Gina Cerminara
221 South Springer Rd.
Los Altos, California 94022
October 12, 1963
My dear Sam,
Your very kind letter was delivered to me last week by a person in Santa Barbara, but this is my first opportunity to answer it.
I was so happy to know that my new book wins your full approbation! I have had other letters of appreciation, but none that I value more than yours because you are one of the most if not the most knowledgeable person I know. So thank you for all that you say! It is much appreciated.
Errors do creep into things, as you know, and I would be happy to know of mine. In the chapter on GS for example I said a few things which disturbed headquarters considerably—I don’t mean my critique so much as my description of the structural differential, about which I misspoke in several sentences, according to Mrs. Reed. I hope to correct this in the next printing.
I wasn’t aware of having said that Sufis don’t believe in reincarnation On pages 138 and 139 I state that the Parsi texts do not refer to reincarnation; I believe this to be correct, but if I am wrong, please do tell me and I will correct this also in the next printing!
As for review copies, I know that my publisher has sent out a number of them. Can you tell me which groups you may have in mind to give them to? I believe I can get some additional copies from the publisher for this purpose, but I know they will raise this question in order to avoid duplication. Let me hear from you on this. I wouldn’t want you to have to buy extra copies.
Talbot Winchell, 2016 Hanscom Drive, South Pasadena, California, is probably the most conscientious General Semanticist I know, and he probably would answer letters from abroad on GS. I suppose you have already tried Hayakawa?
Your comments on Buddhism were most enlightening and helpful; I was glad to have them.
I wish I had time to write you more fully and more frequently, but my current schedule is quite demanding—mostly an increased number of lectures and classes. Have this 4-week series on Parapsychology in Santa Barbara, for example, which I enjoy very much and which surprised me for its overflow attendance. I think people are really beginning to get excited about this subject.
Thanks again, Sam, and all my warmest wishes.
Yours,
Gina
October 24, 1963
Dear Sam,
My publisher has authorized me to send you two complimentary copies of MLML [Many Lives, Many Loves—Ed] for publicity purposes, as you see fit. I trust the matter to your judgment. I am sending them to you today, together with a Reincarnation Annotated Booklist which the ARE printed (and very badly, I feel) some months ago. In any case, it is a useful list, and if you know of anyone who cares for additional copies, they can be ordered from the ARE (or from me) for 35¢ a copy.
I am very happy about the attendance at the Parapsychology lectures in Santa Barbara. The interest in this subject seems to be really growing. I enclose a mimeo’d sheet which I passed out last week. It doesn’t tell you anything you don’t already know, but it may interest you anyhow.
I was in Palo Alto last weekend; addressed a small group in a private home and then spoke to about 250 college students of a Psychology class at Foothill College in Los Altos—subject: Parapsychology. Had I been able to get into San Francisco would have been delighted, of course, to see you or phone you. But my time was too brief.
Always my best wishes.
yours,
Gina
P.S. I would like the idea of copies of MLML going to India, and England. In any case, please drop me just a card letting me know your final disposition of them, so that I can let my publishers know.
February 27, 1965
Dear Sam:
Thanks for delivering my message to Gavin, and please give him my regards!*
Thanks also for the exciting report of all your goings-on.
Yesterday I received a batch of new leaflets describing my 3 books from the publisher. It occurred to me that if you wish to bring my material to the attention of the Buddhists etc. these leaflets might be of some use to you. With this in mind I am enclosing a small batch of them, for you to use at your own excellent discretion. If you should ever need more I have plenty.
Saw a preview last night of an interview with Madelyn Murray the atheist in Hawaii. It is on a TV series to be given soon in Seattle. The woman certainly has courage and what she said made a lot of sense. She admitted that she had precognitive dreams constantly. After the interview, I was told, she and the Unitarian minister were given a private séance with a noted medium and the minister was so impressed he preached a sermon on it, and Madelyn was so impressed she started reading about psychic matters…. The results should be interesting.
Belle cose, e grazie!
Gina
* I have just learned that the person to whom I referred Gavin may not be too reliable after all. She may be very good in the field that interested him, but from what I just heard she seems to have gone overboard. Would you please convey these reservations to him? Thank you.
