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Return of the Prodigal

Dear friends,

“And the son said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet…”
  Luke 15:21-22.

Today’s letter is in response to a question from someone on the healing list and an observation from her sponsor:

H. wrote: “I have been wrestling with some thoughts and feelings for a long time and I have to know if I am a horrible person.” Her letter goes on to outline why she might be a horrible person.

“Her sponsor wrote: “I feel that part of her believes that her suffering makes her a better or more ‘good’ person.”

You will notice that H and the prodigal son in the passage from Luke have this in common. They believe that they have sinned or are in some way a bad person. Adam and Eve expressed the same beliefs. Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son is his answer to the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden of Eden. You will notice that Adam believed he was expelled and forbidden to return, but the prodigal son left voluntarily.

This is true of all of us in this fallen condition of believing we are separate from God. We believe that we have sinned or that we are a bad person. We also believe that if we suffer we can become a “better” person, and God will relent and invite us back.

Nothing could be further from the truth. God does not think that way. God created only perfect beings, and we are among them. God never expelled us from his heavenly state in which all needs are met, and we do not need to earn our way back. Like the prodigal son, we just need to go back.

The Prodigal Son Receiving His Portion of Inheritance - Murillo

The Prodigal Son Receiving His Portion of Inheritance - Murillo

Why then do we universally believe that we need to earn our way back to heaven? We believe it precisely because we voluntarily gave up God’s way of thinking for our own. We developed a split in our minds so that we make decisions on our own without Divine guidance. Therefore, we make mistakes and get ourselves into trouble. We will not make mistakes when we reawaken our ability to make decisions based on the intuition that will lead us to happiness.

God wants only the best for us, and like the father did with the prodigal son, He will give us the best of everything if we will let him.

Our job is to practice the kind of thinking that will heal the split in our minds and restore us to the thinking that will reinstate us to our former glory as perfect children of God. Healing prayer is the method we have chosen to develop this ability.

Next week we will consider the question: “Why don’t we change our self-defeating ideas that led to the split in our minds?”

As we join in healing prayer, let us ask Christ to confirm our inestimable worth in the eyes of God. As we see this same worth in the minds of others, we promote healing for all of us. Thank you for your invaluable part in the great work.                                                                                                       John H Thumbnail

                                                                                                   Peace,

                                                                                                    John

Tried and New Recipes

            For the reckless and bold, almost every gathering of “tried and new” friends also includes “tried and new” recipes.  It’s part of living on the edge that makes life unpredictable but exciting.  This Thanksgiving promises to be that kind of experience.  The untried recipe, Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette, looks to be scientifically and artistically reliable enough.   The others already proved their merit in other years.  We will share them here with you, in case you have neither gone to market nor planned your menu.   If we’re too late, there is always next year. 

nut loaf pic

LENTIL AND NUT ROAST

 

Serves 6-8

 

2/3       cup lentils (red or brown)

1          cup hazelnuts or pecans, finely ground

1          cup walnuts, finely ground

1          large carrot

2          stalks celery

1          large onion

4          oz mushrooms

4          tablespoons butter

2          teaspoons mild curry powder

2          tablespoons ketchup

2          tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1          egg, beaten (Use more eggs for a firmer loaf.)

2          tsp salt

4          tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2/3       cup water

salt and pepper

 

Soak the lentils for one hour in cold water and drain well.  Set aside

Chop the carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms into small chunks, then pass them through a food processor or blender until they are finely chopped.  (I use the water to float these ingredients in my blender.)

Drain the vegetables and sauté them gently in the butter with the curry powder for 5 – 6 minutes.  Cool.

 Mix all of the ingredients, including the water drained from the vegetables, together.  Press the mixture into a long loaf pan which has been greased and lined with waxed paper and cover with a strip of waxed paper.  Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 325° and bake for about 1 hour. 

After removing the loaf from the oven, let it set for a few minutes, then turn it out of the pan onto a serving platter.  Peel off the waxed paper.  Serve with onion gravy.

I increased all ingredients slightly, (by about 1/3) and added about 3 cups of dried bread crumbs and some brown rice to extend the number of servings.  Also, because I like a firmer loaf, I used about 5 – 6 extra-large eggs. 

 

VEGETARIAN ONION GRAVY

 

2          tablespoons olive oil

2          tablespoons butter or margarine

3          pounds onions, quartered and sliced

1/2       teaspoon salt

pinch of sugar

1/2       cup flour or 1/4 cup of corn starch

2          quarts water

1/2       tsp thyme

1          bay leaf

3          cloves garlic, minced

Mrs. Dash, pepper or other seasoning, to taste.

