AMORC Degree 11 (114-136)

The Rosicrucian OrderMASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Degree Degree 11 11 Monograph Monograph 114 114 1076 R E G IS T E R E D IN U .S. P A T E N T O F F IC E fAL&O REGISTERED THROUGHOUT ThC WORLOt PfttMTCO Ih tl.ft.A. Th e matter contained herein la officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of ____a.___x:_» 1I i l . An<*Mi«A/4 rvantmfr♦An an/1 orm studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and shall remain In the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and It shall be returned to it upon Its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information ot the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, Ipso facto, terminate all rights or the member, and is a violation of the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. Is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE T h is W eek ’s C on sideration o f a F am ou s O p in io n V V V *1 In order to attain the development of perfect contact with the Cosmic mind, the objective and subjective func' tionings must be completely attuned. This is accomplished by seeking within and not by means of some external source. This same instruction is given to us by the her metic philosopher, Cornelius Agrippa: . . . . he who desires to see those truths must be in possession of the divine light of reason, which is in possession of very few. Therefore those who attempt to solve the problems of the divine secrets of nature by the reading of boo\s will remain in the dark; they are led away from the light of reason by the illusive glare of their erring intellect; they are misguided by the trices of external astral influences and by erroneous imaginations. They fall continually into error by seeding beyond their own selves that which exists within themselves. . . . Within ourselves is the power which produces all wonderful things . . . by uniting the powers of nature and combining the lower with its corresponding higher counterpart the most surprising effects may be produced. This science is therefore the highest and most perfect of all; she is a sacred and exalted philosophy and cub initiating point of all. —CORNELIUS AGRIPPA, 1486(?)'1535 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE H UNDR ED FOURTEEN PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! I hope that your experiments in listening to various tones of music during the past week have not only started the development of certain abilities of concentration or faculties that are used in the process of concentrating but have also proved interesting from many angles. Merely as a side line and to help you, it will be found in­ teresting to try to determine how many instruments there are in any orchestra you hear playing over the radio or on a recording. Of course, you cannot tell from just listening to one piece of music played by the orchestra because sometimes a few of the instruments are not used in a selection, and in other cases some are played so softly, or for so few measures, that it is hard to pick them out, but if you listen to an orchestra playing three or four numbers you should be able to determine whether there are four, six, eight, ten, or more instruments. One of the greatest problems, of course, will be to determine how many violins are playing; for if there are a number, two of them will probably be what is called first violins and playing so identi­ cally that it will be hard to tell whether one or two are playing. But if there are a first and a second violin, the second violin playing what might be called the alto of the melody, and then the deeper cello, and a cornet, a guitar, a saxophone, the big bass viol, the drums, and the piano, you should have no trouble in finding them in your auditory analysis. Of course, the piano is one of the easiest to pick out, or perhaps the guitar is, and if there are any solo parts the various instruments are then very easily identified. The saxo­ phone, also, often plays very distinctly and separately and if one of the popular pieces is being played you will be able to pick out the trombone with its sliding blue notes and sometimes the cornet as well. If there are two saxophones you may have a little trouble, but for the sake of practice in concentration you will find this process of listen­ ing to music and trying to select the instruments very helpful. As mentioned before, this sort of practice will help to develop certain faculties of concentration. I hope you did not overlook that point, and I want to amplify it here and now so that there will be no correspondence with me on the subject, for I do not want your under­ standing of it to be delayed until you write and receive an answer from me. We commonly think of concentration as being all centered in one faculty, or due to the use of one faculty or one ability of our consciousness. The truth is that real concentration calls for the exercise of a number of functions or faculties within us. If we were to attempt to picture the process of eliminating certain phases of our consciousness, certainly we must begin by eliminating the \ 7 usual objective impressions, except that one which we wish to use. If we are going to concentrate perfectly upon hearing we \ / must eliminate as far as possible the impressions that come to ^ us through the other four objective faculties. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE H UNDR ED FOURTEEN PAGE TWO It is common practice, as we said in the monographs of the earliest Degrees, to find persons closing their eyes when they are concentrating either in thinking or listening. The rapid impressions that are made on the eyesight as we sit in any room are often disturb­ ing to the process of concentrating the attention upon something, and for that reason we generally visualize a person in concentration as having the eyes closed or hands over the eyes and on the forehead for the sake of shutting out these disturbing and distracting impressions that come through the eyes. You will recall that one of the greatest sculptors, Rodin, made a famous statue, The Thinker. In this figure we see a man sitting down, slightly bent over with his head resting in the palm of his left hand with the hand partly covering the eyes and shutting out the impressions of eyesight. This is typical of any picture that would be made by artists anywhere of a person in concen­ tration. But we must also shut out the impressions of the ear, and the reason for sitting comfortably in a relaxed condition in concentrating is in order to shut out the impressions of touch or feeling. Then we must gradually eliminate taste and smell. It is said that some of the greatest thinkers could think only when they were smoking, and we have stories of eminent writers who say that they cannot think without smoking. Mark Twain, for instance, smoked constantly when he was writing and said he could not write or create ideas for his writings without smoking. They say it is quite common practice for big businessmen, who are forced to face a problem suddenly during the hours of business, to take out a cigar and light it and sit back in their chairs and blow blue smoke toward the ceiling while they are thinking. Now I have carefully analyzed some of this during the past few years, solely for the purpose of getting at the psychology of it, and I was glad to notice that although such kinds of thinkers resorted to smoking as a help in concentrating, they were, after all, fooling themselves. I mean that I was glad to find smok­ ing had nothing to do with their concentration. I noticed that each one of them would suddenly stop smoking and lay down the cigar or cigarette, and even hold the breath and close the eyes for a moment while they rounded out a thought that had sud­ denly come to them. Having visualized that thought, they would again take up the cigar and start smoking and go over a few facts until deep concentration on some point came again, when immediately they stopped smoking. I asked a number of them why they seemed to have to take the cigar or pipe or cigarette out of their mouths when they came to that crucial point where they were apparently in the deepest degree of concentration. I asked them why they couldn't just stop puffing on the cigar or pipe and leave the device in the mouth. Several of them »tried it for a few days and then told me that the feel of the thing being in the mouth annoyed them or prevented them from focalizing all of their consciousness on the idea or thought that they were trying to evolve. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE H UNDRED FOURTEEN PAGE THREE This confirmed what I had worked out from statements in our old manuscripts and writings regarding the function of concentration. I have seen men leaning back in swivel chairs, balanced on an even balance, with their feet off the floor and the head thrown high, looking at the ceiling while trying to fish for an idea, and then suddenly lean forward and get their feet on the floor and remain motionless while they con­ centrated on an idea that had come to them, and rounded it out into form. I found that these persons could not keep balanced in such a rocking swivel chair and at the same time focus all of their consciousness upon the thought they wanted to work out. All of this shows that when we come to concentration we have to use every one of the conscious faculties and functionings of our con­ sciousness. We cannot do two things at one time and have our con­ sciousness focus upon both of them. In one of the first monographs of the earliest Degrees we called your attention to the fact that you cannot think of two things at one time and be conscious of them. We spoke of the person who walks along the street reading a book or paper and yet guiding his footsteps and dodging the people so that he does not run into them. If you try this for a moment you will find that your mind is not on two things at one time— that is, upon the ideas you are reading and upon the people on the street— but you are alter­ nating your consciousness between a thought or a few words just read and then your whereabouts on the street for a fraction of a second and then for another fraction of a second you read a few words, etc. This is not perfect concentration and it would not assist any experiments that we are dealing with, for such alternation of consciousness and concentration would defeat the purpose we have in mind. We have seen the small boy who is reading a wild West story, or a story about Indians, walking along the street and so losing himself in the story that he bumps into people and walks past the places he intends to go. This would illustrate the complete concentration that is neces­ sary. He is not conscious of his walking or his outer environment at all. And so the businessman cannot be conscious of keeping the cigar or pipe in his mouth and he cannot be conscious of its taste or anything about it and at the same time focalize all his thoughts upon an idea that he has in his mind. In order to concentrate perfectly upon any thought, every degree or aspect of our consciousness must be centered toward one point. Not only must all of our five objective faculties assist in this regard, but those more subtle faculties such as that of keeping our balance while standing or keeping our balance while sitting in a chair. That is why so many lean forward and rest the head on the arms or hands with elbows on the table while concentrating. We must eliminate all external impressions and all internal functionings as far as possible. Of course, V " 7 t^1^s does not mean the unconscious and involuntary functioning \ 3l > / of the organs of the body, but it does mean practically every- y y thing else, and this requires practice and a gradual develop- V ment of the process. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE H UNDR ED FOURTEEN PAGE FOUR When we come, therefore, to Cosmic Consciousness and the development of perfect contact with the Cosmic Mind it requires a complete attune- ment of objective and subjective functionings. We must become like one whose consciousness has been suspended. We must not even be aware of the tightness of our clothing against our bodies. We must not be con­ scious of the time of day or our environment in any sense. We must not be conscious of time or any condition. We really must not be con­ scious of ourselves, and must not think of our own personal relationship to the "tFTings we are thinking about, but become merely a part of the consciousness of the things we are thinking about. In other words, we must put our entire consciousness into the thought as though the thought itself composed our consciousness. If we are attuning with the Cosmic we must then become a part of the Cosmic and have no consciousness of earthly association or contact for the time being. I therefore recommend that during the week you continue this concentration upon sounds of music or upon anything else that you may find that will make as good a point for focalizing your attention. I cannot, at the present time, think of anything that is as fine as music. If you have a beautiful picture of some kind in your home, especially a landscape painting, you may substitute this for music and try to concentrate on it so that you lose yourself in the picture and become a part of the picture. In this case you will be using your eyes instead of your ears as a means of concentration. Try to note every little detail of the picture, as for instance, the color and nature of the sky. Is it a soft sky suggesting a mild day, cloudless, warm, clear and cheerful, or is it cloudy and perhaps cold with the wind blowing? If there are trees try to analyze the type of trees, the species, the time of the year, according to the coloring of the leaves, and the age of the trees. If there are houses, fences, roads, flowers, or other details try to put yourself right into the picture and stand up close to these things and study them. Get in among the flowers and see if you can tell what kind of flowers they are. Get close to the house. Stand in the doorway if you can. What kind of material covers the house? How are the windows formed? Lose yourself in the picture as though it were a stage set­ ting and you were on the stage looking at the minute details that the artist has placed there. If you can feel the atmosphere the artist has created, then you are in perfect concentration. Practice this during the coming week. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a sum m ary of the im portant principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph. try to recall as m any as you can of the im portant points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Real concentration calls for the exercise of a number of faculties within us. In order to concentrate perfectly upon any thought, every aspect of your conscious­ ness must be centered toward one point. All external impressions and all internal functionings, as far as possible, must be eliminated. It requires complete attunement of objective and subjective functioning to attain the development of perfect contact with the Cosmic mind. W e must put our entire con­ sciousness into the thought as though the thought itself composed our consciousness. During the week, continue the concentration upon sounds of music. A beautiful paint­ ing may be substituted, stressing the sense of sight instead of hearing. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch a se m ay m ake th e s e lle r and p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . O 0 !$' A M $ R C The Rosicrudan Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph alw ays remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. ■a vanb lft D egree A D egree 11 11 M onograph M onograph 115 s^ O. 115 3iRQj0ae$ruri£ R E G IS T E R E D IN U .S . P * T F .N t O F F IC E ’*LSQ » E G i$ r t* £ 0 THnnuStrOUT t h e w o « lo i TGI PtfiNTfQ MU.t.A. jv The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of protecting ail the “ printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies of officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams. Illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Imperator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orid.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of me member, and Is a violation of the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This W eek’ s Consideration o f a Famous Opinion V V V *1 Through correct creative visualization, we are able to become more spiritually developed, opening the way to Cosmic illumination. This, Cornelius Agrippa tells us, is - accomplished only by freeing ourselves of our animal in' stincts and rising.'up to a state of true spirituality: If we desire to become spiritually developed, we must try to find out how we can free ourselves of our animal instincts and desires and become rid of our sensuality and passions, and we must, furthermore, attempt to rise up to a state of true spirituality. Without accomplishing these two proposi' tions we will never rise up to that state which is necessary to obtain magic powers, which result from the spiritual elevation and dignity of man. We should therefore attempt to remove all external impediments which are in the way of our spiritual development and live in a state of purity. Our thoughts should be continually directed inwardly and within ourselves; for within ourselves is the element of consciousness, knowledge, and power. Nothing hinders us to develop and exercise our own powers, except our misconceptions, imaginations, and external desires. Therefore the divine influences will only come to him who liberates his soul of all such hin* drances, carnal desires, prejudices and hallucinations. Such a process of development and unfolding is not accomplished at once, but requires time and patience; . . —CORNELIUS AGRIPPA, 1486 (7 )4 5 3 5 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUM BER 115 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings I I hope that the exercises which you have been doing, or should have been doing, during the past week have been not only beneficial but interesting to you. To check up on the instructions I have been giving recently I have been following the exercises myself very carefully, attempting to do them as though for the first time, and noting not so much the results— for in my case the re­ sults would not stand out as definitely as with those who were do­ ing these exercises for the first time— but trying to sense the intellectual interest that I found in them when I first did them, and which I find each time I repeat them. It is so easy to think that these exercises are simple and unimportant, and are merely given to you to test once and thereafter consider as mere intellec­ tual subjects— but those who have been following them carefully frankly tell me that the benefits are quite definite. Our forms of mental action, which I will call mentalism, are so complicated and yet so simple in real fundamentals that we do not become as famil­ iar with them as we should. One of the earliest studies in universities and colleges in connection with psychology was that of the mental routine involved in the ordinary operation of the old horse-drawn streetcar. We have referred to that in previous monographs. The horse hears the conductor ring the bell once for the car to stop, and automatically stops while the driver on the front platform almost automatically pulls on the reins of the horse and puts on the brake, and the passenger gets out, and then the conductor rings the bell the second time, and the horse hears it, and so does the driver, etc. To trace the whole mental action from the time the passenger seated inside of the car raises his hand, indicating he wants to get out, and the conductor sees the signal, and then gives one that the horse and driver hear, etc., used to involve practically half a course in psychology. However, today such courses utilize more modern illustrations of these processes. What is far more interesting is what occurs when you and I sit down with a pencil, or pen and ink, and try to write. The mind first has to conceive a thought, and then automatically put it into words, and as we think of words the mind automatically affects the muscles through the nervous system, causing the fingers to move the pencil in certain ways so as to produce certain kinds of marks on the paper. These marks in turn form themselves into symbols or sounds if spoken or read and convey to the human mind again the thoughts originally held by the first person before he wrote them. Here I am in my Sanctum dictating this monograph to you. I think of the thoughts which I wish to express in connection with manuscript notes I have before me, and as I formulate the thoughts in my mind, my tongue responds Temple Section A MO R C The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUM BER 1 15 P A G E TWO with other muscles in producing the sounds. My secretary hears the sounds, and without any attempt on her part to realize the signifi­ cance of the words, the sounds are automatically transmuted by the brain into nerve impulses, and her fingers move to write steno­ graphic symbols on the pages of the book. When back in her own office again she reads these symbols, and automatically the mind translates the symbols into thoughts formed of certain letters and words, and without stopping to think of the process at all, these words and letters are transmuted into nerve energy which causes her fingers to strike the right keys on the keyboard, and once again the thoughts are expressed in different symbols from those in her stenographic book, and are now in letters and words of the English language in typewritten form. You read these symbols, letters, and words, and through the impression of your eyesight, thoughts are created in your mind, and these thoughts are translated into your consciousness and visualized as living things. When I spoke a moment ago of my secretary typing on the typewriter you could not help visualizing for a fraction of a second her fingers typing on a typewriter keyboard. As I spoke of her writing in shorthand in the book you could not help visualizing the peculiar marks of shorthand written on the pages of her book. Every thought creates a picture which we unconsciously visual­ ize for a fraction of a second. The only exception to this rule is with those persons who are less educated. The word typewriter and stenographer typing at a typewriter would not create a picture in the mind of a person who had never seen a typewriter, or anyone working at one. To him the phrase typing at a typewriter would mean nothing because he could not visualize the thoughts. Those thoughts which we cannot create in our minds from visualization or from association of ideas are lost to us. If the man in the above example had seen a piano keyboard, and a player at the piano, and I told him that typing at a typewriter was like playing on a piano keyboard, he would then visualize the piano keyboard, but it would not help him to visualize a typewriter as it really is. Very often thoughts create in our mind analogies, or similarities, or bring together the association of ideas, and thereby create another new or different picture which may or may not be true. Very often a phrase or a word in something we read seems new to us, and if we concentrate on it for a moment some similar idea is created in our minds as a possible interpretation wherein lies a source of error in our understanding. Many other thoughts are passed over, and unrealized by any form of visual conception in the mind. In this way we lose the meaning, the beauty, the significance, or the importance Temple Section A MORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEG REE NUM BER 115 PAGE THREE of something that we are reading. All of our monographs are worded with the idea constantly in mind of enabling you to visualize the ideas by comparison with the simplest, the most attractive and dependable ideas that are familiar to most people. This is why it is easy for you to understand and memorize the important points in our lessons. Concentrating upon music, as given in last week's monograph, enables you to visualize the instruments and the melodies while the music is being played. This week I would like to have each one of you spend at least fifteen minutes each day in sitting down, or standing somewhere and concentrating upon some view that is before you. If you can stand in some building and look out over a land­ scape, please do so once or twice during the week for about fifteen minutes each time. If you can stand in the door of your home and look up and down the street, studying and viewing everything that is in sight, do it some day for about ten or fifteen minutes. If you can go to some different vantage point each day, and, without attracting attention, just sit and concentrate upon the view in front of you, please do it. First of all, try to see everything that is in the picture before you. "Make believe" that you are called upon to go to some studio and paint a picture of the scene you are looking at. Assume that you dare not make any sketches or photographs, but have to paint the picture from memory, and that your reward will be in ac­ cordance with how many of the actual details you get into your picture. Try to note the shape and style of the buildings in front of you. Pick out one of the buildings and study how many windows there are in it, where the door is located, whether there are any ornaments, whether there are any trees, fences, or border lines around it. Try to make the picture of that building so fixed in your mind that you could go back to your home or your room and tell anyone who could paint just what to put into every part of the picture. After you have done this for a time, lift your eyes heaven­ ward and try to study the stars and see how many there are and how they are located and related to each other. Let your eyes concen­ trate upon one group and analyze how they are posited in their re­ lationship to each other. After some days of this begin to turn your concentration in­ wardly again and see if you cannot find a form of consciousness or an aura of consciousness within your body which you can analyze. Concentrate upon your lungs or your heart and explore it with your inner eye. All of this practice for the week will help you to develop a broadening of consciousness which I want to talk about in the next monograph, and which will be the first step toward contacting certain Temple Section-------------------------------A M O R C ---------------------------- — The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUM BER 1 1 5 PAGE FOUR planes of Cosmic Consciousness. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a sum m ary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as m any as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. ' 51 Every thought creates a picture which we unconsciously visualize for a fraction of a second. Those thoughts which we cannot create in our mind from visualization or association of ideas are lost to us. 51 All our monographs are worded with the thought constantly in mind of enabling you to visualize the ideas by comparison with the most simple, attractive, and dependable ideas that are familiar to most people. 51 This week spend fifteen minutes each day concentrating upon some view. Imagine you are to paint each detail from memory. Study the stars and their relationship to each other. Then turn your consciousness inwardly and see if you cannot find a form of consciousness within your body that you can analyze. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resoluest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish .—UNTO THEE I GRANT The object of concentration of course is to focus attention on a single subject or objective. The focusing of attention is a powerful tool, for it allows you to hold in your mind’s eye only what you want to hold. Think about this for a moment. If you could have in your mind only what you wanted to have in your mind, you would not only be able to accomplish great things, but you could also eliminate all of the negative and disturbing thoughts th at cloud your mind through the day. In other words, a mind that is focused on one thing exclusively cannot entertain any other thoughts. Thus concentration is not only something to use occasionally for a special purpose, but can be used continuously to bring about continuing desired states of mind. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u rch aser s u b je c t to civ il lia b ility . o O Q O q A M R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH ILLUMINATI SECTION This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme G rand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, b u t loaned to, the receiving member. ft Degree Degree 11 11 Monograph Monograph 116 116 RE G I S T E R E D IN U . S . P A T E N T O T P I C E ( A LSO R E G IST E R E D TH RO U G H O U T T H E WORLD ) P R I N T E O IN U . S . A. A Th e matter contained herein la officially issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of _ t rv n i l » A n < rM irn /l i If r t a u r r i t t c n onH n h r tf A ix ffln h if' Uy pr inc po__________„ .______ , studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator o f A. M. O. R. C. (T h e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All § matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snailshall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and It shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any Other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation of the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V I t is th e aim o f the members of this organization to develop those faculties w hich will enable them to become leaders in the nex t cycle of hum an developm ent. Such faculties are referred to by the Chinese philosopher Kwang'Tse: ‘I should li\e to hear about (the government of) the spirit'li\e men,' ( continued Tuan Fung once more). The reply was, 'Men of the highest spirit'li^e qualities mount up on the light, and ( the limitations of) the body vanish. This we call being bright and ethereal. They carry out to the utmost the powers with which they are endowed, and have not a single attribute unexhausted. Their joy is that of heaven and earth, and all embarrassments of affairs melt away and dis' appear; all things return to their proper nature:—and this is what is called ( the state of) chaotic obscurity.' — K W A N G 'T S E , F O U R T H C E N T U R Y B. C . Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SIXTEEN PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Has the devil ceased to exist? Can we truly say that there is no devil and that the idea of a devil is only an imagined product of the mind? Throughout all the ages, and among even the most primitive be­ ings, a character has been used to symbolize the dark, destructive forces of the universe. In all of our mystical rituals we have a similar character called the Tempter at the Threshold. It is the devil's business to tempt all of us into evil and it is the tempter's business to tempt us to do things that will bring us into evil. Just as our organization has to battle against the maliciousness of the dark forces, so every individual has to deal with these things throughout life. In a great many human beings the baser or lower in­ stincts of human nature constitute the real devil within. This is far worse than a devil on the outside who is trying to tempt. Sometimes those who are fighting the hardest through education and cultural living to try to maintain a good spiritual attitude in the world are pulled down off the high pedestal by the baser instincts within. They are tempted into the lowest habits and the lowest in­ dulgences and in this way give satisfaction to the flesh and those instincts that are so primitive that they belong to the savage beast. Such persons should be pitied instead of censured and punished. Many criminals suffer in this way when really at heart they do not want to be criminals or evildoers. We notice how the instinct of devilment or evil often manifests itself in little children. No matter how often they are scolded or corrected, or how hard they try to be good, they will look at some­ thing that attracts their attention and instantly some evil instinct in them tempts them to do something they should not do. They will steal things, break things, throw things, or do things that cause trouble and do it with real maliciousness solely because of this little devil within. It has been this feature of human nature that mankind has tried to overcome. The most fortunate thing about it all is that the average human being seeks constantly to improve himself, and all human beings seek at some time to improve themselves. If it were not for this progressive, constructive, uplifting tendency that comes into the heart of all beings at some time of each day, week, and month, civilization would not have made the great progress it has made. Those who are on the mystical path have a double battle to fight. They are not only trying to overcome the evil instincts that every human being is trying to overcome, but they are trying at the same time to redevelop certain instincts and functions that have become dormant within them. In other words, they are reaching higher and with a greater determination than the average human being. The thing that helps most of these students is system Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order EL EVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SIXTEEN PAGE T W O and order. The mystic who belongs to a fraternity or organization such as ours is like a person who is attempting to study music. You know that the person who has music in his heart and soul and wants to become a musician will gradually develop the ability to play if he has a piano or some instrument that he can use, even though he never has any teacher or any practical instruction. You also know that the person who wants to learn music and can have regular instruction and practical help from an experienced person makes greater progress and becomes a better musician. Now, the idea of such cooperation and systematic instruction is not for the purely intellectual understanding that will come from the lessons but to impress upon you what is to be gained from the practice and application of the principles. Even the student of music who has the most expert teacher will not make as much progress if he does not practice between the lessons as the one who does practice. Merely having a teacher play for him and tell him what he should play and give him the music to read will not make him as good a musician as would practice. On the other hand, the student who has no teacher and is teaching himself soon finds that the thing he needs the most is practice, and through practice alone and without guidance he will make better progress than the student who has a teacher but does not practice. That is why we revert constantly to certain exercises in our work. We must develop certain faculties along with our intellectual understanding of the laws and principles. We must gradually anni­ hilate the evil instincts within us and destroy the tempter that makes us still remnants of ancient civilization. I do not suppose that you ever thought of it, but you must realize that the instinct to want to seize anything that we see and like, regardless of who owns it, is a perfectly normal and natural instinct of primitive civilization. If you or I were left abandoned on an island all by ourselves and had to make the best of it, we would be perfectly ethical and perfectly proper in our conduct if we went about the unknown island and seized anything and everything that would be of material benefit to us. Any­ thing that would contribute to our safety, our food, our comfort, would be ours by merely taking it. That is a primitive instinct and a primitive right. We know, however, that among civilized people such a right no longer exists, and that there are rules, regulations, system and order in regard to such matters, and we must proceed to destroy that instinct of seizure so that it will not express itself. The same is true of many other instincts that were perfectly proper in the ancient days, and in the modes of ancient civilizations. You and I, and many more of us, are attempting not only to meet the present-day civilization, customs, and habits but we are attempting to lift ourselves beyond the average. I feel sure that each one of you at the present time is more spirit- Temple Section- A M O R C ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SIXTEEN PAGE THREE ually developed, more intellectually comprehensive, and more truly prepared to guide and properly direct your life than the average human. But that is not sufficient. No one of us would think of call­ ing ourselves perfectly developed in any sense. I am sure that there are millions of facts about myself and the universe and the people who live in it that I want to know and become familiar with. There are some talents within me that I still want to develop. There are some faculties in each of us that we want to bring to greater development and greater improvement. And we, each of us, hope to be able to use and develop some faculties that others do not have, not merely to become superbeings— for we do not have superiority complexes— but we want to be of the next race and of the next cycle of human development so that we can lead others and guide and help them. We know that the present-day cycle of human beings is not perfect and is far from what the human race will gradually develop into. We know that a hundred years from now there will be a generation of human beings born that will be greatly improved in customs and habits over any who are living today. We want to reach as near to that stage now as possible so that when we come here again in another incarnation, or when we live another fifty years in the present one we will have at­ tained a degree of development that will be a power to ourselves and to others. For this reason we are going to start now a series of "superman" experiments and exercises that will apply a great many of our past lessons and exercises to a very practical purpose. In preparation for this I would like to have you read this lesson over again and meditate upon it during the week, using any exercises that you may choose to add so that your mind will be appreciative of the new exercises begin­ ning with next week and of the turning point we are now making in this Degree of study. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. ^1 In a great many human beings the baser instincts of human nature constitute the real devil within. This is worse than a devil on the outside who is trying to tempt. W e must gradually annihilate the evil instincts within us and the tempter without. T he average human being seeks constantly to improve himself. (f Those who are on the mystical path have a double battle to fight: overcoming evil, and at the same time, trying to redevelop certain instincts and functions which are dormant within. System and order help most of these students. (]j Exercises are used in our work to develop certain faculties along with our under­ standing o f the laws and principles. W e want to bring a greater development o f faculties which will enable us to become leaders in the next cycle of human development. THE IN S TITU T IO N BEHIND THE ROSICR U CIA N O R G A N IZ A T IO N S a n J o s e , C a l i f o r n i a , U. S. A. R o sicru cian Park "Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian" T his m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y o n y o n e . A s o le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not & purchased by, b u t loaned to, the receiving member. ”c>o * D eg ree D eg ree 11 11 M on ograp h M onograp h 117 117 o£arf)ruri£ T h e matter contained herein ia officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was re ’ ' A"~~ **'“ *'■* “ n* protect sertations. scientific postulations,- pliilosophical discourses, 'academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts” as authorized by the Imperator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are Imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive Information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation o f the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V 9 The exercise given in this monograph is for the pur' pose of developing the “veil of invisibility.” In the fol' lowing extract, the Taoist philosopher, Lu Yen, of the eighth century after Christ, describes the results of a similar experience: At timesthefollowingcanbeexperienced:assoonasoneisquiet,the Lightoftheeyesbeginstoblazeup,sothateverythingbeforeonebecomes quitebrightasifonewerem acloud.Ifoneopensone'seyesandsee\s thebody,itisnot to befoundanymore.Thisiscalled:Intheempty chamberitgrowslight.Insideandoutside,everythingisequallylight. Thatisaveryfavorablesign.Or,whenonesitsinmeditation,thefleshly bodybecomesquiteshininglil{esil\orjade.Itseemsdifficulttoremain sitting;onefeelsasifdrawnupward. Thisiscatted:Thespiritreturns andpushesagainstHeaven.Intime,onecanexperienceitinsuchaway thatonereallyfloatsupward. —LU YEN, b. 755 A. D. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SE V E N T E E N PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! As stated last week, we are going to begin a series of experi­ ments in connection with this Eleventh Degree which constitute the highest esoteric exercises known to the Rosicrucians. I may as well be frank with you and say that these exercises will lead to the next Degree of study, for in the Twelfth a high degree of esoteric ecstasy is to be attained. Therefore, we will have a series of brief lessons for the next eight or ten weeks, or possibly longer, each containing a very defi­ nite exercise and brief explanation. I know that the members will not judge the importance or significance of the weekly communication by either its length or the outer aspect of the lesson. Nearly all the members of this Degree have expressed their opinion in this regard many times in their communications to me, and I know that most of them feel that the very fact that they are in contact with the organization and with the work that I am doing in these higher Degrees is suffi­ cient to maintain and extend the development they are passing through. In the monographs of the Ninth Degree, we had an explanation of the principle of forming a cloud around various objects, forming it in the room so that it would be visible. Also, we had an exercise for the establishment of a circle around the student as a sort of pro­ tective condition. Now we are to take a step further and devote our first week of the new exercises to the forming of an etheric veil around ourselves. Perhaps it is well to make a few historic refer­ ences to what this means so that you will understand the principles involved. The most notable example of this is recorded in the Oriental writings regarding the life and work of Jesus. It is said in these writings that Jesus often upon occasion made himself suddenly invisi­ ble. This in itself was not stated as though it were an unusual thing or a miraculous thing, nor is it cited as an example of his great abilities, because all through the ancient records of the work of the great Masters the same manifestation is noted in a purely casual way. If one will read even the Old Testament of the Christian Bible one will find many citations which would plainly indicate that a similar manifestation had occurred in the lives of a great many persons who had been illuminated or spiritually and divinely prepared. In every report that comes to us from the Great White Brotherhood in Tibet or from the worldly contacts with the Great Masters of the Great White Lodge or the Masters of the Far East, we read that these Masters often make a similar manifestation of invisibility. Madame Blavatsky in her writings referred to the fact that this was one of the first surprising manifestations she ever witnessed; and, of course, she never stated whether she learned the secret of it or ever performed such a manifestation herself, but she was very Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SE V E N T E E N PAGE T W O familiar with it and gradually came to realize that it was not one of the most outstanding manifestations that these Masters could make. Judging purely from the onlooker's point of view, it seemed that the manifestation merely consisted of shrouding oneself with a con­ dition that resulted in invisibility of the physical form. In other words, to the onlooker the Master merely disappeared without seeming to go up or down or sideways in any motion. But from the point of view of the person concerned in the manifestation a great deal more takes place than mere invisibility. The person who is performing the mani­ festation knows that he is merely veiled from the one who is watching. He knows that he does not actually disappear from existence or from any material form, and that in a little while he will become visible again without any great change being apparent. However, during the period of invisibility or while surrounded by the veil of invisibility, he is able to do many things and perform many miracles and is in a highly spiritual state. This is the important matter to the one who is performing the manifestation. In other words, while the veil of invisibility is surrounding the demonstrator, he has extraordinary powers that can be developed and used, and this gives him abilities which he does not have at other times. This is the phase in which we will be interested during these experiments. I want to state also at this time that while I have arbitrarily adopted the phrase or term veil of invisibility many of these ancient manuscripts, if not all of them, refer to this veil as the veil of obscurity and often use the abbreviation V. 0. However, since the term veil of obscurity is also used in connection with the exercises and meditations preliminary to the regeneration period as outlined in some of our previous lessons of the Tenth and Eleventh Degrees, I have thought it better to use the term veil of invisibility in con­ nection with these experiments so that we may separate them from the former exercises and experiences, but we may sometimes quote some of the ancient manuscripts in which the veil of obscurity is referred to, or the initials V. 0. referred to as a manifestation, and I want you to be prepared to understand what the reference means. As intimated above, the veil of obscurity is not a condition that affects either the mental or physical nature of the person performing it. It is something external to the body and is much like hanging a heavy, although invisible, opaque curtain around one at about a dis­ tance of two or three feet from the body and as though one stood in the center of this enclosed space absolutely free from any contact with the veil and yet shut out of sight from all worldly view and at the same time prevented from seeing any of the world beyond the veil for the time being As you probably noted when you were making the experi­ ments with the cloud in your sanctum in the earlier mono- Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SEVENTEEN PAGE THREE graphs, a mist can be formed that will assume the neutral tints and colors of the environment so that the cloud is almost invisible and does not appear like a white smoke screen, or a black cloud, or smoke, or anything of that kind. What really takes place in the case of the veil of invisibility is that a vibratory condition affects the ether around one so that the light rays, which means the sight rays, are so broken up that refraction and reflection of light and the transmission of light is interrupted. It was difficult for Rosicrucians who were scientifically analytical to understand how such a veil could be formed out of nothing and made invisible and still opaque until science in its various laboratories of industry and experimentation discovered that light rays could be deflected or bent at curves and angles and that refracted or reflected light was necessary for us to be able to see. One of the simple experiments in this regard is the fact that a sunbeam shining in the window of your home and causing a bright spot of sunlight on the floor is invisible unless there is reflection and refraction of the light. In other words, you would see the reflection on the floor and you would see the sun on the window where the beams of light were striking the windows, but between the window and floor the long beams of sun­ light that are usually seen would not be seen at all if there were perfectly clear and clean air in the room; that is, if there were an absence of the ordinary amount of so-called dust or elements and par­ ticles of matter that reflect and deflect light and cause a certain amount of diffused reflection. Science found that by taking a large wooden box two or three feet wide and eight or ten feet long, and forming one side of it of glass, and using a vacuum to suck out all of the dust and dirt inside, and keeping it sealed, that by having a little window of glass in one end through which a sunbeam was permitted to enter, it would be seen through the glass side of the box that the sunbeam was invisible ex­ cept where it formed a patch on the floor of the box. By opening the lid of the box and letting ordinary air in again, or blowing some light particles of dust into the box, the sunbeam would gradually become visible. Other experiments have shown that by the use of high-frequency electric currents or stressed magnetic conditions, the atmosphere and the particles of electrons which are in the atmosphere can be so af­ fected that light will not make itself manifest. These experiments enabled the mystics of some years ago to understand the nature of the veil of invisibility. Of course, those Rosicrucians who have worked in the experimental laboratories of the Order in various countries and conducted experiments like those which we have conducted in our \ & \ / laboratory understood these principles, but the average student learned that the fact was a fact only through testing the prin- V ciples in the purely mystical way in which you will test them. