the whole man. They are subordinate to, yet in harmony
with, the doctrine of complete immortality.
The doctrine of complete immortality advances the
standard that the soul of man may find its heaven, its
millenium, here on earth without going forth and without
returning. The ideal of working for a far-off heaven, of
hoping to attain peace and happiness in the far-off future
is no longer attractive to mankind. To look forward to a
state of being in the Beyond or in time to come, which the
soul of man shall attain after death and there enjoy, ceases
to satisfy. Men desire to attain the knowledge, the wis-
dom, and the power that shall enable them to overcome
ignorance, sin, and disease here and now. They desire to
become victors now and to realize that they are now on the
Path to Mastership. Men need to realize that today is a
part of the Hereafter, that today is a link in the chain of
Eternity, that today determines the status of tomorrow.
Men are beginning to understand that disease is the
result of ignorance, error, and sin, that illness is the re-
sult of disobeying, or of living contrary to, some law of
health. It is becoming more and more a prevalent idea
that life in the soul realm, life in the Beyond, is merely a
continuation of the present life. As we are now, so shall
wc be then. The desires that hold the body now will hold
the soul where there is no body. The habits that enchain
and enslave on the earth plane will bind and hamper on
the soul plane. Such ideas as these are becoming every
day more deeply engrained in the race consciousness
That the present determines the future is even now a race
conviction. That ignorance, error, sin, diseaseaye, even
86 The Way to Life and iMMORTALitY
deathare conditions to be overcome, not conditions which
demand passive resignation, is fast becoming a race behef.
The race consciousness has too long been content with
a rehgion that has unduly emphasized helpless submission
to a divine providence, passive resignation to a Higher
Will, blind surrender to an unseen ruling power. But the
tide has turned. Such teaching ceases to give comfort.
The tendrils and the "feelers" of the race consciousness
are turning toward the light and are reaching out for a
positive, active, virile religion. The multitudes are seek-
ing light and true understanding. They are seeking the
truth that will guide them aright. They are tired of be-
ing admonished to be submissive and resigned. They are
tired of being the plaything of unseen forces. They hunger
to become creators and actors and directors. They hunger
for the truth and the wisdom and the power that will en-
able them to become creative agents and active forces.
On all sides are evidences of ignorance, error, sin, dis-
ease, suffering, sorrow, and death. Under mysterious and
unaccountable "ministrations of providence," man has
known no better philosophy than to bow in submission, and
to "bide a wee, and dinna fret." But this ceases to satisfy.
Now he asks. Why. Now he seeks the cause of "painful
ministrations of providence"; and, having discovered the
cause, he seeks to put forth active measures to prevent,
and to remove causes. Hitherto, he has glorified God by a
negative, blind, inert submission. Now he seeks to glorify
God by the use of conscious, deliberate, definite, painstak-
ing effort to fulfil the Divine Purpose and to realize the
Divine Plan. Hitherto, he has glorified God by saying,
"Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done." Now he
seeks to glorify God by saying: "I will that thy Will be
done through me. I will to become an active instrument
in thy hands. I put forth conscious, deliberate effort to
direct the Christ Potencies into channels of useful ser-
yice."
87
The many have been saying, "We want to beheve; but
you must first show us some manifestation which will en-
able us to believe." The day is well-nigh at hand, how-
ever, when the demand for outer demonstration of truth
will be changed into the determination, "I will live the life
that leads to inner realization of truth."
It is not reasonable to expect the doctrine of full and
complete immortality to be accepted immediately and in a
short time and by great numbers. The blotting out of the
old belief and the establishment of a new in the race con-
sciousness is at best a slow, gradual process. Nor is it
necessary to look at the ultimate in order to accept the
higher truths. One may accept truth that tends eventually
toward the ultimate without striving after or even desiring
the ultimate. One may not desire bodily immortality, one
may not be attracted by the thought of heaven on earth.
But who is there in the vast multitudes that does not de-
sire freedom from disease and suffering? W^ho is there
that does not desire an understanding of causes? Who
does not desire freedom from ignorance, error, sin, and
suffering? To desire even this, and to accept the truth
that leads to this freedom, is an important step toward
breaking down long-standing race beliefs and establishing
iii the race consciousness higher and purer motives.
True sincere desire for freedom from ignorance, error,
sin, disease, and suffering causes one to accept the truth,
and to live the life, that lead to freedom from ignorance,
error, sin, disease, and suffering. Living in harmony with
the truth that sets free necessitates obeying the Divine
I. aw, the Law that leads ultimately to full immortality,
lo believe the truth in regard to the cause of undesirable
cimditions in life, and to live in such wise that desirable
conditions shall become ours, puts one in harmony with,
and enables one to cooperate with, the Law that leads to
the highest goal, even though one may not be striving to
rt:ach
the highest goal, aye, even though one may not con-
8S The Way to Life and Immortality
sider the ultimate as at all desirable.
We must remember that the Law is, that the Law in-
cludes and covers all that is, that the lesser is no less and
no more than the beginning of the greater. For as above,
so below ; as below, so above ; as the lesser, so is the great-
er. To accept the lesser and to strive after it, clears the
way for the greater. Thus, step by step, degree by de-
gree, the race belief advances, and the race consciousness
seeks higher planes, and the race conscience takes on purer
motives and loftier ideals, until, eventually, belief in full
immortality is accepted by mankind as the highest, and,
withal, the most desirable, goal.
And what means obedience to the Law, both natural
and divine:
It means ultimately a perfect body. It means a per-
fect, creative, virile mind. And the two working in har-
mony produce the perfect Soul, the Christos, the Soul
that is conscious of Christhood and Mastership.
Some object to the word Christ, saying that the world
has had enough of the Christ teachings, and that there is
a demand for something more advanced. Such must un-
derstand that there is nothing greater than the Christ Prin-
ciple. Though another name may be used by which to
designate it, yet the power that the Christ Principle rep-
resents, ever remains a mighty reality, the most power-
ful factor known to man. Man may call himself the rein-
carnation of an ancient god or even a new incarnation di-
rect from the Godhead, yet the eternal element in his be-
ing is ever the same, no matter what name may be ap-
plied to it. Nio man has yet lived to the full the teachings
of Jesus, the Christ. Therefore, the world can cite no
perfect example to represent the teachings. Consequently,
the claim that they have lost their power is to manifest
gross ignorance in respect to the truth contained in them,
and simply indicates superficial knowledge. The Christ
teîchings, in their mystical sense, have never been really
understood and believed, much less have they ever been
lived and demonstrated.
What then is it to become a Christ vSoul? What is
it to know the Christ, not as a personality, but as the life
cf man?
To know the Christ is to have attained Illumination of
Soul. To become the Christ Soul means that, through a
system of living in obedience to natural and^ divine law,
man attains consciousness of the Christ, and of God, the
Father. To have reached this state of being is to have
freed the self of grosser passions, is to have made the
body whole. Moreover, it is the state of consciousness in
v/hich the soul says with Jesus, "I am the resurrection and
the life." In this state of being not only does man live,
but he lives on a higher plane than heretofore. Born not
only of his mother, in pain and in sorrow of the flesh, but
born of God into a, higher state of being, he can truly say,
"I am the resurrection and the life." The divine spark of
a soul within him has been nurtured and fed until it has
become a brilliant Flame of Love, Understanding, and
I'owêr. He has seen the Fire, he has beheld the heavenly
vision. Does he not know that he shall surely live and not
die?
All this belongs to him who has believed the truth and
has lived in harmony with the truth and has obeyed the
Lav/ of truth. Even though man may still cling to the
race belief in the necessity of death, yet Illumination of
Soul and Consciousness of Immortality of Soul, together
with the fruits of such consciousness, are indeed desirable.
Whatever may be one's thought in regard to bodily im-
mortality, Consciousness of Immortality of Soul is a most
desirable attainment. It allies one to God, the Father,
Creator of all
''Him in whom we live and move and have

cur being."
It was the Christ Principle in Jesus
that gave utter-
ance to the words, "Lie that Hveth and believeth in me
9'3
The Way to Life ajji) ImmoWalitv"
shall never die." This saying gives no ground for center-
ing our faith in a personality. It gives no basis for the
doctrine that belief in the historic character of Jesus or
even belief that he was the Son of God in itself insures
salvation of soul. He that liveth and believeth as Jesus
lived and believed, he that liveth and believeth in the
Christhe shall never die. Such is the promise. If we
live and serve humanity as Jesus did, not merely in slavish
imitation of him, but in obedience to the Divine Law which
ruled his life and which also centers in our own conscious-
ness, then we shall find life eternal ; and, freed f rpm er-
roneous race beliefs, we shall not know death.
Man has been following the letter and not the spirit
of the Law. Man has been believing in the personality of
Jesus. Some indeed have believed in the existence of the
Soul, and in the Christ; but this belief, though good, has
availed nothing. Even this, though a correct belief so far
as it goes, can bring no satisfactory results. To believe in
the personality of some historic character, no matter how
divine the character may be, is not sufficient. The belief
that brings results in one's life is belief in the Law demon-
strated by the personality of some ideal historic charac-
ter. Have faith in the Law by which and through which
that particular personality was enabled to reach Divinity
and Immortality of Soul, and to become conscious of God,
the Fatherthis is the Divine command.
This is to glorify Godto establish faith in a Divine
Principle, a Divine Promise, a Divine Command, a Divine
Law. This is the significance of the mission of the Master
Jesus. In his personality and in his individuality was ex-
emplified and manifested the Divine Law, in order that,
through this exemplification, the Law might be accepted
by others as a guide. It is for others to obey the Law as
he obeyed it. It is for others to believe the truth and to
live the truth as he believed and lived, and, through such
obedience and through such a life, to reap the rewards and.
The Way to tiFE and Immortality
91
the fruits.
The soul is deathless as is He deathless who created
the soul. God cannot manifest without a medium through
which to manifest. Man is the medium through which
God manifests Himself. Likewise, the soul cannot mani-
fest without a medium through which to manifest. The
body of man is the medium through wdiich the soul mani-
fests. It is just as reasonable to claim that God, in order
to save Himself, must destroy man through which He
manifests as to claim that man must, in order to save the
soul, destroy the body through which the soul manifests.
God destroys no man. Man, through disobedience to
the Divine Law, may destroy himself. In like manner,
death of the body is not a necessity; but man may, through
disobedience, cause its death. Not that anything is gained
through its death, not that the soul will be more sublime
or more advanced. Nevertheless, because of the race be-
lief in the necessity of death, he takes it for granted that
the body must die. Consequently, it does die. In time to
come, however, belief in the possibility of Life Eternal
wîll become so established in the race consciousness that
man will take it for granted that death of the body will
not be his. Consequently he need not know death of body.
Death of body does not add to exaltation of soul. On
the contrary, the more man purilies the body, the more
perfect the body becomes through obedience, the more
does he glorify God in the Highest. And, in like manner,
in proportion as he purifies the body and perfects it, in
that degree is the sou! exalted and made purer and cleaner
until, after Baptism with Fire, it reaches to heaven and
comes into conscious relationship with the Creator.
Thus, it stands that, whether physical immortality is
desired or not, it is the duty of man so to live as to glorify
God and to bring the Soul to Illumination. In so doing,
lie is actually living the life that, if continued, ultimate-
ly results in complete and full immortality and places him
92
The Way to Life and iMMORTALit?
on the plane of consciousness that says, "I am the resur-
rection and the Hfe." The consciousness of Life Eternal
he guards as a sacred trust and confesses to no man. But
his life, in its fruits of service and good deeds, daily tes-
tifies to others of the power of the Christ Consciousness.
^This tends toward the perfection of the human race.
This is life, life in its higher and most holy manifes-
tation. This is science. In every case in which the Law
is faithfully obeyed, results are the same. This is philoso-
phy. This is religion. It concerns not only the soul but
the body as well. It is that which God has tried to teach
His children, lo, these many ages.
Jesus, having become the Christ, demonstrated that
life remains even after death of body. He demonstrated
to those who believed that man may so live as to retain
consciousness, so live as to have more power, after the
change called death. To demonstrate this fact was the
culmination of his mission. But he taught that which is
even greater, that which he could not himself demonstrate.
He could demonstrate only the one truth, that life and
consciousness of soul continue after death and that man
may, through the Christ Power, take up the body
after it had passed through the change called death. But
he taught the greater truth, namely, that man may so live
as to prevent death to the body, that man may find life
eternal, life without change, life as God intended it to
be. To demonstrate this possibility is to be classed among
"the greater things" which Jesus said his followers should
do.
"He that believeth and liveth in me"that is, he who
has faith in the God-given Law and who lives according
to the Divine Lawshall be free from sin, disease, and ul-
timately, shall demonstrate power over the last great enemy
death. Thus shall man glorify God by living the life
God intended him to live, the end of which is happiness,
peace, and contentment. This is the teaching of Soul
Science, the Way to Life, Light, and Immortality.
CHAPTER EIGHT
COD IS EVER WITH THOSE WHO ARE WITH HIM.
If man rightly appreciated the saying, "God helps
those who help themselves," he would make greater effort
toward the accomplishment of the things he desires to ac-
complish. This saying means that God is with those who
are with Him. Although He is not against those who are
not with Him in thought and in deed, yet He is not able
TO help them.
In its literalness, this interpretation may seem to por-
tray God as a personal being who arbitrarily refuses to
help those who do not help themselves. The expression,
hnvv'ever, is to be thought of, rather, as a literary cloak
which covers a general, universal truth. Those who help
themselves, by that very act, open their natures to receive
tlie forces and the potencies of the Infinite. By that very
attitude of mind, they admit into their being the qualities
that make for success in the channels of their endeavor.
By that attitude of mind, they come into harmony with
the Divine Law of their own Being; and, in so far as they
do truly help themselves, to that extent do they obey the
I>aw of their own Being.
It follows that the best way to help ourselves is to
seek the Kingdom of God within our own Being and to
cooperate with the Law of Divinity within ourselves. In
the accomplishme'nt of any worthy purpose, the first step
of importance is to seek the Kingdom within, and there
to receive instructions which will enable us to work in
harmony with the Divine Law. Having received knowl-
edge of truth and having faith in the promise that God
94
The Way to Life and Immortality^
helps those who help themselves, it remains to put forth
effort in harmony with the knowledge received, and to
work according to one's faith. This is to work in harmony
with the Will of God. To work in accordance .with the
Divine Will is to be with God. And God, being just and
absolute, can not do otherwise than be with us. The result
will be that we shall, in the end, obtain those things which
we desire, those things which we are putting forth effort to
obtain. This is true, no matter what our desire ây be,
whether for health of body, mind, and soul, or for free-
dom from sorrow and suffering, or for Immortality of
Soul, or for Immortality of Soul and body. To be sure,
freedom from sorrow and suffering must come through
the knowledge that things which ordinarily cause sorrow
and suffering are experiences necessary to make us more
nearly perfect. This knowledge of itself alleviates suffer-
ing and enables us to accept it with fortitude and to turn
all experiences in life to good account.
In the effort to attain perfection we are not alone.
For, on every side, there are those who are on ithe way
to perfection, very many of whom have advanced to an
appreciable degree of perfection in body, mind, and soul.
Seldom, however, do we find one who is perfect in all three.
But those who have partially attained perfection in any
one department of life serve as examples and as inspira-
tion to others. The perfect in body proves to us that per-
fection of body is a possibility in which all men may share.
Perfection of mind or intellectual achievement proves that
it is possible for others to be mentally perfect. Perfection
of Soul, or Illumination of Soul, or Sonship with God,
proves to us that all things are possible to him who honors
the Christ in his own life and character.
One should, hov/ever, go a step beyond this, and
aim at threefold perfection
perfection of mind, soul, and

