Pearls: A Realities of Life Primer

By C. Frederick Charles

Pearls is a synopsis of books written by such insightful authors as Phillip Wylie, Manly Palmer Hall, Thomas Sugrue, Gina Cerminara, Arthur Ford and Bishop James Pike. All of whom are now deceased. The pearls of wisdom extracted from these books helped me to form a personal philosophy of life. Pearls critiques and offers my studied opinions relating to love and marriage; the theory of evolution; gay/lesbian issues; Jesus Christ and organized religion; the concept of reincarnation; the mysteries of clairvoyance; and proven health improvement techniques as put forward by the foregoing writers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 5, 2007
• ISBN: 9781469101262

Book preview

PEARLS

A REALITIES OF LIFE PRIMER

C. Frederick Charles

Copyright © 2007 by C. Frederick Charles.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission

in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

40258

Contents

FORWARD

HOW TO APPROACH THIS BOOK

I     

THE CONCEPT OF REBIRTH: A PERSONAL VIEW

II     

EVOLUTION: THE LONG ROAD TO ENLIGHTENMENT

III     

A LOOK AT THE LAWS OF CHANCE

IV     

LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDOROUS THING

V     

PEOPLE

VI     

‘OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN . . . ’

VII     

‘GOVERNMENT OF ITSELF, BY ITSELF, AND FOR ITSELF’

VIII     

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

IX     

EDUCATION AND THE LAWS OF NATURE

X     

PRESERVING HEALTH BY BUILDING INTEGRITY

XI     

A FOOTNOTE TO CHAPTER X

XII     

GENERATION OF VIPERS

XIII     

PHILOSOPHY THE MIRACLE MAN OF VIRGINA BEACH

XIV     

A SUMMING UP . . .

Dedicated with love to my wife, Josefina,

and my daughter, Christine Kehlenbeck

. . . neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample

under your feet.

-New Testament, Matthew, VII, 6

FORWARD

At the age of 20 or so, after serving in the United States Marine Corps, then taking a Government Education Development test and earning a high school diploma, I went on to finish college. At the time, my mother was interested in esoteric philosophy and often attended Sunday morning lectures presented by Manly Palmer Hall, founder of the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles, California. Hall attempted to place our existence into a meaningful perspective on these lazy, hazy Sunday mornings in the City of the Angels. To my mind, he was one of the most brilliant, insightful seers to walk among us since Socrates.

My mother’s devotion to the subject began to intrigue me as well, so I started going with her on occasional Sundays and also perused Hall’s books, along with those of other noted philosophers. Among these were the works of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, a noted Russian theosophist. Blavatsky’s massive tomes, Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, are so profound that it would take a highly educated, far eastern Indian scholar to comprehend her writings, much of which is sprinkled with Sanskrit words.

During the early 1950s, I also read a book written by Philip Wylie entitled, Generation Of Vipers, a rather vitriolic yet witty sermon that attacked some of our most sacrosanct institutions including motherhood, women in general, military men, religion, the United States Congress, statesmen and various other topics. As a young fellow in those days, I shared his views and still have the book after some 55 years.

Wylie’s preface contains a paragraph I might have penned myself: For many years, indeed, for all of my adult life—I have yearned to contribute to thought more than entertainment. A large body of sober essays composed by me lies dated and un-printed in the files of my agent. The shelves of my closet overflow with works returned to me by editors of the more presumptuous periodicals. My style has been invited, but they have preferred me to write about fishing rather than philosophy.

For most of my life, I have been obliged to work for a living at one avocation or another in order to earn a living. I only started dabbling with a word processor during my early forties. Much to my pleasure and surprise, practically all the articles I created were published. These submissions included feature articles for the Oregonian’s Northwest magazine—a Sunday supplement—and later, items for trade publications focusing on the construction industry in Nevada.

Like Wylie, I found that editors were interested in my output only if the articles pertained to building projects, financial news, and personal profiles, certainly not my philosophical views relating to the many quandaries of life.