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SEVENTEEN PAGE F O U R Therefore, we see that the veil of invisibility is not "some­ thing" but "nothing" that is established around one's body. In other words nothing is added to the condition around one in this experiment but rather something is taken away which seems to make it impossible for the light rays to pass from our bodies to the eyes of persons who are looking at us and, therefore, the impression of sight is not car­ ried and the persons trying to see us do not see us clearly, and in most cases do not see us at all, according to how perfectly we conduct the experiment. Now we would not take the time to have a series of experiments the purpose of which was merely to make ourselves invisible. One test of this would be sufficient to demonstrate the law. What we are going to do is to work with the other sublime conditions that can be created after the veil of invisibility has been placed around us. In this condition of perfect electrical and magnetic separation from our en­ vironment we sense a freedom of vitality, mental and spiritual ex­ pansion and extension that makes many marvelous things possible. The first step, therefore, in making this series of experiments is for the student to select a time when he can be alone and quiet and undisturbed for fifteen or twenty minutes, and can sit down in a soft­ ly lighted room (not a completely dark room) and become relaxed and meditative. The mental attitude should be one of drawing within one­ self and of eliminating all of one's worldly surroundings by ignoring them and adopting the attitude of separation. One should proceed men­ tally as though one were about to enter one of the cells in some monastery, in which the monks would closet themselves for study and meditation. One should feel that one is about to enter one of these little rooms and close the door and instantly become a recluse, separated and apart from all worldly contact. After sitting down with this attitude, and feeling that one is materially alone and separated, the next step is to proceed to visual­ ize an enclosure around one as though a curtain hanging from the ceil­ ing in circular form surrounded one at about a distance of three or four feet from the body in each direction. If you can imagine that a circular curtain pole is hanging from the ceiling, and from this cur­ tain pole a dark opaque curtain is hanging in soft folds, and en­ tirely surrounding you at a distance of about three feet from your body with you sitting in the middle of it, you will have some idea of what I mean by a circular enclosure. But you are not to try to create a fictitious or semimaterialistic sort of curtain. I merely speak of such a curtain in order to give you an idea of the size of space of the enclosure and not of its nature. Having visualized a circular enclosure or circular space around you, your next and third step is to think of this cir­ cular enclosure becoming a magnetic field around you with the Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SEVENTEEN PAGE FIVE radiations from your body disrupting the atmosphere in every direction for about three feet and thus making the atmosphere of such a magnetic or electronic nature that sight waves and light waves will not pass through the magnetic condition. Determining with your will power that this condition shall exist, and concentrating upon it— even with your eyes closed— for about five minutes should gradually produce such a condition that if you open your eyes and look toward some objects in the room you will find that they are becoming vague and indefinite. I want to warn you right here of one point. If you have pro­ ceeded with your eyes closed during the concentration part of the ex­ periment and then open your eyes you may for a moment see things as clearly in your room as you did before you began concentrating, but if you will continue with your eyes open looking casually toward one part of the room while continuing to concentrate upon the creation of the magnetic condition, you will notice that the things in the part of the room toward which you are facing are becoming a little more indefi­ nite. It appears from my own experiences, and those of a few others who have been practicing these experiments with me in advance of the lessons so that I would be able to anticipate problems that will arise in your case, that the person who is within the enclosed space is often able to see very faintly some of the objects near him, or some­ times some of the distant ones, even though those on the outside of the veil are unable to see the person within. In other words, it does not always follow that the person in the center of the enclosed space is unable to see anything beyond the veil, for the veil appears to be slightly transparent to the person in the center but is completely opaque to those on the outside. There are various scientific reasons for this such as the fact that the greater amount of light on the outside of the veil will permit the person in­ side to see objects while the lesser amount of light within the small enclosure will prevent persons on the outside from seeing anything. Therefore, you must not judge the complete success of your experiment by the amount of invisibility that you develop. If you find that the objects around you are becoming slightly darker in shade and color or slightly less visible or slightly less definite in form or detail, you can be sure that you are having great success with the first step. I am not going to give you any further details at this time because each and every detail requires careful practice and careful explanation, and this would lead into many pages of matter that are beyond the first step. Try this experiment for about fifteen minutes once or twice a day. Certainly try it once every day during the coming week. After having been seated in concentration upon this invisible stressed magnetic condition around you for about fifteen minutes you may discontinue if you wish— or make it a little longer in time if you wish— and then go about your regu- Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D SEVENTEEN P A G E SIX lar affairs. I would suggest that you do not sit down to try this experiment facing a bright window, a bright lamp, or any bright source of light because this will penetrate the condition so much it will deceive you as to the extent of your success in the experiment and perhaps interfere with the perfect concentration. On the other hand, do not try it in an absolutely dark room, for then you will not be able to tell at all whether you are making any progress. May I ask at this time that not one of you makes any reference to any member regarding this experiment. If you get into any discussion with members at any time regarding the cloud experiment in the Degrees below the Tenth it will be well for you to let the others tell you about their experiences and you tell them of yours in connection with the cloud, for you may discover some interesting facts from their ex­ periences ; but do not let them know that there is a still higher form of this work with the atmosphere for we wish to keep it a secret be­ cause of the nature of the experiments that are to follow with it. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Jesus often upon occasions made himself invisible. Similar manifestations have oc­ curred in the lives of a great many persons divinely prepared. (J This manifestation consisted of shrouding oneself with a condition that resulted in invisibility of the physical form; during this period one is in a highly spiritual state and has extraordinary powers. Q Ancient manuscripts refer to this manifestation as the “V .O .” or the “veil of obscur­ ity” ; however, in these monographs the term veil of invisibility has been adopted. (J In the veil of invisibility, a vibratory condition affects the ether around us so that the transmission of light is interrupted, making our bodies invisible to others. 4J In this condition of perfect electric and magnetic separation from our environment, we sense a freedom of vitality, a mental and spiritual expansion and extension which makes many marvelous things possible. (J In this exercise you will be able to judge the complete success by the amount of in* visibility you develop. I his m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b j e c t t o s o le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m alce th e s e lle r a n d p u rch aser s u b je c t to civ il lia b ility . \UQ/ O o o !$ R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N D5253 This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. D egree Degree 11 11 M onograph / M onograph 118 A 118 O, 3^«3nr£;nirii) R E 0 1 S T E R E 0 IN U . S . P A T E N T O F F IC E I A L SO R E G I S T E R E D TH RO U GH O U T THE WORLD > -SV Th e matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme. Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive Information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes of this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg ­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V <][ Throughout the Bible, we find references to occasions in which Jesus the Christ made manifest his veil of in- J^» L^. visibility: And after that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterwards he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and up­ braided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. MARK 16:12-14 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. JO H N 20:19 The book of the Wisdom of Jesus Christ begins with the words:. . . Then did the Saviour appear unto them not in his prior form but in in­ visible spirit. His form was that of a great angel of light. His substance indescribable, and he was not clothed in flesh th at dieth, but in pure, perfect flesh, as he taught us on the mountain of Galilee. THE AKHMIM CODEX Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! Following up the exercise given last week, there is the next step to be taken which will lead to some interesting results and discussions during the week after this one. Last week I outlined to you the value of the experiment given and asked you to try it for about fifteen min­ utes once or twice a day. Members living close to us here at the Grand L od ge who can make reports to me quickly in regard to any new experi­ ments, have told me that they have had very good results with the ex­ periments given last week and already realize or sense that this is the beginning of an interesting series of development exercises. You c a n n o t imagine, however, just what is taking place and what will take place as we proceed with this new line of development. I think the most interesting point about our present Eleventh Degree work is that the results are not merely of a psychic or spiritual nature, There are two other factors that must be given consideration: first, the mental and cultural development, and second, the great improvement in health. Every time I have had the pleasure of seeing some of the members of this Degree whom I had not seen for years I have been astonished at the great change that has been made in their appearance and in their actual physical experience. Such members admit they had sensed some improve­ ment physically and had noted that during the past years they seemed to be immune to many of the conditions whicn affected others around them, but not until I began to analyze with them the changes I noticed, did they seem to appreciate what had actually taken place. Certain glands in the body that had not been functioning properly, and that were either under- or over-active now seemed to be normal with the result that there was a better color to the complexion, a younger and better light in the eyes, a more rapid and free movement of the body and in every other sense they seemed to have passed through an early stage of regeneration and to have become actually younger looking and younger in action than they had been a year previous. I know that these new exercises will contribute much to the im­ provement of the physical body. The effect upon the blood alone is a very wonderful thing. If each one of you could have your blood count taken by a specialist at the present time and then have another count taken six months from now, you would be astonished at the improvement in the blood count. This means that our blood will be of such good quality that so-called germs of infection can hardly attack it, and every organ and part of the body will be made younger in action and in tissue, firmer and more positive in its nature than in the past. This means an improvement in the actual condition and functioning of such organs as the kidneys, bladder, intestines, the stom­ ach, the heart, and the lungs. But time will demonstrate this to you better than anything that I can say. I hope, however, that what I have said will encourage you to be faithful in Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN PAGE TWO the performance of these exercises. Now for the coming week I want you to,continue what you have been doing in the manner of sitting down and relaxing and drawing a so-called invisible curtain around you so that you are enclosed within a special place; but after you have been in concentration for about ten minutes and have succeeded in developing a sense of separateness and enclosure around you, proceed to think of one color of the spectrum at each sit­ ting. If you select red as the first color, then after your ten min­ utes of concentration, and after you have apparently enclosed yourself in a field of magnetism, I want you to concentrate on the thought of changing that magnetic condition into the color of red so that there will be a red aura all around you, or within the space that you have enclosed around you, just as though you were being painted in a red light. Now do not expect this color, or any other color you may select, to become highly brilliant or think of it becoming even brilliant enough for you to see. You will probably sense a faint shade of the color you select, but it is not for the purpose of making you see this color that the exercise is given, but rather to make you feel it. That is the important point. After holding in mind the thought that your entire body and the space around you for a few feet, are composed of the vibra­ tions of the chosen color— you may bring the experiment to a close. During the time you are thinking of the color, however, you will sense peculiar vibrations of a different nature than you have felt be­ fore. The tingling and vibrations from the magnetic field around you should move up and down through your body very lightly but very defi­ nitely. You may not sense them the first time you try the experiment, or perhaps even the second time, but you will before the week is over. These vibrations will be cooling, peaceful, quieting to the nervous system, and yet leave a sort of tonic effect that you will feel for hours after the exercise. For your second sitting the same day choose the same color as you used for the first sitting; but when the second day comes choose another color, such as yellow or blue or green or orange, and concentrate on that color for two periods sometime during the day. The third day you may change to another color. The colors that you should choose are as follows: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. These six colors can be used over and over; that is, after you have finished with the sixth one you can go back to the first one, but use only one color each day. This will keep you busy and bring you interesting results, and I am sure that before the week is over you are going to sense very pleasing effects from this exercise. In our next monograph we will take up the next step and start our discussions of some interesting principles connected with this color process which we will not name or describe at present, for we must not cause you to have any wrong thoughts or suggestions about it in your Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN PAGE THREE mind while you are doing the exercises. Now please do not judge the value and importance of this exercise by the brevity of this week’s communication to you. If I talked to you for an hour and went over these points again and again I could tell you nothing more than what I have told you in these few words. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V 'v V Below is a sum m ary of the im portant principles of th is monograph. It contains the es­ sential statem ents w hich you should not forget. After you have carefully read the com­ plete monograph, try to recall as m any as you can o f the im portant points you read. Then read th is sum m ary and see if you have forgotten any. A lso refer to this summ ary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. The exercises in the Eleventh Degree are not only for psychic development but for the benefit of the physical body as well. They should be faithfully per­ formed. 51 This week you are to continue the exercise of last week. After you have suc­ ceeded in developing the sense of separateness and enclosure, proceed to concentrate on changing the field of magnetism around you into one color of the spectrum until you feel th a t color. A peculiar vibration will be sensed leaving a tonic effect. Use only one color each day. The colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet should be used in rotation. This m o n o g r a p h it n o t s u b je c t to t a l e o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A t a l e or p u r c h o te m ay m ak e th e te l l e r a n d p u r c h a t e r s u b je c t to civil lia b ility . U l i t t t f a i t t f f v t M U i M f i t M M v f i a i t i i t i a a v a a v t t v a a i v M i t i i a a t t t i i i Bf^f J l ( i i i i i i i i i i i a > a a i a i a > a i M a i i i t i M i a i a i > B « •••■■ i a i a a a a v > t i n a a a a | i v T a L % I iiMiiitiiifiiiiaaiiiiiaiiiiiaiiiiiniiiiaiiiiiiiiiaiiiiviiiitai'** .. ......................................................................................................................................................... .. f> O o O Q A M & R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. 'CR° 'J*. D egree D egree 11 11 M onograph M onograph 119 119 lotfarfJrurfc 285 The matter contained herein is officially iaaued through the Supreme Council of the A.M.O.R.C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies of officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dissertations, scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts” as author­ ized by the Imperator of A.M.O.R.C. (The above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) AH matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ow nership of, the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge o f A.M.O.R.C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation of the Statutes of this Order. A.M.O.R.C. is the only organization authorized to use the registered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE C O N C U R R EN C E This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V ^ In a series of three articles entitled, “T he Science and Mysticism of Color,” appearing in the Rosicrucian Digest of December, 1943, January and February, 1944, the present Imperator, Ralph M . Lewis, made a valuable contribution to general knowledge on the matter of color. Those possessing such copies of the Digest will be interested in reread' ing what he had to say. Below is a short excerpt from the concluding article. Eachhumanbody,eventhoughitisanaggregateofmanyradiations andvibrationsofenergiesoftheCosmic,hasitsownspecificfrequency orvibration. Justaseachtuningfor\hasanaturalvibratoryrate;that is,arateofvibrationtowhichitrespondsparticularlyandwhichconsti' tutesitspitch,sohasthebody. Thisparticularvibratoryrate,whichwe eachhave,correspondstosomehue of color inthevastspectrumof colors.... Thattherearesuchcolorswhichcorrespondtothevibratoryrateof ourbeingisadiscoverytheindividualma\eshim self b y th e effectswhich thespecifichueofcolorhasuponhim. When heisinitspresence,he findsitverybeneficial,soothing,quieting,andrejuvenating.. . . A c olormightseemtoharmonizewiththecoloringofourhairand eyes,morewithourobjectiveappearancethananother,andyetanother colormaybepreferredbecauseofitssalutaryeffectuponourinnerself. When youselectacolororhuethatharmonizeswithyourinnerselfin thismanner,youarereallyfittingyourselfintothegreatCosmicspectrum, inthesamemannerthatthebandsinthespectrumoflightareallin properorderandrelationship,makingforanharmoniouswholewhich manifestsaspersonalsatisfactionandimperturbability. R A LPH M . L E W IS, F.R .C . Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, A M O R C Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN PAGE ONE Respected Members, Greetings! Of course, it is too early for me to know much about the results that you or others may have obtained through last week's experiment, because I find even from those living close to me that the first few days produced only a sensation of calmness with a slight sensation of invigoration. I know that as the week ends there will be a very definite tonic feeling and a sense of increased vitality, but even this is not the fullest expression of the exercise, for the real effect will come during the week follow­ ing in each case and there will be a cumulative effect from the various exercises given each week. There is one point in connection with these color exercises that I overlooked mentioning last week, but it is not too late to speak of it now, and that is that the color yellow should be used least of all. If you have selected yellow as the first color for your exercise, do not use it again for many weeks; but if you have not yet used yellow and wish to use it this coming week, keep in mind that while all the other colors or shades of color which you may select may be used alternately and each one as frequently as the other, the color yellow— that is, the brilliant, bright, pure yellow— should not be used except after eight or ten weeks. In other words, all the other colors should be used for eight or ten weeks before the color yellow is repeated in these or any future exercises. If you select a shade of color that is a light green with much yellow in it, then it may be used as frequently as other colors; or if you select an orange with a large amount of yellow in it, you may use it frequently. So long as the yellow is modified with some other color, it may be used frequently but pure yellow in its unmodified form as a primary color should not be used more often than every eight or ten weeks. I repeat this because it is important. It is important because yellow is the only color that does not add to the vitality. It does not deplete or take away from the vitality in any sense, but it has no effect upon the vitality and very little effect upon the psychic development. It does have some minor effects upon some glands, and that is why we do not eliminate it altogether. Now, during the coming week you may try a second color if you wish or stick to the first color you have used, repeating this same color for the coming week (unless it was yellow, in which case select a new color.) I know that I suggested in my talk to you last week that you should change the color every few days if you wished. I really think it would be better to stick to one color for an entire week for the coming few weeks until your system has been pretty well toned and tuned with these colors; then you may change them more rapidly than once a week. Temple Section A M O RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D NINETEEN PAGE TWO I promised you some explanation regarding these exercises and I find that explanations will involve a great many fundamental principles, as well as a great many new and interesting ones, and so I shall touch upon an important one each week. Each of us as a vibrating unit of matter in this universal cell of existence has a natural color value which is our individual color, just as each of us has a definite musical note and a def­ inite polarity of vibration. Every unit of matter throughout the universe, whether it is a unit of mercury or a unit of gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, salt or what not, has its distinctive color. It is true that all of the mineral elements, and, in fact, all of the elements of nature in the universe, give off various colors which constitute their individual spectrums; nevertheless, there is one part of the spectrum of color which is most definite for each element and this is known as the distinct color, or shade of color, of that piece of matter. This is not a mystical idea but one which science has verified, and the fact that every element of matter does have a distinct and outstanding line of color in the general spectrum has enabled science to locate or discover many minerals that were missing from the periodic table of earthly elements. Every plant has its distinct color which results from the vibrations of the plant. It is difficult for an individual to discover which is his color except from experience. All of us sooner or later learn the color, or precise shade of color, which is not only most attractive to us but most pleasing, satisfying, and helpful. Many women have discovered that a certain shade of color is best for their clothing because it makes them feel more vital, soothes their nerves, gives added contentment and in many other ways is most appropriate for them. Of course, they have to seek for modifications or even opposites of this color because they cannot wear one color contin­ uously. Also many women and men have found that there is one color, or shade of color, that is quite displeasing. It is commonly known that brown is quite displeasing to some; whereas it is a pleasing color for others. There are many psychological reasons for this, into which we will not enter at the present time. The same is true of musical notes for each individual and of certain other universal conditions and elements of vibrations. Now the object of the present color exercises is not merely to assist you in discovering what is your most pleasing and satisfying color, for I think that there are many more simple ways to discover this. These exercises are for the purpose of building up the vibratory rates of many parts of the body which can function properly only when they are attuned with the various rates of vibrations that affect our Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D NINETEEN PAGE THREE bodies generally. The whole physical body of man is in rhythm and vibration. Unless every cell in the body is vibrating properly and in harmony with others, there will be illness; and unless the entire body as one cell is vibrating harmoniously with the univer­ sal vibrations, there will be illness. Each color of the spectrum, except yellow, has a vitalizing effect upon the entire body. Yellow has an effect upon only a few glands of minor importance but, nevertheless, necessary to the general scheme. For the following week either continue the same color that you used last week for the same exercise, repeating it identically as you used it during the past week; or, if you have felt very def­ inite effects from that color, you may change to another color for the coming week. But I would strongly urge that you pick one of the colors you used last week and repeat it in your exercises this week so that we may start this work with a good development of the effects at the very beginning. In other words, follow the same exercises as outlined on the several pages of Monograph 118. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the m orning m ay accom plish.—UNTO T H E E I G RA N T While you have been practicing with different colors to see which was most suitable for you insofar as providing a sense of peace or well-being is concerned, it would now be useful to practice with finding the color th at is least suited to you; one th a t causes you a degree of irritation or displeasure. Then as a matter of common sense, try to avoid involvement with th at color. Don’t wear it. Don’t think about it. Keep it out of your immediate environment. Such elimination of a negative element in your life can have as much good effect for your general well-being as can the presence of one of your more pleasing colors. Sum m ary of T his M onograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. The color yellow should not be chosen for these exercises oftener than every eight or ten weeks. This is because yellow, beyond stimulating a few glands, has very little effect upon psychic development. Every unit of matter whether a unit of mercury, silver, copper, iron, salt, or what­ not, has its individual and distinctive color. Each individual, too, has a color with which more than with all others he has an affinity. Conversely, each has a color which more than all others excites his dis­ pleasure. fj The purpose of these exercises, however, is to build up the vibratory rates in dif­ ferent parts of the body in order that proper attunement can be made with the various vibrations which affect the body generally. This can best be done when the whole physical body is in rhythm and attuned not only with its own cell structure but with that of the universe as well. , THE INSTITUTIO N BEHIND THE R O SICR U CIA N O R G A N IZ A T IO N Son J o s e , C a l i f o r n i a , U. S. A. Rosicru cian Park "Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian" This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t to s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch o se m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . o o o S ' A M R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. "c^o o M44r life. Degree Decree 11 fl Monograph 9 Monograph 120 y 120 <j> u lo£ar$ruri£ 1076 a The matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, wluch ' _ ___i J I_ TtHiiAi) Ct Dn I Ant rtffloA tr\ i> (ha rvill*TV\uA A# studies. aiagrama. uiuairauuna, ana cimns as aumunAcu vy Imperator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered In countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member V i receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the right of possession to this I monograph is and snail remain In the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The co n te n ts herein are lo&ned to be used lo r th e sale and exclusive Information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and Is a violation o f the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. rtf THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V •J Three-quarters of a century have passed since Edwin D. Babbitt wrote The Principles of Light and Color. Yet the student still finds this remarkable work an important reference source, as well as an inspiration. The Rosicru' cian student particularly appreciates the author’s unshake' able conviction of universal law and order and his understanding of the harmonic interrelation of mind and nature. Although strides have been taken in the field of color and spectroscopy (and these modem researches are included elsewhere in our teachings), the following excerpt from this work remains largely true. Spectrum analysis and the \nowledge of color'potencies if crystallized into a science, would become among the most wonderful studies of the day. During these thousands of years all substances have been proclaiming their leading qualities to man by means of their colors, and it is now quite time that he should open his eyes and see what they are. Spectroscopy, for all its remarkable revelations, is still young, and many of its facts have been thrown up pellnnell, li\e piles of stones, beautiful stones it may be, but yet unsystematized. —EDWIN D. BABBITT, 18284905 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PAGE THREE lated in our consciousness without actual origin. In other words we cannot psychically create a taste in our mouths as easily as we can psychically create colors, nor can we as easily create psychic sounds in our ears as we can create colors. All of you know that if you close your eyes and press the finger tips on the eyelids, you will soon see colors passing in front of the eyeballs— even while the eyes are closed. Where do these colors come from? We cannot imitate taste, hearing, feeling, or smelling in such a manner; but we can have beautiful colors passing through the eyes and through the color con­ sciousness while the eyelids are tightly closed. This proves that the color sensation of consciousness is not dependent upon the open eye. Therefore, color consciousness must have something to do with psychic consciousness. This is the way the Rosicrucian mystics would analyze the subject. Science has only partially analyzed it, and the matter is still a mystery. Aristotle was the first of the great philosophers to say that he believed there was some relationship between color and sound. Newton and other scientists and philosophers took up the idea and speculated upon it but were unable to come to any decision or make any demonstra­ tions. Aristotle believed that colors in our consciousness created a sensation of sounds or that sounds passing through the ears and reach­ ing the color consciousness produced colors. Other philosophers came to the conclusion that when we heard sounds we also felt colors and that when we felt colors we heard sounds; therefore, sound could have a very important effect upon our psychic consciousness because of the color effects. Other mystics claimed that when we heard music, for instance, we were not affected by the tones of the music but by the colors set up in our color consciousness or our psychic consciousness by the combination of notes. They claimed that a harmonious chord of music that seemed to please us was not due to the combination of musi­ cal notes but to the combination of colors which these notes aroused in our psychic consciousness. You see, therefore, that we are dealing with a very interesting and mysterious subject. If it is true, as many of our other exercises and experiments indicate, that each of us has a musical note that is our own individual note, to which we naturally respond whenever we hear it, then we must also have a special color which pleases us and to which we respond. Because the musical note of our individuality has an equivalent color, it may be the tone of the color that pleases us rather than the tone of the musical note. You know in all of our early monographs we were taught that every material thing has its musical note and that if a note inharmonious to it is played, the thing will break. A glass bowl has its own distinct note and if we play a cello or violin note directly harmonious or inhar­ monious to it, we can cause the glass to give forth its note or to become shattered. A piece of wood, a piece of tin, any metal, or even a piece of cloth must have a note of its own. Temple Section A MORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PAGE FOUR Now, what is it that causes the glass to break or a wooden sounding board to give forth a tone when certain other notes are played? Is it actual vibrations of sound or vibrations of color that the sound pro­ duces? This is another one of the mysteries to be solved. We are going to learn through the exercises now coming to us in this part of the Eleventh Degree that all through our lives we are seriously af­ fected by colors and that colors have an important part in the de­ velopment of our psychic faculties. This is why you are given the exercises dealing with color at the present time. Quite a few who are studying these present monographs have writ­ ten to me urging that a little more time be given to one exercise in­ stead of having a new one each week, because they find that it takes more than a week successfully to develop the right color in the mag­ netic field surrounding them and they do not want to take up a second color until they have developed the brilliancy of the first to the highest possible degree. I think this is good advice because, after all, the success of the present experiments depends upon the success each of us has in developing these colors; and the better we do it, the more successful will we be in the psychic development that will follow these color exercises. Therefore, for the coming week, con­ tinue the same experiment outlined in Monograph 118. In addition, no­ tice the effects of color in your home life and in the conditions and natural environment outside of you around your home. Try to notice which colors in the rooms you live in please you most and which colors of clothing make you feel more peaceful, more contented, or more magnetic. Having done this and analyzed your color consciousness during the week, you will be ready for other statements of an interest­ ing nature next week. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! In one of the previous monographs, I promised a few more details regarding the present exercises and their relation to psychic matters. Vile are starting to deal with color in this connection and we are, therefore, stepping into a field of study and investigation, as well as a series of experiments and exercises, rather new to most of our members and undoubtedly interesting. We have not said much about colors and their psychic effects in the lower Degrees of our work simply because the subject is too vast and too important to be intro­ duced until after certain other phases of development have been attained. There is more mystery surrounding the nature of color, its cause, and its effect on human life and throughout the world than any other manifestation of natural law. Outside the nature of the Vital Life Force itself, color is unquestionably the most mystifying, intriguing, and important of all of the manifestations of the vibrations of nous. Taking all of our five faculties of the brain, or the five senses — seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling— you will have to admit that the sense of seeing is the most important. Even though a person has no sensation of feeling, he is not paralyzed inwardly and can continue to live and enjoy a great amount of life's benefits. Those who cannot hear, taste, or smell are not nearly so handicapped as the person who cannot see. After all, we live in a world of pic­ tures and know more of life through pictures than through other things. Our whole consciousness is made up of realizations and realiza­ tions are always transformed into mental pictures. If I start de­ scribing a book, or a flower, or a scientific instrument, you cannot help forming a mental picture. If I say to you that among the Christ­ mas gifts I received from China, there was one that consisted of a silk panel, yellow in color, about eighteen inches wide and thirty-six inches long with an embroidered emblem of Chinese writing in the center of it, done in green and blue, you will begin to form a mental picture of the thing and you will Judge it by the picture formed rather than by my actual words. For instance, when I say that the silk panel was yellow in color, your mental picture will make that yellow of a certain shade or tone that may not be exactly like the piece of silk, but it will be the color that you will use in judging what I am describing. All our realizations in life are based either upon things we actually see or pictures we form in our minds. Thus, we have two forms of seeing, the psychic process whereby we see imagi­ nary things, that we have mentally formed in our minds, and actual pictures which have been thrown on the retina by the lens of the eye. A person who is physically blind can no longer see the actual pictures of life, but he can continue to visualize and create mental pictures which he sees. If there were no Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY PAGE TWO possibility of psychic seeing and the eyes were blind also, man would certainly be in a lost world and would seem to be without any realiza­ tion of life. Science has proved in many ways that physical seeing is due to vibrations of light and color. We know in photography that the dif­ ference between a brilliant picture inside the camera and a dull pic­ ture is one of brilliancy of light. We know that light-waves must pass through the lens of the camera to the film in order to make a picture, and we know by various other tests that light-waves must pass through the lens of the eye to the retina in order to give us any picture of our surroundings or of any object. When we come to study light-waves, we find that they are waves of color, and without the color in light there would be no light. Sunlight contains all of the colors known to man through the sense of sight. Not only by the prisms breaking the sunbeam into a beautiful rainbow of all colors but also in many other ways it is proved that sunlight contains all of the colors. An electric light, even though it appears white, does not contain all the colors that sunlight contains; and, of course, a yel­ lowish electric light, a candle, or any other form of light, does not contain all of the brilliancy of the colors found in sunlight. There is a mystery hidden in all of this, one which has not been completely solved, and we hope that some day the Rosicrucians will be the ones to solve it as they have solved so many others. Why is it that a beam of white sunlight contains so many colors and blends of colors and yet our eyes do not see those colors unless a prism sepa­ rates them? What causes the difference in color? We have one answer to this question, for we know that the difference in color is due to difference in vibrations— but what causes the difference in vibra­ tions? This is another part of the mystery. But perhaps the greatest mystery of all is in regard to the effect of color on our conscious­ ness. There are many mystics who claim that we feel colors as well as see them. And there are some philosophers who have said that there is a relationship between our sense of color and our sense of hearing and feeling. In other words, it appears that our consciousness of color is a complex consciousness, associated in some way with our conscious­ ness of sound and feeling. Taste and smell are not quickened with color so far as we have been able to find, but the consciousness of sound does seem to be closely related to our consciousness of seeing color, and the consciousness of color seems to be related very closely to our consciousness of sound. In speculating on the mystery the Rosicrucian soon discovers that this may be the key to many mysteries of life: If color and color consciousness are related in some way to sound, then there must be a psychic connection between sound and sight. Color consciousness may be entirely a psychic condition, for color is the only one of all of our sensations that can be stimu- Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Color, its nature, its cause and effect, is one of the most important and intriguing manifestations of nous. 4} The consciousness is made up of realizations which are always in the form of pic* tures. These realizations are based either upon things we actually see or upon pic­ tures of things we form in our minds. W e have two forms of seeing: through the actual physical eye and through a psy­ chic process of the mind. That we see at all, of course, is due to the vibrations of light and color. 