CHAPTER XLV.

The New Jerusalem (continued).

"Learn what we who descend from the Primordial Seven, we who are born from the primordial Flame have learnt from our fathers. . . . Listen, ye sons of Earth, to your instructors-the sons of Fire. Learn, there is neither first nor last; for all is One number issued from no-number."-Stanzas Dyzan, iv, 2-1.

While the numbers have thus symbolized the grand allegory of the unfoldment of individual man, the allegory also has its application to humanity as a whole, namely, the Race must have its New Jerusalem manifested on earth in a perfect and divinely ruled City. Just as the physical city of Jerusalem symbolizes the spiritually undeveloped civilization of its time -the word Jerusalem means "The City of Peace"-so does the New Jerusalem symbolize an advanced civilization ruled by the King of Peace through His representatives, the Masters of Wisdom.

This New Jerusalem we are told must be clothed as a bride arrayed for her husband, i. e., a true bride is not only arrayed outwardly in her best apparel, but is also inwardly arrayed with love and devotion to her spouse, with purity and singleness of purpose. She has chosen him from all the world and is eager to devote her life to him. She also is prepared to turn her back upon her old life and no longer be known by her old name. Her spouse has given her a new name, and a new life opens up before her. So will the New Jerusalem, and all who enter in and find their home there, be arrayed, both outwardly and inwardly.

As Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because her children refused to respond to His loving desire to gather them together as a hen gathereth her chicks, so in the New Jerusalem there must be commensurate rejoicing-for his joy none taketh from him-over those who have responded to the call of the

Christ and been gathered together under the wings of the great Bird of Life.

It is fitting that the New Jerusalem for the Race should begin its descent at this time. For the great Aquarian Age is the woman's age and since, as we have said elsewhere; "It is woman's duty and privilege to array the bride, so must this Bride of the Christ be arrayed by a manifestation of the feminine qualities of love, compassion and intuition, expressed not only by women but by the feminine aspect of men as well, ere the New Jerusalem can find expression on the physical plane. All students of the mysteries of life recognize that we are now living in what has long been prophesied as 'the last days.' Some find proof of this belief in the study of astrology, some in occultism and some in other forms of mysticism. And even Bible students who know nothing of its esoteric interpretation recognize that the predictions of Daniel, Ezekiel, Joel, the Apocalypse and other prophetic books are being fulfilled in the wars, rumors of wars-even prohibition 2-the earthquakes, tornadoes, floods and other physical catastrophies that are devastating the world today. These are signs as we have explained elsewhere, not of the destruction of the planet, but of the close of a certain great cycle. They result from the natural process of purification and preparation of both humanity and the globe that must take place ere the New Jerusalem can find conditions for its physical manifestation as it descends from heaven. There must be many and increasing changes in the climate and physical conditions of the earth, as well as in human thought and relations, and these changes will bring about what will seem to be great disasters. But an understanding of the law of cycles will show these disasters to be but the adjusting process of the great Law of Justice.

"The whole world today is a great testing ground for a

1 See lesson The New Jerusalem, Curtiss.

2 Joel, i, 5.

See The Philosophy of War, Curtiss, also Are These the Last Days, Curtiss.

similar ingathering. The world is the field and humanity is the grain. The angels are the reapers and the harvest time is at hand. Out of all the grains that grow in the fields of earth comparatively few are fitted and ready to be made into the Bread of Eternal Life. But it is just as possible, through the scientific application of the laws of growth, to double and treble the nutritive power of the spiritual grain as it is of the physical grain. By spreading the truths of man's spiritual heritage and the laws of his spiritual growth mankind can consciously enrich the nutritive quality, multiply the quantity and hasten the ripening of the spiritual grain.

