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OFFI CIAL EMBLEM OF

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rn {j;j'ij~ffJ~ S~o;~;
All material. discourses, lectures, illustrations. lessons. scientific dissertations and letters
of transmittal appearing under _this Official Emblem are protected by copyright. They may
not be quoted except by o1Ticial and written permission of The Mayans. They are not for
sale but are prepared for the private use of Members of our Order. The recipient of this
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cover are reserved by The Mayans. including the privilege of translation into other languages.

VADE MECUM, VOLVENTIBUS ANNIS

THE MAYANS
Degree 8 - 9 SAN ANTONIO, Number 141
TEXAS
~opy ri ghL 1956 by The Ma y ans
 PhotoAraph by Rose Dawn

~~t ifgramtb nf t~r &un

~be <8)reat ftarable ~eries

HOUSES AND STORMS

PARABLES SECURE FOUNDATIONS

A PARABLE OF FOUNDATIONS THE TEST OF HISTORY

FALSE FOUNDATIONS IF WE COULD TRY AGAIN

SEE THE PATTERN WHOLE

'iELOVED CENTURION :

There i s always excitement at Mayan Headquarters ·.7hen a new series of

lessons is being pr epared for you, and when i t is ready, having ceen printed,
put into t he envelope and started on its way to you, i t is with a fervent
prayer and hope that i t will accompl ish for you all that your teachers hope
that it may do . Everyone who has a part i n it put s his or her heart and soul
i nto the prepara~ lon and production, wit h the one t hought up per~ost in mind -
that the conten~s of the lessons will be blessed and inspired to help you
create a f uller life and give you e. better understanding of how life was meant
to be lived, for the greater our understanding, the more ~e will reap fr om that
which God has given us .

And so it is with the utmost pleasure that ~e present for the enrichment
of your life the new series which is entitled 'l'HE GREAT FA..B..A..B.IZ S~'tiES . The
fir~t, whi ch is in your hands now, is entitled ROUSES Al'\ID ST ORi< lS.

I would lL~e to say here L~ passing that the lessons for you are pre-
pared with the t hought of your needs as the governing factor . ~he many letters
which are received from our members every day , many of which are put in the
chapel for prayer, are our gui de to your needs in shaping your life , and in
helping you overcome the storms which you encounter along life's highway .

This first l esson is stated quite simply , but as you go along i n the
lessons to come, in t his series, you vdll find that they become deeper in t heir
meaning, and for some a little mor e difficult to understand; but you, as a
Companion in the advanced classes, will grasp the significance of the hidden
meanings and your life will be better through having permitted these truths to
enter· your being .

As your instruct or, I would like to suggest that you loc£. upon t his ne-:1
series as a turning- point i n your life . If there i s something in your life whicn
you would like to over come, but which you are finding di:ficult, I sincerely f ee l
that you can find the key to t he solution in 1EE GREAT P~~BLE SZRIES . So let ~ s
proceed with this positive thought, and pr ayerfully , not only for ourselves, but
for all our Companions on the path.

HOUSES AND ST0.[1]ftS. Matthew 7 ; '24- 27 .

?AMBLES
~HERE were ~ny sides to the ministry of Jesus Chri st , and t ney all
(lJ thelped, in one way or another, to make him a per£ect revelation of
he Divine . One of t hem was his wor k as a t eacher, a teacher so
effectlve that among many teachers the world has remembered he is known pre-
eminent ly as the great teacher. His work i s permanent . 3motions co~e and go ,
but understanding abides .

The ki ngdom of heaven has an instructi onal side, and i t is v ery closely

Rev . 141: F3
 Rev . 141: P4
•
related to t he recie::Jp"tl ve one . Mostly people do v.Tong not because they want to
per petrate evi l , but because t hey kn ow not what they do. When they learn better
t hey do better. That is one of the chief redemptive processes . Learn the truth,
for the truth will make yot:. f r ee . That was the line along whi ch Jesus worked ,
and the one along r.hich we are trying to work in these lessons .

i'lhat made Jesus the great teacher of the ages? First, the fact that he
had the greatest an~ most i mport ant subject to teach - complete, inspired, re-
deemed living by mean s of which to build a new world order . Second, because he
chose the best and sounde·st of teaching pri nciples . I t was a threefold one .