9 Refraction of light by means of a prism reveals it to be made up of colors which are invisible to the eye. The difference in color we know to be due to the difference in vibration, but we yet do not know what causes the difference in vibration. ^ W e do know, nevertheless, that light and color have an effect upon our consciousness. Some mystics claim that we feel colors as well as see them. Others state that there is a relationship between our sense of color and our senses of hearing and feeling. This suggests that our color consciousness may be entirely a psychic condition. Color consciousness then is an important field for investigation, and these exercises and experiments have an important bearing on the development of the psychic faculties. I his m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch a se m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u rch aser s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . $ A Th e matter contained herein is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council o f the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered In the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the “ printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ m sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by th>a Im perator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) A ll matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. Th e ownership of, the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodgi; of I A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V f l In a series of three articles entitled, ‘T h e Science and Mysticism of Color," appearing in the Rosicrucian Digest of December, 1943, January and February, 1944, . the present Imperator, Ralph M . Lewis, made a valuable contribution to general knowledge on the matter of color. Those possessing such copies of the Digest will be interested in reread' what he had to say. Below is a short excerpt from the concluding article. Each human body, even though it is an aggregate of many radiations and vibrations of energies of the Cosmic, has its own specific frequency or vibration . Just as each tuning fo r\ has a natural vibratory rate; that is, a rate of vibration to which it responds particularly and which consti' tutes its pitch, so has the body. This particular vibratory rate, which we each have, corresponds to some hue of color in the vast spectrum of colors. . . . T h at there are such colors which correspond to the vibratory rate of our being is a discovery the individual ma\es himself by the effects which the specific hue of color has upon him. W hen he is in its presence, he finds it very beneficial, soothing, quieting, and rejuvenating. . . . A color might seem to harmonize with the coloring of our hair and eyes, more with our objective appearance than another, and yet another color may be preferred because of its salutary effect upon our inner self. W hen you select a color or hue that harmonizes with your inner self in this manner, you are really fitting yourself into the great Cosmic spectrum, in the same manner that the bands in the spectrum of light are all in proper order and relationship, making for an harmonious whole which manifests as personal satisfaction and imperturbability. R A L P H M . L E W IS , F .R .C . Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, A M O R C Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D NINETEEN PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Of course, it is too early for me to know much about the results that you or others may have obtained through last week's experiment, because I find even from those living close to me that the first few days produced only a sensation of calmness with a slight sensation of invigoration. I know that as the week ends there will be a very defi­ nite tonic feeling and a sense of increased vitality, but even this is not the fullest expression of the exercise, for the real effect will come during the week following in each case and there will be a cumu­ lative effect from the various exercises given each week. There is one point in connection with these color exercises that I overlooked mentioning last week, but it is not too late to speak of it now, and that is that the color yellow should be used least of all. If you have selected yellow as the first color for your exercise, do not use it again for many weeks ; but if you have not yet used yellow and wish to use it this coming week, keep in mind that while all the other colors or shades of color which you may select may be used alternately and each one as frequently as the other, the color yellow— that is, the brilliant, bright, pure yellow— should not be used except after eight or ten weeks. In other words, all the other colors should be used for eight or ten weeks before the color yellow is repeated in these or any future exercises. If you select a shade of color that is a light green with much yellow in it, then it may be used as frequently as other colors; or if you select an orange with a large amount of yellow in it, you may use it frequently. So long as the yellow is modified with some other color, it may be used frequent­ ly but pure yellow in its unmodified form as a primary color should not be used more often than every eight or ten weeks. I repeat this because it is important. It is important because yellow is the only color that does not add to the vitality. It does not deplete or take away from the vitality in any sense, but it has no effect upon the vitality and very little effect upon the psychic development. It does have some minor effects upon some glands, and that is why we do not eliminate it altogether. Now, during the coming week you may try a second color if you wish or stick to the first color you have used, repeating this same color for the coming week (unless it was yellow, in which case select a new color). I know that I suggested in my talk to you last week that you should change the color every few days if you wished. I really think it would be better to stick to one color for an entire week for the coming few weeks until your system has been pretty well toned and tuned with these colors; then you may change them more rapidly than once a week. I promised you some explanation regarding these exercises and I find that explanations will involve a great many funda- Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D NINETEEN PAGE T W O mental principles, as well as a great many new and interesting ones, and so I shall touch upon an important one each week. Each of us as a vibrating unit of matter in this universal cell of existence has a natural color value which is our individual color, just as each of us has a definite musical note and a definite polarity of vibration. Every unit of matter throughout the universe, whether it is a unit of mercury or a unit of gold, silver, copper, tin, iron, salt or what-not, has its distinctive color. It is true that all of the mineral elements, and, in fact, all of the elements of nature in the universe, give off various colors which constitute their indi­ vidual spectrums ; nevertheless, there is one part of the spectrum of color which is most definite for each element and this is known as the distinct color, or shade of color, of that piece of matter. This is not a mystical idea but one which science has verified, and the fact that every element of matter does have a distinct and outstanding line of color in the general spectrum has enabled science to locate or discover many minerals that were missing from the periodic table of earthly elements. Every plant has its distinct color which results from the vibrations of the plant. It is difficult for an individual to discover which is his color except from experience. All of us sooner or later learn the color, or precise shade of color, which is not only most attractive to us but most pleasing, satisfying, and helpful. Every woman has discovered that a certain shade of color is best for her clothing because it makes her feel more vital, soothes her nerves, gives added contentment and in many other ways is most appropriate for her. Of course, she has to seek for modifications or even opposites of this color because she cannot wear one color continuously. Also all women, and many men, have found that there is one color, or shade of color, that is quite displeasing. It is commonly known that brown is quite displeasing to people of the white race; whereas it is a pleasing color for the average person of the so-called colored or black race. This is not due to any similarity between the com­ plexion and the color, for there are other dark-skinned races which do not enjoy wearing brown. The colored persons of the Southern States of America who were born in such states and who are descendants of the African races are quite attuned to brown; whereas this same color in almost any of its darker shades is disturbing to the average white person. There are many psychological reasons for this, into which we will not enter at the present time. The same is true of musical notes for each individual and of certain other universal con­ ditions and elements of vibrations. Now the object of the present color exercises is not merely to assist you in discovering what is your most pleasing and satisfying color, for I think that there are many more Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED NINETEEN PAGE THREE simple ways to discover this. These exercises are for the purpose of building up the vibratory rates of many parts of the body which can function properly only when they are attuned with the various rates of vibrations that affect our bodies generally. The whole physical body of man is in rhythm and vibration. Unless every cell in the body is vibrating properly and in harmony with others, there will be illness; and unless the entire body as one cell is vibrating harmoniously with the universal vibrations, there will be illness. Each color of the spectrum, except yellow, has a vitalizing effect upon the entire body. Yellow has an effect upon only a few glands of minor importance but, nevertheless, necessary to the general scheme. For the following week either continue the same color that you used last week for the same exercise, repeating it identically as you used it during the past week; or, if you have felt very definite effects from that color, you may change to another color for the com­ ing week. But I would strongly urge that you pick one of the colors you used last week and repeat it in your exercises this week so that we may start this work with a good development of the effects at the very beginning. In other words, follow the same exercises as outlined on the several pages of Monograph 118. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER S u m m a ry o f T h is M o n o g ra p h V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. 4J The color yellow should not be chosen for these exercises oftener than every eight or ten weeks. This is because yellow, beyond stimulating a few glands, has very little effect upon psychic development. Every unit of matter whether a unit of mercury, silver, copper, iron, salt, or what­ not, has its individual and distinctive color. Each individual, too, has a color with which more than with all others he has an affinity. Conversely, each has a color which more than all others excites his dis­ pleasure. (][ The purpose of these exercises, however, is to build up the vibratory rates in dif­ ferent parts of the body in order that proper attunement can be made with the various vibrations which affect the body generally. This can best be done when the whole physical body is in rhythm and attuned not only with its own cell structure but with that of the universe as well. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o t a l e o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m a te th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o c iv il lia b ility . liiiiiiiiM tM iiiiiiiiitiiiisiiM afiiiiiiiiiaiiiB iiiiiiM iB iiiiiiirj^W A 'iiiiiiiiiiiiiaiaiiiiiiiiiiiB aaB iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiM ianiaaiiaia a i | a i i t * i 9 > i « « a i i i i i i t a t i a i s a i a i t R i i i aa i a t a a a i i i B a « B i M « i i i i a i i i i a ] p r / f J | i i > i i i a a a i i a « a i v a i i i i i a a a i a i i i i i i « i i i i i a a i i i a n a a a S f l S ^ « M a i a i » a i * « ^ ^ ■ i i a a f i i H a a i i n B a i i a a a a a a a a t a i i i a a a a i a a f ■ ■ ■ ■ i B i a a m a a a a a a a i > r > l V < a a i » a a i a a a a a a a w « » a a a a a « a a » « a i a a » a a a « a a a a » ..... . = s g jiiim iH H H iiim m iiim i«iiim n a »«n a a m iiiiim m n C *> K m iin m iiiiim »n ««iin iim m »m m n n iin iim im »n ^ ? ;s : THE CONCURRENCE This W eek’ s Consideration o f a Famous Opinion V V V One of the most important works in the nineteenth century on the subject of light and color was that of Edwin D. Babbitt, published in 1878. Babbitt was many things, as his book discloses, among them mystic and scientist. The Principles of Light and Color from which the following excerpt was drawn, won its author wide recognition. In 1672, Isaac Newton published his theory that the ordinary white light of the sun consists of different colors possessing different degrees of re' fTangibility. Still earlier, however, in 1611, Antonio de Dominis had used the following words: ‘Colors arise out of light: of this I have no doubt; nay, they are only light itself.’ Isaac T^ewton adopted the sevenfold division of colors as seen in the rainbow and still more distinctly in the solar spectrum, namely the red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. . . . There is no harm in dividing the colors into seven divisions on the l^lew' tonian plan. In fact it is rather a good division and harmonizes with the seven notes of the musical scale, C, D, E, F, G, A, B; C answering to red, D to orange, etc. As C is at the bottom of the musical scale and made with the coarsest waves of air, so is red at the bottom of the Chromatic scale and made with the coarsest waves of luminous ether. . . . When one musical octave is finished another commences and progresses with just twice as many vibrations as were used in the first octave; and so the same notes are repeated on a finer scale. In the same way when the scale of colors visible to the ordinary eye is completed in the violet, another octave of finer invisible colors, with just twice as many vibrations, will com' mence and progress on precisely the same law. —EDWIN D. BABBITT, 1828-1905 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE PAGE ONE B eloved Members, G re e tin g s ! Continuing our talk about color sensations and color conscious­ ness, I want to say that several years ago I spent much time building a color organ. In general, a color organ is a large organ with regu­ lar keys and producing regular tones as does any other organ, but with an electrical arrangement in connection with it so that each note pro­ duces on a large satin screen the color assigned to that note. In this scale of colors, the note C produces red; D produces orange; E, yel­ low; F, a yellowish green; G, green; A, blue; and B, a violet running toward the ultraviolet which blends toward the beginning of the note C with "ultra-red" again. The sharps and flats between rep­ resent shades of color, modifying the notes on either side. When these notes are played on the organ, the vibrations of the music are correlated with the vibrations of color, and the colors are seen in beautiful brilliancy on the screen. Music is not only given forth in sounds, but also painted on the screen as a picture of chang­ ing colors; and the eye receives impressions along with the ear. The spectator, listening to a color organ, receives dual impressions of sound and color which blend in his consciousness and give him an in­ terpretation of the music not obtainable from either sound or color alone. Great musicians composed with certain themes in minds Wind blowing through trees, rippling water, chirping birds, and so forth. As they composed, they formed mental pictures of what they were trying to interpret. These pictures, of course, were in color and so the composers naturally selected notes that gave them color impressions like those already in their minds. With the color organ, when the music is played, we see on the screen, in color, pictures which the composer had in mind when compos­ ing it. The effect on the spectator is a complete interpretation of the music through both color and sound. The color organ built here at Rosicrucian Park after several years* planning and work was the largest and most modern of fourteen or fifteen models made by scientists and musicians in the past two hundred years. A small model had been built in 1916 for use in our New York temple and it was so successful that others copied it, and later one of similar nature was shown in Car­ negie Hall. In all the models not made by us, musicians, not under­ standing the laws of vibrations as we have them in our lessons, did not get the right shades of color for each n o t e ; so the effect upon the psychic consciousness of persons in the audience was partly lost. On January 4, 1933, this organ had its premier demonstration in the Francis Bacon Auditorium before four or five hundred invited musicians, artists, scientists, and newspaper men. In this demonstration we tested the human voice, too, revealing that it as well as any musical instrument can pro­ duce colors. We were fortunate in securing the assistance of Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE PAGE TWO one of our members, Madam Beatrice Bowman, Coloratura soprano, former­ ly of the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York and of the Boston Opera Company. Madam Bowman was one of the first to be called a coloratura soprano because of the color values of her voice. She was one of the foremost concert singers of the American stage, and a hun­ dred or more operatic and concert singers both in America and abroad were her pupils. In her teaching, she laid great stress upon tone value of each note and her singing— and that of her pupil, Miss Emily Hardy, who also sang with our color organ— revealed a roundness, full­ ness, and a vibration of distinction. When Madam Bowman and Miss Hardy sang before the color organ, one could see plainly the effect of the color value of each note. Not only did the organ note produce a color on the screen but the color value of the human note vibrated in greater brilliancy across the background of the same color produced by the organ note. If the human note were a few vibrations higher or lower than the organ note, there would be a slight distinction in the vibratory effect on the screen. Even the overtones of Madam Bowman's voice would produce a harmonious color that would move across the screen in vibrations like ripples upon a smooth body of water. This was the first time in the history of music that the human voice was registered in color, pitch and tone and so scientifically measured. Everyone in the audience soon became aware that the pictures were affecting the psychic consciousness in a manner never experienced before, and that there was a definite relationship in consciousness between color and sound. You know that some music causes a saddening emotion to arise in the consciousness or a depressing, unhappy state. You know that other music causes Joy and still other causes invigor- ation, acceleration and strength. The difference between one of the famous funeral marches and one of Sousa's military marches is not only the sound of the music but the colors produced by the sounds, for deaf persons, who could not hear the music, could tell the difference between the funeral march and Sousa's and could feel the sadness or the exhilaration. This indi­ cates that colors do affect our psychic consciousness and create emotions and impressions ; and it is our intention later to experiment with colors to prove that effective treatment of various diseases can be given by playing certain notes accompanied by their proper colors. The audience sitting in the completely darkened auditorium, one moment bathed in brilliant violet and the next moment bathed with the brilliant colors of yellows, blues or reds or their combinations was affected not only emotionally but also psychically. You have already learned that each ganglion of the sympathetic nervous system has a nerve and a music note. A color organ could be used to prove that the nerve and music note are related to the Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE PAGE THREE color note and through the exhilaration of these nerve and music note centers of the sympathetic system, certain reactions could be set up in the psychic consciousness of the body that would cure disease and correct abnormal functioning. Philosophers and scientists have become interested in musical therapy— the correcting of mental and emotional conditions by music. In recent years, there have been many attempts to prove that color therapy is feasible and that certain colored lights thrown upon the body can correct abnormal conditions. Both color and musical therapy have proved their value in many ways and a combination— color and music at the same time— would be extremely beneficial for many forms of emotional, psychic, mental, and physical conditions. It has often been said by critics who know nothing of the Rosi­ crucian Order that Rosicrucians are mere dreamers, hoping to find an easy way of making gold, and dealing only with ethereal, mystical principles and astral explorations that serve no practical purpose. Yet the truth is that in every scientific and practical improvement of civilization Rosicrucians have been among the foremost. My sole pur­ pose in making this color organ, was simply to show that the Rosicru­ cians can deal with scientific principles and that they had in their teachings sufficient knowledge to demonstrate nature's great laws. I am not going to rehearse the achievements of Rosicrucians in medicine, astronomy, surgery, physics, and chemistry, but I do want you to realize that in the musical field they have been foremost as well. Not only was Chopin a Rosicrucian, as were many of the other masters, but today throughout Europe some of the foremost musicians are active members of the Order— Debussy, for instance, whose colorful and magnetic handling of music astonished everyone. Then there is H. Maurice Jacquet, Count de Masserini, a member of the Royal House of Savoy, who is not only an eminent composer but one of the greatest orchestra leaders of Europe. When the music masters of the whole of Europe sought a man to lead the combined orchestras at the Great Wagnerian celebration some years ago, they selected Jacquet and he led the largest orchestra ever brought together in any part of the world. Jacquet is an enthusiast about the mystical principles of music, and in his opera he has added many of our principles. The early Rosicrucians in Pennsylvania made great strides in musical accomplishment, for it was in their laboratory that the first organ ever built in America was constructed along lines which made possible the present-day pipe organ. They also invented a method of singing choir music, acknowledged as being an important innovation. And we have to our credit the color organ, constructed to il­ lustrate principles of light and to reveal the color values of the human voice as well as those of any musical instrument. These facts should make it clear that Rosicrucians are Just Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE PAGE FOUR as eager to understand the scientific principles of the Universe as they are to understand the mystical ones. Next week 1 shall continue our talk about color especially as it relates to these experiments. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Note: This monograph was written by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, former Irnperator. Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summaiy and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summaiy during the ensiling week to refresh your memory. A color organ is one especially equipped with an electrical arrangement capable of producing on a screen colors whose vibrations are correlated with the vibrations of the musical notes played. €| Listening to a color organ one receives audible and visible impressions simultaneous­ ly and interprets the music by both sound and color. CJ The color organ constructed by Dr. H . Spencer Lewis was demonstrated before a select group of artists, musicians, and newsmen in Francis Bacon Auditorium in Rosi­ crucian Park, January 4, 1933. It has since been dismantled. CJ It was built to demonstrate the laws of nature relating to sound and color. It sug­ gested later experiments in the field of both musical and color therapy. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s o le o r p u r c h o s e b y a n y o n e . A s o le or p u rch ase m ay m o lte th e s e lle r a rid p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . O o o A M The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. D eg ree D eg ree 11 11 M onograph M o n o g rap h 122 122 !i#aef>ruri£ » C C « S T E « E D t h M.S. P » T F w r O * H C C 1179 * £ S tS T £ * £ 0 1m«OU$wOuT The w o * oi TGI The matter contained herein la officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially proscribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies d iagram s, illustrations, and charts” as authorized by the Imperator of A. M. O. R. C. (The above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member I receiving, and are imparted only as an Incidpnt to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. 0. R. C. and it shall be re tu rn e d to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the stile and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant th e use o l them to o th e r aiiied org an izatio n s o r m ovem ents. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V •fl Without minimizing in any way the necessity for regard to laws of health, it is well to remember always the importance of one’s own mental attitude. Dr. Stanley K. Clark, F.R.C., whose remarks on the power of thought appear below, is a member of the Order’s Research Council. Thethoughtsandtheemotionsmayhaveadeleteriouseffecton thedigestioninthehigh,aswellasinthelow,theexaltedaswellas inthehumble,therichaswellasinthepoor,thelearnedaswellas intheignorant,theoccupiedaswellasintheidle.Thereisnoclass, strata,cast,ordivisionofmankindwhomayescapetheinevitable sequenceofdistressingsymptoms,oncehehasopenedtheportals ofhismindandsoulandhasallowedfreeentreetothoughtsof anxiety,worry,doubt,andfear.Astrulyandassurelyasdowrong thoughtsandwrongemotionsproduceindigestionandeverysortof abdominalandgastrointestinaldistress,sosurelyandtrulydo goodthoughtsandrightemotionsbringhealth,happiness,and PeaceProfound. - S T A N L E Y K . C L A R K , M .D . WhattoEat And When A u th o r o f . . . Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-TWO PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings 1 In earlier Degrees, emphasis was put upon the use of certain vowel sounds, and throughout the lessons generally we have spoken of and given exercises embracing the use of vowel sounds for treat­ ment purposes, the development of psychic centers and other spirit­ ual or psychic conditions. It probably did not occur to most of our members that these vowel sounds have an effect on the psychic and subconscious self not only through the vibrations of sound but also through the color of the note or tone of these vowels. All of this should arouse in you a keen interest in the exper­ iments that you are now conducting, for in surrounding yourself with a certain color, you are attuning yourself with that color and are deriving benefit from it. In the exercises of pronouncing vowel sounds given throughout the various lessons, the person who practiced these was really creating a change of color in his aura. Other scientific arrange­ ments whereby the human aura can be easily seen demonstrate that pronouncing a vowel sound or holding a vowel sound for a few seconds causes the aura to vibrate and extend its width. This proves that we can develop and strengthen the vibrations of the aura through the use of the vowel sounds; and as we increase and strengthen the aura we increase and strengthen the vitality of the human body, making it stronger and better equipped to fight disease and maintain perfect health. In the exercises of this Degree you are using various methods for the production of the vibrations of color even though the colors are faint and cannot be easily seen. The lowest note of the piano vibrates at 16 vibrations per second. About 14 or possibly 12 vibrations a second are the lowest we can hear. Below that number sound is inaudible. The same is true regarding vibrations that come from the upper part of the piano keyboard. Beyond a certain point they are so rapid that the ear cannot hear them as sound; but those vibrations are producing sounds nevertheless. Although the average human ear cannot hear them, various animals and especially insects, can hear them. Animals hear many sounds that we do not hear either because they are too low or too high. The same is true of colors, for we have the ultraviolet and infrared which are invisible to us. The X ray as a light is not visible to the eye except when it penetrates something and reveals shadows. There are many lights or colors around us all the time that we do not see; nevertheless, we are affected by them. The vibrations affected by the mind in the human aura and in the electronic conditions around us in a room are of such a high rate that we do not see their color nor do we hear their sound very easily. We have to develop the psychic Temple Section A M O RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-TWO PAGE TWO sight and psychic hearing in order to see them or hear them; but whether or not we see them or hear them, their effect upon the sym­ pathetic, psychic, nervous system of the human body is very definite, in fact, far more definite than the rates of vibrations of color or sound which we can easily see or hear. The vibrations of the psychic self within and of the mind powers in the human body are high because they are part of the soul keyboard and such vibrations affect the psychic nature when we least suspect it. The Sun spectrum which is often shown in labora­ tories— like a rainbow running from red to violet— is only part of the whole spectrum of the Sun because the Sun produces other colors beyond the violet or beyond the red which our eyes cannot see. These infrared and ultraviolet colors are the ones which affect the psychic system, the health, the nervous system, and the inner self far more than the colors that are easily seen. That is why bathing in the Sun, taking sun baths and having plenty of sunlight is so important to good health; and that is why flowers and everything that grows must have a certain amount of sunlight. In the exercises that you are now doing, you are dealing with these high vibrations, and although they are not visible or audi­ ble, they will have certain effect upon you. Have this in mind during your concentration period, and notice the effect upon your health and your nervous system throughout the day. In practicing these exercises, you will find that you are gradually affecting your diet. You will notice that certain foods will appeal to you more strongly than at other times and gradually you will notice that you care less about meat. You will not discontinue it, but you will probably eat less of it and notice that beef, especially rare roasts and beefsteak, is not so tasty as it has been. If you have been on a vegetable diet, you will find certain vegetables and fruits will have a greater appeal. Fruits with acids, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and pineapple will appeal to you. If you have not been taking into your system much lemon juice, I suggest that several times a day you drink a little. Take a lemon in the morning and squeeze its juice into a glass and then fill the glass about one third with cold water and stir the water and juice well and then drink a few swallows. Do the same thing during the middle of the day and again at night. Inasmuch as fruit or fruit juice which has been allowed to stand loses its greatest value, make the liquid fresh each time. Do not sweeten it in any manner, for that will neutralize the effect. In addition to this, grapefruit or a piece of orange along with other vegetables or fruits will be very helpful. Naturally you will reduce the amount of starchy foods, such as potatoes and white bread, unless you are undernourished and wish to gain, when a little of these Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-TWO PAGE THREE starchy foods should be taken into the system. White bread should be avoided if you can eat whole-wheat bread, for the pure white bread is not so nourishing as it should be and makes for difficul­ ties and problems in the digestive system. By noticing your inclination toward foods and the change in your desires, and by following these exercises carefully, you will be taking the great­ est step in protecting yourself against disease and the breakdown of the system. During the course of this Eleventh Degree study there have been several mild epidemics throughout the country, but we have found that members who have followed this course of study and prac­ ticed the exercises, have so built up their health and made them­ selves immune that not one of them has been seriously affected, and only a few of them have suffered from colds, because of neglect or violations of some natural health law. The mere fact that one knows about disease, its prevention and cure, does not make him immune to such things, and because one has health does not mean that a reaction will not follow a violation of a natural law. Living normally and naturally, our members need have no fear of diseases due to so-called germs. Our records show a greater degree of healthiness among higher members than will be found in the average classification of persons. A little time and thought, given to each of the principles contained in these mono­ graphs, will mean better health and stronger resistance to disease. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.—UNTO THEE I GRANT The effect of color and sound on the health of the body cannot be over­ emphasized. Since health is a matter of harmony in the vibrations of the aura and the body, it stands to reason that other physical vibrations which are harmonious to us will help to bring the aura and the body back into harmony if we have been ill. This principle is illustrated by the use of two tuning forks in the same key. When one is struck, the second one will begin vibrating in sympathetic attunement with it. Thus, harmonious music and harmonious colors, brought into close proximity to the body, will soon have the body and aura vibrating in sympathetic attunement with them. Under very ill conditions, it would probably take more than sympathetic attunement to restore harmony to the body, but it would nevertheless add greatly to the healing process. It is easy to see, however, what a significant preventive measure such action would provide during periods of normal health. Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. 11 Although earlier Degree experiments with vowel sounds emphasized only their value for treatment purposes, it is nonetheless true that vibrations o f sound and color affect greatly the psychic and subconscious self. U The exercises with vowel sounds have been creating a change in the color o f the aura o f the member who has been conscientiously practicing them. ^ The exercises now given aim at attuning the member with the higher vibra­ tions o f the psychic self in ways that w ill have definite bearing not only upon his health and dietary habits but also upon his mental and spiritual outlook and progress. H Knowing about disease w ill not make one immune to it any more than having health w ill safeguard one against violation of natural laws. A few simple rules, however, followed regularly w ill be beneficial. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . |« iitiv iiitiiB iiiiu iiiiiiiIllB i« V iillf llllBBiaaflafBfiiiiiviuif i f r ^ m ^ a i t i i i i i i i i f l i f l a a ii f l i i s ii B i iillllilliliia ilf lllllllllllV liif ll ; - ; { ii |i|in , i |||inii|iiiiiH |iin iiii, , n iin * n in iiiiiii»in > > > V in iiin n i i i m i i i m i i m , , i i i i i |ii iin n n iiu iin i, i, >in, i; Tt This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. laiiiS iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaiiiiiiB iiB iiB iaB fltaaiB iaiM taB iB iiM iB B M iiiiiiitiisiiaiiB iiaiaiB iiiaifeB sisaiB iiiiiiiiii I I BI I MI I I I I I I I I I I I I I I f I I K l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l B l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l i m i l l l l l l l l l l l l l B I I I I I I I K l l l i a i l l l l l l l l l l l Degree Degree 11 j < om o> 11 Monograph Monograph 123 123 w $ c 0 a t$ ru tv $ 1076 -SV Th e matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council o f the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered In the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Irnperator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are iu iu u r e iimparted i u j m r i c u only aas an incidenta/to nAooAccinn s <&u membership. The • v * '- ■_ _ a ______i__ ownership of, 4 1_ the_i _______i legal title, and j the rijeht o f possession (a to tthis Kiq monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. ft. C. a nd it shall be re tu rn e d to it upon its request. T he contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and Is a violation o f the Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Irnperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This W eek’ s Consideration o f a Famous Opinion V V V The importance of the endocrine glands cannot be overemphasized; nor can the fact that such glands must function together. Their influences on thought and their response to thought are matters most helpful to know at this time. Thoughts are very vital things and have been amply proved to be of conv structive or destructive influence upon the building and activating forces of man. Thoughts receive their impetus from the endocrines and again react upon the endocrines either for good or evil as the thoughts may be. The first great urge within man is for food. This thought remains dominant through' out life. This urge includes not only actual things man puts into his mouth and stomach, but it includes the comforts of life as clothing, home, dainties and all the refinements of eating. Much of mans thinking is about the get' ting and enjoying of food. The next great urge is for sex which includes the union of male and female and all love, parent love, love of companionship, love of art, and all emotional and physical activity. The Creator surely created or evolved man in this way and so the original intent must be pure. We evolve fastest by giving service, by helping each other, and by express' ing harmony, idealism, order and beauty. The Human Temple is sacred. We must learn to build well physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and thus learn the Fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, the continuous life and law of action and reaction —completely expressed life. —M. W. KAPP, M. D. Author of Glands—Our Invisible Guardians Temple Section A MO RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEV EN T H DEGREE NUM BER ONE H UN D RED T W EN T Y -T H R EE PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! It is now time for another week of experiments if we are to keep pace with the changes that are taking place. Occasionally, a member of this Eleventh Degree writes to say that he is not sure whether he has reached the same degree of development as the others, for in his case there has been no particular manifesta­ tion outwardly. This question of outward manifestation is a peculiar one, and difficult to eliminate from the consciousness. In the case of a musician, you do not expect musical ability necessarily to show on his person, on his face, or in his general characteristics no mat­ ter how wonderful a musician he may be or how much time he may spend in study and practice. As such a musician walks down the street, he may easily be mistaken for a cultured person in any walk of life, and not manifest in any way his particular abilities in music. It is only when he sits at the piano or some other musical instrument and begins to apply the development that he has along that line that others have any evidence of it. The same is true of the artist or anyone else. A lawyer, for instance, does not manifest his legal knowledge until he is called upon to use it in a given case. Eminent surgeons, unusually skilled and deft in the handling of delicate surgical instruments, seem no different from others during social hours; they may, in fact, seem to be devoid of any skill since social occasions furnish them no oppor­ tunity to demonstrate their abilities. Were an accident to occur, however, or an emergency operation be necessary, then their outstand­ ing knowledge and ability would make itself unmistakably evident. So, in psychic development, we have something not used twenty- four hours of the day nor applied to commonplace occurrences. It rarely manifests in connection with the work of the home or office, but rather in connection with psychic problems. Spiritual development is not a badge to pin on the sleeve, neither is it something which makes the person having it feel any different except when he needs to call upon it in connection with certain problems of his life. You should not expect psychic and spiritual development to cause startling events in your life every few hours or to perform miracles for you merely to keep you aware of your psychic power. However, when you are called upon to master some personal difficulty, evade some diseased condition, receive a message from the Cosmic or render a service, you may be certain that you will have satisfying evidence of your spirit­ ual development. You should not expect uncanny or weird demonstrations throughout the day or night. That person is not necessarily developed or spiritually attuned who has weird imaginative experiences, who dreams symbolical dreams, or feels he is con- Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEV EN T H DEGREE N UM BER ONE H UNDRED T W E N T Y -T H R E E PAGE T W O stantly receiving Cosmic impressions. In fact, such persons are often not psychically developed at all and are simply the victims of their own overactive imaginations, beliefs, superstitions, and what not. Real Cosmic experiences are few. Psychic development is something of the inner self and pertains to the soul and the spiritual progress of the being. While we are busy with the material affairs of life, such spiritual development has neither reason nor the occasion for mani­ festing. Judging from their reports, and considering the progress as re­ ported to be representative of the average member of this Degree, there is every reason to feel that practically everyone in this Degree has attained sufficient development to be enabled to go forward with the others. The next step to be taken is that of vitalizing the psychic func­ tioning of the thyroid gland. We revert to this gland occasionally because in it, especially in its psychic functioning, lies the key to our continuing progress. It is not the gland in its physical form that concerns us. Science and medical practice have found that it is useless and sometimes decidedly dangerous to develop the physical size of the gland instead of building up its nerve and vital functioning. You would not think of improving the work of the heart by adding fat and tissue to it and increasing its size. If it were not func­ tioning properly, you would want that changed rather than its form and size. Just so with the thyroid. Trying to build up its size by mas­ saging the neck in order to correct the gland's functioning has often caused detrimental enlargement of the gland without improving its functioning. In fact, the larger the physical size the more its proper functioning is interfered with. The exercises of this Degree, there­ fore, have nothing to do with the physical development of the thyroid; so, when placing the hands on the neck or over the gland, there should be no massage. The exercises are solely for the purpose of stimulat­ ing the psychic nature and functioning of the gland and have nothing to do with increasing its size. Twice a day, preferably before arising and retiring, lie or sit, and wh_en comfortably relaxed, place the second finger, {the index j a n d the third and fourth fingers of each hand, but not the thumbsT~over tne tnvroid. which is approximately in the region of the Adam's apple. W ith tne ringer tTps touching the area around the thyroid, take a deep breath, hold it as "long as you comfortably can and exhale it slowly. While exhaling the breath, close the eyes and concentrate on tEe~color orange— brilliant, as though it were a bright light behind an orange- colorea giassT $ftafter this, pause for a moment or two in your normal breathing and then repeat the process— all this time keeping Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEV EN T H DEGREE N UM BER ONE H U N D RED T W E N T Y -T H R E E PAGE TH R EE the finger tips on the throat. Do not remove the finger tips from the throat at any time from the first breatlTunt 11 yotri&ve 'finished w ith tfie jjiird breath^ AfJterjthe third breath, remove your finger tips from the throat_nnri bring them together in front of your abdomen, let - ting the finger tips of one hand rest lightly against- those of the other. Continue to breathe normally while you visualize a deep orange color surrounding you like an aura. In__a_darkened .ro.Qjn._it may be possible for you even to see tftis orange color, like a haze, emanating from your solar plexus or radiating from your"Tinger tips';— Remain ~ for at least five minutes in this position while you~continue your con­ centration on the orange color. No sound should be made when exhaling the" breath, for sounds~have n& part in this particular exercise. Practice this regularly during the coming week so that next week we may add sounds to this exercise and thus take another step in a slight­ ly different direction. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. ^ Psychic development manifests only in connection with psychic problems. It is not a badge on the sleeve which immediately sets the person who has it apart from others. One does not expect the skill of a musician, a doctor or a lawyer to be evident as he walks down the street. Neither should one expect spiritual development to be accom­ panied by weird or uncanny demonstrations. Real Cosmic experiences are few and the development desired pertains to the soul and the progress of the inner self. The proper functioning of the thyroid gland is necessary to continued progress. The exercises are designed only to stimulate that functioning and not to increase the size of the gland itself. Twice a day, morning and evening, the second (index), third, and fourth finger tips should be placesLon the neck, pear the “Adam’s Apple” and deep breaths taken and exhaled slowly while concentrating on the color orange. Q A fter the third such exercise, the hands should be removed from the neck and the finger tips brought together in front of the abdomen. Normal breathing and concen­ tration on the color orange shoulcT malce this color visible around the solar plexus. After about five minutes of concentration, the experiment should be finished by ex­ haling th ebreath soundlessly. THE INSTITUTIO N BEHIND THE R O SICR U CIA N O R G A N IZ A T IO N S a n J o s e , C a l i f o r n i a , U. S. A. Rosicru cian Park "Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian" This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m alce th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V *1 Few have used formulas to a greater extent than those mystics whom we have come to know as alchemists. Their attempt to conceal their mystical knowledge in a formula in order to protect it was successful so far as preserving the secret was con­ cerned, but many times was thoroughly disastrous to the man himself; for it brought upon him suspicion, ridicule, disdain, and branded him with the name charlatan. It is noteworthy, nonetheless, th at the alchemist always preserved the utmost reverence in his work. This is quite clearly shown in the quotation from the alchemical work, The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony by one who wrote under the name of Basilius Valentinus. He who would seek the greatest of all earthly benedictions, the knowledge of all created good, and of the effectual virtue which God has liberally implanted in stones, herbs, roots, seeds, animals, plants, minerals, metals and all things, must fling away every earthly thought, hope only for freedom of heart, and pray to God with the greatest humility. Thus, the aspiration after freedom will soon be realized. - B A S IL IU S V A L E N T IN U S , 15th Century Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 124 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! This week we are going to use an ancient mystical formula, for we have reached a point where we can properly analyze and test it for the benefit that the mystics of the ages found, preserved, and revealed to those who had progressed to the higher Degrees in the secret work. All through the ancient writings one finds these secret for­ mulas indicated by symbols and signs impossible for the uninitiated or unprepared to decipher. Sometimes the formula looks like an alchemical or chemical one, dealing with metals or some process of transmutation. At other times it appears to be an astronomical calculation or configuration. A few mystics adopted musical nota­ tions to hide the formula, making it look like a mere bit of musi­ cal chanting. Even among the early Egyptians these formulas were hidden in hieroglyphics as though each were a historical descrip­ tion, or a description of some geographical boundary. I call them formulas because that is exactly what they are if we use the general interpretation of the English word. A chemical formula is a brief notation of how to do a certain thing by using certain elements, combined in a certain way. It can be expressed with chemical signs and a few figures. A mathematical formula can be expressed with mathematical figures, and a musical formula can be expressed with several bars of music written on a piece of paper. The mystics had other words instead of the word formula, but they meant the same thing. The early Egyptians were very fond of writing their secret matter in peculiar, secret codes because their first language was written in symbols and signs. After all, we might say that lan­ guage is a system of signs. If we take the old formula of light, life, and love, and examine it, we will find that the letters 1-i-g-h-t are symbols for an idea, and that idea is one of light, brilliancy, illumination, wisdom. On the other hand, this formula is often reduced to "L L L." To strangers such three letters would mean nothing. If you take the three letters and fasten their tops together, and separate their bottoms equally within a circle, you will have three lines radiating from a central point, each having a short line at the bottom. It makes a very peculiar looking symbol, and a fourth L added to it gives a symbol something like the ancient swastika cross. Thus within a mere decorative design, an important formula is concealed. ____ Formulas were often long, and served all kinds of purposes. Many of these formulas have come down to us in a modified form from the ancient past, but a great many more of them have been invented by the Christian Church, and are used by Christians while the ancient ones are Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 124 PAGE TWO still used by Jews and by religious people and mystics of the Orient. The simple little statement, "Thank you!" is a relic of a very ancient formula. Slightly change it and say "I thank you," and you completely change the formula, and it does not mean the same thing. The words Thank You symbolically and mystically used to mean "The Cosmic blessing or spiritual blessings of the world be upon you," and later, "May the God thank you or reward you." The sign of the cross and other signs made by clergymen and priests are a development of the ancient formula. The Latin words of the Roman Church are more correct translations of these ancient formulas, and have a meaning almost identical with the original, whereas the words translated from Latin do not have all of the original meaning of the formula. In the Western world by way of greeting, people wave their hands, whereas in some areas, a person moves his hand from his forehead to his chest, and then salutes, and this is a part of an ancient formula which involved the touch­ ing of the forehead, the heart and the solar plexus, indicating that these three Cosmic and spiritual centers of the human body were involved in a formula of greeting and benediction. The kiss­ ing of the hand is a relic of the formula of kissing the ring or emblem on the hand of a priest, ruler, or mystic. At least a hundred formulas used today directly descend from ancient mystical ones, and we do many things which the mystic of the Orient wonders ahout. When our party of Rosicrucians visited out-of-the-way places where the natives had not seen many American tourists, they stood in wonderment watching us. From their smiles and their surprised and sometimes frightened looks, and the manner in which they ges­ ticulated and whispered to each other, we knew that they were frightened, astonished, amused, and puzzled by the things we did. They are trained not to reveal in front of strangers many of their formulas. The bracelets on the women's arms, the necklaces, the occasional earrings, the rings were all signs to these natives that we had inherited their custom of wearing amulets and protec­ tive charms. They were astonished that we wore such things without any seeming reverence for them, and did not use them in the way they used such things. They recognized in our language certain vowel sounds and inflections that struck them as familiar. We wore certain combinations of colors that they would never wear because such colors would cause uneasiness, nervousness, and conditions they did not wish to have. They probably saw a thousand things in us that made them think we were half barbarians because we wrongly used some of their sacred things, and half uncivi­ lized because we neglected to use certain things we should have used. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 124 PAGE THREE The formula for this week is to be one for bringing Cosmic benediction and attunement during the day. I trust that none of you will look upon this as a practice of paganism, for if you view it that way you will be unfair to yourselves, and unfair to the foreign customs. We cannot be too careful in analyzing what the pagans did, for without the book learning and the scientific learn­ ing that we have today they had to learn from nature many of her secrets, and they did learn and improve themselves by them. We cannot say that their beliefs were foolish and of no value. We cannot even say that they may have been of value to them but are of no value to us, because a natural law does not change no matter how much civilization changes, and the application and use of it is just as logical today as it ever was. In using this formula the following instructions should be carefully noted: On awakening in the morning, the first thing to do is to lie on the ""Back in bect7~or~^±t quietly for a few minutes or even stand and do the exercise given on the last page of mono­ graph number 123, the exercise with the br^aihing_ _and_ the finqer- t i ^ : ‘‘After waiting a moment or two, arise or turn, andl face toward the east, that is, toward the direction in whicfT the Sun rises. With the fojrfifinger of the right hand touch~~a point ~above~~the nose on the forehead, and place the palm of the left hand flat against thg..j2hp.st-^ Hold this position of the two hands, direct yourr_Syes toward the east and say the three syllables POD-MI-RA. Say them three times in succession and therT~drop the hands and go about your work. BefoFe doing tne exercise, you must learn to pronounce these three syllables correctly. The first syllable is pronounced like the word POAD, or TOAD, with the same sound to the 0 as in the word MODE. THe next sylla­ ble is pronounced like the English word _MEU The next syllable, RA, is pronounced RAH. Each of these three syllables should be pro­ nounced slowly"and not cut short, and there should be about two seconds~~oT~time elapsing ^Between each syllable: POD-MI-RA. By reading these instructlons several times before starting the exer­ cise in the morning, you can do it from memory. The same thing should be done ajgajjo. at night before going to bed, after sunset, facing the west. The exercise in the evening' is to begin with-the breathing and fingertips exercise as in the morning, followed by standing and facing the west, and repeating the formula three times as in the morning. Each time the syllables POD-MI-RA should be used. After a pause of a few seconds, go back and begin again with POD-MI-RA; then repeat it a third time. Now it is essential that the most reverent and spir- \ m 7 itual attitude be assumed and maintained throughout the \ pyQ/ use t*ie formula. The formula really means "Grant unto \ / m e, 0 power of the Cosmic world, thy quickening spirit and v wisZtaiul11— It~means ttla^~~€He Cosmic vibrations snouTd"work~ upon your psychic centers, and upon the spiritual self Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 124 PAGE FOUR within, and highly attune them for the hours that follow so, that i»j^g g ^ ^ r^^nd--^yejations joiay, come if tKe Co~smic so desires, and increased vitality and health be giverT"at the same time. There is nothing superstitious about this formula, and it is an appeal to Cosmic Consciousness of the one eternal, everliving GocfT Your thougnts must b e rais.ed, therefore^.to the highe_S-t. degree of spir­ itual ecstasy and expectancy. You must have, absolute confidence in the fact that your formula is an appeal to the Supreme Being. You nur&t Ioo]T~upon your formula-a w ' rUrgri- communicatTonT~l~3irecir-— appeal , and an open channel of communication between you and the Consciouness of God. You must be in the most reverent, spiritual attitude, tor there^is nothing more sacred in the way of an appeal for self-blessing than this formula. In the morning, immediately after using the formula one should y a sh the hands and cleanse the mouth and teeth so that the breath may be pure and the face and hands cooled as well as cleansed. In the evenin g , the washing should iae repeated after the formula. After having used the formula, and retiredV one malpractice other experiments and let the consciousness go off to sleep with a prayer of thankfulness "for the day^s blessings” The words of the formula thus given will also assist in creat­ ing the orange color in the aura and around you, for which you per­ formed the early part of the experiment of breathing and holding the fingertips together; thus these two exercises are closely related. Now I trust that you will hold sacred_this formula, and not discuss it with anyone else at this time^ Next^week we shall con­ tinue these exercises with formulas. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a sum m ary o f the im portant principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statem ents w hich you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as m any as you can of the im portant points you read. Then read this sum m ary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summ ary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Mystics from early times transm itted certain formulas to their descendants by means of symbols or signs having the appearance of alchemical, astro ­ nomical, or even musical notations. In this way they were kept from being known to the uninitiated. ^1 Such formulas served many purposes—many times, they were benedictions. f The formula outlined is in reality a method of securing Cosmic Attunement and benediction. It should be memorized and followed conscientiously twice daily, for it will accomplish much in the way of individual spiritual attune­ ment. f The word of three syllables is to be pronounced as though it were w ritten pode-me-rah. ^ Care must always be taken that m atters of this Degree are discussed only with those having attained the same point in the studies. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish .—UNTO THEE I GRANT As you are readily aware, the use of formulas has less significance today. This is due to the changing attitudes of people, and the openness of the day. People are less inclined to be mysterious about their beliefs and feelings, and more prone to speak directly to others. As long as there is no political or religious intolerance th at would threaten such frankness, it is a much better state of affairs. Members of the Order are more free to discuss their membership and the elements of their studies. As a project, read one or more historical reference works on the intolerances of medieval and victorian eras. Note how many of the intolerances of that period caused people to meet and talk secretly; how they were forced to devise passwords, symbols, and so on, not by choice, but by neces­ sity. Then think how elated those people would feel if they could have met and spoken as freely as we do today. Also compare their state of affairs with the one you enjoy today. Be thankful that you can use symbols and formulas by choice rather than by necessity, and that if you want to make yourself understood, you need only voice your thoughts. I h is m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch a se m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u rch a se r s u b je c t t o civ il l ia b ility . <•> o ° O O A M R The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph alw ays rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, b u t loaned to, the receiving member. ft lr D egree D egree 11 11 %. M onograph M onograph 125 125 'otfaefruri# R E G I S T E R E D IN U . S . P A T E N T O F P IC C ( A l_S O R E G I S T E R E D T H R O U G H O U T T H E W ORLD I P R IN T E D l»< U , S . A . T h e m atter contained herein la officially issued through the Su­ preme Council o f the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which wu* re g iste re d in the United States Patent Office fo r th e p u rp o se of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Irnperator o f A. M. O. R. C. (T h e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member I receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right of possession to this monograph Is and snail remain in the Suprem e G rand L odge of A. M. O. U. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Irnperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE C O N C U R R E N C E This W eek’ s Consideration o f a Famous Opinion V V V O n e of th e m ost in te re stin g books to th e m o d e m R o sicru cian is th e Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians w h ich w as first p u b lish ed in G e rm a n y in 1 7 8 5 u n d e r th e title, Die Lehren der Rosenkreuzer aus dem 16ten und 17ten Jahrhundert, Oder Einfaltig ABC BiXchlein fur junge Schuler. F ro m th e special A M O R C editio n tra n sla te d in 1 93 5 , th e follow ing p ra y e r is tak en from p a g e 16: O Lord^merciful God, open the-human heart, to understand Thu sprrpts thmngh thp Holy Ghost. Who hath well understood the figure, Hath understanding, also, of the scriptures. Three worlds hath God created, In heaven love, on earth-mercy, Wrath in hell and darkness; This certainly is a picture of man. On this earth he only hath to choose Which wav to go, the end is to his will. Secret Sym bols of th e R osicrucians — A M O R C E d itio n , 1 9 3 5 Temple Section- AM O R C ■The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H D E GREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TWENTY-FIVE PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Perhaps it is too early to comment on the attitude of the members of this Eleventh Degree in regard to last week's important monograph, for I have actually heard from only about a dozen members, and those are the members who live close to us here at the Grand Lodge. Their enthusiasm is second only to the inner joy they have felt after the second or third day of the formula given last week. Most of these members seem to feel that this formula is one that could be used for a long time with much benefit, for they say that after a weekfs use of it they notice many changes just about to manifest in addition to those that have already manifested. For that reason, I think that this week we shall examine it from another angle and make only a slight addition so that it will help you in getting the utmost benefit. Once again I must remind you that this formula has nothing to do with magic. The word magic is so greatly misused today that unless we put the word white in front of it, it will be easily mis­ construed. There was a time when the word had an entirely different meaning, but in order to avoid confusion in the minds of those who have not studied ancient literature, we must not use the word too often. Nor has the formula anything to do with any superstitious practice. We are now dealing with esoteric principle, and it may be well for us to give a little thought to this subject. The opposite of esoteric is exoteric. From our point of view there is a considerable difference between the two words and their fields of study. On the other hand, there are many principles and laws which blend from the exoteric into the esoteric, and from the esoteric into the exoteric. It is much like the fields of physics, chemistry, and electricity. The principles in each of these fields often blend and evolve into one another. In our graded lessons from the first to the ninth, we have made no distinction between the fields of physics, chemistry, and electricity, for the fundamental laws of each of these are alike, and the ancient alchemist, mystic, and scien­ tist did not draw a line between them. If one of them was working in the field of physics and his experiments carried him into the field of magnetism and electricity, he saw no reason to discontinue these experiments simply because he was getting into another field, and gradually leading into another subject. The field of esoteric study seems to have been left to the mystic in the last six hundred years, and the scientist has drawn a very definite line between the exoteric and esoteric. He seems to feel that the field of esoteric study is neither sci­ entific, reliable, dependable, nor actual. To the average ma­ terialistic scientist, the field of esoteric study is filled with speculation and theories; but the truth is that scientists have developed more theories and more arbitrary specula­ tion in the exoteric than mystics have ever developed in the esoteric field. Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TW EN TY -FIV E PAGE T W O To indicate how important the scientist believes scientific or exoteric education, I quote from The New Decalogue of Science, by Albert Edward Wiggam, an eminent scientist. In arguing that a new decalogue of science will enable men and women to improve themselves more efficiently than any other field of study can possibly do, Dr. Wiggam says in the introductory chapter of his book: "Men do know how to be good. Science has supplied them with a true technique of righteousness. The time has arrived for a new decalogue, a new sermon on the mount, a new golden rule. These new modes of conduct have none of the absolutism of the old. They are fluid as evolution, flexible as human nature." The mystic says in answer to such a statement that the esoteric laws of life are not new but old, and they are not scientific in the sense that science uses the word. The mystic says that these rules are absolute and they are not flexible,~and numan nature~cannot bend them and break xhemT and mold them To suit whims and fancies, and f or tfia/T reason they are real and not specuTative and theoretical. The esoteric fTeTcT of'study is" as- broad as the universe itself. Either we must consider man as a materialistic being with some hypothetical', theoretical, invisible part of himself that is inconsequential, or we must consider him as being essentially spiritual and cosmic with a temporary, unimportant, mortal, changeable, physical part that is subservient to the spiritual. Either man is dominantly physical or dominantly spiritual. Since science will not accept man on the fifty-fifty basis, and say that the physical and spiritual parts of man are equally balanced and work in perfect harmony, acting and reacting upon each other, there is no reason why the mystic should concede an untrue relation­ ship. If the materialist is going to insist that man is essentially and dominantly of one nature, then the mystic has every right to insist tha'I that predominant, controlling power in m m r tnai essence in him,^s~5plTltliai_ahd not material or physical. If the materialistic scientilft“ Is~right~In Tu^s~contention, then all scien­ tific fields of study and all materialistic laws and principles are the only important things to study. If the mystic is right, then the esoteric field is the most important for study. Taking the two fields by themselves and looking at them without considering man in connection with them, we find that science has to admit that the exoteric, physical, material field of study is filled with theories, speculations, assumptions, and guesses, and constantly changing ideas and principles. Many late scientific textbooks point out the flexibility of long-established laws. Some of these were con­ sidered immutable, as, for example, the ultimate stability of some chemical elements. Today, the table of elements is considered a potentially flexible chart, subject to all sorts of mutations. Looking into the field of esoteric study we find nothing of this nature. We find no record of any congress or assembly of esoteric students coming together for the purpose of Temple Section- -AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TW EN TY -FIV E PAGE T H R EE rejecting or modifying a law or principle discovered by them or students of the past, or creating a new art artificially, arguing as do those in the fields of exoteric study and investigation. Every law and principle of the esoteric field even if discovered by the ancient Egyptians, has remained intact and is as demonstrable, reliable, and dependable today as when first revealed or discovered. In the physical, exoteric field, men invent the laws and prin­ ciples or they accidentally discover them through some line of experiments. They claim that inspirational ideas are not depend­ able. In the esoteric field, men depend upon cosmic and spiritual revelation to become acquainted with the laws, and then use experi­ ments only to demonstrate their positive and absolute nature. The mystics say that a law revealed spiritually, or cosmically, comes from the Divine Mind and is far more reliable than a speculative principle conceived and invented in the human brain. As Rosicrucians in the higher Degrees of the work, you are to uphold the integrity of the esoteric principles and field of work, and study the formula which you had last week for one of the funda­ mental applications of some esoteric principle. We are now on the very borderline of a great field of esoteric study which constitutes the very highest studies of the organization. It is here that you become a true Rosicrucian, whereas in the past you have been prepared for the becoming. Neither an initiation ritual nor temples, nor the receiving of a membership-cardernor the paying of dues makes anyone a Rosicrucian. He must become one through his esoteric evolution and development, and that is what you have been preparing for since you left the Ninth Degree and entered the Illuminati. This week continue the same experiment, and during it try to let your consciousness reach upward to the highest cosmic degree of at- tranemeivr: This ~can~T5e~~dC>ne T5y~folTowing The" exercise with a two- or three-minute period of concentration during wh ich you will your con­ sciousness to attune itself cosmically. 'There are no words that will tell.-you how to do thisT^ Y ou must sense that you are lifting your inner consciousness upward to a divine and spirituaT~fTeTd. Continue this for two or three minutes until-you feel an influx of spiritual’ power. This' is the first step toward another interesting phase of development with which we shall work next week. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summaiy and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensiling week to refresh your memory. Exoteric and esoteric are antonyms. In almost every field of study, certain portions are for everyone and therefore exoteric while other portions are reserved for the few and so esoteric. (][ T he scientist and the mystic usually work from opposite standpoints and those stand­ points have been thought of as exoteric for the scientist and esoteric for the mystic. (f In the main, the scientist postulates principles or theories and develops them into laws through experiment. T he mystic begins with law handed down or cosmically revealed and proves its truth through individual practice. (9 T he formulas now being considered are such cosmic laws which members of this Degree are asked to prove for themselves through use. This m o n o g r a p h it n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civil lia b ility . o o o !$' A M R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. e> Degree Degree 11 11 Monograph Monograph 126 126 ItttfarfSruri# 1076 R C 6 I S T E R E 0 IN U .S. P A T E N T O f f l C E m •'At.to * « C iS T r« tO THROUGHOUT THf *0« L 0 » PftibTtO v.VA. (AMOMC O flE U l The matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which waa registered in the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies or officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts” as authorized by the Im p e ra to r o t A. M. O. R. C. (The above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member I receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of, the legal title, and the rijeht o f possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered nam e and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This W eek’ s Consideration o f a Famous Opinion V V V •I St. Paul has rightly been recognized for giving a certain character and form to the spiritual teachings of the Master Jesus. The New Testament abounds with evidence of his vigorous and forceful personality. His favorite theme which appears in the verses quoted below is always the spiritual discipline of the Christian compared with the physi­ cal discipline of the athlete. 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. 7^ow they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incor­ ruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beat• eth the air: 27 But I keeP under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. I Corinthians 9:24-27 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TWENTY-SIX PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Looking at man broadly as a material and a spiritual being, we must realize that both have their kingdoms* When the masters of the past spoke of the kingdom of heaven as being within one's body, they referred, of course, to the spiritual kingdom belonging to the spirit­ ual part of man. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons man has to learn is to think of himself as a dual person. Recently, in some of our manu­ scripts, we found other references to that very wonderful Rosicrucian idea expressed in the words, "Man's body is the glorified dust of the earth." Evidently, in spite of attachment to methods of personal adornment in our modern times, we are no more vain about our physical appearance than were the ancients in their time. You may recall that in some of the scriptural writings reference is made to a great king of the past who was most elaborately adorned— that he was magnificent in his raiment, and marvelously bedecked with jewels. The Queen of Sheba, King Solomon, and other ancient characters were elaborately attired, much of their decoration being put on their flesh, not only on the face but on the arms, legs, and chest. We still have a relic of this among primitive tribes in various parts of the world with their headdresses, strings of beads, and painted faces. We need only look at the costumes of the American Indians, showing the spirit of elaborate dress found in all of the countries of the East, to realize that vanity in regard to figure and form is not exclusively a modern weakness. From man's earliest realization of his ability to master himself, he began to attribute all of his power to his brain, muscles, and phys­ ical body. His recognition of the spiritual self within was slow. For every hundred schools and systems established to guide man in the use of his physical body, there was only one established to instruct him regarding the development of his spiritual self. The study of the spiritual being was classified as a religion, or as a mystical study, something secondary, unimportant, theoretical, and indefinite. In those parts of the world where the study of the spiritual self was provided for and where men and women developed it rather than the phys­ ical self, great and marvelous results were obtained. Out of these schools came the great masters who performed miracles and demonstrated that the spiritual self had more power, more ability, more mastership than the physical. Today men and women marvel at what Jesus, John the Baptist, and Buddha did, and what other great men before them did through spiritual development. We love to read of the work of the great masters of the Far East, and of the mystics in all lands, for we recognize in them powerful beings with unlimited possibilities; yet we do not seem to realize that each one of us has the same possibilities within us if we can Chjnk~oT~o5rselves as dual andjeive atten­ tionto the development of the esoteric side. Temple Section A M O RC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TWENTY-SIX PAGE T W O In the Third Temple Degree monographs— and earlier— we were told that we are creatures of realization. It is not the actualities of life that affect us, but our realization of them. Take away from us our spiritual and emotional consciousness and our mental realiza­ tions, and what have we left? Of what power are the actualities in life without our realization of them? It is not the things external to ourselves that are important, but the things that are internal or within our consciousness. The self within us that constitutes the spiritual or psychic being is the emotional being, the realizing being. Our emotions affect us deeply, more deeply than the flesh can affect us. There is no wound of the flesh equal to a wound of the emotions or of the spirit. Fright can throw us into an inharmonious condition so that we become sick, mentally deranged, and brought close to transition. Many persons who have been suddenly frightened have been thrown into periods of illness far more serious than any originating in the flesh. In such cases, the physical body submits to the internal emotions and from within comes a condition that can destroy the nervous system, the harmony of the mind, the purity of the blood, and every other physical element of our bodies. Nothing from the outside in the way of germs, bruises, burns, cuts, or contagious diseases could possibly wreck the physical body as quickly as can some condition of the inner self. Thus, as destructive realizations in the consciousness can move out­ wardly, affecting the physical body and breaking it down, so construc­ tive ones can move outward and build up the physical body. After all, man's greatest power is his mind. He may build up muscular strength and constitutional health; nevertheless he has to use his mind to direct that strength in whatever he has to do. The man who has had an education and learned how to do things is always superior to the one who has a strong physical body but knows little. We may build up the strength of our bodies through wrestling, boxing, and other forms of muscle and nerve building, but such a creature without mental, educational training would be nothing more than a human gorilla. On the other hand, if we turn to the most powerful leaders in any country or community, we find that they are persons who are mighty in the intellectual sense, but perhaps underdeveloped physically. During the first World War one of the most outstanding among those who assembled in Europe to determine international conditions was the late Woodrow Wilson. He never thundered his decisions in loud words, made oratorical speeches, or stunned his audience with his gestures and loud voice. He was not the type of man whose very strength awed people, but he was a quiet, soft-spoken man whose mind and mental actions radiated power to such an extent that when he stopped speaking for a moment the whole assembly sat in antici­ pation of his thoughts. We may have looked upon him as a dreamer; undoubtedly he was ahead of his time in his idealistic thoughts about international relations, but nevertheless kings Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TWENTY-SIX PAGE THREE and diplomats, rulers and people sat in silence and respect before Mr, Wilson's mind. We saw the same thing again when Mr. Gandhi sat at the round table in England. He did not speak, but thought, and his very silence was a magnet that drew to him the intellects and powers of the world. Gandhi was not impressive physically, but when it came to mental power there were few, if any, who were his equal. His spiritual self had unlimited power, and the people around him knew it. Even after his death in 1948, Parliament was permeated by his spirit when it legally freed the lower caste of India. It is not necessary to neglect the physical body in order to build up the spiritual or psychic self, but neither is it right to starve the spiritual self and build up the physical self falsely. In every great contest throughout the world, physical strength has gone down to defeat in the face of spiritual and mental power. Therefore, I urge you to continue the experiment given in the last two or three monographs, using the formula as outlined, to assist in building up the esoteric side of your nature. While using this exer­ cise, think of yourself as a dual being, and think of the formula and the process as an exercise for the development of the spiritual self just as you would think of your muscles and your physical health if you were taking a course of physical culture lessons. You would think of building up the muscles and physical body, and you would realize that it was for the sake of this physical body that you were doing the exercises. One of the most successful teachers of physical culture in America taught his pupils to concentrate their minds upon each muscle being exercised for the purpose of adding consciousness to the part affected. That concentration helped their development. If this is true of the physical body, it is more true of the spiritual self. Doing esoteric exercises without concentrating attention and thinking upon the inner self and its development is like physical exercise with­ out any thought as to its purpose. So this week while doing the exer­ cises given in the last few lessons, concentrate your thoughts upon the inner self as though it were a separate inner body within you which you are making more positive and more powerful through these exercises. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Broadly speaking, man is both a material and a spiritual being. It was the spiritual part of man to which the mystics o f the past referred when they spoke of the king­ dom within. 4J “Man’s body is the glorified dust of the earth,” was an old Rosicrucian statement of the dignity of the physical self. From earliest times, however, man in his attempt to master himself has put more emphasis upon developing the physical part exclusively. ( | Great teachers have been admired for their spiritual development and mystics in all lands respected for their great powers; yet each one has -within himself the possibility of the same development. H e needs only to begin to think of himself as dual and to focus his attention on the development of the esoteric side. tf As destructive realizations in the consciousness can affect the physical body and break it down, so constructive ones can regenerate it and build it up. M ind is man’s greatest power. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m alce t h e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civil lia b ility . °l o o o 0 This monograph always rem ains the property of the o Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not 0 purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. 0 o o o o D e g re e D e g re e 0 11 <n> 11 0 M o n o g ra p h M o n o grap h o 0 127 127 0 o o o 0 H E G IS T E B E D IN U .S. P H T tH T O f F I C I •*»tSO "CCItTCftCD fN#OuSnOUT T*l wa ^.0 TGI o M.«rro o o 0 Th e matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council o f the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which 0 was registered in the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic 0 copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic 0 studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Irnperator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name o f the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member 0 0 X receiving, and are Imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right of possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge or 0 A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive 0 information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other 0 use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights ox me member, and ts a violation o f the Statutes o f this Order. 0 A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Irnperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. 0 o THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V <1 Siddhartha G autam a (563(?)-(?)483 B.C.) w as the nam e of the young prince whom we know as “The Perfectly E nlightened” or the Buddha. The philos­ ophy he taught h as become the faith of m illions. Below are som e thoughts probably written by a disciple as he listened to the teacher’s discourse on the subject of Nirvana. Self, that which seems to those who love their self as their being, is not the eternal, the everlasting, the imperishable. Seek not self, but seek the truth. If we liberate our hearts from petty selfishness, wish no ill to others, and become clear as a crystal diamond reflecting the light of truth, what a radiant picture will appear in us mirroring things as they are, without the admixture of burning desires, without the distortion of erroneous illusion, without the agitation of sinful unrest He who seeks self must learn to distinguish between the false self and the true self. His ego and all his egotism are the false self. They are unreal illusions and perishable combinations. He only who identifies his self with the truth will attain Nirvana. All compound things shall be dissolved again, worlds will break to pieces and our individualities will be scattered; but the words of Buddha will remain forever. The extinction of self is salvation; the annihilation of self is the condition of enlightenment; the blotting out of self is Nirvana. Happy is he who has ceased to live for pleasure and rests in the truth. Verily his composure and tranquility of mind are the highest bliss. - T H E G O S PE L OF B U D D H A Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! The next step in our progress toward the ideal esoteric life is one which was also extensively practiced by the ancients. There is a trace of it in the Buddhist teachings; but as those teachings now present the idea, it probably is greatly misunderstood. Right here let me say that Buddha was a very well-informed student of the ancient mysteries, and the esoteric side of life appealed to him far more than any other side of the ancient wisdom. He probably leaned too definitely toward the esoteric and was inclined to ignore the exoteric side of life. After all, that is not a criti­ cism, for we know that if some had not sacrificed the material side of life to delve deeply into the esoteric, civilization would not have made such great advances in the spiritual and moral aspects of this worldly life. Buddha was of noble birth, and had been surrounded with luxury, ease and everything intended to cater to and glorify the exoteric. He threw off all this and abandoned his princely herit­ age to adopt the beggar's costume and go out in the highways with his begging bowl to preach the esoteric side of life. Perhaps he did not ignore the material world any more than did Jesus, but his disciples pictured him as almost wholly ignoring suffering and pain, and lifting himself so far above the exoteric that he was unconscious of it. This is overdrawn, for we find in Buddha's teachings much about pain and suffering of the flesh; therefore, he must have studied the subject and not wholly ignored it. At any rate, Buddha's teachings urge us to try to attain what he called Nirvana. This esoteric state is wrongly interpreted as being a condition of total suspension of animation and consciousness. That is not what Buddha intended. The fact that he spent so much time traveling, preaching, and teaching shows that he did not ignore worldly affairs, the needs and requirements of others, which he might have done had he really practiced what his disciples convey to us in their interpretations. Many mystics of the past took themselves to monasteries or hidden retreats to spend their lives in meditation, personal study, development, and writing with­ out really contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Such a life seemed selfish to Buddha, who thought that whatever knowledge had come to him through Illumination should be shared with the people; and this very consciousness of the needs and requirements of the masses around him certainly indicates that he did not wholly and totally ignore earthly existence. The same is true of Jesus. After his Illumination, he did not spend his time in prayer, medi­ tation, and personal development, but went among the people and gave them the benefit of his understanding, even at the cost of many sacrifices, including the ulti­ mate and extreme one. