War Letters from the Living Dead Man (21 page)

Judge not, that ye be not judged. But do not flirt with the devil to prove that you judge him not. Yes, all men are your brothers, even bad men. Attend to your own affairs, and leave the issue with God. This much to you, dear children of the world, from my vantage place above your passions.

July 25

Letter 50

Things to Remember

That the contents of this book may become the possession of those who want it, I will now bring it to a close. One might go on writing forever about the astral incidents of this war, and not exhaust the subject. What I have been able to give is a mere sketch, a few incidents, a few suggestions. These things, however, bear in mind: That there are angels as well as devils in the neighborhood of the battlefields. That those who see the war from above see causes as well as effects, and from those causes can draw sane conclusions based on a richer fund of data than that available to the men of earth. That war, like everything else, has its rhythms. Do not be discouraged when the pressure of battle bears heavily on the side that you call yours. If your side went forward too quickly, you would need to look for a violent reaction, as in the retreat from the outskirts of Paris.

That though evil is a necessity so long as good exists, though evil is the other pole of the magnet, yet it is the duty of those who desire to walk the White Road ever to do battle for the right. And this is no repudiation of the saying of the Christ, “Resist not evil.” A paradox, you say? Great wisdom is locked in paradoxes, for those who have the key. The existence of evil gives greater strength to good. This is the
Kali Yuga
, as the Hindus say. That this war is an attempt of the personal evil forces to destroy mankind. A former attempt was made in Europe before the so-called Dark Ages, but the Renaissance followed and restored the balance. That man has in himself both the Christ principle and the demonic principle; that will is free, and that man can make his choice between them. That new races are born of revolutions and wars. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

That though I may have a wider sight than you, I do not know everything. I draw conclusions from premises, the same as you do. I predict the probable effects of causes known to me; but a sudden irruption of free and erratic will sets up a new cause, and my calculation has to be made afresh. My predictions are not the result of divine omniscience. I see further than you, that is all. My logic may be no better than yours. For instance, when we drove back the forces of evil during the early months of the war, I forgot the Law of Rhythm that would enable them to roll forward again when they had generated another supply of strength. Even devils generate their own strength. Yes, they too are Units of Force, and must be figured on as such. I shall not make that mistake again. 

My Teacher, who stands beside me at this moment, directs me to say that even the Masters do not know everything. As my vision is wider than yours, so their vision is wider than mine; but they cannot always see what goes on in the farthest stars. They invite you to become like them; but they know that you are held by rhythmic law, and that for every two steps you take toward them, you will fall back at least one step. That you do not fall back two steps is because of your free will, and because of that greater rhythm which urges mankind to the flood tide. Each achievement is a ripple in a larger wave which you cannot always see.

I have been requested to write further of my Teacher, but my Teacher wishes to remain in the background. I may tell you this, however, O world! My teacher still has a physical body and walks the earth as a man. He works in both the material and the astral worlds, and in higher worlds beyond them, and the purposes of his life are outside your comprehension. He is a servant of the Law, and his joy is in working with the Law. The Black Masters, for there are Black Masters, work against the Law. I have told you of my conversations with one of them, and have given you a hint as to his methods.

When you are strong, you need not fear the Black Masters. You may pass the time of day with them, as I do. They are far more afraid of me than I am of them. I do not go out of my way if I see one coming. I find them rather diverting, though I recognize the tragedy of their lot. They fill a terrible office, which must be filled, and their sufferings are great. They are the erring brothers of the White Masters. In the beginning they were trained in the same school; but the great “moment of choice” came, and the evil ones separated themselves from their source. The White Masters do not seek to destroy them, knowing that in the end they will destroy themselves. Why waste effort in striving to hurry the sunset? Do not let the Black Masters and their servants mislead you, and avoid them if you can until you are stronger than they. But when you are stronger than they, you have nothing to fear from them. When they cannot affect you directly, they strive to affect you through those you love. Be at peace. You are not your brother’s keeper. If your brother delights in the devil, let him have the pleasure of his preference. Will is free. Give testimony of the truth that is in you; but do not attempt to muzzle the hounds that bay the summons to the witches’ Sabbath.

Enter the Holy Temple and shut the door; then invoke the angels. The baying of the hounds cannot drown the music of the angel voices. Be still, and know that God is God.

A great day is dawning for America—after a time of trial. The sun will rise from behind a bank of clouds; but in the freshness of the dawn much labor will be done for the new race, and for the Brotherhood of races. All over America movements will be started for the training and perfecting of mankind. Give them your help, for thus you will be working with the Law. Thus you will be learning the first lessons in the school of the White Masters, whose watchword is Service.

Though I am not going far away this time, yet I leave you my blessing, O world that I have labored and suffered for—far more than you know during the last hard year. And I want to thank the world for its great interest in my former book, “Letters from a Living Dead Man.” Yes, I am living still, and am far more alive than when I wrote for you before. Little by little I am growing into an intensity of life which I could not have imagined when I walked the earth as a man among men.

In these
War Letters
from the other world I have tried to give you glimpses of that intenser life which I lead now, after my return from the journey among the stars. I had thought to tell you of that journey when I should return again; but the story would not have been so instructive at the present time as this story of the war in the astral world. For you are nearer to the astral world than you are to the stars, and until you learn the a-b-c you cannot read and understand romances. I am only a humble servant of the Law, a learner in the school of those who are wiser than I. To get, I must give. To learn, I must teach. To go forward, I must try to bring you forward with me. It has seemed to me that what the world needed most at the present time was a knowledge of the mysteries behind this war. I have been an unseen soldier in this war, in which I have received many a wound. I have had my nights of vigil and my days of labor; but they have given me a strength that I could not otherwise have gained. I am strong because I have served. Serve you, and the reward will come in due season! I am going to rest now for a little while, because I have another service to perform in the near future. I shall not go far away.

“X”

July 28, 1915

THE END

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