The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order

!l'RE

TRUE .A.HD

INVISiliL! OBD!li

ROSICRUCI.A.B

• •• •••• ••••
J.n Interpretation

of the liolicrucian .lllecol7

.An lxplana tion of the

Ten Boaicrucian Gradea

PADL J'OST::a c:.1S!

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Edi t10D .

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Paul J'oater Cue (Mada in the u.s.~)

Cop1X"icht 1933 b7

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!m: miE .AND IlNISIBLE BOSIC:SUCI.UJ O:RD:D.

Rosicrucianism ca~:~e into public notice early in the l 7th centU17• In 1610 the lama Frater;;itatis; or. A #i&coverY of the FraternitY of the most Le.u4able Order of the PosY Cron circula.ted in manuscript among German occ·Jltists. In 1614 it was ~lisned at Cassel, and its sequel, the Confessio fraternitatis, was printed early in the following year. Theae two pamphlets contain the story of the Order, and a reiNIIIil of ita principles DJld philoaopby. What follcnra ia a. condensed version of their contents.

Seeing the only rise and merciful God in theae latter days hath poured out ao richly Hh mercy and goodness to mankind, that we may justly bout of the happy time wherein there 1a not onl7 discovered 'lmto us the half part of the world, which waa heretofore \U:knovn and hidden, but He hath also made l!llllifest unto us l1l8.%cy \70nderful and never-heretofore seen vara and creatures of Nature, and, moroover, hath raised men, e:1dued ;rl th t;roat \lisdom, \7hich might partly renn and reduce all arts (in thia our spotted an4 imperfect age) to perfection, so that finally man might thereby und.erstaold his o'lr.l ncblenesa and uorth, and why he is called Kicrocol!jiU.I• &:ld how far his lcnowled.&e extendeth in liature • .Al thollgh the rude world here\71 th '17111 be but little pleased, but rather smile and scoff thereat; also the pride and covetousness of the learned is so great, it vill net suffer them to agree together; but uere they 'llZ1i ted, they mit;ht, out of all those thiDgll '17hich in this age God doth so richl7 bestov upon us, collect a perfect method. of all arts. lN.t such 1a their oppolli tion that they still keep, and are loth to leave, the old course, esteeming that uhl.ch hath a mere sho\7 of loarni~, more than the clear and manifested Light of Truth. To such an intontion of a general reformation, the most godl;y and highl;y iUuminated. lather, ou:r :Brother C.B..C., tho chief a."'ld original of our tratorni ty, hath much and long timo labored. :Born in 1378, in tho fi!th ;year of ~is a&e ho was placed in a cloiator, whore ho learned ind1fforontl7 tho Grook and Latin tongues, and (upon his oarnost desire and request), boi:~g ;yet in hi a growing ;years, ua.a aaaociate4 to a :Brother, P•.LL., \7ho had determined to co to the Hol7 Land.

The True nnd Invisible Rosicrucian Order This Brother died in Cyprus, yet our Brother C.R.C. did not return, but shipped himself over, and went to D~ascus, mindinc from thence to go to Jerusalem. But by reason of the feebleness of his body he rem~ined still there, ~d by his skill in physic he obt~inod ~ch favor with the Turks. In tho meantime he beca~o acquainted with the Wise ~en of Damcar in Arabia, and beheld ~hat great wonders they wrought, t:nd how nature was discovered unto then. Hereby was thnt high and noble spirit of Brother C. R. C. so stirred up, that Jerusalem was not now so cuch in his mind as Danoar. So ho made a bar· t;ain with tho i.rnbic.ns that they should carry him far a CErt=.in s= of money to Dar!cu. He 'lt'!l.S but of the age of sixteen yeus when he cc..":le thither. Tho T:ise i.!cn receiv&d him not as a stranger (as he hinself witnesseth), but as one whoa thoy had long expected: th~J called him by his name c..~d showed ~im other scorota out of his cloister, whereat he could not but r.ightily wonder. Ho learned there bettor the Arabian tongue, so that the year followinc he tranclated tho ~oot K (Liher }fundi) into good L4tin, which he ~terwarda brought with him. This is the place where he did learn his medicine nnd his cnthemntica. hftcr three years he returned again with sood consent, shipped h~aelf over Sinus i.rabicus into Egj~t, where he renc.incd r.ot lor~, but only took better notice there of tho plants and creatures. He sailed over tho whole Uediterrnnean Sen for to come unto Fe£, where the J~abi~ns hnd directed him. Every year the Arabians and hfricans do send one to another, inquirin£ one of nnethor out of thoir arta, if happily they had found out some better thinga, ar if cxperionce had weakened their opinions. Year~ thoro camo somethin~ to light where~ the mathematics, medicine, ~nd magic (for in those are they of Fe& moat skilful) were nmended. At Fe£ he did get noquaintanoe with thoao which o.ro ccll'l!:lonly called thE: Ele1110ntary Inho.bitants, who reveal~d unto him DUnY of their secreta, aa we likewise ~isht cnther tosether r.c.ny things it there were the like unity and desire of searching out secrets nmong Ul• Of those nt Fe£ he did often confess, that their magic wns not altogether pure, and alae that their Qabalah wns defiled with their religionJ but, notwith• standing, he knew how to make good uao of the aame, and round still more bettor grounds for hia faith; alto~cther agrucnble with the hArmony of the whole world and wonderfully icpressod in all perioda of time. Thonoc proooedoth that tuir concord, that aa in every several kernel is contained a whole good tree or fruit, so likowise is includod in the little b~ ot man, the whole groat world, whose religion, polioy~ health, me.-

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Tho True and bers, nature,
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Rosicrucian Order

l~nguage, words, and works are asreeing, ~pathizing, ~d in equnl tune and Delody with God,

Heaven, nnd Earth: nnd that which is disagreeing with is error, falsehood, and of the devil, who alone is the first, ~iddle, and last cause of strife, blindness, and darkness in the world. Also, might one ex• ~~ine all and several persons upon the earth, he should find that which is good and right is always agreeing with itself, but all the rest is spotted with a thousand erroneous conceits. After two years Brother R. C. departed the city Fez, and sailed with many costly things into Spain, hoping woll, as he hicsclf had so well and profitab~ spent his tine in his travel, thnt the learned in Europe would highly rejoice with him, and begin to rule and order nll their studies according to thoso sure and sound foundations. He therefore conferred with the lec.rncd in Spn.in, showinr, unto them tile errors of our arts, r~'ld how they might be corrected. He showed them naw growths, naw fruits, and beasts, which did concord ~~th old philosophy, and prescribed the~ new Axio~ta, whereby all things might be fully restored. But it was to them n l~ughing mtltter, and being a new thing unto them, they feared that their great n~e would be lessened if they should now egnin be;in to learn and acknowledge their ~any years' errors, to which th-.y were r..ccustooed, ~d wherewith they hnd gained thea enough • .'o1;oso lovoth unquietness, let him be reformed, (they said). The same song was also suns to him bf other nations, tho which moved him the more because it happened to him contrary to his expectations, being then ready bounti• fully to impart all his arts nnd secrets to the learned, if they would have but undertaken to write the true and infallible i.xiomata, out of all faculties, scienoea, o.nd arts, and whole nature, as that which he knew would direct them, like Q slo~ or circle, to tho on~ middle point o.nd center, and (as it 11 usual BJilODg the Arabians) it should only servo to the wise and learned for a rule, thnt nlso thoro might be a society in Europo which might hsve gold, silTer, and precious stones, auff1cieut for to bestow them on kings for their necessary uses and lawful purposes, with which society such a.s be governors might be brought up to learn a.ll that which God hath suffered man to know, and thereby to be enabled in all times of need to give their counsel unto those that seek it, like the Oracles. Verily ~e must confess that the world in those days wus already big with those groat commotions, laborinc to bo delivered of them, and did bring forth painstakiDS 1 worteymen.. who brake with all force through darlcleu and barbarism, ~d left us who succeeded to follow them. hssurodly they have boon the uppermcst point in the Tria!lblo of Fire, whose flame now should be more and more brichter, and shall undoubtedly give to the worl4 the last light, ~.._:"·-·"··
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The 1rue nnd Invisible Rosicrucian Order But th~t we do not forget our loving Fnther, Brother C. R., he after ~any painful travels, and his fruitless true instructions, returned egnin into Germany. There, although he could hnvo bragged with his art, but specially of the tr~scutations of metals, yet did he esteem more Heaven, and ~n, the citizens thereof, than all vain glory o.nd pOr:lp. llevertheless, he builded a fittin; o.nd neat habitation, in the which he ruminated his voyaGe and philosophy, and reduced th~ together in a true memorial. In thia house he spent a great time in the mathemntica, and made many fine instruments. After five years came again into his mind the wished for reformation, and he undertook:, with some few adjoined with him, to attempt the S!ll:le. i'l'herefore he desired to that end to have out of his first cloister (to the which he bare a great affection) three of his brethren, Brot~er G. v., Brother I. A., o.nd Brother I.O., who hud some more kr.owledt::e of the arts than at that time mo.ny others had • He did bind these three unto himself. to be faithful, diligent, and secret, as also to co~it carefully to writin; all that which he should direct and instruct thee in, to the end ~~at those which wore to come, ar.d through especial revelation ahould be received into this fr&teruity, mi&ht not be deceived in the least syllable and word. ~fter this manner began the Fraternity of the Ro-.y Cross--first by four persona only, nnd by them was made tho 'l:lll.gical lnnguage and writillb, with a large dictionary, which we yet daily use to God's praise and slor,r. and do find sreat wisdoc therein. They made also the first part of the Book: M, but since ln that respect the labor wua too heavy, they concluded to draw and receive yot others more into their fr~ternity. To this end wus chosen Brother R. c., the Founder's own coualnJ Brother G. G., and Brother P. D., their seoretar,y, eo that they were eisht in number, by whom wa1 collected a book or volume of all that which man can desire, wiah• or hope for. ~lthough we do now freely confess that the world la r::uch o..mended within o.n hundred years, yet we are anuro4 that our Axiomat~ shall imcovably rennin unto the world 1 a end, and nlso that the world in h'r highest nod last a&• shnll not ~ttnin to soo ~~hlns elaea for our ROtA tnkes her beginning from that day when God apak:e Fiat nnd shall end when ho shall apeak: Poroata yet Go4...o look: strikcth evory minute, where"""ii'iiraaoaroe atriketh perfoot hours• Tihen now these eight Brethren had disposed and ordered nll things in such mnnner, as thore wa1 not now need of cny great labor, nnd also that every one WUI sufficiently instructed and able perfectly to diaoourae of aooret ~d mnnifost philosophy, they would not remnin any longer together, but, aa in the beginnint; they had ngreed, they aeparnted them1olve1 into aeYeral

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The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order countries, because that not only their Axiocata might in secret be more profoundly examined by the learned, but that they themselves, if in some country or other they observed anything, or perceived some error, might inform one another or ito Their agreement was thiaz-First, That none of them should profess ~ other thing t~o cure the sick, and that gratia. Second, None of the posterity should be constrained to wearOne"C'ertain kind or habit, but therein to follow the custom of the country. Third, That every year, upon the day C., they should ~together at the house of the Holy Spirit, or write the cause of absence. Fourth, Every Brother should look about for a worthy person who, after his decease, might succeed h~. Fifth, The word· R. C. should be their seal, I!IIU'It, and cha.i='ilCter. · ~. The Fraternity should remain secret one hundred years. These six articles they bound themselves one to another to keep• Every year they assembled together with joy, and cade a full resolution of that which they had done. There must cert~inly have been great pleasure to hear truly and without invention related and rehearsed all the wonders which God hath poured out here and there throughout the world. Every one may hold it out for certain, that such persona aa were sent, and joined together by God and the Heavens, and chosen out of the wisest ~en as have lived in ~y ages, did live together above all others in highest unity, greatest secrecy, and DOat ld.Ddneaa one towards another• After such a moat laudable sort they did apeD! their lives, but although they were tree tram all diseases and pain, yet, notwithstanding, they could not live and pass their time appointed by God• They had concluded that as much as possibly could be, their burial place should be kept secret, aa at thia day it ill not known to ua what is become of some or them, yet every one's place was supplied by a fit aucceaaor. But this we will confess publicly by these presents, to the honor of God, that what secret soever we haYe learned out or the Book M, although before our eyes we behold the image and pattern of all the world, yet are there not shown unto us our misfortunes, nor hour of death, the which only is known to God Himself, who thereby would have ua keep in a continual readiness. But hereof more in our Confession, where• in we do set down thirty-seven reasons wherefore we do now make known our Fraternity, ~d protter auoh high ~ateriea freely, without constraint and reward. Alec we do proffer more gold than both the Indlea bring the Xing of Spain, tor Europe is wit~_ohild,

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and will bri~ fort~ a strong child, who shall stand in need of a sreat godfather's girt. The first of this fraternity w:.ich died waa Brother I.O. After his doath Brother R.C. rested not, but us soon as he could called the rest together, and then, as we suppose, his grave was made, althoush hitherto we (who were the latest) did not knew when our loving Father R.C. died, a~d had no more but the bare names of the beginners, and all their successors to us. Yet there came into our memory a secret, which through dark and hidden words and speeches or the hun• dred years, Brother A., the successor of D. (who waa of the last and second row of 6UCCeasion, and had lived amongst many of us), did impart unto ua of the third raw s.nd succession; otherwise we must confess that ~­ ter the death of the said A., none of ua had in any manner known anything of Brother C. R., and of bil first fellow-brethren, than that whioh waa extant or the~ in our philosophical books, amongst which our J~iomata was hold for the chiefeat, Rota Mundi t~ that displaying the greatest artifice, and Protheua for the moat profitable. Now the true and fundamental relation of the finding out of the high-illuminated rnan of God, Fra. C.R.C., is thia&--After that A.waa deceased, theresucceeded in hiE place our loving Brother N.J. This ~an, after he had repaired unto us to take the solemn oath of fidelity and secrecy, informed us that A. ha4 comforted him in telling him that this fraternit.J should oro lonG not romain 10 hidden. The year fol• lowing, he thought (he baing a good architect) to altor something of his building, and rake it more fit. In such renewing, he li~;hted upon the )4emoria.l Table, which was cast of brass, and contains all the ns.mcs of the Brethren, with some fn other things. This he intended to transfer into a more fitting T&ult, for where or when Brother R. c. died, or in what country he was buried, was ~ our predecessors concealed and unknown unto us• In this table stuck a great nail somewhat stron&, 10 that when it was with force drawn out it took with it a medium sized atone out of the thin wall or plaste~­ inG of the hidden door, and so unexpectedly uncovered tho door, whereat we did with joy and longing throw down the rest of the wall and cleared the do~, upon which was written in great letteraPOST CXX ANNOS PATEBO,

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with the year of tho Lord UDder it. Therefo~e we gan God thanks, and lot it reat that same night, beoau •• first we would overlook our Rota. In the morning following we opened the door• and there appeared to our sight a vault of seven sidoa and seven corners, oval')' side five feet broad, and the

The True and Invisible Roticrucian Order the sun never shined it was enlight~ned with another sun, which had learned this from the sun, and was situated in the upper part in the center of the ceilir~. Ir. the midst, inrtead of a tomb-stone, waa a rou~d altar, covered with a plate of brass, and thereon this engraveni-• A.C.R.C. Hoc univcrsi comoendium unius mihi seoulchrum feci.
hei~ht ~lthough

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of eight feet.
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Round about the first circle or brim Jesus ~ihi omnia.

sto~.

In the ~iddle were four figures, enclosed in circlea, whoso oircu-scription was, 1. Nequaquam Vacuum. 2. Legis Jusum. • 3. Libertas Evangelii. 4. Dei Gloria Intacta. This 11 all clear and briG~t, as also t~e se~~h aide and the t'lfO heptagone. So we kneeled dtn'TI altogether, and gave th~n~s to the so~e wise, sole ~ig~ty, and sole eternal God, who hath taught us more then all men's wits could ha•:e found out, praised be His holy name. This vault we parted in three parts, the upoer pert or ceiling, the wall or tide, the ground or floor. Of the upper pert you shall understa!'1d no more at this time but that it ~~a divided according to the seven sides in the triangle which was in the bright center. Every side or well is parted into ten squares, every one with their several figures and sentences. The ~o+~~~ A~ni" i~ ~Art.P~ in t~P. trianele, but tecauae therein is dcscriccd the po~er and rule of the Inferior Governors, we leave to ~nifeat the sarne, for fear or the abuse of the evil and ungodly world. Every side or wall had a door for a chest, wherein there lay diver• things, especiclly all our books. Herein also we found his (C.R.C.'s) Itinererium and Vita, whence this relation for the most part is ta~en:--In another chest were looking-glasses of divere virtues, burning lamps, and chiefly wonderful artificial songs--generally all wa• done to that end, that if it should happen, arter ma~ hundred years, the Fraternity should come to nothing, they might by thiE only vault be restored again. Now, as we hed not yet seen the dead body of our ceroful and wise Father, we therefore re~oved the altar aside; then w~ lifted up a stro~~ plate of br~sa, and found a fair end worthy body, whole and unconau~d. In his hand he held a parchment called T, the which, next unto the Bible, is our grectest treasure, whioh ought not to be ~elivered to the censure of the world.

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At the end of Book T, the~ goes on to say, was a long inscription sir,ned by Brethren of the fraterni~J• In the original it ia a long paragraph, containing a single Latin sentence. The several points of this sentence area (1) That C.R.C. came froc a noble and illustrious Ger=an family bearing the name R.C.a (2) that on account of his ~btle conceptions and untiring labors he became acquainted with Divine and human mysteries ~ way of revelation; (3) that he collected a royal and i~perial treasure in hi! journeys to Arabia and A!ricaa (4) that the same was serviceable not on~ to hia age but to posterity; (5) that he desired to have heira of the name, faithful and closely joinedJ (6) thnt he fnbricated a ciniature world corresponding to the great one in its move~ents; (7) that it was a compendium of all things pnst, present, and to comea (8) that after living for core than a century he pasaed away at the call of the Holy Spirit &r.d not ~ reason of disease, yieldinb his illuminated soul to ita faithful Creator; (~) that he was a beloved Father, a moat kind Brother, a faithful Preceptor and an upri~ht Frienda and (10) that he is hidden here from his own for one hundred and twenty years. We are indebted to A• E. nsite for this ~ary translation of the Latin text. (See his Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross. page 135• footnote.) Tho ~ continues with a brief description of how tho Brethren closed up the vault again, following thic with a general Levitation to all wto are interested to offer thc~scl~cs as candidutes for admission. There is also a para~raph which, if read without understandin£ of the ~ature of occult kn~:lcdge, soe~s to declare that tho anonymaaa authors are protestant Christians, of the Lutheran persuasion. Of this, certain critics, notably Mr. Yiaite, have made nuch, o.s ot the apparent professions of alleGiance to the political order of the Holy Roman E=pire• But occultists know in what aense both the religioua and political professions of this paragraph are to be under£tood. Ev&ry r~al occultist can say, with the authors of the Fama, that he "has the knowledge of Jesus Christ." And the phraaing~the political part of the paragraph is subtle. It saya: · "In Politi& we Bcknowlod'J:e the Roman Er~pire and its Christian head, albeit we know what alterations be at hand, and would fain impart the samo with all our hearts to other godly learned mon.• Which should be ovidcnco enough that the writers foresaw the political transformations which were impending throughout tho world, and were gladly expectin; the~. With respect to philosophy, the!!!! oontinuea1 "Our philosophy also is not a now invention_ but aa &dam after his fall hath received it, and as ~os~e and Solomon used it, aloe it ought not ~ch to be doubtod of, or contradicted by other opinions or meaninss •. It is that wherein Plato, ~ristotle, Pythagoras, and ot+a;rs did:hit the hr.rk• ·acn~·whf#rti:'I:·Erwvh, .i.brah1.111 1 . Uollea, Solornoh, did o:z:oel.\' bi\t c'sp.eoUl!ywherewith

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'!'he True and Invisible Ros icr\•cian Order that wonderful book the Bible agreeth. All that same ccncurrett' together, and r.!l.keth a sphere of globe whose total parts are equidistant from the center." Then follows a condemnation of the craze for physical alchemJ or gold-making which was then ragin£ throughout Europe. "The true philosphers," it says, "are far of an• other mind, esteeming little the making of gold, which is but a oera~on, for besides thnt they have a thousand better thir.gs. i'fe say with our loving Father C.R.C., Phy. aurium nisi ouantum auru~, for unto him the whole nature is detected: he doth no~ rejoice that he can make gold, and that, as Christ saith, the devils are obedient unto him, cut is glad that he seeth the Heavens open, the angels of God asce~ding and descending. and his name written in the book of life. • The
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then concludes with these wordsa

~hosoever shall earnestly, and from his heart, bear affection unto us, it shall be beneficial to htm 1D goods, body, nnd soul; but he that is false-hearted, or only greedy of ric~es, the same first of all shall not be able in any wise to hurt us, but bring hiaselt to utter ruin and destruction. Also our building, althOU&b one hundred thousand people had very near seen and be· held the sa~, shall forever re~in untouched, UD• destroyed, and hidden to the wicked world. Su~ ~~bra alar~~ tuarum, Jehava.•
CO~TESSIO

FRATEkNITATIS.

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Whatsoever you have heard, 0 mortal~, concernins our fraternity by the tr~pet sound of the Fama R.C., do not either believe it hastily, or wilfully auspect it. It is Jehovah who, seeing how the world is tall· ing into decay, and near to its end, doth hasten it again to its beginning, inverting the course of Rature, and so what heretofore hath been sought with great pains and daily labor He doth lay open now to those thinkint of no such thing, offering it to the willice and thrusting it upon the reluctant, that it may become to the good that which will amooth the troubles of human life and break the violence of unexpected blows of Fortune, but to the ungodly that which will augment their sins and punisr~nt. Concernin& the amend~ent of philosophy, we have declared thct the sa-e is altogether weak and faulty. But as commonly even in the same place where there breaveth fcrth a ne'" disease, nature discovereth a reMedy ogainst the same. so amidst so many infirmitiea of philosophy there do appear the right means whereby she moy become sound again, and new or renovated may appear to a renovoted world. No other philosophy have we than that which 11 the head of all the faculties, acieuces, and art1,

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The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. the which (if we behold our age) containeth much of Theology and Medici!"e, but little of Jurisprudence' which searcheth heaven and earth with exquisite analysis, or, to speak briefly thereof, which doth sufficiently manifest the Miorocosrous can, whereof if some of the rnore o-derly in the nuT.~er of the learned shall respond to our fraternal invitation, they shall find among us far other and greater wonders than thoso they heretofore did believe, marvel at, and profess. It beco~es us to labor carefully that the surprise of our challer~e cay be taken from you, to show plainly that ~uch secrets are not lightly esteemed by us, and not to spread an opin~cn abrosd IIJ:long the vulgar that the story concerning them in a foolish thing. For it is not absurd to sup~ose that many are overwhelaed with the conflict of thouGht which is occasioned by our unhored graciousness, unto whom (as yet) be unknown the wonders of the sixth age; or who, by reason of the course of the world, esteem the things to come like unto the present, and, hindered by the obstacles of u,eir ag;e, lhe no otherwise in the world than as men blind, who, in the light of noon, discern only by feeling. We hold thft the meditations of our Christian Father upon all subjects which fro~ the creation of the world have been inver.ted, brought forth, and propagated by human ir~enuity, through God's revelation, or through the service of angela or spirits, or thro~h the sacacity of understanding, or throush the oxperenoe of long observation, are so great, that if all books should perieh, and by God's almighty sufferance all writings and all learninb should be lost, yet posterity will be able thereby to lay a new found~tion of sciences, and to erect a new citadel of truth. Thorefore it must not be expected t~at new comers shall attain at once all our wei~hty secrets. They muFt proceed Etep by step from the smaller to the great• er, and mu~t not be retarded by difficultiea. ~~erefore should we not freely acquiesce in t~e only truth than seek thrcugh so many windings and labyrinths, if only it ~ad pleased God to lighten unto ua the Sixth Candelabrum. Were it not sufficient for us to fear neither hunger, poverty, diseases, nor age? Were it not an excellent thing to live so as if you had lived from the bcgir~ing of the world, and should still live to the end thereof? So to live in one place that neither the peonle which dwell beyond the Ganges could hide anythi~, nor those which live in Peru might be able to keep their counsels from theet So to read in one only book as to discern, understand, and remember whatsoev~r in all other books (which heretofore have been, are now, and hereafter shall come out) hath been, is, and shall be learned out of them? So to ai~ and play that instead of stony rocks you could draw pearls,

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instead of wild beasts spirits, and !~stead of Pluto you could soften the mighty princes of the world. 0 mortals, di\~rte is the counsel of God and your convenience, ~bo hath decreed at this time to increase and enlarge the n~~ber of our Fraternity, the which we with such joy have undertaken, as we have heretofore obtained this great treasure without our merits, yea, without any hope or expectation; the same we purpose with such fidelity to put into practice, that neither compassion nor pity for our children (which sons of ua in the Fraternity have) shall move us, since we know that these unhoped for good thir~s cannot be inherited, nor be conferred proniscuously. If there be anybody now which on the other side will complain of our discretion, that we offer our treasurea ~o freely and indiscrL~ately, we affirm that we hav. by no means made co~on property of our arcana, albeit they re!ound in five languages within the eara or the vulgar, both becauso, as ~e well know, they will not moTe gro~s wits, and because the worth of those who ahall be accepted into our Freternity will not be measured by their curiosity, cut by the rule and pattern or our revelations. A thousand tiQ:s the unwort~y may clanor, a thou~and ti~es may present themselves, yet God hath com~anded our ears that they should hear none of them, and hath so compassed us about with His clouds that unto ua, His servants, no violence can be done; wherefore now no longer are we beheld by human eyes, unless they have received strength borrowed fr~ the eagle. When that shall come to pass which must precede, our Trumpet shall resound with full voice and with no pre• varications of meanin~, when, na~ly, those thirga of which a few now whispor and dcrken with enigmas, shall openly fill the earth, the which, as we know, is already nanifest to ~ny learned men, as their tokens and secret congratulations bear witneas. i.e could here relate and declare what all the time from the year 1378 (when our Christian Father was born) till now hath hnppcned, what alterations he hath aeen in tr.e world these one hundred and six years of his lite, what he left after his happy death to be attempted by our Fathers and by us, but brevity will not permit ua at this present to make rehearsal of it. Truly, to whom it is permitted to behold, read, and thenceforward teach hi~~elf thos~ great characters which the Lord God hath inscribed upon the world's mechanism, and which He repeats through the mutations of ~~pirea, euch an one is already oura, though as yet unknown to himself. But to the false and imposters, and to those who seek other things than wi~dom, we witness by these presents publicly, we cannot be betrayod unto them to our hurt, nor be known to them without the will of God, but they shall certainly be partakers of that terrible commination spoken of in our ~. and t~eir impioua
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designs shall fall back upon U:eir own heads, 'f,'hile our treasures shall remain untouched. One thin~ should t.ere, 0 mortals, be ettablithed by us, that God hath decreed to the world before her end, which presently thereu 00 n shall ensue, an influx of truth, light, and grandeur, such as he cocmanded should acco~pany AC~ fro~ Paradise and ~e~ten the misery of man. nberefore there shall cease all falsehood, darkness, and bondage, which little by little, ~ith the great globe's re~olution, hath crept into the arts, works, and goverr~ents of ~en, darkening the greater part of them. As we now confess that :any hish intellige~ces by their writings will be a great furt~erance unto this reformation which is to co~e, so do we by no means arrogate to ourselves this glor;, ~s if such work were only imposed upon us, but we testify that sooner shall the stones rise up and offer t~eir serTice, than there shall be any want of executors of God's counsel. God, indeed, hath already sent messeng~rs which should testify His will, to wit, some new stars which haTe appeared in Seroentarius and Cy~nua, the which powerful signs of a Great Council show iorth how for all thinga which h~~ ir~enuity discovers, God c~lls upon His hidden knowledge, as li~ewise the Book of Nature, though it stands open truly for all eyes, can be read and understood by only a very tew. Aa in the hu.~n head t~ere are two or~ana of hearinG, two of sight, and two of s~ell, but one only ot speech, c.nd it were vai~< to expect speech from the eara, or hearir~ frorn the eyes, so there have been ages which have seen, others which have heard, others agnin that have smelt and tasted. Now, there remains that in a short and s.,:iftly aporoaching ti:ne honour should like· wise be given to the tc~e, that what for~rly saw, r.eard, and s~lt shall finally speak, after the world shall have slept away the into~ication of her poisoned and stupefying chalice, and with an open heart, bare head, and nnked feet shall merrily and joyfully ,o forth to meet the sun risint; in the morning. These characters and letters, as God hath here and there incorporated the: in the Sacred Scriptures. so hath Be imprinted them most oanifestly upon the wonderful work of creation, on the hesvens, the earth, and on all beasta, so that at the mathematician predicts eclipses, so we prognosticate the obecurations of t~e church. and how long they shall last. Fro~ these lottera we have borrowed our magic writing, and have .,..de for ourselves a new language, in ~hich the nature of things is expressed, ao that it ia no wonder that we are not so eloquent in other tongues, least of all in thia Latin, which we know to be by no means in agree~nt with that of Adam and Enoch, but to havo been conta~inated by the confuaion of Babel.

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The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. But this must also by no ~eans be omitted, that we do exhort to the sole, only, ~ssiduo~s, and continual ~tudy of the Sacred Scriptures, for he that taketh all his pleasures therein ~hall know that he hath prepared for hi~self ar. excellent way to co~ into our Fraternity, for this is the whole eum of our laws, so those are nearest c~d like~t unto us who do Mak~ the Bible the rule of their life, the end of all their studies, and the compendium of the universal world, fr~whom werequire not that it should be continu~lly in their mouth, but that they fhould appropriately apply its true interpretation to all ages of t~e world. Be it ours to bear witness, that from the besinning of the world there hath not be~n ~iven to nan a nore excelle~t, ad~irable, and wholesome book than the Holy Eible. Blessed is he who posees~es it, more blessed is he who reads it, most bl~ssed of all is he who truly understandeth it, while he is most lL\:e to God who both uneerstands and obeys it. Now, whatsoever hath been said in the ~. through hatred of t..postors, against the trcn~utation of -et~ls and the supre~ !'ledici"le of the ·.world, we desire to be so understood, that this so great gift of God we do in no mar~er set at r.aurht, but as it bringeth not always with it the kr.~.wledge of Nature, r.hile this knowledge bringeth forth both that and an infinite nu-ber or other natural miracles, it is right that we be rather earnest to attain to t~e knowledge of philosophy, nor te~pt excellent wits to the tincture of ~tala sooner than to the observation of Nature. He must needs be insatiable to whom neither poverty, di!eases, nor danger can any longer reach, who, as one rnised above all men, hnth rule over thct which doth anguish, afflict, and · pain others, yet will give hi~self again to idle things. will build, ~~ke wars, and rlomincer, because he hath or ~old sufficient, and of sil~er an ine~haustible fountain. God jud;cth far otherwi&e, who exalteth ~he lowly, and casteth the proud into obscurity; to the silent he send~th his angels to hold speech with thea, but the bnb~lers he dri~eth into the wildernP-ss. For conclusion of our Confession we most earnestly admonish you, that you cast away, if not all, yet most of the worthless boo~s of pseudo chy~ists, to whom it is a jest to deceive men with monstrous symbols and enigmas, or to profit by the curiosity of the credulous. Ye that are wise eschew such books, ~nd have recourse to us, who seek not your moneys, but offer unto you moat willingly our great treasures. We hunt not after your goods with ir.vented lying tinctures, but desire to make you partal<ers of our goods. We do not reject parables, but invite you to the clear ~nd simple explanation of all secrets; we seek not to be received of you, but call you unto our core than kin£ly houses and palaces. by no motion of our own, but (lest you be ~orant of it) aa forced thereto by the Spirit of God, comD&nded by the

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testa~ent of our most excellent Father, and impelled b7 the occasicn of this present tiMe. What think you, therefore, 0 rnortals! Consider you not thnt, ~aving pondered t~c ~ifts which are in you, having measured your understanding in the nord of God, and having weighP.d the i.mperf'Oction and inconsistencies of a 11 the a:-t~, you msy at leil{;th in the future deliberate ~it~ us upon their re~edy, co-operate in the work of God, and be serviceable to t~e constitution of your ti!:!e1 On 7'hich work. these profits will follow, that all those goods which Nature hath ditpersed in every part of the earth shall at one tL~e and altogether be ;iven to you, as if in p,. cer:ter of t'"te Sun and Moon. Then shall you Pe able to expel fro~ the world all those things which darken human knCNledge and action. You, however, for whom it is enoubh to be serviceable out of curioEity to any ordinance, or who are dazzled by the glistering of gold, or Who, thoubh now upright, ~i~ht be led away by such unexpected great riches into an effeminate, idle, luxurious, and pompous life, do not disturb our sacred silence by your clamor, but think, that althou~h there be a medicine which ~ight fully cure all diseoses, yet tho~e whorn God wishes to try or chastise shall not be abetted by such an opportunity, so t~~t if we were able to enrich and instruct the whole world, and liberate it from innumerable hardship•, yet shall we never be manifested unto any can unless God should ~avor it, yea, it shkll be so far from him ~ho thinks to be a port~ker of our riches against the will of God that he shnll sooner lose his life in seeking us, than attain happiness by finding ua. FRATERNITAS R. C.

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Such, in t~eir own words, were the ori~inal declaratio~s of the Rosicrucians. These t~o ~anifestoos were addressed to the "erudite of Europe." They r.ere aimed at a particular class of readers. These were ~n of education, men of understanding, men of high spiritual aspiration, carefully di::tir..e;uish-:!d in the texts the~s"lves from the "vulgar, and i~~oeters, and Qll thofe who seek other things than wisdom.• · Such readers would (and we have reason to believe they did) grasp the true purport cf these curious documents. Throughout Europe, in 1614, th~re was no erudite MAn who lacked the knowledge necessary to solve the enigmas of the~ and the Confe~sio~ Ev~ry well-reed man in that-day had so~e acquaintance of the philosophical system which provides the true key to thes~ manifestoes. Many then living were profoundly versed in the mystori~s of th~t philosophy, which had exerted a great influence on European thoug'.t for more than two centuries. We refer to the Qabalah, or Secret Wisdom of Israel. Amon~ notable students of this Hebrew esoteric doctrine were Rayl:lond Lully (died 1315), John Reuchlin (141'5-1522), John Picua de Hirandola (1463-1494), Henry Cornelius Agrippa-(14~6-1535), Theophrastus Paracelsus (14~3-1541), l':illiam Postel (1510-1581), Heinrich lhunrath (1560-1601), Robert Fludd (1574-1637), Athan-siua Kircher (1601-1680), Jacob Boehme (1575-1624), and Thomas Vaughan (1~21-1665). Ginsburg, in his essay on tho Qabalah says•

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"A system of religious philosophy, or more properly of theo~ophy, which has not only exercised for hundreds of years an extraordinary influence upon the mental develop~ent of so shrewd ~ people as t~e Jews, but has ca?tivated the minds of so~e of the greatest thin~ers of Chri~tendom in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, claims the greatest attention. These nen, after restl-::ssly searchiq; for a scientific system ~hi~h should disclose to them the 'deepest depths' of the Divine nature, and show them the reDl tie which binds ell things together, found the cravings of their minds satisfied by this theosophy." Now, the Fa::1a speaks of the instruction received by Brother C.R. at Fet as includir..g ~abalah, and intimates tl:at he hi!T'.self was sufficiently versed i::: the Hebre...-: ilisdcm to be abh to detect certe.in errors in the :~he...'"l::ledan Qabalah, which derives from·. tr:e Hebrew orieinal. To make assurance doubly sure, both the Fame. anc 'Confessio describe the Rosicrucian philosc-pr.y in precisely t:,c te-;;sused by Qabalists to desc:-ibe their cr.rn esoteric teaching. Compare what the~ has to say on pages B and 9, and what tr.e Conf~ssio declares on page 10, with the followings "!he Qabalah was first taught by God Hi~self to a select cov.pany of angels. After the fall, the angels co~icated the heavenly doctrine to the disobedient child of earth, to furnish the protople.sts with the meanz of returning to their pristine nobility ar.d felicity. From Adam it passed over to Noah, and then to Abrnhac, who emigrated with it to ~pt, where he all~~ed a portion of it to ooze out. Thus the Egyptians obtained so~ kn~ledgc of it, and other Eastern nations could introduce it into their philosophical systems. ~OSeS W~S rirst initi~ted intO the Qabalah in Egypt, tut became most proficient in it durir~ his wanderin~s in the wilderne~s, ~hen he devoted to it t~e leisure hours of the whole forty years. F.e covertly laid d~ the principl~s of this secret doctrine in the first fcur bocks of the Pentateuch, but withheld t~:em from Deuteronomy. Moses initiated the seventy elders, and they tran~mitted the doctrine from hand to hend. or all who for~ed the unbroken line of tradition, David ~nd Solomon ~ere the ~ost deeply initiated into t~e Qabalah." (c. D. Gin~burg, Essay on the Kabcalah1 Furthe:r:!:ore, both t~e ~and th'3 Confessio ass-ert that they are writt~n enigrnctically, "so as not to ~ove gross wits." That is to say, they i~ti~~te th9t there is a hidden meaninb be~ind their letter. The Confessio warns against hasty acceptance of the superficial ~eaning of the F'a:-:a. It also speaks of a tL'lle to come when "our TrUID~t shall resoun~th full voice and with no prevarications of meaning, when, na~­ ly, thos'3 things of which a fe~ now whisocr, and darken with enigmas, shall openly fill the earth." Considering, then, thot these manifestoes were addressed to a clasa of ttudents familiar with the Hebrew esoteric philosophy, is it not reasonable to assume that t~e v0il of allegory which hides their true ~an­ ing r..e:J l::e penetrated by analyzing the text according to the well-known rules of Qabalistic interpretation? The followin~ pages contain such an analy8is. It is by no means complete, for there re~ain not a few "gross wits" to whom I have no wish to confide so~~ parts of the Rosicrucian doctrine. An exhaustive analysis, however, is not required in order to brinG out the ~~in point I seek to establish in this book. I hope to be able to convince t':e reo.der in the p~£eS following, that these Rosicrucian paophlets contain an allegory of initiation, vthich nust have be'Jn p~:rfectly comprehensible to seventeenth-century Qabaliots, and which has today a. vital message for readers who are duly and truly prepared to receive it.

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~ABALI~TIC

WTERPR".:T.".TION OF Tffi.

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f~~sic are the Founder and his as~ociates ~ntioned by na~.--:fnitia~
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The first point to be noticed is that nowhere in the Feme or Con-

and every set of initials has c specific ~abalistic r.ea~~. as will soon be evident. Even the birth-date of th~ Founder is imoortant. A tyro in Qabalah would be struck by this nUT".ber 1378. The first di;it represer.ts Unity, which Qabalizts call t~e Crown, cr PrL~al Will (1). The second (S) they nat·ed Understandin~. The third (7) they terr.'l()d Victory, and it stands also for tre se~tenary of erective powers called t~e ~even Spirits of God, or the Elohim. The last is the nurber of that aspect of Reality which they n~~~d Splendor, and this digit (8) is also associated with Hermes and Christ. T!;e first t'lro digit:: of t~~ birthdate M!l~e lS, the Qabalistic nU:l'ber r~FreEenting Unity and Love. This number, moreover, is a factor in the values of the gre:~ter nu~ber of HebreT divine na~es, and is also part of a ~eries of nu:r-bcrs 'P!hich actuc.lly cavern t1e structure of crystal!:, plants, and anir.:~~J.ls. Tre lsst two di.:;its rr.a~·e 78, the nu:-.:ber of Mez.la, Influenc\!, of ChNK, Chnnuk, to initiate, of LCh~, Leche~, Sr~~d, an~~H, V~lakh, Salt. Ev;r'y one cf t~es' ~,·ords '-:es cmti ... portance in Jebrew W~ The firet trree dir;its r.avE' 137, the nu::;ber of the word QBLH, Qabalah, ·;;hich, combined with ':he hst di~;it, 8, tr.e number of Hermes, -;,-ould certainly ISU«:;gest to an ~~ruditc European or tl':!!.t de.y t' at Rosicrucianism ie a co~bir.ction of the ~abalah ~it~ Christian Her~ticism. TJ-e last three digits rnalre t':e number 37!l, ·.rhich is the value of Hebrew ~ords neaninb "in peace," anc 11 a~:~ber•. The lat:ter h11s an slchemico.l dgnificllnce which would have baen faillilia.r to many seventet.nthc•.·rtury rcc.der n. Further~ore, tr.c:. nu!:!:,er 2:.76 is the su:u of the nu:·bers fr~~ 1 to 27 1 or the th~osoohic ~xt~nsion or 27, and the Gtory of C.R. indicetee t':'lt he estao! i.shed t:~., irat~rnity wh~n he was 27 yeariS old. The first di&it, representir..; unity, the next two, making 37 1 a k~y-nu~~er in alche~ and Chrirtian esoterici~, and the last as the number of' Her.-:es, ie another si~nificant combination. It sugr;ests that the 0riGin of the Rosic~ucian teachir~ is the Gno~tic wisdo~ veiled in alche~. Azain, the total of the dizits in 1378 is 19, and this is the number of the ··.-ord ChVH, Chavah, e i~;;ifying pril'l&rily, "to 'lll>.r.ifest, to show forth~" It is also tt.~er n~~ "Eva," which has a very special aignificcnoe in Qabalah. Finully, 1379 is 1~ x 106, or the expression of Unity and Love (13) thr:>ugh the cycle of lOS, which the Mnifsstot.s ther:selvea give as the nw:-ber of y<"ars in t~:e life of C.R.C. This nUI!Iher 106 has a leo other it~t­ portr.nt rcaninc-s '"hich v:ill b~;~ developed in due course. This treat• cnt of numbers will doubtless seem strange to Jl"&ny who read tl'-eiSE' !Ja~E-15 •. It m:.s, however, perfectly f!lJ'liliar to Qabalhts at tl:e ti'1c the manifestco:.s 11ppeared. And to the~ it would have given me.ey bdication~ that the Rosicrucian doctrine W'll fundanentally the same secret wi st1C'm t~o;~y had found eo satisfyinr,. The next ~oint to be considered is the eignifica~oe of the teras appliad to t~e Founder of the Order thro~hout the text:. Be is called Fe.t.ho:.r, Broth'lr, Preceptor, e.nd rriend, and by various i.."'lplications of t''e ~;tory i& under~;tood to be a f'rysicien. All thece are mystery terms,

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applied throughout the literature of Ageless ~isdom to t~e Christos, or true spiritual Self of man. Even t~e exoteric G0spels rnnke Jesus call himself Brother of all who do t~~ will of God. The same Gospels ~ake him say, "I and the Father are one." Note that this is equivalent to saying, "I and the Father are Unity," and since Qabalistically both Unity and Love are identical, this decleration has a bearing on the affirmation of St. John's Gospela "God is love.• Traditionally the name of the Founder of the Order is understood to ~~ve b~en Chri~tian Rosencreut&. Rerne~ber, however, that nowhere in either tr.e ~ or Confessio does this na~e ep~ar. It is evidently a ~ade-up nane, but it is important because it brings the "chief and original" of the Rosicrucians into a circle of cystic personalities whos~ n~• have all b~en associated with Ageless Wisdom. · The names of these personalities have a striking peculiarity. They all begin with the sound wr.ich is generally represented in our alphabet b,y "K", and they all include the letter "R." The~e na..'lles are Krishiia, Horus, Eira..~, Abiff, Christ, and Ctristian Rosencreut&. rrishna, in the Bhagavad-Gita, says: "I BM the Self, dwelling inwardly in all being~; I am t~e begir~ing, and the middle, and t~e end also, of beings. Of the sons of the ~other, I am Vi~hnu, the Preserver; I am the word of those t~et speak. I am the fat~er of this world, the mother, the guardian. I am the way, the supporter, the lord, the witness, the home, t~e refu~e, t~e beloved." Be also declares himself to be the one teacher, and as author of all the Vedas, the Fource of all knowledge, and this includes t~e knowledge of healing. Note thet the first two letters of hi~ na~e are KR, and that among his avatars or incarnations one is the ap~arance as a fish. Note, too, that the number 8 is associated with him, inasmuch as he is said to have been the eighth son of VasudeT& and Devaki. Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, is the god celebrated in the Chnldean Oracles when they saya "The god is he having the head of a hawkJ he ener~iz:e~ a spiral f0rce." In the geometrical synbolit~ of the rigrtangl~d triangle t.~ving sides of 3, 4, and 5, the side of ~ represents Osiris, the base of 4 stands for Isis, and the ascending hypotenuse of 5 is assi~ned to Ho~us. The E~pti~ name of this god was Khoor, and t~e Egyptian hieroglyphics for hit names are (Ch) and (R). They were often co~bined in a monogram, as shown in the cargin. Some think that it was from this monogram that the familiar Eye of Horus, preserved as the sycbol of the All-seeing Eye, familiar to ~sons and r~presented on the reverse of the Seal of the United States, waa originally dcri~ed. Aa the sen of Isis, Horus is the ~idow's Son," and he is also the Son of the Virgin, because he was said to have been conceived through the acency of tte spirit of his father, Osiris, ~fter the latter's death. Horus is a solar deity, and the story of his warfare with Set typifies the overc0ming of the darkness of ignorance by the light of truth. Hiram Abiff (in Hebrew ChVRM ABIV, Khuram Abiv,) is described in the Eible as the son of a widow wo~an of the tribe of liaphtali, IJ'ld as being especially skilled in working brass. (l'ie shall see what this point about brass sicnifies a little later.) According to esoteric tradi• tion, the triba of llaphtali corresponds to the z:odiacal sign Vin:;o, the Virgin, symboliz:ed by a virgin holding a sheaf of wheat. Thus there ia associated with the na~ Hiram, or Khura~, the essential idea that il expreseed by the word Shibboleth, significant to all Free Uasons, which

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means beth "an ear of wheat," and. "a fl~ing stream." Furthermore, aa a wideN's sen of the tribe of Naphtali, HirL~ is c~no~cted with the ideas that w~ have seen associated with Isis as the mother of Horus, nL~ly virginity e.n.d widowhood. The ~ral value of the na~e ChVRY ABIV is 273, or 3 x 7 x 13, and it is noteworthy that on the Seal of the United States there are various exa~ples of ~ltiples of the n~ber 13 whos~ total is also 273. This is the n~~ber, too, of the follcwing ilebrcw words: ABN M}~V HBVNIM, Ehben maau ha-'c:anio, '::'1e Stone which the Builders rejected; AVR·. GllVZ, ~ Fenez, n;riidden {or Treasured) Li&ht; ARBO, Arba, Four; GOR, Gawar, Chided, rebuked; e.r.d GRO, Ge:wrah, Recoved, took away-;-Re~fL~iliar with the ~asonic le;end of Hiram will recall that he was killed by three of the builders of Solomon's temple. On account of his death he took away a sig~ificant word, which i~ the hidden or treasured light of ~~s~. When this word was de~nded of hie by the three builders who killed him, he rebuked their presUI!lption. Four persona were concerned in this tre.n~action, the three ruffians and Hi,ram. Furthermore, the number four is occultly connected with the co~pletion of the ssnctu~ ~ancto­ r~ of the Te~ple, which is supposed to have been unfini~hed at the time or-the tragedy com=ernor~ted in ~sonic rituals. This Holy of Holies ia, in ~n, the organ of a hicher order of consciousness. That or~an is rudimentRry in the greater n~~ber of hu.~ beincs, but when it is completed by the Great ~ork, it makes us partakers in what has been termed •fourtbdi~ensional consciousness.• It is also interestir~ to note that the same words which appl7 to the nu~ber 273 have a bearir~ on the history of the United States. The funda~ental tenet or the Declaration of Independence is the atone which the builders of all previous forms of ~overnment had rejected, namely, the brotherhood of man, L~d the essential freedoa and inner equality ot all menkinc. The Declaration rebuked the tyrannical action of the Kin& of Engl~nd, took e.wuy the thirteen colonies from the mother country, made a beginninb towards the ~anifer.tation of the Hidden Li;ht of true Liberty, L~ accomplished all th~se things on the fourth day of the month, whe!l. the sun was in thirteen de;rees and thirteen minutes of the fourth sicn of the zodiac. The name Christos is a Gre~k term equivalent to the Hebre~ ~essiah, signifying "the royal"or"anointed one." It begins ~ith the Greek letters Chi and Rho, or Ch and R. It has a far d~eper meaning than its ordinarJ theclogical interpretation. There ie a close parallel between the story of C!~ist's birth and that of Kriehna. Christ is also called "The Stone ~hich the Builders rejected." He is alfo ter~ed Father, Brother, Teacher, Fri~nd, and Physician. In Christian symbolism he i~ often represented by a fish, and his mono~rae, shown in the rnar;in, hna the value or 700, according to the nur.eration of Greek letters. But 700 is also the value of the Hebrew letter llun, or "N", wh'3n it co~a at the end of a ~ord. And we shall see thet this letter, which means "fi&h" is also definitely associated with the Rosicrucian symbolism, Co~in~ now to our Father and Brother, C.R •• we find the same ir'itit.ls, Ch and R, in his traditional co~:nomen, Christian Rosencreutz, In the FL~ and Confessio, however, this name never appears, The Founder-or-the Order is designated either as c.R.C., as C.R •• or as R.C. These combicAtions of letters have specific meaning in Qabalah, as follows:

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C.R.C. In old German "C" was used to represent the sound now indicated'bY""'K." Thus the initials C.R.C. ere equivalent to Hebrew K.R.K., or Ko.ph-Resh-~;e.ph. Simibrly, C.R. is equivalent to Kaph-Rer;h, and R.C. to Resh-F.aph. Kaph-Reeh-Kaph is a rearrange~ent of the letters Kaph-Kaph-Resh {YJ.R), Kikkar, the Hebrew for "circle." The circle is the ~bol of the One Reality, w~ich is No-Thing th~t can be na~ed, or THAT which was, is, and shnll be. This Reality, the source of all ~&nifestation, was termed . rather by Jesus, and is recogni~ed in Ageless Wisdoo as the ever-living s;rr-Dr all beings, the supreme "I AM." Kaph-Resh (KR) is tr.e Hebrew~. "Lacb~ This is a fa~iliar mystical n~~ for "Our Brother," the Chrietos. It is used throughout the book of Eevelation, and in the liturgy of the Christien Church. It waa also known to the sages of Encient India, who represe~ted their supreme Deity, Agni, "the god of consu:r.ing fire," as a young lcmb, carryint; a notched ha~~er, on w~ich was inscribed a s~'stika. This symbol is almost exactly identic~l with the La~b of God, or Agnus Dei, represented today on wax medals used by the Ro~~n Church. The only appreciable difference is that the ChristiRn medal shows a cross haviDb equal ~ms, instead of the swastika. Resh-Kaph (RK) is the Hebrew~. "tenderness," as of a young plant, or green shoot. Thi~ is precisely the quality, implying also sweatnesa. and compa~sion, which is symbolized by the lamb. In this connection we r.ay also reoember"that Free ~asons wear a lambs~in apron as their diatin;uishin~ badg~ or purity and innocence. C.R.C., or Kaph-Resh-Kaph is the n~ber 240, equivalent to Hebrew llTz:Nn!, 1litsanim, "First Seeds," and Rll, ~. "High, lofty." (Note that F~, Ro~, is also the last syllable in the na~ ChVRU, Khuram, or Biram.) Both-c7R. and R.C. are equivalent to the nucber 220, which is the value of the words BChiR, Bawkir, "The elect," and T!iVR, TahoCir, "Pure• or·Clear. • The application of t~wo •ord~ to all the rnystery rersonalitiea whose na~s we have bc~n cocsiderir~ is perfectly e~ident. Furthermore, the nu,ber 220 is also significant in Qabalah, becauce it repres~nts the ~1tiplication of th~ 22 forces symbolized by the 22 Hebre• letters by means of the powers Clf the ten aspects of the Life-principle, which aspects are c"lled [;eohiroth, or Nu-erations. These may seen: strant:e thin$• to~~-y·, but they •ere not strange to the erudite of Europe ~hen the Rosicrucian ma~ifestoes were published. Superficial readers in that dP.y either rejected the texts as a hoax, or elte ~ere led estray by their letter. Those who accepted the story at face value rDshed in';o print with letters o.nd euays intended to convince the hidden Brethren of the Order that the writers were suitable candidates for initiation. Vliser readers, v1e may !'UPpose, penetrated the veil of enig~~tic language, found the Qabalirtic cluec that we have set·forth, and p~rceived that our Father and Brother C.R. is but another personifica• tiCin of t~~ true Self of man. There is, indeed, abundant evidence that no s~o.ll nu~ber of t~e best minds in Europe did read the Rosicrucian riddles aribht, and did establish contact with the I~~er ~chool which announced it~ existence to the world in such curious ter:ne. The ~'Y they found is still open, and the School to ~ich it leads the earnest inquirer is still in active ooeration. To do somewhat to clear the p~th to it is o~e of the objects of this book. Brother C.R.'s a5e, at the time of his death, is given aa 108 years. !his n~ber would hold the attention of any Qabalist, for it ia

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the value of the 1-Jtter-nat;~e !;\I"N, ~· A.s a noun, 't -eans "fish." The l:'.ysticel fish is the C~•ristos, an:! t:.'3 initials of r:. Greek sentence which r.a;· be translated, "Jesus Cl~ri:;t, Son of God, :.avior," spell the word Ichthus, "fi!h." In th~ Qabalah, the letter Nun is connected with the zodiacal sign Zcorpio, typifying a force which is also syr.bolizcd as a serpent and an ea;le. Occultists ha~e alvroys known, ana new analytical psychology has d()rnon~trated, tl-.~t this force, the scrp~nt pC¥.7er, r.!1 ic~ is t!'le scorpion of de~,tr. w.1f'n misused, is t:-ct in ~an 'l'ihich may b'3 so directed that it will lift hi~ to the hictest degrees of conscious a~rc~eaa. This force is t":e "eagle" 1!1entior.ed i:-t t:~e Cor.fes~io, in the passa;e: "::herefore now r.o Joq~er are ;v~ beheld by hur,-~r. eyes, unless they nave received strength borrowed from the ea~le." The nu~ber 10€ is also re~r~atle because it co~ceals a ge~trical forc:ula of c;reat L-::portar.ce in the 1:\)'Stery-teachi~· 106 is twice 5:5, e.nd E3 is the nu~bcr of ~egrees for~d by the ju~etion of t~e linea of :5 units and :: units in the FJ-tha~;orean trian-le of :5 - .4 - 5. Llat!l.er.llltically, ther~fo~e, 105 reprosFnt~ the n~~~r of decrees nt the ~rtieal angle ot a triansle fcr~d by co~bini~~ two ~-thag~rean triangles so aa to form t~.e folloi\'L"lg figure 1

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This triangle, it will be see:-1, ~~phasiYes the nu~bcra 5 and 8, since ;ts base is 8 units long, and each of th~ other two aides are 5. Thus tre t.hrf'e ~ide~ of this triancle ~i~e a tctal of 18 units, and 18 is tho nu!'".ber of the Hebrew noun Chi, Chni, "life." The nu~ber 105, indicating th~ ~eea at the arex of this trian~Je, is the nu~ber of t~e words DB~. ~. "attained," and PVK, Pook, "a:~timony." The firn of thos~ indicates success in the Great '."lorlc. Th'l Sflcond -:Tould indicate to a ~abelist one of the nnn-:-a for the myster• iout First :.!atter of t!:':l alche':!ists. 'l''Je philosophical anti1:1ony ia the sa,..c E.S the "perm~nent ronter" c-f the Her!::e+.ic philosophers, that is, with p•.ilosophical Kerc•;ry. It was to this that !3asil talentine referred ~hen r.e entitled one of his boo~s The Triumohant C!l.erio~of A.nti~ony. Note, too, that the di':lorsic>r.s e:'lpn:.siZP.d by this trian{;l" are those ~ntioned in the description of tho Rosicrucian v3ult. "Every side (was) five feet broad, and the J-eirht of eight feet." !heae proportions are also trose e~~loyed in the constrvction of the Great Pyramid.
TH: JOURtlF.Y hi::J I:IITIJ.TIO!i ui" Br.OTEiR C.R.

