last Cosmic discourse that my visualization of it is simplified and my question clear. I raise myself, then, more rapidly than usual to the level of the Cathedral of the Soul, and on reaching my private sanctuary 'above' I see that once more he is waiting for me. Evidently he attaches extreme importance to the lesson which he is transmitting to me at this moment, and he knows that my consciousness with respect and gratitude, is ready to receive it. Smiling, he invites me to take my place at my desk, and he impresses his words on me, his vibration of wisdom and peace.

"The question dealt with in your last visit to this sacred place will facilitate my discourse and your comprehension. I shall immediately stress that soul-characteristic personalities are indeed actually in formation, or in the process of development, on Earth and elsewhere in the manifested universe, that some of these soul-characteristic personalities, at this very moment, are leaving their dwelling place or physical vehicle, whilst others are preparing to take possession of a new one, either in an identical 'kingdom' or not, according to their degree of development. But you understand that some soul personalities, attained the status of man for a more or long time, and some for thousands of years, are becoming disembodied or are reincarnating, at the moment when we, you and I, are in Cosmic communion. We are only going to concern ourselves with these latter, the subject of other soul-characteristic personalities, particularly those of animals, having been the object of our conversation...

"And I would like first to eliminate the problem of population growth used as an objection to reincarnation. It is never useless to repeat I shall do it once more) that there is only one soul in the universe, which is the Universal Soul. If it were necessary, a segment of this Cosmic Soul could incarnate into millions of 'new' men. As I soon as the 'physical vehicle' is ready, it takes possession of it. The electrician does not do another thing when he proceeds to install new electric bulbs into a house. If he wished to, he could install ten, twenty, or more in the same I room. And it is always the same electricity which I he would use, whatever may be the form of the bulbs. Electricity always remains like unto itself. One cannot make it responsible for the imperfection of the bulbs which may give more or less light. If a bulb must be changed, it is always the same electricity which will produce the light in the new bulb. It is the same with the Universal Soul. It is infinite and without blemish. In incarnating in man, it becomes in him the perfect segment which gives life and light to his being. In the 'mold' which constitutes this segment, the personality is created or follows its evolution, the result of the contact of consciousness with the world and its human environment, such as a man's thoughts, acts, and experiences in the surroundings in which he lives.

"Why must the Universal Soul incarnate, since it is infinite and pure? It must because it is necessary for it to become conscious of itself. Electricity fills its role for man only in his utilization of it. The Universal Soul attains its objective only in incarnation. In reality it always comprises in itself all personalities, but these, like itself, were in the passive state, without self-consciousness, without 'knowledge'. Evolution in the manifested universe will permit these personalities to gain consciousness. They will have tasted of the tree of knowledge, and the ultimate result will be a Universal Soul conscious of itself, or each personality will know its own reality and will participate consciously in the Cosmic plan. It is not easy to understand what is difficult to explain. Remember only that creation is a permanent act of love. It is the unfoldment and the accomplishment of the plan and objectives of the Cosmic. The beginning is unconsciousness, the final goal is consciousness. The grasp of consciousness takes place in the incarnation, and everything, including the Law of Compensation or Karma, which we will discuss later, aims only toward this objective.

"Some people confuse reincarnation with metempsychosis. According to this last, the soul personality would return to the body of an animal after having known human experience. This doctrine is false. Once again, in evolution, there is no retrogression, and this is why the word 'reincarnation' is preferable to designate the successive lives of man. One may or may not admit the doctrine of reincarnation. Refusal to do so certainly does not change the law, and it is not suspended by the denials of those who do not wish to, or who cannot, believe it. Moreover, man is not judged by his beliefs. He is judged by his acts. But it is better not to acknowledge reincarnation and to lead a good and full life, rather than to waste one's time by passing the hours, days, and months in the research of his former incarnations. What belongs to the past is a completed book, of which each chapter has been assimilated. The adolescent who, at the beginning of his scholastic education, has learned the multiplication table, no longer needs to go back to it. He is happy to make use of it. To know past lives may be a interesting discovery, but that offers only evidential interest, and such a discovery is unverifiable. Those who indulge themselves in it may well arrive at the correct conclusion - that they can make the worst possible mistake by trusting their own incarnations to the alleged revelations of a medium. The latter may invent revelations, and often does, and even if he is sincere he can be mistaken and be deluded by the illusions of his own mind. He mixes with his own subjectivity what he claims 'to see', and eventually the glimpse which he is able to gather on his own past he transfers in good faith to those who consult him. Actually, the only true information which one can obtain on former lives are those researches done by oneself. The 'readers' of others offer no guarantee even though, in the end, an inkling of truth (in an accumulation of false impressions) comes to be divulged.

"Some claim that they do not believe reincarnation because they do not remember their past lives, but this argument is absurd. Do they remember exactly all that they did two, five, or ten years ago, or even at a much more recent date? And because their memory is blurred, do they dare to say that they did not exist at that time?

"In certain conditions, it is possible to know about some circumstance, state, or experience of the past. That comes about this knowledge helps in the understanding of a lesson of this life, because everything that is given to man has his evolution as its purpose, and Cosmic law is just and good. He who is 'realized' naturally knows his complete past, because this knowledge does not risk injury to himself, and he knows he should keep silent about himself. If to remember everything were to remain totally within man's decision, he would only draw the negative aspect from it. He would take pleasure in recapturing his past, and quite often he would find regret and remorse. Loving to tell about himself, he would  seize every occasion to speak about himself. His curiosity would in the end make him 'miss' the experiences which are offered by his present existence. He would unceasingly devote himself to a comparative analysis, and his grasp of consciousness (that is, his goal) would be farther away still.

"Each life is for man the result of all the preceding ones. It is the synthesis of them with an eye to a new stage. In learning to know himself, as the true Rosicrucian does, in working and in persevering, he will progressively discover his attainments, which are the consequence of his former lives. It matters little to him whether he were king or shepherd. What is important is the result of his acts of former times, and this result is what he actually is. From these bases he must set out to advance further in the framework of the ex-experiences which he undergoes. His future life will be such as he has prepared it in his present existence.