Second, he asked quest ions. h. well- directed auestion is bette:c- t han ~

stat ement because it stimulat es the mind of the learn~r t o find the answer for
himself, after which it rem~ins with hi m. Socrat es had used t his method effec-
tivel y in Athens four hundred years earlier. The well- directed question promotes
mental gror.th . It cioes fo~ the mind what motion does for a cold motor . Thi s is
important for you to r emember - i f there is something you do not understand, do
not be too timid to ask .

Thir d, he said just enough to set t he sense of wonder going . The best
teacher does not merely inform. Ee does not state the whole truth . He gives
just enough of it to lure the student to v1ork out the rest . Thus , the mind is
stimulated and made eager f or more and deeper und er~tanding .

Fourth , he used parables . A parable is a story with a purpose . It is a

narrative of something that need not necessarily have happened but that might
happen, and which i llustr at es a truth in such a way that the learner can visualize
it and s ee its reality for him . The mind for gets a lecture, but it does not
forget a story . Vlliat is told i n pictures lasts long after what is told in words
is lost . The parables of J esus would be the last part of his teachings ever to
be f orgott en .

This lesson series is to deal wit h some of the parables . They cannot all
be considered, and those that are taken up cannot be dealt with exhaustive l y .
Though our study must necessarily be brief , it will touch most of the high spots
and set forth the cardinal principles these parables seem meant to suggest .
Thus, at l east some of the seed he sought to plant can be cultivated and, we hope ,
bring f ort h a kingdom harvest.

Please r er ead each par able at the beginning of the lesson dealing with
it . Let its form of words fix itself in your mind , which is like covering well
the seed you pl ant so its growth may be f irm and sure . Please r ead each parable
again at t he close o~ the l esson about it, to see i f any new light has been shed
on i t for you .

b PARP~LE OF FOUNDATIONS

J7i HE scene is vivid and full of meaning. Jesus has been set apart
\:1 and t ested for the beginning of his public work . He has addressed
a t hrong on a histor ic hillside, stating the cardinal principles of
that good and blessed way of life t hat would transform t he world . Having spoken
his mes sage , and being an expert speaker, he knows t hat he must i mpress it in
the minds of his hearers.

He wishes to conclude by saying t hat t he st~ucture of this good life

he has outlined must re st on a soli d foundati on or it will fal: . In this case
the necessary f oundation is t he applicati on of the t ruth of his teachings i n
action . Thi s alone makes truth ·.vor ta learning . To learn the truth and not do
it is lL~e planting a seed on a sun- scorched stone . Nothing can come of it.

To drive thi s t ruth home, he us es a pars.ble , the f i rst so far as we know ,

of all the consider able number he uttered during h i s ministry . I t i s the plain
and simple story of t wo men ·.vho built houses. One cuilt on a foundation of sand ,
and the wind and t ide came, as they ;vill, anc s-;v ept :.t down . The other built
h is house on a rock, and t he tempest s and ·uaves -;rere powerless against it. The
f irst :nan vta s like one who hears t he trut h and does !lathi ng a bout it . The second
typified one who hears the truth an~ carries it into action .

Aft er the sermon on the mount was over , it 77as found that the quibblers
and hair- splitters ha d not thought much of it, but the simple peopl e who honest -
l y ·Nan ted to i mprove their lives heard it gladly because they caught t he note of
aut hority in the words and i n the voi ce and manner ·:iith which they were spoken .
The pe:able had taken root, and i t has been a strong support to hold the SERJ:ON
ON TB.3 ~·J!OUNT , TB..AT OlJTLINE OF KINGD0~.1 LIVI!'lG, up to public attention t hese t -;-;o
thousand years .