In a very large, skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the oil is very hot, and add the onions, salt and sugar.  Saute until they caramelize to a deep amber color, stirring occasionally, especially as they begin to brown.  It will take about 20 minutes to 1/2 hour. 

 Add the flour or cornstarch to make a roux.  While simmering, gradually add the water, stirring to prevent lumps 

Add the seasonings to taste and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Optional ingredients:

Soy sauce  (Thicken with cornstarch for egg-foo-yung.)

Vegetable stock

Mushrooms

Pureed, cooked turnips, celery, etc.

 mashed-potatoes pic

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

Makes 6 – 8 servings. 

2 1/2    pounds potatotes

4          ounces cream cheese

1/2       cup sour cream

1/2          stick butter (1/2 cup)

Salt and pepper to taste 

Boil potatoes and mash until smooth with some of the potato water (at least 1 cup).  Add remaining ingredients while potatoes are still hot, and beat until fluffy. 

Serve immediately, or cool, cover, and place in the refrigerator or freeze.  Reheat in the microwave or oven. 

 Squash and Onion Galette pic

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette 

Pastry:
1 1/4    cups all-purpose flour
1/4       teaspoon salt
8          tablespoons (1 stick)  cold butter, cut into pieces
1/4       cup sour cream or yogurt
2          teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4       cup ice water

Filling:
1          small butternut squash
2          tablespoons olive oil
1 – 2     tablespoons butter

1          large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1          teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4       teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4       cup fontina or asiago cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated

1 1/2    teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

1. To make the pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the chilled butter and, using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse meal. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this to the dry ingredients. Combine until it forms a ball. Push the ball aside and add the rest of the liquid to the remaining flour-butter mixture. Pat all of it into a disc, taking care not to overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 375° and prepare the squash.  Peel, then halve and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch dice. Toss with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on a baking sheet for 30 minutes or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Caramelize the onions: While the squash is roasting, melt the butter in a heavy skillet and saute the onion over medium heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

4. Raise the oven temperature to 400°. Mix the squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

5. On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer the round of dough onto the baking sheet and spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash filling, pleating the edge to fit, and leave the center open.

6. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

JANUARY LECTURE SERIES

Richard Lecturing 2009-2

LECTURE SERIES

 

“Building The Soul Body”

 

with

Richard K

January 6 – 10, 2010

2222 Mission Avenue

Oceanside, CA

__________________

 

               Wednesday – January 6, 2010

5:00-6:15pm ASTROLOGY OF THE VITAL BODY

7:30–8:30pm BUILDING THE SOUL BODY: It’s Importance

               Thursday – January 7, 2010

5:00-6:15pm ASTROLOGY AND THE CHEMICAL ETHER

7:30–8:30pm A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ETHERS

 

               Friday – January 8, 2010

5:00-6:15pm ASTROLOGY AND THE CHEMICAL ETHER:

                  And Absorption And Assimilation Of Etheric Soul Material

7:30-8:30pm ACQUIRING THE LIFE ETHER

 

               Saturday – January 9, 2010

1:30–2:30pm ASTROLOGY AND THE LIFE ETHER

3:00–3:30pm ACQUIRING THE REFLECTING ETHER

 

               Sunday – January 10, 2010

1:30–2:30pm ASTROLOGY AND THE REFLECTING ETHER

3:00–4:00pm ORGANIZING THE SOUL BODY: Transfer of

                Attention and Consciousness to The Soul Body

An educational opportunity in Christian mysticism awaits anyone who can attend evening and weekend classes at Mount Ecclesia, beginning on Fellowship Day January 6 and extending through the weekend until January 10.

The topics cover the core, essential teachings of Western Wisdom philosophy and relates them to the life of the spiritual aspirant.  Lecturer, Richard K has taught astrology, philosophy, mythology, Shakespeare and related subjects for over 45 years at his bookshop, Microcosm, in Madison, Wisconsin.    Retired now for several years from his lifelong occupation, he travels and lectures widely.  During an interview that Richard gave 7 years ago to Cathy Smith of The Edge, he explained:

“In Christian mysticism, the soul body is called the Golden Wedding Garment.  It literally is like the heroine in Rumpelstiltskin who takes the straw and weaves it into gold.  Every time we do something from the goodness of our heart for someone else, we build into ourselves another little curl of that golden light, and the more of that that we have, the more our intuition can bypass the mind, and bypass the desire nature. “

The Wednesday through Friday classes begin at 5:00 pm and 7:30 pm, outside of regular business hours  for the convenience of those who live in the area.  Weekend afternoon classes begin at 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm.

