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New Era Community (1926) - 35:
35. Paracelsus used to say; "per aspera, ad astra." Later, this remarkable maxim became a device upon shields and coats of arms, losing all meaning. True, understanding its meaning it is difficult to attach oneself to Earth alone. As a smoke escaping through a chimney, the attained spirit rushes into manifested space. What kind of dimensions for it can earthly garments offer? What kind of mobility can the spirit manifest on the surface of the Earth? What thoughts can it share with and upon the earthly sphere? Hierarchy (1931) - 257:
257. Certainly, the secretions serve for the most sacred acts, and not only the substance itself but its emanations participate in the creativeness of the world. What you remembered about Paracelsus and his homunculi is very characteristic, because this microcosm can be easily magnified to Macrocosm. And the Teaching about the great spiritual secretions has a great foundation. Certainly one can imagine how greatly interested We are in those organisms that have already transcended the degree of the "Lion of the Desert." Heart (1932) - 27:
27. The Philosophers' Stone is something real. It must be understood spiritually and physically. The spiritual condition that is called "Stone" corresponds to the consonance of all the precipitates of psychic energy. Physically the preparation is quite close to the preparation of Paracelsus, but he made a basic error in which he insisted in vain. As for the rest, the Arabian sources which sustained Paracelsus were quite correct. Fiery World - Book 3 (1935) - 610:
610. Especial attention is paid to dwarfs. As a special race they appear everywhere. One may observe in them not only bodily peculiarities but also a special psychology. No one discerns the cause of appearance of such small creatures; the more so since side by side with them, in the same conditions and families, appear people of lofty stature. But it has already been observed that there do occur unexpected materializations of very tiny beings. Even a clumsily embellished story from the life of Paracelsus recalls how he tried to preserve such small creatures. Of course the experiment was unsuccessful. But even now imprints of very tiny extremities are known. They must be looked upon purely scientifically. The solution will lie in a property of the ectoplasm - hence come both giants and dwarfs. But giants have already been forgotten. Few of them are of interest to anyone and few exceed two meters; and the materialization of giants is rare. But the tiny creatures reveal definitely their similarity and singularity. The dwarfs of southern India and Africa, and the Eskimo pigmies will be very reminiscent of their European brethren. When ectoplasm shall be diligently studied, then its specific properties will be discovered. And in relationship to the Fiery World such study will be a great attainment. Brotherhood (1937) - 175:
175. Great Service has called forth everywhere much misunderstanding. To people it usually has the aspect of something unattainable. They hope that responsibility for such Service will pass them by. But let us reflect upon certain great Servitors. Let us see if They were unapproachable supermen. Pythagoras and Plato and Boehme and Paracelsus and Thomas Vaughan were men who bore their lamps amidst their fellow-men in life under a hail of non understanding and abuse. Anyone could approach them, but only a few were able to discern the superearthly radiance behind the earthly face. It is possible to name great Servitors of East and West, North and South. It is possible to peruse their biographies; yet everywhere we feel that the superearthly radiance appears rarely in the course of centuries. One should learn from reality. Brotherhood (1937) - 175:
Let us not link ourselves with the vilifiers of Plato and the persecutors of Confucius. They were oppressed by citizens who were considered the pride of the country. Thus has the world raised its hand against the great Servitors. Be assured that the Brotherhood formed by Pythagoras appeared dangerous in the eyes of the city guard. Paracelsus was a target for mockery and malignance. Thomas Vaughan seemed to be an outcast, and few wished to meet with him. Thus was the reign of darkness manifested. Of course darkness, too, has its own laws. The dark ones watch intently a "dangerous" Great Service.
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