The general message of t his par abl e fli ngs out i ts chal lenge to
all ·Nho wish to think and live t he truth . That message i s , be
careful of vour foundations . It is not the richness of t he super-
structure of anything that makes it enduring . It is t he sureness
of its foundation . In all your attempts at l i ving adequately ,
cons~aer carefully the basis on which it rests . Unles s that i s
sure , or made so, nothing else will matter much .

In planning and building your thought life and then developing i t int o
action , be careful of your FOUNDATIONS . Do not build on specious fancy or the
i mpulse to follo7t t he crowd . Seek t he bedrock of truth and bui l~ from there ,
and so far as living i s concerned , JESUS REV3ALED 'IE.AT BEDRCCK in t he ser!'llon on
t he mo:mt .

In planning ·uhat t he ages ·. vill r emencer as your earthly life, t he struc-

ture you will offer at t he .Judgment throne, as your just ification for having
lived i n the world , be careful of your foundations . Build only on what i s sure ,
on t he solid pr inciples of justi ce , right, and wholeness , as indicated i n t he
telling wor ds of which the parable of the t·:1o founC.ations is the power ful conclu-
sion . Thi s is the beginning of t he builder's skil_.

The architecture , the beauty , and the uti l" ty of any structure ·.'Till alike
go do·nn in ruins i f t hey do not stand on so:.id founciations . iTo !ll8.tter how fine
they are , shift ing sand will not support them .

Rev . 141: P5 . --s1

 Rev . 141: P6

FJ..LSE F OUNDA'i'I ONS

i7j HEFL are many ways of building one 1 s life on a foundation li ~e

\!) shifting sand, and inevitable downf[ ll is t he cert ain prospect of
every one of them. In fa~t, that is the only t hing that is certain
about them. To the careless eye the work may look fir m enough, but it never is.
COLLAPSE WU!.Y BE LONG IN COMINO., BUT TI WILL COME.
One for m of shifting sand is the policy of expediency . That meam· to
assume that t he most important thing is to get along easily, or t o do the most
agreeable thing at the moment. Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote a line that is worth
applying in all proposed action - 11 Nothing is ever settled until i t i s settled
right. 11 We may also say that nothing is ever really done till it is O.one right,
and it is never acne right unless it is well founded .

In common usage the term 11 radical 11 is often misapplied. It does not

mean wild and reckless thinking and action, as some see!li to assume . Its true
meaning is "getti ng at the root of things". The man who built his house on a
rock ·was a true radical. He thought ben eat h the surface. He considered sources
and consequences. That is what we must do in our decisions and our actions, and
we are likel y to do that only if we make it a .habit i n our thirli:ing. The easy
way, the i mmediate way , the popular way, may be shi:ting sand. Be certain.

Many older people now have the habit of t hinking to the depths or roots
of things, and try to base their thoughts, plans and actions solidly, who di d
not do so in their youth . They had to learn the hard way, and some have found
i t very hard. They are to be commended and complimented that they have learned
the lesson, and that they now follow t he wiser course- of living solidly; but
they cannot keep from thinking sometimes of the tragedy of all the time t hey
lost and all they might have accomplished if they had considered the master's
parable and l earned it in the beginning.

Be careful about taking up popular ideas wi thout considering their

base s. They tend to run to fads and fancies, which are seldom solidly founded.
They shift, and change, and come and go, because the public i s merely seeking
something different and more exciting. The bedrock of truth ~nj right i s eter-
nal and unchanging . Wisdom does not change with the seasons, t he generations,
or the fashions . Building on i t may be less spec tacular, but it is sure.

Consider the world's apprai sal of people who have lived in the past .
Consider the community's judgment of people who have lived in it and passed on .
I t is not the foibles that are appreciated and praised. More end more the
remembered picture of a person is composed of the enduring qualities of his
nature and work . We build better i f we take that into account.