"In the fifth year of his ae:e h'3 Ytas r>lnccd in a cloister." This con:-tecta with the other st~te~enta of the manif-:-stoea to t~e effect that C.R. was a !':ember of a Gm-m&n noble family. ·::hen t,eae pamphlets were published, the Life-power had brouGJ-~ into ~anifestation five races ot men. The Indo-Ger~anic peoples belen; to this Fifth !<ace.

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The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. The cloister, as ':!-.e derivation of the word from the Latin claustl"1.10, bar, bolt, bounds, indicates plainly enou~h, is the state of relative bondage wr.ic!-. precedes tr.e "'ork of liberation. It synboliz:es ':he fact t··,at the Life-power, freo in itself, assumes the burdens of liz::itation ir.:oosod by existence. This passa~;e in the Fama is of the saoe funda"e~tal purport as the declaration of St. ~·s Gospel: " The WORD b~came flesh, and dwelt among us." "Eo learned indifferently the Greek and Latin tongues." I explained this incorrectly in the two fo~er editions of this book, because I forgot that in 17th century English the l'iOrd "indifferently" r.eant · "without distinction." Nhat is meant is that C.R. learnt the language of philosophy (Greek) and the lcnsuabe of science (Latin) equally well. In t~e cloister of the s~nso-life ~e must bain preliminary knowledge of science w:d philosoph:• in order to put ourselves in a pol!!ition to receive the secrets of occult knowledge, which are ioparted in "Arabic", the language or initiation. Occult truth of the higher sort cannot be grasped by persons ~~olly deficient in this prel~inary training. The beginnings of that search for truth by means of Y>"hioh the WORD hidden in the hur.~an heart becones m.nifeated o.re indicated by the next pnssa;e in the F~a. It tells us that it was the "earnest desire and ·request" of C.~h'it led to his beine; associated ·.vith Brother P.A..L. Note t~at this happened while he wcs "in his growing yeo.rs," that is, at about the aee of fifteen. It is at this period that the subtle force ~bolised as the serpent, the scorpion, and the eable bccins to bring about the p~ysical changes and ~ental transforr.ations characteristic of puberty. This is the tL~e vmen boys ~d girls b~bin to think long thoughts, rhen they are stirred by a desire for new experiences, ~hen their loneir~ for wider hori~ons nanifests itself. These inner stirri"bB are closely related to occult and ~~stical experience, as ~r.odern psycholOQ' be,:;ins to understand. Those psychologists, however, are in error v1ho try to r..ake thenselves 't-elieve that mystici&r.l &.'1d occultim, the q•test for renlity beyond mere s-:nsation, the search for truth transcending ordinnry reasoning, are not~in£ ~ut obscure activities of tHB aexlibfe. The serpent force v:'1ich is at v;ork in these beginnings of initiation is no doubt the po~er vnr,uely terned libido by the analytical psychologists, but ~pulses and e::Jotions connected ·;:it 11 the perpetuation of the race by reprod~ction constitute a part only of ita potencies. "Brother P.A.L." is a simple Qebalistio pu~~le. The three le~tera are the Hobrew letters Peh, Aleph, nnd Lamed. Their total value is 111. This is the number of the adjective PLL, Pohleh, "marvelous," applied by ~abalists to the number Ol~, which they call "The Crown", and also "The PrimAl Hill." This aspect of the Life-power is represented ~y the circle at the top of the diagram of the Tree of Life. It corresponds to the hiGhest Grade of the True and Invisible Order. Thus to be associated with Erother P.A.L. means to be linked or joined to the Real Self, the true I ~. because Qabalista desi~nate that Self by the term IChiDH, Jeohidah, and they also attribute this term to the number ONE, and associate it with the upperoost circle on the Tree of Life. . The number 111 is also the value of the letter-nAme ALP, Aleph, •ex". which designates the first of the Hebrew letters. In the Tarot, Aleph is 21.

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the Fool, and the stirrinbs of "earnest desire and r~quest" for higher types of exFerience are what unites t~e personal consciousness with this Higher Self s~bolized cy the Tarot Fool. Even so, in Free ~nsonry, the first Freoaration of the cendidute for initiation is said to be in his heart. Do not be confused by the fact that PLA, Peleh, represents the firat circle on the Tree of ~ife, while ~~. Aleph, is assigned to t~e path leadine from that circle to the second circle. The path is essentially identical 'l':ith the circle from which it emanates, even &.15 t.'le rays of the sun arc essentially one with the sun itself.
Jerus~lem is the intended deEtination at the beginning of the jourThe na:~e of this city neana "abode of peace. • It typifies the longiq:; fer contentment, the hull[;er for r!'!st fron strife, the quert for pe&ce. These are usually the dominant motivss wt-.ich L"limate a human being at the bce;innir; cf the :·iay of Initiation. Here, too, so~thing is intiT.ated which shows the real purport ot the manifestoes, dsspite thsir outward parade of IScctnricn C~Jistianity. Jerusal~~. at t~e poriod when Brother C.R. is sap~osed to have fared forth on his journ~y, \T&.S a place of pil;:;rir.age to the P.oly SGpulchrc. It had becoce the type of that reverence for the dee~ forms of t~e past which, oddly enoubh, is often associated with the states of 1:1illd leading to the be~innin; of the quest for truth. Thus it is that even toJay t~e occult student encounters all sorta of "i~cient Orders," making various clains to unbroken descent from India. E~pt, or ev::n Atl[t.lltis. Perhaps it may be thr.t the Uro.nian influence which ast!"ologers a::sociatCJ •.,.ith occult res~o.rch has so":"Jething to do with thic deli~ht in whatever purports to be old. For &15trology holds that trranus has r;reat inflt1ence over antiquarian resr·arch of all ~:orta. Such res~arch has value, but it is all too co~on to ex&gcerste the ir:!oortanco of antiquity. Truth n~ver grows old, nnd reverence for the fo~~s of tr~ ~ast dcge~rrstes oasily into ~re superstition, which is forti lc soil for the seeds of impo::ture. n··.'h:; seclt: yCJ the livin,; a:aonr; the dead?" ic a question t~at might be as~od of many who believe themtelves especially favored because they ~ave been ad~itted into ihe rant. of ~o~~ society which advances a claim to direct connection with the se~rs and sages of other dsya.

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Brother P.A.L. died at Cyprus. In occult writinss. death often traniSmutation. Cyprus is the essternmost island of the ~di­ tcrr~ncsn Sea. Its na~ is the root of th~ noun •conrer," because in t~o.t islar.d w~re t~e copper mines which supplied the ancient world. Copper is the metal of Venus. In Qabal~ and Tarot both eopoer and the direction Eaat are associated with Venus, and in mythology the island of Cyprus 1e !'!Cntion~·d as the birthphce of Venus. All this refers to a center in the human organism, a nerve-plexus in the throat. Astrologically, the throat is ruled by the sicn Taurus, the Bull,and this si~n is alco con."lected ;r:ith the initials P.A.L •• considered as a "blind" for ALP, Aleph, "Ox or Bull." Brother P.A.L.'s death 'at Cyprus refers to a transmutation of the cosmic Lifs-Er~ath (associated in Qabalah ~ith Aleph) into a sp~eiali&cd activity of subconsciousness which is expressed throuch the functions ot the throat-center, This activity is tho dawning of the hi(;her consciousnest. Thus, throu&h Cyprus and Venus, it would be associated for almost any Qabatist with that myatioal "East" toward which ell aeekera for light aro led by the \'iay of Initiation.
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After Erother P.J...L. 's dcati". ~rot:her C.R. co!"'ti!:ues toward ,Terusalem. This means that although t~e first i~pulse has been modified, for a tL~ the desire for peace persists as a do~inant motive. Thus the · jol:rney continues until DB.r!as~us is reachEd. Here Brother C.R. is halted fol" a ti::-~e, "by reason of the fe-:blcness of his '\:cody.• The place-na::1e "D'l!!IB.SC"'J!': 11 ·eans "work." E~:!ry t-e~;inner in occult practice learns that he har, mbny physical ree.~just~nts to ~ke. "Sound ~ind in e. sound body" applies with srccie.l force to esoteric training, which requires a stl"one; and pure physical vehicle. To rake a sound body takes w::-r\c, thet is to say, a sojourn in Da!:lllscus. IThile this work [OCS on, Brother C.R. "~air.s favor with the Turka by reason of his skill in physic." Ta'·en lHerally, this is prep0st.erous. J..t that tine, accordir~ to the story, he wns only fifteen, one a Christian. Fvrt 1 ~errore, he had not studied medicine, which he leo.rncd after he had left DaMascus. To ime.bine t:;r..t e. German lad, hOW'tVP.r precocious, could ~sin favorable notice from Moha~dans who held all Christians in conter.pt, by the practice of nn art concerning whi:h h~ ha~ leorned nothing, is a feat the.t -.re may lesve to those •rho are C!lp!lble of a sincere belief that t~.e ~oon is "'l8r.e of ~;reen cheese. '~at is meant is that as the rP.sult of the work of physicsl reconetruction, which takes tine nne! oe:'fort, he who is Pl"t"t'&l"i."l!; hir:self for initiation ~nins unusual s~:ill in controllin~ the functions cor his body. This practice is an~lo~ous to what ?.incus ter~ Bat~a Yco~a. It includes tr.., estat-lishl"er..t of corrt"ct he.bitc of diet, the VS"' of \'fRter, rhythmic bree.thinr.:, and such co·,trol of the nuscl"s os 'l'l'ill enat·le the student to '"'8.intain L"l erect sitting posture, ~·ithout !IIO,.il".{;, for at le~st an hour. In 1614 that group of occultists ~ho pu~lishcd the Fa~A and Conre~sio understood the occult laws ~ovepning t~e evoluti~~ or-the hu;;nrac;:- They k-new th!lt Turks ar'!' l!o~;;ol ians, or Fourth Race men. :Tht.t they said of t.l":e friendliness of th'::: Turks to Brotht"r C.R. is an allusion to the fact that the preli~inary practices menti~ne~ e.~ove do a·~ken p~.ysice.l and ~ental po-.7•·rs which ·::-ro hic;hly developed in th11 evolution of the Fourth Race. ThP.se p0\7er!' r.ave l:.eP.n tc!'"ooro.rily sub-Jr!"cd in subcon:!!ciousnoss during the"! e,·ol;;ti:-n of tt.e Fifth Race (Aryan, or Indo~f'rmanic.) NotE' well thl't the puq:-.:Jse of the rreli"'.i-:ary practice r.hich is represr.ntc~ ~/ +~e sojourn of Brother C.R. in D~Mescus is not the armkeninr of these pC1w~rs. Such &wal:o;ning co-es as a !l'l:.tt.er l'f course, but must not be made thP. object of the work. Chastity in thou!':ht, r.ord, &.nd e.ct is icr>crtttive during '.:his work. This.is why Ratha Yo~a can be so deng~rous. It releases potent physical end psychical forces. Unless the~e are control~ed, they ~P.t out of hand, sC~rneti~s cavsin-:; dreadful l!'·x-perversions, insanity, and various kinds of diseases. Hence we ore told at this point in tho narrative that C.R. m~.cle 'l be.r~ain r.i th u.e i..rabians ':o carry hi!:! for a ce:-ta in :C:W!I of money to the Te:nple of the ·:ise !"en. This rafers to t!.e vc:m of chastity, which is indiccted by the ~eaninc of t~e ~ore "Arabia," si~nifyir.; "l!terility." Thus the Temple of initi~tion is al~o in Ara~ia, ~ in Arabia Brother ~.R. Meets the ·.!isc ~lon. llote, however, that h':.' "'.akP.s a bargain T:i.th tho A:-abians for a ctllrtnin SU::l of N>ncy, and that ths period of hil sojourn in the Tenple of the ·:iise !'-en has a fixed limit. The celibo."y whi~h is necesRary in ord~r that o~e !:lay pass throu&h t~e initi~tory triala ···it~ safety is not ir.oosed for life~, It is indi6Mnr~blP. rrcliminary t~ainin~ in self-control. It also establishes b trer.endous reserve of the life-fore~, adequ~te for the extraor~inary de-anne on ,.itulity nade by the initiatory process. After initiMicon, however, celib11o1 is not required. nence the Confessio declares oxplicity that IOmP. of the fraternity have fo.r.ilies.

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The locatie>n of t!le Ter:-ple of the Wise l.!en is given as Dam-car. One tr.an c~itical Yrriter on thi~~s Rosic~ucian has suggested that this means Danesc•>s-Cairo. The objPction to this interpretation is that Da~scus is in Syria, and Cairo in Egypt, which latter country, the story says, was net visited by Brother C.R. until after he had left DamCar. Furtherr.ore, Dan-Car is said to be in Arabia. This alle~o~ical place-na~ is one that would have been significant to any Qabalist of the early seventeenth century. It cocbir.es the two Bebrew nouns, DU, Dam, "blood," ~nd KR (i.e. C.R.), Car, "lamb." Thus it is the Hebrew for •BrOod of the La~b," a phrase fa~liir to all Christiana. The :a~b, as we ha~e ~lready seen, is a far.~liar symbol for the Christos, co~on to Hi=du and Christio.n typolOSf• Initiation begir.s tho process 1'7hereby t':e pc'lf'rs of t:"o C~.ristos are liberated a~_1 l:-rought into expression. This process results at last in the perfection of a personal vehicle for the trans~ission of these powers from the inner causal -plane out into the physical wcrld. The practicr-s of initiation modify the cher-~istry of the initiate's own blood. The Te~plc o! DaD-Car, or Tenple of the Blood of the La~b, ia the initiate's ::n~-n body. Thus it is like 6olo1:10n's Temple in !'.asonry. :ie are told th'lt C.R. learned his l!ledicine and r..athe1!1.Btics at Dam-Car, because the phJsical work of initiation is based upon occult ~thematics, that is to say, upon the ectual geo~trical proportions of all forma in nat~re. It is also a work of occult medicine because it has to do r.ith the cor.t:-ol of forc!is r.o..ose first avra'<eninc is r"!Presented l:-y the paaaa~e in th~ Far:a concerning t.hc friendliness of the Turks at Damascus. !h~ acti~it\cs-of t~ese forces d~ter-ine the state of t~e body e~emistr,r a~~ also build cells into bon~s and tissues. The practical work of initiation, in ot~er words, is the perfection of a physical body by means of t!--e ':!ental direction of spiritual forces. :anP.n the 'bodily ~ehiele ia ~rf!!ctec, the sriritu::.l p:mers find free and harnonious exrretsion, .!!!!!. on t~e phy~ical olanP. This is the real reason why t~ere are not eo oany ; asters. :~est persons are too la~y to do the worl:, too deeirous or dis~oTering so~ "eosy way." Brother c.a. ca~~ to Dam-Car at the age of sixteen. At this age the physical transforrr.ations of puberty are ea.Qpleted, an~ thus it is ~afe to enter into t~e work of transfor~ing the body for occult work. Lt t~is ooi~t in the story there is an interesting paaaa~e. It sayaa "The "t.iae 1 ~en received him not as a strar.ger, but as one whom th~y ~ad lo~~ exrccted: they called him by his na~, and showed him other s~crets of ~is cloister, whereat he could not but miGhtily wonder." Aa soon as the work of initiation really begins, one discovers that he i£ by no ~sns alone in his search for truth. Contact is established with the ~~stera of the Inner School, and one finds that one is already known ~o ther.~. The text also declares thr-t Brott:'lr C.R. was s~:own secrets "out of !>is cloister." This !'lP.ans t~at initiation brings to lisht the inner meaning of physical e7.per1ence. Comparatively early in the process it ~rirgs to the surface of consciousness a host of tmrressions whie~ have been stored in the su~conacious mind, arA one seea the significance of nc.ny ev!nts in one's life, which, at the ti., the:y occurred, I:'!BY hnv11 see~d to be_ of no purticular imoortaneo. 'I'h.ia process of retrospection is a most valu~ble part of occult trcining. The :nse t:en are actual hU!!'.an be ir•gs. They are the Master a who be· lO!lb to the Third Order of the Invisible Rosicrucian Fraternity. They

The True and Ir.visible Rosicrncian Order.

25.

become visibl~ to humaP ey~s wh~n those eyes have "borrmved strength from the eae;le." The "car-le" ls the nerve-force which fi!lds outlet ordinarily in the reproductive functions ~o,·erned by the zodiacal sig;r.. Scorpio. This force has to be subli~ated ar.~ tran~muted before it cen furction in centers of t"e body other than thosr- whose office is the perpetuation of the rnce. Any attc~pt to bring atout this subli~tion before the body has been broubht under cortrol is den~erous. One must tuild a clean bo~y (princi.-,ally by ~E:ans of right diet), c.ust purify t~e mir.d, and must have the blood-stre8J!l charred wi t.h ["U :Jt le forces from rhndular secretions controlled by tl".e subconscious pov<'lrs of "tlo:e Turks." '\','hen all this occurs, the blood chemistry undergoes a series of c~ange&, and t~e structure of certain areas of the brain is modified. Then co~s t~e higher vision or clairvoys.nce in "hich one actuelly sees the :"lise Lien. Today this experience is pC's:;ib'e for a grea.ter nu~ber of oersons tr.!l.n ever before. The details of the practical ~r.et~.ods 1"1hich bring it a:.Out rJay not be publicly ext'lained beyond a certain point. Nevertheleu, any reader of tlo:*:'se paces rna_;.· unciertsl.;<:: t 1·.e preliminary \rorlc of purirying 'lis ,...ir.d ar.d body. ';'/hen he is rer.rly, -:..~en he has ~;iven the right knock:, when he hall uked at the rig'lt door, when he !-.aa !:Y.'t the tests which chow that he is duly and truly ~re~red, he will make contact with more advanced t.E>achir.g. Not sooner--and the tests are strict and at the sa!'le tiJ:".e subtle. Brother C.R. l~~ins his work at Dam-Car by perfectinG hi~selt in tlce Arabbn tongue. Thie refers to t~e unusual insig~t into the secreta of nature 'lfhich is made pouible by t,e exercise of the subtler s,.nses dt•ri~ the period of terporary celibacy. Tl:en co!l'es the translation ot this direct readir.g of th~ Book of !:ature into the orderly, scientific D!"es,.ntc.tion typifi"d by tr.e Latin of the Book J.t (Liber Hu!ldi 0 or The FC'olc Clf the ·:,,rld.) Alon~ wit~ '!:his 7:ork is the studJ of cCCti'lt ~FCJrt> and -r.&t!':cr;atics. All this tal:~s three years, and brim;s Brother C.R. to the l"lll{;icol a~e of 1(), at 'l'ihirh tir>e he cor::pletes the intiatory proceu. It will be SP.~n that all those initiatory practices at Dam-Car :1nd to do with the perfecticn of Brother C.R, 's body • in order to make i~ an inst,.umcnt fo'" hctter nnd'lrstanding of nature. The first "''orlc is this work of correct interpretation or that wT.ich Indian philosoph7 culls Pralcriti. T!lis l::o~hcr ~:ature is t~e Isis of tl:e Eryptians, and in Qabalis~ is personified by Eve, the mother of all li~ing. The literal n'll'nin~ of "Evo" is "to mar.ifest, to t'l0\7 fo--th.• Tl-:us ini":.iation tegina -,.,i th thE: et:udy of the T'lttr:ifest, v:i th ir:v'.'!stications into t"e "'caning ot t"e power ~hich the Bha~avad-Gita describes as "difficult to cross over," ~nd as •the w~b whcnco is th~ birth of all cr~atures.• Ooe who has accor.olished this w0rk is said to have arrived at the ~stical age of 19, because this is t~e n~~ber of thr proper narno ChVR, Chavah, tr~nalated "Eve" in Ensliah Bibles. Brother C.R.•s twentieth yeor is described as h~vin~ been occupied a ,iourn~J from Da~-Cur to Egypt, a short sojourn in this country, o.nd anotl'or journoy t.o the plocc where he cornrleted his work. Of the jot;rney to Egypt ~e lebrn that it. was across Sinus hr!lbicus, tho Arabian ~ulf. Here is a ~ubtle intim~tion of the ter~i~~tion of the period ot cPl\baoy r~pr~tented by Arabia.
~ith

',

The True and !~visible Rosicrucian Order.
t~bcon"ciousness.

25.

Egypt, lend of darkness a~d c~ptivity, is the automati~ region of c.n. r,oes there, as did Jesus, Pythagoras, Joseph, and "any another. His work in :gypt represents the initiate's study of the r..odes of conscious experic.,ce develooed by the Life-power during its evolution throu~h the plant and ani~al kin~dons. An initiP.te ic able to revi•e conscious awarer..ess of this exoerience, and to utilire powers ·~"hich are highly e"''olved al!lon; enilT'B.ls. Po.tan,iali, t~€ ;reat Hindu teacner of the science of ~ntal control, spo~ks of this "·~.':!n he says that one ~e.y so neditetc es to gain lrnO'."tledgc of the meani~ of all anine.l sounds, end understandin~ of the pror.ertics of all plants. Ob::l>rve, however, that such explort.tion of subconsciousness is extremely dan;-!'rc-us until o::Je has done the ::-relininary ,.,or'· of pu:-ification and tr&ini~' repres~~ted by the three years at Dsrn-Car. T~us the Chaldean Cr~~les acmonish tho~c who are te~oted to pre~ture investigation of th~t re!:;ion of st•bhu."''lan activity! "Stooo not dovzn unto the Durkly-Splendid ?:orld; wherei~ co~tinually lieth a faithless cepth, and H~dea ~np~d in clouds, delightin~ in unintelligible irr.agea, precipitous, win~inr, a ~lack ev~r-rolling Abyss; ever espousinr t body unlur.inous, formless, and void. "Stoop not t!oW!I, for f' t'reoipi~e lieth bene~th t~e e~rth, reaeh~d by a desce~din~ l&dder nhieh hat~ seven steps, e.nd therein ic ~tta~lis~.~d tt.e throne of on evil fUld !'et!:ol f'oroe. "Stny not on tr,e precipice "fith the drc>l!'ll of ~ttcr, for there is a place for thy I~ago in a realn ~ver splendid." The p~ychic pOI'ters of l:~;ypt, of t'-.e rer;ion 'l'C'hich is under the sur• face of the earth, of the ol&ne r-f Life-"'.enirestntion bel~ t'•e human level c-f ~ubeor.t~cious a-xareness, ere undO\Ibtedly ~rvelous. They oucht to ~~ ~udied, too, but not ov~rlor.~. Ttus the story tells ua t &~ C.R. did r.ct St'or.d a lo·; tir:~? there. Truly rtre tiJe pC'A'ers of' this region called "darlcly splendid." As truly is it said t"'-.t i:'! t'·em dwells an evil and fstsl force. For ttose P~"'ers o!' cte.c.es of evolution bel~ t~et of ~•n ar~ e\"il in the sonse th'.lt it 11! r,.lways evil to ~o be.c~ to a lo·-er level r-f dev~lopment. T.. ey ar<.: p<'Wers, :::oreover, worki~;: 'ty the La·•t or Averages fro~ \rhieh '!:Pn escaper. b:.r the exercise of the power of eonseiova self· direc~ion. ~hey are tho p~ers of whnt Jacob Boe~~ calls tho "astral sp~er:e," froo which t•·e hi;:-her ?tiado:r. releases ua. T:.e greflter nunbl:.r of "occult f<:ilurcs" arc peracons who ~ave z.-one d~1ll into EGYpt and stayed tr.crc. Thoy &re t~e ones whose exercise of unuf•.:a 1 psycHe forces w~i::h really be 1 ong to th-:. subh•Jr.an plane a of I"!Ulife~tation attracts the 11ttcnt\on of t'!~ vulgar &nd the idly curious. h:rehilsm of thi& Y.ind is the greatest dan;-:er on t!->e occult path. All e.epirants rust me~t c.nd pncs this dBnr:cr. It cannot be a'\"oided by co'Rilrd· ly refust> 1 to make O:"el!e 1 f acqun inted with the suhhllr'!l!l fo!"ces. They rust be known in order to be controlled. But so dattli~ .is their dark ~plenrlor thf1t r.eny are victims of its glamour. His studies in Egypt complE~ted, C.R. sail a O'\"er the entire Hediterra.,oan Sea to Fet. Thi3 city is at the western or.d of the aea, and is th•3refor~ in co~tr(&st to t":os~ P.aatern landt w).tch t;rpify the pre• li~inary ~ork of piJysic~l and psychical trnining. In the l~th century, r:or~over, Fer. \Yil.S the int.elleotual center of tl-.e ,.·orld. There was a great

''

The True and Invieible Rosicrucian Order.

27.

university there, wi~h r. fine library, to which ~en of learning repuired from every part of the globe. In this allegory, therefore, Fer represents the intellectual po·.•ers e.ssoci,ted in occultis~:~ 1"it~ Mercury or Hermes. Therefore we recrl thl·t those nt Fe: excelled in mathe::natics, medicine, ano ~gic,--nll of t~e~ deFart~ents of Her~etic Science. We are told, moreover, that it was here th~t Brother C.R. "did get acquaintance with those which are co:.~only called the Elementary In.J.:nbitanta, whorevealed unto him =Y of their eecrets." These are the conscious entities of t::e non-hun!I.Il pl!lnes of spiritual activity so!:leti:-es referred to a a the Deva Evolution. ~~ong the~ are the entiti~s at work in the inorganic moees of life-expression, known to the occultists of seventeenth-century Euro~ as sala~enders, sylohs, undines, and gnomes. At this ooint in the story there is a plain intir.ation that the errors of w::at passes for sciel"ce in our ti::1es sre chiefly attributa't-le to the fact that true observation end correct inference require sc-.t~ing more then laboratory apparatus. The physical and psychical condition of' the observer must be tat:en into eccou:1t. Until one has develor-ed to the stage of physical and ment~l control reoresented by the earlier work of C.R., the study of the p~en~~n~ of the inorbanie plan~& of Life-expression leaos oftener to r,ross error trcn to truth. The r.aterialis~ of our own ti.-.es is evidence of this. The popular notion is that science is exact. The best scientists, ~onever, tell us that their wor~ is little better than blind ~ropin~ i~ the dar~. · Thus the Fn)'lla savt thbt the :!l!lgie of those at Fez was not altogether pure, and that t~ Qabnlah was defiled with the errors of their religion. Even so, amons the seienti~ts of today, hypothesis follows hypothesis, book follows book. The "kn~led~o" &cceptod today, and taught ever~ere in schools and universities, is tonorr~ the exploded fallacy which every one is busy refuting. Not so with occult sci~nce. By traini''S the observer, so that he e!ln read the Book of r:atu:-c, and ;-.r.ke an adeqt,ate translation fro111 it, the Inner School prep~res i~s initi!ltc for the most difficult of all his inveeti~ntions--the ~XPl~rction of the mysteries of the inor~anie Modes of ~xist~nc~. Ri:.htly prepared ~y the study of kingdo~s of nature mere like hi-self, in which the snc.r~: of consciot1 sncu ie not so thickly veiled by th~ limih.tions of physie!il for!'\, he approaches the inorganic bodies which seerr. ino.ni:111te, anc finde in them the same fundamentt-1 laws ot eonsciousn;BB th~t he htts studied elsewhere. Furthernore, ulthou;h he finds errors &nd contaminations in the "'::Jrks. of uninitiated sdcntists, he is able to ma~-e good use of' their labors. The occult initiate is no enemy of the Darwin&, the Huxleys, t'ie SteiTl!"etzes, or tr.e MillH:ans. He gladly us"s the results of their inveati~ations, beeaus~ hG ha~ a ~ouchstone which enables hirn to separate the gold fro- the dross in their work. He rejoices in every real discovery of the physicists, che~i~ts, or psychologists, ~cause therein he finds, to use the quaint p~raae of the ~. "more better grounds f'or hil faith." Rosicrucian trn~i~ion seys th~t Brother C.R. e~pleted his work at Fer; at the age of 22. This nurr.ber is appropriate, beeaus" the number 22 in occult !"nthet:>Otiee is th.~· nW!Ibcr of t,.,e airel-::, and so repres"!r.te. the conclusion of a cycle of mnnif~st&tion. Thus in Hebrew there are 22 letters, 22 phases of consciou!'r.css, 22 cxpreu:ions of cosmic forces. The1e are assicned to the 22 conneetin~ paths on the Tree of Lif'e, and th&y are

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. also represented by th-:: 22 rajor trumps of tarot.

2B.

r:hn.t i=ediately follows in t~e :;tory is always trua. Vr'hen one•a occult tr~ininc is co~pl~ted, the first effect is a desire to share the k:c.o··rledge with other!; but, as the story shcr.'IS, one must be careful in selecting those to ~hom he atte~pts to co~nicnte the higher wisdom. r:,orefore secrecy hal: ever veiled the daz ,·ling light of arcane teaching. The ~ro~r ~~y to co~unicatP k-nowled~c of th~ subtler sort is not by indiscri~nate open instruction. This invariably has no o~her result than to excite ridicule and anta~onisn. '!he causes of the.t antagonisl'l are t'-e sar;e today as wl:en the F~U:& -..:as m-itt-:n. It :"'&t~ers not haor willir.g the practicnl occultist ::JAy--r;;to s~ow ";;ew grO':""ths, ne.,., fruits, and beasts." Such ttiin~;s, being outside the rc.n~;e of ordi:-oery experience, are a laug:!'ling r.atter to ::linda accusto-ed to t~c narrow linits of academic fields of investigation. It is o~ this acco~t that ~ven so extraordinary a person as H. P. Blavatsky fou1d, to her sorrow, t~~t phcno~ena, however wonderfUl, would not convince t~ose w~o were deter~ined not to c~ange tne vie~s which they had ~o lon; held. It is tl:e exceptional person who is willing to acknowledge an error to ~hich he hos gro.n nccusto~d, especi~lly if it has been the ;eans of brinti~~ him fa~e ~nd goney. Ue!"e willi::;ness to imrart truth is not enough. Those Trho are to r~c~ive it r.ust have ~dequate capacity. In the Orient t~is is well UD• dcrs~ood, and r.:ar.y tests of ":h~ would-be pupil 1 s co~petP.nce are ID!lde before "e is ~ivo::n an;; or th., doep~r inst,.uction. >'!hat the ~calla "t~~ true und infallible Axio~'ta" bre utter r.or.~~nse to a person incapabl., of graspir.; their purport. Note, in this co~~ect1on, thst these Axio~ata direct us to "t~e only ~iddle point an~ c~nter." Occult wisdom il".varia'tlly leads fro~:: the nnny-ness of the. outer world to the U!lit:y at t'"e r.eart cof b€ir.g. This is c.nother reason w~y it is not easy for the aTerage scien:ist to grasp esoteric tcbching, for the fields of exoteric fiCi~·nca are ci>isions of hum!ln onviron:·1ent. It is the exceptional e;cier.tist ·,;ho rer.lites tho.t his work is really a study of the powers ot h1s own nature. At this point in the n~rrutive there is a short digression conwork of the Inner School. This is described as a society possessEd of ~terial r.eulth as well as spiritual ~T.owledge. At the ti.m':l theSe ManifestOeS 'r'ero published this passage undoubtedly attracted t~e attention of mnhy re~ders ~ho had no other interest than the acquisition of Material wealth. The sa~ motive aninates ~D7 sl"ekere for occult knowledge to"ay. Yet both Fana and Confessio cont~in specific warninss that none who entert~in~h u~orthy cotivea ·,rill be able to t".a~e contact with the Order. :·.'hy, then, nentiCin the r.w.tter at all f In the fir at place, as ~ t~st. So~~ti~s tr.e existence of such motives is ur~ecor,ni:ed by o~rsons who are, nevertheless, subconsciously influenced by them. To such readers of the m!lnifestoos the mere mention of great wealth would be sufficient to set up subconscious responses l'lhioh would betray thell!• sf'l\·es in th~ letters Tthich t":e public wore invited to address to the Fraternity in response to these manifestoes. s~condly, ~ec•use unusual control of t!le means of material supply is actually o::e of the res\:lta of right kr.owledee, ~nd th~se who do muke contact T-ith the True and Invisible Order do ~hare the benefits of such control, paradoxically because they are not primarily intere~tod in such benetita.
crrnin~ th~

The True and Invisible

Ro~iorucian

Order.

29.

J.no1;h'!r poi:r.t is bro1•g;ht o•rt in the Fa!'1a. The anonymous authors rrake it clear that they are the successors Of'";ise -:-.e'l of other ages. And they show, too, that the world's need ripens hu~n bein~s who are equipped to deal wit~ problens as they arise. This is the sirnific~nce of the state!:'ent; "The v·orld in those da_;s was already big with those rreet cor.~oti~nf, laboring to be delivered of them, a~d did bring forth r.ainste'·in~, worthy r.1cn, 'VhO brake with all force through darkness a.nd ta.rbarisn, and left us \~ho succeeded to follOI'I' them." Here we ~.an a direct recocr.ition of the truth that the activities of huDan beL~s are not mere fUT!ctic•nB of pers01~ality, but are ne.nifestations of a eos:rlc prccesE at work through th~ thouGhts, words, and deeds of ~~nkind •. Th>!! TrianglP of Fire !llcntioned in this connection is a very old occult f:Jl"'bol. It links up with the La:'\b symbolism "f'hich we .!'lave shown •o be rel~ted to the Hindu bo~, Agni, the personification of the powera of fire. It i~ also connected with the syr.bolis~ of the Great Pyr~d, w~ich is a Etone e~blem of the Eternal Flane. Here, too, reoe~~r that the R~sicrucians have &Gain and again been terr.ed Fire Philosophera.
r~frai'led fro~ any further r:tte':'llpts to call attenticn to his unusual knowledge. Eere trere is a p~rase that ~rita attention, in whi~h men
~eturning, ~ith

the

F~ma,

to Brother C.R., we are

tol~

that he

nrc ccll~d citizens ~f hoaven. Today, after years of widely circulated cocult i~struction, it ~ay seem co~onplace enough. In 1614, when the b~neral o~inicn ~~ that ~n ~~~~ a ~~re worm in the dur.t, it ~Jst haTe b~ouc~t forth a quick response from r.any a reader's heart. Even now, when ~o.teriJJlir.r.": has mode t;>:~ whole hu.-.c.n race -erely r. negli;:ible incid~nt 1~ th~ ~idat of a sori~s of cos~ic nceide~ts, we may do well to think of ourselves Bl!: s''aring in tho univ.,rs'll ·;ov~rn!'lent, as being citi1cns of heaven rather than as b~ing slaves cf earth and its chan~in£ c irc•mstnnces • The five yee~s anent by Brother C.R. in meditating on his studies, anri in roducL~ all his experiences to a fittin~ ~norial, refer to an occult r~ct. Just ahout that time is required in order to digest the ini t i~ tory exooricnce o.nd to develop its consequences through the mental procP.ss ter~ed "~ur.":ination" in the F~~. The "fitti~ and neat habitation" built at tl-.is time is the ~erf~ctod body of the adept, which ho ia able to build because he haa gein~d the nec~ssary kn~tledge and cower. The "fine instruments• are interior organs of that body, particularly the seven great centers or chukTns corres~ondinb to the seven alcher.ioal metals. Uuch of the ti~ is scent in ~sthematics, because from occult arithmetic and ge~try one ~ains the basic inforr.":ation which ma~es possible t~e proper fashioning ot t~esP. fine L"'struments. The ~stablishnent of the Fraternity began in C.R,'a twenty-seTenth y9ar. The number 27 is important in occultism because it is the cube of t~e nur::her 3. It is tho Qabalil!tic nu.'llber or the word Zlt, Znk, •purity. • The idea of purity is r.ssociated with t~at aspect of t~e Li7e:pcwer which (._abalists call "Foundr.tion," or "Dalia," since the latter is said to be t .e so at of the "Pure or Clear Intelligence." Thus the number 27 is appropriate to desi~nate the mystical aGe or which Erother C.R. bcco~• the f'oundaticn or Bnsia of the Fraternity, and at which hia idea of a reformativn or purification of tho arts &nd sciences took clear form in his ~i~d. The number 27 is also that of ChiDH, Kheedaw, "intriol!te sp~ech, an

The True nr.d Invisible Rosicrucian Order.

30.

oracle," -r.hich is also clearly ap::lice.ble to such an underta'dns. Again, it is t!':e number of BKH, Bawkah, -:vhich ~eant originally "to fl<nY 1 " and sur£csts the outpouri~ o1' cner~y ·;:hi~h the work of founding the Fraternity invol-.;--cs. Furthe"I"t:IOre, or=::! means also "to 'l"'eep," and hints at what is the real :r.otive of all i:asters of the Inn.er School. They are :noved to conpassion by the ~uffering ~~d errors of the unenlightened. Therefore do they work withput eeasinc; i.'or the purification and regeneration ot t'·e hmnan race. The three co-founders of the Order are said to have been called by Brother c. R. out of his first cloister. Here is another ex~ple of mere nonsense, if the story is to be taken literally. For if these were ~n bound by ~onastic v~Ys, Brother C.R. would have had no authority over them, nor could they have resPDnded to his call. But if we understand theo to be types of powers which are pres~nt evr.n in uninitiated hu~~ity, which c~~ only be called forth to &ood wor~ when the central Self hes to rome degree achieved lit-eration, the .r.eanin; is clear. It ia still !'urthf!r elucidated by the Qabalictic sit;nificance of t~eir initi&ls, which are as follows• G.V., Hebrew GV, Gav, ".r.iddle," or •center.• I.A., a transposi~n of Hebrew hl, Ahyee, •w~ere! haw!• I.O., adding to SO, tho;- n'L':lber of t!Je letter Peh, "l:l0uth 1 " and of ISVD, Ycsod, "Fo~~dation or Basis." The basis of practical occultism (I.O.) is self-exoresslon, or self-utterance (sug~ested by the fact that tho Hebrew letter Peh atar4a for the ~uth of man as the cr6an of ~p~ech). Adequate self-expression requires self-interrogation (I.A. or A.I. "•.,here? how?") ani!:llted by specific purpose. This wo~k ~f self-expression i~ to be realized through conce~tration, which leads to the establish~ent of equilibrium through findinc one's true center (G.V., G~v, "niddle, center.") The values of all t~ese inTtr~ls total 100, which is the number ot ;::.rr., ~. "vases," end of :1iV?:, '~adown, "effort, extension." 100 is al~o the value of the letter QoFh, ~hich represents Corporeal Intellisence, a=d i~ Sj~bolized by the 18th Key of Tarot. The three co-founders r.ere t~e vnses or vessels into w~ich C.R. poured his wisdom end power, and t\rough their efrorts the work wu~ extended. A most important aspect of t~et work is typified by the 18th Tarot Key. It has to do with physical reconstruction. Therefore, in the Etatement of Rosicrucian objects, the first is that they profcas~d nothir.g but to heal the sick. If we take the initials of the Founder as beir.g C.R. or R.C., then t~eir value is 220. This, added to the number repre~eoting the corn~ined i~itials of t~e co-founders, D~ke~ ~20, the number of the Hebrew noun ROil!, Ro.yi.r.l, ".frhnds, brotl-.ers, associates," which is certainly appro~riate. Again, if w~ take C.R.C. as t!Je Founder's initials, they add to 240, and this makes the total of the initials of those who becan the work add up to 340, which is the value of ShU, ~. "The NAl'E," and of SPR, Seo~er, "tcok." Any association of four persons would have sugs~sted the ~~:;.;:E, IHVH, Jehovah, to a Qal'&list. The connection with S.tR, Soepher, "a bo~~.· is hintod at i~ the text, where we are told thrt the first work of the Bret~ren was the rnnki~e or the magical lnn~ua~e and writing, and t"le corr.pilation of the first part of tha Book 1!. Concernir.g the lllll(ical lanruage nothing ~ore need be said here than th~t it survi~es to this day, and that one part of the dictionary reentioned in the ~ ia the Tarot.

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. Four others who were l~ter drown into the work are designated as follows: R.C. (ru:, },ole, "t10::Jderness"); B. (letter Beth, and the Ma~ician in Tarot), described as a painter, because the Intelligence of Transparency represented by Seth and the MAgician is the basis of all skill in design; G.G. (GG, Gnwc:, "roof"), representin;; shelter and secrecy ( gJ. "tiling the lod!;e-rr-;;d the office of "tiler" in :!lasonry); a':d P.D. (Peh-Daleth, i.e. }:ars-Venus), sur:gesting action (l!ars) and creative imagination (Venus). The initials ?.D., ~oreover, add to 64, corr~sponding to ChNVK, Enoch, "initiated," and DMU, Damam, "to be silent. Thus the additional Brethren represent co~passion (R.C.), initiative and self-direction (B.), secrecy (G.~.). and the extensicn of the work of initiation through correspondence involving the exercise of i~ngination in planni~g coureos of action (P.D.) The last, because P.D. is said to have been their secretary. These four Brethren tyoify the ele~ents required, in addition to those repre~ented by the four founders, for the establishrent of a~y organi~ed effort at communicating occult inf'truction. The nu~~rs of their inititls total 312, which is 12 x 26, sugb~sting t"e co~plete expression (12) of the powers of the One Reality, d"!sir;nated by the Ineffal::le l!a:::e Ihvl!, or 25. 312 is also the number of ChDSH, Khodesh, "to renew or rebuild," which describes the work undert:JJ.:en by t~e Fraternity.

..

-

-

The total nu~ber of t~e ori~iral ~~mb9ra is 8. This is a n~ber with Kris~~~. ~ernee, and Christo~. In Christian nur.ber s.:,·n:bolism it is called the Dor:1inic:~l NUI'!ber, or nUMler of mastery. It is also the nunber of points which bound a cube, ~o thct it is connected wi~h the syr.bolisr. of the Rely of Holies in the Bebre~ tabernacle and in ::iolonon's Te:nple, because thi:- room wa:o: a perfect cube. For t'·.e saMe ro!>.Eon it is connected with t~e l!ew Jerusc.lem of the J.pocalyp~e, also dc~cribed as a p~rfoct cube. Again, 8 i~ the vulue of th~ lntt~r Cheth, s:,'~bolized in Tarot by th"l picture of t!".e Chnriot, w'hich c;ives a clear presentation of the proportions of the Hasonie Lod~;e, also as~ocia':.ed ~ith Solomon's Te~plo, with Hermes, and with the idea of ~stery that is connected with tho nUQber s. Q~balista ere ~lso faMiliar with these words, all of which add up to 8: A3il, Abah, "to will, to intend"~ A~D, A~od, "to bind, to eocbine"~ o:B, Dabab,-rtO move slowly. to cause to spe~and also to quote free dopnr~uthors•; and BAH, Beah, "the entrance, threshold." Note th~t all those have to do with the-te~innin~ of any enterPrise, and are thu1 connected with the idea~ which, in Tarot, are represented by Hermes, the 1!agiciano
asso~inted h~en the work is perfected, the Brethren fare forth into the world. first of all, ~haws us that practical occultism not only does not d~~and that these who are proficient in it should seclude t~emselves, but actually requires that they ~hould minGle with their fellow-men. Only by actual contact with the aff~irs of doily life can occult knowled~e be anequat~ly toEted. Again, there i! more than a hint here that the tendency to organi~e littl~ exclusive cliques and circles of the •elect" ie ~ontrary to the funda~·ental princip~es of Ageless '.Yisdom. By CO:Jtact with ochers we are the more apt to fir.d those who are. ready to receive oc~ult instruction. ~ven the friction thut it en~endered by encountering noreone who heve deoided viows other than our own is good for us, and ke~pft our
T~is,

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. knowledge ~rig1t. Nothing i~ more stultifying to real intelligence than to become one of a little gr~up of serious thinkers, which is really no :1ore t~.an a mutual adl!!iratioz:: society. The activity of the li~ht-biving Spirit of Truth does not end with the per~onal li~eration of the initiate. He becones a center of illumination for all those who come within his circle of influence. The only restriction put upon him is that his light can be received by none save those who are ready to receive it, and who put themselves in a proper position to do so. Vie co~e now to the agreement by lYhich the Brethren bound thei!!.Sel'ves. It is fairly expli~it even in its lette~, but may be better understood if it has so~e corr.rnent. The first point has to do with the cure of mi~ds an~ souls as well as bodies; altho~;h the physical !ide is by no ~eans left out. The true ~ealirt work of tr.e Invisible Order aims at the perfection and renewal of the rower!! of the physical body, for th!lt body, as the temple of God, x::ust be cleansed and purified t-e!'ore it may serve as a ·suitable vehicle for th'3 Life-power. The second rolnt disposes of the pretensions ot self-styled -Rosicrucians" who appear in public in outlandish costumes. For some kinds of cer')monir..l work, to b<'! sure, E;r.::l:-olic ~;ar:'ll~Jnts are worn, but this work 11 done in private con~ocaticn!, ne~r in putlic. This teco~d point of the a~re~~nt al£o m~~s tr.~t a true 2o~icruci~~ does ~ot seolc to be different f;Ot:l hi~ neighbors in r-atters of outwerd form. T:1e l:!ifference is in his inner life. Eccentricity of dress or conduct is sufficient evidence t~at a P"rson gi~en to it i~; not a true Rosicrucian. The thir~ point refers to a detail in the ir~er expression of true Ro~;icrucinnisn v;hich -=ay not b'J ela't-orated here. The most we can say it t.hat after 11 certain de1;ree of proficiency has been reached, Rosicrucians rlo "~eet" in what i~ here cnlled t~e House of the Holy Spirit. Thie they can do, ~~en thoU(h tr.eir physical bodies rnsy be eenarated by thousands of
o,ileEo

The fourth point does not mean t~at a Rosicrucian is lir.ited to the s~l~ction of a single ~uccessor. There are today membert of the Ir.visible Order r.hose powers of or~anization make th~m centers of ;rouna nu.,wring hundrede and.even tho1's9.nds of asrirants. On the other han~, to find !l person able to ta~e up one's ~ part in the wor~, ~nd carry it on ~ith full kn~ledge of all that is required, and full power to meet tho~e require~nt~, ~ay well tave a lifcti~e of pet.ient search. Th~ fifth point refers to the me~ni~ of R.C. as r~. Rok, -tenderr.ess." Conpassion and forbearance are t~e seal and charocte;-Qf t~e true ~c>sicr\•cian. Harshneu in speech cr action 1s inconpatible with the work ~r t~e Invisible Order. The true Ros~erucicn understands the hut:~an heart, kna-... s hoo.Y great !lrP. his own struc;r,lea to keo::p hi:!: balance in the l'lidst of t'-e s;1irlin; confl;ct of thn world's emotional life •. He is tender, without bei!.G soft; cot:~passionatc without unruly identify-in~ hioself with the ;oroea of others; firm to correct error without feeling any sense of condemnation for thoee who err. · Th~ sixth point has reference to a matter 'mich is not for public eYpo~ition, I may give ju:t one clue to it. The nu~ber 100 ie th&t or the He'l::reVI letter Qoph, r.nd of the. 18th Key of Tarot. It has to do with t~e Corporeal Intollisence ~hich veils the Invisible Order. It h~a also to do Vlith the todiacal sign Piccc.s, and with thB Piscean Disl'IOnsation,

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. now drawing to its cl0se. In t~e Aqu~ria~ Dispensation ~any things which hit"lerto have b<:!en !cept secret :>re to be revealed, and the fundamental secret of the Rosicrucinn Fraternity is one of them.

TEE VAULT OF

BROTH?~

C.R.

The description of this vault, the story of its discovery, and the 'l"arious detailc os to its contents are among the most imoortant parte of t 1 c ~· In a ~ook intended for gener~l circulation it is !~possible to touch upon so-e of the points involved, because the explanation of those poin":s it referved for the instruction of S5lected aspirants to initiation. ,;ithin the li::!it:s i":posed upon me b;r certain ol:ligatiom:, I shall calce aa clear a~ exposition as I can of this part of the ancient text.
The accompanying diagram shows the geo~trical key to t~e con~truc­ tic'n of thl!! vault. ':'i'ithin a squ'lre whose i!:i-:les measure 26 units in len~th is drawn a circle. The dia~ter of this circle is also 26 units, and ita radius is t~,erefore 13 Wlits. "!ithin this circle is described a heptagon, and each line of the heptagon representt t~e width of ono of the sides of the vault. Each point of this heptagon is al~o joined by a straight line to t~~ next point but one, the seven lines so drawn for~ing a large sevenFOint~d star w~ich encloses a snaller heptagon. ~icro~cter ~easureMent of th~se li~ec, and ri~id g~~trieal calcu1 ati ~n of the angles forr.ted by the!!!, will not be attempted in this book. The r~sder sr.ould underctand that I em purposely ignorins such niceties of caJculation. This is a symbolic construction, and t~e whole n~bers ~hich it suGgests by its approximate ~~asurerncnts are the keys to ita
~eanin&•

Approxination, indeed, is the best t~at can be achieved in any sY":olie Fresentation of truth; but that approT.i~ation is enoUfh to enable a rec~pti~~ r.ind to apprehend the truth which it is th~ purp~se of tre syn:ol to conv~y. For the sake of clarity in expressing t~e ideas ~hich this diagram rOJprcsents, I shall faller.'; cy teachers, &nri s.,all treat the various lines and an;les a~ if t:~ey were "lhole nur-:bers. Cr.ptious critics who ':".i~ht be inclined to "thrcm away the bal.y with the bath" becc.use I ~ave icnored decir-al poir.ts arc h~reby infor~ed that I have ~one so intentionally. Every one of these ~porox~te measure~ntt is a ~ey to the inr.er si~nificance of Rosicrucianism. ThA radiuG of t~e enclosin~ cf the novns AChD, Achad, "unity," inti~ation that uni~d love ar~ universe, or Macrocosm, and in the The
dia~ter

circle is 1~ ur.its. This is the nu~ber and AHBH, Ahebnh, "love." Here ia an determinan~the for-ation of the life of man, the ~eroco~.
si~e

clo~ine aouore, is 26 units. 26 is the nu~ber-of IHVB, Jehovah, "t~at which r.u, That which h, That which will be." ·:athin the overs7ladowir.g, infinite
Fein~ of this One Power all fi~ite b~in~s have their relative existence. To t~is the Fa~ refers when it ends with the Latin sentence, Sub ~~bra alarur tnentm, .Jehovah, " Under t'•o shadow of the wings, Jehovah. H The four sides of tho enclocing square convey t~e sa:1e idea--that t":e One Reality is abo· e ar.d below, on tt.e riGht hond and on the lett. Here is alto a reference to the Hermetic doctrine: "That which ia above is as that which

of the circle, and the length or each

of the en-

is belOII'o •

A

THE MAGIC SQUARE

'a, 58

59

5

4 62 63

Vl
56

or: ~,MERCURY,
HERMES, OR 1 THOTH

49 IS'- I~ 52 53 41 23 22 3Z 34 35

ly -'lo

IS THE KEY TO THE

'

i_9 :21

"'~ jS

19 18 48 PLAN OF THE VAULT 38 39 25
OF OUR BROTHER

40 26

zy 37

36 30 31 33

17 4y V46 20 21 4.3' ~2 24 9 55 5.4 12 13 51 50 16 7

C.R.C.

6~ 2 .3 61 60 6

5-z

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order. In whole nucbers the diagonal or this enclosinc square contains ~7 The nucber 37 is i~portant in EbJTtian secret doctrine, in Qabalah a~d particularly ir. the esoteric wisdon or the New Testament. It is t~e Gnostic r.ystical nucber representing revealed truth. The Gnostics used ~~e cube as a symbol or truth. because no r:atter 1-:~ich way a cube is turned, it always presents the a~e neasure~ents, ~~d also because it is tho nost stable of the regul~r solids. Si~­ l&.rly, the Eebrew thougl:t of' the cosmos as a great cube, as we see fr~ t~at passaee in t~e Book of Fornntion ~~ich runs as follows: He sealed the Height stretcr.ed upwards and sealed it ~ith I~~·. He sealed the Depth stretched donnwo.rds and Se!llo:!d it -;-:ith I'\'E. He sealed the East 5tretched fo~rds !lnd seeled it ~th HIV. Ee sealed the West stretched backwards and sealed it with EVI. Ee sealed the ~:orth stretched to the right and sealed it with VIH. He sealed the South stretched to the laf't a:-,d sealed it w'"EI."' The Gnostic cube of spnce is s~~ a~ove i~ the rnar~in. ·rt is cocposed of 64 sr.all cubes, because it is a cube of' 4x4x4, representing t~e extension o!' the Great li=e of four letters in all six directions. It is also the C'Dbe reorescnting truth, beoeuse tho vulue or the Gre~k letters spelling the ~ aletrei~. truth, is 64. In Qabal&h t~is cube of 54 lesser ~ubes is the synbol of di-;ir.e justice, because the Hebrew notln Deen, Justice, is DIN= 54. · Examination of the diagr~ r.ill s~ow~t of these 64 s~all cubes, t~c greatest n~ber t~~t c~ be visible a~ cr.y tice is 37. This is ~y ~T S;yT.lboli:.es revealed truth. 7hero remain hidden 27 other ar.all cubes, which ~tar.d for esct~ric or h c~e~ trut~. This n~ber 27 has been already dealt r.ith in conn~otio~ with Brother C.R.'s ace nt the time he founded t~o Order, I~ that co~~ection, ~s will be seen froc the comment, and fron t~s text or ':~.~ Fa."le itself • 27 also represet:ts esoteric truth. __..._In their ro!~~rc~es into the nucbor and le~ter synboliso of New TestaMent words, Bond a=d Le~ have disco~ered hundreQsof naoes, epithets, and t;,'!Jes of Christ which arc ~ultiplos of 37. In The AoostoHc Gnosis they give 600 instances of the nur:1bor 2368, ~~ich is 37 x 64. 7!-le occult history of the nu:::ber ~7 is lost in the clsts of e.ntiq"ity. !ts dicits give the Trinity ~d the Septenary, and these represent the t~reefold aspect of the One Life ( Creator, Preserver, Tra~sformor ), oanifested throuGh the agency of the Seven Spirits or wBreaths• which are rcpres'lnted by th«:. grest hepbgon y,'ithin ":.he circle, and by the seven sides or the vault or Brother ~.R. In Qabalah, too, 37 is a significant number, because its first digit, 3, stands for t~e Three Supernals (Cr~, Wisdom, and Understanding), ~k.ich ~re the roots or the Tree of Life, r.hile its s~oond disit, 7, indicates the rom~inicg seven emanations, fr~ ~~rcy to t~e Kii!bdoc. The nuober ~7, n~ein, is the nucber of decrees in the nncle formed by the junction of thQ hypotenuse of a 3 - 4 - 5 right~~led triangle and its tase line of 4. This hypotdnuse , in ita ascent from the base line or t~e triansle olways ~uintnins this ar~le of 37 degrees, until it reaches the point of union with the upper •~~ :a:: o!' the vertical line, o.r.d there. !'orms e.n agle of 53 -/ degrees, oa explain~d on page 20, Thus the n~ber 37 in this tri~n;le stnnds for the power which maintains the rel~tion betw~en t~e evolvins kingdoms or form, typified by nscendinc hypotenuse, and the fund~ental elemcnt~ry n~tur~rom which those fo~s ore developed. For in Egypti&n symbolism, the base line of !'our units stood
~its.

