The Paradox of God's Love
God is love and love becomes relative only when we want, must, need, and can't. When we apply separation and the word "I" as a point of separation to the wholeness of life, we can come to discover that the false "I" is seemingly made of the "substance" of our desire. Yet, if there were no desire, the love of God would not unfold into the relative world it is doing. This is, perhaps, one of the greatest paradoxes for the aspirant on the path. We are asked to give up our illusions and to become aware of the actual. Yet, our willingness to say "I" is what produces :change in our world. In affirming our unity by saying "I AM," we become agents of omnmity, and life becomes, even for us, an experience of the actual.
The illusions produced by desire, obligation, necessity, and impossibility are relative. Love is absolute. Yet, the former without the latter is impossible for us to realize. Without our desire and yearning, love could not continue to break out of unity and bring about he miracle of diversity. The actuality of the Cosmic is open to us and, hence, if we are willing to awaken to the laws that govern change within the cycles set before time, we will experience and share in the fruits of the "Chemical Marriage" and be what we were at first, lost in a remembered love, but fully conscious now of the oneness and unity that is.
To be one of those who follow "the way" of the Rose-Croix is an honor and a privilege, although it is also difficult sometimes to understand what this could mean. No mundane rewards are given. Nor is there even great joy in the early stages. Often, when we look around at the many different schools and paths, we find that the way we go, led by our own experience of the Inner Self, is easy to doubt. When arrogance and hubris (over-weening pride) are the experiences of our life, let us then try to explore what the Rosicrucian Way is all about!
Contrary to some beliefs, the path of service is not merely a path of self-development; it is a path of letting go, a path which to external eyes can appear to be a path of sacrifice. The path of service is not a path that is strewn with flowers or glamour; the path of service is to the beginner hard work. It is ruthlessly demanding and if we are so privileged as to be on this path, seldom will we experience being let go. This is not a path of form. This is not even a path of the formless, for that, too, is a concept. The way requires courage and perseverance in the face of what seem to be insurmountable difficulties. This is what it means to experience a "Heart Unafraid," for this requires that we consider nothing as more important than the spirit in what we are asked to do. This way merely fulfills the purpose of life on Earth.
Our own purpose is first to find out the way; to seek this way out in everything that we feel, see, think, or do. Let us now look below the surface of things and never again accept things at their face value. May we be intelligent, that is, may we awaken within us a genuine intelligence through will, the Spirit. We no longer will see a chair, for instance, as just a chair, nor even a pattern of shape and molecular structure, but rather as a manifestation of Divine Principle. That is the way.
Awakening to God's Love
This way is not easy. It has existed from the beginning of time and was neither born, nor created. It permeates all things, gives life to all things, and yet, is independent of all things. To seek out this way is to learn to love very, very much. Within ourselves we can discover a boundless love for mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms, and hence, we come to participate in conscious love itself. Already we might be able to love our neighbors as our selves, but if we also sing with the plants, we may awaken to God's beauty in the plants. Remember, "the sole purpose of love is beauty." Yet, we do not often see this. We take things too much for granted. However, if we are willing to follow the way leading to freedom, we will continually bring the light of our consciousness to the areas we usually ignore and relegate to the unconscious darkness.
To love each other in the name of the God of our Heart and Realization! Now here is the greatest challenge of all, for who is loving whom? Are we really separate from each other, or are we just exemplars of unity and oneness? The mind can conjure up all sorts of splendid ideas, but it is only the heart that can truly understand. We are thus asked to polish the mirror of the heart. We do this by knocking at the door of the heart, remembering that the door is opened from the inside. We ourselves cannot open it. So who opens it? Only when we can say, "It is Thou," in answer to His question, "Who is knocking at My door?" can the door be opened.
If we go beyond the mind (which, in one sense, is necessary for the world of comparison to exist to our perception), then what happens to "us"? I mean, what happens to what we thought we were in the first place? Where will all the sacred cows go, and the caterpillars we wanted to turn into butterflies? What might happen if we simply ceased to exist as a concept? What is there beyond the concept of who and what we are? No one can tell us that!
If no one can tell us the truth but the experience of truth itself, then how do we proceed? We can seek all the time, keeping the question in the heart and mind all the time, and not give up. If there is no one who can tell us the truth, then from where does the answer come?
If we do everything for love, in love and by love, all that stands in the way of the truth of love goes, little by little. Even "reason is powerless in the expression of love!"
Meditation in love melts the stuff of mind, so, little by little, we are left with nothing to hang onto. At that stage we turn, once and for all, to the sources of all strength. There is nothing else to do! When we have realized that the only road to service is the sacrifice of our mistaken belief in separateness, we can go on. To be wounded in love is to see the battle won.
This path is not for the squeamish or halfhearted. It is not for the arrogant or selfish. It is not for those who want half the truth. This path is for those who can accept that they are chosen by God to come to know Him, and to know of His ways. Only in complete humility can we approach the door of the heart. We approach the door of the heart when there is nothing else to do. When we knock, it shall be opened unto us. That is the promise that we were given, and are given, from the beginning of time. Finally, we may know there is only the Oneness. We are veiled by endless masquerades, until the moment comes for the veils to be lifted, and in the mirror of the heart we can see Him face to face, and truly say, "0 Thou!"
We have free choice. We can remain in a tight knot of illusion, governed by the old laws based upon want and desire, or we can begin to learn from those who have already seen into the actual world. We can know the laws that are representative of a new order to come on Earth. The East has traditionally followed the way of negation. Now the West, through all that has gone before, is asked to follow the path of affirmation in the knowledge of unity, knowing that in saying "I AM" we become aware of life's actuality for the first time. Thus, we begin to fulfill our destiny in being born man and woman. When humanity is established, we know that all people, from whatever race or creed, will come to the wonderful realization that we are all one within this Divine Principle.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Charan Singh's view of Creation
Q. 363. What was in the beginning?
A. First, there was only the Lord, who is without beginning and without end. He has projected Himself everywhere . There was nothing besides Him. He was the only one. All that we see is just His own projection. Everything is projected from Him. If we admit that there was something besides Him, then the Lord is not one. He is the only One-always was, is and will be. He is everywhere, and everything is His own projection.
Q. 364. Maharaj Ji, does all human life start in lower forms and evolve upwards? I mean, in animal forms, or even lower?
A. He created the whole thing. The creation did not develop slowly from one thing. He simply projected Himself, through His Word, the Shabd, and the whole world and everything in it was created at once.
Q. 365. Man is a created man?
A. Some of the human beings were created as human beings; and some have transmigrated into the lower species also.
Q. To animals, and man evolved to higher forms?
A. To animals and lower. And from the lower species he has come up.
Q. 366. And do animals take on higher forms?
A. Oh, yes. Every soul is given a chance to come up to the status of a human being.
Q. Insects, too?
A. Yes, insects too. They will get a chance to become human beings at least once, whether they make use of that opportunity or not.
Q. 367. When we look upon an ant, a little object crawling, could we assume that soul was once a human form?
A. Yes.
Q. 368. Everything, except the form which is God, is actually unreal, because only that which is eternal is real, is that right?
A. That is right. How can we say anything is real when it is not permanent-here today and gone tomorrow?
Q. 369. And everything that we see out here is like a sunbeam, and at the most distant end of that sunbeam it looks out, and everything that we see, that is the way we become mesmerized in this
world? And only by looking back through the sunbeam you see reality, is that true?
A. That is right. All that we see with the physical eyes is made up of one or more of the five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and ether. And all these five elements are inimical to each other. But with the help of, or due to that ray of Shabd, the soul, which is also a ray of the Supreme Father, all of the five elements are contained and active in a human body, each one manifesting them according to his own karmas-in that proportion. But all the five elements are active, in a greater or lesser degree, in every human body. We are moving about, but the day that the Lord takes the soul away from the body, all these
salvation from the physical body when these five: elements merge back into their own origin. That is the physical death. And salvation from birth and death is attained when the soul reaches Trikuti, Brahm, and the mind merges back into the universal mind. Salvation for a soul is when it merges back into the Supreme Father, its own origin.
For the purpose of functioning in this world,
the soul has taken the association of the mind and senses; but, unfortunately the soul has not remained in control of the mind and senses. Mind is fond of pleasures, and so it has become a slave of the senses, dragging the soul down along with it to the extent that now the soul has become a slave of the senses also, through the agency of the mind. As a result, the mind as well as the soul has forgotten its origin and purpose.
We get a body according to our actions and reactions, whether it is in the human form or anywhere else. But we can find the Path out of this mess, or out of this jail, only in the human form, and this grace is bestowed upon us by Him, just for this very purpose. So, while being in this body, we should always keep our destination in view and try to tread on that Path which leads to our destination. We should never forget it. We should perform our worldly duties and other responsibilities which we have to discharge, while being in this world, according o : our karma, so to say. But we should always keep our destination in view and try to tread on that Path which leads to our Home. The Path leading to our destination should always be our main road. We should not deviate to the left or the right, but keep our Goal always in mind while traveling straight on that Path.
CREATION-THE WHY OF CREATION
Q. 370. We know that God is Love; surely God does not create all this killing, suffering in the world; surely man did that by his own sin?
A. Well, sister, from where has the sin come?
Q. It is man's wrong doing, breaking the laws of God?
A. How does man happen to do wrong things when God has created all love?
Q. That is what I often wonder?
A. Everything has come from the Lord. All that you see is His creation. Even the mind has come from Him; the Negative Power has come from Him. He has put the whole creation under the charge of Kal, the Negative Power. And Kal takes care of the whole creation, so he has made his own rules to keep souls here. We have to abide by those rules while simultaneously disentangling ourselves on our way back to the Lord. There is nothing which has not come from the Lord, and when God is all Love, from where has the evil come? Negation of Love becomes evil. When the sun is there, the shade is there. The sun has only light, but the sun also creates the shade.
Q. 371. I wonder if this world was not in the beginning a Garden of Eden and we people were just like children playing with our toys and having a happy time until we got jealous of each other, wanting each other's toys, and so forth?
A. Maybe, but whatever seed of jealousy came in us, it also has come from the Lord. Nothing has come from outside.
Q. That is what seems so confusing, because it all seems so wrong?
We often feel that when God is all Love, from where did evil come? That is what we mean. The
five elements begin to decompose. The earth goes back to the earth, the water goes back to the water, and each element merges back into its own origin. So it is a 350
sun is always in the sky and it is always shining; then from where does the darkness come? It is only when that side of the earth that is facing the sun that there is sunshine; and even then, sometimes the clouds interfere, but we have daylight just the same. When there is negation of light, there is darkness, and the darkness is in proportion to the negation, the obstacle which prevents the light from shining through. Similarly, when we have no love for the Lord, when our face is turned away from Him, there is evil.
Q. 372. Master, in the four cycles of time, like the golden age, the silver age, the copper age and the iron age, did the souls in the golden age have physical bodies at that time? Was it on earth?
A. Sister, this is just our classification. You can classify this into four ages, or you can classify it into twenty ages. This is, after all, just our own classification. Body is there in every age.
Q. 373. Will you please tell us what is meant by dissolution, and the grand or major dissolution?
A. I think that all this is mentioned in our books. By dissolution is meant the end of the physical universe. Grand dissolution is the absorption of everything, even beyond the astral plane, back into its origin. The final dissolution, when He is finished with this `play', when and if the whole creation ceases, will be when everything is merged back into Him, the source of everything. Saints have tried to explain this to us through the medium of language, but the intellect cannot comprehend all this, so we should not get confused. The saints do not want us to get entangled by thinking about these things. We should concern ourselves only about this physical universe and make use of the
CREATION-THE WHY OF CREATION means which the Lord has provided for our escape from it and our ultimate return to Him.
Q. 374. After merging back into the Lord, does man maintain a separate consciousness?
A. In merging, it is still separate. Being in it, you are separate from it. But you are not conscious of your consciousness. There you just merge yourself. Even in worldly love, when you are with your beloved, you forget yourself completely and want to please only the beloved. You are so absorbed in the beloved that you do not even think about where you are or what you are, even in these physical or worldly emotions. The spiritual is much more fascinating, absorbing; it is much sublimer and nobler. The bliss of merging into the Supreme Being cannot be expressed in mortal language. There is no thought of individuality, consciousness, or anything else. It is all Love, all Bliss, for, in merging, we become the Supreme Being and He is All, He is everything
Q. 375. Then there is just one consciousness?
A. The Lord is one. When we merge back into Him we become the Lord. We become a part of Him. A drop has its own identity when it is in the mud. When it leaves the ground by means of evaporation, it still has its own identity, separate from the ground and separate from the cloud. But when it merges back into the cloud, it becomes the cloud. That minute part of the cloud becomes the cloud by merging into it. When we love the Lord, we do not like to remain away from the Beloved. We lose our identity by merging back into That, and yet we remain separate from That. For instance, if you merge the flame of a lighted candle into the flame of a fire, can you differentiate whether it is the flame of the fire or the flame of the candle? When you take the candle away from the fire, you have an independent, individual flame. But when you take it back into the fire, it merges into the fire and is no longer a mere candle light. Similarly, the soul merges into the Lord.
Q. 376. Actually, it is the mind and not the soul that does not want to give up its identity'?
A. That is right. Mind is the stumbling block. This ego does not like to lose its identity. We always want to observe that I am so-and-so, I am so-and-so, and it is the `I'-ness that we do not want to lose. We perhaps think that we have developed it in this modern world, and that it is something quite unique; but the fact remains that the ego is a great stumbling block in our way. This is what we have to lose.
Q. 377. Can the conscious personality be projected to God-Realization, leaving the body at will and returning after gaining this desired goal of God-Realization, and know of it?
A. That is what the spiritual practice is for. We are trying to withdraw ourselves at will, to be there, and to come back at our will, and be here. That is the whole object of meditation.
Q. 378. 1 have heard that some schools say there are seven bodies, and some schools say there are three bodies-physical, astral and causal. Can you comment on that, please?
A. Brother, I only know that according to Sant Mat literature there are three. I have not heard or read about the seven.
Q. 379. What is the final goal? Is it where God and I are one? What does this mean, exactly? Is there a sense of individuality?
A. The idea is, "I and God are one", "I and the Father are one". The soul is the essence of the Lord. It has come from the Lord and it will merge back into the Lord and again become one. (Maharaj Ji explained at length about the drop of water merging back into the ocean, the drop of water in the mud merging back into the cloud, and so forth, as has already been explained elsewhere, so is not repeated here). All of us and the Father are one. There was nothing besides the Father when He created the universe. Everything was one and that One was, is and always will be the Father, the Supreme Being. The creation is His projection, and when He again withdraws everything into Himself, it again becomes one.
Q. 380. Ultimately there will be no difference between the drop and God?
A. Ultimately there will be no difference. As yet there is a great difference between the drop and the ocean. But when the drop merges into the ocean there is absolutely no difference.
Q. 381. Can one reach perfection in this life, or does one have to die to go back to the Lord?
A. Sister, we have to die daily to go back to Him.
Q. What do you mean, I do not understand?
A. When death takes place, what do we feel? First our feet become numb, then our legs become numb, then our thighs and the lower portion of the body become numb. Still the soul is in us, still we are conscious, we are still living, life is still within us. When we withdraw the current up to the eye center, the soul leaves the body, and we say the person is dead. In our spiritual practice, we do the same while living, the only difference being that the connection is not severed and we come back into the body after meditation. It is a method of dying daily. Some Christian saint said, "I die daily". That means that he daily practices the withdrawal of the consciousness right from his feet up to the eye center, in order to follow the spiritual Path within.
We are not to die physically to meet Him, but we have to die daily in our spiritual practice to meet Him. We have to withdraw our consciousness up to the eye center. This is dying while living. Then only we will be on the real Path. We are not to leave the physical body permanently in order to go back to Him. If we are not able to achieve our destination in this life but are on the Path, it is possible that we may achieve it in the next life or in still another life; but we need not wait until after death in order to meet Him. We have to be on the Path while living in a human body, and the aim is also to meet Him during our lifetime.
Q. 382. If one fails to reach God-Realization in this life, will he have another chance?
A. The Lord does not find excuses to send us back again and again. He gives us quite a fair chance to make progress on the Path. In fact, it is our attachments that are pulling us down every time. Generally, if we are not much attached to the world, even though we may not make much headway towards Home, we are given another chance to loosen those attachments. But we have to do that by means of spiritual practice while we are in the human form. However, if we have not found a living Master and refuse to travel that Path, refuse to think about the Lord, have absolutely no devotion for Him, have no desire whatsoever to go Home, we will not continue to get a human body; we have to go down into a lower species. We then get that form in which we can satisfy all the unfulfilled desires and cravings that come in our mind every day.
It is our karmas and desires coupled together that bring us every time into birth and death. Whatever seeds we sow, we have to come back to reap. Whatever we desire, we crave, and we do not get or sublimate while in this world, we have to take birth to satisfy those unfulfilled desires and cravings. So, unless we clear our karmas, unless we clear ourselves from all these desires and cravings, we cannot escape from birth and death. We do get a chance. The Lord is more merciful. He always helps us and gives us chance after chance to make the best use of our life. But if we refuse to make use of that chance, naturally we have to go down into the lower species.
Q. 383. If a person were to be cut off from life before he makes progress in Nam, what happens?
A. Sister, it depends upon many things but mostly on our desires, our cravings, our longings, our karmas, our attachments and the grace of the Master. Even if we have not made much progress during our lifespan but we have not many unfulfilled desires, we have not much attachment with people, places or things-if we have no strong attachment, nothing can bring us back here. We are then taken to certain stages inside, and from there we can work and make our way up.
A. First, there was only the Lord, who is without beginning and without end. He has projected Himself everywhere . There was nothing besides Him. He was the only one. All that we see is just His own projection. Everything is projected from Him. If we admit that there was something besides Him, then the Lord is not one. He is the only One-always was, is and will be. He is everywhere, and everything is His own projection.
Q. 364. Maharaj Ji, does all human life start in lower forms and evolve upwards? I mean, in animal forms, or even lower?
A. He created the whole thing. The creation did not develop slowly from one thing. He simply projected Himself, through His Word, the Shabd, and the whole world and everything in it was created at once.
Q. 365. Man is a created man?
A. Some of the human beings were created as human beings; and some have transmigrated into the lower species also.
Q. To animals, and man evolved to higher forms?
A. To animals and lower. And from the lower species he has come up.
Q. 366. And do animals take on higher forms?
A. Oh, yes. Every soul is given a chance to come up to the status of a human being.
Q. Insects, too?
A. Yes, insects too. They will get a chance to become human beings at least once, whether they make use of that opportunity or not.
Q. 367. When we look upon an ant, a little object crawling, could we assume that soul was once a human form?
A. Yes.
Q. 368. Everything, except the form which is God, is actually unreal, because only that which is eternal is real, is that right?
A. That is right. How can we say anything is real when it is not permanent-here today and gone tomorrow?
Q. 369. And everything that we see out here is like a sunbeam, and at the most distant end of that sunbeam it looks out, and everything that we see, that is the way we become mesmerized in this
world? And only by looking back through the sunbeam you see reality, is that true?
