THE GARDEN OF * LOVE

Many enter the Garden of Love thru the wrong gate... while there really is only one perfect gate... Imagination often leads us into the wrong path! SELFISHNESS We enter thru the Gate of Selfishness, and immediately find ourselves in the dark Valley of Doubt, where the foul weeds of deceit, lack of confidence, malice, greed and jealousy... ...abound... Just on the other side of the Valley of Doubt lies the Mountain of Jealousy, which springs from lack of faith, understanding and forgetfulness. From the Mountain of Jealousy, flows the River of Hate , which has its source in the Valley of Doubt. This river leads to the Sea of Unhappiness, Sorrow, Despair and Death.

Garden of Love - W.D.GANN in The Tunnel Thru the Air. p.41, 1927.

UNSELFISHNESS We now enter the right gate to the Garden of Love, where we see a golden sign - "Unselfishness" which can only lead to Love... We enter the Garden, thru the Gate of Understanding, where a beautiful bed of white lilies grow in all their fragrance. Grasp one quickly and carry it thru life, for these are the lilies of faith which smother out all the foul weeds in the garden. Next you will see a fountain of pure water... Touch your lips to it for it is the Water of Forgetfulness and it feeds the Lily of Faith... After this, you are ready to pass on thru the Garden... and enjoy the flowers which blossom forth nurtured by the Water of Love... Among these are Self-sacrifice, which is the basis of real love... Then you will find a beautiful flower that many never see at all, - Confidence -

It is beautiful and fragrant and stands near the Flower of Happiness... You will find the flower of Kindness in full bloom beside the Rose of Charity, then, near the end of the Garden there is a tiny flower blooming all alone. It is pale and delicate and few appreciate it until late in life, it is Unrewarded Kindness ... But we do reach it, just before we pass into the Vale of Content, and we realize that the path which leads to Love and Happiness is only found by helping to lead our fellow travelers thru the Field of Content... When we have progressed thus far, we look for the other entrance to the Garden and find that the Gate of Selfishness has disappeared... and the Valley of Doubt, is now covered with the Lily of Faith, and the Mountain of Jealousy, has been melted into a Valley of Self-sacrifice... Where the River of Hate flowed we now find a Sea of Kindness... flowing into the Ocean of Happiness... When we reach the end of the Garden we find the - flower of all flowers -

its beauty and radiance far outshining the noon-day Sun. Seek no further, it is the - Flower of Love Place the Lily of Faith beside it, nurture it, with the Water of Kindness and you will have it always...