CHELA: Beloved Master: There are two lines of thought to which students ascribe themselves. One is the development of interest in and cultivation of the use of pictures, images, symbols, icons and all external stimuli to remembrance and recognition of God and his Representatives. The other is the rejection of such symbiology as a deterrent from concentration upon the Indivisible ONE! To which line of procedure would you recommend us? 

GURU: Blessed chela: The development of the individual consciousness is a great determining agent in the attitude of receptivity or rejection of representations of the Deity and his Messengers. For instance, individuals who belong to the Angelic Kingdom or the Devic evolutions are naturally more interested in radiation, spiritual essence, the music of the spheres, than in form. Human beings and elementals enjoy the form which is the Grail of the Spirit. This natural alignment of the individual consciousness to any one of the three kingdoms will have a pronounced effect upon his type of worship, required stimulus and, generally, his happiness in such worship. In the East, many holy men and women come to the point of full illumination through concentration upon a lotus blossom or a drop of dew. In the West, many holy men and women have come to the development of personal sainthood through contemplation of the Being represented in a statue of the Christ or the Madonna. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: In some individuals, there is such a strong repugnance to symbols of a spiritual nature that their presence detracts from any spiritual nourishment such people might receive from a service. What can be done in such a case? 

GURU: Blessed chela: In all cases where there is resistance, rebellion, discord and inharmony, it is the result of lack of understanding. Whenever possible, if the reason for such symbols is explained and certain specific applications made by the group director, this resistance can be overcome. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: What applications do you suggest? 

GURU: Blessed chela: The director must recognize that all within the compass of his aura are not necessarily of the same spiritual evolution, background, development or understanding. Besides the aforementioned fact that angels, humans and elementals have a natural difference in the type of worship which appeals to them, there are the etheric records built into the consciousness of all who ascend the ladder of evolution. Like every God-designed ideal, pattern and plan, the exquisite designing of representations of the Angels, Masters and Divine Beings was seized upon by those who wished to place before the mind and senses of men forms magnetized to render· powerless the spiritual natures of those who concentrated upon them. These "idols" were used by certain misguided individuals to secure power over the masses. Individuals who remember such experiences in the deep recesses of the etheric body and who either consciously participated in opposing such practices or who succumbed to being hypnotized by these foci are determined in themselves to remain free from a like experience. 

The deep fears of all forms which represent the Deity must be removed and the conscious mind made to realize the self-evident Truth that the type of representation determines the current, the radiation, the influence, the beneficent or malevolent powers focused through the form. Good common sense will be the measure of an intelligent man's acceptance of a picture, a statue, a symbol as a stimulus to his aspiration or a deterrent to his spiritual culture. The purifying currents of the Violet Flame called forth through the etheric bodies of the students by the Group Director before class time will do much to assist in breaking down bigotry and intolerance. The clear, detailed explanation of "the why and the wherefore" when there is an introduction of a new expression in the service will clarify the outer consciousness and make for cooperation and understanding among the students. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: What are the reasons for having the pictures of the Masters, statues of the Divine Beings, symbols of the activities of the Sacred Fire before the outer consciousness of the students? 

GURU: Blessed chela: They are reminders to the sense consciousness of the Presence of the God-free Beings who are an ever-present help when called into action! The senses of man are so constantly fastened on distress and imperfection that any and all types of perfected form that turns the attention of mankind "upward" and away from the chains that bind him, are essential to the survival of the spiritual spark within the soul. Even your church spire pointing heavenward, your majestic mountain ranges, the graceful upreaching arms of the trees are designed toward that end. 

Furthermore, each focus of a Perfected Being, an Angel, a Master or a Deva, becomes an open door into the energy, consciousness, being, world and activity of such a one. A line of energy flows from the heart of the God-free Being into the form which represents him and into the world of all who look upon that form, bringing blessing and benediction in its wake. Thus, the picture or statue is a magnetizing center, drawing the radiation of the Perfected Being down into the world of the student and drawing the attention and energy of the student upward into the perfected realms of the God-free. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: As there is such a great divergence in the representations of the Deity, the Masters, the Angels and the Devas, in statues, pictures, icons, etc. how does this affect the students' consciousness and the magnetizing power of the picture or representation? 

GURU: Blessed chela: First, one must remember that the student is not worshiping the form, the picture, the talisman or amulet in itself. He is merely using it as a reminder of the Being whose perfected glory flows through the representation. Thus, I have seen even a very roughhewn hand carved figurine draw tremendous blessing upon an earnest soul and conversely a magnificent piece of sculpture leaves the spiritual spark unstirred. The consciousness, feelings, thoughts and nature of the artist will be a determining factor in the capacity of the representation to reach the heart; also the faith, innocence, love and devotion of the aspiring one will be a determining factor in how much good the contemplation of such a focus will bring to the individual consciousness. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: Why is there such a great divergence among the pictures and representations of Deity, yourselves, the Angelic host and others of the Heavenly Kingdom? 

GURU: Blessed chela: This is so because every form that manifests on Earth comes through the consciousness of some individual who is part of Earth's evolution. The purity of consciousness, the developed talents which can transfer the impression to canvas or marble, the patience of the artist, all are determining factors in the representation. 

CHELA: Beloved Master: Does not the difference in presentation of the Masters' pictures tend to confuse the chela's mind as to the true likeness of the Master? 

GURU: Blessed chela: While the chela's mind can be confused you can rest assured something will arise which will confuse it. You have seen photographs of the same person taken in different stages of a lifetime, the vital pictures of early youth bearing little resemblance to the mellow pictures of maturity. Yet, the outer consciousness knows and recognizes the individual who is represented in that picture and can enjoy the infant's innocent smile as well as the mature man's steadfast gaze. 

Artists and individuals who represent the Ascended Masters use different methods to receive their inspiration. On rare occasions (when the Master has retained an etheric vehicle) actual photographs are available. Why? Because there is no present mechanical photographic device available which can register the high frequency of vibration of the electronic body of the Ascended Being. In very rare instances, where the aura of a chela is sensitized and can provide out of its own substance a clothing for the likeness of the Electronic Presence, stepping down the vibratory action, such photographs have been taken. These are very sacred spiritual gifts and are guarded carefully by their recipients. In the case of the Cottingly photographs (see "Fairies" by Ed. Gardiner) the children in question provided a similar clothing for the elementals so that they were able to be photographed with present methods of mechanical instruments. 

On the other hand, artists often draw on their own etheric memories of contact with and association among the Masters, Angels, Devas and God-beings. When purified enough, these artists are visited by Members of these Kingdoms and through the veil of their own consciousness look upon the Celestial Beings who, invariably, take on some of the characteristics, outlines, concepts and nature of the artist's own being. Then these impressions are conveyed by greater or lesser artistic talent to the medium of expression which the artist has chosen. As the etheric memories go back to the first Golden Ages, through all the succeeding generations, one Master may appear in the glory of Lemurian splendor, Atlantean priesthood, Himalayan ruggedness, eastern vesture or Western modernism. The important thing for the chela is to remember the Being who is represented, not concentrating upon the representation to the exclusion of receiving the benefits of radiation which might otherwise flow freely, stimulating body, mind, soul and spirit. It would be like a man dying of thirst insisting upon tracing the pattern on the cup while the life giving water trickled away unused.