( , 37

The True ar.cl

Ir.~isible

Rosicn•cinn Order.

~5.

for Isis, or natur~, and the asc~ncling hypotenusa for her son Horus, who personifi.:-d the develofment of life tLrou;h five k:inbdo::~s corresponding to t'"e fi ore C.i vi sior;s of tlJe h~rpctenuse. Thus the mm'cer 37, as that of the der,re~s expres~in~ ~~e constant relationship of the hypotenuse to the base line of t!:is t:riangl<e, (,Xpress~~ also t:·,e consta::t relationship between Horus ar.d Isis, or betw~en evolvinr for:-- e.nd funda-.ental nature. In Hebrew, 37 i~ t~e nu~ber of tha wc-rd HB!:., Ab'!l. Primarily this noun ne~~s "breath," but it has also the cor.notation~'transitoriness," eo thnt it s~,:gr,ests the r.a::!~ idea of onvrard m.~e::~ent, from form to foMil, ~hich is inti~ated by the hypotenuse of the E;yp~ian trianrle. AGain, EL, Bal, is t'ie J>.ramaic 1:ord f0r "heart," so that HEL may be read Ha-Bal, "theTeart." :'lith the sare letters, tout di!'f-::re.nt ly pointed to represent another pronunciation, HBL may be read Ha-Bale, "7he Lord," or "The Husband.• T"'.ese ~;o ten::s are ap-clied to t~<e Christos in tl-Je New Testa!!'!ent, where both "Lore" a!'ld "Bridegroom" are employed in a p'..Jrely Qabalistic se::~.se.
The two diagonals of the enclosin~ square would make a cross, or primitive Hebrew letter Tau, nr.d since e~ch dieg~al is 37 units lon~, thil Tau would recresent the nu~ber 74. Arong tt.e 5etr~ words corresponding to t"tis nu:rbe!", and familiar to every seventeP.nth-century Qabalist, are: DIDi, tiy-n~ "le!l1er, chief, judg-::"; :!GI\'N, Ei;:'~:a:,ron, "::~editation, intention, de>ice ; L:'D, Ln~ed, "o.x-goadi also (as vc.rt)"to teach"; and ISD, Yisad, "hath found~~The diagonals are not shown in the diaGram, but~ould occur to nny occultist to ascortnin their ler~th, and he w~ld bo struck at once l!y their appropriateness to the story of of:he ~ult and its great builder. However stran&e t~ese word correspor.dences ~ay seem to modern reeders, it Enould be borne in mind that t~ey were certainly known to the ~abalists ~.~o were li>ing Y:hcn the Rosicrueian no:.r.phlets were published. ~;;,~:.t I a~ endeavor-in~ to do is to show tl'.e .,.,.y the "erudite of Europe" would have understood these texts, and I have already explained that they were ·very far.iliar with .1ust the sort of thi~~ -. have been considerir.,;.

The ~tar enclosed by the great h~ptego~ hns seven points. E&ch point a tri~r.~le sir.ilar to A-B-C. ~e altitude of this triangle is five units, ar.d i~s ~s~ line is ci:ht units. These nu~b~ra, 5 and 8, are p9rticularly enph~sized in the description of the vault, and I have already ""~ntior:.,d the !'set t~:!l.t t~ey are co:mected ~ith the Great Pyramid. E&ch point cf t~is star, in fact, is a plan of the cross-seetion of the Pyra~id, whose verticnl axis is 5 units to a. base of 8 units. To any erudite Europe11n this voult eonstr11ction would therefore be intensely interest•ng, fror several roints of view. Ths s~ller heptagon within the at~r has seven sides each of which is 8 units long, so that the total length of the lines coT'tposin~ it ill 56 u!'lits, &~y Qab~litt would ~~on that 56 is the nurnbor of the verb KVL, Kool, "to kt,ep in, to contain, to nensura": of I\"1.!, Yom. "day" (so that the sevon li!l.es "oulc represent tha duys of the week): .;~of NAB, liawaw, "to dwell, to a't:id<e." He would also reroo!"ber th~>t f·5 it the nu~:~ber OfAIZ..:H, ~. "dr~ad, t~rror," which refers to the fear one L~tpires, and not to the fe~r" he hi~SFlf f~ello This last idea is th~t the ~eesured activities of the cosmos are sources of terror to those who do not ur.derstor.d them. The sre:•ter nll:'lber of persons actually drcBd the duys (IVH, Yom) \-rr.i~h are before them. Thil is th'• r·ason why eoothsayP.rt of every dcwiption continue to flourish,

The Truo ond InviEibl'!' Ro:;ic:"ucia,., Order.

36.

even wr':)n t'-.ey advEnce t.'".r. flit'~iest p!"stextE for t'·cir supposed ability to read t.~o fvtu!"e. To stud~nts or Tarot, of ~curEr, t~e nu~~er 5E will be a reminder oft·· c, 5G !~ir.or Trump~. To de'\·eloc this correEr-onder:cc, 'lC"Ne>er, -:vould trl·e a set-••rete t-ool{, t:o intri'=ate are its ranificatie>nE.
l:e;ota~on y;r-i h ~nclo~PS the ~t11.r ere r.yr:~bola of the seven es!)Cctr of t~.~ One Life-l:lr<!let!J. These are the ~e't'en Spirits of God. T".e~· are !tlso call~d t~,e Planetary .An1;els. Be~i~iu~ at t~~ ~otto~ of t~e dia~r~~. ju~t O>er the r.agic square, &.'ld coinr: clrc\-d.s•' around •he heptarron, the order of the planet~ is: \'or.u1:, :·:,.rcur;;, Sun, :'ers, ,1uoiter, Saturn, Moon. The Planetary A..,~cls ccrreq•o!•dir.r;, in the sa~ order-, are: HJ.NIAL, J..nac 1, "l}rece of IZod"; Rl-.t-.L, R!.r:;"'ael, "G.:-d is t':lc Healer"; ~'Iu.:., ::ichael, ":..i··o u;.to ljod": }~:AL, Ka~·ael, "S-:v~rity c-f God": TtDQIJ.L, Tsc.o:lkiel, "i?i ··'·tcollPlcr:; of God": TtPC:IAL, Tsach\:i'll, "Conte~ple.tion of God"; and ~l:.J .L, Gab!"il"l, "l~o.n of 'iod." :i'her.~. e!!~elr ~re the personifications of t:;(l se·-n;!: r=l3rt 'l;hi-::~ are t.·~stc i!! :7-!).!lifcstatio:~. The influence of' these t:'O'<rrr e::-:•.:-~"'!ds t"lrou:hout t'·e cosr:os, i?: t!•io;s 't-o1ill s":'!!ll anr1 sreat. In t':o hur.-ar. body t":oy cor!"espon~ to seV'\!:1 c.;t:t .. rr, "~ic'l e.re the 'ClCta lis of t~e alchc~irts and t"'e cha~·ra!: of t!J.., Yo~h. In the ord~r here ~mployed. t"cre- c~nt.-,r! are: Venur., A!'aol, Cop 00 r, t"ro!tt center: n~reury, Raphael, ~uic'·siln•r, cerebrum and pi!le!;l rlend; :un, ·~ic~ael, ~fold, eE.rdiae plexus; :·~rs, ::ll1'1ael, Iron, navel ccntt:r; ·1 upitE"r, Tzadlciel, tin, solar plexus; Saturn, T~~rhkiol, Lead, S':!crol pl<:xu::; !~oon, Gal:ricl, Silver, pituitary t-C)Ijy.

Tl1r· Eoven ::-ider. of tLe
P<'~""'rr

of the

t~•c roi-cts C'lf t"" st~r eorreslJond to rof t;';e Tree of Life b<>lOY• th~ •Jp::l"r +.rind. Bco!;inninr,; at t'v:- uprer poi11t C"f' t">c ::tar, a::~ cou!l~ !:- .. to the left, eollntor-clo•:\.:\·isc-, tl "Y ~re: 1. Ch~D, Ch.-s~d, !.:ercy; 2. IJ~\1UI, Go:;burah, ~everity; 3. ThPARTh, Tip~ar:1th, Beallty; 4. NhCli, lletzach, Hctory; f. F\D, r:od, Splendor; fl. IS'..D, Y~:sod, Fount:lation; 7. ?!Lr:'1'Th, !'alkuth, Y.in:~dom. Thus thP.j' also c:>rrctP0!1d "to the Rodcrucien Graref: included in whEt are knonn e.s t~e First £r.d Ce~ond Orders. Th'll'e will be more !'ully ()J!plnincd later.

Ti·,c r.cven triuno:l'!ls 1•hh·h foi"T'I
~1•horcs

t~:o !'3~t;n

Accordin!; t.o t:;o:; rot.l1er obzcur-~ text of ~-•·e !:.::::!.• tl'>e ceiHnr.: of the Vuult ·.vat "!Hvided ur:cc,.riin~ t:o th~ se-vc:n sides ir. t·-~ t!"in~lo which was in ti-Jc br;e;r.t center." &one studcntt of tl1e Latin text believe tiFt t~is r'·.ould ree-:1: "Dividr.d accordi!l,: t!' the seven ~.idos int" trian,:-:les, t~itl~ a tri~~cl~·i~ the bri;ht c~nter." 7his readinr, seems to be borne out by the tredl.tionr.l di&.gra!'! of tl·.e ee\11!1~ of t"o:; vault, given below.

Tl}E CEILING

The TMle and Ir:vi::ible f:osicrucinn Order.

:57.

In this dia~ra' t~e syn~ols of t~e ?lanets are plsced in correspondence '':itr. t:-e sevPn ::id<"~, and t~:e r:u~"ers of the ten sp"leres of the Tree of Life are Flac~d in their correct positions. The top of the seven-pointed st'l.r is surnosed to face fast, as is r.l::o 'the top of the interior tria."lgle. Ir: t:-~ l~ttcr, the upper p~ir:t is attributed to KThR, Kether, tr.o Crown (1) t::e lower richt-h:tnd roint to Chl::ffi, Chokmah, 7;isdom (2), f:.lld the lower left-!",9nd poir.t to BI!lli, Eina.h, Ur:derete.r.di:l.~ (3 ).

The floor of the ~ault is sidlarly dh-idcd int.J trinngles, but t!:e +.rie.nsle in the cer,ter poi:1ts ·.:~st, instend of 'C.~:.~t, and i": i:: black irstead of w~ite. The "Inferior Governors" mentioned in t"lis connection in the Fana r..re t!1e de!!tructive f'orcP.s v;hich Qa~alists call tLc ~li::;poth or :hells. ':"'1e sa··e condderations ~~i::!". leud the writers of t"'e Fa:-s to l<'ith~old the explane~icn of this ncrt of the vnult are ~till ~lid,~n though more ':-.,.r. ':'~~ren "lur.dred ycurs ha·.·c ;:esl!ed ::L'1ce the RJsicrucian P~"'P'~lets were 1=:•t'lisherl. Eence, to t•se t!:eir word:;, I "leave tC'I manifest the sa:o:e, for fe~.r of the abuse of tr:e e~il ar.d unF"odly world." The re:r.a ISS~·s th ... t tr.e .ralls C'f the 't'ault v;ere os.rted into ten ~gt•e.ree. This is c.n c.lr."rt obl'ol~te us-:: of t'-:e .aou."l "~quare," :"leaning any recto.r.;;le, c.s w!'l'm :~~o. ~ Jecle.re t'·.t>t the f'.:~rm of their lodge is an "orlo!1!; squ'lre." The ten rectcnrl~s are fo~d by dividir.~ the wall by a vertical lir:o t!:rou~h the center, a:1d crostir.~ this \\·ith !'cur equidist8.Ilt hori::ontal lines. E3ch of the ten rect~nfles, accor1inc to t~e ~irencior.s GiTen in the Far~a, -nill then hc.ve t-.,o side:: or 1.6 feet, and two or 2.5 feet. 'I".E' proportit>n thus for~d is that of 32 to .o,c, ~cause 1.6:2.5: :3::b~. T~.is ;'roportic:: woul-:! i~trre:st ~> C.abali,;t, !':it:ce he v•ou!d 1:-e fa:~liar with t~e 32 Path:: of ~isd.Jn o.ncl th~ 5~ G:ttes of Undcr~tsndinc. Th<:> se ten rectcr.;l'!~ are ir.scri'bcd ':ri th t"!c ntr::!! E ar.d c.ttri 'but ions 0f t'·e ter. q.heres or cir::l<:>~ or. "!:he TrC"e of Life. These are th'J "several fir:ure:s ar.d S:)~te'lces" ~ntioncd 1.n the text. Er.ch wall ha~ a different r.r~~r:"'e~cnt, droterr.ined bl ':;1';-, plc.neter;,· naturP. ·.vr. ich ie attributed to it. T~lll5 th~ ·;.-all o::.:~rresron::ir.s to Venus (whi~h is !>U:o the door of the vault) co:-tnins 1.n it:: rcc':tl'.[;i.e~ all th~ correc.'or.:lence:; rel~tint to the ;:'lri[1UI' Vcn· sinn arr·~Ct~ of the ter. ~cphiroth. rt ~·:culd ll<:.Me no u:;eful p"'rr:-~;e to r,:iv<J all tl'e~e dc':ails, as t!~eir r..canin!! would he.rdl; be evld"r.t to ar.y reador of t~is boo!.: not pro!'ou:-:dl;,· V'·rscd in ~ebah.h •

•

• • • • •

•

. . . . . . .•

.7he ne&r-urenent of t~e walls ic ~i~en nr S x 8 feet. ?ere w~ have ::. reeurrer.cc of tho funda!"'cntc.l nu!:'':>t>rs which hove t-een nctiecd on l'!l@:e 20. T',r:y are eler.~ents cf a sequ~;nce of nur..br rs nc?T c!lllP.d +.he Fi "or.acci SeriOJs, i:l -r.\ich c.ny nurtoer &ftcr 1 il; the sul:l of the t'Ro prec()din; it, thus1 o, 1, 2, 3, F, a, 13, 21, 31, £5, and r-o on. ~ero ic included in this ~~:ries tccanc~ it is the sign of .hbsolute Unity, the "or.e f,·ithout a ISocond.• Thic cor:ecn':icn of Ahsolutc U;;it;,•, cor.:bi!'l()d wit~ that of relative unity, rnpre~'.lnt~1 by 1, produc~s the id~a of duality o~ which 2 is t~e sign. 1--:·~r. l add:ld to 2 r:akt's 3; 2 !.dd~d to ~ z:o..c.kca 5; .:: added to f- ~kea e, and ISO or..
i:~is IH.riet of r.•_,r':4"rs recur"s a1;nin a"'\d FlJ:;&ir. in n~>ture, as in the r'.llation:: bctwoen t.r.e orU+~ of ~l!'.net!:, '!:letwr;C"" !l'!t~Sieal tone::, erid between color vil'ro.tio::s. It ~>p~c!lr~ es & detcr~ineont i!: tre r.truct•Jre of erystala, ,r.d in tr.e or_ricr o!'__c:rcwt"'~r: e~~:_l___~_n~..!.P.gotable life. It 1s &.lso a key •o t'lorc propc-rtior.s in r•. i:·tE"::;._ tzt.:lpture, ·c.r.d·-archl'::ecture which produce the r.rP.atet>t li''sthct.ic ntir:faction.

The True nne In·idble

Rosicr~·ci-m

Order.

:58.

:'ichel Ja~ol'~, i:. T!1e J.rt cf Co:r.por.iticn, says: "If we dra·•; an o\:.lor:g \·.r.i..:l·. 1:1e'i~uror :) inchor b:.· 8 incher-, o.nd then o:lraw a Liet;onul, or hyootO!"U::P, fTc'T:l the tv:o far =orners, and CTOS~Lns thiS diet;or'll '~i• h e. lir.e (ore e:-:d of ··nich r~sts in the corner, nnd which crosses the di·!~O!'l~,l li!Jc at ri~;ht nn~led continuinG t.~rour.:h to the opposite side of t:"ll! .:>:--lo"-g, we shc.ll have dra:vn a·: oblique eros~ in the oblon~. "Ey drc.l':inr c. line pc.rallel with t'1e dde, 'T!oere t~e thort crossi!<g li:-:~ tc-uc~ P s th9 ~ i.cie :1 of thl' oblonr,, r:o as to for!'! a square on o:'!e eo.d, ;;o•.: will h~'7!.'1 produced t .. e orie;inal fer,... .:>f t"'e o'!:lo:-:g, but i::'l a s::~e.Lcr prorortic>r. or snquenoe o,., tl-:c other erd. ••S tJ-.e orir,inal forzr. ;eesured 5 1:-y 6, t".c sneller for.:: will noa:;ure :': by 5, and if' we dra';l' ano+'-.er lit(! &cross w:1,re the di!lt;t'n"ll :ncet::, ·::c ::hall hav'3 e. t!r.aller for::t w ic!-: will ;..o!l~ure ?. 'b-J 3, a.,c if wo:; draw ano":'ler line, P"" will ~.ave a ~-!Oller fo:-:" ~1-:i·~h ·~iE r..easure 1 hy :::: hc!';e~. (Sef' dia~rs.':l facing tl-)is rr.f:e.) Ey thi~ ~.et:1N:1, you ·.,ill s~e th&t you 'lave r.ade s:-.aller forms in ::.e lrr~e rE>Ct'~n;::le, or fc:-!:s in ser;ue~ce 'Ri':ich v:ill :ltasure in the sum>;etior. of 1, 2, 3, 5, 8." (7r.e J..rt of Co--e.:>~iti~.m. PP• 16-20). -:-he dicron:;,l c-f c. rccte.r~lc of .: x 8 for!:'.~ t-.70 o.n;!es, one of 32 d~:;rees. s.r.ci o;.~ of ~ 6 rJeo;reP ~. T':nt .... f ;.2 degrees suc!;eSts the 32 Paths of .isd;,m. T~et of i:-8 de-::rc~r. -::or:-e!ponds to the- vt!.lue of the word Chll, Ch~n, Lo,·o, kird::cse, .;ro::e-. ~e lett,.rs of C!\1., r.orecver, s.re the i:-:itiala 'OrchK~,:u ~l:.Th:-ili, Ch.:>\"'T:o;,_l-) ::e-s~+hrah, The :;.,crP-t !is'fom. Thus Chi: was often n~cd 't·y t"·~ Sac~~ d Israel to d~r::ic.r:r+e ~·::e Qaholli~ i+s-::lf. A(.ain, t~5 di!l;i'"s e>f [1:' are the nu:-.l.rrs; ~·i,~!- rnrJ: t~e tou:Jde.:-ie::; of the rect&Il6le. '!'hi,.. rcctar.gl•:, r:oreo,·er, i:; C0r.!"'lcted -:-:i+h ~~-.e proportions of the Great PJ·ra~id, a-.a ·.~it!-. t'~P f:Tt'?t'r~ic-~s 11lready confir.Jercd on page 36, in cor.-.ecticn 'lfith the poir·ts of t'le star w\:ich is cncloccd 't::'J the hepta!:;on ·t~hich fornF t~c ;;:-:JUn1-pltl.n of tl-o; vault, If str:::.ir,· t li·.e!'l ~ dr5.wn from ':re cc-:te:- of o1e .:>f t'w 1-:"l·r.r l:idcs of thi~ r•!ct~n.-;1., f.o each cf' t~e cor!H'rs op~o::;te, t,.,c:;'> liz:(!s ."'ill :·.:>rr. "t:-.e side~ of r. tri'l!l>.lo having 0'1e of t:'·e lo•·~; ride~ o!' t'1e rcc"::a:-·;:le as its b'\se. Li.:: trio.::'lr,le l"iU have a 1-:•.ic':t c.f !'. a:-:d c. br.so; of 6, 7"'l~:s it ~vill bn prcTortional to the "::-ie.nglea "o!"!'.i11:; tho point of t::,. hrptat;:-r.r.:, r.nd it "Yill t.lso bt:: a cross-section of thP Gr~Rt rjrarid. Finall?, the totd le>'1[th ct· the bounrlo.r:t Hr.e:; of a rect.an.;le of ;; ~ B i:o; 2~, +ht> t.urtler of tl-)c four-l<Jtt,red N&!l<.: of 3od, or Tetre.rra'l!lmetor., Iii\:', .'eh<wa". 7~u:: ovo!"y ::ide of t'·.o vo;.ult is, :::o to say, '.:ounded l::;,· t•·.c Crec.t :·o':'.r.. A£ the: vo:.ult '-..... ::: S'Ycn &ices, th<!y ,::i":e a s•.venfold :-er.~titio~ c-f t':o Tetr:.r:r:.r:"':'aton, or in nurr.ber:;, 7 x l'e = 182. Thi£ la •;,~, Pu'i::.• r o!' J:..,.~: ;l.l..:,;;r,, ~:~1-::k !lo.-Elnhim, Kinr: of tl-., 'kds. C0nsi<.iered as a ::olid, t!'!c v•.tul+. in a bod;,· h~Avi::c; nin'l side:;, f'ourtc r::n co:-r.ers, G.nd bnnty-onc toundory li'lor::. The sum of 9, 14, am! 21 is ~ , t~e nu•·.':-~r of t• e I:nl::-:-e7; word:::: r::.I, Dt:.leE, l.quarit:s; Di~, !>e.m, Ell'od; O::hV!.., f:hcol, :..c.'1o:O; 7Li1, T&.hl:h, J.. lw:1b, a-;:u;;; J-.rie::; t.nd LH!,""LO:'hr.t, A !'lr.~-::.~t.l.::o a~;ic. ·c h~ ve o lrea::!J r.~·+ ic'3d Dl.', !:•!l.ln, Blood, in con~cc+- ion with ~'Jn-t::,.r, ti-e rlocc of' C.R.' s initinTIO:.. ChVL, t:hool, :Oand, has an alc"'''mice.l m~~anit:::, dnca A."!astratuf' in :i'h! Cr~..wd ,---;;;:; of ~'1e Firrt .t.:atter of t:·.'1 Gr~>at or!:: "Its birt~ ir in tht· t;&~d (i.~. in the mineral 'lcing~or)." Here :·;., must rc!:le~'l-w:>r tC:r..t the princip(.ll constituents of the blood ••re dcrind frcn t~o nir.ort 1 kin~!lo:"". WT, ~. Fl•,me llnd Magic, rcr.!inds ~e t~ut Ro~ierueicni!m it tl-)~ ancin~t Fire ?hilo~orhy, and ~hot its practical proco65F>S ~t.vo to c!o ·::ith tho control of ; ~ecrct Fire, TU!, ~.

The True and tcvisible

Rosicrucia~

Order.

:59.

A lanb, a ran, JJies, refers to the Christos, Erother C.R., and also to the fact that the brair., under the rulership of Aries, is the ~an~ whereby man controls the forces of flame which ere used in ~gic. Finally, DLI, Dalee, ~quarius, refers to the Aquarian Abe, represented ~bolically by the head of o man. ~hen the Rosicrucian manifestoes were published, t~e In"er School had been expecti~g. for milleniurns, the co~ing of the A~uarian fire which is now dawning, and hed been looking forward with longing to the perfection of human arts, sciences, and philosophy which is to be realited duri~ that period of cosmic history. Of the 21 boundary liner, of the vault, 14 are 5 ft. long. end 1 are 8 ft. lonr.. Thus the total len~th of the l~es required to bound this structure is (l~ x 5 ft.= 70 ft.)+ (7 x 8 ft.= 56 ft.)= 125ft. This leads us to a c,msideration of the facts illustrated in the frontispiece to this book. At the top of the plste is shown the true figure of the Rosy Cross. It is a cross of 6 equares, opened out frol'!l a cube. At the center of this cross, ~nich is the squore corresponding to the bott.o~ or foundation of the cube, is fixed a rose of 5 petals. At the eentP.r of the rose is a circle, surrou.'lded by 10 small c ire lea, from which radiate 25 linea 1 extending into the 5 petals of the rose. Th~ s~oll circle at the center represent~ the nu~ber 22, and is a eymbol of t~e cor.bined forces repre~ented by t~e 22 letters of the Hebrew •1phatet, a~d ~bolited by the 22 Torot Keys. . The 10 s~all circles stand for the 10 circles of the Scphiroth on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. These also corresnond to t~e 10 Grades of the Roalcrue ian Order. The 2f rediatin& lines represent the creative word used in Genesis, IH!, Yehi, "~t there be," since its three letters correspond to t~e equation, 10 + 5 + 10 25. Thus these line~ are also s~bolic of the ere9tiTe power of t!".'! Logos. The 5 petals of tf.t! rose refer to the five hu":!&n senses, to the five constituents of -:a!",ifestation (Ether, Fire, ;·:at!!r, Air, Earth), and to man hi·self. for by i~s cor.~t:-uction tt-.is rose corresponds to the fi't'e-pointed star or rc~t~:r9~, syobol of man and his control over the conditions of his ~nviron~nt. • In t'le GrE-ek langue~e, "rose" is EOl.IQN Rhoden, and by t;he nu-aeration of ~1ordE in tr.at ler.;:-uace is 294, the nu!:lher of th~ noun EKKAHJ:IA i''k'-:1e:ia, "a~eembly, or church." Fundao::.,r.tally, the word ekklesia ::~eans "c~l cd to~ether to listen." It is the assembly of those who "have ears to he'lr." It ic also the company of thore who have aw'lkoned their inner aense cf h~arinc, so that they are able to listen to the voice of the Secret Tencr.er represented in Tarot as T~ HIEROFr:J.J~T. In ~any vereionc of Torot THE P.IEP.Or~~T ir. called T~ P~~. and aoccrdi:-? to trodi.tion, th., first Pope Yta~: ~ii:!Oll, o:- Si::-eon. whose Hebrew nane sio:;nifi<:!l "Hearing." Therefore l"HE F.I!:P.Ofi'W:T i!! a~;sociated ~rith the l~tter Vau, to r.hich Qab6li:t~ attribute the faculty of Hearing. The tradition is siven in the Gospel of Matthew, thuar

=

"And Je~s questioned his dieciplet, sayin~. nhom do men pronounce me, the Son of m~. to be? And they eaid, Some say John the B&ptist, ~nd ot~ers flies; and othere Jercmi~s, or one of the prophets. "He said to the~, But whom do ye pronounce me to bef And Simon Pet.er, &.ns-.teri.,r, 11-:.id, Thou art the Christ, the eon of the li~i:~ God.

The True and Invisible

hosic~ucian

Order.

40.

".And Jesus, anS'II'ering, se.id to him, Blessed art thcu, Simon Bar-Jona::;, for flesh and blood revealed it not to thee, but qy Father who is in the hee.vens. And I also say to thee that thou art Peter, and on t~is rock I will build my asse~bly, ~nd th~ gate~ of h~des shall not prevail a~ainst it. k11d I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of tt.e 1-:eavens: and whatever thou mayest bind on the eD.rth, shall be bound in the hea~ens; acd whatever thou mayest loose on the earth, she. 11 be loosed in the hr-avens. • (Matthew XVI: 1~ to 19. literal translation) NO'J, t!::e Gospels ~lso tell us that t:;e first titr.e Jesus met Sir.on, "Thou art Simcn, the sen of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas, which if;, tr.r i!lterpretation, Stone." The nane Ceohas, in Greet::, is KH<PAI: &.I'd its n<·!"ber iE 729. This is t":e nlr.'lber representint: the cubical contents of a cub! Clf 9 x 9 x 9, as illustrctcd in the frC"ntispiece. A cross of rix squares ooened oct fror. a cube of 9 x 9 x 9 will ceasure 14 x 9 arcund its peri!!leter. Thus t"-e cube represe!'tting Cet'h&s, openea out so as +o form the true Rosicrucian cross, r-ill ~~~ture 126 units around its o~ri~ter, an~ it th~r~fore gives the exact nurr.ber of units ~hich, tD.ke~ at feet, are required for the corstruction of the vo.ult of Brother C.R. In Greek, the word for "cross" istTAYPOf; Stauros, and its nW"ber, 1271, is t~.at of'H·rN.nt:lt, He G-:osi~, The Gnosis, end is alt:o the number or'H·KMPQNOMIA•HN'ION , He lderono:"'ie load on, ':he Sacred Inh ... ri tance. ~us the crosl:, -::hich is t!':e gco:-etrical !:ptol of the! pattern from which t!':e cube is forned, represents the Gno~is, or traditional wisdom, which is the Sacred In~,eri tance of those who "heve ears to her.r," end are therefore :;:e"'!bers of the Interior i\SSe,.l:ly or Church r£>presentl9d by the Rose. The cube of 9 x 9 x 9 co~pletely encl.-lSCI! a cube of 7 x 7 x 7. The letter, sine", it has siJt sicles 7 x 7 has a snrfacc area of 7 x 7 x 6 = 294, ~.l:c nu-ber of·PO"'ON•Rhodon, Rose, and ft<KAH!"IA Elckl19sia, Asse!'lbly. Thua, w~.er. t~.e cros;-or-;i~res, each. of w"ich ~eesures 9 x 9, is folded up ~o fcrr. a cut-e, it will e7.'1ct.ly enclose tl:e l.:;:'tical Ro.re 'IThich is the True &n~ Ir.visitle Order, or the Interior Church. The cubical cont~nts Clf ~ cube of 7 x 7 x 7 are 34~, t~e number ot the !:e'::r<."N phrase, VII\!:R J.I..IU:-·, Ve-Y,~r Elohic, ".And God seid," (Gen. 1:3). ~us t~c 7 x 7 x 7 cu~ repres~nts t!':e ~nif£>stetion of the Creative Word, ~hich is heard by the ~~bers of t~e Interior Church or ~ystical Rose. T'".e difference between th'!l contents of a cube of 7 x 7 x 7 and a cube of ~ x 9 x ·g is 386 cubical units. That is to say, if one hod a 7 x 1 x 1 cu~~ co~pCI!ed of 343 ~ell cubet, it would require 386 ~ore s~ll cubes of t':e r:..re Eite to efl.close the 7 x 7 x 7 .zube in a cube ~easuring 9 x 9 x 9. ~i~: is ir.portent bec&use tre nu7ber 386 is the value of the Hebrew word U:h\1l, l.t-shon, tongues, typifyin~ the ~ens whereby the interior mysteries ere :o~~ted to heerins, ~nd also of the pro~r name IShVO, Jeshua~ which wei! th'!l actual na~e ~iven by his parerts to Je~s. -----In Greek, the n!l.'lle•l HLOY~·~ hr.a the value 888. If' one renons frvr a cube of !=I x 9 x il tr.~ 217 cubes --rhich are visible w'l('n three ~ic~s are seen, as in the illustration, there ~ill re~ain a perfect cube o~ E x 6 x 6, corrcspondin~ to th~ 888 of the na~ Jesua. Thus the Rocc and Cross r~present t~e Interior Assembly, nnd ita Sacred In·;eritllllce, the Gnosir., 'IThieh hae to do with the tranllcendental mathe~atics of tho universe. It it the e~hlcm of the Apostolic Gnosi•, the s~cred tradition of tho In~erior Church, concornin~ which St. /.ugustlne d~~l~red: "That whic~ it nor. called the Christi~n relir,ion hes always exitte1, and only came to be called Christinn after the time of Christ." Thia
h~ ~aic,

The True e.nc! Invisible Rosicrucian Order.

41.

inner tradition has nev<:>r been p"rmitted to lapse into utter obscurity. It has been faithfully co~Jnicated from generation to generation. It is alive today. even as in ages pa~t, and the kncwledge of it is the restoration of all things. The door of the vault, aa I have said, is t~e side attributed to VenuE. This is tr.e planet which rules copper and brast. ?ie have seen that ~•e first significant event in the story of C.R.'s journey is the death of 5rot~er P.A.L. at Cyprus, the reputed birthplace of Venut, and the site of t',e copper mir.oes which supplied the ancient world with that !"'etal. The story of the finding of the vault also e~phasites the importance of thia Venusian o:Jetal. The story says tl:s.t Brot'~er N.N., resolving to alter so:nething of his building, in order to ~ake it more fit, li;hted upon th~ Memorial Table, which was east of brass. Attached to thit table ~s a nail, which, when it ?r"fls pulled out, tool<: P.ith it a stone, leaving an opening 'vhich exposed t~e hidden door. The Venusian r.ugrestion of tl:e brass tablet is self-evident. To a Qatalist the "sreat nail" would also heve had a Venusian ~eaning, because "nail" is the trEnsl~tion of the letter-n~~ VV, Vau, tiven to the aixth lP.tter of t~e Eebre~ alphabet, to ~hich is attribUted the todiacal sign Taurus, which, in a~troloGY, is ruled by Venus. Taurus governs the throat, in 1'1":.icl': is located the Venus c~nter typified by Cypru!, the most easterly i~land of tre Yediterraneun sea. In Tarot the letter Vau is represented ~ the Eierop~ant, and this Tarot F.ey typifies Intuition. Thus the "&reat nail" attac~ed to the memorial tablet represents intuition, which is closely connected with the subco~scious f~~ctions of ~emory and ima!,ination. The "stone" ~ould ~ev~ arreGted t~e attention of alche~ists and it '1"1CU1d also have been interesting to Qabalists. For the Gre~t Werle of the alche~ist was t~c Preraration of t~e Philosophers' Stone, and throughout t~~ ~abalah and the Sible, the word "stor.e" has great i~portance. In the F.ebrcw lant;Ua(;e it is AB!;, Ehben, and its value 11; f3. This is the n11ober of debrces in the angle for~ the ju~ction of the hypotenuse in a P'Jthcrorean triru:t;le with the upper end of the vertical line. (See page 20.) That is to soy, it is tr.e nunber which expresses the relation between Horua, tr.~ ~en (typified by the hypotenuse), and Osiris, the Father (typified b7 the vertical line). \'lhe.n the hypotenuse t.nd t':e vertical line meet, Horua b~co-es one with Osiris, the Son ~eco~es one with the Father. Thus it is not ~urprisinG to find thnt in the word ABN, Ehben, ~~e firct two letters spell AS, Ab, Father, ·.vhile the second 1;71'o speTI"l'N, Ben, Son. Remember, too, thnt ChVRJ.! ABIV, EiraJII Abiff, has been shown to be" The Stone which the buildert rejected" (pa~e 18). The attainment of the consciousnese of unity with the Originating Spirit is the s~~it of the work of initiation. Re~ember, this is a con~cious ider.tificaticn, so that when the Son and the Father are one, the Son is the Father. Horus identified ~ith Osiris is Osiris, end~us we ~hs.!y-fir.d that the burial and resurrection r.ymbolism connected with the ~nmos of Osiris, Hiram Abiff, and Brother C.R. has to do ~ith the aspect of consciousness represented by this perfect identification of the Son with the F~ther. !.~mory and ba~ination, colf'billed wit'l intuition (the tablet and the

The True

~nd

Invisibl~ ~o{icruci~n

Order.

42.

nail) brir.g wit'. t~E'"' the ston':: (conscious union of t!-e ::on with the Father), and thus t~'! r.iddo;r: door is revealed. Even t~-,., word "doc•r" he.s a connection '-'tit". ';•mu~, becnure "doC'r" is t 1-:.r mcaninr; of t'1.., Rebrev; letterr&':"e, DLTB., Da leth, ar..d tr i:; i ~ the letter ~~~ich reooresents Vcnu!' in the Eebrew alp!'.e.~-et, ond to ":hi:::h Key 3, Th~ Enpress, is as::i~ned in Tarot. :his i:: the door o:!' liberation, t 1' " door which leads into un-:lerstending of the great r.stheMctical end prycholo~ical principles •vhich are at work in the construc~ion of t~e uni'ITerse. Tll\lr the~ tell~ tt!: tret t"rOu!;h thit door the E<ret".rcT' had eccesE to such a treasure of' kno.-led:e as "ould serve for t"-e cocolete restoration of sll the arts ar..d :cicnces.
On tr.~ doer -,.·o.s writ+-en t"'e Loti:n 5ent~nc'l ?0~T CT.X J...'l'fll05 PATF.BO, w!-.ich r::ey be tre:nF:latcd: ";.!'ter 120 :~oars I sl-jall oper.." TJ-.e nul".ber of ;;eurs here ~!'ltiC'ned repres<Jnts t":n O<'rfected con1>ciousness of an illu-:ninat~d :"lB.n. :"nu:: t"te Bihle .says: "Bi~ days Ehall be a hundred e.nd t-lrenty vecrt.• (GP.n. 6:~). • This ~u~~er is contrasted with t~c se~enty years of the ordinary span of life. lic':icc th!:.t 120 ir the addition of !iQ to 70. SO is the nu::!ber of the letter Nun, asr.ocictcd ~ith t~e cibn 5corpio: It is by the sublication of the !-:ars-force acti~e in that ~ir-n that our eyea ~y receiTe tho.t stren~th whi~h tre ~anife~toct spenk of as ~eLr.g "r~rrowed from the ea~leo" ll-,w, U1 t' e liebrev: elphal-et the nut:~'oer 70 is repre!!ented by the letter Oill, .1-.vin, nnd J.yin ~ear.s "E>ye." It is thO) letter ~7hich Qabalistically exoresset tr·c apt'ecrar.cet of the pr.cno· cnc· 1 r.orld, &nd the ~nt:1l state of pe,.tonc w•.o accect s!Jcr r.ol'le&r!lnco~> at ft•C() v~lu<:~. ~uc'!'l are the ooee of -,hot!' it ir r.ritten: "The C.o.:ys of O'Jr y~!lrs ar'!'! three-score ;roar:; ar:d ten.• But when t~e orocor.E of initintion has acd~d to t~eir powers the bo~r~ed rtren~th of ~h~ secret force of t~e e~glc, ~0 is ad1ed to 70, and the years of tke oerfected ~~n ere th~n rcckon~d ns 120. Thur. wo read: "And l.!o.se:; wa~ a hundred and t;venty years old when ~e died: his eye wet not di~, nor his n~turRl ferce abated." Dotice here thet the "e~·e," or t'1c por:~rs rr:presented by t~e letter J.-¥in (70), and the naturel force, or pc~ers corres~ondinG to the letter Nun (fO), are civen particular e"phasis. i.g;e. L-:, 1?0 is the nu~ber of t~c lotter-nc':le SJ..IY., S'l~'kh, Prop or Suo['lort. ':'~is il! • he Hebre7· l•·tT.er -:o;hich is reprcs~nteri--rnTS."rot b-J Key 11, TP.mpe!'&nce. This Y.e;r r•prcto:Jnt:o rhat, in l':aglca.l parlMce, is ter!'led "Dle Kr.cr;h:rl;e r..rd Con"''~rFation of the !lol; Guo.rdi&n A."lgel." It stn.nds f'or t~et f&"''iliar CC"'l!'ltlnion between the personal c.nd universal 88fl'3CtS of the On~ Identity ri'1ich retults in th~ terperir~, r.odification, and perfection of the !'er:-oncl vehicle. '!h•1a 'l'te reed ulto of 1-~cset: ".-..nd there arote not a propiet it: Isrsel like unto !.:o&P.s, whom Jehovah lcne11' face to !'ace.• F11rt.' '3r'l'lor,., on the Tr<Je of Life, tho path of ta!"ekh stands between t),,., pnth~ of Nun end Ayin, as if it were th-:l equilibrating influence bo~e~n the~. It 1' the path whici leads u~No.rd fro~ ISVD, Ycco~, Foundation, to Th?AhT:!, iio!•c.r,.th, Bec.u+y. In the syste:c'! of l<osicructhnTr!l.des, to be conddered hereinafter, it unites the Grade devoted to t.,c explanation of 1\or.icr,cio~ ':i.,ory to that in ·::hich thi'J symbolism o!' the vault is the chief concern. 5•Jt tht -,e,in point to be rt'mez:Jh!lrcd now is thAt tamekh stande for the acti,.i':ies whic 11 equilibr&.te t".e forcet of Nun c.nd Ayin, even o.a Ter.T''!'!"f'nce, the: 11th Key of T&rot, repres'!!nts t.,e mediating and 'IJelancing ectivity l::etweer. t"e forc';t ty~bolized 't:y the 13th nnd lEth Y.eys. !'at!'le··atic'llly, l~C 1 r th~ ru::~ of the null'. hers fror.t 0 to 15. Thus it represents, i:c CC'nnection wH:"t T!lrot, t 11e full and oxt&ndetl expr'l.ssion

The True nnd Invisible Rosicrucian Order.

4:5.

of the powers of t~e Astral Ligt.t, veiled under the strange ~bolism ot the l!:th Hey. !'oreover, 1 :x 2 x 3 x 4 x 5 120, :;o thet 120 may be taken to rPPr~sent th~ inter~ction uron e~ch other of the five orimary p~ases of ~n.."'!ifestation: Ether (1), Fire (2), 'il10ter (3), Air {4), a:1d Earth {S), T'<<:>se are t!'le l'C1-e as t!:c Te.ttvas, or :;-uctle principles of Se!lsation, menti~ned in Yoga philo5ophy. The idea here, es elsewhere in connbotion with thr mrber 120, i~ that of conplete ree.nifestation. Thu!" the rnot~o on t.he door inti~ates that access to the hidcen light of occult kn~·ledse is the consequence of the full manifestation of t~e p~ers of perfected hunan consciousness. He who ce.n open this door has e.ttained the full measure of a ~n. and has become oon!!cicusly one with the Father • .A.!'ter t·:e doer was f•Jlly exposed, but before it was o~ned, says t!".e Fa-.n, the Bret>-,ren rested, s.nd cor:sulted th~it l:tota. Thi!! is an allusion-to the Tarot, which 7~5 invGnted t1 ~embers of the True and Invisitle Order so~e four centuries t-eforc the pul:::lication of t~e Rcsicr•1cian ~~nifestoes. Occult tradition says the Tarot was in~ented at Fet, and t::u:: cives a sidelicht on the story of the ~· This RO'!'A !~I, or ·.:J.!L OF 1!:1'1: O.F.i..D, is described as beint t!<at one of t~e Rosicrucian books di::playi~G the sreatest ~rtifice. It is truly whet Eliphae ~vi S'!id of it: •The Tarot is a verit~bla oracle, and anEWars all possible questions ·.1ith clearness and accuracy; ~o that a pri:;oner de~oid of bookr, had ho only a Tarot of which he k:ne·H how to tn:~lce use, could, in a few years, acquire a univers~l science, and conver~e ~it~ an unequalled doctrine ar.d inexhaustilJle eloq~ence. Thir wheel, in fact, is t~e ke;y of the oratorical art, an~ of t~e treat art of Raymond Lully; it is the true secret of the transmutation of dortnees into li~ht; it it the first ~~d most i~POrtant of all the arcana of the mecnun oous. By Means of this universal key of symbolism oll the allegories of India, Eeypt, and Jude~ ere ~de intelli~ible; the hpocalypse of St. John ie a Kabbalistic book, the s~ns~ of which is exactly indicated by the figures and nul!'.hers of the Urim, Th•.llii!Ui!ll, TeraphiJII, and Ephod, ell su~Arited and C~?leted by the Tarot~ the sanctuaries of eld are no longer full of ~sterios, end the signification of the objects of the Hebrew cultus ~ay for the firet t~ be understood.•

=

The other inscriptions within the vsult were engraved on a plete ot brear, circular in ch~pe. T~e rtr~t one may be translatedt "I have mnde t~is sepulchre a single compendium of th~ universe." This is an accurate statement of the Eignificance of the ~hole v~ult desi~n. For the vault coes indeed convey by its s~tolic ~a~ureaents all that is essontial to adequ~te undcrEtanding of t~e funda~ental nu~~rs ond proportions of the cosmos. The i~l'cription Jesus mihi o~ia ~ens "Jesus is all thi~s to me." It h&s a orofounder content than e ceeual reader miEht sutpeot. The name "Jesus" means literally, "Self-existence liber6tes." Thua it declares that the natur6 of thi~s is to set free, rothcr thnn to bind. It is the arfirnntior. of the inherent tendency to liberty at the heart of the cosmic order. It waE because of this, wo ~ay believe, th6t Jesus promised so much to thos~ who would pray in his na~e. For ~hoaoev~r truly orays in that nam~ preys in the recoGnition of the idea th·t the name rcoresenta, and ~e praya eff~ctively who is ~horou;hly i~bued with th& thou~ht that the nature of thinss is Hbon.tive rFt •.er than restrictive.

The True o.nd Invisible

Roaicruei~

Order

44.

In Qnbnlistio books published during the period when the Fnmn mnde ita nppe!lrnnce (e.g. 1n the r.ritincs of Jncob Boehme r.nd Hez:.ry xh'Uiiro.th), the n~~ Jesus is spelt IHShVf. :hi! occult SP£lling puts the "holy letter," Shi-, between the first two ~d the lo.at two letters of I~TH, the digits add the 5, and the lo.st two to 8. To.ken together, the first two mo.te 32, the n~ber of po.ths on the Tree of Life, nnd these ~2 paths represeut the Mc.~ife strtion of the Logos or Word, '171':ich is the Christca. The lo.st two digits of ~26 Mnke IHVH, Jehav--h, the Fnther. Thus ~26 gives the numbers of the letter Heh (5), representing Vision, c:.r.d of the letter Cheth (8), representing &peech: nnd it o.lso indico.tee the n~bera of tho Son or Logos (32} nnd tho Fo.ther (26). Furt~r ~ore I the Greek letters of thn nr.!'le I Hrcrtt Jesus, o.dc! up to 888, or 24 x ~7, This number 888 is nlso the vnlue of the Grerk phrnaea, Lo;::os esti, •Ho is the tlord," o.nd'H ZnHfiMI, "I am the lite.• To the ~it,;~ Europe, knowing both the Hebrew o.nd the Gnostic number-lett-r ~Jste~s, the nnmo •Jesus" would bo truly o. ~ry of r.ll things, since it occultly signifies the Crer.tive !'ford, which ns Life ,r.nd Lisht is tho o.ctuc.l substc.r-ce of o.ll th~a. Tho four other inscriptions on tho nlt~ sum up tho essence of Roaicrucinn doctrine. Noqunquc.m Vr.cuum, "Nowhc.ra c. vo.cUUlll," wna written rcnmd n circle contc.ining the picture-or-o. lion. This represents tho element or Fire, o.nd the inscription !'lec.ns tho.t spr:.co is filled -:rith the uniTerao.l !'iory ouence. Lo~is Ju~, "!he yoko of tho kw," w:;.a inscribed in u circle contr.ining a. picture of nn ex. This ropres~nta th• elcmont or E~h. c.nd the inscription refers to th: r.ccossity i~sod upon ~s ell br the rundr.mcntr.l condition• of mnnifcst:-.tion in form. Th~t neceaaity h c.lludod to in the ~crrld Tcblot of Hcrn~s, which snya• "Ita power is intogrnt~. if it bo turned into onrth." Lib<rtra ~.n~elii, "The liberty of tho Goapel," wo.a written round o. circle contr.ining the pioturo of c.n o~gle. Tbia represents th~ olcm~nt of •·l'.tor, c.,d tho inscription refers to r.n oocult secret of re~onorntion, c. sccrot which is voil~d by the l~ttor of tho Chriati~n Gospnls, which ~ro ro~lly Gnostic mystery texts. Doi Glori~ Intcctr., "The untouch~ble glory of God,• ~.s written on the circle contnL~ing n picture of a mc.n. This repre~er.ta the element or •·ir, o.nd the inscription refers to the occult conception of the renl inner lLJf aa bein~ identico.l with, nnd insepcro.ble fr~, the pure, untouchable essence of the Life-power, wrich c~nnot ~e soiled or smirched by c.ny imperfection whntaoeTer. The. four symbolic r.nimr.la cor:nected with these inscriptions are, or course, the mystic Four which o.ppeor in the Tisiona of Ezekiel o.nd St. John, ~nd they are the four emblema in the corners of the lOth o.nd 21st Tarot Ieya. They rre clso represented on the orr-1 of the H~aonio Frnternity. Besidea representing the elementa, they olao represent the four fixed signa of the todic.c: Leo, Tourua, Scorpio, and J~ucriua. These ere the 5th, 2nd, 8th, ~nd 11th signa, end since their numbers r.dd to 26, this sroup or )~aticnl Creatures is o,other of many glypha for the N~A IIVH, Jeh~h. The rest of the Forno. specks plr.inly enough for itself. Such pnaso.gea us might be of doubtful aignificnnoe with out the fnota in the forego1nc oomrr.entury will be enay to interpret in the light of what hna already been explo.ined. v:e mcy proceed, then, to r. brief oonlidero.tion of some point a in the Confesaio, Our o.nc.lysis will not be so elo.borcte c.a thr-.t of the Fnmc., for the Confeasio i1 more explicit th~n the mirat mnni!"eato. Yet there nre o few t~ings which may be th6 oler.rer for a. little oommont.

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order.
CC:':.'E!G Ol:
~

45.

cm;FESSIO FEATER!:ITATIS.

The first p!!r&grapr. bet i::s with excel 1 ent counsel, which is also a hint that t~e s•Jperficie.l J:l~E.nir.g of the ~ is not the reel purport of that docu~ent. 7her. follows a di~ect assertion that what ir offered in •_hese announcements is not ;-err-ly the "'"ork of r.cn, but rather the operation of the cos~ic order, personified as Jehovah. In the fourth paragr!iph there is >:Jention of the 'l"iOnders of the sixth !l.e;e. Theosonl:ists wi 11 do ... e 11 to compare this carefully ·.,qi th 'll'hat they have learned co~eerning the sixth race. T~at race is to be born in ~erica, snd to it that phrase in the~ refers which s~ys: ~Europe is with child, and shnll hrin; forth a stro~g child." The as~ertion e~bodied in the fifth paratraph as to thP. co~plete• r.ess of the medit~tion! of "our Christian Father" 'II'OUld be ridiculous it tal:er: l i terolly. To an oecul t ist l'ihO u!lderstanda that the self-contemplatio~ of Sririt is the orir,L~ of ell thi~~s, and who knows that th~ universal ~e1:1ory r.ust needs be ~rfeet, it ~ill be evident that the ~ditation of the Universal l'ind is what is r-eant t-y this Darf'.graph. In the sixth paragraph tl"!'!!re is a v;arnin[ a~ains"; hastineu. Here, aiso is a refere~ce to the Rosicrucian Grades. !1e paragraph closes with a plain inti~~tion that what is offered it ~ot an easy way. At the outset, inceed, it tristlee with difficulties, which cust be ~et and overcome one '!:y one. The seventh pare graph co~.trr· sts the mEt~ods of exoteric o.nd esoteric research. Exoteric study is co::pered to a sl'"• devious journey through a labyrinth. The nature of eFoteric study is rerresented by the figure of the Sixth Candelabr=· This is the sixth senl!'e, or hir:her order of knov;in&, which occult practice seeks to unfold. But note that se-ething here is left to God's pleasure. The true occultist sees that it is not so much h~­ self thet brir.~a about the results as thP p~er of the One Identity. Thus Jesus is reported to have said: "Of mysPlf I can do nothing; the F~ther in ~e doeth the works.• The seve~th paragraph co~tir.ues wit~ a series of questions, which are subtly phrased. Hasty readers "l!ight t.hink that this paragraph promises he3lth, riches, ~d long life: that it offers an endless existence; that it holds out the expectation or a power which would enable one to fee what is going on at a di!tar.ce, and behind closed doors: that it cla~s possesl!'ion of a book which eont!:.ir.s a eo:-:.:>e:r::dium of nll that has e"er been written, or ever shall be: ~d. finally, that it asserts tho ability to teach a superior ki~d of enchant~nt. Consider well whet is really satd. In the first question it is intimated that ~he Rosicrucian teaching east~ out fear of hu~fer, poverty, diseaees, end age. The second question has to do with a ~~ntal a~titude--one is to live as if his essentinl individuality were eternnl, and this ~st be besun befOre there is any direct intir.etion that he really 1!! whet he as!UI:le!. The reference to the people of the Ganges and those that liv~ in Peru has to do with a fact more or less well known ~o day, viz. that India nn~ Fe~ were once, and in a sense still are, great centers of occult instruction. The secrets of this instruction are shared by a true Rosicrucian, and he need not tra'\•el physically in order to gain access to thos9 who can teach him these secrets. The "one only book" 1s the '9ook of Nature, ll.!:d since 1t co!<.taitis a 11 that is to 'Ill learned anywhere, r.e "·ho can learn to read it has access to all knowledge. The last question haa to do with control of the subtle forces of vibration, and the practical Qabal~, which is also practical Rosicrucianism, does enable those versed in it to exercise such control.

The

Tr~e ~nd

Invisible

rtosicruci~n

Order

46.