body. The Illuminati hold the standard of perfection in
ihe three departnients of man's nature, and the harmoniQUs
The Way to Life and Immortality,
95
cooperation of each with the other. The ideal is unity out
of the trinity, one through the three.
Through knowledge of the Divine Law and through
obedience to it, we free the mind from those thoughts and
those teachings which hamper, and which prevent it from
greater achievement. In the place of undesirable thoughts
and erroneous teachings, we feed the mind constructive,
wholesome thoughts and ideals, which develop all three de-
partments of man's nature. Through freeing the mind of
conditions which hamper and bind it to earth, through the
establishment of powerful, constructive thoughts, we build
the healthy body, the enlightened mind, and the illumined
soul.
God helps those who, seeing that His work is perfect
in certain departments, follow the example of those who
have attained. God helps those who apply to their own
personality the principles and the laws demonstrated by
tliose who have attained. Gradually and in natural order,
the personality becomes the individuality, which, in turn,
gives way to SonshipSonship with the Father. The fact
that some have attained perfection is proof that others may
attain. In the beginning, all things, including man, were
perfect; but man, having free-will, has brought imperfec-
tion into the vmiverse. But now again men are awakening
10 the truth; and, understanding the Divine Law, and see-
iiig perfect works, they are beginning to pattern after them.
True, accomplishment is not in a moment. It will re-
ciuire time to bring about satisfactory results. But, unlike
all else in nature, man can exchange the carnal self for the
s])iritual self within a comparatively short time. Even his
body can be reconstructed, and every cell thereof replaced
v/ith a new one, wdthin a period of less than one year.
In animal life, to be sure, there is a constant replacement
of old cells by new; but, in human life, there is the added
responsibility of charging the new cells with thoughts of
regeneration, perfection, and dcathlessncss. Nothing. else
96
in nature has such possibilities as has man. This in itself
is indication of the mighty responsibility that falls upon
him, a responsibility proportionate to the possibilities God
has given him.
The main thing, at the present time, is to awaken man
to his great possibilities, and to arouse in him an earnest
desire to attain the highest of which he is capable. He
must realize the fact that the life he is now living is not
the true life. Nor is it the life that brings the greatest
power and the greatest freedom from suffering and other
undesirable conditions. The life of ease and sin and pleas-
ure may, indeed, seem to be the easiest life. In reality, how-
ever, it is not the easiest. Man has been deluded by the
thought that the downward road is easier to travel, that
things which are evil are easier to do, that destructive habits
are more pleasurable than constructive and power-produc-
ing habits. This, however, is far from true. This, like be-
lief in the necessity of death, is a race delusion which has
in fact no foundation.
There is another race error kindred to this which must
be uprooted from man's nature, the error of thinking that
all things which give pleasure and joy are of the evil one
and must not be indulged in. Since man in normal con-
dition is a pleasure-loving, joy-seeking being, he naturally
and instinctively craves conditions which produce the sen-
sation of joy and pleasure. Going to extrem.e in gratify-
ing his fondness for pleasure, or indulging in sense-delights
contrary to nature's laws, he has reaped the reaction, or the
after-effects, of sorrow and suffering. Consequently, he
concludes that those things which give pleasure and joy are
in themselves wrong. This, too, is an erroneous conclu-
sion. Sorrow and suffering are due, not to the gratifica-
tion of sense-pleasure, but to excess or to abuse or to ab-
normal conditions. The falsity of thinking that joy-pro-
ducing conditions are of the evil one must be eliminated
Irpm
man's thought.
God helps those who help themselves. God helps
those who try to /eliminate from their minds false concep-
tions and erroneous standards. God is with those who
try to free themselves from bondage to race errors.
The Illuminati teach that God looks upon results and
ultimate effects, and that He judges from the outcome and
from the final tendency. He has not endowed man with
pleasure-loving inclinations for the sake of taunting him
through non-gratification or for the sake of putting tempta-
tion in his way as a means of testing his strength. Things
w^hich give pleasure, joy, and happiness are not in them-
selves evil. The gratification of sense delights is not neces-
sarily productive of pain and sorrow, nor is it necessarily
an evil. The demands of the physical nature are in them-
selves legitimate. Aye, môre than this, they are requisites
of spiritual growth^ They are agents of regeneration. They
are necessary factors in refining and in purifying the physi-
cal organism, which in turn acts as a refining and purifying
agency in developm.ent of soul.
Man must learn to help himself by seeking to root out
of his nature the false impression that gratification of the
senses is in itself sinful. God looks to see whether results
are constructive or destructive, whether the end is sorrow,
pain, or loss to the self or to any other creature. When
results are good, constructive, and uplifting, there is no
pleasure, no happiness, no enjoyment, which is prohibited,
nor does it in any wise meet with the disapproval of the
Creator. The understanding of this law, and a recognition
of the fact that physical welfare and normal physical satis-
faction are necessary to mental and spiritual welfare, gives
to life a brighter hue and relieves the sombre effects of a
perverted religious standard. Life would look far different
to the vast multitudes if they could comprehend the dis-
tinction between normal use of functions, which gives .hap-
piness, and abnormal or perverted use, which results in
pain and regret. It is only man and his acts, his ignorance,
98
and his foolish conception of hfe that bring pain, sorrow,
and misery into the world. Life will seem worth the living
when God helps man because he helps himself by eliminat-
ing from his thought false impressions and false standards.
God is not a Being that is trying to shoulder all the
pain, sorrow, and suffering upon humankind. On the con-
trary, He is a Being who is trying to help man to perfec-
tion, to help him become truly man in order that he may
become truly a god. It is the divine purpose that man,
through evolving his own inherent possibilities, shall attain
unto Godhood and Christship. The pain, sorrov/, and suf-
fering which man experiences in life are not to be traced
to God in any other sense than that' He has given him
free-will; and, through perversion and misuse of his facul-
ties, man has brought sorrow and suffering upon himself
and upon others. He who seeks wisdom that he may make
intelligent use of his free-will is helping himself in such a
Avay that he can truly receive the help of God. God is with
him who seeks wisdom and guidance. God is v/ith him
who opens the channels of his being to the Divine Presence.
Through the past centuries, God has permitted, aye,
even ordered, perfect beings, men become perfect, to pass
through the world in order to teach men the perfect way.
But mankind has refused to listen to the voice of these great
teachers. The last of the great Initiates who came to the
earth not only taught Immortality of Soul but even demon-
strated the possibility of laying dov/n the mortal physical
body in death and of taking it up again at will. But it has
required well-nigh tv/o thousand years for man actually to
comprehend this possibility. It has required these cen-
turies to enable man to understand this mystery. Now he
is beginning to comprehend that not mere faith in a great
Master will bring results, but that it is necessary to have
faith in the Law which the Master obeyed in order to at-
tain Mastership, and that it is necessary to obey the Law
even as he obeyed it. Man may have a faith that precludes
the shadow of a doubt in a great A'laster. He may believe
without wavering that another has attained Mastership,
Godhood, and Christship. But what does this avail of
practical value to man unless he realizes that it is accord-
ing to the Divine purpose for himself and all men to attain
the same state of Divinity?
This is a race error that must be overcomethe belief
that the Master Jesus was a miraculous exception to the
possibilities of human life, that he was God come to the
earth in a manner that transcends human endeavor. This
error must be supplanted by the conviction that the Master
Jesus was a perfect illustration of what all men may attain
by obeying the Law of Lnmortality as he obeyed it. He
stands as a perfect example, saying clearly to all. What I
have done ye may do. It is the divine will and purpose
for all men to strive to attain such Mastership as Jesus
demonstrated. Striving to attain Christship is to insure
the Presence of God. The Divine Presence overshadows
and helps those who cherish for themselves the ideal of
Christship and Supreme IMastery. Man works with God
and is with God and reaps actual results when. he strives
to live a life of service to others in harmony with the Christ
Ideal. Aye, even he is working with God and is with God
and reaps actual results, who strives to free himself from
bondage to erroneous race beliefs.
The Master Jesus did more than teach Immortality of
Soul. He taught Immortality of body as well. But many
centuries have been required to establish the plausibility of
the doctrine of Immortality of Soul. So, also, many other
centuries will be required to establish in the race conscious-
ness the possibility of physical immortality. The race
thought is thoroughly saturated with the belief that sin,
suffering, sickness, sorrow, misery, and finally death are nec-
essary. This belief is in every cell of the entire body.
New cells in the process of rebuilding are charged with
this same thought. Thus, body, mind, and soul are magnet-
ICO
i/ed with thoughts of disease, suffering, fear, sorrow, and
death. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Is it
any wonder that }êars and even centuries are required to
transmute race errors into race truths?
But the new age is at hand, the beginning is made. Be-
hef in ImmortaHty of Soul, in the Fatherhood of God, and
in Conscious Sonship with the Father is thoroughly estab-
lished in the minds of many. Many are beginning to think
and to live in harmony vvîth this conviction. The fact that
physical refinement and purification are necessary to the
spiritual growth that leads to Conscious Sonship with God
is fully understood and accepted by many. Thus, through
the advanced thought and the higher understanding of the
many, the race consciousness is being rapidly tinged and
colored with the bright hues of belief in Immortality of
vSoul. This proves that the time is ripe for spreading the
doctrine of immortality of body. Only the few may be
ready to comprehend and to accept it, but there must be
a beginning sometime, somewhere, in the promulgation of
every new aspect of truth. Those who are settled in their
acceptance of Immortality of Soul are ready for the next
step. Many are definitely meeting the requirements of a
life that leads to Conscious Sonship with God. They are
seeking manifestation of their own Sonship with the Father.
They are practicing religion and philosophy in order to
manifest to their own consciousness the Immortality of
their own souls. Many have faced the Altar Fire and
have gazed into the brilliant depths of their own Being, and,
awe-inspired by the Divine Presence, have breathed upon
their own consciousness the truth, 'T am the Resurrection
and the Life." Upon many the Dove of Peace has alight-
ed. To many the Invisible Voice has uttered the words
:
"Thou art my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."
Such consciousness of the Divine Presence, such Real-
ization of the Ineffable Light of Immortality, such mani-
festation of Life Eternal, belongs to themselves alonea.
101
sacred trust, which can not be communicated to others, a
sacred reahty, which can not be imparted to the vast mul-
titudes who cry out for signs and wonders.
It is a truth of paramount importance that manifesta-
tion of the Immortahty of the Soul can not be given to
others, for the reason that man can not understand or see
in others that which is not yet in himself. Though a man
might have reached Illumination, though he might have
brought forth his soul as a self-conscious entity, aye, even
though the Holy Fire might become visible to those who
have not yet reached Illumination, others would not be-
lieve it nor credit his personal testimony. They would
consider it a delusion of the senses and not an actual fact.
I' or this reason it is an absolute truth that those zvlw de-
mand
of
others a manifestation
of
the Soul, the Sacred
fire, the Almighty God, are th.euiselves yet in darkness and
io'ozv neither the Soul nor God. For this reason
because
of
their ozvn blindness and misapprehension
of
the truth
-
they demand signs and wonders, manifestations and proofs.
Their ozvii unbelief and their own- unzvorthiness have pre-
zented them from bringing into manifestation the Divine
I'lre zvithin themselves.
Unless we seek and fmd within ourselves, we are im-
able to understand, to see, and to comprehend that which
is within others. Be it understood that men judge others
not by what others arc, but by what they themselves feel,
and by what they themselves are within their own con-
sciousness. It is a Divine Law that man can not under-
stand that wdiich he is not himself. He can not compre-
hend the forgiveness of the Infinite until he realizes for-
giveness of others in his own heart. He can not compre-
hend that impartial love and good-will toward all creatures
is a possibility until he realizes it in his own experience.
In recognition of this Law, the Master Jesus taught : "Seek
ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will
be added unto you."
102 Tpie Way to Life and Immortality
Thus, in proportion as God is with us, in proportion
as we know Him and reahze His presence, do we look
for Him in others. Again, as we are of the world, car-
nal, and selfish, do we seek to find the same condition in
others; and we can not understand how they can be bet-
tor than we or comprehend more than we.
Bear in mind that God is ever with those who are
with Him. There is no restriction placed on this state-
ment. Nor is there a limitation to the degree of "God
with us." He who is beginning to awaken to the truth,
he who is beginning to overcome the thraldom of race
errors, he who is beginning to work in harmony with the
Creator and His Laws, is just as great as he who has
reached final redemption, final unfoldment. For, as is
the beginning, so must the end be if the beginner persists
faithfully in obedience to the Divine Law. The beginning
leads to Sonship and Godhood.
It is such truths as these that Jesus came to shadow
forth and to demonstrate to mankind. He stated clearly
that the least of these is greater than John the Baptist.
For those who are least have already made a start on the
right way, the way that leads to Godhood; and, thus, they
may in time surpass John the Baptist in a true spiritual
sense.
Through the life of the Master Jesus, God proved
that He is with man. Through the obedience of Jesus to
the Divine Law, God proved to mankind that it is pos-
sible to demonstrate the fruits of faith and obedience.
Through the power of the Christ in Jesus, God taught
mankind. He expects man not only to do what Jesus did
but even to do greater things. It must be remembered
that Jesus was subject to race environment as are we. He
was born in the race belief in the necessity of death. He
was born even in the belief that there is no Immortality.
But, through faith and through works, he was able to
overcome the race belief in the necessity of death. He
The Way to Life and Immortality' 10!3
was able to demonstrate Immortality of Soul, and to in-
struct mankind in the Law that will enable him to demon-
strate immortality of body as well as Immortality of Soul.
The Master Jesuj illustrated by his life what it is
to work vrith God and to be with God, what it is to have
God as guide and helper. God can not be with those who
are not with Him any more than Lazarus could go to the
rich man, for there is a mighty, impassable gulf between.
Cjod can not manifest His Infinite Presence to those who
claim to believe, but who in reality have no faith. There
is a vast difference between profession and actual posses-
sion. God is with those who, in all humility, come to
Him, asking for help, aye, even asking for faithmore
faith and a purer faith. When the heart is sincere and
earnest, even though it has but little faith, a true desire
for necessary faith draws God to it, and opens the chan-
nels of the heart to receive an influx of faith from the
Infinite Storehouse. God is with those who earnestly de-
sire to be v>dth Him and to work with Him in harmony
with His Laws, even though their faith is weak and waver-
ing.
Let every hungry, tempest-tossed, wavering soul re-
member that God is v/ith those who are with Him.
CHAPTER PÎNE
WHAT OF THE CRUCIFIXION OF THE FLESH
f
A grievous race error is found in the doctrine that,
in order to attain eternal life, it is necessary to crucify
the flesh, and that salvation is impossible without crucifix-
ion and denial of the flesh. This doctrine has been the
means of holding back vast multitudes from accepting the
teachings of. Masters and Philosophers.
In fundamental aspects, this doctrine contains much
truth. But it has been grievously misunderstood and
misrepresented until the misrepresentations and the errors
growing out of it have, in the minds of the general pub-
lic, supplanted the true doctrine.
From time untold, it has been thought that crucifixion
of the flesh makes necessary the denial of all those pleas-
ures which belong to the flesh. It tends toward strict,
severe, unreasonable self-discipline. Only a few centu-
ries ago, our puritan fathers denied their children the right
to play, even the right to smile, on the sabbath day. Un-
reasonable though this may seem to us, to them it seemed
right; and to play or to laugh on the sabbath day brought
punishment to the child. In this, however, the parents
were consistent; for what they denied their children they
would not do themselves. There was no legitimate rea-
son for such self-denial. It is a question whether our
ancestors who were so strenuously careful of details in
regard to sabbath observance gave the matter serious
thought. They believed in strict observance of the sab-
bath because they had been taught to believe in it, and
that was enough.
106
But we, of the new age, must reason and analyze,
and know why an act is right or wrong. In the present
day, it is not generally considered wrong to indulge in mer-
riment and activity on the sabbath day. But are we sup-
plied with a reason for so thinking, or are we taking our
view for granted match as our ancestors did theirs?
Determining the right or the WTong of an act in ques-
tion is comparatively a simple matter. Let the first ques-
tion be, Will the act hurt anyone, either the self or an-
other? Let the second question be, Will the act benefit
anyone, either the self or another? Reasoning along these
two lines v\îll readily satisfy the most sensitive conscience
in regard to the right or the v/rong of a doubtful proposi-
tion.
Another point, important because it enters into the
consideration of many acts, is concerning whether the day
on which an act is committed affects the act in regard to
right or wrong. Is it right to do' a certain thing on one
day or on six days, and wrong to do it on the seventh
day?
In general, it may be said that what is actually wrong
on the seventh day is likewise wrong on any other day.
The Law of God is absolute in that it classifies wrong as
wrong, and right as right. The Divine Law recognizes
only tv/o criteria for determining wrong and right. If
an act, a thought, or a desire in any way results in in-
jury to oneself or to another it is to be regarded as wrong.
If it is free from injury, and results in benefit to the self
and others, it is to be regarded as right. These two cri-
teria are independent of days and seasons, time and place.
That which is right to do on the sabbath is right for
other days. That which is wrong to do on the sabbath is
wrong for another day.
Just as our puritan fathers had conceptions of right
and wrong, just as they recognized certain forms of cru-
cifixion of the flesh, so, throughout the centuries, the muL
1C7
titudes have held to bcHefs of many kindssome of which
are rational and praiseworthy, others of which are un-
reasonable and even detrimental to human welfare. The
luireasonable and the erroneous have been associated with
tlie reasonable and the true so intimately as to be regard-
ed equally important with them. Consequently, in the
minds of the multitudes, the errors and the falsities of
the race belief in crucifixion of the flesh give the most
prominent coloring to the doctrine, and make it unattrac-
tive or even obnoxious to them. It is not surprising, then,
that the doctrine of the crucifixion of the flesh should, in
the minds of the many, identify itself with an irksome
self-denial which interferes with happiness and enjoy-
ment of every description. No wonder the teachings of
Masters and Initiates on this subject are rejected. At
the very mention of the v/ord, without investigation, it is
taken for granted that crucifixion means painful repres-
sion, and merciless rigidity of discipline, and sanctimo-
nious etTacement of joy and naturalness.
That this is not a correct interpretation of crucifixion
of the flesh is a fundamental principle of the Illuminati.
That the doctrine, truly understood, admits of bright
>
colors and pleasing outlines is a truth that receives em-
phasis among them. To reestablish the Christie signifi-
cance of crucifixion in its simplicity and in its beauty is
distinctly marked as one aim of the Church of Illumina-
tion. They would emphasize the bright side of the doc-
trine and cricifixion. Tiiey wôuld disentangle the erro-
neous from the true, the irrational from tlie rational. This
they would do, not by exercising priestly authority in lay-
ing down definite rules of right and wrong, not by speci-
fying details for every-day use of all men alike, not by
sitting in judgment over othersnay, far from itbut
by defining general principles through which each one may
determine for himself the correct or the incorrect disposal
of matters which concern his own personal life.
108
Ti-iE Way to Life and Immortality
Crucifixion is not to be identified with repression of
naturalness and ease, nor with suppression of joy and
merriment. Nor is it in any way inconsistent with pleas-
ure and happiness, whether in the form of social func-
tions, games, sport, and other kinds of wholesome rec-
reation and diversion. Normal gratification of one's so-
cial nature, normal satisfaction of the demand for physi-
cal activity apart from labor and toil, reasonable indul-
gence in festivities and merry-making, stimulating inter-
ests which admit of variety along lines of art, nature,
and musicall these are not only permissible but even
advantageous to man's spiritual growth.
This postulate the Illuminati lay down with positive
emphasis, that the rightness or the wrongness of a thought,
desires or an act, is to be determined by its effects or its
tendencies, whether it results in harm and injury to the
self or to others or whether it results in benefit and profit
to the self and to others. Any merriment or pleasure
aye, even any thought or desire
^that brings pain, sor-

row, suffering, harm, or injury to another human crea-
ture or to the participant is to be classed among 'Ithings
forbidden." Nor is there any other law under the sun
that classes thought, desire, or act among "things for-
bidden." The reason for its being so classified is not
that it falls in any particular category of things labelled
"thus shalt thou not." It is so classified for the one
simple, yet fundamental reason that it is productive of
harm.
The Law that classifies as right those things which
are productive of good and beneficence, and as wrong
those things which are productive of harm and injury
this law concerns the body and conditions which affect

the formation of the body. It concerns that which man
partakes of as food and drink. It includes hygienic laws
in every department of life. Many people who are de-
youtly conscientious in regard to the outer forms of wor-i
109
ship and in regard to visible signs of correct conduct, are,
nevertheless, woefully indifferent to hygienic conditions
which vitally affect the welfare of body, mind, and soul.
I'hat natural laws, or the laws of health and efficiency,
come under the category of "right and wrong" is a fact
that fails to prick the conscience of many who are in
other respects of irreproachable character. Yet these are
the very points that the Illuminati would emphasize.
This is the foundation on which the Temple of Il-
luminati rears its structure. It builds around the corner
stone of general principles and fundamental laws, v/hich
each devotee must learn to apply to his own needs as the
mathematician handles his own instruments. Beauty and
perfection in the mathematician's work are due to an
exact comprehension of mathematical laws as well as to
accuracy, precision, and delicacy in the guiding of instru-
ments. Likewise, beauty and perfection of character re-
sult from correct knowledge of natural and divine law,
by which one is enabled to exercise judgment and decis-
ion, delicate and precise and accurate.
In these points, the Illuminati depart from the well-
trodden path of tradition and ancestral training. They
regard natural law, or the laws of physical health and
mental efficiency, as being co-equal with ethical and moral
law. They place hygienic and dietary discretion on a par
with social and moral uprightness. They extend the
boundary lines of righteousness to include the practical
aspects of dietetics, sleep, work, exercise, and other hy-
gienic laws, as well as the principles of eugenics and sexual
science. They claim that the science of Life and Im-
mortality includes every department of man's nature
body, mind, soul, and spirit. Thus, every feature of daily

living that is capable of affecting his welfare in any one
of these departments comes within the legitimate domain of
a full and satisfying philosophy or religion. N'or is a
religion or a philosophy dishonored or lowered by being
110
extended to include the practical aspects of man's four-
fold being. In their emphasis upon these points, the
Illuminati stand alone among schools of philosophy and
metaphysics.
In regard to the doctrine of crucifixion of the flesh,
adherents of the Temple of Illuminati encourage many
items which are curtailed in the ordinary, strict religious
body. On the other hand, they discourage and curtail
many items that are regarded lightly by formal religious
sects. Particularly is this true in applying the criteria of
right and wrong to the domain of food and drink. Many
a devoted worshipper would shudder at the very intima-
tion of violating a single rule of ethics or morality, yet
he may smile in derision at the mention of a philosophy
that places discretion in regard to food and drink on a par
v\dth discretion in regard to moral conduct.
Yet why should there be one law for man's moral
nature and another for his physical being? The very law
that bases right on the foundation of beneficence and prof-
it, and that bases wrong on the foundation of harm
and injury, in the domain of ethical culture and moral
conduct, is the Lav/ that obtains in like m.anner on the
plane of physical v/elfare. The thought, word, desire, or
deed that is productive of harm and injury either to the
participant or to another is to be avoided. Thought,
word, desire, or deed that is productive of positive good
and helpfulness either to the participant or to another,
provided it is free from harm to anyone, is to be encour-
aged. Similarly, food or drink which proves injurious to
the physical being is to be avoided. No matter how pleas-
ing it may be to the taste, if it retards physical 'functions
and interferes with normal activity of the organs in any
v.-ay, if it results in poisonous accretions, if it stimulates
appetite to an abnormal degree, if it dulls or deadens or
blunts the mental facultiesthe food or the drink that
leads to such conditions is to be avoided. The religious
111
devotee to the laws of righteousness must learn to re-
spect and to honor in his own life the laws of health and
el'aciency with as much devotion as he observes moral
and ethical requirements. Likewise, the mystic, the seeker
after truth, the aspirant after Alastership and Liitiation,
or the neophyte under training and guidance of a JNIaster,
nuist honor,the laws of health and efficiency with as much
devotion as he observes the laws of prayer, sacred silence,
and meditation. To the exoteric as to the esoteric he
must pay his vows with equal reverence. The outer as
well as the inner he must consult and obey. "As the outer,
so the inner,"in this as in all things else.
It is a principle not to be ignored that physical per-
fection, or the refinement and the purification of physical
atoms, goes hand in hand with spiritual perfection, or per-
fection of soul. Thus, perfection of soul depends upon
perfection of body. To indulge deliberately and wilfully
in habits that result in sorrow, sickness, misery, regret,
and inefficiency is to be accounted a sin as grievous as
violation of the law that says, "Thou shalt not kill."
Iiarsh, radical, and cruel does it seem to claim that delib-
erate and wilful harm or injury to the body, which v/eak-
en? it or shortens the earth life, is to be classed as one
form of suicide. But the day is not far distant Vvdien the
principle that indentifies physical righteousness v/ith moral
righteousness will have become thoroughly established in
the race consciousness. When that day has come man
will honor spiritual law and natural lav/ with equal ven-
eration.
Anotlier error in connection with lav/ of crucifixion
is the peculiar idea that in self-denial itself there is vir-
tue, regardless of any legitimate reason for self-denial.
Test of strength, proof of unselfishness, to deny oneself
that which is particularly desirable ! The greater the
pleasure withheld, the greater the honor and the glory of
being able to forfeit participation in it ! Does the prodigal
112
son manifest filial devotion by spurning the fatted calf,
preferring still to live on husks fit only for swine? Such
penance, such self-punishment, has no place in a rational
religion. In the first place, it is unjust to oneself. In the
second place, it is a dishonor to God.
In its final analysis, the Law of Crucifixion identi-
fies itself with the Law of Justice, the Law of Balance
and Equilibrium. It prohibits only that which is harm-
ful. It encourages everything that is beneficent and help-
ful. It is by no means a hard and cruel master. Rather,
il is generous and magnanimous in the extreme to him
who honors and obeys its dictates in the spirit of humility
and love.
The highest aspect, however, of crucifixion of the
fiesh is yet to be considered. Materially and spiritually,
crucifixion has only one true meaning, namely, change,
or transmu'tation. It is giving the life of the lower for
the sake of the higher. It means that, through a correct
system of living, on the three planes, mental and spiritual
and physical, man must change body and mind from the
carnal self into the purified beinga being that follows
the doctrine of life, life still more abundant. The Law
of Transmutation holds unflinchingly as its standard the
aim that every thought and every act shall have as its
ultimate purpose greater and more sul^lime life. This
principle obtains on both the physical and the mental
plsnes. To eat and to drink, to be clothed upon and to
breathe the breath of life, to think and to plan and to
cherish desires and ideals, to toil and to put forth effort
all is actuated by the one desire, the one motive, the
one aim, even transmutation of the lower into the higher.
Transmutation of dross into pure gold, of weakness into
strength, of coarse and heavy vibrations into vibrations
fine and light, of sluggish and inactive currents into cur-
rents alert and rapid; transmutation of material into
spiritual, of imperfection into perfection, of irresolute-
ness into firmness of will-power; transmutation of self-
ishness into generosity, of mailce and envy and bitterness
into forgiveness and kindness and good-will, of igno-
rance and error and sin into knowledge and goodness and
righteousnessthis is the esoteric significance of the cru-
cifixion.
The ordinary interpretation has emphasized the ele-
ment of denial, or "giving up." To be sure, this element
i? necessary, for the lower must be given up for the sake
of receiving the higher. The Illuminati, however, would
paint the beauty and the grandeur of the higher, that
which is to be received, rather than the pain and the
anguish of separation from that which is to be parted
with. In its true sense, denial means death. But the
mistake of the ages has been in losing sight of the new
birth that is to result from death or denial. Place em-
phasis on the glory of a new life, and the travail of birth is
soon forgotten. Paint in lifelike colors the rose-tinted sun-
rise glow of the new morning, and the darkness of the
darkest hour is lost to memory.
Remember, in the process of passing from the lower
to the higher, from the carnal to the spiritual, there is
death or denial or crucifixion only of the undesirable.
The truly desirable is not to be crucified. There is no
law natural or divine that calls for denial of that which
is of permanent value. Many things in life, nevertheless,
are of value only for the sake of being sacrificed. The
real value of many a so-called blessing consists in its
ability to be transmuted into something of greater ser-
vice. Silver coin is neither food nor drink, neither an
ornament to the body nor a joy to the intellect. Yet it
may readily be transformed into any or all of these.
Likewise, according to the Law of Crucifixion, that upon
which is passed the penalty of death is of value only by
reason of its transmutability into something of intrinsic
worth.
114
The Way to Life
'
and Immortality
In this connection, let it be emphasized that normal,
healthful pleasures are profitable to man as a means of
stimulating higher forces. Consequently, self-denial in
regard to them defeats the very purpose they are intended
to serve. Miserly hoarding of money is self-denial in
regard to expenditure ; but it defeats the owner oT the
advantages to be gained by a judicious disposition of
money. Likewise, strict, rigid self-discipline which re-
fuses to satisfy normal, natural demands of body or
mind may possess the virtue of self-control; but it fails
to satisfy the Law of Transmutation. Normal gratifica-
tion of normal desires for pleasure, whether physical,
mental, or social, is of intrinsic value in that it stimulates
to activity forces which would otherwise lie dormant and
useless. The forces thus aroused may be directed into
channels of usefulness, and thus serve a place of untold
value. True self-denial in regard to innocent pleasures,
therefore, consists in the attitude of mind one takes
toward them. The correct attitude says : "I satisfy this
desire not merely for the pleasure there is in it, but es-
pecially for the sake of stimulating forces and aspirations
and ambitions which I intend to turn into channels of
usefulness." This attitude of mind possesses the virtue
of recognizing the Law of Transmutation. The lower
motive of mere pleasure for its own sake is crucified.
Rather, it is transmuted into, or gives its life to, the
higher motive of receiving power and strength and stimu-
lus to be directed into channels of lofty endeavor. On
this principle, that legitimate joys and pleasures of both
mind and body arc not only permissible but valuable and
even necessary to the highest culture, the Temple of II-
luminati places great emphasis.
It is true that things in themselves desirable, as,
pleasures and joys, which are the means of awakening
dormant forces and potencies in one's life, serve"" as a
medium of transmutation. It is true that normal grati-
Tpie Way to Life and Immortality 115
fication of these satisfy the Law of Crucifixion of the
flesh when the lov/er motive is sacrificed to the higher.
But, let it not be forgotten that there are many undesir-
able traits and qualities which must be overcome. The
sacrifice or the transmutation of these is another form of
satisfying the law of crucifixion. There are many de-
sires and tendencies which must not be gratified. The
self-denial that foregoes such gratification is one form
of crucifixion. There are many habits thoroughly estab-
lished in one's nature which must be corrected. The self-
denial that rectifies harmful habits is another feature of
crucifixion.
Chief among undesirable habits is the habit of de-
structive thought and feeling. Man must overcome and
rectify this habit. He must change, he must transmute,
undesirable th.ought tendencies into desirable. This is a
denial, a sacrifice, a crucifixion, that demands painful
execution. But he who holds to the ideal standard of
healthful, constructive thought habits will count sur-
render as nothing in comparison with the gain to be de-
rived therefrom.
Chief among destructive thought habits is the ten-
dency to anger. This is a deadly passion which must be
overcome. It poisons both mind and body. No good re-
sults from it. It is chief among deadly vices. No one
truly desires to give way to anger, but the habit may
gain such power over one as to seem uncontrollable.
However, so long as there is life and a desire to over-
come, there is hope. Let him who is a slave to this pas-
sion take courage. It is possible to transm-ute this habit
into a power for good. The force tliat is novv' expended in the
direction of anger and malice may be turned into the channel
of good-will and wholesome service. The force or the power
in an uncontrollable current of water is good. Gain control
over it and put it to good service in running your m.achin-
ery, and it is transformed from a danger and a menace
116
into a benefactor. The force and the power manifested in
anger is good. Overcome the tendency, and change the
current, and set it to work running your machinery ac-
cording to the ideal of service to others; and you trans-
mute its power into beneficence.
Overcoming the tendency to anger calls for great
v/atchfulness and persistent effort. But the greater the
price, the greater the reward. When the passion begins to
manifest, immediately set to work to change it into good-
will and forgiveness and love. This demands extreme
will-power and courage and persistency. This is a real
crucifixion. It is difficult and painful, seeing that the
passion is a part of one's very life.
Then there is the twin passion, jealousy. Of the
vast multitudes, how many are free from this cruel pas-
sion ? Rather, how few ! How many are not in its grip ?,
Rather, how few ! Here is a mighty work to be accom-
plished. Here is a crucifixion that will be felt. Here is
a powerful current the channel of which must be changed.
Nevertheless, great is the reward of him who overcomes.
Great is the price of victory. But glorious also is the
crown of the victor. If it is a matter of jealousy because
of possessions, one must control one's thought and wish
another no less. He maj^, however, wish himself more,
provided he puts forth legitimate effort to gain more. The
force that might be wasted in grudges and jealousy must
be turned into channels of honest endeavor to accomplish
and to achieve.
In euA'^y, also, there is opportunity for crucifixion.
Within most people the passion of envy is very strong.
It is difficult to understand why others, apparently not
so worthy as we, apparently not laboring so hard as we,
should have more than we. We forget that the soul has
been eternally, and we know not what the soul of him
whom we envy may have suffered. This passion we must
crucify. We must change it into love. We must wish
117
happiness for those whom we are templed to envy. We
must see that the crucifixion is complete and perfect. It
is complete onl}^ \\hcn our desire for the welfare of others
is a desire of the heart, sincere and true.
Thus, wc see that crucifixion is real, that there is
demand for it in the lives of all men and Vv-omcn.
'
Cru-
cifixion, however, is not a process of stifling-, or stultify-
ing, or destroying. This statement is true both in regard
to natural, normal desires, passions, and appetites, v^-hether
of body, mind, or soul, which may be gratified, and in re-
gard to undesirable traits and qualities and tendencies,
which are to be overcome. Crucifixion is not a negative
process. It is always a positive, active process. In the
case of undesirable qualities, it is the act of changing
them into desira])le. In the case of innocent pleasures,
it is the act of transmuting the thought of mere pleasure
into the th.ought of awakening new forces to be used in
cliannels of good. In either case, it calls for alertness
and activity. The old idea of self-denial results in slug-
gishness and weakness of character. According to the
teachings of the Illuminati, the Law of Crucifixion of the
flesh results in power, strength, lifenev/ness of life
life ever more and more abundant.

