the human soul - article from the rosicrucian digest august 1946

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T h e

R osi cru cia n

D ig es t

A u g u s t

1946

The Human Soul

By E u s t a q u i o P a s c u a A l c a b e d a s , N. D., F. R. C.

h i l e the existence of thesoul is generally believed,it has never been reallyunderstood except by a

very limited number. Itsorigin, nature, purpose,and destiny are still ob-scure even among ourwellmeanin g ministers of

God and socalled saviors of the soul.It is not strange therefore that it is com-pletely ignored everywhere in ourdaily, practical life. And it is no won-der that materialistic faith has crept upin our midst denying the actuality of the soul.

The materialistic thinker finds nosense in having a soul that is of no usewhat soever in our daily activities. Inits place he can perceive nothing morethan physical vigor and mechanistic be-havior. A will to live, he opines, is allthat a man has and that is coeval withhis physiochemical existen ce. It is themechanical efficiency of his transitorybeing wThich begins with his bir th andends at his death. Wh en th e body isdemised, its characteristic vitality andmentality are doomed with it.

Radically opposed to this physio-chemical view is that of the scholasticthinker who maintains vehemently thatthe conception of a child means the

creation of a new soul by God. To himthis soul is tainted with the original sinof its ancestors, from which sin it mustbe cleansed to regain the grace of itsCreator. It is immorta l and will ascendto heaven, purgatory, or hell, according

to its deserts when it leaves the bodyat death. He reasons out tha t becauseit is imnerfect and corruptible, it mustbe saved through a process of purifica-

tion prescribed by the only true Chris-tian church—by holy grace of confes-sion and communion while on earthand by that of prayer and mass whilein pur gatory. Otherwise, the soul willbe doomed with a mortal sin to an un-rem itt ing tortur e in hell. All the livingand dead will be resurrected in theirformer earthly bodies for a final judg-ment by the Lord Jesus Christ who willseparate the innocent from the sinners:the former to enjoy the glory of heavenforever; the latter to suffer a seethingfire of eternal hell.

Regnant, although unperceived, high

over the smokebelching contenders of those two opposing views about thesoul, is a version that has held its owndeep in the hearts of the most advancedseers of all ages, past and present . Thisis the Cosmic conception which pro-pounds the fundamental duality of ma n’s nat ure. In accepted scientificmethods it demonstrates that the bodyis formed from the elements of theearth and the soul from the essence of the Cosmic Reing. It explains h ow thesoul from the Cosmic plane must needshave the physical body as a vehicle inorder to accomplish its constructive mis-

sion on this earthly plane of manifesta-tion. We shall try to enlarge upon therelationship of these two aspects of ourbeing, the better to comprehend theorigin, nature, purpose, and destiny of the human soul.

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All sincere and earnest students of ontology are convinced by experience,after a demonstration from the lives of those who have mastered life’s funda-mental principles, that the soul is thespiritual projection of the Cosmic mindimpregnating the human body withvita l life force and conscious power . Itmanifests as the ego or personality inits individualized instrument or body

but is never separated from the Cosmicmin d or un iversal soul from whi ’i itemanates. It is therefore connected vith every other h uma n ego or persoi litythat ra diates from the Cosmic Cr< tor.It is from this unbroken soulessen 5 orenergy that we acknowledge the lil rty,equality, and frater nity of all nenun der the Fatherh ood of the Sup jmeDeity.

T h e C a u s e o f H u m a n V a r i a t i on

If that is so, we might interpose, whyare we confronted with all kinds of disparity in the lives of our fellow men?

Why are some born in opulence andothers in poverty? Wha t has madethat man a tyrant and this one a demo-crat? How is it that a certain fellow isquite healthy while his brother is oftenill? And wher efore is the cont ra st be-tween the idiot and the prodigy? Tha tglaring inequalities seem to aboundeverywhere nobody will deny; but forlack of space a brief answer will bedeemed here sufficient for this verycomplicated problem.

It is true that the manifestation of the universal soulessence should besimilar in every hum an body. Un for-

tunately or fortunately, however, everyhuman being has been fashioned verydifferently from the gross material ele-ments of a corruptible mundane exis-tence. This condit ion makes all ma n-kind more or less, comparable to a col-lection of bottles of varying sizes, colors,and shades. The universa l soul essencewe may liken to the pure crystallinewater in a tank. Each bott le is screwedto a faucet on the tank from which allthe bottles are filled with the same lim-pid stream. Does not the var iety of thephysical makeup or composition andclearness of the bottles explain why thecrystalline quality of the water is re-flected in various colors and shades tothe observer? In like man ner, th e soulis reflected differently according to the

physical body within which it is mademanifest.