In ~he ~ig~th pa~ar~aph ~ fi~d a ~efinite assertion th~t the work of thn Fraternity is not ~~rely a work of ran. This ia the true mark of the wis~. They know that t~cy do ~othinc of themsel~es, but that everythin~ is acc~~plished ~~ th~ op.er~tion of ~~e One Spirit through them. They aho und<;)rrta::d that "flesh ~:nd hlood c9.l'U"'ot inherit the king~om o1' God." T'">~ ch:::.nt:e~ in mind e.pd l:ody y:hich '"'!!lr~ .,en citir.e::~s of heaven e.re ac~uired chnrecte~i~tics which ere not tr~nt~iE~ibl~ by the OPeration of tO,c 1c.?T of hE' red i ty. !iote sl :;o that in th i r pars.;rap!1 t.here i6 a plain rerudiation of t~e notia:~ th!it celibr.cy is required from those who \<'Ould r.!al:e progress upon thE' occult re.th. The nint~ Pt.re.graph co"!t•"ins firet of all a decler!ltion thct t.,e Fan. is not to be t'll-e~ at r~,ce >nlue. It ~oel!' on to uy t~.r.t the unfold~:~entOf t•~o inr.er te!lchi:-~1: i~ e.cco'!"di:'g to a strict rule, 11.nd ir:ti!"'ates 't"lr..t what is L~o~ in th~ uriP.nt ns "the eompete~ce of th~ pupil" is included in that r~le. The p~~~~~aoh clo~et Yith e stete~~nt ~hieh disposes once an~ for all of the clair.s r.3de by .-:osierucia.n pretenders. 'I'he I:le.-:bers of the True ~>nd In;isi'tle Order ~ t.e s~cn cy ordi~ary hu.~n eyes. In the ten~h rur~graph is indicated t~e fact th~t w~en the roanifestor-s rerr written it r..s nccess~ry to prac+:ice concealment on account of ro~ulr.r pre.'udice. The Reforr::9+:ion hac! done littl~ to br1ng about aey grcet!lr r,("!:.sure of tol~re~cc. Church po 1 itics had •mder;;cme a chr..nge, but the independent thinl::er w&.E by no ~tns frc~ to cxprest his views, as one ~7 see frOM a consideration of the pcrtecutions ~uffered by Jacob Boehme, -,;r.o ~s banis'·ed fron Gc-erlitt in 1112 at th~ in~tence of an ignorant and 't·ir,oted Luthercn priest, b<:cnus~ thr, oninio::s e-.:oressod in his~ ran cc~n~6r to the n~rrow o~thodo~ of his ti~. Yet the authors of tht Fn~ e~d C~nf'es!io, underst~ndir.{: fron their b~cr.olvige of coe::~io cycles T.th~ F'r')e.~ c'c~n.:ur :::ust n:s·.1lt fro~ the colonho;:ticn of' the He'll' i'lorld end the dc•elop~ent of n new r~ce th~ru, looked forward to this very Aquarien ~~e l.n -.;hich we li;e, ~~ bei~G c t.i'"'C in which t.,E. 8-;:cret ~asdo'llmi~ht M II'Ore o~nly procl~i~cd. Alrea1y t~e necuracy of t"l~ir for~si~r.t has been justifi-.d ty t~~ ~rcat 9wnkcni~ which hoE ~en c~an;\r.b th~ thou~ht of the world ~incc 1875. True to t~c visianof th~ ~nepts of 1614, the most tmport~nt fo~co~ of this n~k~~ins have been those 7-hich have had their be~i~ni~ge in th~ ~e~ World. The h7r;lfth p9ra~r!1ph ~kea it pl~in that o~e e~nnot "join" the Rosicr:~cian Order ne he 'I'Y.l.Y join an ordinary fr!lterr.al orgsnhstion. One b~co~es a Ro~icrucinn, ~v~~ t~o~gh he nay ~e7er have h~ard of the Order. !ie .,.he e!l.11 rc!\d tht. ch=a~ters im:cribed upon t!:c '"1Cchanim of nature IS a ?.o:::icrocian. Th~se eharroctcrs are said to be rel'Y~ted "throuch the 111\l• t~tions of Empire~• becaus~ they arc r~pcated in all the ~insdo~s of na~ure--mir.ere 1, vuro::ote.bl-:. eni~r..l, n,d hu.-::an. Another point brought out in this pnrc~rnph s~rves to identify the Ro~iorucian doctrine with the "st-alah. !lone are fit for thll Order save those who have one si!'!gle obJ~ctive. t~5 attain~r.t of wi!dom. The thirteenth par~rrsph nturna agr.in to the idea that there is to be a revival of' the Secret r:isdorn. This is described ns "an influx of truth, li;ht, ~nd ~rP-ndeur, tuch na (God) c~~d~d should accompany Adam fro.rn Paradise and swcet6n the nitery of ~n." This description clearly i~dicates the Holy Or.belah, as one nay see fro~ its rcfere~ee to Adam. t:ote ulso the fine tolert:.~co of the closinc; psuagea of this paragraph. The ~riters of the-monife~tOC! knllW the~s~lves to bo the inheritors or a groat trc.dition·, but ~":•1re ie no nc.rro:·: ::eet!l.r111nisl'! or cxelusivenoea in their spirit. Th~y ex~_,ot :::!lily worthy collaborators in the work of the liew Abe •

The True o.nd

In~·i:::ihle Rosi=ruci~.n

Order.

4'7.

The referenc~ to t~e ~ew tt~rs in Sero~ntariu~ and Cygnus {paragraph 15) indicr.tes thct t'-\0 authors of th: Cor-,f~seio had lcnowl~dga of esoteric &ctroloby. Serpertarius, or Ophiuchus, as it is now called, is o corttelldim connect~r:l .,.·ith tho:! fir~t ceo<:nate etf t~e zodiacal sign Scorpio. It is pictured as c ml!n wre~tlir.;; r:ith e serpent, and typifies tt;ot e.st·r:ct of t'~e nre~·t .o~'L: '11-jich hnr +-o rio ,.,.it~ t!'lo tre.!:S!'!Ute":ion of the force~ of reproduction. CyGrU&, the S~n. is associated with the first decnnate of Capricorn. In anci~:nt eytholob:f it is the Fiamsa, typifyi.-:r, !Ji~ine ·· isdo~, ~>speci".lly is>:lom hidden in d<:>.rk.--r.ess bP.yond the perceptions of ordin~ry hu~~nity. There i~ clso a close connecti~n between t~e e~~olism of thr: Swr-n end t~ct cf tr.e Pclio9n, f~~iliar to alcheoitta, ar':l )''!!'Tpetu~tcd in the f(ore Croix degree of Scotti~h !lite Free 1-'ucnry. !n cor.:: eo: ion wit~. our F" rticulr.r study, !:lore over, note t.":rt Ceroentarius is a cor.stelletion asEoci~ted Tith ~corpio, h~nce with the letter run, O!' n•l:-b!'r 50: whil~ Cy~;nu:s, as conr.~oted ··•ith Cr.pricorn, has en occult c0rresponder.ce to the letter kyin, or n~~b~r 70. Com~re this ~ith 'f>T.~t 'lcr been scirl heretofore concerr.ir•!; th, symrolisl'l of the nn:"lber 120. It is ~he irterestinb to note th~t Serpat}torius o.nd Cygnus are conr,ectc-d lii~.h the \.;e~innings of t"le Uni~ed ~t"ltes. At the time of the adoption of the Declr.r:;.tion of Indep~ndenoe, accordinr. to offici~l govern'"!ent r<:)cordr, Scorpio wns tl-:e risinr si~n, (the tine wt:.s 2:42 P.!!., July 1, 1775), "-ll:l th~: fir~t d(·cu.m te of 5corcio, cor.nected with Serpar.tarius, is t!iercfore in the b!'t degrt:es of the twelfth house of thr:t horoscope, tr.e :.oul!t- t:~f occult fo!'ce5. L·.ter ir: th• sa··-e c.fternoon (o.bout 5 o'clock) a coru::ittoe hende::d uy ~en~:crnir. Frer.klin -,res o.p;:ointed to draw up a deTice for a S6tl of the United ~t~tr.s. Thus the "natal horoscope• of the Seal h!!ll about 9 degrees of thn sif;'l Sn~ittr.rius for its ..,scendant, 'llhich brings t~e firEt decr:n~tc of Capricorn, rel~tod to Cy~us, also within the aa• cend::.nt of this secor.d horoscope. Th~!:se "rowerf'ul signa of a Gre!lt Counou• '11ere thv5 •cctuolly conr.(·cted with the ne,.. ex~ri~r.ent in !':OVei"Ilr.Cnt which, it T:li!Y be sa irl, undoubtedly o;;ed fer r.ore thcn i r generally knov:u to the 'c·cnofica n~ infl•Jcnce5 of the Inner School, or ln'\·itible P.os\crucion Order. or thi::; I hope to lTri~e further in ':. scpal"t.t€ Vetlu'll\e devoted to the hiatCiry ar!~ syMl·olisr. of the Scr.l of Ue United Stc.hs. Th~ next point ~o be noticed is the ~octrine of sign~tures--"the cho.rc:.~tcrs c:nd lt:tters which God hcth i::tprinted II\05t !:lt~nifostly upon t!-te ~:or.dE:rful y:ork of crcntion, on tho he!lvens, the cnrth, 'l!l~ on all beal!ta." Tho ~ra.:ic'll ·Hritin~; l•orrowed fron thes& lett~r£ is the S:f'!:!bolisn which is fou~d in alche111ice.l lit~rature, in to~ ~~rka on ~gic, ~nd in thn. K~ys of Tarot •. It is truly na~icel b~oause it evokes thoubht. For every ch~reoter of t~is ,.-riting cal!a forth fro~ the depths of nan'5 inner consciousness tho corresPonding ideas, ::;o th~t. the oonternolation of a syr.~bol evoi:'JI the rt:lated ~to.te of mind. This we hnve abundantly deconstrated through our work with Tarot. The Confessio goes on to say th~t the Bible is a treasure-house of wisdom. In the ori~incl text thor~ is a oasrage not inolud~d in the condr·nscd verf:ion, which 1'\&kes clee.r t!-.e folly of twisting the text of' the Bible to fit preconceived opinion5. In this po.5soge we ore warned agr.i~t nsing Scripture "as if it were o tablet of wax to be indifferently made use of by th~olot;iens, philosopl-Jt.:rs, doctor£, !.nd mr:t.'lP.~·~ticicns." Rother 1a the ir.ner sr irit to be sought, ar.d M!lde "our rule ••nd guide for faith and practice." Then follow two pnr·.~ .. cph10 in "'hich the Rosicrucie.n position oon• o~..:rnir.g th& trane:mutntion of mE'tals ill more fully E:llplcined th:u~ it 11"111

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian
in the~·
ph~'sical

O~er.

48.

The posribility of physical alcheny is adl!litted, but the work is relegated to its proper place. If we say that Yllodern lrnO?.·lsdge of chemistry is the outgro'h"th of phyl"ical alchemy, 'll'e shall see how true it is thct this "so great gift of God brin~eth not always 'll'ith it t•.e lcn('lll'led::e of Nature, while this Jmo;o;ledge brir.t;eth forth both that and e.n ir:finite r:u~:~ber of otloer 1:1iracles." Our !Jres~nt :naterial civilization i6 1dtness to the truth of this. :·le have achieved a wonderful technical develooment, b•1t the in."'!er li!'e of h~.~rnanity is suffered to waste away fr0111 spiritual mc.lnutrition. V:ith every physical ~:~eane at our disposel, we are 1 as a r~ce, little better off th~n our pri~itivc ar.cestors. How true it is that '!l'e "build, make ?llirs, and do:-.ineer, because we have of !;Old suffici.,nt 1 and of silver en inexhaustible fountain." ~~d yet, hevin~ at our dicpoaal ~~terial resources such c.s were never dre~d of even a century ~go, ~e are so li-:tle V-'rscd in the knowlP.dr,e of Nature thc.t w"ere t'-lere should be plenty there is ~ant, r.here there should be he~lth th~re is di~ease, where there s~could ~ joy there is r.:isery, where there s'J.ould be freedom there is davery. Truly "God judgeth far otherwis0," and the doy is at tand wherein the jud~eut ~~ich ~ill drive the bebtl~rs of r.:atcri~lis~ into the ~ilder~e!s will be giTen. The Confessio closes with a c~ll to service. The Invisible Order has alrmys need of devoted re=t e!ld wonen, ready to"co-operote in the work of GO<!." Not as a rcwa.rd, but as a ne.ture.l conseq•Jence, it follO'II'B that thotc ~ho shr:.re in the work ~hare also in its profits. Tie curious phrasin~ ~era is ~orthy of co~ent. "~11 those goods which Nature hath dispersed in every port of the ~arth s~all at one ti~ ~nd eltogct~er be &iven to you, as if in tho c~nter of the ~un and Moon." This ocho~a the words of Jesus, "All that the Father hcth i~ ~:~ine." ~not is i~dicated is e new ~ind of con5ciousness, end this ~ivcs, to him who has it, ~bsolute certainty that all thir~s •vhatsoever r'hich r.!!y be needful to corry on ony un-:i(;rt:l.ki!lf; are at his disposnl. For he '1:ho consciou6ly carries on th~ Oi"t"ine ~-iorV; rust need1 bo cor.fident of adoqu~te supply. He who works in t~e true Christ spirit-"~::r Father !forketh hitt:crto, ond I work"--knoms that he i:; but tloe ~rsonal i~str~nt for brir~inb into expreseion o given phase of the cos~io ~anitea­ tation. lie knows tht.t his work is not his cwn, hut God's, and lcncrwing thill lcnO\'fs too th··t nothin; -.vl1etever can l'revt.nt tl:e psrfect fulfilment of that work, '!'~us it is r:.poropr,te.te for th'l pc.re~;reT'h upon which I a."!! cOllr"'enti.ng to clOliie with the r.ordsa Then shell you t-o: able to e"pel fr01:1 thE world all those things which d~rken ~urr.en knowledge and &otion." For t~ose thing• are doubt, ~re~d, ~~bition (in th~ sens~ of plcce-ae~king), ~d all the other errcrs h~vin~ their ori~in in the on~ great error thot ~n can do anything of himself. l':hen r.e see t:-c.t it is not we ll'hO work, but th'9 universal Lifecower tit ?:ork thro\l~h us, then c.ll the fears ~<nd doubts w'lich dllrken our kno.,..l.,dg() e.r.d nc.k'J unc:ertc in our ··ction ar-:: "'Y.pellod b-.f t'le light of truth. 7ht: Confcssio th'3n closr,F '"'ith a Foler.m we.rning against w..r'l curiosity. end usoinst-&~iC:o~ T~e Invisible Order seekt co-~orkers. It haa knowled'e that confers tho obility to utilize tremendo\ls powerr, but this l~~ledge is not to be usc.d for the oggrc.nd izement of any oer 'on~ li ty. Thc.y who have it r:.re heclthy c.nd wise, and hcve aoc:oas ~o a li~itless store of wealth froa ;;hich t':e~· !:ICY draw freely L 11 thr:.t they noc.d for the cx£>oution of their share in th~ Groc.t Undertaking. But over ell is the suoorvision of the Universal l.~ind, the searcher of hearts, impossible to desceive by any pretense or hypocrisy. Nono c.re drc.'~ into the Invisible Order but those ..,hom ~hat t:nivors!ll ~:ind adt:~its to it. J{ot by th~ judg.....,nt of nen, but by the will of God, ic the way found which let•ds to conscious p!:.rticipntion ih the !reat trte.sure of thro.t hidd~:n brotherhood Vlrich hod lonr r.xisted before it publishf.d its !"lfl.nifeator•a in 1614, end continuos to worlc silently but effectively bohind tho scenes of the world-drn=, oven to this day.

The True nnd Invisible

Rosicruci~

Order

49.

THE GMDES OF THE ROSICRUCii.ll ORDER. "It must not be expected that They mu~;t proceed step by step fr~ the s~aller to the greater, and ~st not be re• t~dod by difficulties ••• !hio Fraternity is divided into degrees."
Th~

Ccnfessio Fratcrnitntis says:

new corr.ers s!:all attain at once all our weighty secrets.

The. degrees, or Grades, are ten in nw:~ber. Every Grade oorres• ponds to on~ of the Sephiroth, or n~ral emanations, represented by th~ circles on the Troe of Life. Tho Grades ascend the Tree fro~ tho tenth circle to the first. Hence progress in the Invisible Order is approach to Dnity, and this is also approach to true self-knowledge, since the hi~~est Grade corresponds to the first circle, and this, in tcrr.s of h~~~ concciousness is IChiDH, Jochidah (pronmtnced yaw-kee-dah), the real Self. It is the e~~e as the Hindu ht~a, or Spirit, and is probably closely related to the ancient Egyp~tnu, or spiritu~l soul. This is the essential L:.'.N whose true nobleness o.n'd"W'orth it is the object of Rosicrucianism to reveal. The ten grades are divided into three classes, or Orders. The FIRST O~ER c~prises tho Grades corresponding to the circles from 10 to 7 inclusive, The SECO~~ ORD~ has three brndos, corresponding to the circles 6~ 5, and 4. The ThlF~ OF~P.R ir.cludcs tho grades correEpondins to circles 3, 2, and 1. In the diagrac the tr~ditionAl Latin n~~s of the grades are r,ivon. EGch grade has a n~ber, rcprc~er.ted ~/ ~ equation, in which the first fisuro represents the n~ber of steps taken by the aspirant, while the Eccond indicates tho nunber on tho Tree of Life to which the g:-o.do corresponds. Thus the Grade or Z<llntor, \'l'lich is explained in the p~ge11 •1-el:<~·:, 18 reprcsc~ted by tho equation 1 • 10, because it is the first step in initiation, and corresponds to the tenth circle on tho Treeof Lito. AccordinG to Rosicrucian tradition, these Grades have Latin nnncs, as follows• First Order

1. Zelator, 1 • 10 2. Thooricua, 2 • 9 3. Pro.oticus, 3 • 8 4. Philosophus, 4 • Socond Order: s. J..doptus Minor, 5 • 6 6. 4.dcptus Major, 6 • s, 7. kdeptus Exomptus, 7 • 4 s. ~~gister Te~pli, 8 • S Third Order 9. :V.agus, 9 • 2 10. IpsissiJ!lus, 10 • 1
1

.,

corresponding to 10. • 9• •

• • " • • • •

•

"· • 6. s. • "· • s. • 2.
II
ft ft

• e.

1.

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order

so.

Besides these ton GrQdes which aro attributed to the Tree of Life, number of societies which are working cereooni~lly according to the Rosicrucian tradition include tho preparatory Grade of Neophyte, )0 • 0, in which arc given preliminary obligations and work which ~ke ono ready to take up tho actual work of the Grad~s assigned to the Tree.
~

Tho Grado of Zelator, 1 • 10. According to some authorities, ~elo.tor means "tealous student.• It is also understood to be a n~e applied to the assistant of an alchenist, whoso duty it was to keep the fire burning in the ~tho.nor, or alchenico.l furnace. These are really two oxprcesions of a sill€;le idea, bcc~uso the principal object of the Grade of Zelo.tor is to arouse the teal and aspiration of the initiate. Z~a1ous aspiration is what keepa th:J fire burning in the Atho.nor, which is hum.n porsonality. Since it is assigned to tho tenth Sephirah on the Tree of Lite, this Grado corresponds particularly to tho physical body, and to sensa• tion. It is tho only Grado of ini+.i~tion, because "to initiate," meana "to introduce, to begin.a Tho Graces follm~ing are Grades of advancement. Th~ intination is that the actual beGinninG of progress towurda ~doptship is made right hero where wo aro now, in tho field of sensation. The physical body is the first thir~ wo h~vo to consider. ~­ ~ical 'nvironnent ~d nll it contains are the initial objects of oocu1t study. Initiation is not entrunco into othor planes of exiat~nca, ie not ctudy of other worlds thnn ours. It is an introduction to tho hiddon~ behind tho veil of familiar things. Now, everything that we nrc awara of L~ physical life ia, so tar as our knowl~d~e is concerned, basically a senso-oxperienoo. Even our own bodies nre known to ue only as ~er.tnl ir.prcssions of sensations. Thus whatever we may know of the laws of life, quaintly described iD tho words of the Confcssio aa being written in "those great charactera which the Lord God hath inscribed upon the world's mechanism, and which he ropoats through tho IIIUtationa of o::tpires," ·wo !!lUSt learn through sense-experience at first• What the Zelator learns primarily is that the realm he contacta through the various ohaancla of sensation is n realm of order, a realm of cause and effect. Tho doctrine of the reign of law is primnry iD Rosicrucian teaching• Tho "gre~t chnract6rs" o.ro certain fundamental signata which may be read by any hucan mind which haa been troinod iD tho art of accurate observation• They are repeated through the muta• tiona of empires, because tho swme signa which can b~ road in tho mineral kingdom can bo road in tho kingdom of plant life, in the kingdom of animal lifo, in the kingdom of human nnturo. Tho number of

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order

514

these characters is not so very large, but their cocbinations are infinite. One c.nd all, t~ey declare plainly that everythi~ reported to us by the senses is part of an order, the expression of a rational and ~~thc~~tical series, the manifestation of discernible and dependable sequences of cause and effect. Thus the Grade of Zolator is assi~ed to the Sophirah n~~cd "The Kir~dom," or ~~lkuth, spelt MLAlrTh in Hebrew, and represented by the Tc.rot sequence: (~)Hanged Mnn:(L)Justicot (k) ~heel of FortuneJ (V) llierophant; (Th) Tho World• This sequence of Terot Keys gives a bro~d hint c.s to the tea:hing of the first Rosicrucian Gr~de. First comes the Ec.nged llan, intimating that initiation is a reversal ot ' ordinc.ry conceptions of the ~ec.nin; of sense-experience, a revcrsnl which includes the recognition of ~o.n'c utter dependence upon the operr.tiona o!' fued and unchar.ging lo.wso lhen coces Justice, intimating that great law of equilibration which has excited tho admiration of sages in every clime• Justice is followed by the picture of a turning who~:.l, one. oi' the most ancient representations or the mochanililll of nature, o.nd intimation of that ~reat doctrine ot cycles which is one of the fund~~entals of practice.! occultiam. 4fter the hheel at Fortune, tho Eierophant ir.tL~tes that although the reign of law presents itself to us in cech~~istic teres, tho essence of that law is identical with tho essence of ourselves, a..~d ht:u within it alwo.ys o. t~nder.cy toward the revelation of hidden thincs, tho unraveli~ ot cysteriE>a, the production of li~;ht. And fino.lly • alt'lough few there be who see it, Rosicrucian presentation of the reign of lew declares that form follows form i~ rhythmic sequence, that life understood is a t>.int; of joy, that the univerae is truly a do.nce of lite, and not u d~ncc of dcnth. None of t~eee doctrines that are fundamertal in Rosicrucian teachin~ is one thut requires us to possess knowledge beyond the reports of our senses•
~ reasonable person who roads those pages may see for hL~elf these things: lo That whatever he does, whether tho outcome accord with his ideas of success or not, is conditioned, or detorcincd, by mental and physical laws which he did not make, and which he must perforce obey. Tho better ho obeys, the better he succeeds. All applied science is witness to this, QJld the wonders of our iiiVentivc ar;o are so oe.ny dOIIIICIIlstrntions thct our success in ~ field of endeo.vor depends upon the uocuro.cy wit:, which we r.10aauro tho forces opcro.ting in that field. 2. That action and reaction ~9 oqual, that throughout nature there is componsation. 3. That there ia, in every field of phenooona, a lew of cycles which makes possible the accurate and specific prediction of futuro events • 4. That who.tover r:.ay bo the ultil:lllte expla.naticm of the mystery callQd "Life," it is indubi to.bl.y a something which works eternally to make itself known to man, ~d ·succ~eds measurably in doinc so, through the human seneca c.nd hucan ~:~ental roaponae to sonso OX• porionce. 5. That alt~ough there seGmto be ronny breaks in that part of the cosnic rhytru~a which mo.nifesta throu~h the complex life of man, tho prosrosa of scientific research, step b.Y atop, is disoovbrinc

;l
·'l
: j

I
'I
1

''

'I

: j

i

!

I

:•J 1

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order.

52.

that no hunan ill is uncaused, none the result of the capricious ill• will of either Deity or demon. And when the causes of those ills Qre fou~d, it foll~rs, inevitably, t~at reoedies arc discovered or invented. In no period of humnn history has it been easier to perceive this truth th:lll it i6 today, ;;hen pestilences which in fon:ter times wore vainly c~b~tted by ineffectual prayers to a God who was supposed to be ~ediately responsible for them, are well-nigh banished from the e~th, end in no other manner than by nan's obedience to the results of exact measurement and accurate observation. Four colors correspond to this Grude in the science of the correlation of color r\nd sound. They are ir.dicated in diagraJ:ls of the Tree of Life by dividir~ the tenth circle into four ae~r.ts, as shown in tho mnrgiD. Tho lower segMent is a deep blue-violet, so dark that in color-printing it is practically equivalent to black. It ill produced by the tli.xtur-e of the tr.ree prine.ry pigments, red, yellow, and blue. In sound this is the chord C-E-G#. The ribht-hand segment is slate, produced by the tlixture of green and violet. In sound it is the chord F#-~. The left-ha..:'ld segr.~cnt is russet, produood by the mixture of orange and violet. Ita chord is .i.#-D. 'i''no upper segment is citrino, the mi.xturo of orange a.nd green. Its chord is D-F#.

®

In Rosicrucian tradition these four segments are attributed to the four elements of ancient physics. The blue-violet is tho segment of earth, the russet of fire, the slate of wuter, and tho citrine of uir. In the mnrgin you will find these elements indicated by their respective alchcoicul &YJ:lbola. Their symbolic t:~eaniog is aa followsr 1. the blue-violet segment of earth represents the darkness of iGnorance, and is represented in ceremonial work by the hoodwink or blindfold placed over the eyes of tho cnndidate. Humble confession of ignorance ia the fir~ step towards the discovery of truth. ~s Bill Dye said, "fhe tr~Jble with oost people is that they know so many things that ain 1 t so.• He who would Le initiated into the inner secrets of the Invisible Rosi• crucian Order r.ust begin by roaliti~ that he is more or lese in tho dark us to the real cenaing of his sense-experience. By adopting ~~1& attitude, he intensifies his teal for right knowledge, and becomes adequatelf receptive. 2. The elute segrent of water typifies purification. fhia should be understood in the strict sense of the word "pure,• which meana freedOM frc~ mixture. Pure aonse-oxperienoe, unmixed with emotional coloring, or with prejudice, is what is to bo sought. Most people never really soe. They look at things, but what they think they see is modi· fied by-;;h'a.t they~ they know, and b'.f what t'haY"Suppoae they want. The practical occultist trains himself to ace what actually is, whether or not it abreea with his suppositions or hie deairea. He lcnrna to welcome exceptions to previous oxporiencc, beoauso he knows that when ever his senses report a seomin; contradiction to the eoacdo order they are really bringing to his attention a fresh instance of that very order.

The True and Invisible Rosicrucian Order

ss.

3. The fire segment typifies consecration. This means whole-hearted devotion to the discovery and practice of truth. In ceremonials which exe~plify these ideas, fire or incense is used in consecration. and the obliGation taken ~ the candidate completes his dedication of hie life to the pursuit and practice of a knowledge of the cosmic order. 4. The citrine air ses~nt represents the ill~nation which follow. the three preceding steps. He who admits ignorunce, works faithfully to purify his sensations, and devotes himself earnestly to the diacovery of truth has united himself to an inherent tendency of TEAT 1rn!CE was, is, nnd will be. In ceremonial exe~plification of this ate~e of initiation, the hoodwink is renoved, and the candidate is brought to light. Then various details of the meaning of the work are explained to him.
Th~se details are indicated by the name of.the type of intellior consciousness attributed to the tenth Sep~irah. This is termed "Resplendent Intelligence," and the Hebrew for •Resplendent" is M Th N V Tz 0~ The numbers of these Hebrew letters add to 656. Thus the word shows numerically the characteristic fi~es of initiation. ~ ~ ~ ~a shown in the nargin, represented geometrically, 656 ~ ~ ~ shows the pentagram, s~bol of Man, between two hexagrams, symbols of the forces of the universe. Thus 656 represents the idee that !!IBn is tho mediator and adapter, set between the infinite nnd eternal cosmic Fast, and the infinite and eternal cosmic Future. 656, :ore~er, is the number of the Bebrew word rhl~. thanoor, "furnace." whence comes the alcheMical term Athanor, defined as "a salt-feeding, dig~sting furnace, wherein th~ fire burns at nn even heat." 'l'hie furnace is the human body. Its fire is the fire of life, and this is the fire which the Zelator, or alcherr~st's assistant, keeps burning.
~ence

By Tarot, ~ Th NV Tt 0 is the sequence: (M) XII; Banged KanJ (Th) IXI, The Vlorld; (N) XIII. Death; (V) V1 The BicrophantJ (Tz) XVII, The Star; (0) XV, The Devil. This sequence represents the six initiatory truths, which area
1. (M) Han1~ed V.a.n. The truth that EVERY HUMAN PERSONALITY IS AESOLUTELY i.!;D miQ.U•.LIFIEDLY DEPENDENT UPON THE UNIV'!RS:..L EXISTEliCE,

represented ~ the tree fro~ which the Banged ~ is suspended. fhat tree is in the forn of a letter "T" in l.!r. -:"laite's version of Tarot, and in other pock~ it is represented as a Hebrew letter Tau. In these daye thia doctrine of dependence is more generally recognized, especially in the various fields of science. But when the Tarot was invented, and when the Rosicrucian manifesto~s were issued, this wae a revolutionary idea. It is a reversal of co~on opinion 1 even now, for although scientists ha~ demonstrated the correlation of all physical forces, there still continues a popular belief that the mental life of human personality is "on its own." This idea has never been accepted by real occultists, who have understood always thnt the whole personality, mental as well aa phyaical, does nothing of itaolf, and oxpresaea the sequences of UD•

T~e

True und

In>)sibl~ Ro~icrucian

Order

ehanginb law in every single activity.
(Th) The World. The truth that TilE UNIVERSS IS AN ORLERU' ~ l.!.;J;I:FES'!',.TIQll CF LIFE, DE!EP.IalrED BY FD'.ED L.'.~7S. These fixed laws are represented in t~;., XXIst Key by the fo11r symbols in the corners of the c~rd, wr.ich correspond to th~ fixed signs of the zodiac, and to the letters of the Hebrew divine n~e, IH\~, ~J~hovah." 48 signs of the z:odiac, t:':C"y suggest tine, and convey the idea that t:U:!e is the fixed condition ncco~panying all ~~ifestation. The WTeath surrounding the central fi[ure in the Key it ~ade of leaves, cut suggests a hu_~ production, since it has been wo~en by hUman hands· Here is the idea of the human ede?tation of the lar.s and forces of nature ~hich c~e into manifestation before r-3n aopeared• The danci~ fi~ure in th~ center is a type of trut!'l, a:od of the powers of subconsciousness. These powers are concealed ty a spiral v~il, colored blue-violet, the color of the planet Saturn. The fo~ of the veil sugscsts the words of the Cnaldean Oracles: "The god energires a spiral force." It also inti::JBtes a fact lcnown to occultists al\-:ays,, and llltely brought to lit:ht by science, vi~., that the foM:J-building forces of that ur.iverse (~ich are the Saturu forces, since Saturn typifies all that ma~ss thinss solid, dcfi~ite, concrete) are actually workinG in spl.rals. ~11 forms whatever are r.anifcstations of tt.is spiral activity, and si~ce forms conceal the secret potencies ot life, t~is veil oovvrs the reproductive org~~s of the d~ncins fisure• 2.
Rl!YT!-~C

S. (N) Deeth. The truth that THE D!SSOUiTIO:; Of P!iYSICi.L BODIE:S IS .A ::ECES~;.?.Y .~li BE!l'EFICE!lT !.::J:IFEST.<.TIO.'~ OF LIFt, i?U1' IS 't:O'l' THE CESSJ..'riO?i OF SSLF-CC!'l~CIOUS EXISTEI;CE. This is the truth that death of the physical ~o~y is not really an evil. "Death is the last e~cr.y to be overco~e," ur.derstood from the Rosicrucian point-of-view r.eans 0 "Death 11 misunderstood by the unenlightent.d, who regard it as l1ll cne::lY. Thie mista\::e!l conception is the lastto be overconc. and when it is conquered b,y the true co~oeption, the processes which lead to physical death will be understood ari~ht. kightly understood, they can be adapted, and by r.ear:s of this ac!a:Jt&tion the nry forces that r.ake us die wi 11 bring us into eternal lif~.n Of this more will be aaid at ar.other point in our discussion of the Gradea.·

4. (V) The Hieroohant. The truth that Tn=: SELF OP W..'l IS J.. LIFE "IHICH Il>CLtJDSS .i-. CO:<SC rOUS::t~S •..?O. .'E LIN'\' S PERSO~!.-L lUTELLEC'l'Ui.L LEVEL; :,J;I) Gt'ID,.!;CE FP.m: T:liS P.IG~-q LEVE~ OF CONSCIOUSl:ESS IS TEE BL'qTHRIGH! OF EVERY HU1~-~ EEl~~. Tfuen this superconscious life is expressed in personal experience, mysteries arc revealed, intuitions of reality are added to the lower forns of personal consciousness. The presence of the Superconscious Life as an integral oo~ponent of hunan personality is a cardinal tenet of Rosiorucianiam, and that presence is held to be the fact which mal!.es possible for ~~~&n a direct cognition of what is called by Jacob Beohme the "auperaenaual life." It is to this that the Confcssio Fra~ornitstis refers w~en it speaks of the liGhting of the "sixth candelabrum." Soera

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have thi~ sixth sense, and Rosicrucianism has a all develop it•

~ethod

by which we ray

5. (Tr.) The Star. The truth that t!ii.TtTRE UNVEILS HERSELF TO lWi WREN A!n1l PP..J~CTICE:S .iUGHT !.!EDIT.'.TION. She unveil! herself. lie do not

unveil her. It i~ not so much that we lenrn to meditate as that we arriTe at a degree of ripeness in which meditation beco~es possible. Thus Eckhartshaueen, who ~'s a true Rosicrucian, described the Invisible Order as "The Interior Church," and sayaa
~orldly intelligence seeks this ~anctuary in vein; in vain also do the efforts of malice strive to penetrnte these great ~steries; all is undecipherable to hir. who is not prepared; he can see nothing, read nothir~ in the interior. Ee who is ripe is joine4 to the chain, perhap• often where he thought least likely, and at a point of which he knew nothing himself. Seeking to become ripe should be the effort ot htcwho loves wisdc'lllo

"But there are methods by wpich ripeness is attained, for in th11 holy co~ion is the pri~itive storehouse of the moat ancient and orisinal science of the hu~ race, with tho primitive qysteries also of all science. It is the ~~ique and really illuoinated co~~ity which is in possession of the key to all ~atery, which knows the centre and source of nRture a~d creation. It is a society ~hich unites superior power to its own, and includes ~e~bers froc more than one world. It is the society w!'!ose l!lCmbers forr. a theocratic republic, which one day will be the Regent 1~ther of the wholu world."
6. (0) Thc> Devil• Tha truth that EVIL I~ THE APP'Er~tt.-JICE PRESENTED TO US BY N~.TUP..AL i'ROCES~ES \\":riCH rlE DO NOT UNDEhST.nND. IT !S THE VEIL OF

TtRROR HIDING THE BEAUTIF~L COU!lTE!li.NCE OF TRUTH. That the human definitions of •good" and "evil are for the most p~rt extremely faulty. l'hu1 the occult comment on the picture illustrati~ this truth is, "The devil is God,.as He is misunderstood by the wicked. Compare this with the worda of Boe~l "The Deity is wholly everywhere, all in all; but he is only called God according to the light of love, and according to the proceeding spirit of joy; but according to the dark impression he is called God's anger and the dark world~ and according to the eternal fire~spirit he is called a consuming tire.• Consider also these Old Testament passagesr "I am the Lord, and there is nothing elae1 baside me there is no Goda I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me: that they may know from the rising of the ~. and from the west, that there is none beside mal I am the Lord, and there is nothing else. I form the light, and create darkness; I make pe&ce, and create evilJ I am the Lord, that doeth all these things.• (Isaiah 45)

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"Shall evil befall a city, and the Lord hath not done it?"

(~os ~)

Seers are always courageous. That is one of the reasons why they observe the rule of silence. Seein~ things as they really are, and knowing how ~staken are popular notions, they wisely veil their knowledge in glyph ~~d ~bol. Occasionally, like Boehme, Isaiah, and bmOS, they speak str~ight out, and boldly declare that not o~ly the physical and natural e~ils, like pestilence, famine, or earthquakes, but also the various evils that we call "wickedness," are orderly phases of the co~ic canifestation of the One Life, or Lord. That Life, being the source of all activity, is necessarily the source of those activities which we dislike, which inspire us with terror, whieh we misunderstand. But step by step man's understanding ripens, and activities which wer• in fo~r t~es ~pposed to be the result of a MaliCiOUS adversary Of mankind, personified as "The Devil: are now undetstood to be the workings of a natural law purely beneficent. Of this, perhaps, the most conspicuous exar.ple is lightning. For milleniums it was the sJ~bol ot divine wrath, or else regarded as the weapon of the "Ene~." Now we understand it better, and it serves us in countless ways. Even so, in times to cor-e, will the subtle causes even of what we call "moral evil" be better understood, and with that understanding will came the ability to transmute forces which now produce nothing but suffertnc il'!to forms of 'bcnuty and joy• But the process of transmutation begina with the courageous acceptance of the idea that since tr.ere is only One Power, the sole cause of all activities, even those events which we classify aa evils must proceed from it. Seeing this, one shifts the burden froc the place where it does not belong to t~e place where it ·does. He sees that what seems inimical to hie welfnre has that appearance because of his own ignorance and lack of understanding. The trouble is not in the soherne of thtnea, but in himself. And the n~~or it is IGNOZU...'iCE. Such are the six teachings of the Grade of ~elator. From this Grade three paths lead,-- the 32nd path of the letter Tau, the 31st path of the letter Shin, a~d the 29th path of the letter ~oph. Only the 32nd path is open at this point of initiation. It leads to the second Grade. THE THIRTY -SECOND Pi.TH OF T.htJ.
Key XXI.

"The thirty-second path is called the Administrative, or Assisting Intellibcnce, because it directs all the operations of the seven planets, with their divisions, and concurs therein."--Book of Formation. The Htbrew for "J~ministrative~ or'Assisting" is NOBD, and the corresponding Tarot sequence ia: {N) XIII, Death; (0) XV, The DevilJ (B) I, the Magician; (D) III, The Empreu. "fie are faced with the fact of death, and rtith a 1!1Ultitude of facts that we classify as evilao Yet

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we are taubht, as Zelators, th&t the fact of death has a useful purpose in the comuio order, and that the various evil£ appear as !uch because they are misunderstood. Ylhat cay we do to verify this teaching? How may we for ourselves gather evidence of its validity! For Rosicrucianism bids us to tak noth~ on authority, to test everything in the light of experience a.~ reason. Thus t.~e first two letters of liDBD pose our problem. The last two letters give the key to its solution. The first thing to do is to ~· We are i~orant because, hav~ eyes, we see not, and ears, we hear not. Our notions of our environment, and of ourselves, ~e for the most part superficial, because it is easier for us to accept a readymade opinion than to get accurate infor.cation for ourselves. Thus we find all great teachers say~ with Jesus, "71atch'l" The original Greek ceans, "Keep awakel Be vigil~tl Use your eyesl .See what is really goin; onl Pay close attention to your surroundingsl" In a word, "Concentratel" And this is exactly what the Uagician in Tarot SJ~bolizea. ln the last two hundred years t=e world has made tremendous progress in the control of huran enviro~ent and its forces, and every bit of this control had its beginnin; i:t some person's unusual watchi"ulneaa. There is that in us which ce:~ see through surfaces to the l~s within, if o~ly we focus it by the act of attention. The world is transparent to the e.ttentive watcher. knd not lo~ doea any one devo1zhi.mselt to such vigorous wakefulness before he perceives clearly th~t every slightest h~ thought, •ord. and actiou is part of the adniniatration of co~o law. There are no unin:portllllt thoughts, no unimportant feelin6S, no unimportant words, ~o unimportct deeaa or events. Whatever occurs is a specific manifestation, in tic• and space, of the l~tleas forcea and the chanceless laws of the ~e life• Mere watchfulness will soon convince yo~ of this, for watcr~~ess r.akes you see the Law at work. and the place in which it is easiest to see is in your awn i~ediate experience. In consequence of watching, typified b.y the ~gician. there comea a subconacioua developme~t typified by the Empreaa. In thia ley you see ·all the ~~bola of rich growth. 1. pregnant woman in the midst of a garden ripe to harvest. What could be more definite! But consider the title. Literally, "E~ress" means, "She who s~ts in order.• Again the inti~ation of law. One of the functions of suoconsciouaness ia to reproduce and develop whatever is planted in it by acts or attention. If the acta of attention be superficial, the reports of the aenaea are not clear. False notions nre thua implanted in subconsciousness, and the aceda of error multiply with a deceptive orderliness that makes m&DJ talte them for truth. For subconsciousness works wholly. by deduction. and if you give it a premise, can work out so orderly a sequence of consequences from the ititial false atate~nt, that many may be deceived thereby. On the other hand, subconsciousness is just as orderly in ita development of seeds of right knowledge. Thus invention follows close OD the heels of observation. ~o ~ooner do we perceive, for exacple, that o'.ll' •. o:tion!l, ~:·orc!a, ":1c! tl':oughts :Jrr· P'\rt uf' !. cos:nic process, 't.l\an subconaoiousneas begina to elaborate the consequences of this p~rception.
a~Jt

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She does this in two ways: l. By developing a philosophy of lif'eJ 2. ~ helping us to invent means for better expression of our relation to the wholo. The means include ~cthods and instruments for dealin; with the forces of our inner life 1 as well as the forces in our environment. It is with the for1:19r that the occultist is most concerned. He may safely delegate the invention of machinery for manipulating enTiro~ental forces to the specialists whom Life hna called to this kind of work. But when it c~s to dealing with the forces of his own inner life, he must WDrk out his own methods, and build his own instruments. This is the real secret of the description of the 32nd path which heads this section. "The operations of the seven planets" .are the operations of the seven "interior st~rs," which are centers in the human body. They are· named after the seven heavenly bodies u~ed in ancient astrology, and they have physical locations as follows& Zaturn. Sacral plexus, at base of spine. l.!ars. i.. syt:~pethetic gaDgliOD behind the nn·el. 3. Jupiter. The solar plexus. 4. Sun. The cnrdiac plexus. 5. Venus. A nerve center et the well of the throat. 6. !.~oon. The pituitary body, in the brain bchilld the root of the nose. 7. Mercury. The eereb~, organ of thought, and particularly the rudimentary organ called the pineal slando
:!.

1.

By watch1'ulness and subconscious response thereto, then, we find that our lives are actually al!sistin'5 in the evolution of the Great Plan, that we have actually same share in the administration of the Great Work • . When we find this out, and begin to see into things as well as to look at them, our bodies begin eubtly to be changed. The seven centers just enumdrnted begin to be brought into better adjustment with each other. bne since tr.ese centers are also the alchemical metals, {Saturn, Lead; ~rs, Iron; Jupiter, Tin; Sun, Gold; Venue, Copper; Moon, SilverJ Mercury, Quicksilver), the passage of the path of Tau is also the beginning of the alchemical proceEs of sublimation and transmutation.

The Tarot attribution to this path is the XXIst Koy, a~ this Key also represents the pair or opposit~,,"Dominion and Slavery." When we are sssistL~g in the cosmic administration with· our eyes open, and knowing ":hat is going on, we aro sharing in the Lifo-power 1 s dominion over all thi~e· i'ihile w& are still blind, still asleep, still pr.rt of the herd of r.1en-anirnale who he.rdly know they're alive, we are still in a stnte of servitude. In that state we are still assisting in the cosmic administration, but we hava no vieion of tho Great Business. We are like the man who aorews on the six hundrod and forty-seventh nut in an automo-

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bile factory. of the work:.

We !:Jiiy get our day 1 e pay • but we he.vo no share in the joy

Finally, to this path the planet Saturn is attribut~d. A&trolo• gers call it "calefic." Occultists know that Saturn and Satan are close~ connected in the ~·pology of Ageless Wisdom. Ferhaps tho ~est illuminatinr, sentences that can be offered on this point are from Appendix XV to Kin&sford and ~itland's The Perfect Way•
"~d on the seventh day there went forth fron the presence of God a t1i~i1ty .1-~el, full of "/FJ'ath and oonsu.":linr; fire, !\nd ~od g:IVe ~.:nto him the d01:1inion of the outerrr.ost sphere. Eternity brou~ht forth time~ the Boundless gave birth to Licit; Bein; descended into Generation. AI llshtr.i~ I beheld Satan fall froc heaven, eplendtd in strength and tury. ~on~ the Gods is none like unto him. into whose hand are committed the Jd.ngdoms, the pcn;er and the glory of the worlds • • •

"Blessed ~e they who withstand his subtletya they shall be called tho sons of God, ~d shall enter in at the beautiful gates. For Satan is the doorkeeper of th~ T~mple of the King: he standeth in Solomon's porch; he holdeth the Key~ of the SanctuaryJ that no =:n may enter therein save the anointed, having the arcanum of Bermea • • • A!ld of the same ~port is the fact that in the Old Testacent the word !;ChSh, Nachash, indicntint; the serpent who ter.1pted Eve, ia identical in n•li!Ocration with l.~hiCh, Y.essi:1h, the f.edeo~r. The nu:!:ber co=on to these two words is ~se, w~ose di~lts, you will notice, are the fourth, fifth, and tixth ~embers of the occult caries of nunbers ~hich series is 1 0, l, Z, 3, 5, 6, 13, Zl, 34, 55. And 358 is tho number also of IBA ShiLH, Iba Shiloh, which means "Rest chall come." Out of the tur,y an4 bonde.e;e of the ilork which has Time (Saturn) for its pri.Jr.ary condition shall come rest• The Fall into manifestation is to be foll~d by the Rcde~ption from the misery which our misunderstanding now brings. The power which brought about the Fall ie identical with that which is to bri~ about the Redemption. A& you considur thia, do you wonder that Rosicrucianisr: 1a occult? Do you wonder that ita inner teaching ia re• served for those who have demonstrated their readiness to receive it' Do you wonder that is is suspect, ev~n to this day, and anathema to those who, li~e the ~n C.R. encountered in Spain, are satisfied with what they have sained by ir.posins their errors upon the credulous minds of the thousands who support their ridiculous doctrines? I refrain from saying mora. If you have eyes to see, and ears to hear, you lcnow already. It not, r.a.y God speedily ripen you into clearer perception.

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THE GRADE OF THEORICUS, 2

=9

!hi~ is the second Grade of t~e Order, reached by the aiDgle path of the letter Tau, which has ~uat been considered. As ita name implies, it is a Gr~de in which one learns the underlying theory which will be applied to subsequent practice.

It is attributed to the ninth Sephirah, ISVD, Yeaod, the Baaia or Foundation. This ia the sphere of the automatic consciouaneaa, or subconscious ~i~d. Practically the whole work of this Grade oonaiata ~ instructing the Theorioua in the oncient occult theory of the operation of the auboonaciouaneaa. Symbolically, Yeaod, the ninth ~ephirnh, is said to represent the generative organa of the Archetypal Ad~. This curious aynbology ia baaed upon the feet t~at it is through the ogency_of what wen~ call aubconaciouaneas th~t the Life-power continually reproduces itself in liTinc forma. The mode of intelligence attributed to this Grade ia thus deacribe4 in Qnbalistic WTitings: "!he ninth pnth is called the Purified Intelli· genoe. It purifies the emanations, prevents the fracture and corrects the design of their imogea, for it establishes their unity to preaerTS th.m from destruction and division by their union with itaelt.w Purified, in Hebrew, ia T ! V R, Tnhoor, which adds up to ~20, like the initials C.R., who is the Founder of the I~Tiaible Order. Even as Yeaod, the Purified Intelligence, ia the bnaia of the cosmic order, so is c. R., also a type of purified conaciousneaa. the foundation of the Fro.ternity. The letters of T H V R ~in the four doctrines of this Grcde. !her correspond to the following Tarot sequencer (T) VIII, Strength; (H) rv. The E~peror; (V) V, The Rierophantr {R) XIX, fhe Sun. The doctrines o.rer
l. (T) Strength. TIBJ..TEVER EXnT~ IS A F~ OF SPIRITO.l-.L ENERGY. EVERY FOR.V. OF SPIRITUAL Elf£RGY IS ~UBJECT TO T!!E CONTROL A!ID DIRECTIOI OF THE FORU ABOVE IT. THE CONSCIOUS IldAGE.Il.Y OF '!.WI IS i.. FORU OF SPIRITUAL ENERGY, ALL FOP.US OF E!:ERGY BELO'il THIS LEVEL l.RE SUB..TECT TO ITS COllTROL. IT, IN TOP~, IS SUBJECT TO THE DIRECTION OF THE SUPERCONSCIOUS LEVELS OF ENERGY. THESE FLO\'; DcmN INTO SUBCONSCIOUS LEVELS THROUGH THE J.GENCY OF THE CO~' :c IOUS 1!IND OF l!."..N, i'JliiCB IS THE J,!EDii..TOR B!TI'!EEN 'l'Hi.T TIHICB IS i.BOVE iJID TrL.T I"IH!CH IS BELOYI. Thc.t the Tnr1ous dhtinotiona between ~eo.usal,~ "mento.l," "astro.l." and "phyaioo.l" o.re purely for the sa~e ot convenience in clauif1ec.tion. That. above o.ll else, it h wholly te.he to apoo.k or materiel forces as being oppoaed to spiritual onea. That on the contrary, as modern science haa o.bund~ntly proved, there is no auoh entity as ~mntter" o.t all. Thia doctrine of the essential spirituality of all o.ctivit1ea whataoever 11 fundo.mantal in Rosicrucian philoao-o

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phy, as it is fund~~ental in ~balah. It is the losieel consequence of the doctrine of Hcr~es th~t "hll thin~s arc rron One." This is the "arca:.un of Eer~es" ~entio~ed in the quotetion on page ~5. It is often objected th~t this doctrine mcterialites spiritual things. On the oontr~ry it spiritualitcs all thinga. So long as we oo~tinu~ to think ot "~atter" as ~ein; real, as having an independent existence ~~d force• of its own, so long are we in danger of the liroitir~ consequences of that error. But the truth ?rhich opposes the error does not consist in sarin!; that ph:,·sical forr:~s ~.,d forces have no actual existence. The lio~rating truth is that phj•sical forces, ~'ld all other forces, are eEsentio.ll:r spiritual, that their root is in th~ divine Life behind all thin;::s. Onr bodies and our housee arc spiritual facts. The solid earth is another spiritual fact. So are the sun, moon, and stars. The ~nt this is understood we have re~oved the breatest barrier to success in oooultis~. ~o len; as we suppose spiritu~l forces to be antagonited by "=terie.l" forces, we never cu~ be sure of cythin,;. For it is perfect~ e~ide~t that w~ do not understa~d t~e full extent of the physical world and its laws and fo~ces. If we SU??OBe this to be our adversary. we are defe~ted before we begin to fight, because ~e car.not possibly expect to overco~e an advers~ry ~hich i ! L~easurably r,reater in resources than ourselves. But if we ace th~t whet se~oa to be our adversary is really a ~:~o...'"lifestation of the very s~e orcer-wF.i~h is the b:uis of our Oll"'l existence, if we grasp the truth that the law of our or.n lives is the lE-w of tho universe, if -.·e see that all forces are spiritual. in sr.ort, we ptJrceive t!Hlt the only adversary is our own W9.!1t of knowledge, the:~. ...!! cr..._- t.e;ir. cu .. y.·ork wit"l ~ re;...aon-:.ble prospect of a•Jccess, because we approach it in the right cood. But the doctrine taught the Theoricua says ~ore than that all forcea are essentially spirituel. It saye, in the aymtollc lanGUage of the VIII T~rot Key, th~t ell tho forc~s of the cosmos are w:der the control of the ~tt~ntive, watchful, viGilont self-conscious ~ind. It shows the human subconsoiousneas as ~istresa of the ki~g of beasts. thus implying the idea that ~dificationa of the bu=an levels of subconsciousness are transferable to the animal kinsdom. It further intic~tea that the reign of subconsciousness extends itself to the vesetable kingdoc, ~ showin& · verdure and trees which are evidently the result! of cultiTBtion. knd in the·bnckground it sr.~~~ a mountain-peak. This is a recurrent ~bol, partic•Jlarly in Rosicl"\lcianism, enc:l it represents the completion of the Great liork. That ?lork ill fir.ished when man masters the forma B:ld forcee of the min~ral kingdom as co~pletely as he masters the forma ~.,d forces of the animal and vegetable kingcoms. Nothine less than complete dominion is the objective. And that objective ~ay be reached because what we now call subconsciousness is actually the substance of every fore in all the kingcoma below man. Th~ Life-power, working at various levels. or in various octaves, of subcon~ciousness, is all there is to anythinr. that lies within the ran5e of human ex~erience. Every single thing in the univr;rse ~y be cor~ectly described as an assemblage of forces, teMporar• · ily presenting themselves ae an object, by reason of the operation ot luws of the Lifo-power workin~ at subconscious levels. Theoretically, then, it is perfectly reasonable to say that bnyone who caD modify the operetion of subconsciousness ~t the point where he makes contact with it in hia own peraonali ty, may to some degree modify the forma that aame

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takes in places not EO intimately connected with his personal life. Practical occultism rests upon this theory, ~n~ verifies it by prcctice. In brief, because you can control subconsciousness by sugges• tio~. the extent of that control can bo increased indefinitely. The work of the practical occultist is directed to this end•
oper~tion

2. (H) Tho E=oeror. T:!E UNIVERSE U: R...TI0!1i..L. IT IS COl!POSED i..CCOl\DI:;G TO Pl.TT::.r..:;s II'TELLIGIBLE TO THE :.:n;n OF !.!..ll. TH...T P-.TTF.ItB M....Y BE SEE~, ?r,C\"'DED i:E TP.;.IN OURSEr.VE$ TO LOOK FO.?. IT. ITS C:wt..C~-RS .r.R:: :-,"RITTEN UPOll THE UECHh.XI S!.: OF N.:.TUP.E, 4JITJ 'liE J.!r.Y Ji.E.:.D TllD!. Fr0111

this it foll~~s that nothing inherently unreasonable can possibly be an integral p~rt of the cos~ic order. Y~at seems against reason is either fclso, or else ~isundcrEtood. ~~at appears to contradict reason calla, ~~ere­ fore, for close ex~in~tion. It cutt never bo hastily rejected, since the appcar~nca of un-reason is frequently appearance only, arisi~ from superficial observation. But on r.h~tever authority any stcternent purporttnc to be truth r'eats ita claims, i~ it runs counter to eshblished principles th~t have the tupport of reason, we OUGht to reject it, or at least refuse to let our actions be governed by it, until evide~ce is forthcoming which does away with th~ appearence of unreason. This is a cardinal tenet of Rosicrucianism.
(V) 'l'he Eierooh9.nt. THERE ARE ME.'.NS OF COONITIOU BEYOND THE FOR!!Z Of :!!.!1~-.t\ Ei~E;;,IEi:CE. THE LIFE-P0~\'ER :O.t'WlENT IN EVERY m.r..:..li PEi\SON.".LITY c.;...'i, J..ND DOES, GP.."E TH...T ?E..Tl.SON••U'IY DIRECT PERCEP7IOl!S OF :rr .....!.ITY T?.....liSCE:UJI!IG SENSE EXFEB.IENCE. THESE PERCEPTIONS GO BITOliTJ RE~.SO!IING • BUT Tii::Y •.RE ~1EVF.R CON!Ri.RY TO REASON. TITE'! PRO.. VIDE US '.'fiT:! COR.Tl.ECT sourrrm:s TO P,.RTICt'UR PF.OEU:!.!S, BtiT t."VERY SOWTION IS l..LSO TilE F.E\"EL."SION CF •• N ETE?.Nl..L PRINCIPlE. Thia Key has been
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~.

used before to illustrate one of the six truths taught to Zelators, but now another aspect of its cooning is emphasized. It etill cssurea Ul that there are me9.na of cognition beyond the ordinary forms of experience • . It tells us th9.t the Life-por.6r i~ent in each human person~lity is able to give that personality direct perceptions of reality transcending the experiences of sensation. And it is used in the Grade of Theoricua to prevent tho advcncin~ pupil from supposing that reasoniUl is the onl7 possible source of illumination. The Hierophnnt is r~ally identical with the Enperor, but he ie a aynbol of the Cosnic Reasoning, beyond the levels at present attained by ~n. The cirect cognition he symbolizes ia called Triumphant and Eternal Intelli~ence. Triu~phnnt, because he.representa a r.1odo of consciousness which gives us the "winning solution" to the specific problems of our lives. Eternal, because although the solutions are particular &nd adspted to our specific needs, they are invariably brought to us in the form of perceptions of universal principlea. The perception of these eternal principles is beyond ~~e scope of our present reasonin; power. The principles, themselves, however, are always consonant with, and never contradictory to, ,.,ne.tever 11e have been able to ~atoblieh upon a solid foundation of reason. They supplement and complete the underctanding we gain by reasoning.