What is the shifting sand or the soli d rock is not always determined by
one hurried look. Either may decei ve you by looking like the other. Learn to
examine closely and distinguish clearly that your building may be sure, that
the structure of your life may stand.
 SECURE F OUNDATI ONS

~ 0 much for the shifting sand. What are some of the forms i n which
~ we find the solid r ock? \Vhat are some of the secure foundations
one can lay? We should have at least a few fixed principles by which
to think, and plan, and work, and live, - gui de lines to keep us moving i n the
right direction. We need a few rules ·.7e -.vill not violate in what "Ne think or do,
however strong t he pull the other 11s.y may be, however inexpedient our decisions
may seem at the moment , however doubtful and unsure of ourselves we may feel .
Right principles help keep us sure, but "Nhat shall those pri nciples be?

A certain man gave this answer : 11 I do not claim to bE. all- wise, but I
have laid down a fev1 things I feel I must believe and to \'lhich I feel I must be
true to keep on solid ground . ay these things I try to check every proposition,
possibility, and pl an, and allow nothing to v i olate them. I MUST BELIEVE IN GOD .
I MUST BE LOYAL TO MY COUNTRY . I I..ruST K~P FAITH WITH MY LOVED ONES . I CLAIM
NO FREEDOM TO VIOLATE ANY OF THES~ OBliGATIONS. N~ pattern of life must always
fit itself to these loyalties."

- 0 -

In the fourth chapter of his letter to t he Philippians, St. Paul records

his list of measuring sticks, fundamental standards and values, on which to build
his thought life, hi~ conduct , his choices, and his relationships, and which he
recommends to others. He says : "Finally, brethren, WHATSOEVER THINGS .1\HE TRUE,
WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE HONEST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE JUST, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE
LOVELY, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE OF GOOD ID:PORT, IF THERE BE ANY VIRTUE, AND IF THEm
BE ANY PRAISE, THINK ON THESE THINGS . 11

No~ice that St . Paul only says to think on these things . That is a safe
approach for a teacher to make . He knew that what ~ thin..'k upon ~ do, and what
we contemplate ~ become. The limitation in t hi s list is that all the elements
in it are i ndividual and personal virtues . These are vitally important, but '71e
also need some directions on how to carry t hem i nto action and weave them into
human relations.

For that we must turn to the sermon on the mount . After all, that -rvas the
statement the master climaxed with this parable. The idea was that however perfect
the idea was, failure to carry it out was shifting sand , while keeping it was solid
rock. More graces are hidden in that utterance than are mentioned by name.

We need be in no doubt or confusion about t his program for living. The

sermon on t he mount is expressed in plain words and deals with familiar things
and situations. Keeping it involves keeping all of St . Paul's objectives and more .

Now and then, Literature or Science slants in the direction of this for m-
ula for living, and History is always verifying it; but the adequate thing is to
take the sermon on the mount as it is and make i t a program. Do that, and you
will surely be likened unto a man who built his house upon a rock .

•••
Rev . 141 : P7
 Rev . 11..1 : ?8
•
THE TEST OF HISTORY

.-.t;
1
00 are we to know whether all this is true or not? The ser mon on
the mount was a noble utterance, but pitifully few have wholly lived
by it, and dist~essingly many who are not living by it seem to be
getting along very well so far as worldly success goes . Can it be that this
proposition is ell a mistake? How are we to knov1?

You can determine nothing by just supposing that a claim might be true or
it might not. It is the demonstration that tells . Actual living a thing is the
test. Even i f too few have lived the sermon on the mount, have they been the best
or the worst of their times?
We can judge nothing by merely observing who seem to be succeeding in an
immediate and superficial way today. As someone ·'las said, the peacoc}: of today is
the feather duster of tomorrow. Immediate worldly success does not interest the
ages , and the only test that tells anything dependable is the long time test.