The Rosicrucian Fellowship offers all classes at no charge.  Richard comments: “Spiritual things are like a sunset.  Once you take something that is unbounded and spiritual by nature, and then revalue it, which amounts to devaluing it, then you have debased and you have lost the spiritual essence.   I think a lot of things need to be seen in the essence that they’re free for the effort.  You put the effort in, you live by cause and consequence, you become what is necessary to move on to the next stage of evolution.”

Visitors are welcome to attend the Fellowship Service in the Chapel at 11:30 am before classes begin, Wednesday, January 6.

Dear friends,

Today we would call someone who was demon-possessed insane, and the legion that possessed him would be the insane ideas that have put him in a wrong-minded state. Surprisingly, our job is no different today than it was for Jesus. We need to help restore the sick to their right minds. All sickness is really the result of wrong-mindedness or wrong thinking.

Healing prayer is the method we use to shine the Christ light into the minds of others. However, it is not the error or mistaken thinking that we look for in the minds of others; we look for the Christ light itself. When we see it in others, we will see it in ourselves, and healing is the result of seeing that light and opening the channel for Christ’s work. His light removes the darkness that has resulted in illness.

“And they came to Jesus and saw him who had been demon-possessed, and had the legion [host], sitting and clothed and right-minded.” Mark 5:15.

Thank you for doing your part today to extend the Christ light to be used where it is most needed.John H Thumbnail

Peace,

John

Heindel'ls sister, brother, and mother

Heindel’ls sister, brother, and mother

   Heindel’s Sister Immortalized As An Actress

             Just as translators finished their work on Ger W’s biography of Max Heindel, Westenberg’s friend, Ole V, produced “new” pictures of Heindel’s half-sister, Anna Svierkier.  Vandrup discovered the pictures of Anna, who was a renowned actress, on the internet.  Previous to this recent “find” Ger W  possessed only one family photo that included Anna.

            This prompted an internet search that revealed more pictures and reviews of a highly rated 1943 film, Day of Wrath, in which Svierkier played the role of Marte Herlof, a woman of the 17th Century who was accused of being a witch.  The pursuit became a real treasure hunt when it became apparent that this movie is still available and can be downloaded in 6 parts from the internet.  vredens-dagTherefore, we have a living, breathing, walking, talking half-sister of Max Heindel in black-and-white on the motion picture screen.

Anna’s portrayal of the persecuted Marte parallels Ger W’s chronicle of the early devotees of the Rosicrucian philosophy; they both occured in the same century.

www.altfg.com/blog/best-films-of/best-films-of-1943/

Set in a 17th-century Danish village, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s masterful Vredens dag / Day of Wrath is a stark, but deeply felt indictment against religious fanaticism and intolerance. Moving performances by ingénue Lisbeth Modin and accused witch Anna Svierkier add a touch of humanity to the horrors shown on screen. It is not a coincidence that Vredens Dag was made in 1943, a time when Denmark was under Nazi occupation. The parallels — and the interconnectedness — between political and religious control are made quite clear in this harrowing masterwork.

Also Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz   www.sover.net/~ozus/dayofwrath.htm

A visually stark masterpiece in realism that brings on an almost insufferable emotional energy level. The tragedy is haunting and  unforgettable. It’s a brilliant but somber tale from Carl Theodor Dreyer (“Ordet”/Gertrud”) about the Danish church’s persecution of women as so-called witches in the 17th century (the story is set in 1623 in an unnamed small Dane village); it’s made in Denmark during the Nazi occupation (as the comparison between the all-powerful 17th-century Protestant church and the Nazis for having the same capacity for intolerance is unmistakable).

Day_of_Wrath-marte

This grim, austere psychological drama about evil doers posing as the good guys also includes a tale of adultery to go along with the witchcraft. It’s based on the book by Hans Wiers Jenssen that was turned into the play “Anne Pedersdotter.” Its more far-ranging theme reasserts Dreyer’s assertion that witchcraft works and is more potent than orthodox religion, but they also must pay the piper for their perversion of the soul. No one gets out of here unscathed who tries to alter the legitimate ways of the world with their perverse arts (witchcraft) or religions (suspect rituals and trials). 