A. That is right. All that we see with the physical eyes is made up of one or more of the five elements, namely, earth, water, fire, air and ether. And all these five elements are inimical to each other. But with the help of, or due to that ray of Shabd, the soul, which is also a ray of the Supreme Father, all of the five elements are contained and active in a human body, each one manifesting them according to his own karmas-in that proportion. But all the five elements are active, in a greater or lesser degree, in every human body. We are moving about, but the day that the Lord takes the soul away from the body, all these
salvation from the physical body when these five: elements merge back into their own origin. That is the physical death. And salvation from birth and death is attained when the soul reaches Trikuti, Brahm, and the mind merges back into the universal mind. Salvation for a soul is when it merges back into the Supreme Father, its own origin.
For the purpose of functioning in this world,
the soul has taken the association of the mind and senses; but, unfortunately the soul has not remained in control of the mind and senses. Mind is fond of pleasures, and so it has become a slave of the senses, dragging the soul down along with it to the extent that now the soul has become a slave of the senses also, through the agency of the mind. As a result, the mind as well as the soul has forgotten its origin and purpose.
We get a body according to our actions and reactions, whether it is in the human form or anywhere else. But we can find the Path out of this mess, or out of this jail, only in the human form, and this grace is bestowed upon us by Him, just for this very purpose. So, while being in this body, we should always keep our destination in view and try to tread on that Path which leads to our destination. We should never forget it. We should perform our worldly duties and other responsibilities which we have to discharge, while being in this world, according o : our karma, so to say. But we should always keep our destination in view and try to tread on that Path which leads to our Home. The Path leading to our destination should always be our main road. We should not deviate to the left or the right, but keep our Goal always in mind while traveling straight on that Path.
CREATION-THE WHY OF CREATION
Q. 370. We know that God is Love; surely God does not create all this killing, suffering in the world; surely man did that by his own sin?
A. Well, sister, from where has the sin come?
Q. It is man's wrong doing, breaking the laws of God?
A. How does man happen to do wrong things when God has created all love?
Q. That is what I often wonder?
A. Everything has come from the Lord. All that you see is His creation. Even the mind has come from Him; the Negative Power has come from Him. He has put the whole creation under the charge of Kal, the Negative Power. And Kal takes care of the whole creation, so he has made his own rules to keep souls here. We have to abide by those rules while simultaneously disentangling ourselves on our way back to the Lord. There is nothing which has not come from the Lord, and when God is all Love, from where has the evil come? Negation of Love becomes evil. When the sun is there, the shade is there. The sun has only light, but the sun also creates the shade.
Q. 371. I wonder if this world was not in the beginning a Garden of Eden and we people were just like children playing with our toys and having a happy time until we got jealous of each other, wanting each other's toys, and so forth?
A. Maybe, but whatever seed of jealousy came in us, it also has come from the Lord. Nothing has come from outside.
Q. That is what seems so confusing, because it all seems so wrong?
We often feel that when God is all Love, from where did evil come? That is what we mean. The
five elements begin to decompose. The earth goes back to the earth, the water goes back to the water, and each element merges back into its own origin. So it is a 350
sun is always in the sky and it is always shining; then from where does the darkness come? It is only when that side of the earth that is facing the sun that there is sunshine; and even then, sometimes the clouds interfere, but we have daylight just the same. When there is negation of light, there is darkness, and the darkness is in proportion to the negation, the obstacle which prevents the light from shining through. Similarly, when we have no love for the Lord, when our face is turned away from Him, there is evil.
Q. 372. Master, in the four cycles of time, like the golden age, the silver age, the copper age and the iron age, did the souls in the golden age have physical bodies at that time? Was it on earth?
A. Sister, this is just our classification. You can classify this into four ages, or you can classify it into twenty ages. This is, after all, just our own classification. Body is there in every age.
Q. 373. Will you please tell us what is meant by dissolution, and the grand or major dissolution?
A. I think that all this is mentioned in our books. By dissolution is meant the end of the physical universe. Grand dissolution is the absorption of everything, even beyond the astral plane, back into its origin. The final dissolution, when He is finished with this `play', when and if the whole creation ceases, will be when everything is merged back into Him, the source of everything. Saints have tried to explain this to us through the medium of language, but the intellect cannot comprehend all this, so we should not get confused. The saints do not want us to get entangled by thinking about these things. We should concern ourselves only about this physical universe and make use of the
CREATION-THE WHY OF CREATION means which the Lord has provided for our escape from it and our ultimate return to Him.
Q. 374. After merging back into the Lord, does man maintain a separate consciousness?
A. In merging, it is still separate. Being in it, you are separate from it. But you are not conscious of your consciousness. There you just merge yourself. Even in worldly love, when you are with your beloved, you forget yourself completely and want to please only the beloved. You are so absorbed in the beloved that you do not even think about where you are or what you are, even in these physical or worldly emotions. The spiritual is much more fascinating, absorbing; it is much sublimer and nobler. The bliss of merging into the Supreme Being cannot be expressed in mortal language. There is no thought of individuality, consciousness, or anything else. It is all Love, all Bliss, for, in merging, we become the Supreme Being and He is All, He is everything
Q. 375. Then there is just one consciousness?
A. The Lord is one. When we merge back into Him we become the Lord. We become a part of Him. A drop has its own identity when it is in the mud. When it leaves the ground by means of evaporation, it still has its own identity, separate from the ground and separate from the cloud. But when it merges back into the cloud, it becomes the cloud. That minute part of the cloud becomes the cloud by merging into it. When we love the Lord, we do not like to remain away from the Beloved. We lose our identity by merging back into That, and yet we remain separate from That. For instance, if you merge the flame of a lighted candle into the flame of a fire, can you differentiate whether it is the flame of the fire or the flame of the candle? When you take the candle away from the fire, you have an independent, individual flame. But when you take it back into the fire, it merges into the fire and is no longer a mere candle light. Similarly, the soul merges into the Lord.
Q. 376. Actually, it is the mind and not the soul that does not want to give up its identity'?
A. That is right. Mind is the stumbling block. This ego does not like to lose its identity. We always want to observe that I am so-and-so, I am so-and-so, and it is the `I'-ness that we do not want to lose. We perhaps think that we have developed it in this modern world, and that it is something quite unique; but the fact remains that the ego is a great stumbling block in our way. This is what we have to lose.
Q. 377. Can the conscious personality be projected to God-Realization, leaving the body at will and returning after gaining this desired goal of God-Realization, and know of it?
A. That is what the spiritual practice is for. We are trying to withdraw ourselves at will, to be there, and to come back at our will, and be here. That is the whole object of meditation.
Q. 378. 1 have heard that some schools say there are seven bodies, and some schools say there are three bodies-physical, astral and causal. Can you comment on that, please?
A. Brother, I only know that according to Sant Mat literature there are three. I have not heard or read about the seven.
Q. 379. What is the final goal? Is it where God and I are one? What does this mean, exactly? Is there a sense of individuality?
A. The idea is, "I and God are one", "I and the Father are one". The soul is the essence of the Lord. It has come from the Lord and it will merge back into the Lord and again become one. (Maharaj Ji explained at length about the drop of water merging back into the ocean, the drop of water in the mud merging back into the cloud, and so forth, as has already been explained elsewhere, so is not repeated here). All of us and the Father are one. There was nothing besides the Father when He created the universe. Everything was one and that One was, is and always will be the Father, the Supreme Being. The creation is His projection, and when He again withdraws everything into Himself, it again becomes one.
Q. 380. Ultimately there will be no difference between the drop and God?
A. Ultimately there will be no difference. As yet there is a great difference between the drop and the ocean. But when the drop merges into the ocean there is absolutely no difference.
Q. 381. Can one reach perfection in this life, or does one have to die to go back to the Lord?
A. Sister, we have to die daily to go back to Him.
Q. What do you mean, I do not understand?
A. When death takes place, what do we feel? First our feet become numb, then our legs become numb, then our thighs and the lower portion of the body become numb. Still the soul is in us, still we are conscious, we are still living, life is still within us. When we withdraw the current up to the eye center, the soul leaves the body, and we say the person is dead. In our spiritual practice, we do the same while living, the only difference being that the connection is not severed and we come back into the body after meditation. It is a method of dying daily. Some Christian saint said, "I die daily". That means that he daily practices the withdrawal of the consciousness right from his feet up to the eye center, in order to follow the spiritual Path within.
We are not to die physically to meet Him, but we have to die daily in our spiritual practice to meet Him. We have to withdraw our consciousness up to the eye center. This is dying while living. Then only we will be on the real Path. We are not to leave the physical body permanently in order to go back to Him. If we are not able to achieve our destination in this life but are on the Path, it is possible that we may achieve it in the next life or in still another life; but we need not wait until after death in order to meet Him. We have to be on the Path while living in a human body, and the aim is also to meet Him during our lifetime.
Q. 382. If one fails to reach God-Realization in this life, will he have another chance?
A. The Lord does not find excuses to send us back again and again. He gives us quite a fair chance to make progress on the Path. In fact, it is our attachments that are pulling us down every time. Generally, if we are not much attached to the world, even though we may not make much headway towards Home, we are given another chance to loosen those attachments. But we have to do that by means of spiritual practice while we are in the human form. However, if we have not found a living Master and refuse to travel that Path, refuse to think about the Lord, have absolutely no devotion for Him, have no desire whatsoever to go Home, we will not continue to get a human body; we have to go down into a lower species. We then get that form in which we can satisfy all the unfulfilled desires and cravings that come in our mind every day.
It is our karmas and desires coupled together that bring us every time into birth and death. Whatever seeds we sow, we have to come back to reap. Whatever we desire, we crave, and we do not get or sublimate while in this world, we have to take birth to satisfy those unfulfilled desires and cravings. So, unless we clear our karmas, unless we clear ourselves from all these desires and cravings, we cannot escape from birth and death. We do get a chance. The Lord is more merciful. He always helps us and gives us chance after chance to make the best use of our life. But if we refuse to make use of that chance, naturally we have to go down into the lower species.
Q. 383. If a person were to be cut off from life before he makes progress in Nam, what happens?
A. Sister, it depends upon many things but mostly on our desires, our cravings, our longings, our karmas, our attachments and the grace of the Master. Even if we have not made much progress during our lifespan but we have not many unfulfilled desires, we have not much attachment with people, places or things-if we have no strong attachment, nothing can bring us back here. We are then taken to certain stages inside, and from there we can work and make our way up.
What reincarnates?
Does the Same Personality Reincarnate?
A student once stated, "It is difficult for one to comprehend that one is reincarnated as a specific individual, being the direct continuation of a previous personality; rather, it would seem that the physical memory transmitted in the cells to succeeding generations is energized by that portion of the Cosmic Vital Life Force that is compatible with the resultant body."
Here it would seem that it is necessary to attempt to reconcile modern theories and knowledge of the sciences of biology and genetics with the doctrine of reincarnation. We believe that the personality, the expression of self of the individual, is a conjoint of both the biological and genetic factors, on the one hand, and on the other, such influences that may be transmitted to it from a previous existence. In this regard the personality may be regarded as having a certain duality in expression.
Let us, for example, consider the modern biological concept that the cell, the gene, establishes its own pattern or template. In other words, its particular arrangement by which certain behavior traits and other qualities are transmitted to the next generation. This is definitely considered to be a physical function having no metaphysical or mystical characteristics.
These elements of the cell are DNA, in particular, and RNA named after their chemical ingredients such as deoxyribonucleic acid. These minute parts form little helical or spiral-like chains. Any trauma of the organism may cause a mutation, a change in the particular arrangement of the spiral. This, in turn, may result in a variation of the physical, and certain personality responses of the off-spring.
We may use a hypothetical example to explain. A parent might be quite an extrovert, friendly and gregarious, liking associations with others. However, the cells transmitted to the child may have been subjected to a mutation, their structure altered, so that there would be an extreme reversal of the personality in the progeny. The child might perhaps be shy and introverted not due to any environmental condition or experience to which it had been exposed; rather it would express this aspect of personality as a consequence of parental inheritance.
But the personality is something more. It is also a deeper feeling of self. It is, likewise, a response to certain almost inexplicable emotions-something that may make it highly sensitive to various phases of human conduct such as a love of humanity, a profound compassion, and an intense spiritual or moral sense. Conversely, of course, the depth responses of personality could be an inheritance of coarseness and even sadism, and an inclination toward what society calls immorality.
This particular aspect of personality could be a continuation from a previous life and be quite independent of that expression of personality which is transmitted by the genes. The two qualities of personality in such an example might oppose each other. There could be a kind of internal conflict. The biological part would attempt to dominate at times, and the other, the deeper moods of the reincarnated personality, would also attempt supremacy. This ambivalence, this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of personality, is often confronted in people who are otherwise quite normal.
Here, then, the same self, in the general sense, would have reincarnated. That is, there would be a continuity of the soul essence and its self but its expression would be mitigated by biological inheritance. It would assume some different characteristics or need to surmount the influence of the physical heredity. We speak of the evolution, the gradual perfection of the soul personality. Rosicrucians (AMORC) teach that it is not the soul essence that evolves. Such is cosmic in nature and beyond the province of man to alter. Rather, it is the personality, the self, the reflection, if you will, of the soul or divine essence which man either consciously or unconsciously develops and evolves.
Part of this development is from having the incarnated personality contiguous to the many influences of life and associations. The way we think and act, like polishing a diamond in the rough, helps shape that personality. However, it is not all a matter of environment, the association with others, or the impact of physical external conditions to which we are exposed. It is also this internal conflict, that is, the necessity to combat instinctive urges and inclinations which we do not desire and which are inherited in that other, the physical, aspect of personality which arises out of the cell structure.
Those who have had rational and self-evident proof to themselves of previous reincarnations have noticed a considerable dissimilarity in their physical appearance and in their personalities of the past. In such experiences it was not only apparent to them that they seemed to be of a different sex or younger or older, but also that their personality, the expression of the self, was often quite different in one specific incarnation than in another. Nevertheless, regardless of these differences, it was always realized that it was the same self manifesting in different emotional and deep psychic moods.
After all, if this were not so and there was an exact continuation of the incarnate personality without any deviations, that is, no evidence of change in each earthly existence, there would then be a very standardized category of personalities in the world. On the other hand, if there were no continuation of the self in any manner in another earthly existence, then, of course, the whole doctrine of reincarnation would fall.
The doctrine of reincarnation expounds that there can come into existence new soul personalities, that is, the first expression of the personality of a soul the first time it manifests through a body. However, the doctrine of reincarnation contends that there are actually no new souls. The soul essence is universal, like a flow of electricity, and is ready to manifest wherever there is a receptacle for it. Consequently, no matter how much the population of the world increases, there is always this soul force ready to flow through those new bodies. Those new bodies then, we repeat, may have the first expression of a soul personality, but it would not be a new soul.
Blessings!
Marked Elect
A student once stated, "It is difficult for one to comprehend that one is reincarnated as a specific individual, being the direct continuation of a previous personality; rather, it would seem that the physical memory transmitted in the cells to succeeding generations is energized by that portion of the Cosmic Vital Life Force that is compatible with the resultant body."
Here it would seem that it is necessary to attempt to reconcile modern theories and knowledge of the sciences of biology and genetics with the doctrine of reincarnation. We believe that the personality, the expression of self of the individual, is a conjoint of both the biological and genetic factors, on the one hand, and on the other, such influences that may be transmitted to it from a previous existence. In this regard the personality may be regarded as having a certain duality in expression.
Let us, for example, consider the modern biological concept that the cell, the gene, establishes its own pattern or template. In other words, its particular arrangement by which certain behavior traits and other qualities are transmitted to the next generation. This is definitely considered to be a physical function having no metaphysical or mystical characteristics.
These elements of the cell are DNA, in particular, and RNA named after their chemical ingredients such as deoxyribonucleic acid. These minute parts form little helical or spiral-like chains. Any trauma of the organism may cause a mutation, a change in the particular arrangement of the spiral. This, in turn, may result in a variation of the physical, and certain personality responses of the off-spring.
We may use a hypothetical example to explain. A parent might be quite an extrovert, friendly and gregarious, liking associations with others. However, the cells transmitted to the child may have been subjected to a mutation, their structure altered, so that there would be an extreme reversal of the personality in the progeny. The child might perhaps be shy and introverted not due to any environmental condition or experience to which it had been exposed; rather it would express this aspect of personality as a consequence of parental inheritance.
But the personality is something more. It is also a deeper feeling of self. It is, likewise, a response to certain almost inexplicable emotions-something that may make it highly sensitive to various phases of human conduct such as a love of humanity, a profound compassion, and an intense spiritual or moral sense. Conversely, of course, the depth responses of personality could be an inheritance of coarseness and even sadism, and an inclination toward what society calls immorality.
This particular aspect of personality could be a continuation from a previous life and be quite independent of that expression of personality which is transmitted by the genes. The two qualities of personality in such an example might oppose each other. There could be a kind of internal conflict. The biological part would attempt to dominate at times, and the other, the deeper moods of the reincarnated personality, would also attempt supremacy. This ambivalence, this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde type of personality, is often confronted in people who are otherwise quite normal.
Here, then, the same self, in the general sense, would have reincarnated. That is, there would be a continuity of the soul essence and its self but its expression would be mitigated by biological inheritance. It would assume some different characteristics or need to surmount the influence of the physical heredity. We speak of the evolution, the gradual perfection of the soul personality. Rosicrucians (AMORC) teach that it is not the soul essence that evolves. Such is cosmic in nature and beyond the province of man to alter. Rather, it is the personality, the self, the reflection, if you will, of the soul or divine essence which man either consciously or unconsciously develops and evolves.
Part of this development is from having the incarnated personality contiguous to the many influences of life and associations. The way we think and act, like polishing a diamond in the rough, helps shape that personality. However, it is not all a matter of environment, the association with others, or the impact of physical external conditions to which we are exposed. It is also this internal conflict, that is, the necessity to combat instinctive urges and inclinations which we do not desire and which are inherited in that other, the physical, aspect of personality which arises out of the cell structure.
Those who have had rational and self-evident proof to themselves of previous reincarnations have noticed a considerable dissimilarity in their physical appearance and in their personalities of the past. In such experiences it was not only apparent to them that they seemed to be of a different sex or younger or older, but also that their personality, the expression of the self, was often quite different in one specific incarnation than in another. Nevertheless, regardless of these differences, it was always realized that it was the same self manifesting in different emotional and deep psychic moods.
After all, if this were not so and there was an exact continuation of the incarnate personality without any deviations, that is, no evidence of change in each earthly existence, there would then be a very standardized category of personalities in the world. On the other hand, if there were no continuation of the self in any manner in another earthly existence, then, of course, the whole doctrine of reincarnation would fall.
The doctrine of reincarnation expounds that there can come into existence new soul personalities, that is, the first expression of the personality of a soul the first time it manifests through a body. However, the doctrine of reincarnation contends that there are actually no new souls. The soul essence is universal, like a flow of electricity, and is ready to manifest wherever there is a receptacle for it. Consequently, no matter how much the population of the world increases, there is always this soul force ready to flow through those new bodies. Those new bodies then, we repeat, may have the first expression of a soul personality, but it would not be a new soul.
Blessings!
Marked Elect
Where is the self? Rosicrucian Wisdom.
The duality of man is perhaps the oldest of mystical doctrines. Nearly every system of metaphysics, philosophy, and religion - even some of the most primitive - recognizes it. From that point on, however, there begins a divergence of thought.
Some religions and schools of thought do no more than recognize it. Others attempt an explanation of the interaction or relationship between the two, and a very few, go to the extent not only of conceiving the existence of an inner self, but of explaining how to apply its attributes, which they contend are the reason for its existence in man. It is far more difficult, but also far more beneficial, to learn to utilize the inner self than to find proof of its existence. We aren’t the first to be talking and arguing about what the self consists of.