221 S. Springer Road
Los Altos, California
July 12, 1966
Dear Sam,
So many exciting things are happening in the field of parapsychology! On my recent trip east, I learned about some of them, and I thought you might be interested in a brief report.
First, a personal note. I spent the week of June 26 - July 3 at the Cayce headquarters in Virginia Beach—the occasion being a conference on reincarnation and karma. I conducted three sessions on the race problem in the light of reincarnation. But here are the events that should be of special interest to you.
1. Dr. Ian Stevenson of the University of Virginia has just had his book published by the American Society of Psychical Research. It is called Twenty Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation, and it can be obtained from the A.R.E. at Virginia Beach, Virginia, or directly from the A.S.P.R. at 880 5th Avenue, New York City for (I believe) $5.95. It is truly a remarkable book, containing cases of spontaneous past-life memory studied at first hand by Dr. Stevenson in Alaska, Lebanon, Turkey, India, Ceylon, and Brazil. The birth-mark cases are perhaps the most exciting ones, and perhaps the most important in the sense that the new evidence they provide will make it very difficult for scoffers to use “telepathy” or “obsession” as an escape hatch. Some of the cases (like the one of the child who remembered the details of his own murder, a few years before, and the identity of the murderers—both of whom were still alive!) may well be the subject of some future movie.
2. Talking about movies, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever has been purchased by a major Hollywood studio. In case you hadn’t heard about this Broadway hit, it is a reincarnation story of the Bridey Murphy type, in which a psychiatrist regresses a patient to a previous life.
3. Jess Stearn’s new book, Edgar Cayce: The Sleeping Prophet, will be published by Doubleday in November. Doubleday always does big promotion jobs on its books—so this one should reach a large public.
4. A television special on the life of Edgar Cayce is in the making. It hardly requires a crystal ball to predict a great explosion of interest in the subject of reincarnation and Cayce—and a snowballing expansion of A.R.E. activities.
Other items of interest: Flying Saucer Pilgrimage, by Bryant and Helen Reeves (in my opinion one of the finest surveys on the subject of flying saucers) is again in print, in paperback, and available from the Amherst Press, Amherst, Wisconsin. Mr. Reeves also has an excellent new book called The Advent Of The Cosmic Viewpoint, available from the same publisher. Electronic research into survival is being intensively carried on by a scientist whom I met; and extraordinary things are happening in the field of psychic healing, all over the world. Living With The Lama, a delightful book written by Lobsang Rampa’s Siamese cat, has some interesting things to say about the telepathic abilities of cats; and I know of no finer note than this on which to end my report. Best wishes!
Gina
Gina Cerminara
221 South Springer Rd.
Los Altos, California 94022
June 4, 1968
Dear Sam,
Thank you for the copies of the two letters which you recently sent me; I found them both most interesting!
I was under the impression that after the break on Thursday night you proceeded with private disciples, which is why I left early. In any case I enjoyed hearing you, as always. You are a fine teacher, and it is wonderful to see how you are helping all these young people.
I am wondering if you could spare me an hour some day, possibly a Sunday afternoon? (I couldn’t do it on the 9th of June but could on the 16th if you have time available.) There are some questions I would like to ask you along the lines of some research I am doing.
Here are some of them:
1. I have read the word baraka in the Sufi literature. Is this similar to what is known as Darshan in India? A kind of power that is transmitted wordlessly from one person to another?
2. In the Hadith I have read several statements of Mohammed concerning the kind treatment of animals. I have also read a legend concerning his love of cats, and the fact that he once cut off his sleeve rather than disturb a sleeping cat.
Question: Do Mohammedans treat animals with notable kindness, possibly as a result of this? How do they regard cats, for example?
3. It is my understanding that many different collections have been made of the sayings of Buddha. Is it known how many collections? Dozens? Hundreds? Are the different Buddhist positions largely based on the differences between the different collections?
4) It is my understanding that in the Zen approach humor is often used. From reading Indries Shah’s book on the Sufis, I find considerable humor used by the Sufis. I personally find the humor of the Sufis much more intelligible and enjoyable than that of the Zennists.
Question: Is this preference of mine due to the fact that I have not undergone Zen training and hence am not in the “In” group? Or do you share my preference?