A pious parson inquisitor named Laurentius (Olaf Ussing) Anna Svierkier - 1943_VDag-prog_AnnaScondemns a mortally weak-minded elderly woman, Marte Herlof (Anna Svierkier), to torture (that becomes so unbearable she confesses her witchcraft crimes) and then to die at the stake after she had been denounced as a witch. Another elderly parson, who acts as a judge, Absalom Pedersson (Thorkild Roose), fails to save her life even after she begs him and threatens to denounce his young second wife Anne (Lisbeth Movin) as a witch. Marte claims that the hypocritical Absalom refused to condemn Anne’s mother when she was suspected of being a witch in order to marry her beautiful child, after his first wife died. Before Marte dies in a blaze of black-and-white chiaroscuro, she puts a curse on the hypocrite parsons that they will both soon die. To prepare for her dying scene, Dreyer had Svierkier tied to a ladder near the fire while the cast went to lunch. When they returned they shot the scene and Svierkier had the look of someone really suffering at the stake. The actress told this in an interview.

Another critic hails the film as: “an earlier, better version of the issues tackled in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible,”

Anna Svierkier - 1943_VDag-prog_AS-TR

Click image for film clip

Click image for film clip

 

 

 

 

 

 

The biography, Max Heindel and The Rosicrucian Fellowship, is serialized under the Books tab at the top of this blogs page.  Click on Books to read the latest installment, part b of Chapter one, Origins of  The Rosicrucian Order. 

 

Infinite Possibilities

Awakening to Life’s Purpose

is the Theme of the 100-year Anniversary of

The Publication of The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception

November 13 – 14 – 15

max_h

Cosmo 100 yr crop

Mount Ecclesia

Friday, November 13, 2009

– Cafeteria – Mount Ecclesia –

_______________________________________________

4: 30 pm                Welcome

Edgar A

5:15 – 615 pm       The Cosmo Through The Looking

                              Glass, Really!

Dr. Brian P

6:00 – 7:00 pm      Temple Service – Probationers Only

7:30 – 8:30 pm      The Cosmo Conception, Mystery

                              School and the Eternal Paradigm

Jean d

Saturday, November 14, 2009

________________________________________

10:00 – 10:45am         The Heart of The Rosicrucian Teachings

Patricia T

11:00 – 11:45am         In The Beginning Was the

                                    Word

Edgar A

12:00 – 1:15pm           Lunch in Cafeteria 

1:30 – 2:30pm             Max Heindel, Modern Seer

Allyce B

3:00 – 3:45pm             Warnings to the Aspirant

                                    Roger C

4:15-4:30pm                Chapel

4:30 –6:00pm              Dinner in Cafeteria

6:30 – 7:00pm             Temple – Probationers Only

7:30 – 9:00pm             Esoteric Astrology: Backbone

                                    Of The Rosicrucian Teachings

Jean d

Sunday, November 15, 2009

______________________________________

11:00am                Devotional Service

Talk:          Edgar A

Reader:     Penny S

12:00- 1:00pm       Lunch in Cafeteria

1:30- 2:45pm         Juicing Your Way to Radiant Health

Julio P and Patricia T

3:00 – 5:00pm       Dancing with Music

By Armando 

(Guest House, Philosophy Room)

5:15pm                  Farewell.

              Ger W’s biography,

MAX HEINDEL and THE ROSICRUCIAN FELLOWSHIP,

first published in Dutch in December 2003,

is now serialized in English on RFFriends.org. 

 Heindel at Niagara reduced           The reader will find a clear, documented chronicle of the activities which preceded and followed Max Heindel’s designation as messenger for the Brothers of the Rose Cross.  Truly an extraordinary figure, Heindel founded The Rosicrucian Fellowship one hundred years ago, on August 8, 1909.  To give an historical perspective, Westenberg begins with the earliest origins of the Rosicrucian Order, includes a synopsis of the masonic legend, and takes us to the early Rosicrucians of the 17th Century.  The biography covers the span from Heindel’s boyhood until his final days at Mount Ecclesia and reviews the history of the Fellowship in the years that followed the passing of Augusta Heindel.  By the generosity of the author, RFFriends plans to run future installments biweekly over a period of one year.  You may access these from the Blogs page by clicking on the Books tab at the top and then clicking on “installment 1 bio.”  It is uncertain when the manuscript will be published in book form in English, but interested persons may contact us at: friend@rffriends.org.

