posted August 16, 2006 12:47 PM         

As in The Church of Light there are 50 degrees of initiation leading to absolute human perfection on the earth plane, the endeavor has been to formulate 50 of the most important questions and their answers. The last one, of course, crowning all, as does the united sun and moon at the apex of The Church of Light emblem, indicating exactly how every Stellarian should try at all times to live.

The Roman numeral following the answer indicates the Brotherhood of Light course, and the Arabic numerals indicate the pages in that course, where a more complete explanation may be found. The booklet lessons, as well as the cloth-bound books, of each course may be referred to with facility according to the pages indicated. Each booklet contains exactly 32 pages. A letter on the upper right hand margin of the cover indicates their consecutive place in the course. Also by consulting a Lesson List the serial number and the consecutive place of each lesson in a course may be ascertained. Its serial number is located on the upper left-hand margin of the cover of each booklet. [Note: The arabic numbers refer to pages from the hardbound, black with gold lettering edition of the courses. This format has been replaced and these arabic numbers no longer apply.]

1. What is the ego? Its ego is the indestructible spark, or emanation, from Deity which is the potentiality activating every soul. II. 103-105; V. 9-16.

2. What is the soul? The soul, or character, or unconscious mind, is the inner-plane organization of the ego's otal experiences up to the present time. II. 105-122; . 5-27.

3. What is the purpose for which the soul is brought into existence? The soul is brought into existence and undergoes such experiences as are necessary to train it to become a constructive workman in the realization of God's Great Evolutionary Plan. V. 9-16; XIV. 8-24; XIX. 135-138.

4. What are the three drives which the soul, both while it has a physical body and after the dissolution of the physical form, at all times strives to realize? The drive for significance, the drive for nutrition, and the drive for reproduction. V. 135-137; XII-II. 5-8.

5. How is the soul attached to the physical form it occupies? By psychokinesis. XII-II. 238.

6. What determines the species of life-form to which the soul is attached? Its ability gained through experience while attached to less complex life-forms. XIX. 18-24.

7. What enables the soul after the dissolution of one physical form to attach itself to, and have experiences through, the form of a higher species of life? Its increased ability gained through experiences in the form it left. XIX. 14-26.

8. What are the functions of pleasure and pain? Pain has but one function; to inform the soul that a destructive condition is present. Pleasure has but one function; to inform the soul that a favorable condition is present. The purpose of pleasure is not to reward, and the purpose of pain is not to punish.

9. What is the universal law of compensation? The universal reward of effort is greater ability XIX. 143-149.

10. What part has freedom in the evolution of the soul? Every step in evolution is toward greater freedom. XII-II. 237-245.

11. Why, after occupying and gaining experience in the form of man, must evolution and still more complex experiences be had, not on earth, but on the higher-velocity inner plane? The chief function of life in the human form on earth is to confer self consciousness. Physical life has its limitations. The experiences necessary in training the soul to become a constructive workman in God's Great Evolutionary Plan cannot all be had on earth. They require conditions that can be had only on a higher-velocity plane than that of earth. XX. 307-312.

12. What evidence is there of an inner plane on which life continues? Extrasensory perception and psychokinesis operate according to nonphysical laws, and thus imply the existence of an inner plane. I. 45-47.

13. What evidence is there of extrasensory perception, telepathy and psychokinesis? Millions of trials conducted by university scientists prove that such psi phenomena take place. XII-I. 46-47; XII-I. 204-212; XII-II. 201-214.

14. What evidence is there the personality survives the tomb? Many of the world's greatest scientists have investigated psychical phenomena and have concluded the phenomena prove such survival. I. 176-179.

15. If good karma and bad karma are responsible for man's condition in the present life, as creatures lower in the evolutionary scale have no sense of morals, what determined the condition of a life-form at its first incarnation as a human? The soul's past experiences, which are neither moral nor immoral, in lower forms of life. And these, together with its human experiences, determine its condition when it passes to the next plane. II. 217-222; X-I. 71-72.

16. What actually determines the birth-chart of an individual, and therefore the condition and events toward which he is predisposed? He is born at the time the inner-plane (astrological) weather corresponds to the thought-cell organization that constitutes the character of the individual then born. I. 116; X-I.72-73.

17. How can the individual best find out if the inner-plane weather conditions mapped by astrology actually and profoundly influence his life? He should erect the birth-charts and work the progressed aspects of himself and his friends, and check on character traits, and the events that have happened in the past, and observe the type of events progressed aspects indicate for the future.
VIII; X-I; X-II.

18. Does the outer-plane environment or the inner-plane environment have more influence over man's life while he is still on earth? Their influence is about equal. XII-II. 214-219; XII-II. 229-236.

19. What are the three types of inner-plane energies that have an influence over man both while he is still on earth and after he has passed to the next life? The character vibrations of objects, the thoughts of other people and entities, and the inner-plane (astrological) weather. XII-II. 215.

20. Do progressed aspects indicate inevitable physical conditions or events? No, they only indicate the influence of inner-plane weather of a particular type and harmony or discord. XII-II. 230-235.

21. Is there a god of whim and prejudice such as the Old Testament pictures? No. But there is an all-pervading Super-Intelligence who operates through undeviating law. XVII. 136; XII-II. 221-222.

22. Why is vicarious atonement impossible? No one can gain knowledge, ability, character or spirituality for another. XII-II. 190-191.