Again, another illustration which wehave often witnessed ourselves is a net-work of incandescent lamps of variouscolors and sizes over an openair audi-torium downtown. All are similar lyattached to the same power plant fromwhich flows the same electric current.Yet, why is it that even among thelamps of the same size, shape, andcolor, the reflection of light is not of equal radiance or intens ity? Is not thedifferen ce caused by th e var ying physiochemical quality of the glass bulbsthemselves? In a similar wa y thehuman body can reflect only that de-gree of soul radiance or manifestationof personality which its physiologicaltemper or sensitiveness may enable itto do. It is only th rough th e completeattunement of the outer physical self with the inner psychic self that thesoul can regenerate and evolve the bodyto its fullest efficiency. Such a per fect

coordination and cooperation is not at-tainable in a generation or so: it can beaccomplished through repeated cycles of spiraling evolution, m at urin g us for t helife principle in the eternal moment wehave to enjoy here and now.

S o u l * t h e G u i t i i n f f S p i r i t

The soul is the guiding, creativespirit that vitalizes and gives conscious-ness to the body, urging the ego or per-sonality generated therein to higherideals of beauty and perfection by itsexperience and wisdom. It is of theprimal essence of God who is all Life

and Mind, ever pure, divine, wise, andinfinite. It cann ot be corrupted andmade imperfect, else God Himself would not be the Divine perfection andAbsolute ideal we acclaim Him to be.It needs no human dogma or racialscheme of purification, which is pettyand limited, to be of any value for itsown salvation. It remains unalterableat all times, either on the mundane orCosmic plane. The law of karma orcompensation spells for everyone eitherfelicity or retribution, peace or torment,heaven or hell, according as we mayfollow the wisdom of the soul or thefolly of th e body. This law is Cosmic,universal and immutable, and does notexempt even the Divine aut hor from itsoperation. Hence, if pne will reap only

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T h e R os icru cia n

D ig es t

A u g u s t

1946

that which one sows in accordance withthis karmic law, God cannot very wellsow and reap an ignoble and corruptiblesoul. Other wise, the event would boldlystand out as an indelible blot on Hisabsolute wisdom.

Objections have been raised againstthe statement that the soul is possessed

of the perfection and wisdom of theAbsolut e Deity. Most Christian believ-ers consider it a desecration of the sanc-tity of the Supreme Being to say thatthe soul, a mere at tribute of man , shouldbe thought of as a part of God who isdistinct and independent of all thethings He created. Yet the Biblical textso fondly quoted as authority on thesubject does not have any passage whichwarrants the belief that God created thesoul either before or after man wasmoulded from the dust or elements of the earth. Referring to Genesis weread, “And God formed man of the

dust of the ground, and breathed intohis nostrils the breath of life; and manbecame a living soul.” It is very im -portant to note that when the physicalbody was finished, man was still with-out “the breath of life” and had notyet become “a living soul.” Noth ing inthe Rible states that “the breath of life”with which “man became a living soul”was created with “the dust of thegroun d.” On the cont ra ry, we are defi-nitely informed that “soul” came with“life” (both of which were already ex-istent) with the divine breath of GodWho formed the body of dust to con-

tain them. This subtle breath whichcombines the vital life force and soulessence of man, is the spirit of God.Man’s vital life and soul consciousnessare therefore essentially of the natureof God whose absolute being is all Mindand Life. The hu man soul being anemanation of the Infinite mind is evi-dently wise in all Cosmic laws andprinciples underlying all creation andmanifestation.

With the soul incarnated in a humanbody, the will of God could “be done onearth as it is in heaven.” The incarnat -ing soul bringing with it the funda-mental essence or nature of God makesof every human heart a veritable partof the heavenly kingdom. Both J ohnthe Baptist and Jesus the Christ werefully cognizant of this truth when they

assured us that “the kingdom of heavenis at ha nd.” The Great Master Himself made this statement clearer when inanswer to the Pharisees He said, ac-cording to Luke, “The Kingdom of Godis within you .” Th e presence of theuniversal soul in the hearts of man orall mankind fully empowers us with

the ability and freedom to follow thewill of God, equally making us all Histrusted children and free agents.

