The Planet Mars and Its Inhabitants Part 4

It is graven in the hearts of the inhabitants, and is reflected in the countenance of every individual.

This law is the incentive before the entire population and urges each individual onward to the completion of the task before him.

There are no rulers to bow before: neither is anyone better than his brother. There is no evil, for all are good: all are equal. G.o.d endows every individual expression of life with the Divine Heritage of a pure soul. It is the individual's concern to keep this heavenly gift unstained in its descent into matter. The love force of the Spirit is the potent agent that does this for the individual when allowed to permeate and radiate the entire being. When individuals have learned to bathe their innermost beings in the Father's love, then it must follow that a nation made up of such individuals will be governed only by such precepts as are evolved from this dominating Love-force.

It is of no import to the individual on this planet what his particular task may be, for all work is for the Father; and the humblest vocation (humbler from the point of view of the dwellers on your Earth) is as important and as honorable as the highest.

MARS IS RULED BY LOVE, which is in accordance with the Divine Intent.

It is the desire of the Father that every world in limitless s.p.a.ce inhabited by His children be ruled by that Divine Principle. For when Love is the supreme law of a world, as it is of the Universe, there is no need of a system of complex laws and a horde of judicial officers to interpret and enforce them.

When Love enters into the life of a community selfishness makes its exit: misery becomes a stranger and pain and sickness vanish.

From the cradle to transition the Martian is dominated by Love and guided by the Father's will. The result of this Love-rule is individual and communal happiness. But above all, a Spiritual progress that unfolds the individual in accordance with the Cosmic Intent.

To die, in the sense of pa.s.sing out of one's physical environment, is the destiny of every created being. Hence, in that sense, death exists on Mars as it does on your Earth. But the real death referred to by Christ: a Spiritual death imposed on man by his fall from Grace, a penalty for having forgotten G.o.d, is unknown on this planet Mars. We are in harmony with the Father. Those who are spiritually dead are cut off from the Father as a result of their indifference and ignorance of Spiritual Truth.

The religion of the Martian may be expressed in two thoughts: "LOVE"

and "THY WILL BE DONE, NOT MINE." The true definition of Religion is a "RULE OF LIFE," and as our lives are guided entirely by Love and the Father's Will. WE HAVE A RELIGION.

You, on your Earth, have created a Religion to satisfy your conventionalities. Truth is simple, but you have made it intricate.

It is free, yet you buy it from the would-be disciples. Both you and we must approach Him in simple faith: "Unless ye become as little children ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven."

Speaking of children, I desire to give expression to a thought that may appear to be outside the subject: it is this: The beauty and simplicity of youth is wonderful, and to be admired by all: but in the sight of the Heavenly Father, and those who have progressed to higher realms, it is not so wonderful as those older characters who have waded the marshes of life, as it were, and who have trod the dirty steps without losing faith.

This is to encourage those who sometimes think when they look back on their lives that all is dark. Their strength is being tried in the darkness. Therefore their courage and faith is so much more.

We who are giving you these messages have pa.s.sed beyond the stage you are in, and do not have to be tried on every hand. We look upon you who are struggling through the pitfalls created by your false systems with pity, knowing how great your trials are. Do not think that because we have gone on to higher planes of life that we are out of sympathy with you. The more we bask in the sunshine of Love the more tender we become to those in the shadow. And if you would only realize how strong you are, with the Father's love and His real consideration for you, you would try so much harder to better your condition by meeting His Love with Love.

We of Mars have learnt to keep the right pictures before the minds of our youth that they may not be so sorely tried, but on your planet you have not even the beginning of a system whereby there could be kept continually before the minds of your children the real goal to be striven for. I make exception of the few homes on your planet where the parents are in spiritual growth, but these homes are not ideal--just a beginning of Idealism. But they are better far than the ma.s.ses in their home conditions on your planet.

Now, we are ready to do all we can towards stimulating the living of the Christ-life among all souls in the Universe when it can be so arranged: but it will take aeons of time on some planets, and many decades on yours before we can scientifically teach you. To be sure, we are giving you all we can for this book, but it will not be universally accepted, although it will bring great joy to those who have faith.

If you can keep some of the pictures we are giving you of the wonderful happiness we possess it will help you in the sordidness of your own life. Picture beautiful things and your heart must be beautiful.

Strive with all your mind to hold beautiful thoughts, for it is well worth your every effort towards faith.

CHAPTER XI.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL

The people of Mars have a spoken and written language, but not so filled with complexities as yours, for the reason that owing to the high development of the mental faculties thoughts are almost as audible as words. Hence, converse between individuals on our planet is not altogether a series of vocal e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns. On the contrary, among the older members of the race, communication between individuals is in some cases audibly imperceptible.

Printed books are used, but mostly for the very young, as information is usually transmitted impressionally.

Education on Mars begins at the mother's knee. The first knowledge imparted to the young is Spiritual. The first lessons given to the child are: One's absolute dependence on G.o.d, and that the few years before the individual are but an unfoldment, or an individualizing of the ent.i.ty into a separate and distinct unit.

The Spiritual lessons are amplified as the child grows and grasps these truths. This procedure continues until the pupil is ready to enter an inst.i.tution of learning.

THE HOME IS THE PRIMARY SCHOOL, JUST AS A PHYSICAL EXISTENCE ON A PLANET IS THE KINDERGARTEN OF A NEVER-ENDING LIFE. THE PARENTS ARE THE FIRST TEACHERS.

The primary education consists, as already said, in lessons on the necessity of expressing G.o.d in our lives in truth and righteousness in order that the mind of the individual be so moulded and fashioned that absolute faith is placed in G.o.d's promises through the Master, Christ.