As we pass through these states of crucifixion, we
gradually free the mind from bondage and from the
fetters that hold it with rods of iron. Thus, freeing the
mind from undesirable, destructive passions, we are at
leisure to devote time to pursuits and interests that are
pleasure-bringing and constructive. As these changes
continue, the body becomes free from deadly poisons
which have been generated previously by the deadly pas-
sions indulged in. As body and mind become free and
strong, the soul becomes av.'akened and enlightened. Un-
foldment and development of soul takes place. Gradually,
mortality puts on immortality. Man becomes like the
gods; and, in time, Sonship with the Father is estabhshed.
lis The Way to Life and iMMOuTALifY
These are some of the principles underlying the^doc-
trine of crucifixion of the flesh as taught by the Illuminati
in Soul Science, the Way to Life and Immortality. They
are not presented merely with the idea of satisfying an
intellectual craving for speculation in regard to doctrinal
points. They are for those who hunger after 'truth and
righteousness, those who are desirous of living a life
of usefulness and service, those who are anxious to apply
to their own characters the measuring rod of self-disci-
pline, aye, especially for those vv^ho are ready to honor and
to obey the Law of Crucifixion as a means of transmuting
dross and alloy into pure gold.
No amount of faith in
Jesus as an extraordinary
character, aye, not even faith in him as the only begotten
Son of God and as one arisen from the dead, can suffice
to redeem man from the bondage of ignorance, error, and
sin. Faith, however, in the Law he m.ade use of in
order to demonstrate Sonship with the Father and power
over deaththis type of faith will vvôrk wonders in re-
deeming man from bondage to ignorance, error, and sin.
Jesus was a deliverer in that he taught a doctrine and a
system of living which will, when obeyed, deliver mankind
from ignorance, error, and sin; from distress and wretch-
edness
;
from disease and death. An active faith in the
Christ will lead to Life and Immortality.
CHAPTER TEN
LIFE WITHOUT RELIGION IS NOT HUMAN.
Time and again it has been stated that religion
is
not necessary to the Hfe of a people, that a people can at-
tain the same height in culture, in enlightenment, and in
all that makes life worth the living, without religion as
with it. This doctrine, however, is false and even de-
structive.
Seemingly, this is an age of irreligion. Yet, iinder-
ncath the surface, underneath the seeming truth, there
is in the hearts of men, lying dormant perhaps, a religious
current as strong as has ever been found in the hearts
of men in any age. It is true that men have lost respect
for the present form of religion, they have lost faith in
current interpretation of truth. They have lost faith in
the established church, in the vehicle through which re-
ligion is carried to the people. But we must not forget
that the form is not religion, but only the vessel in which
religion exists. Thus, the statement that men have lost
faith in religion can not be substantiated.
Religion is life itself ; and, without religion, there is
no life. Religion is the link that connects man with the
higher spheres. If this link were broken man would be
nothing more than animal. He would not even be a sav-
age
;
for the savage, though illiterate and uncultured, has
a religion that covers every department of life.
There are men who claim to have no faith, who say
that they believe in nothing. But watch a man that makes
such a claim, watch him as he goes aHôut his duties, watch
him as he deals with men. Question him, and we find
that his religion is a v/ork, a method of business. He
deals honestly with all men in all transactions. There is
no outer restraint to compel him to follow methods of
honesty. Ask him why, and you receive the answer that
he thinks it is best. But, since there is no external re-
straint, why not indulge in dishonesty and accrue power
and influence as well as money and possessions through
selfish and illegitimate means? The same answer meets
this question, "No, honesty is- best." It may be unknow-
ingly to himself, yet honesty to him is a religion; and he
lives his religion faithfully. Nor is religious feeling dead
within him. It simply does not express Itself as such be-
cause he has not found a satisfactory means of expres-
sion. . It is quietly awaiting the time when it shall have
found a natural spontaneous avenue of expression.
Say what we will, theorize as we may, religion is the
only reality there is. Religion is not merely a belief, nor
is it a mere faith. Religion is life itself. It is founded
on the principle of life. It is, in fact, the principle of life
;
for it is the incentive back of lifethe incentive that has
called man into being. It is the connecting link between
man and God. Were man able to free himself actually
from this bond of connection, he would degenerate into
a brute.
In proportion as man has this religious life within
him, in that proportion will be his love for all that is
worth while in life. Prayer and devotion to formal
church worship are not the only ways by which man ex-
presses religious feeling. The most frequent and the
most nearly universal expression of religious sentiment is
in love of the beautiful and the perfect. Love of flowers.,
of m.usic, of art, of architecture, of symmetry and propor-
tionthese are evidences of deep religious devotion. In
fact, religion may be aptly defined as love for all that is
beautiful. But beauty is the natural result of perfection
and is proportionate to it. Therefore, it is equally truq
The Way to Life "and Ijmjmortality 121
that religion is love for the perfect.. Proportionate to the
religious life and the religious sentiment in one's nature
will be one's devotion to the various expressions of beauty
and perfection.
It is a fact patent to all close observers that men who
are the most truly religious are the greatest lovers of
music, of flowers, of art, of the aesthetic in all depart-
ments of life. It must be understood that fondness for the
beautiful need not necessarily lead one away from the
practical and the useful. For utility and true beauty go
hand in hand. Beauty is only another name for perfec-
tion. The beautiful animal is a perfect specimen of its
kind. The beautiful flower is a perfect sample of its
class. Beauty in the equipments of a building is insep-
arable from the purpose it is intended to serve. The
beautiful character is a perfect example of graces and vir-
tues. The beautiful body is a perfect picture of health
as well as a dream of pleasing tints and outlines. In
fact, health is the secret of beauty in feature and in form.
In reality, beauty and perfection are synonymous
terms. Alore than this, in the final analysis, religious
sentiment and love of the beautiful and the perfect are
synonymous terms.
Beyond all contradiction, religion has only one aim-
that is, to perfect man. This is the one aim of religion in
the present age. This has ahvays been its aim, and al-
ways will be. Religion is not a formal faith, but a feel-
ing; not a formulated belief, but a desire for perfection.
It is faith in the beautiful and the perfect wherever found.
it is belief in th.e ideal and in ultimate good wherever
manifest. Its highest expression is in love for perfection
of manhood and womanhood. Love for perfection as the
goal placed before man and woman, this is evidence of re-
ligious life. Faith in the possibility of perfection is evi-
dence of religious devotion. A purpose and a will-power
that hold one to the ideal of perfection in every depart-
l22
The Way to Life And Immortality
ment of life, this is evidence of religious power and fer-
vor.
It is a mistaken idea that religion is dead in the
present age. The idea that men are irreligious at heart
is a grievous misconception. At no time in the history of
the world have men cared more for the harmonious and
the beautiful as expressions of perfect development than
in the present age. Evidence of this is seen in the ten-
dency of. the age toward perfection in the various arts
and trades, crafts and professions. Perfection of ma-
chinery claims the undivided attention of many a man.
Many another man is devoted to the one purpose of
reaching perfection in the cultivation of plant, or fruit, or
flower. Perfect development of fowls and animals cov-
ers a large field in which the interest of many^ is en-
grossed.
In the trades and in business activities, this sipirit
presents the appearance of rivalry and competition. Yet
competition serves as a goad that stimulates one on to
more skilful execution. Rivalry is a stimulus toward ac-
curacy and delicacyone form of perfection. The gen-
eral demand for superior goods and superiority of work-
manship incites a genuine love for perfect quality and for
unquestioned skill in the preparation of products. Even
the struggle for existence stimulates latent forces and un-
recognized abilities in the expression of artistic tendencies.
It must be admitted that economic conditions are iby no
means ideal and that rivalry and competition do not grow
out of altruistic motives. Nevertheless, in spite of unjust
conditions and cruel measures, religious life throbs under
the tattered garb of many a humble workman who honors
the ideal of doing his best in every undertaking. Many a
lad, having the instinct of the beautiful, forced by pov-
erty to a life of toil, finds satisfaction in giving artistic
expression and perfect execution to the task at hand. His
âily task may be a commonplace duty and implements
The Way to Life and iMMORTALitY l23
may be crude; but he honors both the task and the un-
plements by using dehcacy of taste and accuracy of skill
in execution. In this, he satisfies a deep-seated religious
instinct, although he may consider himself an unbeliever
and an agnostic.
It is an age in which love of the beautiful and love
of harmony are made practical and useful. It is no longer
considered that a lover of the beautiful is one who sits
with folded hands dreaming of heavenly chants and ethe-
real color-effects. He is one whom nothing satisfies ex-
cept the actual creation or expression of the beauty he
feels. If circumstances debar him from finding an outlet
for his artistic tendencies in the channel of his choice, he
applies his love of harmony and symmetry to the task at
hand. Nor is this all. Through faithful performance of
commonplace duties according to a lofty ideal, in time,
he makes for himself an opening in the line of his choice.
Eventually, he becomes master of his art, and gives ex-
pression to the dream of his childhood.
It is true that men do not give expression to religious
feeling in the same way they once did. Long, tiresome lip
prayers fail to satisfy. Sermons the length of which is
measured by hours are losing their power over men. It
is true, however, that those who find religious form and
ceremony irksome are generous in expressing their appre-
ciation of the beautiful and the perfect wherever found.
They are unrestrained in their praise of inspiring, soul-
stirring music and art. Nor is praise given with insincer-
ity and merely for effect. They are held enraptured by
the power of harmony and rhythm in sound and in color
and in movement. By this means they are enabled to
forget themselves and to lose sight of concerns and inter-
ests which daily tax and harrow men's souls. This to
them is worship. For this they give sincere praise.
The religion of the people is taking practical turns,
and demands practical expression. This is an encouraging
124
sign. Men are becoming- lovers of the perfect in every
department of life. Great is the mystery indicated by
tills fact. Love
of
the perfect, in time, zuill cause men to
seek perfection for themselves. Herein zve read the signs
of
the times, the signs
of
the perfect state
of
man, zvhicli
is to be zvhen religion shall have become truly a life
a]
life that aims at perfection
of
body, mind, and soul.
For this reason do the Illmninati encourage men to
seek the beautiful, and to love perfection for its own sake,
and to surround themselves with the best and the highest
art. We may not be able to lead men at one bound to
accept the highest and the ultimate aim of religion
per-
fection and deification of manhood and womanhood. But,
by giving men the best expressions of art and nature, we
stimulate in them forces which tend eventually toward the
ideal of a perfect race. The more the individual is en-
couraged in the gratification of that type of perfection
which he most loves, the more quickly will he respond to
appeals for perfection of character. Gratification of love
for the beautiful in any line whatever is a stepping-stone
toward love of perfection in human life. To argue that
love for the beauties of nature is not a type of religious
fervor is to argue that the letter, a, is not a part of the al-
phabet.
Love for perfection and a desire to express perfec-
tion is the attracting center to which all men are being
drawn. Believe it or not, men are becoming the points of
steel, which are yielding, gradually but surely, to the at-
tracting center.
And know this: God Himself is revealed to mankind
through tke beautiful and the perfect. The more nearly
perfect an object is, the nearer it is to God and the more
closely it resembles God. One epithet applied to God is
Perfeciion. Love of the beautiful and the perfect in the
heart of anyone gives evidence that there is in that heart
a desire for God and for all that pertains to Him, The
125
desire indicates religious life. It is the very life of him
who is actuated by its fervor. Find a man who cares not
for music, who takes no interest in things beautiful, whose
heart is not stirred by tokens of perfection, and you have
also found the man who cares not for life. He is the man
li-Jio lias no religion. Religions life has ebbed aivay and*
has breathed its last. He is no longer man in reality, biib
a broken reed sJiaken and tossed and blazon here and\
tiiere by the zmnd, whether it eonies
from
nortJi or souths
from east or zvest.
Love for the beautiful and the perfect gradually
awakens in man a something of which he was heretofore
unaware. This something manifests itself in a desire to
be more worthy of all that is beautiful, a desire to be more
ill h.armony with it, a desire to be part of it. The awaken-
ing of these desires, in the beginning, V\îll cause a restless-
ness, an indescribable longing, a hunger of heart, a yearn-
ing, a seeking for that which satisfies. In some manner,
iTian should be led at this stage in his growth to see that
everything for wdiich he longsall beauty and all perfec-
tion, all symmetry and all harmony, even all that isis
within himself. If the way whereby this is to be realized
can be pointed out to him, all! is well. For this desire
will gradually become a Fire. Love of the beautiful and
the perfect results in the desire to become perfect. For
only in perfection of the selfbody, mind, and soulcan
one's love for beauty and perfection ever be fully satisfied.
Tlie desire for perfection becomes a Flame, which re-
sults ultimately in Illumination. Then it is seen how love
of the beautiful and the perfect constitutes religion the
most sincere and the most devout. Though it may mani-
fest first as a passion for music and harmony or for the
beauties of nature, in the end it becomes a passion for
perfection of selfa burning desire to become like God.
Mankind has been passing through stages of growth,
wliich have led them to the place from which real progress
126
will be made. The turning point has been reached; and
definite progress is to be noted. Already progress is point-
ed out clearly in the history of the people.
Only a few centuries ago, men lived in self-denial,
not in regard to things in which it is well to exercise self-
control; but they went to the extreme of suppressing all
expression of love for the beautiful. It was forbidden to
be surrounded Vv'ith objects of beauty. Many harbored
the belief that music should be discouraged, that laughter
is harmful. Asceticism, rather than religion, prevailed.
Denial and repression originated in regard for a creed
rather than in love for an ideal. In the hearts of men
there was not so much love, not so much joy and peace,
as in the hearts of those who today profess no religion,
no church connection, but v/ho are surrounded by objects
of beauty and who cherish lofty ideals and generous
thoughts. Many today who are classed as irreligious and
non-believers in respect to outer forms of worship have in
their hearts less hatred, jealousy, envy, and ill-will than
did those of former years who made loud profession of
faith. This is seen in the fact that in the early days of our
history religious zeal led men to persecute and even to
burn those whom they looked upon as witches. Thus, it
is evident that, although men of our times do not make
public profession of faith, and consequently are considered
less religious, they are, in fact, more truly religious in that
they are not so much in bondage to destructive passions
and in that fellov/ship has a place in their hearts.
While progress is m.arked, yet this is only the awaken-
ing stage in the growth of the race. Soon will come the
active developing stage, in which men will seek to find that
which will give them life more nearly perfect and a more
nearly perfect expression of life. Then men will live 't%e life
of development, the life that seeks conscious connection
with the Godhead, and Illumination of Soul.
Trul^ men have fallen from their divine estate;
but
this is not to say that they need to remain fallen. Rather,
having knowledge of the fallen state, and knowledge of all
states since the fall; and knowing that even the present
life is far preferable to any of the stages previously passed,
-
-with this knowledge man is prepared to press forward,
to go onward and upward, until the perfect state is reached.
In the perfect state he will be as one of the gods, knowing
good from evil, choosing the good because he realizes that
only in the good is life to be found, and because he realizes
that from evil death results.
What was the prevailing doctrine of the age that we
have just left behind? Was it that man should be perfect?
Or was it rather that he should subscribe to a form and
that outside of this form there could be no eternity? True,
it was taught that man should obey God or be condemned.
P.ut how was he to obey Ilim? In becoming perfect in
body and in soul? Or, in crucifying the flesh, destroying
it, and suppressing and stifling its normal demands?
Wliat is the doctrine of the new age, the age just
beginning?
"That man should redeem the body and cleanse the
heart." This is the foundation upon which the religion,
the very life, of the new age must be built. Not to cru-
cify the flesh, not to ignore it, not to mortify the body, but
to take care of it, to develop it, to cleanse it through
right living and right thinking; to perfect the body so that
it may become a beautiful temple in which the soul may
manifest and become tlie Son of Godthis is the doctrine
of the new age.
The doctrine of the new age, the teaching of the II-
luminati, is twofold. It teaches not only the upbuilding,
the perfecting, and the beautifying of the body but also
the cleansing of the heart. Man must free himself of all
that is destructive in thought and thus build the Immortal
Soul, the Soul that is redeemed and made whole.
This is the basis of religion for the new age. It is
128
a practical religion, a religion sanctified by God. It is a
redemptive religion. This we know because those who
have obeyed its teachings have found it practical and re-
demptive. Its principles can be applied to the every-day
needs of life and the reward is manifold; but for those
who accept it merely as an article of faith without living
according to its requirements, there is no reward.
"Redeem the body that is thine, but also cleanse the
heart that is within the body." This is the message that
the Illuminati bring to all men. It is not mysterious and
hard to understand, but it is a practical message full of
life and inspiration.
CHAPTEB ELEVE?^
MAN, THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD.
The great Law of Being always has been and always
will be, as first expressed by the Thrice Wise Philosopher
Hermes : "As it is below, so is it above." From this ex-
pression of the Law must all things be considered.
What do we think of a building in most respects per-
fect, which has here and there a blemish or a spot crumb-
ling away in decay? The perfect lines, the superior style
of architecture, and the faultless design are lost to view
by reason of the few defects. Yet imperfection is the first
to attract attention. The imperfect in the presence of the
perfect is conspicuous by virtue of contrast.
Such a temple is the body of man. Man was created
in the image of the Creator and himself endowed with
the attributes of the Creator. Believe and think as he will,
it is none the less true that the body of man is the temple
of the living God. As such, it is an exact prototype of the
beautiful temple structure in which men worship the
Father. Although the body, temple of God, may be per-
fect in its construction and in its appointments, yet if it
is marred through the effects of disease it is not a perfect
temple. And worship thereinthat is, the expression of
God thereincan not be perfect so long as disease holds
sway.
This fact brings us face to face with a serious problem,
a problem that affects every living being. It is this : only
one thing can fully manifest itself through the body at a
time. Thus, the presence of disease in a body is conclusive
evidence that God, the Divine Being, is not fully in posses-
130
sion of that temple, but that the carnal naturecall it
what you willholds sway. One nature or the other is
master. One or the other predominates. Godthat is,
health, beauty, and harmony
prevails or evilthat is,