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE TWO Now Nirvana, as Buddhists call it, is the ideal state for the student of esoteric work, but it is not one in which we seek only to attain personal, spiritual separation from the earthly obliga­ tions of this life. Keeping in mind, however, that man is both spiritual and material, and realizing the vast amount of time that man devotes to the material affairs of life, it does seem that our life is overbalanced in favor of worldly interests and too greatly ignores the joys of the soul. There is an old-time phrase that I have seen repeated many times in Rosicrucian writings to the effect that the soul finds joy in the opportunities for fullest individual expression. You know what it is to get away from business, home duties, social ties and obligations, the formal customs and habits of city life, and go to the country— to a farm, mountain cabin, or an out-of-the-way summer resort at some beach. With sufficient isolation and informality, we find regeneration, recreation, inspiration and pleasure in cast­ ing off regular customs and habits and being free in our actions, coming and going, sleeping, walking, riding, reading, and so on. We seek at such times to give the physical self full and com­ plete expression without the restrictions or limitations of formal society. Those who get the utmost out of such periods go barefoot, lie on the ground and come in contact with the earthly magnetism and the Sun's rays. Getting tight clothing and tight shoes off, eating simple wholesome food, with spring water, fresh air, and contacting magnetic conditions of the Earth, we bring our physical bodies into attunement with the universe. If such freedom of the physical body is practical and beneficial, why should not the free­ dom of the spiritual half of ourselves be equally so? Is not the spiritual half of the being more restricted and formally held down than the physical body? Yet we seldom think of giving the soul its fullest expression and letting the physical body take the hampered, limited, restricted place that the soul seems to occupy. Spending an hour or two in semispiritual and religious think­ ing, or spending a few hours a week in a Sanctum meditating, is equivalent to taking a person from the cell of a prison and letting him have two or three hours' walk in the enclosed courtyard in the sunshine. What would happen to a person kept in close confinement from infancy and allowed only a few hours for open-air exercise of the body? Such a one would never reach the full development of youth, to say nothing of adulthood. That is precisely what happens to the spiritual side of ourselves unless from the earliest months of our lives we have been encouraged in the expression of the spir- ____ itual faculties. With most of us, however, this sort of expression did not become ours until more mature years when the spiritual self had grown weak and incapable of free expression from lack of opportunity and understand­ ing. Is it any wonder, then, that it takes time and Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D TWENTY-SEVEN PAGE THREE careful practice in spiritual exercises to bring the spiritual side of ourselves to a normal relationship and balance with the physical self? Nirvana merely overbalances the relationship between the spir­ itual and physical selves. A pleasurable evening or a day of exer­ cise and fun overbalances the relationship in favor of the physical being and gives it full expression, and wholly ignores for the time being all of the spiritual functionings and demands of the inner self. Comparing the two halves of our existence, the spiritual and the physical, to the sides of a balanced scale, it is easy to understand that most of the time between waking and sleeping the physical side of the scale is weighted with activity, while the spiritual side registers only inactivity. While we sleep, the scales may become a little more balanced, and possibly perfectly balanced for a few moments; but in each twenty-four hours, the scale is usually balanced in favor of the physical. To attain the esoteric development that we need, we must adopt some method that will enable us to change the balance of the scale, so to speak, and give the soul, the spiritual side of ourselves, free and unrestricted expression for its share of the time. It is not sufficient to have the two, the physical and the spiritual, just evenly balanced, but we should tip the scales to an extreme by indulging the spiritual side in exercise as we exercise the physi­ cal body to an extreme in a gymnasium. This is what we are doing in this series of new exercises. Continue what you have been doing as far as the formula and the vowel sounds, breathing, etc., are concerned. In addition. three times a day, sit and relax for three minutes and let the physical self become wnoilv inactive while you lift your consciousness upward, from within toward distant planes, as though you were sail­ ing" upward tnrough space to tne heavens in an attempt to make- a- spiritual contact oi some kind. No definite form of contact should be kept in m i n d , no attempt made to contact the Celestial Saneturn "or any person or principle, but merely an expansion 'Crf'-the-con- sciousness-as though it were relea^^"fr7^m~Tts gnclo?trr6 and allowed^to extend and lose itself entirely in the expanse of the spiritual woxlcU Think of letting vour spiritual consciousness escape, as the mystics used to picture it, oil wings into the heavens. Then let the- wihgs separate and allow the consciousness to exhaust itself likg~a~ spreading cloud'untTl it is lostf ent ire 1y~JLn -the Cosmic". Doing this while in a state of absolute indifference regarding your environment, surroundings, name, personality~or anything relaftng no the physical side of life— will bring a pecul­ iar state of freedom and clearness of consciousness. Any inrush of ideas and intuitive impressions must be ignored Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEV EN TH D EG REE N U M BER ONE H U N D R ED T W E N T Y -S E V E N PA G E FO U R during the early stages of this experiment, even messages from the minds of others trying similar experiments. Shut your mind to all impressions...and allow^ the soul and spirit to bcfck in a caibjlitje— manner in the sunlight^ of_the Cosmic. Three minutes a day whenever it is convenient will bring many other forms" oJ^jDhysical benefit, but these must not be~tKought o f .■" it is only7 the expansion of the self within that must be kept in mind. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This M onograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. 51 T h e ideal s ta te w hich th e B uddhists call N i r v a n a is one o f absolute calm produced th rou gh th e com plete ab sen ce o f p assion s. f T h e life o f Buddha is testim on y to th e fa ct th a t he lived selflessly. He sh ared w ith all th e fru its o f his Illu m in ation. So did th e M aster J e s u s . % “ T he sou l,” so ru n s th e R o sicru cia n p h ra se , “ finds jo y in th e op p ortu n ities fo r fullest individual e x p re s s io n .” T his su ggests th e w isdom o f providing th ro u g h sp iritu al e x e rc is e th e freq u en t opportunity for th e soul’s joy. 51 In life, as m ost o f us live it, th e p h ysical o v erb a la n ce s the sp iritu al. We should th ro w all our m ight into th e sp iritu al side so th a t it w ill o v e rb a la n ce th e m a te ria l. T he e x e rc is e s a r e o u r m eans for accom p lish in g th a t. The Weekly Application W hatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the m orning m ay accom plish .—U N TO T H E E I GRA N T Even though we speak a great deal of m an’s duality, of his spiritual and physical sides, we should never lose sight of the fact he is but ONE person. There is little we do in life that does not involve both the spiritual and the physical selves. When we sit to meditate, the level of our meditation depends a lot upon our physical comfort at the time. If there is any irritant at all in the physical environment, our meditation is affected. A person is more apt to enjoy spiritual communion with the inner self when physical health is up to par. And a person is more apt to enjoy physical health when the spirits are high and the inner self is pleased with its accomplishments. In practical application, it is best that you constantly think of yourself as a whole person, with physical and spiritual needs interdependent. During the week, notice how such a viewpoint tends to bring more balance into your life. THE INSTITUT IO N BEHIND THE R O SICR U CIA N O R G A N IZ A T IO N S a n J o s e , C a l i f o r n i a , U. S. A. Rosicrucian Park "Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian" This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u rch a se r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ i i M i a i a i i n i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i a i i i a a i i i i i i t i t i i i i i i a r 4 j ^ >A i i i i i i i i i i i i a a i i a a a i M i i i f ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ i i i i i i i a i i i a i i m a i i i i a ■ ■ ■ •■ ■ ■ ■ •■ ■ •■ ■ ■ ■ •■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ •■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ••■ •■ ■ •■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ •a THE CONCURRENCE This Week's C onsideration o f a Fam ous O pinion V V V Cf Most members of the Eleventh Degree are familiar, to some extent at least, with the work of Franz Hartmann. ^ M Through his writing he attempted to set forth mystical V pr,nc,ples as he understood them and to offer such erv > / couragement as he was able to those seeking an under y standing of a true method and technique of mysticism. The book from which we quote sets forth magic in a way acceptable to the careful and thoughtful stu' dent. The paragraph here may serve to indicate the value and results of the exercises with which we are now concerning ourselves. The /ng/iest desire any reasonable man can cherish and the highest right he inay possibly claim, is to become perfect. To know everything, to love all and he known and be loved by all, to possess and command everything that exists, such is a condition of being that, to a certain extent, may be felt intuitively, but whose possibility cannot be grasped by the intellect of mor' tal man. A foretaste of such a blissful condition may be experienced by a person who—even for a short period of time—is perfectly happy. He who is not oppressed by sorrow, not excited by selfish desires, arid who is con' scious of his own strength and liberty, may feel as if he were the master of worlds and the \ing of creation; and, in fact, during such moments he is their ruler, as far as he himself is concerned, although his subjects may not seem to be aware of his existence. —FRANZ HARTM ANN, 18394912 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELE V E N T H D E G R E E N U M BER 128 PA G E ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! The next interesting step in our study of esoteric formulas brings us to the esoteric features found in the Jewish and Chris­ tian religions. I wish that we had some general term that would include the esoteric principles of these two religions instead of mentioning them as separate religions, for except for the unique­ ness of Jesus' birth and his special Messiahship, there is much that is identical, especially in an esoteric sense, in both reli­ gions . The esoteric fundamentals of all religions consist of the relationship of fire, air, and water to the actions, development, growth, understanding, purification, and progress of the human soul-personality. No matter where we trace the earliest of our esoteric principles, we find them related to fire, air, and water, or to fire, air, earth, and water according to whether the funda­ mentals formed a trinity or the more ancient cube or square. We are going to deal with these esoteric principles in the monographs and exercises of the next few weeks; so I want to outline briefly the application of the esoteric principles to the exercises you have already had. You may, then, comprehend spiritually, at least, their relationship. Therefore, before we enter into an examination of the reli­ gious ideas associated with water and its purging power, fire, and its ability to lift the spirit to a higher plane, and air with its ability to bring the Holy Spirit into the human body, let us con­ tinue our exercises with a slight modification. A great many have given little thought to the wonderful word that was started in the Fourth Degree and gradually revealed in later ones. Undoubtedly, a great many have used that word at various times, especially in important emergencies, and I doubt if they ever thought it might come up again in som e l e s s o n a s an important subject; but this week the formula consists of one word and the word is Mathrem. Follow the exercise given for expanding the c o n s c i o u s n e s s ; but each time you are in meditation and alone and quiet, speak the word Mathrem at least three times. Speak as softly as possible, but pronounce the word with its vowel sounds clear. In other words, following the exercise of last week, you should hold this state of expanding consciousness for about two or three minutes and then slowly repeat the word Mathrem, three times. Pronounce this word as though it were written Mahth-raim. Say the two halves or two syllables slowly, carefully, and deliberately. This word will attune you with a great many new and interesting conditions that will remain with you for quite Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVEN TH D EG REE N U M BER 128 PA G E TWO a while after each test of the formula. This exercise is not to be taken lightly; however, it should be indulged in only three times a day: early in the morning upon arising, at noon right after eat­ ing, and again at night. Now, after practicing the exercise of expanding the conscious­ ness and sitting in a relaxed condition, do as follows: continue to sit in a relaxed condition and, having pronounced the word Mathrem three times very slowly, think of yourself as beinq surrounded by water as though you are b'tanding on a small stone or rock like a little island in the center of a great lake or sea of water, with the_water in little waves coming right up to your feet. There you s€and sate and sound upon 5~~strong dependable foundation with water around you, unable""to step forward or backward or sideways or in any direction because of it. Think of the stone on which you are standing as being just big enough tor your two reet, ancT"that dfc> fai?—ers-'yrvn ^ d_ s p p there is water" Think, then, that air is"'Sur- rounding you. In addition to the air and water, think that above your head, in the sk^T~~there are great flames of fire shooting crosswise and downwafd~~€oward~~you until you feel the heat on your~ nead'artd Shoul- d£tin Do not think, o f t h e flames as even touching you, and do not feel uncomfortable or have any sense of being hurt, or injured in any way. Visualize the heat as the strong heat of a summer Sun. Think of yourseTF""wiLh~~as little~datdil regarding your clothing as possible but think of you, the e go, and its body standing in the center of water surrounded by air and above all the heat of almost invisible flames. The source of the flames is not important except that it is of a heavenly natureT The source of the air and its purpose should not be analyzed at the present time nor should you question about the water. Tfoink that you are in the m idst of this sea—e-f—wa^e-TL_and air and flames for some definite purpose and that three minutes of visualizing such a condition will bring you m contact with the three points of an~~esoteric formula. If this is done twice a day, morning and evening, for about five minutes after you have said the word Mathrem three times, you w ill find it to have a v e r y electrifying or magnetic effect upon tKe~psychic self. It will not affect the physical body no?—pr oduce material manirestations, but it will affect the psychic centers. After^the third or fourth day, you should feel a sense of harmoni- ous rjglat ion ship that you may not have experienced before. After the thircToi^fouftn m g n t ”, you should-Begin- to have psychic experi­ ences that will lead to explanations that have not as yet been touched on. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER The Weekly Application Wkatsueuer thou resoluest to da, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish .—UNTO THEE I GRANT Continuing with last week’s admonition to see to the comfort of your body before practicing any mystical exercise, let us apply that particularly to the exercise given in this monograph. Before intoning the word Mathrem, try to eliminate all possible physical deterrents from your relaxed state. Take care of your hunger, or thirst. If you’re tired, take a nap, or rest up before meditating. Be comfortably dressed. Use a comfortable chair, couch, or other reclining surface. Feel clean, both inside and outside. Be private. Summary of This Monograph V V V < Below is a sum m ary of the im portant principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. A fter you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as m any as you can of the im portant points you read. Then read this sum m ary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this sum m ary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. Although the Jewish and Christian religions are spoken of separately, there is much which they have in common. Thus the teachings of Jesus were not too different from those of the Jews, the fundamentals of which can be found in earlier Oriental ones. The esoteric fundamentals of all religions are concerned with the elements fire, air, earth, and water, and their relationships to each other. The week’s experiment adds the Fourth Degree word to our now-familiar exercise. The pronunciation of this word aids in the attunement and expansion of conscious­ ness. The exercise is further varied by visualizing oneself completely surrounded by the elements water, air, and fire as three points of an esoteric triangle. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u rch a se r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . o o o o o -2TM r: The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Degree Degree 11 11 Monograph Monograph 129 129 lojefarfiruci# 1079 PM The matter contained herein Is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting ail the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies of officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts” as authorized by the Imperator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the w orld.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The I contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any otpc*- use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and Is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V Scarcely a year passes without some new and modernized version of the Scriptures appearing. Undoubtedly, the student of these monographs will begin to read anew and with more understanding the Bible narratives of Jesus and his ministry. Below is an excerpt from the King Jam es Version dealing with a significant bit of esoteric teaching. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the w ay? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my F ather also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he th at hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the F ath er? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father th at dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. — J O H N 14: 5-11 Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUM BER 1 29 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! I think it important at this point to call your attention to a statement of an esoteric law. It was not until Jesus the Christ used the phrase that the world came to be familiar with it; yet we find it in mystical writings antedating Christianity. I refer to the statement, "I Am The Way!" Most clergymen give it little emphasis; yet it is most important. Perhaps this is so because the explanation would involve esoteric principles and mystical laws, with which many clergymen are unfamiliar, and with which they hesi­ tate to deal. I dare say that if the esoteric principle and law back of the phrase "I Am The Way" were fully explained in each Christian church once a year, it would eventually lead to many changes in the ritualism and preaching. To deal with it under­ standing^ would force clergymen out of creed-bound positions into the field of universal esotericism. Priests of the Roman Catholic Church are more familiar with the esoteric principles involved and do not refer to them in sermons because much of the church ritualism explains them; so the devout Catholic who follows the mystical principles of his church has some understanding of the law involved in the statement, "I Am The Way." To students of mysticism, however, the phrase is a key to mag­ nificent tabernacles of spiritual worship and unfoldment. In the first place, the four words are rich in significance of and by themselves; therefore, let us analyze what Jesus and the avatars who preceded him meant by this or similar phrases. Jesus certainly did not refer to the outer, worldly, physical individual, nor to his personal being by the word I_. This should be considered in connection with the second word, namely, "T A m ." Let us add an exclamation mark, making the statement a positive affirmation, and we bring out a part of the original meaning. There are two ways of reading it, with the emphasis on the 1^ and with the emphasis on the am. In the first, the sentence is an affirmation of the existence of the I, the ego, or the self. It is an affirmation of egoism, of individuality, of distinction and being, of separateness. In that sense, it is equivalent to saying, "I am, you are, all others are, we all are, in existence," or "While each of you are, I also am." I t establishes each one as a s e p a r a t e and inrlpperi^pnt- being. It carries the idea that^each_jis cnnsri ou s-<»£—k-i-s—own—existence because he is conscious that he is himself while others arfe~notr: in otner words, I know that I exist ~5gcart»c— I sense your existence, and since you are not I , sense you, I must be different fro^ y n n r. o r .I must exist independent of you. Imagine two oranges to have con­ sciousness. The one would know that it had an existence Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEG REE NUM BER 1 29 P A G E TWO because it could see and comprehend the other and know that the other was not itself. It would know that orange number two was not itself, but independent of it; therefore, knowing it was not orange number two, it would conclude that it had a separate being. If one had no consciousness of two, and only the consciousness of its own existence, it would never know that it actually existed, because it is only by distinction, and the realization that there are other things and other beings in existence which are not ourselves, that we know that we and the others are separate. Taking the second reading of the phrase, with the emphasis on the word am, we have a slightly different idea. The important point now- is not the ego, but the fact that the ego exists or has consciousness. It is a statement that tTTe self has~consciousness, ctncT that its existence jp pnsit-iyp without ‘qujestioru If” a teacher came into a classroom and asked, "Who is present today, and who is absent?" and two answered "I am!" with the emphasis on the 1^ and another said "I am!" emphasizing am, the difference would be clear. The first affirmed that as egos they believed themselves to be present— merely a belief expressed in a positive term. The one who emphasized the am knew and was positive of his presence in the room because of his consciousness of his presence. The original statement made by Jesus, "I Am The Way," becomes significant when we interpret the words The Way. The Way refers to a path, channel, means, process, system, or definite mode of prog- ’ ress~"toward a~~aaal. Scriptural writings point out various ways to spiTaTtualunfoldment and development and many state "This is The Way." In ethical and moral postulations of early spiritual advisors certain procedures constituted the way to happiness and spiritual peace. Both Buddha and Confucius set forth The Way. At the time Jesus was preaching, not only were the rabbis, or masters in the synagogues, teaching the people what constituted The Way, but people of various nations and religions living in and around Palestine taught different methods for attaining it. Jesus personalized the procedure and exclaimed, "I Am The Way!" To understand his meaning we must read the statement with the emphasis first on the "I and then on the "Am." The first is not truly-the--- correct one, for what he meant is better understood with the emphasis on the Am. Here we see that he meant to affirm personally that his existence as a conscious being" constituted The Way; and in his consciousness, the Super~or cosmic Consciousness, was to be f6uftd7t3re~~key to the~spintuai mysteries^ In the truly esoteric sense, he was saying^ ffIn the manner in which I exist, and in the manner in which l express and reveal that existence, I \ 7 point the true way to spiritual understanding." In his \<Oy taTKT^with his disciples and those who constituted the \ / secret inner circle, he explained what he had in mind, V something like this: "By becoming conscious of yourself. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUM BER 1 29 PAGE THREE and of the Divine nature of your consciousness as I have become 'nbonscious ot it, and by following the precepts and Ideals whfcR my consciousness has received from the consciousness ot God/ you wilT evolve into an idealistic b e i n g pnt-pr n h a n n p l n f living that will: carry you to the very goal of your desires^ ThelfefbfeT~by following my consciousness and dwelling ~lrT~the~ right of i t f you will enter The Way to spiritual unfoldme n t . " T h i s means t h e t y p e or level ot consciousness he attained. ----- Dwell on these thoughts, analyze them carefully, and several times a day allow the consciousness within vou to expand until you feel that it rs contacting this Divine Consciousness that consti- tuteg-The Way of lj-fe. This will lead to your development of an esoteric senseT^of oneness with God through the appreciation of the Super Consciousness. There is nothing sectarian about this. All can accept the idea that the consciousness of God in man consti­ tutes The Way to spiritual unfoldment. Let me point out some of the ideas held in the Far East and the Orient regarding The Way. This idea had been expressed in many forms by the mystics of all times, but none more beautifully than that which Jesus used. In the White Brotherhood of Tibet, and among the Masters of the Far East today, the phrase used by Jesus is slightly modified and becomes "I am the Light." It will be recalled that all the Masters used “the word Light in this-'significant way. It wiIT~Be' recaTTed also that" the testimony of witnesses in regard to these Masters always contained reference to the Light that shone around them, or appeared whenever they were present, or whenever any m a n i ­ festation occurred. Throughout spiritual writings and scriptur'^ST we'TfTnd references to the Great Light descending npnn pprs^n s , or ascending from their m i d s t r o r appearing in places around them. The Ark o~f the Covenant in the Holy of Holies was surrounded by a Great Light on certain occasions. The jjhekinah or Holv Altar in the temples representing the presence of God was surrounded by a Great Light on the occasion of certain spiritual manifestations. A Great'Light~guided many~TrTinieir journeys, and a Star~guided the Wise~~Men at the birth of Jesus. ------------ The word Light, as used by Jesus in parables, is used by mys­ tics today in their esoteric experiments. References to letting o n e ’s light shine and to not hiding it under a bushel have dual fneanings, and beautifully express tire spiritual' quality m each of uS'^wKich can be developed and become a guiding light to others. T h e w o r d Illumination as applied to Cosmic Consciousness and deve1- opment is closely associated with the word Light, and \ i fcA, 7 means being filled with Spiritual Light. Therefore, if a mystic says "i am tne Light," he means ~that he is a spir- \ / itual guide which others may follow, which will lead to V the Source of Illumination. This is precisely what Jesus Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 129 PAGE FOUR meant when he said "I am The Way." Jesus was referring to his spiritual self or ego as the Light of the world or "The Light among men," which was t h e t i t l e given him by many of the Brotherhood. We shall touch upon this subject later, but for this week I want to give you another exercise to add to those that you have been practicing. Select from the various exercises of the past few months those which seem to quicken your spiritual understanding, and use them more frequently; but also add this new one: Having performed some other exercises first, sit in a relaxed condition and visual 17.P ynnrsejr-I wiLlliir~a ureat— oval or .she'll of light. In many ancient writings, the egg is used as a symbol, and it always relates to the surrounding of oneself with an oval of light. Just why has never been explained, except that if one draws an oval around the upright physical body, it does take on the appearance of an egg. Again, the egg has always been used as a symbol of birth or rebirth, for within it all the wonders of reproduction are exhib­ ited in a marvelous way. T h i n k Qf a n rvuia. 1 nf 4 iqM ^snrrpiindinq and enveloping you so that you T e e l and almost see its brightness. In fact^ after bhe third "or fourth day,"you slruuld "begin to see a little of it if you are sitting in a darkened room-;— You should viffaaiTze~this light as descending upon you, not a3~emaTiating from you~r~but as a great cioud O'f^pgrfectly^white light, with an open, almost oval spCce in the center and yourself in that oval spSce7 While sitting thus, you should feel exhilarated and uplifted. The effect upon your health and your nervous system Will be sur=" prising after the first few days. This new exercise should be indulged in twice a day, morning and night. You will notice an especially s'trong effect: during the two or three days the moon is approaching full, and two or three days thereafter. These exercises do not require a great many words of explana­ tion, for they must be experienced rather than explained. They are not to be taken lightly because they contain the most important fundamentals of self-unfoldment. Such exercises Jesus and his disciples indulged in during their private assemblies. The more you practice them and the nearer your attitude of reverence approaches that of Jesus and his disciples, the greater will be the transformation in your entire being, and in the quickening of your, spiritual mentality, bringing you the gift of prophecy, greater intuition, and, most of all, a realization of your increasing Cosmic Consciousness. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summ ary of This M onograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. % Jesus* statement, “I Am The Way!” embodied a fundamental esoteric law. f In analyzing the sentence, the phrases “ I Am,” and “ The Way,” should be considered separately. It is evident that to Jesus the statement w as an affirmation and carried the meaning, “ in the manner in which I express existence, I point the true Way to spiritual understanding.” f Eastern mystics vary the wording slightly and say, “ I am the Light.” Although mystically the meaning is unchanged, it may be that to many the use o f the word Light makes the sentence clearer because of the association o f the word Light with illumination. f Attention should be given to the possible reasons for the use o f egg-shaped to describe the shell o f light with which one is to surround himself. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.—VNTO THEE I GRANT The mystical ideal so simply expressed by Jesus when he said “I amthe Way” is often lost upon people who still seek salvation by just an avowal of thefact that they believeinJesus. But believing in somebody, and following through on that belief are two different things. If you weretosay tothe leader of a civil rights movement, for example, that you believe in him, that what he is proposing strikes a responsive chord in your heart, would just that statement of belief solve anything, or bring about any improvement in civil affairs? Not at all. Only if you follow through on your belief, by putting into practice in your own life the cause he is espousing, would you be helping to gain freedomfromsocial strife and inequities. Thus, simply toaffirmbeliefinJesus, and thendo nothing that he has demonstrated as a way of life, is empty and gains you nothing. If you believe, and go over some of your beliefs this week, those beliefs are only helpful to you if you follow through on them and make them your Way. This m o n o g r a p h i i n o t s u b je c t t o s a l * o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o c iv il lia b ility . pifc] o o O % A M R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N V This monograph alw ays rem ains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving 1 member. Degree 11 11 / Monograph MonograpjK 130 v_tw r 979 REGISTERED IN U.S. P A T E N T OFFICE nu.» Moistemo tm^ouq kjut tmc w ©*c o » JV Th e matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered In the United States Patent Office fo r the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies of officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams. Illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered In countries throughout the world.) All matters he re in contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are Imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, Ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and Is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V The Scriptures of all peoples although they differ in phraseology and imagery still are capable of yielding almost identical ideas when considered mystically. All recognize the inability of man to comprehend the whole of God, and all teach th a t God expresses Himself to man by divinely appointed messengers. The following story is adapted from the teachings of Ram akrishna, an Indian very near our own times, who has been regarded by m any as himself an avatar. Imagine a place surrounded by a wall so high that men outside do not know what kind of place it is. They try to find out by scaling the wall. As soon as they glimpse the beauty of w hat is contained in it, they jump into the midst of it and the world knows no more of what is inside than it did before. But suppose one, after scaling the wall and feasting his eyes on the perfection of the place within, resisted the temptation to go further but returned to the world and his brethren to share with them the news of w hat he had glimpsed: That one would be as a saviour of men. The garden, let us say, is God. Those who plunged themselves headlong into the selfhood of God and lost their identity in the world would be like the saints. The one who saw God and yet refused liberation and final release from the burdens of the world in order to share with his fellows and lead them all nearer their goal would be known as a saviour of men. - S R I R A M A K R IS H N A Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! If the Eleventh Degree work is to lay the foundation required for the constitution of a genuine inner circle of Rosicrucian students, it is necessary that all angles of the Rosicrucian teach­ ings be carefully and painstakingly presented. The esoteric side of our work is not only the most difficult to handle but also the most important so far as the individual mem­ ber's development and progress are concerned. Out of a hundred persons who join our organization in the lower Degrees about half reach the middle grades and less than half reach a point where they are ready to receive the esoteric teach­ ings. To include all of the esoteric principles, therefore, even in brief form in the early Degrees, would be a waste of time and words since many drop out of the work and would not properly use the knowledge received. Until members reach the higher Degrees, they are not even ready to apply many of the practical principles of the lower ones. You probably realize that in the early writings of the first Rosicrucians a great deal of the esoteric matter was given extreme prominence, and that during the Middle Ages the Rosicrucians put the esoteric principles side by side with the exoteric. It is hardly likely, however, that you have made the mistake of believing that the Rosicrucians founded definite schools of religious thought in their esoteric teachings. The Rosicrucian philosophy was never considered a religion because its teachings were free from sectari­ anism. However, there are very wonderful thoughts held by Rosicru­ cians in connection with their esoteric teachings, which give the foundation for excellent systems of religion. Each member thus may build such creeds or principles of religion for~hlmseI7, for upon ’tKe^founctat±crT'of truth any fofm~j5J: _^jucj£ure may be built. In the earliest manuscripts of writers on esoteric Rosicrucian doctrines, we are often surprised to find continuous reference to "Our Lord, Jesus Christ." This astonishes the Western-world Rosi­ crucian because he has come to believe that the Rosicrucians were not sectarian and not distinctly Christian mystics. Previously, we have eliminated a great deal of the esoteric teaching that refers to religious matters, but now you must look into this subject as part of your esoteric lectures and studies. To Rosicrucians, Jesus the Christ was an entirely different character from that offered to the public as the founder of the Christian religion. The Bible, as the foundation book of the Christian religion, makes Jesus half human and half divine. A great deal of time and space is utilized to show that Jesus was human in many ways, especially in Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 PAGE TWO character and nature, that he was of human parentage, even of a definite family tree. Without explaining why this was adopted, or why it was a good plan, I call your attention to it as responsible for much of the misunderstanding and misconception of Christian mysticism on the part of thinking men and women. In the early days, the Jews wanted to claim Jesus as their own, a descendant of a certain great Jew. For this reason, his biography is presented in the Christian Bible in several different forms because it was so emphasized in the early Jewish writings and records. To the mvsticf and especially to the Rosicrucian, Jesus, as the Chr^tsTT’was almost an Invisible Master~~and his human side Wholly ~ancl completely eliminated f rom considerajti_Qn_> Among adVandecT~Rosicrucians, such as you, he hasPalways been considered as an Invisible Master and the greatest— the one who revealed the" greatest amo~iint or the secret facts tauaht~Tn~~the RosicruciarT schools. Jesus, as Saviour and— leader, was anticipated by the mystics in Egypt, Persia, India, and other lands. Neither his birth nor his youth surprised them and they gave little thought to his origin and to the human side of his existence. I have found many writings among Rosicrucian manuscripts which read as though Jesus had never had a human side to his existence. Nothing is said of his birth, nothing of his youthful training, his form, voice, or physical characteristics. In these old manu­ scripts, he is put in the same category as €fie Master K. H. and Moria^ET35fi3ay. Whenever these ancient llosicrucians spoke o f r ee­ ing “JesusT they intimated that it was with their psychic sicrht and wheir~tney spoke of hearing him, it was in a psychic manner. TTot oire of them had an interest in the human side ot his existence? and sofiie of them did not even acknowledge it. "We can see, therefore, tharE— Jesus was looked upon by them as someone entirely different from the personality presented by the present-day Christian religion. Most of the Disciples of Jesus who were intimate with him gave greater emphasTiT to his spiritual than to his human sid e . It was not lintil after his final disappearance and the end of his worldly activities that some of the Disciples and founders of the Christian Church made any statements about the human or physical side of his existence. In the establishment of the Roman Church the holy fathers, devout and sincere in their desires, turned the teachings of Jesus into a school of religious thought. They found it neces­ sary, as the Church finds it necessary today, to teach as much about the human side of Jesus as was possible. In fact, they found that in order to reach the outer circle of worldly people — the people called "the profane," "the majority of unthinking men and women"— they had to present Jesus as partly human and partly divine. They had to eliminate as much as possible the idea that he was an Invisible Master Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 PAGE THREE or a great spiritual being. They could not eliminate facts regard­ ing his birth, facts that revealed that he was divinely ordained and selected; neither could they conceal the facts regarding his previous incarnations or his appearances without physical form although they did cover these and give little prominence to them. Nonetheless, they did hide the real mystery of the Christ by giving much emphasis to Jesus' activities among the people such as his miracles, his healing, and his general ministry. And in order to make him appear as human as a divine person could be, t h e s e Disciples and early church fathers elaborated upon his human weak­ nesses and traits of character. They dwelt upon his going among fishermen and poor people— wrote of his being hungry and thirsty, of his having no place to sleep, of his asking for food and drink, and of his touching people and of their touching him. The three synoptic accounts of Jesus in the Bible, written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as the gospel of John, read from the point of view now given will indicate the great emphasis placed upon his human actions. Even the story of the crucifixion is very elabo­ rately painted in order to impress the fact that Jesus did have a physical body which suffered pain and physical torture. Yet there is the story of the resurrection, ascension, and appearance of Jesus among the Disciples in closed rooms, which helped to substan­ tiate his invisibility or divine existence. Early mystics of Egypt, India, Persia, and the Orient, antici- pated^Llie uuifflnq QT~jesus. They expected a great Master as the rebirth ul one 0T~1EKe~~former Masters who had been in their midst: but they expected an invisible one. They expected his incarnation to~ be in an ethereal body or form, visible only to tne mystics, wliTch could penetrate matterT~~enter closed rooms, talk to~~those who could hear the psychic voice" and perform miracles of a purely eso­ teric nature, t o r that reason, tney awaited the coming of a CKristos. Thiy did not anticipate anyone bearing the worldly name of Jesus because they did not expect the new Master to be known or visible to worldly persons. They did know that the new Master would be the Christ and the ultimate redeemer and Saviour of men for that great cycle toward which they were looking. Therefore, the birth of him who became the Christ was anticipated by those who knew the manner in which such a Master might be born. It is not to be wondered at then that after the year 1000 when Rosicrucian manuscripts began to be preserved for the future, that there were a great many Rosicrucians and mystics who referred to the Christ as "Our Lord and Redeemer." These mystics had no idea that the Christian Church would become a popular movement and that the name of the Christ would be talked about freely by the learned and unlearned, the prepared and the unprepared. To them the personality of the Christ was a secret as well as a sacred thought and to mention the Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 PAGE FOUR Christ or to refer to him was considered a very sacred thing. Around the life of this Christ these mystics built many stories of traditional mysticism. Thus, you can understand and account for the various stories about Jesus in so-called sacred writings that do not coincide with the esoteric nature of his existence. You also can understand the falseness of such teachings which today parade themselves as Rosi­ crucian and yet base all their principles upon the Christian Bible. The Christian mysticism of the present-day Christian Church is a form of mysticism evolved by early church fathers in order to make the Christ appear both psychic and physical, visible and invisible, human as well as divine. TJie true Rosicrucian teachings, on the other hand, make Jesus a Divine Master, a Divine Being, in' whom tnere dwelt, for a time, the Christ Consciousness, an extension of consciousness,of God. The references then by ancient mystics to 11Our LordU the- Christ," re_fey to the great spiritual and invisible Christ and not to the dual character presented by "Christian religion. According to^eso- terxc^teachlngs, the ChrislT~that was to come and did come to Earth was the result of many incarnations of spiritual development^ HXs fjjiaX^hcT ultimate manifesta^ETon was to be the result of the deve 1- opment of the spiritual consciousness in the world, for the^Christr was~€o~personify that spiritual development and bring it to manir= festation on the Earth., From the esoteric side of our work we learn that the Christ Consciousness is in all human beings and fhat it can be attuned wirth~£Tie~~Divine Christ Consciousness which came to Earth and mani­ fested in the personality of Jesus. (Some of the ancient mystics refused to believe that the Christ ever had a material body. They maintained that on every occasion where persons testified they saw the Christ, they^were^not seeing a phy sic a r jsut a sp ir it u a 1 body~-- that even tftougli th^ rhr-i sjLIspoke * touched, or_ healed themT itr was a spiritual voice, touch, and magnetism that they experiehc£d7 n o t a physical. That, they say, is why the' Christ c o u l d w a l k on t he- water, perform miracles, or dg> the many~marvelous things hard to understand if~w~~th:tTik~of ~hlm as the~man'Jesus with a physical form and -merely a divine interior. According to these early mystics, persons who thought they saw the Christ when Jesus was seized and* put on trial were deceived.) We are now at a point in our studies where w e .must gradually attune ourselves with this Christ Consciousness which fills the universe and is partly resident in each of us. we must begin to understand our own relationship to the invisible and spiritual world. That is why certain exercises have been given and why you have been asked to meditate along certain lines. That is why also the mystics throughout Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 P A G E FIVE the world positively affirm that when Christ again comes to Earth, he w i H ~ n o t come in a physical body, or make himself visible o F limit himself ~to~ even an ethereal form. They affirm rather that his Consciousness will be like~~a~~seea in l:he ground, for it will enter thiT spirit and soul consciou s n e s s of tlvose who are ready— and wiTl~grow there. Thus, those q u a l l H e d will be ready for contact with the Christ^Consciousness or the Christ of the world. This may be a difficult subject to comprehend, and perhaps I have already said more than, is easy to understand in one reading. Only meditation, turning the thought inward and seeking light from the Cosmic will add to your understanding and comprehension of the matter. There must come from within a growing understanding. .You must begin to feel that the Christ Consciousness of the world has aga±TT~~ desc6ftded, tfiis time into the secret chambers of those who Have cleansed the inner temple of its falsehood, superstition, and wrgng~belief and are~~ready for the~higher light and understanding. ThugT~~in time, we shall come to understand the mvstery of the Trifnity and of the statement, "I and mv Father are o ne." There is a great difference between one who calls himself a Christian merely because he was born into or has joined a Christian church, and one who is a deep student of Christ and the Christ teachings and principles. I have met a number of profound students of Christ who were not Christians. Two of them were Jewish rabbis, born in the Jewish religion and enthusiastic supporters of it; nevertheless they discovered the mystery of Christ and it held them just as it should any student of mysticism. For that reason, I would impress upon each of you the impor­ tance of this study of the Christ Consciousness so that you may make it a part c>r your Haily meditation. Some theologians and religious students of the Orient long ago gave up their search for the truth regarding the Christ mystery. As long as the world lasts, that mystery will never be solved by the type of mind that would solve it by cold, analytical reasoning. To such a mind, the mystery deepens as time passes, and the real secret of the Christ's visit to Earth will never be known. The^ Christj, himself, made this plain when he said that many would look upon him and see him not, and few would know him as he~was\In~~the first- place, the average student, of the life of^Jesus, attempting to discover the secret of the Christhood, fails to comprehend a duality of character and divinity in principle in the life of Jesus that needs careful study. Despite the fact that the Wise Men knew in advance that Jesus was to become a great messenger, from the time he was born until he was baptized in the River Jordan by John, Jesus was a human being without any special divinity. Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 130 P A G E SIX The Christhood came to him at the time the dove descended upon him, when the Great Light enveloped him in the River Jordan., Here we have a mystery that is as profound as any in all the world. The descent of the dove and the influx of the Holy Ghost at that time is symbolized in Rosicrucian illustrations by the descending dove above the sacred cup filled with a heart and a superimposed cross. This emblem appears on some of our literature, especially on the book Liber 777 dealing with the Celestial Sanctum. From that moment of the dove's descent at Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan, we have a duality that is not properly dealt with in Christian teachings, except possibly in those of the Roman Catholic Church. From that event on, Jesus as a man remained human, but the Christ Consciousness associated itself with his physical body. The Christ Consciousness was not imprisoned within the body of JesuS7-'~1TtrlW3'~aTX~the freedom ot an independent spirit- ualr'BeTng^ and often separated itself from the physical body and" dwelt apart from it tor days and weeks at a t i m e . It^ was just as easy for ~tHe~Chrl.St body- to separate itself from the physical laocly ot Jesus and go tortn among the people, into closed rooms ^ n d secret meetings, or^o^pp^T~igporr~the mountaintops .~or~~3n the waters" ot the sea as it was tor the physical body of Jesus to do things and go about on the highways. You were told last week how you should create an oval space of light around your body. Now, you are to add to that condition the following: While sitting relaxed in this oval of space, think of yourself as revolving— whirling rapidly in space and ascending in spiral fo-rnTT Visualize a spiral spring formed of one circle within another, each smallery torming a circular cone. Think of yourseTT inside that oval space, revolving and moving upward in spiral fashion witn the light still surrounding you. Think of youTself going upward into space, rp q a r m p s s _ n r the ceiling or anytHXng~glse above y ou. Concentrate in this manner for five minutes each morning and evening, and before the end of the week you will begin to sense certain principles that will be explained later. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.—UNTO THEE I GRANT When speaking of Jesus as a “redeemer,” you can undoubtedly see now where the terms “savior,” “redeemer,” or “helper” all lead. They all point to the Way. They are saying that salvation, redemption, or help from the Cosmic are all dependent upon following the Way that Jesus demonstrated. When he says “I am your salvation,” or “I am your redeemer,” he is saving the same thing that he says when uttering “I am the Wav.” It’s as though you were lost in a forest, and a guide appeared who said, “I am your salvation. Follow me and you will be sayidTTTyoiT followed him, took every step and direction just as he tooITiKem, yoiTwOuld soon be free and clear .B ut if you had simply Jtold him that yon believed 'he was your savior^ b u talso said vou were too lazy, too tired, or too frightened to actually folIowTiim out, where would you be. This is what happens witlTso many of olIFbeli^ alidc^viclions today. Weare either too^tireJoFtoo frigHtenecT to follow throughonthem, and thug we are no closer to salvation from ouFpresenT state than we were before. Summary of This M onograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. H The esoteric side of the Rosicrucian teachings, in spite of its being the most difficult to expound, is the most im portant. Its difficulty is now here greater than when dealing with Jesus as the Christ. Jesus has been presented in the Bible as partly hum an and p artly divine; yet the case w as much different: H The Jew s sought to claim him as the descendant of a g reat Jew , and so such things, draw n from Je w ish records, a re w ritten o f him by C h ristian w riters. 11 Mystics, on the other hand, had looked for the coming of an Invisible Master, wholly apart from a human personality. The two diVferse and seemingly contradictory viewpoints w ere fused into one to the confusion of many ever since. H The C hristian fathers w rote as though Jesus w ere God in a human form, and some mystics continued to w rite as though Jesus had never had a human side. It was all because the separation of the man Jesus from the Divine C hrist Consciousness which for a time enveloped him w as not made clear. f According to esoteric teaching, the Christ th at was to come w as to be the r esult of many incarnations of spiritual development. His final mani­ fe s ta tion w as to be the re s u lt of th e dpvplopmpnt. o f th e sp iritu a l consciousness in th e world, for the C hrist was to personify th at spiritual development and bring it to manifestation on the E a rth . H The mystery of the Christ is one th a t can never be solved by pure logic and analytical reasoning alone. U The approach to understanding, however, lies in examining the nature of the duality of the man Jesus and Jesus the Christ. H Christhood, or the Christ Consciousness, came to Jesus the man at the time of his baptism in the River Jo rd an like the descent of a dove. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s o le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o c iv il lia b ility . 11 - ; iii!’iiisiiissiiiiiiiiiisiMSSiflfliiiiiiiBiflBftavaBiaiimisiiMii«r4M f T i i i i B i n i i a a i i fi ai i B « a a i i a a i i a i i a i i i a a « a i a a a a i » i i M M a a a i i a a i ■ 'M ' r^ jl> aB ai ii ia ii aa iBl iaaaiat ii ii «i aiiBi iavBi iiaia8iiiiiiiiiiii iBa aaaM aai B iS iaiaiaiS| a | | a| | i| |i||i| |i| |aiiaSiSiSiSiSM v a iaiait> B BaBiiiti'»j * 1 2 •«*•»•■■ ■■■aaaaBBaasaaaa ■a s a a aaaaai>asaiii ■■■■■a n O ° O o A M R C The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH IL L U M IN A T I S E C T IO N This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. Degree Degree <n> 11 11 Monograph O f Monograph 131 131 1179 The matter contained herein is officially Issued through the Su­ preme Council or the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies of officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic stu d ie s, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member I receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the lrgal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. A ny o th er use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes of this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V *1 In spite of the fact th a t m any may be already fa m ilia r w ith The M ystical Life of J e su s, by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, the following account of Jesus’ baptism is worthy of constant rereading. T here is power, b eau ty , and sim p licity in h is retelling of this highly significant mystical event. So Jesus entered the water and immersed His body in it, while John stood be ready to give Him humble benediction. As Jesus rose erectly in the water, and before John could speak, a great light came down from the heavens and surrounded Jesus and remained w ith Him as a m ag n ificen t, b lin d in g a u ra of iridescent ill­ umination. John stepped back, more in fear of the brillancy of the light than through astonishment, and the multitudes stood aghast, speechless, and spellbound by the sight before their eyes. Then from out of the heavens there descended a great, white , luminous dove, as bright as molten silver, and as magnificent as the spiritual light which surrounded the body of Christ. The dove lighted upon the shoulder of Jesus, and while all stood silent and motionless, a voice came from the center of their attention, melodious but resounding like a trumpet call, proclaiming: ‘This is my beloved SonV John knew, as did the other Essenes who were assembled there, that the Holy Ghost had descended upon Jesus as it had descended upon Mary, and had created in Him a new being—the Divine being of Christhood and Sonship with God—as it had created in Mary a new being and a Sonship of God. - T H E M Y S T IC A L L IF E OF JESUS Dr. H. Spencer L ew is, 1883-1939 Late Im perator o f AM O RC Temple Section A MO RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 131 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings 1 If we analyze the ministry of Jesus, we find that his work was dual in nature. As a man, we find him mingling with men and women, teaching, lecturing, preaching, and carrying on the work of a master, leader, and teacher. This was the human side of his work and nature. There are other occasions, however, where we find he performed miracles ang^pP6ar‘6d~suddeniy~Tn groups and places~~far from~wherj3HTs~~pfiy5lcal T5o5y~~had been s ^ n.__ This indicates a side of^his life wholly separate from the human side. There are occasions when Jesus and the Christ were united for a few moments, the two in one; then suddenly they separated and became two, the human and the divine. One was an occasion when Jesus came to one of the wells near Samaria at which a woman was drawing water. The scene would be little changed today: These wells were usually in shady places, and the water being cool, it was a refreshing moment in the daily life. Here Jesus found the woman and being tired, weary, and thirsty, he said, "I am thirsty and would like to have a drink." She looked up in surprise and asked how it was that he, a Jew, would stoop to speak to a Samaritan woman. Surprising as it was to her, it meant nothing to Jesus who had no distinction in his heart regarding persons of any nationality. He answered her casually, and then she said to him, "Why did you come here to get a drink and bring no cup?" That seemed to strike her as peculiar. Then he began to preach as he had preached on so many occa­ sions in parables. There was, he said, another kind of thirst besides the physical, and that to those having it, he offered a drink that was living water which would give eternal life. This sort of symbolism puzzled the woman just as many people in his country were puzzled by his parables. However, she gave him the drink of water, and he drank it with all the appreciation and satisfaction that a human body can express when it is tired and thirsty. Then the woman took up the strange thought of his parable and made a comment about a great Messiah who was coming and for whom she and all the people of that country, were waiting. This great Messiah, said she, would explain all of the mysteries of life. The woman did not know to whom she was talking, but she did realize she was talking to a human being who was educated, and who might understand what she meant. And, of course, as a teacher, Jesus did understand. Because of her understanding and evident hope, his greater illumination immediately separated the physical Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 131 PAGE T W O Jesus from the Divine Christ, and the Divine Christ then spoke to the woman and said, "The one to whom you are now speaking is the one you are looking for." He intimated that he was the one who could give her the keys to the mysteries of life, and the drink of eternal waters. Here we have the Divine Being manifesting immediately after the human being had made itself manifest. First we have the human being— tired, weary, thirsty, and asking for a physical drink— and then, sud­ denly, we have the Divine Being rising above physical needs and speaking of the beautiful waters of life, and the thirst of the soul. We find such duality of expression manifested through all the latter part of the life of Jesus. In the books of the four apostles, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we read the story about two different beings— the human being of Jesus, and the Divine Being of the Christ. We must keep that in mind? otherwise, we not only lose the beautiful symbolism of the mysteries, but we lose the beautiful esoteric lessons. In some of the early Christian religions, we find this symbolism very clearly outlined just as in the Roman Catholic Church we find so much that appears a mystery to those who do not analyze it. For instance, the eating of the wafer represents the body of the Christ, not the body of Jesus; and the drinking of the wine represents the blood of the Christ, not the blood of Jesus. In the crucifixion and burial, and again in the resurrection and ascension, we have the mystery of the Christhood brought to the highest degree of esoteric revela­ tion. Such matters inevitably raise questions, and so far as the members of this Degree are concerned, the first would probably be: "Are the present considerations leading us to an acceptance of Christian doctrines?" I trust the statements in the past two or three monographs have revealed the fact that there is a distinct difference between the study of Christ, Christ's teachings, the Christ mystery, and the study of Christian religion. It is a fact that the modern Christian Church does not give a true picture of the life of Jesus, the Christ Consciousness, or the pure Christ. The very history of the Christian Church written by acknowledged and undisputed leaders shows it to be an evolving institution. A church formed on the pure ideals and original principles of Jesus would have been a strange institution even a thousand years ago. Jesus believed in preaching in the open, and he seems never to have haa a single .. -— thdggfit regarding the establishment and setting apart of \ / buildings tcT~be known as ~cHurches or temples in which tTie VotfsV truth about God and God's laws should be confinec^ In Tils V / practice and t e a c h i n g ^ w as peculiarly~free~fi?om fitu- v alism. True, he did acknowledge, endorse, and induTge~ln Temple Section A MO RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 131 PAGE THREE a few ceremonies, but they were so very brief and typical of the simple illustration of law, that you could hardly call them rituals. Furthermore, he believed in personal preaching, personal contact, personal services " Taking just these few points and comparing them with church practice as it has gradually evolved since the sixth and seventh centuries, you can plainly see that the Christian Church has wan- dered far frbm the early principles taught and used by Jesus. It has ~aXmost~~succeeded in rivaling the oriental religions in building temples, cathedrals, and places of worship that are costly", elabo- rate, filled with art, precious stones, and rare j e w e l s . I n ____ itself, that is a great modification of what Jesus illustrated. Religion as practiced by most of its followers today is filled with ritualism. If we include all Christian denominations, we see at once that many of the Christians throughout the world worship in elaborate churches with studied forms of ritualism and ceremony. Even in praying, the very simple and nonritualistic prayer Jesus taught is now surrounded by ritualism and ceremony. Christian preachments are confined almost exclusively to enclosed places, and Christian people have accepted as true this belief that a holy ceremony must be enclosed, even when services are held in camps, summer resorts, or in the so-called open country. There is no account of Jesus' using even a canopy to protect himself or his hearers from the Sun or the weather. From these few points alone, we can see the great divergence that has been made. The Church should keep pace with the evolving consciousness of the people it serves. It does not follow, how­ ever, that a study of Christ and the Christ mysteries will lead to a promulgation of the modern Christian Church ideas, or modern Christian religion. As Rosicrucians, we are not developing the Christian religion any more than any other; nor are we seeking to bring all highly developed Rosicrucians into the fold of Christian­ ity. Those of our members who are Christians will b e encouraged and strengthened in their personal religious convictions7“b u t n o n - Christians, as wellj especially those who acknowledge the ex 1 stence of a universal God and Father- of all, will also find strength in their" religious convictions in the correct understanding of the The Christ Consciousness was not made incarnate upon this Earth "for tTie~ purpose of saving,' redeeming, or~gurdXng~correctly only those who belonged to~ ecclesiastical nr~t'h^bl,Hgl cal n r g arTiza- tions. The revelations which~Christ brought constituted truths for universal adoption and application. There have b e eh~~man5Thundreds ~o£ thousands of Eastern people~who77 could and did take from the Christ t e a c h i ngs truth? which they made fundamentals in their lives, and yet did not Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 131 PAGE F O U R join the Christian organization. There are many Christians in America, and in all parts of the world, who have read the teachings of Buddha and found in them truths which they have taken as guides in life, and yet they have not become members of any Buddhist church or organization. There are persons who accept certain prin­ ciples of Christian Science and practice them daily without ever thinking of becoming members of the Christian Science Church. Universal truths, then, are in nowise sectarian or religious as far as~~c^reed nr -dngma are connprnp.dT Even a pagan, knowing notliing~~c>f a universal God, and never having heard ot Jesus, may speak^universal truths— All of usT mav adopt and_use His truth and yet find in it not the slightest association with any religion dr church. ~ ------ ------- — — Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. H It must not be thought th at the present discussions are in any way tending to en co u rag e or prom ote th e acceptance o f the C h ristia n relig io n . Universal truths—and the C hrist mystery is one—are w ithout religious or sectarian propensities. The Rosicrucian Order is committed to furthering universal knowledge, not to the promulgating of any particular creed or religious dogma. f Jesus spoke to the people mostly in parables. Religion, as practiced by most of its followers today, is filled with ritualism. f U niversal truth, then, are in nowise sectarian or religious as far as creed or dogma are concerned. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening uihat the morning may accomplish.—UNTO THEE I GRANT The simplicity of Jesus’presentation is worth taking not of. It is true that he shunned formal meeting places, and that his major sermons were held under the open skies of the country. Part of this was due to the warm climate ofthat environment, for surely Jesus would have used shelter in inclement weather, but essentially the choice of places emphasized simplicity. Most attempts to build grandiose structures for worship are to please a personal God. In this we cannot fault man’s motives. Grand structures also help some people to have the proper reverence and awe forthe deity. But they are not necessary. No building or no symbolic accoutrements are necessary for worship. They may help a person irTacKIevihg a state of mind conducive to worship or meditation, and in thal sense tHey”achieve a useful purpose, but they are not necessary. You may read "your monographs or practice certain exercises with all the efficacy expected of such instruction in the quiet pryour bedroom, in apublic park,in a private corner, or anywhere that you are able to be at peaee witfiryourselffor a short time. Feel freetoexperiment with such different places in addition to the regular use of your Sanctum^ "Consecrated to truth and dedicated to every Rosicrucian" This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch a se m ay m oke th e s e lle r o n d p u rch aser s u b je c t to civ il lia b ility . 'o I THE CONCURRENCE This W e e k ’s Consideration o f a Fam ous O pinion V V V Origenes, better known as Origen, was one of the early Christian writers. He was bom in Egypt, visited Italy and Greece, taught in Palestine. Perhaps his most famous work was that called Hexapla,only fragments of which remain. This consisted of six versions of the Old Testament, arranged in parallel columns. The excerpt given here is from his De Principiisand deals with fundamental doctrines. Since, then, weseein Himsomethings so humanthat they appear to differinno respect fromthecommon frailty of mortals, andsome things so divine that they canappropriately belong tonothing else than to the primal andineffablenatureofDeity, thenarrowness ofhumanunderstand' ingcanfindnooutlet; but, overcomewiththeamazement ofamightyad' miration, \nows not whither to withdraw, or what to ta\e hold of, or whithertoturn. If itthin\ ofaGod, itseesamortal; ifit thin\ ofaman, itbeholdsHimreturningfromthegrave, afteroverthrowingtheempireof death, ladenwithits spoils. And thereforethespectacleis tobecontem' platedwithall fear andreverence, that thetruthof bothnatures may be clearlyshowntoexistinoneandthesameBeing; sothatnothingunworthy orunbecomingmaybeperceivedinthatdivineandineffablesubstance, nor yetthosethings whichweredonebesupposedtobetheillusions ofimagi' naryappearances. Toutterthesethingsinhumanears,andtoexplainthem in words, far surpasses thepowers either of our ran\, or of our intellect andlanguage. —ORIGEN, 1 8 6 (? M ?)2 5 4 A.D. Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O NE H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Before continuing our discussion of esoteric doctrine, it seems necessary to answer another question which has arisen in the minds of some members. It is this: "Are we to understand from the trend of the present lessons that the goal of our studies and our ambition in life should be to live lives of ascetics? Are we being led into the position where we must believe that a life of spirituality is all that is necessary for happiness, or will the work take us into more practi­ cal fields? In other words, after our years of study with AMORC, is the ultimate result only to be that we are to become followers of a definite religious creed and live lives of religious purity? If so, could we not have saved time by Joining an orthodox church and follow­ ing its principles?" Such a question is understandable. It is natural to wonder whether the claims and benefits of the Rosicrucian Order can be ful­ filled only by bringing students to the portals of an invisible church where they must live a life of purely religious concepts. Commendable as this in itself would be, it is not the aim of the Rosicrucian work at all. Ninety per cent of those affiliated with churches are still seeking some form of spiritual development, understanding, unfoldment, and attunement. If the Rosicrucian teachings were to bring them such, then they would have accomplished a good work. However, that is not what the Order is trying to do. pie Order seeks to evolve its members into well-rounded, well- train6d, we 11-developed, and weII-atTuned human beings.- It gives them th&T~®ducation_which is neglected in’other schools of life; thereby insuring a "Better 'understanding and a better control of their indi- viduaimvesT If this gradually leads to an impersonal religion un- asseciatSd'wTth any special church, then it will be a good work well done. After all, a truly attuned and spiritually developed life is n ot a purely religious one, but a happy, prosperous, and contented one. This does^iot mean that religion should be the goal of every ambition, or even the last great ambition of every human being. Nor would becoming religiously inclined and attuned automatically solve life's problems and bring happiness, prosperity, contentment, and peace. Nevertheless, reaching a high degree of development and under- standing such as is brought libout~Tjy our lessons will bring wisdom and knowledge as well ag splrituai arnmeffignt, and thus T Ife itself w ill take “on a new form with new~T<ieals and benefits. Now, let us consider a very fundamental question which has a bearing upon our Degree work. Have you ever realized that the idea of _____ _ Christhood and the idea of Christ Consciousness were not \£%Z created at the time Jesus was born, or at the time he became Y y the special messenger of~SodT Christ ians7~5s_'we 11 as devout- V students of Christian doctrines, are likely to think that the Temple Section- A M O R C •The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ON E H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO PAGE T W O world was wholly void of the Christhood and Christ Consciousness until Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan as the Christ on earth and pro­ ceeded to demonstrate his Christhood and teach its principles. It may be correct to date the foundation of the Christian church from the birth of Jesus, or his baptism in the River Jordan, or more ecclesiastically from the time he said to Peter that he would build his church upon the rook; but we are not dealing with the history and origin of the Chris­ tian churcrf^ but with the history and origin of-the Christ Conscious­ n e s s e s an idea and as a universal principle. If you will think for a moment, "you will realize that tjiese two things must be separated, and that the Christ idea and the Christ teachings were making remarkable impressiohs in many parts of the world during the lifetime of Jesus, whereas no Christian church had yet been established. The power of Christianity .does not lie in its churches, but in its teachings* and the origin of Christianity cannot be tied to the laying of a material foundation stone as, the cornerstone of a church, Jbut must be tied to the awakening consciousness ofmari~at the time he began to appreciate the existence of the ChrlstT Consciousness T n the universe^ We read in the Christian Gospels many mystical statements without giving them due thought and consideration. The early Christian con­ gregations were genuine schools of mysticism, and much different from the congregations which constitute a Christian church today. The first Christians were sincere, and wholeheartedly devoted to an examination of the minute mystical principles involved not only in what Jesus taught as the Christ, but also in what he did as the Christ, and in the origin of his conception. In the Christian Gospels, written.by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we have writings that are filled with mystical statements between the lines, yet these are very generally overlooked by so-called Christian students. One of the principal statements overlooked by Christian students is that which relates to God's reason for sending a special messenger to earth. We are told in this Gospel that Christ was "the WordLmajle fleshy* And-that Christ was "the Christ made ' i n c a r n a t e . l i t t l e meditation upon these two explanations will bring us to the conclusion that C h r i s t a s ■tha Stord*■ or the law, or a principle, and Christ as a concept~~ih God's, consciousness, exlstecfinvisibly and in immaterial form long before_it.was made flesh. This conclusion may surprise us; yet it is most logical in the face of all that Christianity repre­ sents. The birth of the little gentile child called Jesus was a second­ ary incident in the great scheme of bringing the Christhood into physical manifestation on earth. After all, it was immaterial whether the babe born in the manger was a child of Jewish or of gentile p a r e n ts; it was immaterial whether the child was born through virgin birth or through natural conception, whether it was of the whit'fe race or the black race, for the physical, material Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO PAGE THREE part of Jesus was essential only as is a cloak to the body. The im­ portant thing to realize is that that which made the little babe Jesus an outstanding adult in the world was something that became incarnated and divinely human in the little body, and thereby enabled it to do certain things and to carry along certain specialties in a new and unique manner. If the Christ idea was merely made incarnate in Jesus at his birth or at*his~baptism, then the Christ Consciousness must have existed elsewhere. This leads' us away from- a minute study of Jesus, the man, ifit^Tal>road and universal study of the Christ idea independent of Jesus. The moment we begin such a study and investigation, all the records of the world seem suddenly to reveal hidden meanings and principles. Hitherto vague and incomprehensible writings in ancient mystical liter­ ature become tinted with purple light as though the paper or pages we are reading from, in our historical search, had become bathed in a great light and were telling us for the first time the outstanding idea which they had been unable to convey to us before. What is this great mystery that they now reveal? It, Is that the idea of~ Christhood and. the IShristos was oonoeived J >v the spiritual^mihds of men many ages before jesus~“was born. ----- ----------------------------- Going back through the ancient records and sacred writings of many peoples, including the Hebrews, and going far behind the origin of the Hebrew race, into antiquity, we find the golden thread of hope in the-' minds of people, and we find this golden thread is the expectation of the coming to earth, in some form, of the Christ Consciousness. You must separate this expectation from that other great expectation cen­ tered in the hearts of the Jewish pedpl.e— -the^iope of a great Messiah. That hope was entirely separate and independent _pf^the more inexpres­ sible one that the Christ Consciousness of the universe would reveal itself in some way lif the hearts and minds of men._ The coming of the Me^siah was looked upon as the coming of a great teacher, a great ’ spiritual leader born of the flesh, made flesh, and transmited~Ihto spiritual sublimity. That great Messiah was to be the Saviour of men through his own divine power, and origin. The Jews alone looked for suoh a leader and expected him to be of the House of David. The mystics outside the Jewish race, however, who represented all of the reTigions of the world,"did not look for the Christ Consciousness to come in the form of a human being, a superbeing, or from any particular race or creed. T h e y (ixpeoted_.tT)Ts~ r.hri n C o n s g jfrusfieas,~n&llerfl:tlftf Christos, to rise from^ifieThearts and minds of the people of every country; and, by thus becoming manifest, it was to bring a spiritual change in the make-up i or mankInd.aceompanied by revelations of spiritual truths. Therefore, we are able to trace in all ancient writings a general tendency on the part of mystics and spiritually Temple Section- A M O R C •The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ON E H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO PAGE FO U R minded persons to lift their consciousness upward in prayer or medi­ tation, and through rituals, songs, and forms of personal sacrifice so that they might become attuned with this invisible, unnamed, and un­ known Christ Consciousness. Long before the_Christ or Christos was conceived in the mind of man, THer? was this conception of a special, illuminated Consciousness that would focus its power into the con­ sciousness of~mah aiid 'become man's individual redeemer and guide. The miracle of suchja consciousness or Divine Mind becoming incarnated-!*! flesh did not~dawn u p on the minds of the early mystics; even at the tlHe‘"o?"the birth of Jesus there were thousands of such expectant mystics who could not conceive of such a miracle as "the Word" or "the Logos* 156ing made flesh. Probably there were as many doubters as there were believers at that time; yet all did expeot some manifestations of the Christ Consciousness. So today in studying the teachings of the Christ and in attuning ourselves tirith the Christ Consciousness which has again returned to the consciousness of God, we are not studying the doctrines of modern Christianity or of the Christian church, but the doctrines and teach­ ings that God revealed to man through the channel called the Christ__ Consciousness. Another important point to meditate upon is the fact that fo£ cen­ turies before the coming of Jesus the Christ* every religion offered t^> the world a leader, teacher, master, who was proclaimed by each religion to be the greatest in spiritual thought. But Jesus, coming as he did into a world of greaXJLeaders at a time when religious thought was divided, seems to have come with a unique power^ and a unique mes­ s a g e ^ I t is more thaiT strange that of all who preceded him, or were born at about the same time, none possessed that which he manifested after he was baptized in the River Jordan. There was something about the Christhood manifest in Jesus, the man, that had never been mani­ fest ecTfcyany of the other great leaders of the past. There was some­ thing in his ministry^ message, doctrine, a n d teaching so far superior to anything before lieard of that it waa impossible for him not to attract the attention of the devout and properly trained mystics and cause tHenTTo realize his true spiritual origin. While orthodox Jews doubted he was the Messiah that had been an­ ticipated (and in this they were perfectly right), and while average Jews found it impossible to accept Jesus as a living example of what they had looked forward t o ; nevertheless mystics of all the Oriental lands recognized and accepted him. TRey were concerned not with whether Th«T man Jesus as the Christ was the true Christhood made in­ carnate or not, but were concerned with the great miracle that had ------ 7 been performed by God in thus turning a law, or a part of His Divine Consciousness, into flesh. In other words, while a V y large portlon of the populace of Palflflt.lrie Anri lsoma other V countries were quibbling over the truthfulness of the claims Temple Section- AMORC- ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R ONE H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO P A G E FIVE that_Jesua tha_-Chrlst. after his baptism, was truly the special mes­ senger^ of God, or the Son of God made manifest in flesh, the mystics w&re not quibbling over this point, which was easily solved by study- ing^the_teachings of the Christ arid watchingTilsnBtracl6 s~aridthe ac~ tiOris'~ofhis life. They were trying to study and analyze the greatest myster'yb? the world: namely, that of the consciousness of God being made incarnate in a human form. They knew weH~eno'ugh ancTbythousands of"continuous demonstrations that Jesus, the man, after his baptism, was the consciousness of G n d w a Iking upon the suffac^'of ~tHeTearth" in human form^ They did not doubt for one moment the genuineness of this miracle, but the mystery of it was something that held them spell­ bound, and I may safely say here in this little talk to you that it is still one of the great mysteries that occupies the thought of serious minds even to this day. We might have expected the Christian church to solve this mystery for us, after 1900 years of activity, preachment, analysis and study; yet less is revealed and perhaps less actually known about the mystery of the incarnation of Christ today than was known by the disciples who studied with him. You will realize now that it is immaterial whether Jesus was of gentile or Jewish extraction, of the House of David, or of the races of Persia, India, Egypt, or elsewhere. If_||the Word" and the law of the Christos were to be made incarnate in human flesh, ana a pnysical body~£orn, reared, and prepared for the eventual influx of the Chrl~st- hood, it made little ^difference what race or nat i onalit y w a s rBpre- sertted by the^physical body of the one selected. This selected and chosen babe grew to adulthood and was properly prepared, and mystically_and spiritually c1 eansed an d madeTTBafly for- the coming of the Christhood at the time of-theL_sp©cial baptisnTin the River Jordan. There everything was _changed as in the twinkling of an eye, Just as everything is changed at the moment of earthly transition. At thatTmoment when the do v e riftfiCRnrifiri u p on Jesus~a3 he stood in the waters- of theTjordan after having been bathed in the auraTof JohnT~who had been selected as the master teacher and channel for the purging oT thertSodv of Jesus, the b ody then was made a clean and ready vessel for thejhagnificent contents whigh_were poured from the heavens as rronr— a great sublime source, and we no longer had Jesus the man, Jesus^the gentile, or Jesus the J e w , or Jesus the descendant~oFXbrafignrima^lrar House^ oT D a v i d . or Jesus the~human being, or Jesus of virgihTyirth, or~~Jesus the child of Joseph and Marv— we had lust' THK CHRTSTv------ From that moment on, the physical side of the Christ was unimpor­ tant. That his physical body was wholesome and clean was assured by his early preparation, and then by the cleansing proc­ ess that took place Just before the baptism. The presence of the Christhood in that b ody would keep it clef&T h o l y r and Temple Section- ■AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D THIRTY-TWO P A G E SIX unoimtaninated._during the few years in which the Christhood was to oc­ cupy that physical body^ It would see to it that no disease, no harm, nq~lnjtBry~wottia'come to the least cell of that physical body. Jesus, the material man, may have been a descendant of the House of David, or of the gentiles; but disputed as that point is, it is not to be disputed that Jesus the Christ was a descendant of God, and that the Christ was a God 'consciousness in man on eartlu That- is all-Im- por t a n t ; ancTall that is necessary or worthy of consideration. As students of mystical and spiritual principles, w e are seeking to~con- tact that same Christ Consciousness and to forget that the physical'* bofiy-witn whioh it was associated~for a while"was of any partiiratar rape or nationality. --------- ------ - Wine of rare vintage may be looked upon as vitalizing and bene­ ficial, yet no one concerns himself with the origin of the flask con­ taining it. It may be of Persian, Egyptian, Syrian, or some other origin; still it is the wine that is essential, not that which con­ tains it. I am using the symbolism of the wine because Jesus himself used it, for the luice of the grape is like the vitalizing power of Cosmic things produced on the earth. That is why grape Juice, corn, and~sHit are used iiPtEe symboTTclPeasts by mystics. That is"wEy,~Tc>o, that- the juice of tfie~grap3 is used in church sacraments to symbolize the 'blood of Jesus. ~ ------ ------ ---------- I have given you in this lesson some wonderful and beautiful eso­ teric principles upon which to meditate this week. These are the most sublime esoteric mysteries known to man. The understanding of these mysteries lies in the consciousness of each humaribeing as lt^lifts it­ self Up and attunes itsellLwith the Christ Consciousness. T h e C hrlst ConscTousness is no longer confined To^ the consciousness of God, but is a universaT"con scioushessV~easily reached and sensed by everyone who purges himself spiritually, prepares himself mentally^ and lifts him- self up divinely to attunement with it. A t some point in your own esoteric development and spiritual progress, y o u ^ t o o , will be r e a d y f o r t h e _ baptism in the Siver Jordan, fcnd that baptism will occur a s a great sacred event inyour^life. You need not journey to any physical River Jordan, nor go u p on any physical mountaintop to have this baptism and to have the influx of Christ Con- sciousness, for it~can~come to y ou in your sanctum wherever that may be, and whenever you are ready. It will changtT you and change y our body, and It will bring~iiTthe twinkling oT^an eve the great regeneration and the great- power- that the Christ promised to all men as tHe~reward for following~his fundamental teachings. ' ~------ — Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a sum m ary of the im portant principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. A fter you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as m any as you can of the im portant points you read. Then read this sum m ary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this sum m ary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. T he Rosicrucian Order seeks to aid its members in becoming well-rounded, well- trained, well-developed, and well-attuned human beings. It seeks to give that kind of education which is neglected in other schools of life. This monograph poses the question: “Just when did the idea of the Christ Con­ sciousness and the Christhood originate?” In order to arrive at the correct answer, it is necessary to disassociate it from the origin of the Christian church and consider it as a universal idea. ( f In the light of Biblical passages mystically examined, the conclusion is inescapable that the idea of a Christ Principle or Christ existed in the minds of men ages before the birth of Jesus. Once this fact is accepted, it is not only easier to understand the ancient writings, but also to differentiate between the various viewpoints held by the Jews and those held by the mystics. It, then, becomes possible, too, to see that it is not the ma­ terial history of the man Jesus that is important, but rather the nature of the Christ Consciousness which he embodied. T h ii m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r and p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . Eli Degree 11 Monograph 133 inafar^ruri^ The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Imperator o f A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member 6 receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this m onograph is and sKaJJ remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loanod to be used for the sole and exclusive Information of the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and Is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use of them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V <JTo m any, th e m ystic par excellence, was the Flemish, -priest a n d ^teacher, J a n Ruysbroeck. An "uncle began his education, the Church continued it, illum ination completed it. Simple in th o u g h t and habit, unam bitious for any life other th an a contem plative one, Ruysbroeck, at the age of 60, retired to'a m onastery where he rem ained until his tran sitio n . H ew rote nothing, ji e _said, unless on the motion of God. One certainly could not dispute th a t statem ent on^Ehe basis oT~tKe\gxcerpt’ below. At the very instant of our• movement Christ ** — comes to us with or ------ — without intermediary ; that is with His sifts or a bove them. We,ron oiirjjarJ^cast ourselves into Him and towards Him, with or without intermediary, that is with our powers or abave th£_m~- ~ Now^ He Himself bringing us His gifts and givine Himself to us, ifnprinta_uDon us His likeness, a bsolves and delivers us. At the moment of our deliverance thespirit_plunges into the enjoyment of love. This is the meeting, the supernatural union without medium in which beatitude consists. ' To give^is natural to Cod, whose characteristic is_ love and gratuitous goodness ; but to us, in our quality of h umar^ beings, to zeceive_ is accidental: strangers as we are and unlike, a jo r c e - superior J o nature is_r£OUired in order to bring us likeness and union._ %his meetings this unity which the spirit of love pursues and, . possesses in God without- m£di.um, exceeds and surpasses all' intelligence^ unlesSj going out of itself, it has followed the light_ 'Thither where all is simple . ' The fruition of unity tra nsports us into a peace above ourselves and all things. From this source flows all good, n a tu ra l and ’'supernatural; but the spirit of love reposes above all good, in its source. In this unity we are received by the Holy Ghojt, we receive. tKe Holy Ghost, and with Him the Father and the Sonj for Divinity is incapable of division. ^ ------ ~ - J A N RUYSBRO ECK, 1 2 9 3 - 1 3 8 1 Temple Section A MO RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! We now enter upon an analytical study of the esoteric teach­ ings of Jesus the Christ, not as the teachings of an individual or Master who represented the Christian religion but as the teachings of a great Ma Master who represented the culminating thought of all the esoteri&T spiritual schools that preceded him. While orthodox Jews doubted he was the Messiah that had been anticipated (and in this they were perfectly right), and while average Jews found it impossible to accept Jesus as a living example of what they had looked forward to; nevertheless jnystics of all the Oriental lands recognized and accepted him. They were con­ cerned not with whether the man Jesus as the Christ was the true_ Christhood made incarnate or not, but were concerned with the great miracle that had been performed by God in thus turning a law, or a~ part of His Divine Consciousness, into fleshy In other words, while a large portion of the populace of Palestine and some other countries were quibbling over the truthfulness of the claims that Jesus the Christ, after his baptism, was truly the special messen­ ger of God, or the Son of God made manifest in flesh, the jnystics were not quibbling over this point, which was easily solved by studying the teachings of the Christ and watching his miracles and the actions of his life. They were trying to study and analyze the greatest mystery of the world: namely, that of the consciousness of God being made incarnate in a human form.