Recognizing that your time is limited and that you might find it less time-consuming to answer these questions in person than to write them out, I have suggested an interview; but I leave it up to you, and trust that I am not imposing too much!
My questions are not idle ones, I assure you, and I shall make good use of the information.
love,
Gina
410 Precita Ave.
San Francisco, Calif.
June 6, 1968
My dear Gina:
It is with great delight that one reads your letter of the 4th. Sunday is open house and I also stay home in the afternoon to anticipate visitors, often have them for dinner—or we go out. And in your case Mr. Hunt is very anxious to meet you. He was the chum of Hugo Seelig, on and off for many years.
Sunday night meetings begin at 7:30 and have no particular stopping point, excepting that one considers those who have come long distances; also those who have to work on Mondays. We teach or present a number of Yoga-systems and meditations, none of which are offered elsewhere. If somebody comes and offers any one we shift our ground for there is knowledge of a very great number of Yogas, not taught here—by which I mean ways to Union-with-God, not with some muscular or even mental off-setting which makes the persons involved a little healthier, a little saner, and a great deal more egocentric.
Thursday night we meet 7:30 with a break and then on till 9 or 9:15 after which non-members are dismissed—not at the break. Then we have Zikr and other Sufi practices.
1. Baraka is of the same root as the Hebrew b’rocha which is translated blessing but also involves certain energy-movements which Hazrat Inayat Khan called “magnetism.” These are not subjects of lecturing or metaphysics but the transforming or awakening of actual energies which are in all of us. But they are best awakened by attunement or osmosis, for which a teacher is needed.
Darshan means “views” and his might be either physical or mental. The glance of the teacher is called “darshan” but in Sufism “tawajjeh.” This is a supreme light-electricity-magnetism penetration by the teacher. As this person has had both of these experiences and had the results therefrom one knows. Knowing one can impart this to others, but with caution and circumspection.
Samma-Drishthi which is mistranslated as “right views” by the unattained means “Highest Darshan.” It is, for practical purposes, identical with the Maha Mudra of the Vajrayana School and the Mushahida of the Sufis. Mushahida means attainment in Shahud. This was one of the fundamental teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan. But such is the nature of humanity that one has never been permitted to present it to so-called “Sufis” in the West, and has had great joy in presenting it, as a test to Saints and Madzubs.
2. Mohammed treated all sentient beings with kindness. Present day “Buddhists”
are hung on the phrase “sentient beings” which seems to include everybody but “me” and “thee.” But Muslims as a whole are not that way. They are like the Christians, worshipping the personality and ignoring the teachings.
3. There are basically two collections of Buddhist writings. The Pali is supposed to be based on “historical Buddhism.” It roughly resembles the Hebrew bible, having collections of the actual words of the Master but also a number of versions of tradition stemming down with extreme niceties in very small thins, far, far away from the doctrines of the Eight-fold Path.
Mahayana means working toward the cosmic instead of egocentrically. It becomes “finite and unbounded.” The Tibetans collected all of both as they could but in the mass of literature there were selections. This selectivity lead to the formation of sects and schools and the establishment of doctrines instead of the basic experience of Enlightenment.
4. Nyogen Senzaki taught me seven forms of humor—I think I have the documentary. This was all abolished by the “only in America” experts, along with most of Lord Buddha’s teachings. Then Sabro Hasagawa presented me with an eighth form of Humor, which none of the experts have, and therefore cannot use. This eighth form is close to that of the Sufis especially Shams-i-Tabriz. It is also used by Dervishes and sometimes be the “crazy” people called Madzubs. One must say here that experts who do not have to meet Madzubs have very different outlooks from the Madzubs themselves who seem to have favored this person above all other outsiders, and in this all other you can include or exclude anything and anybody.
When the term “Zen training” is used as a dualistic term it has no meaning. The establishment of a “Zen School” is contrary to the Dharma. Those real Zen Masters—and we have some right here in California now, do not accept this division into schools and sects. The purpose of Zen is meditation, not doctrine. And Al-Ghazzali said, “Sufism is based on experiences, rot premises.”