disease, inharmony, suffering-, and sin
prevails. All that

is perfect is of God. Nor is it altogether incorrect to say
that all that is imperfect is of evil.
Without doubt, man is the temple of the living God.
But it must be acknowledged that the temple may not be
occupied by the living God. It rests with man so to pre-
pare the temple that the living God will dwell therein. For
it is *an undeniable fact that the Infinite will not dwell
therein unless the temple is a habitation fit for the Infinite.
This calls for a consideration of the concept, "Divine
Being," or "the Infinite." Many do not think of the In-
finite as a personal being, and are therefore skeptical con-
cerning man as the temple of the living God. Each one is
f'"ee to lay aside every idea of personality and individuality
in connection with Deity. One may even refuse to believe
that there is a God. Yet the fact remains that if we do
not give proper attention to the body, if we do not satisfy
its normal requiremiCnts in regard to food, clothing, sleep,
exercise, and other requisites of health and right living,
there will be disease, which results in suffering, inhar-
mony, distress, and inefficiency; consequently, we say that
God does not dwell there. What matters it whether v/e
say, God does not dwell in the temple or whether we say
that health, happiness, harmony, love and forgiveness, and
freedom from suffering do not dwell there? What matters
it whether we say that God does not dwell there or whether
we say that Perfection does not dwell there?
Men of the Illuminati believe in God. Yet, instead of
limiting Him to definite boundaries of time and space, of
personality and individuality, they think of the Infinite as
including all things. He is health. He is happiness. lie
is love. He is freedom from ignorance, error, and sin.
Consequently, to say that disease, inharmony, ignorance,
error, and sin prevail in a temple of flesh is equivalent to
saying that God dwells not there, that Godhood does not
predominate there.
Think of a beautiful temple with perfection stamped
on every feature, perfect in design, in architecture, in ma-
terial, in decorations, and in appointments. Yet what is
such a temple worth without a Godlike priest and without
humble, sincere worshippers? Sad as it may seem, this
corresponds exactly to a state of affairs that is to be guard-
ed against in human life. It is possible for the temple of
flesh to be apparently perfect in every feature and yet be
desolate and unoccupied so far as Godhood is concerned.
It is possible for the body to be a beautiful structure, a
specimen of physical beauty and of physical perfection,
and yet the character dwelling within may be destitute of
divine attributes. It is possible for man to be perfect as
an animal, yet be altogether carnal, altogether a temple of
flesh. To be a perfect animal, to be a beautiful temple of
flesh, is truly desirable, and is by no means to be discour-
aged. But this in itself is by no means all of life. This
is not the divine plan and purpose for man. The divine
purpose is that he shall be perfect man and perfect god.
The possibility of becoming a perfect animal, destitute of
active divine attributes ; the possibility of his becoming a
beautiful temple of flesh destitute of divine priesthood and
divine rulershipthis is a danger to be watched.
In building the perfect temple, man must have in view
two things. In the first place, he must have in view the
perfection of the bodya body perfectly healthy and nor-
mal, one that is free from disease and free from the suffer-
ing attendant upon disease. In the second place, he must
have in view at all times the ideal of a strong and beauti-
ful soul as the occupant and the ruler of the body. These
two ideals must go hand in hand, perfection of body and
perfection of soul. These two processes of development
132
must go on simultaneously. The ideal is that when the body
has reached a certain stage of development the soul shall
also have become developed, illumined, and Godlike. Then
man can rest assured that .God dwells there. Then man
will know that his body has become the temple of the liv-
mg God. If man holds these two ideals constantly in view,
every cell of the physical being becomes charged with this
divine desire ; and the body will not only be of healthy, nor-
mal flesh but will be flesh of His flesh, and the soul will be
soul of His soul.
This twofold process is normal, healthful temple-build-
ing. This process changes mortal into immortal. It is not
a process of destruction, or tearing down, but a natural
process of building or changing, the natural process of
growth.
When man has accomplished this great work ; when,
through his thoughts and his desires and through his hab-
its of living, he has changed the body from disease and suf-
fering to health and harmony; when the mind has become
awakened, and the soul enlightened and illuminedthen
has God in very truth come to that man and has taken pos-
session of the temple, and the man not only has become the
Son of God but has attained the consciousness of being the
Son of God. When man has become the temple of the liv-
irig God, he will no longer think of a far-off heaven nor of
the far-off event of entering into a distant heaven
;
but he
will have already entered heaven, and will know that this
life is a part of the greater life, and that it is in the Now
that he enters into his heritage and becomes one with those
great beings who have gone before. Heaven is where we
make it, and what we make it. When heaven comes, or
when one enters heaven, rests entirely with the individual.
At the moment we shall free ourselves from bondage to
those things which we do not desire, at that moment we
begin to live the true life, and at that moment will the new
life, the heavenly life, begin for us. The consciousness of
133
life on a higher plane is heaven. The consciousness of
harmony and peace, the consciousness of loyalty to a noble
ideal, in whatever degree developed, whether in its infancy
or in its maturity, is heaven to that extent. There are de-
grees of heaven as there are degrees of consciousness and
of realization.
Life is a continual building. It took King Solomon
all his life to build the great temple. In that building every
bit of material was inspected so as to insure that it was
perfect. So should we inspect every part of the material
that is to become a part of our temple. We must see to it
that nothing except, perfect cells are allowed to become
part of the body. This calls for constant watching. Our
thoughts and feelings must be carefully guarded and con-
trolled. Thoughts and feelings of hatred, anger, ill-will
must not be granted a place in our minds and hearts. Cells
charged with hatred are no more fit to enter the bodily
structure than are imperfect stones fit to be built into the
walls of a temple that is to endure for ages.
If, in packing a barrel of fine apples with the idea of
keeping them for a great length of time, one apple that is
decayed should be left among the good, this one decayed
apple would inoculate all the others around it, and in
time the entire barrel of apples would be infected. So is
it with the cells of the body. One cell charged with the vi-
bration of anger will poison neighboring cells and will
altect cells apparently healthy. Cells of hatred and anger
are destructive in their effects, and consequently tear down
rather than build up the physical organism. Thus a con-
tinual work of destruction goes on in the body of man.
Besides the passions of anger and hatred .there are many
oliiers, such as jealousy, envy, and kindred passions, which
charge the cells with destructive, poisonous vibrations.
This results in a diseased, abnormal condition in that part
of the body in which the corru])t cells gain entrance.
When we understand this Law of Temple Building,
134 "friE Way to Life and Immortality
when we bear in mind that every moment in the Hfe of
man is a moment of building, that not a moment passes
without giving its share in the work of construction, that
not food alone enters the body but that every thought,
every desire, every passion enters the body and becomes
the means of charging the physical cells with its particular
type of vibrationthen will we have the Key to life, health,
and happiness.
It must be emphasized in this connection that in this
fact the Illuminati find the secret by means of which their
healers are enabled to free man from disease. This mystery,
this great truth, this law, the healer teaches his patient.
He teaches the sufferer how to free his mind from pas-
sions and thoughts and desires which charge the cells with
disease-creating vibrations. He teaches him how to sub-
stitute in their place health-creating vibrationsconstruc-
tive thoughts, desires, and passions, which will charge the
cells with health and with the truth that life is real and
eternal to him who makes it so. It is utterly impossible
for the man who thinks only of the good, the true, and
the beautiful, who holds only thoughts of love, good-fellow-
ship, and life to have a diseased body; for the cells that he
is constantly building into the body are charged with these
life-giving vibrations.
The principles here propagated picture the ideal state.
But be it known that we can have just as much of the ideal
state as we put forth effort to have. In proportion as we
free the mind of hatred, anger, jealousy, and envy; in pro-
portion as we hold thoughts of good-will, fellowship and
love, in that proportion will we have health and peace and
harmony, happiness and contentment. Results will be in
exact proportion with the effort. If we free the mind and
the heart altogether of destructive thoughts and desires,
and if we eat life-giving foods, and observe other hygienic
habits, near indeed will we be to perfection. The choice
is ours. The work js ours. It is only a question of hov^
The Way, to Life and ImmorTalitV
135
much we desire these things and of how mucli effort we are
wining to put forth to obtain them.
Another Item enters into this great workthat is, the
elimination of the element of fear. No man can reach the
highest so long as he allows fear to be a part of his nature.
Fear is a great detriment to the attainment of perfection as
are the deadly passions, anger, jealousy, envy, and malice.
This is to be accounted for in the fact that fear prevents
ViS from letting go of the old destructive life, and from
taking hold of the new and greater, the constructive, life.
Man fears this and that and the other. He fears that by
letting go of the old life his neighbors and friends will
talk about him or shun him. He fears that he may be
deprived of pleasures which he now enjoys, that he may be
required to sacrifice profits otherv/ise his. He forgets
that by taking up the new life he will win friends and asso-
ciates which will be of greater value to him than the old
life afforded. He forgets that in the new life new pleasures
will come, pleasures far more intense than were the old
ones, pleasures which are not attended or followed by un-
h.'.ppy results as were the old. He will learn that true
pleasures are constructive and healthful, and free from
bitter after-effects.
Fear is the shackle that binds the millions to a life of
misery, a life of suffering, a life that is in the main unde-
sirable, a life that gives an hour of pleasure followed by
months of pain and suffering.
Fear is the great black desert that Is to be found In
the heart and the mind of the multitudes, a desert tract
covering more territory than all else In the mind and the
heart.
Fear In the soul of man Is like a swamp on a beautiful
estate. Out of a hundred acres of land nine-tenths is prof-
itless. If the swampy places, the low lands, are filled in
and improved, there v/ill be one hundred acres of beautiful,
valuable land. If the swamp remains, there are only teu
136 The Way to TJtfe 'and Iaimortality
acres of valuable land; and even this is decreased in value
by the unsightliness and by the miasma of the swamp.
Thus is fear to man. It is covering and holding under
subjection nine-tenths of his life. And even this one-tenth
is overshadowed by the repressing influence of fear, and
his efficiency is reduced by it.
If man can be made to see this fact; if he can be led
to fill in this miasmic swamp of fear with thoughts and
desires of the beautiful, of the lovable, and of the true;
if he becomes interested in living in harmony with the Di-
vine Lawthen this swamp of fear is reclaimed, and man
becomes a whole man. He will use all his faculties, which
in time become free. Thus will man truly be the Temple of
the living God, Center of the measureless estate destined
by divine right as his. He will become free from undesir-
able things, free from pain, free from suffering, free from
disease and inharmonythe possessor of health, happiness,
and Godhood, and of all that the consciousness of Godhood
brings.
CHAPTER TWELVE
FEAR, THE GATE OF DEATH.
Fear is a destroyer of power. It is the destroyer of
life. Fear has held the vast multitudes back, has held them
to believe only that which is believed by others, by friend,
by neighbor, by instructor. Fear it is that draws the bands
tighter and tighter until there is scarcely a breath of life
left, by no means sufficient to maintain life as it should be
maintained. Men have feared to do otherwise than be-
lieve that which had been taught them by those in author-
ity. As a consequence, they were deluded into the belief
that their own way of thinking must be abnormal and not
to be trusted, that indeed thinking for themselves must be
checked and given no encouragement whatever. Even the
few who cherished ideas of their own feared to follow
them as principles of life lest their ideas might be contrary
to the teachings of recognized authority.
But now men are beginning to think for themselves.
They are learning that each individual has a mind of his
own for no other reason than to use in doing his own think-
ing. They are beginning to understand that the new cycle
with its interpretation actually has for its foundation the
principles of teachers and philosophers which men thought
they had been follov/ing, v/hereas, in reality, they had ac-
cepted the teachers merely as external authority, and their
teachings merely as a creed or a dogma v/ith no adequate
comprehension of their meaning. Men are beginning to
realize that the value of teachings rests in the very fact
of their being applied to the needs of daily life. To become
convinced of the practical aspects of a philosophy or of a
138
system of living, is to lead one to think for oneself. No
one else can determine in detail the needs of an individual
life, neither can external authority solve the problems that
belong to the individual life. A great Master may
interpret and expound general principles; but each
individual must study and think and contemplate"
for himself in order to have an intelligent comprehension
of general principles in their adaptability to daily need. Of
this fact men are becoming convinced. As a consequence,
they are beginning to honor their own power of thought
by trusting its conclusions.
The moment man begins truly to think, the moment
he says to fear "Get thee behind me, Satan," at that mo-
ment will he really begin to live. For, with the thinking,
will come newness of life, which will be an incentive for
more independent thinking and an incentive to action, an
incentive to dare, to do, and to live. Thinking, acting, and
living in harmony with the Divine Law in time results in a
new life, a life that is worth the living. This new life often
brings a struggle because it is not entirely in harmony with
the ideas of those around us ; but, when the mind is fully
awakened to the ideal of a new life, it is not easily led
astray, but persists in following the path indicated by the
Law.
Fear is not life. It is death. In reality, fear is hell.
If there were no other deadly passions or vices to punish
us, fear alone would be a hell terrible enough to satisfy
the most orthodox. It is fear that prevents man from
doing his best, fear to think, fear to act, fear to be an in-
dividual, fear to do this and to do that. To be under the
thraldom of fear is a bondage, aye, even a bondage worse
than the Hebrews are said to have suffered in ancient
Egypt.
The Illuminati are teaching men to free themselves
from the bondage of fear, to free themselves from all un-
desirable conditions^ and to live as they think they should
'The Way to Life and Immortality
139
live, in spite of the opinions of men and in spite of
authority-taught doctrines. They teach men to free them-
selves from every fear except onefear of the Divine
Law when they do contrary to the dictates of their own
conscience. There is no true freedom in disobeying that
which one knows to be right. This fear man must encour-
age. This is fear of God, fear to dishonor and to disobey
Him. In this sense, fear of God is reverence and devo-
tion.
The incentive for man to overcome fear is twofold.
First, there is the freedom from fear, which in itself is a
great satisfaction. Second*, there is the satisfaction of
realizing that fear may be transmuted into power. Thus,
the principle by which fear is overcome is both positive
and negative. It insures freedom from an undesirable
state ; but, in addition to this, it insures a positive, active
power to take the place of the undesirable state of fear.
Fear is to be overcome through the Law of Transmutation.
The power expended or wasted in fear is to be transmuted,
or changed, into power for good, power to accomplish
and to achieve. Every passion known to man, every chain
and fetter that holds him, when changed, becomes just as
great a power for good. For this reason, the Illuminati
do not advocate destroying, or killing out, or stifling, any
passion or tendency no matter how undesirable it may be.
They teach men how to change the undesirable into desir-
able, hov/ to turn the direction of power into desirable
cliannels.
A hell of fire and brimstone finds no place in the
teachings of the Illuminati. Hell as a place in which man
is punished for things done that should not have been
done, is not recognized by the Illuminati. That man is
punished for his sins either here or in the hereafter is an
erroneous idea. That _he is punished by his sins here and
now as well as in the hereafter is a truth that each indi-
vidual ought to comprehend. Of those conditions whicl],
140
The Way to Life and iMMORfALiTY
punish man, fear is one of the most terrible. The man who
fears is in hades, or hell, as surely as man eve^r can be.
Who knows not the awful suffering caused by waiting for
something to happen which one thinks is to happen? The
fer.r, the suspense, the dread, the uncertaintythis is
hell! Sitting and waiting, expecting something to happen,
fearing to move, fearing to act, fearing to think, aye, even
fearing to breathethis is hell, destructive to soul and body
alike!
But such conditions must pass away. Man must be-
com.e the master. He must understand the promises made
to him by the Divine Will. He must do more than under-
stand them, he must believe and trust them. Not merely in
a formal way but in a practical way must he trust them,
manifesting his faith by acting as if he had faith in the
promises of God. He must think, act, and live according
to his faith in the Lav/. As he does this, it may be with
shrinking in the beginning, he will gradually free himself
from fear. Fear is a terrible nothing, which gives v/ay as
ktiowledge and understanding increase.
Fear can not be mastered by mere faith in a promise
of God. It can be overcome only by living in harmony
with the Divine Law upon which the promise rests. Fear
as well as all other undesirable conditions give way only as
we manifest faith in the Divine Law by living in har-
mony with it. For thus do we grow into love and wisdom
and true understanding. In exact proportion as one grows
in love and wisdom does fear vanish. "Perfect love cast-
eth out fear."
Life throughout is a growth. All true knowledge is
a growth. Mere belief in the truth of a statement does
not constitute knowledge. Mere acceptance of the state-
ments of another does not constitute knowledge. Knowl-
edge is that which we feel within us, that v/hich we realize
to be a part of our very lives, that which we know because
ît 'is a part of our consciousness. The more we live in
harmony with the Divine Law, the more true knowledge
sliall we receive. Knowledge is like a mustard seed. Ac-
cept a little and live accordingly, and it will bring us into
more and more knowledge, and deliver us more and more
from the bondage of fear and ignorance. Fear is the out-
growth of ignorance and error. Courage, faith, and hope
are the outgrowth of knowledge and love. All conditions
imder which man suffers have a work to perform, a mis-
sion to fulfil, a purpose to satisfy. Through them, man
gains knowledge and wisdom. Without suffering, man
could not know what freedom from suffering means. With-
out having knovv^n fear man could not understand or ap-
preciate freedom from the bondage of fear. Without
knowledge of hate, man could not realize the power and
the beauty of love. Without experiencing the absence of
love, little would he know of the potency and the efficacy
of love. Thus with all the passions and vices and unde-
sirable conditions. Man must know of them in order to
choose their opposite. The only reason for knowing evil
is to enable one to choose the good. Nor does this indi-
cate that man must indulge in evil for the sake of appre-
ciating the good, nor that he must deliberately experience
\\rong and error and sin and suffering for the sake of
knowing the value of their opposite.
The work of man, now that he is on tlie earth plane,
is to transmute all undesirable things, no matter v/hat they
are, into desirable. This is true whether it concerns the
destructive passions, hale, anger, malice, ill-Vi,'ill, or whether
it concerns the deadly poison, fear, or whether it concerns
any other undesirable habit to which our natures cling.
They must all be changed into health, strength, harmony,
wisdom, happiness, and finally and ultimately into Immor-
tality. Also, thus is it with that which we now consider
a task, a duty, a yoke, that which we carry not because
we must but because we think we must. Even this may
be transformed from a yoke of bondage into a garland of
142
flowers, a yoke of love, a privilege, Vx^hich we would not
j)art with even if we could free ourselves from it.
Man must be bound to something. Otherwise, he would
stand alone and separate from all else. But his is the
choice of the bond'. He may choose fear and the bondage
that results from fear, leading ultimately to death. Or, he
may choose love and all that comes with the divine pas-
sion love, leading ultimately to Life and Light and Im-
mortality.
The very beginning of the true life, of all true knowl-
edge, and even of the very end itselfIndividual Immor-
tality and Sonship with the Fatheris at the moment man
accepts the glorious truth that he is created in the image
of the Father, the truth that in himself are all powers, all
capabilities, all that is in God, the fir^t Creator, though in
less degree, in fact, the trutli that man is the temple of
the living God. But this is only the very beginning. This
is the point from which he makes the start. Having ac-
cepted this truth, he must, like the builder of temples and
mansions, learn the art of building from the very founda-
tion up until the temple is finished. He must learn what
material to accept, what material to refuse. He must learn
how to direct the work, and how to continue faithfully
until the building is complete and beautiful in its perfection.
When mian accepts the first truth, the foundation prin-
ciple, and begins to build according to his understanding
of the truth, he will also begin to know what it means to
be free, not only free from bondage but free from those
other things which bind him through fear. As he begins
to live, so will he begin to grow. As he grows, so will he
manifest those fruits which are always the result of natural
growth.
Man is not made to fear. Man is not made to suffer,
surely not made to die. Man is made to be free, free and
fearless as is his Creator. He is made to enjoy life, and
to know
happiness, He is made in the image of the Father,
143
to live forever. And so shall he live forever when he has
freed himself from fear, from limitations and from those
race beliefs v/hich now bind him to the enemy that leads
to death.
The soul seed that is now in man could not gain knowl-
edge without the body, the flesh that is of the earth and
earthly limitations; consequently, through its own volition,
it fell into matter and into the shortcomings and limita-
tions of matter. It is impossible for the soul again to know
God and become like Him and to return to its ideal state,
though retaining the knowledge it has gathered during the
earth life, without accepting the great truth that the pres-
ent life is not only for the purpose of gaining knowledge
and understanding but more especially for the purpose of
redeeming the soul from all undesirable conditions. The
s<>ul redeems itself not through some special favor granted
It by God, but through its own efforts, through its own
worthiness, and through its own desires and volition.
Redemption, full and complete and perfect, has ref-
erence not only to the soul but to the body as well. Final
redemption means freedom of body and soul. The body
shall become purified and freed from the elements that hold
the carnal being. The body shall become partner and co-
A\orker with the soul, sharing its pleasures, its joys, and
its harmonious conditions with the soul, states which the
soul can not enjoy alone.
To what desire in man can we point above all others
to prove that death is not planned by the Divine Will as
the goal for man? What desire, above all others, holds
most men, and is the strongest in men ? Search man, search
all men, for the deepest desire of the heart, not merely for
that which they claim to desire but for that which they
actually desire in their hearts. There are those, number-
less indeed, who, not having health, desire health. There
arc those, numberless also, who, not having love, desire
love. There are those, multitudes of them, who, not hav-
144
ing worldly possessions, desire possessions. And there are
multitudes who desire other things. But these are not
the great desire in the universal human heart. They are
strong desires, it is true; but there is one greater, one
stronger, a universal desirethat is, the desire for life.
According to the Masters and the Philosophers, it is
actually possible for man to attain that which his heart
desires, provided he is willing to make the effort, to give
the self-denial and the struggle necessary to attainment.
This being admitted, who is there to deny that the desire
for life, being the strongest and being universal with a few
exceptions, is therefore a desire capable of fulfilment? Es-
pecially must we grant this when we learn that every true
teacher and philosopher, including the Master Jesus,
promised the redemption of both soul and body.
Eternal life will not come to man through a knowl-
edge of eugenics merely and through obedience to the
laws of race improvement. Nor will it come through per-
fection of body only, no matter how desirable that may be.
Life eternal is possible only when men understand that it
is necessary to perfect both body and soul at the same
time; when they understand that with the desire for con-
tinued life they must also desire a perfected, a developed,
an illumined, souL This twofold desire^the desire for
perfection of both body and soulmust charge every cell,
every atom, in the entire body. Thus every cell is charged
with life, not only v/ith physical life, so-called, but with
spiritual, heavenly life as well.
This can be accomplished. It is only necessary for
the human family to accept the promise, and, having ac-
cepted it, to live according to the teachings and the laws
given with the promise. Think of life ; but, while thinking,
also live in harmony with the thoughts of life. Charge
every cell of the body with the thought of life. Charge
every cell of the body, not with fear, but with freedom;
jiot -vvith hate, but w'ith love; not with grudges and ill-will
but with forgiveness ; net with envy of the possessions of
others, but Vv'ith blessings to them, blessings and the sincere
\\'ish that their blessings may bring them happiness and
fuller life- -with blessings to them and with the wish that
you yourself may gain possessions, not theirs, but your
own, to bring happiness and satisfaction.
Life is always life. It is in the living that we gain
the results of living, no matter according to what doctrine
we live, whether it be the doctrine of life or of death. God
is the God of life ; but He prevents no one from following
the doctrine of death and of partaking thereof.
146
CHAPTER THmiEEN
TBE WRONG LIFE, THE LIFE OF SIN_, ALONE BRINGS DEATH.
What is sin?
On the answer to this question depends everything in
so far as it has to do with a full life.
Not only is sin something which affects the soul and
gives it its status in the life beyond death, but it is some-
thing which affects man here and now. Sin has been con-
sidered as a wrong committed which denies him entrance
into the realm of bliss in the Hereafter. It has been con-
sidered as acts committed daily, perhaps hourly, including
evil thoughts and evil deeds and wrong living, the only di-
rect effect of which is to prevent man's entrance into a
realm of delight and joy and peace. It has been considered
as thoughts, desires, and acts which are contrary to the
will of God. While it is true that these acts do affect the
status of the soul in the Hereafter, and that they do affect
its relation to God, by no means do their effects end here.
That they affect the personality and the individuality, that
they aff"ect the health and strength and efficiency, that they
affect the peace and the satisfaction and the harmony of
life here and now is a truth that needs to gain a stronger
hold on the race consciousness.
In Soul Science, the Illuminati teach and hold as an
absolute fact that any thought, any desire, or any act, no
matter what its nature, is a sin if in any v.ay it is injur-
ious either to the participant or to anyone else. On the
other hand, they hold it not merely as an article of faith
but as an actual truth that any thought, any desire, or
any act which is not injurious to the participant and which
148
The Way to Life and Imieortality
does not bring suffering and sorrow to anyone else is
neither a wrong nor is it a sin. From this, it is seen that
there is no difference bet\Veen what is called a sin and
what is called wrong doing or wrong living or working
against the interests of others. In principle, they are the
same. From this, it appears that hygienic law is on an
equality with moral and ethical law; that care of the body
is as important as regard for the soul; that habits which
concern the welfare of the physical being, whether in re-
gard to food and drink or in regard to any other factor of
health and efficiency, are to be classed as injurious or non-
injurious, and consequently as right or wrong, as upright
or sinful. To ir^dulge in eating or in drinking that which
is harmful to the physical being is not only a wrong to the
person, but is actually committing a sina sin that affects
Ihe^ soul as well as harms the personality here and now.
Sin is a death-bringing agency, a destructive principle, a
harmful and injurious habit. To lead the wrong life
wrong merely in that it concerns the physical beingis