“The question is often asked: Where is the self? does it reside in the head, or in the heart, or perhaps in the liver? Is it an aural halo pervading and surrounding the body, or is it a single microscopic cell far hidden in the interior, or is it an invisible atom? Here apparently is the answer. It animates every cell. It pervades the whole body, and seeks expression in every part of it. Some cells, as we have said before, are differentiated so as to express especially this faculty, others to express especially that; but the human soul or self stands behind them all. Look at a baby's face, and its growing sparkling expression - an individual being coming newly into the world, obviously seeking, feeling, tentatively finding its way forward - every morning a thinnest veil falling from its features! Playing through the whole body, is an intelligence, seeking expression”.
-EDWARD CARPENTER, 1844-1929
MANY NAMES FOR Now, we take up the first point bearing
INNER CONSCIOUSNESS on the part of man that has been given
different names in various philosophies. By using all the terms known to us, each may select the term which means the most to him. Reference is made to that inner consciousness that is called by some the Astral Body, the Psychic Body, the Soul Consciousness, or the God Within. Each term is very expressive and has a direct bearing upon the condition within the human body which we are to study. Perhaps the most fitting term is Pschic Body. If you have not adopted any term for it, this is the best one; however, if it helps you to think of this condition as the Astral Body or the Soul Consciousness, use that term in preference to all others. We are mostly concerned with the nature of the condition and its place in the work we wish to do.
It has been impressed the idea that there is in each of us, unexpressed to its fullest degree, a consciousness which is called the Master Within. We were also told that this Master Within has certain functions such as seeing, hearing, feeling, and so on, which are unexpressed to some degree, and that this Master also has a personality. In our early lessons we studied the Master Within from purely psychological viewpoints--the mental attributes, the personality; now we are about to study the body.
It must have been perfectly plain to us that in speaking of the Master Within and its seeing, hearing, feeling, and the like, we were not speaking of physical eyes, physical ears, or any physical or material faculties and attributes; for the Master Within is not a material being like the physical self--the outer self which we know so well from the materialistic viewpoint..
We studied the brain and mind of man's being; we became familiar with the objective faculties and their possibilities and limitations. We also learned of the existence of a subconscious mind--a mind which functions on a different plane or in a different manner from the objective mind with its physical organ, the brain. Then, we analyzed man's physical body and its organs, the nervous system, and the relation of the physical energy in man to life itself. We learned through our lessons and from the charts in the Manual how man digests food, how food is made into blood, how blood makes nerve energy, and so on. All this, as was explained to us, was for the purpose of making us thoroughly acquainted with the physical or material man.
Now we come to the inner man. Should we know less of this inner man than we know of our outer man? If we have come to know so much about the physical body, we should know as much, if not more, of the psychic body.
We are through with the physical man, the material body; the remainder of our work in these higher Degrees is the study of the psychic body, the inner man, the Master Within.
Let us look at the psychic or inner man, broadly. Let us try to visualize that inner being. Man is dual, body and soul; the soul is closely related to the subconscious mind and the Vital Life Force. The psychic man has, therefore, to do with the soul, the subconscious mind, the life force, and the other psychic attributes or qualities of man. A Lower Degree revealed to us, in the mass of material facts, the one paramount fact that there is a connection of some kind between the material body and the psychic body. Through the teachings of another Degree we learned that there is some very wonderful cord or silver thread which links the physical organism of man to the psychic organism so that the two, the inner man and the outer man, may work cooperatively. The cord may be in the connection existing between the two minds--objective and subconscious; it may be in that condition between the two minds which we call borderline, or it may be otherwise. We shall soon discover the true relation, however.
The first great fact that stands out above all others is that the PSYCHIC BODY WITHIN US HAS ITS ORGANIZATION, or its organism, just as has the material body of man. This makes us realize the necessity of studying the inner man as much as the outer man. We shall learn that when the psychic body is separated from the physical body--as in projection--there always remains a connection that is severed only when complete transition, or so-called death, occurs. Therefore, let us proceed to find and study this connection.
If we consider the spinal nervous system in man as the medium for the objective mind of the physical body to carry out the commands of the brain, we shall have to consider the autonomic nervous system as the medium for the subconscious mind, or the psychic mind, to carry out the commands in the psychic body. In other words, in the material body we have the objective
mind, or the brain. In the psychic body there is the subconscious mind. In the material body the spinal nervous system works for the brain.
In the psychic body the autonomic nervous system works for the subconscious or Cosmic Mind. In the material body the spinal nervous system goes to the organs, tissues, flesh, and the blood. In the psychic body the autonomic nervous system likewise touches the organs, tissues, flesh, and the blood. The spinal nervous system carries material energy to the organs, tissues, and blood, while the autonomic nervous system carries psychic energy. Yet these two systems are related: They touch each other, make important connections, and there is communication between them. In the illustration (an enlargement of Chart 4 of the Rosicrucian Manual) B is the spinal cord; C is a vertebra of the spinal column; D the connecting rami; and A the ganglionated chain of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
At every vertebra of the spine the sympathetic ganglia are in contact with the spinal nervous system by means of short rami. These rami, then, establish that slender, delicate, and important connection between the material man and the material organism, and the psychic man and the psychic organism. In other words, the relation between the objective mind or brain and the subconscious mind is maintained through these delicate rami. This connection is slender and is of a nature and condition to permit the wonderful psychic and occult manifestations which we seek in the Cosmic and occult planes. Just as the spinal nervous system transmits a material nervous energy to the body so the autonomic nervous system transmits to the body a psychic energy. This means that all organs in the body, as well as all the flesh, soft tissues, bones, and blood are infused with a psychic condition or with psychic energy.
Therefore, it is true, as the old mystics claimed, that there can be psychic as well as material conditions in the various organs of the body or, in other words, that in all organs of the body there can be psychic disease, psychic disorder, psychic abnormality, as well as physical disease, physical disorder, physical abnormality. Consequently, man is completely normal, completely well, only when he is both physically and psychically normal, or when there is a combination of perfect conditions which we, in Rosicrucian terms, call HARMONIUM.
This makes plain, also, the great principles of astrological or planetary influences. The mystics claimed that they had observed and detected the influence of the planets upon the human body and that many of the abnormal or unnatural conditions were due to the influence of the planets.
This was believed until man began to study himself merely as a material being and ignored the inner man. From a purely materialistic viewpoint it would be difficult to see how the planets could affect the heart, lungs, bowels, kidneys, nervous system, blood, and so on. But from the viewpoint that there is also a psychic or inner man closely related to the Cosmic, it is understandable how the subtle influences of the planets, affecting the cosmic vibrations, would affect the psychic conditions or the organs and nervous system of man. Even now, scientific research is considering the gravitational influence upon the human organism and its systems.
But more important than this realization is the other--that man's psychic body can function and manifest independently. Man's psychic body can even be separated from the physical body, as far as its entity is concerned, and yet maintain that relationship of mental and nervous association with the physical, unaffected by distance.
We are approaching the subject of projections, where the psychic body and mind of man reach out into space independent of the physical body. In our next lesson we will take the first steps in this work through some simple experiments, but before that we must have some understanding of what projection is.
Consider, therefore, the principles involved in the moving pictures projected upon a screen. Before our eyes may be shown--in natural colors, with all the motion of nature, even the atmospheric effects--first, a scene from China, then one from America, in a few seconds another from Australia, and then another from England. Those views may be antipodean--from the very antipodes of the Earth. While concentrating upon them we are mentally carried to the place where the pictures were taken. We enter into the environment, the atmosphere, the gaiety or gloominess of the scene we are viewing, and lose consciousness of where we are--simply in a darkened room somewhere.
Now while we are in that condition where worldly and material consciousness of our objective presence is lost, feeling for the time being that WE ARE WHERE THE VIEW IS, tell me, is your mind projected to the place, or is the picture projected to you, as far as your mental realization is concerned? To make it clearer: In a dream, you may see a high mountain in a far-off country, climb that mountain, perspire in the hot sun, sit down to rest, drink some cool water from a spring nearby, and then after a long period of travel, return home. Tell me if in such a dream you mentally or psychically projected the mind and psychic body to the mountain, or were the mountain, the Sun, and the spring water projected to you? Spend the remainder of the evening considering these two hypothetical questions and others which may be related to them, and
you will be ready for the Rosicrucian explanation in a future lesson.
Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER
Summary of This Lesson
Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory.
¶ The psychic man has to do with the soul, subconscious mind, the life force and psychic attributes or qualities of man.
¶ The psychic body has its organization, or its organism, just as has the material body of man.
¶ The autonomic nervous system is the medium for the subconscious mind or the psychic mind to carry out the commands in the psychic body.
¶ The relation between the objective mind or brain and the subconscious mind is maintained through the delicate nerve fibres or rami.
¶ Consequently, every physical part of man can be affected by psychic or cosmic influences.
Man's psychic body and the mind can reach out into space, independent of the physical body.
The Weekly Application
Whatsoever thou resoluest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.-UNTO THEE I GRANT
Psychic projection is mainly concerned with consciousness, so we will augment the contents of the monograph by considering consciousness separately and briefly.
Epicurus, ancient philosopher, once said: "Where we are, death is not yet; and where death comes, there we are not." He meant by this that when we have self-awareness, we know that we are not dead, and when we are dead, we do not have self-awareness, so we cannot realize that we are dead and consequently should not fear death. The importance of his saying is not concerned with death, but with the fact that where our consciousness dwells, there we are.
The thing or place that you perceive and realize for the moment, is all that actually exists to you, and it is where you are. For example, if you can concentrate perfectly enough to recall every detail of a childhood home, several thousands of miles distant, until you again feel the warm rays of the sun, see the lazily floating clouds overhead, smell the sweet grasses and wild flowers, hear lowing cattle in the fields, and see the white porch with the honeysuckle vine entwined about its posts, and perceive your old dog dozing on the steps and twitching his ears to rid himself of persistent flies, you will in mind be there again, will you not? If you were physically carried back to that home as described above, could your sensations and perceptions be any more real? In other words, if you can have the sensations of a thing or place equally as well without the body being brought in contact with it, then you realize that as far as your self is concerned, you are wherever your consciousness is.
Let us look at it this way. Suppose you were physically taken back to this cherished childhood home, but, unfortunately, while there you were devoid of your objective consciousness. The trip would be of no avail so far as your experiences of your surroundings were concerned, for the attribute that gives you awareness of yourself and your surroundings, in other words, consciousness, was absent. So you see, it is not bodily contact with the world that gives us an appreciation of things and places, but consciousness.
A person who has an excellent retentive memory and a good imagination can really have a greater awareness in mind, that is, a clearer mental picture of a place or thing than some person who actually perceives it. Some writers have more vividly portrayed, in articles, scenes of foreign countries which they have actually never visited, than tourists who have visited them and whose powers of observation and perception were not very highly developed. Such writers, because of their highly developed faculty of consciousness, were really more in those foreign lands as far as their mental picture of them was concerned, than the casual tourist who actually rode or walked about in the lands. Remember, consciousness is composed of sensations. We are conscious of something because its vibratory impulses produce sensations and feelings within us. It is only by these sensations that we know of things. Therefore, for example, there is no distinction between the sensations produced by actually seeing and hearing a thing and an image perfectly reconstructed from memory or by the process of imagination. In either case, whether in imagination or by actual perception, you experience the thing or place, it has existence TO YOU.
During the ensuing week, mentally practice drawing yourself into old surroundings, places where you have been or lived, until as far as feeling is concerned, you are actually there. Get accustomed to disassociating your body from the ideas of consciousness - that is, come to realize that your conception of environment is as you think it and are conscious of it, regardless of whether your body is physically in the environment or not. This is an important psychological exercise in preparation for the mystical practices of projection.
NOTE: The above is just a small sample of a weekly AMORC lesson.
Blessings!
Marked Elect
Some religions and schools of thought do no more than recognize it. Others attempt an explanation of the interaction or relationship between the two, and a very few, go to the extent not only of conceiving the existence of an inner self, but of explaining how to apply its attributes, which they contend are the reason for its existence in man. It is far more difficult, but also far more beneficial, to learn to utilize the inner self than to find proof of its existence. We aren’t the first to be talking and arguing about what the self consists of.
“The question is often asked: Where is the self? does it reside in the head, or in the heart, or perhaps in the liver? Is it an aural halo pervading and surrounding the body, or is it a single microscopic cell far hidden in the interior, or is it an invisible atom? Here apparently is the answer. It animates every cell. It pervades the whole body, and seeks expression in every part of it. Some cells, as we have said before, are differentiated so as to express especially this faculty, others to express especially that; but the human soul or self stands behind them all. Look at a baby's face, and its growing sparkling expression - an individual being coming newly into the world, obviously seeking, feeling, tentatively finding its way forward - every morning a thinnest veil falling from its features! Playing through the whole body, is an intelligence, seeking expression”.
-EDWARD CARPENTER, 1844-1929
MANY NAMES FOR Now, we take up the first point bearing
INNER CONSCIOUSNESS on the part of man that has been given
different names in various philosophies. By using all the terms known to us, each may select the term which means the most to him. Reference is made to that inner consciousness that is called by some the Astral Body, the Psychic Body, the Soul Consciousness, or the God Within. Each term is very expressive and has a direct bearing upon the condition within the human body which we are to study. Perhaps the most fitting term is Pschic Body. If you have not adopted any term for it, this is the best one; however, if it helps you to think of this condition as the Astral Body or the Soul Consciousness, use that term in preference to all others. We are mostly concerned with the nature of the condition and its place in the work we wish to do.
It has been impressed the idea that there is in each of us, unexpressed to its fullest degree, a consciousness which is called the Master Within. We were also told that this Master Within has certain functions such as seeing, hearing, feeling, and so on, which are unexpressed to some degree, and that this Master also has a personality. In our early lessons we studied the Master Within from purely psychological viewpoints--the mental attributes, the personality; now we are about to study the body.
It must have been perfectly plain to us that in speaking of the Master Within and its seeing, hearing, feeling, and the like, we were not speaking of physical eyes, physical ears, or any physical or material faculties and attributes; for the Master Within is not a material being like the physical self--the outer self which we know so well from the materialistic viewpoint..
We studied the brain and mind of man's being; we became familiar with the objective faculties and their possibilities and limitations. We also learned of the existence of a subconscious mind--a mind which functions on a different plane or in a different manner from the objective mind with its physical organ, the brain. Then, we analyzed man's physical body and its organs, the nervous system, and the relation of the physical energy in man to life itself. We learned through our lessons and from the charts in the Manual how man digests food, how food is made into blood, how blood makes nerve energy, and so on. All this, as was explained to us, was for the purpose of making us thoroughly acquainted with the physical or material man.
Now we come to the inner man. Should we know less of this inner man than we know of our outer man? If we have come to know so much about the physical body, we should know as much, if not more, of the psychic body.
We are through with the physical man, the material body; the remainder of our work in these higher Degrees is the study of the psychic body, the inner man, the Master Within.
Let us look at the psychic or inner man, broadly. Let us try to visualize that inner being. Man is dual, body and soul; the soul is closely related to the subconscious mind and the Vital Life Force. The psychic man has, therefore, to do with the soul, the subconscious mind, the life force, and the other psychic attributes or qualities of man. A Lower Degree revealed to us, in the mass of material facts, the one paramount fact that there is a connection of some kind between the material body and the psychic body. Through the teachings of another Degree we learned that there is some very wonderful cord or silver thread which links the physical organism of man to the psychic organism so that the two, the inner man and the outer man, may work cooperatively. The cord may be in the connection existing between the two minds--objective and subconscious; it may be in that condition between the two minds which we call borderline, or it may be otherwise. We shall soon discover the true relation, however.
The first great fact that stands out above all others is that the PSYCHIC BODY WITHIN US HAS ITS ORGANIZATION, or its organism, just as has the material body of man. This makes us realize the necessity of studying the inner man as much as the outer man. We shall learn that when the psychic body is separated from the physical body--as in projection--there always remains a connection that is severed only when complete transition, or so-called death, occurs. Therefore, let us proceed to find and study this connection.
If we consider the spinal nervous system in man as the medium for the objective mind of the physical body to carry out the commands of the brain, we shall have to consider the autonomic nervous system as the medium for the subconscious mind, or the psychic mind, to carry out the commands in the psychic body. In other words, in the material body we have the objective
mind, or the brain. In the psychic body there is the subconscious mind. In the material body the spinal nervous system works for the brain.
In the psychic body the autonomic nervous system works for the subconscious or Cosmic Mind. In the material body the spinal nervous system goes to the organs, tissues, flesh, and the blood. In the psychic body the autonomic nervous system likewise touches the organs, tissues, flesh, and the blood. The spinal nervous system carries material energy to the organs, tissues, and blood, while the autonomic nervous system carries psychic energy. Yet these two systems are related: They touch each other, make important connections, and there is communication between them. In the illustration (an enlargement of Chart 4 of the Rosicrucian Manual) B is the spinal cord; C is a vertebra of the spinal column; D the connecting rami; and A the ganglionated chain of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
At every vertebra of the spine the sympathetic ganglia are in contact with the spinal nervous system by means of short rami. These rami, then, establish that slender, delicate, and important connection between the material man and the material organism, and the psychic man and the psychic organism. In other words, the relation between the objective mind or brain and the subconscious mind is maintained through these delicate rami. This connection is slender and is of a nature and condition to permit the wonderful psychic and occult manifestations which we seek in the Cosmic and occult planes. Just as the spinal nervous system transmits a material nervous energy to the body so the autonomic nervous system transmits to the body a psychic energy. This means that all organs in the body, as well as all the flesh, soft tissues, bones, and blood are infused with a psychic condition or with psychic energy.
Therefore, it is true, as the old mystics claimed, that there can be psychic as well as material conditions in the various organs of the body or, in other words, that in all organs of the body there can be psychic disease, psychic disorder, psychic abnormality, as well as physical disease, physical disorder, physical abnormality. Consequently, man is completely normal, completely well, only when he is both physically and psychically normal, or when there is a combination of perfect conditions which we, in Rosicrucian terms, call HARMONIUM.
This makes plain, also, the great principles of astrological or planetary influences. The mystics claimed that they had observed and detected the influence of the planets upon the human body and that many of the abnormal or unnatural conditions were due to the influence of the planets.
This was believed until man began to study himself merely as a material being and ignored the inner man. From a purely materialistic viewpoint it would be difficult to see how the planets could affect the heart, lungs, bowels, kidneys, nervous system, blood, and so on. But from the viewpoint that there is also a psychic or inner man closely related to the Cosmic, it is understandable how the subtle influences of the planets, affecting the cosmic vibrations, would affect the psychic conditions or the organs and nervous system of man. Even now, scientific research is considering the gravitational influence upon the human organism and its systems.
But more important than this realization is the other--that man's psychic body can function and manifest independently. Man's psychic body can even be separated from the physical body, as far as its entity is concerned, and yet maintain that relationship of mental and nervous association with the physical, unaffected by distance.
We are approaching the subject of projections, where the psychic body and mind of man reach out into space independent of the physical body. In our next lesson we will take the first steps in this work through some simple experiments, but before that we must have some understanding of what projection is.