- 0 -

Let us look at it thi s way :

Not many names from the generation of Jesus t he man are remember-
ed now, and most of the people who are remembered from then are
remembered for the mist akes t hey made and the wrong they did . Vie
remember Tiberius, Caligula , Pilate, Herod . Each was supposed to
be doing quite well in his t ime , but not many of us now woul d
want to have played their roles. Their memories are less than
dust becaus e there was something Vii'ong with the foundations on
whi ch they built .

From that generation the best r emembered and the ones remembered
for the best r easons are Jesus and the men v<ho tried to think and
live by t he pattern he t aught t hem . Mor e of his acts and words
are treasured and more about his personality remains potent than
of any other s in his time or any other time . The reason is t hat
his work survived all the opposition it met because it was built
on solid foundations.

- 0 -

Peopl e in gener al did not consider that Jesus was getting along very well
in hi s day. He did not meet or try to meet the ordinarily accepted standards of
success. But how is it now? It takes the test of time really to mc.ke sure . _ow
we have it by which to judge whether his pri nciples of life, epitomized in the
sermon on t he mount, were right or not.

The people who opposed him may have thought they were doing the right
thing, but they knew not what they did . They did not understand . They wer e not
aware. Many do not understand now, but t hey will not oppose. It is safe to live
the sermon on the mount today . Many will even honor you for doing it , but you will
have a bett er reward t han that - t he fact that what you do and represent will en-
dure for ever.
 That is the test of hi story . Ever y t hi ng, big or l i t t le, publi c or
secr et, that we do has to meet that t est. A thousand years from now the i nfluenc-
es you sent out from your life may no l onger be tagged wi th your name , but they
will be your s . You cr eated t hem and s e t t hem going, and you will have to bear
t'he r esponsibility for what they do . If you build them on true foundati ons they
need give you no concer n .
IF WE COULD TRY AGAIJ."'T

1it1t E often hear someone say, 11 0h, i i I could only have another chance 1•
lt\11 If I could only go back and begin again , knowing what I do now, how
much better I could do~ Ho·.v much more I could make of my life ~~~
Probably you have said the same thing . l~ost of us have .

Thi s is an honest c r y of the human heart . Most of us think we could do

better , and we probably could . But t he clock is inexorable. It runs in only one
dir ection, and i t keeps ticking away . Its very tick seems to say that we can go
for ward , i ndeed we must, but not back .

iT.~at is wrong? What i s the occas ion of all this? It i s the cry of people
~ho have not been careful enough about t heir foundations . We know it now, but at
the time we were either not wise enough or not careful enough . So on restless
pil lows we retrace the year s i n memor y , t hi nki ng how much bet ter we might have
done t his or that. Meanwhi le t he c~ock t icks on . The hand s are set for only one
directi on . We cannot turn them back .

Some followed the impulses of youth, rejected t he counsel of experience,

and said t hey proposed to make their own mistakes, have t heir own exper ience, and
learn t hei r own lessons . They did but t he pr i ce was high . Their foundations
crumbled t oo lat e to be mended .

Some listened to the voi ce of the crowd, thinking t he majority i s al~~ys

right, when as a matter of fact it is the thinking minori t y that is not swept about
by every changi ng wind of cust om that us ually leads the mob back to sanity .

Some lost the way by falling under the influence of false teachers and
leaders, mistaking novelty for truth and br illiancy f or wisdom, only t o discover
after the damage had been done that they had really been sai ling wi thout chart or
compas s, i gnoring the safe courses , a nd wise counsels, and dependable examples .

Some foll owed the influenc~ s of prejudice and desir e , only t o learn t hat
it was not a:ong the line of the ir o>vn best interests that they were being lee.

Some assumed that what they did and the way they went was not i mportant,
that soon or late the whole matter would automatically take care of itself .

Now, in later years, they see the picture as it might have been and rea-
lize ho·:1 easy it would have been to do things bett er . The trouble was wit h the
foundati Gn . To correct it would require a compl ete job of rebuilding , and t he
hour is lat e .