But, dear reader, I’ve been down the pike for over six decades—time enough to gain yards of experience and some unique ideas relating to a great many subjects. Wylie, on the other hand, was a man of letters; an intellectual, whatever that means. He possessed the talent, resources, time and inclination necessary for a total dedication to the literary realm. When Wylie published Generation of Vipers, I was nine years old. Since then, I completed my education, got married and divorced a few times, had children, lobbied the California Legislature and went on to hold down more diverse occupations than I can easily recall. The only real similarity between Wylie and I lies in a kindred desire to share a few philosophical thoughts.

About 40 years ago, I had the opportunity to meet the late Gina Cerminara during a Theosophical Society meeting. She wrote Many Mansions, a book based upon the readings of Edgar Cayce, a noted clairvoyant who was active during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Cerminara’s enthusiasm for the concept of rebirth—a quintessential Cayce topic—opened new vistas for me. After reading her book more than once, I visited the Association of Research and Enlightenment’s collection of Edgar Cayce data, then stored at the group’s facility in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Here, my understanding of the concept of reincarnation was greatly enhanced. Many Mansions, by the way, is quite interesting and made a lifelong impact on this writer.

Wylie’s book also captivated me because of his forthright, caustic, and often humorous, no-holds-barred approach to many of society’s ridiculous beliefs, attitudes, actions and ongoing dilemmas. In his preface to Generation, he mentions being rather depressed—a condition undoubtedly caused by his disgust with national and world conditions prevalent at that time. Wylie had much to be dispirited about even then, but if he were writing about the foibles of human existence these days, his computer would probably explode.

After all, Generation was conceived prior to the Nazi holocaust; Japanese atrocities committed during WW II; our use of the atomic bomb on imperial cities; the emergence of still more total totalitarian regimes; the assassinations of President John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King; further conflicts, civil wars and ongoing unrest in the middle east; the World Trade Center atrocity; a long line of serial killers; high school massacres; thousands of homeless citizens sleeping under our nation’s bridges; environmental problems; AIDS; widespread drug use; and continuing prejudice against gays and other minority groups.

A prolific writer, as well as an outspoken voice in American literature for more than 40 years, Wylie established his controversial reputation with novels of ideas and polemical works. Generation of Vipers, he said, is not a novel. It is not a collection of essays, either. In fact, the number of things it is not baffled my publishers until I explained what it was. It is a sermon . . ."

In Generation, a sometimes vicious, often humorous and exaggerated attack on revered American institutions, Wylie isolates flaws in our national system of beliefs that encourages capital gain in favor of self-knowledge. Some of the concepts expressed in Generation are based on his interpretations of the works of Freud and Jung. Wylie’s book was criticized by some for its rather vehement attacks on American womanhood, for which he applied the word momism. It refers to the social pandering of women, whose reproductive role renders them helpless and bitter. Akin to many of the female characters in his other works, moms manipulate their husbands by withholding sex for material gain and then granting sex as a material reward. Men, on the other hand, compound this difficulty via their unquestioning worship of the female. Of course, the war of the sexes and women’s role in society has changed considerably since Wylie’s day.

Certainly, I’m no Manly Palmer Hall, Philip Wylie, or Gina Cerminara. Yet, the writings of these individuals greatly influenced me. My own primer, Pearls, hopes to lead readers down the same path I’ve traversed over the past six decades. I will discuss and present the thoughts of Hall, Wylie, Cerminara, as well as interspersing my own ideas along the way, from a like philosophical perspective. The bottom line is that I’m absolutely convinced that evolution; the immutable laws of cause and effect (karma); and the concept of rebirth are valid concepts of reality. The quicker we come to accept these truisms, the faster progress will be made in the realms of true brotherhood, increasing integrity and lasting peace.

The writings of Philip Wylie, and in some instances those of Manly Hall, can get somewhat obtuse and rather profoundly intellectual. At times, their verbiage becomes somewhat akin to a chat with William F. Buckley, Jr. I try to use much simpler language. Although there are rather profound ideas contained herein, they’re treated with as much clarity as possible.