living a sinful, a death-bringing, life.
In the earth life, the body is as important as the soul.
Otherwise, God would not have given man a body. To
entertain happy, wholesome, generous thoughts is not all
of righteousness. The thoughts and the desires of an in-
dividual may be fr,ee from carnality and free from every
form of selfishness, jealousy, envy, ill-will, in short his
life may be apparently a model one; but, if he gives his
entire attention to business or to the work at hand, if he
does not give the physical being the attention it deserves,
if he does not allow time for sleep and does not provide
proper food so that the body is recuperated and nourished
then, it follows that he is guilty of violating physical

laws and is consequently guilty of sin and error as truly
as if he violated so-called moral law.
Moreover, God is a just God, which means that He
is a God who balances all things; for only in the balance
The Way to Life and
Immortality
149
and ill perfect equilibrium of all things is there justice.
It follows, therefore, that the body is no less important
than the soul, nor is the soul greater than the body, since
the soul's greatness depends in large degree on the perfec-
tion and the purity of the body, and the perfect, well-
balanced soul can not dwell in an unclean body.
Thus, it follows that the wrong life is the smful life,
and the sinful life is the life that brings disease, sorrow,
suit'ering, and, in the end, an ignoble deathd'eath which
was never intended by God, death which became a neces-
sity only when man gave up the true rule of life and ac-
cepted the belief that death of the physical is necessary,
thus charging and magnetizing the cells of the body with
the thought of death and the necessity thereof.
God made man in His own image. That is, as God is
sinless and ever living, knowing no death, so did he make
man. But with perfection he gave man free-will, a faculty
that He also possesses. Being perfect, God holds only
perfect beliefs. He gave perfect beliefs to man ; and man,
as first made, was perfect. But he was not satisfied with
siniplicity and perfection. Consequently, he used the pow-
er, or the gift, of free-will for wrong purposes. Thus, did
he gradually fall into those conditions, desires, and beliefs
wliich made death a necessity. Having been made perfect,
man should therefore be sinless, and as a natural conse-
quence, he should be deathless.
The Illuminati regard it as a fundamental truth that
man may gradually and naturally find the path that leads
to sinless, sorrowless, deathless life. But, in order to do
this, he must make two important changes. First, he must
change his thoughts and his desires and his beliefs. He
must entertain only thoughts and desires and beliefs which
harmonize v/ith the doctrine of a life that is free from illness,
sorrow, and death. Second, he must change his life and
conduct to coincide with the change made in thought and
desire and belief. He must begin living the natural life,
150
The Way to Life and Immortality?
giving to his body the food and the drink, the recreation
and the rest, which God intended it to have.
He must cease making business his supreme god, the
god that claims all his thoughts and desires and all his
time. He must hve for the sake of living. He must not
live merely because he wants to be successful in business
and outdistance his competitors. He must not sacrifice
pleasures, friends, family; and, last and greatest, he must
not sacrifice his soul and his God for business as the multi-
tudes are doing. But he must give each and all of these
interests part of his time, as much as the Divine Law,
the Natural Law, demands for his own welfare. There are
those who will say that this is impossible. But proofs are
at hand that man does sooner or later satisfy the Law in
this respect. If he does not do it willingly, the Great Law
demands it by taking him from his business through sick-
ness, or through suffering, or through misfortune, and
finally through an immature death.
The question then comes. What is man willing to do?
Is he willing to apportion his time judiciously among the
varied interests that should claim his attention? Is he
willing to meet the normal demands of his nature for de-
velopment of body, for recreation and pleasures? Is he
willing to satisfy the demands of his soul and the voice of
God speaking through his soul? Is he willing to live the
natural, normal life, a life that is free from disease and
suffering, a life that is long and happy, a life that achieves
success on all planes of being? Or does he prefer to live
the strenuous life, the life that has no time for physical
development or temple-building or natural pleasures, no
time for home and friends and God, a life that has time
only for business and zealous competition?
With man is the choice. He can choose the sinless
lifethat is, the natural, normal life. Or he may choose
the unnatural, death-bringing life. His is the choice.
The principle that concerns m^n also concerns
woman.
151
The same law that governs man also governs woman. In
the case of woman, however, it is slavery of another kind,
not thraldom under business demands, but slavery to un-
necessary home cares, to dress, to society, and to hundreds
ot other concerns which seem necessary to womankind,
but which are unnatural and abnormal. The interests to
which woman becomes a slave she herself admits are not
a source of true happiness. She follows them in the same
spirit in which a man follows his business, simply because
competitors are to be outdistanced.
Such subjects as these are not generally supposed to
have any connection with a philosophy that concerns the
soul and man's relation with God. They are, nevertheless,
the very foundation of freedom from disease and suffer-
ing, and freedom from sorrow and unhappiness. They are
the very foundation of a long and useful life, of soul de-
velopment, and of Illumination, and finally of the attain-
ment of heaven and Immortality. They are the founda-
tion upon which the temple structure is to be erected. If
the foundation upon which man builds is unsound, the
whole structure will be insecure and will not bear the
test of time.
Man is created in the image of Godthat is, in the
image of the Perfect. He bears the image, or the possi-
bility, of perfection in respect to body and soul and spirit
alike. Although this likeness to the Perfect is only in
embryo, it is none the less a veritable possibility of per-
fection. Then why should man be sinful? Why should
he do those things which ate conducive neither to perfec-
tion of body nor to perfection of mind and soul? And yet
it is to be freely admitted that practically all men are liv-
ing and thinking contrary to the Law of Perfection as it
regards body and mind and soul.
Generally considered, man is a carnal, sinful being
a creature of wrong acting and wrong thinking, one who

êts at naught both Natural and Divine Law. It is foir
this reason that he is punished. Not the anger of a just
God but his own acts and his own thoughts are responsible
for the punishment that he suffers. Not by God is he
punished but by the thoughts and the acts and the desires
of which he himself is guilty. When sickness, sorrow, and
finally death come to him, he blames God, he blames Na-
ture, he blames everything except himselfthe very one'
that is indeed accountable for that which befalls him.
So much has been taught concerning the Divine Law
and the laws of nature that man can not plead ignorance
regarding them. Although many doctrines have been given
a false representation, yet, if man followed them accord-
ing to the best light he possesses, his condition would be
far better than it is. Even if he followed prevalent teach-
ings merely because he thought they concerned the soul
in its future state he would even then be far better than
he is at the present time.
But _we are now reaching an age in which man must'
know not only that religion concerns the soul but that it
ii actually the Law of God covering every department of
his nature. Or, if one does not claim to believe in God,
let him understand that religion is the Law of Nature,
and that it deals primarily with the well-being of the body
and with all those things which really concern life in its
first application to man. Let him understand also that in
proportion as religion is applied to the life of man on the
material plane so v/ill it have its effect on the soul plane.
Religion will come to be understood as the Lav^r of
Life. Life, in this sense, refers to existence as it is from
the moment that the Divine Spark leaves the Creator, no
matter v-^ho or what is thought of as the Creator, down
through its birth, onwârd through life, and still onward
until man enters the Lnmortal Life. It matters not where
life shall continue, whether on the present plane of being
or in the Beyond in the soul realm, nevertheless, true re-
ligion is the Law of Life and includes everything that con-
cerns man on every plane of his being.
153
God is not a sinful, nor a sorrowful, nor yet a dying
God. God is Life. God is Light." God is Love. God is
V\ isdom. God is Happiness. God is Eternity. Man is
created in the image of Light, of Love, of Happiness, of
Life Eternal. Man is heir to all of these things; but he
can enter upon his inheritance only as he complies with
the Divine Will which has existed since the very beginning
of time. Unless he obeys the requirements of the Divine
\Vill in its true spirit rather than according to the letter,
he can not inherit the benefits and the blessings that the
Divine Will wishes to confer upon him. Thus, as God is
an eternal reality, free from undesirable things, so can man
be free from those conditions which none desire if he is
willing to obey the Divine Law and lead the life that nor-
mal, natural, divine man should live.
As man now is, he may conclude that this means self-
denial and the giving up of all those things which make
life worth the living. But this is a false conclusion. True
religion denies man none of the tilings that are good for
him. It denies him no honest, wdiolesome recreation. It
does not deny social intercourse nor does if forbid him an
honest business or the following of an honorable profes-
sion. Neither music nor flowers nor the beauties of nature
or of art are denied him. The true religion forbids noth-
ing except that which is not good for one. It denies one
only those pleasures, so-called, which bring no good but
plenty of ill, those things which bring sorrow and pain
and death. And who can say that these things are act-
ually desirable and that they form a necessary part of
life?
In the teachings of Soul Science, the Illuminati en-
courage everything that is for the well-being of man. They
attempt to teach only those things which will help him to
become a perfect being, one that lives right and believes
right. They teach that perfect faith is necessary, and that
it is necessary to live in harmony v.ith perfect faith. This
is the Way to Life and Immortalitv.
154
CHAPTER FOU^TEEM
HEALING OF THE SICK, POSSIBLE.
Those who have learned the truth either through ex-
perience in the world or through training receive a two-
fold command from God. First, they are to teach the truth
to the multitudes that do not yet know the truth. Second,
they are responsible for heeding the divine command,
"Heal the sick." Consequently, those who fulfil their full
duty must teach and heal, teach and heal those who come
to them in faith.
In this department of the great workthat concerning
leaching the truth and concerning healinglittle can be ac-
complished unless the teacher-healer demands faith in the
possibility of healing and faith in its realization. This is
not unnatural nor is it unreasonable. Moreover, we find
that all teacher-healers, including the Master Jesus, de-
manded faith on the part of those who came to them for
healing. Unless they had faith they could not be healed.
This is not an arbitrary demand on the part of the teacher-
healer. It is rather to be considered as a necessary condi-
tion of healing, a state of mind that makes it possible for
the sufferer to receive or to appropriate healing power.
In this sense only, is faith essential. The law of healing
is expressed in the oft-repeated saying of Jesus, "Accord-
ing to thy faith so be it unto thee."
In healing the sick, something more is required on the
part of the healer than use of healing power. It is abso-
lutely necessary for the teacher-healer to teach the Divine
Taw, the natural life, to those who come to him. Unless
he does this, though he may heal them for the time being,
1S6
The Way to Life and iMMORtALitY
the disease or some other disease will return ; for that
which caused disease in the first place will cause a recur-
rence of it.
In Soul Science, the Illuminati hold it as an absolute
fact that wrong living, or unnatural living, as regards food,
drink, sleep, exercise and employment of mind and body,
i? a sin because it is in violation of divine and natural law.
He who so sins will be afflicted sooner or later with some
disease, no matter how great his faith may be, unless he
lives in harmony with his faith and' puts his faith into
practical effect. God desires man not only to have faith
in His goodness but to live in harmony with the faith he
possesses. The Illuminati hold that the sufferer's faith in
the healer and in the power of God through the healer
may be so great that disease which has aft'licted the body
for many years may fall away as though it ha3^ not e>:isted.
But they further hold that if his life in the future is not
in accordance wuth natural law the body can not remain
free from disease and suffering. This is the teaching of all
true Masters, including Jesus.
That illness is in reality sin, or the result of sin, is
amply indicated in the sayings of Jesus. In some instances,
he said, "Be thou whole"that is. Be thou free from
disease. In others, he said, "Thy sins be forgiven thee."
Yet again, "Go thy way and sin no more." This saying
concerns the future of the one healed, and indicates clear-
ly and undeniably that a recurrence to sin would result in
a recurrence of the same disease or in some other difficulty.
Consequently, the Illuminati maintain that the chief duty
of the healer is to teach those whom they heal the laws of
life, natural and normal methods of living, even the PVay
of
Life. It is as important for them to understand how to
keep free from sin and disease and suffering as it is to be
healed in the first place.
Yet again, the mission of the teacher-healer extends
further even than this. Not onlv to the bodv does he min-
The Way to Life and Iim mortality
157
ister, freeing it from its load of p^'m and suffering, but the
heart of the sufferer he heals, the heart that is also heavily
laden with sorrow caused by sin. The heart that is free
from sin has no sorrow. It understands the things that
come to it, and even the passing away of a loved one does
not bring it the pain and the anguish that come to the
heart that sins. The heart that is free knov/s that death
is only a transition, that "passing away" is only temporary.
The heart that is set free from sin does more than believe
;
for in belief there may be sufl'ering: it knows, and in
knowledge there is freedom.
Why should faith on the part of tlie sufferer be neces-
sary if God is all-inclusive? Why should not the teacher-
healer be able to charge and to magnetize the body of the
afflicted with healing vibrations so as to free him from
illness in spite of lack of faith?
In answer to this question, let it be understood that
the Law ever has been and ever will be that a substance,
no matter what its nature, cannot receive unless it is pre-
pared to receive. Thus, in the making of a magnet, not
every substance will receive the charge of electricity and
retain a part of it and through its power become a magnet.
Only certain substances can be charged and become mag-
nets. All things are under natural law. The body of the
sick is under natural law. Though charge upon charge of
healing power might be sent through the diseased body,
health will not be brought to it unless the body has been
prepared to receive and to retain the healing power. Now,
faith is the agency that prepares the body to receive and to
retain healing power. If the afflicted one has not faith in
the healer and in healing power, he is like the piece of metal
that is unprepared for the electric charge. The charge is
received by the metal; but, instead of being retained, it
goes right through the metal, and nothing is accomplished.
The greater the faith, the greater will be the result.
If faith is strong and unwavering, the healing power, on
i58
being received, will so charge and magnetize every cell of
the body that the vibration of health, being higher and more
intense than the vibration of disease, will literally burn out
the diseased condition and will charge and magnetize the
cells of the body with health. Thus those who were suf-
fering will be made whole. Thus sins will be forgiven.
Such is the promise.
From this, it is to be seen that the law is, "According
to thy faith, so shall it be unto thee." There is no power
on earth, none in heaven, none under the earth or in the
sea, which can heal the afflicted body and mind if there
is not faith, faith that shall receive and retain the healing
pov^êr as it flows from the fountain of lifedirectly from
the Godhead, the Great Storehouse of Light and Life and
Love, through the teacher-healer to the suffering one.
The old theory that it is God, or the Lord, or Jesus, who
performs the work of healing is denied by the Illuminati.
To be sure, the healing power comes from God; but He
is not the healer in an arbitrary sense any more than He
is the one who commits the sins that cause the diseases.
Man who thinks wrong and lives wronghe it is who,
through wrong thinking and v/rong living, brings disease
and suffering and sorrow upon himself. Likewise, through
right thinking and right living and through faith in health,
man will draw to himself and will retain the vibrations and
the power that shall overcome disease and suffering and
sorrow, and that shall restore health. True it is that the
healing power belongs to God. But it is by no means cor-
rect to say that God gives it. Rather, He allows man to
take it. He permits man to receive and to use it. Man is
not a slave, he is free. Man is not the supplicator of God,
he is a partaker with God. Man is free to use, to receive, as
he will.
God has made man in His own image. He has also
created a storehouse of life, of force, of energy. To man
H? has
given the
key to this Universal Storehouse.
This
159
key man is free to use according to his need. The key is
faith and Hfe. He who has faith and he who will live, is
enabled to draw from this storehouse as much as he can
use. The more he uses, the more he can draw therefrom.
Neither does God give to him nor does He deny him. Man
is free to accept and he is free to use.
There are conditions, however, to the acceptance and
the use of these powers and energies. The first condition
is faith. The second condition is that man shall live ac-
cording to his faith. If he does not meet these two con-
ditions, he loses the key to the Storehouse and can not
draw therefrom. God does not force us to accept, but He
gives us the privilege to draw on the Storehouse of the
All Good. If we have lost the key, the power to draw there-
from, and are in ne^d, it is often necessary for some one
to act as intermediary, as agent between us and the Father.
Ir is then that wê have need of the true teacher-healer.
Such service Jesus and the other Masters gave to mankind.
The Illuminati maintain that God punishes no man,
and that He sends neither sorrow nor misery nor sickness
nor misfortune to anyone, but that man through his own
thoughts and acts draws to himself the conditions that be-
fall him. Not for his sins but by his sins is man punish-
ed. The Law operates both wâys. As he draws undesir-
able conditions, disease, suffering, and misfortune through
his manner of thought and his manner of life, so may he
draw to himself the things that are desirable, such as Life,
Light, Love, and Immortality. Instead of thinking, de-
siring, and living the life that leads to death, he begins
to think, desire, and to live the life that leads to Life Eter-
nal, and "all things are added unto him." Through his
ciianged manner of thought, of feeling, of life, he draws
to himself not disease, not sorrow, not death, but Life and
I ight and Love. God gives neither the one nor the other.
He merely permits man to draw from the Storehouse and
to use. God denies man nothing, neither good nor bad.
160
He gives man the privilege to do as he pleases and to bear
the result of his doing.
In a very true sense, it is not God who restores the
sick and the suffering. Faith and living according to faith
this it is which restores to health the sick and the suf-
fering. Nor is it God Vv^ho takes life. Nor is it He who
sets the time of death, nor is it He who numbers the days
cf man's life. He gives man the privilege of living, and
of obeying the Law, and of living in accordance with the
Law. Clearly does He indicate that to him who fully obeys
there shall be neither sickness nor death. But He gives
man no reason to believe that God, the Father, will over-
come death for man. Lie makes the truth unmistakably
clear that man must overcome death for himself. This he
must do not by faith alone, but by wôrks according to
faith, and by living the life that knows no death.
The past cycle, the past age, has believed and has
taught to suffering humanity that redemption, salvation,
immortality do not concern the body. No matter how pain-
racked the body might be, no matter how diseased, no
matter how great its suffering, if man has faith in salva-
tion, faith that at death the soul will fly to heavenhu-
manity has been taught that wnth such a faith as this sal-
vation would be complete. But that age is ended. Men
now know, even those who do not believe in religion, that
salvation is not of the soul alone, but that it concerns the
body as wêll. They know that the body is only the reflec-
tor of the soul. They know that the soul within, when it
has reached Illumination and enlightenment, will illumine
the whole body. They knov/ that as is the God within, so
will become the body without; and, in like manner, as is
the body, so must be the soul, because the body when made
perfect is the temple of the living God.
But we must not overlook the fact that the body may
be perfect in appearance, that it may be healthy as a body,
and yet be destitute of goodness, destitute of soul. For
there are animal natures in the form of mankind wherein
is neither goodness nor soul. These can scarcely be classed
v.s human beings. They are healthy and of good form
hke the anim.al that is well fed and well tended. Further-
more, they resemble the animal in that their thoughts, like
the instinct of the animal, make no impression upon them.
Like the animal, they are pawns in life's great being. They
come and they go. They live and they pass on.
But, says the critic, How can this be consistent with
the teaching that every thought, every desire, every act,
makes an impression upon the body and produces corre-
sponding effects?
flrue indeed it is that thought, desire, and act leave
llje impress of their character upon the body and aft'ect the
body accordingly. This is a Law not to be ignored. But
there is another Great Law, a Law not generally known.
To illustrate : a dog may be perfect in every respect, yet
be possessed of a vicious temper, a temper that makes the
dog dangerous, so that it is not safe to give him freedom
lest he injure those v/ho come near. The vicious nature
of the dog does not shorten his life, nor does it interfere
with digestion of food, nor does it impair the health of the
dog. \\niy not? Simply because it is the nature of the
dog, and he lives according to his nature. Had the dog a
soul, a something in his being which gives him the right
and the power of choice, then viciousness would act as a
poison to his system and would result in disease and suf-
fering; but the dog has not a soul. Consequently, he is
born, lives, and dies, what he is, merely a vicious dog.
Hard as it may seem, there are those born in human
form who are like the dog in nature. Through some cause,
but always of their own choice, they have destroyed the
individuality within. They no longer possess that some-
thing, called the Divine Spark, which makes them respon-
sible for their acts. They simply live the life of their na-
ture, There is nothing within to receive and to reflect their
162
The Way to T,ife and Tm mortality
acts and their thoughts. Consequently, malicious thoughts,
desires, and acts do not arouse a poisonous condition and
disturb normal bodily functions. Thus, they are born, they
live, and they die, according to their nature.
This illustration prepares for a statement and a con-
sideration of the Law. Man is body, mind, and spirit ; and
within the three is that which we call the Divine Spark, or
the soul. This divine spark, being of God and making man
different from the animal, is that something which receives
and stores impressions. It is the Reflector. All that the
divine entity receives it will reflect. This reflection is
shown in the body of man, for the body is the temple of
God, the temple of the soul. But in those beings in whom
there is no divine spark, in whom there is no reflector, as
is also the case with animals, even though the nature is
vicious, viciousness is not reflected in the personality and
in the body, except possibly to make it more nearly per-
fect ;
for the natural animal is always perfect in its physi-
cal being.
The doctrine may seem hard; but it is in perfect har-
mony with the teachings of God, with the teachings of
philosophers and Masters, and absolutely in harmony with
the teachings of Nature. Nature recognizes no soul in her
creation; nevertheless, her manifestations are perfect. Man
alone, having free-will and the spark of the divine, shows
what kind of a creator he is, and reflects in his body the
character of his acts, his desires, and his thoughts. The
animal, on the other hand, being the product of nature
alone, always manifests perfection because she is perfect,
though changeable and never individualized in entities that
continue permanently.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THERE IS NO REASON FOR MAN TO BE SICK.
Why should man be sick? Why should he be living
in sin ?
There is no logical reason why man should not be liv-
ing the higher life. That is, there is no reason why man
should live a life that is sinful, nor is there any logical
reason why he should be sick.
Sin and sickness are really one and the same thing.
The one results in the other. The fact is, sinwhich is
nothing more nor less than wrong living and wrong doing
is the cause of sickness, and, in the end, brings death as