"While the angels are the reapers, they need loving Souls on earth who are eager, devoted, trained and ready to go out into the fields and vineyards and bring the golden sheaves into the granary of the Lord. We, individually and collectively, who can recognize the times in which we live and the great events foreshadowed in the heavens, must work with all our hearts and minds and powers toward spreading the news of the coming of the New Jerusalem. We must encourage, cheer, uplift and teach all who will listen to the call of the Christ that they may be gathered into the Great Center, the New Jerusalem. This is no time for drones. For once we have vowed allegiance to the Christ and His work the great Law of the Universe will force us to fulfill our vows or pay the penalty. Thus we must become either helpers and redeemers of mankind or stumbling blocks in its path. If we refuse to take a firm stand on the positive side of good, we are swept into the negative current.

"This terrible world war through which we have been passing is but the beginning of this great Day of Purification and preparation. For as we build anew the old must be torn down, as Jesus prophesied when he said, 'As for these things which ye behold, the day will come, in which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.' 4

4 St. Luke, XXI, 6.

This is being fulfilled today, for a stone is always used to symbolize something on which to build or with which to build, and we see almost every old conception on which man has built the social fabric now tottering in business, politics, society and religion. Nevertheless not one stone which is found perfect and fit to be builded into the New Jerusalem shall be thrown away or destroyed.

"Those Souls who pass out of incarnation in such catastrophies are those who are not yet ready to take their several places in the new conditions that must prevail and hence are removed to await the particular period in the new subrace when their next step in spiritual evolution can find a more perfect expression. Some may have learned the main lessons and accomplished their chief tasks in this cycle and pass out that they may take up their life work again under the more advanced and peaceful conditions of the future. Their removal through the disasters of the closing cycle is due to their being involved in the local or community-karma of the region devastated."

"As the physical readjustments must inevitably present the dark side of the picture, just so inevitably will the spiritual readjustments present the bright side. The eyes of Christendom are even now turned toward the establishment of new and ideal conditions of industrial, social, political and religious life. Since all things have their origin in the Divine World and gradually descend to manifest on earth, this conception of an ideal state for humanity is the natural result of the descent into the thought-world of humanity of that which is symbolized by the New Jerusalem, and all who can respond to such an ideal are awakening to the possibility of its physical manifestation. Those whose psychic and spritual powers are developed are able to grasp this ideal more or less clearly. They realize that it is not merely an altruistic dream, but is literally the descent of a new and higher state of civilization than any the world has heretofore known."

Although but few of its inhabitants have as yet reached the

period symbolized by 22, or balanced the two equilibrated ends of the scale, the world is nevertheless building toward it, and the few who have reached this point will naturally be the leaders and establishers. So far in the world's history woman has never had her full opportunity. In her side of the balance has been heaped up so much heterogeneous falsity, and her end has been so anchored by a hard and twisted rope of prejudice and misconception, that when this rope is severed, as is being done today strand by strand, both woman herself and the world will begin to reap the Karma thus released. And as one after the other of the evils-and many of them are man-made-hidden in the feminine scale are brought to the light, it will be like opening Pandora's box. For Pandora was a fair type of woman in the aggregate. Was she not heaven-made? All the God-powers contributed something to perfect her. Venus gave her beauty, Mercury persuasion, Apollo music, et cetera, yet when her curiosity-or let us say rather her desire to set man's mistakes right and help clear things up, a desire she is expressing loudly today -made her take off the lid of the box, which contained the left-overs from man's creations, forthwith there escaped a multitude of plagues, leaving only hope behind.

Therefore let us not expect the Woman's Age to bring immediate surcease from all our sorrows, for "there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed" and woman is proverbial for uncovering and cleaning out corners and emptying receptacles of their trash. Let us rather help her not to replace the lid and thus imprison all hope of betterment, but to enlighten the world and thus redeem the plagues she has let loose. This is the day when the things hoped for must be realized, when the Race must be willing to face its creations and redeem them.

"The New Jerusalem has existed throughout eternity as a perfect and ideal state of humanity, but it has only existed in the Higher realms and only in our Higher Selves have we been able to dwell in its mansions. If it is to become a reality upon