Life, at times, can be terribly painful! We often become disgusted with our own shortcomings and the actions of others. However, there are many good people and a few of our institutions, ideas and accomplishments have merit. Yet, when we scan our daily newspaper and watch TV on a regular basis, depression can set it rather quickly. About 20 years ago, a friend gave me a thick Dictionary of Quotations for my birthday. It contains excerpts from hundreds of poems and personal observations penned by noted personages. The great majority of which are grossly pessimistic. In the main, the quotations are those of poets and/or philosophers now long deceased. Here are a few passages:

Life’s a long headache on a noisy street. John Masefield.

Life is an incurable disease. Abraham Cowley

Life is a jest, and all things show it. I thought so once and now I know it. John Gay

Life is one long process of getting tired. Samuel Butler

and, of course, one of the most noted:

"Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time;

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools the way to dusty death.

Out, out, brief candle!

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing." William Shakespeare.

There are scores of such observations, each drearier than the next. The longer poets live, the more they decry existence as being a tale told by an idiot. I suppose this may be a justifiable stance after a lifetime fraught with misery, sorrow, disappointment, illness, pain and failure—even when you win you lose.

Yet, despite all the foregoing negative outpourings, life can offer liberal doses of love, hope, courage, pleasure and even ecstasy. Motion Picture Director Rob Reiner once remarked: For all the times I’ve had sexual intercourse, there were perhaps five seconds of sheer ecstasy. It could be that such brief instants are worth looking forward to on a cold, rainy day.

The fundamental purpose of this book, therefore, is to offer a subjective, reasonable explanation of life based on decades of thought, insight and exploration. I will also, along with Philip Wylie, criticize many points of view, religious dogma and just plain foolishness.

Readers will find a goodly measure of redundancy and repetitiveness in this primer. Why? Because there are certain theories/concepts herein that should be remembered for a lifetime. Along the way, I hope those who do manage to work their way through my sometimes tedious tome will pick up a few ideas worthy of further study.

Las Vegas, Nevada

HOW TO APPROACH THIS BOOK

Pearls is my explanation of existence, and can be accepted or rejected as you see fit. If we happen to share some of the following concepts, you may nod your head and smile knowingly while perusing the pages. The reading may bring a measure of joy, therefore, and hopefully a smattering of fresh enlightenment. However, if you happen to disagree with certain segments of the book’s content, and this is quite possible, there is little I can do to help. Send me an email, and I will try to clarify or restate my position.

My father, who was not given to expressing esoteric thoughts, once mused that all of us are merely selfish entities residing in a kind of box with peep holes. All our life experiences come by way of these peep holes and therefore are quite limited, something akin to those individuals mentioned in Plato’s Republic. I write from this narrow perspective whether you happen to like it or not.

I

Throughout Pearls, I allude to various books and related sources of information—scholars, religious tomes and like references—but I do not bother to provide footnotes, or attempt to substantiate several of my philosophic outpourings. The late Arthur Ford, a noted clairvoyant, stated in his book, The Life Beyond Death (1971), that proof for an afterlife is already in and can be confirmed by way of further study. I’m loathe to waste either time or pages trying to convince readers as to the validity of my viewpoints, whether they have to do with evolution, rebirth, universal law or whatever. The attempt would be like including a basic course in mathematics within a text book on advanced physics.

Oh, I realize that observations relating to esoteric phenomena are much easier to accept if explained by using a myriad of examples, scientifically verified data and related proofs. Yet, to my mind, those interested in further exploration of what I reveal herein can find hundreds of books on library shelves that offer additional explanations and greater clarification. In other words, if you have difficulty understanding or accepting my pronouncements, it’s time to do some further research before complaining too vociferously.

II

Unlike a novel, Pearls does not have to be read from start to finish. Those who are interested mainly in sex or love, for example, may peruse these chapters. In fact, it’s probably not a good idea to read this entire primer in one sitting. As a good bottle of wine, more pleasure can be derived from sipping rather than gulping.

Here is the affirmative of my debate: Resolved, that most human beings exist quite low on the evolutionary spiral, and by understanding this reality, we must constantly strive to improve and educate ourselves. Robert Louis Stevenson once stated, ‘To know what we are, and to finally become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life."