Consider, therefore, the principles involved in the moving pictures projected upon a screen. Before our eyes may be shown--in natural colors, with all the motion of nature, even the atmospheric effects--first, a scene from China, then one from America, in a few seconds another from Australia, and then another from England. Those views may be antipodean--from the very antipodes of the Earth. While concentrating upon them we are mentally carried to the place where the pictures were taken. We enter into the environment, the atmosphere, the gaiety or gloominess of the scene we are viewing, and lose consciousness of where we are--simply in a darkened room somewhere.
Now while we are in that condition where worldly and material consciousness of our objective presence is lost, feeling for the time being that WE ARE WHERE THE VIEW IS, tell me, is your mind projected to the place, or is the picture projected to you, as far as your mental realization is concerned? To make it clearer: In a dream, you may see a high mountain in a far-off country, climb that mountain, perspire in the hot sun, sit down to rest, drink some cool water from a spring nearby, and then after a long period of travel, return home. Tell me if in such a dream you mentally or psychically projected the mind and psychic body to the mountain, or were the mountain, the Sun, and the spring water projected to you? Spend the remainder of the evening considering these two hypothetical questions and others which may be related to them, and
you will be ready for the Rosicrucian explanation in a future lesson.
Fraternally, YOUR CLASS MASTER
Summary of This Lesson
Below is a summary of the important principles of this monograph. It contains the essential statements which you should not forget. After you have carefully read the complete monograph, try to recall as many as you can of the important points you read. Then read this summary and see if you have forgotten any. Also refer to this summary during the ensuing week to refresh your memory.
¶ The psychic man has to do with the soul, subconscious mind, the life force and psychic attributes or qualities of man.
¶ The psychic body has its organization, or its organism, just as has the material body of man.
¶ The autonomic nervous system is the medium for the subconscious mind or the psychic mind to carry out the commands in the psychic body.
¶ The relation between the objective mind or brain and the subconscious mind is maintained through the delicate nerve fibres or rami.
¶ Consequently, every physical part of man can be affected by psychic or cosmic influences.
Man's psychic body and the mind can reach out into space, independent of the physical body.
The Weekly Application
Whatsoever thou resoluest to do, do it quickly. Defer not till the evening what the morning may accomplish.-UNTO THEE I GRANT
Psychic projection is mainly concerned with consciousness, so we will augment the contents of the monograph by considering consciousness separately and briefly.
Epicurus, ancient philosopher, once said: "Where we are, death is not yet; and where death comes, there we are not." He meant by this that when we have self-awareness, we know that we are not dead, and when we are dead, we do not have self-awareness, so we cannot realize that we are dead and consequently should not fear death. The importance of his saying is not concerned with death, but with the fact that where our consciousness dwells, there we are.
The thing or place that you perceive and realize for the moment, is all that actually exists to you, and it is where you are. For example, if you can concentrate perfectly enough to recall every detail of a childhood home, several thousands of miles distant, until you again feel the warm rays of the sun, see the lazily floating clouds overhead, smell the sweet grasses and wild flowers, hear lowing cattle in the fields, and see the white porch with the honeysuckle vine entwined about its posts, and perceive your old dog dozing on the steps and twitching his ears to rid himself of persistent flies, you will in mind be there again, will you not? If you were physically carried back to that home as described above, could your sensations and perceptions be any more real? In other words, if you can have the sensations of a thing or place equally as well without the body being brought in contact with it, then you realize that as far as your self is concerned, you are wherever your consciousness is.
Let us look at it this way. Suppose you were physically taken back to this cherished childhood home, but, unfortunately, while there you were devoid of your objective consciousness. The trip would be of no avail so far as your experiences of your surroundings were concerned, for the attribute that gives you awareness of yourself and your surroundings, in other words, consciousness, was absent. So you see, it is not bodily contact with the world that gives us an appreciation of things and places, but consciousness.
A person who has an excellent retentive memory and a good imagination can really have a greater awareness in mind, that is, a clearer mental picture of a place or thing than some person who actually perceives it. Some writers have more vividly portrayed, in articles, scenes of foreign countries which they have actually never visited, than tourists who have visited them and whose powers of observation and perception were not very highly developed. Such writers, because of their highly developed faculty of consciousness, were really more in those foreign lands as far as their mental picture of them was concerned, than the casual tourist who actually rode or walked about in the lands. Remember, consciousness is composed of sensations. We are conscious of something because its vibratory impulses produce sensations and feelings within us. It is only by these sensations that we know of things. Therefore, for example, there is no distinction between the sensations produced by actually seeing and hearing a thing and an image perfectly reconstructed from memory or by the process of imagination. In either case, whether in imagination or by actual perception, you experience the thing or place, it has existence TO YOU.
During the ensuing week, mentally practice drawing yourself into old surroundings, places where you have been or lived, until as far as feeling is concerned, you are actually there. Get accustomed to disassociating your body from the ideas of consciousness - that is, come to realize that your conception of environment is as you think it and are conscious of it, regardless of whether your body is physically in the environment or not. This is an important psychological exercise in preparation for the mystical practices of projection.
NOTE: The above is just a small sample of a weekly AMORC lesson.
Blessings!
Marked Elect
ROSICRUCIAN (AMORC) DEGREE PROGRAM
The Following is taken from the "Rosicrucian Manual".
"Certainly, no Member will find in this privilege a reason to take all the lectures or teachings of our Order, or even part of them, and use them for a basis of another school or system, and either sell the instruction or publicly publish or teach it. The privilege which each Member enjoys, in giving some principles or laws to those who need them, makes discretion necessary, and when discretion is not used, but wilfully cast aside, the Member violates sacred Obligations, and will be forever cast outside the pale of the Great White Lodge. This is why the true teachings have never been published in books.
Those who are sincerely interested and worthy of Membership, at some time, are easily recognized. To them the Order should be spoken of carefully, and only casually, until they are discovered to be anxious to unite in the Work and Purposes of the Order. Then and only then, should they be invited by a Member to make application, as described herein.
In all ways, and in all things, maintain the dignity and austerity of the Order, and always be watchful for the seeker of knowledge who will greatly appreciate your bringing to his attention the existence of the Order and the means of entering it.
.
Part Four
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONSFOR ALL MEMBERS
The real benefits of Grand Lodge membership in AMORCwhether as Sanctum Members or members in a Regional Lodge-are many, and the most important are:
(1) Association with a body of men and women of like mind and purpose, ever ready to assist and cooperate, as true Fratres and Sorores;
(2) Association with a national and international staff of Officers and Directors controlling an organization of widespread interests, unusual facilities, and distinct powers for the carrying on of personal and practical work in behalf of mankind generally and the Fratres and Sorores especially;
(3) The privilege of direct and specialized Rosicrucian advice in personal problems relating to health, business, and ethical matters;
(4) The very special benefit that comes through the gradual and proper change of one's viewpoint of all the essential things of life, thereby eliminating the mysterious and perplexing matters which hold many in poverty, ill-health, and discontent;
(5) The awakening and development of certain latent or dormant faculties within each of us which will enable us to improve our position in life, increase our ability to do and accomplish, and bring greater success;
(6) The Cosmic and spiritual attunement with the Universal Mind and Master Minds so that we may live in cooperation with the constructive Divine Laws and Loving Divine Mind;
(7) The careful instruction and guidance in the attainment of such knowledge as will make us mighty and keen in the understanding and mastering of life's duties and obligations; also the complete instruction in the fundamentals of those arts and sciences which will make each student, each Member, strong in intellect, masterful in his daily occupation, perfect in his understanding, broad in his comprehension, and magnetic in his influence over the lesser minds of the world.
Our members will see, therefore, that of the seven points of benefits, outlined above, only one, the SEVENTH, pertains to the course of instruction, and that, therefore, to look upon membership in AMORC as being simply studentship in a school, is to ignore many of the more important benefits.
It is a fact that the average member, or fully seventy-five out of every hundred, has need every month for many of the other six points of benefit, and in times of emergency, sorrow, distress, perplexity, or serious complications in personal affairs, the members find more need for the first six benefits than for the seventh.
In many foreign lands where the members have been students for ten to twenty years, and where they have long since completed the regular courses of study included in the seventh benefit, they retain active membership in the fraternity solely because of the other six benefits.
The GREAT AIM of the Rosicrucians has ever been to assist all mankind in evolving to the highest degree of earthly perfection, and to render aid to every living being "to the Glory of God and the Benefit of Mankind." This is covered in point number two in the above list. But, to do this, the organization INCLUDES the very complete courses of study.
Therefore, our members will see that the payment of their monthly dues is not for the purpose of supporting the COURSE OF STUDY or the WEEKLY LESSONS, but for the entire list of benefits, and many others which are of such a personal nature and so diverse that they could not be listed here without consuming many pages. The real SECRET BENEFITS of association with the Rosicrucians have always been the outstanding LIGHTS which have brought thousands to the portals of each branch of the Order yearly, humbly seeking permission to make the acquaintance of those who would invite them to unite with the Order.
The course of study may be set aside at times through changes in one's daily routine of living, or through temporary changes in environment, and for other reasons, but the other benefits of membership continue at all times, as long as a member remains in active membership.
On the other hand, as we have said, the mere payment of the monthly dues, without giving any thought to the studies, without attempting to render service to others, and live the progressive, constructive life of a true Rosicrucian, WILL NOT CONSTITUTE GOOD STANDING IN THE ORDER.
For this reason members of the Order are requested to make certain reports of their studies, their experiences, or their activities in connection with their membership. Sanctum Members make these reports directly to the officers and staff of the Grand Lodge. Regional Lodge members report to their Lodge Secretary or other designated officer. To progress from one Degree to another, certain examinations must be satisfactorily completed-after each of the lower Degrees has been studied.
One important point should be perfectly plain to all who read this Manual: The AMORC will NOT accept into membership those who wish to enjoy its benefits but DO NOT want to pursue its course of study and become trained to assist in the general advancement of mankind. Hundreds of inquiries are received each year from men and women who believe they have sufficient knowledge of the occult and mystical sciences and who want, therefore, only the benefits of association with the Rosicrucians. Regardless of the fact that these persons offer to pay their yearly dues in advance or make other financial inducements, they are never invited to join the AMORC and cannot become members.
SOME OF THE OFFICIAL SEALS OF THE AMORC
1. General symbol of the Order in the world
2. The Great Seal of the American Supreme Council 3. Sign of the American Publication Committee 4. The Seal of the Founder
5. Original Emblem worn by the Fratres and Sorores 6. The Rosae Crucis (official) 7. The Seal and Sign of the Supreme Secretary 8. Great Seal of the Grand Master 9. The Sacred Insignia of the Imperator
Egyptian Statue of Amenhotep IV
Illustration IllustrationNo. 5 No. 6
Part Five
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FORSANCTUM MEMBERS
The following pages contain information for members who receive the PRELIMINARY DEGREES OF STUDY, later followed by the higher Temple Monographs, through the Grand Lodge, by mail.
The work of Sanctum Membership is unique. It consists of the most complete course of home-study of metaphysics and occultism ever offered, in addition to the other benefits of membership.
Sanctum Members do not pay for the instruction. The lessons are not sold, and Sanctum membership does not consist of simply reading the weekly monographs and trying the experiments. Nor does the mere payment of the monthly dues constitute good membership.
To be in good standing as Sanctum Members of the Grand bodge the members must not only meet their monthly obligations-which are nominal-but they must live up to the rules and standards of Rosicrucian adeptship-and the careful study and practice of the teachings are but two points of the system.
The monographs, lessons, and experimental work which are received by the Sanctum Members are prepared in such manner that the Sanctum Member can gain a complete comprehension and a useable working knowledge of the Rosicrucian teachings. The introductory lessons which the Sanctum Member first receives are arranged in two divisions : One division contains six preliminary monographs, and the other contains three Degrees, with twelve to fourteen lectures each. Supplementary material, experiments, and many practical applications of the principles presented are included in each Degree. Each Degree also has an initiation ritual by which this ceremony can be performed by the Sanctum Member in his own home. These rituals illustrate and demonstrate some of the important Rosicrucian teachings.
The Preliminary Division and Three Degrees are outlined in the next few pages. The lessons of these Degrees are constantly being improved, amended, and extended, and members receive additional instruction in accordance with their personal requirements, advancement, and psychic development. The lessons and monographs are NOT made in quantities for use for several years, as with correspondence courses, but made only in such groups of classification as will meet the special needs of the various grades of standing of the members. The instructions, therefore, are practically PERSONAL and DIRECT, and, when coupled with the advice and instruction sent separately from the lessons in letters, form a very personal system of instruction.
The lessons, monographs, rituals, and experiments of the three introductory Degrees of the Sanctum Membership are given only to Sanctum Members. They are not elementary, but preliminary to the higher Temple Degree monographs, and provide the means by which the Sanctum Members can qualify for these Temple Degrees and receive them for study in their own home in the same manner as the introductory Degrees.
Part Six
OUTLINE OF THE SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION FOR SANCTUM MEMBERSOF THE GRAND LODGE
For six weeks the new members receive personal, private communications from an especially assigned Master of the highest work in the organization, who carefully analyzes the needs and requirements of the new member and instructs him in those fundamental principles and laws of nature which will enable the student to qualify himself in the most rapid time and perfect manner possible. These instructions are in the form of Secret Mandamus lectures, discourses, and other matter sent under seal by mail to the member. The member studies these preliminary instructions and tries certain experiments of a fundamental nature which are highly illuminating and intensely interesting, and reports to the Class Masters at the Grand Lodge his comments, results of the experiments, and understanding of the points involved. In this way for six weeks the new member and an officer of the organization are in intimate contact by correspondence and in psychic contact through the Rosicrucian methods. At the end of the sixth week, if the member is properly prepared, he is admitted into the First Degree of the Neophyte studies and is given other confidential instructions. If the member is not properly qualified, further and more complete instructions are given by a special department of instruction so that the member may become prepared and ready for the First Degree work in the shortest time possible.
The instructions, lessons, laws, and principles given to the member in these preliminary monographs contain many astonishing ideas and do more to inculcate the true Rosicrucian art in the consciousness of the member than any preliminary steps that have ever been devised.
First Degree
After the proper preparation and the development of certain psychic faculties and functions during the six weeks or more of preliminary preparation the member is ready for the personal initiation of a psychic and spiritual nature whereby he becomes acquainted in his own home with some of the highest principles.
The first papers sent to the new member after his admission into the First Degree include not only the beautiful and symbolical initiation ceremony which he or she is able to perform easily and quietly in the privacy of some part of the home, but many other papers of important instruction and guidance are also sent to the member.
Thereafter, the member receives twelve weekly sealed envelopes of a large size, containing the secret and private monographs, lessons, and instructions of the First Degree, including many fascinating tests of Cosmic laws, many experiments of astonishing principles and scores
of practical, helpful principles which the member can demonstrate and apply in his daily life for his own benefit and self-evolution. The monographs and lectures of the First Degree, covering twelve weeks, include information on the subjects below. It must be understood that the actual order of the subjects given is not quite the same as here listed. (Progressive changes and additions to these subjects are made from time to time.)
Objective and Cosmic Consciousness, The Brain and Mind, Mystic Symbolism, The Triangle, The Meaning of Numbers, Spirit Force, Soul, Experiments in Developing Psychic Consciousness, Breathing Exercises, Manifestations of Spirit, Manifestations of Vibrations, The Law of the Triangle, Mental Vibrations, Universal Force, the Mortal Existence of Matter, The Form of Matter, The Existence of Evil, The Positive Existence of Good, True Knowledge, the Changes in Matter, Delusions and Illusions, Experiments to Prove the Difference, Psychic and Material Seeing, Dreams, Mystical Comprehension, Protection against Error, False Theories, The Cosmos, Man's Relation to the Cosmos, The Strange Nervous System in Man, The Secret Workings of this Nervous System, The Effects of Light, Color, Music, and Temperature, Mystic Vibrations, The Danger of Untrue Books, Some Mystical Experiments, Health Vibrations, The Nature of Life. The Life Force, Demonstrations with Thought Vibrations, Mystical Demonstrations with Thought Vibrations, How to Direct Thought Vibrations, Demonstrations with Colors, Mystical Centers of the Brain, The Secret of Concentration, Concentrated Thought Waves, Meditation Experiments, Producing Manifestations, How the Blind Can See, Mystical Sight, Experiments with Seeing, The Mystery of Sleep, Demonstrating Cures through Normal Sleep, Bible Miracles, Mental Treatments during Sleep, Self-Treatment, False Terms, Mystical Consciousness, The Conscience, The Akashic Records, Intuition, Cosmic Attunement, Attunement with the Masters, Attunement with Others in Distant Places, and General Review of Rosicrucian Laws.
Second Degree:
Initiation Ritual, including demonstration of some Laws. Then twelve weekly lessons, including personal talks and lectures which are changed with the addition of new discoveries, on the following subjects: (The subjects do not appear in the order listed here. Progressive changes and substitutions are made from time to time.)
The Ego, The Elimination of the Ego, The Elevation of the Psychic Self, Divine Rights, Divine Blessings, Cosmic Gifts, The Oriental Secrets of These Principles, Nirvana, Personal Psychic Development, Help from Visible and Invisible Masters, The Holy Assembly, Jesus and His Work, The Work of Other Great Teachers, Development of the Psychic Aura, Interesting Experiments, Practical Methods of Cosmic Attunement, New Breathing Exercises, Mystical Sounds, The Law of Incantation, Experiments with Vocal Sounds, Developing Increased Life Force, The Mystical Meaning of Letters and Sounds, The Mystery of the Lost Word, How to Seek It, The Purpose of Other Secret Organizations, The Good Points in Many Schools,
Why Mankind Needs Help and Instruction, The Relation of Body, Mind and Soul, The Divine Trinity, The Earthly Trinity in Man, Experiments to Prove the Statements, Man a Wonderful Organization, The Secret Parts of his Organization, Nature's Secret Forces in Man, The One Mystical Force in Man's Body, The Control of This by the Mind, The Nature of Pain, The True Way to Relieve It, Several Mystic Methods for "Curing" Pains in Various Parts of the Body, Giving Treatments to Others, The Oriental Methods, American Methods Including Christian Science, Health and Hygiene, The Oriental Rosicrucian Health Principles, The Occidental Race and its Special Needs, Demonstrating the Mystic Currents of Life Force in the Body, Many Experiments to Increase this Life Force, The Eye and its Abnormal Conditions, Secret Methods for Treating the Eyes, Various Forms of Diseases, The Real Cause of Diseases, Experiments for Treating Some Diseases, How to Establish Harmony in the Human Body, The Duality of Life and Disease, The Two Secret Elements for Obtaining Health and Prolonging Life, Simple Methods for Attracting these Elements to the Body, Classification of Simple Diseases, Treating Oneself and others with Simple Methods, The Secret of Life Cells, The Effect of Thought and Action on the Body, The Constructive and Destructive Periods of Life, Simple Laws about Eating, Rosicrucian Dietetics, The Use of Affirmations, The Use of Medicine, Experiments for Increasing Mental and Physical Strength, The Truth about Vegetarian Diet, The Relation of Spiritual and Mental Development to Diet, Important Instructions in Regard to Food Values, Methods for Preventing' Disease, Practical Experiments and Demonstrations, What Prominent Scientists Say, Experiments with Water, Further Rules for Treating Others, Treatment at a Distance, Contact Treatments, Rosicrucian Secret Method, the Rhythm and Cycles of Life, Mystical Period of Years, The Cycles of Incarnations, The Law of Reincarnation, Old Age and Death, Rebirth and Regeneration, A Summary of New Rosicrucian Principles, and Important Personal Reading Matter and Instructions.