^ They knew well enough and by thousands of continuous demonstrations that .Jesus, the man, after his baptism, was the consciousness of God walking upon the surface of the Earth in human form. They did not doubt for one moment the genuineness of this miracle, but the mystery of it was something that held them spellbound, and I may safely say here in this little talk to you that it is still one of the great mysteries that occupies the thought of serious minds even to this day. We might have expected the Christian Church to solve this mystery for us, after 1900 years of activity, preachment, analysis and study; yet less is revealed and perhaps less actually known about the mystery of the incarnation of Christ today than was known by the disciples who studied with him. You will realize now that it is immaterial whether Jesus was of gentile or Jewish extraction, of the House of David, or of the races of Persia, India, Egypt, or elsewhere. If "the Word" and the law of the Christos were to be made incarnate in human flesh, and a physical body born, reared, and prepared for the eventual influx of the Christhood, it made little difference what race or_ nationality was represented by the physical body of the one selected. Temple Section A MO R C The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 PAGE T W O This selected and chosen babe grew to adulthood and was properly prepared, and mystically and spiritually cleansed and made ready for the coming of the Christhood at the time of the special baptism in the River Jordan. There everything was changed as in the twinkling of an eye, just as everything is changed at the moment of earthly transition. At that moment when the dove descended upon Jesus as he stood in the waters of the Jordan after having been bathed in the aura of John, who had been selected as the master teacher and channel for the purging of the body of Jesus, the body then was made a clean and ready vessel for the mag­ nificent contents which were poured from the heavens as from a great sublime source, and we no longer had Jesus the man, JesuS the gentile, or Jesus the Jew, or Jesus the descendant of Abraham and the House of David, or Jesus the human being, or Jesus of virgin birth, or Jesus the child of Joseph and Mary— we had just THE CHRIST. From that moment on, the physical side of the Christ was unimportant. That his physical body was wholesome and clean was assured by his early preparation, and then by the cleansing process that took place just before the baptism. The presence of the Christhood in that body would keep it clean, holy, and uncontami­ nated during the few years in which the Christhood was to occupy that physical body.^ It would see to it that po disease, no harm, no injury would come to the least cell of that physical body. Jesus, the material man, may have been a descendant of the House of David, or of the gentiles; but disputed as that point is, it is not to be disputed that Jesus the Christ was a descendant of God, and that the Christ was a ‘God Consciousness in man on Earth. That is all-important; and all that is necessary or worthy of con­ sideration. As students of mystical and spiritual principles, we are seeking to contact that same Christ Consciousness and to forget that the physical body with which it was associated for a while was of any particular race or nationality. Wine of rare vintage may be looked upon as vitalizing and beneficial, yet no one concerns himself with the origin of the flask containing it. It may be of Persian, Egyptian, Syrian, or some other origin; still it is the wine that is essential, not that which contains it. I am using the symbolism of the wine because Jesus himself used it* for the juice of the grape is like the vitalizing power of Cosmic things produced on the Earth. That is why grape juice, corn, and salt are used in the symbolic feasts by mystics. That is why, too, that the juice of the grape is used in church sacraments to symbolize the blood of Jesus. These are the most sublime esoteric mysteries known to man. The understanding of these mysteries lies in the consciousness of each human being as it lifts itself up Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 PAGE THREE and attunes itself with the Christ Consciousness. The Christ Con- sciousness is no longer confined to the Consciousness of God, but i'g"~g~trrrivGraal i-oimerfcvusness . easily reached and sensed bv everyone who purges himself spiritually, prepares himself mentally, and lifts himselt up divinely to a^fiinprnenf with it. At_ some point in vour own esoteric development and spiritual progress, you, too, will be ready for the baptism in the River Jordan, ana tnat baptism will occur as a great sacred f ? y e n t in y o n r llteT You Tifeea not journey to anv physical River Jordan, nor go 4ipon any physical mountaintop to have this baptism and to have the influx of Christ Consciousness, for it can come to you i p y o u r _ Sanctum wherever that mav be. and whenever y n n arp ready. It will change you and change your body, and it will bring in>-liP t , w i p k 1 i n g nf an gy<* the great rpgpnprai-.inn and the great power that the Ch r i s t n r n m i sed t o all men as the reward for following his tunda- mental teachings^ If we look upon the work of any of the great scientists of modern times, such as that of Einstein or J)r. Millikan, we do not think of them as representing new schools of science or systems of scientific knowledge that began with their individual studies and represent only modern thought; but we look upon them as representa­ tives of the culmination of scientific research covering many centuries. \j!e know that they were possessors of knowledge both new and old and that their system of thought includes all the good and true of the past, plus the developing thought of our time. The same is true regarding the teachings of Jesus.. Even if we take such statements, attributed to him, as appear in the Christian Bible without consulting any other record, we can easily trace thoughts and ideas used by the masters of spiritual thought centuries before. We know, however, that the Christian Bible does not contain all_of his statements and that various translations have colored or translated many of the teachings to fit times and conditions. Today theologians and i n v e s t i g a t o r s a r e devoting their best efforts to newer interpretations of the sacred writings so that the thoughts and ideas of Jesus may be more corr rectly translated. What Jesus taught during his life was due to three sources of knowledge. First, there was that which included a study of the ancient religions, especially the forms of esoteric spirituality and mysticism. The best of the writings and speeches of the Masters before him had been reduced to a system of study which he had acquired during his youth, and which had a great effect upon his mode of teaching and expression of the truths of life. Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 PAGE F OUR The second source of knowledge possessed by Jesus was divine inspiration and Cosmic revelation. Having attained Cosmic Con­ sciousness at the time of his baptism, and being thereafter con­ stantly in Cosmic Attunement, he was receptive to the word of God given through Cosmic channels. For this reason Jesus was destined to become the newest channel of Cosmic expression. As other Masters had been channels for the research, interpretation and expression of Cosmic thought, so Jesus was to be the newest and greatest. In this way, the Cosmic could reveal the truths which man failed to notice. It is true that eyery individual could attune with the Cosmic and acquaint himself with truth, but when the majority of mankind has little faith or interest in such contact, a Messenger must be sent to present truth in a way that men cannot fail to hear and understand. The third source of Jesus' knowledge was that gained through experience and human contact. Undoubtedly, many of the inspired truths were as startling to him as to others. Undoubtedly, much time was devoted to analyzing and contemplating the truths revealed in Cosmic contacts. Then he had to test them and learn how to present them understandably and how to relate them to human experi­ ence through parables. Each time he healed, each time he demon­ strated a principle, he became convinced not only of the efficacy of Cosmic power, but also of the truth of certain laws. Each time he explained a principle to his disciples, he became better quali­ fied to talk and teach. In the experiences of those around him, he found his school of study. He'had to discover the weaknesses of people and learn their need so that he might show them the way to salvation. These three sources of Jesus1 knowledge have occasioned some dispute. The church fathers would have Christians believe that Jesus was divinely— not humanly— taught, and so all discussion regarding his earthly education is set aside. Notwithstanding this, it is distinctly stated that Jesus did not begin his ministry, nor reveal his work and power, until afte:r his baptism when he was an adult. On the other hand, there is one incident of his youth that plainly indicated that he was a student even as a child. That was his appearance before the, wise men of the synagogue. Certainly, a mind that could appreciate and value philosophical and spiritual truths at the age of twelve sufficiently to be able to discuss them with the learned would not cease to be interested in them during later years. The parables which Jesus used were simple, homely, commonplace— many of them revealing an intimacy with life outside of as well as within the narrow limits of Pales­ tine. Since such knowledge does not come through local scholastic training, it suggests that he was broadly educated, and had a deep understanding of human nature and experience. Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 P A G E FIVE We must remember, too, that such statements as "God spoke unto him and said . . which give the impression that Jesus received knowledge, advice, and instructions in actual words, were simply symbolic. Inspired thoughts and ideas came not in spoken words, but rather in impressions or in visions or in more or less vague ideas impressed upon the mind. These had to be interpreted by Jesus just as the impressions you receive in your Sanctum or the visions you may have at night leave a picture in your mind which you have to interpret. This required training, practice, and care­ ful analytical study. The greatest is he who can most correctly and completely interpret a Cosmic impression. We know when our intuition is urg­ ing us to do something; the impression sometimes is vague and yet positive. We have to be very careful that we understand it so as not to make a mistake. It*"was in ‘this that Jesus needed education and training; otherwise he would not have been prepared for the messages from the Cosmic when he started his ministry. So, all in all, we find that Jesus was a trained and prepared messenger, whose teachings had to be in parables or symbolic stories in order to be understood by the people. Here we come face to face with a problem that must always be taken into consideration whenever we analyze the teachings of Jesus. The majority of those who listened were prejudiced against him in the early years of his teaching. Today a teacher before going into a city, state, or country to expound the teachings of a new school of thought can send in advance literature, pamphlets, and books so that the people can read of his work and prepare them­ selves to understand the message. Today with our Rosicrucian work we have to make people understand the word Rosicrucian before we can even start to use or refer to it; we have to publish an outline of our ideas in order to attract to our audience those who find their own thoughts inclined to ours. But Jesus had no such sympa­ thetic audience to start with. It appears that often as he preached and taught, his audiences became less so. It is true that his followers gradually increased in number, but*those who disap­ proved of his teachings increased far more rapidly. At the close of his career, he had many more unsympathetic listeners than he had at the beginning. His teachings demanded a deep and profound reform, and human nature hates to be reformed. He was a foreigner to most, many times his very accent and expression revealing him to be not of the country, sect, or religion of his hearers. He had to deal with illiterate and uneducated persons, and had to choose the simplest and most commonplace analogies and parables. In fact, he had to use incidents and situations that would fit the human experiences of those he sought to help. Again, he was confronted with the problem of finding words to express new ideas. Nearly all the words in the Hebrew Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 P A G E SIX and other languages of that country had very definite meanings that could not be made to include new interpretations; therefore, he had to resort to simple and symbolical ideas to express esoteric prin­ ciples . There is no doubt that the secret teachings Jesus gave his disciples were very different from those he gave the public. Many of his disciples and close followers were highly educated; and he had a secret group of students that included more than his mere disciples. There was an esoteric and mystical principle back of his.limiting his immediate apostles to twelve.’ These'were selected from among the hundred or more that constituted his secret school. He did not select them because of superior intellect or general learning but because of other qualifications— spiritual ones. He had to select some because of their bravery in daring to do things. He had to select others because of their absolute devotion and* unshakable faith in his work^. He had to select still others because of their health, strength, ability t and outstanding charac­ teristics.. Even Judas, now looked upon as an outcast, actually performed a necessary work in the scheme of things. Thomas, the doubter, had his place because of his constant questioning. From an esoteric point of view, the Twelve had to represent humanity, in accordance with the ancient assignment of the twelve signs of the* zodiac to the twelve classifications of human nature. If a greater number of followers was required, the number had to be a multiple of twelve to duplicate these characteristics. _That is why the ideal group number in the mystery schools of old was twelve times twelve: It gave twelve pupils of slightly different types in each of the twelve classifications of human nature. Thus, the first mystery schools and lodges were formed of one hundred and forty-four members; and today the Rosicrucian Order throughout the world adheres to the rule of one hundred and forty-four members as the perfect lodge. We must remember that what Jesus taught was not only new knowledge learned through inspiration and experience, but also old knowledge that had proved true and valuable. So we study not the thoughts of Jesus, the man, but the thoughts which represented thousands of years of mystical truths. Jesus referred often to the fact that it is necessary to find grace with God, or to come into grace with the kingdom of Heaven, not only in order to find favor, but to find enlightenment and wisdom. This is a very old esoteric principle. You should turn to any Bible concordance and read the passages referring to grace. Especially, you should ^contemplate the word and_ meditate upon it until you begin to feel you have some understanding of what it means, for this elemental mysti­ cal principle is an important one in your esoteric devel­ opment. Temple Section A M O RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 PAGE SEVEN Grace, of course, is an English word; yet it has its equiva­ lent in every language, and the Latin roots are similar. The com­ bination of the letters^ G and at the beginning of the word are significant, for G^represents "the sound and principle of esoteric subtlety and _R represents the rnYa1 power of God. Therefore, with- out consulting a dictionary as to the possible meaning of grace, we see that it is something that has to do with a subtle form of royal or divine power.. For this week's development of the esoteric side of our work, we shall examine the quality and influence of grace. To show that the so-called Christian Bible is not devoid of esoteric principles which could be taught in our churches and Sunday schools, I shall use the Bible rather than quote from other ancient sacred writings. There are two advantages in this: First, the^Christian Bible is available to almost all our members; second, it will help us to. realize how many ancient esoteric teachings have been brought down to us in this so-called Christian Bible. Let us first see what the Disciples had to say about .grace: If we turn to John 1:16, 17 we learn that grace is of Cosmic and ^ divine origin, arid is in accordance with law* . In these two verses, John intimates that while material laws were given or interpreted by Moses and handed down through his instrumentality/ grace and truth are of a divine nature, obtained only through the instrumen­ tality of Jesus the Christ— or the Christ consciousness in Jesus. If we now turn to Luke 2:40# we find that even in the growing child, not yet appointed as special messenger of God or baptized with the Holy Ghost, this subtle divine power of grace is present. We are told that as a child Jesus grew and became strong in body and spirit and filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon or in him. This makes it evident that grace is something aside from divine authority, or divine power of an extraordinary nature that comes only to an adult or to one appointed from on high as an avatar. Now let us see what Peter had to say. In I Peter 4:10, we find another interesting point: Peter is exhorting the people to cease their sins and to follow the spiritual life. He is telling them to be_charitable, wise, tolerant and good; and then he men­ tions the additional obligation to serve others, to spread the light and carry on missionary work— not as specially appointed beings but as God's children carrying out the desires of the divine Father. He reminds them that every human being has had blessings and gifts from heaven which rest upon them as obligations for which they must make compensation. . He speaks of blessings as gifts from God, and in the tenth verse says: "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 133 P A G E EIGHT In other words, if you have received a gift, no matter what, you must pass it along by doing something of like nature for some­ one else and so prove yourself a steward of the grace of God. This means proving oneself not only a beneficiary of grace but also one able to use it as an instrument in continuing the good God wishes us to do. Thus, grace is a benediction, a blessing, a beneficent gift bestowed upon us. Here it is probably necessary to remind you that grace is not something to be demanded as a rightful heritage. Some argue that since life is universal, the life within our bodies is a universal gift or condition and so we are entitled to it without the neces­ sity of being thankful to anyone. In the same way, people argue about liberty and claim it to be something justly theirs and the right of every living person. £race, however, is not one of the things that we can look upon as a rightful heritage which we can demand whether we deserve it or not. It is rather something that we must deserve and become worthy of. This makes it all the more valuable and when we have it, we are actually under the benediction "of God and the Cosmic. In the book of Acts, 4:33L we find that the Disciples assem­ bled around Jesus at his resurrection were given special power by him as his last great gift to them. Other records plainly indicate that Jesus gave his Disciples the power to perform miracles and to do wonderful things which up to that time he had reserved for him­ self. Since he was soon to abandon his public ministry and disap­ pear from public sight, he felt it proper at his resurrection to transfer this special divine power to them equally. Notice in this thirty-third verse that in addition to the power which Jesus gave his Apostles at this time, "great grace was upon them all." In addition to the power, there was the "great grace." Here’a r e „two separate powers, one that we can easily understand, and one so subtle that we must still search for its meaning to discover how to bring it into our own lives. In the fourteenth chapter of the book o f Acts, after Jesus' resurrection ana public disappearance, the Apostles went about their assigned tasks, expressing holy words, carrying out the divine ministry, and speaking boldly of what they had seen and learned; in addition, they "gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands." Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. H We think of modern scientists as representing knowledge that is both new and old. >J£ejjhould regard Jesu s’ ministry in the same way, realizing th at he was not teaching altogether new knowledge, but also that which had been accepted as truth long before his time. _ 5 There are three sources from which Jesu s’ knowledge came: (1) his stydy of older religions and the mystical writings of earjier Masters; (2) divine inspiration and Cosmic-revelatign; and (3) his own experience as a teacher. 1f Jesus* pre p a ration was thorough and required single-pointed interest ajid constant pracTiee. At every turn, ~it~ Jemanded proof of h i s ahflitv to interpret rightly Cosmic intention. 11 The m atter of grace is an essential esoteric principle, im portant to the development of everjustudentnt is recommended that study and mediTation be given to it during the coming week. — The Weekly Application W hatsoever thou resolrest to do. do it quickly. Defer not till the erenin# what the m orning m ay accomplish .—UN TO T H EK I GRA NT The a l l e g o r i c a l story of God incarnating in human form through the person of Jesus must seem to the Rosicrucian student as a way of saying that th^higher elementsof Cosmic ConsciQUsness were_ •fljade manifest through Jesus. We know that God, or the Cosfllic^incarnated through all life forms, and that we are all children of God. We only di fferTrT the degree to which we are able to express that /Tilgher consciousness which we know as CosmTc Consciousness. Jesus made a point of saying thaj. we were all children of God, a ncTthat we could possibly manifest the greater consciousness as he did. Thls^possibilit^isjvell to keep in mind during the week. It points up the responsibility we have as children of God, teTbe upright and fair in all our dealings with each other, ancfto cultivate our_ natural environment to the greater glory of our Cosmic heritage. This m o n o g r a p h Is n o t s u b je c t t o s o le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s o le o r p u rch a se m ay m a le th e s e lle r and p u rch aser s u b je c t to civ il lia b ility . A M R C The Rosicrudan Order MASTER MONOGRAPH ILLUMINATI SECTION This monograph always remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, but loaned to, the receiving member. ASttd If/, ft Degree Degree 11 0 >f 11 Monograph Monograph 134 134 lotfaefxuri# R E G I S T E R E D IN U . S . P A T E N T O F F I C E < A LSO R E G I S T E R E D T H R O U G H O U T t h e WORLD ) P R I N T E O I N U . t. A . T h e matter contained herein Is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council o f the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States 1’atent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations. scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Irnperator of A. M. O. R. C. (T h e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered In countries throughout the world.) All § matters herein contained are stric tly confidential to Ibe m em ber I receiving, and are imparted only as an incident lo membership. The ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lod ge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used fo r the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other * use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the R eg­ istered name and symbols, and the Irnperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This W eek’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V *1 The doctrine of grace is truly a mystical one, and Scriptures other than the Christian teach it. Sometimes, however, usage rubs words bare of their real meaning by making them too familiar. In such a case, a fresh state' ment is oftentimes enlightening. The one chosen is from the Chinese philosopher and mystic, Lao-Tze. His teaching called Taoism is embodied principally in the work Tao'Te King. Possessing grace without striving or boasting, is really to have it. Calling attention to even a measure which you thin\ you have is sheerest pretense and certain proof that you have it not. —LAOTZE in Tao'Te King, 6th Century B. C. Temple Section- A M O R C •The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D T H IR T Y -FO U R PAGE O N E Beloved Members, Greetings! Let us this week give some thought to the esoteric principle of grace of which we spoke in the preceding monograph. Grace, of course, is an English word; yet it has its equivalent in every language, and the Latin roots are similar. The combination of the letters G and R at the beginning of the word are significant, for G represents the sound and principle of esoteric subtlety and R represents the royal power of God. Therefore, without consulting a dictionary as to the possible meaning of grace, we see that it is something that has to do with a subtle form of royal or divine power. For this week's development of the esoteric side of our work, we shall examine the quality and influence of grace. To show that the so-called Christian Bible is not devoid of esoteric principles which could be taught in our churches and Sunday schools, I shall use the Bible rather than quote from other ancient sacred writings. There are two advantages in this: First, the Christian Bible is available to almost all our members; second, it will help us to realize how many ancient esoteric teachings have been brought down to us in this so- called Christian Bible. Let us first see what the Disciples had to say about grace: If we turn to John 1:16,17, we learn that grace is of Cosmic and divine origin, and is in accordance with law. In these two verses, John intimates that while material laws were given or interpreted by Moses and handed down through his instrumentality, grace and truth are of a divine nature, obtained only through the instrumentality of Jesus the Christ— or the Christ consciousness in Jesus. If we now turn to Luke 2:40, we find that even in the growing child, not yet appointed as special messenger of God or baptized with the Holy Ghost, this subtle divine power of grace is present. We are told that as a child Jesus grew and became strong in body and spirit and filled with wis­ dom, and the grace of God was upon or in him. This makes it evident that grace is something aside from divine authority, or divine power of an extraordinary nature that comes only to an adult or to one ap­ pointed from on high as an avatar. Now let us see what Peter had to say. In I Peter 4:10, we find another interesting point: Peter is exhorting the people to cease their sins and to follow the spiritual life. He is telling them to be charitable, wise, tolerant and good; and then he mentions the additional obligation to serve others, to spread the light and carry on missionary work— not as specially appointed beings but as God's children carrying out the desires of the divine Father. He reminds them that every human being has had blessings and gifts from heaven which rest upon them as obligations for which they must make compensation. He speaks of blessings Temple Section- ■AMORC •The Rosicrucian Order ELE V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D TH IR T Y -FO U R PAGE T W O as gifts from God, and in the tenth verse says: "As every man hath re­ ceived the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.■ In other words, if you have received a gift, no matter what, you must pass it along by doing something of like nature for someone else and so prove yourself a steward of the grace of God. This means prov­ ing oneself not only a beneficiary of grace but also one able to use it as an instrument in continuing the good God wishes us to do. Thus, grace is a benediction, a blessing, a beneficent gift bestowed upon us. Here it is probably necessary to remind you that grace is not something to be demanded as a rightful heritage. Some argue that since life is universal, the life within our bodies is a universal gift or condition and so we are entitled to it without the necessity of being thankful to anyone. In the same way, people argue about liberty and claim it to be something justly theirs and the right of every living person. Grace, however, is not one of the things that we can look upon as a rightful heritage which we can demand whether we deserve it or not. It is rather something that we must deserve and become worthy of. This makes it all the more valuable and when we have it, we are actually under the benediction of God and the Cosmic. In the book of Acts, 4:33, we find that the Disciples assembled around Jesus at his resurrection were given special power by him as his last great gift to them. Other records plainly indicate that Jesus gave his Disciples the power to perform miracles and to do won­ derful things which up to that time he had reserved for himself. Since he was soon to abandon his public ministry and disappear from public sight, he felt it proper at his resurrection to transfer this special divine power to them equally. Notice in this thirty-third verse that in addition to the power which Jesus gave his Apostles at this time, "great grace was upon them all." In addition to the power, there was the "great grace." Here are two separate powers, one that we can easily understand, and one so subtle that we must still search for its meaning to discover how to bring it into our own lives. In the fourteenth chapter of the book of Acts, after Jesus' resurrection and public disappearance, the Apostles went about their assigned tasks, expressing holy words, carrying out the divine ministry, and speaking boldly of what they had seen and learned; in addition, they "gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands." Here we have an intimation that grace may be symbolized by a word, a sign, or a phrase that would reveal who possessed it and at the same time reveal the law back of it. Certainly, we are discovering that grace is a very esoteric and mystical principle and not one to be easily passed over in our study Temple Section- •AMORC ■The Rosicrucian Order EL E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D T H IR T Y -FO U R PAGE TH REE of the sacred writings. Going on to Acts 20:24, we are told that the grace we seek is a gift of God and that there is a gospel or doctrine connected with it which makes it and the results of it understandable. Now that we know that grace is of God, that Jesus as a child received it and gave it to others, and that the Apostles could pass it on, let us discover what its effects are. In the first chapter of II Corinthians, Paul, the Apostle, says many symbolic, esoteric things. He had passed through a great many trials and tribulations, even facing transition, and had learned to overcome these obstacles through grace and the other powers associated with i t ; so he encour­ aged the depressed and despondent by assuring them of a way to over­ come the seemingly great obstacles of life. He tells of the troubles which came upon him in Asia where he was depressed, annoyed, punished, and tortured, and where even the sentence of death was passed upon him. He says he soon found he could not trust either himself or those who represented ungodly or unrighteous schools of help. In the twelfth verse he says that the voice of conscience within spoke to him and allowed him to communicate with the minds of others; but that this was not done through any wisdom of the flesh or development of mind but through the grace of God. Here we begin to see that grace established some form of attunement between the individual and God whereby man might converse with God or might sense the divine mind in others and converse with them without using the tongue or any of the processes of the brain. This gives us the clue we have been seeking: We see now that grace is but another term for Cosmic Consciousness— except that it is not that form which is dependent upon mental development or mental awakening. It is dependent upon attunement with God. It is really a form of spiritual oneness with God and God only. This constitutes the grace that the Masters of the past spoke about while students sat humbly at their feet or at distant points hearing the words of sacred instruction. Turning now to the second epistle of John, which consists of only one short chapter, we find John, in the third verse, writing an exhortation to be persistent and to persevere— to persevere for the sake of truth. This truth dwells in us and we shall become conscious of it through persistent and patient effort and shall become wise and learned. He tells his followers that he wishes to make them happy for their faithful adoration; so he makes a benediction and wishes that grace will come upon all of them. It is a very beautiful verse and one which every Rosicrucian might use when anyone does a kindly deed or carries out the wishes of God. Let me quote it: "Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth, and love." Temple Section- AMORC- ■The Rosicrucian Order EL E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D T H IR T Y -F O U R PAGE FO U R Continuing our study from a slightly different angle, we discover that most primitive religious rites included the idea of developing the grace of God. In order to understand this idea from the viewpoint of the ancient mystics, we must lay aside any consideration of diverg­ ing opinion as to who and what God is. Even though we think we know and worship the real God, the time may come when people will have an even better conception of Him, and will smile at the conception we have now. They may even think our present conception quite primitive and pagan. We conceive and think of God in the light of our under­ standing. This is all the ancients did. Their idea may have been crude and surrounded with misconceptions; however, their idea of God included the great essentials. To them, God was the supreme being. He was omnipotent in every conceivable sense. They even went so far as to think of Him as being larger in stature, larger in mentality, larger in voice, possessing all the powers of the universe. He was God of the Winds, God of the Sun, God of the Water, God of the Air; in fact, God of everything, for He supplanted the score or more gods that had been previously assigned to all of the elements and conditions of the universe. To them, God was also omnipresent; in everything and everywhere. The slightest whispering produced by the wind; the rip­ ples on the surface of the water contained His presence. Every altar in home or temple, every casket, every fountain, every shrine, con­ tained the presence of God. In many ways, the ancients had an even greater appreciation of the presence of God than we have today. In many of our present-day churches, prayers petition God to come down into the congregation and be present in the edifice— as though God had not been present since the previous Sunday or Wednesday evening. Many other prayers ask God to visit a certain locality, or come into a certain place, as though He were not already there. To the ancients, such an idea would have seemed peculiar. They not only looked upon God as being constantly and continuously present in every holy temple, shrine, and sacred place, but as being present wherever living things, living creatures, were to be found. He was therefore always present night and day in every home where there were living persons who recognized Him or paid adoration to Him. Certainly, He was continuously present in the great temples, and never had to be asked or petitioned to be present on special occasions. The Jewish religion took this idea from the Orient and built in every synagogue a holy altar which represented the eternal and con­ tinuous presence of God in the place. Therefore, a worshipper at any time of the day or night, whether a service was being conducted or not, could be sure of finding the presence of God at the altar. Going there or standing near would bring one closer to some form of attune- ment with God So, even though the pagans and ancient peoples had strange ideas about the appearance of God and believed many peculiar Temple Section- -AMORC- -The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D T H IR T Y -FO U R PAGE FIVE things about Him— such as that He was extremely Jealous and filled with wrath, easily angered by sinful acts, ready to smite people with pesti­ lence and famine or catastrophe in order to make them obey His wil l ; still the God they conceived was as perfect as was their light. We un­ derstand, therefore, how they attributed to this God of theirs a be­ nevolent and kindly side. With all His anger, Jealousy, and wrath, they believed He also had a great amount of love, an encompassing kind­ ness, and a most friendly feeling for those who obeyed Him. It was the desire, therefore, of the most religious and devout to win the friendship and the love of God by living properly, obeying His laws, find fearing Him. In order to win His friendship and love, and thus be sure of being blessed with favors, it was necessary to find grace with God. Once more, we may smile at the methods that some adopted to find this grace; but after all, they did not do many things that were greatly different from what the churches advise us to do today. Thousands of ancient mystics believed that by abandoning their worldly standing, heritage, and possessions they would more quickly find this grace. Taking Buddha as an example, we know that he was not the only one born of royal blood and princely standing who abandoned his palace, titles, elegant clothing, and worldly things, to put on poor garments and go forth as a beggar into the world to preach a re­ ligious doctrine. Some of the greatest rulers known to history sacri­ ficed half, if not all, of their worldly power at times to find grace with God. Some believed that by living apart from worldly people and temptations, in caves, grottos, on the mountaintops, or in uninhabited valleys, they would develop greater spirituality and thus attain grace. In this belief, we find the origin of the anchorite. Others believed that by separating themselves from the world and living with those who felt as they did, devoting their time to study and medita­ tion on spiritual subjects and to humanitarian work for others, they would find grace. This was the origin of monastic organizations and monasteries. Still others believed that by persecuting their physical bodies, neglecting them, and thus making the world and its temptations less interesting, they would increase the spiritual side of their na­ tures and obtain grace. This was the origin of Oriental systems of self-punishment still existing in India and other countries. Some of the most uneducated and illiterate of the pagans believed that by burning sacrifices to God they would obtain grace. This custom was partly adopted by the Jewish people and is still existent as a reli­ gious rite in many countries. Others thought that building temples with spires, pointing to the heavens in which long and glorious prayers could be offered, and in which they could achieve spiritual separation from the world, would help to bring grace, and this was the origin of the many unique build­ ings of magnificent height and wonderful spires. The ideas held by the ancients were many, greater than many book lengths. There were those who believed that God was Temple Section- ■AMORC -The Rosicrucian Order E L E V E N T H DEGREE N U M B E R O N E H U N D R E D T H IR T Y -FO U R PAGE SIX confined to special forms and places; that He existed in certain stones or metals, and that these carried on the person or hung around the neck would bring grace. This was the beginning of belief in amulets and lucky oharms. There were others who believed that the spirit of God resided in certain animals. Such animals were carefully protected and faithfully watched, not as God but as representatives of God, and the idea is still held in some Oriental countries where certain animals are greatly respected. Then came the sex idea based upon ignorance 0/ such matters. They believed that since life in all its visible methods of re­ production seemed associated with the sex organs, God's power resided solely in them and so grew a system of sex worship, which without any element of perversion, still was erroneous and led to many misconcep­ tions of God and life generally. The outstanding fact is that through the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages as well, man sought to find grace with God by winning His favor; and it is to be noted that the one fundamental idea for finding grace was that of attuning oneself with God through proper living and through obeying His laws. Up to the time that Moses came to his people with tablets of stone upon which certain comments were definitely written, people of the world had no definitely prescribed and worded laws as being the laws of God. They based all of their understanding of God's laws upon occurrences in life which they observed. A child does not have to study a medical book to know that cutting his finger with a knife pro­ duces pain, injury, loss of blood, and some inconvenience in the use of the finger. In the same way as a child observed the law of pro­ tecting the finger to save pain, these ancients observed that by not doing certain things they were happier, in better health, and found a certain peace and spiritual power that they would not have had other­ wise. Consequently, they worked out a code that seemed to them to represent the fundamental laws of God. These laws we are going to study and analyze in connection with earning, deserving, and attaining the grace of God. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete mono­ graph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. ^1 T o the ancients, God was the supreme being in the world, and though their ideas may seem strange to us, we should remember that our ideas may seem just as strange to the people of the future. T hey believed that to win God’s friendship and love, it was necessary to find grace with God; and their methods of achieving grace are not greatly different from those advised by churches today. The methods for achieving grace included carrying certain stones or metals, amulets, and lucky charms; self-denial of worldly belongings; devoting life to humanitarian deeds; living apart from others in monasteries or caves; and the burning of sacrifices to God. Throughout the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, man sought to find grace by win­ ning G od’s favor, and the one fundamental idea for finding it was through attuning himself with God through proper living and obeying H is laws. In the following Books of the Christian Bible, we learn that grace is of God and that it was handed down through Jesus (John 1:16, 17 and Luke 2 :4 0 ); that it is a bene­ diction (I Peter 4 : 1 0 ), and that the Apostles were given the power to pass it on (A cts 4:33; 14:3; 2 0 : 2 4 ). ^ In the first chapter of II Corinthians, we are told of Paul’s trials and how they were overcome by the use o f grace. As Paul uses the word, it is another term for Cosmic Consciousness and is dependent upon attunement with God. T he student should analyze what he thinks the fundamental laws of God are that will bring approval of God and bring him grace. H e should list them and keep the list with this monograph. T his m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s o le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m oke th e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . n O O O o ft The Rosicrucian Order MASTER MONOGRAPH I L L U M I N A T I S E C T IO N This monograph alw ays remains the property of the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. I t is not purchased by, b u t loaned to, the receiving member. bm Degree Degree 11 11 M onograph Monograph 135 135 L0jtfae$ruri£ REGISTERED IN U.S. PAT ENT OFFICE 1279 ‘ ALSO «LG»STEftEO THROUGHOUT TmC wORLO) »»INTf0 <WU.t.A. PM The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Su­ preme Council of the A. M. O. R. C. under the emblem above, which was registered in the United States Patent Office for the purpose of protecting all the "printed, engraved, typewritten, and photographic copies o f officially prescribed and copyrighted monographs, dis­ sertations, scientific postulations, philosophical discourses, academic studies, diagrams, illustrations, and charts" as authorized by the Im perator of A. M. O. R. C. (Th e above emblem and name of the Order are also registered in countries throughout the world.) All matters herein contained are strictly confidential to the member receiving, and are imparted only as an incident to membership. Tne ownership of. the legal title, and the right o f possession to this monograph is and snail remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of A. M. O. R. C. and it shall be returned to it upon its request. The contents herein are loaned to be used for the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use does, ipso facto, terminate all rights of the member, and la a violation o f tne Statutes o f this Order. A. M. O. R. C. is the only organization authorized to use the Reg­ istered name and symbols, and the Imperator has sole right to grant the use o f them to other allied organizations or movements. THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V • J P ta h - H o te p ’s P r e c e p ts h a v e b een s a id to constitute the oldest book in the world. This means th a t the p a ra g ra p h quoted, th en , reflects th e a ttitu d e of E g y p t on th a t subject in th e F ifth Memphite Dynasty. Consideration of it will, no d o ubt, e n h a n c e your a p p re c ia tio n of th e th o u g h ts in th is monograph. If thou hast, as leader, to decide on the conduct of a great number of men, seek the most perfect m anner of doing so that thy own conduct may be without reproach. Justice is great, invariable, and assured; it has not been disturbed since the age of Osiris. To throw obstacles in the way of the laws is to open the way before violence. Shall that which is below gain the upper hand, if the unjust does not attain to the place of justice ? even he who says: I take for myself, of my own free-will; but says not: I take by virtue of my authority. The limitations of justice are invariable; such is the instruction which every man receives from his father. —P T A H -H O T E P , F ifth M em p h ite D y n a s ty Temple Section A MO R C The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings! As stated in our last discussion, there are certain fundamen­ tal laws which have been revealed to man from time to time in his meditations and contemplations, which he considers divine simply because they did not originate through any decree of his mind; nor does he enforce these laws or put them into application. People have had excellent examples in past years of the futil­ ity of man-made laws when such are arbitrarily created and do not represent the agreement of the majority. If man makes laws for himself and for others which meet the general approval, they are easily enforced; even arbitrarily written laws, issued as something of man's own making and at the same time agreeable to the majority of human beings, are also so closely associated with divine law that the two are practically one. In other words, as long as man sticks closely to the essence and spirit of divine laws in the manufacture and issuance of laws of his own creation, he will be successful as a lawmaker, but the moment man begins to create laws that have no similarity to or apparent duplicate in the divine laws, he is a failure as a lawmaker. One example in the United States was the so-called prohibition law. No other law was ever more stringently written and seriously tabulated in the Constitution than the one against the sale and manufacture of intoxicating liquors. Few existing laws in the United States have had enough money and men, furnished by the government, to enforce them. Notwithstanding all this, the prohi­ bition law was not successful simply because it did not meet the approval of the majority of persons affected by it; in their eyes, it was neither popular nor reasonable. This was not because the average person in the United States desired to drink, for some of the greatest opponents of the law were nondrinkers; but because it was inconsistent with fundamental laws and deprived man of certain rights which are his and which enable him to develop and attain mastership of himself. For this reason, the law did not have the universal support of the citizenry of the United States. Men and women who knew the law was being broken and knew the names and addresses of those violating it, made no reports to the government or to the police, nor did they cooperate in having the lawbreakers punished. If these same lawbreakers had been violating other laws such as robbing or setting fire to homes, or injuring children, the citizens would have felt justified in notifying the police and asking that the criminals be punished. The consequence was that the government had to spend more money and hire more enforcers of the law than it should have been necessary to do, and the prohibition law still was unsuccessful. In ancient times, man did not arbitrarily create laws as we do today in courts or by voting upon propositions Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 PAGE T W O created in the mind of some congressman, senator, or some other citizen; nor did these ancient people have as many laws decreed by their rulers as we have in some countries today. The ancients dis­ covered the fundamental laws of life through experience and through observation, study, and analysis of their experiences. They dis­ covered the law of the Moon's cycle by observing that every twenty- eight days the same changes took place in the Moon. This taught them the periodicity of the Moon's cycle. They learned about the Sun and its cycle through observing that it appeared to rise on the eastern horizon each morning, and set on the western horizon each evening with just so many hours elapsing between rising and set­ ting. They observed that rains furnished the land with something necessary to the growth of plants, and this became a law to them. They also observed the manifestation of many very subtle laws and thus became acquainted with the laws themselves, and were able to state the effect of the laws even if they did not know the precise causes. It was only natural, therefore, that the first laws man made for governing himself, and those around him, should have con­ formed to natural or divine law. He noticed a certain period in each year when plant and animal life seemed to desire to reproduce itself. Thus, he learned there was some law operating in the spring, and if he wanted his crops to grow, he would plant them at the particular time favored by divine law. He did not think of making an arbitrary law of his own as we do today. Again, he found it easier to obey laws that coincided with divine laws than to obey laws contrary to them. We know that it is easier to plant things to grow in the spring than in the middle of winter. We cannot expect nature to change her fundamen­ tal laws, and cause plants to grow and flowers to bloom in the winter just because we prefer that period of the year for sowing the seeds. Most of the early laws governing man were what we might call unwritten laws. Perhaps man did not attempt to put them into definite form, to give them titles and describe them in words, but he sensed and understood them, and transmitted his impressions to his children, and they to theirs. It was not until Moses and his Ten Commandments that man attempted to interpret many of the divine fundamental laws and establish them as a compulsory system of living. It is true that before the time of Moses, rulers may have made certain laws but they did not claim them to be divinely revealed. They based them upon purely arbitrary principles, and so there was constant warfare _ and contest, for they were often unfair and unreasonable. Moses, however, presented to the people laws and princi­ ples which were essentially just and reasonable and in cooperation with Cosmic principles. Of course, the major­ ity of his people did not understand the laws which Moses Temple Section A M0 RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 PAGE THREE presented. They recognized that most of them were good and for man's general benefit, but a large number refused to accept them, and it was only because the laws he offered were held to be of divine origin that they were accepted. Divine laws do not need enforcement by man to make themselves respected and understood. A divine law manifests its power, automatically and without man's assistance. A man-made law, on the other hand, has to be enforced, and if man does not enforce it, the violator may escape without dire consequences. When the violators of the prohibition laws in America were not punished by the governemnt or the police, they escaped without punishment. The laws which Moses presented to his people had been in effect among mystics and intelligent, thinking people in many parts of the world, for years, but the average person had not been aware of them. The whole of esoteric development and progress in life is based first upon the helpful cooperative attitude of all men and women, and second, upon the protective sense of justice. Taking the Ten Commandments, then, as one group of fundamental laws representing man's first expression of his interpretation of divine laws, we find that they relate to man's relationship to God and man's relationship to man. These laws attempt to regulate man's moral and ethical practices. By obeying them, man was attun­ ing himself with Cosmic principles, so to speak. It was the begin­ ning of an attempt to show human beings how to live in harmony with the Cosmic. Cosmic laws are not only automatic in their reaction when violated or broken, but they are absolutely consistent with man's desires for progress and increasing evolutionary development. That is the reason why thousands of persons have studied law in its fundamentals as one of the greatest of the human sciences. The immutability of divine law warrants man's greatest admiration and adoration. We cannot conceive of a human mind inventing ten, or even five, fundamental laws for the governemnt of the people of the world and having them consistent and always operating in perfect order and harmony. The human mind would have a natural tendency to make exceptions in the application of such laws. The human mind would be naturally inclined to make its own children exempt from the effects of such laws, and the ruler himself who created them would feel that he had the right to break them whenever he chose. Man has discovered, however, that the divine laws apply to every creature and every living thing without regard to social standing, wealth, age, nationality, religion, or anything else. Man has come to learn that no matter where he may go in hiding, or to what part of the Earth he may travel to escape the laws which he has broken, the effects will come just the same and without any assistance from other human beings. Man has made an even greater discovery than this. He has Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 PAGE F O U R discovered that by living in harmony with such laws and obeying them, or applying them to his way of living, he not only escapes the punishment that would come to him if he violated them, but he gains a rich reward through cooperating with the laws. For instance, man discovered that planting seeds in the springtime instead of in the winter not only avoided loss of seed, but also brought him a richer reward for cooperating with nature's princi­ ples in the greater growth of plants. Throughout the ages man has observed these facts about funda­ mental laws but has failed to give the proper consideration to them. He accepts a great many as fundamental, but rejects others, and in this way he makes serious blunders in his development of civilization and in the evolution of his own life. Let us see first what are some of the more basic esoteric laws upon which Moses based his decalogue. Undoubtedly, the most funda­ mental and outstanding of all esoteric laws is that of honoring or loving God. In an attempt to make children of modern times under­ stand this law, God has been pictured as a Father knowing and see­ ing all, and as being like a human father in His desires to have children obey Him, being ready to punish with anger and wrath any­ one who displeased Him. Primitive man did not visualize God in this personal sense, but looked upon Him as a great principle. He discovered that God punished men for violating this law, but he did not consider this punishment as coming from an angered mind or a wrathful heart, but merely as an automatic reaction. It was not until after man began to conceive of God as a being that he added the human elements of anger, wrath, and similar traits of human nature. Of course, in this regard, man made a great error, and that error has been passed down to us, even to the present. The early mystics, however, looked upon God as a great over­ consciousness, a sort of superior mind and as a governing power that exercised no discrimination and showed neither mercy nor for­ giveness, anger nor wrath. We like to think of judges today as being representatives of the governing laws without personal bias or prejudice in any sense. We like to think that when the judge on the bench orders some form of punishment for a lawbreaker, he is not showing any personal resentment, any personal anger or dis­ pleasure, but is merely administering the law impersonally and automatically. At the same time, we like to feel that he is not swayed by feelings of preferment or favor and that he is dealing with everyone, rich and poor, alike; that his own son, his own parents, those dearest to him would receive the same treatment as an absolute stranger. This is the way the mystics looked upon God and His government of the world and the people in it. In the same way, they did not consider that the rich rewards which came to them when they loved God's ways and obeyed his rules were a sort of special blessing that God Temple Section A M O RC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 P A G E FIVE gave to them as one might give ice cream or a toy to a child who had obeyed his parents. This would have greatly weakened the divine concept of God, as you will plainly understand. Yet there are millions of persons in the world today, and especially those who are studying certain metaphysical principles prepared by some inconsequential schools, who really think that the Cosmic blessing which comes to them is a sort of special blessing that God has created and given to them merely as a token of His joy at their obedience. They do not grasp the idea that their reward comes automatically because of their cooperation with the law, and that God could and would not withhold from them the reward, nor would He enlarge it or increase it in any sense simply because they obeyed Him. Thus, early mystics developed a truly esoteric understanding of God and His ways. The one great lesson they learned, however, was that by loving God with a sort of human love, adoring Him, and offering prayer and praise, and by having this divine love in their hearts, they made it easy for themselves to follow the divine laws, and at the same time keep themselves attuned with God's Mind to receive further inspiration and guidance. They were not merely pleasing a divine being with their childish adoration. We all know of the school child who thinks to get along more easily in his lessons and examinations by bringing apples, flowers or other little gifts to the teacher, but we know, too, that the teacher gave just as good rewards to the child who brought no apples, flowers, or gifts, but who followed the school system honestly and kept himself attuned with the spirit of the rules which the teacher tried to exercise. In other words, all that the teacher asked was not that respect for her authority be turned into a personal adoration, bringing with it gifts and flowers, but that all should have a personal respect for her and the system which she was trying to establish in the school. By attuning sympathetically with her and trying to understand her aims and to follow her rules and regulations, the results wanted were automatically brought into all lives. By cooperating with the teacher we learn our lessons. It has taken thousands of years to teach this to the children of all schools, yet even today not everyone believes it. To the mystic, attunement with God meant harmonizing one's nature, one's emotions, one's thoughts, and sentiments with those which seemed to be in the mind of the great Maker. This attunement produced certain emotions, certain sensitive impressions, and certain fortunate features in the lives of men. There came greater health, greater peace and greater power. These benefits did not come suddenly, but gradually; and whenever one forgot or failed to keep up the attunement, he discovered that there was a relapse to his former unhappy state. He found that by attuning himself with the Consciousness of Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 135 P A G E SIX God, God seemed to operate through him instead of just around him, and instead of being on the outside of a great circle trying to get within it and live in accordance with law, he became a part of the great circle with his human relatives, or those sharing directly or indirectly in such benefits. Undoubtedly, there were those who tried to turn such attunement into purely material benefits to themselves in a selfish manner but this again was revealed as inconsistent with the Cosmic plan. They were neither successful nor happy in such attunement. Thus the mystics were able to write their thoughts and ideas regarding the value of Cosmic and Divine Attunement as revealed in meditation. As I sit writing this lesson, just as I have written all the others, I try to visualize each of you listening to my words and trying to visualize me speaking to you with the utmost confidence and trust. My effort and my sole aim is to make plain precisely what I have learned from our teachings and what I have discovered in the ancient Rosicrucian teachings. Many of these lessons I have to learn with you, for I am not perfect in them and sometimes feel that I will never be able to master all of them in this incarna­ tion. Even if I have not mastered them to the degree where they dominate my living and make my life a perfect one, I have given hours of thought to each of the principles and believe that I understand them well enough to explain them to you in more simple form. Often these laws and principles are stated very briefly in the manuscripts that have come to me. Sometimes a whole law is expressed in just eight or ten words and I take hundreds of words to translate it and explain it to you so that there can be no mis­ understanding about it and no possibility of error. Of course, I have the advantage inasmuch as I have had months and years to study some of these principles. I have many different manuscripts to refer to and the comments of many masters of ancient lodges regarding their experiences in dealing with the laws and principles. This enables me to combine the various comments and so produce a version in modern form for your understanding. I want each of you to feel you can rely upon the trustworthi­ ness, integrity, and correctness of the statements that I make in regard to the various points involved in these monographs. If I speak of some historical matter or some ancient custom or some old- time principle, I want you to know that I have thoroughly and care­ fully investigated the subject; and regardless of what others have said, I believe you can depend upon my statements being correct. I have no purpose in making statements other than to have you know the truth. It is not as though our organization were attempting to start a new religion or a new political party or a new system of commerce or anything of that kind. In such a case we might be biased or prejudiced, or try to change matters in order to fit our scheme and Temple Section A MO R C The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER 135 PAGE SEVEN plans; but our sole desire is to have members of our Order familiar with the truth. There is before my mind that beautiful principle which Akhnaton adopted as his guide in life and which he had engraved on all his documents and on the temple walls and at the beginning and end of all his writings. That phrase was, "Living in truth forever and ever eternally." You will note that this phrase does not say that he was studying truth or reading truth but that he was living in it. That is why his life was such a memorable success, even considering its very short span in that incarnation; and why it was filled with love and admiration and the greatest amount of human devotion on the part of those who knew that he was living and teaching truth. Now to go back to our study of laws: Moses came forward with a decalogue that is commonly called the Ten Commandments. Command­ ment is a poor word to use, especially in English where the word command has a very definite meaning. In the time of Akhnaton and thereafter, there were certain laws which constituted the spirit­ ual, ethical, moral code of life, but these were not called com­ mandments . They were in the nature of affirmations— as we see from that beautiful set of principles which we have printed on a card called Confession to Maat. I hope that each of you has one of these cards in your Sanctum, and if you have not you may secure one from the Rosicrucian Supply Bureau. You will note in this Confes­ sion that at the end of each day the mystic reviewed his acts and proceeded to affirm or confess to God and himself that he had not cheated anyone by selling him anything that was short in weight, nor had he robbed anyone of his rightful earthly possessions, nor injured anyone, and so on. The mystic looks upon the fundamental esoteric principles of life not as commandments from God demanding that he must do this, that, or the other thing, but as commandments from the Self to the self. He knows that God has revealed to him the proper way to live and that he has the free will to choose whether he will live according to these revealed principles or not. God has at no time told the mystic that he must be honest or that he must be fair. He has simply revealed the fact that if he is honest, there will be certain rewards and reactions which will benefit him; and that if he is not honest, there will be other reactions that will be dis­ pleasing to him. In accordance with how he chooses, he builds up his Karma. It is absolutely immaterial to God whether we follow the right path or the wrong one. God has not demanded or commanded that we do one thing or the other. This is the way the mystic looks at it, and it is the way you should look at it. On the other hand, if you believe that certain esoteric principles are right and will bring you happiness and reward instead of misery and want, then you will exercise your free will and command yourself to do the Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE NUMBER 135 PAGE EIGHT right thing. There are thousands of persons in every community who are honest in their dealings, not because the law says that those who are dishonest will go to jail, and not because they are afraid of being arrested or punished, but because the policy of honesty appeals to their reason and their logic and they have commanded themselves as a sort of self-established code of living to be honest. There are millions of people in the world who never use profanity or take God's name in vain in connection with any threat, or even in heated statements. They may lose their tempers and, in loud and angry voices, say many things, but they will not use vulgar profanity. There is no law that commands men and women in each country to avoid profanity under threat of arrest or punish- ment--except in some very extreme cases. Those persons who do not use profanity are those who do not like it and who think it is injurious to the personality and character. They look upon it as a vulgarity in which they would not think of indulging: They have made it a rule not to use vulgar speech. So it is with all laws of an esoteric or fundamental nature. The only real reason we should have for obeying or following such laws, is our own determination to do so. In other words, we should adopt these laws and princi­ ples freely as a rule and guide in our living, not out of fear but out of admiration for them. We have hundreds of unwritten laws which regulate our lives and which we adhere to because we agree with them. One is that we do not go about our neighbors' homes in the nighttime, prying into windows or climbing up stepladders to see inside. We protest against persons who pry into our affairs, and we do not want to be guilty of it ourselves. There is no law against our going into a person's clothes closets or looking into desk and table drawers when we are in someone's home on a visit; nevertheless, we would not do it even when we are left alone in a room because we feel it is not right and that doing so is evidence of a very primitive form of weakness. There are many hundreds of such principles which we have adopted, and which are not command­ ments from some superior being or some superior authority, but commandments from the Inner Self to the outer self or, let us say dictations from the Inner Self to the outer self. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This M onograph V V V Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. 1f Cosmic or divine laws are consistent with m an’s desires for progress and evolutionary development, In contrast to those laws of the human mind which have a tendency to make exceptions in their application, divine law is just, im partial and inescapable. H Man must closely attune his laws with the essence and spirit of divine laws if he wishes to succeed as a lawmaker. The Ten Commandments were the first expression of m an’s interpretation of divine laws which have to do w ith man’s relationship to God and man’s relationship to man. f Early mystics thought of God as a superior mind and governing power, exercising neither mercy nor forgiveness. Only later, when man conceived of Him as a being, did God assume the human elements of anger, w rath, and similar traits. To the mystic, attunem ent meant harmonizing oneself with those laws which seemed to be in the mind of the great Maker. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resolvest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish .—-UNTO THEE I GRANT The limits of man-made laws were emphasized in this monograph, especially insofar as enforcement is concerned. The more laws that man makes the more difficult it becomes to enforce them, and the more complex becomes the life-style of the people covered by those laws. When laws become so numerous and complex, the average person, and even law enforcement officials can no longer keep track of them. Right now you may be breaking some law that at some time was entered in the statute books of your community. It has been said that you cannot legislate morality. Instead of making laws to cover everything th at one person does to irritate another, it is far more important for society to educate itself to act in a responsible fashion, and have only a few general laws th at cover most particulars. Think of the many rules th a t you may have set up in your own household over the years, and see if they have helped, or perhaps hindered the general order of your life. It is also said that he who rules least rules best, which is all saying that we must awaken a sense of responsibility in each individual to respect and care for himself and others even as you now do. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s o lo o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m ake th e s e lle r and p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . i THE CONCURRENCE This Week’s Consideration of a Famous Opinion V V V •I Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses, when he learned of M oses’ success in leading the Hebrews out of the captivity o f Egypt, visited him at one of the encam pm ents. N oting the heavy responsibility w hich M oses had personally assum ed, Jethro advised him. It is well to remember Jethro’s advice since following' it, Moses gave to the world the Ten Com m andm ents. 15 And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to enquire of God: 16 When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. 17 And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people th at is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, th at thou mayest bring the causes unto God: 20 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work th at they must do. 21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: 22 And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great m atter they shall bring unto thee, but every small m atter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee. 23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace. —Ex. 18:15-23 A uthorized V ersion o f Bible Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 136 PAGE ONE Beloved Members, Greetings 1 When Moses came down from the mountaintop of Initiation and meditation and told his people that God had revealed to him in a flash of light (which meant the symbolic light of Cosmic Illumina­ tion) certain fundamental laws which should be commandments, he did not mean that they were to understand that God had thundered forth these commandments as demands upon the people. However, he did mean that these rules might be easily adopted as commandments from the Inner Self to the outer self, but that the outer self always had the right and privilege of choosing whether to obey them or not. Understanding this idea of what constitutes a "commandment" or a Cosmic law, let us take the ten commandments that Moses brought forth and see what they represent. Bear in mind that they represented fundamental laws which had already proved themselves to be right to the mystics of all countries where spiritually minded persons had attuned themselves with the Cosmic and had learned what was right and what was wrong. The first commandment was that man should worship no other god but the everliving God, and that he should have no other gods before Him. The very fact that this rule included a multiplicity of gods, and warned man that he should have no other gods before the everliving God, plainly shows what was wrong with the thinking and worshipping of the people at that time. Perhaps it is no dif­ ferent today. Primitive man worshipped a great number of gods: gods of fire, water, lightning, storms, agriculture, good luck, and what not. The Jewish people to whom Moses gave these commandments also had a number of gods in material form; the principal ones were idols made of gold and some of these were even in the form of animals. The idea was not intended that God was jealous in a personal sense and wanted all the worship for Himself. We cannot make the idea of personal jealousy compatible with the idea of a merciful, loving, considerate, and wise God. It would have been very easy for God if He had been a jealous Creator to make man of such a mental make-up that man could never have thought of worship­ ping any other god but his Creator. The fact that God made man's mind of such a reasoning and thinking nature that he could think of other gods and create other gods for himself and continue to worship them if he chose to do so, shows that God is tolerant, broad-minded, and certainly above petty, personal jealousy. There­ fore, it was not in a jealous spirit that God revealed to man that it is better to worship only one god. We know what it is to attempt to worship a number of gods, and I have a very good idea that the ancient primitive peoples made as many discoveries as do we, and that in worshipping a number of gods they kept themselves in hot water con­ stantly. We have among us those who worship the god of gold while at the same time trying to worship the god of Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 136 PAGE T W O lust, appetite, fine clothes, automobiles, business prestige, political fame, social standing, and what not. They have to swing from one to the other of their gods many times a day and often get themselves into predicaments, worshipping one too much and neglect­ ing the others. The man who makes his scientific laboratory researches the god of his heart, and worships that laboratory and his experimnets as though they were the only god in the universe, soon finds that he is in a predicament. The god of home life, the god of money, the god of hunger, and all the others begin to get jealous and upset his way of living, and he soon is at the mercy of the jealous gods whom he has neglected. The man or woman who worships social life as a god, and centers devotion, worship, admiration, and service upon that god of society, soon finds other material gods getting jealous and causing trouble; then the little devil of the kingdom of Hell begins to get in his work also. Perhaps there is no more unfortunate personal, worldly god than the god of vanity; it is a jealous and envious one, and once it takes hold of a person's thoughts, it causes endless trouble. To worship it is one of the surest ways of going down into the hellpit of despondency, regret, and everything that is deplorable. It closes the door to wisdom and understanding although it permits high sailing until the time of the inevitable fall that is the most destructive experience in life. It blinds its worshippers so that they cannot see properly. It affects their hearing, and their other senses. They never see themselves as others see them, and they miss the most beautiful things of life and as time goes on are more helpless than a blind person on crutches. But there are so many other gods today that we cannot name them all. Primitive man, who had a multiplicity of nature gods, had a more simple life than those who worship many gods today. He could build a statue to each of his gods and set pots of incense in front of them and then go away and let the incense do his worship­ ping for him. Or he could stand at each and bow down for a minute, and in an hour, worship sixty of them and be through with it for the whole day. But men and women today who worship false gods are tied fast to them and enslaved, and have to worship them day and night, and are never free from such enslavement. To the mystic, the worship of the everliving God brought freedom instead of slavery. He discovered that there could be only one God whom all could worship--one that would not enslave him. If you will think a moment with me right now, you will see how true this is. Can you think of any other god, false or real, in this world that you can worship sincerely and with the utmost devotion of your heart, and have so much freedom come from it? Every other god demands a high price and brings to the human being who worships it only destruction and false benefits. Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 136 PAGE THREE Perhaps there has never been any more enticing, attractive or seductive god than that of gold; and yet, looking over the history of the world, it has caused more anguish, suffering, and pain, than any other. Certainly there never has been any god conceived in the mind of man that so enslaved him while pretending to give him happiness. And what do we find after centuries of worship of the god of gold? We find that if this god had been made of the cheap­ est metal or had been just a god of water or air he could not have been of less importance to us. Overnight, the world could reduce the value of gold to a cheapness equal to the sands of the shores and our god would come tumbling down. We have seen in recent years what could and really did happen to this god of gold. Persons who worshipped it and thought they were highest and most mighty in different countries were left stranded on the shores of poverty and want in a few days' time. Not only was their god completely dethroned from his high pedestal, but he forsook them and left them in poverty and want, ridiculed by those who had worshipped some other god. And then what did these persons discover? They found that the things they had been worshipping as the most important, most powerful, and most influential, were as hollow and shallow as an empty space in the universe. They found that they had to start over again at the bottom of the ladder of life. They found they had to seek for joy where their god of gold did not count. They found they had to pin their faith in happiness in life on other things than gold, and soon learned that gold was of the least value in trying to live a happy, contented life. I have talked with many of these worshippers of false gods and I have letters from them constantly in which they tell frankly what bitter lessons they have learned since their false gods deserted them. Freedom, freedom, freedom is the thing they now cry for and find by turning their attention to the real God instead of to false ones. Their god of gold kept them worried, kept them constantly anxious, made them slaves to stock tickers, to stock quotations, to rising and falling market values and to all kinds of abnormal things that left them no time for enjoyment of life. Now that gold has been taken out of their lives and the false god dethroned, they may have nothing of a material nature, but at least they have freedom. Those who have made drinking and debauchery their gods are likewise enslaved and it is only when these false gods are taken out of their lives that they find real freedom. Look at the thousands who have tried to find happiness, peace, quiet sleep, beautiful visions, inspiring ideas, and real joy through worship­ ping the god of cocaine, or the god of opium, or the god of absinthe, and other gods of the flesh. Can you think of any more enslaved human beings than these? While having wild and seemingly beautiful visions and hours of peace and rest, their physical bodies were being broken Temple Section AMORC The Rosicrucian Order ELEVENTH DEGREE N U M B E R 136 PAGE FOUR down and their clothing becoming sordid and unkempt. Their appearance became frightful, their tongues thick and vulgar, their eyes bloodshot, their nerves upset; and they became despised, hunted outcasts of the world. What a price for happiness! What a price to pay to any god for visions, for beautiful pictures, for freedom from other worries! It is true that such persons temporar­ ily found a degree of freedom from business worries, trials and griefs, from pain or suffering; but they found freedom from these only by becoming slaves to other things. Worshipping the everliv­ ing God of the Cosmic brings a complete freedom from the troubles of the world and adds no new enslaving conditions. This truth the mystics discovered early; and it formed the basis for that command­ ment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Take this commandment and meditate on it for a week in connec­ tion with other exercises which you feel you want to continue; but start today to discover what false gods are ruling your life. Analyze your thinking and your living. See if there are other gods hidden away in little sanctums of your consciousness where you go many times a day to worship and enslave yourself. Help me to bring about the regeneration and change in your life that we want Rosi­ crucian teaching to accomplish. You will, thereby, acquire the freedom which comes from worshipping the true and everliving God. Look out for little gods that seem inconsequential; for in this tricky way these false gods make you believe that they are benefi­ cial. See how many of these gods you can discover and cast out. Next week I shall tell you the benefits resulting from this sort of meditation. Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER Summary of This Monograph V V V Below is a sum m ary of the im portant principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statem ents which you should not forget. After you h ave carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as m any as you can of the im portant points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. A lso refer to th is summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory. 51 Prim itive man worshipped a great number of gods: gods of fire, w ater, lightning, etc. Modern man chooses the following: gods of home life, money, hunger, drinking, and debauchery. 51 The early mystics discovered th at worshipping the everliving God of the Cosmic brings complete freedom and asks no enslaving conditions as a price to be paid. 51 Those who have made drinking and debauchery their gods are likewise enslaved and it is only when these false gods are taken out of their lives th at they find real freedom. 51 The first commandment states that man should w orship no other god but the everliving God, and th at he should have no other gods before Him. The student should take the first commandment, meditate on it, and attem pt to discover w hat false gods have been ruling his life. The Weekly Application Whatsoever thou resoluest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish. —UNTO THEE I GRANT It has been discussed before th at we have not yet quite arrived at a true concept of a single god who is not only supreme, but who in fact is everything. The term “Supreme Being”, while a substitute for the term “God,” is still incomplete as a description of the Cosmic Being. Designating a “Supreme Being” implies that there are other beings, over which one is supreme. This leads to confusion, and to the concept th at there is some sort of personalized deity over and above the elements of the universe. In pantheistic mysticism, Being is all things, and all things are simply integral parts of the large unit. Negative and positive actions are also part of Being, and good and evil are terms man assigns to the effects these negative and positive actions have upon him. Thus pantheism is devoid of any sense of deity, or super consciousness apart from man. Think about this during the week, that within this viewpoint a mature man divests himself of the last vestige of any crutch or excuse for his misfortunes. He and nature are subject only to Cosmic law, and Cosmic law determines the events of his life. He has the potential to know Cosmic law, and then the choice to live in harmony with it. This m o n o g r a p h is n o t s u b je c t t o s a le o r p u r c h a s e b y a n y o n e . A s a le o r p u rch ase m ay m alce t h e s e lle r a n d p u r c h a s e r s u b je c t t o civ il lia b ility . 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