This is an extract taken from The Rosicrucian #92 (May 2023)

All of us, at some stage in our lives, have come across a particular phrase or sentence that seems to carry more meaning than may be apparent on the first reading. In this article I will share some of the sayings and truisms that have been meaningful to me. I offer some of my interpretations of each saying but also suggest that each is worthy of a few moments’ individual reflection and contemplation.

The best things in life are not things.

There is a sister saying to this: “The best things in life are free.” Both are alluding to the same fact, that the acquisition of material goods by itself will not make you happy. This is not to say that desiring and acquiring a nice home, car or other consumer item is a bad thing; it is just that ultimately without your health, inner peace and the love of others you will probably end up unhappy and somewhat unfulfilled as a person.

Love begins when judgement ceases.

This is a favourite of mine. It is saying that as soon as we master the ego and take ourselves away from any value judgements then love can blossom. Mystics over the centuries have realised that one of the great obstacles to enlightenment is paying too much attention to the self, which is what judgement is about. So the love referred to here is a mystical love. You could also argue that, in affairs of the heart, you can never truly love a person if you are always judging them!

Don’t anthropomorphise computers; they may not like it!

Computers are commonplace. Indeed you can’t go to a bank, shop, airport, restaurant, etc., without coming into contact with a computer of some sort. Even most watches nowadays have computer circuitry in them. They can do marvellous things very quickly, but does a computer have a mind of its own? Can a computer make decisions and act like a human being? Well, they certainly seem to make decisions sometimes. “Computer says no!”

But can we really compare computers to human beings? Do they have feelings or emotions, for example, or other qualities that we call human, especially the awareness that they are aware? The accepted answer to this question by science is: no.

Having said that, perhaps in the future machines will be developed with as much or maybe more processing power than the human brain, and then, just possibly, that may attract Soul force and turn a machine into a living expression of Soul. We would then be able to genuinely ask them whether they like being anthropomorphised or not.

If you think training is expensive, try ignorance

I came across this one over 20 years ago when I was teaching meteorology to graduates. It is one of those glaringly obvious truisms, yet how many companies have you come across where, through ignorance, staff have not coped and possibly lost customers? I bet at least one!

Would you embark on a project, possibly investing a lot of time and money not knowing the first thing about it? Yes, we can all learn eventually by our mistakes, but sometimes those mistakes can be very costly. A little bit of training can go a long way. Actually, as Rosicrucians we already know this. Imagine how much harder our lives might have been had we not had the benefit of our Rosicrucian studies.

There are two ways to become rich: make more or desire less.

Many people in today’s world want to be rich in a material sense. However, the only way they feel they can achieve this is to work harder and try to earn more money. This causes problems with stress, family break-ups, etc.

But there is another way and that is to take stock and really think about what you want and why you want it. By crossing non-essential items off the list and taking stock of what you already have, you quickly discover hidden riches in time, peace and money.

No rain, no rainbows.

This is a meteorological fact for sure. Everybody likes rainbows; they are beautiful objects but transitory in nature, and the opportunity to appreciate them must be seized quickly. However, according to the law of duality, before you can really appreciate a rainbow you must first experience some rain. Everything is dual in nature and all is relative.

Every silver lining has a cloud.

This saying is similar to the previous one and is usually quoted the other way round. By quoting it in this way, however, we can more easily see that to every action there is a re-action. What to one person may be a ‘silver lining’ may to another person be ‘a cloud.’ There is no absolute value in life, only relative values.

Man created God in his image.

A truism if there ever was one! The only way we can talk about God, endeavour to explain God and to glorify God is in human terms. Nobody knows the true nature of God, as God is beyond enquiry. We can feel the pressure of God but we can never say we understand God

Predicting is very difficult, especially when it concerns the future.

This is a rather witty saying but one that holds a note of seriousness. How many times do we come across people who claim to know the future, profess to know our individual fate or tell us that, unless we change our ways, something terrible will happen to us? Almost all predictions of such sort end in failure, as the predictions are more for the benefit of the predictor’s ego than for the recipient. Indeed, the effect of false predictions can be upsetting for susceptible individuals. Life is continually evolving; there may be a master plan, but no individual can be aware of such a plan, in much the same way as a single letter on this page can ever be aware of the meaning and intent of this article.

Smile, it’s the second best thing you can do with your lips.

A friendly smile goes a long way; try it and see the effect next time you want to do something with your lips!

The loudest voice in the room is not necessarily the clearest.

There is often strength in silence. Knowing when to stop talking and start listening is an art and of great benefit. People who like the sound of their own voice are often too busy talking and, in doing so, miss many learning opportunities. If they continue to go through life like this then their messages can become muddled with a lack of clarity as they will not have progressed.

Luck is the meeting place of preparation and opportunity.

I love this one because I always tell people that there is no such thing as luck. Or, if I wish to concede a point, that everyone makes their own luck. Throughout life, opportunities for advancement, wealth, peace and happiness will arise. If we are prepared, and the Rosicrucian studies prepare us admirably, then we will recognise and seize these opportunities. Others may think we are lucky. However, I’ll tell you now: I’d rather be lucky than good any day!