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4. (R) The Su."".• The letter .Resh (R) in Qabe.lah 11 called the sign of ~~e "Collective Intelligence,• and it ia from thia that the fourth doctrine imparted to the :Ceoricus is derived, ~ follo~s: ;,w~ IS TID: ~IS 01 .u.t COS:.UC .lC:'IVI~m::s. H'J'!LQl'q nm:t.LIG::::NCZ ~~ 'ro::t:!:zr::ll .\LL ':'2 V.\R!O'US nm!'..\!lS 0!' 'lD LI:B-POm:R•S SELF-i ::.:.;IFES~.\TION, .U.':l C.UL'l\IES m.l..T ?L':.UIF:S~TION llnoliD ...'llr!THING '!'ii.\T C:'v"LD COlAE nrro EXISTENCE .:LP..lro' FBOill ;.;.-.N !iND h"U"~ I1"T!:LLLG:E:liC!:. This doctrine is identical with J~e Trcward's doctrine o! the Personal ?actor. It means that men baa come into exist~ce !or a particular purpose. That purpose ia to Car%7 the Great 'Jerk to completion. :!an's first share in the Great :7orlc ha.s to do 'lrl t.h the regeneraticn of his 0\1ll personal! ty. lienee in the Tarot .Ie;r XIX, th3 two childreA are aho\1ll as equal in stat'.lre, and standing 'UpOn the &al!l8 level. In the natural man the subconsciousness, typdficd aa feminine, is subordinate. In the spiritual man this 1s not so. Subconsciouaness is released from the bonda&e of erroneous suggestion. Further, four of the five sun-fiov:-ers bcllind the '17all tum, not to the sun, but to~ds the children, as if it vera from them the7 drc'l7 l1g1lt and vitality. :ror 1 t 1a through tho '17orlca of man that nature vill roach hibllcr levels o! beaut7 and uaefo.ll.noaa.

'!'here are four other fundamental doctrine• related to the fo'Q%' letters of the word. I S V D, Yesod, and exemplified by the correaponding Tarot Keys. 'l'b.eae are aa follows:

1. (I) The !{emit. TRZ ronR V!UC!i !nm::::S i.i.\.'T ro OO".ti'UCT THE STJPZ!\CO'!iSCIOUS L?i!:LS i7E.:Ol Lttt.IGRrefdEZl"l co;.:zs IS .l lORiS 01 :::m:RGT D~ RIV:E:l rBO!l PEYSICJL .lCTIVI!'I:::S TaU' A..'IU mmEA m .ASXAOLOGIC...U. DOi.IIRJ.~IOi 01 TEl SIGH VIRGO.
'!'hia is why the lama Frater~itatis us~• the curioua parase, in apeakin& of the Brethren who established the Order: •~e7 were •• ot vowed virginity.• This is a very subtle point, referring to the Laa of Rasponse illustrated by Xe~ IX. ~e mental attitudo of intentional reeponsivenees, or receptivi t~, to the influx o! t~e Light !rom above hae a direct effect upon the subconscious processes b7 v~ich the subtle energies that entor the blood-stream in the asimilation of energy from chyle aro oxtrnctcd !rem that subata.nco. llOmnrG '.TILL P.BODUCE miS BESULT l!XCEPr Ufm.LIGEin' DEVOTIOP.. 2. (S) :tho Tccmerancq. DAILY l'RA.CTICE Oll' M:: T.EOUGl!T 'nU.T TE! P:::B.SO!;.AL LIFE IS DIRECTLY GUIDED 'BY .l HIGER Ill'n:LLIG!l~~, D.ULT !3l&WllR.'IllC!: OF TB:! TRU'l'li TR.U' ilO:OODY C . .W EV!li DO .:~IlfG 07 BIL!S~l, D.ULT ::OID3:.WO.R TO APPRO.\CR ...U.L CIRCU1iSl'4'4'1C!S .um .\CTIVITI:S :mo:& THIS !Oilf'r OJ vr:w xs .l JOND.uorr.u. ;:xzaczs::: r;.~ mz c;w:: o:r mromcus. 3. (V) The Hieropha.lll. THIS ll:::.P'EBS TO ~ P.EUCTIC.'.t COlfS~!NCZ

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OF TP.E T'r'IO DOCTRINES v;HICH f!J.VE .ALREADY BEEN CONNECTED f:ITH THIS LETTER.
THL SUBTU:ST rJ!D !JJST I:.:PORTA11T .h."NWLEDGE OF THE FUNDJJ.!E:NTJ..L THEORY IS NOT GJ.I:ffiD BY REJJ)I:JIJ, OR FRO~! LIE:TENUIJ TO a ffiTl.!J.N T""'t.J.CHEi\. IT IS GAillED
BY LI~T:::NING '.',ITi! FROFOU1:D .ATTENTION FOR THE IKSTRUCTIO!i OF THE Il-.'"llER VOICE. THIC LISTENING IE: AN J.CTIVE ST.:..TE OF CONSCIOUS::EsS, ;., TI:!RO':'l· ING OF T!-::E r:BOLE PERSONJ.l. CONSCIOUSNESS I!!TO THE FO?J! OF EXF'tCTiJJT
RECEPTIVITY.

4. (I>)

The Empress.

MENTAL ll!AGERY IS THE DOOR TO THE SIGHER KNOW•

LEDGE.

Such are the doctrines learned in the Gr~de of Thcoricua. H~ving them firmly fixed in mind the ndvancing aspirant is ready to tr~verae two pr.ths which lead still higher. Of thete, ono leads froc the ninth sphere. It 11 the 30th path of the letter Resh. The other two patha lending fro~ this aphero, the 28th path of Tzaddi, and the 25th path of Sll.::lel:h, are not open to a Theoricua. Besidea the 30th path, the Theoricus ~at tr~verae the 31st path of Shin, which waa not open to him ~ilc yet be was a Zolator only.

"Tho thirty-first path is called the Pcrpetucl Intelligence. Why is it so called? Bec~uso it rules the r.~ent or th6 sun ~nd the ~oon according to their constitution, ~~d onuses each to gravitnte in its respective orb."--Book of Formction. This 14 the pnth of the "holy lutter," Shin, celled "holy" boonuse its nu~ber, ~00, is th~t of the words RVCh ~LHIU, Ruach Elohim, "The Life-breath of the Creative Powers." Thnt Lifo-breath is what the Hindus ter~ Pr~na, the bnsic enar~ of the cosmos. It ia ficr,y end electric in ~ature, and therefore thia path is aaaocinted in Qubalah with the element of Firo, The Book or Formation saya& "Be cauaod the letter Shin to reign in Fire •" This electric a conscioua energy. tion ot a particular to ita latent state, or eternal• This is gence." fire is the sourco of all activities, nnd it ia Ita activity subsides, we are told, &t the ceaaacosmio cycle, but nlthough it paasea from ita activo it dou not cease to be. Thua it is rorpetu ·:1 · the reason for the designation, "Perpetual Intelll-

According to ocoult teaching which the XXth Key of Terot lllue• trntoa, this Porpotunl Fiery Lifc-bro~th works, not only on the plane of threo dimensions thnt wo know, and within the limite of Time that wo ere nble to graap, but nlao in a fourth d~naion which ia lik~lae

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an Eternal NOW. This fourth dir.ension of the Life-power, Rosicrucian Philosophy teaches, now IS. Therefore the Perpetual Intelli~ence ie even at th,i, r.oment a.."! inte~;ral po.rt of every hUJ'13.n bei.."'g. VIe are not aware of it, but it is there, just tho scme. And even as mather.tatieians are being impressed 1vith the necessit'J of talcinr: it into consideration, so must the aspirant to advancement in the Way of Return, do all that he can to build up his conception of this aspect of his ar.~ nature which has, as yet, made almost no irnpressi~ upon hia personal consciousness. The XXth Tarot Key •~s designed to help the aspirant build up this perception. In accordn~ce with the biological law that subconsciousness builds organism ir. response to desire a~d de~nd, the daily use or this picture will gradually build into the aspirant's brain the cell• which ~ust be or~anitcd before the experience it symbolizes is a vivid part of the seeker's personal consciousness. · The stater.ent that this path rules the move~nt of the Sun and Uoon is true in two waya. It is true in th~ macrocosm, because the currents of universal enerL,Y are the det&rr.i~ins elements in all motione of the heavenly bodies. Further~ore, ~s students acquainted with Yoga philosophy will know, the currents of Prana thenselves are distin~iahed by Eastern sages as beinG Lunar and Solar. But there is a second manner in wr>ich .,.e may read this pusa,;e. The ~un, in the rlicrooosm, 1a the oardiac plexus. The Moon is thr. pituitary body. A current of the Lifebreath flows between the~e ~vo centers, nnd reculates thelr activity. ~Occult practice has much to do with the control of this ourrent• So far as readers of this work are concerned, the only safe practice ie that which has to do with tho ~pression upon subconsoiouancss of the pattern de~iced in the lAth Key. In addition to this, one should often bring to ~ind the idea that fourth-dimensional existence is even now part of one's real make-up. Perhaps the simplest way to do this is to think of yourself as having eternal life, here and now. The consequences of the repetition of this apparently sinple idea, until subconsciousness takes hold of it and elaborates it, aro extraordinary. It is the seed-idea whose fruit is release.
THE 3oth PAT!'!.

TAROT KEY:

XIX.

THE SUN.

"The thirtieth path is called the Collective Intelligence, for thence astrolog~re, by the judgment of the stars and the heavenly eigne, derive their speculations and the perfection of their science according to the motions of the etnrs.•--Book of For~ation. It is because rnan is a synthesis of the cosmic forcee, a summary of the powers of the One Life, that any ccionce is pcaeible, and particularly true astroloey. ~. meanins of life is wrapped up in ~n, the

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~~eroscosm. This is by no means the idea that the universe v~s made for men. It is the idea that nan cane into existence for the completion of the Great Work in which the One Life is enga~ed.

By ri~ht judgment of the movement of the stars, certain basic patterns are revealed. The orbits of the planets h~ve relations to each other which are also the relations of musical tones, the relations found in the cryctallitation of minerals, the relations developed in the production of all forms. ~ is the only being on earth who can recocnize these patterns and apply them consciously. hetroloGY, essentially a mathematical and geometrical science, is brought to perfection when these key patterns are perceived. This science, by no ~eans perfect as now practiced, has within it the germ of a great development. And the key to that dcvelopnent is the r~ct thnt.hucan life is the expression of the !aoe forces and laws that are expressed id the visibl& change• of position ~d relationships written in the language of the stara. Until a man perceives these patterns and applies them, he is the slave of the stars. When he knows 11nd uses thea:., he shares consciously in the ReiGn of Cosmic Law. Apart from this knowledge, the science ot astrolobY leads to an arid, sterile fatali~· Perfocted by this knowledge, the sa~e science adds incalculably to the richness and resources of every hu~en personality. This may be one of the reasons why the p~ir of opposites, "Fertility and Sterility, " is attributed to the letter Resh in the Qabalah. These two paths lead from the L;::O<.nes of' Zohtor •nd 'rhooricus -;o the next Grade. The 31st p!lth begins in the Gr~de of Zelator, because it i5 ~n elaboration of the six truths taught in that Grade, and because also it dcrn~~ds the refinement of physical sensation which is the main object of the work of Zelator. The 30th path begL~s in the Grade of Theoricus, because in traversing it one has continually to recur to the underlying ele~ents of the theory taught in the second Grade. For the idea that human life is a synthesis of the whole r~n~e of cosmic powers is prL~arily a theory for persons below the highest grades ot the Invisible Order, and in traversing the 30th path one does little more than elaborate and round out the theory.
THE GRADE OF PRACTICUS! 3 • 8.

This Grade corresponds to the 8th circle of the Tree ot Life Eod, Splendor. Hod is the sphere of Mercury, hence the activities of this Grade are dominated by the mode of consciousness represented in Tarot by Key l, the f·!'l.gician. It il! the Grade of those who have paued from study of theory to the e~perin1ental work which establishes the correctness of that theory. This work 1s almost wholly along the lines of intellectual training• It is practice in the art
t.
namedlP.\~,

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ot inductive reasoning, in the drawing of lc~ical inferences from Ex· perience, in the develop~ent by induction of the ~eneral truths to be found in a series of particular instances.
2. This experimental work is indicated by the 8th statement in the Pattern on th~ Tre stleboard: I LOOK FO!rr.'A..'\.D ?liTH CONFIDENCE TO Tl!E P""::..RFECT REALIZATION OF TH; E'I:R!W.. SPLE'l>i"DOR OF THE LDUTLESS LIGHT. As Key l shows, the Magician or Mercury is expecting the perfection of a Pattern held in hia mind.

The Practicus works with the tools on the Magician's table, the Wand of Will, the Cup of ~ntal ~ager,y, the Sword of acti~n. and the Pentacle of actual physical conditions• The type of consciousness correspondinb to this Grnde is called Perfect or Absolute Intelli~enee. The Hebrew is ShLM, Shalom, and it also ~eans, 1 ~ell, peaceful, happy.• The three doctrinea of this Grade correspond to the letters of this word, and to the Tarot sequence representing those lettero, which is: (Sh) XX, Judgmentt (L)XI, Justicea (~)X!I, The Hanged llan. Two of these Keys have been considered before. but as we now approach the~ fro~ another point-of-view, they will haTe oore to tell ua.
1. OF (Sh) Judgnent. Ht1l!A.N LIFE 0 E'w"EN NOW, EXTENDS BEYOND THE WORLD. Even now we live in the four~h dimension,

L~ITS

Th~ FEYSIC~L

although we have but the slishtest intellectual realitation of thia fact. Even now we are immortals, though our misunderstanding of the meaning ot death, and our imperfect brain-organitation, prevents us from knowing that we never were born and will never die.
2. {L) Justice. ALL TEE ACTIVITIES OF THE UNIVERSE ARE HEll> IJI EQUILIBRIUM. 1his is one of the cost difficult things to perceive. In•

equality and injustice are anoarent everywhere, but the esoteric doctrine states flatly that this appearance is not true. It does not say that justice will be achieved in some distant future. It declares eaphati· cally that perfect balance is oaintained continually. That for every action there is an immediate reaction. That the Law of Compensation is always in operation. That it we could see the whole past, we should find not one least deviation from strict justice in all the events which have culminated in the present moment.
~. (U) Hanged Man. TEE PERSONAL lAAN IS~ THE THINKER, THE SPEAKER, OR TP.E ACTOR. TH.kT ANY THOUGHT, A!IY 1'/0RD, ANY DEED IS THE OPERATION OF THE SUM-TOTAL OF COS~IC FORCES ~\"D LAWS, TAKING PARTICULAR FOP.l! IN TillE AliD SPACE, THROUGH Tl!E INSTRU!~TALITY OF A Htn.Wf BEING

(or ether vehicle of the cosmic life.)

This truth. until its real 1m-

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port is grasped, seems like f&tali6m. It appears to ~e man a mere puppet. Yet it is a truth reiterated by all wise ~n, and all of thea asree that it is not fatalistic in the least. They tell us that the reason it seems to be so is that Human beinGs do ~ot really know what they mean wher. they say wi". When this ignorance is corrected b7 ri;ht kr,owledge, the center of consciousness is no longer located in the personality• It is shifted to the Real Self. and that Self is perceived as being identical with the Originating Principle of the univer~e. The personal life is lost, but the Co~o Life ia found. k~ illusion is exchanged for a reality. A counterfeit treedOQ is given up, in order that real freedom nay be enja,yed. The mer.tal attitude er.pressed in these three truths is what the Practicus endeavors to perfect. To achieve thilr result he l:!Ust be con• tinually on the watch. Hence this Grade is attributed to the sphere ot Uercury. The Practicus works with the tools which are on the Uagician'a table. Every operation of this Grade is cs.rried out by the intellectual. reasoning, self-consciousness. The formation or new habits or thought is what is aimed at here. Nobody truly realites that he is a vehicle for universal life except ~ affiroing and reaffirming the idea, and by exercisir~ all the ingenuitT he can muster to find new wnys in which to remind h~~elt that it ia true. Actual dependence upon cosmic law, and perfect self-surrender to its operation, require as much practice as one needs in order to learn to sing, or write, or dance. Just sn~~ng, •r surrender,• now and then, will not produce the desired result. ~~y ~entle, suave repetitiona ot the suggestion are required before we succe~ in •separating the earth from the fire, the subtle fro: the gross,• i.e., before we cake a coni• oious distinction between the physical vehi~of life and Life itselt. Poise, too, is one of the meaninGs of Justice in Tarot, and poise must be won by practice. A few perfunctory relaxation exercise• will never build a poised personality. r:e :m~st relax at regular periods, to be sure; but what brings the best results is the habit of perpetual watchfulness which makes us aware of the subtle ~gin~i~£S of tensiona and anxieties. Repeated reflection on the teaching of Agelesa Wisdaa that all events are ordered according to a law of undeviating justice is an important feature of the practice which leads to personal poise. BeGin~ers often have great difficulty with this teaching, but none ia more emphatically insisted upon by the Teachers. Reflection upou it, &D4 constant endeavor to see the law of equilibrium at work in ever,y experience is one great test for the Praotiou•• The Practious alae devotea himself to ~ecoming familiar with the idea that even now part of his consciousnesa is having what we call

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"fourth-dimensional ex;:>erience." iihen we understand that every hu!:lllll t:as bodies of finer texture than the phyeical, this is easier to r_i-,•!:p. The physical is the outeM:lost of the vchic les of the I A!!, co~posed of energy vibrations which are slower and grosser than those of hisher vehicles. It is, moreover, corrupted by errort or race-thought, acd is far from bein~ perfectly adapted to the transmission of the finer QOdes of the Life-power's acti~ity. The physical body needs tuning; and ~~e Rosicrucian work is a ~cthod of attune~ent, which puts us, as it were. in a proper position to receive the finer, higher vibrations of our subtle bodies, ~hich already experience the phenomena of hicher planes of existence• ~ery h~an being, even the lowest savabe, has fourthdUre~sionel consciousness: but a~reness of that consciousness on the physical plane requires a special kind of physiological dcvelopoeat. As ~i~ted i~ the F~ Fretcrnitatis, this development results from che~ical chL~ges in the blood-stre~·
bei::u~:

Perhaps a simple co~parison will make this clearer. In the room where you are reading, a great ~~ different etheric vibrations are doubtless being set up, at this ~oment, by various broado~sting stations. UnlC;&s :JOU !'>ave a radio set, p:-operly built, and correctly tu::ed, you are una~e of those vibrations. Yet t~ey arc there all the time, and you hear then the !!!OT.lent you tune in. Your body is a much finer receiving set tt~n a~ built by ~an. ~t at present, so~e of the parts essential to reception are not, in radio parlance, "hooked ~p•. These parts may be co:-rectly co::~bin"'d by occult practice. "hen this is accor!pli~hed you will t~ abl~ to tune in to rates of vibration ~~ich now se~m to be none:1:isteDt.
~11 thi~ that I ~ave ~~tlined is part of the "vision of possibility• the Procticus works to ~r-fect. "Where tl-tt:!re ie no vision," says tt.e 3iblc, ftthe people perish." Vision can be strengthened. Just aa pl~ts bre cultivbted b:J a gardener, so may the functio::s or foresight a:"ld confidcr.t expeobtion t.e developed by intelligent practice directed to U:!l.t end. l'he grossest of errors is to believe that. the ~itt ot ·vitio~ is a ~re accident or birth. Every human being has the seed• ot genuine. seershipo ile are all potential prophets.
-.hie~

In no essential particular does the development of those functions fro~ the development of such functions as walking or epeaki~. Fir~t cones the atte~pt to perform the required oction--an atte~pt that fails again and abain ot first, but every trial brin(S one nearer to success. F.~" often, do you suppose, did you foll whilo you were learni::r; to walk? If you swim, h01< many ebortive ef!'orts preceded the first successful stroke? lie all hem that countless apparent failures precede everj successful attenpt to G&in skill in the most ordinary physical o.ctivities. I write a page li':e this in lou the.n a half-hour. Tlhen, as a ~oy, I began to practice typewriting by the "Ifunt System," it took n~~rly as lonG to write a few i~perfect lines. Yet not a few people who prcfcs! ir.tcr~st in oeeult trbinir.c oru reedy to gi~e up tho work, and to oo~domn esotorio teeohi~ as nonsensical, simply because their firrt ten or twenty attempts at concentration do not produce inat~taneou1 result•• differ

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I snt for core than ten months, in periods of a half-hour twice daily, working at concentration, before poreeiving the slightest indication of a result. A~ong my brethren in the True and Invisible Order are some who have devoted lifetimes to developing the skill they now pos&ess. Soce of the best work I ever did was accomplished in the midst of a hard-workir~ struggle for a livelihood, that gave me practically no real leisure. Eence the excuse, "I haven't tine for study or practice." si.l:lply fails to oonvi.:1.ce me. We all have plenty of tine. But the lazy habit~ of ~~e raee-r.dnd lead us astray. If we don't practice, it is not because we are too busy. It is because we'd r~ther do aonethinK else. The ODly failure is failure to try--and try again ond again. Our attempts, however, are core likely to succeed if we have a clear notion of wh&.t 'll'e are aL"l'.ing to acco:nplish, and sooe knowledge of the lawa and forces we are see~ir~ to utilize. This is why practice co~ea third in the Grades of th( 4oalcrucian Order. following a Grade devoted to theor,y. _ In all this mental practice, it ia well to r~mber th~t you are denlinb with an ~ctual force which Eliphaa Levi called "Astral Light.• and of which he wrotea "There exists a force in nature which is far nore powerful than stoam, b-J l!lellilS of which a single man, who can master it, o.nd knows how to dir~ct it, might throw the world into confusion L~d transform ita face. It is diffused throughout infinity; it is the substance of heaven .and c£:rth. 'ilhen it produces radiance it is called H~;ht. It 1a substance 3r.d QOtion st one and the ~amc timeJ it is a fluid and a perpetual vibration. In infinite space, it is ether, or etherited lighta it bcco=es estral light in the stars which it nagnetites, while in orgn~ited tein&l it becomes magnetic light or fluid. The will of intelli· gent beings acta di~ectly on this light, and by rneana thereof, upon all nature, which is cad• subject to the modification& ot intelligence.w The saoe writer gives a valuable auggestion in relation to the work undertaken in the Grade of Practicus when he sayaa

"Ev9ry individuality is indefinitely perfectible, since the moral order is a~alogous to the physical, and in the physical order we cannot conceive a point which is unable to dilate or enlarge itself, and radiate in a philosophically infinite circle. nhat can be said of the entire soul must also be predicated of each faculty thereof. The understanding an4 the will of can are instruments which are incalculable in their power and 8 capacity•
The same thought is contained in a passage in the Book of Formation which speaks of restoring the Cr~ator to his throne. Human understanding. human examination and research, human knowl•dge and calculation and

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writing--these are means Ymereby the Creator cay be restored to his throne. Has He ever been dethroned? J:ot reo.lly; but hu!:lan error has placed Him upon a ~ythical ~eat in the sky, instead of upon the true t~one at the cc~ter of hQ~~ exittence. Study of the ten aspects of the One Life, which we are taking up in this Etudy of the Grndes 1 correcta thi$ error. It restores to ~ his knowled~e that the creative, controllinb power of the universe is a real presence within the heart of man. Because of that real presence, because "all the power that ever was, or will be, is he~e now." the vehicles through which that p~er manifests its or:mipotencel:ii'St be indefinitely p~rfecti'tlo. Theae 'f:ords fall under your oyes because the ti~e has arrived in the oourse of your developm&nt when you are reo.dy to be awake~ed to the truth they set before.yoa. Nobody who is not ready will ever reed the&e line I . I do not mean by this tho.t every reader will instantly accept the ideas in this book. ~ th~ contrary. I know that sone will scoff at it, and reject it utterly. Nevertheless. even the scoffer will not read until he is ready. The mental attitude of self-consciousness is not the final arbiter. You, whoever you ::-:ay be. who read t~ese words, know this. Henceforth you will never be quite the ae~. You have touched somethins ~ore potent. nore laatin&. more far-reaching than you dream. It stirs in you an ecti~ity which will eventually ripen into realization. If now you sooff, we Grieve for you, bee9use we l~ow life has in store for yoa bitter lessons or pain. ~hich will break the shell of selfish unbelief that now limits t~e expression of your hi~her powers. But if now. when you r!lad these words. an echo see··a to stir in you, as of things long forgotten revivin& in the depthe of your soul. we rejoice with you, knowing that for you the happiness of release is near at hand. Three paths lead from the Grade of Practicus to higher Grades, but none is open, althouch the 27th path of the letter Peh must be traversed before the Practicua has completed his advancement to the Grade of Philosophus. But before this may be done, the 29th and 28th paths must be traversed. The 26th path re~aina closed until the advance~nt to the Grade of Philosophus ia completed. The 23rd path is not open until the Grade ot Lesser ~ept h~a been attained. Yet both these paths begin in the Grade of Pr cticu:s, because the skill acquired in that Grade is w:1at enables the nspirant to pass through them. That skill, remember, is developed by continunlly prnoticing the intellectual perception of "7'h:-.t may be confidently expected as the outcome of the cosmic process. And what ie that? The Pattern on the Trestleboard gives the answer& "I look for• ward with confident expectation to the perfect realization of the Eternal Splendor of the LL~itlesa Light."

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72.

THE GRADE OF PHILOSOPSUS, 4 • ?.

Three paths lead to this Grnde. The 29th path of the l~ter Qoph, beginning in the Grade of Zelator, is the first. The second is the 28th path of the letter Ttaddi, which oo~ences in the Grade or Theoricus. The third is the 27th path of the letter Peh, beginning in the Gr&de of Practicus. ~re is a plain i~timation that to be a~le to grasp the Rosicrucian philosophy one must have previously developed definite perception that he lives in a co~io order, must have been well grounded in the principles of Rosicrucian theory, and must haTe worked at training h~self in confident expectation of a beautiful outco~e for the Great Work.
THE 29th PATH OF QOPB ••

"The twenty-ninth peth is called t~e Corporeal Intelligence. :t infor~s every body which is incorporated under all orbs, and it is the growth thereof." --Book of Form9tion. This is the path of body consciousness, that path of the coordinated working together of the thirty trillion cells or the physi• cal organism. Knut Stenrinr says that in black ~sgic this path enables the operator to become en rcooort with his vietin. Pay no attention to this occult bur,aboo. For though it is perfectly true that black magic depencs upon some sort of physical con~ection between the operator and the victim, it is equally true that the aarne law works the ot~er way. In ~~ite magic this same path is the one which ena~les the operator to establi3h the connection whereby he heals and helps a sufferer. For it is by t!-.e vibre.tio:ls of physical cella in a ~hyFical body that · ar.y magician, white or black, is able to "step down the subtle current• of energy operating on higher levels, and make them available for the physical plane• ·nhen the Book of Fornation says this path "informs" bodies, it uses the verb in a sense nor. ~ractic&lly obsolete, neaning, "to give . form to; to mold; to arrange. Corporeal Intelligence therefore means "the consciousness that shapes bodies." It is associated through the letter ~oph with the back of the hea•, because in the back of the he&d is located t~e specific organ of t~e body-building i~telligence. This orga~ is the medulla oblonsata, and it ia what responds to our attempts to te.l:e control of our bodies, to change their chemistry, to rearrange their structure. Vfuen we apply the lnw of suggostion to the control of subconscioua• ness, forces are set in ~otion ~hioh eventually reault in actual cell• adaptation. We cannot do this until we are informed of the theory de• voloood in the second Rosicrucian Grade. I<or shall we suceoed unleu we have· spent some time in th~ kinds of practice which are associated with

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Order

7S.

the third Grede. It is on this account that the 29th path cannot be traversed until the aspirant has become a Practicus. As a Zelator he learns that his body is a vehicle of the cosmic life. As a Theoricus he learn~ t~r.t every function of that body is under the immediate con• trol of subconsciouEness. But it is only when he has learned to cake clear, specific patterns of what he may expect in the future that he can begin to nodify his body, so that its chenistry and organiEation are such that he can really grasp the Rosicrucian philosophy. For it ia not enough to be willing to learn. One must have the right kind of braiD cells, and the ribht kind of body-chenistry. The ordinary modes of life do not build the brain-oella, nnd they poison the body. Aa well expect a drunkard to brasp the finer significances of experience aa to expeot the ~verage h~~an being to do so - and for precisely the s~ reason. A poisoned body cannot grasp a true philosophy.
79! 28th PATH OF TZADDI.

•The twenty-eighth path ia called the N&tural Intelligence, whereby the nature of everything found in the orb of the sun is completed and perfeeted.•--Book of Formation. One of the early lessons of Rosicrucian philosophy is that everything is natural, that there is nothing supernatural. Superhuman. perhaps, but alwuys within the bounds of natural law. This peth, represented in Tarot by th~ XV!Ith Key, is the path of meditation. The picture shows Truth unveiled, end pouring water from two vases. Thus what is shown i~ the picture corresponds exactly to the definition of rneditntion given by the Hindu psyeholosist, Patanjali, "Meditation is an unbroken flaw of knowledge in a particular object.• The a!pirant to advencement in the Path of Return seems to himself to be meditcting. Esoteric doctrine quito distinctly te~ches that the aspirant is cerely the agency through which the natural process of an unbroken flow of consciousness in a particulnr object is expressed. Human personality, from this point-of-view, is an instrument which Nature herself has devised and perfected. A h~~an body and human brain are the means neces~ary to the natural process celled meditation. By this means the universal consciousness is enabled to take. forms that it could not take without this instrument• Takin; such forms, the Life"powcr brings the nature of everything found in the "orb of tho sun to co~ploteness and perfection. "The orb of the eun" is the sphere of influence of solar activity, i.e., the aolnr s,ystom. The cosmic process of Involution-Evolution works---through all the kingdoms of nature to perfect the instrument naroed •man.• Vfuen this instru~ont 1~ ripened to a certcin point, the natural procesa of meditation ~ckea it able to express tho Life-.ower's knowledge of ita own nature, and of the possibilities of that nature. Thus human thought nnd action become th~ means whereby the forces of the cosmos tako forma which could not be brought into mnnifeatation otherwiae.

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The introduction of human personality as an integral part of the process is w~at Judge Troward calls the "rersoncl Factor.• Whon thet Personal F~ctor is correctly understood as an ~ of the One Life, nothing eut good results frorn its activity. iihen it is erroneously supposed to be nn independent existencer having power nnd will of its "own", all sorts of pain-bringing conditions arise frorn what it thinks, sa~·s, !l..'1d does. These pain-bringing cor.ditions nre thought of by us as ~ing "evils." Occult training, however, deolnrea that because pain drives us to seek relief, !l..'1d the senrch leads ult~ately to discovery of truth, even the sec~ing evils of h~an life are the raw material for beautiful results.
co~c

THE 27th PATH OF PEH.
8 The twenty-seventh path is called the Exciting Intelligence, for thence is created the spirit of every creature or the supreme orb, £Dd the activity, that is to say, the motion, to which they are ~bject.• --Book of Formation•

This path, typified in Tarot by the XVlth Key, corresponds to the Hebrew letter ~hose n~e moans "the nouth as th~ organ of speech." In the Tarot picture the flash of lightning which destroys the building is a reference to thc.t pa$sage in the Book of Forn~tion which s~yer "Ton ineffable Sephiroth: their appearance is like that of a flash of lightning, their go~l is infinite. His word is in the~ \Then they o~a~tc ~ when th~~ return: at His biddlns do they haste like a whirlwind.• liote well the imagery. Instc.ntcnoous and si.I::ulto.neous manifestation of the ten fund~ental aspects of tho Life-power is sug~ested by the flash of lightning. AS soon as the Lifc-p~er ~anifests itself at ~11, the r~-total of its ten aspects co~ea at once into existence. The idea of speech is bound up with this lightning-flash symbol by the p~r~te, "His word is in them," o.nd tho idoc. that the whole cosmic nctivity is a continuous expr&ssion of that word, free beginning to end, is convey ad by the phrase, "when they cmo.nato and when they return." Furthermore this emnnation and return is co~ared to a whirlwind, that is, to a whirlinfi ~· This last is partioulc.rly interestins, since it ~es recently been dcmonstr~tcd that a lightning-flash is really a whirlins, spiral motion. And it will yet be sh~ t~at this whirling motion is ~. consistf.ns of nn outiioing nnd a returning current• When the Bible says, again and again, "The ~uth of tho Lord haa spoken it,• !l..'1d when it tolls us, in Genesis, "Tho Elohim said,• this same association of tho idea of force with speech ia implied.

The True nnd Invisible Rosicrucian Order

75.

Thus the third path leading to the Grade of Philosophus suggests to tho occultist thnt there is a definite connection between consciousness which ferns itself into Speech and the electrical enerbY which ia the basis of all activity. To put it nnother ~y, thP occultist nccepta nll that the physicist has learned about the electrical constitution of the universe, but adds that ~he real ncture of that ~stcrious energy which the physicist lsbels "electro-m~gnetism" is consciousness. The occult philosopher r..nintains th'"t all motion, nll c.ctivity, all energy i l b~sically the notion, activity, and energy of consciousness. He sees in the universe a continuous utterance of the Word of Life• His interpretation of experience runs counter to generally accepted opinion, hence in the XV!th Key of Tarot the lightning-flash ia shown destroy in; a tO'I'I'er which typifies false scU!nce. The basil of' this f~lse science is a notion that forma are built from a substance called "'ll~tter", which is moved by "force," and perceived by "n:ind.• Occult science says that the "~tter" or substance of all things IS the motion of an energy which is essentially mcntcl, or conscioua. "~tter," "force,"~ "mind," ~e three aspects of One Reality. This One keality is the exciting couse of all manifestation throughout th& universe. From it ie formed the spirit, or ir~er essence, of' ev~ry cr~ature. Fro~ it proceeds the notion, or activity, to which they are subject. Here is a definite st~tement that nowhere in the universe is there c.rr; form of existence, or creature, which is not dependent upon th~ aetivity of the Ori~inctinG Principle. Tho spirit of every creature is a pnrticul!'.r cxFrossion of this One .:.Ctivity. The exist~Jnce of every cr~eture is dependent upon that One Exist.cnce. ~e ~ctivity of every cre!:ture dc;:-cr.:ia ~bsolutely upon thC' One !Uotion which rune and returns, like a whirling brec.th, through the ~hole cosmoa. The Doctrim:s of tho Gr~de of Philoso~us. 4 • 1. l'hcao are aJ..z in number. Ihe first is connected with th~tter Nun, and Key XIII, which lett£.r r.nd Key t re the first in the words NTzCh, 1lctzc.ch, "Victory,• and NSThR, J:esether, "Occult." Tho three h.tters of the. first word correspond to th& throe Grent Truths of occult philosophy, end the word ittelf cl~arly indic~t.es that this is a success philooophy, an interpretation of experience having for its fundamental postulate the idea ~~at tho cosmic undertaking ia a success. Observe that I have used tho present tense. Occult philosophy holds that at every stogCJ of the Greet Vlor!c that \'lork is free from any trace of failure. It is, at this mooont, as certainly a success es it will over. be. The appenrences of failure arc due to our ~isteken int~rpretation of th& f~ct thnt the cosMic undertaking is not yot completed. \'ie are in the midst of an operotion that is going on. The final result haa not yot beon brought about.

The True nnd Invisible Rosicrucian Order

But the p: esent stage of the work proceeds in perfect, order~ sequence froc all precedinr, stases, nnd prepares the way for all thnt is yet to ecce. The Grand Artificer of the Universe is Omnipotence itself, end the idea th~t Omnipotence can possibly fail, at any point, or in the least d&gree, is nn ides that contradicts the very ceaning cf ~ipotence. Lnckinc knowledge of the design, cisundorstanding the processes whereby thct design is brought to completion, the undeveloped hu~~n ~nd interprets these processes incorrectly and bewails the "failure• of ·,ho.t better vision perceives as success.
1. (l:) Tho Death.
T~ DISSOLUTION OF FORY IS .:. FUJ;rJ:.J:El!T.U. fROCES~. .n.LL THINGS CHJ.NGE. J..LL CO:lDITIONS

TE!lDE~;cy OF TIS

CCS!!IC

P•• E:S .;..;.;,y. IiO FOFtM EVER RE1:l.INS FIXED. EXISTEliCE IS ;. STR.E.i.U, J.. SERIES OF ''i;.VES, All ETER!u.L UJVE~.:E!!T. Hence he who would lalow the Rosicrucian

philosophy r.:•nt rid himself of th£~ irrational desire for fixation, must eliminllte the r.il!lh fo-:- crysto.llizo.tion. 'Ffe are in the midst of a flowing universe, ~d in order to bring to completion the Grent Rork to Which we o.re called, we must gresp the truth expressed in the alchemical maxima Dissolution is the secret of the Great Worko Tho fact of physical death is the condition of existence which gives rise to the greatest ~ount of ~isinterprotation. The decay of physical powers with adv:1noing ;rears, and the death of the body, often at n tine when it seem! thGt one has most to expect from life, appear to be unrdtig~ted evils. The desire for lifo is strong in us. The instinct for self-preservation is fundamental. Small wonder, then, t~at death is co~only reb~rded GS man's one~. Small wonder th~t death see~ to ~ive the lie to all the pro~ises ot life. ~~ll wonder thnt after thiru:iJlb of death, so rto.ny people o.re ready to c.gree with the writer of EcclGsiastea that w.:.ll is vanit¥ and vexation of spirit.• The greeter numb~r of people in this world do their best to ignore death. They put the thought of death out of their minds. They rcfuse.to think of it. But ell tho while the shadow of approaching dissolution is upon them, influencing their subconscious life in waya innumerable. Others, more couro.geous, fo.ce the taot. They perceive the common lot, tro.in themselvea to the thought that it will sooner or later be their turn to go through the dnrk portal. In these days, few among the so-called "educated" clo.u ha.ve any confidant expectation of life bqond physical existence. It is no use blinking this foot, or trying to de~ it. "i•hat passes for education in our ti:T~ea has a v-ery definite tendency to giving a negative answer to the question, "If a man die, shall he live again!n Ono co.nnot but admire the fino courage with which so m~ of our best man and women face extinction. ro live nnd work, aa theae do, for no other rco.son that tho.t the conditions of life in future gonerationa oay be core tolerable. ia onu of the most inspirin& evidences

Th~

True end Invisible Rosicrucian Order

rr.

of tho essential worth of the human spirit.
~ spirit like this deserves, I think, somethin& better than hopelossness. Yet, p!lradoxically, it is not hope that is offered in the Rosicrucian philosophy. One of the Hindu Upanishads declares• "The greatest misery is in hope, in hopelessness is the highest bliss.• For hope hcs in it ~~ elenent of doubt, and elo~nt of uncert~inty. ~lliona of ~en end wo~en ~ for survival. They receive religious training which bolely nffirms a state of existence after deeth. They are told thnt lifu beyond the g:-c.ve is in~pressibly better than this life, But their hope does not prevent then from doins everything they can to stay ri&ht here, Nor does the teaching thet de!lth is a door into eternal bliss ~ake the bystanders nt !1 death-bed sing praises, or turn funerals into festivals of rejoicing.

No, th6 Rosicruci!ln philosophy does not offer hope. It bring• about the state of ~ind th~t the Hindu writer rubtly terms •hopelessness." ~at is e st!lte in which there is no hope, because hope has ~;ivoc. plc.ce to cerb.inty, The hosicruci~ teaching specifically declares thct we ~y h!lve defir.ito, first-hand knowledge that our conscious existence is not licited to tho physicc.l body, It docs not bid us hope. It tells us to~· It bids us learn, firtt of all. that the n~tural processes which result ic. death !lre not inimical to r.mn. It s:.ys to us, "L€-arn to think of physical dissolution as bein; a process which hr.a positive cd~nt~ges for the r~ce end for the individu~l. You are mistaken ~hen you thiN: death is ycur cnc~. Lenrn what do~th re!llly is, end you will find thnt it is your ~st friend."
This'dcp~rturc from c~on wcys of thought is eo radical that maay people L-:~r.cdi~tely reject it. In th.eir opinion such doctrine ia too absurd for a :noMnt 1 s eonaiderction. Nothing cnn be done with such determined prejudice, For minds More open. however. Rosicrucian teaching continues as follower

to men. Unchecked by death. the offsprinc of n single pair of codfish would soon choke the seas. At ons .~eric!ln university there is ~ culture of n low form of life. the ~~ium, which ~rows so rapidly thc.t if de~th did not bnl~~ce the rcproducti>E power of this little !lnimal, it would fill ell the space between tJ-.c earth and tho orbit of Uc,ptune in less than twenty-fi-,.e years. Tho death of countless org!lnisns is roquired to support a sin~;lc h~~ lifo. Furthermore, our arm orr,:1nio procosaos ~re death-processes. for we can do nothing wh!ltevur which dooa not cause the diaaolution of our body-oollso ·
advanta~eous
11

Dc:~.th, i::1d~ed, is what mal:es room for hurtan life on oerth.

"We say that the fact of physicnl doath is

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The deeth of hu~nn beings, too, has positive advnnto.sea to the ro.co. The earth cannot support too l~bo o. population. The health ot the r~co depends upon tho elil"'ino.tion of weaklings. !len c.nd women who are too old to chango their idoas and habits hinder the pro~rees or n~ ideo.a. But Rosicrucian philosophy goes farther than this. It says that the very forces which bring about physical death are forces which, when they are understood and rightly directed, can produce two L~portant resultu
A change in the human body which enables the person who hae it to know that his physical body is only one among se~eral vehicles, or instrune~ta, of his self-conscious existence. This change consists in the developoent of certaL~ bro.in-cells, not functioning in t~e average hunan being. The work of thece cells is to sive the person a menory record of hi~ personal experiences while "out of the body.• Fro~ these experiences the person &ai~s first-hand knowledge of the fact that he is not dependent upon physical life for self-conscious existence. Thus he learns that h! does not die, whatever happena to hie body.
eff~cted

1.

2. A Gradually increasing co~and or the subtle forces ot the physical plan(), \7hich enables the adept to establish a perfect state of balance between those activities which tear down the body and those which build it up. B:: this noans physical existence nay be prolonged far beyond the averrge period of hur.An life. It is fairly well known to occultists that both in the Orient and the Occident there are cen and wo~en now living who were alive at the tice the first Rosicrucian canifestoes were published. Exoteric science knows nothing of them or their methods of prolo~ing the existence of the physical body. A ~ile ot derision is the usual response to any Euggestion that such people are livinc today. But the writer of this book cust add to the witness or others that he knows this to be true. Indeed, one of the first fruita of Rosicrucian practice is that the aspirant &ains first-hand knowledce that he does not, and cannot, die. Th'3 e.bility to remecber what happens to personality while one ia "out ot the body" is by no means a mark of adeptship, by no aeans evidence of mastery. It is fairly early in tho course of rightly directed practice that one builds the brain-cella which record this type of experience. For such people the sting of death is recoved, inas~ch as they know that death ia nothing but the removal of the outermost vesture of personality. Their "out of t~e body" experiences enabl6 the~ to an~er to themselves the question, "What happens when we die?" For them, thenceforth, not only the fear of dying, but the thought of death as an eno=1, comes to an end.

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(Tz) ThE Stc.r. T3E cos:_"IC Pii.OC!:SS IS A l.:EDITATION. TilE IS CO,iSCICiuS E::C"rtGY, Fw::r.:G L''ir,JIJGrt A SUCCESSIO!! OF FORJ!S, ?..E.L-'1.7ED TU A ?i>RTIC~l..M OBJECT. E&H CYC!.£ .OF TEE LIFE-?Oo7!J-~ 1 S SELFEXF~?:SSIO:l f;AS SOl~ tEri~ITE OBJ:CT!VE, ~m F'RO:~ T:II BEGn-:.Il'G OF THE CYC :.F. TO ITS CO).:PLETIO!!, Tl:ERE IS 1:0 HO:~::T IV r.1iiCH THAT 03JECTTI"E IS FO!'v:tOTTEN. ·,·;e do not share the Life-power 1 a perception of this objective until we ha~e so identified our!elvea ~it~ the unceasing flow of the stre~ of conscious enerbY that we begin to feel its direction. Later, seers and safes tell us, we obtain the beatific vision of the "far-off divine e~ent," and this co~es t~uoubh meditation.
2.
LIF~-:;::o:;E;i

The Ono Life r.ai~tains an "unbroken flow of knowledge" in the "particuler object" ~ioh ~e e~ll the universe. From the initiation of tr.e cvcle of self-exp:-ession to its cor.:pleticn, there is not a r.~cnt of ab~traction or forgetfulness. Thus various Scriptures tell us that God ne~er sleeps. It is precisely because meditation ia the s~pportinG, or rr~ir.to.inir.b, condition of all existence that the practice of ~ditation by th~ aspir~~t leads to such ~onde:-ful results \';'he:: one really ceditates (and there are not so T.-ho rce.lly do) he shares in the aeti,.i ty by which the coc.::os is kopt goine. l:.nd in rir;ht neditation he. perceives that the Great :iork is ab.-ays a success, in ita lc~st details. Hence he ~ows, as a corollary, that no catter haw appearances may be, tr.e exact situation in anJ cement is precisely the right Rr.d necessary one.

=:,.

THE LI:tE-N'.';"".:.Jt IS P'iF.FECTLY St:CCESSFUL .hLL AFfE'iJw,c:::s OF FJ..IL::RF. ARE ILLLSIVE. The ON'S IDE:;nTY, as the Book of Tokens tells us, is the victor bAfore ever. ·the battle is joim.d. The roal I i-J.: is ncr.v in a ststc of perf~ot rest, of utter pence. The cosmic process rs-a suecost orocess. It is our want of perc~ption of the relation of the conditions of the ~omont to those of the past und future which leada ua to pessimistic interpretations•
J..'! E\'F.I;Y STA~E OF >E~ co:;nc

3.

(Ch) The Chariot.

PRoc;ss.

Therefore, the third olenent in kosicruciDn philosophy is tho logical consequence of the first ~o truths of this Grade. For the Philosophus, there is no battle to bo won, no victory to be achieved. Be knows tho Self as victor already. He kn~NB that all appearances of failu:-c arc illusi T'O. Be kn~~ra that the real I ;.H ir. now in a state of pcrfo::ct rest, of utter peaco, in which that I .iJt. is theEnjoyer and Obsc~cr of the cosmic process. 4. (S) To:.~oorance. EVERY HUYJJ! BEIN:l IS IDIDER r:r: DlRECl' GUI!Ji.?'CE C'!- T!S O::E r;,E:JIITY. This guidance r.ay beeomo a natter of porso~al oxporie~. It nust not be accepted ns a mere article of faith. V:o ::nJSt doliborately practice receptivity. i.gnin and again wo must adopt and endeavor to maintain the attitude of response to this guidance.

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must train ourselves to think cf h~~an personality as the vehicle an-: ir.str~':l€!'lt of the 011E IDENTITY. This ki!ld of active subz:dssion will eventually give us the necessary experL~ental knowledge. 5. (Th) The- Viorld. As a result of that experience. we shall see that iTI: A.;E, I1i VERY TR'GTH, .:.r.~I!!IST~TORS OF THE U.~'TS OF THE LIFEPOYIER. Through us those laws may be applied in ~-ays impossible for a:a;r inst~c::tality but human personality. The Dance of Life is incomplete without ~ participation. o.
PROC:ssr:s.

~e

(R) The Sun.
!.:&n

EU"l!A.!i PERSONALITY IS ;. SYN'!HESES OF .iJ.L COS!!IC

all that preceded him, and is the point ot departure for a new creature. ~e natural man iJ the seed of the spiritual can. When he underste.r.d! the processes that have brought him as far ns ~~e natural ~n. he cay utilize those processes conscious~ and intentionally in order to take h~ farther. Thus those who have grasped this truth are called "twice-born" or "regenerated.• This re• Generation is the next step toward the Great Objective•
sumrr.ari~es Fr~ t~ese staterncr.ts it cust not be concluded that the Philoaohas ar~ived at a point in ~.ich he ab~~dons all personal effort. Neither haE he gained release frO!:! the illusion of separate existence. Tie still finds plenty of work to do. He still eees evidences of apparent failure. nc still feels the urge of desire. ~11 that has been attained at this point is an intellectual ~rasp somewhat beyond the average. The Fhilooophus has a clearer vision, a better understanding. of the ~ca~inc or human e~ietencc• But he ~cht be o~pared to a nan who has learned to rend n blu~·print, or an architect's plans. The house is yet 1:D build. p~us

This Grade of Philosophus, finally is associated with the desirenature of ~an, The ioplieation is that all philosophy sprincs fror. desire •. In the last analysis, we interpret life in accordance with what ~e want. Our philosophy is what 78 want it to be. This it a: true of Rosicrucian philosophy as of eny other. It forr.ulQtes the ~eart's desire of evory ne~ber of the True and Invisible Order•

,___...,

---..,

In other words, Rosicrucians have grasp~d tho Philosophic truth that ~~ explains life alwnys in accordance ~•i th what he want E to be true. Hence the hosiorucians say, "If ~'s desires are actually in hnrrnorrJ with tho reul tendencies of tho eos~ic proI ecaa, what he wante to be true ~11 be true." This I I is the ~eorct of t~e symbol of the RoGy Cross, rhown I in the oergin. The cross itself is of six squares, ·----1---t I in the pnttc~n of n cubo. Thu~ the cross represents I I the pattcrr. of oxistcnco, bece.uso from the vory earli- I I est timr.a until now, the cubo has boon a symbol of "-- _.__~----'

_

:'he True c.nd Invisible Ro!icrucic.n Order

Bl.

T~.T which actually exists. The dott~d line ~round the cross indicates the rectangle fro::1 Trhich the proportion~ of the cro~s ore derived. Observatio~ will show you th~t the space in this rectan~le occupied ~ thE cross is exactly equal to the space not so occupied. To put it a~other way, the c.rea of a cross of six equal squares is half the area of ~ S x 4 rectangle. This being true, the area of such a cross must also be exactly equal to the area enclosed by a 3 - 4 - 5 ribht triangle. or ~.~hagorean triangle. Thus it will be evident that in geometrical s-rboli81~ th"l oross of six squares and the Pytha1;orean tri9.Ilble are definitely rclatod to each other, and to ~~e ~bolism of the cube. They expl&in each other. They nre all of ~~em cluesto the pattern of existence. to the s~crot of r..anifestation of~~ Life.

In the Rosy Cross, n rose of five petals is usually sh~ in the central square. This flower is typical of desire, for it is the flower of Venus, whoso sphere on the Tree of Lifo is assigned to the Grade or Pr~losophus. The five-petalled rose, r.oreover, is the ~bol of the ?ontnGr~~. or five-po~ted Et~, reco~ited by o~cultists eve~here as the c~ble~ of ~an, and of ~~~·e destined dominion over all things. T-hen h~~an desires, like the rose, ere fixed upon the central point or the patt~rn of existence, hu~nn desires are completely unified with the actual ln~s and tendencies of the coscos. In simple ln~-unge. a true Rosicrucian ~ts ~hat the Life-power wants. He has no other desires than those whic~ ere behind the whole co~c c~nifest~tion. 4 philosoph7 sprir~i~ fron such desires is a correct explanation of experience. Two oaths load upwnrd fro~ the Grn1e of Philosophus to higher Grades l:ut onl;.r O!'lc. is open, that of the lettLr "iun. =d it ~y not be traversed un• til t~e Philosophus has pcse~d throu~h the p~ths imr-ediately precedinG it• The~Sc are tho p!iths of Ayin n."l.d Sa!:!ekh• T:.e fir=t leads upward fro:~~ the Grado of Praoticus. The s~cord leads u~rard from the Grade of Theoricua•
Fro~ wh~t has just been written, it will be evident that the foundation of the Rosicrucian philosophy is the doctrine that all thinGs are in a state of flux. Nothin~ can bo understood in this univurso unless vre first ur.derstnnd thnt e\'erythin~ is in the proceu of trc:1sfor~~tion. This is of prim5TY ireport~nce in l&arnir~ how to for:::ul9.tc do6ircs. iihen we set our he!ll't on thi~s 1J'3 &re sowing seeds of misery. ~is was th~ mistake of tho builders of the Tower of Babel, as i~ has bee~ tho ni£tnke of ~any ~other since thct day. Fcr~a~once in for., is o.n impossibility in thh universo 0 hence all desire for that ~ind of permanence ie vanity of vanities.

~t is possible for us is identification with the atrean of the Life-pol'lcr ~s it flaws from one foro to r:.nothor. 'ile lll!Y shr.re in the ':i!"e"'t !>:·cditation thnt crE:c.t~s nnd eusto.ins tho universe. We "'llY b .... cor.~e conscioue vohiclt~e of the One l'iill \'l''1ioh moves irresistibly toward lts dctor.:-in<Jd objEiothe. Our lives a.r• not onl~· under guidance, but we

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may be ke~nly aware of that guidance. Thus our daily activities may be· come for us experiences of joyous participation in the adcinistration of cosnic luw. The neaning of life, for Rosicrucians, is that man is a synthesis of all the powers of the Limitless Light, and destined to advance in consciousness, arid also in organi~, beyond the level of the natural man to th~t of the spiritual nan who, though he says: "Of ~selt I can do nothing," says ~lso: "~11 power is given to meJ all that~ . Father he.th is mine." This Grade of Philosophus completes the Grades of the Firat, or Outer Order, of the Rosicrucian Fraternity. It is followed by the three Grades of the Second, or Inner, Order which are the three Grades of Adeptship: 1. Lesser -~ept, 5 • 6; 2. Greater Adept, 6 • 5; ~. Exempt Ade_t:lt, 7 a 4o ·:-.-:.· •. ·-·'::. --":':':..-.-=-~=:.:.:-. ·~-::::==-~.:.;·.::.:_-::~:·.:··.:"'·':-::~~··. :-~c.~····.- -:~..:.·.:.o.::..··:.-.:.-=. ~ ~

THE

SECOND ORPEfi.

THE GRADE· OF LRSSER APEPI . s - e. This Grade corresponds to the sixth ~phirah of the Tree of Lite, ThPARTh, Tiphareth, BEAUTY. To it corresponds the sentence in the Pattern on tho Trestleboard, "In all things, Ereat and scall, I see the--Beauty of the Divine Expression." This is the Grade of Imagination, in which the work of the Lesser Adept consists in the perfecti~ of hia vision of beauty. It is the first of the throe Grades of the Second Order in the Rosicrucian Fraternity• Its Hebrew nane is Th P A R Th, whose letters correspond to the Tarot sequence: XXI, XVI, O, XIX, XXI. To understand the neaning of this Grade, prepare yourself by reviewing the various meaninss of the number 6 which are given in the Analysis of the Tarot. "Intelligence of Llodiatins In!'luence• is one ot the names of the sixth Sephirah. By "mediating" you should understand such ideas as adanting, balancir~, equilibrating, and so on. Thie mode of consciousness is what the Lesser Adept seeks to perfect. In the QabalRh it ia associ&• ted with BN, Ben, tha Son. That Son is the husband of the Bride, and the Bride is tho Kingdom, or tenth Sophirah. He is the child of the Yother. AU!!, J.ima, who ia repre.sented on the Tree of Life by Understanding, the second Sophirah. His Father (in Hebrew AB, Ab) is Wisdom, the secoDd .Sephirah. In number occultism, therefore, 6 is the Son of 2 and~ and the Husband or Bridegroom of 10. In ceremonial vorsions of Rosicrucian initiation, this Grade is the one in which the allegory of Brother C.R. is rehearsed and explained. In it one enters ceremonially the Vault of the Adepts. In it the ad• vancing aspirant is identified with the Brother C.R., and also with the Egyptian Osiris, "slain and risen."