Now Sufism is in the West in two forms, the premise-type and the experience-type. The premise-type is presented by the followers of Inayat Khan, Meher Baba and Idries Shah who curse the world by announcing “one single brotherhood in the Brotherhood of God” and who keep away from each other and all deny that Sufism is based on experience rather than premises.
We have in the West two cultures, according to Lord Snow, the scientific and the literary-humanist. In the first faculties determine the person and in the second the personality determines or pre-determines the faculties. Jean Dixon did not say anything about Robert Kennedy nor do the “elite” among the occultists have to do anything of the kind. They are of the “elite” and names make fame not knowledge.
It is not so difficult to peer into the future but it will bring you enemies. Two weeks ago, being a priori rejected at the University of California on some factual reports on Pakistan, Sam went to the San Francisco State College where a professor who has lived in Asia accepted the facts at once—in fact he knew about them himself. He is not an “expert.” He has never appeared on public panels, like the people who a priori reject.
The professor asked if I were the Sam Lewis who worked with Luther White man on “The Psychological State of California.” He had thought so because of the resemblance of behavior and literary pattern. (He was not an “expert” and so did not have the prerogative of “a priori” rejections.) The book is now being used for research material. It was based on honest, integrity and sincerity. In the course of years practically every prediction made came true. The percentage of predictabilities far, far above that of famous and not famous psychics and seers.
You should not be surprised that reports from this person have been invariably rejected by occultists and seers. During the war, at the suggestion of GII I destroyed most of my predictions because they were coming true—GII yes, “occultists,” nix! Therefore one stopped “looking,” call it Darshan, call it shahud or anything else. And especially after coming to full agreement with Dr. Radhakrishnan on the affairs of the world and their “cures.”
We passed a “law” against the word war calling it the “Briand -Kellogg” pact. Since then there has been no surcease of fighting. We are now campaigning against the word “violence.” But the older people, now withdrawing from incarnations, are unable to accept: “Whatsoever ye do to tee least of these, My creatures, ye do it unto Me.” And the young cannot and will not think otherwise. It is the sign of cosmic evolution.
This evolution, applied personally, was discussed at great length with Swami Satchidananda, the successor to Swami Ramdas. It was not even discussed with the top Sufis; it was applied. And now one is also working with the followers of Sri Aurobindo although they are unable accept that anybody else could have had the same vision. Only now the young accept impersonally and their elders can only accept personally. But they are going. The New Age is at hand. The New Age will accept faculties and the older people stick to persons.
After bunches of self-proclaimed leaders of various and varying doctrines all called “Buddhism,” most having nothing to do with Lord Buddha, the Dharma is going to be taught openly here very soon at 125 Waverly Place (mostly). This will answer objectively elements of your inquiry.
We are going to have a wedding tomorrow where Sri Haridas Chaudhuri will perform the ceremony and Murshid Sam will give away the bride. Then we shall have a great curry feast here. The followers of the Sufi Teachings and of Sri Aurobindo will join. Previously we joined with the Christians of “The Church of Man” and Saturday some will go to the Mosque. Others talk; they are famous; we demonstrate and are making no more appeals to society. The young come, every week more and this is the way of Enlightenment, to Enlightenment.
Nyogen Senzaki used to teach that the Theravadin Buddhists said and the Mahayanists did. Elsie Siegrist says over and over: “Prayer is man talking to God; meditation is God talking to man.” There is something wrong here. If man can listen to God, why are we hung up? The point is that man can but does not listen. Here we teach the listening.
Every Sura of Qur’an but one begins: Bismallah which means “listening to God.” The Christian bible says; “Let him that hath an ear to hear, hear what the spirit sayeth.” The Jews pray: Shem (listen). The Buddhist Sutras (having “experts” we do not study them and have no need to study) begin “Thus Have I Heard.”
Truth is as near and simple as that but Ego-me, Ego-expert, Ego-big man must talk; and “isn’t he wonderful” remains the bastard answer. Naturally the world is hung up and will remain hung up until we accept God, humanity and “love thy neighbor”—not the words, those terribly, ghoulish words, but the process. Words have saved nobody. It is time to do. We do, here.
Love and blessings and will hold open Sunday, June 16 or other days by arrangements.