E L ea r n in g T h r o u g h R e i n c a r n a t i o n

By repeated incarnations here onearth, the soulpersonality gathers andadds mundane knowledge and under-standing to that of its Cosmic wisdom.Attuned with this soul consciousnesswithin us, we can discriminate betweenthat which is right and that which iswrong. Thr ough lack of experience andtraining in the exercise of freedom weare led to be either fair or unjust in

our behavior and conduct; and with theobjective mind consciousness in dishar-mony with the soul consciousness weoften fall by erring in our ways. Re-search pedologists nave observed thatthe first decade of every child’s life isnot ably psychic in char acter. Tha t is,the subjective or culture self makes thechild very receptive and responsive tothe subtle impressions of higher life.When left all alone in the cradle orbassinet, the unconscious infant is oftenfound playing, smiling and articulating,with some invisible presence commonlybelieved to be its guardian angel.

Whether or not we entertain the samebelief, we cannot deny that infants areseen at times with their faces glowingwith expressive smiles even while fastasleep. Sir Joshua Reynolds’ pain tingcalled The Age of Innocence presentsthe psychic innocence of the child in itstender years before it is awakened tomaterialistic desires.

With the material things of the world,the gross, showy, monetary commodities emphasized as the only thingsworth while and dependable in this life,the physical self has been exalted highover the psychic self. Once ma de too

objective, we seldom if ever listen to theconscience or wise counsel of the soulwith in us. By tr aining and educationwe become slaves to the desires of theweaknesses of the flesh and forgetful of

(Continued on Page 273)

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pleasant if someone would stop and in-vite me to ride to the main highwaywhere it would be easier to obtain along ride.”

Two minutes later, as I was walkingalong the busy main street, a crowdedcar stopped beside me. Th e door opened

and a farmer quietly asked, “Wouldyou like to drive with us to our homeabout a mile out on the highway, whereit will be easier to catch a ride?”

It was more than a coincidence. Itwas uncanny to hear my own thinkingechoed back to me in such a short spaceof time. Not more than five minut esafter the farmer left me, a h ighpoweredcar picked me up and took me to Chey-enne, which we reached at the turn of the new day.

Although the traffic was light acrossthe rugged range country of Wyoming,it was surprising how crowded somecars looked with only one or two per-sons in them. In decided contr ast,about midafternoon, a heavilyladensedan bore down upon me in this over-whelmin g land of vast silences. Itstopped just ahead. Two missionar ies,somewhat travelworn but smiling, in-vited me in. As I crowded beside themon the front seat, one of them remar ked,

“There is always room for one more,God willing.” Th en I noticed anotherservice hitchhiker, jammed among thesuitcases in the back.

My good missionary friends weredriving southward, so we parted aboutmidnight at Wendover, Nevada. Eight

hours of riding in a high altitude nowtook toll of my legs as I started walkingaway into the night to seek a place tosleep. Alth ough the hotel and touristhomes were all full, a local residentappeared out of nowhere, walking hisdog, and, discovering my predicament,cordially invited me to spend the nightin his home.

Thought creation and materializationis a process which definitely works, asa final incident proves. My thought onthe fifth morning was to obtain a liftof 675 miles to San Fr an cisco. Afterwatching about a dozen automobiles

pass me, a sedan with a stocky exservice man, his pleasantfaced wife andlittle blonde daughter, stopped to pick me up. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“To Vallejo,” was the an swer. “Rightnext door to San Francisco.”

“Well, James, let’s go,” said I; andbelieve it or not, the driver’s name wasJames.

V V V

TH E H U M A N S O U L

(Continued from Page 270)the constructive spiritual wants andways of life. Th e conscience is gradu-ally stifled, making us dead to the divinepromptings which the soul has for usfrom the Cosmic kingdom. Wher everthe soul is given free expression insteadof repression, the ego or personality hasalways become foremost in its line of accomplishment.