The keynote to the education of the individual is that one must first seek G.o.d's Kingdom, and that all knowledge and wisdom, which is the Divine Heritage of all, will be easily attained: and that coming into a knowledge of G.o.d means health, happiness and wisdom.

After the individual has grasped the primary lessons, which result in an unfoldment of the spirit within, he is then sent to a school; but a school system different from anything you have on your Earth. The task of the teacher is, not to teach knowledge but to a.s.sist in bringing out what is already latent in the soul, rather than a set routine, for every individual is considered a master in some line of thought and activity. The pupil is led into knowledge instead of being taught directly.

The individual is left to his own tastes and volition. The harmony of music of G.o.d's laws, which embrace Astronomy, Physics and of Life, together with a knowledge of the laws of Electricity, is especially brought to the attention of the individual. You of the Earth know as yet very little concerning the true nature of Electricity. Your methods of handling and generating this wonderful force are crude indeed, by comparison with the deep knowledge attained on Mars with the subject.

And so with the study and development of the Harmony of Music, we of Mars have developed a high spiritual sense, and are able to hear and see many intermediate degrees of vibration that do not exist at all for you. Of course there are some exceptions among the few of your Earth who, after having striven hard for light have been favored by G.o.d's angels in the development of a higher Spirituality.

Our teachers are guides who look after their charges in an atmosphere of Love and, as a result, right conceptions of Truth are acquired by the pupil.

Thought is the expression or fruit of the Spirit, and Martian children are never allowed to forget their Spiritual growth. As a consequence of this they are easily led into true knowledge, and having a broad vision are able to see all things in their true relations. They begin at the cause and work towards the effect, which is the opposite of your system.

No set rules of discipline are used in the schools. Indeed they are not necessary for the reason that the one ideal: the one goal impressed on the mind of the pupil is the complete expression of the Father Within, for to express the Father is to have perfect life, life in abundance.

Concentration of mind, economy of time and energy are studied and learned by the child in the early part of his career.

Astronomy on our planet offers an ideal field in seeking an understanding of the reign of immutable law through the Infinite Universe of G.o.d, and owing to the clear rarified atmosphere of Mars, unusual opportunity is presented to students in visual observations of the Heavens.

Entire cla.s.ses of advanced students, accompanied by their teacher guides repair to the open at night when the canopy of G.o.d's Heavens is ablaze with scintillating points of light. The different constellations as viewed from our planet present the same general appearance as to configuration as they do to the dwellers on your Earth; but the view is decidedly more vivid by reason of a more advantageous viewpoint.

The so-called Superior planets, such as Saturn, Jupiter, some of the larger asteroids, and Ura.n.u.s and Neptune, are nearer to Mars than to Earth, and for that reason are more easily discerned from this vantage point. Some of the satellites of Jupiter are easily seen with the naked eye.

Your Earth appears to us about as Jupiter does to you, and with our observing instruments we are able to see your continent and oceans when not covered by a cloud canopy.

As to the so-called Inferior planets Venus and Mercury, the former presents the appearance of a star of the first magnitude, but being so near the sun it is only visible an hour before or after sunset, depending upon its position. But Mercury, being so near the Solar Orb, it is rarely its position is favorable for observation from our planet, and then only with our more perfect telescopes.

Our students view the phenomena of eclipses of the sun and our planet with the greatest interest, just as your astronomers do.

Mars' two moons present what would appear to you a most striking phenomenon, for one rises in the East and the other in the West, pa.s.sing each other at times within view of observers. The most distant satellite of Mars is known to us as Laster, to which has been given the name of Deimos by the first observers on your Earth. Approximately 132 hours elapse between its rising and setting at any particular point on our planet, as a consequence of the fact that it revolves in 30 hours 18 minutes at a distance of 14,600 miles more or less from its primary; and as Mars rotates in 24 hours 37 minutes from East to West the motion is almost neutralized by the circulation of this satellite.

During the time of its rotation it changes four times from full to new and new to full. The appearance of this satellite to the Martians is equal, if not a little brighter than the view of Jupiter from your Earth.

The second satellite, known to us as Benii, and to your astronomers as Phobos, sheds considerable amount of light on the Martian landscape by means of its large size and close proximity, being distant about 3,700 miles from the surface of Mars. This satellite is shut out from view beyond 69 degrees lat.i.tude by reason of the curvature of its primary.

Its period is 7 hours and 30 minutes--less than one-third the time of the rotation of Mars. It rises in the West and courses across the Heavens in 11 hours, during which time it undergoes one entire cycle of its phases and gets through half another. Its disc appears to us as a little more than half of the moon's disc on your Earth at full appears to you.

The realm of Physics presents another interesting study to the Martian student. We have advanced to the study of Nature's laws to a point which would appear to your understanding most incomprehensible. Long ago we mastered the knowledge of the method of releasing Interatomic Energy,[2] a knowledge which in the brain of an unscrupulous person would be most disastrous, not only to himself but to those about him.

The energy locked up in an atom of matter is tremendous, and the release of this power is only a matter of knowing the law. The inhabitants of your world will have to bide a long time before the key that will release this giant is placed within their reach.

Not until you have eliminated your inherent selfishness; not before you have learnt the lesson as Christ taught it will you be permitted to harness one of the mightiest forces in the universe, a force equally as great for evil as it is for good. This knowledge we have, and we have utilized it in the construction and building of our mighty planetary projects.

This Interatomic Energy is the source of the sun's continuous heat. If it were combustion the Solar orb would have burnt itself out ages ago.

All your theories to account for the continuity of solar radiation are in error. The release of Interatomic Energy in the sun at a definite rate is the reason why its heat never increases or diminishes though millions of years come and go in endless procession.

And this process is not the working of a blind, senseless force, some of your scientists would have you believe, but the Creator: Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent is the Dominator: the Directing Intelligence, who sees to it that all is provided for His children.