Sam
cc-Siegrist
July 16, 1968
Dear Sam,
Thank you for your fascinating letter! It is always exciting to hear from you. I love your statement about “sins may be forgiven, virtues never.” Was interested especially in your contact with Judith Hollister of the Temple of Understanding. Do you know Swami Radha, a truly lovely German lady who studied in India and has now founded an ashram up at Kootenay Bay in British Columbia? She too is starting a temple of all religions. If you don’t know her I think you would like to, and vice versa.
Sam, since you are in touch with so many wonderful young people, would you please do me a favor? To wit: will you bring to their attention the enclosed data? Either on your bulletin board or through telling them about it? These unspeakable barbarities continue because people for the most part don’t know about them; and if more young people knew about them I think there might be a gathering momentum of protest and finally reform and then total abolition. I am sure the Buddha will bless you if you do something. I can’t bless you, but I will give you my heartfelt thanks.
love,
Gina
July 18, 1968
My dear Sam,
I didn’t mean to put you on any spot, and I am delighted to know that you recognize the seriousness of the matter I wrote about. I do not know, of course, to what extent being a Sufi would preclude taking a stand on the barbaric misuse of animals; I should think, however, that the all-embracing love which Sufis customarily have would dictate some active objections. Christian ministers, of course, are (for the most part —which is to say 99.99/100%) unreachable because of their idiotic fixation on man’s supposed “dominion” over the animal creation as delineated in Genesis.
On the accompanying sheet I have indicated what my semantic analysis of your situation would be; if I am in error, kindly correct me.
I am enclosing an extract of a lecture I gave on the subject a few years ago; I send it by way of indicating my position in the matter and also by way of indicating the names of some of the major organizations working to help animals.
I feel about this matter as Voltaire did about the monstrosity which was the Catholic church in his time. Ecrasez l’infame! was his war cry. Crush this infamous thing! It is my war cry with regard to vivisection. You will see that Gandhi, Mark Twain, and a number of others feel as I do.
So I would wish to inform as many people as possible wherever possible about it. The public is uninformed, and kept that way. If they knew, I think there might be a general revolt.
Certainly I would think that the young generation, with which you are now dealing so well, would have strong feelings of indignation if only they knew what was happening. If I had any slightest temptation to “drop out” of society as it is, I think the knowledge that these unspeakable things were being done to helpless creatures would change my mind promptly.
The trouble is, too, that other countries—like Japan, for example, are following the lead of American sophistication and technology in this thing—Japan, where the Buddha’s influence might have been supposed to restrain it!
The issue is a basic and not a trivial or superficial one. It is between technology and ethics, between unrestrained science and concern for sentient life. When people can beat dogs to death with sledge hammers in order to test football helmets, something is radically wrong.
Do what you can. Love,
Gina
Gina Cerminara
221 South Springer Rd.
Los Altos, California 94022
September 19,1968
Dear Sam,
It was a pleasure, as always, to see you and hear you speak last week!
Please let me know if you change the schedule and meeting place of your classes.
I am wondering if you could clarify something for me regarding the doctrine of “skilful means.”
This is my understanding of it, but I may be wrong. Please correct me if I am.
The Buddha was able to adjust his sermons to suit the level of intelligence and the temperament of his hearers. This came to be known as upaya-kausalya or “skill in (devising) means (to convert people).”
In the Mahayana branch of Buddhism, the doctrine of skilful means is used to justify (?), explain,(?) account for (?) the numerous gods or Bodhisattvas which exist in the system; that is to say, people of different intellectual levels and temperaments need to be taught in different hays and by different means.
Am I missing some point here? Please clarify! It’s an important point to me. Thank you so much.
Love,
Gina
March 2, 1969
My Dear Gina:
Thank you for your notice but it is impossible for us to accept any invitation or notices unless they come at least two weeks ahead of time. We had already accepted two different invitations last Friday, which were rather welcome My Marin County people have their own meetings and some few of us go to Gavin’s if we have nothing else to do. There are some quite interested in the psychic sciences who go to class with Lois Robinson in Oakland.