III

In Generation of Vipers, Philip Wylie advised that minors should not read his sermon, neither lip-movers and finger-pointers. However, and if they’re so inclined, I would strongly urge young people to study this volume from beginning to end. Today, teenagers in particular are far more aware of life and its many foibles than were their peers of the 1950s, mainly as a result of enhanced media communications and the existence of computers in schools and at home.

Instead, I suggest that religious fanatics steer clear of the ensuing pages. Perhaps, a few centuries from now, these people may have evolved enough to grasp a clearer vision of reality.

IV

It is absolutely essential for readers to possess at least a modicum of open-mindedness in order to entertain the theories of reincarnation and evolution as they move through the following pages. Those not yet capable of this intellectual necessity are wasting their time by going any further. This is precisely why I’ve taken the trouble to make my position perfectly clear; laying the groundwork for a treatise in which its entire premise is based upon these basic concepts of reality.

I     

THE CONCEPT OF REBIRTH: A PERSONAL VIEW

A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me.

Kahil Gibran: The Prophet

On occasion, someone will ask me when I first adopted the ancient belief of rebirth. As mentioned earlier, I read the late Gina Cerminara’s enlightening book, Many Mansions, at the age of 21. Her work, which is largely based on the readings of Edgar Cayce—a noted clairvoyant of the 1930-1940s era—made such a lasting impression on me, that I spent the next decade or so reading numerous other tomes relating to reincarnation. I was also quite taken with the writings and Sunday morning lectures given by Manly Palmer Hall. Hence, a portion of the following material has been gleaned from his philosophy as well as adding some thoughts of my own on the subject.

For some reason, even at a tender age, it seemed rather natural to me that I had always existed. No one suggested this idea to me, nor was family guidance or religious influence responsible for this belief. After my discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952, I discovered that my mother had been educating herself along metaphysical lines while I was in the service. She had read Many Mansions and attended Manly Hall’s lectures during this period. Anyway, the idea of eternal life and the cycle of rebirth made sense to both of us.

Later, after continuing to study the doctrine of rebirth, I came to accept the concept as an obvious and inescapable reality of being, which was so real and clear that it required neither further proof nor defense. As the years passed, I learned that reincarnation is not some tenuous doctrine held by a tiny group of wild-eyed religious adherents. Rather, it is among the oldest and most universally accepted principles, bearing upon the total essence of humankind. In truth, the concept can be found in the philosophies of every race and tribe, from savage to sage—a belief that has flourished for thousands of years and taught by Gautama Buddha.

As a matter of fact, rebirth was widely promulgated by Socrates and Plato, while its subtle message can also be found in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Now, nearly one-half of the world’s population accepts rebirth in one form or another, with the number of believers ever increasing.

Of course, widespread belief doesn’t mean any particular theory is true. Yet, such universal consideration of rebirth means it is a major religious and philosophical concept, and certainly entitled to as much consideration as any other teaching relating to the origin and destiny of humankind.

Be all of this as it may, I’m loathe to devote space to an analysis of scientific or historical evidence as it may support rebirth. My personal beliefs are not really based upon popular fashions, opinions of scholars or the teachings of past sages. To me, the only valid foundation for conviction is whatever insight I may possess. Let’s face it, this venerable doctrine has held up through the ages and tested through countless applications.

It’s important that we all believe in something. Unfortunately, there is no way to prove spiritual truths to everyone’s satisfaction. If, for my own intellectual and emotional well being, I prefer to build my philosophy of life upon some viable concept, I may as well choose one best calculated to achieve a full and useful existence. A belief in rebirth has met this need in myself, while experience has shown me beyond doubt that is has helped countless others to construct a more gracious, thoughtful way of life.

The doctrine of rebirth affirms that we, as rational human beings, are not identical with our physical bodies. Perhaps, like deities in our own right, we share an eternal existence apart from body. During the course of evolution and individual growth, we are born many times into this physical dimension over a vast period of time, our souls periodically opting for incarnation as a male or female entity.

It’s not unusual for a