::et IT IS _/EVE..it TOO LATE TO BEGIN ANEW . We may not be a ble to do all ~e
might wish, but we can do what we can . With the knowledge and exper ience ·,ve now

Rev . 141 : ?9
 ::{ev . 141: ?10· •

have, vie lilB.Y i::>e able to acco:nplish su:::-prisingly much and do it surprisingly well
Since it is a life you are buil ding, there are no complications t o hinde:::- or
delay you . Yi'::o }:nov.-s J perhaps you:- experience , even your failures, may have made
you a I.ih.STER B"t:ILDER?

.-:11
l
E:\~Y Cnt-=:CEI.LL [I! G once sa.id that the fir st secret of living well
is to see life sT.eadily and see it whole . One who does that is
tius able to plan a good foundation, and set upon it a worthy
superstructure .

You baxe trieC. to solve picture puzzles, of course. If you have t he

process bas taught you certain t hings. One is that it takes time , effort, and
ingenuity to do what :rom the beginning looked so easy. Hour after hour you work
over something you thought you could do in a few minutes.

f_~othe~ ~~ing you learned is that i f you just see a heap o: pieces and
Fick up one after ths other, trying to find a place for it, you get nowhe~e .
Your confusion increases as you find there is no place for the piece you hold in
your hand, because you hav e not yet made a place for it.

Then you pause and study the total design with its objects and colorings .
hS you do so the pr oblem seems to loosen up and the difficult y to di ssolve. Soon
you are under way, and the whole matter clears up as y ou go along . I t still
t akes time and care , but you are succeeding .

What has happened is that you have stopped picking up pieces in haphazard
fashion and trying to find places f or them . You viatch the element s of position
and color, and find your pieces because you know what y ou are trying to do . You
are selecting your pieces with a purpose in mind , and with some i dea what it will
take to keep moving toward a total pattern. You are seeing your problem steadil y
and seeing it whole .

As a painter must have a picture, a scene, or a model before him, so he

can follow all the shadings of light, form , and color, seeing what he is to put on
canvas, so you must see what ki nd of life you propose to live, how you want y our
picture to look when it is done . Vfuen you can look at the total pattern you hav e
some i dea how to proceed . Knowing what you. want to build , you know what kind of
a foundation it will take to bear it . You know in any ca se that i t must be solid .
When you visualize all this, you will be better able to do it.

If you take advi ce, be sure it is good advice . I f you follow ~~ example,
be certain it is a worthy example . If you are affected by influence, let i t be
the influence of someone who has done well .

What shall that pattern be? Before uttering t his parabl e, Jesus
had just been making that clear . The pattern laid down in the
sermon on the mount will never be improved upon . It has integr i t y ,
truth, happiness , and all the rest of the desirable qualities of a
life in it. Why follow blind guides , and shallow thi nkers, and
careless workmen, and self-appointed adviser_2, wheg ygg have the
best at your disposal? Here the good life is all charted §..Q you
£an ~ it steadilv and see it whole.
 But when all that is done, one important matter remains. It may not be s o
beautiful, but it must be strong. It may not be seen by many, but it is necessary.
It may be plain, but it must be there. It is the matter of A GOOD FOUNDATION.

Let us say together the following prayer, knowing t hat the sincere hearts
of the Companions in your Class give great strength to our petition.

PRAYER

~eavenly Father, I accept my task of building a life. Help

me as days go by to build it well, but today help me to l ay
its foundations on the solid rock of truth and right, t hat
when the tempests blow I need have no fear. Amen.

Benediction: May the silence of the hills, t he j oy of the

winds, the peace of the fields, the music of the birds, t he
fire of the sun, the strength of the trees, and the f aith
of a little child - IN A1J., OF WHICH THERE IS GOD - BE I N
YOUR HEART.

Your second lesson, of vast importance in this series, is entitled THE

GARDEN OF THE HEART.

Rev. 141: Pll ..