Third Degree:
Initiation Ritual covering three weeks, during which the Students prepare for Cosmic Attunement and Psychic Demonstrations before proceeding with the Lessons which, unless added to or changed, shall include the subjects of The Four Principal Manifestations of Matter, The Mystery of Alchemy and Chemistry, Experiments with the Mental Control of Matter, Directing Mind Vibrations into Matter, Mental Alchemy, The Mystic Magnetism of Man's Body, The Source of this Magnetism, Its Rapid Development, Rosicrucian Metaphysical Laws, Affecting the Blood of the Human System, Personal Advice in Regard to Health of Each Member, The Solar Plexus, Demonstrations with It, The Psychic Centers of the Human Body, Exercises for Developing Them, Controlling the Nervous System, Controlling the Organs of the Body, Improving their Functioning, The Psychic Body of Man, Experiments for Proving its Existence, What the Ancients Taught, What the Modern Rosicrucians Know, The Mystery of Fire, its Place in the Universe and the Human Body, Some Mystical Experiments with Fire, Some Simple Alchemical Experiments, Experiments with Vibrations, Affecting Matter with Thoughts, The True Nature of the Soul, Its Relation to the Mind, Manifestations of the Soul, Higher Mystical Symbolism, Symbolism in Christianity and Oriental Philosophy, The Use of Symbols in Mental Experiments, Symbolism in the Human Body, Symbolism in the Cosmic, The Development of Religion, Religious Consciousness, God Manifesting through Man, Proof of the Existence of God, God's Mysterious Ways, God's Methods of Creation and Evolution, The Truth about Spontaneous Generation and Artificial Creation, The Creative Powers in Man's Mind and Body, Man's Ability to Create Mentally, The Control of Natural Forces, Directing Desires to be Fulfilled, Making Thought Forms Become Realities, Experiments which Show how Thought Forms are Materialized, The Development of God's Creative Powers in Each Member, The Value of Suggestions, Mistaken Ideas about Hypnotism, The False Beliefs about Black Magic, The Real Power of White Magic, Experiments to Test these Principles, Exercises for the Development of Personal Magnetism, The Development of Harmony in the Human Body, The Establishment of Harmony between the Human Body and the Cosmic, The Rosicrucian Methods of Diagnosing Inharmony and Disease, Contacting Personal Masters, Receiving Illumination and Instruction from Cosmic Masters, Transmitting Cosmic Pictures and Thoughts, Telepathy and Universal Ab tunement, Methods for Contacting the Secret Chambers of the Cosmic and the Higher Chambers of the Order, Exercises for Perfecting the Psychic Development of the Individual Member, Special Instructions for Reaching the Higher Teachings, and General Summary of the Three Degrees, followed by a series of Personal Letters from the Masters of the Order and the Imperator to assist the Individual Members to be qualified for any higher work offered by the Order.
AT THE END OF THE THIRD DEGREE
It requires practically from nine months to one year to complete the foregoing three Degrees of Grand Lodge Sanctum membership. But as one can see, the lessons are so arranged that after the first few weeks the Student is able to experiment and demonstrate a great many principles and after the first twelve lessons is capable of extracting from the lessons such principles and exercises as should enable him or her to make many important changes in business and social affairs and improve in health and mind while being able to help others also. The average Student who has studied and read from many books in the past finds that these weekly lessons and lectures and personal letters of these three Degrees supply all the information that a sincere Student can properly take care of in each week, and very few are ever anxious to go any faster in the work than our system provides for.
Bear in mind that, with this Manual, the monographs contain everything that is required for study except the use of a common dictionary at times, or an encyclopedia when a student is anxious to look up some subjects that are of special interest to him. There are no textbooks of any kind that must be purchased and the Student will find in the Rosicrucian Digest (our own monthly magazine) many articles of help and practical application in his material worldly affairs.
THE ROSICRUCIAN DIGEST
We mention also, at this time, that besides the interesting weekly lessons, monographs, the charts and diagrams, and other services, members receive a copy of the publication, the Rosicrucian Digest, issued by the organization. This magazine is sent free to members, and is very helpful, because it contains interesting articles of a constructive nature on subjects in which students are interested. It is really the leading metaphysical and occult magazine of America. The Rosicrucian Digest contains no outside advertising and every page is filled with helpful information. Members receive it as part of their membership.
ADVANCING TO HIGHER TEACHINGS
When Sanctum Members have completed the three introductory Degrees outlined above and have been found sufficiently qualified by their Class Masters and the Imperator of the Order, they may advance into the study of the Temple Degrees of the Order. The Temple Degrees are identically presented to individual Sanctum Members who qualify and to members of Regional Lodges meeting in regular Lodge Temples. The initiations and rituals for the Temple Degrees are provided in a modified form so that the Sanctum Member can perform them in his own sanctum. The Sanctum Member is also qualified and privileged to have conferred upon him any Degree initiation-for which he has adequately prepared himself-at any Regional Lodge or Lodge which he may be able to visit at the time that that ritual is being presented. Furthermore, all charts and diagrams necessary for the conducting of many of the experiments and demonstrations are provided to the Sanctum Member, along with the monographs all of which can be used and fully understood in the privacy of his own home.
SOME ANCIENT MAGICAL INSTRVMENTs
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THE SEVEN SEALS OF ST JOHN
Part EightTHE TEMPLE MONOGRAPHS
The Higher Teachings of the Order are those which were especially designed and compiled by the Higher Masters of the Order for delivery in the Secret Temples of our Order by the appointed Masters and Officers in Tiled Lodge Rooms and under the Seal of Secrecy and Sincerity. Such lectures contain the most complete presentation of all the occult Laws and Principles handed down through the Ages and amended by the modern Masters in all countries, so that today they are of practical value in these modern times. Naturally, they cover all of the points, Laws, and Principles touched upon in the three correspondence Degrees and the Sanctum membership of the Grand Lodge, but present each Law and Principle in more complete and demonstrable form, and include hundreds of subjects and mystical Laws which could not be put into the three Degrees of the preliminary Sanctum membership work; but, as explained before, they can be received by Sanctum Members after they have made certain preparations, which are not difficult if they are sincere students. In addition to the lectures given in the Temple Lodges the Members have the benefit of Temple demonstrations performed by the Masters and most advanced Members, and the valuable discussions with questions and answers which follow each Convocation.
Those members who cannot attend Temple Lodges and who are carefully selected and deemed worthy of receiving the discourses of the Temple Lectures by correspondence under Oaths of Allegiance and Secrecy, will receive the same private monographs by mail each week as the Masters of the Temple use in their Lodges in delivering the teachings to the Members assembled. These lessons and monographs are the same throughout the AMORC of the international jurisdiction of North, Central, and South America, British Commonwealth and Empire, France, Switzerland, and Africa, and the only difference between the lecture work as given in the Temples and the study of the lessons at home by correspondence is the absence of the discussions and the modified form of Rituals.
The Sanctum Members are able to make their own demonstrations at home, in most cases, and, therefore, do not miss the important part of this phase of the Temple work; and, of course, all of the exercises and demonstrations to be made in their personal affairs are the same and just as efficient with the correspondence Members as with the Temple Members.
Nevertheless, all Sanctum Members are urged to visit, at some time or other, one of the Temples of the Order throughout the jurisdiction, and especially to attempt to attend the Rosicrucian Convention, or some special session of the Grand Lodge in San Jose, California. They will not be inconvenienced because they cannot attend the sessions regularly; their studies will be found to be complete, in the manner in which they are especially prepared by the Imperator's staff.
OUTLINE OF THE TEMPLE LECTURES AND SYSTEM
First Degree:
Initiation Ritual, constituting the famous "Crossing of the Threshold" ceremony (this is also given symbolically to Sanctum Neophyte Members), which is ever the goal of all seekers for Rosicrucian Illumination. The initiation is followed by a series of weekly or semi-monthly Temple monographs and lessons covering the following subjects (Addition to and discontinuance of the subjects listed in any of the Degrees is made when it is sought to improve the entire system of instruction)
The Ethics of Rosicrucianism, The Meaning of Initiation, The Search of Ancient Mystics for the Portals, The Secrecy of its Higher Teachings, The Mystery of Mysticism, The Law of Symbolism, Ancient Secret Alphabets, Numerals and Symbols, The Meaning of Numbers, Matter and its Existence, The Law of the Triangle, Crystallography, The Laws of the Universe, The Material World and its Composition, The Physical Composition of Man and All Animal Life, First Laws of the Rosicrucian Ontology, The Difference between Living and Non-Living Matter, What Makes Man a Living Being, The Elements of Physiology, The place of Spirit in Man, Distinction between Spirit and Soul, The Manifestation of Spirit Energy, Spirit Vibrations, Electrons and Atoms, The Natural Law of the Composition of Matter, The Law of Motion and Rhythm, Polarity and Magnetism, Demonstrations of the Action of Electrons in Forming Matter, The Hidden Principles regarding the Nature of Matter and its Manifestation, The Law of Vibrations and the Cosmic Keyboard, A Summary of the Principal Laws of the Universe regarding Matter, and Man's Material Body and All Forms of Existing Things.
Second Degree:
Initiation Ritual illustrating the Member's advancement in the work and in mental development. Series of monographs covering the following subjects in detail:
The Rosicrucian Alphabet of Mystical Subjects covered by the Future Lectures, The Mind of Man and its Faculties and Functioning, Its Objective and Subjective Divisions, The Scale of Operation, The Mind's Relation to Cosmic and Mundane Consciousness, The Voluntary and Involuntary Functions in Man, An Analysis of the Mind and Brain in Action, The Dual Consciousness in Man, Disorders of the Mind and Brain, Various Forms of Reasoning, The Improvement of Reasoning, Will Power, Its Development, Its Relation to Health and Disease, The Memory, Its Origin, Location, and Development, Using the Memory, The Purpose of the Memory with the Soul and Cosmic, The Secret Inner Chief Engineer of Each Being, Subjective Conditions of the Body, Objective Functionings of the Body, The Nature of Habits, How They are formed and Suspended, The Power of the Subjective Mind over the Human Body, Mental Suggestion, The Art and Science of Suggestion, The Living Soul within the Body and its Reason for Being Incarnated in the Human Body, Whence IT Came and Whither IT Goeth, and a Review of the Mental and Psychic Parts of Man.
Third Degree
Initiation Ritual, including demonstration of Alchemical principles and mental phenomena, followed by a series of monographs covering the following subjects in general:
The Laws of Motion and Change throughout the Universe, The Laws of Devolution, Evolution, and Involution, The Evolution of Consciousness in Life, The Nature of Consciousness and its Attributes, The Reason for Life, The Purpose of Living Organisms, Sensations of Consciousness, The Coming and Going of Consciousness, Individual and Group Consciousness, Intelligence, Intellect, Imagination, Imaging and Mental Creating, The Perfection of Mental Action, Ideality, Mystical Alchemy, Rosicrucian Mental Methods, Objective Sensing, Psychic Sensing, The Actuality of Things and our Realization of Them, Realities Created, Actualities made to Disappear, Actualities may not Exist, Demonstrations of Actuality and Reality, Psychic Products, Mental Products, Illusions, The Effect of Environment, The Effect of Thoughts, Soul Memories, Exercises for Awakening the Memory and Developing Psychic Consciousness, Man's Association with the Cosmic, The God and Master within, Contacting the Psychic Minds of Others, The Psychic Man Separate from the Physical Man, How They can be made Visible at the Same Time, and General Review of the Mental and Psychic Duality of Man's Consciousness.
Fourth Degree:
Very Elaborate Initiation Ceremony introducing the Member into the next stage of the Higher Teachings and illustrating to him the mysteries of Life; followed by a series of monographs covering, except when changed by additions or elimination, the following important subjects:
The Origin and Nature of the Life Force in Man, Its Source, Its Form of Manifestation, The Secret Knowledge of the Rosicrucians regarding the Life Force, How the Life Force enters the Human Body, How to Control It in the Human Body, How to Direct It to All Living Matter, The Rosicrucian Method for Increasing the Life Force, The Prevention of the Breaking Down Process in the Human Body, The Complete Presentation of the Ancient Secret Manuscript Written by Nodin, explaining the Nature of the Life Force in All Living Cells and How It may be Directed and Controlled, Methods of Directing this Life Force from the Human Body for Treating Others, The Development of a Strong Aura and the Secrets of Long Life and Perfect Health, and General Review of the Most important knowledge regarding Life Force ever given to Man.
Fifth Degree:
Interesting Initiation Ritual followed by a series of lectures introduced at this stage of the Student's progress so that he may have time for Psychic development through the many experiments he is conducting night and morning, and at other spare times, without taking up any new metaphysical or psychic subjects. Therefore, the monographs of this Degree include a complete review of all the Ancient Philosophies showing the development of mystical and philosophic thought and leading up to the modern philosophies and religious doctrines so that the Student will be well versed in Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics.
Sixth Degree:
A very impressive Ritualistic Ceremony conferring honors upon those who have progressed properly to this Degree, followed by a long series of monographs and lessons with charts, diagrams, illustrations, and exercises explaining, in the most simple and fascinating manner, the secret methods of the human body in the digestion of food, the principles of dietetics, the making of blood, the entering of the Vital Life Force into the blood, the real purpose of Rosicrucian breathing exercises, the true cause of all disease and suffering, the diagnosis of disease, and the secret Rosicrucian methods of directing the healing Forces of the Universe to the different parts of the Body or to those who may be suffering; including quick methods of bringing about rapid changes in serious conditions and explaining all of the functions of the organs, nerves, and plexuses of the Human Body in their relation to the Psychic and Cosmic Forces of the Universe. This is the most complete course of study in metaphysical healing ever given to students of mysticism and is exclusively Rosicrucian.
Seventh Degree:
Very impressive Psychic Initiation illustrating some of the highest mystical teachings of the Order, followed by a series of monographs and lessons dealing with the metaphysical and psychic existence of Man, and leaving aside the material and earthly matters covered in the first six Degrees. This Degree fully explains the real purpose and nature of the psychic body of Man within the physical body and contains exercises for strengthening the vitality and power of the psychic body with its Psychic Consciousness; and then proceeds to explain how the psychic body may be temporarily separated from the physical body and both be made visible at the same time. After these experiments are completed the Student is instructed in the Rosicrucian methods of projecting the psychic body out into space to any point or place there to be made visible to others without affecting the continuous functioning of the physical body. Other exercises assist in the development of the Aura, so that it may be made very visible in a darkened room and sufficiently strong to cause illumination and to make the hands magnetic. Also other exercises are given in connection with the highest mystical vowel sounds with methods for pronouncing them so as to produce psychic manifestations at will. Also the Lost Word, sought for by the ancients, is further explained in this Degree and the Student begins to realize that he has been gradually acquiring the Lost Word and gaining very unusual occult powers. This is the most mystical Degree of study in the principles of Rosicrucian Teachings ever given in the Occidental World.
Eighth Degree:
Another impressive Ritualistic Ceremony or Initiation for those who have succeeded in the work of the previous Degree, followed by twenty-nine monographs in the higher metaphysical principles whereby the Student is gradually revealed in his proper relationship to God and the Cosmic, and is instructed with definite lessons and exercises in the possibility of projecting his psychic body through all matter and space to any person or place and there making himself visible as he is in this incarnation, or as he was in a previous incarnation, with the further ability to cause certain material things to move or respond as he directs, including the production of sounds from musical instruments, from his own voice, or from things he may psychically touch. He is also instructed in the principles taught by the old Rosicrucians whereby he can give treatments to others during such projections or carry on humanitarian activities without revealing himself, and attend sessions or convocations in Temples of the Order in faraway places by projection and attunement, and in other ways carry on the experiments described by the Masters of the Far East and heretofore taught by Rosicrucians only in the Temples of Tibet, where the Masters of the Great White Lodge hold their Sacred Convocations. This Degree also reveals the Laws regarding the real personalities in each of us and many facts about our past incarnations. True facts regarding so-called spiritualistic principles and phenomena are revealed, and many other important Rosicrucian Teachings, including the Keys to the Ninth Degree.
Ninth Degree:
Another highly impressive Temple Ritual whereby the Members who have properly reached this Degree and duly qualified for it are given titles and honors of the highest standing in the Order, as far as Temple Ceremonies are concerned. Serious obligations of Secrecy and devotion to Rosicrucianism are required of those who take this Initiation in the Temple and receive the highest Passwords and methods of recognition in the Temple Degrees.
This is followed by a series of forty very complete monographs and lessons dealing with subjects, many of which cannot be described in a Manual of this kind, that include revelations regarding Man's relation to God and the higher Forces of the Cosmic and the development of the highest metaphysical powers within his own body. He is enabled to use some of these forces of Nature to blot out and make hidden material things as well as eliminate mental and psychic things which may be obstacles in his life, and direct or change the course of natural events in their relation to him so as to bring about certain results in his own affairs or in the affairs of others. This is the last Degree in which the Student receives Initiation on the Material Plane in Material Temples, and from this point he receives further instruction and Psychic Initiation as he is ready for them. In this Degree, also, the Student receives the last vowel sound of the Lost Word and learns how to use this word for instantly affecting Laws, Principles, and Manifestations throughout Nature.
Tenth Degree: Eleventh Degree: Twelfth Degree
The Initiations into these Degrees are given Psychically to the Worthy Members who have advanced to the preceding Degrees and very often these Initiations occur Psychically in the Temples of the Order in the Orient. Many of the monographs and lectures of these Degrees will be received by the Members and Students in a mystical manner which cannot be explained here, and they will, from time to time, assemble with others in the same Degree for the exchange of knowledge and experiences while carrying on their mystical activities in all parts of the world without interfering with their regular business and social routine.
AT THE CLOSE OF THE NINTH DEGREE
Members who attain and complete the psychic instruction of the Ninth Degree or those above it may enter the ILLUMINATI, which is a higher organization of the Order wherein the worthy Members continue to carry on specialized work and studies under the direction of the Imperator of their Jurisdiction and the personal Cosmic Masters. Members cannot ask for admission to the Illuminate but must wait until they have been found ready and are invited to share in this additional work.
"Certainly, no Member will find in this privilege a reason to take all the lectures or teachings of our Order, or even part of them, and use them for a basis of another school or system, and either sell the instruction or publicly publish or teach it. The privilege which each Member enjoys, in giving some principles or laws to those who need them, makes discretion necessary, and when discretion is not used, but wilfully cast aside, the Member violates sacred Obligations, and will be forever cast outside the pale of the Great White Lodge. This is why the true teachings have never been published in books.
Those who are sincerely interested and worthy of Membership, at some time, are easily recognized. To them the Order should be spoken of carefully, and only casually, until they are discovered to be anxious to unite in the Work and Purposes of the Order. Then and only then, should they be invited by a Member to make application, as described herein.
In all ways, and in all things, maintain the dignity and austerity of the Order, and always be watchful for the seeker of knowledge who will greatly appreciate your bringing to his attention the existence of the Order and the means of entering it.
.