Last week I wrote a letter in reply to Prof. Hoagland. He is a great biologist and because he found Mrs. Paladino was a fraud years ago he condemns the whole field of UFS investigation. On behalf of Oliver Reiser I wrote to “Science” calling attention, among other things, that Charles Richet, regarded in his time as the greatest of French laboratory scientists, also was leading in what he called Metapsychics.
As to G.S. Hayakawa, will have to face the circumstances. Today it is nothing but a narrow personality cult, very Stalinish and with no relation to any real scientific movement. Hayakawa, who always a priori rejected Sam, turned on his former associate, Alan Watts, for daring to uphold the possibilities of the psychic realm.
In “The Rejected Avatar” both the psychic and “casual” realms are proposed. Now, despite your so-called “psychic” people including Cayce, Garrett, Koharich and others who are also trying to make Stalinesque personality cults out of potential sciences. The Oracle is beginning to publish some of my “oracular” poetry. All predictions came true, and no questionable Nostradamus, Blake, etc. No wonder they were ignored or snubbed. Watch and see. The young are working for Sam and he is working for them.
We still have the Dervish dancing class on Saturday afternoon here, some Yoga dances on Sunday night and elementary Dervish dancing on Monday nights. On Wednesday this is combined with real occultism. Wednesday, Sam who has been initiated into both the real occult and the real mystical schools, speaks at the Sonoma State College which has an “Occult-Mystical Society.” Sam no longer care how many people snub realities for he as associated early in life with both the Martinists and Hemetics. The later age refuses absolutely to accept this! But the young listen to my very real Egyptian experiences.
We are gradually using real occultism in our Wednesday night classes. Last week the Water group alone was so large it had to be split. Gavin has a disciple who will be trained in the Astrological Dancing and no nonsense and no more egocentric reject’s. The young want and we can and do teach.
You will be welcome Saturday afternoon here or Sunday or Monday nights.
Yesterday we had a family meeting—too many birthdays between March 18 and 23, but we decided to attend Gavin’s party here and our own on Saturday and Sunday nights at Novato. The young are coming more and more every week. And all the stuff rejected by the “occultists” and generals of semantics will now be published by the young both here and elsewhere.
The doors are open at the University, all departments, all subjects.
Hope you had a good attendance but please, please let us know ahead of time. We overflowed for Lois Robinson.
Love,
Sam
Gina Cerminara
221 South Springer Rd.
Los Altos, California 94022
October 26, 1969
Dear Sam,
I have just been reading a very interesting discussion of the manner in which the early Hebrews wrote—i.e. using only consonants and not vowels. The point was made that in 1 Kings 17:5-6 Elijah probably was not fed by ravens at all; that the consonant group RBH could have been expanded into ravens; Arabs; or inhabitants of the town of Oreb.
There is a question I would like to ask you, as I believe you know Hebrew. I understand that the Hebrew word for rib was Tsela. The book I am reading says: “The Hebrew word for rib (Tsela) remained the object of various exegeses. It was often translated as side.”
My question is this: does this author really mean “translated” or is he referring to the guess at a consonant group which was originally simply written TSL?
Or, if I haven’t made myself clear, were there two words, tsela and, let us say, tsula, the first meaning rib and the second meaning side, both represented by TSL, and then later mistaken the one for the other?
Or, did the error possibly occur later or in an actual translation of Hebrew into Greek or some other language?
The point is of considerable interest to me and I would appreciate very much any light you could shed!!
Thank you.
Love,
Gina
October 28, 1969
My dear Gina:
I am answering your letter of the 26th immediately because I go to Novato during the middle of the week, and also we are having some changes in this house—no problem, just changes.
I believe you are entirely right in your conclusions. It makes sense that Elijah was fed by the Arabs, although a “Hugo” might well have been fed by Ravens.
The word “tsela” may or may not have meant rib. When the bible was translated (or mistranslated) into the Greek, the Greek equivalent of rib was used, copied into other languages, and then, as usually happens, the Jewish people, having given up the original Hebrew, relied on the presumed translations.
This makes no sense, physically or metaphysically! The concordance gives “side chamber” more than any other term as the English equivalent of tselah. Fabre D’Olivet says “envelope” or “involution.” We can picture that Humankind might have been male-female and then, as humanity neared incarnation, the male and female were separated, but each having some of the essence of the other.