The author good-heartedly submitted to an interview and wrote candidly about his life and his experiences and encounters through 50 years of writing this monumental work.  It is our opinion that you will enjoy Ger’s story as you enjoy his book.

ER •     What gave you the greatest satisfaction in creating this book? – And why?

GW •   We, that is my parents, my brother and two sisters moved toGer Westenberg resized Amsterdam when I was 17. We had lived in the country, but my father had his wholesale business in porcelain and pottery in Amsterdam, and in 1950 this is where one needed to live to get a secondary education.

The intention was that I, as eldest son, would enter into the business of my father. One day in early September, when I was 20, I came home and there lay the newspaper open at the table. I did not and still do not like reading newspapers, but I was attracted to it and saw a small Fellowship emblem and the announcement that the Rosicrucian Fellowship would start an astrology course on September 7, 1953. I did not know anything about astrology.

But when we lived in the country, we had a very large house and garden, and during the summer my mother’s sister, who was a widow, came to us and worked a few months with my mother to clean the house.  When I was 17, this aunt asked me if I would read cards for her. I answered that I did not know how to do that, but she had a magazine and in it the cards were portrayed and what they meant.

So I did it for her, my mother, my father and the rest of the family. What I remembered was that every one had a death notice, except my mother. This concerned me, but I did not tell it to the other members. I was afraid that my mother would die. After several weeks my mother was called by a nephew who asked her if she would come and keep vigil in a hospital at the sickbed of her brother in another city. After a few days she came home and told us that her brother had died. I was relieved that it was not she who died.

When I saw that classified ad, I hoped that astrology was more definite.  It appeared that I had a feeling for astrology, and after half a year I asked the leaders what the Rosicrucian Fellowship meant, and they said they would start a new course on the Cosmo in September. So, of course, I joined them and was really excited; this was what I always wanted to know. I became a member on April 18, 1956, in Amsterdam and in September 1956 in Oceanside.  (I became a probationer on February 1, 1959)

ER •     Looking back to when you first started the biography, how have changes affected your work on the project?

GW •  I was the youngest member there and often visited elderly members who had to go to a smaller house or a home for elderly people, and they often asked me if I wanted to have their lessons and letters and sometimes some books.  I always accepted what they offered, and so my archive grew.

There were often persons who told the most absurd stories about Max Heindel and the Fellowship, so I decided to investigate for myself.

There were two individuals who were very important to me. Mr. Jaap Kwikkel, who became a disciple, was very good in astrology and lived in Zaandam and Mr. Frits Kreiken, also a disciple who was very good in the teachings.

It was on April 29 1961 that I married the daughter of the organist of the famous and oldest protestant church in Amsterdam. She expected a baby in early 1963, and I tried to find out astrologically when it would be born. We could win a baby buggy if we guessed the date well. Although we were very poor at that time, I would not do that, but the date I had calculated was exactly right. This I did for my daughter  also; it was right too, but because of my studies, I lacked the time to do it fo rmy youngest daughter.

Working in a business was not what I wanted, so I started to study to become a social worker at the Sociale Academie in Amsterdam. When I was in the second of the four years, I had to secure an internship, and that was not easy to find, especially since I was just married and we had two young children. But I got a job at last in Zaandam, and also a house. This really was a prize from a lottery, as there was a great shortage of houses after World War II. It was difficult to rent a house (1961)

ER •    In these 50 years of research, what were your biggest surprises from the information you gained – from the whole experience?

GW •   There were some members who said to me that Heindel certainly would not have liked it that someone wrote his biography. This sounded strange to me, as he gave much information in his books, but I filed it in the back of my mind.

To search in America is rather difficult. I wanted to find a copy of the will and testament of Max Heindel and that of Augusta Foss, but you needed to know who had been their lawyer and where he lived. In Holland we have a central register, but this was not so in California.

Nevertheless, friends in California helped me, and I found these testaments. In that of Mrs. Heindel I found the addresses of the 4 children of Max Heindel, but these were several decades old.

It was in 1968, the day before Christmas when I came home and talked with my wife in the kitchen. The postman had delivered a thick envelope from America, from the eldest daughter of Max Heindel, Wilhelmina. She had received my letter and the return took one year. It included 3 pictures: Max Heindel’s mother and his brother and half-sister (34), Heindel and his first wife and Wilhelmina (37), and the four children when they went to America (39).  They are portrayed in chapter two of the biography.  So, for me this was encouragement to go further with the biography. These pictures and the contact were a great surprise to me.