Part Four
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONSFOR ALL MEMBERS
The real benefits of Grand Lodge membership in AMORCwhether as Sanctum Members or members in a Regional Lodge-are many, and the most important are:
(1) Association with a body of men and women of like mind and purpose, ever ready to assist and cooperate, as true Fratres and Sorores;
(2) Association with a national and international staff of Officers and Directors controlling an organization of widespread interests, unusual facilities, and distinct powers for the carrying on of personal and practical work in behalf of mankind generally and the Fratres and Sorores especially;
(3) The privilege of direct and specialized Rosicrucian advice in personal problems relating to health, business, and ethical matters;
(4) The very special benefit that comes through the gradual and proper change of one's viewpoint of all the essential things of life, thereby eliminating the mysterious and perplexing matters which hold many in poverty, ill-health, and discontent;
(5) The awakening and development of certain latent or dormant faculties within each of us which will enable us to improve our position in life, increase our ability to do and accomplish, and bring greater success;
(6) The Cosmic and spiritual attunement with the Universal Mind and Master Minds so that we may live in cooperation with the constructive Divine Laws and Loving Divine Mind;
(7) The careful instruction and guidance in the attainment of such knowledge as will make us mighty and keen in the understanding and mastering of life's duties and obligations; also the complete instruction in the fundamentals of those arts and sciences which will make each student, each Member, strong in intellect, masterful in his daily occupation, perfect in his understanding, broad in his comprehension, and magnetic in his influence over the lesser minds of the world.
Our members will see, therefore, that of the seven points of benefits, outlined above, only one, the SEVENTH, pertains to the course of instruction, and that, therefore, to look upon membership in AMORC as being simply studentship in a school, is to ignore many of the more important benefits.
It is a fact that the average member, or fully seventy-five out of every hundred, has need every month for many of the other six points of benefit, and in times of emergency, sorrow, distress, perplexity, or serious complications in personal affairs, the members find more need for the first six benefits than for the seventh.
In many foreign lands where the members have been students for ten to twenty years, and where they have long since completed the regular courses of study included in the seventh benefit, they retain active membership in the fraternity solely because of the other six benefits.
The GREAT AIM of the Rosicrucians has ever been to assist all mankind in evolving to the highest degree of earthly perfection, and to render aid to every living being "to the Glory of God and the Benefit of Mankind." This is covered in point number two in the above list. But, to do this, the organization INCLUDES the very complete courses of study.
Therefore, our members will see that the payment of their monthly dues is not for the purpose of supporting the COURSE OF STUDY or the WEEKLY LESSONS, but for the entire list of benefits, and many others which are of such a personal nature and so diverse that they could not be listed here without consuming many pages. The real SECRET BENEFITS of association with the Rosicrucians have always been the outstanding LIGHTS which have brought thousands to the portals of each branch of the Order yearly, humbly seeking permission to make the acquaintance of those who would invite them to unite with the Order.
The course of study may be set aside at times through changes in one's daily routine of living, or through temporary changes in environment, and for other reasons, but the other benefits of membership continue at all times, as long as a member remains in active membership.
On the other hand, as we have said, the mere payment of the monthly dues, without giving any thought to the studies, without attempting to render service to others, and live the progressive, constructive life of a true Rosicrucian, WILL NOT CONSTITUTE GOOD STANDING IN THE ORDER.
For this reason members of the Order are requested to make certain reports of their studies, their experiences, or their activities in connection with their membership. Sanctum Members make these reports directly to the officers and staff of the Grand Lodge. Regional Lodge members report to their Lodge Secretary or other designated officer. To progress from one Degree to another, certain examinations must be satisfactorily completed-after each of the lower Degrees has been studied.
One important point should be perfectly plain to all who read this Manual: The AMORC will NOT accept into membership those who wish to enjoy its benefits but DO NOT want to pursue its course of study and become trained to assist in the general advancement of mankind. Hundreds of inquiries are received each year from men and women who believe they have sufficient knowledge of the occult and mystical sciences and who want, therefore, only the benefits of association with the Rosicrucians. Regardless of the fact that these persons offer to pay their yearly dues in advance or make other financial inducements, they are never invited to join the AMORC and cannot become members.
SOME OF THE OFFICIAL SEALS OF THE AMORC
1. General symbol of the Order in the world
2. The Great Seal of the American Supreme Council 3. Sign of the American Publication Committee 4. The Seal of the Founder
5. Original Emblem worn by the Fratres and Sorores 6. The Rosae Crucis (official) 7. The Seal and Sign of the Supreme Secretary 8. Great Seal of the Grand Master 9. The Sacred Insignia of the Imperator
Egyptian Statue of Amenhotep IV
Illustration IllustrationNo. 5 No. 6
Part Five
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FORSANCTUM MEMBERS
The following pages contain information for members who receive the PRELIMINARY DEGREES OF STUDY, later followed by the higher Temple Monographs, through the Grand Lodge, by mail.
The work of Sanctum Membership is unique. It consists of the most complete course of home-study of metaphysics and occultism ever offered, in addition to the other benefits of membership.
Sanctum Members do not pay for the instruction. The lessons are not sold, and Sanctum membership does not consist of simply reading the weekly monographs and trying the experiments. Nor does the mere payment of the monthly dues constitute good membership.
To be in good standing as Sanctum Members of the Grand bodge the members must not only meet their monthly obligations-which are nominal-but they must live up to the rules and standards of Rosicrucian adeptship-and the careful study and practice of the teachings are but two points of the system.
The monographs, lessons, and experimental work which are received by the Sanctum Members are prepared in such manner that the Sanctum Member can gain a complete comprehension and a useable working knowledge of the Rosicrucian teachings. The introductory lessons which the Sanctum Member first receives are arranged in two divisions : One division contains six preliminary monographs, and the other contains three Degrees, with twelve to fourteen lectures each. Supplementary material, experiments, and many practical applications of the principles presented are included in each Degree. Each Degree also has an initiation ritual by which this ceremony can be performed by the Sanctum Member in his own home. These rituals illustrate and demonstrate some of the important Rosicrucian teachings.
The Preliminary Division and Three Degrees are outlined in the next few pages. The lessons of these Degrees are constantly being improved, amended, and extended, and members receive additional instruction in accordance with their personal requirements, advancement, and psychic development. The lessons and monographs are NOT made in quantities for use for several years, as with correspondence courses, but made only in such groups of classification as will meet the special needs of the various grades of standing of the members. The instructions, therefore, are practically PERSONAL and DIRECT, and, when coupled with the advice and instruction sent separately from the lessons in letters, form a very personal system of instruction.
The lessons, monographs, rituals, and experiments of the three introductory Degrees of the Sanctum Membership are given only to Sanctum Members. They are not elementary, but preliminary to the higher Temple Degree monographs, and provide the means by which the Sanctum Members can qualify for these Temple Degrees and receive them for study in their own home in the same manner as the introductory Degrees.
Part Six
OUTLINE OF THE SYSTEM OF INSTRUCTION FOR SANCTUM MEMBERSOF THE GRAND LODGE
For six weeks the new members receive personal, private communications from an especially assigned Master of the highest work in the organization, who carefully analyzes the needs and requirements of the new member and instructs him in those fundamental principles and laws of nature which will enable the student to qualify himself in the most rapid time and perfect manner possible. These instructions are in the form of Secret Mandamus lectures, discourses, and other matter sent under seal by mail to the member. The member studies these preliminary instructions and tries certain experiments of a fundamental nature which are highly illuminating and intensely interesting, and reports to the Class Masters at the Grand Lodge his comments, results of the experiments, and understanding of the points involved. In this way for six weeks the new member and an officer of the organization are in intimate contact by correspondence and in psychic contact through the Rosicrucian methods. At the end of the sixth week, if the member is properly prepared, he is admitted into the First Degree of the Neophyte studies and is given other confidential instructions. If the member is not properly qualified, further and more complete instructions are given by a special department of instruction so that the member may become prepared and ready for the First Degree work in the shortest time possible.
The instructions, lessons, laws, and principles given to the member in these preliminary monographs contain many astonishing ideas and do more to inculcate the true Rosicrucian art in the consciousness of the member than any preliminary steps that have ever been devised.
First Degree
After the proper preparation and the development of certain psychic faculties and functions during the six weeks or more of preliminary preparation the member is ready for the personal initiation of a psychic and spiritual nature whereby he becomes acquainted in his own home with some of the highest principles.
The first papers sent to the new member after his admission into the First Degree include not only the beautiful and symbolical initiation ceremony which he or she is able to perform easily and quietly in the privacy of some part of the home, but many other papers of important instruction and guidance are also sent to the member.
Thereafter, the member receives twelve weekly sealed envelopes of a large size, containing the secret and private monographs, lessons, and instructions of the First Degree, including many fascinating tests of Cosmic laws, many experiments of astonishing principles and scores
of practical, helpful principles which the member can demonstrate and apply in his daily life for his own benefit and self-evolution. The monographs and lectures of the First Degree, covering twelve weeks, include information on the subjects below. It must be understood that the actual order of the subjects given is not quite the same as here listed. (Progressive changes and additions to these subjects are made from time to time.)
Objective and Cosmic Consciousness, The Brain and Mind, Mystic Symbolism, The Triangle, The Meaning of Numbers, Spirit Force, Soul, Experiments in Developing Psychic Consciousness, Breathing Exercises, Manifestations of Spirit, Manifestations of Vibrations, The Law of the Triangle, Mental Vibrations, Universal Force, the Mortal Existence of Matter, The Form of Matter, The Existence of Evil, The Positive Existence of Good, True Knowledge, the Changes in Matter, Delusions and Illusions, Experiments to Prove the Difference, Psychic and Material Seeing, Dreams, Mystical Comprehension, Protection against Error, False Theories, The Cosmos, Man's Relation to the Cosmos, The Strange Nervous System in Man, The Secret Workings of this Nervous System, The Effects of Light, Color, Music, and Temperature, Mystic Vibrations, The Danger of Untrue Books, Some Mystical Experiments, Health Vibrations, The Nature of Life. The Life Force, Demonstrations with Thought Vibrations, Mystical Demonstrations with Thought Vibrations, How to Direct Thought Vibrations, Demonstrations with Colors, Mystical Centers of the Brain, The Secret of Concentration, Concentrated Thought Waves, Meditation Experiments, Producing Manifestations, How the Blind Can See, Mystical Sight, Experiments with Seeing, The Mystery of Sleep, Demonstrating Cures through Normal Sleep, Bible Miracles, Mental Treatments during Sleep, Self-Treatment, False Terms, Mystical Consciousness, The Conscience, The Akashic Records, Intuition, Cosmic Attunement, Attunement with the Masters, Attunement with Others in Distant Places, and General Review of Rosicrucian Laws.
Second Degree:
Initiation Ritual, including demonstration of some Laws. Then twelve weekly lessons, including personal talks and lectures which are changed with the addition of new discoveries, on the following subjects: (The subjects do not appear in the order listed here. Progressive changes and substitutions are made from time to time.)
The Ego, The Elimination of the Ego, The Elevation of the Psychic Self, Divine Rights, Divine Blessings, Cosmic Gifts, The Oriental Secrets of These Principles, Nirvana, Personal Psychic Development, Help from Visible and Invisible Masters, The Holy Assembly, Jesus and His Work, The Work of Other Great Teachers, Development of the Psychic Aura, Interesting Experiments, Practical Methods of Cosmic Attunement, New Breathing Exercises, Mystical Sounds, The Law of Incantation, Experiments with Vocal Sounds, Developing Increased Life Force, The Mystical Meaning of Letters and Sounds, The Mystery of the Lost Word, How to Seek It, The Purpose of Other Secret Organizations, The Good Points in Many Schools,
Why Mankind Needs Help and Instruction, The Relation of Body, Mind and Soul, The Divine Trinity, The Earthly Trinity in Man, Experiments to Prove the Statements, Man a Wonderful Organization, The Secret Parts of his Organization, Nature's Secret Forces in Man, The One Mystical Force in Man's Body, The Control of This by the Mind, The Nature of Pain, The True Way to Relieve It, Several Mystic Methods for "Curing" Pains in Various Parts of the Body, Giving Treatments to Others, The Oriental Methods, American Methods Including Christian Science, Health and Hygiene, The Oriental Rosicrucian Health Principles, The Occidental Race and its Special Needs, Demonstrating the Mystic Currents of Life Force in the Body, Many Experiments to Increase this Life Force, The Eye and its Abnormal Conditions, Secret Methods for Treating the Eyes, Various Forms of Diseases, The Real Cause of Diseases, Experiments for Treating Some Diseases, How to Establish Harmony in the Human Body, The Duality of Life and Disease, The Two Secret Elements for Obtaining Health and Prolonging Life, Simple Methods for Attracting these Elements to the Body, Classification of Simple Diseases, Treating Oneself and others with Simple Methods, The Secret of Life Cells, The Effect of Thought and Action on the Body, The Constructive and Destructive Periods of Life, Simple Laws about Eating, Rosicrucian Dietetics, The Use of Affirmations, The Use of Medicine, Experiments for Increasing Mental and Physical Strength, The Truth about Vegetarian Diet, The Relation of Spiritual and Mental Development to Diet, Important Instructions in Regard to Food Values, Methods for Preventing' Disease, Practical Experiments and Demonstrations, What Prominent Scientists Say, Experiments with Water, Further Rules for Treating Others, Treatment at a Distance, Contact Treatments, Rosicrucian Secret Method, the Rhythm and Cycles of Life, Mystical Period of Years, The Cycles of Incarnations, The Law of Reincarnation, Old Age and Death, Rebirth and Regeneration, A Summary of New Rosicrucian Principles, and Important Personal Reading Matter and Instructions.
Third Degree:
Initiation Ritual covering three weeks, during which the Students prepare for Cosmic Attunement and Psychic Demonstrations before proceeding with the Lessons which, unless added to or changed, shall include the subjects of The Four Principal Manifestations of Matter, The Mystery of Alchemy and Chemistry, Experiments with the Mental Control of Matter, Directing Mind Vibrations into Matter, Mental Alchemy, The Mystic Magnetism of Man's Body, The Source of this Magnetism, Its Rapid Development, Rosicrucian Metaphysical Laws, Affecting the Blood of the Human System, Personal Advice in Regard to Health of Each Member, The Solar Plexus, Demonstrations with It, The Psychic Centers of the Human Body, Exercises for Developing Them, Controlling the Nervous System, Controlling the Organs of the Body, Improving their Functioning, The Psychic Body of Man, Experiments for Proving its Existence, What the Ancients Taught, What the Modern Rosicrucians Know, The Mystery of Fire, its Place in the Universe and the Human Body, Some Mystical Experiments with Fire, Some Simple Alchemical Experiments, Experiments with Vibrations, Affecting Matter with Thoughts, The True Nature of the Soul, Its Relation to the Mind, Manifestations of the Soul, Higher Mystical Symbolism, Symbolism in Christianity and Oriental Philosophy, The Use of Symbols in Mental Experiments, Symbolism in the Human Body, Symbolism in the Cosmic, The Development of Religion, Religious Consciousness, God Manifesting through Man, Proof of the Existence of God, God's Mysterious Ways, God's Methods of Creation and Evolution, The Truth about Spontaneous Generation and Artificial Creation, The Creative Powers in Man's Mind and Body, Man's Ability to Create Mentally, The Control of Natural Forces, Directing Desires to be Fulfilled, Making Thought Forms Become Realities, Experiments which Show how Thought Forms are Materialized, The Development of God's Creative Powers in Each Member, The Value of Suggestions, Mistaken Ideas about Hypnotism, The False Beliefs about Black Magic, The Real Power of White Magic, Experiments to Test these Principles, Exercises for the Development of Personal Magnetism, The Development of Harmony in the Human Body, The Establishment of Harmony between the Human Body and the Cosmic, The Rosicrucian Methods of Diagnosing Inharmony and Disease, Contacting Personal Masters, Receiving Illumination and Instruction from Cosmic Masters, Transmitting Cosmic Pictures and Thoughts, Telepathy and Universal Ab tunement, Methods for Contacting the Secret Chambers of the Cosmic and the Higher Chambers of the Order, Exercises for Perfecting the Psychic Development of the Individual Member, Special Instructions for Reaching the Higher Teachings, and General Summary of the Three Degrees, followed by a series of Personal Letters from the Masters of the Order and the Imperator to assist the Individual Members to be qualified for any higher work offered by the Order.
AT THE END OF THE THIRD DEGREE
It requires practically from nine months to one year to complete the foregoing three Degrees of Grand Lodge Sanctum membership. But as one can see, the lessons are so arranged that after the first few weeks the Student is able to experiment and demonstrate a great many principles and after the first twelve lessons is capable of extracting from the lessons such principles and exercises as should enable him or her to make many important changes in business and social affairs and improve in health and mind while being able to help others also. The average Student who has studied and read from many books in the past finds that these weekly lessons and lectures and personal letters of these three Degrees supply all the information that a sincere Student can properly take care of in each week, and very few are ever anxious to go any faster in the work than our system provides for.
Bear in mind that, with this Manual, the monographs contain everything that is required for study except the use of a common dictionary at times, or an encyclopedia when a student is anxious to look up some subjects that are of special interest to him. There are no textbooks of any kind that must be purchased and the Student will find in the Rosicrucian Digest (our own monthly magazine) many articles of help and practical application in his material worldly affairs.
THE ROSICRUCIAN DIGEST
We mention also, at this time, that besides the interesting weekly lessons, monographs, the charts and diagrams, and other services, members receive a copy of the publication, the Rosicrucian Digest, issued by the organization. This magazine is sent free to members, and is very helpful, because it contains interesting articles of a constructive nature on subjects in which students are interested. It is really the leading metaphysical and occult magazine of America. The Rosicrucian Digest contains no outside advertising and every page is filled with helpful information. Members receive it as part of their membership.
ADVANCING TO HIGHER TEACHINGS
When Sanctum Members have completed the three introductory Degrees outlined above and have been found sufficiently qualified by their Class Masters and the Imperator of the Order, they may advance into the study of the Temple Degrees of the Order. The Temple Degrees are identically presented to individual Sanctum Members who qualify and to members of Regional Lodges meeting in regular Lodge Temples. The initiations and rituals for the Temple Degrees are provided in a modified form so that the Sanctum Member can perform them in his own sanctum. The Sanctum Member is also qualified and privileged to have conferred upon him any Degree initiation-for which he has adequately prepared himself-at any Regional Lodge or Lodge which he may be able to visit at the time that that ritual is being presented. Furthermore, all charts and diagrams necessary for the conducting of many of the experiments and demonstrations are provided to the Sanctum Member, along with the monographs all of which can be used and fully understood in the privacy of his own home.
SOME ANCIENT MAGICAL INSTRVMENTs
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THE SEVEN SEALS OF ST JOHN
Part EightTHE TEMPLE MONOGRAPHS
The Higher Teachings of the Order are those which were especially designed and compiled by the Higher Masters of the Order for delivery in the Secret Temples of our Order by the appointed Masters and Officers in Tiled Lodge Rooms and under the Seal of Secrecy and Sincerity. Such lectures contain the most complete presentation of all the occult Laws and Principles handed down through the Ages and amended by the modern Masters in all countries, so that today they are of practical value in these modern times. Naturally, they cover all of the points, Laws, and Principles touched upon in the three correspondence Degrees and the Sanctum membership of the Grand Lodge, but present each Law and Principle in more complete and demonstrable form, and include hundreds of subjects and mystical Laws which could not be put into the three Degrees of the preliminary Sanctum membership work; but, as explained before, they can be received by Sanctum Members after they have made certain preparations, which are not difficult if they are sincere students. In addition to the lectures given in the Temple Lodges the Members have the benefit of Temple demonstrations performed by the Masters and most advanced Members, and the valuable discussions with questions and answers which follow each Convocation.