the final penalty.
Sin is classed as sin because it is the opposite of good.
It is sin not because God has said that man should not do
thus and so, not because theology outlines it as sin, nor
because philosophers have said that to do certain things is
to commit sin ; but it is sin because it brings pain or sor-
row, loss or misery, harm or injury, either to the one that
commits it or to the one against whom it is committed.
There is no other basis for sin than this. Therefore, sin
is simply v/rong doing or wrong living. Why should man
do the things that are Vi'rong. Simply because he has a
Hiistaken idea in regard to life and conduct, an idea that
has become a race belief and therefore a part of his na-
ture. He has the mistaken notion that to do certain things
will be to his advantage, will bring him profit or pleasure
or honor. He does these things not because he wants to do
them but because he lias been gradually led to believe that
only in this way can he obtain the things that he desires.
164
There are actually few men who do wrong because
of a love for the wrong. It is to be admitted, however,
that there are men who do wrong because they love the
wrong. Human nature is capable of being perverted.
There are those whom v\'e call degenerate because they
actually love to do that which natural and divine law points
out as being wrong. They delight in doing things which
are contrary to the laws of nature and the laws of God.
They take pleasure in doing that which nature revolts at
doing. But the class of society known as degenerates is
in the minority and cannot be taken as a standard. The
vast majority of mankind love the right. They do wrong
only through the mistaken idea that what they are doing
will bring honor, ease, success, or other desirable things.
Doing -those things which in the mind and the heart
are known to be wrong and out of harmony with the Law,
doing them even with superficial thought and indifferent
purposethis it is which leaves its mark upon the body of
man, and results in sickness and death.
Who is there that does not know that anger is wrong,
that it actually does no good, that it can not make a v/rong
right? Humanity in general knows this. It is generally
recognized that anger in itself is poisonous to mind and
body, that it is a destructive power. Yet how many are
there who control their anger? It is this which consti-
tutes sin : to know that it is wrong, wrong not simply by
reason of becoming angry, but wrong because anger in it-
self is a poison and a destructive power; to know that
au-ger is wrong and yet to give it place in one's lifethis
constitutes sin. By becoming angry, man liberates in his
organism and sets into motion poisonous vibrations. This
results in a disturbed condition of the organism and even
induces illness. By virtue of this fact is anger sin. The
results and the effects of an act or of a state of mind de-
termine whether it is to be classed as sin or righteousness,
as wrong or right. Thus it is a truth that sin is sickness
or that sickness is sin. Had the person not become angry
and thus poisoned the Hfe blood, the particular aihiient that
resulted from the poisonous state would not have come
upon him.
Again, wlio does not know that jealousy results in no
good, that it can not remove the object of jealousy? Who
does not understand that jealousy generates a poison which
causes a diseased condition of the organism? Not the mere
fact of being jealous constitutes sin. The fact that jealousy
is a destructive power, that it does harmthis makes jeal-
ousy a sin. The fact that the harm coming to the system
through jealousy affects the soulthis makes jealousy a
sin.. Again, sin and sickness are seen to be the same thing
-
-each, a reflection of the other.
Thus it is with all the great passions, such as, hate,
jealousy, malice, ill-will, and other dark and deadly feel-
ings. They are destructive and poisonous in their charac-
ter, and are therefore classed as sinful. But it is the sa;nc
vith the minor passions, those which spring from tlie
greater. It is possible for the minor passions to be so cov-
ered up that they are hardly recognized. Nevertheless,
th.cy are deadly in their ultimate results.
But what is the remed}' for these sins, tiiese destruc-
tive forces ?
Tl;e answer is simple and plain, and comes thunder-
ing down the cycles of tinie : Love, Forgiveness, and Good-
will.
Love, Forgiveness, and Good-will are the divine pas-
sions, the cardinal virtues. It is these which will ultimate-!
1}' destroy all gross and destructive passions. As man be-
comes truly developed, he will change gross and destruc-
tive passions into divine j^tassions. into creative and develop-
ing power, and into constructive forces.
But, says the seeker, Why should I love those who try
to de.-.troy my happiness, those who sin against me, those
who aim at ruining inC; those who would defame
me?
i6^
The Wa'-*^ to" L'lFfi ANI5 iMM6RfALIT?
But why should you hate them that hate you? Do
you think that hating them in return will change them?
Will it cause them to stop hating you? Do you imagine
that your hatred will do them any harm or that it will do
you any good? Not at all. Except in very rare cases will
your hatred do them harm or serve as a punishment to
tliem. It will- only stimulate and intensify and exaggerate
their hatred of you, thus making matters worse. It will by
no means diminish their hatred of you. Nor v/ill it do
yourself any possible good. But it will do positive harm
to )ôurself ; for it will poison mind, and soul, and body.
On the other hand, if you v/ere to change your hatred
into love, the beneficent results to yourself would be in-
tensified and doubled. In the first place, your own love
and good-will toward them v/ill act as an attracting power,
which draws out whatever good is in them, slowly it may
be at first, but surely; and in time it will bring you their
good-will, at least it will cause them to reflect, and to give
up their evil designs against you. In the second place,
your own hate changed into love acts as a vivifying power
to yourself; and, instead of bringing illness and depression
and sorrow, it brings more of health, more of love, and
more of life. Whereas hatred and ill-will arouse poison-
ous conditions resulting in disease and distress, forgive-
ness and good-will is a health-inspiring tonic that promotes
poise, peace, and health of body and mind. It may require
a mighty mental effort to give love and forgiveness in ex-
change for grudges, hatred, and ill-will. But the reward
is proportionate to the effort, the gain is worth the price.
As it is with the passion hatred, so is it with all other
passions of destructive, negative nature. By being changed
into life-giving, constructive passions, they bring good in
return for that which would otherwise be destructive. As
soon as men come to understand this truth they will honor
the Law of Transmutation, which enables them to trans-
mute the dr^ss of error
md in into tlie pure gold of love
and forgiveness and good-will. As soon as men realize
tbat destructive passions do no good, that by indulging in
them one can not change the plans or the feelings of others,
then will they put forth effort to become free from the
power of every type of evil passion. Gradually they will
be enabled to give up sin ; and, with sin out of the way,
sickness can not long remain.
Now. in respect to sickness and the statement that sin
is the cause of sickness, whether the sin be on our part or
that of another, it is to be freely admitted that sin may
be committed innocently or ignorantly. Nevertheless, every
wrong, every act that is out of harmony with natural or
divine law. is a sin and reaps the reward or the result ac-
cording to his nature. It is a recognized fact that igno-
rance of the Law excuses no one. For this reason, it be-
hooves each one to understand the Law. The sooner we
understand the requirements of the Law, the sooner shall
we be free from all those things which are undesirable.
Chief among the conditions from which knowledge of the
Law and obedience to it will set us free aiê sickness, sor-
rov/, and failure.
The object of life should be to become free from igno-
rance and error ; to understand the Law ; to become accu-
rate in discrimination for the sake of choosing the things
that are constructive and upbuilding and life-giving, for
the sake of rejecting the things that are destructive to
life and all that is dear to life. Having learned these
things, it is for us to live according to the constructive
principle so that we may be continually improving the
temple of life, and increasing the resisting, life-giving
forces within us. This pertains not only to the body but
to the soul as well. Life of the body alone is animal life.
Life of body and soul is divine life; and no one can be
truly human or truly god-like unless he honors life of bod>
and soul alike, regarding one equal to the other in impor-
tance,
165 The Way to Life and ImmortalitV
This is what Jesus called "the holy life." Living thus,
honoring divine and natural law in daily life, attaining Il-
lumination of Soulthis the Master Jesus called "receiv-
ing the Holy Ghost." For when men cleanse the body, and
free the soul from its grave of earth ; when they free the
body from sin and from sicknessthen do they reach Il-
lumination, then do they receive the greater life, then do
they enter here and now into the kingdor' of heaven.
The Illuminati teach that the holy life is in the begin-
ning a life of faith. Unless the one who desires the bene-
fits of the holy life is willing so to live as to receive the
benefits, in full and complete faith that he shall receive,
there can be no results. But the Illuminati emphasize
more especially that, when man awakens to these great
truths, when he sees that it is to his benefit to live in har-
mony with the Law, it is necessary for him to have faith
s\ifficiently strong to enable him to continue living tlie
life. Eventually, having made the beginning, he will be-
come established in faith and in life, and the results oi^
his faith and of his living will become unmistakably mani-
fest.
Then he will no longer need to live by faith alone.
For he lives through knov/ledge of the power. It is knowl-
edge undeniable because he realizes results from living the
life. Gradually, the holy life becomes his natural, normal
mode of living, and ultimately brings him into conscious-
ness of the Godhead, and into conscious oneness with the
Divine Creator, Ruler of all things.
Thus also is it with the sick and the afflicted. In the
beginning, it is faith, faith with some degree of effort, it
may be. The sufferer must have faith in God and in His
promises. He must begin to educate and to train his
thoughts, his desires, and his conduct in harmony with the
Law, natural and divine. Gradually, the new life will set
him free from disease and suffering, and will lead him to
Illumination, to the holy life, the
life without sin, Life
Im-!
The Way to' Life axd Immortality 169
mortal and Eternal.
We are not to think of God as the One who has power
to free us from sickness and from sin. Rather, He is the
One who has made man in His own im.age, and has en-
dowed him with power to free himself from sin, power
t^ cut the bonds that bind him to ignorance and error and
sin, power to sever the chains that hold him to the earth
and to all that is earthly. God is all powerthis we must
admit. But God does not use His power to help us. He
delegates to us the right and the privilege of using Hi'^
power so that we may become free and manifest the God-
hood within.
It is as if our earthly parent, having abundant posses-
sions, should give us the right to draw upon his resources.
We have perfect right to draw upon his account to the
full extent of pur need. But, according to the conditions
specified by our parent, he v/ill not bring us the money, or
give it to us, or help us to get it, even though we may be
in great need or in dis^tress. His provision is this: "My
son, there is plenty for you and for me. The fund is here.
It is for you to draw upon as freely and as fibcrally as
you desire. You are at perfect liberty to draw therefrom
whatever you need. If you have not faith in my word, if
you have not energy to accept the freedom I offer, then I
can not help you."
The power of God is sufficient to free all mankind
from disease and from sorrow, from misery and from
death. But He does not force His healing power. His sav-
ing grace, upon any man. He does, hovv-ever, give man
the privilege of drawing therefrom all that he needs. This
stipulation, nevertheless, is attached: man must meet cer-
tain conditions in regard to thought and conduct ; also, he
must have faith sufficient to enable him to begin drawing
on the account of the Infinite. As faith increases, the
greater will be his power to lay hold of the resources of
Infinite Goodness,
These truths the lUuminati teach. The teacher-healer
makes it a special point to teach the true doctrine of life
to those who are sick and suffering, to those who are in
sin and in sorrow. Not only does he teach, but he gives
help whenever possible. Those who are ready to receive
shall be given the sublime instructions. The teacher-healer
points the way, the way not only to freedom for body but
to freedom for the soul. Mankind shall be taught what
to believe and how to live the Holy Life, the Life that gives
freedom and Illumination, the Life that leads to Soul Con-
sciousness and to Sonship with the Father. Soul Science
is the Way to Life and Immortality.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GOD AND NATURE^ THE ONLY PHYSICIANS.
Man is of two constituent parts, each as important as
the other. His body, the material nature, corresponds to
the earth, and is under the control of nature. His soul,
the spiritual being, corresponds to God, and is under Ui.i
guidance.
In saying that the body is ruled over by nature, and
the soul by God, it must be understood that reference is
made to the true man, the man not controlled or guided or
ruled over by carnal desires.
Contrary to many metaphysical schools, the Illuminati
maintain that the flesh is as real and as important as the
soul or the spirit of man. In fact, they maintain that the
material is but another expression of spirit, a lower grade
of the universal substance, that it is even necessary as a
medium through which the soul may express itself. Fur-
thermore, they maintain that nature is not the enemy of
m.an, but that she is his guide, "the great physician" to the
flesh of man, just as God is guide and physician to his
soul. Body and soul are equally important. Each is es-
sential to the other. The tv/o should be in equilibrium,
then is man a perfect being.
i
That which is called disease may be of body or of
mind or it may be of both mind and body. It may be
purely of the flesh or it may be purely of the soul. Again,
it may be, and often is, of both. The true physician, the
true healer, will give careful consideration to both soul and
body; for he understands that man is ruled either by one
or by the other, or, in some cases, by the two in combina-
tion, and that his remedies must affect both.
It is not always true that Nature, even if given an
opportunity, will heal the sick; for Nature alone does not
reach the soul of man, though she wîll do her best to heal
the body. If the soul of man is ill from erroneous and
perverted beliefs, thoughts, and desires, Nature alone can
net effect a cure. The healing of an afflicted soul is lef-
fected by God through the instrumentality of man who
has a wise philosophy, a Wisdom Religion, to give to
troubled souls.
There can be no question that man will accept Soul
Science as a religion when its principles are fully under-
stood; for it is a rational and natural, though withal a
mystic, religion.
Fundamental among the principles of Soul Science, as
advocated by the Illuminati, is the doctrine that the ma-
terial, the physical, the flesh, is real, as real as are the
spirit and the soul of man. The spirit and the soul of man''
can, to a great extent, minister to the mxaterial, to the
body; but, in the main, Nature is the physician to the body
of man. Nature, as a healer, includes all that concerns
physical needs, as, food, clothing, exercise, work, rest,
relaxation, recreation, bathing, breathing, and other nor-
mal and natural conditions of life. Although the body is
real and by no means is to be underestimated in its im-
portance, yet the true man, the divine element, is the soul.
The soul is that which manifests through the flesh. The
body is the vehicle of expression for the soul. Flesh, un-
der physical environments, is the only avenue through
which Soul can attain its divine heritage of Conscious
Unity v/ith God.
There are man}^ diseases of the mind which can be
cured only through the forces of the heart and the soul.
There are many diseases of the body caused by a diseased
mind and soul. These, with the help of Nature, can be
cured only through the efforts of the Soul that has become
enlightened;
The ^^^\Y to Life and Immortality
173
Soul Science denies absolutely that the material part
of man's being is unreal and that it has no existence. It
teaches conclusively that the material is as truly real in
existence as the spirit and the soul, and that it is as truly
necessary as are the spirit and the soul. It further holds
that only through the material form is it possible for the
spirit and the soul of man to manifest. Aye, even more,
only through the material form of m.an is it possible for
Cod Himself to manifest. Therefore, man honors God
not by denouncing the body, but by exalting it; not by
denying existence of the body, but by raising it to a state
of perfection. In order to glorify God, man must honor
body as well as soul. He must make them co-equal in
development. In other words, the highest development is
reached when man establishes an ecmilibrium between body
and soul, the spirit of God being the central or pivotal
point.
The general principles of Soul Science have received
attention elsev/herc. In consideration of the topic, "God
and Nature, the only physicians," it is fitting to employ a
lull and detailed illustration of the treatment that an II-
luminati, or a Soul Science, Healer v.ôuld give a sufferer.
Take, for example, the treatment of a typical case of the
\\'hite PlagueConsumption
greatest of all scourges.

First, consider the cause of this disease. In the main,
the Illuminati agree with scientists who have given careful
investigation to the cause of this dread affliction. Con-
siimption is a disease that forms waste, or pus matter, at
the expense of healthy tissues, even feeding upon healthy
tissues to form pus. The formation of pus is accom-
plished through a state of congestion. Herein is found
both the cause and the basis of cure.
Congestion results from a stoppage in the normal pro-
cesses of elimination. The principle of a congested state
finds natural illustration in a sewerage system. So long;
cis the sewer is kept open the waste flows freely. But,
174
if no attention is given to the passage, and if there is a
surplus of waste material, a clogged condition, or conges-
tion, results. Experience shows that the effects of a con-
gested state are in all cases the same. The congestion be-
comes heated through a state of fermentation. This pro-
duces morbid matter, which becomes a poison. That which
takes place in the sewer takes place in man's organism,
and the results are the same.
Universally, man eats too muchthat is, he takes in
a greater amount of food than is required by the system.
Thus, his systeni becomes overloaded and all the functions
of his organism are oveitaxed in their effort to throw off
the ill effects of this surplus. This factthe fact that al-
most universally man loads his system with an unnecessary
amount of foodis admitted by practically all scientists
and physicians.
Another fact should be noted, that man does not keep
his system in condition to throw off the surplus material.
The result is the same as in the case of a congested sewer.
The unnecessary material is retained in the system. It
produces an unnatural heat. In some part of the body
congestion results. Heat intensifies, and the morbid mate-
rial is turned into pus. This affects the surrounding tis-
sues, and disease follov.^s.
Various diseases result from this condition. The cause
is the same; but, being in different parts of the body, the
disease receives different names. According to statistics,
the most common trouble is consumption. The reason fur
this is seen in the fact that the waste material most nat-
lu-ally settles in the lungs. Why? Simply because the
blood carrying food material passes through the lungs,
where, according to Nature's purpose, it is supposed to
be charged with new life, and health-inspiring properties.
But, unlike all other animals, man, as a rule, does not
breathe properly. Being an artificial breather, and not
jtaking in a sufficient amount of vivifying and purifying
The \\''ay to Life and Immortality
175
air, he is not able to throw off the poison resulting from
a;i accumulation of waste material. Consequently, it
settles in the lungs and bronchial tubes, and the result is
tuberculosis.
Having given brief consideration to the cause, it re-
mains to consider the cure of this dread disease.
In the first place^ this is a disease of the body ; but it
has been brought on either through ignorance of nature's
laws or through deliberate violation of them. Being a
physical derangement primarily, it is only natural to draw
the inference that Nature alone can effect a cure, and
that the mind and the soul are of little consequence in
treating this dift"iculty.
Such an inference, however, is erroneous in the ex-
treme, for the reason that consumption is distinctively a
negative disease, and is accompanied by a negative, inert
state of mind. Notwithstanding the fact that the average
consumptive believes he wuU eventually be restored to
health and strength, he is disinclined to put forth the least
effort to regain health and strength. The average con-
sumptive is particularly affected by a disinclination, an un-
A''illingness, or even an aversion, to doing the things that
are conducive to improvement of health. Activity and ex-
ercise, so much needed in order to stimulate expansive
power in the lungs, are distasteful. In some cases, air,
light, and sunshineNature's prime restoring agencies
seem to irritate and annoy. Lethargy, indifference and

sluggishness are prominent traits, and stomp the disease as
particularly negative in its symptoms. Consequently, in
the treatment of this disease, Nature must be supplemented
by both mind and soul.
It is important to arouse and to stimulate the patient's
iinnd, heart, and soul. He must be convinced that mind,
heart, and soul are indispensable factors in healing. He
must realize that man is created in the image of God, the
Pather, and that he honors and glorifies his Maker by
173
perfecting the divine image in which he is created. He
must reahze that, by allowing the image of God to be-
come disease-racked, he is dishonoring the Creator, and
that, in so doing, he is committing a sin as truh^ as if he
were deliberately violating a moral or a lega'. code. The
patient's moral and spiritual sense of responsibility must
be aroused. He must see and understand that illness is
actual sin, or the result of actual sin. To disobey a law
of health is as grievous as any other form of unrighteous-
ness. As he is responsible for having disregarded the
laws of health, so now it is his duty to restore conditions
of health, and to live in harmony with nature's laws.
It is well for the patient to knov/ that violation of
nature's laws in regard to health is a form of unrighteous-
ness. But it may be wise to impress on his mind the
positive statements of the principle, and to emphasize the
desirability of righteousness rather than the undesirability
of error, sin, and unrighteousness. Let him see that faith-
ful observance of the laws of health is as truly a form of
righteousness as is observance of the moral decalogue. Es-
pecially if the sufferer is religiously inclined he should be
led to see that righteousness includes observance of hy-
gienic laws, including such homely items as correct habits
in regard to diet, sleep, exercise, work, recreation, bath-
ing, and breathing.
In arousing the sufferer's mind to a realization of re-
sponsibility, emphasis should be placed on the thought of
privilege, and on the desirability and the possibility of
health, strength, and vigor. Caution should be taken to
prevent him from settling into morbid reflection on the
error of his ways. Cause of illness should instantly take
the turn of rectifying illness. The only reason for a
patient's knowing the cause of illness is to enable him to
remove the cause. He must understand that reversing
conditions and removing causes are the only rational means
pf restoring health and streng'th. Ambition must be
quickened. Faith in the possibihty of health and strength
must be intensified. Interest in a worthy work or cause
;
the consciousness of being valuable to family, neighbors,
and friends ; the desire to accomplish a cherished pur-
pose; activities which absorb his attention and interest,
and which take his thought away from petty sympltoms
these are items which enable mind and soul to cooperate