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You will better understa~d the meaning of this Grade, if you that real beauty is always related to fitness and strength. Whatever is truly adaptPd to its uses is always beautiful to people who can perceive its fitness. Beauty is not cere prettiness. Often the untrained eye or ear rejects what is profoundly adcired by those wr.o have had rig~t instruction. Even machinery, when it is well designed, has forms ~ich delight the eye of a true artist.
re~enber

In Central Aoerica, some years ago, an aqueduct was built in the juncle. The engineer took an artist friend to see the long, white structure, extondin~ for miles through the rank growth of the tropical forest. nnat caught the eye ~r the artist wac the beautiful s,ymmetr,y of the arches supporti~ the structure.
~at a pity,• he exola~ed, "to waste such perfection inK place where nobody will s~e it1 However did you come to choose such beautiful arches?•

•Beautiful, are t~eyt" recponded the engineer. ~ell, we never thoucht of that. ~c used the type of arch which our calculations doconstrated to be the strongest, and bost adapted to this particular work."
Co~pa~o a racing yacht with a dugout, a modern locomotive with the o~~ines of 1860, the modern "set-buck" buildings with the early skyscrapers, the athlete's body with that of the average rnan. Beauty is always the result o~ i"lcrcascd efficiency. "Tho r.10re correct the moasurorncnts," said J.lbrcc!':t Duror, "the better tho:! composition. • .And Eliphas Levi tells us, "rhc beautiful lives are tho accurate ones, and the magnificeneos of Nature aro an algebra of graces and splendors.•

Here is no namby-p~~by estheticism, sue~ as Gilbert and Sullivan loved·to burlesque. The beauty which the Lesser Adept learns to see ia rooted i:l ~:trength and balance. Henco the diagrB.!:I of the Tree of Lifo ::how a t.he s irlh &ephirnh o.s th:; centro.l point of eq•li libriur.. Fri.':!! Tipharcth, too, the rniddlo pillar of the Tree take:: its name. It is the Pi llc.r of llildncss or Bcuuty, so~:~e faint rccolh:ction of which is preserved in the rites of Free ilfisonry. Observe that the nurwbers of the circles on this pillar (1, S, 9, and 10) add to 26, the cumber of
I

a v a.

Three patl·s lead to the Grade of Lesser J.dopt. They are the 26th, 25th, and 24th. The 2fith bosins in Hod, the Grado of Practicus. The 25th begins in Yesod, the Grado of Thooricua. The 24th begins in Net1aoh, the Grado of Philosophuao

The True r.nd Invisible. Rosicrucir..n Order

The 21'th Pr-.th.

:.vb1..

XV.

The Devil.

The XVth Tarot Key is a pict1~e of what occult writers call "The Dweller on the Threshold." The central fi~e ~boli%es the ridiculous co~bination of false interpretations of nature which make ::u"J believe t:'lat nll sorts of powerc arc arrayed against hill: in his progress toward tho Li;ht• For prinitive r:·e.n, e:verything u."lknown is e.n adversary. E:e lives ~·.1rroun~od by dcvils--de-r.ons in trees, in stones, in rivers, in the clouds• E.verythin,g; frightens him. f.verythi::.g seel!l8 to thwart hiD. Little by little he eo~s to learn that the for~es of nature will work with hi~ to the dc~roe that he learns to underst~"Jd the~:~, and to the degree ttat he ob~ys their laws. The conflict between his inn~r fcclin£ that he is born to cocrnnnd, and the outer appearance that all sorts of forces arc worki~ aGainrt him, this is what ~oads him on. toward tho discovery of the hidden laws t~ereby he may turn his natural ~dver~aries into friends. There is no Adversary except hu.~an ~isoonception of the various ways in •nich tho Life-p~or presents itself to us through the ~dium of se:n~ation. Vihen ~e ta::e our sensations at their surface-value, we think W<J are cor.:pctir.g with our fellcrN'I"len. 11 hen we per~it ourselves to bo ducr.i...-ed by appearances, r.e suppose th'lt our nei(;hbor's real interests clash "Ni th ours. ·,;hen we look onl:r at the outside of things. we believe that ~e are sep~rntod from other people, physically and psychically; we entertain the notion that the universe holds two sets of antn~onistic onuses; we t~ink there is a conflict between Spirit and llatter• This dualis~ is what the aspirant to the Grade of Lesser Adept cust overcome. Ho begins to do so by taking up the work of the Grade of Precticus. Yihcn ono has learned by experir.cmt that confident expectation really forns patterns which are actually reali~cd in physical forms, he knows he ic not bound by external conditions. He sees then that he is ~Aster of physical form to the degree that ho is skilfUl in r:o.king o.ocurate nental patterns. l'11ua he learn• that nothing tighta n&ainst hie but his own ignorance and olumsineaa. It requires very littlo practice to gain this knowledge. A YOUD& wome.n in Toronto heard 1110, in a public locturo, apoa.k of forcing the mental ~~ce of a t~ine desired• "Don't attempt elaborate things at first, 11 I eaid, "Because small succeeses will build up your confidonou for greater undertakings. Bogin with something en~. say a hat. Pick out just thB kind of a hat

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you want. Dr!!:w e. picture of it, if you or..n. Write a description of' it, e:r:d E!)ecif;,· t>e ::~ntcric.l, the color, ths shape, the size, the price-all the details. ~~peot to have it, and you will eurely got it.•
~is
Sh~ ~s

girl came to no just bofore class-time, a week or so later. evidently s~ewhat excited. AS she c~,o n&er she exclaimeds

•x•ve got the hatl• ";;hat hat!•
~y. tho h~t-- the one you told us to picture. class to~orr~~&ht.•

I'll wear it to

~-,d she did. She foQ~d thut hnt in a little, out-ot-the-~y shop. None of the l'lillinerE she usually ;>atronited had anyt!linr. li!;e it. But she kept on visuali:ti.!lg, c.rd one d-:..y obeyed an unaecountnble inpulse to turn i~to a str~et th:lt ste passed en her wuy ho~. Presently she found herself boforo a shabey little nillin~ry EhOpo No such hat as sho wanted \:n!S in t.hc window. z;one r.et her ere as she cntorcd the store. But when sho ~s~c~ if they h~ cuch a hat, the clerk opened a drswcr and produced the ~xact duplicate of her ~ntal tonbeo

It had boon cooplctod the dny before. when

No such hat wns in Toronto

sh~ bo~an to visunli~e. The rillinor's subcor.sciousness cau&ht tho pc.tt~rn tolepathic~lly, end the nillinor 1 s hands did the cuttinc and sowing. But~~ pupil really rn~do th~t h~t. The ide~ in her br~in ~~ex­ ecuted throu~h the ~ctivity of th: ~illincr 1 s body. Nobody waa coerced.

:!y pupil wanted th"J h::.t. The oilHr:-H· found self-expression and satisfnction in o~king it. The ahop-kc'~p.:lr got a fair profit. Everybody waa satisfied.
ux~le is a whole lesson in the praoticnl usc or ~ental prnctico lends to th~ rcsli%ation that th~ Lifo-power in us is really a "mediatir~ influence," or adaptive, modifyi~ forco which c~n effect physical chnngcs at n distnnco. Tho mind of can is creative, but its images auat be confidently expected to materiali:te, in apito ot all •ppoar~ncoa to the contrary.

This ono
~uoh

in~&cry.

The 25th Path.

S~clch.

XIV.

Tecperanc~o

Review what tho ~~nlvsis of Tnrot has to say concerning this pioturo. ~ftcr we have ovcrco~u our .feura, and the delusions rcpresontod by tho XVth Key, we ~uat do all that we o~n to deepen our rcali&ation that

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the One I lJ:. is the real Actor o.nd Knower in our personal lives. angel of the XIVth Key represents that I ~.

The

This 25th path begir.s in Yesod, which is represented by th~ pool at the f~ct cf the ar.£~1. Tho autoMatic ~ctivity of subconsciousness 1~ t~e power expressed in all pcrso;.al att~inment. When we perceive the true Found~tion of 0\.!1" perso:1s.l existence, and rest upcn that FOI.Ull!ation, we shall never be assailed by doubts as to the adequ~cy of our powersupply. "All p~Ncr it gi>en to ~e of~ Father," said Jesus, and St. Paul exhorts us to have this same mind in us. The free gift of the One Lite to mon is lL~tless power. To use that gift we must first know that we have received it, ~~d tho~ apply it according to ita law of ~nifestation. Thus right theory ns well as right practi~e goes to the ~k~ of a Lesser bdcpt. It is not sufficient to overc~e the illusion that we are contained betw~en our hnts and our boots. It is not enough to see that our power extends throughout nature. We must see also that thi1 is not "pcrsor£1 power," that the actions wa perform are grievously misunderstood so long as we suppose t:1e::n to be ~rely our own.
Perso~l they are, of course, in the sense that the co~c lite specializes itself in these masks of n~~ and fore called h~~ beings. But they c.re universd, too, since nll these particul~r actions are part of nn unbroken and unbreakable series of cctivities proceeding direct from the One Life-source. Eternal Being ~nifects itself in the special -functions of tenporal existence. This is the lesson of the 25th path on tr.e Tree of Life.

Th~

21th Path; Nuno XIII, Death.

The lesson of the 25th ~th prepares the aspirant for the last of ·the three paths leanin~ to the Grade of Lesser ~ept• The practical ex• perience of t~e 26th p~th begins the preparation by sh~ing us that the colid nr.d subtle things of our environment nre no obstacles to the work• ing of the Life-power which radiates out fr~ us. Th~ theoretical foundation developed in the testa and trials of the 25t~ path enables us to identify what aee~s to be "our" life-force with the universal Conscious Energy. Thus we are led to the inevitable conclusion that a power which is superior to all the bo~ds of ~~terial existence, and which is no other than the Ori~inatin& Principle of the universe, cannot possibly die. Yet so rigid is the law of "test and trial" that we have to pass through death tn order to reach the Grode of Loasor Adept. lienee in all ceremonial representations of these ~ateries, the candidate is oblibed to undergo a cimulated death. He must be killed and then rc.ised. 'ilhether it be Osiris, slain ar:d risen, or Hira.m, murdered and raised from the grave, or Brother C.R., receiving initi~-

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tion nfter the death of P.A.L., the suggestion is ever the same. The 21th pcth begins in the seventh Sephirnh, and is therefore rooted in th~ philosophy developed in the 4 • 7 Grade. That Philosophy has its basis in the deeire to align the personal life in every detail with the oosr.d.c intention. Ocnipotence cannot fail. The coa~o Life-process is orderly. Everything within its sphere happens · accordir.~ to laws whose total operation makes for the ultinate success of the <heat Ylor~~. Free this point-of-view we conclude that death cannot be an evil•
~e do not ~ke the error of atte~ptins to deny the fact or death. We do no ostrich-like hiding of our heads in the· presence of disease, · accident, and other causes of phyeical decay. ~either do we think of thes~ t~ings as being punishments for guilt. ne regard thea as necessary parts of the Life-process, and rest secure in the conviction that this process is the expression of a Tiill-to-good.

Therefore do we say that death, disease, and all other terrors, express parrers and laws which ~ay be turned to constructive results i t we c~n learn to understand them• ne cannot ucderstnnd what we hate ~nd fear. If we a.re to overcome the last enemy 1 \':e !:lUSt cease to think of it as an ene:cy-. Furthercore, a better knowlerlr.e of our physical processes shows us that we do re:1lly "die daily." The proces~:es of cell-death are what ~ke pos~ible the changes in our habits and organise which will lead at lest to our bein~ consciously ~~ortal. The Lesser hdept does not think of hirnBelf as a mortal• He knows hioself to be ~rtal• He arrives at this consciousness by learning to control the subtle of the n~rve-currents which are represented by the letter Nun and the 24th path throu~h the correspondence of this path with the Eodiaoal ~ign Scorpio. This is the eighth sign, which astrolobers call the •normal rulor" of the house of death. One of its ~bola is the eagle, and it is to thi~ that the Rosicrucian books refer when they say that unless h~an e]es "have borrowed strength from the easle", they cannot b&hold tho adepts or the Invisible Order.
for~s

',

In brief, then, to attain to the Grade of Losaer Adept the aspirant ~st first overcome what the Devil ~bolltes. One of the chief means to this end is laughter• ~nen we learn to laugh at obstacles, they disapponr. Say "cock-a-doodle-doc" to fears, and they vanish. This ie not all "imagination," by any means. Lau~hter, confidence, boldnesa-t~ese arc statos of body as well as states of mind. fUrth has a subtle

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effect upon tho secretions of the endocrine glands. It chanses the body-chcr.:istry. The Bible states a fact when it says, "A merry heart deeth good like a medicine." the aspirant to adve.nce~or.t into the Second Order ~st of the notion that his thourhts, words, and acts are ~erely p~rsonal. He ~ust practice zealously to this end. I say zealously, because "z:eal" is one of the meanings of the Het:rew word RVGZ, w!::ich is attributed to the letter S11r1ekh. (See ITf Brief J.ne.l·:sis of the Tnrot, p. 71). Tn~ "abelistic correspondences to RVGZ intir.:ate that ri£:ht z:eelousntcss is watchfulness in controllin; the vibrations of the solar force typified 1:y the lion shown in "z;ey VIII. v.-nen we rer.1e::ber that our persor.al activities are ree.lly special exrressions of solar force, ar.d bear i:l t:ind the fact t!:.at they are actually, and at all ti::les, controlled 1:y tho HiGher ~elf (the an&el of the XIVth Key), r.e are en the right tr~ck. The work of the 25th path i: ccant to establish the habit of perpetual recollection that this is the real state of affairs in all that we think, say, and do.
Seco~dly,

rid

hL~self

Really face it, of the Lifepower's self-expression. ~e ~st go thro~gh death, ~entally and ~ bolically. Perhaps so::~e of' us ~:~ay enjoy ~he direct perceptio:l tho.t the physicnl body is only one of the vehicles of the I ~Jt; but even before this we ~ay relc~se ourselves fro~ the fear and hatred of deeth which yrevcnts us free unders~andinc and cverco~ins ito
"l7e

Thirdly,

rrust fPtee death nth equanimty.

and study it, and see w!::at purposes it has in the

scho~

'

Y.'ith such preparation we co.n go on. The Les~er J.dept =st be free froc ~11 belief i:1 ch~~~o, luck, or li~tations L~po~ed ~/ en~iron­ mer.t. :;c r.oust !c:1ow ry oxpcrinent that the Great l!asic&l i..ger.t is indeed "thfl strong force of all forces, ovorcor..ing every ~;ubtle, and penetrating every solid thine." llc ~ust bo free fro~ egotiEO, beeauEe sor.~ ot ·his labors ..,·ill test ?-,ie relia:1ce upon the .i..ll-powcr behind his poreono.lity• . ~e nuet be willin; to follow his path, even to death and beyond, because nor.e of the cringins co~pr~ises of the coward who preserves physical existence at all costa are possible in lllV degree of adeptship• Yet his is the lesser adeptahip, becauso .in this Grade he trains himself in nothing excopt what giv£;s hiD skill in controlling hie mental ir.:ngcry. Throughout his Trork he knows that physically o.nd psychicc.lly he is one with the other nanifestations of the One Force whose particular center for earth-dwellers is the sun. The Lesser Adopt looks upon everything in his environment as being so much solidified aunlit;ht. He sees all thines and ero~tures as bein; spocinl manifestations of the d~ystar 1 s ro.dio.nt enerb)'o He perceives his own thout;hta, words, o.nd deed1 as bcint; inseparable fr~ that one force. Xhus he undcrat~nda well the a.dmonition, "Le.t your li(ht shi.ne. 11

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This ty no ~cans implies that he sees no farther. At this point in his dcvelopme~t, however, he puys p~rticular attention to mental prtlctices which substitute for the conception of man~css, held by most pcopl~thc fixed and permanent idea th~t ~11 things and experiences are forms tal:en by the one radiant energy of the sun. Thu work of the Lesser ;.dept enables hin to reelize: thnt the Great Work is indeed the "Operation o!' the Sun," as the Emerald Tablet declares it to be. The Lesser i.dept 1 a practice results in a mental attitude which may be put thus& "One R.1ality, the s8l:\e yesterday, today, and forever, enters my eYperience as tho radiant energy of the sun. ~nis is tho reul cubstance of ~ body, and of all other things that I L~ow. It is the source of every r.Jode of pcr.ver, t."J.e origir. of every force, known and unknown. It also is th~ sourc~ of what~ver hes been known'in past ages, of all kn~led~e existins now, and of all knowledge which is destined to be broucht to li~ht in the future. For it is the so~thin~ which takes form eternnlly in every nunifestation of power and in every expression of lc:lowledge•"
Imn~ination is the dir~ct application of this one power. It ia the ~Mntal activity whereby the will of intellige!lt beings acta directly upon the Great ~~ical ~ent. Just as my pupil actually made a hat by IXntc.l i:ne.c;cry, (;Von though her ideo. llxpressed itsc lf throur;h the action of anothc!" p-::rson, so tho Lesser .hdept, \<rorlcins incessantly to perfect his skill, h~s cxperi(;nce after cxpcrionco which demonstrates that hit ~;c~t~l picture a e.ro r.olds or patterns which dctcr1:1ine th~: physical forma which nrc t&~en ~ tho One Force.

The Loss~r Adopt leorns tr.~t the external world is like the screen in ~ cine~a theatre. The light is the universal Conscious Energy. The projectiofi 1:1nchino is tho self-conscious mind. The lens is attention • . Th'.l pictures on the film c.re tho work of the Adept's i:n!lgination. What he seos with !":is mir.d 1 s eye becomes o.ctuali:r:ed through the operation ot nnture 1 s ba~ic lo.ws. In his prcser.ce oarvels take pleco, events happen which ~re incxplienble to the ordino.ry human being; but these o.re marvels of law, miracles of right o.do.pt~tion, mighty works of his creativo ~ina­ tion• The Le:8r.r .~opt, remember, employs no powers which are not uaod by all r.Jcn. Every h~~n being projects mental images upon the screen ot environment, by just the process here outlined. Moat people, however, make distorted imo.goa. To begin with, tho greater nUDber huve not the least conception of the foot that they hovo this power. Their light shines dim. The lens of c.ttention is badly focussed. The pictures are deformed o.nd hideous. Thus their exporienoea correspond to their want of skill in soiontifio imagination.

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Invisible kosiorucian Order

90.

lienee the work of the Lesser Adept is sur~ed up in the statement: "In all thinbs, great ar.d s~ll, I see the 3eauty of the Divine Expression." To oa·'<e this ::~e!'!tal pattern as a su~estiou to subconsciousness is to set in notion a whole train of subtle activities which result at lost in actual perception of the order and beauty behind the surface appearances or this world. And because beauty and balance, cymnetry and efficiency, loveliness and strength, are really inseparable, the cultivation of an eye for true beauty is the best possible way to t1B.ke yaur environoent .~at you want it to be. Perhaps you lack technical training to do the actual work ~hich ~~11 beauti~J your world. But your ~~ntal pattern, held steadily, will certainly realize itself through so!:lebody's actions, if not t'lrough your own. Build up a definite, clear ioage of a beautifUl world, and thousands of pairs or bands will set to worl: to gi Ye it physical ~Shape and form. The 6th Sephirah to which this Grade is attributed is named Tiphareth, and, ~s ~aid before, the Hebrew spelling is Th P A R Th. !!ote t'l:it the begi!'U'li~ and end of this word is the letter l'au, correspondin~ to the XXIst Tarot Key, &nd to Adninistrative Intelligence. The Lesser Adept begins ...-ith the assu::mtion that every man is a special manifestation of the powors of tha whole univer~e--that a personal lite is ~erely a particular expression of all the life there is. This ia wl:st is really !:lce.nt when man is ce.lled cicroeosm, or little co~s. From this point of view, tho life of any r:l!Ul 1 r;hether he knows it or not, is actually an administr~tion of cosmic law. !!o cooner is this assucption n:ade than what is S"Usgested by the letter Peh, ar.d by the XIYth Tarot Ke~·, follows as a corollc.ry. If eTery nan is an ad~i~istrntor of cosr.~c law, if every roan's actions are special expressions, in a particular tL~e and place, of the whole interplay of coscic forces, then surely no man stands alone. But the false philosophy of cost people, and the false scienco which still dominates -the race consoiousnoss, assert that he does stand alone. Henoe the Lesser Adept works assiduously to break down the delusion or separateness. He identifies hiosclf "ll'i th the cosmic vision typified by the Fool, and in so identifyins himself accepts also the burden implied by the fact ~hat the Fool correFponde to a letter whose name is Aleph, the Ox. The Lcss~r }~ept co~es to perceive that those who really know are aware that they are carrying the burden of manifcst~tion, thet upon them ia laid the yoke of the la~. True, the yoke is easy, and the burden is light, but it is a reaL responsibility, nevertheless. When you know that to you is entrusted a part of the Great Undertaking. life will have now meaning for you. V~or. you Y.now that throush the personality labeled with your na:ne, the Eternal Pil~rir:t journeys onward toward the Great Beyond, you will find in the least of your daily oxporienoea a so~thing un.uapeoted by most children of earth.

\

The True and Icvisible

Rosicruci~n

Order

91.

This knowledge the Lesser Adopt has in perfection. He knowa himself as the personified Sun. That is to say, he knows th~t all hia pcrsOn:ll c.ctivitiEIS o.ro rer.,lly tr:.nsfOrl"llltions c.nd trc.nsrnuto.tions Of consciouscesa, r.s v;ell c.s of force. Thus he undorsto.nds ll'hy in the X:Xth Key, corresponding to th~ letter Rash, the sun in the sky has Q hum~ face. On the other hc.nd, he knor.s th~t human personality ia the fo~ ttrough r.hich the One Forco that rnnnifoats physically ns solar energy is dt:stined to pc rfcct tho Groat ~'iork. Thus he soc a why tho open sunflowers behind the well turn toward the:. two children i.,st(:rd of to the sun above, for thoy oro not diverse end scpnrc.te entities, but ~ifferont c.sp~cts of tho Ono Thing. J~d the:. human aspect of thnt One Thing is the mna• t::.r o.r.d ndr.inistr::tor of the lc.wa c.nd forces working through o.ll the other 'lSpocts. !:u."llf'~ consoiousncu is truly the Collr.ctivo Intelligoneo, tho Sj'!lthcsia of r.ll the for~:~s of consciousncsll. And somcthin~ !'!Oro thnn mcro synthc:.sia, for h~ lifo is th· ospoot of tho One. Thing whereby ;rr-thc wonderful c.do.ptr.tions ere :nr.do. "So thou hrst the glory of tho whole world, t~orcforo let ~11 obscurity floc bofO~~ea," ~• tho Ece~cld Tc.blot ac.1•• Tho Doctrine of the Grf'.do
o.!...J=.~~.

5:5.

Th~ sixth circle on th: Tree of Lifo is ~lao o~llod •rntolligcncc of !kdiati~ Influence," c.nd in He. brew, Hodir:ting Influence is ShPO NBDL. 3cnco t"crc r.re 10 doctrinc:.a in this Grr.do of LcEaor Adept, derived fr0111 tho ton diffcrc~t lr.tt~rs in the words Th?r~Th c.r.d ShPO NBDL, tho lc.ttere Th (T~u) ~r~ P(Pch) oocurinc twice in th~ao three words. Tho doctrines of t~ia Grndo nro1

1. (Th) The r!orld. A.ll for.,.. ia lirrJ.tction .Jf tho infinite energy of the Li!'c-por.or:- Tho prii!ICry cause of limitation ia thr imcge-!ll!llcing pow.;r of t~lo Universr.l l!ind. l:.v~.;ry ret of hum::.n icr.ginntion ia rc!'llly !l p-:rticul~r expression throu~;h n poraon:.l eon•· r of this imr.go-nr.lcin& powor of' the Univorso.l lUnd. Hc.nco hurv.n icr.g;. .r.tion is, in kind, though not in dcgrc;., the ar-J'I(. r.a th•_ univorsrl imcge-mr.ki~ po~Yc.r. Th,. world crch r.-:n livc.a in 1a the worlli he hc.a fon:~ed by his r.cnt".l irq~ory. 'l'he bottr:r th; bc.gea, the bottr.r the world. "Better" in thla inatnnco mor.na, ·"The o:~ore tn.tly r.grcr.ing with tho fund~.:nontnl inr.gory Clf the Univoranl !.!ind." . By schoolin; hi-ac.lf in the trutll thnt r:ll hia pcreon'll nctirl· tics r.rc. r.,pccta of tho cosmic procou, the Lcuc.r Adept ovoroo:r.10e tho illusion o!' !epf'.rr-.tonoaa which interferes vith hia pcraonc.l trr-.nniaaion of tho inr.t;'-' of tho Unive;ranl Hind.

'

2. (P) The Tower. Thua in th~ Grrde of th~ Loaaor J~opt, thero is conaidcrr.ble; uorlt: in tho wc.y of overthrowing erroneous conceptions. In the bcginni~,. p-:rticul~rly, the bulk of th~ Lesser Adept's nent~l r.cti~ity is ~ddroaaod to the correction of v~rious forma of the error of aep·.rc.teneu. He rofuaua to think of ~y r..ct of his ne being acp!lr~to from the nctivity of the One Life-pmtor. By as many ingenious dovicoa ".II ho c~.n think of, ho trr.ina himaolf to ace. thr.t r.ll r.ctivity within the rr.ngo of hil pc.raonc.l cxporicnco is n trr-~aform~tion of energy nt work throu&hout the univorao.

The True end Invisible

rtosicruci~

0rder

92.

~. (A) The Fool. A~ the sixth circle is also related to ~tach, the Life-Breath, it is natural that the letter .Aleph and Key 0 should b(. pro'llir.cnt in the na1:1c o~ this aspect of the Life-power, Th'.l Lesser Adept s.o:c:.-s ah.·ays to clarify hi& vision of ~·:hat lies beyond the hci!!;hta of presor.t hunun attai~Jents. hbair. and ~gain he re~oncers that PrL~­ cipL ic not bound by precedent. Be works with the specific imagery in rclatio~ to his ?Crsonnl share in the cosr.ic process, In so doing he occuoics his i~aGin~tion a~ost exclusively with the work of picturi;~ definite obj~ctives, giving practically no thought, at this point, to the cot!sideration of ways and meB.!lB•

...

4. {R) The Sun. In the Gr~de of Les~er Adept, furthermore, the doctri".Ec of rcr;ene:-e.tion is onphasi zed. The wsser Adept takes a vow to bcco~c "more thnn man." Ee ai~s to becone a new cruaturc, literal~ :l now Fpecios of crr.nnism on this planet. ae icr.o.ws that oth6rs have done t:·,is, a:1d socks to do it hil::!!elf· He r-.r.Jccs hil:!self' fa=~iliar with their attainment~, nr.d aspires to like ch~;cs in his o~ organism. T;·,us, in ccre!".oni::.ls of this Grade, there is always a drar.a.tic representation of the New Birth. 5. (Sh) The Judpncnt. The ~.n1' Birth le6.ds into a new lifoeT.pcrience. This ie d~ly apprehended i~ =~er~ teachings about tho fourth di~cnsion, as it is more clccrly indicated in tho Oriental tco.c~.i"l[;S e:.tout trtc: cnlir,htetll'!ent tha.t f'ollO'Ifs Yo;;a prectice. ~obody -::an tell n.J,other vf.'lc.t this cxporience is, but those who hnvo enjcr.rcd it ;::!).y L-:dicate th' fact to e!ich other by !!:Cans of various symbols. The c;,r::l1'clt w1.ll be 'Clcnnin(;lcss, hCT17over. to those "llho hc.vc not had the r·xpcricnco. Thus in ~h·c Gr11de of Los:;er J...dopt emphasis is placed upon th•- r~.ct thr.t only br first-hs.nd cxrerienco ~obg beyond the Umi ta of hunc.n nhilosoph:l restinr upon a sense oosiE, r-ay enlighton.o:~er..t bo r;o.incd. T;,i:; cxjJCricnco inoludeo oonscioua i=orto.lity.

\

6. (0) ~c Devil. The L6sscr Adept is also taught that every aa·pcct o~ evil presontinc itself to hucnn cor.solousnces is the raw ~aterial for tru::-.srrutation into a bcauti!'ul re~lt. Behir..d all app·:larances, whatever they m:J:f bo, there is the operc.tio'!l of a Perfect LE.w having Beauty for its fvun~ntion. If ~c see U£linesa, it is boccuse wo do not soe aright. This does r.ot r.cnn that wo deny the o.ctua.l existence of rela.tive ovils 0 nor that we s'".c.ll not do all in our power to rcnedy the!llo But the Lasser }A~pt, instca~ o~ bcinc fri~htencd and paraly~od by appearances of evil, looks upon them o.e nc:cosso..ry phases of th6 co:s:-..ic procGsa. He seea thea r.s proceed in.: from the On~ Source • just as :::uch as the thinr,s which uppcnr to be ~::ood, ;'/hat ho is tcau~;ht, und Tthat ho practices continually, is tho tr::.r.sfor:xtion of apparent evils into evident coods, by tho opera.tion of the power of mo~tnl tm~er,y.
7. (N) ;)Q!!th. Tho Lossar Adept, havinc pnued through tho path of tho letter his wny to the sixth Grade, knows -vGry well that. th~ fret of phyGicnl death is inovit~blc, necoasnry, and bonof'lcent. He lcnows why physical bodies dio. He knows that the death of' the physical

Nunon

Tlw True r.r.d Invisible Ro:::icruoi:m 0:-der

93.

body is not t~c end of p~:-sonal existc~eo. H6 knows th~t the experience of physical death is necessnry until we leurn how to build tt~ kind of organis::: "':hat r.ill re':uin its for~ on th·:; physical plnne just so lons ~s we ~is~ to usc it. He knor.s, too, tha+ this ability ~nd knowledge cr'.rry with the!:! the kn011·lcd!;e and ability to instar.tly disintegrate the physical for.c• Ho is naster of death• 8. (3) The ~-bioi'~ This ~Qtery is ~xercisec fro~ the vantabe .:;round of self-co:-:scious::~;ss, reprc.sez;tcd in Turo-: 'b-J the lligician. The Lesser ~opt is a conscious transfor!:le:- of his enviro~~~t by means of r.c~tal t=arery. He dclibcr~tely plans his cor.st~Jctions. He arranGes thc variou:: cozr.binotio::s of forcPs which r.!!.l=c up his surroundings. He does so as the ir.stru~cnt of u power higher th~n ~imscl~. for at this poL"lt he is not yet co::~pletely idcntifie<! with that ?ower. 9. (D) Trc E~rress. In Qu~listic psychology, the sixth circle True nf Life is ut":ributcd to Itla.;in!ltion, hence we are not surpri~ed to fi11d thc.t the lcttt.r Dalcth a:1d Key III are rehted to the doctri:-:es of this Grade. The· Loeser J.dept dcliber~tel;r r.o.nipulatcs his nentD.l i!:l::.g;ery. :9y c.ppl:,·i!"-~ the law th~t GU't:--:onscious.."lo!l! is alwt'.ys a.ncno.blc to sur;t:cttion, he fir.ds out f'or hintelf that no no.n or WOI:I8ll need be dor::in:J.tcd b~· subconscious inatjery. On the contrflrJ•, due skill in tho ~~nipulntion of the Life-por.er as it flows tr~ou~h us enables us to con~rol, ~odify, o.nd nltoeether alter our mental ir.aces. This is ~ot a r.nt":~r fo~ n~gu~cr.t. It is n ~~ttur for cxpcr~ent. Uoet people c.r3 t":c victi~s of their :::ubcc!'lscious i::laginoti't"o activities. The Lesser ndopt l~arns to ~ the c~stor of th~se powers. on
tr.~

'

10. ( L) Justice. "Etrlili briun is the b.ai! of the Greo.t Work." Ti·,ic :J.:-.zie:;t occult dcctrL'1c is purticularly e:~rha!itt-d in the Grnde of Lesser rnept. In learni~ to control re~ntal inaGerJ, he cor.tinually appliee the rule t":ot arrJ !:!Odific~tion of the mind nay be o>teroone by ~xcrcid~ its oppo::ite. l'hus he !!ever ntter.:pts to suppress a ne~;ative st::.":e of r.i::~d. I:1steo.d of tr.is he uses intelli~;ence to discover its positive opposite, n!'ld culti"t'ates that opposite state. The whole thing is ::u!"t·.ed up in th"' te~>chine:: "Overcome e>i 1 with good." Thus the final vrod: of tho LeHer .i..dept has to do with the establishlr.ent of poise and balnr:ce in his own consciousness, and the onr.ifes'tation cf his hithest conceptions of justice in his conduct.
Be~;ir.·:ins with the assumption that he is an adr..inistrator of comic law (Th). tht. l/.sser Adept wor!~s at first for so?::e til!!e at uprooting and destroyi!lb the vc..rious forr.-.s of t!te error o!' separateness (P). By the exorcise of ir~ginatior., he cultivutes vision, and mcntnlly identifies hinsclf •1.-it!-t the Or.o Life-pOI'.-cr (.,.). This practice clears away various r.ental, o-:otione.l, and physical obstructions, ~.nd produces in hir.l the change ~hich is technically tcrr.od rege~erntion {R).. Thus he arrives o.t la.st at a point where wha.t waa 11t first an assur.".ption becom'3s IUl uctual experience. &J repeated oxperimQnts ho ~BI demonctr~ted to him-

J

The Tl"Uo o.nd Invisible
throu~;h hU:

Rosioruci~:n

Order

94.

so lf thr.t ho is cotu:~lly ndminilltering the lo.ws of the universe, tha.t

r.ro plrying the forces "17hich rcr.lly determine the forma cssumcd by his environment (Th). .·.rtcr hcving mr.do this demonstrn• tion, he 1:5 rc~.d:r to proceed to th(. next G!"".de.
Gr~.des,

Fivo p~ths lond upl"ro.rd fr0r.1 th" Gr.~.de of Lessor •-dept to higher but rt this stnge of his progrcu, only one is open, r.nd th".t or.nnot bo trr:vcrs()d until one thrt cores boforo it ht-.s been pr.uod. Tho Gr·de of Greater
·~opt,

&.:5.

.,...

This Grrdo co~re~ponds to th• fifth circl~ on the Tree of Life, r.nd thus to the occult l:lOWlings of thc nu:nber 5, ;rhich becr.usc it is the middle number bc~oon 1 end 9, or the beginning r~d completion of tho nwnorc.l aeries of digits, signifies c.d~.pt"'tion, mcdintion, moans, tho instrumont~lity which cr,rrics energy into I:l'nifcst~tion r-.s form, oto.
~s prcpc~c.tion

nu.'!lbor 5.

for qhct is to foll~, consider the cenninss of tho Her.: is the brief tnr.·"".r.J given in my •..n'llysis of To.rot:

I'.odi~tion (b·:~cr-.uso 5 is the middle numbrr botwoon l, Beginn~, nnd 9, Complotio~}, rd-:ptr.tion, menns, rgoncy, r.ctivity, procou, r.nd tho like. 5 is the dyn,.~s Lr"l7, proceeding from the nbstr·ct Order typified by 4. 5 1s th:.: number of vora".tility, boor. use it shows tho ch::.ngin~ aspects of the One Lr.w, inspiring f.:r.r in th.:: ignorr.nt, p'=rcoivod by tho mntcriclist rs being mere rolontloss str(.n&th, but understood by the wiso r.s undovir..ting justice. Thia Ono lr..w is the root of r.ll oporc.tions of tho Lifo-poo.1cr, ~.nd 1a t~croforo or.llcd R~.dionl Intclligonco. Tho root-consciousness expressed through h~..n pcrson~lity is this One Lr.w of mcdir.tion or r.daptntion. "•.11 things 'U"U from Ono by the modir.tion of CnoJ r...ll things hr.vo their birth from thil Ono Th~ by r.d:lpto.tion."

'

Some of -y render, I hope, will by now h~ve begun to see whnt is the purpose of Rosicruci!'.n initi'ltion. Som-. glinner, (!t le~st, or its true significnnce, some re~liz~tion or its object, will by now hnve heen received. It ~ill now begin to be understood t~~t the object in view ia not, by ~ me~ns, nor in ,. ny sense, to gr. in cert~.in po- rers, but to re!\lbe t~".t they nre p~rt or one's own true being • •~d further, one other purpose or esoteric tec.ching r.r.d prr..ctice 1a to brint; the r.spirr...nt to the point where he know•. from h~ving set his feet upon it, how rugsed r~d dr..ngerous is the path thnt ::-.11 111\Jst trr.vel on the Wny of Return.
re~.l

Somettmes the objection ia mnde thct occult science hna too little love in it--thnt it 11 too intelleotu'll. I hope I h~ve been cble to keep these pc.gea free from mr.wldsh sentimentr Hty. But surely love hna not been left out.

The True

und

Invisible Rosicrucian Order

95.

?fuat ie love? Ie it a tickling sensation somewhere around the fifth Tib? Is it an e~otional compensation for what we rniss because we have been too selfish to dare to live? Ho, love is the gift of one's all to tho service of life• It is not merely a tru·ob in a speaker's voice, brinbing tears to the eyes of his hearers. Nor is it a rhythm and cadence in his words which makes the heart beat faster for a moment. Lcve has its roots in feeling, but it is a barren fig-tree unless it brL"'lg forth the fruit of action. action del:lends skill and trainir~· You cannot f<:>E:l your \7ay into the Kingdo:t of God. There is no substitute for the. at;ony--for agony it often is--of training. 7.hy does a mother love her child so dearly? For the pains it cost her. ;':hy does an artist love his work? For the sufferings of clnd and body that brou~ht it to cO!':'pletion. \ihy does a tr~chty strerlll1 of love flow ;1ithout ceasing fro::~ the Roart of Life to us? i'{hy else but that the One Life sufftrs ~ith, and throurh, and because of us? He who refuses to drink the cup of pain is ur£it for love, knows not what love oeana, bri~gs a s=ile of pity to the lips of Those Who ~lOW• For fhey, the Builders, ha~e leaTned how ~ny years and lives aro spent in futile quest by the soft senti.::lcnt:llict ·.,.ho rsfuses to t;o through the gate cf pain. Euch studies as these may serve to give us. an ins~ht into the causes of Their suffer in!; • Thus we. \7ill a\7nkcn to the wonder of Their love. Evt:-ry !.:aster o!' i'lisdo1:1 has ~;ono this way before us. liot one ot those who have s.tto.incd the heights of !iteration but has first passed throu~h tho \-alley of tho shadow of dt·s.th--the death of the old, false, deluded notion of ir.dopondent personality. liot one but has endured the tormer.ts of ~ind ar.d body ~hich attend the early stacea of tho Path. Wo re{;arc! these f.!z.stora with rEverence• Few of us, however. realize that Their own explicit dcclaratio~ that They arc ade~ta of the Patunjali School mcens thnt in one of Their former incarnations They beuan the very kind of work which is described in this hook. De~an it, and co!'ltir.ucd to thEo end, to tho glorious end of beinr, fit for service, ot being consciously icrnortal, of hsvin~ p~Kor to renew Th~ p~sicnl bodies ~omcnt by r.o1:1cnt, so that throu~h th~ long centuries they might hold aloft the torch fo1· wnyfarera toil1n; up the narrow Prath. Once They were na we, deluded by the acnae of soparatonoaa, filled with petty jealousies and place-aeekinr,s, thirsting for the joye of this world, and hoping for ~ oxtra-special crown in the world to come. But a day came when They heard ~h~ call, and when They had set Their feet upon the Way. They turned not back. The Path of Roturn throuGh tho Grades of the True and Invisible Rosicrucian Ordor ie essentially the way, or ~thod• which tho Chincae toe.chor, Lao-Tzo, called Tb.O, concor~ which he wrote• "The path of Tao is backward. The characteristic of Tao i•

'

'!he Trne r.nd Invidble Rosicrucian Order

~entlenos~. Everything in the universe comes from existence, and existor.co f:-oc non-existence."

of this tr~ce-sentcnce chapter in th~ T~o-Teh-Kins is it ~y see~ strange for ~e to quote it after I have scid so ~ch about the inportance of action. But to resign work is ~ot tc cease fror1 notion. Look closely e.t tr.ls verb "re:;ign." 1'fe have all bee~ signin~ our n~es to our wo:r~, and it not infrequently h~~pe~s t~at t~o signature is '-Ore p:ro~inent than the work its~lf• Tie hc..-e to erase t!'!is flar.boyant personal signature, and learn hew to let our l"rork t.0co::JC so perfect an e:o:p:rossion of tho:! One Artist that it "rill, so to rzay, sign itself.
n~e

The

"P.e~i~in:. ~ork," and

For since evc~rthing co.ces fro= existence, and existence fr~ nonexistence, the true source of all action must be the u~~ifested Light. ! f ?.'e 1'\"0uld be in he.rnony with ccsrtic rhyt}u:ts, then, i: it net about tilDe for us to stop scribbli~ our n~cs on the onstcrpieccs of lifo, like travelers ~ho scratch their silly cognaoens on the walls of soce ancieDt
te::~pleT

This is +.he idea behind the first of the ~.10 pc~hs which lead to the G:r~do of Greater .·.dept. It is the path of the lc.tter Ucm, and of the X!Itr. Tarot i.cy. Cocsidcr w~at ic said of this letter ~ the Book of Tcker.u ".;..hso:-b t~ysclf in t.'lis ~eat Sea of t~a Waten of Lite. Din deep in it Q,til t~ou hast lo~t thyeelf. An~ havi~~ lost thysnlf, thou shnl t fb~ thy Sc lf a~;ain, ::.:-:d be one with :no • thy Lord and Ki."'lg. "fhus shalt thou R!s throne.
l~arn

t!'!e oecrot of the restoration of

t~e I~

·~to

"J..nd in t~e path of Stability shall r:t:f kr.O'Ifledge of the roota or BeinG be ur.itcd to the glorious Splendor of the Perfect Knowledge which is er,tnblis~9d in tho r~rrcr of tho clear watera of Hod. For when the ~Jrfac~ of t~ote waters is disturbed by no slibhtest ripple of thou~t. then s~ll the glo~y of =Y Self, which is t~ true Self, bo mirrored unto tileo.• convey the sccrut of the path of ~lom, the first to in reachinG tho G~ade cf Greater Ad~pt. It is the path or resir,nir.; t~e work dono throu~h your personali~·· Tnus it ia the path of total extinction of t:1'!> illusive porsoz:al aolt.
~7ords

Th.-.se

bo

tra•~re~d

n~w

wo dru&d to take itl

Haw reluctantly we set foot upon itl

The True

&~d

Invisible

Rosicruci~

Order

97

Yet we fear to lose what is rc~lly nothing. ~ delusion like that doscribed in an Eastern tale ~es us believe that wa are rich in personal possessions, when tho truth is thut the trensuro-chcst contains nothing but n handful of dead leaves. But there cornea a day when the truth flashes like libhtning in the ~ind. Then it becomes evident that all this tclk of "sacrifice" is so ~ch ceaningless noise. Literally and explicitly, the aspirant is called upon to give up nothtng. But moat people hold faEt to this nonentity as if it were a pearl of great price. \Tho is the King who l:"tlst be restored to His throne! He is the true Self, standing patiently wnitin; at the door, and knocking gently for admission. But the el~~or of a ~ltitude of anarchistic cells. shouting ~adly, "The voice of the people is the voice of Godl" drowns the still sm~ll Voice, and the Str~er-King ~st wait out~ide. He could force His way i~. He could still ~~e cob. Be could c~and their silence a~ even hush them forever. beonase His is the Life-power whereon the,y depend for everything. But Ee stands and waite until the7 remember, until they :wake from their insane dream of separateness.
The path of the letter !!em leads upward from Bod 0 the eighth Sephirah 0 to Geburah 0 the fifth. It begins in expectation, in an eager, long, look upward toward the Source of life. This ie expressed in the statencnt. "I look fo~d with confidence to the perfect realization of the Eternal ~plendor of the Limitless Light.• Our lips say it now. IThen our hearts begin to whisper it 0 we shall ~nter gladly upon the path of surrender.

\

Now we stand hesitant at the portal 0 beCI\USe WI! have SOllle doubtS of the undeTiating justice which is at the upper e~d of this path. We ourselves are just. Yec 0 most of us are sure of thatl But we doubt the justice of our neiGhbors. One of the cain reasons why we find it so hard to give up the illusion of personal free will, eo difficult to .overcome the sense of separate personality, is that we feel subeoneciaualJ that to do so is to remove even the shadow of an excuse for holdtn& other people responsible for the seeming evils which are done through them. Yet this T.as the ~i~ Which was in the Uaeter Jesus, as it hai been in every other l!11Ster of Wisdom. "Judge not" is the ad!:!onition ot them all. It implies, "Do not presume to fix the measure of another's responsibility." ·hll the world's law, all the world's customs, all the habits of unnumbered lifetimes. pull against us when we try to atop judging ou~ neighbors. But Jesus, like other great teachers, oame with the message that the huMan personality orir.inates nothing, that tho Primal Will is the on~ real Will, that men m~y become wide-open channels of that Will. once

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they get the delusion of personal independence out of the way. The l.!c.sters li":e to shc:r.v us what we are able to do. The way they took is open to us, as soon as we h~ve cou:a&e to brave its terrors. This r.e oe.nnot do until we have beco::!C at least I.csser J..depts. The path of tho Eangcd Man is not for beginners on th'3 Yiay of Return. For it iz the path of what the Hindus call s~~dhi, the path of perfect concentration, lon~ continued, which brir~s a~ into conscious union with tho essence of the La;; of Life, and =kes hi:n see o...-eryr.here tho exquisite adju~t~ent o7.pressed by the fifth st~te~en~ o~ ~~e Pattern on t"c Tre~tl<:)!:.oe.rd: "I reco'7nize the r.ar.ifestntioz: of t.~e undeviating justice in all the circ~tances or ~ life.• Such a J::B."l, having been a Lesser ..>rlep+, fai.thful in t'he Ushtor tasks of the I~"ler School, now bcc~s a Greeter Adept, who knars hi~aelt as n cn~r~cl for the opcr~tion of the u.~~ilin~ LaTI of the co~s. He ccuscs to rer,c.rd hir actions in any pe:rsonal light. ne not or.ly f<'els the One La;;- workin; throur;h him, but. he nlso kncma just hc:rw it works, in every specific instnnce. He porcoi...-es both the ae~s a."ld the fruit of ~11 that is dono throubh hio, ar.d ho ~co~ea a r~e.der of tho hearts of men. is not ~erely goin; L~o a tra~ce. So fur at the lowor is c~neorned, it is a trnnce, ~~~ the tr~co of s~~dhi is not tho snno thine ~s the trnnce of h)~noeis, or ~e tr~~ce of nec~tive ~dillr.iship. ;,s Vi":"eknnanda writeu For
~crsonulity
~ihcne~or wo hear n nen say 1 1 e.c i~spired, 1 and thon talk the ClOSt irratio:1.c.l nonst:.nse, f'ir.ply reject it. i7hy? B.:;cause these three stutes of ~ind--instinct, reason, ar.d superc~nsciousness, or the unconscious, conscious, nnd supcrconscious ctatcs--belong to one an1 the sn~ mind. There nrc not three r.inds in one Qan, but one develops into the other. Instinct develops into ranson, and reason into the transcendental consciousness: therefore ono never contrudicts the other. So, whenever :,•ou oect l;ith wild state•onts \Thich contrlldict hw7an rcasOD nnd common sense, rej~ct thom without ~ fear, b~cause tho rc~l inspiration will nover coutradict, but will fUlfil. Just ~s you find tho ~roat prophets saying, 1 I coMe not to destroy but to fulfil, 1 so this inspiration nlways cc~cs to fulfil reason, ~~ is in diroct harmony with roason, und ~heno~er it contradicts reason you must know that it is not inspiration."

~~adhi

'

Now, it is just becaune superconsciousnoss does not contradict reason that I r~Te said so much about trninin~ the L~tcllect, ~ about tho truth that tho only reasonable interpretation of Modern sciontifio discoveries in tho fields of bioloSY nnd prJcholcgy is the dootrinu of dotcrminiSQ--the denial of personal freo will. The ~orld 1 s luading

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thinkers accept t~is doctrine. Superconsciousnoss completes it, and shows its ~eanin~ by giving us direct experience of the real nature of the Will-prit:ciplu at work through :t:l!ill• The purpose of occult training is to free us will whereby,
C06l:IOS.

fr~

the bondage of

a lie, and the essence of tho lie ic the idea that we have a personal
so~ehow,

we may be able to circucvent tho laws of tho

...

Sc~Rdhi is a hard pcth to follow, but it finally does away ·Kith this dolu;ro;7 ~:obody can ~;o this vro:r who has not passed tho trials of tho 24th p~th (Deuth). For s~~nchi is ~ore than physical dcrth. It is tho extinction of the illuiSion th:.t there are T}"lO in the sphere ot beinG• It is the extinction of the cancl~-light in the blaze of the noonday ~· It does not last lens--usually not more than half-an-hour (for the Ep~ce of a half-hour there was a !Silence in Heaven, we are told in ?.evelntion). But the nan who comes out of Sru:!adhi is chan~;ed fore"Ver. He has teeo::le whnt '.Yill LE."Vi:lgton Cor::fort calls, "one of those who know and cannot tell."

Such an one is a Greater hdept. Thenceforth ho p~ieipates consciously in the c.dr.inistration of come law. ITavin; r;ivcn up the delusion of separate personality, he has done what Lao-Tzc ad"Vicedl 'Savine e~ptied yourself, remain where you nro." Be is an opon channel for the One Life, and becausu he takes care r.ot to yiold to th~ illusion of s~p::.ratcn·~ss, not to believe in it, thoue;h it still surrounds hirn, when :llch n r.an scye, "3o thou heuled," healin; follows, nnd when he says, "Thy sins be forc:ivcn thoo," he voices the; l~.C'I'fledge of the Ono Life t~at the: or.c to 'l":hom he sp~:;al<:s has rc~chcd a s'tae;o of spiritual unfoldr.,ent wr.erc he is released frorn th~ consequences of his former failures to hit tho ~~rk. Tho Greater Adopt seems to perform miracles, but he docs ~hen all by cetting himself out of tho ~~y. ·~d tho first puth to his ~r~do begins in the sphere of Mercury, in the field of intolloct, for until the l6ssor delusions of faulty lo~ie are O"Vercome, tho ~spirant is not ready for the Great Surrender. From this point on, as the Tarot pictures show, the natura of ' the paths changes. The terrors ere past. The last illusion of "mo and nine"-- that Groat hindr~nce to lovc--is dissolved in the path of tho Hanged ~n. Thereafter tho initiate idc~tifies himself, onc by one, with the; ascending scale of attainments represented by the remaining paths and Tarot Keys. I hav& just said that th~ Elder Brothers who ha"Ve reaehod tho Grade of Gro&ter hdcpt arc those who p~rticipate consciously in th~ administration of cosmic law. In thi~ preliminary EUrvoy of the Way of Return we can. only dimly apprehend whnt this attainment means.

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Yet we should try, as best wo c~, to discern whet the adopt sees fully when he ~oes through the 22nd p~th of ~d, and tho Key named Ju:;tice. Even the Greater Adept must traverse this pnth before he may ndvancc to the next Grade. It is not enou~h to be conscious of particip~tion in the govcr~~nt of all things. One r.ust know, but one must ~lso be cblc to instruct. It is not enough to be consciously immortal, so ~s to say, "Before ~brahao was, I ac.a ~e must r~co~nize the truth that ho is incarnate Law. This is what Tnrot means by the picture ot Justice, in connection with the flay ot Return. As always, the ceBning of the letter-name is one clue. The Greater perfect the~selves by becoming te~chers, or rather, by becoming couthpieoes for the One Teacher. Right here, then, before we become actually elibible for ad~cecent to the inner Grade of Greater Adept. we o~y prepare ourselves by recernbering that each of us st~ds before the world as an ~ge of the One Teacher. Somebody, somewhere, takee every one of us as an instructor now, whether we know it or not. Let us hope that we are not taken as teachers of what not to bel By watching ourselves carefully we ~ay acc~lish at least one useful bit ot te~ching, Our lives cay sh~ others that a person can be interested in occulti5m r.ithout beiDG a freak, ~thout ne~lecting the niceties ot appoarance, without tryinb to be "different" by doinc and saying queer things, or by weru-ing outlBndish apparel.
~epts

Somo years ago I met a can whoc I believe to be one of the Greater He made no such claim. Indeed, he cade ~o claios at all. Yet I hnve good reasons for my belief. Like another Teacher, this ~ told ~e ~11 th~ thinGS that ever I did· Yet he was in no sense a striking. or consoicuous person~lity. People never turned to look at him as he p~ssed them on the street. He could sit unnoticed in any hotel lobbf, His drets oonforrned to the ancient Rosicrucian rule, "hdopt the custo~ of th~ country where you dwell. •
~epts.