Those members who cannot attend Temple Lodges and who are carefully selected and deemed worthy of receiving the discourses of the Temple Lectures by correspondence under Oaths of Allegiance and Secrecy, will receive the same private monographs by mail each week as the Masters of the Temple use in their Lodges in delivering the teachings to the Members assembled. These lessons and monographs are the same throughout the AMORC of the international jurisdiction of North, Central, and South America, British Commonwealth and Empire, France, Switzerland, and Africa, and the only difference between the lecture work as given in the Temples and the study of the lessons at home by correspondence is the absence of the discussions and the modified form of Rituals.
The Sanctum Members are able to make their own demonstrations at home, in most cases, and, therefore, do not miss the important part of this phase of the Temple work; and, of course, all of the exercises and demonstrations to be made in their personal affairs are the same and just as efficient with the correspondence Members as with the Temple Members.
Nevertheless, all Sanctum Members are urged to visit, at some time or other, one of the Temples of the Order throughout the jurisdiction, and especially to attempt to attend the Rosicrucian Convention, or some special session of the Grand Lodge in San Jose, California. They will not be inconvenienced because they cannot attend the sessions regularly; their studies will be found to be complete, in the manner in which they are especially prepared by the Imperator's staff.
OUTLINE OF THE TEMPLE LECTURES AND SYSTEM
First Degree:
Initiation Ritual, constituting the famous "Crossing of the Threshold" ceremony (this is also given symbolically to Sanctum Neophyte Members), which is ever the goal of all seekers for Rosicrucian Illumination. The initiation is followed by a series of weekly or semi-monthly Temple monographs and lessons covering the following subjects (Addition to and discontinuance of the subjects listed in any of the Degrees is made when it is sought to improve the entire system of instruction)
The Ethics of Rosicrucianism, The Meaning of Initiation, The Search of Ancient Mystics for the Portals, The Secrecy of its Higher Teachings, The Mystery of Mysticism, The Law of Symbolism, Ancient Secret Alphabets, Numerals and Symbols, The Meaning of Numbers, Matter and its Existence, The Law of the Triangle, Crystallography, The Laws of the Universe, The Material World and its Composition, The Physical Composition of Man and All Animal Life, First Laws of the Rosicrucian Ontology, The Difference between Living and Non-Living Matter, What Makes Man a Living Being, The Elements of Physiology, The place of Spirit in Man, Distinction between Spirit and Soul, The Manifestation of Spirit Energy, Spirit Vibrations, Electrons and Atoms, The Natural Law of the Composition of Matter, The Law of Motion and Rhythm, Polarity and Magnetism, Demonstrations of the Action of Electrons in Forming Matter, The Hidden Principles regarding the Nature of Matter and its Manifestation, The Law of Vibrations and the Cosmic Keyboard, A Summary of the Principal Laws of the Universe regarding Matter, and Man's Material Body and All Forms of Existing Things.
Second Degree:
Initiation Ritual illustrating the Member's advancement in the work and in mental development. Series of monographs covering the following subjects in detail:
The Rosicrucian Alphabet of Mystical Subjects covered by the Future Lectures, The Mind of Man and its Faculties and Functioning, Its Objective and Subjective Divisions, The Scale of Operation, The Mind's Relation to Cosmic and Mundane Consciousness, The Voluntary and Involuntary Functions in Man, An Analysis of the Mind and Brain in Action, The Dual Consciousness in Man, Disorders of the Mind and Brain, Various Forms of Reasoning, The Improvement of Reasoning, Will Power, Its Development, Its Relation to Health and Disease, The Memory, Its Origin, Location, and Development, Using the Memory, The Purpose of the Memory with the Soul and Cosmic, The Secret Inner Chief Engineer of Each Being, Subjective Conditions of the Body, Objective Functionings of the Body, The Nature of Habits, How They are formed and Suspended, The Power of the Subjective Mind over the Human Body, Mental Suggestion, The Art and Science of Suggestion, The Living Soul within the Body and its Reason for Being Incarnated in the Human Body, Whence IT Came and Whither IT Goeth, and a Review of the Mental and Psychic Parts of Man.
Third Degree
Initiation Ritual, including demonstration of Alchemical principles and mental phenomena, followed by a series of monographs covering the following subjects in general:
The Laws of Motion and Change throughout the Universe, The Laws of Devolution, Evolution, and Involution, The Evolution of Consciousness in Life, The Nature of Consciousness and its Attributes, The Reason for Life, The Purpose of Living Organisms, Sensations of Consciousness, The Coming and Going of Consciousness, Individual and Group Consciousness, Intelligence, Intellect, Imagination, Imaging and Mental Creating, The Perfection of Mental Action, Ideality, Mystical Alchemy, Rosicrucian Mental Methods, Objective Sensing, Psychic Sensing, The Actuality of Things and our Realization of Them, Realities Created, Actualities made to Disappear, Actualities may not Exist, Demonstrations of Actuality and Reality, Psychic Products, Mental Products, Illusions, The Effect of Environment, The Effect of Thoughts, Soul Memories, Exercises for Awakening the Memory and Developing Psychic Consciousness, Man's Association with the Cosmic, The God and Master within, Contacting the Psychic Minds of Others, The Psychic Man Separate from the Physical Man, How They can be made Visible at the Same Time, and General Review of the Mental and Psychic Duality of Man's Consciousness.
Fourth Degree:
Very Elaborate Initiation Ceremony introducing the Member into the next stage of the Higher Teachings and illustrating to him the mysteries of Life; followed by a series of monographs covering, except when changed by additions or elimination, the following important subjects:
The Origin and Nature of the Life Force in Man, Its Source, Its Form of Manifestation, The Secret Knowledge of the Rosicrucians regarding the Life Force, How the Life Force enters the Human Body, How to Control It in the Human Body, How to Direct It to All Living Matter, The Rosicrucian Method for Increasing the Life Force, The Prevention of the Breaking Down Process in the Human Body, The Complete Presentation of the Ancient Secret Manuscript Written by Nodin, explaining the Nature of the Life Force in All Living Cells and How It may be Directed and Controlled, Methods of Directing this Life Force from the Human Body for Treating Others, The Development of a Strong Aura and the Secrets of Long Life and Perfect Health, and General Review of the Most important knowledge regarding Life Force ever given to Man.
Fifth Degree:
Interesting Initiation Ritual followed by a series of lectures introduced at this stage of the Student's progress so that he may have time for Psychic development through the many experiments he is conducting night and morning, and at other spare times, without taking up any new metaphysical or psychic subjects. Therefore, the monographs of this Degree include a complete review of all the Ancient Philosophies showing the development of mystical and philosophic thought and leading up to the modern philosophies and religious doctrines so that the Student will be well versed in Philosophy, Religion, and Ethics.
Sixth Degree:
A very impressive Ritualistic Ceremony conferring honors upon those who have progressed properly to this Degree, followed by a long series of monographs and lessons with charts, diagrams, illustrations, and exercises explaining, in the most simple and fascinating manner, the secret methods of the human body in the digestion of food, the principles of dietetics, the making of blood, the entering of the Vital Life Force into the blood, the real purpose of Rosicrucian breathing exercises, the true cause of all disease and suffering, the diagnosis of disease, and the secret Rosicrucian methods of directing the healing Forces of the Universe to the different parts of the Body or to those who may be suffering; including quick methods of bringing about rapid changes in serious conditions and explaining all of the functions of the organs, nerves, and plexuses of the Human Body in their relation to the Psychic and Cosmic Forces of the Universe. This is the most complete course of study in metaphysical healing ever given to students of mysticism and is exclusively Rosicrucian.
Seventh Degree:
Very impressive Psychic Initiation illustrating some of the highest mystical teachings of the Order, followed by a series of monographs and lessons dealing with the metaphysical and psychic existence of Man, and leaving aside the material and earthly matters covered in the first six Degrees. This Degree fully explains the real purpose and nature of the psychic body of Man within the physical body and contains exercises for strengthening the vitality and power of the psychic body with its Psychic Consciousness; and then proceeds to explain how the psychic body may be temporarily separated from the physical body and both be made visible at the same time. After these experiments are completed the Student is instructed in the Rosicrucian methods of projecting the psychic body out into space to any point or place there to be made visible to others without affecting the continuous functioning of the physical body. Other exercises assist in the development of the Aura, so that it may be made very visible in a darkened room and sufficiently strong to cause illumination and to make the hands magnetic. Also other exercises are given in connection with the highest mystical vowel sounds with methods for pronouncing them so as to produce psychic manifestations at will. Also the Lost Word, sought for by the ancients, is further explained in this Degree and the Student begins to realize that he has been gradually acquiring the Lost Word and gaining very unusual occult powers. This is the most mystical Degree of study in the principles of Rosicrucian Teachings ever given in the Occidental World.
Eighth Degree:
Another impressive Ritualistic Ceremony or Initiation for those who have succeeded in the work of the previous Degree, followed by twenty-nine monographs in the higher metaphysical principles whereby the Student is gradually revealed in his proper relationship to God and the Cosmic, and is instructed with definite lessons and exercises in the possibility of projecting his psychic body through all matter and space to any person or place and there making himself visible as he is in this incarnation, or as he was in a previous incarnation, with the further ability to cause certain material things to move or respond as he directs, including the production of sounds from musical instruments, from his own voice, or from things he may psychically touch. He is also instructed in the principles taught by the old Rosicrucians whereby he can give treatments to others during such projections or carry on humanitarian activities without revealing himself, and attend sessions or convocations in Temples of the Order in faraway places by projection and attunement, and in other ways carry on the experiments described by the Masters of the Far East and heretofore taught by Rosicrucians only in the Temples of Tibet, where the Masters of the Great White Lodge hold their Sacred Convocations. This Degree also reveals the Laws regarding the real personalities in each of us and many facts about our past incarnations. True facts regarding so-called spiritualistic principles and phenomena are revealed, and many other important Rosicrucian Teachings, including the Keys to the Ninth Degree.
Ninth Degree:
Another highly impressive Temple Ritual whereby the Members who have properly reached this Degree and duly qualified for it are given titles and honors of the highest standing in the Order, as far as Temple Ceremonies are concerned. Serious obligations of Secrecy and devotion to Rosicrucianism are required of those who take this Initiation in the Temple and receive the highest Passwords and methods of recognition in the Temple Degrees.
This is followed by a series of forty very complete monographs and lessons dealing with subjects, many of which cannot be described in a Manual of this kind, that include revelations regarding Man's relation to God and the higher Forces of the Cosmic and the development of the highest metaphysical powers within his own body. He is enabled to use some of these forces of Nature to blot out and make hidden material things as well as eliminate mental and psychic things which may be obstacles in his life, and direct or change the course of natural events in their relation to him so as to bring about certain results in his own affairs or in the affairs of others. This is the last Degree in which the Student receives Initiation on the Material Plane in Material Temples, and from this point he receives further instruction and Psychic Initiation as he is ready for them. In this Degree, also, the Student receives the last vowel sound of the Lost Word and learns how to use this word for instantly affecting Laws, Principles, and Manifestations throughout Nature.
Tenth Degree: Eleventh Degree: Twelfth Degree
The Initiations into these Degrees are given Psychically to the Worthy Members who have advanced to the preceding Degrees and very often these Initiations occur Psychically in the Temples of the Order in the Orient. Many of the monographs and lectures of these Degrees will be received by the Members and Students in a mystical manner which cannot be explained here, and they will, from time to time, assemble with others in the same Degree for the exchange of knowledge and experiences while carrying on their mystical activities in all parts of the world without interfering with their regular business and social routine.
AT THE CLOSE OF THE NINTH DEGREE
Members who attain and complete the psychic instruction of the Ninth Degree or those above it may enter the ILLUMINATI, which is a higher organization of the Order wherein the worthy Members continue to carry on specialized work and studies under the direction of the Imperator of their Jurisdiction and the personal Cosmic Masters. Members cannot ask for admission to the Illuminate but must wait until they have been found ready and are invited to share in this additional work.
The Glorified Savior
“The Glorified Savior”
Stephen, a Spirit filled Lay Evangelist, after preaching a cutting sermon to the Jews, was stoned to death, with Saul, who later would became Paul the apostle, was watching with approval. In his dying breath, Stephen looked to Heaven and saw the sky open up and had a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. ( Acts 7:55-56.)
Paul, on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians, was knocked off his horse, had a vision of Jesus, blinding him! Jesus said, “Why do you persecute Me?” ( Acts: 26:13-15). That proved that Jesus Himself lives in Christian believers! Paul was led to Damascus and stayed blind for three days, until Ananius was led to him by Jesus to pray for him. He laid hands on him, after fully leading him to the truth of Christ, and Paul was baptized and healed of his blindness. His ministry to the Gentiles began at this time!
John had a great vision of Jesus in Revelations 1:12-16, and from the vision, while he was confined to the Isle of Patmos, he was lead by the holy Spirit to write the Book of Revelations, which describes the eschatological event which will be discussed in a future thesis.
“The Work of the Glorified Savior”
John 14:2 declares that He is preparing a home in Heaven for all the saints! He is in Heaven, right now, interceding as our High Priest! ( Hebrews 7:25), He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, lead, draw, convict of sin, and minister to the saints! ( John 15:26; 16:7). He accompanies His disciples when they minister! ( Mat. 28:20). He crowns all the victors ( I Peter 5:4; Revelations 17:14). In this New Testament Covenant, He has obtained a better ministry as THE Mediator of a better Covenant, not based upon the shedding of the blood from bulls and goats, but by His Own Blood, which He offered up as a final sacrifice, once and for ALL! ( Hebrews *:6; 9:12), Hebrews 9:15 says it best! “He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which ARE CALLED might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
“ The Second Coming of The Glorified Savior”
Jesus said, no one knows when He will come again back to earth. ( Mat.24:36; Luke 12:40). However, it will be sudden, and unexpected! ( Mat. 24: 37-44). He will come as “a thief in the night” to those who aren’t actively watching for, and expecting Him. He will come, first, “for” the saints ( john 14:3), as King, ( Revelations 20:6). He will later come “with” the saints to judge the entire world! ( ( Mat. 25:31-46; 2 Timothy 4:1).
“The Eternal Glory of Jesus”
His Glorified appearance is described in Revelation 1:13-16. Out of His mouth will come a two edged sword! He will then be exalted to be the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! ( Ephesians 1:20, 21; Rev. 5:11-14; 19:6). He will require universal worship by everyone on the earth! ( Philippians 2:10; I Peter 3:22). All the Heavenly hosts around His Throne will be saying with loud voices: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”
Blessings!
Marked Elect
Stephen, a Spirit filled Lay Evangelist, after preaching a cutting sermon to the Jews, was stoned to death, with Saul, who later would became Paul the apostle, was watching with approval. In his dying breath, Stephen looked to Heaven and saw the sky open up and had a vision of Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. ( Acts 7:55-56.)
Paul, on the way to Damascus to persecute Christians, was knocked off his horse, had a vision of Jesus, blinding him! Jesus said, “Why do you persecute Me?” ( Acts: 26:13-15). That proved that Jesus Himself lives in Christian believers! Paul was led to Damascus and stayed blind for three days, until Ananius was led to him by Jesus to pray for him. He laid hands on him, after fully leading him to the truth of Christ, and Paul was baptized and healed of his blindness. His ministry to the Gentiles began at this time!
John had a great vision of Jesus in Revelations 1:12-16, and from the vision, while he was confined to the Isle of Patmos, he was lead by the holy Spirit to write the Book of Revelations, which describes the eschatological event which will be discussed in a future thesis.
“The Work of the Glorified Savior”
John 14:2 declares that He is preparing a home in Heaven for all the saints! He is in Heaven, right now, interceding as our High Priest! ( Hebrews 7:25), He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort, teach, lead, draw, convict of sin, and minister to the saints! ( John 15:26; 16:7). He accompanies His disciples when they minister! ( Mat. 28:20). He crowns all the victors ( I Peter 5:4; Revelations 17:14). In this New Testament Covenant, He has obtained a better ministry as THE Mediator of a better Covenant, not based upon the shedding of the blood from bulls and goats, but by His Own Blood, which He offered up as a final sacrifice, once and for ALL! ( Hebrews *:6; 9:12), Hebrews 9:15 says it best! “He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first Testament, they which ARE CALLED might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
“ The Second Coming of The Glorified Savior”
Jesus said, no one knows when He will come again back to earth. ( Mat.24:36; Luke 12:40). However, it will be sudden, and unexpected! ( Mat. 24: 37-44). He will come as “a thief in the night” to those who aren’t actively watching for, and expecting Him. He will come, first, “for” the saints ( john 14:3), as King, ( Revelations 20:6). He will later come “with” the saints to judge the entire world! ( ( Mat. 25:31-46; 2 Timothy 4:1).
“The Eternal Glory of Jesus”
His Glorified appearance is described in Revelation 1:13-16. Out of His mouth will come a two edged sword! He will then be exalted to be the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! ( Ephesians 1:20, 21; Rev. 5:11-14; 19:6). He will require universal worship by everyone on the earth! ( Philippians 2:10; I Peter 3:22). All the Heavenly hosts around His Throne will be saying with loud voices: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”
Blessings!
Marked Elect
The Risen Savior
“The Risen Savior”
There was a great earthquake, and the stone was rolled away from the tomb by an angel sent from Heaven, ( Mat. 28:2-4). The women went to the tomb to anoint the body, early in the morning of the third day. ( Mat. 28:1-7), but when they arrived, Mary getting there first, finds the tomb empty! ( John 20:2). She then tells Peter this story, and he does not believe her. ( John 20: 2; Mark 16:10). Jesus then appears to May Magdalene, ( John 20:11-170, and she goes to the closest village and tells everybody! Jesus then appears to the other women! ( Mat. 28: 8-10). The guards of the tomb are reprimanded by their superiors, and they lie, saying they fell asleep, and someone came and stole the body of Jesus, ( Mat. 28:11-15). On the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears to two more disciples in a form they did not quickly recognize, ( Mark 16:12-13). He then appears to the rest of the disciples, all except Thomas, ( Luke 24:36-48). They tell Thomas about it, but he exclaims unless he sees with his own eyes, he will not believe! Jesus then appears to them again with Thomas present and tells Thomas to stick his fingers in the wounds!
Thomas repents, and believes after seeing Jesus, and Jesus says that all future people who believe in Him without seeing, and accept Him by faith will be blessed. Jesus then appeared to the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee, and told them to go out baptizing in the Name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost, teaching them to do all that Jesus said, ( Mat. 28:16-20). The miraculous netting of the large catch if fish is recorded in John 21:6). Jesus then appeared to 500 people at one time! ( I Co. 15:6). He also appeared to James! ( I Cor. 15:7). The last appearance of Jesus to His disciples was just before He ascended to Heaven. It is recorded in Luke 24:50-53, “and He led them out as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them, and it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried into Heaven, and they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple praising and blessing the Lord.”
Blessings!
Marked Elect
There was a great earthquake, and the stone was rolled away from the tomb by an angel sent from Heaven, ( Mat. 28:2-4). The women went to the tomb to anoint the body, early in the morning of the third day. ( Mat. 28:1-7), but when they arrived, Mary getting there first, finds the tomb empty! ( John 20:2). She then tells Peter this story, and he does not believe her. ( John 20: 2; Mark 16:10). Jesus then appears to May Magdalene, ( John 20:11-170, and she goes to the closest village and tells everybody! Jesus then appears to the other women! ( Mat. 28: 8-10). The guards of the tomb are reprimanded by their superiors, and they lie, saying they fell asleep, and someone came and stole the body of Jesus, ( Mat. 28:11-15). On the road to Emmaus, Jesus appears to two more disciples in a form they did not quickly recognize, ( Mark 16:12-13). He then appears to the rest of the disciples, all except Thomas, ( Luke 24:36-48). They tell Thomas about it, but he exclaims unless he sees with his own eyes, he will not believe! Jesus then appears to them again with Thomas present and tells Thomas to stick his fingers in the wounds!