with nature's healing agencies.
The principles and the arguments of Soul Science can
be used to good advantage in stimulating mind and soul
of the patient to normal activity. He should be convinced
that it is not the divine purpose for man to suffer and die,
but that it is according to the plan of the Infinite for him
to live a useful life avd thus to glorify his Maker. A rea-
sonable amount of the Illuminati series of literature may
be placed in his hands.
At the same time tha't the mind and the soul are be-
ing fed and aroused to activity the physician or healer
must give careful attention to the physical being of the suf-
ferer.
First in impoi^tance is it to free his organism of the
congestion, the decayed food material that is stored up in
his system. This is accomplished by two methods, which
should be followed at the same time. The first mdthod
is through the medium of daily warm baths, both external
and internal; the second is through cutting down the al-
lowance of food, not eating so often nor so much, and giv-
ing special attention to the quality of food and 'the proper
combination of foods.
Under this treatment, two full meals a day or three
light meals are sufficient. The morning meal should be
light, but of the most nourishing material. Take barley
that is not pearled to the amount of a cup full, pour over it
two cups of cold water. Let it stand over night. In the
morning, this should be stirred up thoroughly so as to
release from the barley the natural salts. Then pour the
water off, to this add the whites of two eggs thoroughly
beaten, and add a little cream. This is sufficient for
breakfast. Nothing more should be eaten until noon in
order that the patient may become thoroughly hungry.
The noon meal should consist of a good combination
of three classes of foods : first, a foundation, or a vitalizing
and nourishing food, as, barley, beans, peas, v/heat, lentils
;
second, a cleansing cooked vegetable, as, turnips, parsnips,
spinach, tomatoes; third, a stimulating, appetizing, uncook-
ed vegetable, as, lettuce, celery, olives. Whole wheat bread
is to be used in addition to other foods.
Barley for the noon meal should be soaked before be-
ing cooked. It should be well boiled. A dressing for it
can be made of cream, with the white of eggs, and some
good fat, such as, olive oil, butter, or peanut oil. This may
be made according to the taste of the patient. Vegetables
and grains should be thoroughly cooked, in fact, so thor-
oughly that they form a sort of puree.
This general outline of combinations admits of good
variety so that the one following the treatment need not
tire of any article of food. Frequently changes may be
made. Yet the three classes of foods should be represent-
ed at each meal. The nourishing or vitalizing product
should be chosen as a foundation for the meal, then a
cooked vegetable of cleansing and eliminating value accord-
ing to taste. Lettuce, celery, or olives, as an appetizing
and stimulating food, have qualities that are highly bene-
ficial. Of the vegetables, spinach should be used most
frequently because it contains vegetable salts required by
the system.
White bread should not be used, nor should white
potatoes form a part of the menu. These are forbidden
because they clog the system with unnecessary starchy
material. They are like vampires to the organic lime in
the organism, of which the starved and depleted system
of the consumptive is in particular need.
A word in regard to meat. The Illuminati do not
endorse a meat diet. Nevertheless, they are not so radical
and so unreasonable as to expect men, especially the af-
flicted, to give up meat all at once. Nor do they consider
it wisdom for a person to make a sudden, abrupt change
in a habit of long standing. It is to be noted that nature's
clianges are slow and gradual. Man should learn from
nature and from his Creator. Seeing that nature's ways
are processes of time, it is well for man to follow the
example of nature in this respect. Taking men as they
are, and seeing that the vast majority are meat eaters,
the Illuminati advocate gradual changes toward the non-
meat diet. In the process of change from one system of
living to another, especially in the case of a patient, the
Illuminati fortid the meats that are the most harmful
and allow the use of the least harmful. Therefore, they
recommend that the patient use only mutton and fov/l,
and that the barley, beans, or peas be cooked with the
meat. In this way, the meat need not be eaten, as, through
the process of cooking, the essence is extracted from the
meat, and is in the soup and absorbed by the vegetable.
That vv^hich remains of the meat, if eaten, would only tax
the system, would be of no benefit, and would increase con-
gestion.
In the evening, the patient should be allowed only
barley water and the whites of eggs, with some whole
wheat bread, only in an amount sufficient to satisfy, but
not enough to congest the system. Never, under any cir-
cumstances, should the patient retire soon after a full
meal. The evening meal should be so arranged that the
food is thoroughly digested before it is time to retire.
Then, just before retiring, the juice of grape fruit, apple,
or pine apple may be taken. The fruit should be thor-
oughly masticated, and the pulp rejected, only the juice
being sv/allowed.
In order to effect a cure, it is important for the patient
180
to be exceedingly hungry at meal time; but he should eat
only enough to satisfy. Between meals fruits should be
taken, such as apples, pine apples, grape fruit, ahd other
desirable fruits. Water may be used freely and at any
time except with meals. Fruit juices, however, are better
than water for the reason that they contain the salts that
arc required by the debilitated system.
The one who is physically impaired, whether from
consumption, cancer, nerve exhaustion, or any other
chronic ailment, will find it an excellent plan to eat stewed
apples before retiring. These contain every salt required
by the system. The apples should be carefully selected
and prepared. They should not be peeled, nor should the
core be removed; for in the skin there is a valuable salt,
and in the core there is an active bitter principle which is
of great value. The apple should be quartered so as to
allow examination of it, and any undesirable part may
be removed. They should be cooked, without sugar, until
they are very soft, forming a thick pulp or jelly.
When cool they are ready to serve. This is not only
a tasty but a most valuable food. It is not supposed that
the core or the skin are to be swallowed, but simply
chewed so as to extract the food value, only the juice and
pure pulp being swallowed. Contrary to popular opinion,
apples served in this manner are not bitter and disagree-
able, but are really delicious when properly prepared. It
is well for all, whether physically impaired or not, to
make frequent use of apples prepared in this manner.
It is a mistake to serve apples with sugar and cream.
Sugar robs them of the natural lime, while the cream
makes a combination that can be digested only by the
strongest stomach.
Regulation of diet is only one means by which nature
effects a cure, and it is imperative that the: patient shall
be active and zealous in promoting such conditions as
shall enable nature to perfect her work of healing. If the
181
patient is careless and indifferent in regard to hygienic
requirements, if he follows the healer's advice with irreg-
ularity, indulging his own whims at will, he can expect
nothing but irregularity and unsatisfactory progress. For
this reason a disease of negative type demands firm co-
operation of the patient with natural means of healing.
Heart, mind, soul, and body must be co-partners with God
and Nature. It is easy to say that God and Nature are
the only true healers. As an unqualified statement, it may
seem to be an easy philosophy that declares God and Na-
ture to be the only healers. Yet faith, courage, firmness,
patience, and perseverance are required on man's part to
enable him to make such conditions that God and Nature
can perfect their work. Patient as well as physician must
work in harmony with God and Nature. The Illuminati
physician is supposed to have given time and attention to
the study of Nature's lav.'s and ways. He has formulated
natural methods of treatment. The patient is responsible
for faithfulness in observing the requirements of a nat-
ural system of treatment.
Equally important with the question of diet is that
of breathing. The patient must be led to see the impor-
tance of full, deep breathing. It is well for him to fol-
low exercises which require him to breathe in harmony
with Sacred Mantrams. This practice insures rhythmical
as well as deep breathing. Particularly one whose lungs
are affected should cultivate habits of correct breathing
in order to throw out the poison from his system. Other-
wise, the state of congestion continues.
Habits in regard to sleeping are also of importance.
Ihe patient should have eight hours of sleep in a room in
v.-hich there is plenty of fresh air. The windows should
l>e open night as well as day, in winter as well as in
summer.
A natural system of treatment of disease gives at-
tention to exercise, as an essential to health and vigor.
182
Tne Way to Life and iMMOiTALiT-?
Outdoor exercise is best. Walking is advisable. Horse-
back riding is particularly good. Often it is only by sheer
force that the patient can be induced to take any kind of
wholesome exercise. For this reason a philosophy that
arouses and stimulates a fondness for activity is of in-
calculable benefit. The real self, the true being, the Im-
mortal part of his nature, should be quickened to con-
sciousness and to activity. This will stimulate an inclina-
tion to put forth effort, it will arouse fondness for whole-
some exertion. It will make industry and employment
attractive, and counteract the tendency to lethargy and
sluggishness which is a noticeable trait of those who suffer
from an affliction of the lungs.
If the patient is faithful to natural methods of treat-
ment as regards food, drink, sleep, work, exercise, rest,
recreation; if he makes constant friends of light, air, and
sunshine; if he cultivates wholesome habits of thought,
and eliminates from his mind every type of bitterness and
envy
^there is no reason why God and Nature should not

effect in him a perfect cure. It is not too much to claim
that every case of consumption, if treated according to
these principles, may be cured unless the disease has so
ravaged the system that there is no chance for freeing it
from the congestion. This claim may seem extreme. Nev-
ertheless, it is not greater than the truth. It seems ex-
treme only because the treatment has not been generally
accepted.
Another disease that is causing great ravages among
mankind is cancer. Like consumption, cancer is a nega-
tive condition. Both the cause and the method of cure
are, in general, similar to those outlined for consumption.
The congested condition that causes cancer settles in other
parts of the body and the manner of destruction is differ-
ent; consequently, it receives a different name. )
Treatment of disease according to natural means may
êem
crude to the radical seeker after mysticism who be-
183
lieves the mind is all-sufficient, and that faith alone is
necessary for the cure of disease. But the rational, well-
balanced mind will recognize that natural means combined
with a reasonable faith in God and Nature is the true
method. It gives due credit to power of mind and soul.
It recognizes both God and Nature, both divine and hu-
man agencies, both spirit and matter. It is based on the
philosophy that God and Nature are the true healers. But
it points out the way by which man may cooperate with
God and Nature, and thus make it possible for them to
perfect their office as healers of men.
1S4
The Way to Tjfe axd TM^roRTAtitv
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
TO THE BODY, NATURE IS THE PHYSICIAN.
In this connection, Nature includes air, food, drink,
exercise and recreation, baths for cleanHness and rejuvena-
tion of the body, sunshine, and all those things which sus-
tain the life of the body, and which give health, strength,
and vitality to the physical man.
Strange as it may seem, there are some called mystics
and metaphysicians who, though denying that the physi-
cal or material man has real existence, admit that food,
drink, and air are necessary to the body. Yet these same
metaphysicians fail to recognize that the quality of food
and drink has anything to do with the welfare of the
body. That it is possible for such a belief to have place
in the minds of men, even the highly educated, is to be
explained in the fact that the race mind has accepted an
inconsistent religion or none at all. The averaere mind has
not been willing to think, to investigate, or to analyze -for
itself.
But the time is now here when man will no longer
bow down to a philosophy or a religion merely because a
teacher of prominence promulgates it. He demands a re-
ligion or a philosophy that will stand the test of reason
and analysis, one that recognizes Nature as well as God,
one that considers Nature and God as co-workers, co-
creators, life-givers on an equality with each other. The
Illuminati maintain that Nature is the spouse, the hand-
maid of God, equally important Vvîth Him, because all
laws work in unity, yet only through duality. On the
human plane, body and soul hold a similar relationship
183
with each other, each being equally necessary, equally im-
portant to man. In regard to the body, Nature must be
consulted and obeyed. God is the physician to the soul,
often to the body as well. Nature's laws, however, in the
healing of mind and soul, must be honored and obeyed.
Nature and God work in unison.
In their Soul Science instructions, the Illuminati rec-
ognize that there is in reality only one disease ; but, like
all things else in nature, this disease manifests itself in
various ways. This one ill, this one affliction, may be
either of the mind or of the body. It may be caused
either by wrong thoughts and desires or by a wrong mode
of living, through ignorance of nature's laws or through
wilful violation of them. Or, as indeed is true in most
cases, it may be due to a complication of physical and
mental errors.
The millions are living in ignorance of the principles
that underlie proper foods and proper combinations of
foods. Many are better informed in regard to the treat-
ment of animals and proper nourishment for them than
they are in regard to the care of their own families. Many
make a careful study of the conditions that develop live
stock to the highest point of beauty and perfection ; where-
hs, in regard to their families, they are content to live ac-
cording to the custom of their ancestors, regardless of the
wisdom or the advisability of such custom.
The blood coursing through the veins of man is his
life; but blood can be healthful and vitalizing and pure
only as it is made from proper foods. It is impossible
to have pure blood unless proper nourishment is taken.
Noble character of thoughts and desires, no matter hovs^
pure and holy and lofty they may be, alone, can not insure
good pure blood. This the Illuminati teach as a funda-
mental lawthat mental and physical conditions must sup-
plement each other ; that mind alone is not all-powerful
;
]that
thought alone can not effect perfect physical states.
187
Therefore, they contend that food, pure in quality and har-
monious in combination, is essential to good health.
More than this, in their teaching in regard to correct
habits of living, they advocate that there is a proper and
an improper time for eating. In general, the time for eat-
ing is indicated by nature's callthe state of hunger. To
eat when one is not hungry is doing nothing less than
storing disease in one's system. Nature has so constituted
man and his organs that there will be no digestive fluids
in the stomach and the intestines unless he is actually
hungry. Consequently, without hunger, the system is not
in condition to make digestion and assimilation possible.
If food is taken into the stomach when it is not ready
lo receive food, digestion is delayed. There being heat in
the stomach, the food becomes heated and may even be-
come putrid. The result is that the digested food and the
fxuids to be assimilated, instead of being healthy and full
of life-giving power, become a poison. Only the resist-
ing power of the body prevents man from quickly suc-
cumbing to these toxic poisons. It may be years before
the body falls in death through their effects ; or. there may
be years of suffering from various diseases. It is now
fully recognized that many cases of insanity are due to
auto-intoxication. Auto-intoxication is simply a poisoning
of the system through indiscreet habits of eating. It may
be due to an excess of food, or to an improper combina-
tion of food, or to an inferior quality of food, or to food
not adapted to the person's particular need. Under these
conditions, the material is not digested or assimilated,
neither is it passed out of the system. This results in the
manufacture of toxins which are retained in the organism,
keeping it in a poisoned state.
Correct habits in regard to diet, however, is only one
of nature's means of maintaining health and strength. An
other is in regard to breathing. No one can be healthy
and strong who does not breathe freely and deeply of pure
188
fresh air. It is true that men have Hved many years who
did not breathe properly; and even those Vv^ho Hve indoors
almost entirely attain a ripe old aê. But it is not possible
to determine how much longer they might have lived had
they been subject to normal conditions. If man were to
breathe deeply and properly, and have fresh air at all
times, it would be possible for him to make use of in-
ferior foods, even foods that are now a poison to him.
When the food essences pass through the lungs, the deep
breathing of pure air would extract the poison from them
and throw it out of the system. Nevertheless, even though
this is possible, yet it is by no means advisable to tax the
lungs with unnecessary work in this way. It is, however,
a fact worth knov/ing; for most of us are at times so sit-
uated that we can not avail ourselves of proper foods. Un-
der temporary conditions of this kind, we need have no
fear of harmful results if \vq consciously cooperate with
the lungs in freeing the system of deleterious substances.
But, since man is ordinarily an artificial breather, elimina-
tion of poisons is not accomplished by the lungs. Poison-
ous substances therefore must be eliminated in some other
way, as, through the skin, the kidneys, or the bowels.
Otherwise, they remain in the system, disturbing the whole
being.
As pure food and pure air are essential to all men in
the flesh, whether they are the highest mystics or the
humblest artisans, so is sunshine also necessary. For it is
through the rays of the sun that man receives vitality, a
magnetism that makes for life and power just as the sun's
rays shining on the earth enable it to produce abundantly
the plants and the herbs required by all living creatures.
Were it not for the rays of the sun striking the earth and
having connection with it and charging it with life-power,
all vegetation would be poisonous. It is a note-worthy
fact that deadly weeds grow under trees and in dense
forests where the rays of the sun do not penetrate. That
The Vvay to Life and Immortality 189'
'sunsliine is essential to physical v;elfare is recognized by
practically every Sanitarium. Sun parlors afford the pa-
tient opportunity for basking in the sun's rays and be-
coming charged with new life and vigor.
Sleep is another of nature's means of promoting
health and vigor. For centuries, it has been taken for
granted that the strength of man is derived from the food
that he eats; but this is no longer regarded as an' exact
statement of truth. Men have overlooked the importance
of sleep in its bearing on strength and vitality. Food, like
fire in the engine, produces heat and motive power ; but
the pov/er is secured from the water in the engine which
becomes heated and generates steam. Thus, the food that
is eaten, by creating the proper heat, is simply the means
of furnishing the pov/er. During sleep, when assimilation
takes place, and when fresh pure air is breathed in, the
body receives the strength and the pov/er that gives life
and vigor. Thus, sleep is an essential to health, strength,
and vitality.
Nevertheless, perfect relaxation and wholesome sleep
are dependent upon other conditions, particularly upon
dietary discretion and upon an abundance of pure fresh
air. There can be no health-inspiring sleep if digestion
is not normal. When there is an assimilation of toxins
instead of life-giving material, sleep is not perfect. If
there is lack of pure fresh air in the sleeping chamber
natural combustion is interfered with. AVhen there are
no drafts in the stove the fires die out. There should be
an abundant circulation of pure fresh air in the human
organism to insure the fires that aid in assimilation and in
the storing up of vitality.
Dietary indiscretion is not the only cause of illness,
nor is restoration to normal dietary conditions the only
means of regaining health and efficiency. Dietary discre-
tion, an abundant supply of pure fresh air, v/holesome
sleep, frequent access to the genial rays of the sun, nor-
mal exercise and activityall are essentials to physical
and mental health and efficiency. Yet, neither one alone
is sufficient. A rational, harmonious combination of all
these items, hovvêver, will work wonders in establishing
health and strength. Then, combine with these measures,
the power of wholesome, constructive, optimistic thought-
habits and the power of a masterful will, and you have a
rational system of living. All these conditions should be
observed by the natural man. Nor is it at all difficult to
do so, thoup^h it may seem difficult to those who have lived
unnaturally, lo, these many years.
It is no more difficult to have the proper food for
breakfast than to have unnatural foods. Nor is it more
difficult to prepare them. Nor indeed is it more expensive.
However, if man observes the natural laws he will eat but
little in the morning. His morning meal will consist of
the juices of fruits, or the waters of barley or wheat, or
other liquid foods in which are found the natural salts
givers of life.
It is not nature's plan that man should partake of
heavy food before working. This is indicated bv the fact
that man is not actually hungry on first arising in the morn-
ing. It is admitted that he may have a desire for food, that
he may have an appetite, early in the morning. But desires
and appetite are not from nature but from custom. No
one in a normal condition has actual hunger on first aris-
ing in the morning. In this fact is the proof that it is
not natural for one to eat at that time. Yet it is found
that, unless one is entirely morbid or in a state of ill-health,
one does have a natural thirst soon after arising. This is
an indication that one needs some liquideither pure
water or fruit juices or waters that contain the life-giving
salts of grains. By partaking of a simple, wholesome drink
cf this nature, man prepares his system for the noon meal.
,Toward noon, being hungry, which indicates that the di-
gestive juices are
activej he is in good condition for a full
The Vây to Life and Immortality.
191
meal, well-balanced and harmonious in combination. Thus,
there is no reason why digestioil should not be normal, and
assimilation perfect, resulting 'in pure blood and a state of
perfect health.
Taken as a class, howêver, men are in a state of poor
health even though they may not be aware of the fact.
Often they are not hungry at noon, and make the mis-
take of eating at the call of desire and appetite rather than
of hunger. To eat when not hungry may satisfy an ab-
normal craving, but it also adds poison to the system and
only gives more fuel for disease to do its destructive work.
It is hardly possible to lay too much stress on the
importance of dietary discretion. Practically, the whole of
life depends on the food one eats. More ills of life are
due to improper food than mankind dreams of. An ex-
cess of stimulating food creates a desire for alcoholic
drinks ; or, it may arouse to an abnormal degree the carnal
nature, and intensify tendencies toward crim.e and lust. In
either case, the evil is entirely dependent for its existence
on the heat that is generated in the body by improper foods.
Heat thus generated is not normal. It leads to an un-
natural craving. It may be a craving for strong drink. It
may be an abnormal passion in the generative system,
which creates an uncontrolable desire for lustful acts.
Thus, the twin evilsdrunkenness and tariff in white
slavesare traceable chiefly to dietary indiscretion. One
will exist as long as the other. And neither the one nor
tlic other will be overcome or can possibly be thoroughly
o\ercome until man eats according to rational, scientific
dietary principles.
When man and woman eat according to reason and
good judgment, and when they observe other natural laws,
the heat generated in the system and communicated to the
brain will be normal. The demands of the body, how-
ever, wîll not be destroyed or weakened or impaired. Rath-
er, as a result of discretion in regard to food, they will be
192
natural and trust-worthy and will require only normal rea-
sonable satisfaction.
The Illuminati do not deal with results. They aim, in-
istead, to correct the root of troubles. Social evils, like
cancer, may be apparently removed while in reality the
root of the difficulty remains in the organism. So long
as there is one root remaining in the social body, it is
liable to grow again; and, like cancer, every new growth
will be more virulent than former ones.
For this reason, the Illuminati maintain that neither
the evils of alcohol nor the evils of prostitution can be re-
moved through legislative acts. Nor can desires be con-
trolled by legal enactments or by legislative power in the
hands of associated physicians, no matter how extensive
iiiay be their learning. Such evils, all evils, can be removed
only by giving knov\^ledge to mankind and by removing the
cause. The cause of evils is twofold
primary and sec-