The soul is attracted to and incar-nated in a human body not only toevolve the ego or personality to itshighest capabilities but to keep tb~pr operly fit for the purpose. Itwith the initial breath of the newbornchild, direct from the Cosmic source towhich it is always kept attuned. Its cre-ative energy, its vital life force and sub-conscious mind, functions through theendocrines and sympathetic nervous

system which form the primary coilwhere the highfrequency Cosmic vibra-tions are directed in the body. Thr oughthe endocrines where many of the psy-chic centers are located, the Cosmicvibrations are transformed into the lowfrequency vibrations or physical energyof the secondary coil formed by thecerebrospinal nervous system. In thisway the Cosmic impressions of the soulare transmitted to the brain, or objec-tive, consciousness for the physical wellKoinnr — — —idance in life. The

lependently of thenuman will and physical consciousnessdirects the constructive and reconstruc-tive energy of the life force in the body.Of the ceaseless involuntary activity of the soul through the primary coil inthe body, Dr. E. H. Pratt says in part:

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“Now the cerebrospinal man hasalready addressed you, and you willremember something of the part whichhe plays in our fam ily of shapes. Thepart which I play is the part which heleaves un performed . He is busy withthe sensations of consciousness, which

include the five senses, and with allphysical activities that are under theinfluence of the same; that is, he canwalk and talk and dominate the entiresystem of voluntary muscles to hisheart’s content so long as they havestrength enough to follow his bidding.But as the tubular man has told you,there is a set of muscles over which hehas no cont rol. These are the muscleswhich are known as involuntary; theyconstitute one of the coats of the tubu-lar man, and the action of these muscles,and consequently the entire activity of the tubular man, is wholly dependentupon me. The heart cannot throb, thearteries cannot pulsate, the air cannotreach the lungs, the blood cannot getback to the heart, the various glandsand tubular structures of the body can-not work; in short, no bodily commercewhatever can be accomplished exceptunder my direct and personal super-vision. Th e cerebrospinal system ma yboast of his senses and his power totransport the body from place to placeand employ it to his liking, but hewould have nobody to domineer overif it were not for me. Body buildin gand repairing are my personal func-tion, and my task is so confining that it

would be a wearisome one indeed if itwere not a labor of love. You see thecerebrospinalsystem man sleep eighthours of the twentyfour and loaf agood deal of the remaining time if he

chooses to do so. But if I should sleepfor an hour our entire family would becompletely wiped out of existence; andwhenever I even slow up or drag in mywork, as I sometimes do from sheerexhaustion, serious mischief is sure tobe visited upon some part of the h uma n

body, and the loss must be quicklymade up or serious disaster is sure tofollow.”

To conclude, we say that the soul isincarnated in man’s body direct fromthe Cosmic. It is not int ended to be-come our prisoner and slave but toserve as our guardian and guide. Itfurnishes vital life force ana Cosmicconsciousness to every man regardlessof color and creed or nationality andreligion. By repeated incarna tions onearth the soulpersonality broadens anddeepens its human knowledge andunderstanding. With its Cosmic wisdomand mundane learning it strives to toneand tune up the body to its utmostefficiency and gradually leads the indi-vidual along the evolutionary path toperfection. Th e soul keeps the righturge brightly limned against the wrongimpulse. Because it speaks in th e still,small voice deep within our hearts, it isoften r eferred to as our conscience. Itshould be given free expression insteadof being denied. To tu rn a way from itsilluminating rays is to ruin our bodyand fail our ego and personalit y. Toabide by it is to align the Cosmic forceson our side and mate us masters of ourown destiny. It brings home to every

human being the essential nature of God who is all Life and Mind, makingall men equally the children of Godand inseparably linked together withHim in one universal soul.

T h e

R os icr u ci a n

Dig es t

A u g u s t

1946

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

W h o a r e G r a n d L o d g e m e m b e r s ? W h a t i s t h e r e l a t io n s h i p o f t h e G r a n d L o d g e to t h e

S u p r e m e G r a n d L o d g e ? D o e s t h e G r a n d L o d g e h a v e i t s o w n o f fi ce r s ?

T h e s e a n d m a n y o t h e r q u e s t i o n s , a l l o f w h i c h a r e v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t i n u n d e r s t a n d i n g

y o u r m e m b e r s h i p r e l a t i o n t o t h e O r d e r , a r e a n s w e r e d i n t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n a n d S t a t u t e s

of the Gra nd Lodge . Eve r y me m be r shou ld a va i l h imse l f of a copy of th i s Cons t i tu t ion

whic h i s a va i l a b le a t c os t , a nd c a n be se c ure d f rom the Ros ic ruc ia n Supply Bure a u .

I f you do not h a ve a c opy, orde r one toda y. Th e sma l l c os t to cove r pr in t in g a nd

ma i l ing i s f i f t e e n c e nt s .

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the human soul - article from the rosicrucian digest august 1946

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