I have grounds for bolioving that the l'JUrlber of such J:~Cn is cousiderably larger than is generally supposed, even among students of , occultiEm. They conceal themselves in order to teach without interference. We ='/ k:naw them by thiat they rlre f~ithful in all thint;s to the ideal of beauty, This man's dress was beautiful, his voice ~s beautiful, hil choice of words wns beautiful, his outlook on lito wus a perpetual recognition of the bc~uty in everything, and the lesson he taught mo-- a leaiOD I shall never forget--was a lesson of beauty, too. Consider the teaching of the Book of Tokens concerning the 22nd path. lt sayu "Bafore this have I declared
~self

to be a Teacher of teachere,

1···"

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and now I say unto thee, 0 Israel, that ~~ instruction is like unto a go::.d, ..-:hich !;Uic!cth thee throut;h the lo:1g cirouit of existence. until thou returnest to ~self• "I o.:" the root of all action. !jo work is anywhere performed whereof I ar. not the Doer. By ~ action o.ll things are deter~mined• c.nd every o.ctio:l ;:::-oceedeth froc by gr!lsp of every condition of r:;;y sclf-canifcsto.tion. No J::!:.!l acc=plisheth anything of hi::~self. They o.re deluded ~o think otherwise.
"'He.~ I not free ~llT' so.ith the foolJ but the wise knoweth in all the ohains of r.orlds there is no ore~ture that hath any will O.?~ fro= cy One ITill. L7 Will is free indeed, and he ~ kn~th it as tho wellspri~ of his willing remnineth free from error.
t~c.t

aLot tl:yl':lCdite.tion bring thee to rest in that Will. Then in the l:lidst of c.ction sho.lt thou be at pc!lco,,a:ld in thy busiest hours shalt find tho Et~.;r~al r;orker doing all things woll in thee. Lo, I guide thee all the vmy. Rest thou in :me .•

The Greater Adept directs his efforts to the attaincent ot this perfect rest in the One Will. His 1·rork enables him to understand tru!J' tho nutur.J of w!let r.~o:;t pcopl& incorrectly suppose to be "personal will.• To observers unacqu~intcd with his secret, thry Greater Adept sec~ to hc.ve 11 pcr::on~l will o!' trcl'lCnclous powor and intensity. He kncms better.
Tho Doctrines of the Grad6 of Greeter Adopt1 6 • 5. This Grade corresponds to the Sephir!lh naced Strensth, or Severity• and the fifth cirol~ on the Tree of Life. This Sephirah ia the seat ot the Radical Intelligence, ~~ tho Hebrew spelling for "Radical• is !~ShRSh, in To.rot: XIII, XX, XIX, XX.. This word liShRSh adds up to 850• which cornbinC'!I the numeral si~;n of i•baolute Unity. 0, with the di~;itl 5 nnd 8, sc i."'porta."lt in Rosicruci!Ul aymbolou• The fifth circle on the Tree of Life has three namosa 1. PChD. Po.chad, "Feo.r"; 2. G:!lVRH, Geburah, "Strength or Scverityf 3. DIN, Deen, "Justico". ;,a I have: cxplt'incd alscwhvre, these three n!lncs represent the throe ~ys in which ~ consciousness interprets tho workings ot the u:·1. The ignora.nt sco in the innumoro.ble manU.'ostations of: that UJf the ~pcro.tion of forcos grc!lter than man, somo few of which help him. while rnost of them aceo to be or,ninst him. Those forces thoy propitiate by sacrifice, whonco religion has ita beginning, and tho domin~nt emotional rosponse.to the~ is that represonted by the word Paohnd• Felli'•

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;. littl1:1, but very little, further on !lre those who see in the the operation of ~personal forces, utterly disregnrding man, who is conceived as being ~rely a COG in the coSMic moehani~. This waa the predomin!lllt attitude of the "naturaliso" which beg!Ul with the ~Titin~s of Francis Bacon. Latterly it has been sol:lewhat codified by those who deny that there is any re~l order in the universe, and ascribe ell events to more accident. But either of these interpretations of the forces th~t surround ~n makes him only a puppet, helpless in the grip of relentless forces which e.re adequately described by the word Geburah, meaning both Strength and Severity. The third inter• pret~tion of the LAW is that which is given us as the result of the experience of men and women who have attained the Rosicrucian objective of bccominc "wore th!lll man." Unanimously thcte seers report that the powers around us are working toward a beautifully symmetrical result, that b~lnnce is maintained in both the moral end the physical worlds, that the best expression of the LbW ia the word Deen, "Justice.•
~

In our P:lttern on tho Trestle-board, we saya "I reco¢z.e the

of undeviating Justice in nll the circumstances of ~ life." Here the verb is very L~ort~t. It indicates clearly that what happens in us is a re-cognition, a knowt~-again. ~eleas Wiadom does not hope for the este.blishr.ent of justice at 10!118 future date. It docs not ~ke an ide~l, or a goal, of Justio9. It declares unequivocally that only our surTender to the illusions of appe~anoca o~ly our f~ilure to estim~te thines at their true worth, only our wunt of insight, makes us believe in injustice. ~clesa Wisd~ dcclcrea spoeificntly that the sclf-~anifestation of t.hc Life-power is ~rfect~ just, accurate, and properly balanced ct this moment, th~t it haa al~ys bocn so, and th~t it always will be. It calla us to recognition, to rcmeMbr~noe, to vision. ~d in th~ Rosicrucian Grades, Q Greater .~ept is one who has awakened froc tho delusion of separateness and injustice into the recognition that ia described in the Pattern on the Trestloboard.
m~ifeatation

Tho doctrines imparted to the advancing candidate in this Grade aro associated with the letters of the three names of the Grade, Ti&., p Ch D, G E V R B, D I N. They are aa followwa
1. (F) Tho Towor. (U.B. The letter Peh ia tho lottor of Ya.ra, and the fifth circle on the Tree of Life is called the Sphere of Mara.) 1lo form ia permanent, nor doos o.rry form avparate a portion of the ONE ID~:TITY from the whole of that identity. The Reality manifested at o.ny point in space is identical with the Reality existing at all poi.Dta in spnee. Tho Reality oxistinc in the Present is tdontieal with the Reality ~1ich has continued unbroken through the past, and will contiDae unbroken through tho tuture.

2. (Ch) The Chariot. The One Reality is the field of ita own manifestation, thu vehicle of its own exiatenoo, and that One Reality ia

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the directive principle in a hucan being that we designate pronoun "I.•

~

the

3. (D) The Empress. Nature is the manifesting power of that One Identity, and in all nature there is no force that opposes itself to that One. ~11 the forces of nature, without eny exception, are the inst~ents for expressing the free Will of that One Identity. Whatever appears to the contrar,y ia illusion, and the acceptance of that illusion for truth is the delusion that binds uao 4o (G) The
Hi~h

. ...~

it h~a over done. And because that Life-power ia the central realit,r of every personal existence, every human being has acoeaa to this tmperishable and perfect record of the past. This perfect memory of the One Identi~j is, moreover, the link that unites all personalities, as the characters in a novel ~re all linked together b,y the consciousness ot the author.
So (B) The ~gician. Duman eelt-oonaciousneas, which seems to be poised between an infinity above and an infinity below, is really

Identi~J is grounded in the Life-power's perfect re~embrance of all that

Priestess.

The manifesting power of the One

an ar:pect of the One Identity. It sees through our eyes, hears through our ears, speaks through our lips. The appearL~ces of unequal de• velopment arise from the law of progressive change of torma but since the Life-pavter at work in, and through any given form, perfectly knowa itself and ita powers, it also understands that even an incomplete, or unporfectcd form is not really a f~ilure. We judge by appearances, nnd judge falsely because we judce only in part. The One Identity peroeivea thb Truth beonuse it is, and therefore knows, the beginning, middle, aad end of ~11 creatures. 6. (V) The Hierophant. Furthermore, the Lito-power does not with• hold this higher knowledge from any person. Always it is present at the very ce~ter of the tecple of human personality. 4lways it is ready to apeak, and we have on~ to listen in order to hear the mesaa£•• '
1. (R) The Sun. That One Identity is .the Sun of tho Spiritual Sun of which our day-stAr is the external and ~bol. Be who would know will recognize sooner or p~rsonality is really nothing in itself, that it has no apArt from the shining of the Spiritual Sun.

'

Life and Light, representation later that hia existence whatever

B. (H) The Emperor. The Highest mnnifestation of the spiritual solar energy ia the ConstitutinG Intelligence which makes, framoe, and composes everything in the universe. That Intelligence is an actual presence in every hu~ personAlity. E~ch human being 11 a center for the expreaaion of tho.t Intelligence. This ie the real truth about Jll8!1 1

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~~d

the Greater iAept is one who fully recoGnizes the truth.

9. (D) The ~oress. His recognition nets ~ediately upon nature, so that all the forms of cosmic enersr by which he is surrounded are modified in aooordnnce with his true perception. Being freed tram delusion, he knO\':s thnt the Kin~;d<m of Beaven is manifested here on e!lrth, as well s.s everywhere <..lao in the universo. !.:ighty works which ~ppear to be miracles are rAnifested in his presenco, beo~use tho power of his clear vision is icmediately reflected by the obediont response of natural forces•
10. (I) Tho Hor~it. Thus the whole work of the Greater Adept ia ~~r. to consist iu his conscious identification with th~ One True Will. ~his recogr.ition of the·nothin~ness of pcrsonnlity, and in his clear perce~tion that the True Self of man is that of which it has been declared ~hat there is nothin~ thnt it needs to do in nny of the three worlds.

11. (N) ~· Such an one reco;nizos the necessity for the )Ontinu!ll trans1'or~r.ation of the:. outer v.:hicles of the Lifo-power, o.nd 11ndersto.nds tlle ranl dr;nifica:,ce of the uppo:u-ance which men call Dea.th. ~ut because he has bocone ide~tified with the p~r which produces that ~ppearnnce, he is no longer the victim of th~ nppe~r~nce, and rnnintnina self-conscious existence throu~h nll trcnsfornatio~•·
, I give those t~nchiObB cs I have received thom, without comneu~o:ry, 'becnuse I know thnt commeotnry would be futile. They describe

'

priefly the basi& of the powers of the Greater i.dept. He is disti~iahed rror.1 the wsser Adept chiefly becnuse he no longer mnkea nny conscious rffort to imn~inc desirable results. For he hns co~ to the point whore !csire is trnnsrnuted into realization. Knowing himself to bo identioa.l ~ith the One Etcrnnl Reality, he perceives th~t all personal effort is at 1n ondo He has passed throu~;h the path of the luttor Uem, of which tho [ook of Tol:e!:.G nys:
I

"I.b:!orb thyself in this Gr~nt Sea ot the 'i'!!ltora of LU'e. Di"re icep in it until thou has lost thyself. And haviA5 lost thyself, thou ~holt find thy Self o.go.in, r.od be one with me, thy Lord !Uld King.• He hns also po.ased throu~h the path of Lnmed, and has fulfilled tho injunction givc"l in the Book of Tokens f:"•:":'icrJ!Ily quoted a

I

"Cy Will is free indeed, nnd he who knowoth it ns tho wellspring of hit willin~ rcr.~nineth free from error. Let thy meditation bring thee to rett in that Will. Th~u in the midot of notion tho.lt thou be at pc~co, ~d in thy buaiost hours shult find the Eternal Worker doing all things well in tl:toe. Lc, I cuido thce nll the wny. Rest thou 1D me."
1

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Whst the Greater Adept learns, by many expori~nt~ia that all hia personal activity, which most men suppose begins in themselves,. 1• really the particular manifestation of an unbroken stream of consciousness which links all p~rsons together, and unites every person to the One Originating Principle. In other word1, hia first le1aon ia that hie personal activity i1 at all times joined to the Primal Will ~ the Uniting Intelligence (II). He learns, too, that his wakiiJ& 1 sea-· conscious mental activitieB are simply particuler expressions ot that same Originatine; Principle. That hie brain ia an instrument which, eo to 1ay, "steps down a currents of conaoioua energy above r.nd 'beyond hia mental level, as shown by the picture of the Magician {I). Da7 by day he surrenders his life to guidance trom above. Hia organ ot interior hearing is highly developed. Aa he hears he judges, and that judgment is jult, because it originates in the Eternal Intelligence typified by the Hierophant (V). Thua he 1a one o! that COmpazlT whioh in Chino. are called "Boy1,• or Little Children," a name applied to Taoist sages ~o have discovered the secret of perpetual youth (XIX). Be hae found thst secrot, which is a secret ot solar vibration, and having found it, he is a vehicle of the modo of Intelligence called "Constituting," which in Tarot is typified by the Emperor. For the "Little Boy," atter all, is "one with the Father,• and the Bmperor is the Father. In a word, the Greater Adept ia the conscious adapter of the groat cos:aic powers by which worlds are built. Be worlca with moro potent forces than those which are under the cOJIIIIand ot the Leaaer .'\dept, and he is able to do so because in passing through the path corresponding to the Hanged ~n· He haa overcoce the illusion ot separate pcreonalitya and 1D passing through the path oorruponding to Juatic., he haa learnod the secret or equilibrium. But the key to the meaning of the whole Grade is the Tarot pieturo corresponding to the letter Poh. Xhia il the Grade or the utter destruction, as by lightning, of the sense ot aoparatc personalit7• It ia the Grade in which the adept peroeivea clear~ that his personality literally h nothing apart from the One Lite-power. l'bia perceptiora "is the Great .'.Jralcening, llnd when that perception 1a ·complete, the adopt paaaea qn to the next Grado of Exempt Adopt. The Grade of Exompt Adept&
'1 • •·

.

..,

\
I

Thia Grade corroeponda to the 4th circle on tho Tree ot Lite. It ia the hichest of the three Gradoe or tho Seoond Order. The name ot the 4th circle is ChSD, Cheaed, a Hebrew noun varioualy translated aa Mer~, Lovingkindness, and Beneficence. Ita literal moaning ia "good-givingnesa," and thia aspect of the Lite-pa.er il therefore aasoclated with the planet Jupiter, n~• f&DX, Taedek, literal~ "rigbteauaneaa." The Rosicrucian title is "hompt Adept." Exol:lpt from whatf Froa the delusion ot p<:raon:1l participation in anything, or in an, actionperfect troedom, without the least tinge of tho error ot separatoneaa.

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He who h~s reached this grade is more than an open channel for the Law which c~~ot be broken, more than-a teacher of that ta.. Be is a channel for the exhaustless Mercy or the Lite-power. There is a higher majesty in !leroy thc.n in Justice. lleJ"07 ia more impersonal than Justice. Justice keeps a balance, and where accounts are kept, there is the shadow of separateness. But H8J"07 gives without stint, even though the Hebrew Wisdo= hints that this beneficence is in accordance ll"i th measured rhythl3s, since the Qabo.lah says that Chased, the fourth path, is that of Uoa~tns Intelligence. The Exe!!!pt i.dept has no consciousness of sepe.ration. Be who has really attained to this Grade haa lost all senae of ·~-ne•a• iD the performance of action. Paths leadinG to the Gra'.!e or Exmpt .t.dept. The 21st 'DC.th of Xc.ph (X:l'lhcel of Fortune). In this path the sense of a1cy-neas 11 is overcome by continual t:editatio:!l upon the One Self as being, like the sphinx ct the top of tho ~el, perfectly motion• leu in the Jr.idst of the flux and reflux of cosmic activities. By doi.ns the 'l'tork of this path the aspirant reachoa a cental state in which he never for~ets, even for a moment, that all bodily actions, all aotiona of the nerve-currents, c.ll states of sensation, all thouchts, are real~ pc.rt of the flow of the co&lllic Ute, a."ld in no aenae limited to personaUt)-. I hsve said that the Exempt .hdept never forgets. Bil Grado h that attributed by Qabalistic p~oholobY to ncmor,r. Unlike the Greater .hdept, who has continually to re~ind himself that the appearances ot · sepo.ratoness o.re untrue, the E:xe::lpt .hdept haa for.:led the habit of remembering this. Be never for an i~atant yields to the illusion. Be ia like th~t one of whom the Bha~avad-Gita ao.ysa •Be who knows the divine truth thinketh 1 I am doing nothingl if seeing, hesring, touching, smell~. eating, r.oving 1 breathing, aleepingJ even when apesldng, letting go or taking, opening or closin~ hia eyes, ho saith, 'the sensea and orsana move by natural impulse to their appropriate objects.•• Th13 21st path ho.a ita beginnins in the sphere of Venua, in the Grnde of Philosophus, which is the place of desire on the Tree of Lite. This shows that the firct path leading to the G~ade of Exempt Adept tc.kos its dep:1.rture from the love-emotion referred to Venua. lt'e attain to union with the Dlvine Beneficenoe by sublimating our desires. In this sublimation, all senae o~ aeparatoneas is blotted out. rhla

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attaim!ler.t is the "Great Reward. • In union with the inexhaustible self-impcrtction of the Life-power to its forms of expression the Exempt Adept fi=:ds t':c.t all antagonisms are blotted out. Bence the 21st path which is the t'irst one leading to this Grade• is IW!Ie4 •Rewarding In· tellige~c~.· or "Intellieence of Conciliation.•
~t~s it is .also n~ed "Intelligence of Desire.• to ahow that it is ro3ted in the sevc~th SephirBh, or baa ita origin there. on the Way of Ret:urn. Desire is truly the motive-power which leada to our grasp of "t.he law .of rotation e.nd cyclicity represented 'b7 the Wheel of Fo~. All humsn grasp or comprehension of natural law (Kr.ph• t!le gre~ing hand) ia the result of search impelled 'b7 desire. And this co~henaion finds mental representation in the idea that the various toms t~en b-.r thr. correlated forces pf the universe are the result of the circulation of thr. Life-breath. Br aeera lito Ezekiel this oirculc.tian is 11ctually seen, and it is trom Ezekiel's vision ot "wheeh rithiD wheels• that EUphaa Levi derived the aymbolillll which Waite hna utUi.zed in his version of the Wheel of Fortuna.

!he 20t!l Path of tod (IXs !be Hemit)
Yw rill find the root-meanings of this path in my Analysis ot the Tarot. Because it is the path of the Letter Yod. which is called 11 the lett;;:- a~ 'the Father • n and ia also po.rticulo.r~ attributed to the second Sephir..b. this path must inoludo in ita meanings the ideo.a ot p&ternal love ll!ld p:1ternal wi sdOI'Ilo These are plainly 1'\:ggested b)' the picture of' t.~e Bendt. He h. tho Father wise and a.1'fectionate. Be holds his l~rn.to light the way for those who are climbing the mountain-pe.th below him. Be c!oes this because he lovea them. and woul4 have th!!:2 nth him on the height•·

: \,

'l'he Qabalistic commontary on the 20th path sayaa •rt prepares all created belnba. each individually. for tho demonstration of the exiartonoa of the pri:lordial .glory. Prepo.rcs them for dor.1onstntion, you rill observe. ~d it prepares each of them individually. Here ia no deadl7 uniformity. &ro is nothing of the idea of being lost "in one hapPJ ma ... • Nat the le~st of tho.glories of the One Life is th~t it can tin4 an in• finite ·xm::bor of' ways in which to express itaelt • and a.n infinite number of ways in whieb to prepare ita personal vehiolea for the JIIBDifeatation ot it1 aplelldar.
Do not r..iaunderst!.Uid the occult teaching about overo~ the sense of sepe.rsteness. It does not at all imply the extinction ot in• dividuali~, ar even the extinction of personality. What. then, ia extincuiahed' Tho error of believing that definite form and distinct personality are the alll!le as separate form and selt-mortne; personality. Thil 11 a subtle error. but it does not boaet the Exempt Adept. For

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in passin~ through the ~Cth path be perceive• thnt ~ form or the Life-power's self-expression may p~eserve ita identity through endless ages, nnd yet be freed fr~ the illusion or false isolation which is the root or all selfiahne•••

The cure for the illusion of false isolation is kncwledge ot true isolation. He~ce Patanjali says: "The state of isolated unit,r (withdrawn i~to the true nature of the Self) is the reward of the cnn who co.n discriminate between the mind stuff and the Selt • or spiritu~l man." (Book IV. Sutra 25. Alice Bailey's translation.) .~! •. Bc.iley rightly sc.ya, by way of COIII!:Ientury: "This state of iaolc.tcd unity must be regarded as the result of the attainment of a particular state of ll'.ind, rather than as a separative reaction •• • The ma:1 knows the Self; he identities himself with the trae mower and thus sees thin~s as they are, disassociating btmselt entire~ from the world of sensuous perception. He does this, however, wbil.t: functioning as a hur.an being on earth. Be participatea in earth ezperience; he involves hmself in hwtan activities; he nlka among men, eating and aleepiJ1G, working and living. Yet all the time he 18 'in the world, yet not of the world.•• The 19th path of Teth (VIII:Strennth). The Grade of Exempt Adept is perfected when the power of the sphere or Mara, the 5th Sephirah, has passed alonG the l~h path, back to Chesed. In traversing the 19th path, the aspirant tranSIIIIltel the activities of the serpent-power, or force ot Teth, the snake. The universality of the snake-symbol is well known. A trest J:l&n7 writers have perceived that it has a phallic aignificunce, that it refers particularly to the forces of reproduction. But the deeper rneanins of the ~bol is lost unless we re~ber that snakea coil to strike, and that they move along the ground with a zig-zacginc, ~bra­ j;ory !:lOti on. Thus the serpent is a symbol1br the electric fire of the universe. Ita coil refers to the spiral motion ot that fire. It• undulating progress over the ground typifies the basic quality of the one force, which is vibration, or as Emanuel Swedenborg called it, "tremulation.• It is this force, which in i~physical manifestations is coming to be understood by ~dern scientists, and their diacoY~riea coDCerning the nature of ita physical propertiea are, 10 to say forcing the diaolosure of acme of the occult teachings about it. "Tho Chaldean Oracles," so-called, although they are not reallJ Cho.ldean, but rather }leo-Platonic, saya "The god is he hartug the head of a hawk. He energizes a spiral force." The hawk-hoaded god ia BlrUI, the child of Osiris and Isis. He is a solar deity, and hia spiral force is the force that ia associated with the 19th path. In the rarot !ef

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corresponding to that path. the solar and electric fire ie typified b,y the lion. This 19th path is said to be that of the Intelligence of the Secret of . .11 F:piritual :.ctivities. What is that secret? I cannot pretend to tell you. To attempt to do so would be to admit two false as~tionaa 1. That I have attained to the Grade of Exem~t Adept; 2. That rou have also reached the same Grade. But I can point out a clue to the ~ster,r-­ tWo clues.in fact. The first is that this is the secret of all spirittual activities. And if you will connect this up with the ~bolism of the eighth Key of Tarot, you will at least come to understand that the secret may be thus declared: "The secret of all spiritual actiTitiea is that the 'i'TOl!lan controls the Lion, and leads hilll by means of a chain of roses.• Can you interpret this sayi.ng? Read over what I hne written 1D Analysis of Tarot. Xhat will help to solve the problem, But tr,y to get the distinction between an intellectual perception of the messase conveyed by the picture and the actual, first-hand knowledse which 1 have just said I cannot pretend to reveal. I can saya •The Woman ia subconsciousness, the lion the cosmic electric fire, and the chain of roses represents an orderly, closely-woVPn series of specific decirea.• That may help you to understand that the Great Secret has to do with the control exerted by subconsciousness, the Woman, over all thoae forms of electric force which are below cankind. But the fil'lal secret of the Woman cannot be expressed in any words I have at ~ command. Moreover, I elo not know it as yet. Thus I say, with Eliphaa Levi, •The duad 1& the DUmber of the V:oman, the Great ArcllJlUJII is the final secret of the duad• and that secret ~ be reYealea.•
~

But the Hebrew noun translated "Spiritual Activities• gives a hiDt as to the nature of the secret. It isH P 0 V LV f. If yoa will consider it, letter b7 letter, you will be able to infer with considerable accuracy what the secret is about, even if you are not 7et able to determine just what the seoret is. The first three letters, H P 0, are related to the Yare Tibration. E (Emperor) through Aries, ruled by !.Iars. P (fewer) throUS}l ita at• tribution to :Mare itself· 0 (Devil) through the sign Capricorn, in which Mars is exalted. The secret is evidently primarily a secret ot brain activity, of reason, of what Qabalists call "Constitutinc Intelligence,• since the first letter is H. It has also to do with the special functioaa ot the Mare center in tho body, the center behind tho navel, correepondinc to P and the Tower• And again, it is a seoret which has to do with the direction or the currents of the Astral Light, and this magical agent, which is the force ecplo,yod in all magical operations, is what ia repre• sented in Tarot by the fifteenth Key, inasmuch as Eliphas Le.t tella ua that the Aatral Lisht "ia the devil ot exoteric dogmatisa.•

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The 1~ext three letters, V LV, are related to the Venus vibration. Occult~, Venus is the caQplement of Cars, as green, ita color. is the comple~ent to red, color of llars. V (Hierophant) represents hearing, complementary to sight, which is attributed to H and the Ectperor. When we have learned the deeper !!!eaning of vision (H). have reastered the destructive electric force (P). and have exalte4 that force by learning how to use the liciting power of Saturn which at first appears to us aa an adversary (0), we are ready for the deeper revelations of the ~steriea which come to ua, throuch the ch~el of interior hearing, direct from the One Teacher ~boli&e4 by the Eierophant. L (Justice), the letter corresponding to tho sign Libra, rulins the kidneys and the lumbar region of the spine, suggests that the Ph1"• sioal part of the secret haa something to do with elimination, &Dd with tho functions of the suprarenal capsules. n is from these lldzlute ductless glands that adrenalin in poured into the blood, and we kn~ that effective action of the muscul~ ~stem ia dependeut upon the tonic result of this adrenal secretion. Therefor~ Qabaliata are perfectly correct when they attribute action to the l~tter L. But here is a deeper meaning, also, which may here be briefly stated aa beins that action, in the sense of the Sanskrit term &arrna, baa to be under• stood by him who tr~verses the 19th path and ~a~ the Great Secr-et. It is so co~on to find pseudo-occultists speaking of Earma aa aomethlns which continually modifies human life from without, so to say, that I feel ~eenly the need of emphasi&ing the f~ot that when w~ understand the law of Earma we are able consciously to determine what sort ot Karma we shsll make as we go along. and ~hat effect past Karma will have upon us now. Hothins is more false than the supposition that Karma is something we can't help--that it is an inexorable Nemesis. which will exact t~e last iota of payment from us• And the Qabalah. by making the letter representing !arm& one which also is as£ooiated with the Venus Tibration, intimates plain~ _that the manipulation of Karma is possible tor a.ey person who baa learned to control his desires. This, you see, ia practically what ia ,ymbolited by the fact that the woman in the VIIIth Aey of Tarot ia leading the lion by a chain of rosea--the tlowen of Venua. The letter V ia repeated in HPOVLVT, I have been taught, beoau.. the Inner Teacher makes two revelations in imparting the Great Secret• The first revelation haa to do with purification, and with the attain• ment of balance. Thus it loads on, so to aey, to the actual work which is represented by the letter L. The second revelation ia that the Teacher is the real Self, and it includes the knowledge that the Ad· versary baa been the Father in di~ise. In some initiations, I am told, na officer who represents the Hierophant says to the candidate• "Child, long hast thou feared me, ~d that foar Y~S the beginninc of thy wisdom, for it drove theo in quest of refuge from thine adversary. Now, at the end of tey long quest, thou hast no need tor tou.

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For I was the adversary, I the opponent without whom there would ha?e been no same to play, no prhe to win. And this, which seemed a !:&me of war, thou seest now aa but a play of love. Entor into joy, for He with whom thou hast wrestled ia none other than thy true Self.• T (Strength) is the final letter of HPOVJXT. 1'he meaning of the corresponding Tarot Key baa alrendy been touched upon. I need only add that when ~elf-oonseiousnesa, by riGht intellection. ~asps the truth that all the power any man can exercise ia a transformation of the One Life-power, that all the volitions a man feels at work within h1a are expressio~s of the One Will, then this right knowledge of the relation between personality and the One Life becomes the dODinant euggeation to eubconcoiousness, the woman of the VIIIth Key. In response to thia d~ant suggestion ~11 the body-building activitioa are directed to the fashioning of a perfect personal vehicle, which offers no obstruction to the free outflow of ~~e Life-power into the externalhations of the objective plane of Dlll:le and form. fhua, little by little, our bodies are transformed, are chanced day by day into a more truthful likeneaa and toage of the Life which ia at once above and within. The completion of this process i1 the radiant, deathleal, beautiful body of a Master of tlfe. Such a vehicle of the Life-Power ia what Patanjali desoribos in the 46th Sutra of his third book• •symmetry of form, beauty of color, stron~th end tho oompactne1a of the dianond, constitute bodily perfection.• (Alice Bailey's translation.) • Thus the Great Secret appears as one havin!: to do with the ccmtrol of the ~rs vibration through the agency of the Venus power ot desire. This control is sumrcd up in the auboonaoious control or tha solar serpent-power. It is also the secret of the ~~ord made"tlea~• of the Primal Thought, which, through vibration begun u sound,. then raised to the electric potency of Fohat (Teth), clothes itself in garmenta of pulsing radiance, which our imperfect senses only halt-poroeive, which our deluded Dinda belittle and besmirch with lyinc labels. Bew long will it be before the world comes to understand the beautiful simplicity of tho saying, "This is "'Il¥ body, which 1a broken for you?" Everything that wo call •matter" is the body of Spirit, apparently broken or diTided into manynees, and so concealing the esaeDtial unity. The JIIYStery of the Thought made f'leah is the secret of all spiritual actiTitios. That Word or Thought dwells among us. We share in ita presence on this physical plane. fhat wonder-workins Word is seatod in your heart and mine. When we haTe learned to listen, when we are truly prepared, it will make known to us all the "'tl¥Steriea ot the Great Arcanum. Tho Doctrines of the Grade of Exempt Adept 1 1 : 4- • The titlo or the Grade,
~ompt

Adept,• indicates that one Who

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has reached this sta~e of adv~nce through the Grades of the Order ia freed fro~ certain necessities that fall to the lot ot those in lower Grades. Ee who has reached this pointb occult development no lon~er has to struggle to maintain his consciousnese of his identity with the One Reality. And he is freed also from the need of perfOrmin£ certain kinds of practice• In oth~r ~rds, he is exempt from the delusion that he doea of hicself, execpt froc the error that he is ever acting on his own initiative. This does not mean that ho is inactive. Far tram it. He cay be, and usually is, a ver,y active h~an being, engaced in many &reat enterprises. But he is freed from all personal concern as to the outcome of those enterprisee, because it has beoone second nature for hie to re&nrd even those acti~itiee in which the functiona of his own personality aro involved as being reaily cosmic aoti?itiea.
anyt~ing

The doctrines of the Grade all emphashe this point. Even the fact that the 4th circle ·on the Tree of Life i l called the Sphere ot Jupiter dooe so, because Jupiter in Tarot is associated with the ~eel of Fortune, that synbol of the wheels within wheele ot interlockiDg activity whence proceeds the actual motive power for all hucnn actions• Tho doctrines of the Grade arc derived from the letters and Tarot Jteya spellinr; the words ChSD, Chesed, and QBVO, a Hebrew adjective which is variously translated as "meaaur~" •cohesive,• or "reoeptacular.• This adjective distinguishes the special mode of consciousness repre• aentod by the 4th circle of the Tree of Lite. The seven doctrines area 1. (Ch) The Chariot• The I A¥ does nothing. For the I AX is the OllE ID::l1'i'ITr called "God," by theologians, and God is changeleu. That One Identity is the witness of activity, but is not itselt modi• fied or altered by the tr~sformationa that go on around it. All change, all modific~tion, is in the field (Cheth) ot energy T.hich, so -to s~y. roTolvea around tho I AW. The Self, which is the rider ln the chariot of p~rsonality. is perfectly free from all necessity tor ~ ende!l.vor whatsoever. It does nothing. It never has done anythi~~g. It ia simply the witness of the panorama of transformations proceodinc from ita own ~sterious power. By perfectly identifying himself with the I ~. tho Exempt Adept shares this freedom from the necessity foracticm. · 2. (S) The Temperance. On the personal aide, the Exempt Mept fully realizes the ide~ of guidance repree~nted by the 14th TArot Key. (ncre it mny be well to re~ind you that the letter Ch and Key 7 are connected with Jupiter, because the sicn Cancer in which Jupiter is exalted is associated with that letter·and Koy, while Samckh and ley 14 are also associated ~~th Jupiter, because they ore connected with the oign Sagittarius, ruled by Jupiter.) The Exempt Adept looks upan all oircumatancea in which his personalit,y is involved as bein& gi~•

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from the Al~ighty. He regerds that personality as being the iD• strumcnt of the One Self. He has a long experience of this higher guidance, nnd it never for a moment occurs to him that any part of his daily existence is oth~r than a good gift from the One Souroe. What chiefly distinsuishes him from his brethren of lower Grades is that he never has to do anythinc to make this interpretation ot experience clear ~~ vivid. He is under no necessity for correottns appe~r~nco by reainding h~self of the reality. As I said before, he has practiced so long and faithfully, while passing ~~ough the lower Grades, that he has now established a habit of right inter• protGtion.

s. (D) The Enpresa. In consequence of his perfect freedoa t.raa the erroneous interpretations which give ~oat of the world so much trouble, the Exempt Adept enjoys an extraordinary" degree of subconscious creative power. His mind is never beset by images of terror, lack, hatred, sorrow, or distrust. Whatever external appearances ~ be, he sees through them to the beautiful possibility th~ preseat. Tiis subconsciousness presents h~ with nothing but constructive, courageous, hopefUl, happy, and accurate imagery, for he now reaps the fruita of the work he has done in lower Grades. In those Grades he planted the seeds. Now he has the harvest•
f. (Q) The ~oon• These powers of the Exempt Adept are the result of differences in organism. llobody is born an Exempt Adept. Nobody becomes one without goi~ through profound changes or personality. For althcugh it is perfectly true that the I AM is changeleas, it is by no means true, as some would have us believe, that the mere affirmation of the changeless perfection or the I ~ will make m~nitest that perfection on the physical plane. The Self never chanr,es. Personality undergoes continual transformations. An4 an Exempt Adept ia a person, not an abstraction. He ia a person whose body has reached the end of the path depicted in Xey 18. And oven as ~ne who has lurned to nim does not have to learn all over again each sumcer, so that such an one is exempt from taking swimming leasons, be.oauso his body has been chan~ed from that of a non-swiJIIIIer to that of a swimmer; so tho Exempt Adept is tree from the Zleceasi't7 ff¥1' many kinds of practice because his bOdy baa been so changed that it can and does express the types of consciousness we have been consider• ing, tosother with the kinde of personal power that are the aooompaniments of those types of consciousness. ·

6. (B) The i~dcian. These transformations of personality ha.,.. been accompli~hcd under the direction of self-consciousness, as shown in Key 1. They are the results ot definite intention, and lons contiDue4 practice• They do not coae about as the outooce of the general averages of evolution. They are physiological modifications, but they fall 1D the class of acquired characteristics which are not transferable b,r herodity. fhus we find that the Ccnfeasio Fraternitatis puts into the

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mouths of ita authors the declaration that, although sooe of them have children, they cannot pass tho Bidden Tiisdom on to them aa a hereditar,y right. Or, aa the New Testament puts it, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." All throubh the mysteq teaching one finds repeated again and again this emphatic declaration that each aspirant lll'..tst do his own work, must bring about his own release from the bonds of error. 6. (V) ThP. Bi.erophant. Here the 5th Aey of Tarot ~:~alru ita again, as a corrective to the idea Which ~ht be drawn from the precodinf Key th~t the process of release ia purely the work of selt-oonEciousneaE. For although Ageless Wisdom insiata that release is impossible without what seems, es it ia proceeding, to be and undertaking which is one of persoJllll effort, express~ pereoaal intention; tho Bll!lle doctrine is equally er.~phatic "in ita declaration that personal work and effort will not brir~ about release unleaa they arc conbined with tho instruction that comes throuch the Inner Voice. ilo r.ust put ourselves in a position to receive the Inner Teaching. But we l:lllst listen to th~t instruction, aDd obe)r it, or . . remain the captives of error. For though tt is true that we do nothlnc of oursel~s, it is equally true that we I!'Uat be active. The time comes when the delu~ion that we are •going it alone• is completely dispelled, never to return1 but even then thtre is no cessation of personal activity. ;7h!lt cooes to an end is our false notion of th:1t cctiTity.
appear~ce

7. (0) Tho Devil. 'l'lhat perhaps chiefly distinguishes an ExGDlpt Adept from other men is that he never refuses to exa!lli.ne appearances of evil. If to this it bo objected that we have high Scriptural auth• ority for occupying our minds with thoughts of things pure, holJ, G.nd of t;ood report, one ::ay answer that advice intended for beginners ia not necessarily good ad~iee for export?• BegUL~ers are not strong enough to look upon the face of evil. They are frightened ~ it. They are aroused to antagonism by it. Thus they must needa occup,r .the~selves with thoughts which will bring out constructive reactions. That is just thv point. The consideration of aeemng evils dou out constructive reactions from the Exempt Adept's subconsciousness, in accordance with what was said in relation to the third poiat in this outline of the doctrines. The Exen:pt Adept is strong. He welcornes the consideration of problema that would terrify weaker BD4 leas experienced 1110n. Indeed, he is always on the loot-out for them. !lo appearance of evil arouses in him the least trace of antagonism. You will never find an Exempt Adept playing the censor, or holding up his hands in holy horror. This doe& not mean that he passively accepts evil conditions. It does mean that his mind is. so habituated to OOD• structi~e imaE;ery that he regards oveq semblanco of evil as a real opportunity for tho dernonatration of good. He does not make the mistake of denying the evil appearance. He knows perfectly well that it looks aa it does. But he also knows that it can be changed, aDd will be changed, into a beautU'ul result.
bri~

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TBE GRi>DES OF TilE THIRD ORDER. We oome now to the three Grades co~:~poaing what is known aa the Third, or innermost, Order of the Roeicruoian Fraternity. If it baa been difficult to write adequately concerning the Grades or the Second Order, how much ~re of a task to enter into a discussion ot the auguat mysteries of the Thirdl Howbeit, what I write is not my own, but onq what I have reoeivea. bS I have hear~, so I tran~t the teaching to thoce who ~~y re~d these pnges. The Grade of Magister Templi, 8 :

s.

This Gro.de corresponds to the meanin£1 of the DUlllber s, and to the various ideas associated in the Qabslah with Bi.nah, BiliB, Understanding, the third circle of the Tree or Life. This oirole is the sphere of Seturn. Its color is black, the absorption of all colore. To some it appears to be indito, or deep blu~-violet. In such caae ita note ia A-natural. But I prefer the tradition that all the sphere• ot the Third Order are spheres of silence• This Grade is reached by two paths, the 18th, of the letter Cheth• the 17th• of the letter Zain. The first leads from the 5th sphere. Geburah, and the seco~d begins in the 6th sphere, Tiphareth. Thus the powers of _the Greater Adept are those which are utilized in traversing the 18th path, and in passinc through the 17th path one uses the powere belonginG to the Lesser Adept.
~

The 18th path of Cheth (VIIaTbe Chariot). This path h not open to th9 aspirant until he has become an Exempt hdept. Be who soes thie way, which l~nds to Understanding, must have overcame all sense ot ·~-ness." The conception of unchanging Law, unless it ia tempered by the realization of llercy, will not carry him through the 18th path. Great as are the powers of those who have attained to tho Grade corresponding to the 5th sphere, they are not qualified to follow the course which ~kea them Masters of the Temple until they have become truly exempt from the delusion or "personal" will and "personal" action. The 18th path is called •Intelligence of the Bouse of Influence,• because it is the channel of the abundant overflow of the fiery activit7 of the Life-power, taking form as objects. The Life-power takes these forme throur,h the operation of ita quality of self-liMitation, directed by the rational selr-conaciousneaa depicted in TMrot as the Magician. The "objects" into which it enters are both "thinga• and •creatures."

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To travel the 18th path on the Way of Return, therefore, is to overcome the illusive power of these limitntions by learnin& how to use them. lly the work or this path the advancing aspirant JD&sters the destructive force or the l.!ars vibration, awakens in himaell' the regenerative potency of the flame or the cosmic Life-breath, and, as the Book or Formation puts it, "restores the Creator to Bia throne.• ----In the VIIth Tarot Key, corresponding to this path, the Chariot represents the living temple of the Lite-power• The driver is the I ~. He is master of the positive and negative expressions of the Astral Light. The positive manifestation is represented by the white sphinx, the negative manifestation by the black one.

The field or his mastery is that or speech, the power attributed to the letter Cheth and the 18th path. In tho occult aenae thia noun soeech signifies thought as well aa articulate sound. The Jlaater of the Tc~le is one who has learned the aeorets of magical speech. Be builds by ideas. Furthermore, he knows the vibratory values ot cer• tain sound oo~binations, and the idoas corresponding to them. By hia manipulation of the subtle forces of sound combined with thought, he builds himself a body which resists every hoGtile external force. The lolaster ot the Temple realizes to tho full the meaning ot the stateccnt, "Filled with understanding of ita perfect ~. I am guided, momont·by moment, along tho path of liberation.• Bo feels with• in him tho urge of that resistless Will which others of lese understanding mistake tor something of their own. Bo mnkes no plana, but carefully follows the Great Plan, step by step, a~is unfolded to him. He is certain of success. Be haa neither BllXiety nor curioaity about tho future. For he knows, from hia earlier studies in the Grade of Philoaophus, that every step in the cosmic undortn~ is a etep _towards the realization ot a perfect success. The 17t_~ path of lain (Vla_The Lovers). This path h called "Diapoaing Intelligence, 1 and by ita corrt:apondenoe to the letter ZaiD, it is connected with the following paaaages concerning that letter given in The Boot of Tokensa

•t. I am the Sword, the sword which is Understand~• divtdi:as between tho darkness and the light at creation's 4aWDo 2. Not by addition does the multiplicity of creatures come into existence, for I, tho source of all, am one, one and aloue, evem aa it is written, 1 Boaidoa me there is nothing.• s. Vorily, the beginning ot all things is diYision, as Kosea so.itha 1 In the beginning the Blohim cut apart the heaven and the earth.'

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4. That, therefore, which to purblind eyes acemeth to be another than ~self, that which to the deluded appeareth as somewhat fashioned by rrry hand, into which I enter not, the wise kncnr as a portion of my own being, set apart for my regard by Jq untathomable power of self-reflection. · 5. This power the s~ored Wisdom celleth the Mother. It ia the power of Understanding, the power also of the Elqhim, for in BDIAB are the Eloh~~ enthroned, 11nd their Thrones are set in Her. 6. Mine are the Thrones, cine the powers of the Elohtm, and I, whom I:IEin adore as Father, o.m known :1lso to the wise as the Great Mother in whoso nar.:e ara hid the names of the Father and the Son. 7. This uune is the sharp sword whereby the One that I am dividoth itself into the ~· a. from Bir.AH this sharp sword proceedeth, and by ita sepe.r..tive t'orce I clcno asunder my own unity, dividing myselt into two, the Fathor and the Mother • . 9. This thou mnyest discern in Zain, whose be&inning is the sword of _separation, whose middle is the paternal Yod, and whose end referreth by numeration to the Gates of the Yother. 10. Bore, too, shalt thou perceive tha Elohtm {tor they are eeven), and the Lir,hts of Emanation (for they are ten), and the Gates of Understanding {for they are fifty). . 11. Thus in Zain, the Sword, ia shown a figure of all things that havo been, th11t are, and tha.t sha.ll be in time to come. 12. And the Sword tlaahoth forth from the heart of tho l:othor into the holll't or the Son, and ita course is the path or the Diapoatas Intelligence.• nere is a brief oommontary on the f'oregoing p~Agrapha. Each point of ·the o~ntary is numbered so as to oorrespoDd to the paragraph beari.ns the aame llWIIber. 1. •The sword which is undorstllnding.• In Be)>rew, "sword" b B, Zain, and ZI5 • 67, which is the value of BIBS, Binah, Understandin&J

ZI

s. The English Bible says, "In tho beginning God created," but the literal translation of the Be brew verb BRA is not •to oroate, • but nto out apart," or "to divi~a.•
s. The Mother ill All!A, Atma; a nome applied to BIHB, Bin.a.h. 'lo this Sephirah the Qabalah assigns tho divine name ALHIU, ElohimJ and it is enid also to be the Goat of those coamio powers whose technical na=e is ARALIM (• 282), Ara.ltm. ·Thrones.· Qaba.liatica.lly, the rhronea are 12.• because i&LIL! 282 : 2 - a - 2 = 12. Theao are al8'0 the Thrones ot Breath of Lives, beoa.uae 282, the number of Aralim, is also the aumber of RVChChii~, Ruach Chaiim, •breath of Lives.• It ia also noteworthT

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that 282 has 3, the number of Binah, for its least number. 6. "In whom are hid the nam~s of the Father a~ the Son." The word BU.'B, Binnh, contnins the letters IH, Jah, forming the divine nar.~e of Cholc:lfl.h, which Sephirah is called the Father. It alao contains the letters BN, Ben, Son, a name applied to Tiphareth, the sixth Sephirah. "For the Mother conoealeth the power ot the Father, o.nd manifesteth that power in the Son." This is true on all planes. 9. "Whon beginning is the sword (Z) • • • whose middle is the paterno.l Yod (l), and whoae end referreth by Dllllll!lration to the Gates of the lbther (so, the value of N, and the number of the "Gates of Binah," or. Gates of Understandin;•)" This ia a referenoe to the meanings of the letter•naQS ZIN, ZaiD. 10. A similar reference to the letter-nane is ln this paragrapb. •For they are seven,• (Z: 7)J •ror they are ten" (I • 10), refer~ to the ten Sephiroth, or "LiGhts of emanationJ" and the final letter, N, as before, refers to the Gfl.tes of Understanding, which are SO, beoau!e ita nw:~ber is also so. I have included thla commentary ln order to give you soce idea of tho Qabalistic method of oondensi~ many things into a apace eo small as that occupied by a single letter-name of the Hebrew alphabet. "You will hc.ve no difficulty in understandin& the twel1'th paragraph of the quotation if you will refer to the placing of the 17th path in the diasr~ of the Tree of Lite. In traversinG thla path on the Way of Return, the adY8neiD£ adept r.oea first throuch the teats which prove conclusively that be • has overcome Do~th, and theao teats correspond to the letter B. He then d~monstratea hia mastery of tho powers which enable him to identify himaelf with the One Will represented in Tarot by the Hermit, and in the Hebrew alphabet the letter Yod (I). Finally, he paasea the teats which prove that he lcnowa how to wield the •sword of dieorimination.• In those tests he is able to show that in hi1 personality the condition exists which ill pictured in the VIth T!ll"ot Key. 1'he perfectq ho.M:Ionioue r'=lationship between the conscious, subconl!cioua, and aupe1'• conscious aspects of the Life-power symboli&ed by that picture 1a an actual state of being for tho ndept who is o.bout to complete hla ad• vancement tn the Grade of ~giater Templi. Thla ia neoeaso.ry, because the "mastery of the Temple" ia more than control of the physical body. It is control of ~er,r Teblclo oY

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the Self, from the innermost to the outermost. From the causal bodT. down to the conditions of what is commonly understood as euviroumeat. the Master of the Temple ill able to determne eveey form which 18 tnken b,y the Lite-poWer• You are not to understand fro~ this that he is a Rmiracle-worker.• c~only accepted sense. But he has complete~ identified his perso~al consciousness with thnt abstract =ind which has ita aeat iD Binah, and which Oriental teachers usually deacribe aa the Bi~er Manns, while ~nbalists call it NShMH, Neshncah. By identity of uamer• ation, this word Nesho.mo.h corresponds to HShl!D!, Ha-Shamaim 0 "the Beavena, • a noun technically representing the nrchetypal plane of causes. the ~gist~r Ternpli has so completely identified his inner life with thia causal plane of oonsciousnesE that be lcnows himself to be at all tillles the channel of that power which does actunlly control the to~ ot all things • in the .Ul the forces lcnown to science nre perceived by him ll8 flari!tc outward into m~ifes~ntion throu~h his personality. &11 the laws are perceived by scientists nrc recognized b,y him as being ill actud opera• tion through his daily lito. But ho boes fcrthor than this. Be kDawa himself to be the ch~el of forces which no exoteric acicntict has ever recognized, and the n~inistrntor of laws which exoteric science will never discover. Please observe cc.retul~ what 1 han just said. You and I lll!ly believe ourselves to be the vohicloa of such forcoa a.nd laws, and our belief is correct. Tho Htlstur of the Templtt S2!! that ho is, nnd his knowledge ia baaed upon experience. For he has learned the secret of directing the creative forces which are callod "Elohim" in tho Bible, tho seven phases of the One Life-breath which nrc represented by tho seven sidea of tho Rosicrucian Vault. He understands this sevenfold powor perfectly. and can control it. Thus he is in the position doscribod by Swum! Vivokananda. ~o usos the Hindu terminology, and calla the Life-breath Prana. Speaki~ of the adopt who cnn direct the Prann perfectly, he says& "What power on o~rth could there be that would not be his! Be · would be able to move tho suns and stc.rs out of their pl11coe, to control everything in the universe, from the ~toms to the bi~geat swna •.• • When tho Yogi bocomoa perfoot there will bo nothing ill nature not under his control. If he ordors the gods to como, thoy will ~ace 11t his bid• ding; if he asks tho departed to oome, they will oome at his biddlnS• All the forcea of naturo will oboy him as his slnvoa. o.nd when the 1snoro.nt see theao powera of the Yogi they c~ll thom miracles.• Suoh ia the power of tho l!o.ater of tho Temple, and ita roots aro in tho states of consciousness reprosentod by tho letters of the word BI:tm. Firat of all, he is an nbsolutoly transparent mediWII for the

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outflow of the resistless onorgy of tho Originating Principle. hll his magic is in his total obedionco to tho One Law. He is like the Magician in Turot, which corresponds to tho latter B•. Socondly, he has urrived at the state of consciousness thnt his innermost "I AM" is idcmtical with the Ancient of Days. Like Jesus, he cun say, "Before Abruha.m was, I am;" a.nd his power over the forms of nature is the d1roct consoquenoo of his inner identification with THAT which daterminos those forms. This is represented by tho second letter of BINH, corresponding in Tarot to the Hormit• Thirdly, he has reully overcome death, und porceivos nothing in the universe by which he is surrounded but tho perpetual renewal of lifo through its changing forms. ~d bocu.uso ho has identifi<'•d himself with tho Cuuso of change, his mental imngcry enables him to determine the forms which shall be taken by the forces which flow through him. This is what is meant by the letter u, und the Turot Koy of Death• Finally, by the mental states ulrohdy indicated, he is ublo to identify his inner life with the Constituting Intelligence represented by the letter Heh and tho Emperor. He is one with that powor in the universe which makes, frames, composes, £•nd dl.3finos nll forms. All this is summed up in the attribution of this Grado to the ophoro of Saturn. In ancient mytholor,y, Saturn is tho ruther of o.ll the gods, and in astrology tho influence of Suturn is said to be bind· ing, limiting, u.nd produotiv'::l of form. Tho Llnstery of the Temple is therefore attributed to this sphere, because the adopt's control of the conditions of his own bodies, and hia power over the forms of his environmont is ull the result or perfect concentration. Concentration is easentinlly th~ limitation of the flow of the currents of tho Life-powor, the establishment of specific boundaries, tho carving out, or sopnro.tion, of form from form. The Doctrines of tho Grade of
Magi~ter

Templi, 8 • 3.

The four doctrines of this Grade are bused on tho no.mo BINH, Binnh, or Understanding. ~ey are as follows: 1. (B) The Ma5ioiun, ?uman personality is a medium for the tranamission of the high potentiul of tho Lifo-power, working ut super• conscious levels, to the lower potentials of embodiment in the field of existence below the level of human self-oonsoiousness. A Knstor of tho Templo, like the Magician in Key 1, never tor a moment loses his sonso of relationship with that which is ubove, nor his sense of innute power to control that which is below. No appearance, however dismaying it may be to most people, ever frightens him. No human being, no economic condition, no threatening danger within the field of his sensations has any terrors for him. Neither does he ever make the mistnke of considering that he, personally, performs any notion, or that he, personally, is rE:sponsiblo for any rosult. Ho is tl.v witness

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of the mighty works of the O!IE IDE:.;TITY • and o.s he wa.tches the phenomena of his world, he sees ev~rything working out for tho in• cvito.ble freedom that is the necessa.ry coneequence of the Life-power 1 a self-oxpresaiono
Th~ Hc~it. As I have said before, the ~ster of the has fUlly identified his inner Self ~th the Silent Watcher on the heights of being, pictured in Key 9. He perceives, with that Watcher, tha.t !<ll activity is a series of tro.nsformc.tiona in what the Hindus call Prakri ti, or Mc..yo., a.nd v:hnt we knOW' in our terminology as the move~nt of the subconsciousness. The Self moves not, nor does it enter itself into any action. It is the Ancient ot the ~cicnt Ones, the Eternal Witness of the activities of ita own power, typified in the 9th Key by the lantern, and the light streaming from it. Te~le

2. (I)

~. (N) Death. A llester of the Temple also perceiYea th• beneficence and t~easity for tho co~tinunl trnnsformntion of ~­ sic~l vehicles. He sees thnt such transfo~ationa ere inevitable. and that this principle of endless change in the world or form ia what brings about the appearance of death. But he does more than see. His eyee have ~borrowed strength from the eagle,w that is to aa7• he h~a grasped the nffirmati~e f~ctor in the phenomenon men call death• end has utilized it, within the limits of his own physical orgnnism to effect subtle transformotions thnt set him free from the bond3ge ot the body. By using the nerve currents which, in ordinary mon, have no outlet sa~o throuGh the sex fUnction, he ho.s aroused the activit,r of other orgnns in his body. His ~n center (pituitary body) and Mercury center (pin~al gland) are awako. Ho h~a true spiritu~l consciousnaaf!. He is delivered from tho body of this death, o.nd tunctlona consciously ln joyous frcedoc from the limitations of three dimensional existence.

4. (H) Tho Er.lperor. Finally, the Master of the Tcll!ple, by becomiDC perfectly identified with tho O:~ IDEUTITY, shares with tho.t One ita power as the Constitutin~ Intelligence which makes, frames, and composes the world. Thus, althouGh a ~ster of the Temple is not really a miracle-worker, many events occur in his vicinity which seem like miracle& to other people. In truth he has bbt taken the full measure of his humanity, in its relation to the Life-power. He aees himself as he really ia, and soes the Self as it really ia. In that unwavering vision of Truth there is no place for any faulty adjustMent, either in his personal vehicles. or in that larger vehicle of Life, hia en• vironment• Thus thia Grade ia said also to correspond to the mode of con• sciousness named "Sanctifyins Intelli&ence." To eanctify is to make perfect, to rnako complete. A saint is merely a man who measures up to the God-idea of huDBnit;y. Ood 1 s imago of man is tree from every flaw

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that exi~ta in the opinions of man held b,y mortals. Thua the Hebrew word for "Sanctif';ying" ia lo!QVDSh, and ita IlUl!ICral value, 450, ia the 11111ltiplication of the number 45, the number of ADil, Adam, b,y 10. That ia to aay, the number of this word represents the perfectio.a (10) of the Wan idea. If you will exa:c1ine the word, letter by letter, with the aid of the T&rot Keya, you will see that the Sanctit.Ylnc Intelli~ence, Which ia the aame as the consciousness of a Yaater of the Temple, is• 1. (I.!). The B&nged l!a!h .A consciousness ot perfect dependence upon the Life-powerJ . • 2. (~). The J.foon. it. conaoioumeaa resulting from the perfect organization of all cell-groupe in the phfsical bod71 3. (V). The ~ierophant. A conaciousneia of perfect communion with the Inner Teacher, and of unquestioning obedience to the direction• ot the Inner VolceJ 4. (D). The Empress. ~ oonaciousneas fertile in imager,y, and filled with clear, definite pictures of beautiful conscqueoces flowinc trom the rocognition of the true nature of the Lite-power. 6. (Sh) The -Judr;mcnt. A vivid conacioumeaa ot ir.DDOrt&Uty, and ot the state of bdng that we "t"'lgueq designate aa the Fourth Dilllena1011• It should be noted tho.t since BINB, the Bebre~r na.'IIB of the Srcl circle, includes tho lottora of Bl, Ben the Son, and IH, Jah, the Fathe~. this intimates thct the Sanctif';ying Intelligence ia one in which the habitual consciousness of thu ~ater of the Temple includes the rooogni• t}onc "I and the Father are One.• Furthermore, the third circle is called AIUA, the Uother, &Dd since the value of Aima 1 52 0 is identical with the value of aN, Ben, the Son, here is a hint that the Sanctifying Intelligence unitos the Father• the Son, and tho UOther, in one all o:c1braoing consciousness. Thua thi• Grade is the Grado of the mystical Holy Family, of the perfect union ot Osiris, Isis, and Horus• It is also the Grade or the perfect unio.a of Wisdom (identified with IB, ·Jsh, the Father), Understanding (identified with .kiW., the Mother), and Boauty (identified with BN, Bon, the Son). Wisdom ia the second circle on the Tree of LifeJ Understanding is the third ciroleJ and Boauty ia the sixth. Thus there ia a aenae inwhiob we m6Y say thnt the Grnde of Uagister Templi ia one of the ancloa ot an equilateral triangle, whoso other anglo• nro ropreaentod by Wisdom and Beauty. The linea of this triangle are the patha oorreapondlnt to the letter Zaln 1 and Xo;r 61 to thro letter Beh, o.nd 111)' 4J and to the letter

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At present Daleth and .Key s. (See the diagran of The Tree of Life.·} we shall consider only tho path of the letter ~ain, corresponding to the LoTera. As the diagram shows, it leads upward from the sixth circle, and the Grade of Lesser Adept, to the third circle and the Grade of ~giater Templi. The meaning of the Tarot .Key corresponding to lain ia given' in our Basic Tar;t Course, and in~ Analysis of Tarot. It represents discrimination, and the perfect balance and reciprocal activity of the personal conscious and suboonaoious modes of ~. The Grade of' Magus, 9

= 2.