I could not get information from Copenhagen, Denmark; only that Heindel had lived in that city. Then I got an idea. As you know, in Message of the Stars you can find Heindel’s horoscope (No 3), but it does not say where he was born. Expecting that Heindel could certainly calculate his own horoscope, I did it myself with an ephemeris from that time (Raphael) and saw that the Moon did not fit for Copenhagen. So I started to move it, and it fit for Aarhus, Denmark, so I wrote a letter in German to the central archive of that area. After a year I still had no answer and Mr. Kreiken suggested that I write to a friend of their family, Adda Christensen, in Copenhagen, and ask her to call the archive. It seemed that Mr. Rickelt had collected a lot of information, and he could read German, but he could not write it, and so he asked Ms Christensen if she would translate a letter for him.

It was really a revelation to me, and he gave me an original red stone print (lithograph) from 1868 of Aarhus, with the bakery on it from Backer Grasshoff. He also had one for himself. In the meantime I had translated the biography into English in 1971 and duplicated it on a so-called stencil or mimeograph machine from my employer, the Protestant Church in Zaandam. That Church gave me consent to follow the advanced study for social worker. This meant that they would pay for part of the time that I spent practice teaching elsewhere during the second year, and we would have a salary.  They knew that this would be the last year I would work in Zaandam and they saw it as a token of appreciation, and that it certainly was.

In the meantime I sent the biography to headquarters with all of the original pictures and the original litho and kept duplicates for myself. The reason was that the board at that time said they had the intention to publish it. This never happened, and the pictures and litho have been long gone.

We moved to Dieren, in the eastern part of the country with its beautiful national park in 1972. I became social work adviser and worked in the whole province with our bureau in Arnhem (16 January 1973). We soon got a house to rent.

It was on April 5, 1974, that my wife and I went to California. We could stay some time in LA at the wife of the widow, Schwenk, and were the guests of their son, Norman. We saw so many interesting things in those three weeks. I also stayed 3 days at Headquarters. What a disappointment that was. I was all alone, but a Dutch lady, Mrs. Young, and her English husband lived there. She had helped me with the translation of several parts of the biography into English. She was domineering, and the other board members did not like that, so they called her a communist, and so I, as their visitor, was a communist too.

No one talked to me, and the library was, alas, packed in boxes because of planned painting work. I took pictures and mostly sat on the bench that overlooked part of the valley and had a view of the temple. There I had the company of the hummingbirds, that I had never seen alive before. It was as if I could grasp them. I also once saw a rattle snake on the temple road.

On the last day Irene Murray came to me, and invited me to visit the temple and to take some pictures from the inside; the chapel could be visited freely. And she showed me the healing department and the inside of some other buildings.

My wife and I divorced on August 3, 1975.  I lived then for four years in a summer cottage in the woods where, on Saturday, every other weekend, my 3 children visited me and had a very nice little vacation. It was rather quiet there, but my children and I liked that.

You will not believe it, but February 19, 1984 was a terrific day for me. A friend of mine, Michel Kwikkel, the son of Jaap Kwikkel, who was a computer man, a programmer, had programmed a small calculating machine so that I could very accurately calculate horoscopes. On that Day I had my horoscope rectified.

It was in 1984 that I heard that the Barkhurst family was still alive, and I contacted them with questions, of course. This grew into a friendship and they said to me that their etheric sight had given them the conviction that they would do well to send me their Disciple file. They died (Mrs) in March 1987 and (Mr) in December 1986, but they had made it possible for me to write the reconstructed disciple exercise and to report how Heindel worked in the early days.

I did, however, not know at what point I was; therefore I had made a horary figure. You will learn from the biography that later the Elder Brother did the exercise with me, and ‘point one’ was the same which I had calculated.  I have the Sun in Aries, and maybe that is the reason point one is in my case the head; Heindel said he could not find an astrological rule.

It was in 1986 that we learned that our Bureau at work would be discontinued.  First the elder people were let go. My time came in 1986. It resulted in my having a salary, but being unemployed. This lasted about a year during which I translated Questions and Answers II into Dutch. Seven of us together in The Hague established Stichting Zeven (Cooperation Seven), donated some money, and published the book, 1000 copies in the fall of 1990.

ER •     The book has been published now in Dutch and in Spanish.  What other languages are in the works?