23. What are the only four possessions an individual can take with him when he loses his physical body? Knowledge he has acquired, ability he has acquired, the organization of his finer form (character), and his dominant vibratory rate (spirituality). XII-II. 191.

24. Is there a static heaven and hell? No. XX. 46-52.

25. What determines the spiritual level on which the individual functions both while he occupies a physical body and after life on earth is done? His dominant vibratory rate. XX. 18-32.

26. Should one's religion be based merely upon belief? People have found in other than the religious affairs of life that if they believe what they are told without demanding proof they will be exploited and cheated. XII-II. 12-19.

27. Why is the Stellarian Religion called The Religion of the Stars? Because astrology affords the best possible road-map for guidance to the most effective and highest type of life. XII-II. 229.

28. Why is materialism on its way out? Because irrefutable evidence has been obtained by widespread university experiments that man's mind does not operate in accordance with physical laws. XII-II.
229.

29. Why is orthodoxy on its way out? Because evidence is fast accumulating that man's life on the inner plane is not as orthodoxy has pictured it. XX; XII-II. 199-206.

30. Why should research be conducted to bring extrasensory perception under control? Because it can benefit man by enabling him to acquire valuable information he otherwise could not get. XII-II. 206-212.

31. Why should research be conducted to bring psychokinesis under control? Because psychokinesis can heal the sick and assist man to have freedom from want. XII-II. 212-214.

32. Just what does religion strive to do? Religion consists of the effort to employ nonphysical means to find on earth more ample satisfaction for the drive for nutrition, the drive for reproduction and the drive for significance, and to continue to find satisfaction for these three drives for as long a period as possible on the inner plane. XII-II. 8.

33. How does knowledge of astrology assist in developing moral attributes both in children and in adults? It indicates toward which specific weaknesses they have a predisposition, and the means to overcome these specific weaknesses. XII-II. 227-248.

34. How does knowledge of progressed aspects assist the individual to live according to the tenets of his religion? It indicates the periods in which temptation will be strong, and what precautionary actions to take not to succumb to it. XII-II. 248.

35. How does knowledge of astrology enable the individual to select the vocation in which he can most benefit himself and most benefit society? It indicates his natural aptitudes and the environment in which he can employ them most fortunately. XII-II. 249-250.

36. How does knowledge of astrology enable the individual to remain in good health? It indicates the diseases toward which he has a predisposition, the periods when each is apt to develop, and the precautionary actions to take to prevent them developing XII-II. 250-252.

37. How does knowledge of astrology assist the individual to avoid unfortunate events and to attract events that are more fortunate? It indicates toward which unfortunate, and toward which fortunate, events there are a predisposition, and the periods when a certain type of event is likely to occur. And it indicates the precautionary actions to take to avoid or mitigate the unfortunate events and to take the utmost advantage of those that are fortunate. XII-II. 253-254.

38. How does knowledge of astrology assist individuals and nations to live together in peace and harmony? It gives them a clear understanding of each other, and of the periods when they are apt to behave in a certain manner due to the impact of inner-plane weather. XII-II. 255.

39. Is it more sensible to judge what God wants by his actions, as observed in nature, or to judge what he wants by some person's opinion that is ignorant of nature? It is better to judge by observing what takes place in nature. XII-II. 25 5-25 6.

40. What has been the means orthodoxy has employed to enslave the people of the West? It has taught reward in heaven for doing as the priesthood dictated and punishment in hell for those who did not do as the priesthood dictated. XII-II. 188-192.

41. What has been the means orthodoxy has employed to enslave the people of the East? It has taught reward in a future life on earth for doing as the priesthood dictated, and punishment in a future life on earth for not doing as the priesthood dictated. XII-II. 156-160.

42. What is the difference between the means orthodoxy has employed in the West and the means orthodoxy has employed in the East to keep people enslaved? The reward for obeying priestly commands and the punishment for not obeying priestly commands in the West has been promised for a future life on the inner plane, and in the East has been promised for a future life on earth. XII-II. 160.

43. Why is freedom of information and freedom publicly to discuss any and all facts essential for the progress of the world? Because only thus can people learn the truth, and only when they learn the truth and act upon it can they make satisfactory progress.

44. What is the Universal Moral Code? A soul is completely moral when it is contributing its utmost to universal welfare. XIX. 179-180.

45. Why must religion never remain static? Because it should be based upon as many outer-plane facts and inner-plane facts as possible, and thus include new facts as fast as they are discovered. XII-II. 11.

46. Why is The Religion of the Stars the world religion of the future? It is because as fast as the are discovered and properly verified, each new significant outer-plane fact and each new significant inner plane fact is added to it in its proper relation to all facts already known. XII-II. 204.

47. Why can truth alone make men free? Only when they have the truth and act upon it, instead of upon error, can men be free from want, free from fear, have freedom of expression and have freedom of religion. XII-II. 12-22.

48. Why are those who permit their emotions, thus conditioned in childhood, to determine their religion, like European lemmings? Both instead of following the dictates of reason based on facts, permit emotion to guide them into disaster. XII-II. 12-14.

49. Why is it so important properly to recondition the emotions? Because they are the tools man must use to get what he wants, and if they are not reconditioned they will get him what he does not want. XII-II. 15.

50. In what way does the Stellarian try to handle each and every problem with which he is confronted? He tries to handle it in the manner that will contribute as much as possible to universal welfare. XXI; lesson No. 116.

Excerpt from Course 21, Personal Alchemy

http://www.light.org/questionnaire.php3