This also refers to the manifestation of Aisha or Ayesha and not of Eve. There has been so much confusion, identifying terms without any background, linguistically, metaphysically or esoterically. If the above is not clear, write some more.
There has been a change in outlook and life. My birthday party was celebrated here on October 18 where I had come 50 people as guest, all young excepting Ted Rich and Bill Hathaway. The next day about a hundred gave me a party with the most heart-loving presents I have ever had. It was very difficult not to cry. And besides the art-work and the choral singing alone “sent” me.
Am now busy six nights of the week:
Monday: Sufism and Dervish Dancing;
Tuesday: to college, poetry class.
Wednesday: San Anselmo, public meeting with dances
Thursday: Novato, esoteric classes
Friday: free night
Saturday: dancing class
Sunday: Dharma class
The dancing class takes up mystical, esoteric, and “mystery” dances, as fast as they can be assimilated.
Gavin is doing well now. He lives at 1575 Octavia (or 1565) same phone number.
Love,
Sam
Gina Cerminara
221 South Springer Rd.
Los Altos, California 94022
December 14, 1969
Dear Sam,
Greetings of the season!
Some time ago I read Sholem Asch’s book, What I Believe. On page 62 he said: “According to the Talmud, man was created hermaphrodite, and the two sexes were united. Male and female he created them. It was only later that the sexes were divided out.”
Do you happen to know where exactly in the Talmud this is stated? And would you agree that this is the position that the Talmud takes on the creation off mankind?
Would very much appreciate hearing from you on this!
Love,
Gina
May 23, 1970
Gina Cerminara
c/o San Francisco Interplanetary Club
Understanding Unit #11
P.O. Box 1228
San Francisco, Ca. 94101
My dear Gina:
I want to thank you for your invitation. But that I may not be able to attend is due to the tremendous gap between realists and reality-ists. Realists simply cannot understand reality. Realists accept what they thinks; reality-ists accept what happens to themselves and others, especially to others.
I am very much interested that you are going to speak on Ethics. I am very much interested in ethical people. I am no longer concerned about speaking myself before the ethical people. The ethical people have absolutely refused to consider that I have been in many lands of this world and met the spiritual leaders of all faiths actually, and I mean here in the flesh. I mean in the flesh because the ethical people won’t accept that I might have met them beyond the flesh.
Anyhow, I have been to a summit meeting of the real leaders of the real religions of the world. These religions were represented by their own people and not by some carefully Madison Avenued expert. Indeed there was only one single European professor of Oriental Philosophy, and he is not very well known in this country. Besides, the Asians accepted him. I mean those flesh and blood Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.
There were three aftermaths:
1. I have met so many of the real leaders of this world, spiritual people, opening up new enterprises, especially The Temple of Understanding, originally a dream of an American house wife and not of some super-super Mahatma.
2. I am becoming welcome everywhere by the young who want to learn my spiritual dances. In fact I am going away almost immediately to conduct a summer school, presenting the spiritual teaching of East and West without interfering with customs or spiritual teachings of East and West Without interfering with customs or traditions.
3. I have been approached to participate in a gigantic Olympiad without Brundage and with spiritual and folk-dancing from all parts of the world. This keeps me busy, and very profitably busy.
The real religions and their leaders are accepting my poetry, which our ethical friends absolutely refused to examine.
This is a New Age, Gina, in which honesty, integrity and direct experience are prevailing over subjectivisms and opinions of the narrow.
On the horizon there is still a greater project. Before departing for Europe we put on a Spring Festival and thereon celebrated Gavin Arthur’s birthday. About 200 young people participated, and in addition to that, the whole thing was televised. You see Gina dear, all the world is not composed of ethical people who refuse to listen and look. Our next venture has been to introduced the walks and dances of Pluto. Here the ethical people aren’t interested and the young, are, very much so. In fact, God seems to be favoring the young are, very much so. In fact, God seems to be favoring the young, for I am getting letters and responses showing that the young people can see far more deeply into the empyrean than the ethical people of the past. God bless them. Well my work is cut out, and although I am in one sense super-annuated, the work with the young and beyond the young, with the living God who is, and who loves his humanity, that this keeps one alive, alert, and active.
Love and Blessings,
Sam