GW •     I got a new job and worked for four years, during which I translated more books and finished the biography in Dutch. Mr. Joost R, the owner of the Ritman Library of Amsterdam, the largest Rosicrucian Library in the world, asked me to visit him. After an hour’s talk about the biography, he said that the Biography had to be published and that he (the Library) has a fund for this and would pay the costs. The biography was published in December 2003. (One thousand copies)

In 1998 the Rose Cross Press (Lectorium Rosicrucianum) asked me if we (the Fellowship in Holland) would agree to publish the Cosmo in Dutch again. It was sold out, and they sell the Heindel books to their members and people who come to their meetings.  It would be printed under the name of the Fellowship, I would correct the book in modern Dutch, and they would pay for the publication. This happened in the year 2000.

This meant that after my retirement in 1998, I spent my time (re) translating the books by Max Heindel of which several are now ready. The waiting is for a promised donation to have them published.

Folker Schlender helped me translate the biography into German and they have been publishing it in instalments on their website in Germany since the summer of 2008.

Elizabeth R translated it into English, and began publishing it on RFFriends in November 2009.

Jorge y from Colombia translated the book into Spanish, and it was published in July 2009.

Antonio F from Portugal finished the translation into Portuguese that will be printed in mid November 2009.

Paolo P from Pisa, Italy, is translating the book into Italian of which I have no details.

ER •     What do you expect for the future of The Rosicrucian Fellowship as an organization? – For the philosophy? – For the work of the Fellowship?

GW •     The future of the Fellowship is safeguarded by the many active members throughout the world who publish information and books on their websites.

The future of Headquarters – it has lived its longest time, I think.

There is interest by many people, and the availability of books and publications on the internet will help to prepare people for the coming Christian era, the Aquarian Age.  The teachings of Heindel are the new form of Christianity.

ER •     We have seen interest and anticipation for the book from English-speaking members, and people seem eager to have a published copy.  What has been the reaction to the book among the Dutch and Spanish-speaking members?

GW •     I suppose that we will hear more when people have read the book on the internet and later when they have a printed copy. The difficulty is that now we reach those who are consciously interested, but books that become available in bookshops will also reach other persons. I do not know how many books have been sold in Holland, several hundred, at least. Jorge Rey had 100 copies printed in Spanish, but I do not know if he has ordered a second printing.

ER •     What other things are you working on?

GW •   I have two objectives in mind. One is to write a book about astrological physiognomy.  I have 4000 horoscopes and pictures of mostly western people. I will try to study drawing, so that I can make composite drawings.

The second is to write a book about horary astrology with the lesser aspects such as Kepler gave us, and by using the Campanus system, which seems to be the correct house system

ER•      What kind of advice would you like to give those who are devoted to the Rosicrucian philosophy?  To those who are members of the Fellowship?

GW •  This is a question that is difficult to answer. It depends on what individuals want, and what they are willing to invest. Heindel said that he regretted that although many persons were happy with his teachings, few wanted to live according to them.  But suppose that you want to live the life, how far do you want to go? Your inner urge determines the kind of trials you get.

Heindel says in Letters to Students that as long as we live the usual life things go smoothly, but as soon as we start to strive the difficulties arise. Then one must persist and listen to his own inner law. Only when we have built the law within, Heindel says, can we become initiates.

One of the most important things is to have patience and to stand up again after you have fallen. I seldom think about when it is time at last to become an initiate. As long as we do our best we pay our debts and our guardian gets smaller and will be easier to pass, perhaps.

ER •     You have the distinction of being able to look back on many years of experience with the “Western Wisdom” philosophy.  How did you discover these teachings, and what have they meant to you personally over these years?

GW •   I already responded about how I came in contact with the teachings in the first question. For me it was immediately clear that these were the teachings I was unconsciously seeking. I have read books about other teachings, but always with the goal to know what they learn. I have never had the urge to try something else. The Freemasons asked me three times to become a member, also the Lectorium, but that is absolutely out of the question. At the moment, there is nothing higher than the Rosicrucian Teachings as Heindel put them into words. I highly respect Heindel for what he gave to the world during the final ten years of his life.

I am therefore glad that I was able to write his biography. Steiner failed and there are more than 5 biographies of him. Heindel succeeded and certainly needs at least one biography.  I, therefore, was wild with joy when very recently I received four childhood pictures of Max Heindel that Madeline B discovered in a desk drawer.

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