Thomas repents, and believes after seeing Jesus, and Jesus says that all future people who believe in Him without seeing, and accept Him by faith will be blessed. Jesus then appeared to the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee, and told them to go out baptizing in the Name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost, teaching them to do all that Jesus said, ( Mat. 28:16-20). The miraculous netting of the large catch if fish is recorded in John 21:6). Jesus then appeared to 500 people at one time! ( I Co. 15:6). He also appeared to James! ( I Cor. 15:7). The last appearance of Jesus to His disciples was just before He ascended to Heaven. It is recorded in Luke 24:50-53, “and He led them out as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them, and it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried into Heaven, and they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and were continually in the temple praising and blessing the Lord.”
Blessings!
Marked Elect
Jesus Inducted
"Jesus's Induction Into Office”
John the Baptist is the recording of preaching repentance of sin, and baptizing converts, making way for the coming of the Lord, (Mat. 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18). John’s ministry began somewhere between 25-27 A.D. Jesus comes to the River Jordan, and is baptized by John.
The Holy Spirit in the form a Dove descended upon His head, and remained, and the Father spoke from Heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I Am well pleased. By these signs, as he was warned beforehand, John knew now for certain that Jesus was the Son of God of whom He was proclaiming “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mat. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3: 21-220. The water Baptism of Jesus by John occurred about 27 B.C. Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, after His baptism, fasting and praying for 40 days. He is tempted by Satan, but overcomes him by quoting scripture and rebukes him. ( Mat. 4:1-11; Mark 1: 12-13). The first disciples are now called to service by Jesus, (John 1:35-49). They include Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathaniel, and John.
The first miracle in the ministry of Jesus is recorded in John 2:1-11, and consisted of His turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. Many writers have written in the past, that during the “hidden years” of Jesus’ childhood, which were not recorded in the Bible, He did many miracles. However, changing water into wine was His “first” miracle, as recorded in John 2:11. “This Beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. And manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus’ first stay in Capernaum, which He called “His” city, is recorded in John 2:12.
The first Passover is kept by Jesus, ( John 2:13-25). Since Jesus was born to Jewish parents, He celebrated the Jewish laws. The Passover was to be celebrated throughout the generations in memorial of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, under the ministry of Moses when blood was put on the lintel and door posts of the Jewish houses, secure under the Blood, and the Death Angel “passed over” them, but slew the first born of every Egyptian household.
Jesus chased the money changers, and cleansed the Temple, declaring that they had made His Father’s House a den of thieves. (John 2: 13-17).
Jesus told Nicomdemus in John 3:1021, the discourse concerning the new birth. Nicodemus was an educated Jewish teacher of the Law, and he went in after dark to talk to Jesus so no one would see him. He recognized Jesus as a prophet sent by God, but was ignorant of His Deity! In this important lesson, Jesus told him he could never enter the kingdom of God unless he was “born again.”, which meant that the Spirit of God had to enlighten him as to the Deity of Jesus and His role, at which time a true heart belief took place, the actual life of God would enter him and give him new life, baptizing him into the body of Christ! ( I Corinthians 12:13).
The early Judean ministry of Jesus recorded in John 3:22, states Jesus was baptizing. However, His disciples very likely were doing the actual immersing in water. Jesus deals with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-26) telling her He was the water of life and told her things of her past. Her testimony of these events to the other Samaritans caused a revival to break out in Samaria! (John 4:28-42)
The early Galilean ministry of Jesus included a variety of different events. The healing by Jesus of the nobleman’s son took place about 27 A.D. in Cana, (John 4:46-54). John the Baptist’s imprisonment is mentioned in John 4:46-54)., then Jesus went back to Galilee to minister. (Mat. 4:12)
Blessings!
Marked Elect
John the Baptist is the recording of preaching repentance of sin, and baptizing converts, making way for the coming of the Lord, (Mat. 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-18). John’s ministry began somewhere between 25-27 A.D. Jesus comes to the River Jordan, and is baptized by John.
The Holy Spirit in the form a Dove descended upon His head, and remained, and the Father spoke from Heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I Am well pleased. By these signs, as he was warned beforehand, John knew now for certain that Jesus was the Son of God of whom He was proclaiming “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mat. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3: 21-220. The water Baptism of Jesus by John occurred about 27 B.C. Jesus was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, after His baptism, fasting and praying for 40 days. He is tempted by Satan, but overcomes him by quoting scripture and rebukes him. ( Mat. 4:1-11; Mark 1: 12-13). The first disciples are now called to service by Jesus, (John 1:35-49). They include Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathaniel, and John.
The first miracle in the ministry of Jesus is recorded in John 2:1-11, and consisted of His turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana. Many writers have written in the past, that during the “hidden years” of Jesus’ childhood, which were not recorded in the Bible, He did many miracles. However, changing water into wine was His “first” miracle, as recorded in John 2:11. “This Beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. And manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Jesus’ first stay in Capernaum, which He called “His” city, is recorded in John 2:12.
The first Passover is kept by Jesus, ( John 2:13-25). Since Jesus was born to Jewish parents, He celebrated the Jewish laws. The Passover was to be celebrated throughout the generations in memorial of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, under the ministry of Moses when blood was put on the lintel and door posts of the Jewish houses, secure under the Blood, and the Death Angel “passed over” them, but slew the first born of every Egyptian household.
Jesus chased the money changers, and cleansed the Temple, declaring that they had made His Father’s House a den of thieves. (John 2: 13-17).
Jesus told Nicomdemus in John 3:1021, the discourse concerning the new birth. Nicodemus was an educated Jewish teacher of the Law, and he went in after dark to talk to Jesus so no one would see him. He recognized Jesus as a prophet sent by God, but was ignorant of His Deity! In this important lesson, Jesus told him he could never enter the kingdom of God unless he was “born again.”, which meant that the Spirit of God had to enlighten him as to the Deity of Jesus and His role, at which time a true heart belief took place, the actual life of God would enter him and give him new life, baptizing him into the body of Christ! ( I Corinthians 12:13).
The early Judean ministry of Jesus recorded in John 3:22, states Jesus was baptizing. However, His disciples very likely were doing the actual immersing in water. Jesus deals with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-26) telling her He was the water of life and told her things of her past. Her testimony of these events to the other Samaritans caused a revival to break out in Samaria! (John 4:28-42)
The early Galilean ministry of Jesus included a variety of different events. The healing by Jesus of the nobleman’s son took place about 27 A.D. in Cana, (John 4:46-54). John the Baptist’s imprisonment is mentioned in John 4:46-54)., then Jesus went back to Galilee to minister. (Mat. 4:12)
Blessings!
Marked Elect
The Suffering Savior
Part V
“The Suffering Savior ( Passion Week )”
The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded in Matthew 21: 1-11. He curses the fig tree ( Mat. 21: 18-20), declaring it will never bear fruit again, and it actually withers at the roots!
Jesus “cleansing the temple” is recorded in Luke 19: 45-46, and the healings in Matthew 21: 14. His authority is again questioned in Luke 20: 1-8, and the lesson about God leaving His land to servants to keep while He went on a journey, and then sent his Son to reclaim it, and the killing of His Son is recorded in the parable of the two Sons. The parable of "wicked husbandman” ( Luke 20: 9-16) adds to the parable of the two sons, as does the parable of the “King’s Son” recorded in Matthew 22: 1-14. The “question of tribute money”, (Luke 20: 20-26), teaches us that believers should pay their taxes! The Sadducees question of the woman with seven husbands who had all died, and which of the seven would be her husband in Heaven was a trick to catch Jesus in a contradiction of The old Testament.
However, Jesus taught that there would be no need of marriages in Heaven, since there was no death there. There would be no procreation of children, as the population would always remain the same! (Luke 20: 27-40).
The “Great commandment” that we are to love God, our neighbor and one another is recorded in Mark 12: 28-34. Jesus taught the lesson about giving sacrifially as the widow gave her last mite in Luke 21: 1-4. He visited the Greeks ( John 12:20-36). He gives a parable of “The Ten Virgins” ( Mat. 25: 1-13), teaching that believers have to keep believing right until the end in order to be saved, and also the parable of “The Ten Talents.” ) Mat. 25: 14-30), again, teaching good stewardship. He then discusses judgment day in Matthew 25: 31-46, and in Matthew 26: 1-5, the unfolding of the plot of the Jews and Judas to capture Jesus is recorded. Luke 22: 7-13 records the preparation for the Passover meal, and Luke 22: 14-18 the actual meal itself, designating His traitor, Judas! Jesus then washes the disciple’s feet in Luke 22: 24-30, teaching humility for each other.
The Lord’s Supper is recorded in Luke 22: 19-20, and it is here that the new “Blood Covenant” is taught that by eating bread symbolically means eating Christ’s body, and drinking the wine symbolically would mean drinking His Blood which would be poured out for the remission of all sin to the Elect. Paul expounds on this Covenant in I Corinthians 11: 17-30, teaching that believers are to partake of the Bread and Wine at the Lord’s Supper looking back to His death on the Cross as a memorial in remembrance of the substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross for sin!
Jesus gives His final discourse recorded in John 14: 1-21, before His betrayal by Judas. The parable of the “True Vine” in John 15: 1-11, teaches that Jesus is the Vine, and the believers are only branches that cannot do anything on their own without Jesus! He gives the promise of sending “The Comforter” which is The Holy Spirit” and third person of the Trinity, ( John 16: 7-15).
That promise was actually given to the disciples who were to write the New Testament, He told them that after He left, He would send The Holy Spirit Who would remind them of all the things that had taken place in His ministry. His intercessory prayer recorded in John 17: 1-26, asks the Father for protection and guidance of ALL FUTURE believers, which INCLUDES US, of this day!
He prays that all the believers will be one as He is one, with the Father. The plan is, Jesus is in the Father, and the Father in Jesus, believers are one in Jesus, and He is in them, and The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer ( Romans 8:9) making the picture complete! Jesus agonizes in the garden ( John 18: 1), and the disciples cannot even stay awake while Jesus prays! Judas arrives with the soldiers to betray Him, ( John 18: 3-13), and in the argument, Peter cuts off the ear of one of the soldiers, but Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the ear! Jesus is brought to Ciaphas, the high priest for trial by His captors and tried, ( John 18: 15-18).
Peter denies Jesus three times, as was prophesied by Jesus! ( Mat. 26:58). Jesus is then brought before the Sanhedrin Council for further questioning ( Luke 22: 66-71), and finally before Pilate, who finds nothing wrong with Him, ( Luke 23: 1-5). Pilate then sent James to Herod who was anxious to see Him because of all he heard, and he even thought he might get Jesus to perform a few miracles for him, but Jesus would not do any miracles, or even answer any questions. ( Luke 23: 6-12).
Unable to find anything wrong with Jesus, Pilate attempts to have Him released, ( Mat. 27:24), but the Jews cry out “Crucify Him.” Pilate washes his hands of the responsibility, he thinks, ( Mat. 27:24), and then sentences Jesus to death, ( Luke 23:24). Jesus is mocked, spit upon and hit by His accusers, ( Mark 15:16-20). Judas cannot stand the guilt of his betrayal of Jesus, and he commits suicide, ( Mat. 27: 3-10; Acts 1: 18-19). Jesus is then led away to be crucified, ( Luke 23:26). A crowd followed Him, as He was dragging His own Cross up the hill to Calvary, and the women were openly weeping, ( Luke 23:27-31). Jesus is offered wine, of which He refuses, ( Mat. 27:34), and He is crucified on a cross, attached by nails holding His wrists and feet, ( Luke 23: 33-38). The soldiers cast lots for the garments of Jesus, ( John 19: 23-24). The Jews continue to mock Him, challenging Him to come down off the cross, if He is God! ( Mat. 27:39-43).
There are two thieves, one on each side of Jesus being crucified at the same time, and the thief on His right confesses Him as Lord, and asks Jesus to remember him when he gets to Heaven, Jesus accepts his faith, and exclaims that he would go to Paradise with Him that very day! ( Luke 23:39-43). This proves salvation can come with the last breath, where genuine is present! Jesus, in His dying moments, commends His mother to John to care for, ( John 25-27). Darkness comes over the full area, and Jesus, the Son of man, expires, ( Mat. 27:45-500. The veil of the temple is torn in two, from top to bottom, and many graves in the immediate area are opened with resurrections taking place! ( Mat. 27:51-53). The tearing of the veil in the temple covering the most holy place showed that, from that time on, everyone believing in the substitution sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and faith in His shed Blood for the remission of “their” sin, would have access to the Holy of Holies where the Father dwells, by faith! A Centurion, seeing these things happen, gives glory to God! ( Luke 23:50-53). A stone was rolled in front of the tomb, and the soldiers were commanded to stand guard so no one would steal the body, (Mat. 27: 62-66).
Blessings!
Marked Elect
“The Suffering Savior ( Passion Week )”
The Triumphal Entry” of Jesus into Jerusalem is recorded in Matthew 21: 1-11. He curses the fig tree ( Mat. 21: 18-20), declaring it will never bear fruit again, and it actually withers at the roots!
Jesus “cleansing the temple” is recorded in Luke 19: 45-46, and the healings in Matthew 21: 14. His authority is again questioned in Luke 20: 1-8, and the lesson about God leaving His land to servants to keep while He went on a journey, and then sent his Son to reclaim it, and the killing of His Son is recorded in the parable of the two Sons. The parable of "wicked husbandman” ( Luke 20: 9-16) adds to the parable of the two sons, as does the parable of the “King’s Son” recorded in Matthew 22: 1-14. The “question of tribute money”, (Luke 20: 20-26), teaches us that believers should pay their taxes! The Sadducees question of the woman with seven husbands who had all died, and which of the seven would be her husband in Heaven was a trick to catch Jesus in a contradiction of The old Testament.
However, Jesus taught that there would be no need of marriages in Heaven, since there was no death there. There would be no procreation of children, as the population would always remain the same! (Luke 20: 27-40).
The “Great commandment” that we are to love God, our neighbor and one another is recorded in Mark 12: 28-34. Jesus taught the lesson about giving sacrifially as the widow gave her last mite in Luke 21: 1-4. He visited the Greeks ( John 12:20-36). He gives a parable of “The Ten Virgins” ( Mat. 25: 1-13), teaching that believers have to keep believing right until the end in order to be saved, and also the parable of “The Ten Talents.” ) Mat. 25: 14-30), again, teaching good stewardship. He then discusses judgment day in Matthew 25: 31-46, and in Matthew 26: 1-5, the unfolding of the plot of the Jews and Judas to capture Jesus is recorded. Luke 22: 7-13 records the preparation for the Passover meal, and Luke 22: 14-18 the actual meal itself, designating His traitor, Judas! Jesus then washes the disciple’s feet in Luke 22: 24-30, teaching humility for each other.
The Lord’s Supper is recorded in Luke 22: 19-20, and it is here that the new “Blood Covenant” is taught that by eating bread symbolically means eating Christ’s body, and drinking the wine symbolically would mean drinking His Blood which would be poured out for the remission of all sin to the Elect. Paul expounds on this Covenant in I Corinthians 11: 17-30, teaching that believers are to partake of the Bread and Wine at the Lord’s Supper looking back to His death on the Cross as a memorial in remembrance of the substitutionary sacrifice on the Cross for sin!
Jesus gives His final discourse recorded in John 14: 1-21, before His betrayal by Judas. The parable of the “True Vine” in John 15: 1-11, teaches that Jesus is the Vine, and the believers are only branches that cannot do anything on their own without Jesus! He gives the promise of sending “The Comforter” which is The Holy Spirit” and third person of the Trinity, ( John 16: 7-15).
That promise was actually given to the disciples who were to write the New Testament, He told them that after He left, He would send The Holy Spirit Who would remind them of all the things that had taken place in His ministry. His intercessory prayer recorded in John 17: 1-26, asks the Father for protection and guidance of ALL FUTURE believers, which INCLUDES US, of this day!
He prays that all the believers will be one as He is one, with the Father. The plan is, Jesus is in the Father, and the Father in Jesus, believers are one in Jesus, and He is in them, and The Holy Spirit dwells in each believer ( Romans 8:9) making the picture complete! Jesus agonizes in the garden ( John 18: 1), and the disciples cannot even stay awake while Jesus prays! Judas arrives with the soldiers to betray Him, ( John 18: 3-13), and in the argument, Peter cuts off the ear of one of the soldiers, but Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the ear! Jesus is brought to Ciaphas, the high priest for trial by His captors and tried, ( John 18: 15-18).
Peter denies Jesus three times, as was prophesied by Jesus! ( Mat. 26:58). Jesus is then brought before the Sanhedrin Council for further questioning ( Luke 22: 66-71), and finally before Pilate, who finds nothing wrong with Him, ( Luke 23: 1-5). Pilate then sent James to Herod who was anxious to see Him because of all he heard, and he even thought he might get Jesus to perform a few miracles for him, but Jesus would not do any miracles, or even answer any questions. ( Luke 23: 6-12).
Unable to find anything wrong with Jesus, Pilate attempts to have Him released, ( Mat. 27:24), but the Jews cry out “Crucify Him.” Pilate washes his hands of the responsibility, he thinks, ( Mat. 27:24), and then sentences Jesus to death, ( Luke 23:24). Jesus is mocked, spit upon and hit by His accusers, ( Mark 15:16-20). Judas cannot stand the guilt of his betrayal of Jesus, and he commits suicide, ( Mat. 27: 3-10; Acts 1: 18-19). Jesus is then led away to be crucified, ( Luke 23:26). A crowd followed Him, as He was dragging His own Cross up the hill to Calvary, and the women were openly weeping, ( Luke 23:27-31). Jesus is offered wine, of which He refuses, ( Mat. 27:34), and He is crucified on a cross, attached by nails holding His wrists and feet, ( Luke 23: 33-38). The soldiers cast lots for the garments of Jesus, ( John 19: 23-24). The Jews continue to mock Him, challenging Him to come down off the cross, if He is God! ( Mat. 27:39-43).
There are two thieves, one on each side of Jesus being crucified at the same time, and the thief on His right confesses Him as Lord, and asks Jesus to remember him when he gets to Heaven, Jesus accepts his faith, and exclaims that he would go to Paradise with Him that very day! ( Luke 23:39-43). This proves salvation can come with the last breath, where genuine is present! Jesus, in His dying moments, commends His mother to John to care for, ( John 25-27). Darkness comes over the full area, and Jesus, the Son of man, expires, ( Mat. 27:45-500. The veil of the temple is torn in two, from top to bottom, and many graves in the immediate area are opened with resurrections taking place! ( Mat. 27:51-53). The tearing of the veil in the temple covering the most holy place showed that, from that time on, everyone believing in the substitution sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and faith in His shed Blood for the remission of “their” sin, would have access to the Holy of Holies where the Father dwells, by faith! A Centurion, seeing these things happen, gives glory to God! ( Luke 23:50-53). A stone was rolled in front of the tomb, and the soldiers were commanded to stand guard so no one would steal the body, (Mat. 27: 62-66).
Blessings!
Marked Elect
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