ondary. The cause reveals itself in the way man lives,
in his manner of eating, sleeping, breathing, exercising,
v/orking. Such things as these determine, to a great ex-
tent, the character of his thought.
It is easy to declare that evil originates in the thoughts
of man, that the origin of sin is in "the imaginations of
the thoughts of his heart." But a rational adjustment of
all things demands recognition of the fact that soundness
of body is necessary to soundness of mind, that it is well-
nigh impossible for an individual to be actuated by lofty
aspirations and hopeful views when his physical being is
disturbed by poisonous accretions or famished for vitaliz-
ing elements. It is necessary to remove the secondary
cause as well as the primary. Removing the secondary, and
making physical conditions as nearly perfect as is possible,
makes removal of the primary cause comparatively an easy
matter. That mental and physical must work together, that
mind and body are supplementary agencies in establishing
Jiealth and efficiency, that God and Nature are inseparable..
this the Illuminati hold as fundamental truths; and on
it as a foundation they are willing to stand or to fall.
Is there basis for this doctrine in revealed religion, in
the Sacred Scriptures?
There is. Listen to these words, which come in
thundering tones down the ages:
"What satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that
thy youth is renewed like the eagles."
How many of the vast multitudes that have read these
words ever gave a thought to their meaning?
Yet how significant ! How thoroughly in harmony
with the doctrine of Life and Immortality ! How thor-
oughly in harmony with the Illuminati doctrine, that "filling
the mouth with good things" is a requisite of the Immor-
tality whose "youth is renewed like the eagles
!"
Let us hope that this important passage in the Scrip-
tures may be more than a dead letter to those who read
it in the light of Illuminati principles. Let us hope that
humankind may hasten to accept the truth in its simplicity.
Let no mystic or metaphysician regard it a materialistic
doctrine which advocates that the youth of him whose
mouth the Lord filleth with good thingsnatural, nutri-
tious foodsis renewed like the eagles.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his
benefits
;
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all
thy diseases;
"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who
crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies
;
"Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, so that
thy youth is renewed like the eagles."Ps. 103:1-5.
These verses, in exalted poetical expression, voice the
doctrine of Life and Immortality. They honor God as the
Giver of all good things. They honor man as the recipient
194
of all good things, or as the medium through which the
Infinite functions. These words portray a well-balanced
philosophy, a philosophy that represents God and man as
counterparts, each of the other; God and Nature as har-
monious co-workers; a philosophy that recognizes physi-
cal means and physical agencies as thoroughly consistent
with spiritual laws and spiritual graces.
THE TEACHING OF EUGENICS
THE STAND TAKEN BY THE ILLUMINATI.
The question of eugenics and sex hygiene is claiming
pronounced attention among people generally, especially
among educators and reformers. It therefore seems ad-
visable for the Illuminati to make definite statements con-
cerning their position on the subject.
Many have gone to great extremes in their ideas con-
cerning eugenics and the teaching of eugenics. A few
years ago it was a crime to have anything to say concern-
ing sex and the part that sex plays in the life of man. To
such extent was this the case that some who dared to
speak the truth on this subject were sent to the peniten-
tiary. Now, the pendulum of public interest has swung to
the other extreme; and magazines and newspapers are full
of articles on different phases of this subject as well as
reports of conventions in which this subjects claims a
prominent place. Indeed, to such extent is the discussion
of this subject carried that the young, knowing nothing
of sex, are led into all kinds of morbid conjecture.
The Illuminati hold, as they have held for many cen-
turies, that sex is of the utmost significance, that the ef-
fects of sex, or the use of sex power, is of paramount im-
portance. Further, they hold, as they have held in cen-
turies past, that mankind should be taught fully concern-
ing sex, that man should be ignorant concerning nothing
that has to do with sex.
But, further than this, in the main, the Illuminati do
not agree with the alarmists of the present day. The ex-
perience of those who are strenuously advocating the
teaching of sex hygiene covers at best but a few )êars.
^'^^hereas, the experience of the Illuminati dates back
through centuries. For centuries the teachers of the Il-
luminati have been giving instructions to their followers
196
Tpie Way to Life and Immortalitx
concerning the mysteries of sex. Proof of this fact is to
be found in their Hteratiire. Their teaching has been con-
demned. Their teachers and writers have been persecuted
because they dared to teach the truth. Nevertheless, thous-
ands who came to the Illuminati for instruction and advice
have been saved from ignorance, error, and sin. During
/the centuries, thousands have reaped blessings untold by
following the principles of sex hygiene as advocated by
the Illuminati.
And now, after many of that noble band have been
made to suffer for teaching privately and quietly, under
the most sacred and protected conditions, the laws of sex-
ual science, advocates of sex hygiene are springing up on
every hand, making public and prominent their plea for
instruction on sex purity. To make the matter more de-
plorable, these would-be educators and reformers have
given the science of sex little careful study. They have
no practical knowledge of the principles involved. Nor do
they have 'the slightest insight into the deeper phases of
sex philosophy and its bearing on the higher culture of
the human race. Nevertheless, they are bold in advocating
measures which men of the Illuminati, after a lifetime of
experience, would nott dream of advocating. To make the
contrast greater, the Illuminati teachers of past years,
who reaped persecution, gave their lifetime to the study
of this subject in all its phases. Their investigations re-
sulted in the discovery of a mighty secret, which they hint-
ed at and offered to explain to all worthy seekers after
truth. But public opinion was not then ready to listen
even to the barest suggestion along this line of thought.
Fiut now, under a sudden glow of enthusiasm, men of in-
experience are advocating methods and systems which
^ôuld result in ruin a thousand times greater than that
v/hich followed centuries of ignorance.
While the Illuminati hold, and always have held, that
instruction should be given in eugenics and sexual hy-
giene, and that such instruction is of the utmost import-
ance, and that upon purity of sex rests the foundation of
existence, yet they emphatically condemn, noit only as
useless but even as a menace to humanity, the teaching of
sexual hygiene in the public schools,
Public opinion must be educated, to be sure. The
race consciousness must be cleansed of its abnormal, mor-
bid, and unhealthful ideas and conjectures. The race con-
science must be stimulated to higher ideals and purer mo-
tives. There is urgent need of correct instruction. Knowl-
edge, not ignorance, sets men free. Thus far the Illuminati
agree with the advocates of sexual hygiene. But that the
public school is the place for instruction in sexual laws
is a measure which the Illuminati positively discourage.
Educators in eugenics and sexual hygiene should be men
and women who are qualified by nature and by careful
training for imparting instruction in this especial sub-
ject. Parents are the ones in particular to whom such
instruction should be given. The father should under-
stand his own creative system, the laws of use and non-
use of creative power. He should understand what sub-
jects are wholesome to teach his sons and at what age
they should be taught. The mother, likewise, should un-
derstand those things wdiicli concern her creative being
and her creative power. She should know when and hov^
to communicate true knowledge and ideas of purity and
nobility to her daughters.
That children and young people as well as parents
should receive instructionin this, too, the Illuminati
agree with the advocates of sexual hygiene. But that this
instruction should be imparted in schools and colleges,
in Ithis, the Illuminati unreservedly disagree. No man
teacher is competent to teach these subjects to boys and
girls under conditions which classroom and lecture-hall
ir.ake necessary. Nor is there a young woman teacher
competent !to handle this subject before boys of tender
years, much less, boys at the age of adolescence. These
statements may seem at first thought to be radical and
extreme beyond reason. But careful consideration of the
conditions under which teachers must work will convince
any candid investigator of the truth and the wisdom of
these assertions.
The instructions given to parents and those who fill
the place of parents should in particular emphasize the
necessit}^ of imparting wholesom.e information to the chil-
dren under their care. In this way, rather than in -the
classroom^ children should receive the instruction neces-
198
The Way to Life and iMMORfALiT-s?
sary to make them noble men and women. Faddists on
sexual education will answer this argument by saying that
the parents do not have the necessary knowledge and
training themselves, and are therefore not qualified to do
this. It is freely admitted that the majority are not quali-
fied to do this as they should. But how superior is the
qualification of the majority of teachers in the public
schools?
Again it is fully recognized by the Illuminati that
education of public opinion in this line as in all other
hnes is a question of time, and that conspicuous results
are not to be expected on shorit notice. Growth and change
in the race thought is at best slow. Transformation of
character lies at the basis of growth. One necessary fea-
ture in the transformation of character is a practical ap-
plicaJtion of the laws of eugenics and sexual poweT, ex-
tending through successive generations. Parents must un-
derstand hygiene and psychologic laws which will en-
able them to procreate better and nobler specimens of
humanity, children strong in body, mind, and soul. Each
generation should be superior to the preceding. Thus,
changes and improvements come about gradually, perhaps
almost imperceptibly, nevertheless surely.
What is to be said concerning laws to regulate 'these
rr.iatters ?
The Illuminati maintain that legislative acts will con-
fer no benefit on the race. No matter whether the laws
have to do with compulsory education in the schoolroom
on the science of sex or whether they aim at the regula-
tion of marriages, little or no advantage is to be expected
from them. The reasons for this conclusion are of the
bes!t. Nobi'lity and health of offspring are to be ac-
counted for on the basis of love and harmony between
the parents and a genuine love for the child that is to
be. This, no legislative measure can determine or insure.
It is a fact well known to those who have given
serious study to conditions which tend to better the race
that it is not always the physically perfect father and
mother which rear superior children, children strong in
body, mJnd, and soul. More often, children healthy in
body, strong in mind, and lofty in aspirationaye, even
geniuses, men and women who accomplishare born
to
The Way to Life and Immortalitv
199
parents who, though possibly physically inferior, possess
lofty desires, clean minds, and liiost of all, love for the
forthcoming offspring. Men and women of the so-called
"upper classes," although seemingly healthy in body, but
desiring no children, and being in a bitter state of mind,
even in a continued state of condemnation of that which
is to bethese are the ones who bring forth children in-
fcvior in body and mind, and almost bereft of soul.
Through long experience, the Illuminati have observ-
ed that the father and the mother who care for each other
and who desire offspring and look forward to the event
V ith pleasure, bring forth children healthy in body and
in mind, children whose souls are not warped by bitter-
nessand that too even though 'the parents may be im-
paired in physical health. Patent to all who have given
the subject careful investigation is this observation, ;that
even where both parents are seemingly in perfect mental
and physical health, if offspring is undesired, the child
will be inferior in every respect, possibly even a degener-
ate,
Whait, then, is the secret of bringing forth a race that
is healthy in mind, body, and soul?
The Illuminati hold, and without successful contra-
diction, that, in order to accomplish this much desired ob-
ject, it is necessary for parents in all walks of life, the
low-born as well as 'the high-born, to receive instruction
in regard to all phases of self-improvement and race-im-
provement. Race-improvement comes from improvement
of individual conditions. Laws of health and hygiene
must receive general attention. Parents must acquaint
themselves with food values and food combinations. They
must select and combine foods from the standpoint of
tiieir nourishing, and eliminating properties rather than
from the standpoint of taste alone. Exercise, sleep, out-
door recreation, baths for cleanliness and for rejuvena-
tion, proper clothing, wholesome thought environments
these and other factors which pertain to self-improve

-
nient must receive their due share of attention. People
generally must become informed in regard to matters of
health in body and in mind. A true system of sexual hy-
giene must be adopted and applied. Parents must give
thoughtful consideration to the duty of instructing their
1200
children at the proper age in the science of sex. But,
first and last, most important of all, it must become a part
of the race consciousness to realize that there can be no
healthy offspring where no offspring is desired.
The Illuminati hold it as a general principlea princi-
ple Ithat cannot be controvertedthat one absolutely es-
sential requisite to the birth of healthy, noble children is
love and harmony between the parents. Yet, important
as this factor is, it is not to be thought of as the only
requisite for promoting the welfare of the race. Economic
conditions must undergo renovation before we can ex-
pect normal, healthful birth and rearing of children. By
no means is it true Ithat the greatest menace to human-
kind at the present time is ignorance of sexual hygiene
and eugenics. The greatest menace to society, and one
which is ithe hardest to overcome, is that state of affairs
in the economic world which makes it impossible for
parents to provide proper nourishment for themselves and
children. Insuft'icient food and improper food are funda-
mientally accountable for disease and unhappiness and
crime among the masses where ignorance of sexual hy-
giene is only a secondary cause. In many cases, abnormal
and vicious physical appetite is directly traceable to a de-
ranged condition of the stomach or a congested feverish
slate of certain organsall due to insufficiency of vital
food elements or improper balance of food values.
By no means rash and unreasonable is it to claim
that the social problem and the labor question are in-
separable from each other and that instruction in eugenics
and sexual science will avail little unless it is supplement-
ed by improved conditions in the industrial world, which
will enable parents to provide the necessities of life for
their families.
How can healthy, vigorous children be expected when
the mo>ther, during the time in which she should be pro-
vided with the best, is limited to a scanty supply of in-
ferior food and clothing? The Illuminati therefore main-
tain that legal enactments regulating marriages and com,-
pelling public schools to give instruction in sexual hy-
giene and eugenics will be of little avail. You may make
laws by the scores regulating marriages, you may compel
jpiU teachers in all schools to teach eugenics and spcual.
201
hygiene, you may even teach fathers and mothers what
to do and what not to do; but, if the economic conditions
are such that niilHons of fathers and mothers are starv-
ing while they are rearing a family, you will have deficient
children, who in turn are forced to bring forth children
even more deficient.
In consideration of these cold facts, facto everywhere
staring us in the face, the Illuminati regard it as mockery
before God and man for the church, the ministry, and
well-meaning though unreasonable bodies of men and wom-
en to clamor for laws regulating marriage and laws
forcing public instruction on sexual hygiene and eugenics.
Ihey know not whalt their feverish clamor is doing. They
are advocating laws which tend to drive boys and girls
to extreme measures in satisfying curiosity and conjecture
unnecessarily aroused by the inadequate instruction re-
ceived, even causing them to become fathers and mothers
of illegitimate children. And all the while nothing is be-
ing done to control or to improve economic conditions,
and the millions go on bearing children, and even the
iMOther has not food and clothing sufficient for one body,
much less for two bodies.
The Illuminati admit that there is grave need of cor-
rect knowledge regarding sex. This fact can not receive
too much emphasis. They admit that thousands are ruined
through ignorance of this subject. But they also recog-
nize that millions are weaklings and mental imbeciles and
nervous wrecks on account of actual starvation, starva-
tion brought about through insuft'icient compensation for
work.
If man were simply an animal, then laws might be
made forcing him not to mate unless he is in a healthy
physical condition, and when himself strong and healthy
to mate only with one equally strong and vigorous. Laws
might then be made to appoint a guardian over him, to
force him to follow the dictates of the law in all respects.
In this case, he might be led to breed healthy human
animals. But, even then, in order to accomplish their
object, these law-makers would be compelled to provide
proper food, clothing, shelter, air, sunshine, and other
necessary hygienic conditions. Such items as these receive
202
careful attention on the part of scientific breeders of
animals. Admittedly, law-makers are not in a position
to do this in regard to the human species, even if they
have the discrimination to see that it is necessary or
advisable to do so.
Man, however, is not a mere animal, nor do the laws
that control animal life bind him. In procrealtion, man
uses something more than the body. He uses mind and
heart. And, under normal conditions, if the mind is in
the right attitude, if 'the desires of both heart and mind
of both father and mother are what they should be, then
they will bring forth offspring which will astonish the
advocates of eugenics, even though the body may be im-
paired in health and strength. It is love between man
and woman that is the magic key to off'spring Avhich
shall be efficient, of lofty spirituality, and free from dis-
ease.
For this reason, the Church of Illumination takes
the stand tha't laws regulating marriage are useless, aye
even productive of the very conditions they are trying to
avoid. It holds this position in spite of all thai't is being
said to the contrary by various churches and organiza-
tions and educators.
Before there can be a perfect human race mankind
must be taught the value of hygienic conditions in all de-
partments of life. Correct habits in regard to food, cloth-
ing, work, exercise, rest, recreation, sleep, cleanliness of
both body and mind, must be generally established among
men. There must be a general understanding among par-
ents of the laws that pertain to the sexual system; and
they in turn must impart such knowledge to their children.
Ivlost of all, economic conditions must be so arranged
that it v^'ill be impossible for millions of deficient children
to be born in the poorer sections of our cities and other
places throughout the world because of an insufficiency
of food to keep body and soul together.
What does the Church of Illumination propose to do
as its part in the work of human redemption?
It proposes to continue teaching mankind the Divine
Laws, which pertain to his entire being, which pertain to
tis relations with other human beings, whether it be as
husband and father in the home or as worker in the
employ of others or as one who gives employment to
others. It proposes in its teachings to lay stress on the
equal importance of man's threefold nature, physical,
mental, and spiritual. It proposes to continue teaching that
a sound mind and a sound body are necessary to each
other ; that hygienic conditions on the physical plane are
equally important with psychologic conditions on the men-
tal plane; that sexual hygiene is an essential, but that it
is not the only essential, to race improvement. It proposes
to give a well-rounded, well-balanced education and train-
ing to those who seek solace and help V'/ithin its temple
doors. It proposes to guard against abnormal emphasis
on any one department of life.
Furthermore, the instruction offered by the Illuminati
on the subject of sex is not experimental. It is not the
viork of well-meaning, though abnormally enthusiastic,
amateurs. It is the result of life-long investigations, the
result of successful experience through centuries of time.
The instructions have been tested under varied condi-
tions in different climes and in different periods of his-
toryall with satisfactory results to those who have
olfcyed the laws in their manifold requirements. The II-
himinati are prepared to give scientific instruction on the
varied aspects of this subject, including sexual hygiene,
eugenics, duty of parents to each other, and duly of par-
ents to their offspring. But, most important of all, they
are prepared to teach both to the married and to the
unmarried the sacrcdness of sex, and the power of sex
in unfolding the Divine Image in man and woman. There
is power in sex undreamed of bv the most radical advo-
cate of eugenics^
power which concerns not only the

physical man but the spiritual man as well, power which
directly and undeniably affects the soul, power which, when
properly directed, becomes the Way to Life and Immor-
tality.
The higher features of sexual science, the features
that pertain to soul culture, immortality, and rejuvena-
tion of the entire being, are items of which the multitudes
little dream. But these deeper truths are the very things
which the Illuminati have been teaching, are teaching,
and propose to ccnlinuc tca:hii^g manldnd.
204
Moreover, the minister, or the priest, of the Illiiminati
may not, dare not, officiate in marrying a man and a
woman who have not received instruction in the various
departments of sexual science. These instructions are in
the form of lessons covering no less than forty-eight
hours all told. They contain the fundamental laws which
concern the betterment of the race. They are prepared
specifically for those who contemplate marriage, and are
given privately to the prospective husband and wife prior
to the marriage ceremony. Thus, it is evident that the
Temple of Illuminati is far in advance of other organi-
zations which aim at race betterment. None can belong
to it and be in ignorance of the Foundation of Life.
THE WAY TO GODHOOD
BE THOU A MAN AND THOU MAYST BE A GOD
We have stepped from the old life with its teaching's,
its religions, its philosophies, which have taught men a
negative and destructive doctrine and thereby have held
them in bondage and in slavery for many centuries, with
its teachings of the undesirableness of life, the evil of
worldly possessions, the destructive effects of natural de-
sires and passions, the evils of joy and happiness on
earth. We have left these things behind, and have step-
ped into the new age, wherein we are taught that manhood
is the zvay to Godhood, that life is glorious and desirable,
that happiness and joy is the divine heritage of man, and
that all men have the right to develop power and strength
so that they may be a success, so that they may have
possessions v/hich will give them strength and power, in-
fluence and desirable things in life, without robbing others
of these same desirable things.
BE A MAN AND THOU MAYST BE A GOD
This is the Divine Command of the New Age.
Because this one new command includes the Ten Com-
mandments given by the Lawgiver Moses and even more
than these, it is to be regarded more important than
the decalogue. The new book of which this command
is the theme teaches the new religion-science-philosophy,
teaches man how to be a man, teaches him how to live so
that he may have health, strength, and power, so that he
may possess those things which bring happiness and peace,
teaches him the right and the desirability of living. The
book teaches him that happiness on earth is the path to
happiness in the next world ; for no man can be truly
happy who is living an evil life.
"The New Commandment" teaches how to live that
Manhood shall be the first great stage of growth, and
that godhood may follow manhood.
"THE NEW COMMANDMENT"
is the most optimistic, the most revolutionary, work that
has ever been issued. It is a work that does not destroy
rehgion, but teaches the highest and the most subHme
rehgion known to man. It is a work that teaches the di-
vineness, the gloriousness, of hfe. It does not teach the
depravity of one man, and the divinity of another, but
teaches all men how to become divine.
"THE NEW COMMANDMENT"
is the Way to Life. It is more, it is the Way to Strength,
to all that is desirable, the Way to Immortality.
New Thought, Mysticism, Higher Thought, have pro-
duced many noteworthy books, books which have helped
to show the way to a better life; but there has been no
book issued that shows the Path, first of all, to Manhood,
and then to Godhood, as does this book. No man who h
seeking to solve the riddle of life, and to find the way of
life, can afford to miss this book.
CONTENTS
MANHOOD AND RESPONSIBILITY, THE GOAL.
In this first chapter it is shown that instead of shirk-
ing responsibility, we should seek it; that through
accepting responsibility we gain strength and power,
the strength and the power to accomplish ; that the
reason why the multitudes are slaves to the few is
because they have been shirking responsibility, while
responsibility has been accepted by the fevv^, who
have become the masters, and, in many cases, the
exploiters, of the many.
HEAVEN, THE STATE OF HAPPINESS, MUST BE
POUND WHILE ON EARTH.
Here is shown that the negative doctrine that the
body is an enemy to the soul, that life is undesirable
and evil, is a doctrine that is destructive; that, in
order to find a state of bhss beyond the grave, we
must
fijid
it here and now; that life is desirable be-
cause 'life is an opportunity
.
LIFE IS NOT A DISEASE, AN EVIL FROM WHICH
TO FIGHT FOR FREEDOM.
Contrary to the old philosophies and religions which
teach that the sooner we can gain freedom from life
on earth the better, "The New Commandment"
teaches that life is the opportunity to gain strength
of
body and soul; th^t unless we find Manhood first.
with all its responsibilities, we will never be able to
find Godhood, or Kinship with the All Father.
CONSCIOUS INDIMDUALITY, THE GOAL OF
LIFE.
We live on this plane of being so that we may, first of
all, awaken all the dormant physical powers; and
while we are awakening these we must also awaken
the Inner Consciousness in order to reach Soul Il-
lumination, which means Conscious Individuality.
\\"ithout Conscious Illumination, no man can reach
Godhood, or Sonship with the Father.
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO RENOUNCE THE
WORLD AND ITS POSSESSIONS.
Contrary to all negative philosophies of the past, "The
Nezv Comfnandment" teaches that instead of retarding
the Soul growth of man, possessions, if rightly gained,
are a means toward greater growth. By no means
do they retard the growth of Soul, nor prevent high
spiritual potency.
HOPE, THE ELEVATING MAGNET OF LIFE.
Without hope life is useless ; for hope is the magnet
that attracts us ever onward and upward. It is the
incentive to act, the incentive to become. And what
hope indicates, man has the power to accomplish if
he accepts a true law of hfe.
SUPPRESS A NATURAL DESIRE, AND IT BE-
COMES A VICE.
The tendency of the teaching of the established church
has been to suppress natural desires, and to leave
the impression that these desires are the means of
leading man astray. As a result of these erroneous
ideas, we have the multitudes of human derelicts, im-
beciles, and weaklings ; for a natural desire repressed
or suppressed, breaks out in a vice as impure bloiod
manifests in eruptions of the skin. "The New Com-
mandment" teaches us to change our desires into po-
tencies for accomplishing great things.
SLAVERY ALWAYS FOLLOWS WEAKNESS.
Weakness is the cause of slavery on every plane,
and in every department of life. Thus, the physically
weak are the slaves
of
the physJ<;alIv strong; the
mentally weak, the slaves of the mentally strong; thq
ignorant, the slaves of the shrewd.
NATURAL INSTINCTS, NOT EVIL.
Our natural instincts, according to ''The New Com-
mandment" are not evil, but are indicators of our
strength and are the means of indicating what is
necessary in order to live a normal life.
OTHER CHAPTERS ARE
TO THE WEAK, A DOCTRINE OF WEAKNESS
SEEMS NATURAL.
TOTAL DEPRAVITY CAN COME ONLY THROUGH
A DEPRAVED LIFE.
V/ITHOUT HEALTH THERE CAN BE NO MAN-
HOOD, NO MANLINESS.
RENUNCIATION OF WORLDLY POSSESSIONS,
NO INDICATION OF EITHER WISDOM OR
GOODNESS.
THE DESIRE TO ENJOY IS NOT EVIL.
SUFFER NOT INJUSTICE TO BE DONE.
A correct explanation of the Law, "Resist not evil."
THE DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF NEGATIVE
TEACHINGS.
MANHOOD OR DEGENERACY, WHICH?
"YOUR OWN WILL COME TO YOU" IF YOU
WORK FOR IT.
A chapter clearly showing the fallacy of "Your own
will com.e to you," as generally understood. Some-
thing every student of New Thought, Occultism,
Mysticism, Higher Thought, Theosophy, etc., should
read.
The book contains 200 pages, printed on fine book
paper, beautifully bound in cloth, side and back stamped
in gold. In perfect harrnony with other Illuminati books,
^'he price is $L25.
Order at once and begin to live its teachings.
The
Philosophical Publishing Company,
Allentown, Pa,
Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process.
Neutralizing agent; Magnesium Oxide
Treatment Date: Dec. 2004
PreservationTechnologies
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Ti-MPbE OF IbbUMlNATJ

-then will all undesirable crea-

bvJ by living such a holy and sinless

that is, in harmony with natural and divine law. Only

"to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the

this pictures the true meaning of living in the Christ.

physical culture, aiming at health, strength, and et-

freedom from all undesirable conditionsis a step of

Jesus taught that, as he had done, so is it

the task of mastering the passions that cause discomfort,

''Him in whom we live and move and have

perfection of mind, soul, and

aye, even any thought or desire

^that brings pain, sor-

this law concerns the body and conditions which affect

body, mind, soul, and spirit. Thus, every feature of daily

life ever more and more abundant.

prevails or evilthat is,

prevails. All that

wrong merely in that it concerns the physical beingis

then, it follows that he is guilty of violating physical

a creature of wrong acting and wrong thinking, one who

is the cause of sickness, and, in the end, brings death as

greatest of all scourges.

seem to irritate and annoy. Lethargy, indifference and

these are items which enable mind and soul to cooperate

^there is no reason why God and Nature should not

primary and sec-

these and other factors which pertain to self-improve

power which concerns not only the

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