This grade corresponds to the meani~s of the number 2, and to the various ideas associnted with Chokmah, ChXMH, Wisdom, the aecODd circle of the Tree of Lite. This circle is called the sphere .of the zodiac, or the sphere of the "highwa7a of the stars." Ita color ia gray, the equ~l mixture of white, the color of Xether, and black, the color ot Binah. This color also results from the balanced ~izture ot any two comple~entary colora, such as rod ond green, blue and orange, yellow and violet. You will not'ice that theae pairs of colora juat mentioned ore those which are attributed to Geburnh and Netzach, Cheaed and Rod, and Tiphareth and Yesod on th~ Tree of Life• The Macus is one who has succeeded in overcoming the influence of these, and all other, pairs of opposites. He has perfectly equlli• brated ali the powers of the .lower Grades, and is himself perfectly equilibr3ted between the first ~nd third Grades. He is Wisdo= incar• nate, and his oons~iousncss goes a stage beyond that represented b.r the Uastery of the Te~leo In the Third Grade. the work of the &dept has to do with the control or the power called Pran& by Hindus. It is a control exerted on the form side of life, even though ita range extends to the vehicles of the Life-power which are invisible to tho ph7sical eye, end imperceptible to any physical sense. But in the Grade of llagua the advanoin& adept is not nny longer concerned with form. He has arrived at the stage of p~rfoct identification with the Life-force itself· To describe such a degree of advancement in words which are built up from physical experience ia manifestly impossible. Even were I actuallJ a Hagus, I could not make this state intelligible to any one but another ~gus. And since I am·not anyvthero near thot degr6e of advancement, I can only r~port what I have been taught• Whet a f.hgua re"lly is mny be better understood by reference to the wore's o!' iliJ:h' a Levit

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•1'!agic is the divinity of man achieved in union with faithJ the true !Jagi are Men-Gods, in virtue of their intimate union lrith the divine principle. Xhey are without fears and ~~thout desire•• domi~ated by no falsehood, sharing no error, loving without illusion• suffering without impatience, reposing in the quietude of eternAl thou;ht. ~~gus cannot be ignor&nt, for magic impliea superiorit,r. mastership, riajority, and majority si~ifies emancipation b,r know• ledge. The l~-God has neither ri~hts nor duties, he has science, will, a~d power. He is more than free, he ts masterJ he does not c~, he creates; he does not obey, because nobody ccft possibly com.'l'.a.nd him. iillc.t others tem duty, he nlil'.les his good plcasureJ he does good b-eaus& he wishes to, and never willa anything else; ho co-operates freely in everything that forwards the cause of jua• tice, ar.d for hin sacrifice i& the luxury of the moral lite and the mngnificence of the heart. He is implacable toward evil because he is without a trace of hatr&d for the wicked. He regards repnra• tory chastisement aa a benefit and does not comprehend the ceanins of venger.nce.• '!'hat such a person is truly "more than man. • to use a Rosicrucian phruo, cust bo conceded. .And •e must admit that none of ua can form more thc.n a vague conception of such a character. Yet we ~ltogether ~iss the point of tho Niadom Teachin; unless we per• oeivo that this it no ideal picturo of 'What we may some day become. On.th& contrary, it is the barest outline of what the real Uhl iD every hw:lll.n being ia, now and alW't.:YB• Thlllt M;Jl is th• true J.lngus. Be Uvea this rtomect in you and To roach the Grado of L1agua in tho True e.nd Invisible Order ia to become aware of His real presence tn our livoa. Paths leading to the Grade ot Magus• The 16th ~ath of Vau (v. Tho Hiorophunt) This path besina iD the fourth sphere of tho Ireo of Life, in the Grade of Exempt Adept. The Exe~pt Adept who has become a Uaetor of the Temple has perfected the organization of all tho ~ehiclea of conaciouanoas. Thua nodbstructioD whatever onn proT~nt his com.~nication with the One T~acher represented in Tarot br the Hierophant. He "reposes in the quietude of eternal thought, 11 bElcauso h•> shares in the Triumphant and !:terne.l Intelligence attributed to the l~tter Vau and the 16th path. Ho reposes, because all sense of personal notion is completely extintuished. His 'WOrds and works are r.1agioal 'bt;cause they are tho words and worlca of the Lord ot the Universe•

'!:16•

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The Hebrew for "Triurnphnnt, 11 the Qabaliatic title of the 15th path, is liTzChi, and its nllr.lber, 158 (showing the digit for 'O'nit7 combined with the Rosicrucian nu~bers, 5 and B) ia ~lao the number of ChiTdl!, arrows, ChNQ, to encompass, to suffocate, and lfiL2.NDI, balances. The arrows are ~bola of the direct, concentrated application of the Life-force. The verb "to suffocate" refers to the ~eystical "death" of peraonnlity. The word Lli..2.NI14 is e.lao the name of the zodiacal sign Libra, corresponding to Justice in the Tarot. Ev~ry arrow of th~ M~gua hits the mark, because he haa total~ over• c~e mere personnl interest in his administration of cosmic law, and has thus attained to the expression of perfect justice in all that he thinlca, saya, and doea. The 15th nth of Beh (IV. The Emoeror 1'hi11 path begin a in the sixth sphere of the Tr6e o ifo, in the Grade of Lesser Adept. For the l!a~a must be perfected in imaginlltion, must 'Le able to make definite mental patterns. Yet when he does do eo, it ia not of himself, aa in the oeae of the Leeser Adept. Xhe ~cu•'• YiaiOD ia the creative sight attribut~d to Heh ~d tho Emperor. Re aeea the world with God 1 a eyes, and sees it alwuya, therefore, aa proceeding in orderly aoquencea from that center which is within himself. This path of the letter Bob is said by Qabalista to be that ot the Constituting Intelligence, •because it constitutes creation 1n the darkness of the world." Qabaliata also say that creation took plece Withthe letter Bah, and on this point some light may be abed by the follOWing quotation from the Book of tokenaa

1. In whataoeTer object thou peroeiTeat, know me aa the Essence, the Idea, and aa the Interior Nature. Beonuse of this the wise come enaily to.~• by many p&ths, yet in truth t~eae different ro~da nre bQt a sinr;le wa,.
a~ ~. If thou onnat penetrate into the nature of the simplest thine. thoro shalt thou find me. This ia the key to the mJatery of the sacred l~ttera. Fix thy mind upon the object sot before thee by any letter, aad hold thy thought to meditate thereon. Thon shall the inner nature ot that object be made known to thee, and by thia means shalt thou draw nigh to sa.ce aspect of my beinc•

3~ Consider, then, the sooret meaning of the letter Bah, For eTen aa I ~the Essence, and Idea, and Interior Nature ot every Oz, cf every Houae, of every Camel, and of eTery Door, ao also am I the Z.aenoe, and Idoa, and Interior Nature of eYery WiDdow.

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4. If thou set thy mind to medit~te upon the IntGrior Nature ot a window, thou shalt readily perceive thnt every window hath somewhat the nature of a door, inasmuch as it is an.opening in the aide of a houaa.

5. The House is Xether, and th~ Door is Binah, and as the thought of the door is from the buildins of the house, so is the thought of the window froo the fcshion1ng of tho door. Hence those instructed in the Secret Wisdo~ doclaro th~t Chased proceed~th from Binah, e~en ca the idoa of a window procoedeth from the idea of a door. For I am merciful because ~ Understanding c~paaseth the secret nature of all things, and ey Loving-kindness is the fruit of f!1Y discrimination.
6. .At; a in, a window is set in the r.all of a house, even a a the f¥18 is set in the head, that they nho dwell within cay look abroad to aee what pQsseth without. Hence it is written in the Book of FormQtion that the letter Reh corretpondeth ~nto th~ faculty of Sight. lhia reterroth to m.y power of vision, which is not as thin,, since nothing escapeth it, ~d all th~& nppe~r unto it in their true aspect. It ia written, "The eyes of tho Lord arc in e~cry place, boholdint the evil and the good;" and because I, the ~6eller in the Houto of the Supernal Will, see all thin~& as they really are, my vision has no taint of telae judsment. ~ei~, I understnnd, and because nothinc is hid froc me, therefore am I m~rciful•
1. Eut the path of my L:ercy i a o. wcy conoot".led froc tho profane 1 because they ha~e not attcin~d unto my ~rfect vision. Ecaier to follow ia tho flight of e.n eezle, for r:ry ~'fO.Y aoareth high aboVe the comprehension of the Mind of man• AS it is written' "Lo, ho cooth b,y De, and I seo him not; he pcsseth on clso, end I p~rcoive him not.•. Yet is the secret of thct way hidden in thy bosom, 0 Iar~el.

8. For ~ Uay is the Way of the Word, nnd the Word is hidd~n in thy heart.· For this is th'3 r:ord erectivE:, which calleth all things into being. Here ia a r.yst~ry, for the l~ttcr Boh concealeth the Word, and the Word is c.a truly a vision c.s it is a voice. \lith 1116 thoro ia no difference betwEen spvech and sight. In very truth, I utter myself' by
sao~.

9. tmto the uninstructed the comin; forth of the ia as a mist ~d c vapor. For oxiatonce is aa a veil of which hideth my true nature from their eyes. Hidden and is the Essence of ~ be~, which sages call, "Concealed oeQlments.•

Creative Wore! ooncoaloent imperceptible with ell con-

10. By day, when thy sonsoa busy t~~maolves with their appropri• ate objects, if thou soeGt me at all, shall I be unto thee cYon ae thy•

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forefathers, naught but a piller of cloud, vague aDd uncertain, goins before thea. 11. 'But at night, when thou has withdra1n1 thy aezure into themsolves, Qnd thy mind is no longer sr.ept a~y by the multiplicit,y ot objects, thou shalt perceive me more clearly, as a pillar of living fire. 12. 'Behold, it shall be well with thee it thou C!Ulst understand this saying, ar.d if thou lrnowest what is Day, nnd what h Night. 1:5. !lone hath seen t!ll f::.ce to fece, tor I am the forerunner ot all. Thus, 0 Israel, ~ I ever before thee on the·Woy of Lite, and to all mankind it is said, even as to ~sea, •thou shalt see ~ back parts, but mJ face shall not be aeea.• 14. lto matter how fu thou gcest, I have already passed that WG7• Thou sho.lt never see me as I t.m, but thou mayest lcncr• me in what I have done. The wiEe discover me in =7 worka. 15. No man perceivoth ~e os father, until as mother I have brought fo.rth crec.turea. The following of Bob after Daleth in the alphabet is a sit;n and s)"'::bol of this truth. Even u i.IUJ., .ioimll., the Mother, conccaleth the Yod of hB, Ab, the Fc.ther, so doeth ~thou~h the wise call it "the ~thor, wherewith crec.tion took place," conceal the Ewme paternal Yod, since Heh in its plenitude is the n~ber Ton• 16• 1'herefore th~ luttor Beh belon&eth to rey paternal lkrcy. einco in the n~~ber Four, which opportoinoth unto Cheaod, is the number Ten concealed, even ~s it is hidden in the word "window.• And in that exhaustless ~crcy lie hid the riches of tho Kingdom, for the Decad ia the Kinsdom, ~d the Docad is hidden in Cheaed.
1'7 • Reg~d me. therefore, as the po.tern!l.l Yod which impe.rteth life to the whole creation. ~!ot n~.de with bends, but begotten, ill thi• universe of which thou &rt nt once a part and the whole.

18. Of ey own substnnce are all things r.mde, Md I ~;ive eyaelt to every ono. !hoy know me truly r.ho see that it is ~ nature to bring forth ~d to ori~inate. This whole universe ia an expresaion of ray Primal Will to yield fruit•
fre~ly

~a

l9o Even ns in B~raschith (Genesis) thou ~yost read thr.t Li~ht th6 first croation, so hLth it beun known since the bosin.~inc by the

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wise. They worship 1:18 with wisdom who turn their feoea toward the East, for the shining of the dawn is a type of all ~ works• 20. This whole creation is the irradiation of that Limitless Light which I am; but never shall oere man attain to the Source of that di~ine illuoinetion. None may grasp oe, and to. those who seek to capture me in the net of thought I ao the Eternal Fugitive. Yet though I elude pursuit, I am the source and the support, even of the pursuers. 21. I am, in truth, the food of ali beillgs. The bread th011 is ny body, the wine thou drinkest is my bloodJ for beoauae creation took plnce with the letter Heh, thst lett~r is the ground of all created existence, the stuff froo which every fora ia built. the supply for ever, need.
eate~t

22. A.ll thia ao I. Therefore, thour;h none may capture me in the net of thought, he a~all apeak truly who shall say, laying hia hand on a~yt~i~ soever (whether oen prite it, or scorn it at of no worth), "Do at thou ask co to show thee the Lord! Verily, in thh shalt thou find Him, if thou heat eyea to see.w ---The 14th peth of Daleth (III. The Erypress). In traveratac thie pBth, w~ich leads froc Binah to Chokmah on tho free of Life, the ~~· completes his advancement. At this point in his progress bia body is perfectly organized, and thus the ~reat store of &gcleaa nisd~ preserved in th~ subconscious level of the Life-power's activity is always at his car.mand. .~d the marvelous generative and regenerati~ powers or subconsciousness, which extend. roaember, throa~~out t~e whole field of this plan~ of physical forma, are also under his control. With the Uasus, the formation of mental pictures ia followed instantly ~/ their materialization. He sees wuter Bl wine, and wine i t is. Be sees a sick body whole, and overy cell ia restored to normal function •. Yet, because he acta merely as tho vehicle of the uni?eraal Life, he brings about no cataclysmic changes in the operation of the cosmic plan. l1or will he ever perform mighty works merely to oonYince doubters. The Doctrines of the Grado ot Ua.g.us
a 9 : 2.

This Grade is ~ttributed to the aocond oirol3 on the Tree of Life. to the sontenco in the Patterns wXhrough me ita unfall• in~ IVisdoa: tnkea fom in thought &.nd word." i'he e:eoond circle ia n&r:led "Ma.aloth" in Bobrew, generally translated aa w!he Sphere ot the Zodiac," but ooaning litirally, "tho highways of the stara.• To thia circle thn color grey h aalli&Jied. It ia also lcn01111 ~as the IllumiDatinc Intelligence (Hebrew, ZHIR)J and to it·ta likewise attributed ChiH, Chaiah, the Life-foroeo
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~s an aspect of the Life-power this circle is named Chokmah, spelt Ch K M H, Wisdom_ and the letters of this word, represented bf Keys 7, 10, 12, and 4, indicate four doctrines in this Grade, as follows&

1. (Ch) The Chariot. The Magic of Light is the practical appli· cation of the Science of Reality. i>. J4a.gus is not a mountebank, not a producer of illusions, not a caster of glamour. He is one who has mastered tho sphinxes of sensation by means or the invisible reins ot the mind. no has perfected himself in the occult art of Speech, so that his personality freely transmits, from higher planes to lower, the Creative flord of the ONE IDE5TITY. In a lo!agua, identification with the cosmic Life-force is so perfect that it may be said that his path of life is one with the highways of the stars. He who has attained to this Grade livea in perfect harmo~ with the la.s of Being. His thought and word are always embodiments of the Truth of Reality, as oppoaed to the truth or appearances. 2. (X) The Wheel of Fortune. Thus it.is that all perfect Masi say with JeBUs: 11 I 8J: come, not to destroy, but to fulfil the Law. • Popular opinion conceives magic to be an art of circumventing the Law, of going against Nature, of brin~ing about contradictions ot univers•l tendencies. The contrary is true. Many of the works ot the Magic of Light are exceptions to the Lt.w of AVeragPs which dominates the natural man, and all the kingdoms of life below him. Yet these worl:s are exceptions only in the sense that they go beyond the usual phenomena of c~on experience. The ~asus completes the cir• cl• of Life-expression. He ascends to tho position of the Sphinx iD the lOth Key. He has p~saed throush thet seb~nt of the wheel beartns the letter Yodo His works ar6 never contradictions of the Lnw, nor do they over destroy it. blways they are fulfilmenta. Thus the Bible story that l!agi cer.te to the Child of Bethlehem h witneu that, ~ided by their knowledge of times and cycles, these adepta of the Law were glad to pay ho~age to one whom they recognized as an ~vatar, destined to bri~ to fruition certain long-expected consummation• of their anc~ont Gnosia.
~. (:!!) The Hnnl!jed !!an. The J!agic of Darkneu, or Black l!agio, is always distin~uiEhable from the Masic of Light. It invariably aims at the exaltation of personality, at the exercise of personal power, nt the aggrandizement of one person at the expense of othera. Behind all evil magic 3re two complexes--the Will to Power and the Inferiority Complex. The Magic of Light, on the contrary, ia motivated by a genuine Will to Serve. It does not abase personality, because it recognir.es personality aa a valuable instrument of tho Life-power. Say rather that the la~ic of Li~ht correctly estimates the place of personalit-Y, ~nd in so doing reverses the estimate of the ~ss ot hu• manity. The ~cus is not driven by the false Will to Power, which ia really a feeling of lack of power. He ia animattid by a Will to Ser.e, baaed upon hie clear perception of the tmnediate presence of All Power.

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Thus the Magic of Light is also a Magie of Strength, a Magic of Opa. lence, a Magie of Health. ;. l4agua so completely understands the potency and the availability of the Life-power that he never can experience any doubt as to supply. His one concern is the wise distribution of the limitless riches at his disposal. To the world ot ignorant men he seems to be sacrificing himself, because he strives for none of the baubles they hold dear. 'l'o himself nothin& that he does wears the aspect of sacrifice, and all his acta are works or jo,y•
4.. (H) The ·Emoeror. The foregoing ideaa are au:rned up b)r Key 4 and the btter l:ieh. .i. magus sees eye to eye wtth the An.cient of Ancient Ones. He has accomplished that which ia spoken or in the Book of Formation: He has "restored the Creator to Ria throne." Tha~ tnFOne is at the heart of· huD&n personality, not where error puta it. in some inaccessible remoteness of the skies. Thus, in brief, the Magic of Light is none other than the exorciwe or that ConatitutiQS Intelligence which frames and cooposea the universe. Be who ia a transparent vehicle for the transmission of that Intelligence throu&h thought and word into the world or action is a true Magus, and all his mighty works are really deeds of p'cni'ect submiuion to the ORE

IDElrriTY.

Such are the first tour doctrines of the Gr~de. There are alao four others, derived from the letter of tho word ZHIR, IlluminatLnc& 5. (Z) The Lovers. In the consciousness of a ~r,ua, free from the influence of the p~irs of opposites, (as the color gray assigned to this Grade inticates,J thore is perfect ~~lance between aelt-conscioua• ness and subconsciousnossJ and these two aspects of human personalit,r are harmoniously related to the suporconsciousnosa which is ~bove them• i. Magus is a. JlllUl od discrimination. Though he is free from the influence of the pairs of opposites, he is free because he has sharp~ distinguished between all these positivea and negatiYes. Bot bf ignoring the pairs of opposites are we treed from them. Our liberation never co:"~es throu~;h ignorance. Ou the contrary, it la b)- keen discri=ination botwoen the various polaritiea or differentiation that a Magus is able to combine them, neutralize them, and transcend thea. For exo.mple, the differencea between the functions of solf-consciouanesa and subconsciousness must be known, so that thero may be no contusion in their proper exercise. Not until these differences are clear~ perceived may we avail ourselves of the full power of either level ot human mentality. Not until this diaoriaination is ~~ade can subconscio·u~en become the perfect mirror of auporeonsciousness pictured in Key S. The illumination which characterize• a Magu1 thu1 boginl with acta of keen discrimination.

s. (B) The Emparor. In conaequence ot thia accurate dil• crimination, wn!Cn is iargoly an exercise of purceEtive power, comes the abiltty to measure all experience correctly. Thus tho Illuminatin&

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Intelligence is primarily Mercurial, or discrtminatiTe. One mu~ watch before he can rebson. ~ ~gus takes corrQct measures because he hal watched, and because he has watched, he haa learned to aee. 7. (I) The Hermit. This illumination, of which the Uasio of Light is the consequence and expression, eo~a about through subtle chemical and psyehic~l transformations. It is ~~& completion or the c.lohcmical oper'ltion reprecented in Tarot by Key IX. J.. l:af!Us doea nothin& of himself. He is merely o.n embodin:ent of the illll of God. Thus nothinc can withstand him. ~11 the forces of nature obey him. In his own con• sciousneas he is one with th<J i'litneu of all actiTity. It ia not that he exerts hL~telf, with great effort, to produce this or that result. Be is simply the c~lm, untroubled obserT~r of the play of eTents which r.ort toeether to bri~ about the ineTitable succeaa of the Operation of the Sun, or !.!llgnam Opua. • B. (R) The Sun. Final~, there is no self-importance in a l!agus. ile is thus described in the Upaniahadu ".A perfect fool in oae place, all royal splendour in another; at times in fond delusion, at times entire pence and quiet; often in t~e slothful indifference ot the boaa the ~Jbjeet of tho highest encomiums in one place, in another ell eont~FtJ in a third entirely unnoti~ed;--thus coea about the wiae ~nd of his attainment it knower, over happy in the hiGhest bliss. is written: RThe knower of tho Calf attains to the SupreDeJ hence it is said: 'Tho Self is Bbins, Consciousness, L~itlessness. 1 He who reali&el this, present in the intellect, as well ~s in tho highest Akasha, has aceecs to the fruition of all dosire whatcTer, at one sweep, boing one with. all-seeing ~lf." He has, in bri~r. become the Little Child, a term oftun us~d in the Orient to represent the hiches~i~. Freo from care, free fro~ the burden of false responaibilitiea, free frOD the limitations of hu~n conT~ntiona and opiniona, he extracts the nectar of wisdoo fron the experience of the Eternal Now. It is r.otc.worthy that this word ZBIR is one of maay 111Ultiplea of the number 37 which we encounter throur,hout the literature of ~eleaa \'lisdOI!I. Ita nu:nGral nlue is 222, or 6 x 37. Since 6 is the number of Beauty, and r~preaents ~lso the purrection of the co~c order, while 37 is the nu~ber or a word that moans Bre~th or SpiritJ un4 ia also, in th& Pythacorean Triangle, tho TBlue of the angl~ which expresses ~he relation of the ascending hypotenuse to the base, we aoe that ZHIR, or 6 x 37 intimates that the Illuminating lntelli&enco ia the result of the perfect relationship or tho personal organi .. of th~ Mo.gus to the fund&Der.tal laws of .lite. .i.ll hh thou&hts are beautiful, all his words are beautiful, and because action and eaTironmor.t oro reflections of thought and word, ho is contiDually surrounded by beauty, 11nd that hoauty is contat:ious. 1'hia 1a the roason why ~gi oro always healure and toachera. They heal by their preeence. They teach without speooh. In their circle of influence ignorance is diapellod, as darkness flies befocothc aua, and with the cessation of ignorance T&Diah also all tho eTil consoquenoea thereof.

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What I have said concerning this Gr~de must suffice for thic book, meagre as is the instruction I feel able to give. ~eith~r writer nor renders are ncar enough to the Third Order to make any other course aDything but arrant presumption. I have transmitted to you what I h!lve received• When your time for greater knowledge CCID8e, you will find it waiting for you • The Grade of Ipsiasimua, 10 : l. This Grade corresponds to the first sphere, Kether, the Primal Will, or Crown. Ita color is pure white brilliance, the ~nthesia of all colors. It has no r.usical tone. fhe divine naae attributed to it is J.HIH, pronounced .ny·hyay, with strong accent on the second ~llable. This nume meana •Exiatenoe.• Only one path leada to thiE Grade, that of the letter Gimel. The reason is that Kether is the Goal of the initiatory journey, and when that goal hna been re~ched, th~re is nothing ~ore to be done. Thus the 11th path of J•leph and the Fool, which leads from the first sphere to the second, ~lways leads downward, and the same is true of the 12th p!lth of Beth and the ~gici~, which connects Kether with the third sphere. "Ipsissimus," the title or the Grade, means, "Be who is most himself," and connects with the Qabaliatic attribution of rChiDH, Jechid~h (pronounced yuw·kee-dah) to the first Sephirah. Jechidah ncans "the indivisible," and is the Hebrew technical term for "Self", practically equivalent to the Sanskrit ht~. It designates the coamio Self, the One I AU that is manifested through innumerable personalitiea, on this earth and e laewhere. The Grade of Ipsisaimua ia that of the Head of the Iaviaible Order. hf.ter our cursory revi~ of the ata~ea of attainment, it should be apparent that the aelf·appointed Heads" of the varioua paeudo-Roaicrucian societies that angle tor ea-.y belieTers through ndvertiae~enta in maga&ines and n~apar:r• are, to say the least, absurd in their pretensions. For the Supreme Bead" of the Order is none other than the Chriatoa, the universal Logos. Bel~ Bim are the eolar Logoi of the Tarious planetary systems, aDd below these are the Logoi, or spirits of the seearate planets. Among incarnate being• on any planet, the post of Head" 1a occupied by that one amonc the Uagi who has attained to the ~oat perfect unification with the Primal Will. tlo man ia appointed to this post, nor elected to it. The degree of attainnent is the only deciding factor in his selection. Aa4 this degree is judged by no man. It simplJ IS. Perhaps an illustration Will help. In any circle of buman betDsa,

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the dominant center is that person who hna the highest degree of selt• realization. Th~t person's thought dominates the minds of the other members of the group, even though he may never say a word. Close obeervation will show you how true this is, even Bl:long sl'l411 companies of people. Be who is most truly self-possessed, 1. e., "possess6d b,r the Self." is the ruler of the rest. For in his thOUGht there is a strength, a positiveness, a clnrity,which impose themselves b7 induction upon the minds of all the others in the company. The l~th pnth of Ginel (II. The Hir,h: Priestess.} The lettern!l.tlG Gimel 1 Q!.!L 1 is the number 73 1 c.nd this is the nu::~eration of the word Chokm~ 1 Ch~, the n~e of th~ second Sephir~, to which is attributed th3 Gr~de of M~s. Thus there is intimated an identit,r botwcen the Uniting Inteliigcnce of the 13th path und the Lite-power's perfect self-knowledge, which is Chotmah• In Tarot, too, this is subtly hinted at, because the nu:·'llber ot the High Priestesa,(II,)is also the nUQber of Cbokm~ on the Tree ot Life. The Leeser Bola hssr.nbly, one of th~ books of the~, also speaks of tho lesser hokmoh, which it says is feminine. In the Proverbs of Solocon, too, Chokmnh is frequently spoken of in the feminine gender, as in Prov. 7:4, "Soy unto wisdor.t, Thou art ta;Y dater. •. To this fcninine aspect of wisdom, says tho Lesser Boly ~~se~bly 0 thnt riddle nlludes wnich is siven in the Son; of Solomon, 8t8, 1 ~e have a little sister, nnd she hath no brenstaa what shall we do tor our siater in the dey when she shall be spoken fort• Thus, althouch Chok:CID.h is usually described na muculine, and has attributed to it the nrumo riB, Ab, the Father, it is also, when considered as receptive to the influence of Xethcr, described as ra.inino. J~d even when it is called hB, Ab, the Father, the numeration of th~t word shows n correspondence to the letter Gtool, becauae J~ ir the number ~. nnd this is the number of Gimel, considered as a single let.ter. The 13th path, moreover, conve!•S to every Qabalht the combined ideas of Unity and Love ascociated with the number lS, and ~• all love is ~;pitied by the Woman who is tho object or lo~e, there is a profound connection betw6en tho 13th pnth and the various feminine nspecta of tho Life-powero The beginning of the 13th pnth is Tiphoreth, and th• work which is performed by th~ ~r.us as he adv~ces throuch it ia symbolized b,y tho scroll of the High Priestess. We draw nigh to the Sclt b,y recolleotion, by unrollir~ the scroll of memory. Thus wo unite oursolvea with tho One. In chert, as I have intim~ted throughout this book, the "attainment" ot an adept ia not the coining of something which ho does not

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possess. It is the recollection of what he real~ is, the perpetual remembrance that "the Lord IS in his holy temple" The Doctrines of the Grade of lpsiaaimus, lOe 1. This Grade corresponds to the uppermost circle of the Tree of Life, nar.ed Kether (KThR) the Crown, or Primal Will. In Qabalis• tic· psycholobY, Kether is the seat of Jechidah (IChiDE), the Self• identical with the Atman of Hindu philosophy. !ether is also called the J~miratle, or ~;atical, Intelligence. The Hebrew is Pawlaw (PLl), said to be "the light ~~ich imparts understanding of the beginnins which is without beginning." Observe that IChiDH adds up to 37, while PLA is a reversal of ALP, Aleph, and adds up to ll~, or 3 x 37. The doctrines of the Grade are derived from the letters ot
!ThR and PLl, as follows&

1. (It) The Judenent. All activity is spiritual actiTit)r, aDd the center of sll spiritual activity is the One Self. The Limitless Light, condensins itself in a single point, be~ina a whirling motiOD pictured by the wheel in Key 10. Thus Kether ia sometimes called Nequdah Raahunah {UQDH RAShVlffi) the Prir.~ordial Point, in reference to this condensation of the encr~ of the Linitless Light; and it 1s also ter'.:led .Rashith !ia-GalgaliD (RAShiTh HGLGLil!), the Beginnillg ot th~ tnirlings, in allusion to the movement set up bf this condensatiOD of energy• The SUALL POINT is WITHDi • It ia the POINT of SPIRITUAL REALirt • the POINT OF co:~SCIOUS~lESS, the center of expression for the ONE IDENTI1'f. It is the One Self, or Atman, which natural men suppose erroneous~. t~ be isolated within their personal organisms. He who trul7 knows the Self knows that at this SWI.IJ. POiln' he ia one wlth All-Power.
Thh inner point of identity w1 th the Eternal ia our point ot contact with Absolute Firat Cause. This Indivisible One (which is the literal meaning of IChiDH) depends upon nothing soever. It h the TAO of Lao-Tze, concerning which be wrotea "The TAO that 11 the subject or diacuaaion is not the true tao. The quality which can be named is not ita true attribute.•

r.o circumstances, past, present, or tuture, can effect the tree expression or this Absolute Firat Cause. It itself does not act, but from it all action proceeds, and there ia no limitation whatever to ita pguer to initiate perfectly new cycles of oxpreasion. Preoedeat haa no restricting influence upon it. Conditions do not affect it• Contingencies do not modif'y it.

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The Ipsinimus ("He who is most himself") ill that person ill any circle of human society who beat realitea the presence of this ONE IDE1T!TY, as Absolute Firat Ct.use, at the heart of hia personalit,y. In any group ot persons, the master mind ia be who best Wlderstanda the Self. 2. (Th) The World. The world, for aey hur.l8l1 being, is realq a proj~ction, upon the screen of space and ti~, of mental imager,y. This projection is from within outward. The lena through which il.bsolnte Reality is projected as Relative Imagery, is the lena of selt-consciouaneas. VIe do Dot easily perceive this truth• but truth it ia, nevertheless. Aa Van Der Leeuw aays. iD his :'!IOI!t !llu."'::iD~-ti.Dg nrta ~~When I take up a book and drop it on the crouncl onli ·on. event takes place and that is the eveDt as it is in the world ot the Real• There is nothiur; unreal about that event, it is entirely, wholly and thoroughl7 real. But my awareneu ot the event, the way in which it presents itselt 1D my world·inace, is my interpretation of the real event, and that interpretation ia only relatively real, real for me, not real in itselt. When then, in r:rr world-i!:lage, I IIJ:I aware of my hand graspint; the book and droppins it on the ground, what really happens is that in the world of the Real an·· interaction takes place. llhat appoara in rq world-image is ~j version of it, in which version the unity ot the event ia broken up in ~:~easure of time and space and in a multitude ot qualities. Then I externalize ~ awareness of the event itself and that externalized irna~e becomes for me the event itselt. Unreality or illusion never resides in the ovent,or thing iD itself, nor even in ~ interpretation of it, which is true enough for me, but in the rae~ that I t~ke M7 icterpretetion to be the thing ~alt. exaltine it to the stature of an absolute aDd independent reality.• (The Conquest of Illu~ page 31) Hence., if we remember that the letter 'l'a'U repreaeata "Ad.al.tniatrative Intelli&ence, • we shall see th!lt happinesa and freedom are ours to the extent that our personal world• or the proJection ot our personal interpretation of experience, coincides with the real world which is ~~e expression ot the ONE IDENTirr. 'l'o the degree that all our efforts are directed toward making our personal thought, speech, and action adequate and unobstructed channels for the Lite and i'lisdom of the ONE IDEBTirr, to that decree will we share in the government of the world •
!. (R) The Sun. The foreeoin& consideration• lead to the COD• elusion symbolized by Key :'.IX, where the tlOW"ers behind the wall turn toward the children, who danoe in a fairy rtns representinc the OJOlea

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ot exprossion pictured by the wheel in Key x.. A human personali~ when the conscious ~d subconscious phases of mentality are resenerated or born anew, becomes a radiant center through which the Life• power manifests itself. Only when we understand pereonality in this way do we see oureelves in our true relation to circunstances.
Appearances are against this doctrine. the mass of human beings believe thomse_lvoe to be the creatures of oircUl'latancea. l'hua we have ama111 us all varieties of this ignorant superstition. from the beliefs ot sa~~es who suppose themselves to be at the mercy of malignant spirita of the ole!'lents, to the equally superstitious notions of the model'll materialists who talk learnedly about "heredity.• •en~ronment.• "economic determinism.• and the like. The Ipsissi=us KNOWS that oir• cumst~1ces are th~ projections of his interpretations of reality, and the results of his lcnowledge amue his contemporaries, who look upoa him as a miracle-worker• Bere it lllllY be well to say that the knowledge that appearance• are so larcely illusive does nothinc whatever to re~ove the illusion itself. That is now what we are after. To an astronomer the .un seema to rise in the East. just as to a person who believes that it actuarr:ydoes rise; but the astronomer lcnowa better. to the Ipdssil:lua. hUIIall personality see~a to be conditioned by enviro~ent, and seems to be hed~ed about~ varioua limitations; but the Ipaissimua knows better. He has made this k:nowled&e deep-rooted and permanent. B~ thinks, speaks, and acts from it. Therefore his aode of life ia inc~prohensible to the merely natural man. l'o the sage. however, the works which seas miraculous to his cont.:r.~poraries are merely the natural expression• of what he knows himself to be • 4. (P) The Tower • The extraordinary worke of a 11ltnower of s.u• lar&ely applications of the force which. in these leeeone, hal been called the Mars force. This is a power which is ordinaril7 destructiYe• a power manifested in the passional force of subconsciouaneea Which 111odern psychology te.rms ~. a power Which brings about the peyaiological changes that result in physical death•
~re

A g~Uon in the sympathetic ner'Youa ayatom, at about the in the body represented by the navel, ia the great center of this powor. Dy tho varioua practices which have been de\•iaed :-.t T~~io~: ti~er.,such Jt. tnoac found in Yoga teaching and in the ceremonial magic or tho Weatern occult echool, thil Mare force ie brought under cor.trol. Essentially like eloctrioit,y. and &overned by similar lawa, this force is inimical to man onl7 so long aa he misunderatGDda and misuses it. Rightly understood, it breaks down all atruoturos or error and its action in the brain awakene the Conctituttnc Intelligence ropre• aented in tarot by the Emperor.
hci~ht

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All Ipsissimus has mastered the Yars force. He has O"Yerthrowb the false knowledge of separateness, rooted 1n error and illusion. Be is consciously immortal, and has identified the •t• in his awn person• ality with the Universal Self. He no longer aota as a separate being. All that he thinks, all that he says. all that he doea. ia understood by him as being the activity of the Universal Selt•

s. (L) : • Justice. Thus an Ipsissimas is a perfectly poised personality. Be haa killed out nmbition, but works as those ao ·.• who are ambitious. Be has killed out desire of life, but respects life as those do who desire it. He has killed out desire ot oomtort. but ia happy as those are who live for happiness. Thus he reali&ea these injunctions laid daKO in Lirht on the Path. He leads a lite of perfect expression of that Law•
6. (.l..) The Fool. In brief, an lpsiadmus h the mystical Fool of all &Qorod allegories. Nothi~ binda him.. He is beyond all the limitations of "this world.• His motivos and his aotiona are iD• OOI!!prehonsible tO the lllllSS of cerely natural meno Sometime& thay 1101'• ship him. Oftener they derido him. Always they fear him. Bever do they understand him. His instruction the7 may grasp. so far as he makes it comprehensible to intellect. But the inner essence ot the man eludes tbea. 'l'hus it ia that they who have tully attained to the highest Grado of the Invisible Order have few companions in the world. '!'heir light shines in the darkness of the false world• but that darkness cannot swallow it up. Yet the Ipslssimi are never lonely. They live in silent, but TiVid co~nioation with each other. and they all share in the bliss of the HeaYenly ViaiOD.

•• •••• •• •
COICLUSIOI

A subject having so many ramifications aa thia one could be expanded into • whole library ot YOlumee the she or this. blat I trust I have done what I set out to do. namely. to demonstrate that the original Rosicrucian documents are allegories of the unfoldment of the inner life of lllfln, baaed upon the Secret Wisdom of Israel. to .Sich certain Hermetic elamenta have been added. It is ~ hope that this book will serve still another purpoae. During many yeara of occult research. I have often me men and women who wero fully persuaded that they belonged to the •only trueR Roaioru• cian Order. Again &Dd again I have seen them suffer bitter diaillusion•

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ment, ns they onme to learn that what had seemed to them to be tbe gold of pur~ truth was, at best, only the "fool's gold" of well-meant ignor• ance, or, at ~orst, a gold brick of lying topoature. I havo long since given up any attempt to persuade such persona of their errors while yet they remain believers. But I have hopes that this book will do somethin~ to bring aid and comfort to the disillusioned, so that they may lenrn that after all there is a real Rosicrucian Fraternity, although it hna never been organized as, for instance, the Masons IU"O. I ha~e been caretul to refrain from direct at;tack on any speci• fie Rosicrucian imposture, although there are in this present day a DUmber of glaring instances which certainly tempt me. But I believe that even this mere outline or Rosicrucian tonohing, baaed upon indubitable sources, will do ~ore to protect seekers for light against imposture than a whole aeries or exposure•• There is a true Rosicrucian Order. ~d there are Rosicrucian societies which IU"e undoubtedly in touch with th~t invisible Inner School. none of those societies, however, claims to be the Order itself, and none ~akes nny pcrticular pretension to antiquity, although some have be~n working for a relatively long period• ThGae organizations of oocult students quietly carry on the work or initiation and instruction in various parts of the world. If you are duly and truly prepared, you will ~~doubtodly make contact with such schools in duo season. Such contact, however, is invaribly made through personal ch~~els, and not through advertising in the public prints. It you meet a member of such a body of students, he will recognize your· readiness for further instruction, and will make tests of your knowledge
and
unders~anding•

But if somebody all dressed up in gaudy regalia, publicly or semipublicly announcing himself ns the "Bead" of the Rosicrucians, make• a bid for your allegiance or financial support, an your owu head be it if you afte~urda go throu~h n period of cruel disillusion, chould you accept him aa such. I do not condemn such pretenders. Thoy condemn themselves.. Besides, I think 1 know why they are permitted to carry on their impostures. Above all, the practical occultist muat develop the quality of discrimination, and they who lnot.it have to learn some bitter loaaons. So al•o do those who, thet:tselves disb6licving in spiritual verities, pretend

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to s•1ch l.l~licf in of their fellow men. as that of those who later the frauds and your guard.

order to gnin control of the lives and purses Their own ~nt of discrimination is as· great are led astray by their claptrap. Sooner or their dupes will learn better. Meauwhile, be on

Seek only the highest. Remember the words of the original texte, quoted on pnge ll;"To thu false and i~posters,.and those who seek other thin~r s thnn wisdom, we cannot be betrayed to our hurt • 11 Here the word 11 wisdo~ refers to the Qal~listic c~. Cho~, to which the Grade of !!.e.gua ill attributed•
11

Tho.t wisdO'!!! recognius huun personality as the vehicle of the real Self, a reco&nition which finds expreasion in the coat caretul direction of thought nnd speech (Ch, the Chariot). It is the grasp ot the truth that ell ~~e details of person~l ~ction are really mnni• festations of the "wheels within wheels" of the co~o cycles (1, the Wheel of Fortune). It is the reversal of most people's attitude toward life, expressed in a. tot~l self-surrender resulting in the perfect con• centration and meditation which Hindus tPrm Samadhi (M, the Banged Man). Finally. it is the clear ~ision gained by union with the real Salt. who is the ruler end Lord of all things (B, the Emperor). If thie be what you seek, and you keep the flamo ot aspiration burning bright, doing o.ll that you know how to perfect yourself in concentration end ~ditation, to the end thnt your personality ~~y be unified with tho cosmic lite. you will procresa ste~dily toward adoptship•
Of nll descriptions of the Inner School which ia the True und Invisible Rosicrucian Order, none bettor has been written than that conto.inod in Xo.rl von Eckh~rtshnusen'a Cloud Upon the Sanctuary, fraa whibh I hnve condensed th~ following paragraphs•

"Sons of truth, there is but one order, but one Brotherhood, but one association of men who are agreed in the sole object of acquirinc lit;ht. From this centc.r t::iaunderstanding hu brought forth mnumerable Orders, but nll will return, fro~ the multiplicity of opiniona, to the only truth and to the true Order--the asaociation of those who are able to receive the light, the Community of the Elect. "This community of lir,ht h~s oxiatcd since the first day of the world's ore~tion, ~nd its duration will be to the end of ttme. It ie the society of those elect who know the Light in the Darkneaa nnd separato what is pure therein. "This cocmunity poseeaaes a School, in which all who thirat for

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knowledge are instructed by the Spirit of Wisdom itself; and all the mysteries of God and or nature are preserved thorein for the children of light. Perfect knowledge of God, of nature and of hunanity are the objects of instruction in this school. It is thence that~l truths penetrate into the world; herein is the School of the Prophets and of all who search for wisdom; it is in this co~nity alone that truth and the explanation of all ~stery ie to be found. It is the moat hidden of communities, yet it possesses members gathered from many orders; of such is this School. • • • "This Sanctuary, composed or scattered members, but knit by the bonds of perfect unity ll!ld love (N.B. Eckhartshausen here givee -. Qabalistic clue, for "unity" and "love" are AChD and ABBH, and both are 13, or~ plus 8), has been occupied from the earliest agel in building the ~rand Te~ple to the regeneration of humanity, by which the reisn of God will be manifest. This society is in the communion of those who have the rnost capacity for light, ~. the Elect • • • "It was formed ~ediately after the fall of man. and receiYed from God at first-hand the revelation or those means by which fallen humanity could be again raised to ita rights and delivered from its misery: (Co~pare this with the traditional account of the origin of the Qabalah, and remember that a true ~abalist is one who is receptive to Lit;hte• ; •••• ~ t.t received the key of true acience, both divine and natural. • • ., "Eut, when men ~~ltiplied, the frailty of man and hia weakne11 necessitated an exterior society which veiled the interior one, and cono~aled the spirit and the truth in the letter. The people at large were not capable of comprchendin; high interior truth, and the dar.scr vould have been too great in confiding that which was of all most holy to incapable people. Therefore, inward truths were wrapped in-external and visible ceremonies, so that men, by th& perception ot the outer,.T.hich ia the ~bol of the interior, r.icht by de~reea be enabled safely to approach the interior spiritual truths. "But t~e secret depositary has always been confided to him who in his day had the ~ost capacity for illumination, and he became the solo guardian of the original Trust, aa Hi&h Prie1t of the Sanctuar,y • • • "This interior community of light is the reunion of all thole capable of receiving light, and elect thereto; it is known as the Communion of Saints, The prinitive deposit of all power and truth has b~cn confided to it from all time--it alone, snys St. Paul, ia thv poaa~saion of the science of the Saints. By it tho agents of God were formed in every ace, passinc from interior to the exterior, and o~nicating spirit and life to the dead letter--a• already l&ido

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"This illuminated community has been through time tbe true school of God's spirit, and considered as school, it has its Chair, its Doctor, it possesses a rule for studerts, it has forma and objecta for study, and, in short, a ~ethod by which they study. It haa, also, ita desrees for successive development to higher altitudes • • • •
8 This school of wisdom has been for ever most secret~ hidden from the world, because it is invisible and submissive solely to DiTina Government.

"It has never been exposed to the accidents of time and to the weakness of man, because only th~ ~ost capable were. chosen tor it, an4 the spirit which selected could suffer no deception. •By this school were developed the germs of all the sublime sciences, which were next received by external schools, were then olothe4 in other forma, and in fine sometimes degenerated therein. Thia society of aases co~icated, according to time and cir• cumstBncea, unto the exterior societies their symbolic hieroglyphs, in order to attract external man to the great truths of the interior•
8

. "But all 6xterior eocietiea subsist only in proportion as this society communicetes ita spirit thereto. as soon as external aocietiea wis~ to be independent of the interior one, and to transform a tenple of wisdom into a political edifice, the interior society retires and loaves only the letter without the spirit. It ia thus that secret ex• tcrnal societies of wisdom woro nothing but hieroglyphic screens, the truth remaining invar~bly without the sanctuary so that it might no~~r be profaned. 1t "In this interior society man finds wisdom and therewith the All-not the wisdorn of this world, which is but scientific knowl~dge, which revol~oa round the outside but never touches the centre (wherein is oontain6d all power), but true wisdom and men obedient thereto. "All disputes, all contro~ersies, all the things belonging to the false prudence of this world, fruitless discussions, useless germs ot opinion which spread the weeds of disunion, all error, schisms and sys• tems are banished therefrom. Neither calumny nor scandal aro known. Every ~Qn is honoured. Satire, that spirit which seeka diversion to the oioadvantage of its nei~hbour, is unknown. Love Qlone roicn•• Never doee the monster of c&lumnf rear amons the sons ot wiadoa its serpent headJ

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estimation in common prevails, ar.d this onlyJ the faults of a friend are paosed OTCrJ there are no bitter reproaches heaped on ~perfection. Generously and lovingly, the seeker is placed upon the way of truth. It is souGht to persuade and touch the hearts of those who e~r, leaTinc the punishment of sin to the Lords of Light.
~ant and feebleness are protected) rejoicings are made at the elevation o.nd dignity which r.tan acquires. J:o one is raised above another by th6 fortune ~hich is the gift of chance; he o~ly counts himself oost happy who has the opportu~ity to benefit his brethren; o.nd all such ~en, united in the spirit of love and truth, constitute tho Invisible Church, tho society of the Kingdom within, under that one Chief who is God.

"':To 1.1ust not, however, i.l!la~ine that this society resembles &:17 secret order, meeting at certain ticoa, choosing ita leader• and members, united by special objects. All associations, be these what the7 may, can but ecce after this interior illuninated ci~cle, which societ,r knows none of the formalities bclon~ir~ to the outer rings, the wort of man. In this kingdor.t of power the outward forma cease •. •God Hi:aseli' iZI the Power always preae!lt. The best rtan of hie the chiof himself, does not invariably know all the ~~bars, but tht~ mol'lc:Jt "Rhen it is the Will of God that they should be brought into communic~tion he finds thom unfailingly in the world and ready to wort for.thc o~d in Tiew•
ti~s,

•This community has no outside barriers. He who ~y be chosen by God is as the firstJ ho preaoats himself L~nc the othera without presur.ption, and he is received by them without jealou~.

•tr it be necessary that true r.embers should meet together, they find and recognize each othor with perfect certainty. No disguise can be used, neither hypocrisy nor dissimulation could hide the characteristic qualities of this society, because they are too genuine. All illusion is sone, and things a~pear in their true form.
"no one member can choose another, unanirloua choice is .required, All men are called, the called may be chosen, if thoy bee~ ripe for entrance.
"Ar.y one can look for entrance, and a.~y r.an who is within can teach another to seek for it> but only he who is ripe can arrive inside. Unprepared men occasion disorder in a c~nity, and disorder is not compatible with the Sanctuary. This thrusts out all who are not hocogeneous. Worldly intelligence seeks this Sanctuary in T&tnJ in vatD

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also do the efforts of malice strive to penetrate these great mysteries; all is undecipherable to him who is not prepared; he can see nothin&. read nothinz in the interior. "He who is ripe is joined to the chain, perhaps etten where he thought least likely, and at a point of which he knqw nothing himselt. Seeking to bcc~e ripe should be the effort of him who lOTea wiadaa. "But t~ere are methods by which ripeness is attained, for in thia holy commmion is the primitive storehouse of the most ancient and original science or the human race, with the primiti~ ~steriea alao of all science. It is the unique and really illuminated cacmunit,y which is in possession of the key to all mystery, which k~ows the centre and source of nature and creation. It is a society which unitea superior power to its a:m, and includea mc.l!lbers frOI!I more than one warld. It ia tho society r.hose members form n theocratic re~blic, which one day will be the .Rer;ent .Mother of the whole World. May this outline of its constitution and degreea, -=d thia ezplanation of the Way of ~eturn which leads at length to illumination. be the means of encouraging you to persevere in tr.e Great Work whoae fruit is the "ripeness" of which Eckhartshausen speaks. This book has coree to ycoJ because you are a lrendy a~ont those who are called. ~ best wish for you is that as a result of reading it, yoa cay come to be n~~borod a~ons the chosen.

A P P E N D I X.
. In the firs+. edition of this book I gave several exercis~ intended to enable the student to reproduce in hie own perEon, to ~ degree, the· ctates of mind and body belonging to the variou~ stages or Rosicrucian development. That instruction has ~ecn ndTisedly omitted from the present edition, principally because I foel that it is really safer to avoid civing fo~las, and better to rely upon the explanation or prinoiplec. But tu students of Tarot, and especially those Who haTe came in contact with our inctructions concerning color and aount. it will be evident tho.t c.very Grade of the Order, and every stace ot advancemont through tho paths, has its correspondences in Tarot, 1D color. and in sound. For the benefit of those who have not had ~ny instruction on these points, I shall now briefly resume some of the fundamental•• although it

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should be understood that the techniaue of using the finer modes of vibration is one that requires more extE:nded instruction than can be given in these pages. Colors and Sounds of the Ten Grades. 1. Ipsissimus. 2. Magus. Xether. White brilliance. No tonal correspondence.

Chokmah.

Neutral Gray.

No tonal correspondence.

3. ~gister Tcmpli. Black and deep Blue-violet. The black has no tonal correspondence, but the blue-violet correspQnda to A-natural. 4. Exempt Adept. Blue. The sphere of Jupiter. The sphere of
~s.

G-sharp.

5. Greater Adept. Red.

C-natural. E-natural. P-sharp. D-natural. A-sharp •

6. Lesser Adept. Yellow. The sphere of the Sun.

1. Philosophus.

Green. Orange.

The sphere of Venue. The sphere of Mercury. The sphere ot the Uocn.

s.

Practicua.

9. Tbeoricus.

Violut.

• 10. Z~lator. Citrino, Russet, Slate, Black. The oitrine is the mixture of Orange and Green, corresponding to the chord D-F-sharpJ the russet is the mixture of Orange und Violet, corresponding to the chord A-sharp-D; the slate is the mixture of Violet and Green, correapondin£ to tho chord F-sharp-A-sharp; and the blnok is really the mixture of or~~e, green, and violet, corresponding to the chord D-F-sharp-A-sharp.
Colo~s

and Sounde of the 22 letters and Tarot X!r•• 0. I. II. III. The Fool. Light lellow. ·E-natural. Yellow. E-natural. Blue. 0-sharp.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Aleph.
Beth.

The llagioian.

Gimel. Daleth. Beh.

The High Priestess. The Empresa. Red.

Green.

F-sbarp.

lV.

The Emperor. The Hierophant.

C-natural C.sharp.

Vau. V.

Red-Orange.

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7.

2.aino

Vl.

The Lovers.

Orange.

D-natural D-aharp.

e.
9.
10.

Cheth. 'l'oth. Yod. Kaph. Le.mod.
:!lem.

VII.

The Chariot.

Orance-Yellow. E-natural.

VIII. Strength.

Yellow.

u.

The Hern:it.

Yellow-Green.

F-natural A-sharp.

ll.
12.
13.

x.
XI.

Tho ?lheel of Fortune. Justice. Green.

Violet.

F.-sharp

XII. The Hanged l!an. Blue, G. sharp. XIII. Death. Blue-Green. G-natw'al.
Tecper!lllco. Blue, G-aharp. A-natural.

14.
15.

Nun.

Sa:nekh. XIV.
XV •
XVI.

16. Ayin.

The Devil. The Tower.

Blue-Violet. Red.

17.
18.
19.

Peh.

C-natural. A-sharp. B-natural.

Tuddi. XVII. Qoph. XVIII. Resh. XIX. Shin. XX. Tau.
XY~.

The Star. The l!oon.

Violet.

Violet-Red.

20. 21. 22.

The Sun. The

Orange. Red.

D-natural. C-natural. A-natural•

Jud~ent.

The World.

Blue-Violet.

These twenty-two letters and Xcya correBpond to the oonnectin& paths on the Tree of Lifo. Three (Aleph, Mcm, and Shin) corroapon4 to Air, rioter, and Fire, respecti"'ely. They correspond also to the planets Uranus (A), Neptune (ll), and Vulcan (Sh). Vulco.n ia an occult planet, not yet recognized ~y exoteric astron~. These three letter• nlae correspond to the following centers in the bodya Aleph to the pineal gland; ~em to tho pituitary body; Shin to tho prostatic ganglion, or center behind the navel.
s~ven or the letters correspond to seven centers in the body, a 1 follows• Beth, to the cerebrum and pineal glandi Gimel, to the pituitary body; Doleth, to the center at the well of the throat; Kaph, to tho solar plexuaJ Peh, to the prostatio or navel centreJ Rosh, to the cardiac plexus, or heart oenterJ Tau, to the baaio centre, the aacral ploxua, at the baae of tho spine.

The other twelve letters correspond to tho twelve areas role4

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by the twelve signs of the zodiac, as follow11

Beh, to Aries, governing tho head, and all that the skull contains, with thf exception or the nose, ears, and lower jGW. Vau, to Taurus, governing the ears, lower jaw, atlas and cervical vertebrae, neck and throat. Zain, to Gemini, governing the shoulder-blades, collar-bonee, a.rms and hand a 1 e.nd lung a.
Che~~.

to Cancer, governtnc the bony structure ot the chest, the
ato:~&ch.

lllllml:lllJ7 glands, and the

'feth, to Leo, governing the heart, and the dorsal regiOD ot the, spine. Yod, to Virgo, governing th~ intestines and the abdominal region.

Lamed, to Libra, governing the kidneys, adrenals, and lumbar region ot the apineo
r.un, to Scorpio, governing the nasal passages, the organa ot reproduction, and the reproductive potencies ot the whole organism.
Samclcb, to Sagittnriua, governing the hips and
~in, thi~s.

to Cnprioorn, governing the kneel•

Tzadai, to Aquarius, governing the calves and ankles.
~oph,

to Pisces, governing the teot.

From the foregoing attributions it will be apparent what colore and sounds are attributed to the centers and aroas. Detnilud instruction on the use ot those vibratory forces for healinc may be found tD r:zy boo!c, ~i~rclntio~_£~~ ';!'td Sound.